Posts
Wednesday, October 12
POEMS
>>Naked Truth
don't be fooled by this glimmering gown
where you see beauty, intelligence, desire
that is only my convincing costume
but if you strip the personality down
off my shoulders, over my hips,
you may behold my naked nature,
obvious but hidden, I'm absolute bliss.
--Kamala Devi
>>Up-Close
Her eyelids
Look like lips
Her lashes like invitations
Extending out to be kissed
But not too brief,
Her stare is constant
Penetrating
While my longing
Limitless
--Kamala Devi
>>My Darling
Anticipation Escalating
from the base of my heels
crisscrossing my ankles,
calves, knees, thighs
up my bare back
One pearl at a time
'Till I meet you in my mind
--Kamala Devi
>>Did I hurt you?
I didn't mean to sink my freshly manicured acrylics into your jugular.
Perhaps next time you'll exercise a little more impulse control.
Keep your hands off my ass, I'll keep my nails out of your neck.
Are we agreed?
--Kamala Devi
>>Care-less
I sit before the absolute
and sense
she doesn't give a shit
how I live or die.
God simply is.
Ultimate choice is up to me
And instead of activating an existential crisis,
I flood
with overwhelming compassion
for the atheist.
--Kamala Devi
>>Enlightenment Is
Today, I took eating contemplation at a local café down the street.
Some punk kid with spiked hair saw me sitting alone and smirked.
Instead of averting my eyes, as would've been my stock response,
I looked back and really saw...
This is the work:
Being open to see...
The temple that the mind interprets as a café,
the buddha that the ego thinks is a threat,
The penetrating glimpse of God that almost went unnoticed.
-- Kamala Devi
>>Poetry spilling forth
like melody after a symphonic repose
Do I play the flute, or does the flute play me?
Can I be the servant to these sounds
which deliver me to supreme liberation?
----------------------------------------------------
Who is Typing
Words plucked from the river of collective consciousness and plopped down on
the page to dry, lest they float by, to be fished out by some downstream
poet, on some other clear day.
--Kamala Devi
>>suchness
there's no desire in the dance
it's moving, feeling, flowing into space
and suchness
there's nothing to want
each pregnent moment rolls forward offering fullness
delivering breath after breath and with each
the birth of possibility, forgiveness, and direct experience
--Kamala Devi
>>Free Falling
There's a place I know
Not far from here
where if you listen,
really listen
a little peice of earth cracks open
revealing heaven
and if you sit still enough
you just may slip through this crack,
falling upward into grace.
--Kamala Devi
>>Pleasure...
Seeking more pleasure.
Surging towards an end which does not exist.
And in the swirling rise and fall,
should you ride a crest so high it's confused for a climax,
Know there is no such pinnacle.
Only the starting point of another wave...
rushing towards more
pleasure.
--Kamala Devi
Sunday, October 2
LISTENING TO LOVE
“Tell me who you are.” I said to a multi-faith Monk who observed silence for several decades, and only resumed talking this year. In that moment, she revealed herself to me as The Supreme Listener. This experience inspired my current contemplation: What is Listening?
Listening brings connection to our world, compassion to our hearts and meaning to our existence. It's in the listening that people become more alive, clear, and beautiful. Listening can be an unburdening, a forgiveness, a witnessing, and/or a devotional service. Listening nurtures the soul, encouraging it to grow and blossom like the unfurling of a flower.
Self Assessment
* How well do I listen?
* Am I able to be present for my friends, family, lovers, teachers, children, acquaintances, and especially myself?
* Or are am I mind reading?
* Rehearsing what I’m going to say?
* Filtering out what I don’t want to hear? * How often do I change the subject?
* Do I daydream?
* Give advice?
* Look for ways of being right?
* Do I let the words go over my head
*or just land on the floor?
To Be a Better Listener
Listening is more than just shutting your mouth when another person is speaking. It’s far more rewarding than that. Listening is a tremendous gift to any fellow being. Humans yearn to be understood. These are basic human desires. Spontaneous psychological and spiritual growth results from simply being listened to. This is why therapists and coaches are becoming such sought-after professionals.
Following are some basic tips to help you experience more connection. If you find these practices difficult, you may need to get you're own needs met first. Consider hiring a coach or a therapist to model great listening and teach you the gift of how to give it back. True listening requires that you relax and set your own reactivity aside. Many people have not been listened to, especially throughout childhood, so naturally, their suppressed desire to be heard gets in the way of their ability to listen.
1. Pay attention. Focus on the content. Ask yourself while listening. What feelings, beliefs, thoughts, ideas, desires and concepts are being expressed?
2. Don’t interrupt. Inhibit your impulse to immediately interrupt, or jump in during a pause. Resist assuming you know what someone is about to say. (Even if you’re very psychic, it’s better to let someone come to their own conclusions than to tell them what they feel.)
3. Open your Mind. Listen as objectively as possible. You can be accepting and respectful whether or not you agree with what’s being said. Let go of your own agenda and avoid emotional involvement. Don’t judge. Deciding something is right or wrong only prevents you from really hearing, and robs your partner from being understood.
4. Body Language. Experts estimate at least 55% of the message is delivered with non-verbal signs. Eye contact is important. Face your partner and lean in so they know you’re intent on what they’re saying. Use head nodding and “ah” sounds only when it’s natural. Be careful not to cross your arms across your chest, this gives the message that you are not open to receive what’s being shared. Resist looking at your watch, or around the room while someone is sharing. A relaxed body is the best receiver.
5. Ask for clarification. If you are confused and know you do not understand, don’t pretend you do. Either ask your partner to say it another way, or use your best guess, feeding it back to them. If you are incorrect, the person will realize it and will naturally want to correct your misunderstanding.
6. Feedback what you’ve heard: To insure accurate understand repeat back what you think you heard the person say, either with exact words, or by paraphrasing. Try saying something like, “So, I hear you saying…” or “What I’m hearing is…” This process not only diffuses the most difficult situations, but fosters a profound feeling of compassion.
7. Show gratitude. Speaking can be vulnerable. Be sure to thank you’re partner for what they’ve shared. And thank them for just being themselves.
8. Practice. Practice. Practice. Even if you were born with the natural ability to listen, I invite you to take every possible opportunity to offer yourself to your fellow human beings and really hear what is being said. It’s with the intention of true connection that the joy of life unfolds. Listen to learn more about yourself. Listen as an act of loving. Listen for the sheer joy of listening.
Without the listening, there would be no music; no poetry, and no prayer.
Enjoy the dance,
Listening brings connection to our world, compassion to our hearts and meaning to our existence. It's in the listening that people become more alive, clear, and beautiful. Listening can be an unburdening, a forgiveness, a witnessing, and/or a devotional service. Listening nurtures the soul, encouraging it to grow and blossom like the unfurling of a flower.
Self Assessment
* How well do I listen?
* Am I able to be present for my friends, family, lovers, teachers, children, acquaintances, and especially myself?
* Or are am I mind reading?
* Rehearsing what I’m going to say?
* Filtering out what I don’t want to hear? * How often do I change the subject?
* Do I daydream?
* Give advice?
* Look for ways of being right?
* Do I let the words go over my head
*or just land on the floor?
To Be a Better Listener
Listening is more than just shutting your mouth when another person is speaking. It’s far more rewarding than that. Listening is a tremendous gift to any fellow being. Humans yearn to be understood. These are basic human desires. Spontaneous psychological and spiritual growth results from simply being listened to. This is why therapists and coaches are becoming such sought-after professionals.
Following are some basic tips to help you experience more connection. If you find these practices difficult, you may need to get you're own needs met first. Consider hiring a coach or a therapist to model great listening and teach you the gift of how to give it back. True listening requires that you relax and set your own reactivity aside. Many people have not been listened to, especially throughout childhood, so naturally, their suppressed desire to be heard gets in the way of their ability to listen.
1. Pay attention. Focus on the content. Ask yourself while listening. What feelings, beliefs, thoughts, ideas, desires and concepts are being expressed?
2. Don’t interrupt. Inhibit your impulse to immediately interrupt, or jump in during a pause. Resist assuming you know what someone is about to say. (Even if you’re very psychic, it’s better to let someone come to their own conclusions than to tell them what they feel.)
3. Open your Mind. Listen as objectively as possible. You can be accepting and respectful whether or not you agree with what’s being said. Let go of your own agenda and avoid emotional involvement. Don’t judge. Deciding something is right or wrong only prevents you from really hearing, and robs your partner from being understood.
4. Body Language. Experts estimate at least 55% of the message is delivered with non-verbal signs. Eye contact is important. Face your partner and lean in so they know you’re intent on what they’re saying. Use head nodding and “ah” sounds only when it’s natural. Be careful not to cross your arms across your chest, this gives the message that you are not open to receive what’s being shared. Resist looking at your watch, or around the room while someone is sharing. A relaxed body is the best receiver.
5. Ask for clarification. If you are confused and know you do not understand, don’t pretend you do. Either ask your partner to say it another way, or use your best guess, feeding it back to them. If you are incorrect, the person will realize it and will naturally want to correct your misunderstanding.
6. Feedback what you’ve heard: To insure accurate understand repeat back what you think you heard the person say, either with exact words, or by paraphrasing. Try saying something like, “So, I hear you saying…” or “What I’m hearing is…” This process not only diffuses the most difficult situations, but fosters a profound feeling of compassion.
7. Show gratitude. Speaking can be vulnerable. Be sure to thank you’re partner for what they’ve shared. And thank them for just being themselves.
8. Practice. Practice. Practice. Even if you were born with the natural ability to listen, I invite you to take every possible opportunity to offer yourself to your fellow human beings and really hear what is being said. It’s with the intention of true connection that the joy of life unfolds. Listen to learn more about yourself. Listen as an act of loving. Listen for the sheer joy of listening.
Without the listening, there would be no music; no poetry, and no prayer.
Enjoy the dance,
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