Saturday 7 November 2009

In contemplation...

It's been quite a while since I last posted. The challenge I expected, of keeping this up to date, is proving... challenging :)

Yet now seems to be the right moment to share something, unless that's simply my laziness speaking... who knows?

This morning I experienced a moment of what I can only describe as inspiration. I was actually hanging the laundry out! Earlier I'd been taking some photos in the garden and I was contemplating what I'd seen. One of the pictures was of a rose bud...

It was only later, in recollection and contemplation that something struck me. The promise of beauty that such a moment offers has its own unique beauty. In about five minutes I wrote this...

In contemplation

The promise of beauty holds a beauty of its own
Just see the end in the beginning
Just realise that the end is nothing more
Nothing less…
Thank a new beginning

Replete with promise, unique and wonderful
A fresh, exquisite beauty
As yet unseen, unrealised, unperceived
That can only enrich our lives and hearts
In ways unimagined

The beauty unfolds before our eyes
A renewed sense of wonder
Gained in contemplation… in realisation
Opens our hearts, our minds, our spirits
To the ever present wonders of life

A renewed sense of being emerges each time
Building afresh… anew
Yet somehow adding to what has gone before
To the depth of feeling that lies within
The essence of life… of love… is infinite

As I write this post more thoughts occur to me. Does the foreknowledge of how the rose will look affect the innate promise of beauty? Of course not, but it may (almost certainly does) affect my perception of it. Could I perceive the promise in the same way without knowing what the rose will soon look like?

About 5 minutes after finishing the poem above another thought occurred that gave rise to this...

Veils

Yet the veils of perception
We create for ourselves
serve simply to limit our vision
Our understanding… our experience

Alone…? Never. Together…? Perhaps
In harmony…? Always…
But only if… when… we reach out
With no expectations, no limitations

When arms are outstretched
In love, in hope, in joy
The harmony that uplifts all
Comes within reach of all

A gift to all… and all the world
That all can give
If only we can just let go
And simply be…

For some reason I felt this morning that I was in a place I hadn't been for a long time. Perhaps the contemplation of roses? I've always had a great fondness for roses. I often take the time in a literal sense to stop and smell the roses. There have been days when this has been a highlight in an otherwise bleak day. Whatever it was, I like it!! More please?

Yet again I found words within that I needed to write...


First Bloom

I feel but sadness
For those who have never known
The wonder
Of love’s first bloom

Love at first sight
Love sight unseen
The connection
Eternal… awaiting discovery

Unveiled in the first blush
Heart entrapped
A heaven that embraces
With infinitely sweet arms

Enrapt and caught forever
The ultimate surrender
Just love
Eternal yet always in bloom

I can't remember ever writing so much in such a short time. It was an interesting day. Prosaic apart from a short but intense few minutes in the morning.




Sunday 25 October 2009

Imperceptible moments

I finally had the luxury of spending some serious time in the gym yesterday and a few thoughts occurred to me. 

The most mundane of life’s moments can be transformed completely by music. Exercise is something that I enjoy but the addition of the right music lifts it to another level. Having not done any serious exercise for several weeks I found the experience very rewarding and part of the reason for that was the music. Which sparked the train of thought that led me here…

One of the things I love about music is it's ability to facilitate an emotional and/or spiritual connection to a deeper or higher place and I've never been sure that there is a difference between deeper and higher in this context. Which suggests that the "place" itself is both within ourselves and spiritual in nature, whatever "spiritual" is. 

I see spirituality as something beautiful within us all that despite, or perhaps because of, a complete lack of a true frame of reference to understand it, provides everyone with some degree and commonality of existence, nature and experience.

In the most mundane of settings music can help to create a moment of great beauty that is imperceptible to all but the one experiencing it.

Thursday 22 October 2009

The touch of the night

I was up at the Bahá’í Temple the other night and I wanted to try and capture the feeling of being there at night. I'm not entirely convinced that I got it... but certainly a little of it is captured here. In a way I like the first one more because of the sense of leading somewhere that is concealed, yet feels as if you just know it's going to be beautiful when you get there.






Thursday 15 October 2009

Reasons to be...

I'm not entirely sure that I should post this but I feel a need to do so. I'm not quite sure why...

I'd be very interested hear if anyone finds this too... too... something...

Rapture
My lips meet yours
Words die unspoken
A kiss... a moment unending
A rapture that stirs a yearning in my soul

My eyes alight upon your beauty
A breath that catches...
A heart that skips a beat in joy
A rapture that stirs a yearning in my soul

The curve of your face catches the evening sun
Eyes alive with love
Your smile takes my breath away
A rapture that stirs a yearning in my soul


Just...
Just to hear your voice
Just to touch your face
Just to hold your hand
Just to hold you close
Just to love you always

Monday 12 October 2009

Sunset Surprise

Sometimes life delivers delightful little surprises.

Tonight while I was having dinner I glanced up and out of the window I saw simply the most marvellous sunset.

I only had my phone with me, but since I'm not sure any picture I could have taken would have captured the glory of the moment it probably doesn't make much difference :)







Friday 9 October 2009

Musing on the train

It's an interesting process to go through. I started this blog last night and it seems that this simple has of itself has engendered a subtle shift in perspective. I'm somehow a little more aware of the opportunity (chance/privilege??) to see and share the beauty around me everyday.

A case in point: I'm sitting on a train to the city. It starts raining. It's not particularly warm. Yet in the midst of this 
mundanity there is always wonder!

The knowledge of the life the rain brings. Or simply the pattern of rain drops on the window. Even the rhythm of the train as it trundles along.

It seems to me that by sharing these thoughts and perspectives with others my own sense of wonder is getting reinvigourated. It's a wonderful and totally unexpected synergy! 


Thursday 8 October 2009

...and so it begins :)

I wasn't sure for a long time whether or not to write this blog. In the end I was convinced that its something I want to commit myself to.

So why am I here?
The motivation behind this blog is that I want to share, with whoever is interested, the beauty I see in the world. Through writing, through pictures, through music. The beauty I see in life and the world around me is one of the things that keeps me going when things are not ideal, and something that lifts me even more when things are going well.

As I was was thinking about this blog the other day I stumbled across something I jotted down a few months ago and forgot. A little poem written in a brief moment of inspiration:
A tear shed in joy
Lifts a moment that remains
Forever here
Forever now
Fresh and verdant as tomorrow
The promise of spring
The fulfilment of summer
Embraced as one

It seemed to be a good place to start this off.

It remains to be seen if I can maintain the commitment to continue sharing my little glimpses of beauty :)