In This Moment.

Looking out the window,

the sky is blue. 

A drill screeches in the background.

It fails to drown out,

the hum of unceasing traffic noise,

whizzing along the winding river. 

The frangipani is in blossom.

The leaves of trees,

wave to a passing fly. 

And it's all perfect,

in this moment.😊

I am Responsible!

I am responsible,

for everything in my life. 

But I am only capable,

of doing a certain amount. 

But as I express,

unlimited responsibility,

for everything in my life. 

What I'm capable of doing, 

expands and grows. 

A Little Bit.

Better to do a little bit,

a lot,

than a lot, 

a little bit. 

Acceptance is the Key.

If we accepted people 

the way they are. 

If we treated them, 

the way we would 

want to be treated. 

Life would be a lot simpler.😊

Her Songs of Love.

The Sun bows 

and kisses her good morning

and at every dusk,

he kisses her good night.

The moon washes over her,

at every twilight, 

with a beam of pure delight.

The wind, teases her hair 

and tries to needle her, 

into a fight.

But deep beneath her skin, 

she's as calm as a breathless midnight.

Deep within her darkest shadows,

there, beats the pulse of her inner light.

Of her wonders I will never tire 

and her majesty will forever inspire.

Her beauty is not only skin deep,

it's a beauty that soothes us to sleep. 

Love or Hate

The forgiver 

and the forgiven. 

The punisher 

and the punished. 

Love or hate,

put down or elate. 

Our Choice.

It's totally our choice! 

We can beat ourselves up 

and not feel that we're worth it 

or we can open our arms 

and know, we deserve it. 

Fade Away...

I wonder, 

if the eyes are like a camera,

who takes the photos?

Some pictures are that distressing,

that we can't just push a button to delete but slowly they fade away. 

Some pictures are that beautiful,

that we can't erase them

but they too slowly fade away. 

But some pictures,

are more than just an image. 

And they aren't just a memory. 

They're locked up with smells and tastes 

and feelings. 

Some pictures we re-take every day

and they'll never fade away. 

We'll cherish them and treasure them,

until it's us who fades away. 

Grow

What's the single, 

largest thing,

that stands in the way 

of our growth? 

Us!!!

Growth

If an egg is broken from the outside, 

the life inside ends 

but when the egg is broken 

from the inside, life begins. 🐣😊

No Limits

Trip the light fantastic

and burn the candle at both ends. 

Push life to the very limits

and give it everything you've got. 

Maybe we'll  find that there are no limits, 

and there's no limit to what we've got. 

Better to burn out trying, 

than to lie around and rot. 

  

  

Simple

 

    Keep your life simple,

    so you can concentrate on the detail. 

Anything's Possible

Doubts eats us  

and fears deplete us. 

Worries gnaw

but faith ignores. 

When you have faith in this world 

and that God is in you. 

When you have faith in your worth 

and this birth 

and the worth of all births. 

Then anything's possible 

and that includes your self.

Anything's possible,

as you realize your wealth.  

 

The Unpredictable

What can we predict?

What can we control?

When we go with the flow, 

we have a chance to grow. 

When we fight the unpredictable,

we might miss those little miracles!!! 😊

One Day.

    Remember when you could walk to school backwards and no one would say a word.

    Remember when you could fall asleep in the back of Dad's car, coming back from the Sunny coast.

    Remember when you could watch ants and grasshoppers and lizards all day and no one worried about where you were.

    You could make funny noises, wear your shirt inside out, pretend to have a bath and you seemed to get away with it all. 

    You got 10 weeks off a year, worked six hours a day, got a big lunch and little lunch and every  weekend off.

    Everything came in paper bags, no one ever mentioned artificial  additives or artificial  colors. Vegetables were your mortal enemy and lollies, ice cream and soft drinks were your best friends.

    You could behave badly at a party  and the next day,  no one would say a word. 

     Dogs and parks, sticks and rocks were your world.

     You didn't know what day it was

 and you didn't care if you were late. 

    You'd  spend what seemed like hours, hanging around girly stuff, in shops with your Mum. Almost losing your mind, until she mentioned a banana milkshake. 

     Your parents seemed to be on a different diet every other week (compliments of New Idea or Women's Weekly). And well done lambs liver, had me seriously contemplating, running away from home.                   

     I remember all of this with a smile and I wonder at what memories my boys will treasure, when they grow up, one day.

     

Growing.

Smiling keeps you sweet. 

Challenges keep you strong. 

Sorrows teach you compassion. 

Lessons keep you humble. 

Love keeps you glowing

and faith keeps you growing. 

How To Play the Game!!!

    

    Take up new and good habits, 

ones that will purify the body and mind. 

    Detach from outcomes 

and focus on what you do well, 

to the best of your ability!!! 

    Slowly your bad habits will recede,

as you give them less attention.

    You're not the mind or the body,

you're the conscience. 

   You must control the body and mind
 and focus on the goal. 

    What is it you wish to achieve,

for your sense of well being? 

   Love your self, be gentle with your self 

but firm and be kind to those around you '
'A life of service is a life of greatness.'

   You've got to crave for a better life. 

And that craving, has got to be bigger,
than those cravings,

that can pull you off the path.

Standing Alone.

Standing alone on that hilltop,

all those years ago,

I'm sure I felt your silence,

I'm sure I understood,

your timelessness.

I was overwhelmed by the peace,

that imbued the hauntingly,
undefinable, symmetry,

of your raw essence. 

My heart flew open,

to the reality of your non-existence,

the beyondness of you.

Later,

cocooned in the oceans expanse, 

of your briny cobalt blue. 

I hear only the crackle,

of sandy seabed below,

and the passing waves overhead.

Beyond that, 

the distant cries of seabirds,

float,

above the eerie, 

unerodable stillness...of you...

and I know you're here to. 

As a small child,

I fell often, into a noiseless,

peaceful space,

absorbed in my own doing and being.

In my teens,

I remember walking along this deserted,
windswept coastline,

on a wet and cloudy, 
dark gray day.

I felt so alone.  

Not a sad alone, 

but a searching for meaning alone.

Surrounded by your majesty,

the jagged and torn brutality,

of your creation. 

I knew you were close.

The wind drowned out,

all but your silence,

stinging my lungs,

with salty, sea-drenched spray.

My sandy footprints, 

erasable proof of my short odyssey,

meandered eccentrically behind me.

It's absorbed in your vastness,

your wildness,

I'm most aware of your closeness.

My thoughts get lost,

in the indescribable depths,

of your nothingness,

your everythingness .

Now, 

gazing up into the black felt darkness,

of the new moons night,

sprinkled with starry pinpricks of bright, silvery-light, 

I'm spellbound.

Hypnotized,

by this immeasurable pincushion,

of star-filled, 

moonless night,

I sense the smallness of my plight.

Encircled by your overwhelming, 

awe-inspiring, boundlessness,

I am lost in the pure indulgence,

of your might.

You have delivered me back,

to my true nature,

by the realization of your grand nature.

You have delivered me back,
to my true nature,
by the realization of your selfless nature.

 

Now, 

immersed in your great ocean of truth, my searching has ended.

Curled up tightly,

in your sheltering womb,

I'm sleeping ever so soundly,

dreaming of a song sung so sweetly....

Who's Right? Who Cares?!!

Are you always right?

Yes, no, maybe?

Is the other person always right?

Yes, no, maybe?

Why do we always argue?

Is it to prove, we're always right?

Who sreeches at us incessantly,

that we're right, so self-righteously?

Who cares?

That's our ego, slashing a path,

through 'The Jungle of Drama and Separation."

Who asks us, just once,

very quietly and firmly, 

is it worth the trouble?

Is it worth the fight?

Is it worth the hurt?

Am I standing up for righteousness,

or is it my self-indulgent, me?

That's our conscience,

speaking softly through us. 

Trying to flow gently, 

down 'The River of Peace and Harmony.'

So who, do we listen to?

Who's right? 

Who cares!? 😊

God is Your Best Friend.

God is your best friend. 

Do you treat him like your best friend?

Do you share everything with him

and never forget him?

If all you ever offer him,

is your love, 

you'll never be in need. 

If all you ever offer him,

is your sweetness. 

You'll see your vices will recede.

God's in everyone 

and everyone's in him. 

When we treat everyone, 

with this respect. 

And know that all,

are from His seed. 

Then nothing can hurt this friendship,

that is based on love

and not on greed. 

Competition.

Compete against 

what you accomplished 

and who you were yesterday. 

Now!!!! 

His One Great Desire.

    His one great desire, was to see Ganga merge back, into the salty, briny, Bay of Bengal. A seed had been planted in the young boys mind, many years earlier. Tales told around a blazing fire, by his Guru, of past adventures.

     His Guru's Hermitage was nestled in, by the banks of the mighty river. He listened to her rushing by in the Spring, as the snows melted. For the rest of the year she was mostly quiet. 

       He had travelled north with his Master, up to Dev Priyag and the 4 Dhams but quietly to himself, he imagined the cities she travelled through, as She journeyed east. He fantasised about where she loved the most. 

      He saw the river as a great allegorical confirmation of love, it never ends, it's always flowing and it comes from above. 

      When his Master passed away suddenly, he remembered the river and the great message She had taught him. His grief was brief, as he could see that his Master had merged and become everything. 

     His Guru's last request was to be taken back to his Gurus resting place and to be buried there beside him.

     He had spent almost 3 years tending to his Masters Samadhi. Here, he had watched over his Guru's resting place, with great love and devotion.

     He kept a diya lit at all times. Day and night, he had done severe tapas and pennance, in this harsh and remote landscape. For 3 years he had been immersed in a trance of devotion. Now he felt the time was right, to depart and make his way along Ganga, down to where, she merged back into the ocean. Taking with all the blessings from the thousands of souls that worshipped her Divinity. 

       It was a dream he'd spent many nights playing out in his mind, as he waited to fall asleep. 

       He passed through the city of lights and trekked on foot and by boat, right down to the ancient, ruined, sprawl of Calcutta. Here he visited Dhakshineshwar Temple and Ma Kali. Close by, he stopped at a cremation ground. Here, he fell into a blissful, divine, ecstasy,

      He danced and sang ecstatically all through the night and well into the morning. The aunties  from the nearby village. looked after him. They fed him and clothed him and sheltered him. He never felt hunger but they fed him anyway. He never asked for a thing but he indulged their loving hearts, to their loving hearts content. It was here, he spent the best part of two years, lost to the world, in pure, being, awareness and bliss. Sat Chit Anandam.

       Devotee's had started to gather around, this bright, shining light. He would dance and sing and tell stories, most nights or he would sit as silent as a ghost, before the raging fire. He would bless them and guide them and answer their simple questions. 

     When he felt it was time to return home, he never looked back but he carried that place back, with him. But never spoke of that time, to anyone again.

   

The Five Elements.

We have to let go,

of all of our worries

and throw them into the Fire. 

Then we must throw the ashes,

from the cleansing Fire,

Into the laundering Wind,

or into the deep blue Sea. 

Or we could return them to the Earth,

that's beneath our humble feet. 

And then we just have,

to wait and see. 

For we will have created a Space within,

to let the Sunshine in. 

We will have opened the door,

to our hearts,

as we go further and further Within. 

And the rest is up to Him. 

Don't Stop!

Don't ever interrupt,

what I've sent you here to do. 

Once you've realized what it is,

once you've picked up on my clues. 

Don't stop,

don't drop the ball,

don't interrupt the play. 

Keep going,

keep growing

and listen to everything I say.     

Don't analyze each and every moment,

don't overthink every single thing. 

Just trust in every moment

and realize you're a part,

of every living thing. 

Not everything is for your pleasure,

not everything is for your joy. 

There's no time to chase after treasure

and thers no time to live a life of leisure. 

In this one single pregnant breath,

breathe in to this love that you are. 

My form is that very love,

I'm in you,

not the heavens and stars. 

Union

Our thoughts must inspire us, 

along with words,

that lights a fire in us. 

Then our actions fulfill,

this picture, of truth. 

When our thoughts aren't of service, 

then our heart, 

she desserts us 

and our actions aren't discerning,

a thing. 

When our thoughts only help 

and our heart can be felt, 

then our hands only quest is for truth. 

Yesterday has Gone.

Yesterday has gone,

no need to worry and mourn. 

No good from this,

was ever born, 

from worrying  about what has gone.

Gods Grace and Determination.

          Some people keep everything to themselves. Others share what they want you to hear and what they have to spare. 

        Then there a few special souls in this world, who will give you the shirt off there back. All the money in their wallet and all the food from their fridge.

         Those rare and beautiful souls, if you're  fortunate enough to meet, you never let go. You never let them down, you never try and keep them bound.

        You just hold on tight and don't give up the fight. 

       A little, will change, with a little faith and patience but it all could change with Gods grace and our determination.. .

Being God

When we get out of the way 

of being us, 

there's just God,

being God.

A Tree Breathes for Us.

A tree won't grow to its full size, 

if it's planted in the wrong spot. 

Same way, 

we too won't grow to our full potential,

 if we're not in the right space. 

We might not be keeping,

the right company 

or we're hanging on,

to negative thoughts and bad habits. 

We might be hanging on to the past, stuck with our fears 

and doubts and worries. 

All these things will keep us root bound and undernourished.

Exposed to the emotional rip, 

that will drag us out to sea 

and leave us to drown, 

in our own self pitying regrets. 

A trees duty is to shade 

and to nourish the soil around itself. 

To provide a shelter and a home to whomever needs it 

and to purify the air around itself. 

This is its nature 

and it performs its duties selflessly. 

We too must must honor our duties 

and our nature 

and perform them selflessly. 

We come from the 5 elements 

and we must all return to the 5 elements and in between,

we must follow our true nature. 

Our lungs must breathe in the purity and breathe out the purity.

Our eyes must receive light 

and give light. 

Our tongue must taste the nectar 

and share the nectar.

Our ears must hear the blessings 

and hear our blessings.

We must feel grateful 

and share the gratefulness. 

Our nose must smell only the sweetness and expel the rest,

without judgement.

 

This is the way to love,

from love, in love. 

   

First Love

You're my first love in the morning 

and my last love of the night. 

You stole my heart,

without much warning. 

I never put up much of a fight. 

All worries are asleep in your heartbeat. 

All fears melt away at your sight. 

All wants disappear without heartache. 

All aspirations are ready to take flight. 

Within

Eventually this body will need glasses,

 to help it see.  

Same way, we will eventually need a Guru, to help us see. 

Once we start to look within. 

In Us

 The Sun feeds us and warms us 

but if we get too close, 

it will burn us. 

But we can never get too close to God,

for He is in us.

On the Mend.

It's quiet on the home front,

there's not much chatter in this head. 

An emptiness has overtaken me 

and it's descended on me like lead. 

I had the deepest meditation  

and it's stayed with me all day. 

This grateful soul feels so well fed, 

for this journey has put me,

in such good stead.

I feel in step with Mother Nature. 

I don't feel no more that awful dread,

that I'd get sometimes, 

lying alone in bed.

It seems instead,

that I've gone for the thing,

that goes unsaid. 

I've fallen in love with silence

and this heart, 

she's on the mend. 

Liberation

   The habits of procrastination and frustration, will never give us any salvation. 

   Only the path of purification and renunciation, will lead to liberation.

The World Stopped and Love Moved In Chapter V

    There was a feeling of desperation in the seething press of bodies, it was like an English soccer crowd 5 minutes from the full time hooter.

   The air was thick, with the sweet scent of Jasmine and incense, and hung like fog above our heads. 

    The white marble floor was slippery as ice. Being on crutches and one leg, gave you no right of way in India. As we shuffled through the waves of pilgrims, we served as a shield, to protect Sai Saileshwara and his crutches, from the frenzy of over-zealous pilgrims.  

     It was morning and already the heat pressed in around us, as oppressively as the crowd. We were in Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi.  Standing on the western bank of India's holiest river, the Ganges. Varanasi is the oldest surviving city in the world and is the cultural capital of this ancient land. 

     It is in the heart of this grand, old relic of a city, that there stands in its fullest majesty, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. 

      Enshrined within its walls is the Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva, Vishweshwara or Vishwanatha. Millions of People from all around the world travel here for a glimpse of the Jyotirlinga. 

      For a second time on this pilgrimage, Sai Saileshwara and I were separated from the boys.  

      The head priest caught sight of Sai Saileshwara and beckoned us forward. My heart skipped a beat.  We left the swarm behind us and were ushered into the inner sanctum, where laid the Jyotirlinga. We knelt down before the linga and were allowed to physically wash this ancient, sacred stone.

     We were in one of India's most well known and most exalted temples.  A temple that has been visited by so many famous Saints such as - Adi Shankacharya, Guru Nanak, Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami Vivekananda, Tulsidas and so many more. They have all come to kneel, before this sacred lingam. 

       And here we were amongst such auspicios company and immersed in total bliss. I felt like I could be washing Lord Shiva's actual feet. 

       The police behind us, brutally beat off a few adventurous pilgrims, as they tried to reach through and touch the Linga, through an opening in the wall. 

        It was just a few brief seconds but most of our precious moments are. 

       We were the only ones allowed through that day, what a privelge. It was one of those moments, where time stops still and another dimension opens and closes in around you. All my senses were heightened and focusing totally on the Lingam, everything else was as if a mist had descended over me, shrouding everything else from view. 

        It reminded me of a similar moment years before in Dev Prayag, where again the world stopped and love moved in. 

      We were treated like VIP's everywhere we went. Doors were opened and heads were bowed and and the experience was always profound. 

      I'm so grateful to have had those times with my Guru. I'll never understand the mystery of this enigmatic character. I just love him, as simply and as truly as I can. 

       He always looks innocent to the design. Just happy, like a child who loves his mother and knows that she will always take care of her children.

 

The Darkest Hour.

 

It was in the darkest hour,

of the darkest night, 

that I lost myself to doubt.

So much expectation,

for it all to be just right. 

For it all to be just perfect 

and so happy and so bright. 

But from darkness came light,

as I became aware of my plight. 

As I became aware of my fight,

to solve it and put everything right.

I realized I was trying to unravel,

something that cannot be solved.

Life is not a puzzle,

but a mystery that evolves.

We have to let go of all our worries 

and throw them into the fire. 

Then throw the ashes to the wind,

or into the deep blue sea.

Or  bury them in the moist brown earth

and then you wait and-see.

We'll have created a space within,

to let the sun shine in. 

We'll have opened the door to our hearts, 

as we go deeper and deeper within.