Garden of Tranquility

The speed of your car is all that consumes you with your destination compelling this.  You are late for some important appointment.

Your phone rings, and you may be in the conversation of your dreams with someone present, and still the ring compells you to answer.

Your computer crashes, and all you can do is think that your world is coming to an end.

The economy troubles you, and you are stirred with economic woes-  the loss of a job or fear of its loss, or taxes that seem too high, the the objects that must be bought, no matter how far in debt you may be because of it. 

You are troubled by your social status, or the marks on an exam- the school that may admit you or not, the way others perceive you, what have you accomplished professionally, or what you may have created or not.

These are but a few of our concerns that take us away from our tranquility.  They are not without merit, but they pull us away from the center of our being in so far as they compell us to forget the wonder of being alive.  

I want to share this extraordinary music and accompanying series of photos that I discovered on UTube, and I want to share why. 

I was exploring the site for a melody that come to me one late night as i listened to a TV station dedicated to film music.  My heart was filled with all sorts of concerned, and my mind not at peace.  And then came this melody that at once felt like a gorgeous haunting and the serenade of a compassionate angel that touched my heart gently, knowing that tenderness, and a resonance with at once with the sorrow and joy of being in this world was a healing balm.  I found it again on UTube- the music of James Newton Howard from the film “The village” – It was a gift.  For in its unfolding was something that reached so deeply into what was awesome in being at once a spiritual and corporal being, that life in its briefness and its unending promise is so moving, echoed in the words of Wordsworth saying that there for thoughts that “lie too deep for tears.” 

Something wonderful happened in this evening’s search:  the music was matched to splendid images of nature, introduced by the words that include- “Love Nature, Stay close to Nature- it will never fail you.”  There is so much that I want to say about these words, this music, and this awesome discovery I encountered:   With all I have been doing, I have lost touch with what Inayat Khan called “The Music of Life”  and its reverberation throughout all of nature.  More- the concerns of my life, although important, were not being illuminated by the reality of the Nature of which I, of which all of us are a part.  Through all of the attention that I had been paying to the solutions for the search for Serenity, I had forgotten these pathways to understanding, to spirit, to Being fully present and connected- the images of the wider living world and the sounds that are also a part.  Here was the music composed by what could only be called and understanding and tender heart, and here, unfolding before me the photographs captured by other human beings who shared their experience, their vision of what was so beautiful in the world of nature. 

We have lived for so long, out of the rhythm of nature, even out of the rhythm of our hearts- literal and emotional- and here was a breathtaking pause I had stumbled into that was a gift, a kind of mini sabbath in a long and complex day. 

There is so much I want to share about this with you.  Please watch as I share more about the connection of this music, these images, the words of the poet Wordsworth, and the treasures in a life which must be filled with compassion and creativity, with nature and its connection with love.  Until then, please listen to this, and view these lovely images- take a look briefly at what there is to see in this world of nature.  Please write and share your experience with me and with all, and may we begin a new journey together as we nurture a garden of tranquility- a new sense of what Eden must have been like

Here is the link-  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzAhubIwQDY

Enjoy the journey, and savor the poetic strains of music while you embrace nature.

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          During my last sharing, I talked about letting go – letting go of preoccupations that fill all the spaces in our lives so that there leaves no room for reflection, discovery, creation.   We explored how conflict can fill our minds and our being so that it is difficult to experience peace, calm, joy.  We explored how even the most noble, the most rewarding experiences, tasks, goals, and responsibilities can serve to keep us from experiencing silence, and the anxiety of that empty space- the unknown before us, the unknown worlds within us.  It is scary, sometimes terrifying to leave before us that room, and so we quickly find something to take up our time and attention in order not to feel that dread, and what appears perhaps to be an emptiness looming before us.  We talked about what we are missing from not taking that risk- that even though much of what we experience seems gratifying, or soothing, we can lose that opportunity to hear something that is deeper that our fear, farther than our dread, something that is precious, lying there, in the center of our being.  That is our own true voice, our bright but sometimes frightened spirit that has gone into hiding to protect itself- an action that was born of necessity at one time, but that now deprives us of a truer sense of what we are, of our wholeness, of our greater potential as human beings

.   What I proposed was making space by letting go- letting go of an activity or preoccupation or involvement in something that absorbs us.   It could be related to letting go of some social time, or work time, or anything at all.  We can grasp powerfully onto an organization, an activity, a ritual, a pastime that may be exhausting us.  Or we may grasp onto those things which give us pleasure or solace or a sense of purpose.  I am never nor could I ever suggest the elimination of purpose or pleasure or solace or giving.   What I am suggesting is that there is a need for that empty space in time so that we may listen to and experience our own being.   That I believe is what is connected to the spiritual practice of the Sabbath- a time taken out of all others to reflect on who we are, what has meaning, and what deeper needs and dreams and healing and vision do we need to perceive?   I am suggesting that in our world, even when a “rest”  or “Sabbath” is declared, there may be no such thing occuring.  I am suggesting that we may declare that this is what we are providing for ourselves, but truly, there is still no true space, or reflection, or room for us to experience the inner voice that needs to be heard.   Truly, I am not suggesting that there are no people who use these words or resting periods to make room for reflecting on deeper meaning in life.  What I am saying is that in our world, it is very difficult to experience this because of the demands from without and within us, and that we need to help one another as we strive to find that place in our lives where we truly can listen, where we can continue to find ourselves, our vision, our purpose, our ecstasy.  

 What is that ecstasy?  It is the experience of being truly alive in our own skins, in sensing the world around us, in discovering our own true being so that when we interact with the world around us, we are truly engaged.  How do we get to that experience of ourselves, of the world? We must go where we have dreaded to go but where we have longed to go- into the silence that is that deep ocean of being within us, where we fear there is emptiness, but where under that sense of emptiness and aloneness there is a sea of being so full of life and wonderment and discovery- the true nature of who we were when we were born, the true nature of who we are.  How can we begin to make this fearful journey, this awesome journey?  By letting go of something we were grasping so that we may take another hand that may lead us into a new world. 

 What do I mean by this?  Recently I had the wonderful experience of creating a CD that can be found in the Dream Market on the website.   It was the “dream”  of mine to create a journey in words and music, taking others into a journey through sound into various visions of the natural world.  I called it “The Journey to Serenity.”  As I listened to what seemed to me to be a symphony of music, with its own “movements”- music provided by a friend so that I might create this experience for others, apparitions of natural wonders revealed themselves to me- I let myself into wherever the music took me, and soon I traveled over meadows, on lakes, through forests, over hills, before waterfalls and I swam within the pools the waterfalls made.  What made this possible for me I realize, was a loving push a friend gave me- “Let’s do it now- this week!”   I had talked about it for weeks and months, and never found the time, truly, never made the time to let the music into my being, and to allow my voice to be heard, to allow the journey to begin.  Yet what was miraculous was that it finally did happen, and I realized a dream.  And that happened because my friend reached out his hand to me- by lending me this music, by giving me his presence and his skill as he recorded what came forth from me.  I approached the unknown where the threshold of silence met the reality of the sound of my voice and the expression of my own spirit.  And what I realize now is that it happened because he reached out his hand, and I let go of my resistance to find it.  And it was all created as I was imagining that my own hand was reaching out to yours, so that I might take you on this journey with me.  It was in letting go of the comfortable, trusting in another to be with me, and discovering my own desire to reach out and bring others with me through the worlds I discovered inside me, reflections of worlds I had seen and worlds I have dreamed of seeing.- it was in this that I found incredible joy, and a sense of being alive.   I invite each one of you to allow the silence so that you may hear your own voice.  I invite all of us to hear the call of our own voice so that we may call out to another human being who may reflect back to us the nature of our own dreams.  Then may we take the chance of letting go something of the past that we may take a new hand, and create visions of a new world for ourselves.  Then may we reach out to others to take them with us into a new world of serenity, beauty, adventure, and tranquility.   There we will transcend our aloneness, our emptiness, and find that we are whole, alive, and in good company with the rest of humanity.

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      In this season of increasing light in the Northern Hemisphere when the summer Solstice is approaching and the days are at their longest, so we look now at the illumination of the sunlight on the  truth of our lives as we truly experience them.  We are going to be looking at what we hold onto- how we struggle between holding on, and sometimes, letting go our overwhelming schedules, lives, preoccupations, in order to allow a space for hearing our own voices, creating the opportunity to really experience ourselves, the world around us, to reclaim that sense of wonder we were born with when our senses were alive.   Remember when we did not yet know the world had expectations of us, and all was awe and wonder and discovering our senses, and the things around us and the mystery of relationships?  Remember back to when our imaginations could take shape in the space we were allowed play, and dreaming? 

  I am beginning this journey in the following sharings, as I explore with you how we are bound- by daily routines, by expectations from all around us, and most difficultly, those expectations within us that are automatic that are bound up with judgements, conscious or not.  I am not simply talking about what is our true sense of responsibility that keeps us in a sense of wholeness with the world and with ourselves, although when these thoughts fill every waking and dreaming space in our lives they too can leave us little room for growing, for wonder, for peace. 

 I am talking about filling every moment with activity, with duty, with talk, with every imaginable occupation, so that, even though each one of these things may have value, there is no space in which we may hear our own voice.  For so many reasons we fill our days and nights, sometimes with a sense of conscious or unconscious desperation not to experienice that space.  that is something that I wish to share with you my readers., and to invite your to share with me and with each other.  In our world of busyness, and great technonological advance, we begin our days with work, then errands with or for others, home and tasks to follow, checking e-mails, text messages, phone calls, then answering them, then some television late at night which is an attempt to settle down, and we fall asleep only to be awakened to an alarm and the sound of the TV that never was turned off.  The day begins again.  A weekend may follow, which is filled with many things, many enjoyable.  But whether that which we fill our lives with is called work or play, it may be used to keep us from feeling the pain or fear of that space which long ago we as children began to experience as too difficult. In those open spaces we re-experience our sense of aloneness, and anxiety, and emptiness.  This is not to call an;y of what we do to fill those spaces without merit, without benefit to us or to others.  Rather, there are so many “shoulds” that come from around us and within us, that are held onto because we fear those empty spaces in our experience.  I have struggled with this and know so many who have.  There has been a refusal to let go of overwhelming scheduling, activity or preoccupation that has at its root the goal of creating a sense of wholeness and calm.  Yet in this attempt, and keeping the pace we do,  it in fact prevents us from hearing the voice within it that truly may be soothed, the spirit that cries our for recognition of the needs it once had and still has, the inner fear that will not let our solitary voice be heard by us, lest it seem too lonely, lest we feel too empty.  Yet it is this protective intent that keeps us from hearing that child within us that may be truly soothed –  that being that is still feeling awe at being alive, that creative person that has not yet discovered what he or she is capable of, what he or she can explore, enjoy.  In these spaces that we may allow ourselves to experienced, we may truly see the candle we light, the song we play, feel the air around us, and see the wonder that is the color blue in the sky or the sea.  REcently I was engaged in  a wonderful organization in a program that demanded, in order for it to be experienced completely a great deal of time and psychic energy.  There was so much that mattered to me before this began, that I had committed to.  There was so much I yearned to explore within my own creative reach as an artist, a psychotherapist, a spiritual leader, a singer, a writer that I had promised. There was and is so much I want to bring to you all on this website, and within its blog.  I did not want to give up anything at all, not at all.  Many voices came to bear, as I struggled, and realized that here in an intense version was what I had created my whole life- a world without the space to hear the voice within.  Not at all times of course, yet the pull was always there.  I could not be, because of this program, off that phone or my e-mail hardly at all.  I struggled for weeks, and the voices of loving and well-intentioned people said, “how could I go- I would be running away.”  Yet at this side of the struggle I said, painfully and with a sense of loss, “no.” This was a word hardly ever in my vocabulary.  It was as though literally I was holding the hands of the people who wanted me to stay, touching their fingers, holding on at the last, and then, I let go..   I had never learned to let go as a child, for I as with so many was not encouraged to do so and was not assured that if I ventured forth into the world I could be trusted with my own judgement, and that I would be loved for sure if I forged my own unique way.  There was fear in my home, and discord, and love as well for which i am grateful.  But I was always very much afraid, and told that while I had the talent, thinking of myself was “selfish.”  I did not want to think only of myself- indeed, I wanted to be a contributing part of community, as I believe we all really do- to be there for others.  So overhwhelming was this in fact that I became an adult who wavered between being wholly involved with the needs of others   and withdrawing- to get a sense of rest and wholeness I did not know how to ask for.

In the days to come, there will be stories and experiences shared, ideas explored, and resources and tools for the journey I invite you all on- a journey through whatever stands in the way of your making the peaceful space wherein lies  your true tranquility, your true vision for making it an ongoing part of your life.  I am discovering that past that fear, that terror of aloneness, that anxiety over loss of others, with support and understanding as your own journey is gone through lies a quiet, a place where you can reclaim your own true spirit, and be truly serene as you share in love and authenticity with others the wonder of who you really are and embrace them and all of life and what it holds for you.

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With excitement and joy, I am so happy to tell you all about a dream that I have nurtured and that has become reality.  For a very long time, I have wanted to join my heart with my voice and with music, to take others on a journey through a world that would contain images of nature, of color, sound and joy- of breathing, dancing, swimming, and embracing the natural world, and the wonder of being alive.  For more than a year, I was in discussion with a dear friend- a musician, music therapist and entirely wonderful and nurturing friend, Larry Carlson (musictherapyreadio.com) who has been a stand for my realizing in my life what has mattered me- sharing the vision of a new world for everyone, through the arts, through community, through a deep faith in what is possible if we draw on the resources within us and around us.  As one who has procrastinated, I have struggled over things often dreamed of but never done.  I know how this can knaw at one’s thoughts, and cause regret.  He had presented me with music to listen to, so that I might be inspired to envision the guided meditation I always wanted to create for others, and in so doing, express my deepest wishes for us to have a wonderful life journey- all of us.    I had this music for months in a drawer.  Then as we were discussions what we wanted to do in our lives with what we loved, he said, “Let’s do it!  Let’s make that recording this week!”   That sense of “now” from such a friend was what I needed.   The date was set, and then I played the music.  I had fought this, but once I heard the melodies, the variations, Scenes of nature, came to me.   Each new section of music suggest a different direction, different part of a story, am imaginary journey through a day, starting from a warm and secure home base, out into the world of nature– through meadow, forest, lake, stream, waterfall, garden, and home again- through a night of healing sleep, and awakening to a new day!   As I was in the recording studio, my own journey began, and was made possible by being with the music, my own inner vision, and the knowledge that I was taking others with me.  It is with gratitude that I now celebrate the introduction of the creation that resulted from this wonderful experience- my new guided meditation cd, “Journey to Serenity.”  It can be found on this website in the “Dream Market” section, just posted today and available to everyone.   Thank you everyone, all readers who come to this site, who continue to explore what is here on my blog, and those who share.  I cannot tell you all how much it has meant to be in the present, in the moment, in action, and realizing this dream.  With all my heart I encourage you all to do what has been on your hearts to do, and to open your imagination to things you may have never before considered trying. Happy Spring to all, and may we all flower, together, as we enrich the world that may become our Garden of Tranquility.

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Welcome all into the garden. Thank you all so much for your warm replies to these sharings about the world of the Garden of Tranquility, and how all of us can “step into the serenity”(watch for the new guided meditation cd ‘Step into Serenity” that will appear in the “Dream Market” section of this website later in May) that is present within us and around us, even in the most obviously challenging and difficult times that we experience.

 There is something that is in the very fiber of our beings, amidst stress and worry, even at the most stormy times, that is I believe in the very heart of the life force within us. It is in our cells, we might say, in a place of both calm and vitality, where within our deepest cells there is a kind of “knowing” that we hold within us the answers for peace, for connection to ourselves and the world around us, for happiness. In a prior article addressing the “snakes in the garden”- that metaphor for that which troubles us and disturbes the beauty and tranquility of our world, of our dreams, we began to look at the ways we may all join together in supporting each one of us and our world community as a whole, in growing the lush and awesome potential of life in its fullest expression of health, delight, loveliness.

 Now we return to the same question in a different way- now we address the whirlwinds that may surround us, confuse us, hurt us. These may relate to our relationships, or work lives, our creative lives, our safety, our dreams. How do we maintain a sense of stability in the face of this? How can we hold or restore a sense of well-being? Even more, how can we be present to the vibrant heart within us, that spirit which wishes to open like a flower, fully expressed in poetic beauty, that essence of love, that joy in “being”? Through the tools that are around us and within us I believe we may find that “calm in the center of the storm” where we can virtually place our most cherished parts of ourselves, our views of what our world may become, those flowers that are in our garden. Like a protective shield of this precious growth and presence of life that we are, may we call upon prayer, whatever that may mean for us. May we draw on meditation, on visual art, on music, on dance, on writing, on singing to find that safe and sacred place within from which we draw peace, within which we rediscover the potential of our true healing and creative and loving nature. From pausing to look at the sky, to visit the sea, the mountains, to touch stones, grass, crystal,or cotton; to smell new grass, or snow, or roses; to taste the sweetness of grapes or chocolate or the tang of lime- all senses may draw us back to a deeper sense of the joy of being alive. We may heal and return to the core of our most loving nature by reaching our to help another human being- to lend a guiding hand, listen to another’s heartache or be present to their dreams; to give food to the hungry, water to the thirsty- there we may feed our own spirits and quench the thirst for our desire to be whole and present to the world, to ouselves.

 As this website grows and our sharing does, and as we continue our conversation about the deepest needs we have as human beings, I am confident that each of us will individually and together we can tend to our collective healing, grow our serenity, and even in the midst of the most difficult times, tend to that inner garden and the larger garden that is our vast and wonderful world to the the most unimaginably heavenly lives. Let us support each other, let us create those moments of solitary renewal and of communal sharing that will make this happen.

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Welcome to the season of spring, everyone. It is a time in much of the world when that which was seemingly not alive shows new form and color- brown bark now with green leaves yellowish in their newness, and blossoms- white, pale pink, deep fuscia. It is something that is intellectually known, yet takes us by surprise however many springs we have known before. And everywhere in the world, no matter where we live, when there is no apparent sign of life or hope or promise, there come those times when, even though we may have known that things were just dormant- that is not appearing as they might be, but full of the promise that they will be more than they seem- life and hope springs anew. As long as we live, no matter where we are, what we may have experienced, how old we are, or how limited we feel right now- there is, I believe deeply, the hope of something new, and the possibility of our re-emergence in this world as the connected, joyful, creative and vital beings we innately are. As I shared before in other blogs- witness the loss of hope that Matt Damon plays in The Legend of Bagger Vance.     and how he becomes as we all have to different degrees from time to time- living in retreat from pain, or disappointment or hurt or fear- as a stark branch with no sign of life, our spirits protectively hidden from view. Yet there is opportunity- through the call from the world around us that needs us to grow, to emerge, to shine- to bring us out of protective hiding. There is that miracle which is as real as the air we breathe that comes from our hearing that call- from others in our lives, from within us- that miracle that through faith and hope and love brings us once again, or perhaps for the very first time into a fuller existence. I encourage you all, through viewing the film I have suggested or listening to its music (Music from the Legend of Bagger Vance ) that recreates images of the appearance of beauty and faith in the wonder of bringing all we truly are to this amazing experience called Life. Let me ask everyone, in this season of the image of rebirth, whatever tradition you come from or are called to, to find a moment where you can reach for who you are deep down in the most cherished part of yourself and bring it into the sunlight, rejoice in it, share it with someone or with everyone, and embrace all that is around you in that moment- all that is within you.

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This is a metaphor, an image that many of us are familiar with. There is a beauty, a peace around you in your world, and suddenly something comes into it that gives you a shock- it can shake your faith in everything and cloud your view of anything lovely that is around you or within you Suddenly you are aware of the shortness of your breath, or the sadness in your heart as a sense of fear and the loss of something good and precious- a vision of the rightness of things, or hope, all that you once believed in can seem to vanish. It may be the suddenly harsh words of someone you trust, someone you love; it may be an unfair action by an employer, or a friend. It may be a sense of betrayal by someone you trust; it may be some news about something terrible that happened in your family, community, in the world. All at once what looked to you like beautiful blooms around you seem to whither and die, and the green grass turns brown, and the sun seems to disappear. What then? How do we regain our breath? How do we restore our hope, our vision of a flourishing world, a harmonious world and a happy heart? What comes to us in an upsetting flash may be an intended or an unintended assault on our serenity- yet the hurt comes nonetheless, and the dilemma of how we may restore our being to a sense of wholeness and content is pwerfully present. Tonight I felt such a shock, such a disappointment, and from this I which to open up my heart to all who have and are now experiencing that which has broken their inner peace. Too often, we feel alone as we struggle for an answer and seek a soothing solution. Now, here, on this website dedicated to tranquility, we need to declare that we are no longer alone, that we are joined by millions of souls who are faced with the same experience, who share the same yearnings. In that knowledge that we are together in this, is part of the answer to the restoration of all that means so much to us. We here have and will continue to seek our and share all the natural and awesome and creative wonders that fill the world and that reside within us. Here is my dedication to presenting ideas, resources, tools and beginning the conversations we create to building new worlds of happiness for ourselves and those around us. It is my deepest belief that not only are we to seek and embrace all that is lovely and calming and exciting and encouraging, but we are to call upon these when faced with the painful moments of disappointment and hurt that intrude and often seem to damage that which grows in our gardens of tranquility. I am inviting everyone to share anything that comes up for them in this way, so that we may find that which heals and restores, so that by looking at what is difficult and sometimes frightening to look at in solitude, we may face together, and embrace each other in our shared human struggles. Thus we may come through all of it, employing our togetherness, our shared compassion and understanding, heal and make way for the wonderful visions and nurturing food for our dreams. Let us make this site a marketplace where we can share the wonders we each have within us for the sake of all, and let us share openly the experiences and the questions we are truly asking ourselves about our lives. (Once again I encourage everyone to view the film  Legend of Bagger Vance. for it depicts the stark loss of faith and vision in a man who has faced incredible trauma, only to find that vision and sense of belief in the universe, in the world, in himself. .   Together we can paint a new canvas of a kind world within which it is safe to stretch out our arms and express confidently who we are- cultivators of a growing and thriving tomorrow. In spring we sow the seeds, and care for the tiny plants, watching for and weeding out that which may cause our precious growth damage. So in observing that which causes harm, and introducing that which makes us and the world around us thrive, we are preparing for a glorious, rich summer of blooms.

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I write to you from the northeastern United States, where Spring is showing its first true signs. Wherever you are in the world, whether your weather system has a change from a colder time to a warmer one where bare stalks and branches show signs of green or budding, there is a time in life for us all that shows new promise of renewal. If there appears to be new life arising from what you see ourside your window or not, look inside yourself, passed what fears or doubts or limitations you may experience. Breathe deeply, and bring as best you can into your envirnment whatever gives you peace; experience a new silence from which new music may emerge within you. Experience a soft darkness from which a new light may emerge. It may be the vision of an old dream that you have forgotten or the spark of a new vision whose colors are refreshingly full of new pattern, new feeling. Take up a candle which has a scent that is pleasing; go out of doors to look at the sky- a sky you may have forgotten of because of your everyday concerns and the preoccupations that are common to all human beings. Feel the floor beneath you, or the earth, to sense that support that often often seems not to be there. Find a piece of music that makes you imagine other places, other ways of being- to rediscover a part of you that you miss being in touch with. Listen to the soft sounds of nature- the wind, the sea, the birds, the crackle of a fire, the hum of life that is about us all. Take paper out before, and with crayon, pastel, paint or pencil- choose one color that calls to you and make a simple form in the center of the paper. Meditate on that form, and imagine, then create the forms you see emanating from that form. What I am asking is for you, for all of us, to come in touch with ourselves, to take that pause that brings us into this very moment in which we live, to capture something special we may have been holding within us, or that something that has awaited us from the world upon which we may build a new way for us to experience life. In these moments of being “in touch” we may allow in, as discussed in a former post (see,,,”Golf”) our deepest sense of being alive and of trusting the wisdom of our deeper nature. We can then bring that sense of being and presence into all aspects of our lives (see..The Legend of Bagger Vance”) so that we may engage fully in what matters to us- our friendships, our professions, our passions, our creations. This is part of being on the path to serenity (watch for the cd “Journey to Serenity” soon to appear in our Dream Market) In that newly found serenity there is fertile soil in which we may grow anew, into the promise of who we are, in our Garden of Tranquility.

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I shared with a dear friend. music therapist Larry Carlson, co-creator of our Artists’ Initiative for Hope and Prosperity, that I had written about the extraordinary film Legend of Bagger Vance.  “.”)( see the gorgeous and inspiring from the film in the cd Music from the Legend of Bagger Vance ) I had been on his radio program “Music Is Therapy” (see musictherapyradio.com) discussing this film not very long ago. We talked about its inspiration in our lives, how it addressed the need to be fully present, in peace, the need to make a clearing so that we can truly see the goal before us, not just with our eyes, but with our inner eyes- the intuitive and spiritual sight that exists in our hearts, in our spirit. That is why tranquility is so key to living fully, so that we may be present to what is truly, clearly our goal in life, present to ourselves and to each other as well. We talked about how we are all gifted with special talents and abilities and how it is a blessing to have access to them. As therapists and artists ourselves, larry and I share this mission – to help people become present to who they are, in their awesome uniqueness, and to shine in all their beauty in that uniqueness. When I told Larry about my last share on this blog, he told me that in golf was everything one needed to know about life. I wondered on this. Quite new to the game, I had enjoyed a lesson or so from Larry, placing the ball down, holding the club just so, and focusing, so that there was just me the ball, the club, the air around me, and taking my very own swing. It was not easy, trying again and again to be concentrated, to discover my relationship to these things- the goal, that which I held as a instrument, and the force of my own energy and coordination of my own movements with all of these things. but after some time there was that magical moment when all came together- the club hit the ball and it moved a good distance. I was ecstatic. Something new was possible for me in the world, and I was thrilled about something I had never had interest in pursuing before. I’m going to share this with Larry this week, and look forward to hearing more about the meaning of his words to me. But for now, I can feel as I think on the relationship of this simple game to all the things that may face people in life, and I can feel how the connection to all the elements that came together to make my successful swing and guide that ball apply to life as a whole. I can feel that being fully present to what is before us, being present to how we stand in relationship to that, what movement we decide to take, and the faith that brings us to and through that moment when we take action all make for an experience of being alive and engaged in the world. It can bring us to a a moment of serenity- to the possible, to the world, to the magical.   I ask you all this week- step outside, witness the sky and the world around you, and let your heart move your forward as you try something you never have before.

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Welcome again to the Garden  I am so heartened to hear from you, that you are here, where together we can discover peace and joy.   There are those “flowers that Bloom” unto themselves- wonderful things in life to behold, the treasures around us, and the treasures we hold within us.  And we are here to discover how to cultivate – to grow and to nourish these beautiful things that are present in our world, in ourselves.   We will explore wonderful things to experience to inspire us, to enliven us, and to bring us serenity.  And what is truly powerful in our search for these things is that we find that each supports us in the other:  that which brings us vitality brings us peace, peace the opportunity for inspiration, and inspiration a sense of being alive.

  There are so many sources for all of these- through prayer, meditation,ritual, art, music, dance, drama, poetry, storytelling, candles, crystals, the art of feng shui in designing our surroundings,  the discovery of nature in its infinite variety and wonder, and the embrace of our human connection-to one another and to ourselves.  Not only will we behold those things which will enrich our lives and bring us happiness and wholeness, but we will also explore how we can meet those challenges, those rough seas in life with the tools we have and the treasures we hold so that we may protect and restore and bring greater bloom to our Garden of Tranquility.   

     Now I would love to share something dear to my heart that I believe is available to all-  and that which we often have doubt of.  That is our right and our ability to dream and make real our dreams as we trust in the inner gifts we have, the true visioin we possess.  From when we are small, we possess a sense of wonder and excitement, and a sense that the world is a place that we can enter where things are possible. As we grow, hopefully we come to trust our inner vision as it develops- as we respond to our surroundings we discover so much of what we may become, what we love to do, and grow a sense of who we can be.   Along the way, in many ways, we may be taught to doubt ourselves, to limit our goals, to turn away from our gifts and doing the things that we love.  Along the way we often lose our belief- in the the world, in others, and in ourselves.   I began the Artists’ Initiave for Hope and Prosperity (see artsinitiative.org) so that  that all people could experience their creative gifts, expressing the talents and gifts they already knew they had, and opening themselves  up to the possibility of exploring ones that had not yet discovered.

  The connection of belief- in ourselves, in others, and in something more than we can imagine is explored in the inspirational and beautiful film,  Legend of Bagger Vance.    It is the tale of a champion golfer who lived as a sports hero, who had a full and promising life, and whose vision of himself and of his world was shattered by an experience he had during the First World War. An event occurred that left him with fear, dread, and shame.  He returned from that war and went into hiding, a recluse who turned away from success, from love, from his gift.    alone and cut off from all that he loved, a mysterious stranger enters into his life- a figure that represents hope and faith.  Through this, is woven a tale of hope, wonder, and new life.  I cannot recommend it enough as a beautiful work of art  and source of inspiration.  Just before writing this blog, on this cold day in the Northeastern US with sun as the promise of spring, I listened to the gorgeous   Music from the Legend of Bagger Vance in my car, and as I drove, was moved to write this to you.  As the spring is a promise of new blooms, so every day is the promise of some new hopeful turn in our lives, and the chance to recover our dreams and a new vision for our lives.  Music has a way of bypassing ourintellects and going deep into our inner selves, and can be the inspiration for us to see and feel the world and ourselves differently, freshly, perhaps more truly.  There is an inner beauty in us all, and we have gifts, perhaps t one or more that moves us more deeply than another that we have kept ouselves from sharing, from enjoying. 

  Let us all this spring reflect on a return to that “which makes our hearts sing”  or opening ourselves to something new which might.  It has been said we all possess an “inner sight”- that which is not intellectually or literally seen, but a deep sense of something which draws us a true direction for ourselves.  As the hero in “Bagger Vance”discovered, there is a place inside us where there is a deeper vision which may give us true direction for our lives.  So may we all find that in some way, and in that go “with the grain” of our true selves, and in so doing, discover serenity, joy, and a wealth of flowers in our Garden of Tranquility.

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