meditation

Lotus & Dragonfly

Posted on by Carey S. Clark, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, RYT, FAAN

Both mired in the muck, the mud
Immersed so deeply in the darkness
They journey alongside one another
Striving, healing, rising
Ever arising.
*
Lotus rises first
Green emerging
Flat leaves, broad and sturdy
Shading pond below
Silently growing, transforming.
*


*
Alongside lotus, dragonfly nymph
Slowly climbing out of muck
Arise above mud, and climb green reed
Pause…
Next, emergence.
*

*
Lotus flower grows tall
Dragonfly nymph wriggles
Both work, both venture
A world unknown
A new life.
*
Lotus flower slowly blossoms
Emerging in sunlight
Drinking in warmth
Closing upon darkness
Always protected.
*
Dragonfly pauses
Patiently waiting, drying
Growing stronger through sitting
Little movement
Preparing for flight.
*
Lotus, Dragonfly
Lessons to learn
Arise, arise, and arise above
The depths of darkness
From whence they came.

Illusions

Posted on by Carey S. Clark, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, RYT, FAAN

It was a normal morning
I walked outside with my fresh hot coffee
And for 5 seconds
I saw it all…

The boy opening his cigarette package
Hands shaking, so young
The man getting out of his car
The cars whizzing by on the road.

All temporary
Illusions floating by
Realities soon to change
A glitch in the matrix.

And I thought…
What did I just see, truth?
How did the veil flutter aside
For just a few seconds.

It’s gone now
But I keep thinking, yes
I will be in that moment again
One day, one night, soon.

Moments

Posted on by Carey S. Clark, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, RYT, FAAN

Rainbows and dark clouds
Tiny white flowers dotting the trail’s edge
Waves crashing to the shore
Steaming hot day.

Sounds of a lawn mower
A siren blares
A radio in the distance
The cat meows quietly.

Rain hitting the roof
Warm breeze blowing through the window
Childs’ laughter at the park
Dog whines at the door.

Moment to moment
Sound to sound
Presence in the here, the now
Moments….

Keep Your Silence

Posted on by Carey S. Clark, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, RYT, FAAN

They noticed me
And rushed over
Only to screech out
Far too loudly
Shhhusshhh now
Step down and go away
You must keep your silence to yourself.
*
Your silence is breaking us
It is its own form of protest
So you must tuck it in
To that crevice in your brain
Where little else matters.
*
But…but…I like my silence
It gives me refuge
And peace
Comfort and light flow through my silence
Can’t you see my spirit when I am silent?
Breathing, moving yet unmoving
I smile when I am silent.
*
Keep it, your silence
There is no space for it here, now
There is no time or taste for such things
There is only time to speak up
To shout loudly
To roll in anger, confusion, righteousness, and despair.
*
Yet, when I am silent it creates even more space
For something new to emerge
Great healing, great love
And others’ songs can come through
When I am silent
A new time emerges, as the old slips by.
*
No, they answered
The silence is too scary, too unknown
We can’t tell what you are really thinking
When there’s too much space, and openness
Anything might leak through
And come crashing out like a
Sonic boom to the heart.
*
Oh, I say
And I shut my eyes
Returning again and again
To this moment
This breath
This crushing power of silence.

 

Star Journey

Posted on by Carey S. Clark, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, RYT, FAAN

I took a sip and blew of my head
Rolled around on the ground
Left my body for dead.
*
I flew past the moon
Burned by a few stars
Seeking what was coming soon.
*
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True brightness, the greatest of lights
And it beckoned me, step in
One way only, no exit in sight.
*
I leapt right into the light that was you
Watched your death once more,
Finally you rose, and together we flew.
*
We melted like one in time and space
Unified beings, all are here
No need for the never ending race.
*
A million years later, back home we came
Past those stars, that glittering moon
Life will never be the same.
*
Don’t forget; we are still liquescent
Melting together, like stars into moon
All good, all beings, all love heaven sent.
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Acceptance

Posted on by Carey S. Clark, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, RYT, FAAN

 

Most days we strive and strive

Forever marching forward

Not stopping to think

If we should still be onboard.

*

We can wish and dream

Wondering when things might come true

We can gamble, play, and work

And still not know what to do.

*

So what’s the magic trick

We may ponder and question

To being here now

Yet still moving beyond oppression?

*

Every moment there is chance

To gain a sense of acceptance

Whether or not you know it

This is a common pleasance.

*

Oh, the many paths toward acceptance

The simple way just might be

To sit quietly and look inside

Evolving toward deepening clarity.

 

 

 

Why Don’t You?

Posted on by Carey S. Clark, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, RYT, FAAN

Why don’t you sit by the fire

Put your feet up

Sip some tea

And color in your coloring book?

*

You need these moments to renew,

To revive your weary mind

To be here right now

And let go of what should be left behind.

*

Why don’t you breathe in

This very moment… and the next and the next

As you stretch up from your yoga mat

Reaching for the stars in the heavens.

*

You need to feel your body here

Noticing each breath and pause

Caring for the aches and pains

And embracing your human strength and limitations.

*

Why don’t you just notice

The little beings surrounding you

Children, cats, dogs, even the house mice

Vying for your eyes upon them.

*

Waking up, noticing, being here now

Will repair your brain circuits

Supporting healing from the trauma

That everyday stress brings to you.

*

Why don’t you just be

Relax, revive, regenerate, renew your soul- being

Breathe, live in this moment, let go…

Why don’t you?

 

The Way She Breathes

Posted on by Carey S. Clark, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, RYT, FAAN

Running through the woods

The trail rises up, to meet her feet

She is running through the woods

And green life breathes around her.

~

Standing by the sea

Oceans pounding, rising, receding

Drip by drop they sing their rhythmic sound

And the ocean breathes itself into being in front of her.

~

Living by the river

Pink-orange sun rises above the calm tidal body

River ebbs and flows, ebbs and flows

And the river breathes itself to life beside her.

~

Back to the deep green forest

Back to the swirling ocean waves

Home to the river, flowing onward

This is the way she breathes.

I Will Listen: The Universe’s Heartbeat

Posted on by Carey S. Clark, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, RYT, FAAN

Rest now my dear

Enter the dream state

For tonight, I will listen for you

As you escape beyond my reach

Into the land of dreams.

I will listen for the sound of the sliver of moon

Sliding off the edges of the canvas

Created by the inky dark sky.

I will concentrate on the sound of the world turning

Spinning around, around, and around,

Too fast to hear, and I will listen

Again, again, again.

I will listen intently

For the hissing sound of the stars

Traversing that same nighttime velvet canvas,

As they go ever chasing after the moon.

Back here on earth

I will hear the smallest sounds all around

The earth worm’s nighttime crawl

Mice nesting in the attic

The silence between the peeper’s night song notes

A fox’s movement through tall grass

Breathing of the child in the room across the hall.

So while you sleep, dreaming and traveling into infinity

Yet still resting some of your neurons

Rebuilding and repairing your very bodily structure

I will remain listening

To the sounds of the universe’s heartbeat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Dance

Posted on by Carey S. Clark, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, RYT, FAAN

I stand here

I listen

I dance in the sunlight

A warm breeze blows over me.

*

I contemplate the movement

Of the seasons

Was it not just cold

Did it not just seem summer would never come?

*

And yet here we are

Looking over a river

Dancing underneath the beating sun

Laughing under a star filled sky.

*

Twirling around

Skirts rise and billow out

We are spinning

We are singing along.

*

The joy of dancing children

All God’s beings

Moving in a sort of praise and gratitude

For this very moment.

*

Let’s continue to dance away the day

And spin underneath the canopy of the stars

Through summer and into fall

Even when we move inside for the quietude of winter.

*

Let’s remain grateful

For the way our bodies move

For the way the music reminds us

Of our certain unity and nature to be love in action.

*

Grant us the ability

To remember gentle summer breezes

On the coldest days ahead

When the dancing is done alone.