Symphonic Grace

Symphonic Grace

In the glowing light of sunset
I stood humbly before your temple
asked permission to kneel amongst your delicately adorned walls
to crawl inside your belly
and allow the edges of my body
to sweetly nestle against yours
in a seamless bond
reminiscent of the stars so perfectly at home in the sky.
The clamor of bells washed over me
an orchestra of shimmering beauty
that filled every vacant space inside
each vibration, each frequency a healing elixir
unlocking the ancient medicine
dormant inside our collective dream.
I watched you funnel tiny grains of sand
slowly through your aching fingers
as you remembered the pain of transition.
I gazed into your eyes,
saw the hope in your tears
as you prayed for a better world.
I saw the joy in your smile,
felt the peace in your heart
as you tasted the potent magic of our synched exhalation.
Surrounded by your heartfelt words,
secret little treasures caressing my eyes,
I peered gently into your depths.
Bells rang out in blissful honesty
a graceful symphony of innocent desire
inspiring laughter so full and so free
it escaped my lips like a mighty river
droplets of divinity returning home to the source.
In unspoken solidarity we unraveled the veil
that has shrouded our hearts and minds
woke up into the loving arms of our true family
stepped into our unique & magnanimous power,
and for just a moment,
knew -
we are one.

Dreams Sting So Sweet - the collaborative book!

This first time mother-daughter collaboration captures, with wonder and awe, the rich and inspiring beauty of the Northern California landscape. Stunning photographs of nature's most beautiful treasures compliment a bold selection of poetry exploring our connection to earth, the wisdom of our hearts and the depths of our dreams. An honest and courageous journey through the elements intended to set your soul on fire!

Dreams Sting So Sweet by Megan Young and Francyne Kunkel | Make Your Own Book

Reverser of Destiny

So they say judgement day is near. The rapture approaches. We've known many apocalyptic prophecies, some Christian based, some Mayan; they come from many cultures. Only time will reveal what is in store for us, but one thing is clear - it's a tumultuous time here on Earth. Scores of social problems from homelessness, mental dis-ease, unemployment, obesity, etc etc combined with a planet in revolt, hurricanes and tornados where there never were before and floods covering our cities while people simultaneously die of thirst for lack of access to clean drinking water.... yes, these are turbulent times. Many of us cry out for help. We pray for the answers, for solutions.

Solutions are all around us. As permaculture principles point out, the only limit to the number of solutions is our imagination. We are not lacking solutions, what we lack is the willpower to carry them out. You call out for peace, say you want harmony on Earth, but are you ready to embrace those ideals, to become them? Are you ready to accept all the terrifying beauty and ugliness of humanity into your heart? To love your enemies? To love fearlessly? Are you able to acknowledge and accept that your worldview is not TRUTH?

You fall into despair because all around you, you see the destruction of our world but are you ready to trade your car in for a bicycle? Are you ready to give up your cell phone in order to save the bees? Can you honor a promise not to purchase any virgin plastic? The questions go on...

I ask these questions of you not because I have the answers but because they are questions that I ask myself everyday. Am I ready to become this new vision I claim to believe in? Can I embody my own values? My passion and vision is a great start but it takes work to change the world.

In a tarot reading this morning I pulled the "Reversal" card, in other decks known as the Hanged Man.

"Reversal is a voluntary surrender or letting go of ways of being that are no longer useful... Negative thoughts and previous patterns are dissolving in the waters of consciousness to make way for positive affirmations of life. This card indicates a willingness to listen to your inner self and validate your changes. You then begin to see yourself as a changer, a reverser of your destiny instead of a victim of events. You become illuminated in the ecstatic light of these insights. Reversal can also be painful, as giving up old comfortable ways can be jarring and emotionally traumatic".

Become the reverser of your own destiny. Do whatever you can to listen deeply to yourself, to your fears and desires. Begin to recognize and release negative patterns. No one is going to hand you the key to happiness or to revolution, it is exists in the willingness of all of us to do the work, to make the changes necessary to restore balance in ourselves so that we may restore balance to our world.

"Reversal is an initiation process, a growth in spiritual awareness and a passage. We are stopped in time, "out on a limb" and entirely vulnerable. Our water reflection smiles back at us, guiding us on our way down a new path"

Spiral Eyes

Spiralize

the view from here...

Transcend.

only love.

In such great flux

ideas swell in my head

flow through my body

collect at my fingertips

and long to be shared

heard

witnessed

reflected back upon

given validity.

Questioning gives rise to answers

appearing out of vapor

known before even asked

intuition at light speed

not a figuring out

as much as a remembering.

Unfolding beyond my own layers

touching a place so deep

nearly beyond perception

shielding my eyes against blindness

so I can soak in true beauty

so I may know it.

Comfort in groundlessness.

Groundlessness.

Groundlessness.

Ground. Less.

Having no ground

hurling through space

with nothing to reflect off

what are we?

Nothingness reflects

the nothing

we are not.

Quiet sadness yet comforted knowing.

Like the death of a dream

I truly believed was real

a dream so beautiful

letting go makes it hard to breathe

as I awaken into another day.

Eyes closed

turned toward the sun

slowly learning a new language

not of words or ideas

but visions gently dancing

amidst changing hues and densities

the red and pink

behind my own eyes,

flickering and shining

a delicate, playful mystery

beginning to unravel

this light of understanding

and of understood.

Tangerine Conspiracy

Ok, here is the deal. Go to the below link and hit play, when the song gets to 2:03 - start reading. This was all stream of consciousness writing, no editing, just flow. hope you enjoy one of my favorite electronic music songs and feel some of the sweet love floating around out there in the ether....

Vibrasphere - Reservoir (Fiord RMX)

a tangerine dream

desire so pure

she speaks every language at once

he knows the taste of your soul

before its a thought

flashing in your mind.

everything you held true

glowing flowers

in the desert bright

gold and green

an epic dream

wind on your face

arms spread wide

heart bursting open

could this be love?

no barrier, no skin,

no body, no mind

delight in mystery

feet caress the earth

ancient rhythms guide the way

remembered

remembering

dreaming

awaking

floating in the heavens

eyes uplifted

souls rejoice

oh, can it be this beautiful?

I see you,

know you

peel back the layers

reveal complexities

tiny imperfections

swimming doubts

I SEE you.

we are one

we are all

hands clasped

flying together

finding joy

in the creases of the universe

elegantly unfolding

becoming

realizing

speaking, screaming, singing

transcending flesh

hearing the call

of those who came before

listening to the wise ones

their messages anchored in our bellies

contained in our tears

this is what it means

to be free,

this is what love

feels like.

You are love,

an ever evolving miracle

encoded to survive

embedded in our DNA,

creative blueprints

to guide us through

valleys

mountains

rivers

wars

injustice

destruction.

silent weavers

we are our own saviors

dancing our destiny

reclaiming our fate

transforming

our reality

painting beauty on our horizon

opening our hearts

letting tears fall

creating music that breaks us down

rips us open

leaves us raw

seeing for the first time

how it could be

how we actually are.

we dance around a fire

bearing knowledge

older than time

from places unimagined

future and past at once.

We will survive,

we will dance our truths

savor every flavor

every glimpse

of this inspired flow

Intuitively knowing the answers

to questions we have yet to ask

this feeling of lost, of lonely

melts in the warmth

of our hearts

comforted by our innocent tears.

The tangerine conspiracy ripens

we know truth

not as dogma

not as fiction

not words or

even ideas

but as vibration

reverb against your cell walls

stand up

stand up

stand up

stand up.

So much

to live for

to die for

to love for

find your freakquency

let it carry you

let it crack your heart open...

Out of Grief, A Rising

The closer I get to the Earth, the louder I hear her scream. Her cries wake me in the night. I sit up, sobbing into the darkness. Why can't you see? Why can't you see what you are doing to her?

In my dreams, the Earth shakes in rebellion against countless atrocities committed against her. Buildings tremor and topple, dust clouds saturate the air. Once paved streets run thick with mud, slick with oil, littered with toxic by-products of our chemical warfare. And in the chaos, screaming people run around with fists full of dollars, panic in their eyes and fear in their hearts as they try to buy their way to safety. But there isn't any safety to buy. Your money is useless now, don't you see? I scream at them, Forget about money and help each other. Are these words in vain, does anybody hear me?

You see, the Earth, she is my Mother, she gifts me with Life. She is my sister, we're born of the same bone. We are bathed and nourished by the same rain. And when she aches, I cry out. When she suffers, it tortures me inside. Her pain enters my own body; manifests as confusion and frustration in my mind; tightness in my heart; distance in my relationships. When I look around I see people with gaping wounds, so raw they bleed. We are all interconnected. We do not exist separately. When one of us suffers, we all suffer.

The Earth, she cries and cries and cries. And so do I. But I want you to know Mother, I hear your call for help. I hear your screams. And I won't ignore you. I'll let my voice be a channel. I'll sing proudly in your honor, make art with your name all over it, bake cupcakes for you, dance for hours on end with my brothers and sisters so that we may Remember where we came from, where we will return to. I'll keep showing up to do the work. And the work will be joyous, because when all my allies align, together we make magic. I'll kneel at the shores of your great ocean time and again, offering you my tears and being cleansed by your vast depths. I will listen. I'm not afraid to break my heart open even further to allow your healing love to fill the cracks. I will take care of my physical body and my energetic body so I may be an even clearer channel for you to speak through. I'll keep listening. And if I can't hear you anymore, I'll dig my fingers deeper into your soil until I feel you, until I feel your heartbeat. And I'll arise.

Intentional Indecision

Energize & Restore

Quiet mind

Winter. 

I came crashing down from the fast paced, light hearted summer months, filtered through the physical, simple and oh-so-satisfying work that comes with harvest time and landed in a cold and lonely pile at the foot of my proverbial bed. Slowed to a near stop, sleep schedule altered, sleeping til noon becomes the norm. With no major projects to focus on, I have a lot of time to think. In self-imposed isolation, so much space for the mind to wander through. How to digest all these thoughts, this reflection off asphalt that makes me question with every ounce of my being, where are we headed? and what role do I play in getting us there? Questioning my sanity and the sanity of those around me, I wonder why more people aren't completely flipping out, unable to withstand this industrial culture we are a part of. I get lost in the mess of my mind, searching for meaning in the mundane and finding none. This is not unfamiliar territory to me. I recognize this cycle, this longing for some greater purpose, for satisfaction and fulfillment. Although I've covered this ground many times before, it doesn't make the despair any less painful.  I couldn't move, I hid under the covers, I cried, I certainly didn't answer the phone. I bottomed out in a deep flu, staid in bed for four miserable days of headaches and intense pain in my hips.

Fortunately, I recovered enough to attend a ceremony with a group of sisters that brought about some much needed revelations. I realized that I am covered in a mountain of grief and despair over what is happening in our world and the weight of it has caused complete paralysis. I released as much of this grief as I could, acknowledging that there is much I can't let go of yet. I activated my strength and courage to break free of this paralysis so that I'm able to focus on the real work that must be done. It's important to me to acknowledge the despair and not just turn away from it. I won't pretend everything is rose colored, it doesn't serve me or anyone else to ignore this grief because it is not irrational rather its based in realistic evidence.

Determined to break out of the funk but still not ready to make any major decisions, I decided to begin a regular practice of yoga. Not just any yoga, Bikram yoga. This is my first experience with Bikram yoga and it is intense. Each class is 90 minutes long and it takes place in a room that is heated to 105 F. You do 2 sets of 26 postures that are supposed to work all the major systems within the body, compressing internal organs and lymph nodes. Its very challenging to make it through the entire class, but incredibly satisfying when you do. I've been experiencing some crazy detox symptoms such as headaches, a lot of activity in my gut, and emotional releases very similar to reactions I've had from seasonal cleanses. Finishing a class I feel like I've accomplished something. At a time when I'm feeling very ungrounded, it helps me to shift the focus from my ever reeling mind, to my body. When I finished my class yesterday, I bowed down in gratitude to my determination and to Mother Earth. I'm doing this for you, I remember thinking. The efforts of my practice are an offering to her, to counter just some of the injustice committed against her everyday. If I am a warrior, I need a strong physical body to match a strong mind. I need a healthy and fit base to carry out this work, whatever it may be. After one week of yoga I am feeling more centered and motivated. My muscles are so sore and I'm still dealing with some weird side effects of such intense exercise but I keep going to class. 

I could have chosen anything to focus on but I happened to chose yoga; the magic doesn't come from the act itself, but from the act of simply doing. My mind feels more relaxed, I have moments of anxiety still but I move through them. I'm using this time of intentional indecision to sort out what it is I really want and need before I leap right into the next thing.