New Year's Eve

"Every exit is an entry somewhere else."

-Tom Stoppard-
"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson-

These are two quotes that I like very much to start the new year. The door of 2009 is about to open, but the time now is the time that we can 'do good with'!

Light begins again to grow at the start of Winter

Oh Winter, ruler of th'inverted year,

I crown thee king of intimate delights,

Fire-side enjoyments, home-born happiness,

And all the comforts that the lowly roof

Of undisturbed retirement, and the hours

Of long uniterrupted ev'ning know.

-William Cowper-

The movement of light and change

On a grey day in December, with just a bit of muted light coming through the sky without any hint of blue, I've been thinking of the movement of light and darkness, how my whole existence plays between these two. Above you can see a paper snowflake my friend Steffi gave me last week. It hangs in the window of our dining room and every day since I received it, light has played and transformed itself in its shape. From early morning to night, some kind of light...sun, moon, stars, reflected city lamps and also some kind of shadow from our home, from the buildings across the way from a bird flying by...all of these have danced in it, have lit it up, have darkened it and yet there in its geometric form it has stayed the same as everything else has changed. It is a good reminder of how to stay still in this darkening season of turning inward. For soon, the inward motion will reach its deepest point and then the outward, gaining of light begins again. Shapes and shadows will still change, only among more light. Until light falls away once again to lengthening shadows...

The last photo is of an eclipse of the moon we had about two months ago. My prayer for the day: May I stay still in the shadows and flickerings of all that passes...for it only passes, What Is Is and Remains...

Things hidden underneath

I took these pictures in the "wee" hours of the morning. There are four of these trees right next to our house and they are doing so suprisingly well here in the middle of the city. As their leaves have fallen away and their berries have begun to really shine, I saw that each tree has a nest. Throughout the whole spring, summer and autumn we had very noisy mornings with all the birds. Now we know why! It reminded me of how sometimes in my meditation and training I have an underlying feeling of something that is not right, some bit of past karma that seems to be rising to the surface and I have not been able to recognize and let go of. However, as I continue to practice, it seems as if some things begin to fall away, almost like the leaves of this tree, and then what is there can be seen clearer. A nest is revealed that needs to be cleaned out and through this falling away of things, my vision becomes a bit brighter, bright and beautiful like the berries on this tree this morning.

The world is large...

"The world is large, but in us it is as deep as the sea."

-Rilke-

"Prayer and meditation open us to a joyous and more fulfilling life....

They are like a spaceship that carries us to the source of that which is profound....

When we enter inner space, we embark upon a great adventure of self-discovery."
-Adrian Milton-

All these pictures are from my visit to the aquarium in Barcelona, this summer in July. How far away July now seems in cold December...but the adventure of self-discovery goes on and on and on...what a lovely journey!

A world populated by thinking, conscious creatures

I read a wonderful review of a new book that has come out. It's title is: "Alex and Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence---and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process http://www.amazon.de/s/ref=nb_ss_w?__mk_de_DE=%C5M%C5Z%D5%D1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Alex+and+Me&x=14&y=16 . Ms Pepperberg, the scientist, say, "Alex taught me that we live in a world populated by thinking, conscious creatures." I think most pet owners, or maybe a better word is pet friend, have always know this. Up above you can see our two friends, or better members of our family: Griffin and Lynx. Each one of them can communicate and show emotions of all kinds. Griffin even likes paw massages! I think this is so important for as many people as possible to know. It may make us think a bit deeper about our relationship with all beings, how we act and what we do and how it has wide effects on ALL beings.

The link to the review can be found here: http://www.amazon.de/s/ref=nb_ss_w?__mk_de_DE=%C5M%C5Z%D5%D1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Alex+and+Me&x=14&y=16 . It has a lot of good tidbits from the book. The last sentence really got to my heart, "Alex died on Sept. 6, 2007, apparently for a fatal arrythmia, heart attack or stroke. His last words to Pepperberg were: 'You be good. I love you.'"

I think that says a lot!