Beauty #5

I think that this rhododendron from Whidbey Island has been a previous visitor to this blog.  I love the "rhodie bouquet" that this plant created.

How did the rose
Ever open its heart
And give to this world
All its beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light
Against its being,
Otherwise,
We all remain
Too frightened.
 
- Hafiz

Beauty #3

Another pink one.

Beauty is truth's smile when she beholds her own face in a perfect mirror.

- Rabindranath Tagore

Beauty #2

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Beauty #1

A couple of years ago, we visited with a woman who lives on Whidbey Island.  An important aspect of her life is her love affair with rhododendrons.  When I first heard of this love of hers, I was a bit bewildered.  How could anyone have a love affair with a type of flower?

While we were on Whidbey, the woman took us to Meerkerk Rhododendron Gardens and then to a private garden.

Oh, my!  I got it!  I could see why someone would be in love with rhododendrons.  Well, sort of...

Last night as I went through my photos looking for some Buddha shots to send to a friend, I got so much enjoyment out of looking at the beauty of these graceful flowers that I thought I would share some of them over the next few days.

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.


 - Rumi

Kermit and Family

The frogs!

There must have been hundreds of them in the marshy area around the wooden walkway during our retreat on Whidbey Island.

Every evening and morning, the LOUD Kermit family serenade brought a non-stop smile to my face. We could hear them from the building where we ate dinner. And when we walked on the boardwalk, we walked amidst the choir of frogs.

It's a rare moment when this Colorado girl gets to hear the Frogalujah Chorus.

It sounded like this:
(for the effect most like the experience I had, turn your sound up as loud as it will go).





On my last night on the island, we all met for singing meditation. During a pause in our singing, FROGS continued the chorus while being accompanied by the beautiful hooting of an owl.

Oh. Life doesn't get any better than that.

Undoing

I landed in Denver yesterday after the most sweetly relaxing flight I've ever known. For one who "never can sleep on a plane", sleep silently and softly moved in without my ever knowing it. With iPod earphones in ears and a beautiful woman's voice explaining how to look at the world differently floating through my head, I somehow slipped into that completely different world. Or, I should say, no world at all.

First, I was taking off from Seattle, completely absorbed in the complex flavors of the "Cherry Pie" Lara Bar I had found in my bag, then I was landing at the Denver airport, amazed at the snow-covered mountains which are so beautiful from that distance and which I'm not able to see from the close proximity of my home.

How like life, eh? We can't really see the beauty when we are too close to a situation - or too close to the mountains or to other people. We have to step back, sometimes by waiting for a period of time, sometimes by travel to a new environment, and often just by letting go of preconceived ideas and seeing the situation or mountains or your significant other through new eyes.

I have traveled for these classes six times over three years. Throughout these years, I have been swimming in the ocean of study by reading many writers and through phone conversations with classmates and teachers. Each time we have met, I have sat in class, the silent woman. I haven't yet known of anything that I needed to say, nor how to say it should something come to mind. Yet I sat there, staying totally present to what was going on around me and especially to what was going on within me.

So many changes have occurred. Like the silent fog moving in, like the sleep that I never knew was coming until it left, transformation has been slipping through this life, unannounced and unobtrusively.

Not going to say much more about all of this today. Maybe it will unwind into more words over time.

I know people who unpack as soon as they arrive home. Not me. I leave the suitcase for the next day. Unpacking so soon seems like a harsh landing. Some people dive straight into a cold pool. I walk slowly into the pool, allowing my body to adjust, one part at a time. I guess I'm a slow transformer.

Today is the day for unpacking and washing and stepping slowly into the cool pool I call my life in the Denver 'burbs.

...And I Don't Even Like To Travel

Bags are almost packed
Five days on Whidbey Island
Leaving snow at home

I'll be back next week.

A Study in Rhododendrons

I didn't even know what a rhododendron was before this trip to Whidbey Island. Now, I've seen every color that exists, I've absorbed the sweet aromas through my nose and my pores, and I've come to understand, somewhat, why some people bathe in the rhododendron life.

We met a man who is an internationally recognized rhododendron hybridist. As he gave us a tour of his property, I was jealous of the comfort, confidence, and familiarity that he had with the land, his flowers and life.

It reminded me of a story that Ram Dass tells. He was giving a talk about heavy spiritual stuff to a bunch of people. In the front row, an older woman wearing a hat with artificial flowers was busy crocheting. She continually nodded in agreement with Ram Dass' words - even when the words got pretty "out there". After the talk, Ram Dass asked the woman how she knew so well what he was saying. She replied, "I crochet."

Maybe it doesn't matter what we do, whether it's crocheting, hybriding rhododendrons, praying or meditating. Maybe it's the focus and open heart that we bring to it that makes all of the difference.

Here are some of the "rhodies" that we imbibed. Take your time with them. Aren't they beautiful?















Peace to you, my friend.

Flying High

It's not often that one can look down upon a soaring hawk. We were on a cliff in Greenbank on Whidbey Island, looking down upon the Admiralty Inlet, when a red-tailed hawk flew between us and the water. Be still, my little heart. What a show! Never before have I seen the bird's red tail like this.

I am the eagle, I live in high country
In rocky cathedrals that reach to the sky
I am the hawk and there's blood on my feathers
But time is still turning, they soon will be dry
And all of those who see me, all who believe in me
Share in the freedom I feel when I fly

Come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
Sail o'er the canyons and up to the stars
And reach for the heavens and hope for the future
And all that we can be and not what we are
- John Denver

Flowers Everywhere

Early morning fog on Whidbey Island

I'm back from a week on Whidbey Island. While there, I had a day to be a tourist before my retreat began. "Retreat" is probably not the right word for the experience. Yes, I retreated from the "outside" world, but I did sit in a sort of "class" for much of the time. I was surrounded by 27 other people all day and had two room-mates at night. My idea of retreat involves a lot of hermitting and having as much free time as I want, so I guess this trip didn't qualify for that.

Last night after I got home, I went to bed at 7:45 and I slept until around 6:30 this morning. That's what a week of 27 people, along with deep inquiry into all of my belief systems, does to me.

Soon I will tell you about the rhododendron gardens on Whidbey. Rhododendrons were never interesting to me before, but I truly enjoyed the amazing walk in beauty they provided.