Hope & Healing Through Photography and Poetic Expression

Philosophy

We Know…

There are
some
things

~

 we
are
born
knowing;

~

We
know

~

we can
touch
the
sky

with
our
heart;

~

We
know

~

the
sea
will keep

 our
secrets
safe;

~

We
know

~

treasures
always
hide

in
places
unexpected;

~

We
know

~

we
are
worthy;

~

We
know

~

we
are
grace;

~

We
know

~

we
are
love;

~

And

~

when we
grow
up

~

all
we
truly
need

~

to
know

is:

REMEMBER

___


©Robyn Lee

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Mono No Aware

 

 

Wake
up

my love

’tis
spring

~

I’ve
come

with
offerings

~

songs
of
beauty

I
shall
sing

~

sweet
new
gifts

my
essence

brings;

……….

Wake up
my
love

’tis
spring

~

I’m right
outside

your
door

~

Do
you

notice

my
allure?

~

or

~

feel
the
breadth
of

my
adore?

……….

Wake
up

my love

’tis
spring

~

I’m
here

to

help
you
see

~

just
how
blissful

life
could
be

~

when
you
know

the
depths

of
me;

……….

Wake
up
my love

’tis
spring

~

Watch
me
blushing

in
the
breeze

~

let me
charm
you

as
I
please

~

soothe
your
soul 

~

with

~

grace
and
ease:
……….

Wake
up
my love

’tis
spring!

~

But
you

mustn’t

stop
or
wait

~

don’t
loose
sight

or
hesitate

~

for
tomorrow

~

’tis

too
late.

©Robyn Lee

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Please click here to learn more about the spiritual philosophy
that provided inspiration for this piece :  Mono No Aware 


Design Me

Design
me

Define
me

~

Discover
where

I’m
bold;

~

Create
me

Elate
me

~

Infuse
me

with
your
soul;

~

Feel
me

Reveal
me

~

Portray
me

as
you
know;

~

For
there
is

~

Truth
in
Love

~

And

~

Love
in
Truth;

~

Your
heart

~

has
shown

~

me
so.

~

©Robyn Lee

robyn10312 2©Resa McConaghy, Costume Designer/Artist Extraordinaire 

~

Warm thanks to the very lovely and talented Resa McConaghy, of Queen’s end | Life at Queen’s end, King, Queensway and Roncesvalles who unbeknownst to me at the time, sketched the above caricature portrait to include in her recent  post In Amore Veritas.  After it was complete, Resa sent the sketch to me for approval, and I was fascinated to experience her artistic vision, especially considering we have never met, and have developed our special friendship solely through our blog comments. I believe she captured a very distinct facet of my inner- energy in her playful and  delightful rendition. Needless to say, I am both tickled and honored.

I must also add that I’m doubly flattered, since this is the second time I have served as “Muse” for Resa, an accomplished  film costume designer in Canada who has outfitted some of the world’s top starlets. If you have not yet seen my post Blue Venus, be sure to check out the stunningly exotic art-gown Resa designed and created  for me, featured in her wonderful collection Art Gowns” for Charity.

Resa thank you again for shining your light so brightly here. Clearly, it is you who inspire and heal us with your creative loving heart.
This animation is a treasured gift, and with it, I just may be inclined to start my own–  “Robyn Lee: The Super Heroine” series 🙂 !

 In Amore Veritas!

~
So Much Love to All,
Robyn

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Our Path

“Come now
my
love,”

~

you
softly
say;

~

I
close
my eyes;

~

I
slip
away.

~

“Walk
swift,
our path,”

~

your
whisper
pleads;

~

I
find
my
breath

~

concede
my
need.

~

You
mark
the  trails

~

with
pines
of
gold;

~

You
guide
my
steps

~

whilst
truths
unfold;

~

Beneath
our
tree

~

I wait
for
you,

~

unearthing
dreams

~

we
never
knew.

~

©Robyn Lee

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Cast Ashore

where
debris
drifts ashore

~

forming
edges
and lines;

~

where
memories
tumble

~

and
hope
is
defined;

~

where
lovers
have
lingered

~

and

faith
has been
born;

~

where
sun’s
tender kiss

~

precedes
hurricane’s
scorn;

~

where
wind
swirls

its
promise;

~

embodied
deep in the
grain,

~

sculptures
of
life
grow

~

amidst
shadows
of
pain.

~

©Robyn Lee

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I  want to let everyone know that I will be leaving town this weekend for an undefined period of time.  I will be flying to another state to  consult with a medical professional in order to determine  whether I might benefit from  working with him privately on a very specific functional training program he developed, in efforts to help stabilize my joints, and better hold them in their sockets.

It is  past the 2 year mark now, since my bilateral hip surgeries ( arthroscopic repair of  labrum tears and bone impingement). I have done all humanly possible to recover  from this surgery , and regain some degree of normal function, but my situation continues to worsen, and the pain remains unrelenting.

As an update to My Story which I wrote about a year ago… it was recently determined that I have congenitally shallow anterior hip sockets (hip dysplasia) in addition to very loose ligaments (body-wide).  Thus this last  surgery in which my bone was carved, and joint capsule violated in order to do the repairs mentioned, did not serve me, and has seemingly rendered my joints more unstable.

I hope that I will be a candidate for this specialized training program with a functional movement expert I have sought out personally, and  have great faith in. Through dedication and hard work, I’m hoping to develop even greater body awareness, and gain enhanced  neuromuscular control of my ball/socket joints, increasing stability and reducing pain. As you might imagine, I  am trying desperately to avoid further surgeries, which  the experts warn, offer “no guarantees”.

Although I may be away  for several weeks now, I hope to have internet, and my wireless devices handy, and will  keep a good eye on everyone here ~ reading posts as much as possible, and hopefully posting some too.

Sending much Love and Light to all of you,
who have been, and continue to be
such an incredible source of strength
and inspiration in my life.

~
Robyn Lee


Just When You…

Just when you
believed
you
knew

~

the
beauty;

the
magic;

the
rapture;

of
our

brilliant
winter
sun

setting herself
over
the

eager
majestic
sea;

~

you
suddenly
realize

that,

in
essence,

~

you
know

~

nothing
at
all.

©Robyn Lee

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Waterfall

Feeling Waters Fall

 Porcelain Vessel of  Tears

Faithful Flame:  Endure

 ©Robyn Lee

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Unfolding

IMG_0094

You
wait

~

you
watch

~

you
wonder;

~

Patiently,

nurturing

~

caring

~

saturating
me

with
love;

~

And
slowly,

~

layer
by
layer

~

moment
by
moment

~

petal
by
petal;

~

I
open

~

I
reveal
~

I
expose;

~

Unfolding
gracefully
before
you;

~

Offering

my
raw
essence

~

in

all

its
flushed

complexities;

~

Amidst
intricate
creases

and
tender
curves;

~

Unmasking
hidden
facets

~

of
my truest
nature

~

and
the
most
delicate

mysteries;

~

Releasing
sensitive
sweet

aroma;

~
Deep

red
shades

of

~

beauty,

vibrancy

and

life;

~

Until
finally

I
bloom

~

fully

~

wholly;

~

And
you,

the

witness,

~

  Find
a

  joyous
place

~

in the
softest

perfect
center

of
me;

~

Knowing
that

tomorrow

~

it
may
not

be

ours

~

to
hold.

~

©Robyn Lee


Creation

Faithful Brush Stroking

Willfully Tinting The World

Pulsed Breath of Canvas

©Robyn Lee

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My Lens


 

As we stand before
the garden
so
lush

~

you
ask:

 “Which lens
will you choose
to view
the world?”

~

Without hesitation,
I reply:

“I choose the lens
that
illuminates
the sky…

so
I may sparkle
amongst the
evening
stars,

and

slide down
the golden rays of
morning
sun.”

~

Approvingly,
you nod,
and
query:

“Can you tell me more
about this lens
you
long for?”

~

I exclaim:

“I wish
for

this lens
to
enlighten,

and
show me

how to dance
with trees,

 as they
sway

to
and
fro

with
reverence

for
wind’s most
soulful
song.”

~

You gaze at me,
with a most
curious stare,
and say:

 “Ahhh, but tell me,
can you
even
find

such a
lens to call
your own?”

~

I pause,

and
wistfully
declare:

“Oh yes, Oh yes!

 I will
find
this lens;

This looking
glass

that
inspires

my fingers

~

to

touch
the delicate
silken petals

of

even the
smallest
flower,

and 

to
explore
the deepest
lines

ingrained
on
 earth’s fallen
leaves.”

~

 You sigh,
seemingly
satisfied,

“Hmm,”

you say,
in a low
contemplative
tone,

“but this wonderful
lens you

speak of…

tell me
of
the most
perfect
vision
it

will
 ultimately
reveal.

~

And then,
I smile,
slowly closing
my
hopeful eyes,
and
profess:

“I choose the lens
that
 guides me
gently…

through
the open
doors
of

my own
heart,

so that I
can

see

~

with perfect
precision
and
clarity

~

every
glorious
color

of

~

Your

Love.”

~

© Robyn Lee

 

 

 


Divide

Lines
Define

~

They
Separate;

~

Borders

~

Boundaries

~

Shields
of
Fate;

~

Beyond
the
Fences

~

That
we
Build,

~

a
Path

~

a
Link

~

True
Hearts
Fulfilled;

~

Where
Love
Flows

Like
Water,

~

Grace
Resides;

~

Moon
Beams

of

Light

Our

Sole
Divide.

~~

©Robyn Lee


The Most Famous Question…

~
To be,
or not to be?
That is the question—
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And, by opposing, end them? To die, to sleep—
No more—and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to—’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished! To die, to sleep.
To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there’s the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There’s the respect
That makes calamity of so
long life.
~~~
William Shakespeare
Hamlet
~
~
Please visit To Be Or Not To Be | Suite101 for a short philosophical view on why the first
line in Shakespeare’s soliloquy has resounded as the most famous quotation
throughout literary history, and has implications reaching
far beyond the context of Hamlet amongst our
contemporary existential thinkers.

To Become

 Untainted buds anew
Blushed open velvet wanting
Becoming with grace

©Robyn Lee


Will You?

Will you meet me there? Beneath the muddy surface…
Where we shed our armor..remove our masks…
Where we strip down the layers;
Where we go, willingly…
to unveil our hearts’
deepest truth.
~~~
©Robyn Lee

Please allow me to share this wonderful prose poem entitled, The Invitation, by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.
It is a favorite of mine, and challenges us all to find the inspiration, the intimacy,
the courage and the commitment to live fully, every day.

Enjoy! ~RL
~~~

The Invitation
by Oriah
…………………………..
It doesn’t interest me
what you do for a living.
I want to know
what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me
how old you are.
I want to know
if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me
what planets are
squaring your moon…
I want to know
if you have touched
the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened
by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know
if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know
if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations
of being human.

It doesn’t interest me
if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear
the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know
if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me
who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me
where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know
what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.

I want to know
if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like
the company you keep
in the empty moments.
~~~

from the book: The Invitation
© Mountain Dreaming,
published by HarperONE, San Francisco, 1999 All rights reserved


Vision Quest

Swept away
on
a
Vision Quest

 ~

In
The midst
of
a
Whirlwind

~

My
Rite
of
Passage

~

Delivers
me
Safely

~

To
a
Cherished
Space

~

Nature’s
Purest
Place

~

Where

~

Buried
Deep

~

Under
Golden
Grains

~

I
find
a
Treasure

~

My Lens;

~~~

Standing
Alone

~

Secure
in
Wet
Sand

~

I
Look
Through

~

And
Within

~

Seeing
From
New eyes

~

Magnified
Truth

~

Empowered
Presence

~

Illuminated
Self;

~

My
Eyes relax

and

~

Focus
Converges

on

~

All that
is
Love

~

All that
is
Me;

~

Blinded

~

From
Fear

~~

Shielded

~

From
Pain

~~

My Lens

~

Exposes

~

That
Which is
Real

~

That
Which is
Illusion

~

Altering

My
Vision

~

Eternally

~~~

©Robyn Lee

 My first nature excursion in about 6 weeks!

On Friday at 4 pm I had an enchanting encounter with the sea.

A healing moment indeed.

Thanks to each of you for being so incredibly loving and supportive,
and sending me such passionate healing energies as I continue my journey.
I know they hold great power, and I love you all for the special souls you are.

~Robyn Lee