I Want To Know
It doesn’t interest me if there is one God
or many gods.
I want to know if you belong or feel
abandoned.
If you know despair or can see it in others.
I want to know
if you are prepared to live in the world
with its harsh need
to change you. If you can look back
with firm eyes
saying this is where I stand. I want to know
if you know
how to melt into that fierce heat of living
falling toward
the center of your longing. I want to know
if you are willing
to live, day by day, with the consequence of love
and the bitter
unwanted passion of your sure defeat.
I have been told, in that fierce embrace, even
the gods speak of God.
~David Whyte
This poem entitled, Self Portrait was written by David Whyte, and is an excerpt from his book
Fire In The Earth. It resonated with me as I reflected upon my feature image today, which portrays my own shadow during a visit to the woods, where I often go to contemplate life’s hard questions. Hope you enjoyed.
Much Love ~ RL
Click here to read an interesting analysis of Whyte’s poem:
Analysis of “Self-Portrait” « THROUGH THE HEALING LENS
Prime Seats
Is there anyplace else we’d rather be,
than nestled up high in the
palm of a tree
~ Robyn Lee
My Blessed Tub
When the going gets rough,
I light a candle, turn on some
soul-soothing music, and soak in a
hot saltwater bath.
It’s such an important ritual for me, one I return to over and over again each night.
Last night I was especially blessed to have a full moon, and mesmerizing clouds floating peacefully in my window’s view.
Today was a better day…and thus, I wanted to share.
Love & Gratitude to all~
Robyn Lee
ps: Top Tub Tune – She has the voice of an angel.
Ong Namo means: I bow to my higher self (or teacher within)…
Attract
“It is only when you love yourself deeply and without condition,
that it becomes effortless to attract the very thing
your heart desires most.”
~Robyn Lee
You might recall meeting the fellow pictured below in my post entitled,
Observe « THROUGH THE HEALING LENS…
He and the mermaid above have not yet met, and reside in different locales,
but I expect they will find each other very soon. 😉
Unreachable
“To focus dauntlessly on that which may seem unreachable
and far away, may be all that it takes
to set your soul ablaze.”
~ Robyn Lee
Protect
Her curtains are drawn, as ducks convene
The stage is set for rest and dreams;
Most will slumber through and through
Others sacrifice sleep, to protect their crew.
~ Robyn Lee
The following is a bit of duck trivia that I found fascinating, demonstrating how, even at the most primitive level, living beings instinctually develop systems to protect their own. If you examine my photo above, you can see which ducks are ‘protecting’ this evening. Enjoy!
Much Love ~ RL
Dr. Niels Rattenborg has studied sleep patterns of birds, including ducks. He monitored the brain waves of ducks as they sleep and learned some interesting things. Ducks often spend the night together as a group, often sleeping in a row. The ducks on the end of the row or outside of the group are easily spooked by any movement nearby.
They sleep with their eye away from the group open, while the other eye is closed. Rattenborg found that one of the hemispheres of the brains of these outside ducks was functioning at 100% capacity while the other hemisphere was in sleep mode. Apparently the duck has the ability to sleep with half the brain at a time asleep while the other half is fully responsive to the environment.
There is an obvious advantage to this system. Not only is the duck protecting itself by being constantly awake on the side that danger might come from, but the duck is also protecting the other ducks in the center.
References:
Discover, May 1999
Scientific American, May 1999
Fragile
“nothing which we are to perceive in this world
equals the power of your intense fragility”
~ e.e. cummings
Encircled
Rhythmic waves of the heart
Kaleidoscopic hues of the soul
Saltwater saturated flesh
Deeply immersed
Encircled
Empowered
“He who controls others may be powerful,
but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.”
~ Lao Tzu
This beautiful and proud bald eagle (known to some as Sam) resides at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge. He was taken in by the refuge in 1988 after undergoing a wing amputation due to gunshot injury. He has been a cherished member of the animal sanctuary ever since. Although Sam cannot soar the skies the way nature might have intended, it is clear he has found empowerment and inner-peace at the refuge, surrounded by other members of the wildlife community, and his human admirers. Go Sam!! 😉
Much Love ~ Robyn Lee
Interlude
Together they fly
caressing the sky
Embraced in a dance
enthralled with romance
When the wind says: DESCEND
the flirtation must end
They tumble and fall
but remember it all
~ Robyn Lee
You’ve Got Mail
It’s for you…
A Love Letter scripted in the clouds
Have a wonderful Sunday
~Robyn Lee
Future
“The future is born of those thoughts and feelings
we are allowing into our experience
right now.”
~ Robyn Lee
Could not help but notice this storefront down the block from the center where I had my spine procedure Thursday. I took pause for a moment, wondering if anyone truly had the ability to see into the future, and would it even serve me to have such information? Quickly I took a photo and moved on. While prepped and waiting, I thought more about the concept of future, and conjured up the quotation (above). A certain calm came over me at this point.
Sending everyone gratitude and appreciation for all the wonderful wishes, and wise comments shared on my blog post Wednesday. They really gave me a much-needed lift. I so appreciate the exceptional sense community we share here!
As an update, I did well with the procedure (barring a few moans and screams) and will know how effective it was over the next several days. If it works, my family will need to hide my roller blades :).
In the meantime…still moving in the direction of hope and faith, and paying attention to those thoughts and feelings I’m inviting into my experience right now!
Much Love ~ RL
Doubt
“Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith.”
~ Paul Tillich
Heading back to New York City for a few days to have the mri and spinal procedure that was scheduled two weeks ago (see: Release « THROUGH THE HEALING LENS).
Anticipation and anxiety have been tormenting my soul these last few weeks. I think two weeks was too long to expect me to keep “releasing” the questions that linger and haunt. I haven’t had my spine mucked with in a few years… and over the past 19, have been poked, prodded, carved and dissected, without resolve more times than I care to remember. Why are we back to the spine again when so many experts assured me just 16 months ago the issue was my hip that needed carving? And why did that hip surgery result in worse pain and dysfunction? Seems like lots of guess-work taking place, and this all makes my head churn.
So… here I am, trying to find my optimism, but I confess…facing some pretty gloomy shadows of doubt. I am working to let go of the questions and have faith, but am having a tough time given the pain levels I’ve been living.
Nevertheless, there are some very important life-occasions coming up around here (namely my daughter’s college graduation in Boston entailing travel and exciting ceremonies, celebrations~so proud of that kid!! I really want to be there for her, and be a part of it all (for me), and thus, agreed to the upcoming medical experiments to try to get the pain levels reduced enough to allow me to join in on the good stuff ahead. Unfortunately, I have no rescue medication to turn to, as my body completely rejects narcotic pain drugs which produce severe spasm of my bile ducts (more painful than a long drawn out heart attack). Even more the reason I’m really needing this spine procedure to buy me some pain relief.
And so, I’m attempting to confront the doubts and fears, and conjure up some serious faith for my journey. Was happy to stumble on Tillich’s quote above, as it made me aware that doubt and faith may indeed be interconnected.
Hoping that this procedure will lead to a revelation of sorts, and at least get me into a mode of higher functioning so I can participate in the festivities, and perhaps even gain insight as to what structures are causing the worst of my pain. If it works well, I’m hoping I can be more aggressive with my rehab program and, of course, take on more adventurous blog photo shoots!
Thanks for everyone’s good energy blown my way on this one. I can feel it, and truly do appreciate.
Farewell for now…. sorry will be at least a few days before I can post again… but in the meantime
wishing all of you good things while I’m away!
Much Love ~ Robyn Lee
Churning
Sturdy dock extends arm
Rippled bay churns a frazzled mind
Clouds release a sigh
~Robyn Lee
THROUGH THE HEALING LENS 