A Void That Contains Everything
(from Within My Illusions)
In the deepest stillness there is movement.
In silence there is sound.
I sit in the saffron eye
of a daisy, encircled
by its deep pink, velveteen rays.
Outstretched.
Outstretching.
Open.
Bees and butterflies dance
an elaborate ballet
in, around, and through this garden.
Pollinating potential.
Their patterns of motion and rest
are as impossible to predict as
the currents of wind
that move trees to surrender
seeds of intention.
Quiet buzzes through me
until it becomes a part of me,
rearranges me
the way the vibrations of a song can change
the crystalline structure of water.
Encased in this space,
in the pregnant womb beyond time and place,
skin dissolves into ether and
I become the dancer and the dance,
the instrument and the music.
A conduit of chance.
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself walking alone on Santa Monica Beach in Southern California. I had spent the earlier part of the day and most of the previous week visiting friends and family, and I was ready for a quiet moment by myself. Of course, I wasn't by myself; the beach was filled with people. Families, couples, groups of friends, and other solitary people like me were all out doing their thing, and there were so many different things people were doing: biking, napping, picnicking, playing sports, tanning, skateboarding, drinking beer, swimming, body surfing flying kites. To my left, I looked out on the Santa Monica Pier with its iconic ferris wheel and carnival attractions. To my right I saw the bluffs of Pacific Palisades and Malibu. And here I was in the middle of it all. Fully present, yet invisible in this crowd of humans, each having their own experience of the moment. I was suddenly filled with an overwhelming sense of awe at remembering: There are so many different ways of being in the world, so many possible ways to experience the beautiful and the sacred.
On my walk down to the beach, I had noticed rainbows reflected on the sign that marked the way. It felt like a reminder that there is always more than one path to the destination.
Wishing you beauty and awe, in whatever unique ways they come to you.