Breath

"You breathe,
Frosting mountains white,
Exciting trees to verdant flame,
Dancing sparrows on your wing,
Swirling waves into long sighs.
You breathe,
And all things live."

Most of all in this life transition, I have needed to catch my breath. Even while doing that I have felt the pressure to keep going, and stay open to the next opportunity. Now I realize, breath is the opportunity. To draw breath is everything. 

Hourglass

"Life is like an hourglass.
Consciousness is the sand."

Toward the end of my time in college, one of my assignments in a creative writing class was to make a personal artistic manifesto. Amidst all the bullshit I'm sure was there, one thing emerged that has always stuck with me,"I've got time," I wrote. "I've got time, and I'm going to be just fine!"

Needless to say, that feeling was short-lived, once I was cast adrift upon the world without my goals, my books, my studies to buoy me up. It took a long time, but eventually I got to a safe place again, and now, in a bizarre way, things seem to have come full-circle. This time, I am adrift, but this time, I know the truth. Despite what the world says, I do have time, and I really am going to be just fine. 

Water

"Drops.
Water cleanses,
Gathers in the earth.
Tender. Invasive. Subtle.
Emerges a shining river.
When small, it is weak.
When great, it tumbles mountains,
Rendering great cliffs
Sand."

No wonder I always feel terrified yet soothed by the ocean. To cleanse one's spirit is not only refreshment, but surrender. At this moment in my life, I'm striving for both; I'm striving for all. 

Spine

"Tao is the road up your spine.
Tao is the road of your life.
Tao is the road of the cosmos."

I am very grateful to be feeling supported by the universe in bringing my inner and outer lives into balance. I read an article the other day about having systems rather than goals, and I've decided I want to create better systems for achieving my goals. If the systems are in place, the goals will flow naturally. 

Clarifying

"Express yourself:
That is meaning."

I try to express myself wisely, yet fully. It's a curious balance to strike at a time when I am making a conscious effort to express myself in new and different ways. I must discover the challenge of each new day before I can meet it. In that way, I'm working harder now than ever before. 

Purpose

"Suddenly, things snap into focus.
I've been pursuing unity all my life,
But could only glimpse the monstrous vision in fragments;
It has haunted me for years.

Each time I sighted it, I struggled to make it concrete.
At first, it seemed I only had a sculptor's yard of unfinished figures--
Then it slowly began to make sense,
Gathered from glimpses and inferences.

More and more, this mysterious life comes together.
It may take years more to reveal the whole.
That's all right.
I'm prepared to go the distance."

Right now, I know, I am praying for a renewal of my purpose--a chance to finally realize what I have glimpsed off and on for years, only receiving the deepest, most mysterious and pure intimations. Could it be that I am closer than ever? This time in my life feels like the gift to find out--the chance to step into my destiny fully. I'm ready.

Worthwhile

"Inside me, it was quiet all day:
I waited until midnight for a sound.
Outside me, it was noisy all day:
I waited all night for silence.
Tao's power is sound.
Tao's potential is silence."

I think this one speaks for itself: