Jamie isn’t hosting this month’s Full Moon Dreamboard, (she’s taking a break from blogging after losing her sweet mom), and I’m a couple of days late making mine. I almost skipped it. I’ve been feeling depressed this past week (missing my Dexter) and not wanting to do much of anything but lie on the couch, eat all kinds of wrong, sleep and watch tv and feel sorry for myself — but after doing this practice for more than a year, it just felt wrong to not do one, to not share it. I appreciate the comfort of this practice, the routine, the space and clarity it provides.
Jamie said last year about the Full Buck Moon, “There’s such gorgeous, lively energy under the Full Buck Moon! On the new moon, as we began gathering for our dreamboards, I invited you to ask yourself, ‘What are my most powerful dreams? Who am I when I am powerful?’ The Full Buck Moon is a time for stepping into that power. Now is the time to set intentions for bold action and big dreams, the time to take action and assert your presence in the world. Now is the time to take a stand and say, ‘Here I am! Here is what I’m dreaming!'”
The Full Buck Moon asks: “What are your most powerful dreams? Who are you when you are powerful?”
My teacher, Sakyong Mipham, said once,
“We think we are rocks, but we are gold.”
Awake, open, free.
Called to shine.
“I am constantly humbled by the ocean —
it teaches me that we can never control nature
or anything.
Rather, it is all about dancing with these dynamic waves
in ways where you are
poised between sensitivity and power.”
It’s not about being tough.
It’s about being tender, awake, open.
“Each of us feels
some aspect of the world’s suffering
acutely.
And we must pay attention.
We must act.
[Called to shine.]
This little corner of the world
[of our heart]
is ours to transform.
This little corner of the world
[of our heart]
is ours to save.”
I am the water, reflecting your light,
You are the echo of my heart’s song.
“We are all inextricably connected
to a field of awareness that is
infinite, unbounded, and eternal.
Meditation, yoga, and other practices
[writing and dog]
give us direct access
to this field of silent awareness.
By allowing our intentions
to drop into this state of silence and joy,
we put ourselves into the best position
for those intentions to manifest.”
There is a song in my heart,
a sleeping Bodhisattva,
but now it is dawn,
morning is here,
the sun is golden in the sky,
reflected off the water,
and it’s time to shine,
time to wake up.
7. Elizabeth Gilbert’s posts on Facebook. It’s like she’s writing a mini blog there, and her posts are so good that I can’t stop sharing them. Here’s one on Bringing Up The Light, which sent me to the paint department to look for my color. Does Running Away Work? was another really good post.
8. Do Whatever Makes You Happy, from Christian Novelli.
9. Also from Christian Novelli, 46 Reasons To Exist. What 46 things are on your list?
The next time you lose heart and you can’t bear to experience what you’re feeling, you might recall this instruction: change the way you see it and lean in. Instead of blaming our discomfort on outer circumstances or on our own weakness, we can choose to stay present and awake to our experience, not rejecting it, not grasping it, not buying the stories that we relentlessly tell ourselves. This is priceless advice that addresses the true cause of suffering—yours, mine, and that of all living beings.
32. Home Bound Blues, Raf Horemans travel blog which includes the most beautiful photography.
You may think that making the “right” decision guarantees you success. But, really, knowing that you can’t fail is what guarantees success. You can’t fail because the Love that guides you is infallible and can always course correct.
Photo of Idgie, a.k.a. Honey Badger, by Allison Mae Photography
I couldn’t bear to have Allison take pictures of Dexter, could never bring myself to go through with it, make that call, just knew looking at images this beautiful when the boy was gone would have hurt too much, would have felt too bad to have two of my dogs captured this way when Obi was already gone and would never have the chance. But now that there’s just Sam, and there will be another boy one day soon-ish, I think a session is in order.
39. Just One Paragraph, from Christina Rosalie. This is a great idea, but I can’t take one more thing on right now. Check her comments section for other bloggers taking part in posting just one paragraph each day for 30 days. I am loving reading Christina’s posts, like this first one for example, Making Saturday Slow on Purpose {Just one Paragraph: 1/30}.
40. Things I want to remember from Susannah Conway. Oh my, the poop moment — who knew such a thing could be so sweet.
Several years ago, I went to see an ophthalmologist on account of some recurring trouble with eye strain and general blurriness. During the exam, the doctor asked me, “Do you spend much time reading or writing?” I replied, “Only when I’m awake…”
49. This story, of how good people can be, and how important it is for us to share the good stuff, because apparently this wasn’t reported on the news.
The ashes of Sean Misner, one of the 19 firefighters who died last week in Arizona, were being transported by his wife back to their hometown on Tuesday. She was in his truck and is pregnant with their unborn child. On every overpass for nearly 500 miles there was a tribute similar to this. Pretty damn remarkable and worthy of more media coverage than most of the other stuff that has been on tv lately. Wanted to share because our media has seemed to overlook it.
53. If I were to take another online class right now, it would have to be Be Your Own Beloved, “a 28 day photo adventure designed to cultivate self-compassion through the practice of taking self-portraits” with Vivienne McMaster. The next session starts on August 1st.
54. This wisdom from Audre Lorde, “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
