“His laughter, which was never far below
the surface of his conversation,
now sparkled like a splash of water in sunlight.”
Joseph Lelyveld
Graceful Landing
“The artist is a receptacle for the emotions
that come from all over the place:
from the sky, from the earth,
from a scrap of paper,
from a passing shape,
from a spider’s web.”
Pablo Picasso
This graceful landing was hard won for that little spider. While doing my best as a photographer to preserve the experience of standing on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the Pacific Ocean with the Tillamook Lighthouse out at sea, and capturing the beautiful sunset… it was dancing in the wind, dangling several feet from a safe resting place, but slowly gaining web, getting closer and closer to the branch. I kept a close eye on it and was honored to bring to life it’s success in the final rays of day.
Peace & Love
“The soul walks not upon a line;
neither does it grow like a reed.
The soul unfolds itself,
like a lotus of countless petals.”
Kahlil Gibran
Bubbles & Clovers
“I know a place where the sun is like gold,
And the cherry blooms burst with snow,
And down underneath is the loveliest nook,
Where the four-leaf clovers grow.
One leaf is for hope, and one is for faith,
And one is for love, you know,
And God put another in for luck—
If you search, you will find where they grow.
But you must have hope, and you must have faith,
You must love and be strong – and so—
If you work, if you wait, you will find the place
Where the four-leaf clovers grow.”
Four-Leaf Clover
by Ella Higginson
Vacated Beauty
“I don’t think of all the misery,
but of the beauty that still remains.”
Anne Frank
Love Taken for Granite
“Remember that sometimes
‘not getting what you want’
is a wonderful stroke of luck.”
Dalai Lama
True Strength
“I love the man that can smile in trouble,
that can gather strength from distress,
and grow brave by reflection. ‘
Tis the business of little minds to shrink,
but he whose heart is firm,
and whose conscience approves his conduct,
will pursue his principles unto death.”
Thomas Paine
Gentle Lap
“Nothing in the world is more
flexible and yielding than water.
Yet when it attacks the firm and the strong,
none can withstand it,
because they have no way to change it.
So the flexible overcome the adamant,
the yielding overcome the forceful.
Everyone knows this, but no one can do it.”
Lao Tzu
Violet Scars
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet
sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”
Mark Twain
Unity Unfoldin
“Gain strength. Suck up energy. Make a point to appreciate the fragrance of the flowers and the beauty of the sunset. It’s like armor and then you’re armed with an ability to be detached. One is meant to forgive, to forgive and be compassionate.” The meditation tools Kuan Yin offers can be utilized while in the garden or when just daydreaming.
“Just let the mind go and look at a flower,” instructs Kuan Yin. “Clear your mind.”
“I’m looking at the flower and watching how Kuan Yin relates to it,” comments trance channel Lena Lees. “I’m seeing how the act of relating to a flower appears to be so simple. Yet, it takes a tremendous amount of courage to make such a “simple” act important. I understand now how “busyness” can be a real distraction, how it can create “made up” realities. Being present means an absence of past and future. I’m seeing how bringing the mind into the present is the link to eternity and that true meditation is the acceptance of no past or future. I’m understanding how these are amazingly brave concepts, that there are only moments upon moments to be lived.”
“Kuan Yin is showing me something-a tube, I think. I don’t fully understand this diagram. It is as if one end is the past, the other the future. The middle of the tube, the present, is our way, our vehicle for changing reality. You slip into the universe, while living in this dream, this present. Your escape hatch is right here. It is like meditating upon a beautiful place. The more one dwells on the vision of the beautiful place, the more real it becomes.”
“The only way to really utilize your human experience is to practice some kind of meditation or visualization,” states Kuan Yin.” It does work. People really need it. It’s the only way to get through the difficult times. This kind of practice puts one in the “Kuan Yin spirit”. You’re the watcher. Instead of judging, you just see. Whether meditating upon my form or bringing light into the chakras, all these techniques will help in one’s life.”
“It would be best if you could practice being in this moment and then in the next moment and so on. Try to be here, right now. Focus upon a leaf fluttering, light reflected on the waves. Things are more beautiful, afterwards. Make it your own experience. Things will taste, feel better. Colors will be brighter and you’ll feel more alive.”
“A powerful meditation is when contemplating the oneness of everything is to find something’s unique qualities. For example, observing an island’s wholeness and then focusing upon the uniqueness of a single stone. Westerners are dealing with this dichotomy on a grand scale. However, Kuan Yin wants me to emphasize that this meditation is simple but powerful. It’s like physical exercise. One can practice it just once a day or as often as one likes. Other examples to meditate upon (other than an individual stone on the island beach) are faces in a crowd or a leaf on a tree. Each person (in the crowd) is unique and yet (at that very moment) part of the whole. The same is true for leaves on the trees. Practicing this deceptively easy meditation helps each of us to see reality.”
Lena Lee