Wake Up Dreamchild of the Sun and Shine

"The moon shines in my body,

but my blind eyes cannot see it:

The moon is within me, and so is the sun.

The unstruck drum of Eternity is sounded within me;
but my deaf ears cannot heart it.

So long as man clamours for the I and the Mine,
his works are as naught:
When all love for the I and the Mine is dead,
then the work of the Lord is done.
For work has no other aim
than the getting of knowledge:
When that comes then work is put away.

The flower blooms for the fruit:
When the fruit comes, the flower withers.
The musk is in the deer,
but it seeks it not within itself:
It wanders in the quest of grass."

-Kabir (13th Century Ecstatic Poet)
(Translation by Rabindranath Tagore)

We sit quietly sometimes overwhelmed with our own smallness. In a world where gigantic governments have revealed themselves as power mongers and technological advancements have made our lives simpler but not easier, how do we find a way to live in harmony with the world and all of its challenges? How do we fulfill our purpose and make sure that we leave the world a better place than the one we came into? This is often a question on my mind. Through contemplation, meditation, soulful creativity, and a sense of humor, the inward search becomes the only source of aspiration and hope. The tremendous connection to everything is not possible when we are still asleep .

A soft unspoken voice endlessly resonates within us "Wake Up" and know yourself in unity with everything and everyone. In a blade of grass, in the song of a bird, in the wind whispering through the trees: there is Truth reflecting back to us. Breathe into yourself all possibilities and lose all rigid constraints of old ideas. Breathe into yourself a new song that sings outward from the depth of your own Being. Express that uniqueness out into the world the same way a monarch butterfly dances in its joy or a baby bird emerges from its egg and declares its sound to all of creation. We have not come here to live a separate existence from all things around us but to feel our oneness with it.

When sadness and loneliness crept into my day, I would often occupy myself with Kabir's words. I wanted to wake up to the reason I was left behind here on this earth and my lover had to leave. Often times I just wanted to sleep the day away because the answers would not come. Kabir's poetry always lifted my heart. Over the years, various layers have shed themselves from the understanding of the words and have found greater depths in my Being. I wanted to sing these words, draw these words and absorb them into my days. Where was that moon and sun in me? Why do I work so hard and feel so unsuccessful at times? Why does the deer always run everywhere else to look for the musk instead of within? How do we find balance in the attachments of love and then easily let go? Day by day, month by month and year by year new insights would open the floodgates of creativity and gratitude.

And so I look into the girl in the picture. She is the pondering and contemplative child of the Universe that aches to know herself fully. All of creation shines out of her and everything around her. There is a slight smile on her lips because she is feeling the arousal of Consciousness more and more. She is well on her way. The greater world is training her to overcome the lesser world of attachment to things and circumstances. She realizes the peace and abundance are nowhere to be found in the outside existence but stream from a greater exhaustless wellspring within. It's an excruciating and ecstatic journey all at the same time. More and more the moments of joy linger into all aspects of life. A child of the sun cannot help but shine.

PS...I'll be flying out west so I will be back in a couple of weeks!!!! Love to you!!!