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… the world is a beautiful place …

mendo coast

 

“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain
make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness.
Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree,
you still believe it to be a beautiful place.”

Kurt Vonnegut.

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… surrender … breathe … now …

on the new year
“You have moved through one layer only to discover another has appeared. A door to the other world has opened. Another year awaits you, yet there is a sense that something unprecedented is longing to break through the dream of partiality.

You have broken apart, come back together, only to break apart yet again. There are times when you are so open, and others when it feels like everything is caving in upon you. Whether clarity or confusion spins out of the stars and descends upon you, the path is everywhere. For every form is a wisdom guide arising out of the unseen as a harbinger of integration.

The veil is parting, yet what is coming next has not yet been given. You can rest now, for today may not be the day for answers… but to let your heart break open to the vastness of the question.

You can slow down. Nothing is urgent. Nothing need be fixed, changed, healed, transformed, or resolved, for right now. Breathe. Mingle your essence with the blue in the sky. Drop into the muddy earth and receive the holding of the embodied world. All the support and guidance you will ever need… is here now and is forming around you.

Dare to see that grace is right here, not as a destination that you will reach one day by means of a weary journey – not when you get ‘enlightened,’ ‘heal your past,’ ‘meet your soul mate,’ or ‘raise your vibration’ – but as a lover for you to dance, play, and explore with, in the unfolding, eternal now. Look carefully, for the path is erupting in the aliveness of immediacy as the golden portal into intimacy with all things.

On this new year’s day, surrender the dream of unworthiness and behold the grace that is always, already here, raging equally in the struggle and in the joy – in the despair and in the bliss. See that it is shining through the mess and shape-shifting from one form to another, in order to reveal just how whole you truly are.

And within the temple that is your very own body, receive the invitation to fully participate, to give everything to the opportunity that awaits you here, in a shimmering, rare, and very alive star of love.”

…………..Matt Licata

Photo credit: “Collecting the Stars” by Kevin Carden

 

 

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… fall in love …

bear love

May you fall madly in love this year .. in love with someone who unhinges your tired trajectory, in love with a spouse of several years who might be aching for lightning, in love with demanding children and crazy relatives .. in love with the particular pedigree of genius insanity that has perhaps claimed you in spite of your reluctance .. and certainly in love with an animal, a cloud, a redwood, the wild .. these at least once a day. May you fall in love with this fragile jewel of a world, with hard work, real learning, just causes, petitioning and prayers. May you fall in love with wonder itself, with the grand mystery, with all that feeds you in order that you may live .. and with the responsibility that that confers. May you fall in love with heartbreak and seeing how it’s stitched into everything. May you fall in love with the natural order of things and with tears, tenderness and humility. May this be a magnificent year for you. May you fall deeply, madly, hopelessly, inextinguishably in love.

© Poetess (Rachelle Lamb)

Artwork: Jackie Morris (The House of Golden Dreams)

 

 

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… movie madness 777 …

“The Life Before Her Eyes”  … what a puzzlement.
And Who doesn’t like a well crafted puzzle?

Starring Evan Rachael Wood and Uma Thurman, this film
had me spaced and yes, puzzled for a time.  Evan, who is
curiously mesmerizing in her own right, pairs with Eva Amurri
(Sarandan’s eyes) as her High School bestie, as they endure
and process a mass High School shooting.   Yet!  ….
This is Not what this film is truly about.
It takes you on a psychological journey through time and
space within the reality of a woman… past, present and future.
And it’s up to You to decide what is which, and who is who.
No cuteness or trickery here…. Largely Dreamlike, visually with
carefully crafted lighting and expert editing…. it’s one of those
…had to watch it twice… realities…..And yes, I finally Got it.

P..S.. (and notice it’s a Capital P.S.)….  UMA delivers The BEST
Performance of her career, for Me at least.  I admit having
limited her scope of acting by my judgement of same, and
This Film allows her to show her Depths, her Potential,
if given the right script and Director.

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… movie madness # 483

movie madness  #483…
“Sensation of Sight” with David Strathairn.
Perhaps you remember David from his portrayal of Edward R Murrow
in Goodnight and Good Luck, in which he was sensational. This Indy
actor delivers such subtle clues as to his characters, and he triumphs
in this hauntingly touching film.
Achingly slow, deeply nuanced, and artfully minimalistic, characters
and moments are carefully shared, like puzzle pieces, until at last they begin to fall into place, interwoven in life’s dance.
The slow, often still camera work adds to the depth and pace of the story,
each a seeming painting of light and line.

This is one of those ‘must watch again’ films, a visual feast of faces and
places, a heartful and tender film filled with honesty, and inspiration..

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… movie madness 222 …

MOVIE MADNESS # 222
Ever feel like good films come in bunches? Like you just struck
some golden vein in the ethers… Last night was one of those.
First of all, I watched 30 minutes of The Lost World (Jurassic),
and could watch no more. Stupid, boring, no point, made me Mad.
Sorry Jeff and sorry Julianne. Awful.
Next was a sleeper… “A Home at the End of the World”.
It’s a 70s-80s look at freer times, when folks were more open,
less judgemental, and somehow the world was more grok-able.
It’s a 2004 release I never heard of, but well worth checking out…
Stellar cast of Robin Wright (Penn then) and Colin Farrell. They
are both quite young seeming, and along with their 3rd wheel
friend Dallas Roberts, and Sissy Spacek (playing herself as always),
it’s a delightful ensemble.
You’ll enjoy remembering sweeter times, yet this is never sappy….
it’s savvy and character driven. Quirky, risky, Sexy, and unique.
Very Indie.

NEXT!! Do you like Russell Crowe? Sometimes, right? Well This
one is one of his best, largely because the story is Excellent. It twists
and turns, keeping you wondering right to the end. Not particularly violent, yet the intensity and plot meanderings are craftsfully
Edited, and your brain gets a good workout all the way through.
His wife is convicted of murder, and he brilliantly does what he
must…. “The Next Three Days” when you’re in the mood for smart excitement. They call it a Pulse pounding, white knuckle Thriller, a
bit dramatic (ya think?) but stars Elizabeth Banks and Olivia Wilde
provide the necessary beauty and balance.