Uradiance

Who knows what fills a sparrow's tiny chest at dawn? Who knows why a smile alights on your lips with wings of faithful uncertainty? Or why this tear, condensed from the distance between nameless stars, suddenly blurs green earth with gratitude? Don't tell. Use music. Each of us must learn from the ringing of broken things in the heart that happiness has nothing to do with being sure. Feathered air descends upon your breastbone from the soft spot nested on your crown. Your exhalation, A silent tongue of fire. No path led you here to this impermanence of mothwing and wild anemone, mountain aster and Indian paint bush seeded by breezes beside a meandering snow-melt stream. The art of lingering. The art of disappearing. Don't tell. Use music. There is no death in this meadow. A radiance in your chest contains me. A radiance in my chest contains you. We are a circle with so many centers even Christ gets dizzy....

Here is the link where you can order the book from Rashani's website, discounted for the month of May.  https://www.rashani.com/booksandjournals/p/rest-in-the-heart    This is a stunning, colorful, coffee-table art book, using words that Rashani Réa selected from my writings to weave into her art. Thank you, Rashani, for all the labor of love that went into these mandala/collages! The purpose of this book is to provide portals through which the mind may descend into the heart, for the New Earth will manifest through humanity's Hridaya chakra. Below is  a sample page from the book, along with  the back cover where you can read endorsements by some notable authors and teachers. Click photos to enlarge.

  How many times must I hear Buddha say "breathe in, breathe out," before I can do it myself? I got tired of being spiritual so I came home, built a fire, made coffee, took out mother's cup and ran my fingers over its hair-thin crazing, threads of brown in blue. But mostly I came home to you, a hug of fur on fur. I got tired of being spiritual, so I came home to Being. Photo: still life in my kitchen