Becoming Spring

the Love of Spring is in the air
filling mind and body, heart and soul
I breathe in the Spring, I become the Spring
I am made of Spring, and so are you

Spring explodes with joyful rebirth of Spirit
fresh and buoyant, overflowing with new life
familiar because we have seen so many Springs before
yet She thrills and excites; no two Springs are quite alike

we have been many selves, awakened to many new Springs
every moment is a potential new Self, a new Spring awaits
every moment beckons to divulge its secret
calling us from deep within:  NOW is the time to Spring into life!

curiosity is the key, in balance with remembrance
the new must not forget to remember the past
let us discover the Unknown in every new moment
but remember the Center which holds time together

are you open to Spring, aiming up in Life's Wonder?
will you let go of the death of yesterday's Winter?
can you remember heavy Summer?
and simply let yourself Fall?

do you smell the perfume and see the flowers
that lift you to fly upwards as your roots stretch down
remembering the richness of the deepest, fertile depths
the Spring that leaps forward remembers the holy ground of the past...........

* photo by Rob Wiltshire

Mirror of the Mind

*photo by Salvatore Vuono

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=659

the universe in your head is entirely free
it has a center...where? doesn't matter at all
every point is free to be a center within
connected in every direction
to the universe without

so imagine a centerpoint in the middle of your head
see a vertical line aiming up and out
to the Infinite.........and down again, inward to the center
but don't stop there! continue on down
to the Infinite, waiting, far below

in and out are relative to what you call the center
every line unites opposites--when you remember!
where is up, where is down?
doesn't matter, they're inside-out!
just pay attention.......and don't get stuck!

when you're aware of a center, then you know where you can be
but not only in-out, up and down
also forward, back, and left and right...every vector leads
to and from the center of your personal universe
into the universe that surrounds you, the one we all share

are they the same?
your universe and mine?
are they the same?
your center and mine?

well, it all depends
on where you choose to look
what do you want to see?
the part or the whole?

if you see all as One, then your universe is mine
with the Center everywhere, connecting every thing
but what of the body? isn't this all too grand?
what of the neck and shoulders, back and spine?

just stay in your universe, high above
and trust that the body will follow your will
remind yourself, the mind is free!
and let the body rejoice as a mirror of the mind

Free to Want; Free to Not-Want

To want or not to want.............?

A lot of unpleasant feelings can arise from wanting or not-wanting something that we think we're not "supposed to" want, or are "supposed to" want:

...sadness, helplessness, frustration, depression, irritation, anger, confusion, numbness, anxiety, guilt, shame, etc......

Next time you find your desires thwarted, or if you find someone else wanting to give you something you don't want, realize that you are free to stop for a moment to observe what is happening.

Are you reacting?  Do you find yourself with uncomfortable, unpleasant feelings?  Take a moment to remember that you are free to feel whatever you are feeling and to think whatever you are thinking.  You could examine what it is you want or don't want, and think the following thoughts:

     I am free.
     I am free to think what I'm thinking.
     I am free to feel what I'm feeling.


     I am free.


     I want ________________.
     I am free to want __________________.


     I do not want ________________.
     I am free to not-want ___________________.


     Yes, I am free!


     Breathing, allowing, releasing, 
     No compulsion, no forcing,
     I am free.


When I think in this way, I am giving myself permission to utilize my free will, to feel and think the way I am feeling and thinking.  It takes the pressure off to be different from how I am right now.

Then, paradoxically, it so often happens that, after realizing that I am truly free to experience my freedom to think and feel as I do, I become willing to explore whether I might actually want or not-want something else, and sometimes I am surprised to discover that I might really be open to wanting the opposite.

To Be With

First (last, always, and above all), to just BE with a person and the habitual way of being.  


To really fully accept how a person is in this present moment, without expectation or need (or even desire!) for change.  


To simply see the person, see the habit, see what IS, and let it be there.  


To acknowledge/realize the freedom of the person (student, teacher, friend, child, parent, lover, etc.), right NOW, no matter what it looks/feels like.  (What a miracle!  To see/know/realize that we ARE FREE!)  


And then, to maybe explore the habit a bit more, maybe go a bit deeper into it, whatever it is, however it is manifesting itself.  To just get curious about it, and let it be there.  


Once we can really acknowledge and accept a person -- habit and all -- and simply let the individual be FREE to BE, then what can seem like a miracle takes place:


...the person-habit comes alive! and starts to move! and change! and breathe!


Even if it's so subtle that we aren't aware of it at first.  Even if we don't have the time or patience to stay with it very long.  Even if we think it's stuck and isn't changing or living or breathing or moving...IT IS.  And whatever it is, right now, it's just fine.  It is free.


I am forever grateful to my first Alexander teacher for teaching me this through the experience, and also to several others.