innervoiceartblog

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“The contradictory feelings of hope and hopelessness, connection and collapse, anxiety and rest. The shakiness in the belly. The tightness in the throat. The shattering emptiness inside the heart. Glimpses of true joy that in the next moment are gone.

All the techniques, teachings, and advice; the new beliefs to take on, the worn-out ideas about how to respond, how to make sense of the senseless, how to find relief. These are all dissolved, and only a burning remains.

This burning is the doorway, the portal, and the lifeline. In ways the mind can’t always understand, there is refuge in the burning, in the core of the broken pieces.

It can feel as if we’re inside the bardo between one moment and the next. We know that we can’t go back to the way it was, but what’s next has yet to appear. It’s being heated and cooked in the vessel. There is creativity in the liminal, but it requires a relinquishing of the known for it to be revealed.

We are asked to marinate in the womb of now, tend to the groundlessness, and find refuge in the unknown: to be midwife to the darkened illumination. To shepherd the wandering orphans of psyche and soma.

There are signs, symbols, synchronicities, and guidance all around and inside us, but our perception must be cleansed to receive that high-voltage communication.

As we bear witness to a new day, the breath is here. The heart is quivering, but alive. The birdsong, the trees, the vast blue sky. The miracle of the senses. The sun has come up again. The moon is hiding nearby waiting for her turn to bless. For just one moment, the veil parts and we are provided with a glimpse behind the scenes.

Perhaps today was never going to be the day when we figured it all out, resolved all the contradictions, or integrated the wild undomesticated activity of love. We can’t integrate love, but we can bear witness as it integrates us.

Today may not be the day for answers, but to let your heart break open to the vastness of the question. To fall to the ground as a humble lover of the mystery. And listen once again.”

- Matt Licata

Photo: attuning to the heart beat, Lappohja Beach

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“If you want to get warm…” C.S. Lewis

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The Way to do is to be

- Lao-Tse

Art by Jean-Pierre Weill

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House decoration from Zakopane in Poland.

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"Perhaps our “life's purpose” has nothing to do with what job we will find, what new thing we will manifest or attract for ourselves, or what mythical awakening journey we will complete. Perhaps the purpose of our life is to fully live, finally, to touch each here and now moment with our presence and with the gift of our one, wild heart.

And to do whatever we can to help others, to hold them when they are hurting, to listen carefully to their stories and the ways they are attempting to make sense of a world that has gone a bit mad. To speak kind words and not forget the erupting miracle of the other as it appears in front of us. Perhaps this is the most radical gift that we can all give."

- Matt Licata

Artist: Ed Blinkley

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This is a detail of the painting "The Jewish Bride" (Dutch: Het Joodse bruidje) by Rembrandt, executed around 1667.

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Trine between Uranus - Lilith

"She lives through marvellous adventures - without much follow-up, it is true, but these leave happy memories. She can have many such adventures and fantastic love-at-first-sight encounters."

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When you dive past 200 meters (656 feet), you enter the deep seabed—an expansive world leading down to abyssal plains, at depths of 3,000 to 6,000 meters (up to 19,685 feet). But it doesn't stop there; the Mariana Trench drops to a staggering 11,000 meters (36,089 feet). These areas, isolated in darkness and high pressure, hold unique life and key insights into Earth's geological and biological evolution.

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Trametes versicolor.

Fairdale, West Virginia 11/17/24.

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An avid outdoorsman, Tom Thomson was a close friend and colleague of the Group of Seven members. Although the Group of Seven formed after his death, Thomson had a large impact on Canadian art.

Image: Tom Thomson, The Jack Pine, 1916–1917, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada.

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Tallows Beach, Byron Bay, NSW

#favouriteplaces

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"Although I may try to describe Love,

When I experience it,

I am speechless."

~ Rumi

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Kashmir

~ Led Zeppelin

"Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face

And stars fill my dream

I'm a traveler of both time and space

To be where I have been

To sit with elders of the gentle race

This world has seldom seen

They talk of days for which they sit and wait

All will be revealed...

Talk in song from tongues of lilting grace

Sounds caress my ear

And not a word I heard could I relate

The story was quite clear...

All I see turns to brown

As the sun burns the ground

And my eyes fill with sand

As I scan this wasted land

Try to find, try to find the way I feel

Oh, pilot of the storm who leaves no trace

Like sorts inside a dream

Leave the path that led me to that place

Yellow desert stream

Like Shangri-la beneath the summer moon

I will return again

As the dust that floats finds you

We're moving through Kashmir

Oh, father of the four winds fill my sails

Cross the sea of years

With no provision but an open face

Along the straits of fear

Oh, when I want, when I'm on my way, yeah

And my feet wear my fickle way to stay

Let me take you there

Come on, oh let me take you there

Let me take you there"

- Songwriters:

James Patrick (Jimmy) Page / John Bonham / Robert Plant / John Paul Jones

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Portrait of Pele

Goddess Pele is the Hawaiian Volcano and Fire Goddess. Known as She Who Shapes the Sacred Land, Pele is the expression and embodiment of Divine Creative Power. She is the Flame of Passion and the Fire of Purpose, She is the Energy of Dynamic Action & the Glowing Essence of Eternal Love.

Pele’s story reminds us that when we know who we are and when we honor that energy, when we honor our true self, we will find our place in the world. We are also reminded, that when we are pursuing our true path, to persevere despite perceived obstacles. We are encouraged to not give up just before we reach the destination of our dreams. Madame Pele brings confidence and courage, promotes positive action, and helps us to align with our divine truth so that we may realize our true potential. She also helps us communicate honestly and to set appropriate boundaries when necessary. Goddess Pele comes with infinite and profound love and is an awesome ally in transcending the illusions of fear and limitation. Pele is dedicated to help us realize our true power ~ the power of divine love. She is devoted to helping us express our creative power in a way that brings benefit, blessings & beauty to the whole.

On June 27, 2014, Lava began erupting and flowing from a new vent on Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes and home of the Hawaiian Goddess Pele. Just after recovering from a massive hurricane, the slow advance of lava is now threatening people's homes in Puna and is headed straight for the town Pāhoa. Some residents have already started evacuating, while others are discussing the possibility of diversion by erecting barriers or using explosives, which is very controversial. Not only could that make the problem worse, but there are also cultural sensitivities at play.

Diverting the lava flow — whether by obstructing it, rerouting it or attempting to alter the terrain in its path — is seen as blasphemous to Goddess Pele and local believers. "This is a very sacred place. It is important to recognize and respect the culture that was and is still here," Hawaii County Civil Defense administrator Darryl Oliveira said.

To show their respect, many Native Hawaiians have started preparing their homes for an "important guest." For Piilani Kaawaloa's family, whose home has been spared from lava three times in the past 30 years, that means cleaning the house, preparing a large feast, opening all the doors, and inviting over the whole family, as an offering to the goddess. "Whether you believe it's Tutu Pele or you just believe in the scientific fact that it's lava, you cannot change the direction," Kaawaloa says. "It's Mother Nature." Her advice to settlers it to take care of your land and honor the Divine Creator.

Christine Peterson Photography | Sacred Ecology | Pele References: Huffington Post, Big Island News, & Celestial Journey Therapy

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Inside everyone

is a great shout of joy

waiting to be born...

…

...

In ‘The Winter of Listening’

From The House of Belonging

Many Rivers Press. © David Whyte

...

Girl Dancing through Fountain

Boulder Colorado

Photo © David Whyte June 2014