Olympics Opening Ceremony

What is it about this gathering of nations every four years that captivates
us so?  Is it our inner hope that we can come together and celebrate a
oneness amidst our differences in the pureness of competition? So much
is put forward in the name of nationalism, but it seems to me that this is put
aside by the individual participants who see something greater in this
competition, Is there a message we choose not to see?

I am in awe of the parade of participants marching in such joy behind their
flag of nation. It is not about the hope of winning but only the chance of
participation and representing the homeland. So often we miss this in
the miasma of the expectation of national accomplishment. In this we
miss the reason for such games.

If we lose the promise and reason for gathering for this event, then we lose
the hope and wonder of this kind of gathering. Perhaps we need to  put aside
the winning and re-look at why we come together to do this in the first
place.

I will hold this in the center of my thoughts as I tune into the competitions.


R.

Der Ring - Some Thoughts

What is it about this 19 hour epic opera over four evenings that
holds us in such wonder and questioning? I find that hearing some tidbit
opens new thoughts, continues to challenge me and renews something
deep within my soul. Every new production finds something new to explore
and say - even when we disagree with the director's concept, It is indeed
very rich and like most great classic stage works, continually opens new
possibilities and new interpretations and ways to open new meaning.

My quick reference is to the yearly cycle of the church looking at
Holy Week and its events. We re-live them each year and often find
new and deeper meaning and also often just re-hear the story and find
unfulfilled wonder. So it is with the Ring.

It is because myth is so human and invites us to participate in the saga. Story
can be very powerful and redemption lies in our ability to be open and yet
again truly open. Story can transcend time and music more than assist us
in this endeavor.

And so I live into the characters' story. Their feelings are our feelings and the
true response in ourselves is what makes the universality of it allow our response
to be one  based in our own reality. I could discuss the things individually in the
saga that make me feel this way, but the road is one of personal discovery and all
I can ask is that you enter these possibilities for yourself and your own journey. It
is a road worth taking. Time is relative, so the choice is to begin now or perhaps
a little later. With great art, it is being present in the moment that that creates
the possibility.

Begin.

Experience.

And be open to new realizations and possibilities.

It is a lifelong journey without regret.


R

My Marsh Egrets

Funny how that which is beautiful and that we observe becomes a possession.
I live in an auspicious place. I am nestled on two sides by the salt water marsh
and the fresh water marsh. Wildlife abounds, especially the birds. I awake
to a symphony of sound filled with bird calls and chatter. My home affords
the view of the rising sun from my bedside. I take full advantage of this gift.

But the ownership of which I speak is of certain bird life which adorns my
marsh. My spiritual harbinger of spring lies in the arrival of ducks and most
especially of the white egrets. In another post I have spoken of the ducks and
their raising of their young - swimming lessons and survival awareness.

But the egrets hold a very special place in my heart and soul. I feel Godde is
present and beckoning to me when they are present. I love to watch them as
they feed, as they fly in and out, as they pose watchfully and observe all there
is to see. In this we share an unspoken affinity.

Today was somewhat different. Through the growing and ever masking
marsh grass, I spied a white presence. I rushed to my upper floor porch with
binoculars in hand and found one of "my" egrets on a feeding mission in
the still waters. Then my eye spotted something white in a tree several yards
from my feeding friend. To date I had never seen one of "my" egrets perched
in  tree, but today, one was perched on high preening itself in all its beautiful
glory. I could only sigh and watch.

My feeding egret was soon spooked and drawn to flight. Later I spotted it too,
in the same tree as the other egret. On the wall of my family room hangs
a wonderful watercolor painting by my dear sister-in-law of several
marsh egrets, some in the water, some on the sidelines and other in the
trees. So today's life imitated this artist's inspiration.

I felt a spirtual moment in which all came together in a newer way. It was
fleeting as most spiritual moments are, but deeply realized and in some
way present in a sustaining way.

As the seasons come and go - so do my egrets. It is as wonder filled as the
color changes of autumn, ever changing, ever new and ever cloaked in a
glory of wonder.

Ah...................


R