Sunrise

It lasted a moment or two
or a little bit more
And that was plenty
Now unseen, yet seen.

The Window Without a View

"But lo! the morning peeps 

Over the eastern steeps"

~ William Blake

In my house upon a hill, there is a window to a wall. 

But what is it that you glimpse when you approach and truly see?

Expect a Miracle

"I am realistic.  I expect miracles." ~ Dr. Wayne Dyer

The other day, a friend told me a family she knows in Oregon packed up all of their belongings and headed for the hills, to an undisclosed location, the apocalypse deemed near.

And we are faced with a humanitarian crisis of untold proportions, as desperate refugees flood into Europe.  Barbaric extremists desecrate human life and human history, running amok.

The world is in crisis again. 

This morning, at Dawn.

What is the answer?

The first answer is to Love and to demonstrate Love, in whatever way we can.  Some Germans are showing the way.  And so is Pope Francis.

The Greater Answer, which is derived from Love, as all things must be, is to take it even Higher.

How about expecting a Miracle? 

Is this the New Earth or not?  We have a choice.  Miracles are Real.

"Nature Religion" at my Door

"Forgive me that I cannot kneel

And worship in this pew,

For I have knelt in western dawns,

When the stars were large and few"

~ "God's Creed", Ella Higginson, 1861-1940

It's a rare morning when the front page of a city's newspaper shares the heartfelt words of Ella Higginson, a poet laureate of Washington state.  I'm happy to discover Ella - she and I are clearly kindred spirits on the path in many ways.

The excerpt from her poem God's Creed appeared in the following story:  Do you see God in a sunset?  "Nature religion" may be the signature spirituality of the Pacific Northwest.  

Apparently another study (this one by Baylor University) has awarded Portland the distinction of being the most unchurched city in the entire United States - and Oregon the most unchurched state.  

This particular study took a rather unique approach: 

"Researchers compared the richness of natural amenities in every U.S. county to religious adherents per 1,000 people.  They found that areas with higher rates of amenities have lower rates of religious adherence."

I'm not at all surprised.  Like Ella, I walk the passages of "Nature's church" most days of the week, and even when I must remain at home, my church sends missionaries to my door.

Clearing a Way to the Dawn

"Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star." 

~ Henry David Thoreau

The other day, I just happened to be upstairs in time to see the Dawn peek through my attic window. 

But I could only see a glimpse. 

There was an old bed frame in the way, boxes of papers, books and who knows what, a bag of old, abandoned shoes, and a table upside down, awaiting a garage sale. 

Hastily I cleared a path, stumbling over boxes.  By the time I foraged my way to see, it was too bright to take a picture. 

Today the Dawn arrived again.  Today the way was clear.

Storm

Last night I talked about a perfect metaphysical storm, just to watch the tragedy of actual storms unfold today in Oklahoma.  The storms today are reminiscent of another outbreak precisely on this date in 1957, including the infamous F5 Ruskin Heights tornado in Kansas City.

My heart goes out to anyone impacted by a tragedy this severe.  This will be a simple post, no grand philosophies tonight, just thoughts and prayers for all who are suffering on the planet, just faith the Dawn is near.

The December 22, 2012 Blues

They say people may be depressed today because the world didn't end yesterday.  That may be true for some, but for most, I'd wager it's not because of the way the world didn't dramatically end - it's because of the way it didn't dramatically begin.

Still here...(of course!)...

The media really doesn't get this phenomenon at all and never has, not the spiritual side anyway.

Though some mockingly speak of the people who traveled to the Mayan ruins, as well as no doubt any number of charlatans taking some of them for a ride, the media doesn't understand the mystery and the optimism surrounding this date, whether taken literally or symbolically.

I know any number of people who approached this date in any number of serious ways, none of them exactly hippies (no disrespect to hippies), and all quite reverently, many very intelligently, backed up by quite a bit of research.

I was actually offered a free trip on a Mayan spiritual adventure months ago in exchange for some social media work I would have done on their behalf.  In fact, a well-known researcher and writer was on Coast to Coast AM last night reporting from the very ship I would have been on.

I turned the offer down, knowing with unambiguous certainty that I was meant to spend yesterday at home with those I love.

But with that said, I also happen to know that mystical, sacred sites do indeed exist in the world, that they are not a joke, and some day I do aim to visit some of them, treating them with the reverence and respect they actually do deserve.  I know I'm not alone.

So what WAS it about December 21, 2012 that caught the attention of so many of us?  What is it that lingers still, even today?  And why might some of us admit, if we are really, really, really honest, that while not necessarily in the depths of depression (though some of us may be), there is indeed a letdown, more than a twinge of disappointment, on this December 22.

It's easy to see the Dawn if I look (this is from my front porch ;-).

For me, it started many years ago with a series of powerful spiritual experiences that jolted me awake, a glimpse of the Dawn that utterly rocked my sheltered little world.  There were significant visionary aspects I could barely comprehend, though they without a doubt related to a huge Shift arriving on this planet.  I'm still sorting through those experiences, and I don't talk about them a great deal because I know some of what I encountered was a personal transformational vision quest intended just for me.

My visionary experiences filled me with Hope.  My life in the years since filled me with Certainty, an assuredness that yes, indeed, a time is coming when this world is going to Shift - and in a way that cannot be denied.  And the laughter we will hear then will originate from pure Joy, not derisive humor.

That Shift is happening already if you open your eyes to see.  It's been happening for a while.

But there was a certain mysterious anticipation, a powerful surge of optimism, associated with seriously considering the possibility that if dramatic, quantum Shift, that last tremendous push, COULD happen in a single day, why not consider the notion that such a day could have been December 21?

No, I'm not utterly depressed on December 22.  But I must admit a significant part of me was hoping for much more.  And I know I'm not alone.

A fortune I opened today, another synchronicity, another glimpse of the Dawn.

I did a radio show yesterday that I'm not disowning today.  It was all about Celebrating the Dawn.  It was all about the signs of Dawn emerging all around us.

But I couldn't help but hope to finally see the Sun suddenly pop over the horizon, in whatever way was meant to be, in a way so very dramatic and awe-inspiring, even the skeptics would be jolted wide awake.  I know I wasn't alone.

It didn't quite happen that way on December 21, 2012.  But it doesn't take away the Dawn.  We are not alone.