An Experiment

My art reveals itself in many forms – running, food, software. Unusual ideas in most realms for sure. Within traditional ideas of art, my most eloquent form is writing. That which you are reading now, and may return to again and again, or not.

They say much of the world’s great art, whether it’s painting or writing, comes from the immeasurable moods, particularly the depressive ones, of the artist. Hemingway, Van Gogh, and others. To find your depth of humanity and connection to the rest of earthly bipeds within the dark shadows is a feat unto itself. We’ve all been there, but most of us ignore it, or even moreso escape it – drugs, alcohol, or any number of methods.

From my frame of mind, it’s amazing to me that this dark place can draw so much into existence on a canvas, whether expressed with sounds, colors, or words. While I don’t follow the path of distraction within those dark places, I don’t seem to know that place artists draw from.

Within my world, my best comes from a different place. It’s that same profound center of the soul we find, but sparked in light, in love.  The condition Rumi or Hafiz found themselves in when putting to voice, and word, a richness of the beauty of life.

This piece is an experiment in that. When I write, it’s from a place of clarity and inspiration. An idea percolated over time, and then expressed in a flow. I’m not in that place – I’m lost in another terrain. One of swirling energies, streaks of color flowing across my being. Up and down my spine, big whooshes through my heart, charges of power in my belly, tingles circling the groin – streaking to another. A coincidence of momentum and reflection shared with a partner miles away. Focus and clarity are nowhere to be found.

If Van Gogh could paint within his misery and Rumi could write in his ecstasy, could I do it? What would spring forth? Letting the inspiration and vitalities within and across space be the muse. What would it say?

The world is ablaze with wonder. A roaring sunrise, trees raining abundance, animals inspiring curiosity – and connections of all kinds breathing us. A steady flow of in and out, like air into the lungs. Into the soul and heart and body, circulating like the oceans within us. Rolling about, waves caressing here and there, or crashing into walls. Then like a great release, it all changes again, moving outward.

We only need to be aware. Feeling with our amazing senses that guide us in this world. Letting each sensation blossom, revealing itself as another follows after. Opening to be seen. Even more is to tune into another set of energies. Subtle energies. The seven discs that spin and connect. Nerve flows and rhythms of their own. Kundalini dynamics. The rise and fall of each breath and all its nuances. Goosebumps and tingles seemingly from another world. And more.

Beyond our own being is the richness of the connection between beings. Friends, lovers, family. The animals we hold dear. Plants that offer us shade, others that provide nourishment or medicine, some grace us with their beauty. So many ways to bond. The combinatorics grow quickly, revealing its own menu of possibility to feel. Not just to feel – to revel in. To discover bliss and joy.

The threads to a lover are of another style and form. Imagine two suns shining on each other. So many hues and flavors. An ecstatic reverie gales the body and heart and more. Harmonies find each other as they are meant to. Synchronistic waves entrain upon each other. Each being magnifying arriving life before mirroring and returning them, heightening body bliss – leaving the mind, thoughts, and focus elsewhere, maybe to return at another time.

Awareness. Sensitivity. Gifts everyone has, but few truly enjoy at this realm. Practice, listen, look, observe, feel. There’s more to this world than meets the senses!

An experiment. Revealing in its own. A muse of the self of the world reflecting back for all. Praise be to the artists who thrive from the dark. For my side, I’ll dive into the dark wholly. Then return and rise to share the grace and beauty of effortless imaginations of divine realms.

 

Men: Learn How to Touch

They say a woman will know a lot about a potential partner from the first kiss. Maybe it’s true, maybe not, I won’t argue over a few moments to predict the future. In a similar way, I would posture the idea that a woman will absolutely know what intimate relationships and sex might be like from how you touch her.

 

How you ever been in a group where you’re given the instruction to do a massage circle? You know – stand in a circle, turn to the right, put your hands on the shoulders of the person in front of you, and begin massaging. At the onset there is great anticipation and potential delight for being touched and massaged.

 

And then the person behind you begins. You feel their fingers digging it to odd places. You think – what the hell are they doing? Or maybe they barely make it through your clothing and you are bored with the massage circle, waiting for when the instruction is given to turn the other way and hope the other person knows what they are doing.

 

Then one day in one of those circles, it’s just right. The right pressure, the right spot, the right movement and you’ve let go, almost forgetting that you’re supposed to be massing the person in front of you.

 

It’s like Goldilocks and the porridge – not too hot, not too cold, but JUST right!

 

Touch is absolutely that way, and learning how to touch in that way will change your world of touch, for you and your partner.

 

To backtrack for a bit, this article was inspired by this story:

 

Karla – not her real name to protect the innocent (though she’s not that innocent :) - and I had a developing friendship. Our energies matched well so the potential for a deeper, more intimate relationship was there. Yet timing and spirit and guides were speaking this wasn’t the time. We both needed a vacation so we took a trip together. With each of us being comfortable with the other, we slept together and cuddled enjoying touch and presence and energy. I am very fond of touch – giving and receiving – so one morning I began gently massaging Karla. There was no intention towards anything more. Yet, the touch was received deliciously and naturally grew to some amazing love making.

 

I was convinced that because of the quality of my touch, Karla became open to more. Indeed after sharing with Karla, she said that was definitely true. Looking back at past relationships, I’m would believe that’s true with many women, the qualities of my touch and how I touch made a big difference in our interactions.

 

These ideas here come with my background as being trained as a massage therapist. In that training I received hundreds of hours of instruction; I’ve also received hundreds of hours of bodywork. It’s from this I draw knowledge for putting this into practice anytime I touch someone, whether it’s for bodywork, or a massage circle, or intimate touch with a partner.

 

Just right – what does that mean? First, just right is about what’s right for the person receiving, NOT what you like. If you’re a big muscled man, getting into those muscles most likely means elbows and lots of pressure. Imagine doing that with a small woman, like a gymnast. She’s going to jump up and be gone.

 

This is the key – just right. You can do it, so let me explain how to get there.

 

First, get out of your head. To say it another way – stop thinking. Your brain isn’t going to know what the other person likes or wants at all. You could ask, but asking every step of the way would be annoying for both of you. Asking can be a start, but mostly you have to listen and feel. When you listen and feel (and stop using your brain), you become present to the moment, to the person. It’s somewhat like meditating, or being ‘in the zone’ in sports, or being entirely engrossed in a hobby or a job. You are just there in it, with it. Start there.

 

Now place your hands on someone – maybe a partner, maybe a friend to practice with. Just feel their body, feel the skin, feel the muscles under the skin, feel the bones and jones. Explore slowly is another way to think about this. One way to start is to ask in your mind to this body, ‘what would you like to feel here?’ You might get an answer – just a caress, or a strong thumb. Your hands and body might just starting moving in response.

 

Other way is to gently press, softly first. See how the body receiving likes it. Does it want more? Does it want less? Does it want you to move to another spot? Maybe that spot doesn’t like being touched. Follow with what you’re being told.

 

Try many different spots on the body. Try the arms, try the legs. Almost everyone likes hands and feet. Try the head and face, many people like ears.

 

The qualities that you are discovering are pressure or depth (how hard to press), speed (how fast/slow to move), and how much (use a finger, or a hand, or a whole arm).

 

Another form of ‘just right’ is what you like to give (not receive). If you like gently long caressed down the back, do it. Do it with intention and joy. It may not be something your partner likes the best, but they will like that you like it, and they will like that you are expressing yourself.

 

As you play with this notice how as you move from one part to another, each part way have its own desired touch. For example, if you’re touching a leg and there’s a big bruise there. If you’re pressing firmly into the quad muscles above it, you probably don’t want to press that firmly into the bruise. The person you’re massaging is going to jump and scream – and possibly return their own tough touch!

 

The idea that each part of the body wants and needs a different kind of touch is important. It’s part of the ‘just right’ idea. Just right for the legs is different from just right for the arms.

 

The whole process of touch is about ‘just right’ and being aware of what ‘just right’ is for this moment and this part of the body. And know as well that what’s ‘just right’ for right now at this spot may be different in ten minutes.

 

I would also highly recommend an introductory massage class. There are hundreds of massage schools around the country. Many will have introductory classes. These classes are for people who want to learn how to massage, and you will probably find many people who are considering massage for a career and want to learn more. These are a valuable starting point as well.

 

Or receive a massage. Visit several different people. Notice what they do, what techniques they use, how they use them, when they use them, how do they move. Experienced massage therapists and bodyworks will have a lot of tools, not all of which you should try to begin with.

 

When you are aware of that level, the people you are with, and since this is about men and relationships – your partner – will be much more comfortable with you and your attention to them. Enjoy your new skills and openness to touch!

 

The Beach

We sat on the beach

She and I

My arms extended back to brace me

She relaxed back

Revealing another talent as a serve as a

Beach chair

Each sense mesmerized with the landscape

We watch the waves of the other great pond

Kiss the sand and rocks

Some are smashing lipsmackers

Others are rolling beauty

Each has a sound all its own

Within the cacophony of many waves

The air is crisp and cool

A soft evening breeze cools us

After a hot day

All that’s left of the sun

Are a crown of rays peeking behind

The skyline of mountains and clouds

Pink and orange hues span east to west

And recede towards the west

Leaving only blacks, whites, and grey

Soon our suns sisters and brothers will have their turn to shine

As much as the physical senses are full on

In pleasure and noticing

They are only a part of the grandeur of the setting

Moved by the inspired feminine relaxed back

Feeling the rich masculine of support

In awe of the watery fathomless blueness

Laid open before us

Oddly enough holding its own earthiness

And grounding in its natural fluidity

Grateful for the moment and opportunity

In pure wonderment of life

Feeling fully present and aware

Knowing this will be a memory in a moment

The energy of this will live

Even a remembrance won’t find the details

The memory does not matter

We relish this sweetness and let it go

Into the breeze

It may find us again

Or it may not

Should it reveal itself again

It won’t be through adoration for nostalgia

We will know the way it lives us still

Hair

Hair

 

As she gently folds her head to the right

she pulled her Long hair from beyond her

letting it Drape over the left side of her body

 

within her hand her Crystal brush

gently closing her eyes

she begins her Ritual of brushing her hair

 

she allowed me to watch

i sat Silent,  transfixed

like watching Art in Motion

 still life in each moment

 

her Wildly red hair set off

against an ocean blue Silk

and the white and crystal brush

 

with Clear intention and patience

she firmly and Delicately guides

her brush through shiny Hair

 

first the Ends, releasing the tangles

from a day of Breeze

and a night of turning

 

sturdier knots require hands

with the Delicacy of a knitter

each strand finds its Perfect order

 

occasionally i hear

a soft Sigh of pleasure

Liberated through her lips

pure Punctuation on the bliss

 

Floating her hair to her back

her neck rotates Easily to the other side

to sort out the other side

 

with the same beauty and grace

the brush is guided

letting each hair have its Freedom

 

i marvel at the ease

a rich pattern Anew each time

a Meditation done a thousand times

a Mudra all its own

 

 

now the hair is all pushed back

with eyes still closed

the Quiet face rests back at center

 

opening her neck

her soft fingers ruffle the top hair

gliding all from front to back

 

it all drapes back now

One continuous flow

like a Waterfall

 

long brushstrokes start at the Crown

travel over the head

descending to the Very ends

 

her Ceremony for today

reaches its Finale

with a last Luxurious reach

 

the hair wand laid to rest for now

eyes open offering their Softness once again

Hair Dances in its own light

The Facebook Challenge - Books

The Facebook Challenge – you’ve seen them. You get named as someone to say three things that you are grateful for, or name major influences in your life. I ‘received’ my first one the other day. An unusual one I hadn’t seen before. Name 10 books that have stayed with me throughout the years.

That certainly provoked some thought in me. What books have stayed with me? I stretched my memory back to high school and couldn’t remember what I’d read. How could I find 10 books that have stayed with me that long if I can’t even remember what I read?

So maybe I don’t have to go back that far. What did I read in my 20s that have stayed with me? As I scanned my bookshelves, there is very little that goes back that far. I have a number of cook books, books on training for athletics, and a few others.

I even remember about 10 years ago doing a major purge of my books. Ones that I had read, but no longer held an interest for me. Most of the books on my bookshelf are ones from the last decade.

The only way for me to come close was to morph the question. What are the ten most influential books on my bookshelf now (including my iPad bookshelf :)?

As I started the process, I wrote down a few books. Then I came to authors and speakers. Authors whose compendium of work is brilliant. Speakers who rarely write. So it’s a mixed bag.

After browsing through my bookshelf, I had over twenty. I tried narrowing it down, but only a few exited the list. Looking over the list what I discovered is that every one of these books changed my world. Through reading them I had new insights. Through reading them I discovered a whole new world. Through reading them my ideas of the world shifted in a big way.

The result is the list of the books that have changed my world, mostly in the past decade. So here’s my list:

• Blackfoot Physics
• If the Buddha Dated
• David Whyte (author)
• Running the Spiritual Path
• Adyashanti (author)
• Yoga Beyond Belief
• Douglas Brooks (speaker)
• Ender’s Saga
• Let My People Go Surfing
• Alan Watts (author, speaker)
• The Tao of Pooh/The Te of Piglet
• Forgive for Good
• Effortless Mastery
• Healers on Healing
• Life in Motion or CranioSacral Biodynamics
• Jonathan Livingston Seagull
• The Hidden Messages in Water
• Quantum Healing, Molecules of Emotion, Energy Medicine, The Body Remembers
• Explorers of the Infinite
• Robert Fulghum (author)
• Bhagavad Gita

 

So Begins My Days

I awake with the morning light
The sun peeking over the eastern horizon
Often I wish for another hour to sleep
Sometimes I indulge the fantasy
Bury my head in the pillow
Pull blankets over my head
At attempt back to the darkness
Soon thought Emma is there
Wanting her ritual morning belly rub.
Her pleasure met, I rise out of bed
Feel the dawn muscles
Emma is ready
She’s definitely a morning dog
Smiling, wagging her tail
Her walk is next
For me it’s an easy stroll
To stir to the day
Emma is endlessly curious
Smelling everything
Ready to chase anything
I relish and commune with the rising sun
Soaking in the warmth and waves
Marveling at the blue sky
Perhaps a waning moon hangs still
An easy loop and back home
So begins my days

Speaking the Unspeakable

So often words are meaningless

when it comes to truth,

or love

 

They can offer a glimpse

Into the heart

And then fall woefully short

 

The grief of losing

A loved one

 

Awe and wonder

At life

 

So few can do it well

Still their words

The words

Of poets

and sages

angels of all kinds

 

They are infused

with the spirit

of the universe

 

To read them

to see them

 

Really

is to feel them

with all the senses

 

So that you too

become what has

always

been