Ethics, wisdom, love, life, stories, compassion, and our warm heart

Quotes recieved in a newsletter from Joel and Michelle Levey:

"Ethics is how we behave
when we decide we belong together."
--Brother David Steindl-Rast

"Wisdom tells me I am nothing.
Love tells me I am everything.
And between the two my life flows."
--Nisargadatta Maharaj

"Why are you unhappy?
Because 99% of the things you do, think, and feel are about your self.
And there isn't one!"
Wei Wu Wei

And more from MYTH*ING LINKS

"...That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion."
--Barry Holstun Lopez

"We have to study with our warm heart, not just our brain."
--Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

Grace and Gratitude

“...feel how precious it is to have grace walking beside you...
holding your hand... loving you now...
flow through your heart...
the seeds in your hand...
bloom in the land.”

A song of grace that emerged around a camp fire at No Mind Festival and was brought to us by Making Good.

As Michael said,

how lucky to be along for this ride and be able to add a few words along the way. grace.

How fortunate we are to be alive and aware that we're along for this ride and able to participate simply by flowing through our heart.

Mandala from Motionstone

Finding Comfort in Beauty and Sorrow

I've been appreciating the song Marching Bands Of Manhattan by Death Cab For Cutie.

Some lyrics that speak to me:

I Wish We Could Open Our Eyes
To See In All Directions At The Same Time
Oh, What A Beautiful View
If You Were Never Aware Of What Was Around You

Sorrow Drips Into Your Heart
Through A Pinhole
Just Like A Faucet That Leaks
And There Is Comfort In The Sound

Photo by Esther Beaton

A Taste of My Life

I stare at a blank screen... what to write? How do I jump back into this blogging world?(and now the screen isn't blank anymore! Easily amazed!!)

It seems that early May was the last time that I offered a post of personal content... Here's a taste of what I've been up to:

• Facilitated a parenting group which focused on social and emotional development for gifted children, deepening the child-parent bond, and helping your child build self esteem. This group last spring was the first of many more to come in the 2006-2007 school year when my attention will be focused on providing a plethora of opportunities for supporting parents (ideas welcomed)
• Attended a training on Teaching Parenting the Positive Discipline Way, facilitated by Jody McVittie. The great news here is that after this training I proposed that the entire staff at our school be trained in Positive Discipline, thus strengthening the attention already given to social and emotional development and providing a consistent language throughout our community. Our staff training begins on September 1st... yippee!!
• Exploring life with some amazing people in my life coaching and parenting coaching private practice. The word coaching feels aligned with the ways I engage with parents, but I've yet to find a word that really names my interactions with individuals. Lately I've been seeing it as 'together we create a relationship that will support you at this time in your life, utilizing my gifts and experience, following your needs and desire for growth.'
• A great deal of time and energy went into being a part of the convening team for Evolutionary Salon 3. My lessons in the arena of collectively facilitating such an event were immense. A central theme that emerged for me during that endeavor has been my dedication to supporting the furthering of evolutionary ways of being together (with an emphasis on authentic being). The 2nd and 3rd salons were also my first experiences of officially opening and holding space for a large group of people. (some photos)
• I deepened my plunge into hosting an Open Space by facilitating an Open Space with third graders on the theme of: "What can we do to make our school a better place? What can we do to make our world a better place?" This was a rites of passage gift to the third graders as I will not be their counselor in 4th grade. We began with a performance from Thomas as he awed the students into the message of following your passion. Thomas and I have been deepening our professional relationship, Woven Essence, and are excitedly exploring the terrain of our joint offerings. Stay tuned for more on that front!
• My dear friend, Christy, celebrated her bat mitzvah which I was blessed to attend (just taking this opportunity to point you to her beautiful d'var talk about her birth portion of the Torah.)
• An exciting new endeavor unfolded through a Girl Geek Summit that I attended in March. Amy Lenzo and I launched, The Beauty Dialouges: An exploration into the essence of beauty and a deepening of our capacity to experience life through the lens of beauty. You can read the story of how these dialogues came to be, explore the notes from our calls, read the blog or join us in the forum.
• I had a wonderful visit with my mom out in Seattle followed by the end of the school year and then adventures with my dad and Cathy coming to visit. It was great to share my life on the west coast with my family.
  
• While my dad and Cathy were visiting, my close friend and soul sister lost her father and brother in a tragic accident. Right now I am in North Carolina spending a couple of weeks with her in this land my heart calls home, in intimate relation with the currents of life that flow in the space around the intersection where life and death touch our human soul.There's much that my heart is yearning to share about my current now, but the words are not yet formed. Here's a taste of my flow from a couple of days ago and I invite you to open your heart and listen so that we can feel each others connection in this moment as I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to connect with you through this easily amazed haven and the connections that link us with one another.
• I return to Seattle next week, Thomas and I will move into our new home whose back yard joins with Carkeek park, and then together we'll journey back down south for a work/play trip and visit with friends and family.
  

That's a taste of my world for you and an eye opener for me regarding all that's been going on (and all that lives in the spaces between what I've shared here). Life really is amazing.

Wisdom Being

A wisdom being that Kara and I met yesterday. Others refer to it as a Luna moth.

Partnered Patterns

What essential qualities are present in both of these photos? Is it helpful to view a cluster of man-made encroachment as a beautiful pattern? What does life feel like when we recognize divine order all around us?

Photos from Thomas Arthur and Google Satellite maps

Patterns

Patterns from Earth Science Picture of the Day
Thanks Corrigan for the link.

Snail Trail
Provided and copyright by:Donald Brett

Gravity Wave Clouds
Provided by: Shannon L. Story, StoryLine Ink



Anastomotic Channeling
Provided by: Patrick Sullivan, Old Dominion University

Trust: Whatever happens is all that could

"Facilitation is much like sailing. You've got to work with whatever arises. That's my experience. Whatever arises is exactly what is supposed to arise. Whether or not it is convenient doesn't matter. And that sort of trust is usually the mark of a masterful facilitator. Good facilitators have actually internalized a belief based on experience, that whatever happens is supposed to have happened -- even if it is very problematic and unfortunate. And because of that belief, you don't waste your energy trying to fight what is going on. Instead you try working with it. If the sailor is pissed off because the wind changes direction, it doesn't do much good."

~Peter Senge