Wednesday, May 1, 2024

The Continuing Contemplations on Cosmic Coincidences Part 2




The Inspiration:
What is it that  plants a secret seed
that is quietly nourished with love
as it begins to flourish
becoming what one is intended to be?
Sometimes it is just a wink of the universe

allowing you to let go - recognizing this is not a coincidence or accident.


The Writing:

The Continuing Contemplations on Cosmic Coincidences P 2
(in gratitude to a friend and JDS's Catcher)

Waiting desperados benefit from mystical interventions
if they open the doors that have been placed before them
or trust in the mystical hickory wind that fuels the flame
quietly burning within waiting to be gifted somehow
someday , somewhere by someone or some thing.
Who is really ever awake and completely mindful,
letting go and trusting that what is , the answer and
the sacred grail , the serenity and what is 
one's true essence and purpose? 

Who would have surmised that fateful moment
when a member of a the refugee's entourage
slipped him a brown paper bag...
with a torn covered dog eared volume
carefully and securely wrapped in newspaper.
This book filled with, what would become ,
the sacred seeds influencing everything
the vagabond pilgrim would become.

Anyways , there was that black robed phony pedagogue,
playing the part of the unwilling catalyst,
catching the youthful  outlaw reading his new treasure
as this teacher attempted to communicate
what makes literature great, applying
the infamous scale of Dr. J. Evans Prichard ,PH.D.
for understanding poetry to literature.
The silent postulants dutifully scribbled illegible notes
as the second tier inquisitor wrestled the book
from the lost boy believing 
the youthful soul would be rescued
from the fires of eternal inferno. 
As the last school bell rang louder than
the aged cathedral  down the road ,
the book returned by the teacher instructing
the lost young man to
"Find a good book to read." 

The young desperado's
deliberate forever formation finally
opened his spirit to accepting
how his journey was an attempt 
to become a "catcher" saving 
cliff jumping children of all sizes and ages.
A teacher , counselor , consultant , coach ,
spiritual guide , part time poet and writer
were a few roles where he immersed 
what would become his authentic self.
Who knew? Who would have guessed
that book's pages would flourish like an Easter flower?

The oft absent minded seeker would never give
a second thought to sitting down 
scribbling ideas and thought dreams
in spiral notebooks. Some of the words
took the shape of what he labeled poems.
There were letters upon letters unsent
to a friends, a lover and ghosts .
"I'll be locked away if anyone discovers these
notebooks and journals ," he worried, but kept writing
because he could . The worry evaporated
about concern for acceptance .
He would write because he could.

However, this perpetual iconoclast concern
continued  about 
"telling anybody anything" afraid he
might start missing everybody.

"It's worth the risk...isn't it?", he reflected.

Illuminations arrive when they choose,
at the least expected time - don't they?
On the new dawn for a new day a metamorphosis 
blossomed that last day of a class in literature,
with the pilgrim now as teacher, as he
caught the eye of a wandering apprentice
standing with folded hands as if in prayer
 over his heart  - smiling.


- JF Sobecki 

------------

Poems and such:

"Poetry is an act of peace.
Peace goes into the making of a poet
as flour goes into the making of bread."

- Pablo Neruda

"Dear Whit (W.Burnett),
So to answer your question you asked years ago.
Yes, I am willing to write the rest of my life
and get nothing in return.
Sincerely yours, JD Salinger"

Poem

"Geese appear high over us, pass and the sky closes.
Abandon, as in love or sleep , holds them to their
way, clear in the ancient faith: what we need is here. 
And we pray , not for new earth or heaven, but to be 
quiet in heart , and in eye, clear. 
What we need is here,"

- Wendell Berry

As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and
bread for the eater
so is my word that goes out from my mouth
it will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

IS 55: 10 - 11

"We have a choice of two identities: the
external mask which seems to be real ...and
the hidden , inner person who seems to us to
be nothing, but who can give hinself
externally to the truth which he subsists,,,

A tree gives glory to the divine by being a tree. For
in being what the Divine means it to be it is obeying 
( the Divine). It 'consents',so to speak, to
(the Divine's) creative love. It is expressing
an idea this is in the Divine and which
is not distinct from the Divine essence, and therefore
a tree imitates the divine by being a tree."

 - Thomas Merton,  New Seeds on Contemplation

Understanding Poetry (?) - Dead Poets Society
https://youtu.be/8x0COtH4Vrw?si=FurYBMTiDroNNSSn

The Music:

For your listening pleasure and reflection:

( What is that incident , event , person , place , book 
poem , movie or song that quietly planted a secret seed that,
in retrospect , has inspired
and guided you on your journey ?) 

Free As A Bird - The Beatles
https://youtu.be/ODIvONHPqpk?si=MKCbFhaibBfO6nJj

Love Rescue Me - U2 ( Dylan and U2)
https://youtu.be/ZDZEqr5LR_g?si=hILI_g-lRmaoO0-S

Desperado - L. Ronstadt ( Frey/Henley)
https://youtu.be/yUg10CPelvo?si=fNzGIiCjJBgAzPju

Last of My Kind - Jason Isabel
https://youtu.be/mtFav19_UhE?si=Ax0Jn2Xw6VEt7g0W

Hello In There - John Prine
https://youtu.be/RfwGkplB_sY?si=Ik02lzJlS33LruT2

Coda:

Something for personal reflection

Southside of Heaven - Ryan Bingham
https://youtu.be/jHnSj9Ls6pU?si=QNB3lp2sixwQ9UaN

Before The Deluge - J. Browne
https://youtu.be/vAwhD9rKxog?si=aWebF9--2Jd4PQw4

Salinger - The Documentary

Rebel In The Rye - (Salinger movie)
https://youtu.be/VWRhXMMb7CY?si=0un-YKUf_VLEgQvk

Beautiful Day - U2 ( 2023 Songs of Surrender)
https://youtu.be/Rs_khkPBnDk?si=PeZOGHbmrGhY9Dxo

AMDG













Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved JF Sobecki LLC








































Sunday, March 31, 2024

A Triumphant Journey - An April Fool's Lamentation


 " The two most important dayin your life : 
The day you were born  and 
the day you discover why."

                                        "All that was East is West of me now" - G. Hansard

 


----

The Inspiration

Minutes, hours, days, weeks, months , seasons and years continue

 to flow without

ceasing. Some cosmic philosopher once proclaimed 

how when he wakes in the morning

that light at the end of the tunnel is get brighter. 

Yogi's breathe "here and now" while

some self appointed motivational speakers promote

 "success" by filling the silos and

other grandiose propositions concerning ego and

 accumulating things and people.


Sometimes illumination about our Odyssey occurs 

with the sound of a singing 

blackbird or a distant ringing bell or chimes . 

Their sounds carried by that mystical

wind of a mysterious source. Sometimes these 

inspirations are rare surprises and sometimes

they come like the ocean of mercy's rolling 

waves washing wandering souls leaving

no footprints on our beach.


A recent medical procedure that required a general 

anesthetic for the seeker who woke

from a dream where his essence was lifted by a 

magnificent force gently taking him 

traversing the universe . Before he knew it the 

solar system that he believed was 

everything had disappeared . Bypassing solar 

systems he was immersed in a light

bathing and consoling his spirit. And, just like 

that he was launched back to from

where he came. In his waking everything was 

the same as before but somehow 

new and transformed. 


The birds' songs seemed sweet, clear and purposeful 

and the trees and flowers began to 

show the buds of their forthcoming 

explosion of beauty and serenity. For a

micro second he questioned, 

" What is this place? What am I doing here and why?"


"Moksha...nirvana , serenity, enlightenment , 

impermanence and being "  the 

sound of the transformative mesmerizing 

majestic sanctified song of the cosmos

filled him up.


The metanoia broke through the walls that had 

kept him at bay from becoming complete.

----

The Writing:


The Triumphant Journey : An April Fool's Lamentation


A sweet soft serenade of every bird singing at the first light

as that blue virgin canopy 

redeemed all things as the cold rains of yesterday are forgotten.

Generous beneficent beauty bursts forth as the daffodils

hide the secret of their healing human diseasse as they effortlessly

provide nutrients in the earth where they reside

for such a short lifetime and just like that 

they are gone until next spring.


"Everything dies someday one back" sings the boss.


Was the mystic Rohr right in his observation?

"The universal spiritual pattern is death and resurrection, or loss and 

renewal , if you prefer."


A few believe that that these nano specks of the cosmos are 

merely microcosms of coincidence and accidents that make up the

universe . Do the one of the million names of God provide the answer?

Contemplation of the now reveals the truth - illumination 

of the sacred is revealed in the present .


- JF Sobecki

-----

Poetry and such:

"Poetry is an Act of Peace . 

Peace goes into the making of a poet

as flour goes into the making of bread."

- Pablo Neruda


"Ring the bells that can still ring 

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack , a crack in everything

That's How the light gets in"

- Anthem, L. Cohen

Poem 

I know know you never intended to be in this world

But in it all the same .

So why not get started immediately.

I mean belonging to it .

There is do much to admire, to weep over.

And to write music or poems about.

Bless the feet to take you to and fro.

Bless the eyes and the listening ears.

Bless the tongue, the marvelous taste.Bless the touching

You could live a hundred years , it's happened

or not.

I am speaking of the fortunate platform

of many years.

none of which , I think , I ever wasted.

Do you need a prod?

Do you need a little darkness to get you going?

Let me be urgent as a knife, then,

remind you of Keats 

so single of purpose and thinking, for a while,

he had a lifetime.

- Mary Oliver


The Blackbird and the bell - David Whyte

https://youtu.be/rEDAh4lQLfc?si=iicuSONntSnP6UK4

------

The Music :   

Some tunes to help for reflection:

Enlightenment - Van Morrison

https://youtu.be/pOUilsuZj1E?si=z1ae3iGqXMZ5ZwFX

A Human Touch - J. Browne/L. Mendelsohn

https://youtu.be/T9azpvOHBgo?si=sJ-sA-DgjBY6UFn3

Sometime - D. Lanes
https://youtu.be/UG8ZrwCChpM?si=3hwvXg4ieFeg6USK

Forgiveness- P. Simon
https://youtu.be/kj9gCGl53xs?si=U2iVRwWqIFoL4F_i

One - E.Vedder (U2 Cover)
https://youtu.be/pl-bdTXxbx8?si=FrWinGv_hqcmOBIu

Some additional pieces to help a reflection:
Belief = trust

The Feast of St. John - G. Hansard
https://youtu.be/0-njPXSlpF8?si=U8mK0ZnzWAueNVh3

Wasted Days - Mellencamp and Springsteen
https://youtu.be/hHLGZxlBpLA?si=dyLci1ezbFDmtU1d

Beautiful Day - U2
https://youtu.be/1mdDFyrGkCE?si=HrfPq08jAaWvKYus

AMDG














Copyright JF Sobecki LLC 

For Eugene







                                                                        
















Thursday, February 29, 2024

Leap Day Humble Intentions



"No Mud , No Lotus"

The Inspiration

Does having an extra calendar day

in a Leap year make a substantive difference in a day in a life?

Sometimes it rains and sometimes it seems that the frozen

wild whipping wind of winter will never cease.

Just as the darkest hour appears to be infinite

a sweet sounding song of the solo thrush who 

journeyed in advance  in community

to welcome in celebration the crack in from 

the heavens letting in the light.

Sometimes the universe just nudges those

who worry or forget .

If seekers listen closely ,with eyes closed , their souls

know that song , that illumination, that hopefulness and faith.

Sadness comes and goes. Tides come in and out.

Creatures of all sizes have no say in their arrival.

Yet, there is a secret awakening to  how all

creation is of an abundant unconditional love

and how all things do pass.

In between the the falling sands of time

there is a positive power in how 

the universe responds to intentions

of the desire to let go , just being , hopeful , 

humble and grateful.

Many mystical traditions understand the interconnectedness

of everything . Is it a coincidence that one seeker discovered

the commonality of how the gleam responds to humble intentions?

One practice that has helped wandering spirits....

is known as " Metta Meditiations."

(The author has been practicing forms of Metta meditation for years

in his daily journals and contemplations)

(Loving Kindness Metta Meditation


https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/meditation/loving-

kindness-meditation-script-and-7-reasons-to-use-it  )


The Writing

Leap Day Humble Intentions: A Metta Meditation


(For myself , you , our families, friends, neighbors , mentors,

those who suffer and those in need , those we met and will meet)


May this space, this moment , this time, this day , this journey -

Be joyous , filled with  - love - peace - hope - mercy - selflessness

- holiness -  good health - mindfulness - gratitude - humility and

authenticity , free from worry , pain , suffering and harm.

May we have the strength , wisdom , courage and faith 

to stay the course that we are meant to be on - letting go .

May we all love one another without judgment about 

our own worthiness and the worthiness of others.

- JF Sobecki


---------

______ 

"Poetry is a gateway into intuitive consciousness. 

It knocks on the doors

 of the heart and the heart opens" 

 - Mirabai Starr

"Poetry is an Act of Peace . 

Peace goes into the making of a poet

as flour goes into the making of bread."

- Pablo Neruda

"Ring the bells that can still ring 

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack , a crack in everything

That's How the light gets in"

- Anthem, L. Cohen

Spring

In the north country now it is spring and there 
Is a certain celebration. The thrush 
Has come home. He is shy and likes the 
Evening best, also the hour just before 
Morning; in that blue and gritty light he 
Climbs to his branch, or smoothly 
Sails there. It is okay to know only 
One song if it is this one. Hear it 
Rise and fall; the very elements of you should 
Shiver nicely. What would spring be 
Without it? Mostly frogs. But don’t worry, he

Arrives, year after year, humble and obedient 
And gorgeous. You listen and you know 
You could live a better life than you do, be 
Softer, kinder. And maybe this year you will 
Be able to do it. Hear how his voice 
Rises and falls. There is no way to be 
Sufficiently grateful for the gifts we are 
Given, no way to speak the Lord’s name 
Often enough, though we do try, and

Especially now, as that dappled breast 
Breathes in the pines and heaven’s 
Windows in the north country, 
Now spring has come, 
Are opened wide.

- Mary Oliver



The Music 


Anthem - L. Cohen

https://youtu.be/c8-BT6y_wYg?si=QLyTHexF3RoLs79B

Your Got the Love - Retrosettes Sister Band


Love and Happiness - E.Harris/M. Knopfler
https://youtu.be/qlPR11Ke2II?si=Osi9OOV7vfV39vAb


Happy - P. Williams
https://youtu.be/ZbZSe6N_BXs?si=kGtIi--NTPCXqllp

Peace on Earth - U2 Live at the Sphere

https://youtu.be/MWwOK5p1ArQ?si=J-DaFHo0j6JVYFtN

Love and mercy - Brian Wilson
https://youtu.be/PISkFEzC5XE?si=56gKU8mTyM8QtmAu


Meditation time:


Sit Listen/Watch


Being Here - B. Murray

https://youtu.be/o9TvFkiLLMo?si=iTUsPzUS7GZZkG7t


Gabriel's Oboe - The Mission
https://youtu.be/fiCX4w1BCVQ?si=WLv_jJNIVtZgi10a


"Everything that we preach is what we

 need to hear."

         - Bono

"One day I will find the right words , 

and they will be simple."

- Jack Kerouac

"The most important thing is not why we 

write but how we write.

Write dangerously , Beckett.." 

- James Joyce ( From the new biopic on 

S. Beckett " Dance First.")

AMDG

Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved JF Sobecki LLC




































Thursday, February 1, 2024

Surrender: 27,740 Days

 












"All spiritual maturity is about 

letting go."

 - Richard Rohr


"You admire the man who 

pushes his way

 to the top in any walk of life,

while we admire one who 

abandons his ego."

Seven Years in Tibet . H. Harrier


"The spiritual journey is non- denominational."

 - a Jesuit priest


Inspiration:

 During certain times of the year the public 

submits to 

an avalanche of college and professional athletic 

"playoffs." Winning is everything!

Winners receive the honor , rewards and crowns 

of olive leaves.Losers are left in the cold

with crowns of thorns.

The global culture promotes hard work 

and success with awards and recognition and 

those who qualify are adored regardless

of their integrity and morality. Chapels and 

cathedrals honor the divine mystery

promoted by the self made witch doctors dictating 

dogma, canons and dance steps

for pillaged pilgrims to subscribe to without questions. 

Confused, one potential pilgrim lost as to what candle 

to light and what course to chart hears that

whispering wind lifts a voice from ancient theater 

where a player could be heard

"You don't choose a life. You live it."


-----------

The Writing:

Surrender : 27,740 days

Almost 27,740 days on the worn out 

overcrowded Camino,

the seeker carried collected maps and 

books by mystics

and soothsayers charting the course

to discover the great promised treasure.

How many revolutions on the great circle

does it take before an anxious meandering

Bedouin wakes up to the truth 

about his passage?

Scholars say that Homer's Odyssey 

was a fable about the search 

for one's soul. Disguised teachers dressed 

in sherpas rags lift the baggage carried 

by pirate pilgrims and just like that 

a great burden weight evaporates. 


Why didn't the solo seeker learn from 

Bosch's "Death of the Miser"

or from his part-time partner who 

practiced at emulating

the actions of Richard Cory 

who lived on the hill?

It was that old salt who 

anchored in a lost cove

while mentoring the seeker secretly on

all things of the great sea, 

Including the ins and outs of 

sailing by rigorously

having the seeker practice the art of 

letting go of the tiller

when confronting rolling rough waters.

The vessel somehow rights herself 

as she heads into the wind.

Some imperfect learners are slower 

in letting go of their worldly attachments , 

their desire for control, 

... refusing to surrender ,

 but somehow they remain completely loved .

- JF Sobecki

_____

The Poems and Such:

"Poetry is a gateway into intuitive 

consciousness. 

It knocks on the doors

 of the heart and the heart opens" 

 - Mirabai Starr

"Poetry is an Act of Peace . 

Peace goes into the making of a poet

as flour goes into the making of bread."

- Pablo Neruda

When you are Old - WB Yeats 

( read C. Murphy)

https://youtu.be/dEHjBPS21A8?si=k6OIo82cNUVIyaLc

My Wish - R W Emerson

















The Music:
Seasons of Love - Rent

I Release Control - A. Rose

Pacing the Cage - B. Cockburn
Music Videos for Meditation 
For Readers:

Random Prompts:

Another Story- The Head and The Heart 

Ten thousand Words - Avett Brothers


Death of the Miser - H Bosch
What is happening here?
Who is this miser?





















------------
"No thing can bring one total peace."
- Hindhu Saying

"Everything that we preach is what we
 need to hear."
         - Bono

"One day I will find the right words , 
and they will be simple."
- Jack Kerouac

"The most important thing is not why we 
write but how we write.
Write dangerously , Beckett.." 
- James Joyce ( From the new biopic on 
S. Beckett " Dance First."

AMDG

Copyright 2024 All Rights Reserved 
JF Sobecki LLC