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What culture most interests you?

Posted on Feb 9th, 2010 by quietlaughter : . quietlaughter
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for February 09, 2010:

I have always been interested in cultures around the world – for as long as I can remember. I was fortunate as a child to have godparents who were Cree, and they shared some very special gifts with me that looking back, truly sparked my love for cultural histroy. Growing up, since it was during the days of handwritten letters and not emails, I was also very active with over 70 penpals from around the world, to whom I wrote regularly and received many little gifts and insights to their lives, and they mine. It is definitely this love that led me to live in a small West African village in my final year of high school, in order to learn the local languages, and experience the life there first hand. Also, because of the training that I did as an anthropologist ‘back in the day’ I was able to turn that passion into something more structured, in terms of the tools that I learned to explore and understand different and similar elements of cultures and societies.

I have a deep love and respect for all cultures and traditions. Looking at culture and how various elements, such as music, art, lifestyle, sociology, economy, history, language, religion, ritual, traditions etc. come together to influence, shape the individual living within that culture and vice versa to me is extremely fascinating. It makes me appreciate how the web moves and how everyone is connected in the broadest sense – and yet, each culture, each expression of existence, is uniquely beautiful.

:-)
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Tagged with: Q&R, culture, interests, other

words lie dormant

Posted on Feb 8th, 2010 by quietlaughter : . quietlaughter
Goldenmonarch
words lie dormant
curled in upon themselves
wrapped in a tiny cocoon of silk
they will emerge when the time is ripe
unfold and dry in the warm morning sun
tentatively press the wind
until they are strong enough
to lift off the ground
and fly to the cool, clear blue above
soon they will know freedom
if only for a short time...
how long will these words have life?
how far will they travel, even when the air
grows colder and winter comes?
it is not to understand the way of flying,
or the how... this i do not need to know
it is enough that the words fly as they do
with no more purpose
than a golden butterfly

 
 
~ Leigh-Anne Tyson

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Gift of Gratitude - week 4

Posted on Feb 8th, 2010 by quietlaughter : . quietlaughter
Tree_shadows
There are many things that I am grateful for here on Gaia - the following are my pick of moments on Gaia that touched me in the past week, made me think, and take pause. I am grateful for those who are sharing positive energy from the heart and have found myself lost in the beauty of your words and choices to share. Thank you very much for enriching my life the way that you have.


This thread on OLMW started by Kath about what the word Love means to you – I found reading the various posts, thoughts and experiences on the topic of love to be very thought provoking and touching, and in reading those posts, felt encouraged to share some of my own thoughts and old rambling ideas on the subject.


Tai’s poem made me smile a lot


Zephyr’s beautiful poem touched my heart


Bhatta’s journal entry on Self and Body was a good refresher on the Chandogya Upanishad, and has encouraged me to return to study the text once again.

Meenakshi's poem Parting of Ways and accompanying photographs were stunning.


and last but not least, my dear friends of Diving Deeper and our Freewheeling February threads 1, 2 and 3 that is being looked after by Andrew and Gabriele this month. I find it so uplifting and inspiring to be able to check in, share, encourage and enjoy each other’s company in the midst of busy busy days and lives that we all have. I appreciate deeply the friendships and my writing companions that grow there.

~

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When was the last time you were moved to tears?

Posted on Feb 7th, 2010 by quietlaughter : . quietlaughter
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for February 07, 2010:

Sunrise
this morning.
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Tagged with: Q&R, emotions, weeping, life

conversations in three parts

Posted on Feb 7th, 2010 by quietlaughter : . quietlaughter


Not once, but for some days
I have wrestled over
Thoughts about conversations...
Conversations with silence
I supposed that there were none at the end
Not with Silence
But all, at their core, the conversations themselves, 
Were simply and truthfully 
A gentle or not so pleasant exchange with the self
Myself
Not even could it be certain
That it was even the bigger ‘self’
The one that stands alone with a capital S
Self – that one 
No, more likely always it was the small one
Timid at times, or filled with fear, anger, confused
Giddy, overjoyed 
Who half-kneeling spoke, under the pressure of Silence
- nothing much of value was said.

Once some days ago, months now maybe it is hard to tell
By now, I had thought about this long enough
To try on the ideas and conclusions like they were clothes

Some like heavy felted wool, 
I shrugged them on around my shoulders 
Stumbling as though forced down by the neck
Into the dirt
Others instead, slipped on my body effortlessly
Like a well worn pair of jeans or shoes
With a memory of every movement, every path made
Worn to a mold of myself after a million steps
And without another thought I was walking
In these familiar impressions once again.

Still others – and there were many
Made me shrink away – away 
At first glance
Resistance to those threads of thought
And then at second glance or third or fourth
I found no connection, no comfort, no understanding
I refused to open my palm 
To embrace what I could not face, 
Not even once

The thousand faces buried here
In this line of thought, pushed and pulled
Wrenched and cajoled and still
It was not the Silence I mistook it for
It was not the conversation I was part of 
Not as I naively thought
It turned out to be just a smaller version
Of me

Now, as I sit here to write
Humbled and quiet
I find that the conversation
Has always been 
Well over my head.


II

To the ear, words and discussions, 
Poetry and dreams are like candy
Some days, where they fall inward
Like a stream of water through the soul
Punctuating the day and night
They leave me at their close, 
With the sense of having known something 
That I did not before 
And I treasured that

Some days, they are like a bitter drink
That flows through the inner canal to the heart
Words, like daggers, score the surface
And deeper still 
They throw the inner sky into turmoil
Those days are like high winds beating
Itself against the wall, and I am left 
Spent and worn down 

These are not new – not to my ears 
Or eyes or heart (and likely no one else’s)
But when solitude exerts itself
And sits on me like a lumbering oaf
I can no longer decide which of the two
I most prefer.


III

An echo rumbles outward now
Propelled by unseen hands
I am only one standing on the edge 
To listen – but what do I really hear?
Like a face reflected in the mirror
How do I know which is true
The note that leaves the instrument 
Or the one reverberating in my mind?
What weight does the truth have in either case, 
When I only want to listen….

The echo now is caught in my throat
Like a horn or drum that sounded at one time
Carrying messages beyond, but stopped awkwardly
As I wonder am I strong enough to follow through
Despite the hesitant step, 
the sharp pangs of fear and self doubt
the echo as insistent as the original note
bellowing to be heard


love. live. be free
~
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What is happiness to you?

Posted on Feb 6th, 2010 by quietlaughter : . quietlaughter
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for February 06, 2010:

True happiness, for me, is the result of my being able to act, exist from a place within myself that is peaceful, calm and compassionate. I don't look for things to "make" me happy - I am happy, and everything that I do - every word that I write, every interaction with another person, even when I am sad I am happy, because I am living out of my heart - I am living out of a very deep place like a well of happiness that has no bottom. 

Does this mean that I am never sad, never angry, never frustrated, never afraid? Of course not. I have been sad lately for many reasons - and angry too and frustrated - but I know that these are temporary states of mind for me. It is ok to be sad, but it is not where I live from. It is ok to be angry, but I don't live from that anger. It is ok to be frustrated, but I don't let that frustration govern my every day. This is especially true of fear. 

For me that is the true happiness that I experience every day, with every moment. 
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Tagged with: Q&R. happiness, happy

What is the light like right now?

Posted on Feb 5th, 2010 by quietlaughter : . quietlaughter
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for February 05, 2010:

3703239832_292a8b9f8d
the light right now is low, soft, and golden. outside my window night is stalking the empty branches of the trees and fading piles of snow. the room is empty except for me and is silent, while everyone else is sleeping. I was listening to music an hour ago, lost in lyrics while I was working. Now, the music is off, and I am listening to the silence. The space around me is comfortable, reflective, and allowing as I sit here contemplating sleep. 
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Tagged with: Q&R, light, space

walk in love

Posted on Feb 5th, 2010 by quietlaughter : . quietlaughter
walk in, love
into the night 
while the moon wanes
and paints the sky canvas
with silver fingertips

walk among the dew-kissed grass and roses
sleeping now with everything else
why walk here... 
why when the night draws itself out
and shadows have no sunlight
to dance with ?
why?

walk in, love
into the garden 
to listen to the world breathing
one breath 
one breath
we lose our words
in this night 
under the summer moon
ideas curl up in the burrows
with hopes and fears
and just for this night
under a canopy of stars
there is stillness
that touches the skin

walk in, love
no more searching
or wondering 
no more doubt 
no more fear
for life is in the details
the dew on a silver line
of spider's web
the cool night breeze
that makes us shiver
the snuffling dog at our feet
that licks our toes in greeting
the kiss that makes everything right
here, in the garden 
walk in, love.

~ Leigh-Anne Tyson
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Tagged with: quietlaughter, love

21 guns

Posted on Feb 5th, 2010 by quietlaughter : . quietlaughter
2010 Grammy's - 21 Guns - Green Day/American Idiot Musical

sometimes it's just good to listen. 
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shocked

Posted on Feb 5th, 2010 by quietlaughter : . quietlaughter
One of my goals for this new year was to catalogue and archive all of the writing that I have done over the years, particularly in the past two and a half years of being part of the Diving Deeper workshop. I have never done it in my life - kept track of anything that I have written, except to throw it into a file once I was done writing, and not look back at it.

Over the past month I have been chipping away at creating the archive, and while I am not done with the entire catologue of writinig - I did complete the DD portion of it, and I am utterly shocked at what I discovered.

During the course of being part of the workshop, I have learned that word count is often the first go-to measure for stories. The content of course has a lot of weight, but word count plays into it as well. Out of curiousity, I recorded in the archive the word count so that I could find out the total sum at the end of it all.

*drum roll please* Since November 2007 I have written 311, 123 words for the assignments, poetry and prose pieces that I have posted in DD. So, the average page has 275 words on it, which translates into about 1, 132 pages that I have written.

HOLY CARP!

that's a lot.

here's the kicker... I'm still writing! I have 5 more stories to write before I turn 40 to achieve my other goal - not to mention that all of this is still first draft and needs to be edited and polished. Seems like I have my work cut out for me for the next little while!

I need a cup of tea.


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