Surrounded. Learning to see.

Some think they have to walk the miles In search of something sacred Some know to just open their eyes And they're surrounded

Like most people, I am usually too involved with my internal narrative to be able to see things as they are.
But sometimes, for a few moments, I have clear sight. And for the hope they give me, those few moments are enough.

Peace

What field are you creating?

In physics, a charged particle creates what is called a "field" around itself; and through this field it influences other charged particles near and far, while it is also being influenced by them. This basic interaction gives rise to all the fundamental  phenomena we experience in our daily life: electricity, magnetism, chemical reactions, etc. 

It's interesting, I think, that a particle does not “know” which other particles created the field it’s experiencing, and it doesn’t need to; the only thing that matters is that the field it finds itself in affects its behavior in a definite way.

I find this concept a beautiful and pertinent metaphor for us humans as well. We all have our own fields that we create and that we find ourselves moving through.

Our field is our environment, with all the ideas, concepts, and conditions we find ourselves born into and surrounded with. Some of us are born into difficulty and poverty; some in conditions of ease and privilege. Whether we recognize it or not, we are affected by these fields around us. Yet, we are not passive observers. We ourselves create our own fields that influence others. Whether we create them deliberately and consciously, or whether we unconsciously continue recreating whatever fields we’ve experienced ourselves, in one way or another we create them.

For example, some who have known criticism, aggression, lack of acceptance, continue recreating the same conditions and environments for their children and others around them. Some, through temperament or deliberate action, move away from that and create beneficial conditions.

How do we create these fields around ourselves, and what do we need to create them? The first thing I think we need is awareness. Awareness of where we come from, what shaped us, what concepts, ideas, and practices, we embody. Then, from that awareness, we do our best to create the fields we want around ourselves, through simple everyday actions: the way we speak, the things we say, our actions, our thoughts and intentions towards ourselves and others, what we put our energy into, etc. Just basic everyday things, when done with awareness, can be so powerful. And if not done with awareness, they are also very powerful, but not necessarily in the direction we intend them to be.

So, while this is a lifetime’s work, we can begin by asking ourselves, “What kind of field am I creating around myself right now, and is that what I want to create?”. Realizing that this impacts not only us and those immediately close to us, but those whom we don’t even know, we let everything start from there.

Peace

The exception to the rule is somehow an indispensable part of the rule

God is the organizing principle

And all the aberrations therein

There's no getting away from what is. The only sane option is to open.

This moment

I'm torn about sharing this kind of insight. Words are misleading when experience is the only thing that can help us see.

Still, words are oftentimes all we have to reach out to each other with, so in that sense they can be important.

Peace 

Beach day!

With these lovely girls.

Peace 

Summer solstice and Fathers' Day

Happy Summer Solstice everyone!

And Happy Fathers' Day to all the fathers. 

Wishing you a fun, relaxing day, and may you receive what you need in order to raise healthy, happy children.

Sena and Aiyana made these for Ed this morning.


Peace 

Sense of wonder

Above all, guard,

Your sense of wonder.

Our sense of wonder is vulnerable. When we get tired, overwhelmed, worn down, exhausted, frustrated, or any of the other things that we will experience throughout life, our sense of wonder seems to disappear. It takes a certain ability to let go of the mindsets that trap us and hold us hostage, in order to be able to welcome it back. But when it's back, how wonderful to realize that though vulnerable, our sense of wonder is also strong enough to save us.

Peace 

Have you ever felt this?

Reflections of each other.

I think that maybe this is part of the reason we miss someone so much at times. It's like we're missing a part of ourselves that doesn't get seen or expressed otherwise. 

Peace 

Daring

“…this blundering world –

No matter what I bring against it,

Not once have I managed to get at it:

With all my floods, fires, earthquakes, tempests,

Unshaken in the end are land and sea!

And this damned trash, this brood of brutes and men,

There’s no way you can get the best of them.

How many of them I’ve already buried!

Some fresh blood ‘s always in circulation.”  

                

-       (All quotes are from Faust, by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, translated by Randall Jarrell)

Here’s Mephistopheles, talking to Faust about human goodness and resilience, basically admitting that no matter what challenges he’s thrown at the world, goodness has always found a way to survive in Nature itself, and in human nature. 

I find this quote particularly uplifting, as it helps me to rebalance and refocus  my attention from all that's problematic, to all that's good and helpful and resilient.

It’s easy these days, and it’s probably always been easy, to focus and be overwhelmed by all that is wrong in the world. Yet, while we cannot and should not close our eyes to the harshest and most disturbing parts of life, as Mephistopheles admits, it’s important to remember that throughout time, throughout the worst atrocities and deprivations, throughout corruption and ignorance, beauty and goodness have survived. It seems that somehow, we humans have an instinct, an innate knowing of what is good and right, whether we act on it or not. 

So when you feel yourself overrun with despair and negativity, when you find yourself starting to believe that we humans are doomed to error and destruction, take heart and trust that, as Faust proclaims, it is worth daring to be human in this world:

“Here I am, here I dare to be, human”.

I love how Faust put that. Yes, to be human in the world at any time is a daring thing. We must dare to be vulnerable, to be ignorant, to be mislead. We must dare to jump in knowing that we will hurt and be hurt, knowing that we will make mistakes and fail. But it is precisely in this daring that we will find our beauty,  our vulnerability, and our trust in life and in each other.

It is fully and deliberately embracing this daring to be human, and the uncertainty that goes along with it, that to me, gives meaning to living life.

Peace

Trough us

The greatest work we do

Is done through us

The flute that plays the sweetest song

Holds no claim to the music

Posession. Ownership. Property: All ways in which we try to grasp and control, thus proclaiming our fear. Fear of not having enough; not being enough. It is in focusing solely on these things that we miss what's important.

But the joy of having something good and true and beautiful express itself through us – what more can we wish for?

Peace

So excited to be featured in this!

What a beautiful surprise today!

I am so moved and honored to have my poetry featured by the American Cetacean Society alongside other amazing artists as part of their Art for Ocean Advocacy. I am sharing the poems and write-up they posted below.

"We are thrilled to introduce this week’s Art for Ocean Advocacy feature: Raluca Mocanu! She is an poet from the Mansfield, Connecticut who uses her voice and talent to advocate for nature and the world’s oceans. She is the founder of the “Poetry for the Earth Campaign.” She has also published multiple books featuring her poetry and has donated 100% of profits from my books to environmental organizations which support ocean conservancy, including cetacean research orgs. What Raluca Mocanu has to say about her art and advocacy: “My art is inspired by my awe at the natural world and life in general; by my longing to connect with and share the beauty that is around us at any moment; and by my passion to protect our environment and be a voice for those who are voiceless.

The messages I hope to share through my artwork is that there is sacredness and beauty in ordinary things; that strength and vulnerability are one; and that walking in beauty is a worthy goal for our lives. What "walking in beauty" means to me is caring for each other and all beings, being grateful for the beauty that is all around us at all times, and protecting those who cannot speak for themselves.

I think that artists can play a great role in ocean conservation, by increasing our sensitivity to the beauty and majesty of the ocean, both in its fragile nature, as well as its immense power. I believe that artists' work, coupled with that of scientists, can reach us on different levels, bringing us awareness, understanding and appreciation for the ocean and all life.”

Sharing the pics below off Instagram, so the formatting is a bit funky, but you get the idea...

As usual, I will continue to donate all profits from my books to environmental organizations. Anyone can buy my poetry books for $15 at: https://www.etsy.com/shop/shundahaishop

Peace

Entertained

"When every grief is entertained that's offered,

...

Dolor comes ... indeed"

(Dolor = great sorrow, distress)

Shakespeare, The Tempest 2.1.18-21

One word. Just one word, sometimes, when skillfully placed, can open the door to so much insight.
I love the quote above, and want to talk about the word "entertained", which holds so much meaning to me.

As many of us have noticed by now, as long as we're alive, grief will come. There is no choice in that. In one form or another, life will challenge us with difficulty.

But the question is, how do we meet our griefs when they do come? There is a big difference between accepting that grief is part of life, versus "entertaining" every grief that comes our way. As Shakespeare says, our dolor, or suffering, grows in relation to how much we entertain our griefs.

When grief comes, I don't believe we should shut it out. I don't believe that we should pretend it's not there, numb ourselves against it, try to turn it into something else, etc. Acknowledging and calling things by their right name are important, otherwise we risk deceiving ourselves and others, and causing more problems for everyone in the future.

Yet, acknowledging what's happening and what we're feeling is very different from "entertaining" all our griefs. To me, the main difference is that once we start "entertaining", we gradually become engulfed by what's going on inside us, and the side stories that we tell ourselves, to the point that sometimes we lose sight of everything else.

I have experienced what it feels like to "entertain" my griefs. I have experienced the self absorption and loneliness that come along with that. On a few occasions, I have also experienced what it feels like to acknowledge and accept, and then move on. The difference is significant: one feels like you're drowning, the other feels strangely freeing. One thing I want to make clear is that to me, accepting does not mean that I like what happened, or that I will not try to improve the situation. It simply means allowing it to be as is without making more pain out of it by spinning all kinds of scenarios and conclusions about it in my head.

Like most people, I suspect, I am a master entertainer of griefs. But one thing I am grateful for is having had the experience, just those handful of times, of what it feels like not to "entertain". Because now that I know the difference, I have something to practice, something to move towards, which I know is possible, even when it feels so hard.

Peace

Dagmar's simple and powerful speech

My friend Dagmar, now an elected official, gave this speech at the BLM rally in Willimantic, CT on Friday:

"I want to acknowledge that right now we stand on stolen indigenous land, in this country that was built on oppression of indigenous people and the blood and sweat of enslaved black Africans.

"You can be a good cop and a good person, but as good as you are, if you are part of law enforcement, the judicial system, or the government, as I am, you are part of systemic oppression against black people, indigenous people, immigrants, and other minorities because of the roots of these systems.

"Martin Luther King famously said, 'A riot is the language of the unheard.' He would not condemn riots when the system that supported oppression thrived unchallenged.

"Colin Kaepernick peacefully and publicly protested oppression and was vilified and ignored.

"Today, we MUST listen to people who are being brutalized, and change our systems of oppression."

Peace

Yes

I want to share a simple thing I've been incorporating in my meditation practice over the past few weeks, which I find very helpful and soothing. 

It is simply saying "Yes".
Whenever I notice my mind wondering, whenever I notice myself caught in some fear or judgement, or anxiety, or daydream, or whatever it is, I just say "Yes" to it, and move on. I can honestly say that it feels surprisingly soothing to do so.

Saying yes is fundamentally accepting what comes up, which we usually don't have any control over, but which, if caught unaware, can ensnare us and lead us on. When I say yes to whatever the feeling is, I accept it, and and in accepting it, I no longer have to fight it, try to shut it down, feel bad about it, or anything else. Accepting it allows me to move on to the next breath and the next, until I catch myself in the hook of something else, and then say yes to that as well.

I've been saying yes to lots of things:
reasonable and unreasonable hope
tenderness
fear
anger
resentment
dread
uncertainty
exhaustion
and so on.

If you meditate formally, try it. And if you don't, try it anyway. Honestly, I would not have believed that such a simple thing can feel so powerful. I hope you find it helpful.

Peace

Sometimes, we all need a little help to burst out of our shell

This morning's video: https://youtu.be/c6hcK5bgEWE

Opening so fearlessly, this beautiful, delicate poppy, so trusting of life. May we open like that too, to each other and all of life, giving the best we have, bringing beauty to the world. 

Peace

Who needs some beauty in their lives right now?

I hope you enjoy this video I made this morning:
https://youtu.be/T78OGwLjGpg

How very exciting!

If you live in the Montreal area, please enjoy and protect this beautiful, unexpected visitor. Look how close it got to the pier! I wish I were there to say hello.

https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/wandering-whale-visits-montreal-for-a-swim-under-the-jacques-cartier

Peace

3 things

We have limited or sometimes no control over what happens. But we do have a choice in what we tell ourselves about what happens, and  especially in HOW we speak to ourselves about what happens.

And we always have the opportunity to use what life gives us in a constructive way; a way that allows us to move forward with more awareness and compassion towards ourselves and others. 

Peace 

Overwhelming

I grew up in a communist country. I've seen how abuses are perpetrated when power is held absolutely. Naively, I thought that "free" countries do not experience these abuses, or if they do, the problem is openly and swiftly addressed. But I was wrong.

Honestly, right now, I am overwhelmed by what I am seeing. The systemic racism and violence. The divisiveness. The police shootings, with George Floyd the latest victim (we know of) of systemic racism and violence.

I am overwhelmed for our children growing up in this environment of violence and injustice. And even more overwhelmed for those ignorant of these things; ignorant of the long and real history of racism, and oppression in all forms, present in this country, not the version glorified in history books.

We, as individuals and as a society, must learn to treat each other with dignity and respect, and do what we can to help each other. It is possible!

May we walk forward in a good way.

Peace