~~ You're invited ~~

To my loving friends, family, and special one
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The Dance
by Oriah Mountain Dreamer


I have sent you my invitation, the note inscribed on the palm of my hand by the fire of living. Don't jump up and shout, "Yes, this is what I want! Let's do it!" Just stand up quietly and dance with me.

Show me how you follow your deepest desires, spiraling down into the ache within the ache. And I will show you how I reach inward and open outward to feel the kiss of the Mystery, sweet lips on my own, everyday.

Don't tell me you want to hold the whole world in your heart. Show me how you turn away from making another wrong without abandoning yourself when you are hurt and afraid of being unloved.

Tell me a story of who you are, and see who I am in the stories I am living. And together we will remember that each of us always has a choice.

Don't tell me how wonderful things will be . . . some day. Show me you can risk being completely at peace, truly OK with the way things are right now in this moment, and again in the next and the next and the next. . .

I have heard enough warrior stories of heroic daring. Tell me how you crumble when you hit the wall, the place you cannot go beyond by the strength of your own will. What carries you to the other side of that wall, to the fragile beauty of your own humanness?

And after we have shown each other how we have set and kept the clear, healthy boundaries that help us live side by side with each other, let us risk remembering that we never stop silently loving those we once loved out loud.

Take me to the places on the earth that teach you how to dance, the places where you can risk letting the world break your heart. And I will take you to the places where the earth beneath my feet and the stars overhead make my heart whole again and again.

Show me how you take care of business without letting business determine who you are. When the children are fed but still the voices within and around us shout that soul's desires have too high a price, let us remind each other that it is never about the money.

Show me how you offer to your people and the world the stories and the songs you want our children's children to remember, and I will show you how I struggle not to change the world, but to love it.

Sit beside me in long moments of shared solitude, knowing both our absolute aloneness and our undeniable belonging. Dance with me in the silence and in the sound of small daily words, holding neither against me at the end of the day.

And when the sound of all the declarations of our sincerest intentions has died away on the wind, dance with me in the infinite pause before the next great inhale of the breath that is breathing us all into being, not filling the emptiness from the outside or from within.

Don't say, "Yes!" Just take my hand and dance with me.

Love my horoscope today... In me I trust...LOL!

July 17, 2008
Marked By Trust
Gemini Daily Horoscope
You may find it difficult to respond personably to people in your domestic and professional spheres today because you are focused on attempting to unearth their underlying motives. A defensive mood can cause you to feel distrustful when interacting with others, and you may be unwilling to share your thoughts and feelings as a result. Though you may interpret your suspicious mind-set as one of self-protection, you may actually be alienating yourself from your peers. To regain your ability to speak and act freely around others, consider that the individuals you spend time with each day likely will not do anything to betray your trust. Should your suspicions remain strong today, honestly confronting others with your concerns may help alleviate your misgivings.

It is the faith we have in others that allows us to interact comfortably and effectively with people in the various spheres of our lives. When we are suspicious of the motives of our loved ones, colleagues, and associates, we articulate our thoughts in a guarded fashion, afraid to reveal the whole of ourselves. Working and playing with others is only pleasurable and constructive when we can express ourselves freely. Trust is the foundation of the collaborative efforts and friendly negotiations that ensure our lives flow smoothly and are not an impediment to the well-being of others. Since we often live close to one another, this confidence helps us relate to each other peacefully and pleasantly. Your willingness to adopt an attitude of trust will help you open up to people easily.

*~ dame de lotus ~*

www.youtube.com/watch

850 BC and beyond

A Dance in Armor

The Pyrritic dance is frequently mentioned in the Homeric poems. It is a general name for dance in armor that is known generally as "Pyrrhiche". These martial dances were a part of the basic military education in both Athens and Sparta accompanied by the sound of a flute, drum and kemenche. Also was part of the ancient Panathenaic festival (a festival which consisted of three categories: contests, procession, and sacrifices. Uh, yeah, animal sacrifices) The most illustrious men in the state danced in the Pyrritic circle. This dance is intimately connected with the worship of Apollo and was believed to have been first performed by Athena herself in celebration her fellow Olympians.

What I find interesting is this dance is a mixture of gymnastics and mimicry, that it was intended to represent gestures, movements, and certain ideas with quick motions (fleeing), vaulting, leaping (jumping walls), and psyching the opponent. I'm not sure what the shoulder shimmies represent. (LOL) Also, the tight close unit of dancing - a signature of Spartan warfare ;-)

When enjoying the uninhibited expression of a seasoned dancer or group of dancers I'm elated when I can feel, notice and understand the energy behind their movements - the mimicry of lovers, warfare, sadness, joy, despair, birth and death, the celebration of man and woman. It is imbedded with ancient ritualistic ceremonial dance. And we mustn’t overlook our devoted musicians that lead us into and thru the story line of this precious and symbolic dance movement.

Viewing the dance of my descendants I realize the enormous gift I’ve given to myself - the freedom of dance, music, and the freedom of celebrating life. I’ve made it back home with my armor and shield. :-)

“Dance is worship and a moving meditation celebrating transcendence.”

~Hugs~

www.youtube.com/watch

www.youtube.com/watch

www.youtube.com/watch

Daily OM... What's your life's work?

I've fulfilled all "that stuff" I was supposed to do and now moving in the direction of doing my life's work... This involves creating a life filled with music, dance, art and intimate relationships with those I deeply love... creating fun and exciting opportunities...travel inward and outward and returning home with some fun chotckies... creating a life for my daughter that we can both enjoy and embrace... creating a beautiful and nurturing home environment... and eating chocolate ice cream guilt free while tasting the sweetness of life in every spoonful I feed myself. SPOOOOOOOON! And hey... you can feed me a spoonful of sweetness anytime. :-)

To my loved ones...my canvas is looking great... you are part of my life's work... my magnum opus. *HUGS*
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Daily OM - May 13, 2008
Feeling Our Life
Finding Our Life’s Work
Sometimes it takes us the better part of a lifetime to discover our life’s work, even though we may have been doing it our whole lives without necessarily realizing it. Our life’s work is not always what we do to make money, although we often think it should be, and sometimes this way of thinking prevents us from seeing clearly what it is. It may be the work of having children, caring for them, and running a household. The way we know our life’s work is by how we feel when we are doing it.

When we are doing our life’s work, we feel an uncanny sense of ease and alignment. This doesn’t mean that the work is always easy, and it doesn’t mean that it’s the only work we have to do; it just means that there is a conviction deep inside us that tells us we are in tune with our innermost self. When we are engaged in our life’s work, our bodies feel more alive, because our energy is devoted to a cause that, in turn, feeds us. We may be tired after engaging in our life’s work, but we are almost never depleted. We feel grounded in the world, knowing that we belong here and have something important to offer.

When we are deeply unhappy, depressed, or subject to one illness after another, this may be due to a sense of disconnection from our life’s work. At times like these, finding the work we are meant to do is an essential act of healing. Most of us remember a time when we felt fully engaged in some act of work, service or creativity, and it is here that we may rediscover the work we are meant to do now. On the other hand, it may be time to explore what inspires us through volunteering, taking a class, going back to school, or just doing whatever it is we long to try. We all have callings, and when we find them, we owe it to ourselves to nurture and protect them, because while they may or may not be our livelihood, they are the keys to our wellbeing.

Tidbits on London's mayor and a few aphorisms

This blurb on Boris Johnson and the classics made me giggle a bit as I had my sun blotted out by arrows this past week. Reinforces my classical heritage and approach on surviving...well, life.

I invite the shade from arrows... Hell, who wants a sunburn and glare in the eyes. ;-)

Oh, and interesting review on this Dennis the Menace of London. Enjoy.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7397812.stm

Dancers: Vyjanthi and Padmini

The guy in this clips has no clue what he's in for... I love the "daggers and arrows" between these gals. Beautiful dancing, hand gestures, facial expressions.

I've got to find this movie.

~~ my thumb is up, way up!

www.youtube.com/watch

DailyOM - The Direction Of Happiness

April 24, 2008
The Direction Of Happiness
Leaving A Relationship

One of the hardest decisions we ever make in life is leaving a long-term relationship that just isn’t working. When attempts at repairing and working out issues aren’t working, it may be time to examine moving on. We are emotional creatures, and when our heartstrings are tied to those of another, separating from that person can feel like an act of courage. It is not something most of us will take lightly, and many of us will struggle with our desire to stay in a relationship that is unfulfilling simply in order to avoid that pain. We may question whether the happiness we seek even exists, and we may wonder if we might be wiser to simply settle where we are, making the best of what we have.

On the one hand, we almost relish the idea that true happiness is not out there so that we can avoid the pain of change. On the other hand, we feel within ourselves a yearning to fulfill our desire for relationships that are vital and healing. Ultimately, most of us will follow this call, because deep within ourselves we know that we deserve to be happy. We all deserve to be happy, no matter where we find ourselves in this moment, and we are all justified in moving, like plants toward the light, in the direction that leads to our greatest fulfillment. First, though, we may need to summon the courage to move on from the relationship that appears to be holding us back.

Taking the first steps will be hard, but the happiness we find when we have freed ourselves from a situation that is draining our energy will outshine any hardship we undergo to get there. Keeping our eyes trained on the horizon, we begin the work of disentangling ourselves from the relationship that no longer fits. Every step brings us closer to a relationship that will work, and the freedom we need to find the happiness we deserve.

a breath of kindness...

Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are -- chaff and grain together -- certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.…
Dinah Mulock

The Dog, the Cat and the Rat - ;-)

www.youtube.com/watch

I'll give you a piggy-back anytime! :-)

xo,
Lotus