NOW.

be here.



copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

sing song

pretty bird sings outside the window.
sing song
a mother's call
rains pours down
and baby flys away





copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

constant gentle pressure

danny meyer of Union square fame knows what he's talking about.
he has proven his meddle with his success as one of the top restaurateurs in the US.
better still, he's a very, very smart man.
how does he do it?

he calls it:

constant. gentle. pressure.

it's about keeping our focus, relentlessly pursuing that target, in a soft and subtle, yet consistent kinda way. keeping the pedal to the metal without bearing down too hard.

what needs your attention today? everyday.
be easy on yourself relentlessly until you achieve your dream.

bow. arrow. bullseye.






copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

everybody's looking for enlightenment

here. there. everywhere.
big bursts of insights. life changing phenomena, simple moments that offer a chance to change forever. for ever.
when the push and the pull subsides, then we stop looking and start seeing.

LOOK!

it's already here.
open your eyes. what do you see? so much to see.
enlightenment offered when stillness is allowed to speak.








copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

finally.

“one day you finally knew what you had to do, and began”

---- mary oliver












copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

offerings

before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.

what you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between regions of kindness.

how you ride and ride thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

before you learn the gravity of kindness
you must travel where the indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
you must see how this would be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.

before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
you must wake up with sorrow.
you must speak to it until your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.

then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
it is i you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.
~Naomi Sheehab Nye





copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

labyrinth

wear out the minotaur. his nose leads him on the path. he is easily distracted with so many scents that surface along the way, one more deliciously seductive than the next. he runs for hours relentlessly and eventually wears himself out in utter exhaustion, if not frustration . his body rests; last breath heaving unevenly. his mind sleeps not, staying awake to solve the unrelenting puzzle that lies at his feet.

this is when the art begins.











copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

what feeds the soul, heals the heart

this week i have finally launched the enso project into being. conception and now gestation.
may it be the beginning of my art.
dharma.








copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

this precious moment

every moment is precious.


do what you know has to be done, do it now and do it knowing that only the very best will come out of it.
learn to live by inspiration and intuition....... and see the most amazing things come about.... expect wonder upon wonder to take place .

- eileen caddy







copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

two feet to freedom

“this is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. first to let go of life. finally, to take a step without feet.”

- rumi


two feet to freedom. baby steps most days. other days, a giant leap over great chasms, bridging gaps and creating expansive openings. everyday, letting go and letting be. no feet needed here. just open heart. allowing walls i have built to fall away. when the armor crumbles, everything begins to fall into its perfect place.













copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

joy, delight, deliciousness

de·light

Pronunciation:
\di-ˈlīt, dē-\

Function:
noun

Date:
13th century

1: a high degree of gratification : joy ; also : extreme satisfaction
2: something that gives great pleasure
3archaic : the power of affording pleasure

time spent around the table. good food. family. laughter. love.
utter delight.












copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

dive into the chaos

it has been one hell of a week. and, it still a few days away from over yet.
shit hits the fan and the pieces of the puzzle get tossed up into a heaping mess.
and, that is where the it all begins......

diving into chaos, is what Smith calls it.
thank god for the 5 rhythmns. my southern posse saved me last night.
like an exorcism of the body and mind, meditation in motion.
i haven't visited the cushion much in the last two weeks, but stillness wasn't what was needed.
dancing through, in, with, around, about the chaos.
chaos itself was the antidote for itself.

purging out the putrification.


ahhhh.....i can finally start to breathe again.
















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

no apologies, no excuses

speaking up has been a bit of a challenge for me. in business, i have been known to be very direct {abrupt, short, and even mean might be some other synonms some might say}. but, when it comes to my personal life, it's has been my weak spot, my archille's heel.

time for some middle ground. integration. authentication. hard to believe at this middle age i haven't yet settled in. slow learner. stupid girl.

really, it's all about trust....ing myself.

in the past, i have held back, kept things nice and neat and wondered if i even had an articulate opinion to contribute.
sometimes i still do, but I am learning to say what i think.
no apologies, no excuses.

at the expense of sounding stupid, regretting what I have to say, or simply just making noise, i am speaking up.
sometimes it feels awkward, sometimes just plain dumb.
and, it feels good to laugh at myself when needed to not take myself too seriously.

flexing the muscle. permission, or not, here i go.
bullies beware, i might push back this time around.

bear with the beginner.....



copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

a change of heart

"here comes a high tide of emotion to alter the landscape! it's the goddess, in her guise as oceanic primordial chaos that can no longer be repressed. let this force guide you to a change of heart, in this new moon gateway of death & rebirth."

- today's astrology reading


i danced, and danced, and danced.
i danced for a change of heart.
i danced for a fearless heart.
i danced for a joyful heart.
i danced for an open heart.
i danced until i exhausted everything but my love of this life just as it is, today.








copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

curiosity is the cat

every time i feel myself getting bored, i know that it is really about needing to get curious.
sounds so easy, but it is frightening sometimes how we only see what we are familiar seeing, doing, having.
stuck in a box.

i am feeling a bit that way today.
heavy heart. lackadaisical. without energy or enthusiasm to go about my day.
i am sitting on my bed writing and I would love nothing more than to do this ALL DAY LONG today.
i could get up for warm noodle soup at lunchtime, but other than that and some cool sparkling water by my side to sip on, i would be happy as a calm clam staying sedentary ALL DAY LONG. dog next to me sleeping happily. would be way too lonely without him here.

some people call that lazy. yep. probably. i can hear my critic nodding with its ruthless little smirk too. and, being a bit defiant, or really, just too tired to fight back, i nod too. but really, i just need some rest. perhaps. or, i just need to find a way to re-ignite my energy and enthusiasm. most people would laugh to hear this. on most days, for someone who doesn't get up craving a caffeine coffee fix, I can pretty well sail through the day with more energy than most. but, it is not about getting stuff done today. i need to soak in life. let myself feel a bit melancholy. let life sit before me with its offerings, so I remember, quietly, that curiosity didn't kill the cat....it is the cat. meaning? i am not sure, but i liked the sound of it.
a koan of sorts that i am making up as i go along.

life is sometimes nothing more than "just this, just this." no doing, no rushing, no having to be something i am not. just simply being what i am.

what a luxury to be able to sit here. while others have to be on someone else's time table and sitting down at a desk pretending to be hard at work, i can sit here. ALL DAY LONG if i want. ahhhh....i feel the opening already.

i guess its gonna be a pretty good day, after all.








copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

summoning the muse

music is my muse and never fails to ignite + inspire.

Bach - Yo-Yo Ma - BWV 1007 - Prélude
Uploaded by Quarouble. - See the latest featured music videos.

copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

the hard work of surrender

after you fall and before you land is god.

-gabrielle roth


surrendering is scary stuff.
and hard work.

it takes us to our edge
and requires that we let go

it empties us of ourselves and our egos
and gently guides us to where our soul lives

it is our muse and our mimicry.
it is our complete opening to become exactly how and who we really are,
shedding old habits, removing no longer needed masks and saying goodbye to patterns of thought that no longer serve us or others well.

it is time to fly......and enjoy the ride.















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

change is a coming......

i can feel it in my bones.
i trust that it is time.
i know that i am ready.

what it is, is still unknown.
and, knowing that it is what has been hibernating for some time.

sowing seeds, planting roots

change is a coming and i can't wait.

transformation is the only thing that truly makes sense now.

















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

throw me a lifeline

i am not really alive, unless I am attending to the way i live. there are a few things that i can't live without.
i call these things my "lifelines". they tether me to the soul, connect me to my heart, and help to keep me centered, grounded and sloooooowing down.

they are
the sacred rituals
the daily disciplines
the loving kindnesses, both given and received.

they are
the "taking it easy on myself" mantras
the sitting, sitting, sitting in silence so I am less likely to act out my craziness in the world

they are
the telling the truth, no matter what might happen
the talking on the phone with friends who have the guts and heart to hear it all.
the courage to cry when it feels like you are the only one in the world who hasn't got her sh**t together.

they are
the warm baths with absolute rose essential oils
the sleeping in
the getting up early, when the house is quiet and the sky is still dark

they are
all of the simple, quirky, meaningful, lovely lifelines that keep me alive.








copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

blunt the sharpness

nothing more to say.

honoring the truth

truth can sometimes be sticky
and ugly
and touching
and difficult to swallow
and refreshing
and lovely
like a blanket covering us with warmth and comfort

your truth
my truth

a matter of perspective
what is real.
what is real?

feel it.
that is where truth surfaces without pretense or premise
simply, being.
softly, speaking.
patiently, waiting.




copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

let the heart be free

first you, then me.
happiness is about being free.

- sakyong mipham rinpoche




copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

prepare for good + greatness

only well-being is both the question and answer now.

fearlessness.

hold the space for that place.
observation, as witness
watch it surface, see it play, let it go
the warrior stands steady in basic goodness + confidence
gentle strength, sometimes silent, sometimes not.













copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

freedom falling

the soul is a holy actor.

- jerry grotowski


what are we doing?!

so much of our time spent is in route routine and habitual riguers that bear no resemblance to the life we want to live.
it is mere survival tactics....except we are barely hanging on. for our dear lives.

holy=inspiration {inspirare is latin for "in spirit"}

come out and play in a brand new way.
for fun. and frivolity. and serious -game on- warrior goodness.

pick your medium, play the role.
be the writer, the dancer, the poet, the painter.
ahhhh...... freedom falling at it's finest.








copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

our sacred circle

art is an act of the soul.
spirituality in action.
reflections of emotion in motion
dreams, realities, visions, contemplations


this is our holy tribe
our sacred circle








copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

the moon

searing circle of brilliant light
dark sliver of silver sky

phases in thirty days
like our life,
full and sometimes not so much

peaceful,
electric
awaking us to the night

the moon.
mmmmm.




copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

you say you want a revolution

true revolution is about tenderness.

- che guevara

and, we must be vigilant in what we believe in.

non-aggression is the key.
take a stand, but have a heart.
truth can be tender, if spoken with love.
and, it may still hurt.
lessons to be learned, beliefs to be questioned, curiosity to be ignited.

are we willing to step into the world of daring with an open heart?
that is where the armor dissolves and life opens up.













copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

the ten thousand things

busy, busy, busy
every day a race to get more done.

the ten thousand things offer us an opportunity to be awed in bewilderment- or distracted off the path.
chose a few that inspire, enlighten and help you do what needs to be done.

order + inspiration = enlightenment











copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

independence

let freedom ring.
for our world, for our lives, for our selves.








copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

let your life be your art

dancing, eating good food, amazing conversation, being with those I love........that is all. that is everything.















copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

relax

that is all.








copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

daily conversations

sometimes, it is the daily conversations that can change our life.
something we overheard. something we said. something someone spoke to us.

jolted. inspired. encouraged. motivated.
silenced. steadied. strengthened.
ignited.
illuminated.
subjugated.

listen to what is said. or not.

and then, learn.

it may mean sucking up a comment.
it may toss you into wild abandon
it may cause you to question your life.
if you are lucky.

earth shattering is sometimes as simple as that.









copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

beauty

beauty, for me, supercedes all
sometimes it is exquistie, sometimes sad
but always authentic and evocative, emotive and ethereal
of the spirit
heart is the only thing that matters now.
speak the truth.
be brave. courage is a rare and treasured gift.






copyright 2009 Alisa Barry