17/30

i am just a reinvention of what has already come before me.

today's focus of celebration: authors and inspiration

i am perpetually and gratefully inspired by others.
i devour books like other devour food. Food for my soul.
sometimes, food for the spirit is more needed than for the body.

thanking those great masters of art + spirituality that have come before that continue to inspire me.
just a few to bow down in thanks.

rumi
anais nin
m.f.k. fisher
john o'donahue
david whyte
chogyum trungpa
goethe
carl jung




























copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

full moon -musing

there is some kiss we want
with our whole lives,
the touch of spirit on the body.

seawater begs the pearl
to break its shell.

and the lily, how passionately
it needs some wild darling!

at night, i open the window
and ask the moon to come
and press its face into mine.
breathe into me.

close the language-door,
and open the love-window.

the moon won't use the door,
only the window.

- rumi

copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

poet of the heart

RUMI


bible for the heart.....broken, blown open, ecstatic, ethereal.
beauty on paper. food for the soul. nourishment for the senses.

my favorite rumi book by coleman barks.

the soul of rumi

today's love lesson from the master of the heart
{ random pick/perfect timing}

be lost in the call
lord, said david, since you do not need us,
why did you create these two worlds?

reality replied: o' prisoner of time,
i was a secret treasure of kindness and generosity,
and I wished this treasure to be known,
so I created a mirror: its shining face, the heart;
its darkened back, the world;
the back would please you if you've never seen the face.

has anyone ever produced a mirror out of mud and straw?
yet clean away the mud and straw,
and a mirror might be revealed.

until the juice ferments a while in the cask,
it isn't wine. If you wish your heart to be bright,
you must do a little work.

my king addressed the soul of my flesh:
you return just as you left.
where are the traces of my gifts?

we know that alchemy transforms copper into gold.
this sun doesn't want a crown or robe from god's grace.
he is a hat to a hundred bald men,
a covering for ten who were naked.

jesus sat humbly on the back of an ass, my child!
How could a zephyr ride an ass?
spirit, find your way, in seeking lowness like a stream.
Reason, tread the path of selflessness into eternity.

remember god so much that you are forgotten.
let the caller and the called disappear;
be lost in the Call.







copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

unfold your own myth

{unfold your own myth,
without complicated explanation,
so everyone will understand the passage…
your legs will get heavy
 and tired. then comes a moment 
of feeling the wings you’ve grown, 
lifting}

- rumi


time to fly.........





copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

be the authority of your life

I recently asked someone what they felt was lacking in their life. This was their answer;

"I miss being the authority of my own life."

Stunning. It would seem that we should always be the authority of our own life, but today is a different time. Many of us are railroaded by the circumstances of the economy and defeated by the lack of support along the way. It is easy to see why we might feel like we have no authority over our own lives.

And yet, this is the perfect opportunity to e-VALUE-ate our lives. What do we value? What brings meaning and purpose to our lives? Are we living those values? Why not?

Even in the midst of the chaos and confusion of these extraordinary times, we can take ownership of how we live our life.

Here are few questions that come to my mind:

- What do I value most? Am I committed to those values and do I have the discipline to stand steadfast, despite the circumstances that surround me?

- What brings me peace in the midst of chaos? Am I making time for myself to be that peace?

- What do I need to do to take back ownership of my life and become the authority who knows best what I need to be the fully whole person that I deserve to be? That I have a responsibility to become.


I would say, begin now. Here is a great poem from Rumi, one that I love that says it all.

BEGIN ( by RUMI )

This is now. Now is. Don't postpone till then. Spend the spark of iron on stone. Sit at the head of the table; dip your spoon in the bowl. Seat yourself next to your joy and have your awakened soul pour wine. Branches in the spring wind, easy dance of jasmine and cypress. Cloth for green robes has been cut from pure absence. You are the tailor, settled among his shop goods, quietly sewing.




copyright 2009 Alisa Barry

a way of life

lately, I've noticed that the way I am living right now is not exactly the life I love. Not that it isn't great and I am not appreciative for all of the wonderful things I am, have and do. It is more about HOW I am living my life. everything I do, from my everyday life at home to the boardroom in business is reflection of my authentic self. Or, at least, that is what I have done in the past naturally and aspire to daily. There has been a slowly creeping change going on in my life that I have somehow allowed to change the way I live.
The stress and strain of business over the last 18 months has diminished my spirit and stolen my energy. How did I let that happen? You see, things just dont happen "to" us. They just happen. We can either get hooked and tossed aside or we can see them for what they are and STILL take care.

So, I had this amazing conversation yesterday. What I came to realize is that I don't lack enthusiasm {and I do believe in the divine}, I just lack the energy that I am used to - the energy that feeds my spirit and nourishes my soul. It is taking time for the little things, inside and out. Not really about balance, more about living the life I am longing for. No more longing, just living.

{who among us does not wish to dare to love life fully and trust the wild and true energies of their heart?} asks, Paula Reeves in her jungian-centered prose called Heart Sense.

throw complacency out the window and let your wildness dance in the dark room with wild abandon.
as Rumi is my muse, my life fulfills my longings. what am I waiting for? time to get movin'.......

here I go.




copyright 2009 Alisa Barry