goddess #19

This life is the gift of the whole universe ...

the earth, the sky, and much loving action.

May I live it in mindfulness, aware of the universe flowing through me.

May I learn to live with moderation, taking what is needed, giving freely.

May I live in a way that nourishes and supports my life, and the lives of my loved ones, my community, all living beings, and the earth.

I accept this life with gratitude and undertake to grow in love, compassion, and understanding, and to serve all beings."

with profound grtatitude to Thich Nhat Hanh and all of my teachers

Walking the paths of Insight Meditation again was both familiar and different. Deep snow had smoothed the way underfoot, blanketing the rocks and roots, demanding a different kind of awareness - to the crunch of packed snow on trodden paths and the swish through new-fallen snow carefully feeling for secure footing.

I had placed goddess #19 on Monday in a tree that called to me with a skin of beautifully colored bark . On Tuesday, as I passed the choice seemed unwise . . . just a bit too exposed and vulnerable, so I moved her to a to a nest within the spires of exposed wood in the remains of a fallen tree.

My treks also took me past the place where goddess #2 lives. It was lovely to revisit her, and to notice that some kind soul had moved her to a new spot, higher in the tree trunk than where she originally stood. She seemed quite content in her snow covered perch.

I am so grateful to have had this time of quiet meandering through the snowy woods -- the sudden rush of wild turkeys taking flight from trees overhead, the flash of red and cackling call as woodpeckers went about their business of recycling the forest, and the everchanging color of light reflecting off of snow.