mjd offerings p. 42

it's ok to still be raw, be numb - i am. this was a shock - for me, the grief has everything to do with what was validated by so many. my heart is still fluttery with anxiety. but less than yesterday. 

so the fact remains -

we are here

now.

we are not in uncharted waters - history gives us much guidance for cases like this. 

we have seen that people with conviction, love and compassion can move mountains in the face of adversity. so let's start (in a focused and intentioned way) strengthening and stretching those muscles.

perhaps we begin thinking about metta practice or loving kindness meditation. 

the idea that 'just as i want to be happy, all beings want to be happy'

it starts with directing it towards the self - 

because how can we help others if we are not taking care of ourselves?

metta progresses - 

from "i"

to a benefactor

a being(s) for whom you feel love

a being(s) for whom you feel neutral 

a being(s) for whom your feelings are conflicted 

thich nhat hanh gives us this to work with:

may i be peaceful, happy and light in body and spirit

may i be safe and free from injury

may i be free from anger, afflictions, fear and anxiety.

as your practice progresses, 

you will recite this with 'i', with 's/he' and 'they'.

but we aren't at the end yet. 

we're at the beginning. 

let's start with love - 

loving ourselves so we can extend love to others in a healthy way -

and kindness.

you are a light in the darkness

you are important and necessary

you are allowed to be sad and disappointed (or whatever you are feeling)

but please don't get stuck there. 

we can do this - 

together. 

it's been done before and we can continue the tradition. 

namaste -  

you are home

mjd - 2016 - 'you are home' mala

with offering bowl

there is no where else to go,

there is no one else to be,

you are home.

mjd - 2016 - 'you are home'

there is no map for finding yourself.

you are already an inextinguishable light.

know that all you need to find inner peace

exists within you. 

mjd - 2016 - 'you are home' mala

with offering bowl

i am home

i am home

i am home

spoken 108 times must surely bring you closer to believing. 

the bowl hits around belly button level - or in the area of the sacral chakra. the place of compassion, emotional stability. 'i am home' demonstrates a confidence, a comfort in your own skin that allows you to be honest and open. 

...

mjd - 2016 

darkness 

is just as much a part of life

as light -

but we will go great lengths 

to avoid it.

it can feel unbearable,

but it isn't.

and while we find ourselves

dragged down,

quick sand slippery and stuck,

it can feel endless,

but it's not.

what if 

instead of putting up a fight,

we opened

maybe even accepted 

allowing ourselves to just stay with it.

 

when we feel

our humanity is affirmed.

we develop compassion

and selflessness.

its brutality can yield

exquisite and unexpected 

results.

the light returns

winter's frozen ground gives way

to fields of flowers. 

the sun can break through

even the most ominous clouds.

and quiet little seeds

bide their time

and become mighty trees.

perhaps we learn to embrace

darkness

because in the end

it takes us places we might never dare go on our own

and because in the end

it's temporary.

everything is. 

everything but love,

that is. 

open

mjd - 2015 - open - sterling ring

realizing that the thing to be most feared

is lacking the courage 

to remain open in heart and mind.

practicing non-judgment and big love

only brings light to the world.

why contribute to the darkness?

mjd - 2015 - open - sterling ring

mjd - copper offering bowls - 2015

your truth shines 

because no one else

possesses it. 

your job is to

unearth

recognize

practice

and live it. 

when you do this,

light is shed

into the darkest crevasses.

when you do this, 

a higher purpose 

is served. 

just as

the sun shines

the waves break

the flowers bloom

so too must you

honor

your nature

and trust. 

thoughts for morning -

mjd - rise awaken and shine 2015

as the sun rises

and the moon sets

may i begin my day

awake.

may i move through

each moment

mindfully

lightly 

and with clarity.

a heart

bursting with love

a mind

propped open,

may i shine

to lessen

the darkness

of another being's 

suffering.

daybreak - mar. 2015

you are home

mjd 2015 - offering bowl

there is no where else to go

there is no one else to be

you are home.

there is no treasure hunt 

to find yourself -

you are already

an inextinguishable light.

learn to be

grow quiet

dig in

right here

right now.

know that all you need 

to find inner peace

already exists within you.

inspired by warriors of peace

small metal pieces - 2014 mjd

we live in a troubled world

we live in a beautiful world

we live in a world where each one of us makes a difference. 

some people do it quietly

some people forcefully

but all do it courageously. 

find your way.

we notice the light most 

when it's dark.

we notice peace most

when there is chaos and unrest.

but each should be constant

however else the conditions might be. 

simple things can carry great impact. 

i try to hone my pieces so that messages 

are clearly stated

and the wearer will feel 'more' for having them.

i have this hope that my physical act of making marks in metal

sends the message out into the ether

like a chant in hammer strikes.

the new addition of scallops 

represents the way things can radiate - 

all those good things we can choose to put

out into the world. 

the shining sterling orbs

are physical representations 

of light and self realization.

peace, love, kindness, compassion, grace

coupled with accountability

abstract in nature,

but ever so real 

and ever so needed now. 

-----------------------------------

the recipients of the 2014 nobel peace prize were announced yesterday - 

one is the youngest ever. you can read about them and be inspired here. 

and might i share these words with you

that come from young holocaust victim  etty hillesm

ultimately we have just one moral duty:

to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves,

more and more peace,

and to reflect it towards others,

and the more peace there is in us,

the more peace there will be in our troubled world.

mjd - 2014 - fragile strength talisman pouch - moonflower

it is no mere coincidence that the moonflower blossoms at night. 

it requires darkness 

and the silvery light of the moon

for the creamy white bloom to open.

reverse - fiddlehead

there are things that grow in the dark night of the soul

that, quite simply,

would never come to exist in any other way.

these gifts are meant to come to you in times of struggle or sorrow.

don't miss them because you are looking for the light at the end of the tunnel -

be in the tunnel -

and be aware that surely they are present there along with you.

fiddleheads in the yard 2014

within the darkness

within the darkness - mjd - 2014

when you are ensconced in darkness

it may seem as if darkness is all that exists -

that there can only be more 

of what you are experiencing 

and feeling. 

but the truth of the matter

is that at the core of the darkness

one finds light. 

as long as you live and breathe

as long as you have choices to make,

it's there. 

you must trust 

and open,

because the light is you.

set yourself free

and shine. 

for when you do,

you illuminate your world. 

---------------

this focal is made with a vintage foil-backed cab - so that you might see yourself when you look into it. 

spring beckons

pin - mjd - 2014 

spring beckons.

beneath the snow

tendrils of green

seek the warmth of the sun

and the nourishment 

of the earth.

mjd - 2014

like us,

requiring the balance

of that which enlightens

and that which grounds.

revitalized by the stillness

and peace of winter,

yet challenged by its physical nature,

as seekers of light,

we are reawakened 

and ready to stretch.

shine

we know
we know.

and  yet we fight it.

fragile strength talisman - shine - mjd 2013

to know light, 

we must know darkness.

in the depths of the pit,

when it rises past your nose

and your eyes are at risk of sinking beneath
that which is known
and that which is unknown,

you'll see it. 

the light.

it may be small,

seem dim,

but it's there. 

it is all you need to begin the ascent. 

you define how you rise. 

mjd - 2013

and while the work is yours, 

you have never been alone.

as it grows in strength

you notice, 

it's no longer in front of you,

but within you. 

what you saw from the deep

was the light of another.

the opportunity is revealed - 

with your strengthening glow

will you show the way

to another who is lost? 

mjd - 2013

shine on.

the pregnant pause

light of knowing - mjd 2013

a season that blazes 

to catch our attention

encouraging -
no, demanding -
mindfulness 

a pregnant pause

between death

and the secret life that dwells

in an acorn.

we bear witness 

to balance

and impermanence.

does the chill air that physically wakes us
after the warm breezes of summer

force us to 

rediscover

remember

or just deeply know?

it is
with a sigh
that moves through the upturned
corners of your mouth,

the knowing 
that is 
coupled
with quivering joy

that the path is lit. 

completeness in balance

even in the midst of the darkest forest,
glimpses of sky will appear
and fingers of light will reach down
to delicately brush its loamy floor.
surrounded by light and shadow,
feet firmly planted in the earth,
spirit soaring toward the heavens -
with every breath 
you know completeness.

the matter of things

the matter of things - 2012 - with glass from basha beads

while matter may change states,

its essence does not...

so too for us;

though time and experiences

may affect the shell,

you are you 

as you are we...

the light shines from within...

time is making it perfectly clear

that becoming yourself 

is about removing the constructs... 

but deep inside, we already know that

don't we?

heart space

heart space - 2012

my heart space aches, 

it yearns to be open -

painfully, vulnerably and honestly.

it's as if the years of pulsing earnestness

are finally breaking through the fortifications -

not completely,

but enough to see a glowing, growing light.

heart space - 2012

earth day

'when one tugs at a single thing in nature,

he finds it attached to the rest of the world.'

- john muir

wishing you a day filled with connection -

shine...

working on... 

light comes from within... 


so shine it


as brightly as you can... 


you never know whose flame may be down to just a  flicker


and needs your spark to get it going again... 

coming into the light

as deep and dark as some places your path may lead

are those that blind with brilliant light... 

i believe in the balance of the universe

and embrace the totality of the experience... 

is there really any other way?