A poem: The Moment

Right now is a dream come true.
and where am I?
Am I here with you?
Or am I dreaming (still!) of
what has
might have been
or will,
too caught up in the should or would
to be loving of the 'is?'
The brilliance of the fire;
the oneness that we feel;
all wrapped up in belonging to something that is real.
If I could hold this moment –
but there I go again,
not living in the present,
too wrapped up in the 'when?'
Like
When will I be famous?
and When will I be strong?
and When will all my dreaming
be sung out in a song?
To be here in this moment
is to surrender and let go
of everything I've seen and heard -
the things I think I know.
And even now this moment is
graced by what is here
as words and dreams and feelings are
spelled out, freed from fear.
Then gratitude from insight
and presence to the love
can keep this moment living
and bless-ed from above.

- Kristin Firestone, December 2006

Give Me My Man!

(Today's blog is especially for the ladies.:)

Beautiful irony.
My mom brought me the contents of my Easter "basket" today (in a giant ziploc bag - I love my mom!). In it, she included a s*%tload of candy (thanks, mom...) and a book that she had on her shelf and thought I'd enjoy reading. Funny thing is, I gave her that book as a gift a few years ago. Proof that thoughtful deeds do truly come back to you, and sometimes quite literally!

So, I'm waiting for a phone call tonight to go out with some friends. And I'm doing my usual thinking as I get ready. My 'getting ready' inner monologue usually includes something about wanting a man, bla bla bla. So, I sit down and just open up this little book called "Words of Courage and Confidence" by Sue Patton Thoele, and this is the page I turn to. Read on and enjoy.

"Questing for the Holy Male"

Cinderella ran away from the prince fearing that he would reject her if he knew who she really was, yet he searched for her and eventually took her away from a life of ashes and abuse to a happily-ever-after land. If we see the Cinderella myth as a metaphor for our inner process, we, too, often hightail it away from accepting our own masculine energy of dynamic creativity, leadership, and logical thinking, and then quest for an external male to carry these qualities for us.

This doesn't work. No one, not even the most wonderful man, can take the place of our own internal holy male. It is our scary, yet sacred, task to integrate both our feminine and maculine aspects into a balanced whole. If we are not aware of, or are frightened of, incorporating our masculine energy into our daily lives and instead look to a man for those qualities, we may have expectations that are unrealistically high or accept too little for fear of not being complete without him. In reality, the more we assimilate our male energy, the wiser we become in our selection of men as friends and mates.

Sit quietly and invite into your mind's eye a picture or symbol of your masculine self. If he is frightening, ask him why he feels the need to be threatening. If he is not a figure you can respect, ask him why he needs to appear weak. Allow yourself to get to know this part of yourself. What are his talents and fears, his dreams and aspirations? What qualities can he bring to your life? Befriend this important aspect of your being by asking him how he wants to be included in your daily life.

Incorporating our inner holy male and synthesizing our masculine and feminine selves brings us into a balance of doing and being - dynamic and magnetic energy - thereby creating a well-rounded whole.

I acknowledge and accept my masculine energy.
I explore any fears I have regarding my masculine aspects.
I am a well-rounded, multifaceted individual.

- Sue Patton Thoele in "Words of Courage and Confidence"