Think Outside the Sphere

The day that I awoke

I heard a voice that spoke

So gently in my ear,

It told me not to fear.

“Remove your mask,” it said

“It’s too heavy for your head.”

You are not your name

Or the place from which you came

You are not your mind

Or the thoughts it has confined

You are not the voice 

That you hear inside your head

You’re just the one observing 

All the things that it has said

You are not the face, the eyes,

Or body that you see

None of this is actually 

The thing that you call “Me”

You are not a boy or girl

A man, woman, or child

You are not an object 

Or an animal gone wild

You are not your memories, 

Profession, or your age

These are simply constructs 

That combine to form your cage

Perhaps you did not realize

You’re living in a bubble

That filters your realities

To shelter you from trouble

The real “you” is not limited

By what you see and hear

It travels far beyond the known

Because it transcends fear

Once you start to recognize

That you are Consciousness

You can learn to free yourself

And be truly limitless

Nonsense makes most perfect sense

It trumps logic and reason

Chaos governs our whole world

And muddles up our seasons 

Summer doesn’t know her name

And Winter is confused

Fall and Spring have lost their place

They both were underused

In fact/out fact, minds in tact

Does it really matter?

When Far is near and There is here

Who cares about the chatter?

A loss can be a win

But a win is often lost

For even shiny things and rings

Eventually get tossed

The things we think we want

Rarely bring us what we thought

We keep on wanting, though it’s daunting

Neglecting what we’ve got

Where is all the sense in this?

This life is an illusion

Funhouse mirrors, signs and seers

Upholding our delusions

I say up and you say down

It’s relative, you see

Both are true

It’s point of view

That makes it what it be

Grammar doesn’t matter here

So please don’t miss the point

Which is that reality

Is really out of joint

Think about it for a sec

It’s not just your location

Determining how something is

In any situation

Previous experience 

And mood can change the way

You look at what’s in front of you

On any given day

Today the sunset brings you joy

Tomorrow it’s a thief

The sunset hasn’t changed at all

It’s just what’s underneath

And then we have 8 billion more

People who create

Reality from their own view

On any given date

So if it’s the observer

That determines how it is

Then the is-ness of most anything

Is rather tough to quiz

What’s real for you

Might not be true

For any of the rest

So what if all realities

Are just inner worlds expressed?

Once upon a SPACE

Before you hit “erase”

Just before you leapt

Down the rabbit hole and slept

What do you recall?

Were you prepared to fall?

Did you have a plan

For the way that things would go?

Did you understand

You’d forget all that you know?

Did anyone prepare you

For the suffering you’d face?

Did anybody tell you

It’s a dark and desperate place?

Did you come here on a dare

Or to give someone a scare?

Did you break some godly rule

And get banished as a fool?

The possibility 

That you came here willingly

Is tough to entertain …

Unless you had an injured brain

In which case, I'd relate

To your badly damaged state

And maybe I'd forgive

Your desire to relive

All the human ways

Within this punishable maze

But I would never cease to wonder

Why you’d venture so far under

Why you’d leave something so grand

And give up your upper hand

Why you’d ever want to feel

These emotions we conceal

Why you’d trade being ecstatic

For a life that’s so traumatic

And so it is that now

I hereby formally request

That you offer me your vow

To find a kinder place to quest

What am I late for?

And what am I chasing?

What’s the big rush 

And avoidance of pacing?

What have I missed?

And why won’t it wait?

Why does it feel 

Like I’m locked in a crate?

With no room to move

And no light coming in

I can’t find my breath

Now I’m starting to spin

Spiraling round

Down in circles I go

Making no sound 

As I plummet below

Down past the grass 

And the soil and rock

There goes a chair 

And a hare and a flock

Peculiar sights 

I’ve seen only in books

Or maybe in dreams 

With the wildest looks

A lampshade on wheels

Is rolling along

The back of a dragon

While singing a song

The tune leaves a taste

In the back of my throat

A palpable sweetness

Attached to each note

I’ve heard this before

I catch myself think

A fox sails by

With a nod and a wink

A towering forest 

Of eight-foot-tall daisies

Is hiding the Weebles 

And fairies and crazies

The birds knitting sweaters 

Are fastening loops

They don’t seem to notice 

I tore through their scoops

What is this place 

And how long will I fall

Backward and downward 

While stuck in this stall?

The front of the crate 

Has blown off now, you see

But I’m somehow still tethered 

And bound at the knee

When will I land 

And how does this end?

One step at a time

Sings the voice of a friend

You cannot miss what is seeking you too

Trust it will be there, waiting for you

Why does time take such a leap

When I lay me down to sleep?

It seems as my pillow hits my head

Strange things occur around my bed

Or maybe in it, I don’t know

All I know is time won’t slow 

It swirls and turns, spins all around

Until the ground’s no longer found

Where it goes is pure debate

But it’s someplace where 

There is no “late”

No “late,” no “early,” no “on time”

A place where bells 

Don’t ring or chime

But when they do, you can be sure

This place is gone, you’re in a blur

Something’s brought you back to bed

Just in time to make you dread

The piercing sound of the alarm

Which threatens before doing harm

It attacks the senses and the mind

Offends each one of them in kind

For “kind” is not an adjective

An alarm-clock-describer 

Would ever give

Nor does it apply to time

Which toys with you 

Once you pass that line

That separates awake from sleep

Take me back now to count sheep

It matters not what you were taught

Nor the colour skin you wear

It matters not where you were born

Nor what you learned was fair

The mother tongue on which is hung

The cloak of misperception

Translates the same

Behind the blame

And source of misdirection

We’re all alike

Beneath these suits

Of tissue, blood, and bone

Why do we fight

And not unite?

Remember our real home 

I see you on your hamster wheel

Continuously running

Trying to keep busy

To prevent the thoughts from coming

You recognize the need for change

And long for an escape

But there seems to be no clear way out

And you wake in the same state

What is it you’re fleeing from?

I wonder if you know

Could there be something deeper

That is bubbling below?

Beneath conscious awareness

   And the streams of memory

   Seeping in through crevices

   And mountains of debris

What if there is something

That you’ve never thought to ask?

A question that could open to

A world that doesn’t mask

A freeing space with endless choice

And possibility

A place where YOU get to decide

How best to live and be

A place where other people’s thoughts,

Needs, wants, and opinions

Can simply be acknowledged

Without granting them dominion

You may think it’s fictitious

But this place exists within

Questions will unlock the doors

To where you’ve never been

I promise you’re not broken

Even though you may feel shattered

Blown to bits by losing things

And people that most mattered

Guilt and blame are not your friends

You needn’t hold them close

They keep you stuck in pain loops

That can lead to overdose

Running on this hamster wheel

Is tiring indeed

What if just a tiny step

Is really all you need? 

A question doesn’t ask itself

Just so it can be fed

It does not seek an answer

That will put it straight to bed

A question invites opening

To things that are unknown

It favours exploration

Over being told or shown

An answer, on the other hand

Is rather fixed and closed

Rejecting all ideas

That conflict with what it knows

It does not offer wiggle room

Let alone vast space

To play with curiosity

Or to ever be replaced

So, tell me please, which one of these

Do you think will unlock

The doors to hidden pathways

That exist beyond the clock?

The question or the answer?

I’ll leave it up to you

But what if all you needed

Was this simple, little clue … ?  

We are here, as always

You need only listen

My ears must be so full of wax

Can’t hear my intuition

Your ears are of no consequence

In matters of the heart

(And our messages don’t reach you

When you’re picking things apart)

But life’s a mess and makes no sense

What’s not to criticize?

All I do is search for you 

And overanalyze

What is the use in searching

For a thing that is not lost?

It does not serve a purpose

Only frustrates and exhausts

It’s fine for you to say you’re here

But that’s not enough for me

Not when there is nothing real

That I can hear or see

Can you use your senses

To examine gravity?

Can you hear, touch, taste or smell

This force you cannot see?

Well, no, but that’s not quite the same

We’ve proven its existence

We can measure its effects

So there’s hardly much resistance

We must insist, what you resist

Will always leave you lacking

It will not move you closer

To the things that you are tracking

Hmmm … Your riddle-speak 

Has me intrigued

But also still annoyed

It’s hard to trust in counsel

That is coming from the void

Would you prefer to keep your faith

In self-doubt and illusions?

The ego mind is far less kind

And rife with false conclusions

Touché, my friend … or is it friends?

I notice you are “we”

A Collective speaking on behalf

Of this Source I cannot see?

You could say that … but also this

We’re the spaces in between

The gaps and folds and cosmic holes

And all that is unseen

A twinkle in the iris

Of the eye you cannot miss

The kindness in the smile 

Of your own expansiveness

When you look within and find your twin

Looking back at you

That is when you’ll understand

How We are in there, too 

Instead of wasting energy 

On what you cannot spare

Why not shift your focus

To the ways that you can share?

Despite whatever you may think

You came here with a gift

Something only you can give

To help the planet shift

There are no exemptions here

Everybody has one

Perhaps you haven’t found it yet

But it will be a bright sun

To someone or to countless ones

It will be the light

That illuminates the darkness

Of an endless, frigid night

You may not recognize your gift

Or it might not seem like much

But even tiny ripples

Can have far-reaching touch

So, what is your craft?

Do you make people laugh?

Do you heal, inspire, or guide?

Whatever it is, please just know this

It’s something you’re here to provide

Yes, it’s true, others may do

The same type of “work” as you

There are millions of doctors

Painters and authors

But no two create the same brew

It’s no coincidence

Snowflakes and fingerprints

Are so common, yet one of a kind

They serve as reminders

For people with blinders

How uniquely we’ve all been designed

It’s time for us all

To wake up to the call

To become who we came here to be

Let’s eliminate fears

About changing careers

And start living purposefully

Your presence is needed

In a world that’s receded

Into darkness and terror and plight

So please find your passion

And share without ration

This is the way we unite 

Everything’s been said before

We’re borrowing from old

Everything was bought again

Before it could be sold

You tell me there’s a place for me

My gifts are all unique

You tell me I’m the only one

Who offers what they seek

How could that be?

When I’m just me

A simple No-body

If that were true

Then I’d be YOU

Unequivocally. 

What if what you say you want

Just cannot make it through

Because of fears and limitations

You still need to undo?

Beliefs that you’re not worthy

Or that you’re not good enough

Can block your best intentions

And will make expansion tough

First you need to recognize

What you need to clear

Then you need to realize

You’re the one who steers

You’ll conceive

What you believe

For better or for worse

So change those broken records

That you constantly rehearse

Unconsciously or knowingly

These stories that you tell

Will undermine your efforts

And will never serve you well

Maybe nothing works for you

Because this is the tale

You’ve written and recited

To ensure you’ll always fail

Why would failure be a choice

That anyone would choose?

Because if you get the thing you want

Then you’d have something to lose 

I know you’re in there somewhere

Beneath the Sad and Scared

Behind the wilted flowers 

That your guilted parts had spared

You camouflage yourself with dust

In hopes you won’t be found

Under quilts of cobwebs 

Lying thick upon the ground

It must be tough to breathe down there

I hope you have inhalers

The conditions are quite dreadful

You must have sadistic jailers

But we both know 

That it is you

Who keeps you locked away

You’re the keeper of the keys

That keep you from the day

You’re the one who severs

Your connection with the light

You’re the one who chooses 

Needless blindness over sight

Your urge to hide is valid

And you’ll get no judgement there

But what if there are better ways

To deal with your despair? 

What if letting people in

Would help to let you out?

What if honouring your past

Didn’t mean going without?

Hugs are highly underrated

And can soothe the deepest wounds

They don’t have side effects like drugs

And are safer to consume

So the next time that you feel so low

You want to burrow deeper

Why not call a friend instead?

It’s healthier and cheaper

Do you feel conflicted?

A little too restricted?

You’d like to have some room 

But you’re fearful of the space

You’re tired of the gloom

But find comfort in this place

Not because it feels good

But just because you know it

You’ve lived here for so long

That you’re reluctant to outgrow it

A part of you is ready

And is pleading for escape

But the rest of you is steady

And refuses to change shape

What is the solution

When you’re living in a state

Of back-and-forth confusion

Between parts that don’t relate?

Sometimes you don’t need to know

As long as you are open

To trusting wiser parts of you

No matter how soft spoken

When the door is ajar

You’ll see from afar

The places you hide from yourself

What was once hidden

And strictly forbidden

Now offers a new kind of wealth

It calls for acceptance

And for your remembrance

Of all that you came here to do

It asks for your trust

And give it you must

Even when life is a zoo

Though you’ll want to avoid 

All that has you annoyed

And the shadows that hold in your pain

You’ll find there is meaning

When you start revealing

The patterns and wounds you maintain

Though your days may get tougher

You don’t have to suffer

You can notice and choose to release

The thoughts and obsessions

Assumptions, impressions

That keep you from living in peace

Have faith in your travels

Don’t try to unravel

The mysteries coming your way

Just follow your heart

Get up and restart

And see where you end up today

This heaviness you hold

Will cause you to implode 

You need to let it out, RELEASE

Let go of all the pain and grief 

It does no good to cling to these

Trapped emotions bring dis-ease

Afflicting body, mind, and spirit

The time has come for you to clear it

Lean on those who care for you

Pass them each a shovel

You’ll find you have a faithful team

To dig you out of trouble

Sometimes our very darkest hours

Are seedlings that will one day flower 

If we honour what they’re here to teach 

They’ll bring us what is out of reach  

The unknown is scary

But also exciting

The darkness is looming

Yet somehow inviting

You tentatively take a step

And feel for solid ground

But your toes can’t find a surface

So you start to turn around 

Back to what you’ve always known

Back where risk is low

Back to what’s so comfortable

That you could never grow

A place from which your biggest fall

Would hardly leave a mark

A place with cushioning so thick 

It suffocates all spark

The moment that you step back in

You suddenly recall

This place is too predictable

And isn’t fun at all

Your finger’s tapping nervously

Your heart is skipping beats

You’re contemplating newness

Entertaining quantum leaps

Sure, it’s terrifying 

When you leave your cozy zone

Unsure of where you’re going

And then going it alone

But no one else can take you there

This is a solo mission

No one else would know the way

It’s not that kind of expedition

The part of you that’s seeking thrill

Is itching to take over

To leave behind monotony

To break free of its enclosure

So here we are, we’ve reached the point

Where you’re turning back around

Back towards what isn’t known

Where mysteries abound

You’re standing on the edge now

Where maps are of no use

Where North and South do not exist

And finality is loose

The only compass that works here

Is the one that lives inside you

Feel the rhythm of its beats

And trust that it will guide you

So take that step into the dark

Do not be afraid

A life without adventure

Is a life that’s not well played  

What’s the cure for writer's block

When words refuse to come

When topics and ideas

Total to the sum of none?

I’m drawing blanks with such finesse

Da Vinci would approve

Sketching every detail

Every curve and splotch and groove

Where to go from here

Is really anybody’s guess

Do you have directions

Or a working GPS?

Mine likes to offer U-turns

After sending me off-course

I wouldn’t be at all surprised

If she had me mount a horse

To cross a glen and maybe then

She’d have me take a boat

To sail down a river

That would flow into a moat

Where I’d hop onto a crocodile

To reach the other side

And hope it wouldn’t eat me

When I disembark my ride

And if my limbs were still attached

I’d scarcely have been gladder

Because I’d need all four of them

To climb the monstrous ladder

That stretches from the earth to sky

Against a wall so tall

I’m clinging to the rungs of rope 

In hopes that I won’t fall

Is this still hypothetical?

It seems I’m really there

I feel the wind that’s swaying me

And dancing through my hair 

There’s been a shift

As I now lift

Above fear and confusion

I’m floating on a cloud, I think

Unless it’s an illusion?

Real or not, it’s time to stop

And take a look around 

To notice my new altitude

So high above the ground 

That mountain tops are tiny specks 

Like dots upon a page

And rivers are just squiggles 

Between patches that arrange

In colourful formations 

Stretching far as I can see

And farther still, until they fill

All the space that be

Beautiful and tranquil

It’s a living work of art

I breathe it in …

[sigh] … but then a pin

Wakes me with a start

I heard it drop from high atop

Landing on my cloud

Who’d have thought this fluffy mass

Could take in such a sound 

I wish that I could stay up here

At least for just a while

I’m in no rush to leave the hush 

And go back to the pile

Of mounting thoughts and worries 

That await me down below 

I’d rather sit in calmness

And reduce the speed to low

But the more I try and plead to stay

The faster I am spinning

My GPS leads me away

And back to the beginning

No, my dear, you’re far from done

Buckle up, for you’ve only begun …

This ride will be thrilling

As long as you’re willing

To let go of your need for control

Every twist, turn, and stop

Every hundred-foot drop

Is designed to help reach hidden goals

Sometimes you’ll go backwards

Or you’ll hang upside down

Sometimes everything will go dark

At times you’ll be screaming

And incessantly dreaming

Of fleeing this torturous park

But if you hang on

And greet every new dawn

Like the adventure it offers to be

You just might find 

You’re less apt to go blind

And you might learn a new way to see

Thank you … and so long

To the robin’s cheerful morning song

Thank you … and goodbye

To this evening’s pink and purple sky

Thank you … and farewell

To the final autumn leaf that fell

Thank you to the sun

When it finds a way to peek

Through the thickest winter clouds

In a game of hide-and-seek

Thank you to the bulbs

Waking up beneath the ground

Stretching their green shoots

That will one day soon be crowned 

Thank you to the breeze

As it cools my summer skin

With a fresh bouquet of flowers

From the places it has been

On days when it is tough to find

Much to be grateful for

On days when life is most unkind

And you’re facedown on the floor

When nothing goes your way

And feels like it never will

You may be in a season

That is meant to test your will

Take a moment, take it in

The world that lives around you

Is changing every moment

In ways that could astound you

If you’d only take the time

To observe what comes and goes

Perhaps you’d come to see

That this is also how you grow

The things that knock us down the hardest

Can be the things that make us go the farthest

Underground, at first, it seems

As low as one could go

Through the realm of shattered dreams 

And farther still below 

From this place it’s tough to trace

A path back up to land

Especially when all your limbs

Are stuck in sinking sand

But the more you thrash around, you see

The deeper you will sink

Fighting and resisting 

Only cause the space to shrink

It may feel like you’re doomed

And about to get sucked under

Swallowed whole by Mother Earth

For making such a blunder

But if you stop and take a breath

A deeper one each time

You can slowly wriggle free

And climb out of the slime

You’ll discover that you’re buoyant

When you fill your lungs with air

That you, yourself, are strong enough

To get you out of there

Sure, it won’t be easy

And it likely won’t be quick

You’ll swear your limbs transformed

Into a two-tonne skid of bricks

But once you step back onto land

And find that you can stand

That is when you’ll know your strength

And gratitude firsthand

The things that seemed impossible

Or crippling before

Won’t have quite have the same effect

Or rule you anymore

Each time you survive something

You thought you never could

You become a stronger person

Than you ever thought you would

If a bird could speak behind its beak

What would it convey?

From its eye view, it sees all hues

And there’d be much to say

I suppose it would narrate the scenes

Unfolding down below

And introduce the characters 

Appearing in the show

Although there would be many

It would zoom in, to be sure

On those that stand out from the rest

Fully grown, yet immature

Standing upright on one pair of legs

They’re peculiar mammals indeed

Unlike most other creatures

They seem to question how to proceed

They don’t appear to just KNOW

When and where they must go 

And how to secure what they seek

They’re often in such a scurry

Fueled by pressure and worry

And sometimes they look rather bleak

They resist changing with seasons

When they don’t know the reasons

For events that uproot their life plans

They prefer the predictable

Or at least the explicable

Over things that are out of their hands

Perhaps the bird would then relate

The chaos it observes

As these adults try and fail

To control what’s on their nerves

For what they do not realize

Is that not a single one

Is able to control the world 

That breathes under the sun

One’s inner world

Is the only realm

That anyone can master

But mastery is not achieved

By striving to move faster

If humans would just understand 

That they’ll arrive on time

Wherever they are meant to go

When they listen to the chime

That rings from deep within 

Their hearts

To guide them on their way

Then they’d live more gracefully 

And peacefully each day

Like the monarch butterflies

Sea turtles, birds, and whales

People, too, can find their way

Without maps or signs or trails

I wonder, if a bird could speak

Would it say such things?

Even though we’ll never know

Let’s stop and listen while it sings 

“The way out is the way in”

Somebody said to me

Except this “some” had no “body”

As far as I could see

Which wasn’t far

I must confess

For I wasn’t quite awake

I wasn’t sleeping either

But in a state I’d call “opaque”

I can’t describe the feeling  

But I knew that this was vital

I had to share this message

It would not do to sit idle

We’re living in a world

Where nearly all of us feel stuck 

In some way or another

We would like to change our luck

But changing luck is hard to do

When we do not change our ways

When we keep looking outside ourselves

In search of better days

We think that we’ll be happy when

We reach a certain place

Once we get the perfect job

Or house or car or space

Once we find the perfect mate

Or look like this or that

Once we fix what’s wrong with life

THEN we won’t feel flat

But how many times have you attained

The very thing you wanted

Only to discover

You’d return to where you started

Even if you checked off 

Every item on your list

There would always be another

Thing that you had missed

It doesn’t matter what you have

You’ll still feel like something’s missing

Until you learn to look inside

Instead of always wishing

Sometimes it must end, you see

Before it can begin

We need to do things differently

It’s time to look Within

Who is this for?

And how will I know?

How will it find you?

And when will it go?

What are the channels

That lead me to you?

Will you stumble upon me

Out of the blue?

It seems nearly impossible

That I’ll find a way

To deliver these words

I’m compelled to convey

Yet something inside me

Keeps bringing me here

As though it just knows

What to me, is unclear

And so I continue

To write and recite

In hopes of transforming

Your dark into light