Early Morning Thoughts at the Pond

Be like the wild orchids dwelling in their element.
Find a hidden grove and put down deep roots.
Resist being uprooted and planted somewhere else.
Send up green leaves and yellow blooms in spring.
Fall willing prey to dappled streams of wonder,
to gales of laughter and fields of enchantment.
Dance in your nemeton with branches upraised.

Be like bamboo, bend and flow with the wind,
Curl inward in driving rain, always holding
your fragile heart open, but keeping it safe
from late frost and the silent weight of time.
Cultivate awareness of your native place,
greet the seekers who visit your quiet hollow,
send out good and happy thoughts to all who come.

Breathe in sunlight, cosmic balm for a weary spirit,
and moonlight, high above and close reflected in the
deep and slow flowing guardian waters enfolding you.
Partake of rest and dreams when you need them.
Walk lightly on the earth, taking from her only what
you need and always giving something in return.
Shun perfection, look instead for beauty and connection.

Take no thought of unknown tomorrows, hold instead
to thoughts of seemingly endless summer days,
the pearled colours of these drifting clouds at sunrise,
the resonant songs of crickets and frogs at twilight,
the creaking voices of great herons along the shore,
the slow turning of the seasons all around you.
Become a wild and bosky song yourself.

Be mindful and remember. . . .

Cate (me)