There is a Brokenness


There is a brokenness
Out of which comes the unbroken,
A shatteredness
Out of which blooms the unshatterable.

There is a sorrow
Beyond all grief which leads to hope
And a fragility
Out of whose depths emerges strength.

There is a hollow space
Too vast for words
Through which we pass with each loss,
Out of whose darkness
We are sanctioned into being.

There is a cry deeper than all sound
Whose serrated edges cut the heart
As we break open to the place inside
Which is unbreakable and whole,
While learning to sing.

Rashani

The Path of Amazement

I cannot say who it is I am
I am amazed, I am amazed

I cannot call this self “myself”
I am amazed, I am amazed

Who is in my eyes seeing?
Who is in my heart enduring?
Who is inhaling and exhaling?
I am amazed, I am amazed!

Who is speaking with my tongue?
Who is listening with my ears?
Who is understanding with my mind?
I am amazed, I am amazed!

Who is stepping with these feet?
Who is tasting with my mouth?
Who is chewing and who swallowing?
I am amazed, I am amazed>

Who holds these riches in his hand?
Who is the one throwing them away?
Who is buying and who selling?
I am amazed, I am amazed

Why is there life coursing below my skin?
Why are my eyes blood-shot from cyring?
Why this religion, why this faith?
I am amazed, I am amazed!

O Seyyid Nizamoglu hear this:
Everything comes from the One
Abandon yourself to this mighty beauty
I am amazed, I am amazed!

Seyyid Seyf ullah Nizamoglu (16th C)

Mother Puja

Mother, keep me safe and warm
In the fire of your Love,
Keep me free from harm
Hold me in your arms
There’s a fever in my soul
A longing to be whole
To breathe again, to feel again, to love again
To know the Truth of why, where, when

O Mother, it’s a long, long journey home
We tread the path alone
Committed for eternity
To find our real home
Guide me with your grace
Lead me to the place
Where I may meet 
The sweet, sweet smile upon your face
And melt into your warm embrace

O Mother, keep me safe and warm
In the fire of your Love
Keep me free from harm
Protected in your arms
Let me find a way
To be with You one day
To know the Truth 
Of who You are
And who I am
Oh help me journey on again
And find my way back home.

Shama, after a healing puja to the Divine Mother with Potti Swami,
Mariamann Temple, Val Morin.

The Healing Embrace of Yoga

I came afraid
I learned shirsasana
The world turned upside down and all was fine
I found inner balance

I came stressed and anxious
I rested in sarvangasana
Metabolism balanced and mind became calm
I found inner balance

I came closed and withdrawn
I opened my heart to the world in matsyasana
Old hidden hurts released themselves
I found inner balance

I came struggling, fighting and angry with life
I surrendered in paschimotanasana
An inner let go took place, rigidity softened
I found inner balance

I came ashamed and defended
I raised my head toward the sky in bhujangasana
My heart opened in love and joy
I found inner balance

I came sad and low on life
I rocked like a child in dhanurasana
Lightness and new life permeated each cell of my body
I found inner balance

I came shy and hiding
I took a strong stand on the earth in chakrasana
Positivity and vitality claimed the purpose of this birth
I found inner balance

I came wavering and uncertain
I discovered single-pointedness in virabhadrasana
The will to follow the inner calling took root in my being
I found inner balance

I came with fixed opinions
The capacity to see two opposite points of view grew out of ardha matsyendrasana
My heart embraced a wider perspective on life
I found inner balance

I came torn by an inner warring
I found peace of mind in anuloma viloma
Stillness arose from my innermost core, silence pervaded
I found inner balance

I came wearing the mask of self-importance
I came face to face with You in meditation 
Tears softened the hardness I was showing the world
I lost inner balance, I lost imbalance,
I lost all.

Only You were and I was not
Only You …..and Love and Silence
Only You, Love and Silence
Only Love and Silence....and You

What a blessing!

Shama

IN THE INNER SANCTUARY

In the inner sanctuary
When the seas lie still within me
The winds of love are calling me back home

In the inner sanctuary
Where the sun shines bright within me
The winds of love are calling me back home

I can’t remember all the steps I had to take,
To find myself waiting at Your door
I don’t remember the mistakes I had to make,
Until my heart began to pull me to Your shore

To find Your love
To know Your truth
To breathe Your peace
To find the light within
the light within.

Shama April 2008 Bahamas, written during a storm

FALLING INTO NOTHINGNESS

Stop.

Don't manipulate or direct this moment

Let this is-ness be, for one breath, two breaths

Falling, falling into a fathomless nothingness

Suspended, buoyed in an emptiness

Vast

In this infinitissimal corner of my heart.

Shama, August 2010

LETTING GO

It's all in her hands

And She can make everything wonderful

"I" am in her hands

There's an ease in that remembrance

Shama May 2011