the creative moment

when we encounter
the mysterious spirit….we open to the vision
and energy wanting to express through us
and the vision of the creator of light
is circling …..
dancing and singing
and playing through the ages….
perhaps these are the songs of love
that are ageless…always coming to us in new ways

no creation will ever be static or fixed….
if they form from love….
the infinite rhythms are caught in the rotation
of heart to heart to heart
that will always make it fresh and keep it expanding
innocent and new

in the dark…the energy moves…
not in particular visions…
but in essence…the invisible spirit
of creating
and everything converges
to a point of union
that opens the gate….out into the garden….
where spirits dance….
where flowers and hearts open…
and love is self perpetuating….self sustaining
soft and pliable…..yielding…..
receptive and willing to be new
embracing…engaging…alive….

visible and invisible realms touch…..
like the finger of God creating a human life
in Michelangelo’s vision
of the creative moment

reverse sides of a two way mirror
both are equally true and equally powerful
we experience moments
and glimpse the creative power
and truth of this

we learn how to invite and receive
and create …..from the ever moving flow of energy
wonderful substance and spirit of life

we reach for the light…and climb the mountains
to fill our cup
and our cup runneth over
and our heart sees through
the window
of other worlds

when spirit connects……it is a two way mirror…
where light and love touch
in the creative moment
in the reflections and revelations of the heart
the truth and proof of existence…
a moment of grace

a new magnificence is formed
a heart opens
into a delicate creation
and perhaps a monarch of love lands
in the garden

painting by rassouli
http://www.rassouli.com
“mystery of the universe”

dear friend

dear friend

tears falling from i know not where

i fell asleep with a prayer on my lips….feeling lost and spent
everything ruined around me
bound by whatever keeps
these feet rooted in the earth
and this heart entwined in a spreading beauty
with a hundred thousand names
where every nerve ending becomes unrestrained longing
for that which is unknown and undefined
and all i can do is keep surrendering

i sometimes feel the blood of the heart mixing
with the streaming spirit to give life
to what cannot be expressed
and i feel the dissolving stone melting a ruby that is me
rubbed raw by the waves of divine agitation
that form the pearl
in this strange dwelling place inside of me

it is like a breath born on a mist
from a mythical dream of the invisible
and i carry it……. inside of me…..as a dim awareness
of a deep longing
that reaches for some kind of creative expression
as the parrot reaches for sugar
as the nightingale reaches for the rose
like rumi reaches for shams
and hafiz reaches for the friend that brings the light
as the cypress reaches for the sky
and a child reaches for its own becoming

it pulls me apart particle by particle
leaves me trembling…and empty
waiting for an unseen stream of invisible energy
to move and flow through me
to fill the emptiness

i become awake to an impossible truth
that i am pregnant with whatever gives birth to spring
bearing an innocence inside
of whatever makes the sun give birth to light
a magnificent flame that makes all life
reach for life
a wild fire that burns a path in me
toward that which is nameless
no wonder it is called a madness
an all consuming love that colors the clouds
that entices and lures the waves to rise and fall
in an endless rolling rhythm to the shore
a wildness that sparks and ignites a lightning
and bewilders it to shatter
and to break apart….. scattering inside a cloud

somehow….in some unexplainable way
my longing attracts a fiery arrow of light
that pierces my heart………and captures my soul
an agonizing ecstasy that annihilates whoever i was
whoever i am…..that i cannot even name

i surrender and give in
unequivocally….without defense
to this presence

you will have to show me who i am
to tell me…to sing to me
to cast some reflection my way
to illuminate and mirror the vision
for me to see
to reveal who is looking through these eyes

grant me a glance to answer
the eternal longing that is reaching for
a great friendship that can only be seen and felt
from one heart to another heart

“pillars of life”
by rassouli
http://www.rassouli.com

vigil

song of the heart from midnight to dawn

I shed the remnants of the details of the world in this quiet
and bask in the breeze….and the sweet love that brings the presence.
the beloved spirit of God seeks the butterfly of my soul…..
and in the dark
I can see the flickering candle
and feel the summoning warmth of that joy…..
and the spirit says,
sweet lips guide me to the soul….
and i live for the moment when soul and lips unite…..

spirit is disguised as a wanderer along the road
…….the beauty of the night veils the treasures….
it seems…the deeper i go into the silence….
the more my heart is uplifted….
the wind is flowing toward God.
and it ruffles my hair……
and love takes me beyond the words…..into the garden……
and i align with that invisible realm….
for the heart…….. there really is no other……
for all are within the great One….

i touch the shore when i hear the cries….
and sing the songs of the one who calls
to our hearts in the night
yet i see the illusions of the world
and hear its buzzing busyness……

the treasures are found deep in the heart….
and the inner music draws me…..
and pulls me out to sea….
i feel the power of the waves
rolling back out to sea……..
no trace remains……
when the spirit approaches……….
i flow to the one who ravishes our hearts….
where time melts away

i whisper the secrets to you
so you know where i have gone….
i hover like the hummingbird near the sweetness
and am gone…………in a blur of color………delicate wings

the spirit of love is a gentle master
that always sets me free…..
and the spirit whispers
that without the pull of love….like the tides…
all would drown…..
God is a tsunami of love
and the sacred wine washes away whoever i thought i was…….

i am already hidden in the heart……..
and all the rest is already a ruined house
the spirit of love brings me the sweetness
my songs sing the beauty of where i have been………
and my writing whispers it to you…….
i will never live in all that noise of the world again…..
not possible now…..

we seem to meet on the bridge
where the visible and invisible touch…..
midnight to dawn
we gather the beauty to leave at the door
for that elusive spirit cloaked in love

we return to sing the love songs and create the visions
for those who are longing……..
to tell them it is all true….

the holy spirit….of the beloved one…..
waits for you to share the treasures
that are yet undiscovered in you

it is the true beauty we bring in our hands and our hearts
shining from our eyes
and like jesus……….we can only say

come and see

the dawn comes…
and the spirit sings a song of grace in the heart
in the morning
the delicate spirit of love……… is rising in the mist within us….
in the clouds….the mist….the dew that forms around us…
every strand ……every thread…..every filament…..
every wisp of beauty is lighter than air…..
floating and curling
into the softness of soul
into the crowning beauty of wine-colored light
wrapping us in tenderness….
the blessing of an indescribable assurance….
and we are lifted on the breath of dawn

the spirit of morning holds out its loving arms
and presses us close
to the breast of the beloved
wraps us in the taste of tea and milk and honey…
feeds us sweet oranges
while murmuring and humming a song from the heart
surrounding us in the circling embrace
of lilacs and fresh sea air and silken skin
enticing us to want to live
and to have
one more moment of this
glorious gift of grace

Monarch of Love

A new monarch of paradise spreads

her wings to dry

in the gentle breezes of the garden.

Emerging from the earth

and sky and sea,

this beauty of flowing spirit

feels her belonging to all worlds at once,

conceived from the timeless

longings of love

touching the halo of the sun,

she is created from

the ethereal delicacy of flight,

from the sweet fragrance

of the breath of the beloved

fusing and forming

wings like petals of exotic flowers

into a new kind of being.

She is a warrior of the heart,

an angel of the constellations,

a blossoming tenderness

of compassion,

an expression of the beloved’s love

for all creation.

She is a vision of the membranes

of divine imagination,

weaving colors into cosmic veils

thinning into wings

of possibility,

of generosity and grace.

She is the fusion

of all hearts.

Painting by Rassouli
http://www.rassouli.com

gaze of the beloved

gaze of the beloved

a river reverses its flow to turn toward
the light of the gaze of the beloved

the world reverses its turning
when the gaze of the beloved falls upon it

a mountain moves
when the beloved approaches

the waters of the sea part
when the beloved passes through the waters

the stars burst into a climax of color
when the beloved lays in the grass to gaze at them

the moon erupts into rhythmic tides
to touch the shore of the beloved

the treasures leap from the dust
when the hands of the beloved reach for them

the womb of the heart opens
to welcome the seeds of light of the beloved

the enemy lays down his sword
in the tenderness of the gaze of the beloved

the slumbering beauty awakens
when the gaze of the beloved enters the heart

the gate of paradise opens
when the beloved comes to the garden

My Beloved

My Beloved

Behind my eyes,
I enter into a silent awareness
that opens into a vast expanse
of peaceful presence,
an invisible receptiveness
that is open to whatever I bring
to a horizon
of infinite possibilities.

It is a welcoming darkness
that holds a space
for my longings, my prayers,
my dreams,
and for a deep desiring
that is still unknown to me.

This is a sacred emptiness
prepared for me
where I feel protected and safe,
like a great friendship,
a perfect listening,
a sacred placelessness
of grace.

It invites me to come before
an unseen altar,
this infinity that exists
beyond the edge of the universe,
beyond the world
I know and recognize,
simply to be.

I become aware of my own heartbeat,
a gentle breathing,
a stirring movement
within me
that arises out of my
deep gratitude for this gift
of pure freedom.

I experience a recognition
of this source
out of which I came,
a rush of feeling washes
through me like a wave
filling me with remembrance
of a great light and the warmth
of being embraced
and held.

My heart quickens, and I feel
a rhythm, like a drumbeat
of awakening.
The darkness begins to lift
like a curtain or a veil,
an aura of light emanates from
an unseen source.

An overwhelming flow
of energy and feeling flood
my being,
and in a flash of timelessness,
I feel vibrant and alive,
and I remember love.

Words are only the visual seed
of what cannot be expressed,
beyond that, they are
the dark matter
of this great energy
surrounding me.

Color is the blush of creation
that appears to me
in infinite ways,
the gifts of a hidden
beingness that gives me life
and watches over me.

My heart opens to this great life,
as it streams into my soul
filling me with
the light of belovedness
teeming with seeds
sheltering a longing
to be born.

The welcoming womb
within me
instinctively opens
to receive the holy seeds
of light seeking
life through this channel,
this passageway
that I am.

I have been created for this,
and the deep knowing
written upon my heart sets
a miracle in motion,
as my body is guided
to do what
it knows how to do.

I surrender to the great wisdom
of the giver of all life
and feel the fulfillment
of union
that gives purpose
and meaning beyond all
my miniscule dreams.

I am allowed to share in the surprise
of seeing through the eyes
that envision and create
what mine cannot.
I am blessed to feel the flow
of a rivering stream
of new life
coursing through
all that I am.

This is the holy moment
when I cry out a resounding yes
to life, and the words are
formed by love
that touches love inside
of me, and I cry
tears of great joy in
the surrendering release.

I am flooded with sweet ecstasy,
a glorious volcano
erupting from my heart
sending sparks
of love into the womb
of darkness
to decorate the sky.

Deep within me, I know
this is paradise,
the heaven for which
we were made,
this is the beloved for which
we were created,
and no higher bliss
than this exists.

The Serenity of the Sun

The Serenity of the Sun

my heart melts into this vision
of the lion-hearted lover
with the mane of the corona
of the sun

the beauty of the surrendered heart
radiates in the streaming
golden energy
of this kind of love

as i yield and fall into this ocean
of compassionate love
i vanish into the mystery
of the beloved

the sizzling furnace of the alchemist
does not burn us
but fuses fire and light
with the purest love

falling into the mystery

Morning breaks in my heart before dawn comes….
for love has its own timeless cycles
that are not dependent on the clocks of the outer world….
or the circling spheres that bring us light and dark…..
vision is triggered
by something unseen….a flow….of sweetness….
a fragrance….a flame….by music…by mystery

the sound and energy of a voice of love
touches the rising of that sun in us at times….
because it triggers the alchemy of journeying into the hearts
and mysteries of the warriors of love
as we do in our hearts
and our dreams night after night after night…..

and the visions we create from the source
of our own expression of the beauty…
and experiencing the sublime also touches the source
within each of us

we coax paradise
into the limitations of seeing
and creating from the heart
to share with others

instead of a microcosm of a media portrayal…
or a small television screen…
we allow love to melt the boundaries
to be able to share the private glimpse with others.

this vision enters into the one
who truly looks at it
gazes into the beauty,
and if they fall into love..
they receive it into themselves
and are deeply affected by it
and love is life-giving
and it begins a rhythmic movement
to give birth to a new beingness
a creative stream
of sacred joy
that expands and flowers into
becoming a new creation

it doesn’t end in oneness that blurs all lines and dissolves uniqueness….
that would end the cycle….for each new breath of creation
is a new beauty….a new warmth ….a new life…..when creation falls into love
with the heart of its living expression….and every time it is new
making love may be man’s version of tasting and experiencing it…
but creating love is the wonder of the beloved
that enfolds the lover in the embrace of a love
beyond our comprehension

the stars and strands of moonlight and the essence of jewels…
not the hardened forms…but from the glimmering flowers of light…
falling around their feet where they walk…
the prism of the heart releases the colors that radiate out from the lover….
wherever they gaze….the gaze of love shoots the arrow
one doesn’t even know the energy has gone into them
until it expresses in a surprising vision growing from their own hands
or their own eyes….or from their own hearts
and the tears fall in thankfulness for tasting the sweetness

the telethon for haiti last night radiated that love…
nameless contributions for the benefit of others
offering their heart expression of love to the world…
no money….no names
streaming love…..through the medium they knew
for when we release it….it flows out touching hearts…..
we don’t even know where
or how most of the time….changing everything.

the energy flows and flows and flows and flows
and where it goes only love knows

no one can stop it….or even see it…one can only see its effects
if they interfere…they are touched by it
and they forget the harm they might have done without it
it belongs to no one….it is controlled by no one….it is protected by
its own beauty and by grace

we don’t hide it and keep it for ourselves….for the moment we try…
we lose its transformative power…..its movement is commanded by its very nature
to appear in the flow….it is like trying to catch the lover’s breath
we can only surrender to its flow and feel its whisper
in our ear….lingering around our lips……caressing our eyes….
discovering the hidden places within us….
light knows the way…….breath knows the way…….and love leads the way
love prepares us to be open to its entrance
and we melt and dissolve and surrender to keep it flowing

this is the invisible essence in the holy grail
which is the chalice of our sacred bodies uniting with spirit
the spirit of love….nothing in the universe or beyond
is more powerful
nothing…
for love is the gentleness of the lamb
lying down with the strength of the lion
and rising like the sun….the mane of the lion in love
streaming out from all directions
why wouldn’t the creator want to share in this love poured out on the earth….
why wouldn’t love design a spiraling cycle to keep it circling between us

we know it’s true….we experience it……it touches us…..
we reflect it and learn how to create with it
it gives the gift of freedom….true freedom……and when we love
in the freedom of flight..gliding…..soaring……coasting in the open air
we are truly free
as the beloved appears in thee
and in we
and cradles us in the sea
of eternity

painting by rassouli
“serenity of the sun”
http://www.rassouli.com

Dear One

Dear One

When your veiled words
of love enter
the light of my open heart,
they swing like unfurled curls
set free to be the sweetest sounds
in all the world.

The soft longing sighs
whispered so long ago leap
across the centuries,
arrive in my ear as you appear
on the wings
of a lover’s song.

Perched like hope in the lacy
tips of the tallest tree,
you manifest in the nest
of the secret space in my heart
that love has prepared
for thee.

The wind tenderly draws aside
the veil that hides
the waiting lips and eager
glance watching for love
in the glow
of a midnight moon.

Suddenly, you are in my arms
resting your head
upon the pillow of my heart,
and love is spinning the beauty
of an eternal moment
into being.

Disguised in the eyes
of the beloved,
the mind cannot see or know
what the lover sees
or how the heart feels
what is real.

The hand of God weaves
the secrets
into threads of heaven’s light
so radiant at night
in the lantern of the heart
of the beloved.

There is no greater intimacy
than the bliss of a kiss from thee
shared beneath the canopy
of the arching moon
and the sheltering brow
only lover’s see.

The circle of lovers conspire
to guard the fire
that sets the garden ablaze
with flames of delight
where the lover plays
beneath the cover of night.

Only a truly surrendered heart
opens the gate to paradise.
Only a lover’s sighs
bring the spring that blooms
to prepare for the hair
of the beloved.

The story is told in words of gold
linked by a chain
from soul to soul to soul
concealed in the mist
of those kissed
by the beloved’s lips.

The gate is locked to those
who make the claim
to know the commandments
of love, for no one,
except God alone, knows
the secrets of the rose.

Divine Grace

Wash your soul with light
pouring from the moon
and falling
from the stars.
Bask in the light
of the sun at dawn.

Bathe in the deep silence
of all that is unknown
within you.

Wander in the energy
of the ever circling particles
in everything,
and feel the unseen lovers
passing by.

Let the luminous quasar
guide you through
the center
of the distant
universe
of the self.

Feel the encircling arms
of the beloved
embrace your spirit
welcoming you
into the light
of the heart
where we all began.

painting by Rassouli
“Divine Grace”
http://www.rassouli.com