Wishing everyone a truly magical New Year.
May 2018 bring you all much prosperity and joy. May your fondest dreams blossom into the awesome gardens they have always been meant to be. And may love fill your hearts to overflowing, and kindness waft through all your days.
May the light within you – eternal & everlasting – guide your way.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!
Dream Vision – Vision Dream
By Aliana Alani ©2017
You who come to me in the soft hours
Wearing soft cloaks spun with soft sounds
Of sacred worlds,
Soon – if it is time,
Soon – if you agree,
I will sing you into being.
I will sing you, Dream Vision,
From the edges of the glacial mists of knowing
Through the depths of the Eternal Heart
Into the radiant oceans of Now.
I will sing you, Vision Dream,
Soon – if it is time,
Soon – if you agree.
I will sing you into being
Until your world and mine are one,
Then we shall tread a golden realm of love
Together once again.
Hear my call, Dream Vision,
For I will sing you into being.
I will sing you.
I will sing.
Will any notice?
Perhaps.
Perhaps not.
©Aliana Alani 2017
Behold,
How long it can often take
To build a dream into a reality,
And how little time is needed
To tear it all apart.
Earlier when I was writing the previous post, I was interrupted by a very insistent being … He’s small, he’s mighty, he’s fond of green, and he morphs whenever he wants to! He is also incredibly adamant about speaking. I want you to know here and now that I take absolutely NO responsibility for whatever it is he’s about to say. Whether you believe it or not is totally up to you. So, hang onto your proverbials, here he is.
“Sure and they won’t believe you. Not about the windows. We’ve been trying for ages. They like the fright and the candy. Maybe even the blood, but who wants to talk about that! And don’t go telling them who we really are. They won’t believe that either. They know nothing about the inner world, no matter what they say! They think we’re just wee gnomes sitting in the gardens. Leprechauns and fairies fluttering between the trees, hovering on the edges, smoking a bit of whatever. As if that’s all we had to do. As if that’s why we were here. They don’t remember the stories … sure and don’t they think it’s all myth, as if myth were nothing but a fable, a wee bit of fluff you talk about over some camp fire. I swear to you. They don’t even remember the Grand Cosmic Moment, and who doesn’t remember that one! And they’re running out of time, to believe I mean.”
“Because here’s the thing – when the veils thin to the point where there’s nothing between anything anymore (and that could be anytime soon, let me tell you), then what you find on the other side of thought (the current one that is) better be a thought or two that you’re thrilled with, that you’ve been dreaming about for like forever, that you love to bits, that brings joy and colour and life to your world – because if it isn’t, if it doesn’t, well then for sure for sure, you’ll find yourself in a dark place indeed. And that’s a place we can’t go to help even if we wanted to. You’ll be on your own, in a dark place, with no light. And it won’t be the cosmic void. It’ll just be a dark place, with no light. Trust me, there’s no fun in that at all at all at all.”
“SO, with that in mind, we’ll try this one more time (because we’ve grown a tad fond of you, not that we’d readily admit it you understand) – THERE ARE WINDOWS, THEY ARE HERE, especially on this night of nights when the veils are thin and worlds can meet in the hovering of an autumn moon. Would you just drop the candied fright for a moment and turn and say hello. The windows are waiting. And so are we. And on that note, God bless you all, and I’ll see you, I hope, on the flip side of tomorrow today.”
Welcome to the thinning of the veils…
It’s October 31st, that time where sticky candy, wobbling strange rubber faces, frail and flimsy wings, and flip-flopping swords and daggers reign supreme. There are even a few glittering red slippers and a star-tipped wand or two to be found dancing around. It is a time of ghosts, goblins, and miniature versions of the cast of the Pirates of the Caribbean sauntering down night streets just about everywhere.
In the Celtic world, it is the time of Samhain, where veils become thin, and the spirits of the past rise up to greet the spirits of the day. You won’t necessary find those pirates roaming but you might find your relatives from the 6th century popping in for a cup of mead (that’s honey wine). Treat them well. You never know what you might have done in the 6th century! And so it is a time of the changing of worlds – autumn to winter – winter to the cold dark beyond.
One could also say it is a time when the veils between your perception of realities thin. Where the things you are so very sure are real begin to flutter and fade, and the dreams you visit only in the quiet of your mind begin to take on colour and grow. Where, for an infinitesimally small moment in the concept of time, the two dare to merge, mingle, trade places, or even become one.
It is even possible that as our world shifts and changes, moments like these turn out to be windows to the very heart and soul of a better life and a better world.
…more to come…
I’ve had 22shangrila up and running for awhile now. Some of you have been following here since the beginning; others are new, or at least newer. Some click ‘like’ having found something in that moment that speaks to you and then you are gone into the internet mist, never to be heard from again. Some come back. Some choose to hang around.
To all of you, I want to say – THANK YOU!
Thank you for being touched by something in this site, whether that be poetry, an article, or some of the other work I do. Thank you for letting me know. And thank you for choosing to follow to see what else might show up here.
The purpose of 22shangrila has always been to communicate – to speak to the language of the heart in us all, no matter the form or moment – but especially through the power of word, image, and story. And of course to let you know what I’m doing.
I’m not the best at answering, or for that matter at clicking ‘follow’ to your sites when you come to mine. Apologies. The intention is often there. I do take a look at what you’re doing if you click ‘like’ on mine, and I often say to myself, ‘I must make a comment, a thank you, an I-like-your-work-too’. But then the moment goes, the phone rings, the muse calls, and my best intentions fly off into the winds. I’ll try to get better at that.
After all, we are a community of world storytellers, are we not? Mystics in the making, perhaps. Poets abounding. Weaving new visions and thoughts that, yes, could quite possibly change our world for the better. And we all matter.
So here’s to you – all of you – may every day in your life flourish with harmony, balance, and love. May you weave the most scrumptious tales ever, whether they be in word, image, or sound! And may they dance in our world like magic calling us home.
I hope you’ll hang around. If it feels right, send a comment note or an email (I will answer those) and tell me what you’re doing to help this world be a kinder happier place.
And again – THANK YOU!
Aliana
©Aliana Alani 2015
Unlike many of my writings here, this is more Dylan Thomas than Rumi – but there are things that must be said, words that must be spoken.
I
Are you not tired of battle? I am.
This constant feeding on the life force of others
Till even young bones dry and crumble into dust
And winds lament their passing like banshee cries across the lands.
To what end? For what purpose?
Think you immortality lies within the reach of those
Who trample o’er the souls of others? If so, think again.
Or has this thirst turned so insatiable that friend and foe alike
Become but mere morsels for the next feed?
When is enough, enough?
It matters not what name you give this.
What righteous path you cast its fate along.
Light or dark, it is all the same.
Devoid of love, we are all nothing!
Can you not understand?
II
You plant your flag within the halls of Mount Olympus
Expecting adulation in return. To you, it is but one of many.
But you forget. You lack remembrance.
Therein, perhaps, lies your folly.
So let me help. Let me be blunt.
There are gods and angels who walk amongst the living
Cloaked in skins of a mortal kind. Some appear tattered,
Even wounded, for the journey has been long, nay even arduous.
Still they are present, perhaps, yes even especially, in those very halls
And they are not happy.
They wait, but not for long.
What will you do next, they wonder?
What foolish blunder? What further desecration –
Before you awake and realize?
III
Occasionally one will dust off those weary wings, flutter and fly.
Winds will change, and for a brief moment,
Love will enter the now toxic air.
A sigh of hope is heard within the hearts of many.
But it does not last.
It cannot be sustained.
Not yet.
Ask me why. Oh. Please. Do.
IV
There is a fabric that holds this universe together.
An ancient warp and woof of life.
No cotton this. Not even silk or satin.
No, this is the stuff that hearts are made of,
That travels pathways of geometric harmonics
Lighting galaxies as it spews forth in all its splendour.
It is unstoppable, of course
Unavoidable, actually
Undeniable –
But still you try.
To usurp it is impossible,
A flight of fantasy on your part.
It belongs to all, permeates all, is all.
It is not yours to hoard or blunder –
But still, amazingly, you try.
Are you not tired yet?!
So here’s the irony, the paradox, the problem.
Put simply for you to understand –
What you do blocks the very field of energetic awareness
That sustains your, yes your, very own existence.
You have created a game that is a self-fulfilling prophecy
In which you are doomed to be no more.
You do not know this yet, so you continue,
Like unfed vultures, to merrily feast
Upon the dreams and hopes of others.
If it were just about you,
You would be left to your own devices.
But sadly, it is not so.
You think you can act with impunity
But, once again, you do not remember.
You lack vision, foresight. You do not see the larger picture.
You harm one. You harm all.
And so, ultimately, it cannot be allowed.
V
Understand this –
Unborn dreams are fragile things.
Like hopes, they reside in the realm of etheric mist.
Some say they are the prodding of angels
Whispered gently into an open heart.
What matters is this – to come into being,
They must be nourished, nurtured, loved.
Each spins a slender thread of woven gold
Linking it to the core of all. Invisible to the naked eye,
Unknown to many, they crisscross galaxies.
There are zillions of them.
To the enlightened among you
They are the geometries of existence.
To us, they are the song lines of the eternal heart.
So here’s the rub –
When you repeatedly force a people to its knees
Pushing spirits into the bog of existence
Until they can barely remember their own names
You poke holes in the chrysalis of their dreaming.
You weaken those very threads.
You damage the song lines.
Song lines are the royalty of life from which worlds are born.
If any should break, connected to your doing, you will be held responsible.
That, lest you forgot, is the hidden addendum to the codex of the contract
You eagerly signed when you initiated the Game you were so thirsty to play
(A game, I hasten to remind you, that was meant to enhance not devastate).
You, of all, should appreciate the irony of this.
So I ask again – Are you not tired of it yet?
WE ARE.
VI
There is, of course, a key to redemption – there is always a key.
But you will have to use it well and you will have to use it quickly
For you are running out of time (does this sound familiar?).
Let me offer a clue –
All things are born from the heart
And to the heart all things return
The key, like all keys before and after, has a name.
This key’s name happens to be Compassion.
Not your every day garden variety kind.
NO, only pure unadulterated unconditional open-hearted
Compassion will do now – for all and everything.
You have travelled far from the core of your heart’s awareness.
Will you get back to it in time? We do not know.
But we are obligated to remind you of the key’s existence
And hence give you an opportunity to try.
VII
One last thought –
This world is a precious place, sculpted with endless opportunities for love –
Beautiful, abundant, vast, and deliciously exquisite in its myriad of forms.
It has always been humanity’s mandate to flourish and prosper –
To excel in coming home to its true essence and to cherish all who
Reside in this unfolding garden of love. This mandate will not be denied.
So I will ask you one last time – Are you not tired of this Game?
For truly, I AM.
Warm wishes for a wonderful 2015 coming your way! May all your fondest clearest and most empowered dreams come true, and may they always be filled with love.
We are almost at the end of January (how quickly it goes) and already it’s been a whirlwind of a time in our world. I’m coming to you late in this as are my good wishes to you. New Year’s found me flat out with that flu/cold virus that has swept across North America and so it’s taken awhile to rise up from that bed and catch up with, well just about everything.
So here’s goes … a bit of news on the work and a few thoughts re what’s been going on.
TEMPLATES FROM THE GARDEN – the sacred geometry artwork I’ve been doing. There’s a new one available. It’s called – Awakening Creativity. It’s big, it’s beautiful, it’s powerful. If you feel drawn to see it, to perhaps become a Keeper of its Focus or to buy it as artwork, send me a quick email c/o 22shangrila.com or leave a message here and I’ll get back to you with images and info.
IN THE REALM OF SKY – the small children’s book I wrote and posted here last year – has been available for you to read free-of-charge for awhile now. I want you to know that I’ll be taking it down from this site within the week. So if you want to read it before then, do so now. After that, the book will be available, hopefully late this year, but in print form. Hence you will need to buy it. I’ll update you as that happens.
SESSION WORK – For buckets of time in the not-so-distant, I was available as a spiritual facilitator for private sessions, workshops, retreats, and speaking events. It was a potent time. I ended up taking time out, partly to go to Ireland and follow a yellow-brick road that took longer than one could possibly imagine (okay maybe you could), and partly to focus on writing and exploring our world. Recently I have started being available for session work again. This is often long distant work, so by phone or Skype. And it is always with a focus of coming home to your true essence and to the Garden of Love & Light. You are welcome to email me if you feel this work might be for you. At present I am only available to see a few clients at a time.
There are new projects beginning, new artwork, and hopefully a bit of poetry. I’ll update you on those as they happen. And thanks for taking the time to check it all out!!
THE WHIRLWIND … If the beginning of 2015 is any indication of how this year will be, at least in the world-at-large, then hang onto your hats and get centered because that’s what we’ll need to be to either ride out the storm or shift to a new paradigm. Shifting is definitely in the cards – we have been moving toward it for awhile – as is living in The Garden.
So balance, kindness, and compassion are key now, as is that ever constant – love – which ultimately allows us to prosper in the best of ways.
It has always been my sense that to truly live in The Garden of Love, one must surrender attachments; to old ways of being, old stories, perceptions and judgements. One is often called to forgive what was in order to love what can be. The term ‘wiping the slate clean’ comes to mind.
Non-judgement (& no one said this one was going to be easy) also requires a tolerance of being; to look beyond the histories and stories (ours or another’s) to the Spirit that lives within (whether you call it Spirit, the Divine, God, or the Eternal); remembering that the essence of all Spirit is the same – that when I look at you, I am indeed looking at Spirit. When I allow that, I am able to recognize that we are all truly one.
At the level of Spirit, freedom is a way of being. It is meant to be that way in our world as well, just as we are meant to be the conscious expression of Spirit in our world.
With that in mind, freedom becomes a right, not a privilege. So when we in this world attempt to inhibit freedom – whether that be freedom of speech, freedom of expression, or any of the other freedoms we should be holding dear, we are in fact inhibiting a path to the conscious manifestation of the essence of our own being here on earth.
So here’s the thing – It is easy to allow freedom when it’s all going according to your own take on things; when what you say or believe matches what I think. It is when you speak, write, or parody in a way that seems to counter what I have chosen to believe, that the challenge arises. Will I still recognize your right to freedom of expression or will I damn it?
Voltaire, a French philosopher, writer & historian has been quoted as saying, “I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” From time to time, I remind myself of this gem of wisdom, especially in moments like those in Paris recently.
I am as well a storyteller. Stories come in many forms, one of which happens to be satire. Satire has been around for longer than you and I can remember. It has always been a way to poke fun at or shine a light on that which is out of balance in the world. Just as art in its myriad of forms has also been a way for us to rise above the mundane, to dare to dream, to live beyond the expected, to change, to laugh, to cry, and again, to shine a light on that which is or is not working.
It is through story that, consciously or not, we end up creating new worlds. How sad if the world we ended up with would be but a tiny crafted box only big enough for infinitesimally small experiences and even smaller expressions of being; a box with no freedom and very little light.
Which for some reason brings me to William Butler Yeats who wrote in a now famous poem – “I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”
So in this year of 2015, let us dare to dream a world of harmony and love into being, beyond the hatred and fear. Let us reach beyond those boxes to the skies and dare to live with passion. And most importantly, let us dare to love.
Blessings and love to you all.
I wanted you all to know – I’ve just uploaded a new page –
IN THE REALM OF SKY (pdf link).
This is the story I told you about recently. It’s available to read either on the page or by downloading it. Just click on the pdf link on the page and it should take you there.
If you have any problems, leave me a message. If need be, you can email me and I’ll send you the pdf.
I hope you will read it. It’s a touching story – both for children and the child within us all – about a beautiful little star who has a very important mission.
It is my hope that it might bring a little more magic into our world. What a blessing that would be – for us all.
Because it feels important to share it, it is (for now at least) free-of-charge.
Enjoy!
Blessings to you all, Aliana
Stories can be funny things. Sometimes you struggle to hear them. Sometimes they will call at you until you answer. IN THE REALM OF SKY was one of those. Its first words came like a waterfall. I had no idea what the story was going to be about, nor its primary form, only that it desired to be shared and would not leave me be.
Until last year, I didn’t write children’s stories. So I didn’t know this would be one. It is a sweet small poignant tale that any of us, young or older, can appreciate. Its message is universal. And it wants to be shared. Recently it seemed important to do just that.
So I am making this little book available to you all, at the moment free-of-charge, in pdf format. You are welcome to read it and to download it (changing it in any way is not an option). I am hopeful that sometime soon there will be money to make it available in print form as well. For now, this will do.
It will be available soon here on my web blog – http://www.22shangrila.com (look for the page marked IN THE REALM OF SKY) – and from me personally via email – aliana@22shangrila.com.
IN THE REALM OF SKY is meant to be shared with the world, so please let others know about it.
If this story touches your heart, I’d love to hear from you, and if you would like to contribute to it or future stories of mine coming to you this way, please feel free to click on the PayPal Donate button on my blog at http://www.22shangrila.com. All donations are gratefully received.
Blessings and Aloha to you all!
Aliana
22shangrila 