I ask to WATCH
with the eyes of my soul
for AWE, WONDER AND GOODNESS
and to relax into that Glory
May I release
doubt, fear, and judgment
trusting
as I watch them float away
May I JUMP IN
and flow with the River
of creation
love
lessons and
health
when a yellow lizard comes out of nowhere to visit
startle
breath
welcome
receive
Our Mother who dwells within
You are love
You are soft
I lie down and rest
in the folds of your skin
Our Mother who dwells within
You are strong
You are power
I rise up and move mountains
with the strength
that flows
from
my
little
finger
Our Mother who dwells within
You are not safe
You are alive
I see your breath
I feel your pulse
Core to Core
we are connected
I am not alone
-Debbi Horton
This is the tree they call “Mother”
1440 Multiversity, Scotts Valley, CA
I’m a white-bodied person. I made this collage years ago. For so long I’ve looked at it with curiosity. I wasn’t able to see it.
White hands of power at the top of a hierarchy,
holding captive those whose nature it is to fly.
Gloved hands doing the dirty work.
There’s nothing comfortable about this.
In her book, White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, Robin DiAngelo says, “we won’t move forward in race relations if we remain comfortable.” Here are some questions she invites us to consider when we feel discomfort:
“Why does this unsettle me?
What would it mean for me if this were true?
How does this lens change my understanding of racial dynamics?
How can my unease help reveal the unexamined assumptions I have been making?
Is it possible that because I am white, there are some racial dynamics that I can't see?”
July 19, 2019
Mysteries do have a way of unfolding,
of opening to the light... of opening to the dark...
in their own time
when they are ready
may my eyes, my heart, my body
welcome
the Mystery
photo by Deb Horton
James Finley says to imagine a mother who tries and tries to soothe her crying baby. Finally, the baby falls asleep. The mother very carefully places the baby in the crib. Then she slowly and gently removes her hand from under the baby's head. Finley invites us to this same gentleness with ourselves when we meditate and become distracted. Slowly and gently come back to the realization that we are in the presence of the One who loves us. Can I be this loving and gentle with myself in meditation and other situations... when I am discouraged or fearful... when my short fuse fires at those I love... when I have wasted too much time??? I've enjoyed practicing this! I find it to be a much more beautiful response than harsh self-criticism.
Photo by Deb Horton
I love this image! It's the tile floor in the cathedral in Pisa, Italy. I took this photo in 2009 while on an awesome trip with my mom and sister!
It reminds me of the image of God as the Ground of All Being.
God is the Solid Ground I can trust.
I can rest knowing the Solid Ground supports me.
I can soar because the Solid Ground is the place I take off from.
With each step my feet breathe in the Solid Ground.
Walk on
Photo by Deb Horton - taken at the Enneagram Institute in Stone Ridge, NY
Deb Horton
Photo by Paul Johnson
What is the essential question
I must allow
may I stand in the question, straight and open, surrounded by the question
may my roots grow deep into the question
the path in, is rocky and unsure
I falter, and
I traverse this path time and again and again
called to the quiet center
where I experience the question
where I listen deeply to the question
being still, allowing it to unfold itself
it speaks to me, it works on me
it requires me to be uncomfortable
I am not sure now where it will lead me
but it is
and
I am
Deb Horton
