The Path of No Path

To understand the Juxtapositions of this life Is to be aware, No Chose to bathe Ourselves in the nuances of each moment Watching as it begins See it through, to its fullness Most ripe Most succulent Tend to your harvest Gently, swiftly Then Sit Watch Allow the sun to set Pay attention A new one now begins Be open and aware Each moment matters Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

Haiku 8-8-04 The only vessel Big enough for all that is Is nothing at all Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

Flowing Gentleness Red hot this notion of peace Light hearts, cool spring breeze Iridescent bright The sound of the universe Thunders coming change Humble as if, dust Winter ending sunrise bright Birthing completeness   Rules protect! I'm told Maintain the common order Well guarded prison Our path follows us Knowing that we were never lost The path of no path    Have no investment In proving others right or wrong Freedom to be love Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.  

I love you Did you know that? Seeing the precious Lines of your face I am blessed again The light in your eyes Fills my heart with a Unending river of joy Walking down the street I see you again And again Each time it is new A fresh first meeting You are there, and I see you Your eyes are different now The colors change; the light remains The man selling hot dogs Who piles the condiments high The busy Executive Checks her watch, running To the next appointment A small child stares up Eyes wide with wonder A new balloon floats to the sky Sitting silently I close my eyes I see you again As I have always known you There you are held tightly In the embrace of the divine Her tender kisses and tears Your forehead and cheeks She has made wet Beautiful the light shines Out from your heart Filling the universe Your uniqueness blessing all Even now the light Is transformed by you Into the fragrant petals From a billion flowers A great Many see Floating down Your beautiful petals A gift of light ...

When the leaders say “I have the answer” Watch closely to see what If any, question was asked When the people focus on answers The Universities will offer degrees In solution development Behold the birth of cleverness When cleverness is highly valued Solutions will be plentiful Every politician will have Them by the dozens And the people will soon Cease to question To stop the asking of questions Is to become a nation of sheep Ending the need For genuine leadership Then the people will clamor and yell Our leaders corrupt They must be replaced! Tell me! When was the last time you heard of The sheep choosing the Shepard? To be solution focused is to Embrace cleverness and abandon wisdom To value comfort and conformity Over the contemplation of difficult questions These are the signs of a society in decline Such madness Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

Can we remember the past Choosing to see clearly With gratitude and reverence The great, and yes, sometimes Terrible sacrifice of all those Who came before us For all that has transpired Through the many pages of history Holding hands together Brings you and me to this moment                                     —Right Now It is time to move on In acknowledging the past With all its glory; and all the mistakes Accepting responsibility with Compassion and service While at the same time Letting go of blame and The need for finger pointing We can select to open our hearts Offering, and yes, even Accepting forgiveness                                   ...

To experience this world You have acquired a body Through this body You can experience the Essential nature of this Illusion called physicality Ah! Life in duality             Up             Down             Female (not male)             Male (not female) Do you require more examples?             However, The real question —    IS — Can you be comfortable (doubtful!) Can you keep in your skin (barely!)             When you realize that                         To become the whole          ...

Part V Huge and immense Of great significance Totally equal in every way Divine. Unique. Without beginning or end. We are not separate! The delicate and gentle beauty Of our great oneness Has not once Ever been shattered Each of us Resplendent in our own Special magnificence To celebrate this At every opportunity Breathe it in So deeply enough To cause even our DNA and beyond To mutate and explode In fireworks of Joy and remembrance When you freely choose To see only this in me And I freely choose to see Only this in you             Then— Together             We see anew             We remember             We know In this way we see each other As we have always been We were never lost! When we choose to live from this place How marvelous it all is! Watch out, the world i...

Part IV Peace is! Peace flows freely It is active and engaged Passivity and Do-nothingness Is the domain of the critics Flowing freely It is only in this way The presence of peace is Known and felt It is the doorway We must choose to Walk through when We choose to become All that we are Peace is the free exchange Of all that is Exuberant gifting, and yes The re-gifting of Ideas Of Art, Music and Culture And, of course Our most Intimate Selves It can be the free choice From those who have Been given much to share With those who have less Demand and force Criticize and coerce These are not the road signs On the highway to peace We have the power To make new choices With billion and million “aires” To numerous to count Should any one go without food Or not have a safe place to live? Here’s a thought— Choose not to:             Be fearful             Be Angry    ...

Part III I know it I have been there to Being lost and homeless The way back …, back to where? Or, for that matter despite What the GPS locator says Where exactly             Is here? For a moment Consider this—             It is not possible to             Become lost or separated             From a place we never left This place we all search for A place we can call home Has never left us It moves as we move Indeed it travels with us             Always So …, back to our sitting Breathe freely Choose to allow yourself             This simple pleasure                   ...

Part II Racing and rushing about Where are the car keys? And pick up the kids Workouts at the gym and Make it to the Doctor’s by 4 And, oh yes, must remember to Get up early; be at work on time   Lather Rinse Repeat As required (so they say!)   Seek not to possess any form Allow no form to possess you Go beyond the illusion of form Breathe deep the wisdom that lies beyond Drink fully and be nourished By the infinite beauty that lives As if hidden, yet always fully present To experience this is to be At the center of where love dwells   We’ve all done it We do it to ourselves And each other; striving — achieving Speedily along the path Of been there and done that Ever onward to the next — what’s next?   Please come and sit with me By sitting together we can Enter into calmness We can become the Ever present stillness   Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

Part I   To be source The creator of forms Be not caught up with any form   Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

Quickly now! They shouted The Guest will be here soon There is so little time to prepare Oh! Make ready the house Surely the guest will seek us out With the all the plans we have made What banquets, Grand Pujas And fine discussions we will have!   Away from the commotion At the edge of town She sweeps Every day sweeping The barely visible path to Her dwelling The well-tended late morning fire Burns bright from Her devotion Her voice is soft and gentle Today I sweep for Thee she whispers.   Her body is ancient She has seen the great mountains in their youth The towering redwoods and giant sequoias She cared for as saplings On the edge of the great forest Her house, open on one side is ever filled There is grand delight in their faces Children smile from the stories She tells   You there, old woman Don’t you know the Guest is coming The learned and important say As they confront her in her sweeping Cease this useless and endless sweeping Sure...

I have met And shared countless meals with Spent long hours in Enraptured conversation With the most powerful being   I have looked deep into Those magnificent eyes That sees only love and forgiveness The face of unending gentle kindness That never turns away from me   Truly it is from The heart center that flows A force so powerful that it Rocks to the deepest foundations This entire multi-verse   Love is the only force Of all that is   You are             This being of infinite power You are             The most powerful force             That rocks this ‘verse You are             The love that is all that is;             and, so am I   This is the only real power It lives at the core of al...

Let your mind go Wherever it will Look with devotion To the depths of The darkest part Of the night sky   Push yourself not In a specific direction Your innate being-ness Already knows all The cardinal compass points Of the infinite landscape   Reach and strive not Towards any goal Neither obvious or obscured Seek not the bright pole star The fixed points are already known Your bliss lives not there   The glorious infinite bliss Of your own being Actively living and breathing Is not found on any map There is no fixed point in the cosmos It resides in you; that infinite space flowing In-between the stars of heaven     Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

  Greetings,   As most of you know this past year has brought many challenges to my doorstep. Through it all there has been a deeper more internal aspect to this past year that I have struggled with until now to put into words.   In this letter I wrote today to my long time friend Dr. Josephine Hauer Ed. D. I think I have been able to reveal something that is both highly personal and insightful. Dr. Hauer has been gracious enough to allow me to send this personal letter to her to all of you.   For those of you who have been reading my poetry for a while you will find familiar themes, as well as a more intimate view of the place where my poetry often starts.   Enjoy! William-     Hi Josie,     PS. I know, the PS goes at the end. However I just wanted to say that as the music played on while I wrote this it became clear that this was one of the special moments when the already present connectedness of all that is makes itself an active part of ...

The Same wisdom That causes the Excitement and grandeur Of the great turning Of each individual leaf In its own right time   Can also be found In that last grain Of rice from your bowl Sticking so beautifully Excitingly— to the end Of your chopstick   Choose not to be fooled See clearly not The outward distractions Of brilliant color Or the seeming Ordinary mundane-ness   Choose to be In harmony with the inner wisdom Of life itself By becoming both The turning leaf: and The last grain of rice     Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

Organizations are common and Can be likened to store bought curry Some are very spicy Others are quite mild   But—   It is premixed With a predefined result   And—   The exact recipe A well guarded secret Based on someone else’s interpretation Of what curry “should be”   The Great Chefs And the Mahatmas Those Great Souls Always mix their own curry   To discover and continue To refine your own special mix Based on your unique gifts  Seek and know the spices of Heaven—   Is to know the rarefied beauty Of that ecstatic sacred dance A Bolero! With all that is     Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.   

Real Freedom is To do only what You most want Consider this— Is it possible That what all of us Most want Is to experience The Bliss Of not wanting When the inner Cave of silence Expands, merges And breathes deeply With our present Moment of awareness Is to experience the State of being called Not wanting What a marvelous thing! Our own unique Sacred completeness Has always been within us Breathe it Know it Being it Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

To Stand Quietly— Doing Nothing Naturally— Is to cross over The eternal threshold Pass through this gateway And enter the courtyard of The Infinite self Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

There is a different kind of courage A refined form of bravery— Not about drawn swords Not about loaded guns at the ready Heroism redefined An openness To try something different A willingness To be someone different Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

Shining moon Making its nightly rounds Climbs to the heavens On an ever new course Outside the temple Far beyond the many gates The waters are blue, still and deep Behold the reflection of the divine One by one The thunder of silence Invites the bells to sound The outer temple gates I seal The sacred lamp is ablaze At the high alter I am welcome As though I never left it calls me The soul song of the ever-open Higher Gate Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

Ancient River Hidden from view An ancient river Deep and wide In seeming stillness Gently covering Its powerful flowing nature Fully present it waits Waiting to Wanting to Yet ever patient It reveals itself fully Only to those Bold enough to To seek it out Like the ancient river There is a river of love Flowing through each of us Its gentle power can When we allow it Transform our lives And our world Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

Opened wide by Love From the One it flows That infinite wellspring Of All That Is In effortless surrender The gentle ocean In beautiful waves Surges through My Divine Being My Dearest Ones Closer to you I Am The Love of the Many Lives in the center of The One Copyright © 2004 William A. York All rights reserved.

Simple, but Wanting to Sound Profound And deep The cry of the soul: Keep to the simple! Grasping and reaching complicate Anguish from fear Anger to rage Breath Short Hot Blackness Standing on fear’s scorched earth Once again, Love’s sweet garden Memories float away Ashes in the cold wind Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

How does one Go about sharing That which is infinite No beginning and Also never ending Each cup overfull Continuously spilling Out on to the floor Each of us a Sacred expression Think of it!? Like brightly colored finger paints Let’s lighten up Together laughing as one Hands wet with paint What fun to smoosh the colors The bright colors are still there Why did we let playtime end? Appointments and lists Having precedence now Over the fine heart-art Of simpler times and young gentle hands When sharing the infinite Was all we knew how to do Copyright © 2004 William A. York All rights reserved.

We, the modern ones The long awaited spring time Has arrived for us all To us the responsibility Of a sacred commission Created long ago In that Great and Glorious Union The holy midwives Witness to the birthing Of the great change Oh! Blessed Mother! We hear your call Your Wondrous contractions have begun! In the Light of the morning calm A new day shines bright What once was a tiny thought Almost imperceptible, yet alive in each of us The appointed hour now arrived We stand together in this moment Now. We know why we are here As we breathe in, it is called into creation Leaping out of the heart center of the multitudes The circle of our own divine oneness Embraces all beings in compassion In perfect safety having let go of our fears We stand face to face with the Holy One In the Eyes of the Beloved we see Ourselves With One voice we become our prayer: By our actions All beings now receive the courage To take the next step on their own true path. By our actions All beings are learning...

Old Clouds now Astonished masters Stare in disbelief Dissolving into no-thing-ness The wisdom of the heavens Cool raindrops dance Gently on my face All content on this Blog is Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

Somewhere in-between The shoulds and The should nots Are all the laws We ourselves Live by The laws We remake Everyday The freedom We seek lives Outside these laws All content on this Blog is Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

Eat some chocolate Paint a self portrait Using only finger paints Dance in the garden Wearing only your Pink bunny slippers Give your self a hug Open up to your Divine beautiful self and Receive the anointing of 10,000 Butterfly kisses All content on this blog is Copyright © 2004 William A. York. All rights reserved.

1. Forgive the person who has offended you. As you forgive you are forgiven. 2. Pray for the person who sees only your body. Those who do not see the light of the Goddess in others do not see it in themselves. 3. Be still. Breathe in. Breathe out. Allow the peace that is your center flow freely through your entire being. 4. Love flows freely from the heart that has let go of violence. Love does not know attack. 5. Honor the divine and glorious in others, but not at the expense of overlooking your own. 6. See the divine hand of the Goddess in all experiences and miracles will happen. 7. Know that you are enough. You were not created incomplete. 8. Take a moment out of each day to send blessings of healing, love, and abundance to those who have less than you. 9. Take time each day to talk to the Goddess. 10. Take time each day to listen to the Goddess.

What a great Creative and powerful Solution we have found Only to discover that Exhaustive testing And infinite searches Failed to produce A problem What madness! Running wildly So far past insanity Fading distantly behind us Gathering up Mouthfuls Armloads Never getting our fill Of all that Does not exist All the while resting Silently Patiently Awaiting our release Lives the unending Supply of all that is Warmth from understanding Love so freely racing towards Remembrance of silent stillness I and the morning sunrise Rising together laughing wildly Sharing our secrets with each other

Hi, So great to hear your voice! I continue to learn so much from you. You are a great blessing to everyone around you. Keep going! Your dreams are becoming real; Right now! You are a river of love. Deep. Powerful flowing abundance. Your presence rejuvenates. All those with courage enough. To stand on the bank. In marvelous rapture. Of the beauty that you are.

William at Pioneer Square, Portland, OR After this photo was taken I ended my 7 day fast of driniking only water and also spoke for the first time in 7 days. What did I say? "Thank-you." & "Let's eat."

Welcome to The Path of No Path. Here is the first post. There is an essential sweetness of life Of moments strung together that Briefly hang in my memory Beautiful and iridescent Whole and complete unto themselves Yet connected as if by some Divine thread Holding them all magically in place Older ones fade But the sweetness remains Newer ones arrive Bright shining gems Each one powerful and unique As the moments they are born from They live in their uniqueness Ever connected in the heart of the dance Sitting Quietly Smiling there is only in With simplicity there is only out Ah, see the inner lights I recognize them as old friends In their midst are the wonderful sounds Like beautiful flowers of light I delight in their fragrance The calmness! In the stillness it approaches I greet it joyfully I move beyond The flow of in and out has melted away Opposites are now one There is only love The lover and the loved Oneness, whole and complete There is no end There is no beginning It is all so...