Dangerous Prayers

Copyright 2011, Salvation Mountain photo by Jaime Lyerly

I heard this poem last night at the Temple Priestess Samhain ritual.  Thank you to Kaliani Devinne for sharing.

It struck me as one of the most delicious poetic concepts that I have ever heard. 

Decide for yourself if this kind of prayer is what you are seeking.  I know I am.

Dangerous Prayers

 by Regina Sara Ryan, from "Woman Prayers: Prayers by Women from Through History and Around the World" by Mary Ford-Grabowsky (HarperSanFrancisco: 2003):

Deliver us, O God, O Truth, O Love, from quiet prayer
from polite and politically correct language,
from appropriate gesture and form
and whatever else we think we must put forth to invoke
or to praise You.

Let us instead pray dangerously--
wantonly, lustily, passionately.
Let us demand with every ounce of our strength,
let us storm the gates of heaven, let us shake up ourselves
and our plaster saints from the sleep of years.

Let us pray dangerously.
Let us throw ourselves from the top of the tower,
let us risk a descent to the darkest region of the abyss,
let us put our head into the lion's mouth
and direct our feet to the entrance of the dragon's cave.

Let us pray dangerously.
Let us not hold back a little portion,
dealing out our lives--our precious minutes and our
energies--like some efficient accountant.
Let us rather pray dangerously--unsafe, profligate, wasteful!

Let us ask for nothing less than the Infinite to ravage us.
Let us ask for nothing less than annihilation in the
Fires of Love.

Let us not pray in holy half-measures nor walk
the middle path
for too long,
but pray madly, foolishly.
Let us be too ecstatic,
let us be too overwhelmed with sorrow and remorse,
let us be undone, and dismembered....and gladly.

Left to our own devices, ah what structures of deceit
we have created;
what battlements erected, what labyrinths woven,
what traps set for ourselves, and then
fallen into. Enough.

Let us pray dangerously--hot prayer, wet prayer, fierce prayer, fiery prayer, improper prayer,
exuberant prayer, drunken and completely unrealistic prayer.

Let us say Yes, again and again and again.
and Yes some more.
Let us pray dangerously.

the most dangerous prayer is YES.

Are you ready to be ravaged by the Infinite? I know I am. Share in the comments below if this kinda prayer is what you need. 

Too Ecstatic ~ Jaime Lyerly 

April is National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month and I almost forgot!

When I was an English major, poetry, especially American poetry, was my specialty. I wrote it, studied it, memorized it, listened to recordings of it and talked about it. Now poetry is not a huge part of my life. I miss it. I still have many poems trapped in my brain, but now they are snips and clips of there former selves.

So to honor the National Poetry Month and my , I give you former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins. Ironically, his poem "Forgetfulness" is one of the only poems that I can still quote by heart. He is by far the most accessible contemporary poet. With his causal and non-elitist voice, he brings poetry to the masses. There are many recordings of him reading his poetry which you can access on his website. He also uses the ordinary to access the extraordinary which I think is the goal of most poetry.

Enjoy this poem and find others to connect with!

Forgetfulness by Billy Collins

The name of the author is the first to go
followed obediently by the title, the plot,
the heartbreaking conclusions, the entire novel
which suddenly becomes one you have never read,
never even heard of,

as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor
decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,
to a small fishing village where there are no phones.

Long ago you kissed the names of the nine Muses goodbye
and watch the quadratic equation packs its bag,
and even now as you memorize the order of the planets,

something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps,
the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay.

Whatever you are trying to remember,
it is not poised on the tip of your tongue,
not even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen.

It has floated away down a dark mythological river
whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall,
well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those
who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a bicycle.

No wonder you rise in the middle of the night
to look up a date of a famous battle in a book on war.
No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted
out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.

Your Turn: What poems can you not live without? Are you celebrating National Poetry Month with reading or writing of poetry? Can poetry be made necessary in everyday life?

Preparing for the Creative Journey - Haiku

Forbidden Palace, pic from Wikipedia

My big news that I have been bubbling to write about....

My partner Chris and I are going on a two-week cultural study tour to Japan and China!!!

It is through San Diego State University's Art Department, led by Associate Art History Professor Dr. Johnson. The focus is the traditional culture of Japan and China. We will be going to four different Art colleges, two in each country and interacting with former SDSU international students who live in these countries. We will also be hitting a few of the major tourist highlights such as the Great Wall and The Forbidden Palace.

We are so excited to start this journey, which begins at the end of May. It will be jam packed with learning and a condensed adventure.

I have been waiting to blog about it until I had some real exciting way of putting it, but gave up. So this is what you get. Words and exclamation points!!

In addition to studying the language and culture, I am working on how to get the most creativity out of this adventure. I found an e-book online today through the Art Biz Coach called "Creative Toolkit for the Traveler" by Cynthia Morris. Cynthia's blog is very inspirational for those of us looking to explore creativity where ever it goes. She writes a blog called "Journey Juju" about her creative travels. I am in love and envious of all her adventures. But since my blog is also focused on the JOURNEY of making art, I can explore that journey even when I stay close to home.

Through Cynthia's Toolkit, I was reminded of ways to express creativity even while I am stuck in my hometown. So for the next week, I am going to post some very Americanized Haiku to gear me up for my creative journey.

Here are today's Haiku
1.
Stuck at my work desk
Body's here, but Mind is not
Need an Adventure!

2.
Computers all day
Type, print, daydream & know that
Art won't wait till 5

3.
Buddha on my desk
Blessing me in hopes I will
Take him to Japan

Creativity won't wait! Get started on the journey now!

Your Turn: Do you have some adventures planned for the summer or near future? What are you doing to get the creative juices flowing so you can be (as from the Toolkit) "transformed from ordinary tourist to traveling artist?" I would love to hear about your creative journeys!

Creatively yours! ~ Jaime