The Circle That Is Life

  

The Circle That Is Life

They say that life is a circle that never ends

It has a begining but never an end

When nearing that place that might bring it to not

It turns to itself and starts over its plot

So many times I have said this before

Time is irrelavent and never for sure

We can take what we want and yet stil want for more

Perhaps it is lifes moments that make it secure

So many memories dance in my head

Like millions of galaxies each one on a thread

Each one in unison

All intertwined

Make the Mosaic that is uniquely mine

Dancing in the Desert 3

                                       

Dancing in the Desert

For the first time in many years we are experiencing snow in Palm Springs more than half way down the mountains.

While this may seem to be a wondrous site, it is in fact more of a warning.

I have been visiting my desert for over 30 years now and if there is one thing that has remained constant it is the fact that it will always be there to love me and inspire me, and protect me in its eternal embrace.

This year however, a chill has entered my valley and with it have come the winds of change.

Change that can cool the desert and take granite to sand. It can alter our planet and 

leave us to stand on a barren oasis, the rubble of man.

So dance if you will and make merry the day, but remember that nature will of needs have her way. 

The seeds of millenniums lay buried in the earth and wait for the day when a million tomorrows will burst.

There is always tomorrow until there is not, and we only live by the grace of our lot.

            

The Snow Mooon of February

 The Snow Mooon of February

This year the Snow Moon falls on my birthday. How very auspicious.

The Snow Moon is a reminder that change is not always showy. It illuminates the gentle stirrings that often create the most meaningful shifts. This is the time to trust the stillness and the truth of your own knowing. 

The spiritual meaning of the Snow Moon can be felt within all beings. Allow this time to be one of subtlety, a slow awakening of what lies just beneath the surface. Looking within, practice examining from a place of sensory awareness. Let the outer stillness support an inner examination of pure curiosity. Let the Snow Moon guide you as you explore your being from the inside.

Peak illumination of the February 2023 full moon will occur at 11:30 a.m. MST on Sunday, Feb. 5. For the best view of the snow moon, look for it the night before (Saturday, Feb. 4) or later Sunday. It will reach its highest point in the sky around midnight, according to the Farmer's Almanac.

By Robert Dobnick

From “The Art of Living in the Millennium

2023

Desert Sands & Thunderstorms

 Desert Sands & Thunderstorms

Flying over the vast deserts of the southwest one can not help but to wonder at the awesomeness of nature in its raw and beautiful element.

Much like the “sands of time”, these pearls of stone once were solid mountains of granite and sandstone. Released by the intervention of time and tenacity this arid sea is free to roam and at the call of Mariah, goddess of the wind, can cover hills and mountains and contain them until they become one once again.

 

By Robert Dobnick

From “The Art of Living in the Millennium

2023

 

The Rains of Palm Springs

The Rains of Palm Springs

It is Monday morning, the 23rd of January 2023. There is a moderate wind blowing in from the coast and the desert is dry again.

The life giving rains of January have saturated the soil and found their way into the sleeping seeds of ancient succulents and cactus. Soon the desert will erupt in an explosion of color, and the barren hills and mountains will be dressed in a profusion of color unlike any other.

This is my desert retreat, my special healing place, a study in both raw nature and elegant spectacle. It is a warm and welcoming cocoon that encapsulates my ethereal elements and makes them strong again.

By Robert Dobnick

From “The Art of Living in the Millennium

2023

Desert Crescendo

 

                    Desert Crescendo 

The desert to me has always been a place of reflection, much like water is to others it calms and caresses me with its warm and gentle sands. I can see more clearly there. Unobstructed by the weight that is felt when manouvering in the clear liquid of life.

They say there is a space and place in time for those who know it’s there

There is this moment of madness when men may say you shouldn’t dare

To put yourself upon a shelf so you may be viewed from afar

And yet are there to be there for the ones you feel most for 

Not always is it easy to take yourself away

To a land that is safe and friendly 

And you can also stay

Away from slings and arrows that might, could take you down

To a false reality that in fact isn’t really ground 

Granted there my a time when the sands of time do blow

But that is when the magic starts

The time in which we grow

To see ourselves in an element that we have come to know

To see ourselves in a place and space

Made just for us, our own  

An Elaborate Friendship

  

I have been a nurturer and as such a great believer 

in supporting friends and most especially my partners 

in every way I can.

What is a partnership if not an elaborate friendship. 

There must be love involved to make such a

partnership work, a selfless love of another to achieve that

oneness. 

To be one with another person is like no other

feeling I have ever felt. It brings life to dead branches and

song to deaf birds. It fills oceans with water and brings

bloom to the deserts. 

There is no greater gift than to tell

some one that you love them and to be so in love that

you would gladly give you life for that person. But having that love and affection returned in abundance is most amazing.

By Robert Dobnick

From “The Art of Living in the Millennium

2023

Hello 75

Hello 75!       

This is the beginning of what proves to be a month of celebrations, libations and most of all, illumination …

As my 60th year rolled into place I began to realize that what I had achieved until then was only the ground work of that which was yet to come.

I say this with both anxious anticipation and a bit of trepidation.

Who knows what lies ahead and does it really matter all that much?

I for one have found in my journey through time and space that the more we prepare for the unknown the less ready we are to accept it, and yet it must be entertained if we are to understand it.

Much as the young boy who stumbled forth rather awkwardly, trying hard to find his balance, in later years that balance can be challenged again.

Crawling, walking, running, and stumbling are part of the game. The secret is to embrace them for what they are - tools and lessons - and use them to your advantage. It is obviously most important to be aware of our limitations but knowing they exist is the best way to brave the gauntlet. 

So at the beginning of my75th sojourn through this beautiful and complex thing called life, let me be completely honest in saying this  - it doesn’t ever become easy, but the journey is more than worth it!

Another Mosaic Complete 

By Robert Dobnick

From “The Art of Living in the Millennium

2023

Oh My Children

Oh My Children

And there came a call from the great beyond

Oh my children 

What have you done

Krishna, Jesus, Mohamed and more

Shed tears of love

For a planet at war

A globe in a universe

A sphere in a cloud

A world of negligence

Once that was proud

A tangle of ignorance

That opened the box 

The horrors of pestilence

Set free by a plot

When greed and mendacity become the new norm than much like a virus the hosts become a swarm

Burning with the ferocity of a thousand fires

The earth becomes a furnace and we become its pyres 

Beware my children and do not wait for naught when our scorched and bleeding planet lay in chaos and our souls are left to rot

The Gibbous Moon

 “Let the Circle be Unbroken” 

The Gibbous Moon

The Waxing Gibbous Moon phase is a time for reflection. It's a time to look back on the life lessons you've learnt and the internal growth that has come from them and use this to adjust your current goals and life path accordingly.

What better time to be back in my primary source of energy, the city of big shoulders, the city that never sleeps? That would be Chicago!

It seems strange to some that after a winter sabbatical in the serene quiet of the golden desert, I would be eager to plunge back into the hectic and chaotic rhythm of “the Windy City”? Not at all I say.

Chicago provides the excitement and sophistication of the world class city it is, mixed with a dash of brashness and unabashed devil may care shaken not stirred and served over a drop dead skyline of architectural wonders. Mid Century Moderns stand side by side with Bauhaus beauties, and Frank Lloyd Wright creations hold hands with Louis Sullivan’s organic monuments.

A pause here to reflect on what was just laid out. I did say Mid Century Modern without referencing Palm Springs, and there in lies a clue to the dichotomy that is me.

Taking the electric energy of the “Emerald City” to the “Tranquil  Oasis” of the desert is not only unique but magical as well. The pairing of two such diverse life styles are only possible when brought together by similar sensibilities.

As for myself , I  think that I would be diminished should I to choose one over the other. Much like air is to fire, and water is to earth, each element must have its balance in order to sustain them. On their own they cannot exist but if the mixture is right, together they can and will grow and prosper.

So fly then my soul on wings of pure love and take me to balance in the   Blue skies above

From Emerald Electric to  Moon Tides in space, each having their way with my newly found grace

My Inner Space

My desert meditations seem to always free my mind and soul to work together in perfect harmony and bring me to that special place where time stands still for the moment

 

My Inner Space

I took a look inside today, a place I often go to play

To play and work and pass the time, making mosaic tiles in my mind

You see there is a method here, one that is not always clear

For if you fail to render right, you may be captive of the night

A night of endless hide and seek, a night of restless that cannot speak

But nights will always find their way to a bright tomorrow if they may

So let us play and let us dance for tomorrow is another chance

By Robert Dobnick

From “The Art of Living in the Millennium

2023

Where were you the Day the Earth Stood Still

Where were you the Day the Earth Stood Still

I remember being anxious

I remember feeling ill

I remember feeling dizzy

I remember the thrill

When the world around me took a pause

And told me to be still 

It said to me in silent words that were both soft yet firm

It showed me things that can’t be seen unless your quieten

It whispered to me like the wind and bade me to be strong

For if you want eternity you won’t find it till it’s gone

Until your heart and soul become one with time and space 

And when you do you’ll find it has always been there

 The reflection of your grace

Desert or Ocean both are venues for you and me to set our souls free