“The Sea, Half-Held by the Night” | Anthony Satori
“I am he that walks with the tender and growing night, I call to the earth and sea, half-held by the night… You, sea! I resign myself to you… Sea of stretch’d ground swells, Sea breathing broad and convulsive breaths, Sea of the brine of life… Howler and scooper of storms… I am integral with you, I too am of one phase and of all phases.”
— Walt Whitman
“The Dreaming Itself” | Anthony Satori
“I immediately fell into a blank thoughtless trance wherein it was again revealed to me ‘This thinking has stopped’ and I sighed because I didn’t have to think anymore and felt my whole body sink into a blessedness surely to be believed, completely relaxed and at peace with all the ephemeral world of dream and dreamer and the dreaming itself.”
— Jack Kerouac
“Desert Stone” | Anthony Satori
“You must fashion your life one action at a time, and if each attains its own end as far as it can, be satisfied with that.” — Marcus Aurelius
Life is made up of moments. Just as light and shadow continually move across a landscape, so the texture of any given moment is a living, breathing thing, continually flowing and creating a new vision before your eyes. Engage with it. Take the energy that you might otherwise expend worrying about the past or the future, and instead apply that energy toward engaging fully in the present moment. If you do this, not only will the quality of your immediate experience rise to its highest potential, but a cumulative sense of self-awareness, perspective and overall contentedness will also gradually accrue. You have the opportunity to be a co-creator in your life. The quality of attention that you invest in each moment will determine the quality of positive mindful influence that you can infuse into its content and flow.
“Ocean Light” | Anthony Satori
“O me! O life! Of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish — what good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer. That you are here — that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.”
— Walt Whitman
“Windblown” | Anthony Satori
“Beauty is a manifestation of secret natural laws, which otherwise would have been hidden from us forever.” — Goethe
“Blur” | Anthony Satori
Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity tells us that the velocity of a given observer directly and substantively affects the relative velocity of that which is being observed.
Put into a philosophical context: If you race through life too quickly, the effect will be the same as life passing you by too fast. If, however, you make a conscious effort to slow down and appreciate every moment, the Universe will respond by revealing nearly limitless opportunities for you to awaken and breathe.
“I sometimes think people don’t know what grass is, or flowers, because they never see them slowly. If you showed someone a green blur, Oh yes! They’d say, that’s grass! A pink blur! That’s a rose garden! White blurs are houses. Brown blurs are cows… Isn’t that funny, and sad, too?” — Ray Bradbury
Slow down. Savor the moment. Life was not meant to be experienced as a blur.
“Polo: The Sport of Kings” | Anthony Satori
Polo is an impressive spectacle of horsemanship and athleticism that dates back thousands of years. There are actual cave paintings in China depicting polo matches being played over two millennia ago, and the game has remained remarkably consistent throughout the centuries. Moving from Asia to Europe and eventually to the New World, polo has often been called the “Sport of Kings,” primarily because of the high cost of maintaining and training large teams of horses, but also for its pomp, ceremony and civility of play. While still an elaborate production, polo has become far more accessible in the modern era, and now, for little more than the price of a ticket to a baseball or basketball game, anyone who wishes to attend can engage in the fun. And, after all these centuries, it is still a great experience to enjoy a beautiful day in good company, watching the spectacle play out — the athletes, the “ponies,” the dirt flying — amidst the sunshine, the fresh air, and the smell of freshly-cut grass.
The only additional element that I might consider adding would be to have the players do more yelling. I know, it may sound strange at first, but currently the play is markedly quiet, and I suspect some well-timed battle cries would add an exciting dimension to the event. Imagine a pack of polo players charging down the field on their horses, mallets in the air, hollering at the top of their lungs! Can’t you almost hear them? Aaaaaaugh! Indeed, I think the occasional hearty group yell would bring an enhanced air of simulated battle to the milieu, and even provide spectators with an opportunity to verbally participate by chiming in. Of course, if it hasn’t become part of the sport by now, it’s unlikely that they will start doing this any time soon, (certainly not at my suggestion.) But I figured I’d put the idea on the table. In the meantime, let’s get out there and stomp some divots, and get ready for the next chukker!
“Transcendent Light” | Anthony Satori
“Like the wind, like clouds, like thunder and lightning, which rise from space without physical shape and reach the transcendent light in their own form, those who rise above body-consciousness ascend to the transcendent light in their real form, the Self. In that state, free from attachment, they move at will, laughing, playing and rejoicing. They know that the Self is not the body, but only tied to it for a time… Whenever one sees, smells, speaks, hears or thinks, they know that it is the Self that sees, smells, speaks, hears and thinks; the senses are merely the Self’s instruments.” (The Chandogya Upanishad)
“88 Keys” | Anthony Satori
There are only eighty-eight of them, but when they are infused with the creativity of the human spirit, the possibilities are endless.
“Passionate Zen” | Anthony Satori
Live your life fully, every day. Be in the moment. Smile, laugh, dance and dream. Slow down and take a breath. Pay attention. Soak it all in. Cherish where you are, who you love, and everything good about this moment. Don’t wait. Cherish it all now, feel it all now, love it all now. And as you go, remember to be kind to yourself and to each other. Because kindness, gratitude and love are the fuels that make the Karmic engine thrive.
Satori Circle | Art & Culture 