Many might agree that one of the most quotable of quotes about the importance of building simplicity into one’s life is from Henry David Thoreau, his book “Walden”, published in 1854.

Quite odd however is how over time what he wrote, and mostly the spirit of it, has been lost. Or, at best, diminished to a kind of milk-toast philosophy. Appearing in Psychologies of self-help and self-improvement.

If you google “simplify”, you might find “simplify” or “simplify, simplify”, both likely referencing Thoreau directly, or sideways.

Even if you recall the full length of what he said, but do not remember how it looked on the page and search on “simplify simplify simplify” … it does not appear (that I could find).

What he wrote was one sentence.

“Simplify, simplify, simplify!”

That’s three times the word with pauses in between, plus the “!”

As in: Fire!

If we were truly to brave up, be honest with ourselves and open our hearts to listen, what could we hear which might be new and refreshing, with the utterance of this?

If we were to apply this heart-speak philosophy to our consumerist behaviors, to our lifestyle and life-choices, to our relationships, to our activities and creativeness, how might this shift our direction?

Many say we live in a time of human and planetary dire emergency.

Exclamatory sentences are needed, for our very survival.

A Collective Call for Strength of Will. Strength of Love expressed!

Let’s ring it from the mountain tops:

“Simplify, simplify, simplify!”

muses and priestesses
spin to the fore.

infinity of heaven sparks.

water everywhere prepares to speak.
earth and sky, to tumble as lovers.
surfaces to shimmer and split.

for every contained paradise
there were ten tie-downs,
and she, great mother,
had eleven freshened swords.

protector destroyer giver of life
she and she and she,
mothers to all.

and as this it was;
paradise came.

Today my walking seemed steady enough.
Considering the truth of flash, it’s amazing anything
can stand.

Sky and Earth flashing in and out of existence
faster than the speed of light makes any concrete
“here and now” truly a miracle.

My mouth my breath are locked and unlocked this way.
The list is never ending. Time and no time together.

When I place the dog dish of food on the kitchen floor…
Miracle of miracles!

The food remains quite nutritious, stays in the dish,
my dog regards me with love and nothing falls into empty space.

Even now as I write, though multiple languages
and non-languages from many lifetimes
come and go, I still can show up, here.

Singing the praises of flash!
Do you hear?

What of this I, this you, who senses
all things everywhere.

This morning, while out walking, I’d gotten some insights around the subject of the alluring power of artificial rhythm in modern music.

Drum machine beat-tracks embedded as foundational; some computer composed music made on “Midi”, for example. Switched-on rhythm tracks played as accompaniment to live playing on a key board or for any live performance.

SO alluring, and Beautiful so often, masterful really!

Also I see — so subtle and potentially unbalancing.
Perhaps supporting or creating a condition of stress?
Mind-body-spirit “non-coherence”.

We know that any Rhythm Machine makes a perfect clock time pulse, with perfect divisions of time…so unlike the simple, variable tempo of the heart in a relaxed, naturally intelligent body.

One day perhaps the music industry will offer the music consumer, seeking Natural Rhythms Only, a helpful label — “NR Safe”.

I for one would welcome that!
Rhythms made by Humans, naturally.

Etched in my consciousness is “Follow the Child” from my Montessori years teaching grades 4-6.

For me, it never meant “walk behind and be co-pilot”. And heavens no…it never ever meant “close your eyes and follow”.

Adults need to be adults. We have experience, which is key.

But have we not lost some measure of freshness, of innocence?
How often do we practice seeing clearly and telling the truth?
Telling it like it is?

For me, Follow the Child means OBSERVE.

So here we are.

Observe — stop, look and listen.
Be silent, Be humble.

What are children pointing to?
What are children pointing to
in themselves, in us?

Let’s ALL Open the Heart
and tell the truth.

No more hiding.
No more lies.

Calling long and deep
into the bottomless well of myself,
to my heart, I posed a wordless question
that water–free–be invited to speak.

So I listened I paused and listened–
opened, I dissolved
fear in me.

Water of my hands
woke up, sprung up.

Water of my feet.

Water of my eyes,
my brain.

There were no parts of me
my invitation was not reaching.

Little baby faces all that water was–
and each, an innocence,
a living breathing star.

And therein
other starry lights.

Green azure golden
shot high all around me.

Rainbows spinning, under and over-lacing,
composed a heaven’s tapestries.

Who would have guessed — when I tilted my heart
toward baby lizard, perched on a colored desert stone,

she’d blink one eye at me, turn to smile, it seemed,
and lend a listening ear?

I’d only said in a lizard way:
I love you.

And who would have thought — that when stone had heard me
loving her, it would, it seem, speak back?
Loving stone, I was!

Stone, I so admire your villages.
I smile to your many stone peoples.

I eavesdrop on universal questions posed
around sacred fires carefully tended.

And around one hearth, among
cinder specks scattered– that one minute wisp,
grain of cinder there.

Dare I say I love you too?
I do! I do!

In that cinder grain I hear —
worlds of stars, sweetly singing!

By way of explanation, reader friend,
such is what a practice of
loving all beings equally
has made of me.

Crazed being?
Could be.

But could you nonetheless
accept the possibility
and likewise go love adventuring?

If you’d prefer, we could earnestly
and objectivity talk it all through.

Or say ~ Love come!

Speak through us.
Teach us how to listen.

I have known heights, aimed
like a bullet to the top of my head.

I have known forbidden songs, jagging
placid landscapes.

Water blood water bone — my body,
incessantly crying out to me.

How long the abuse, how long!

In the barreled pit of my sober life
up from common sense–snapping into it,
my soul came alive.
Alive I say.

By grace I breached.
Free in the wind.

All you Kingdoms of water everywhere–
hear now the words of my tears.

Mea Culpa!

I slam on the brakes, tear off the roofs
of steel compartments.

I see sky and feel in daylight all the hidden stars.
I declare — the emperor of death
has no clothes.

I scatter forgiveness, unjudging,
across all the fattened streets.

Oceans of me go singing.
Spinning angels’ symphony.

Over the graves of my ancestors, I vow.

Water, I shall love you.
I shall speak up and protect you.
I shall fight for you.

I shall fight and die if I must.

Ten times ten give my very life
— that you live.

Dare to live.
Stop insisting on chasing after death.
Stop trying to die.

Quit the grand illusion.
You shall never die.

Grow your wings and fly to the mountaintop
of your world.  Breathe stars.
Bravely go alone. Only you can do this.

Regularly in your day–exercise conviction.
Visualize Stars, the Sun.

Golden, fibrous threads
of starlight, of sunlight —

take them in, through the nostrils.

This is nothing less than
soul’s power-fuel.

Inhale slowly and experience
the gentle music of love’s fire,
as flames would pull up
a chimney stack, up pipes of ovens.

Faith builds with such breath practice.

Greed cooked transformed.
Anger put to rest.

Ignorance surrendering
to ways of knowing.

Prepare that your purpose
shall speak to you.

Breathe starlight.

Are you surprised
that you feel no heat?

Your unique timelessness
awaits your recognition.

from where I am now at home,
easy on my blue couch

I had a wisp of a thought
and at that — circles of you
spiraled and cut messages in the air

clockwise danced around dangling
pinpoint flowers holding
sips

white and white again, each petal
accompanying rush of shallow river water
talking over rock

if I had had the notion to
carry you home in a pocket,
would you have nipped at me on the way?

this is to say
I have carried you home today
and you are now no further from me
than my very breath

this is ever so

I buzz
while you fix dinner