Formed knowing it will meet a crushing wave,
she dedicates herself to what brings her joy.
Though words may scatter like spray in the wind,
through uncertainty and half-formed understanding,
I persist until that moment of clarity—
"Ah, I see!"— throws open my heart's door.
I press forward with words and images,
offering my spirit in this moment
to the welcoming ocean.
Today we finally have a connected site for my blog, art, spiritual companion information, and a soon to be better functioning shop page. It has been 6 weeks of up and down, uncertainty, then certainty, then back to frustration. A big thanks to my nephew, Aaron, for all his hard work. It has been a few hours and I am still trying to take it in and trust it.
Migration out of WP is not easy, not what I expected, and not strait-forward but I am hopeful it will be worth it in the end. If nothing else, I have defiantly learned a great deal about what goes on behind the scenes of a wordpress page. Did I really want to know???
I am sending out this post to make sure my email subscribers are receiving an email, I show up in the reader, and that I show up in the socials. If you are missing your normal way of receiving a post from me, especially via email, please let me know. Many emails were dropped in the process and listed as blocked. I will be working on that from my end as well.
I will be back next Sunday with a regular scheduled post. Yay!
Janis
The world over,
wherever we roam—
sea or mountain,
snow or sand—
may we unfold our hearts
and breathe in what dwells before us.
Even in devstation,
we glimpse a lone caterpillar
or a single mushroom,
yearning toward light and pressing
forward into new life,
and we pause this moment
to witness it all.
Sure as the heart cycles through
sorrow then joy
in seeing the sky unfurled above,
or the quiet grace of drawing
breath after breath,
we claim what is ours to experience,
in this moment, the only one.
Encased in a world of white,
frozen tundra, deep into
darkness—there is rest in hibernation
as all wait to rise into the warmth
of what they could only dream of:
growth, nourishment, and the freedom
to bloom and bring joy and beauty
into this world.
Yes! We too wait and dream
and hold promise of living fully alive
in grace, strength, and vibrancy.
Deep within what appears to us
as the absence of light, we each
anticipate the moment of our arrival
at the door of expectancy.
Free to radiate beyond shadow,
into and through the light
that illuminates and calls us forth
into our creative day. All that we wait for,
all that we dream of—it is ours,
as within our inner depths,
it waits for us.
Migration update: You probably thought it was done already! I am happy to report it is all in process—slow but sure—as work happens behind the scenes. As it turns out my nephew is hosting me and I am delighted to have a live person to work with on the changes I would like to make as I move forward. The shift will happen either Monday or Tuesday of this week. I surround it all in the light of smooth transition and highest good. Blessings on your week ahead, dear readers. I appreciate all of you.
Deep gratitude to Spillwords for the publication of my poem and art. https://spillwords.com/moistures-grace/
Greetings loyal readers,
A new year and a new host. I am in the process of migrating my WordPress site to a new host—a challenge for me, or so it seems, as I find glitches along the way, like who really owns my domain, as I have moved a couple of times.
This is a heads up that my site might be out of commission for a week or two as I redesign and upgrade. Hopefully I won’t loose any subscribers in the transfer but if it seems you aren’t getting a blog into your email by say the 19th of January, you can still find me at www.janisdehler.com and subscribe again. But in the end, I am hopeful all will go smoothly.
I am excited for the new hosting at Blue Host with better support and an enhanced commerce site for selling my art, books, greeting cards, and art prints.
Happy New Year to all with gratitude for your kind support and enthusiasm over the years.
Keep the creative juices flowing,
Jan
The heart aches
for what it desires
while lost
in the shadow
of dissatisfaction.
When we fall
will we rise
with more clarity?
Will our hearts
open to our lives
with honesty?
Will we dare
to change
the trajectory
and risk
a new path?
We face
the questions
as we seek
to know
our human
potential—
the hidden gift
of life on earth.
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Human potential at its best is to transform a tragedy into a personal triumph, to turn one’s predicament into a human achievement.”
-Vitor Frankl
“Human potential is the same for all. Your feeling, ‘I am of no value’, is wrong. Absolutely wrong. You are deceiving yourself. We all have the power of thought — so what are you lacking? If you have willpower, then you can do anything. It is usually said that you are your own master.”
-Dalai Lama
Just as the winter winds come and go,
so too the dreams that seek to be born.
Some come alive in truth
while others fall after deceit is near.
What is the heart’s desire
if not to be alive in love and longing
for the day when all arises
in beauty, and we believe
in all that we are,
beyond this physical form,
beyond these fears,
beyond all being into eternity.
On this solstice,
the energy of light returns
to guide us into what we wish to be:
to see, to taste, and live
as we set our intentions clearly,
and birth anew into possibility,
with dreams created from the heart.
We are told, you are what you dream.
Be all that is your dream and live into
the wholeness and the wonder of who you are—
light, cosmic love, and truth.
Within it all, be you.
(image: Winter Winds by Janis Dehler
“This is the solstice, the still point of the sun, its cusp and midnight, the year’s threshold and unlocking, where the past lets go of and becomes the future.”
-Margaret Atwood
“The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory.”
-Gary Zukav
“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”
-Pope John XXIII
In this season:
love abounds,
the full moon rises,
lights shine,
candles are lit,
while we draw near.
We wonder:
How do we enter?
How do we gain?
We remember:
there is no gain,
there is no loss,
in an endless supply
of love, joy,
and compassion.
Always and ever:
as we need, as we open,
as we allow and release
that which is not needed,
does not support,
does not bring life.
We open to All:
to life, to love, and rejoice
in the season of light and love,
which is now and always,
never ending,
in endless supply.
(Image my own)
“You are here to enable the divine purpose of the universe to unfold. That is how important you are.”
-Eckhart Tolle
“Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.”
-Rumi
“Under the anger, under the fear, under the despair, under the broken heartedness, there is a radiance that has never been harmed, that has never been lost, that is the truth of who one is.”
-Gangaji
Holiday Greetings,
Last year at this time I was anticipating the publishing of ONE WORLD: A Journey of Becoming, on January 10th. It is now coming to the end of the year which held book events, book and art events, my art hanging at Gladje Gallery, offering a workshop on art and spirituality, meeting new people, and enjoying such heart felt responses to my words and images. As an artist and writer, I paint and write because I derive such enjoyment from each, however, selling my works and bringing joy to others lives is frosting on the cake. the cherry on top, the bees knees. And I try to keep it that way. Fun/not work.
I decided to show up today and remind you of a book that could make a lovely gift for you or a loved one. ONE WORLD is available through me, Scout and Morgan Books in Cambridge, and Gladje Gallery in Lindstrom. Also, Amazon in paper or ebook.
I am offering an end of year 20% off discount in my shop now through December 31. Click here http://janisdehler.com/shop/ to order. And check out the greeting cards for sale.
