What Rasa Is For Me

Rasa is one of those Sanskrit words that has a long history and is not easily translated in to English. In ancient Sanskrit (here we are talking about thousands of years ago) rasa meant the sap of a tree. (Wikipedia) The sap of a tree flows and contains the essence of the tree. Gradually poets began to use "rasa" to apply to the essence and flow in music, dance, art and poetry. It came to mean the emotions of creativity and eventually spirituality and by the time of the Upanishads nearly 3000 years ago, rasa would be used to describe the divine nature of the gods. A little over 1000 year ago, the word came to be associated with Krishna. Chanting the Hare Krishna could produce the transformational experience that would result in healing and wholeness. Some Jews, Christians and Muslims can experience this in their prayers and meditations, musicians in their music, physicists in Quantum Physics. It is about a higher level of conscious. It is what I feel while listening to the final chorus of the Rolling Stone's "You Can't Always Get What You Want" while watching a sunrise.

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American Tea

The time honored tradition of English tea, So unlike American morning coffee, Always in a mug—to start the day. English tea is in the afternoon— More like the Japanese tea ceremony To give a ritual presence to life. The saucer so important to balance the cup. Americans find the saucer a nuisance. It’s what is in the cup that matters. Even the English drink coffee in the morning, American tea is at lunch—and iced— Ritual presence not forgotten—just ignored Americans drink tea in mugs. Mugs don’t need saucers.

Kyiv—Ancient city on the Dnieper. These river waters have flowed for more centuries then are counted in history books And will continue to flow after all the puppets have turned to dust and new trees have grown in groves by the Dnieper. Were these banks once paradise, before our ancient ones built a village here? Did an ancient shaman have visions of what would happen here? The dance of the puppets pulled by the strings of history. Warriors and chieftains, then kings and lords, tyrants and Czars, Nazis and Soviets all acting out their puppet dramas— Their strings pul...

Pick Up Truck

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CurranPoem

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