Haiku is all about the fleeting preciousness of experience, nature, and our seamless connection to everything.
~ Tom Clausen
Welcome.
Today we will explore how approaching life with a haiku “mindset” is essentially a gratefulness practice that can reveal a profound sense of belonging. Through inviting all of our senses to be awake to the revelatory possibility in each moment we are in touch with the “fleeting preciousness of experience” and of nature. Br. David Steindl-Rast has said “Most of the time we go around as if everybody else was in and we were out and why am I the orphan in the universe? But once in a while something breaks through, this universal love, that universal ‘yes’ to belonging touches us and all of a sudden we come alive.” Opening to “that universal ‘yes’ to belonging” can be a gift of haiku.
Haiku and calligraphy by Br. David Steindl-Rast
As we turn our attention to writing haiku, Tom Clausen encourages us to:
Start with major signifiers in our universe, the stars, our sun, our moon, the planets, our water, oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, puddles, rain drops, dew drops, our weather, our seasons, our mother earth, mountains, hills, trees, shrubs, plants, flowers, and little by little the seamless connection and relation of yourself will become ever more aware, linked, and suffused in everything around you.
Such engagement with our world will make it clear “that we are all part of an intricate miraculous web of belonging.”
The Practice
Today we invite you to connect with “major signifiers of our universe.” Gaze into a pond or up at the stars. Watch some ants or lean against a tree, feeling its strength, texture, and resilience. Contemplate the planets, seasons, or the wonder and miracle of the breath that animates your being. Allow yourself a few minutes to feel what arises — noticing if and how you feel connected to the universe of which you are a part.
Experiment with writing a haiku (or more than one!) that expresses your experience. Feel free to share your reflections or poem(s) in the reflection area below.
Enjoy the full eight-day Exploring Haiku practice.
she is gone
old soul little girl beautiful
Autumn Raines
broken heart
weeping silent memories
spring is cold
one thousand
nine hundred and forty days
a lifetime
two thousand
cranes from her brother’s classmates
no comfort
mourning breaks
self-medicating again
winter comes
spring again
first anniversary death
remember
torturing
myself will it ever end
surrender
gratitude
colors beauty Autumn leaves
still sorrow
December
sunshine finally breaks through
her birth date
cherry trees
fond memories fill my mind
so much love
life anew
springs from death circle of life
solace gave
thank You, LORD
accepted grace blesses for
Your glory
eternal
life we will meet again then
Autumn Raines
@ 101 games Is that a poem or song?
Late to the party….life has slowed down and opened up space for me to continue on this haiku journey. I am grateful for this gift.
Trees-Givers of life
Xylem Phloem
Pure water
flowing from my roots
miracle food
from my leaves
Trees speak to me without words….they are mystical creatures in my eyes…my “spirit animals”. They are miracles of nature and have a unique role in this web of life. They remind me that all living things are inter-connected and all belong.
Cool, rainy outside
Warm kitty inside
Cat loaf on floral cushion
Me in the middle.
Sounds of droplets splattering sidewalk
Purring sounds
Both Rhythmic
Harmonious
Comforting.
Meteor shower
Neck craning, eyes straining up
Light trail takes my breath
Distant mountain reflections
The wind cools my face
Beauty surrounds me each day
Gazing out the window
cat tail seeds light as a feather
wonder trust seeds for new life
Light rain falls again
Bringing green grass and flowers
Windshield wipers on.
Clouds roam morning sky
Where are you going today
Sun plays through cloud holes
A Star settles
With sparkles on edges
Delighted above a mountaintop
Snowcaped as icing
Flowing with an cascade
Tiny eyes flash
Smiles broad and dimpled
Yet a teardrop
Flower filters each
Grass greenery
Blades barely blowing
A bumble twitches.
Tiny bird,
Tapping on my window.
Perfection in miniature.
#waka
Famous cone mountain
Hokusai’s thirty-six views
Each a unique take
A wondrous moment at the
shore of Kawaguchigo
Wish to add that belonging also transcends time. The past, present and future. We are all connected. Human being expires but Mother Earth, nature continue to inspire.
Crisp spring morning air
Light creeps in. Darkness subsides.
Birds awakening.
Woodpecker pecks tree
Cardinal singing sweet song
A single crow caws
The daybreak heightens
Blush of rose warms eastern sky
Daylight emerging
I watched the sun come up yesterday and wrote a whole page…what a great start to my day!
a cloud of white wings
a cacophony of squawks
corellas landing
branches toss under churning sky
while sturdy bulbs push upright
hopeful shoots, undeterred
Breathing in God’s Love
It permeates my being
Nothing else matters