Light Exposure (The Dream Saint)

By Joshua Kawase

In the cavern below the azure fields

A fissure long concealed by me

My starlight captured the dreams below the firmament

I thought her prison permanent

She disagrees

Light exposure in enclosures for the saint

Her restraint to close the blooms

For some far off endeavor

She said to wait - “you rush so quickly to ascend,

“You hunt for ends, but still I hope

“You don’t give up forever”

I divested myself when you protested

Call it my reprieve from despair

My disenchantment rotted rather deeper

Blights beyond their keeper taint the air

Cold exposure to enclosures full of fears;

“When hope nears, you run away.

“You think that you can’t have it.

“Don’t abandon me to be a god above.

“Don’t remove your chance at love,

“as if you didn’t want it.”

Bathe nascent daydreams,

now they’re few, lily blue, wet with dew.

Maybe they’ll outdo what you thought you knew.

Ok, I’ll try, with butterflies again, acquainted

In groves so tainted by my shame

I never thought to share

Now I desire all the dreams that I retired

Now I feel a winsome ache

I surely cannot bear

Bathe nascent daydreams,

now they’re few, lily blue, wet with dew

Maybe they’ll outdo what you thought you knew

Feel Your Feelings Then Let Them Go

Feelings are associated with emotional safety and joy. They convey valuable messages that help us make decisions, establish and maintain connections, understand ourselves and others, and provide a fundamental sense of well-being. Feelings also come from experiences (past, present and future) that take away from our sense of emotional or physical safety and control, particularly when those experiences result in anger, which is primarily composed of fear and sadness. Those painful feelings, while disliked, are a normal part of life experiences and when they are processed in a healthy manner, collectively contribute to personal growth and emotional well-being. But what happens when we suppress, avoid or numb feelings that are painful or uncomfortable? Ignoring or denying feelings because we can’t control the underlying circumstances doesn’t make them go away. Instead, the feelings continue to brew, grow and bubble up until something prompts them to erupt. Suppressing or ignoring fe...

When Fear is Holding You Back

“I’m nervous!” I told her. “Nervous-cited?” she joked in an effort to remind me how close the feelings of nervous and excited can be. I paused and considered her words. “Actually, not really. I’m more afraid.” Afraid. Fearful. Adopted and adapted from several articles referenced at the end of this article. Even those of us who believed we’d traveled pretty far down our path of self-awareness or enlightenment still give in and can become paralyzed by fear. Fear places joy and sense of safety on pause. Fear possesses the ability to steal the moment for itself. This manifests itself in many ways and if we aren’t vigilant, it can bring us to our knees. Here are some things to remember when fear is taking you over: Overthinking everything accomplishes nothing. Fear, as a basic survival mechanism, causes us to focus our attention on perceived threats. Fear prompts fight, flight or paralysis by analysis. When we allow fear to permeate, it takes a...

To help someone going through a crisis

Mental health disorders are common in the United States, affecting tens of millions of Americans each year. Some indicators of mental health crises include withdrawal from previously routine interactions with others, declines in work or school performance, pronounced changes in behavior such as increased irritability, anger, anxiety, sadness, isolation, eating disorders, lack of self-care, alcohol / substance abuse, sexually acting out, self-injury, thoughts of harming oneself or others or any other uncharacteristic behavior patterns. When someone you care about is struggling emotionally, it can be hard to know what to say. Our natural instinct is often to help in any way we can. However, knowing what to do and what not to do , can mean the difference between providing meaningful support versus inadvertently causing additional distress or codependency on either person. Helping requires more than good intentions. It demands a thorough understanding of the current situation, specific s...

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