Cats and Spirit

Personal Tao - Chapter 37 - Animals

Animals

My cat Ishtar knows kung-fu. I have watched her perform spinning backflip kicks against me in the middle of the night to initiate play. We then get into these sumo wrestling matches. This interaction with Ishtar makes me think about how we connect with animals. Humans have a special talent for empathy, to feel and touch the experience of other life. How would it change society if humanity embraced the value of empathy as much as cash?

Note

I removed roughly one page of material here… Ishtar couldn’t make out a single word I was writing…

It’s all too easy for us to get lost within our words. Ishtar reminds me living is never a matter of words.

Paths

When possible, Ishtar and I siesta under the sun. When required, we hunt for our needs. When bored, we kick out to stir up the wonder of the world.

Life is not about complexities or simplicity.
Living instead flows to the beat of needs and feelings.

And empathy?
Living to feelings includes, coming to harmony within a surrounding emotional ocean.

Ishtar is a cat
A very rare cat
Who knows physics.

To the world
The ever crazy world
Ishtar is merely a blur.

However,
Ishtar never moves
Ishtar never flinches
Ishtar knows relativity
It’s all a matter of sitting
The world dancing in a blur.

It is easy
to play all day
It is easy
to be as velcro
to a curtain
or even
the occasional human.

All it takes is the simple use
of claws and physics

A wise cat
only needs to sit
letting the world
spin around the paws.

Yes
Ishtar is a cat
A very rare cat
who knows physics
in space & time
is merely a matter of
paws and claws

Temple Cats

Chasing dragon flies
Today what place is it
he has strayed off to?

Chiyo-ni

Exploring life includes stumbling
into many unexpected situations.
But in our motion ahead
We should strive to be happy
with each twist of the path.

Cats and Temples go back a long way with each other.

Several once stray cats adopted the Personal Tao Temple, This one earned the name Bodi Zen Rose Flower and sleeps in the various wicker baskets.

We all wander to chase our life about, but also share our tales and tails.

To come together, share and teach connection between our movement in life is spirit.

Life itself is a temple. When living fully, life responds to the point that others you will love, do come, help out and join in. To full fill the space of living which in turn truly creates a temple. This is living openly and fully to spirit.

Temple isn’t place alone, it’s life embraced: reflecting a path to accepting wholeness.

After a long nap,
the cat yawns, rises, and goes out
looking for love
Goes out,
comes back–
the loves of a cat.

Issa

Tail Chasing

The Art of Tail Chasing

Today is my day to catch up to my tail.

A wise dog once told me:

If you want to catch your tail, you stop moving.

A wise cat once told me

It’s not catching your tail that matters, it’s how you enjoy the motion and chase of the tail that teaches you balance and timing so you can catch the bird later.

So today I am not moving and will take my time.
To simply enjoy what I do and find my balance.

Happy Tail Chasing Day to everyone else!

Tao of Tigger

Ishtar Tales

A few days ago I was taking my normal morning meditation soak in the tub. My allergies pile up over the night during the wetter moldy months, so when possible, I take a 45-minute hot soak mixed to meditation to re-balance my spirit and body to be pain-free.

Anyways Ishtar (A Grey tabby cat who travels with me) is walking along the edge of the tub.

I remember thinking, hmm shes going to slip. (she never has to date of years of doing this, but today felt different) So I partitioned part of my mind and meditation to be aware towards Ishtar.

Now, these morning soaks are not a true meditation session, as the extremely hot water does put my body in a semi-sleep state. Over the years I have learned how to separate my mind from body, to let the body sleep while the mind can stay aware and slightly active. It’s a strange half state to be in, but it’s handy at times.

So anyway, countless moments later, the Cat slips big time and goes flying across the tub, hits the other wall, she bounces off that wall, twists in mid-air.

And in perfect harmony, I lifted my hand from the water so she could leap onto that, which she did, to then safely leaped from my palm to the floor.

And then I went back to my peaceful meditation.

Life is such a dance.

We can be aware and flow. Enjoy the constant unfolding. Or one can struggle and thrash about.

I think it’s more fun to dance every moment as living, even when the partner is a flying cat.

April 9, 2007