The World According to Brother Ian

See you there!

Send a message to learn more

It's madness
to hate all roses
because you got scratched with one thorn,

to give up all dreams
because one of them didn't come true,

to give up all attempts
because one of them failed.

It's folly to condemn all your friends
because one has betrayed you,

to no longer believe in love
just because someone was unfaithful
or didn't love you back,

to throw away all your chances to be happy
because something went wrong.

There will always be another opportunity,
another friend,
another love,
a new strength.

For every end,
there is always a new beginning.....

And now here is my secret,
a very simple secret:
It is only with the heart
that one can see rightly;
what is essential is invisible to the eye.

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,
The Little Prince

And so - let the light of the solstice join with the light within you & brighten the people & things around you...longer days are cool when that happens. Shine on, brothers & sisters 💥
~ Brother Ian

The real work of planet-saving will be small, humble, and humbling, and (insofar as it involves love) pleasing and rewarding. Its jobs will be too many to count, too many to report, too many to be publicly noticed or rewarded, too small to make anyone rich or famous.
~ Wendell Berry

I'd say while Earth Day is a great day - and a great reminder on this 54th annual celebration of it - we need to crank it up & have a series of Earth Years. There is much to do...so much.

🌎🌍🌏✨

What is there to celebrate? So much, according to this internationally-known photographer, DeWitt Jones. You just gotta change the lens.

HIs words come alive to me because I've seen Daniel Sullivan Photography's work. Because I've seen Will Byington's work. Because I've seen Tim Dustrude's work. Because I've seen Barbara Howitt's work. Because I've seen Christopher Teren's work. Because I've seen Andrea Zonnis's work. Because I've seen Ashley Ramer's work. Because I've seen Flip Nicklin's work.

And it's all so much more, when you change the lens. Please let me know what you feel when you hear this amazing piece of work.

And start to celebrate.

Celebrate what's right with the world | Dewitt Jones | TEDxSouthLakeTahoe Are you discouraged by what's happening in the world today? Then watch this. In minutes, you'll rediscover the wonders and possibilities that surround us everyday just waiting to be noticed and celebrated. Find out for yourself why former National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones is considered b...

Photo...good one, bro :)
https://www.facebook.com/richard.byington

Once upon a time, when women were birds,
there was the simple understanding that
to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk
was to heal the world through joy.
The birds still remember
what we have forgotten,
that the world is meant to be
celebrated.
~Terry Tempest Williams

Art work: Robert Hamilton or Viola Loretti

Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence.

Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.

― Maya Angelou

(Art : Shawn Braley)

The full Snow Moon lies ahead....rest easy & let its light re-kindle yours, my friend

Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.
~ Khalil Gibran

Merry Christmas to you! Touching on the spirit of the season....The Chieftains and Jackson Browne offer "The Rebel Jesus," and here are the words:

All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants' windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
Will be gathering around their hearths and tables
Giving thanks for God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus

And they call Him by the "Prince Of Peace"
And they call Him by "The Saviour"
And they pray to Him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavour
And they fill His churches with their pride and gold
As their faith in Him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worship in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus

We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if anyone of us should interfere
In the business of why there are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus

But pardon me if I have seemed
To take the tone of judgement
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In a life of hardship and of earthly toil
There's a need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure and I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus

The Rebel Jesus Provided to YouTube by Elektra RecordsThe Rebel Jesus · Jackson BrowneThe Next Voice You Hear - The Best Of Jackson Browne℗ 1997 Elektra Entertainment Group,...

Well, tomorrow the song comes true.

When I was 17, I learned "Old Friends" by S&G, and thought the line was a far-off dream: "Can you imagine us years from today, sharing a park bench quietly? How terribly strange to be seventy."

Gotta say, it IS a bit strange. And exciting. Memories have shaped dreams, dreams have shaped both achievements & non-achievements (and everything in between). Mistakes have led to deeper understanding & hope for forgiveness, while the search continues, for learning & ways to share .

This birthday has me stoked to see what's ahead - so much to explore, so much to piece together to, just maybe, understand. New worlds ahead - let's stay in touch. I value your memories AND what you're discovering & sharing, so much.

{deep bow}} of love & appreciation & the deepest gratitude for the love & care that you've shared through the years. Mahalo (Maui) & Thanks (Canada) & Gracias (Mexico) & Glad you're there (USA) & Cheers /Ta (UK)....

As always, let's begin the next steps with a song, offered with love: https://youtu.be/DNKYfobc6oQ

May the longtime sun shine upon you.
All love surround you.
And the pure light within you
Guide your way home

🌿🙏🌿

May The Longtime Sun Shine Upon You - Ian Byington You & I learned this song ages ago, it seems, and it's still a good one to start the day, to end kundalini yoga class, to wish on some good friend who's leav...

(Here's a bit from Bianca's book that I've had running around in my head & heart lately....)

It is okay if you hid from the world. It is okay if you weren’t as productive as you needed to be. It is okay if you let relationships slip, or if you let yourself slip. It is okay if you felt depressed, or sad, or anxious as you met your healing. It is okay.

However you fought your battles, whatever got you here today is valid. You had to do what you had to do. Congratulate yourself on having the courage to do it, even if it was not graceful, even if it could have been executed in a kinder way or a more tender way, even if you see now that you could have done things differently.

It is okay. Be gentle with yourself.

You were learning. You still are.

~ Bianca Sparacino, A Gentle Reminder (p. 39). Thought Catalog Books

Keep some space in your heart for the unimaginable.
~ Mary Oliver ~

It was 22 years ago on the 29th that George made his transition...this (2023) was the 80th year since his birth. Sure miss him - here's a vid he did in Hana/Maui where he visited often. I've seen his little handwritten notes at ukulele stores here on the island....love this song & love the spirit of this man

George Harrison - This Is Love George Harrison - This Is LoveSubscribe to not miss any updates and videos: https://GeorgeHarrison.lnk.to/SubscribeYTListen to George Harrison: https://Georg...