Tag Archives: love

Love Letter: Valentines’ Day Tips for Love

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Dear Gypsies,

I know everyone’s looking for love! People ask about it all the time in readings, “When will I get married?”, “Where’s mr/mrs. Right”, “Will I ever date again?”, etc. And I totally understand, we all want to feel loved, and connected. Everyone want’s to share there life with someone, their hopes and dreams, their fears. It’s natural to want a companion, someone to partner. So what’s the secret?

Well, I don’t know the secret to having the relationship of your dreams, but I do have some tips that everyone can benefit from.

3 Ways to Bring Love Into Your Life:

1. Love yourself! Oh how cliche, but it’s true. You have to invest time and energy into yourself. You need to be your own best friend, explore your interest and hobbies, express your hopes and fears to yourself. And dream out loud. Who’s to say you can’t have a nice evening alone, or have a fabulous dinner by yourself? I love going out alone… dinner and a good book, or my journal! It’s all about perspective. If you can’t be open with yourself, you wont be open with anyone else!

2. Relationships do not fill holes! So many people want to find love so they can fill a hole inside of them. They have this ache, this loneliness, this sense of grieving for something they don’t have. But guess what? Relationships aren’t meant to fix you, they are meant to compliment you. If you can’t shine bright on your own, then you’ll be nothing more than a dull glow in a relationship. Begin a relationship as a way to enhance your vibrance, your balance, and your independence.

3. Step outside of your comfort zone! This sounds simple, right? This is the misstep of most people seeking love. A potential relationship could hit you on the head, but if you aren’t stepping out of your “zone” and opening up to new experiences… you’ll miss it! And, there are those that think a new relationship should just knock on the front door! It’s not gonna happen! You have to put in the effort. The Universe partners with you when you make a shift in energy… but you can’t have change, if you’re not willing to change. Love comes to those who are adventurous. That doesn’t mean you need to hunt love down, it means that you need to be open to new scenery, new people, new experiences. Be spontaneous. You never know when you’ll fall in love!

Happy Valenties day… I hope it’s filled with magic. Remember to tell someone you love them!

Ooh, PS, light a fresh red candle for romantic love and make your wishes of a future mate. Light a fresh pink candle for general love. This will fill the air with good energy!

With Love,

Shaheen

Fire Light

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Owner, Dudva.

We came here faithful and wild eyed. Looking for answers as the smoke made rings around their heads. They were forgotten angels, forged in the heat and pressure of another storm. Beyond your memory is hidden a history far greater than can be told in words.

I lit a candle, burned it for 3 days to heal the pain. The color was liquid red and hot like the sweat that ran down your face as I was leaving. You were begging for change, and yet I had changed long before you knew. Why do they forsake the ones they love?

So they sing. They sing as the dark falls around them. A gentle cloak of raven black. There you can hear the words being whispered to silhouettes of strangers. Faces of marionettes suspended from memories. Make me up how you want to. Make them believe I was nothing and you were everything.

He wanted badly to touch the heart of the mystery. A dangerous soul who would rage against the gods. Fire could rain down. Prayers couldn’t protect him. There’s not map to guide you as you slip away into your own misery. Mock them as you run. They will taunt you. We can still pray… even though prayers are useless now.

If I can wake up and breathe again. Does that mean none of it was real? I might just be another memory. She said the white doves are calling to us now. We can walk on the edge of what was, and what will be. We can dance with the dead to feel alive again. There’s no shame in burning a candle… even if it can’t drown out the night.

I whisper one more time before its over. I touch my lips gently to the flame. Kissing the fire. Another form of passing. Wind catches light and pushes it into oblivion. A fragile soul is lost to the dark again. Snuffed out. No more light. No more life. I hope the prayers still burn brightly on the other side.

© Shaheen Miro

LGBT Pride

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Cyndi Lauper at NYC Pride!

The month of June is LGBT pride, and Cincinnati’s pride happens to be this weekend. Sadly I am unable to go, but I want to mention how amazing it is to have such a celebration here! All around the world awareness is trying to be brought to people to teach love and ACCEPTANCE! It’s so moving when people look at other people as equals, instead of judging them by their color, income, sexuality or status. I think Pride is an opportunity for people to not only educate themselves, but to also have fun!

The battle for equal rights for the LGBT community has been on going and unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard about it. I read one person’s comment the other day on a Gay Rights article that really moved me… they said, “What are Gay Rights? Doesn’t rights imply that they are for everyone?!” I couldn’t agree more. How can a government and society pick and choose who gets what rights? It’s either all or nothing. If a man and woman can get married, then why can’t a man and a man or a woman and a woman?

It’s silly to me that people feel the need to take away the rights and the livelihood of a group of people because they don’t agree with it. I think people need to stop being so judgmental and be more accepting. You don’t have to agree with a life style to allow someone else to live it. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to allow someone else to be. You don’t have to like hip hop music to allow someone else to.The point being that if you don’t like it, then don’t do it. You have no right to stop others from doing what makes them happy, as long as it isn’t harming anyone (hurting your ego, doesn’t count).

Go out into the world today, everyday and be loving and open…. you will be amazed at how happy you can be, by letting others be who they are!

All the best!

Shaheen

Story: Karen The Bus Monitor

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Almost a week ago I found this horrible video of this older woman, Karen Klein, a 68-year-old woman from New York who is a bus monitor. The video was filmed by a few teenage boys who proceeded to harass her for about 10 minutes. They called her names, degraded her, used her personal history and appearance against her, and even physically assaulted her. The video was sad, cruel and depressing. It made me cry and question society.

Mortified by the brutal hell ride that his woman had to endure, I thought a bout it for a few days. It made me angry and sad, and it made me think how upset I would be if my grandmother or mother was put in that position. No one should endure that kind of abuse. These children were finding pleasure in her pain, and it makes me wonder why our society is filled with people who are so abusive toward people they see as “weak” or “different”.

Karen showed courage and strength in the face of objectivity. She showed her true colors and never lost composure. Many people in such a situation would have been pressured to lash out and defend themselves. This woman was brought to tears and one of her few responses to these horrible boys, was, “If you don’t have something nice to say, then you shouldn’t say anything.”

What happen to the days when we respected our elders. Intolerance in our society is growing as respect dwindles. Karen is one of many victims, but her torture was recorded. It was put on the internet as a trophy to show how proud these boys were of degrading her. Then it went viral, and the after math has been touching.

Karen never asked to press charges, she didn’t want the boys to be expelled. She said she thought they weren’t intrinsically bad, but that they needed to be taught a lesson by having their privileges taken away. She was recorded as saying that she just wanted them to realize what they did and never do it to anyone again.

You can watch the video here, if you can stand to, and you can also DONATE to her fund that was established by someone who isn’t even connected to her, to allow her to go on vacation and at this point retire. This woman deserves to be treated. She has opened a social dialogue for us to talk about these issues and has become a face for change.

The amount of donations that Karen has received is staggering. The kindness of people has pulled together and total strangers are reaching out to show her love and support. Please contribute to her cause, even if it’s not a monetary contribution, take to heart her experiences and move past tolerance and embrace the idea of acceptance and respect for your fellow people. See and honor the light inside of each person, and see and honor the light inside of yourself.

Walls Around You

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You burn inside, hot and sticky, as these feelings curl up your spine. That person enters your presence and you are melting again, trying to hold your soft parts together. You could be liquid fire in front of him/her. The desire makes you ache… it’s too much.

We all want something, we all long for something. It could be a person or thing… you reach for it, grasping sand, that slips through closed fingers. It is always coming and going, and the feelings are undying. How do you gain composer with such a fever?

Boundaries are essential. You can’t live with them and you cant live without them. I affectionately told my friend the other day, “you can’t have your vodka and drink it too”… or can you. At the end of the day it boils down to what feels right to the ego and what feels right to the soul and how you can discern the two.

I know I have people in my life who walk in and out and they have free rein, and sometimes I shoot myself in the foot for being naïve enough to allow it, but my heart says one thing and my mind says another. You never know what to say in those situations, “Hey old friend, I love you, but you’re hanging around more than I like.” How do you articulate that without coming off like a total jerk?!

Break down the situation into intention. What is your intention with this person? Do you expect to gain something for your lack of boundaries? If you let them do whatever they want to you, do you think they will eventually give you what you want? Are you afraid to upset the peace? Do you think something will click? Will they change? You can’t live your life waiting for rainbows. Hope is a dirty, nasty word because it implies that something is impossible.

Who matters most? Do you have to sacrifice yourself to make this person happy? Or to get what you want? To have that dream job? Are you selling one dream to attain another? Are you feeding your own spirit? You have to look at each situation and know who is the most important person in it… which is YOU. You can be kind hearted, compassionate and giving, and still put yourself first.

When I say put yourself first, I don’t mean in the egocentric sense, I mean in the most loving and positive way. You cannot give to others if you can’t give to yourself… it’s sort of like a garden. If you are growing fruits and vegetables to feed yourself, but give them all away before you get a bite to eat… you’re going to go hungry. Don’t let yourself go hungry. Love yourself. Feed yourself. You will be able to give 110 if you go this route.

Who is holding responsibility? How many times do we get in situations where we give so much away… for a person or a goal and nothing comes back and then we get angry, sad, and guilty? It happens all the time because people place their personal responsibilities in the hands of others. It’s the martyr mentality. People would rather let someone else be responsible for their dreams, hearts and happiness because if things don’t work out, if they are left broken… then they aren’t at fault. BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOURSELF!!

You can see from the other person’s perspective if you want, but no matter how many times you walk in their shoes, you will never be them. You cannot rationalize for people. You cannot get in their heads and try to figure out what you are doing wrong or why they treated you a certain way.

You control the reaction. I think the most powerful piece of wisdom we can all take to heart is, we are in control. You may not be able to change circumstances, move mountains, change peoples minds, manipulate bank accounts… though you would be surprised… but what you can do is control your reaction.

What makes you feel out of control? Is it when you don’t get your way? Maybe its when you feel you look weak? Or embarrassed? Or when you don’t have enough?  Find your point of weakness and let it become your strength.  That becomes you point of power and allows you to gain a sense of control.

If you are in situations that feel icky, sticky and bad, stop for a second and breathe. Ground and center into the moment, call your energy back and release whatever negative feelings you have toward the situation or person. You have to lighten your load so that you can be free to move and grow and fly to whatever places you want.

EXERCISE:

Write your feelings out. Write letters to the place that hurts. If it’s a person, then write to them and tell them all the things you wish you could say to their face. Let the venom out. Be angry, sad or crazy! The page can take it. If it’s something you want or situations you are in then write to that as well… give it a persona and talk about how you feel. Let everything out. Now burn it! Or Flush it down the toilet! Let the old go, you have no need to cling to it. You are releasing this place of resistance to create room for boundaries and protection. You are changing your intention and your reaction.

It’s hard to create these boundaries in life because you want something and you know it’s negative for you. You struggle to see the truth. It’s easy to deny what our soul is trying to show us, but if you stop for a second and ask yourself if you are happy in a situation and hesitate for a second to respond “yes”, then you may need to evaluate what is holding you there.

 

Fear is usually the culprit for unhappiness… we are afraid of something! This gets back to intention. Face your fears. Look them in the eye, with a big F-You and take back your power! Set up a new plan and take a new route.

Lastly, Patience is your friend! We all want, what we want on our terms, in our time and when we don’t get it we get angry… which creates a place of resistance and alters your intention. Stay grounded and centered, and be patient. What you want will come in it’s time… and part of this patience is allowing yourself room to mess up, to be blind, to have to reroute yourself.

Don’t ever regret losing sight of your boundaries… it happens to everyone. What matters is that your eyes have been opened and you are working to better the situation. Get bold gypsies, say what you need to say and be fearless!

And don’t be afraid to reward yourself!

Much love…

Shaheen

© Shaheen Miro

Creative Writing: Bodies

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I cannot bare it any longer. I have to tell him. I have to let him know. The pain of each night, bodies touching but hearts still left lonely. Nothing will ever be said, no spoken words and lack of emotion. I could look you in the eye, bare my soul, but you would turn me away again; cold shoulder, avoiding all the pain.

You may not say what you feel, but I know there is something. Dark and looming, eating at your soul. It’s consuming the joy and happiness in your eyes. If you would only come out and say what it is. If you would let the pain have words and fly again. There is no reason to keep emotions locked away.

I watch you daily burning and writhing. You could stop it you know. You could be free. I’m not asking for fantasies, I am just asking for truth. You can’t even entertain fantasies anymore. There is only silence, unbearable, dark silence. If it’s left unsaid then I guess it doesn’t exist.

Why do we have to question motives and feelings? Is there even any feeling left? Bodies. I believe we are just bodies looking for homes. We wonder where the soul has gone. Absorbed into the abyss of our loneliness and longing. I know that you’ve pulled me under.

Please stop making me a part of your danger, your slow descent into hell. There is no coming back if you go there. Now you just linger in limbo. But if you go father you will never come back and I have grown to weak to find you. I can barely find you in my sateen sheets.

There are prayers everyday. But they are never heard. I have been searching for a savoir in your eyes and now I realize I am the one who can save me. I am the only one left sane enough to walk away. Though my eyes have grown dark as well. Fighting. We are fighting another day. What are we fighting for?

I sit here pulling dark smoke into my lounges. Pouring my soul out in words on blank pages. I play for you everyday, but you never hear me. You can’t even hear my words; let alone what lives behind them. I can play all my songs for you, but you will never change.

Even if I captivate you for a few seconds I can feel your attention slip away. Another shinny thing catches your eye, and there’s no way I can compare to that danger. I’m not one of them. I’ve never been. Not beautiful enough or damaged. You like them a little rough around the edges. You like them unwell. Maybe you are breaking me down until I am incoherent enough for you to love.

She used to sing to me, reminding me that it would be okay. But I no longer listen to her sad songs because I’ve become part of her choir. We are poets and priest of nothing…. That’s what Stevie said. But maybe someday we will be legends.

Stand up again, self-righteous. Stand up and look at me like an equal. Don’t coddle me. Don’t protect me. Unless you can damage your own reflection, Narcissus, there is nothing you can do here. You cannot save me.

Fighting shadows, never realizing you cast the monsters in your path. You cast monsters in my dreams, to the point that waking is nothing but a nightmare. I will never be able to settle into feeling again. I will never be able to ride quite the same. I lost something out there.

You may call me crazy. I am insane. I am an Echo. I can only repeat this pain. Again and again… giving back what you’ve given. I am your mocking bird. Your caged bird. Here I am, ready to sing. Listen to me. Can you please, listen to me?

Another night sitting across from you, trying to explain myself. I am foolish, stumbling over words and explanations. I can be irrational. But you try to rationalize your own insanity. You use pain as excuses, but do you think that really justifies your torment. You cannot be a heartbreaker just because someone made you that way.

Maybe we’ll make it out. Maybe I’ll be saved. Maybe you’ll finally go away. You want to find paradise in all the wrong places. You can lay down with your doll again, but in the morning the sunlight will show the cracks. Is that what you want? To find your-self in something that is breaking.

It makes sense now. You want what you can’t have. So you chase after the opposite thing. You look for yourself in broken reflections because you think if they are more broken than you, then no one will ever see the pain, the flaws, all the things you hate.

Stop! Just stop searching and be. For once in your life be here now, be here with yourself. Be here with me. You can’t do it though. You never could and you never will. You’re a thrill seeker. It’s all for the show. When the lights go down, the darkness comes out and you will die again.

If only I could be that broken reflection, more beautiful than all the treasure in the world, but you can’t see it. I’ve pointed it out, I’ve written about it. I’ve tried to make you feel something more.  That’s the trouble really. You want the last word. We are too strong for each other, yet too far gone to make it okay. I’ll be here when you come home. Just another Echo.

© Shaheen Miro

 

Welcome to my war (repost)

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The world is a very frightening place right now with all of the catastrophic events, and the sense of uncertainty that we are faced with everyday; from an economic standpoint and natural disasters, but the most frightening things is the spiritual disconnect that people feel from one another.

So much violence and hate happens on a daily basis and it truly saddens me. The amount of hate and animosity that people display toward one another, that goes unnoticed is staggering and I find it very sad that half the time its bold and in your face… yet nothing is done. I know that we cannot change the minds and hearts of other people, but I do believe that there should be more of a sense of support among the like-minded.

I have seen it many times and I will continue to believe, that the key to everything in the world is to rekindle our sense of community. Many faiths have taught us that judgment is not our place; our path here is to love and support one another.

I have personally seen a lot of hate in my life; hate toward me and toward the ones I love. I have had the most awful things said to me, attacking my sexuality and my spiritual beliefs and every time I just step back feeling sadness toward my attacker. The people that lash out with hatred are really the victim because, they live in a world of constant darkness, and their unkindness is the monster of FEAR!

People walk around with no sense of identity and self worth, no confidence and no power… so as a way to make up for what they lack, they attach the ones who are different from them. I continue to remind myself that in each person is a light and I send love to that place.

Please go out into the world respecting yourself and respecting others. Even if someone is different than you, it doesn’ tmake him or her wrong. Spirit placed us here with all our uniqueness and beauty so that we could be inspired from one another. You can turn your head if it bothers you, but please just bless everyone on their journey. Even the ones who live in a dark and sad world… bless them too and say a prayer that they find a place of freedom and love.

My experience with this hasn’t been as harsh as other, but really that is relative. I can say that I am a very strong person and it’s uneasy to shake me. But there are those out there who live in a constant battle of feeling “different” or “wrong” or “misunderstood” and then someone who deals with the same battle lashes out to them with hatred and anger and sends them deeper and deeper into their place of hurt.

There are a massive number of suicides happening today because of people being ridiculed for being gay. People were burned at the stake once for being different. We had the Holocaust. We’ve battled slavery. There are wars… see this and work your best to stop it. It starts with one brave little light shinning… be brave… love someone with the most outrageous, fearless love ever! Support someone in their effort to be who they are, even when it hurts.

There are hearts all over the world begging to be loved. Is there anyone in your life whom you have judged or disagreed with because you didn’t feel his or her life choices were right? …Even if there was no real harm in it. Maybe its time to right that wrong, Tell them you love them. Ask yourself why it bothers you so much. Are you avoiding something too?

My mother has always said that “darkness tends to fight the light”… and the old cliché, “misery loves company” seems to be a sobering reality.  I just wish to be a small part in the world of healing all the lost and lonely souls. But it starts with love and community.

Please step out of your comfort zone and see something that has bothered you with different eyes, curious eyes, and loving eyes and do something special. Support uniqueness and support what you already love.

I love all your gypsy souls,

Shaheen

© Shaheen Miro 2011

beautiful boys

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We were beautiful boys, too young to know better, and too proud to walk away. Something died in our hearts and minds, and was left rotting in the dark places of our souls. You had no clue how much you burned me and like a moth, I kept flying, a suicide bomber, back into your light.

They were strange, and made of gold. They glowed with warmth, but to the touch they were cold. You say everything will be okay… but once again, you do not know the path at which they go. They are always leaving. Dispensing their sorrows, to the wind with the dandelion heads. It was almost Summer then.

Keep your clothes on; there is no need to stand bare before me. There is nothing I wish to see, though I know every line that lives under your clothes. You were sculpted from the dark clay of the earth and fired in the kiln of the mountains. I saw you baptized by the fragile sea and kissed by the sun. So stand there in all your glory, but do not shed your clothes… for your exposed body would surly destroy me.

Now that there is nothing left to say. No one dares even write to the other. Let’s just let it float off into dust. You are not a fallen star to me. You will always shine. You gave me a chance, a voice and time to make my art. I have written down every word. I’ve taken it all in. Though we are saying good-bye to dying legends… the legends live on as stars; Lights in the night, to guide us home.

© Shaheen Miro 2/11/2012

beautiful one

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He was deadly, beautiful and manipulating. Dark caramel eyes that charmed snakes. I remember his poetry under lamplights on darkened street. He spoke words that sounded new and shinny, sweet like hard candy and dreams. I never had his silence and patience. I stumbled over my feelings. He said secrets are easy to keep if they never leave your lips.

I looked through the diamond in the door and saw your face. A heavy-handed, “knock, knock” shook the chipping wood. My heart skipped a beat with each bang. You were deadly to me. In that moment I knew. I pulled you into my veins… sour, syrupy, venom that eats me from the inside out.

His warm hands held mine. I saw one dark circle imprinted on the map of his palm. That was me. I am printed on you. I am part of your destiny, marked by God. You can reach for others. You can reach for the shadows. But you will always be touching me. X marks the spot. Remember me foretelling of someone to come? I saw it there, in your palm.

The lights went out and I pushed myself closer, wanting to feel small in your arms. Your soft lips wrapped around mine. I was a child quivering in the nighttime heat. The pangs of love were needles digging deeper into my soul. I remember once you tried to ease my doubts with words, like your poetry, the words were right. But I never felt better. Those words were stitches that wouldn’t heal.

His sour kisses infected the sunshine. The caress of his hand down my thigh brought castles to ruins. We were higher than Icarus touching the sky. You faded back to black, asking the fiends to make you real again. I was the puppet master… you only danced at midnight when I placed my hand on your back.

Two souls were taken out of time and put into different plays. We dance on opposites sides of the sea. Turning circles, around corridors we have haunted before. Midnights still flash in my mind, metallic light cuts me open when I doze of to sleep. I’m reminded that you are worlds away. I’m still aching, when it’s cold and damp in my bones.

He let go of me. Wrote it down on a scrap of paper and threw it under the plane while it flew away. I packed up all the baggage and gave it to charity. I wasn’t leaving any mess for you to castaway in. You can’t remember me that way. I’ll rap myself in black lace and become the night.

When I sit here at this broken down piano touching keys, I’m touching the memory of you. The memory of a love song we use to sing. I wanted your ivory eyes. You could not give me what I thought I would need. I looked for too much outside of myself.

This is not a tragedy. Though love can be tragedy. This is the most powerful love story. Friendship has overcome heartache. We are torn lovers who still long to hold each other when the world gets too tough. You will make it better because you protect me. I will make it better because I will never let the darkness consume you.

My candle always burns at the end of the tunnel. Here is home. My heart will always cradle you.  I won’t be angry if he finds love… because love is for the beautiful. You’re the beautiful one to me.

I lay these lilies on the bridge, an offering to God. Shine down on me; show me my face in your face. You are the mirror in the sky and I need my own reflection. We never truly see our own beauty until we learn to swallow the monster. Love comes from love.

 

© Shaheen 2/2/2012

forgiveness entered me

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I realize that there is no one to blame; not for the way we are feeling. You are distant and I am stumbling. I want everything. You can give me… nothing. I’m not angry anymore… It wasn’t your intention. You never meant to break my heart. You only handled me the way you’ve learned to.

Something shook me, bringing me closer to my center. I stepped back from the mirror, wiped the fog away… I looked at myself, for a change. Words started to come out again, the truth was revealed. I spoke. I secretly forgot about me. You forgot about you. Why do we seek treasure in all the wrong places?

You believed yourself unworthy, and I based my self-worth on your doctrine; written out there in the darkest places. I came back to the middle, where it first began. I went back to meet the past, face to face, reminded of my strange beauty, before the lifeless bled my life away. I am renewed.

In the dark you have begun to glow. In the dark I’ve begun to forgive. There was music, when I went to the Church and lit the candle. The words were unfamiliar, another language. But I recognized the feeling of forgiveness. Forgiveness is gentle like the spirit of a child or an animal; forgiveness entered me.

Once I crossed the ocean and sent my peace offering, the soul could begin to float. You knew I would leave again. I heard the voice, in London. It was an awakening. A light entered my head, and a stream of awareness began to feed into me. Now I am finding it… off in the distance it echoes. I’m following its song.

Your voice is soothing and harsh, yet I am warmed to know you are there. On the other end, where your life is unfolding. I am sending you warm blessings, as you venture into the future. We are closer now than ever. I let go of expectation. I stopped crushing you under the weight. I kept you falling, though you never knew. So now I am here singing… you are there winning. Maybe this is healing.

I will never forget the nights we touched. The times you shared your pain with me. You know every part of me. You’ve studied me. You could recreate my portrait. I know you inside. I know your voice. We are in each other. I live in a glass cage, on a pedestal… in your heart. I won that right.

They can come close to matching me. They have what I wanted. Still I have what they never will. You will show them all my dreams, and secretly you will keep all the love for me. I am safe there. I am not afraid of forgiving…forgiving brings clarity. I’m not clouded anymore, by the weight of you and me.

© Shaheen Miro 1/31/2012