Carpe Diem Vision Quest Revived #1 day 3 Issa's silence

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What joy it was this revived Vision Quest. It was a joy to create it and a joy to read your responses. Today is the last day of our "revived" Carpe Diem Vision Quest. For this third day I have a nice haiku by Issa for you. I love the haiku written by Issa, they are beauties and sometimes written in a childlike way ... but isn't that what we need? That child inside has to come to life again, it makes us more open for the beauty of nature .... seeing nature for the first time like a child that sees (for example) snow for the very first time. That's what haiku needs I think, that's what "living in the moment" means. Everything we experience, notwithstanding how often we have experienced it, we experience for the the first time ... seeing it like a child.

Enjoy it like children

Be like a child again. Look at the world around you through the eyes of children and experience the beauty of it.

naku na mushi damatte ite mo ichi go nari

don't sing, insects!
observe a period
of silence

© Kobayashi Issa

Imagine the scene Issa describes ... would it be possible? Just a small moment without the song of insects, that deep silence ... that's a feeling .... everlasting.

laughter
resonates through the street
chestnuts

© Chèvrefeuille

Can you imagine the scene? Look at it like a child ... isn't that awesome?

This third (and last) day of our "revived" Carpe Diem Vision Quest is NOW OPEN for your submissions. You have to respond within 24 hours, because than you "learn" the essence of haiku (only haiku) ... that one moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water. Thank you for participating in this Vision Quest.

Carpe Diem Vision Quest revived #1 day 2 deep silence

!! only 24 hours to respond !!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Yesterday I started Carpe Diem Vision Quest revived after several years and today I have a wonderful haiku by Basho to meditate and contemplate about ... reach out to the deep inner wisdom ... on a quest to find the deeper meaning.

Here is the haiku by Basho:

shizukasa ya iwa ni shimiiru semi no koe

deep silence
the shrill of cicadas
seeps into rocks

© Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694)

Maybe you can remember this haiku, because I used it in earlier posts here at CDHK. And here is a quote by Basho to help you to become inspired on your vision quest:

[...] "Haiku is a profound meditation on the power of poetry to express the inexpressible and convey the unspoken eloquence of all that is."[...]

hot summer night
through the open window
the sound of waves

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... find your path on this Vision Quest ... Try to create a new haiku (only haiku) inspired on this haiku by Basho and his quote. And remember ... you have to respond within 24 hours. I know that's very short, but it can help you to improve your "in the moment" skills.

Carpe Diem's Vision Quest revived #1 deep silence

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Maybe you can remember our "vision quest", that special feature we have had here at CDHK (started in 2014) a three days challenge to write a haiku in response on a shared haiku. Maybe you can remember that you had only 24 hours time to respond. I love to do a "vision quest" again, because it helps you to improve your haiku writing skills. What do I mean? Well ... haiku (as we know) catches a moment as short as the sound of a pebble thrown into water, or in an eye-blink. That's what I love to try in the "vision quest", creating haiku in an eye blink.

For this first revived edition of the CDHK Vision Quest I have a wonderful haiku for you which I wrote for the Winter Retreat 2016 to inspire you:

the sound of rain
on the tin roof of the cabin
deepens the silence

© Chèvrefeuille

Let me first tell you a little bit about the idea of the "Vision Quest".

A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures. The ceremony of the Vision Quest is one of the most universal and ancient means to find spiritual guidance and purpose. A Vision Quest can provide deep understanding of one's life purpose.

A traditional Native American Vision Quest consists of a person spending one to four days and nights secluded in nature. This provides time for deep communion with the fundamental forces and spiritual energies of creation and self-identity. During this time of intense spiritual communication a person can receive profound insight into themselves and the world. This insight, typically in the form of a dream of Vision, relates directly to their purpose and destiny in life.

In many Native American groups the vision quest is a turning point in life taken to find oneself and the intended spiritual and life direction. The Vision Quest is often used as a Rite of Passage, marking the transition between childhood and full acceptance into society as an adult. A person’s first Vision Quest is typically done during their transformative teenage years. When an older child is ready, he will go on a personal, spiritual quest alone in the wilderness, often in conjunction with a period of fasting. This usually lasts for a number of days while the child is attuned to the spirit world. Usually, a Guardian animal or force of nature will come in a vision or dream and give guidance for the child's life.  A Vision Quest helps the teenager to access spiritual communication and form complex abstract thoughts. Through this Rite of Passage the child becomes an adult, taking responsibility for themselves and their individual contribution to a healthy society. The child returns to the tribe and once the child has grown he or she will pursue that direction in life. After a vision quest, the child may become an apprentice of an adult in the tribe of the shown direction (Medicine Man, boat-maker and so on).

 

I like the idea of a Vision Quest to find the purpose of your life. Three days being one with nature and nature alone. In deep contact with nature, feeling the vibrations of nature's spirits. And that's what I hope this Vision Quest will do with you. Maybe not that deep, but I hope it will give you the possibility to improve the "one-moment" skill of haiku.

in deep silence
surrounded by nature's spirits
finding the path

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... I hope you will participate in this Vision Quest, three days of writing haiku (only haiku), within 24 hours. The Vision Quest takes three days so you have to create three haiku, every day one haiku.

 

 

Carpe Diem Tokubetsudesu #49 at the seashore (Vision Quest reprise)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's Wednesday again and that means ... time for a new Tokubetsudesu episode. Instead of what I wrote in our prompt-list of this month (drought) I have chosen for another theme at the seashore. This has all to do with the choice of the special feature.
Tokubetsudesu gives me the opportunity to bring back special features we have had here at our Haiku Kai. This week that 'former' feature will be Carpe Diem's Vision Quest.
Do you remember that feature? Three days on a row to write haiku inspired on a theme and for every part only 24 hours to respond and if possible with a slight sauce of cohesion to bind the three haiku together.

So for this Tokubetsudesu episode I love to challenge you to go on a Vision Quest with me. There is only a slightly little difference with the original feature. You have to use the three prompts, all with the same theme, in three different haiku and there has to be some cohesion that binds the three haiku together.
For this challenge I will give you 24 hours extra time to respond. Here is the theme: at the seashore and these are the three prompts you have to use:

1. waves
2. seagulls
3. sundown

Credits: at the seashore

This new challenging episode of our Tokubetsudesu feature is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until June 27th at noon (CET). I will (try to) publish our new episode, lagoon, later on.

Carpe Diem #610, Transformation (2nd Vision Quest, 3rd day)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Today we have our final day of our three days Vision Quest and today I think our prompt is very much in tune with what a Vision Quest can do ... transformation (or spiritual changes). This prompt is so of this era of Aquarius, in which our spiritual growth will become stronger and stronger.

Our final day ...
in search of our inner beauty
transformed

© Chèvrefeuille

Well ... it is not a very strong haiku, but I think it is a nice way of speaking about transformation. I don't think it's useful to tell you more about transformation ... just go with the flow and dive deep inside your own mind to see if you are changed, if you are transformed ...

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until November 23rd at noon. So you have just 24 hours to respond. I will try to post our next episode, Sylph, Spirit of the Wind.

Carpe Diem Special #118, Tomas Tranströmer's fourth "in time with the moon" (Vision Quest day 2)

!! I had forgotten to give the linking widget, so this 2nd day of our Vision Quest starts at 22.00 PM (CET) and will close tomorrow at 22.00 PM (CET) Sorry for this trouble ... !!!

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

It's my pleasure to bring our second Vision Quest Day (and our CD-Special #118) with a haiku by our featured haiku poet Tomas Tranströmer. As you all know we are busy with our second Vision Quest in which you have to respond on the given prompt within 24 hours trying to look at the deeper layers of haiku, or in other words the spirituality in haiku. I think that the haiku by Tranströmer is a great start for this second Vision Quest day.

and the night streams in
from east to west, traveling
in time with the moon

© Tomas Tranströmer

Can I write/compose a haiku in the same tone, sense and spirit as the one by Tranströmer? With looking deeper into the hidden layers, the spirituality in the haiku? I don't know, but I have to try of course. So here I go ...

As I look at the scene in the above haiku than the first thing which came in mind is the eastern philosophy coming with the wind to the western world. We are (as you maybe know) now in the Age of Aquarius, the time in which humanity will grow in it's spirituality ... And than I see the moon in all her beauty and stages in front of my eyes ... she is the embodiment of time, so I have to use her image in my haiku ... Reading this haiku again and again ... I get the picture finally and than I see my Alter Ego, the Unknown haiku poet Yozakura ... he smiles at me and nods ... he whispers "you can do it" ... than the revelation, the scene, the Aha-moment ...

rustling bamboo leaves

whispering my deeper thoughts -

the bright moonlight

© Chèvrefeuille

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open for just 24 hours until November 22nd at 7.00 PM (CET). I will publish our third day of our Vision Quest later on. Than we have transformation for prompt ... For now ... have fun! 

Carpe Diem #609, Escape (2nd Vision Quest, day 1)

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Another day has gone by. This week I haven't a lot of time, because it's a busy week at work. So this episode will not be that long I think.
Maybe you can remember that I had planned a "Vision Quest" for this week (November 18,19 and 20), but I had forgotten about that. So this new episode will be part of our 2nd "Vision Quest" which will last until November 23nd. I hope you remember that the goal of the "Vision Quest" was to look in a spiritual, deeper way to haiku and to respond within 24 hours.(More on "Vision Quest" you can find HERE)

Today is the first day of this new "Vision Quest" and I will use the upcoming prompts for this "Vision Quest". Today that will be escape, tomorrow that will be a haiku by our featured haiku-poet and the last day of our "Vision Quest" that will be transformation.

So let us start with our first day of our second "Vision Quest". Today we start with escape and I think escape can be very much the feeling of a Vision Quest. As I remember one of my own Vision Quests than it felt really as an escape from all days worries and lack of time. It felt as a relief, finally alone in the middle of nowhere, just searching for peace of mind, heart and body. I remember that the first time I did such a Vision Quest I went into the forest with my back-pack filled with food and water, my disc-man and nothing else. I found myself a nice place, between pine-trees, birches and oaks, and far away from the world. The only sounds I heard were all natural, the song of birds, rustling of leaves and so on. I unclothed and felt the soft warm summer breeze on my skin. There I was completely naked one with nature. Just me myself and my mind, the beat of my heart and the Earth. It felt really as an escape. It was really soothing for my mind, heart and body to be there ...

one with nature
becoming nature again
escaped

© Chèvrefeuille

Not a strong one, but I think it's a real deep spiritual one ...

This episode is open for your submissions tonight at 7.00 PM (CET) and will remain open FOR JUST 24 HOURS until November 21st at 7.00 PM (CET). I will publish our new episode, our 2nd Vision Quest day, a haiku by Tomas Tranströmer, our featured haiku-poet, later on. For now ... have fun, be inspired and share your haiku on escape with us all.

Carpe Diem's Vision Quest 1 day 3 (the last day) "deep silence"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

Here it is our last (third) day of this first Vision Quest in which the goal is to write a new haiku after meditating and contemplating about a given haiku and to respond within 24 hours. I hadn't thought this would be that great as it has become. Thank you all for participating in this first edition of Carpe Diem's Vision Quest.

Here is our last haiku to inspire you on this Vision Quest:

evening walk

the sound of a wind chime
deep silence

© Chèvrefeuille

 

Well ... it's a nice haiku (if I may say so) to end this Vision Quest with. I hope that you liked it (please let me know) and I hope to see you all again somewhere in November as we are doing this Vision Quest again. For now ... have fun!

This episode of our Vision Quest is open for your submissions tonight at 6.00 PM (CET) and will remain open until August 28th 6.00 PM (CET). 

Carpe Diem's Vision Quest #1 day 2, "An empty shell"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What an unexpected success this new feature "Vision Quest" I hadn't thought that it would be that great. By the way CD's Vision Quest is a challenge of three days, today we have our second day of this new feature. Tomorrow will follow the third (and last) day of this three-days Vision Quest.

Here is our second haiku for this first Carpe Diem Vision Quest. (See for details here). Remember that you have only 24 hours to submit your inspired haiku. I have found another nice haiku written by myself for our second day of the Vision Quest:

next to my footprint

the empty shell of a hermit crab -
Ah! what a sadness

(c) Chèvrefeuille (2012)

Be inspired and share your "quick"-write haiku here with us all. You have to respond before August 27th 6.00 PM (CET). I will post our last day of this Vision Quest (the third haiku) at that same time. Have fun!

Carpe Diem's "Vision Quest" #1 day 1 "New Moon"

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

I think I have created an all new and wonderful feature in which I challenge you to 'quick'-write a new haiku or senryu. In this new feature I will give three days in a roll a haiku for your inspiration. Sounds easy? Maybe it is easy, but the difficulty is in the time you may use to write a new haiku ... just 24 hours.
I have called it Carpe Diem's Vision Quest and I think that's what it is. Let me first tell you a little bit more about what a Vision Quest is.

A Vision Quest is a rite of passage, similar to an initiation, in some Native American cultures. It is a turning point in life taken before puberty to find oneself and the intended spiritual and life direction. It's an ancient way to find your Inner Self and what your task is for this life in the way of opening your eyes to the spiritual world.

Credits: Vision Quest

Of course this is not really what our "Vision Quest" is meant for. The goal is to 'learn' how you, as a haiku-poet, can see the beauty of the moment on which the haiku is based.
For this new feature, which will take three days, I will give one haiku a day for your inspiration. Meditate and contemplate over it, try to see the scene and find the deeper meaning. If you have done that write/compose a new haiku or senryu (no tanka, kyoka, haibun or other form) inspired on the scene and deeper meaning of the given haiku/senryu.
For this feature you have just 24 hours to respond, so tn three days, you have to write three new haiku or senryu. There is no prompt, just the haiku, which you can use for your inspiration. Carpe Diem's Vision Quest will take place once in a season. So this first episode is for summer.
Our next Vision Quests are in:

November 2014 (autumn)
February 2015 (winter)
May 2015 (spring)

After that fourth Vision Quest I will look if I will continue with it or not.

Credits; Vision Quest

For this first Carpe Diem Vision Quest I have chosen three haiku written by myself. I hope you all will like this new feature.
In your response post I hope to read which scene you saw, which deeper meaning it revealed to you and of course your inspired haiku or senryu.

Here is our first haiku/senryu for the first day of this first Vision Quest:

new moon
she, our moon will grow again
a new life cycle

© Chèvrefeuille (2012)

A nice one to start with I think. You have to respond before August 26th at 6.00 PM (CET); I will publish our second day of this Vision Quest around that same time.
For now ... go on your Vision Quest explore the scene and the deeper meaning in your mind and share your inspired haiku with us all. Have a great Vision Quest!