Soul

Ocean in Motion: Sail On, Teddy…

Written by Sven Eberlein

Water is the element on earth that carries our soul. There are no boundaries in water, as all parts are bound together by an inseparable whole. There is something soothing and mysterious in water, an invitation to be close to the source. We spend our first nine months in water, and throughout life are drawn to it. We cannot live physically without water, but our yearning for this unifying element goes deeper into our core.

I’m dedicating these photos to Teddy Kennedy, I couldn’t think of a better sailor to take us on a water journey.

Words fall short of the things that do not fall into the realm of thought and rationality. To understand we often are asked to go deeper.

Life’s treasures and sweetness reside deep down if we open our heart…

…and sometimes way up above, if we open our eyes…

Love is found in the rugged corners of our inner ocean…

and in fleeting moments of tranquility…

Wisdom is found in creatures small…

…and creatures tall…

Everything is in motion…

and yet so still

The currents of the mind…

and the shape of the heart

all melt into one…

We are rivers…

…and we flow into the same ocean

May you all be save on your journeys…

So long, Teddy, sail on!

I’ll leave you with a song/poem I wrote a few years ago

We are Rivers

On the way to greet today I stopped to look around
I was spinning on a wheel, getting off the ground
Higher in the sky I flew, swirling in the air
feeling like a bird, so much room up there

Zooming through the ages and looking to the stars
broadening my perception, getting close to mars
What I saw from way up there and what I’m here to say
In the end what counts is how much love you give today

We’re the forests, we’re the mountains, we’re the setting sun
We are Rivers
We’re all involved in struggles that keep us on the run
We are seekers

Sitting on a perch in space I watch the world go by
all the people searching, learning how to fly
Some are bold, some are shy, and some are in between
all of them reflecting their stories and their dreams

Searching for connection, dropping down their guard
some of them go deep and open up their heart
All I know that way up here it isn’t hard to see
that love is all that’s asked of us, all we need to be

All is One and One is All no matter how you see
We are Rivers
All the sum of all our thoughts is what we’ve come to be
We are Seekers

Traveling through time, across the galaxies
forgetting what is mine and losing boundaries
I see two lovers meet and they agree to share the path
learning from each other through a looking glass

Then the planets turn, clearing out a bigger view
stretching out their hearts, making room for more than two
It’s been said a thousand times and still I’m here to tell
Love is all you need, and war is bloody hell

Flowing down the streams of life into an ocean wide
We are Rivers
Searching for the whole entire universe inside
We are Seekers

photography by Debra Baida & Sven Eberlein

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Sven Eberlein

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16 Comments

  • What beautiful and inspiring photographs, and words and lyrics to match. On a purely emotional level, the Kennedys meant so much to so many, worlwide, including those in that diminishing generation, like my parents, who were contemporaries and also Catholics, but not American. From sixties Britain, they idolised JFK and Jackie, and were empowered by a Catholic taking on the highest office in the world, at a time when Catholics were marginalised in society and in business. As a result, President Kennedy’s funeral when I was a small child is etched on my memory, and much later, I mourned the terrible death of John Kennedy and his ethereal wife carolyn, and kept all the sad cuttings. Thank you for your tribute.

  • This post is just breathtaking!
    All the incredible pictures & your words to go with the pictures really did take my breath away!!!
    Your poem was also wonderful!

    Sail on Teddy, he would have loved this!

    Margie:)

  • Thoughtful. I loved him like you and millions. Was on the Vineyard yesterday looking for Mya among the parade of sails. Anyway, thank you for a beautiful post, and stunning photography.

  • That is absolutely the most beautiful and poignant tribute that I’ve seen all day. It sounds like something Ted Kennedy himself would have said in tribute to someone. It actually reminds me of his eulogy for JFK, Jr. Thank you for posting it!

  • Thank you Beth & Nicole. I’m humbled by your comments and will channel it right through to Senator Kennedy. A great spirit indeed.

    • Thank you Pam. Yes, breathing is amazing. We only have so many breaths, so it’s good to enjoy these great gifts. I don’t know if I’m seeing humankind’s future, but it’s the view inside my heart. If the future is shaped by our hearts we’ll do really well.