ASH RISING: The Fierce Urgency of "Today"

ASH RISING ✨

Seeded by CJB today!

I stare down at my aging skin
What was once taught lies hidden
Obscured by simple folds of doubt
Am I too old to touch another's fears
Am I too late for loving how I know I can

Time stands still as a heat cloaks me
I sense life has felt the knock of doubt
Like a seedling growing towards the sun
I feel it now, a sense of this is not it
Every today is a phoenix' ash tray

And like the morning dew reflecting
A pendulum of spirits are joining in
A chorus of decision resting upon time
Crashed waves encircle my doubt
Today you're forever young they shout!

ASH RISING: The Fierce Urgency of "Today"

How are you? You look amazing. How about on the inside? The side only you ever see? It can get pretty dark in there if you are not aware that there is always light waiting to show you the way.

Woah! This is not a religious preachy statement. As everything CJB is. This is real. I keep it earthy, grounded. Why? Because everyone has that inner voice. The one we shouldn't listen to! Thankfully The Soul Acts is almost about to be given birth! That will explain all, but until then. I need to save your soul (seriously I am not preaching — only acting with kindness and compassion).

Let's talk about your mirror. No, not the mirror in your bathroom that reflects your best angle, but the one I've been alluding to. Yes the one that catches you when you’re quiet and vulnerable, when you’re staring down at the reality of time.

That's where this poem begins: "I stare down at my aging skin," and the inevitable whisper of doubt creeps in. Anyone of us will come to know that feeling—the deep-seated fear that the best parts of us are now "Obscured by simple folds of doubt." The questions become huge, heavy stones we carry: Am I still relevant? "Am I too old to touch another's fears?" Have I become "too late for loving how I know I can?"

It’s an existential moment where time doesn't tick forward; it just stops, cloaking you in the anxiety of your own mortality. You sense that life itself has felt that knock of doubt on the door. This isn't just about old age, my teenage years were tough as my body broke out in acne. At one time it stopped me going into the sports changing rooms, DANG!! if I had a time machine I'd be flying back now to tell myself what I have unearthed — on hearing it, that 14 year old CJB would run into those lockers, head held high. And that is what this poem is aiming to do for you, no matter what inner struggles you may have today.

The Soul Act of the Ash Tray

The genius of the soul is its refusal to stay buried.

The ultimate Soul Act isn't avoiding the pain or the passing of time—it's recognizing the profound truth hidden within that stillness. It’s the moment you realize that the cycle of death and rebirth isn't a future event, but a continuous reality, available right now:

Every today is a phoenix' ash tray.

That line is everything. It means the "ash" isn't a sign of finality; it’s the raw material. It means whatever is burning through from yesterday—whatever fears are heating your primal-ego, whatever past you have survived—there is a power that comes from all of it. And that power is right here, now, always waiting to fuel the next fire, to rise you up to another level. Doubting means you still have something left to risk, something you need to act on. Don't feel the fear, feel the exhilaration, the renewal that moving through tough times brings you.

The Chorus of Decision

The breakthrough comes when you let go of the human-animal control, when the "Crashed waves encircle my doubt," and you finally listen to the collective wisdom: that "pendulum of spirits" joining in. That's a truth you know deep down is real. Not a blog post. Not words on a backlit screen. But a light that is always shining through. You are starting to feel THIS aren't you?

The realization is a radical act of spiritual (soulful) youthfulness. You are not defined by the lines on your skin or the years on your calendar. You are defined by the actions you make today.

And when you finally act lovingly through your soul—when you choose renewal over doubt—you'll feel that collective surge, that universal truth shouting back:

"Today you're forever young they shout!"

Choose the rising, not the resting. Choose the fire, not the ash. Choose today!

Always with love, hope and clarity,
Soulfully ✨
CJB