Tackle It Tuesday preview upcoming theme 'Holy Isle'

Dear Haijin and visitors,

As promised in the first comment of  my last Tackle It Tuesday episode (posted July 23th 2012) I will tell you something about "Holy Isle", the theme for next week's Tackle It Tuesday. Therefore I have made this preview-logo. Several years ago I heard for the very first time something about "Holy Isle" by a colleague of mine. She told me about "Holy Isle" as a wonderful and spiritual strong place. What is "Holy Isle" ?

Holy Isle is located off the west coast of Scotland, Holy Isle has an ancient spiritual heritage stretching back to the 6th century.It's now the place where you can come for a retreat based on the Kagyu Tradition of Lama Yeshe Rinpoche, a Tibetan meditation master. On Holy Isle you can find your peace and relief of your busy days.

Holy Isle is a wonderful place and I surely recommend you to visit their website. It gives you more information about Holy Isle and Buddhism in the Kagyu Tradition.

Why "Holy Isle" as the theme for next week's Tackle It Tuesday? Well ... haiku has a Buddhism base ... e.g. Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) was a Buddhist Monk and Haiku Master. So this theme for Tackle It Tuesday has a reason to be.

Credits: Holy Isle

Well ... my dear Haijin ... this theme will come up next week. Be inspired and enjoy the fun of writing your haiku.

Namaste

Tackle It Tuesday, passion

Dear Haijin (haiku poets),

Another week has gone. Again it was a busy week. I had to work the whole week at the hospital and I have started writing a new novel. I am not only a haiku poet, but also an author. Writing is my passion. Haiku is one of my biggest passions, but I love to write novels too. My novels are all written in Dutch. I hope someday that I can find the time to translate one of my novels in English, but that's ... maybe just a dream.
This week's theme for Tackle It Tuesday is "passion". Passion, what is it? Passion can mean romance, love or doing something passionate, such as writing haiku.

Passion, can also refer to the events that occur with Easter. The whole story on Jesus Christ can be called passion so that can also be a inspiration for you, my dear Haijin, to write a haiku about.

So this week's theme is passion. Write a haiku or set of haiku, classical or non-classical, on passion. Enjoy your writing and sharing it with Tackle It Tuesday. Maybe this haiku can inspire you, it's one of Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), a haiku master. He is one of my favorite haiku poets and I see him as my Haiku Master who inspires me to write haiku.

sazo na hoshi   hijikimono ni wa   shika no kawa

surely star-lovers

using as a rug

a deer skin

I like this one very much. Basho was inspired by the Tanabata-festival, one of the greatest festivals in classic Japan. Tanabata is a Japanese festival celebrated each year on July 7th. It celebrates the coming together of Orihime and Hikoboshi, the stars we call Vega and Altair. In Japanese folklore they are celestial lovers, separated by the river of the Milky Way, except for one day a year.

Credits: Tanabata festival

The haiku tells us how a boy and a girl are laying down on a deer skin to watch at the stars to see Altair and Vega meet each other. It's a romantic haiku, but (in my opinion) also a haiku on passion.

When Tanabata is on, streets, houses and other items are covered with colorful strips of paper.

colorful strips of paper in the streets for the Tanabata festival 

It looks wonderful and I think this colorful picture can be a source of inspiration. Let the haiku or the wonderful pictures inspire you to write a haiku (classical or non-classical). Enjoy the fun ... see you next week.This episode stays on 'till Monday July 30th 11.59 PM 

OK ... my haiku on this week's theme:

midsummer night

walking along the seashore

with the one I love