Heron Dance Art Studio

08/14/2026

The most sacred thing we have to share is our story.

Interviews, stories, reflections and art — and the questions they leave behind

https://herondance.org/the-sacred-story

08/11/2026

Chuang Tzu, Taoist poet
Suggests we empty ourselves
And in doing so, we abandon
Emotion, anger.
Empty of self-righteousness
We cross the river of the world
Unopposed. Unimpeded.
Almost invisible.

https://herondance.org/chuang-tzu-thomas-merton-empty-boat

08/06/2026

Reflections on the search for inner peace.

https://herondance.org/reflections-on-inner-peace

08/03/2026

Shiro Tsujimura: Zen Pottery and the Inner Creative Life

I recently came across the work of Japanese potter Shiro Tsujimura and his work, and the life he’s led, captured my imagination. He was born in 1947 to a farming family near Nara, which in turn is near Kyoto, a beautiful ancient city of Buddhist temples, gardens, imperial palaces, Shinto shrines and traditional wooden houses. After high school, he entered a Zen monastery.

For the rest of this post:

www.herondance.org/shiro-tsujimura-inner-zen-pottery

07/23/2026

Bashō, Patron Saint of Wayward Wanderers.

Bashō (1644-1694) is the haiku patron saint of travelers and wayward wanderers. Years ago I put together a book arts collection of my poems and art and named it, “The Journey Itself Is Home”, a title taken from the opening lines of Bashō’s Oku no Hosomichi ("The Narrow Road to the Deep North"), Basho's travel journal from his 1689 journey through northern Japan.

The moon and sun are travelers through eternity. Even the years wander on. Whether drifting through life on a boat or climbing toward old age leading a horse, each day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.
- Basho

Sampu, a wealthy merchant and admirer of Bashō’s haiku, built him a small house in Edo. It burned down . . .

Read the rest here:

www.herondance.org/basho-narrow-road-zen-journey

07/16/2026

On Cold Mountain spring water runs clear
Moonlight turns everything white
Alone, thoughts turn empty
The world still, silence moves inside.
- Han Shan (aka Cold Mountain), 9th Century T’ang Dynasty. Zen Mountain Journal interpretation

for the rest of this post, visit here

www.herondance.org/silence-universe-beckons-cold-mountain

06/26/2026

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Robinson Jeffers: From source to sea-mouth one flowing life.
I forget old sorrows -- tomorrow too distant to think about.

https://herondance.org/robinson-jeffers-flowing-life-source-sea

06/20/2026

The Tao Te Ching Journal: a quiet book for a noisy time

https://herondance.org/tao-te-ching-journal

Our life and work in the world are manifestations of our inner work. The heart of this work, and this journal, is a deepening friendship with yourself.

The Tao Te Ching Journal is a contemplative refuge of Taoist wisdom, art, and quiet. It offers a journaling practice, inspired by the ancient words of Laozi, for those who seek to create a life and work in harmony with their vision of a quality life. That quality is related, in part, to the questions we are willing to explore.

Zen Mountain Journal: Explore contemplative journaling inspired by Tao Te Ching & Zen poetry. Inner quiet, creative life, and ancient wisdom.

06/17/2026

The outer journey is a manifestation of the inner journey.

Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance,
And there is only the dance.
— T.S. Eliot

https://herondance.org/inner-manifests-outer-journey

05/13/2026

A quiet book for a noisy time / The Tao Te Ching Journal, now available for pre-order

The Tao Te Ching Journal is a contemplative companion for those seeking a quieter, more meaningful life. Combining Taoist hermit poetry, abstract Zen-inspired art, and guided reflections, it turns the Tao Te Ching from a book you read into a practice you live. Each chapter pairs a distilled verse with space for personal insight, helping you reconnect with your inner world, your intuition, and the “soundless music” at the center of your life. This is not merely a translation — it is a path toward simplicity.

More on the journal here.

https://herondance.org/journal

You can pre-order at the discounted price here.

https://herondance.org/print-journals/p/tao-journal