connected in the rudraksha forest
i meditated and traced back into my blood lines
the joys and sorrows of all who came before me
drawn full into my body.
navigating along a nano-sized boat along these channels
I explored my arteries, arterioles, and capillaries;
when I reached my heart, I leapt out of the boat
and dove deep into my left ventricle, swam for an hour.
now, I don’t exist as the meat and flesh of walking
human-normal.
To withstand an earthquake,
arcing in the wind,
dancing mysterious music
percussive, clinking, bell-like, windy reed
to become so useful as wood, paper, or diaper
disposable fork or spoon, paper-towel.
Life as One of the four nobles, 1500 in species,
powerful, sheltering, in just 7 years,
assemble raft or scaffold any structure, move along
and usher water
grow, once cut re-grow,
improving your roots, absorbing nutrients,
even becoming a vase.
However hollow, always full of utility and movement,
so to become your life,
to become a proverb, and a philsophy
to live as mighty as a tree
When I was in China, students from the University of Beijing met with me and I was given a Chinese name. Unfortunately I do not remember the whole name, but one part of the name had the word, “bamboo.” I had forgotten about it until I found some photos to share that I took when I was at the Botanical Gardens a few years ago.
Yay! Today is Pepper day! It’s the 22nd of each month. This month is especially peppery since we are doing the November Nano Poblano 2020 blogging challenge.
This weekend at my NCGR meeting, I learned that a woman who was a very kind and loving friend, and astrologer, passed away. I hadn’t known. I looked back at the last text message she sent to me in January 2020 after meeting my daughter, and I felt very glad that I had the chance to meet her. I’m sad that I didn’t get to know her more, or work with her more. I had only been to her house a couple of times for her classes. She was an amazing mentor to so many. I missed out in a lot of ways. One year she told me that she added us (my family) to her special New Year wishes and ritual. I felt so touched. I saw her at over a dozen meetings these past few years before I had my baby, and before the pandemic.
It’s not easy to get my photography converted from a shiny print into a photograph with glare; and even though I saved the negatives, there are projects that I never got around to, like making new prints or digital images from the negatives, or scanning in photos, etc etc.
However I enjoyed these compositions of people in their natural element, and really feel these images express the beauty in the spirit, and the community liveliness I witnessed.
Each twist and turn
in the story of life
is but a flutter of light
glinting off a butterfly’s wings.
each moment is a whisper of
soft spoken messages fleshed with meaning
during our telling of it
who and what, where and which way when
is not as important as how we felt
when we quieted the inner din
and stared dark into the silence
feeling the holy fragility of the moments
that are too few to give us any true picture
of where we are going…
These photos I took in 2001 using my 35mm film Minolta camera, enjoying capturing moments at the temple complex while I deeply immersed myself as an observer.
Photography was a high art for me. I enjoyed developing and processing my own film.
Capturing these authentic moments and photographing the intricate architecture brought me so much joy. I wouldn’t publish these photos if I had taken them recently because I highly respect peoples’ privacy. These children are grown up by now, so I don’t think it’s an issue.
There’s controversy about capturing the photos of aborigine who felt that capturing their image on film was stealing their soul. Consider the photography you see in National Geographic. Was everyone’s permission asked? These are some of the dilemmas and controversies an anthropologist and photographer has had to consider.
Like this.
This is the life—
The satisfaction of a statue,
expressing timeless surrender.
We can travel to a memory,
even tarnished, it will shine.
You can dream about what’s possible,
and re-imagine what already happened.
May we all live and grow old
and smile, contentedly.
Like this.
In this blog post, I have a recorded a track for meditating outdoors. I’ve also included my photography from my visit to Cambodia in 2001. There’s two images of me from 19 years ago, taken by one of my teachers from University of Pennsylvania, Larry Silver.
So grateful for another day on planet earth with my loved ones. I’m grateful for all the genuine connections I have in my life with people who are not physically close, too, but are so so close to my heart. My friendships that are enduring are so valued in my life. I’m grateful for my loving family. I’m also grateful for my blogging connections and this month’s challenge helps me to keep centered on what matters most while being able to weave in and out as I need to and am able!
As people weave in and out of our lives, its so important to remember our inner lives. This new moon I embarked on a new journey with my Medicine Woman studies. It’s an incredible New Moon in Scorpio sextile to the Jupiter-Pluto conjunction. I received an initiation today and conducted a special ceremony; my path has begun on a deeper level, in private. Many of us walk between the two worlds, and as we anchor ourselves in the unseen world, we enrich the world we do for the consciousness of the planet. Today we also celebrate along with this New Moon, in many regions of the world, such as Northern India, Diwali, the festival of lights. It’s the celebration of good over evil. May we realize the goodness in our hearts, and come together on this planet. That is my hope each and every day.
3 tablespoons of chia seeds
8 oz unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp Organic maple syrup
Ghirardelli 1 tbsp
Organic cacao powder with Maca to taste
1 Tsp of vanilla
Cinnamon and nutmeg and a touch of cardamom to taste
I added in the apple 🍎 and pear 🍐 to top it off, but certainly mix it in!
When I took the picture, I didn’t even intend to share it. I just took the picture as a way for me to remember what I did. Basically, daily blogging is quite a stretch! So is preparing food when you are super busy. I would have probably mixed up the ingredients before taking the picture, but you all get the point!
Isn’t this a great time of the year, though? I love it… I’m looking forward to some more Autumn-engaging posts soon! Meanwhile, I think apples and pears are lovely for celebrating autumn! Be healthy =)
*note about the chia seed pudding: you have to stir it regularly so that the pudding gets to be the best consistency as it prepares to wait overnight in your fridge. First put in the maple syrup and mix it with the unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choice) then after that’s all dissolved (because you don’t want the chia to clump to it), put in the chia seed and stir, wait about 15 min, and stir again. Then wait about another 20-30 min and stir again. Then it can sit again in the fridge for a few hours or overnight (for best consistency) as the chia seeds create a tapioca-like pudding texture.
Sleeping dragon is always ready,
ready to play or stay, pray or delay–
Sleeping dragon fantasm
Here is his effigy.
The title for my blog post can be taken so many ways. Here’s the way I meant it: i want to grow Time like a healthy plant, like thyme, or an ivy, or a eucalyptus delugpta. I want to see it’s taproots pierce the soil with life lowering deep into the ground, anchoring the sprouts above ground. I want to grow time like I would grow a seed into a seedling and then eventually a tree. Time that makes me think of ship anchors and trapeze acrobats. Time that makes the joys of the earth and that of heaven consistent and bridge-able!
I rarely give myself time to draw. For this image, I gave myself the length of a song by Donovan, 4 min. This Donovan song came on during “The Queen’s Gambit,” a fantastic Netflix series about a female chess prodigy. Immediately the song clicked in with me when I heard it, like a drug I needed more of. I needed to listen to the whole thing, the fantasty of the lyrics and the bluesy moves of the notes. I still don’t know what the song means. Apparently Donovan wrote it as an apology to his friend.
I think it’s the harpsichord that gets me, or maybe it’s the sound of Donovon’s voice. Regardless, there’s so much untapped expression to be harnessed. I’m glad I found 4 min to do this. It’s really important for me to do *any* drawing for me, but it always gets placed at the end of my list. I wonder why. I know why. This drawing isn’t the important thing. If you look at it, it doesn’t contain very much, but it is the fact that I did Something.
Just the touch of one swirl across the page builds enough energy in me to fuel all my future dreams. Just one! So, it doesn’t take much, maybe it’s too easy to feel, to get consumed by it. Maybe it’s perfect and delicious, and exactly what I needed. Maybe the craving for more is the beginning of all things…. desire. Tis the season for abundance, magic and growing time!
I would never want to grow time without music! Music is like “coloring in” time. It gives the moments that pass, the ability to dance. It’s an opportunity to dance. Music is dancing. Time is free to groove or languish through music.
2020 Team
I used to see this plant as so exotic. This was before I moved across the States to the other coast. Now I see them all the time. So it was interesting when this particular bloom caught my eye with all its vibrancy and flame-like presence, encouraging me to take a closer look, and to capture the moment.
If only we could pause more often and see what’s in front of us with new eyes. Maybe then we would see how exotic and vibrant the land is surrounding us. Each and every one of us lives in a unique ecosystem. It’s right outside your front door!
Thank you to everyone who has been visiting and commenting during this Nano Poblano challenge for November 2020. I’ve been a little bit low on energy so I’m going to do my best to catch up with comments after I rest some during my down time, or whenever it’s possible. I do enjoy visiting your blogs. I appreciate you! Thank you for being here!
2020 Team
Fiesta Estrellas 
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