Sunday, March 27, 2011

sanguine

LUCID SIGHT
When we want something strongly 
we can become blind sided  
Sending forceful frightening energy 
into the universe. 

Demanding 
God dammit! 
Vibrations shutter 
And the corridor of our pathway narrows

Now we are crawling on hands and knees
With a flicker of light ahead
Forcing ourselves 

Onward through dense brush
The heart tenses 
Fear of failure is overwhelming
Yet we keep going, keep forcing

Without realizing
 We have lost sight 
Of where we are headed

The journeys end as become a dream 
An oasis
In our imagination
A destination that does not exist

Yet we keep crawling 

Thinking 
If we squint hard enough 
We will see it
 Reach it 
Taste it 
 Touch it

Our options are few
From which to choose
Turn back 
Or broaden our view

In other directions
Other rabbit holes 
Leading to vast fields of life

Perhaps the hardest part 
Is letting go 
Of illusion and desire

Having faith that wholesome decisions
Will bring a wholesome outcome

Our awareness is limited
Close to the ground 
Small things appear large

If crawling is a choice
Then we can also
Choose to stand
Before an open path
And walk towards brightness

Astronomers explain that all the elements heavier than hydrogen originated inside stars. The carbon in the ink on a page, and the silicon in glass and microchips, were created in the heart of a star, long ago, as that star shined by fusing hydrogen. The iron that carries the oxygen in your blood as you read this, was created when a star, in its dying phase, exploded. 
You and I are not merely separated from the galaxies by unimaginable immensities of space; we are also connected to them by unimaginable immensities of time. 
We are literally made from stars. We are their descendants. The only difference between us and stars is time. 






 We human beings are not separate from the universe. 
Galaxies are not merely distant
they are distant cousins


Homemade Veggie Burgers
1 1/2 c black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 c cilantro/ parsley 
1 garlic clove
1 t cumin
1/2 t salt
2 green onions (or 1/2 red onion)
2/3 c chopped carrots
1 3/4 c rolled oats (or quiona flakes)
Add brags to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  
Mix everything in a blender or food processor. pulse until blended.  
Add more oats or quiona flakes for thicker consistency.  
On an oiled baking sheet, use an ice cream scoop to make patties.
Bake 10-15mins flipping halfway through
These freeze well and taste great reheated in a frying pan

Windows and buildings at Dhamma Pakasa



Thursday, March 24, 2011

snowing in mass

Here I am in Cape Cod Mass.  I woke up this morning feeling intense graditude towards everyone whom I have cross paths with in my life.  Everything that brought me here.  This snowy march morning I opened my cabin door to a still lake and a blanket of snow hiding the forest floor.  A quiet walk to the empty dining hall to make a wholesome breakfast, green juice and tea.  The innocent calmness of this is grounding.
I am working as an outdoor educator at a camp in Sandwich Mass.  Been here a few days
going to take some photos.
be back later

Sunday, March 13, 2011

The Goddess

The Goddess Within

The Divine Mother. The Divine Mother abides in the heart of every being, universes without end. She is the divine creatrix who has manifested these dancing forms of consciousness as an adoration for Her beloved, the eternal formless Supreme Being - God the Father. In truth these two timeless lovers are not two. Rather, they are inseparably bound to play out their cosmic dance of love for all eternity. The Goddess came from nowhere meaning that there was never a time She did not exist. She is that aspect of the Divine which is immanent and accessible. Where there is love, compassion and mercy, we see Her direct presence. Her abode is always the present moment.


"In every woman there is a Queen. 
Speak to the Queen and the Queen will answer."
- Norwegian proverb


March is National Women's History Month

It is important we learn about women’s tenacity, courage, and creativity throughout our history.  What a tremendous source of strength.  Until relatively recently, this sphere of women's history was overlooked and undervalued. Women’s achievements were often distorted, disdained, and denied.  But, knowing women’s stories provides essential role models for everyone. And role models are genuinely needed to face the extraordinary changes and unrelenting challenges of the 21st century.




Women in History

  • Women have not only caught up with men in college attendance, but younger women are now more likely than younger men to have a college or a graduate degree. Women are also working more and the number of women and men in the labor force has nearly equalized in recent years. As women's work has increased, their earnings constitute a growing share of family income.
  • In almost every country in the world, the life expectancy for women is higher than men. For virtually all causes of death at all ages, mortality rates are higher for men. Scientists aren't entirely sure why this is the case, but believe it might have to do with the presence of estrogen in the body improving immune function.
  • Today, 71% of moms with kids under 18 work. In 1975, fewer than 47% did.Once upon a time, the idea of women working outside of the home was frowned upon and most women who did so worked as maids, seamstresses, took in laundry or worked in one of the traditionally female fields. Today, more women not only work outside the home, but hold a wider variety of jobs, with some even making it to the top of business, technology and science fields.
  • Approximately 14% of active members in the U.S. armed forces today are women. In 1950, women comprised less than 2% of the U.S. military. Today, women play an active role in serving their country through military service, but many in years past would simply disguise themselves as men in order to gain access to the battlefield, including well-known examples like Frances Clayton in the American Civil War.
  • In 1903, Mary Anderson was granted a patent for the windshield wiper. It would become standard equipment on cars by 1916. She isn't alone in her inventiveness. Women have also invented such things as industrial lathes, white out, bras, non-reflective glass, the dishwasher, disposable diapers, petroleum refining methods and much, much more.
  • Roberta Gibb was the first woman to run and finish the Boston Marathon in 1966. Of course, she didn't get official credit for it, as women were not allowed to enter the race until 1972, but her wins, in '66, '67, and '68 seriously challenged long-held beliefs about the athletic prowess of women.
  • Virne "Jackie" Mitchell, a pitcher, was the first woman in professional baseball. While women still don't have much of a presence in baseball today, Mitchell proved that it wasn't because they couldn't play. During an exhibition game, she struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Her performance probably played a part in baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banning women from the sport later that year.
  • Women often wrote under pen names in times when it was not seen as appropriate for them to contribute to literature. Even some female authors who are highly acclaimed today had to resort to fake names like Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, Mary Ann Evans (perhaps better known by her pen name George Eliot), and Louisa May Alcott.
  • In 1777, sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington raced through the night to warn New York patriots that the British were attacking nearby Danbury, CT, where munitions and supplies for the entire region were stored during the heat of the Revolutionary War. While Paul Revere gets all the glory for nighttime rides, her journey took her twice the distance and helped the troops prepare and repel a British attack.
  • The first female governor of a U.S. state was Wyoming governor Nellie Tayloe Ross, elected in 1924. Wyoming was also the first state to give women the right to vote, enacting women's suffrage in 1869, making it a surprising leader in women's rights.
  • In 1770, a bill proposing that women using makeup should be punished for witchcraft was put forward to the British Parliament. The use of makeup was frowned upon during this period for the effect it would have on men, and women who were thought to be luring men in with scents, makeup, wigs or other cosmetics were thought to be performing the devils' work by inciting lustfulness. Even the Queen took a hard stance on makeup, calling it "impolite."
  • Martha Wright Griffiths, an American lawyer and judge, pushed through theSex Discrimination Act in 1964 as part of the Civil Rights Act. This act has helped protect countless women on the job and in everyday life from discrimination based on their gender.
  • Gains in education and labor force involvement have not yet translated into wage and income equity. At all levels of education, women earned about 75 percent of what their male counterparts earned in 2009. In part because of these lower earnings and in part because unmarried and divorced women are the most likely to have responsibility for raising and supporting their children, women are more likely to be in poverty than men. These economic inequities are even more acute for women of color.   http://www.nwhp.org/  http://www.infoplease.com/womens-history-month/