We are all alchemists...(or we CAN be)

 

We are all alchemists transmuting pain into aliveness, unwanted experiences into awakening.

RASHANI RÉA

People will never forget how you made them feel

 "I've learned that people will forget what you said, 

people will forget what you did. 

but people will never forget how you made them feel."

                                                            

                                                      Maya Angelou

It is powerful to be generous when feeling needy!

 

It is a powerful practice to be generous when you are the one feeling in need.

ALLAN LOKOS

YOUR HEART KNOWS:

 

We belong together in a deep solidarity which the heart discerns.

BR. DAVID STEINDL-RAST

Connections that help us transcend our own lives...

 

We need connection and stories and experiences that help us transcend our own lives to connect with others and ideas bigger than ourselves.

JULIA TAYLOR

How to feed every corner of your life...

 

Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.

RUMI

Weeds are flowers too

 

Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.

A.A. MILNE (VIA EEYORE)

Oil pulling for oral hygiene:

 Oil pulling is an ancient practice that involves swishing oil in your mouth to remove bacteria and promote oral hygiene. It is often associated with Auyrveda, the traditional medicine system from India. Studies suggest that oil pulling can kill bacteria in the mouth and improve dental health.

I have been using a vit.3 oil for years, and a periodontist admired the healthy tissue in my gums the other day. I credit the Oil pulliing

I don’t know about you but I have to dig deeper and deeper inside to find the place of inner peace beneath the storms that wail on the surface with such force and destruction.

 

Hola Relatives -  As the fires rage here in California, as floods inundate other parts of the country and draught and civil unrest along with continuing climate change devastation lead to so much suffering, it is very easy to get overwhelmed by it all and sink into despair, anxiety and depression, leading to what I call “give-up-itis” or “what the fuckitis!”.  I don’t know about you but I have to dig deeper and deeper inside to find the place of inner peace beneath the storms that wail on the surface with such force and destruction.     I have to keep reminding myself that all I have to handle is one breath at a time, that there is more going on than what shows on the surface and what is available to ordinary consciousness.  I have to remember that the Great Spirit is working in its mysterious ways seeking to bring through what truly serves fullest blossoming and greatest good but that this is not assured and that is why I am here, why you are here, why we are all here in these very challenging times -  so that we can show up in the middle of it all and do our part to open the doorway for that greatest good to come through.     It helps me to remember the teachings of the Medicine Wheel  where the North carries  the power of wisdom, which is knowing that Great Spirit is present in all situations, at all times, in all people and  at all places.  This calls me to attune my awareness to  Spirit’s presence  to access resources greater than my own to create skillful  responses to the situations that trigger fear, anxiety and unskillful reactivity.  I  continuously remind myself that no matter what is happening within or around me, I always have everything I need to be able to open my heart to Live Love Now, the only time I can ever do so, sending beams of love energy into my body, into others and into the world.     It's about setting my sails skillfully enough to catch the breeze and waves of God’s Grace present in all situations  if i surrender enough, if I open with enough humility and  receptivity.  I had a great lesson in this years ago during two white water runs on the Tuolumne River, one of the best white-water runs in California.  At a certain point in the river there is waterfall that creates a hole in the river, where tons of water running at great speed and power go over a rock with such force that not all the water continues downstream but instead is pushed downward and up again in a vertical whirlpool that sucks you into it as if you were in a washing machine thrashing up and down, up and down, up and down.  Very scary to say the least.   If you line up with the current just right you can shoot over the water fall with such force that you sail over the hole at its bottom and be ok, but if not lined up just right you get dumped into the hole and that is what happened to me on my first Tuolumne run.  Our rubber raft almost made it over the hold but the back of the boat didn’t clear it and i was in the back so i got sucked into the hole.     Thrashing up and down in white foam I fought to try and get out but there was nothing I could grab onto to pull myself out.  My panicky efforts led to exhaustion as I kept trying to overcome the power that kept sucking me up and down taking on more and more water to where I thought for sure I was going to drown.  Somehow a miracle occurred. Suddenly I was shot out from the hole into the downstream current and made my way to shore totally freaked out but glad to be alive.   Several years later I was back on the Tuolumne for another try at it but this time a different captain gave us some valuable information that had not be relayed preciously.  He told us that if any of us got sucked into the hole not to fight it’s downward pull because that would be futile.  Instead he said that if we let ourselves be sucked down to the bottom of the hole there would be some downstream water that would push us out of the hole and into the river released from the washing machine that could drown you.  The key, he said, “is to just let go and surrender into the power and you will be ok. Don't fight it. ”   We set off  into the river with high hopes of being able to line up right and make it safely over the falls but some of our crew members lost their paddles  when we hit some rocks and ricocheted  off them spinning madly just before reaching the waterfall.  Once again I was sucked into the hole but this time I had new information about how to skillfully respond.  I let myself surrender into the downward suck thinking, “I hope he was right about what he said”.  I let go of all effort and was immediately pulled down into the depths holding my breath and praying for release.  In an instant that seemed forever I hit the downstream water and was blasted out of the hole into the  current.  Once again I was able to make it  safely to shore grateful for the guidance of how to be in relationship with powers greater than myself.   Perhaps this “medicine” from my experience might be helpful to you in your own process of surrendering with faith and trust into powers greater than yourself enabling you to catch the “breeze and waves of God’s Grace" helping you through your tough times.  May it be so! See you live next Wednesday September 1 for LiveLove Now. tove, tomás   (this is not the Tuolumne but it gives you an idea of what a hole looks like

 No one is born a racist, bigot or misogynist.

What is learned, can be unlearned. Have the courage to replace the fear in your heart with love and compassion. Your world will be so much brighter for it.

The eyes of the future are looking back at us and ...

 

The eyes of the future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time. They are kneeling with hands clasped that we might act with restraint, that we might leave room for the life that is destined to come.

TERRY TEMPEST WILLIAMS

LIFE IS AN OPPORTUNITY....

 

Life is an opportunity given to satisfy the hunger and thirst of the soul.

PIR-O-MURSHID HAZRAT INAYAT KHAN

Wisdom indeed! Love absolutely! Between the two, my life flows!

 

Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything. Between the two, my life flows.

NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ

Just what I needed to read today - "...some breathtaking opportunities disguised as insoluble problems."

 

What we have before us are some breathtaking opportunities disguised as insoluble problems.

JOHN W. GARDNER

Peace is too pure to be...

 

Peace is letting go—returning to the silence that cannot enter the realm of words because it is too pure to be contained in words.

MALIDOMA PATRICE SOMÉ

In the grateful heart...

 

There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.

CELIA LAIGHTON THAXTER

Vipassana Meditation is basically watching the breath and the body (sensory awareness):

 

Moment by moment remain alert, guard your sanity. Strive to avoid and fend off the reactions of craving and aversion. -S.N. Goenka

Fox hole or ?

 

If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

WILL ROGERS

Nature with or without nurture?

 

We are nature and we are it all the time, no matter how far away or how close we perceive it to be at each moment.

FABIANA FONDEVILA Are humans considered nature?  Nature, in the broadest sense, is the natural, physical, material world or universe. ... Although humans are part of nature, human activity is often understood as a separate category from other natural phenomena. In the context of the nature vs. nurture debate, “nature” refers to biological/genetic predispositions' impact on human traits, and nurture describes the influence of learning and other influences from one's environment.   Significant evidence shows that nurturing others improves society's well-being. The once ubiquitous debates about nature vs. nurture have become much less common. Instead, it has become apparent that both our genetic nature and our environments affect our behavior. There is no question that humans vary in their genetic capacities to learn, to be pro or antisocial, and to be healthy. But as a practical matter, if you want a society full of productive, caring people, focus on nurturing.

The Most Basic Kind of Peacework:

 

If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.

THICH NHAT HANH

"...do that which best stirs you to love."

 

The important thing is not to think much, but to love much; and so do that which best stirs you to love.

ST. TERESA OF ÁVILA

LIFE IS BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL

                                             Let the beauty we love come and fill us.

Let the beauty all around get us through.

Let the beauty inside be our compass.

Let beauty now be what we do, what we do. Rumi

 

Active Hope is waking up to the beauty of life on whose behalf we can act. We belong to this world.  Joanna Macy

THE OLDER I GET THE MORE BEAUTIFUL LIFE BECOMES. fRANK LLOYD WRIGHT THE UNIVERSE IS WITHIN YOU. BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL. YOGI TEA WALK BEAUTIFULLY, TALK BEAUTIFULLY, LIVE BEAUTIFULLY. YOGI TEA

 

My love for you will always be...

 forever more throughout eternity.

In Spirit, in Love, we are one, the key is to look in the mirror and repeat: MY LOVE FOR YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FOREVER MORE THROUGHOUT ETERNITY.

                                         Divina the Golden Dolphin

                                                              and 

                                            Honey the Golden Dog

LIGHT FLOODING THE SOUL

 

Even if our efforts of attention seem for years to be producing no result, one day a light that is in exact proportion to them will flood the soul.

SIMONE WEIL

SPEAK THE TRUTH NO MATTER THE REACTION:

 

Fear does not stop death

 

We need to not waiver, to never waiver, with our appreciation to "carry us into our living freedom":

 

What will carry us into living freedom is not the holding of attention so much as the holding of appreciation. We need to not waiver, to never waiver, with our appreciation.

ADYASHANTI

Brené Brown's Top 4 Life Lessons

 1.. Fitting In Is Not Belonging

 The truth is: Belonging starts with self-acceptance. Your level of belonging, in fact, can never be greater than your level of self-acceptance, because believing that you're enough is what gives you the courage to be authentic, vulnerable and imperfect. When we don't have that, we shape-shift and turn into chameleons; we hustle for the worthiness we already possess.

2. Guilt Is Not Bad for You

I'm just going to say it: I'm pro-guilt. Guilt is good. Guilt helps us stay on track because it's about our behavior. It occurs when we compare something we've done—or failed to do—with our personal values. The discomfort that results often motivates real change, amends and self-reflection.

3. Perfectionism Is Not About Striving for Excellence

Healthy striving, meanwhile, focuses on you. It occurs when you ask yourself, "How can I improve?" Perfectionism keeps the focus on others. It occurs when you ask, "What will they think?" Research, unfortunately, shows that perfectionism hampers success and often leads to depression, anxiety, addiction and missed opportunities, due to fears of putting anything out in the world that could be imperfect or disappoint others. It's a 20-ton shield that we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, it's the thing that's really preventing us from taking flight. Another way to think about it? Consider Leonard Cohen's song "Anthem," which says, "There's a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."

4. Vulnerability Is an Act of Courage

There are a few myths about vulnerability that I think keep us from being wholehearted people who can fully give and receive love. The first is that vulnerability is weakness. The second is that it's optional.

First of all, vulnerability is not weakness. It's probably the most accurate measure of our individual courage. When I ask research subjects to give me an example of being in situations where they feel vulnerable, they say, "Taking responsibility for something that went wrong at work" or "Telling my boyfriend that I love him" or "Calling my friend whose child just died" or "Sending my kid to school knowing she is struggling but knowing she had has to figure it out" or "Meeting with the hospice person who is going to be taking care of my mother."

Sometimes I hear people say "I don't do vulnerability." But you do it, everyday. We all do it. We all have those moments. The only choice you have is how you handle those feelings of being terrifyingly, painfully exposed. Maybe you turn them into rage; maybe you turn them into disconnection; maybe you numb them; maybe you turn them into perfectionism (which, by the way, is what I do with them). But you do something with them.

The key to transforming them into courage instead is learning how recognize them, feel them and ultimately make the choice to simply be there, with that horrible tangle of uncertainty and risk. When you know what you're feeling and why, you can slow down, breathe, pray, ask for support—and make choices that reflect who you are and what you believe.

Brené Brown is the author of the The Gifts of Imperfection and widely known for her celebrated TED talk. Find her on Twitter at @BreneBrown.

Make space for quiet and beauty and tender attention:

The headlines and working for a living and navigating the realities of adult life, can feel a little lighter, a little less soul-crushing, when we make space for quiet and beauty and tender attention.

HOLLY WREN SPAULDING

Sometime, we have to look for that thin, silver lining....

 

                                        

No matter how dark the cloud, there is always a thin, silver lining, and that is what we must look for.

WANGARI MAATHAI

MAKING ROOM FOR MORE LIGHT!

 

Our actions entrench the power of the light on this planet. Every positive thought we pass between us makes room for more light.

JOHN LEWIS

Reverence for life is based on...

 

Reverence for life is based on compassion and caring for the other, recognition of the autonomy and subjecthood of the other, and the awareness that we are mutually dependent on each other for sustenance, peace and joy.

VANDANA SHIVA

To enter fully the day, the hour, …requires only a moment, this moment.

 

You have to remember one life, one death–this one! To enter fully the day, the hour, the moment whether it appears as life or death…requires only a moment, this moment.

STEPHEN LEVINE

Reach for the Stars or...

 

"Your idea of reality is too limited."

 

hola relatives - given the "mushroom musings" I will be talking about in this evening's LLN gathering i thought you might find some of the research referred to below of interest.     A  Reflection Statement to take into your ponderings is something that Danish physicist Niels Bohr,  who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922, made to Albert Einstein -   "Your idea of reality is too limited."   my add-on -  We are linked with and embedded in something we do not see in ordinary consciousness but which psychedelic mushrooms,  taken skillfully and respectfully, can open the doors of perception.      Mushroom Research - Psilocybin is in the psychedelic headlines, and rightly so: the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms is being shown in study after study to assist in relieving PTSD and trauma, to grow new brain cells, lift depression, and perhaps induce a mystical experience that may transform the way you see the world and your relationship with it.  The usage of mind-altering mushrooms pervades many cultures across the world and has influenced many ancient civilizations. Magic mushrooms can be seen represented in early cave art, and they were revered in Mesoamerican cultures like the Aztec, who referred to them as teonanacatl, meaning "god’s flesh".      Covid-19 Frontline Workers  To Receive Psilocybin Therapy The research team primarily aims to investigate the effectiveness of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy against depression, anxiety, burnout, and post-traumatic stress. As well as offering brave frontline workers potential relief from their experiences, this research marks another step forward in the utilization of psychedelics to heal the human psyche from traumatic and painful experiences.      Study: Psychedelic Mushrooms  Alleviate Symptoms of OCD Each year, an estimated 200,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a mental illness characterized by obsessive thought patterns and repetitive behavior. A new study now links psilocybin to decreases in OCD symptoms.    Magic mushrooms first came into modern Western awareness unexpectedly in mid-1957, when homes across white-picket-fenced America received a Life magazine with the headline story "Seeking the Magic Mushroom," by one R. Gordon Wasson.   Psilocybin Healed Me From Crippling Depression And Anxiety by Alexander Any therapy that uses the mood-lifting features of music is called music therapy. The idea is to improve the mental, physical, and overall health and well-being of the person undergoing the therapy and to relieve the stress and anxiety of life.    Psilocybin Switches Off Part Of Brain  That Causes Depression by Reshma Biring We’ve [discovered] that these drugs have quite profound effects; for instance, they switch off the part of the brain that causes depression. Now we’re doing a trial using psilocybin to treat depression because we think where conventional treatments fail, psilocybin might work.    Wasson, a banker with Chase Manhattan, and his wife Valentina (both amateur mycologists) visited the indigenous Mexican healer Maria Sabina. They were the first modern Westerners to take part in the indigenous velada or mushroom healing ceremony.  Maria Sabina knew the mushrooms help to heal. She said: "The mushrooms have power because they are the flesh of God.” The psychedelic vision Wasson revealed to Life magazine was the first blush of what was to become the psychedelic revolution. Now, decades later, science is backing up the indigenous wisdom, and things have come full circle.    Can Psilocybin Outperform  Standard Antidepressants? Psilocybin has shown real promise in treating depression. Part of what sets it apart from more conventional antidepressants is that it can reset a person’s system on many different levels at once: mental, emotional, spiritual, and chemical. But is it equal or more effective than antidepressants?    Psilocybin Builds Positive Connections  in the Brain In a formal study, a group of Danish scientists found that a single psychoactive dose of psilocybin increased the connectivity between neurons in the brains of pigs, which are structurally similar to human brains.    Back in the late seventies, I joined a group of sailors and hippie sailors to pick mushrooms in a Southern Fla. pasture. They are beautiful in the sunrise dew. shaped like a breast with the Aurelia but not the nipple. We stopped at the nearest I hop and added them to our eggs, freshly picked. Later on we had them sauteed with garlic on a sailboat. The night was clear and each star sent me a ray of light to each follicle of my brushed out curly afro. For the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged here, that I had a purpose here. This was after my abusive childhood, when I was told over and over again, that I was lazy, no good, and would never make it. However, every time I thought of taking them again, I got a headache. Gratefully, I did not feel like an alien anymore, that life is beautiful, the planet is mine to enjoy and learn from. I started studying yoga, reading Krishnamurti, meditating, chanting visualizing, so I thank mushrooms for helping start my journey inward and outward. Thanks for the memories and your teaching Tomas.   BLESSINGS GALORE, Ron Top 10 Psilocybin Studies Of  The Last Decade by Dr. Sam Gandy When I was in my late teens I first experienced my first real bout of depression, precipitated by the social isolation that came from acute social anxiety. I felt insecure and inadequate amongst my peers, so avoided socializing completely unless alcohol was involved.    Psilocybin Brings Relief from  Migraine Headaches Over 10% of people across the world suffer from terrible headaches and migraines – debilitating conditions that leave them in pain and incapacitated. New psychedelic research has now shown that psilocybin – the active chemical in "magic" mushrooms – can bring relief.