Basil Growing Update: 2 months!

Little Basil is going to grow up to be a great Summer pesto!

Affirmation: “Keep Turning the Page”

from John Kabat-Zinn’s “Wherever You Go, There You Are”

Redesign & New Name

I woke up this morning with an idea. How am going to pitch my business, especially with such a long name?
So I did some Tarot Therapy as is customary with my daily devotions. I picked Temperance, the card of mixing, patience, and transformation.

So, with that as inspiration, I renamed my blog and registered it as my own private domain!

I’ve finally done it! My domain! It’s been on my bucket list… Stay tuned! 😉

Sacred Sunday: The Rain

Washes the dust away.
…nourishes our roots.
…gladens our skin.
…and deepens our colour.

Can you smell it?

Ionized rain droplets.

So Sacred.

Reclaiming, Living & Being my “Purest Pure”

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.” ― Gautama Buddha

Full Moon in Sagittarius. Full Moon day of Flowers. Buddha’s Birthday.

Today, also happens to be the day I’ve become an ordained minister.

As a member of the Universal Life Church I am granted the ability to:

• Perform marriages, funerals, baptisms, ceremonial rites, and last rites.
• Start my own church, be it brick & mortar or online.
• Absolve others of their sins.
• Use the title Reverend, Minister, Healer, Educator, etc.

From this day forward, I have vowed to in good conscience to follow the teachings of several of my teachers. I will continue to follow Angeles Arrien’s Four-Fold Way, by being a Visionary, by being a Warrior, by being a Healer, and by being a Teacher. And now, I will also use Thich Naht Hanh’s Five Mindfulness Trainings as good guidelines of practice. The best part about Buddhism is that it may be disciplined, but it isn’t dogmatic.

“The Five Mindfulness Trainings represent the Buddhist vision for a global spirituality and ethic. They are a concrete expression of the Buddha’s teachings on the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, the path of right understanding and true love, leading to healing, transformation, and happiness for ourselves and for the world. To practice the Five Mindfulness Trainings is to cultivate the insight of interbeing, or Right View, which can remove all discrimination, intolerance, anger, fear, and despair. If we live according to the Five Mindfulness Trainings, we are already on the path of a bodhisattva. Knowing we are on that path, we are not lost in confusion about our life in the present or in fears about the future.”

Reverence For Life

Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating the insight of interbeing and compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, or in my way of life. Seeing that harmful actions arise from anger, fear, greed, and intolerance, which in turn come from dualistic and discriminative thinking, I will cultivate openness, non-discrimination, and non-attachment to views in order to transform violence, fanaticism, and dogmatism in myself and in the world.
True Happiness

Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to practicing generosity in my thinking, speaking, and acting. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others; and I will share my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need. I will practice looking deeply to see that the happiness and suffering of others are not separate from my own happiness and suffering; that true happiness is not possible without understanding and compassion; and that running after wealth, fame, power and sensual pleasures can bring much suffering and despair. I am aware that happiness depends on my mental attitude and not on external conditions, and that I can live happily in the present moment simply by remembering that I already have more than enough conditions to be happy. I am committed to practicing Right Livelihood so that I can help reduce the suffering of living beings on Earth and reverse the process of global warming.

True Love

Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society. Knowing that sexual desire is not love, and that sexual activity motivated by craving always harms myself as well as others, I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without true love and a deep, long-term commitment made known to my family and friends. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct. Seeing that body and mind are one, I am committed to learning appropriate ways to take care of my sexual energy and cultivating loving kindness, compassion, joy and inclusiveness – which are the four basic elements of true love – for my greater happiness and the greater happiness of others. Practicing true love, we know that we will continue beautifully into the future.

Loving Speech and Deep Listening

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and religious groups, and nations. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to speaking truthfully using words that inspire confidence, joy, and hope. When anger is manifesting in me, I am determined not to speak. I will practice mindful breathing and walking in order to recognize and to look deeply into my anger. I know that the roots of anger can be found in my wrong perceptions and lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person. I will speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to transform suffering and see the way out of difficult situations. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to utter words that can cause division or discord. I will practice Right Diligence to nourish my capacity for understanding, love, joy, and inclusiveness, and gradually transform anger, violence, and fear that lie deep in my consciousness.
Nourishment and Healing

Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I will practice looking deeply into how I consume the Four Kinds of Nutriments, namely edible foods, sense impressions, volition, and consciousness. I am determined not to gamble, or to use alcohol [with the exception of wine for its nourishing properties*], drugs, or any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites, electronic games, TV programs, films, magazines, books, and conversations. I will practice coming back to the present moment to be in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me and around me, not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past nor letting anxieties, fear, or craving pull me out of the present moment. I am determined not to try to cover up loneliness, anxiety, or other suffering by losing myself in consumption. I will contemplate interbeing and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society and the Earth.

*”In moderation, wine has many health benefits which include promoting good heart health, shields against certain cancers, builds stronger bones and sharper minds.” -WebMD

Full moon day of flowers

Swanya Punhi, the full moon day of flowers, marks not only Siddhartha Guatama’s birthday, but also of the Buddha’s Enlightenment, death and Rebirth (Parinirvana).

Parinirvana is not something to weep over, it is the last beautiful and deeply spiritual act a person can accomplish on the path to enlightenment. It occurs upon the death of the physical body when it reaches awakening.

It is celebrated at different dates and times due to local custom, but for me, I like to celebrate it in conjunction with the Full Moon of Fifth Month, which is also custom in Nepal and Tibet.

Also known as Vesak, Buddha’s birthday is a holy day that encompasses all of life: its beginning, its achievements, and its inevitable end, which leads to more life.

On this day, it is custom to assemble in temples before dawn for the ceremonial hoisting of the Buddhist flag and the singing of hymns in praise of the holy triple gem: The Buddha, his Teachings (Dharma,) and his Disciples (Sangha.) You may bring simple offerings of flowers, candles and joss-stick incense. These symbolic offerings are “to remind followers that just as the beautiful flowers would wither away after a short while and the candles and joss-sticks would soon burn out, so too is life subject to decay and destruction.” -Wikipedia.

It is also custom to have a small statue of the baby Buddha in a bowl of scented water, and decorated with flowers. Then, as is the ritual, you pour water over the statue, symbolic of the cleansing of your bad karma, and to reenact when devas and spirits made heavenly offerings to him after his birth.

Devout Buddhists who celebrate try to lead a noble life according to the teachings of the Five Precepts. However, on special days like new moon and full moon days, they observe the eight Precepts to practice morality, simplicity and humility. Granted, these precepts are not like traditional commandments. They are designed as teaching recommendations, and to be used with tact and thought and are applied to the best of one’s ability at at your own discretion. Some seem a bit outdated as the times have changed. Even Thich Nhat Hanh has condensed them down and interpreted them into his 5 Mindfulness Trainings. However, if you were a monk, you would not only follow these precepts but up to about 227. Talk about dedication!

The Precepts:

I undertake to observe the precept to abstain from …

1. …harming living beings.
2. …taking things not freely given.
3. …sexual misconduct.
4. …false speech.
5. …intoxicating drinks and drugs causing heedlessness.
6. …taking untimely meals.
7. …dancing, singing, music and watching grotesque mime.
8. …use of garlands, perfumes and personal adornment.
9. …use of high seats.
10. …accepting gold or silver.

(adapted from The Word of the Buddha, Niyamatolika, The Buddhist Publication Society, 1971, p xii)

Celebrating Vesākha also means making special efforts to bring happiness to the unfortunate like the aged, the handicapped and the sick. To this day, Buddhists will distribute gifts in cash and kind to various charitable homes throughout the country. Vesākha is also a time for great joy and happiness, expressed not by pandering to one’s appetites but by concentrating on useful activities such as decorating and illuminating temples, painting and creating exquisite scenes from the life of the Buddha for public dissemination.

Tradition ascribes to the Buddha himself instruction on how to pay him homage. Just before he died, he saw his faithful attendant Ananda, weeping. The Buddha advised him not to weep, but to understand the universal law that all compounded things (including even his own body) must disintegrate. He advised everyone not to cry over the disintegration of the physical body but to regard his teachings (The Dhamma) as their teacher from then on, because only the Dhamma truth is eternal and not subject to the law of change. He also stressed that the way to pay homage to him was not merely by offering flowers, incense, and lights, but by truly and sincerely striving to follow his teachings. This is how Buddhists are expected to celebrate Vesak: to use the opportunity to reiterate their determination to lead noble lives, to develop their minds, to practise loving-kindness and to bring peace and harmony to humanity.

 

Smile, it’s Monday…

Finding Inspiration

My days go by and by, one after the other. Everything seems to shine. When I wake, and open my eyes, I hear the song, I see the site, I feel the touch, I taste that undenying inspirer who lerked about my head whilst I slept. Beauty: nature, words, the wordless. The whispers on the wind from an old friend. A gentle caress from my lover. The taste of a good old world wine. A buzz from a bee, or a creak in the woods. Serendipitous laughter, foreign tongues speaking the same thing: we are all one. These are my inspiration, day in and day out.  They push me onward as I journey forward, down deep, and up high, through the tree tops to the clouds of my heart’s Soul. My muse. Perched on a mountain cliff above my shut eyelids, as I swim the waters of light and darkness. To discover. To venture amongst the wanderlust of universal consciousness and desire. These are the words I share on this screen. A vague dialogue of what really happens inside this mind, inside this soul. Inside this body, neurons fire and meet with ancestral knowledge to conversate in a language dance of ungrasped idealodies, passions, and pasts rewriting today’s wrongs. I venture worth, ever onward, with pen and book, and dictate this “heart’s wishing leap into verdent life.”

Inspired by Caitlin Matthews Celtic Spirit. Courting the Inspirer.

Wordless Wednesday: Simple Wishes

Thanking the Matriarchs

All in all, we come from our mother’s wombs. Individually, they may seem insignificant if they are neglectful, or a source of unconditional love if they are affectionate. Every Mother’s Day, I celebrate by reading these names out loud. All of my known matriarchs, down through the ages. All of whom who have given me life, by simply, existing…

Thank-you Mothers.
Thank-you sisters.
Thank-you friends.

Down through the ages, time has said its farewells,
but you live on in me.
Your memories,
your love, your challenges, your accomplishments.
Your fortitude, your creativity, your pain and your joy.
Your white skin, your dark skin,
Your blue eyes, your green.
Your hair, red, blonde and brown.

Cooks, healers, sisters, wives;
Queens, mothers, storytellers, and heretics,
New world and old, savage and debutante,
Your blood runs through my veins:
The life force that keeps going,
From the beginning of time.
I thank you.

Tonya Soucia (1968), Peggy Cromp (1942), Blanche Merrill (1932), Cathrine Darragh (1888), Ella Mae LaPlante (1891), Bertha Miner(1919), Lillian Soulia (1920), Jennie Myatt (1888), Sadie Titus (1881), Matilda Barcomb (1886), Rose Anna Beauvais (1890), Minnie Jones (1869), Lillian Knight, Margaret McArdle (1862), Mary Jane McCann (1852), Alice (1791), Margaret Keeff (1830), Margaret Corre (1780), Suzanna Lavery (1803), Suzanna Dennenson (1780), Molley (1760), Catherine Quinn (1819,) Mary Finn (d. 1894), Adelaide Lebrun, Amelia Cromp (1852), Mary Marshall (1815), Rose Dany, Margaret Parenteau, Angelique Rochefort (1769), Sara Snow, Marie Charlotte Dufresne-Bouin (1740), Agathe, Mary Vaughn (1705), Mary Marguerite Mainguy (1716), Mary Gladu (1674), Marie Anglaise Langlois (1636), Calude Baudry (1615), Julie Malevia, Marie Ann Dancouse (1765), Catherine Caza (1838), Marie Ann  Durocher (1801), Madeleine Desrosiers, Josephte Fortin, Marie Marthe Gerbeau Bellegarde (1759), Marie Rosalie Paradis, Genevieve Beaupre Brissette (1726), Angelique Dumay (1745), Marie St Denis, Cecile Michaud, Marguerite Gaillard, Charlotte Clairet, Catherine Delomelle, Marie Marguerite Delauney (1699), Marie Anne Lalonguealle (1678), Marguerite Dandonneau (1659), Marie Genevieve Casaubon (1665), Francoise Lepelle (1667), Marguerite Lemaitre (1644), Marie Anne Banliac (1698), Marie Angelique Pelletier (1662), Marie Jeanne Houde (1685), Marie Charlotte Durand (1711), Elisabeth Agnes Michel (1682), Julie Malevia, Adeline Cusson, Marie Guerin (d. 1943), Domithilde Lemay (1844), Josephte Patenaude (1808), Mellissa M Jodway (1857), Katherine Collette (1828), Marie Tiriaque-Laforet (1775), Catherine Clothilda Sainte Marie, Marie-Louis Dupaul (1736), Charlotte R D Parisein (1753), Angele Suprenant, Marie-Antoinette Bouthilier(1784), Catherine Fauteux (1681), Marie-Anne Bouvier (1706), Marie Meunier (1685), Catherine Bonhomme (1655), Perinne Bulte Picard (d.1720), Catherine Ballie (1632), Marie-Madeline Meneux (1669), Jacqueline Brion Brionvivant (1605), Catherine Goujet (1616), Suzanne Lamarre, Jeanne Charon (d.1689), Jeanne Leconflette, Adrienne Tane-Tasse, Francoise Fafard (1624), Marguerite LePreuvier (1638), Marie Gayon (~1590), Catherine Dufrencoys, Marie Leroux, Elisabeth Tibou, Jeanne Truchon, Marguerite Bourgeois , Marguerite LeBlond, Marie-Ursule Bouvier (1704), Marie Meunier (1685), Marguerite LeClerc (1640), Catherine Ballie (1632), M Meneux (1669), Francoise DeNollen (1615), Perette Brunet, Jeanne Leconflette, Agnes Monignor, Marie-Madeline Besnard (1725), Marie-Madeline Perillard, Jeanne Sabourin (1676), Marguerite Corsa, Marie Elisabeth Charon (1721), Marie-Angelique Debluche-LaSarre (1701), Marie Madeleine Robin (1679), C Edeline (1677), Marie-Catherine Pillat (1651), Jeanne Dit Charton (1652), Marguerite  DeFitte, Jeanne Braconiar (1653), Marguerite Moulinet, Perrette Gauterio, Madeleine Dumont, Noelle Lambert (1620), Clauda Brunet (1631), Catherine B Belhumeur (1669), Marguerite Achim (1708), Marie Marcil (1680), Marguerite Brenton (1635), Francoise Moisan (1645), Francoise Pietou (1651), M LeFebvre (1650), Adrienne Simone, Xainte Paulin, Marie Semoit, Catherine Bourg, Peronne Clairbout (1630), Helene Cavet, Mauritia Dovergne, Marie-Anne Tetu (1684), Marie-Jean Gervais, J Ronseray (1674), Jeanne Denot (1645), Marguerite Beauvais, Michelle Picard (1661), Jeanne Servignan (1644), Louis Boquet, Catherine LeDuc, Marguerite Mouline, Jeanne Solde (d.1697), Catherine Pillard, Antoinette DeLiercourt (1634), Jeanne Aubert, Jeanne Vaterre (1625), Marie Crosnier, Julienne LePotier, Michelle Clavier, Jeanne Palin,  Ellen Vreeland (1851), Kate Davidson (1823), Betsey Teachout (1808), Roisa Ama Johnson (1850), Sara Ann Gibbs (1829), Nancy (1782), Eunice Campbell (1777), Temperance Morse (1787), Amy Babcock (1808), Polly Lloyd (1739), Femmetjie Phoebe VanEveren (1739), Sarah Armstrong (1766), Thankful Seeley (1763), Deborah Covey (1782), Sarah Garlick Pike (1787), Mary Palmer (1691), Mehitable Garnsey (1719), Sarah Miller (1655), Abigail Carpenter (1629), Constance Colly (1580), Hannah Uxar Carter (1604), Sara Vanheyningen (1695), Femmetje Westervelt (1720), Ruth Rugg (1706), Dorcas Chamberlain (1735), Sarah Forbush, Mary Carley (1667), Elizabeth Munroe, Bethiah Reade (d. 1717), Jane King (d. 1721), Hannah Prescott (1639), Mary Ball (1651), REBECCA SHELLEY ADDINGTON (1663), Susan Porredge, Susan Munter (d. 1690), Joane Humfrey (1534), Katherine Denne, Alice Foreflode, Joan (1500), Wylmyn (1470), Ellen Forflod (d.1514), Clare Nee, Alice, Mary Platts Gawkroger (1607), Agnes Haiden (1591), Mrs. Haiden (1567), Anne Leverett (1619), Anne Fisher (1600), Mary (1738), Elizabeth Doty (1676), Elizabeth Swift (1722), Mary Gibbs, Mary Woodhouse, Elizabeth Cooke (1648), Mary, Judith Bates (1678), Ann Cox (d. 1679), Faith Clarke (1619), Damaris Hopkins, Ruth Tobey, Jane Blackwell (1650), Faith Loes (d. 1675), Hester Mahieu (1585), Joan, Thankful Bartlett (1716), Hannah Thayer (1739), Mindwell Bartlett, Martha Benjamin (1681), Hannah Newcomb, Deborah Sturges, Mary Hale (1649), Deborah Barnard, Delieverence Priest (1644), Ruth Marshall (1658), Mary Mason (1605), Mary Turney (1631), Mary Odell (1605), Grace Prett (1582), Judith Harris (1564), Joan Bingley, Elizabeth Mitchell (1539), Elizabeth Sheppard (d. 1625), Deborah Barlow, Joane Hookes (1559), Abigail Eddy (1601), Elizabeth Nuens (1594), Elizabeth Hopkins (1620), Susanna Yearnes Yarnes (1756), Sarah Segar (1710), Amy Card (1748), Martha Potter, Deborah Reynolds (d. 1754), Alice Hull, Judith Greenman (1688), Mary Lawton (1644), Experience Harper (1657), Martha Acres (1668), Mary Weeden (1670), Sarah Brown (1616), Elizabeth Hazard (1626), Martha Potter (1611), Elinor Sachervell, Martha, Joan Coffin (d. 1681), Deborah Perry (d. 1665), Sarah Crowell, Margery Houghton (1618), Alice Birchall (1581), Abigail Bailey, Sarah Peckham, Phillipa Cox (1587), Jayne Holyman (d. 1636), Joan Belandon, Sarah (1724), Mary Polly Garlick (1768), Sarah Hyde (1685), Mary Williams (d. 1771), Dorothy Kidder (1652), Naomi, Alice Crompton (1595), Mary French (d. 1672), Elizabeth Godfrey (1603), Eleanor Molyneux (1574), Anne Arderne (1545), Margaret Warren (1490), Jane Davenport (1525), Blanche Warburton (1496), Margaret Holland (1469), Jane Stanley (1463), Margaret Kynveton (1440), Isabella Harrington (1450), Cecily Warren, Joyce  Charlton, Matilda Massey, Margaret Davenport (1385), Margaret Staveeleigh, Jane De Timperley, Margery De Stokeport, Isabel De Baguley, Agnes De Herdislee, Margaret Bulkeley (1389), Agnes de Wynnington, Marjory de Shoresworth, Margaret de Denton (1240), Cicely de Eaton, Margaret de Stafford (1345), Maud de Skeyton, Joan de Port, Isabel Heydon, Alice Townsend, Adelia de Mowbray, Isabel de Vermandois, Emma Mrs De Warenne, Gundred, Matilda (1031), Harlette de Falaise (1003), Adaele Alix (1003), Otgive de Luxembourg (0986), Constance de Toulouse (974), Matilda Billung (958), Rosele Susanna (945), Willa (924), Adaele Alice (910), Hildegardis of Westerburg, Elfridam, Hildebrante, Judith (844), Ermentrude (d. 869), Judith of Bavaria (d. 843), Endeltrude, Hildegard, Rotrou (d. 724), Berthe (d. 783), Aupais, Begga, Dode Clothilde, Itta, Imma (736), Hersinda, Regintrud, Ragnetrude, Theudelinde, Waldrada, Gepidae, Reginopyrga (d. 521), Osburh (810), Ealhswith (825), Eadburh Fadburn (830), Redburh, Irmtrud (964), Adele de Vermandois, Alice Fitton (d. 1478), Margaret Legh (d. 1379), Isabel de Harington, Jean Goushill, Isabel Lathom (1364), Isabel Loringe, Alice Massey (1329), Margaret Beauple, Matilda Timperley, Matilda Timperley, Margaret Mainwaring (1235), Anne Talbot, Agnes de Merleberge, Anna Moore (1630), Betsy Rivers, Mary (1816), Hannah (1847), Sally (1788)