yoga, awareness, D Wolfe quotes

Thoughts from David Wolfe’s Sunfood Diet Success System:

“That which you are seeking is also seeking you.”

“Life is an adventure. Never allow yourself to be bored. Spend every moment fully alive. Appreciate everything. Never stop growing and learning. The mysteries and wonder of life are expansive and never ending. Enjoy every moment.”

“We sense that there are two sides to our nature. You exist in this form as part animal, part deity; we are a spirit animated in a physical body. The glorious journey is to become as much of a deity as possible and ascend to our highest potential. To that end we desire a health which allows the full expression of our spirit through our physical body. You are a divine being who walks the Earth – start living like one” DW

Thoughts from yoga class: One thing about yoga is that It really brings awareness to the body.. and I am all about awareness these days.. all of yoga is about awareness but I am thinking especially the end relaxing part where we are just lying and focusing on relaxing parts of our body, one at a time.. you notice things that are usually missed in everyday life.. like the way the folds of the clothing you are wearing touch the body.. the way everything touches the body, even the air.. you feel your breathing, what’s happening inside. We did an interesting thing coming out of relaxation last night.. she got us to tense up one muscle at a time throughout our body, feet 1st, then calves, then thighs, then hamstrings, gluteal etc but when you tense one muscle try not to tense any other around it, just try to tense hamstrings without gluts, maybe with a bit of practice!? .. and so on right through the rest of your body. It was great.

Another great relaxation I love after yoga is to close your eyes, always in savasana (corpse position) .. feel like you are on a beach.. feel the sun, the light and warmth.. breathe the light into your body, feel the luminous inner body (it’s a theme! : ) picture people all around you on the beach and see their luminous bodies also.. they are connected to yours.. when you wake or come up try keeping the light inside .. & carry it with you throughout the day.


Yoga tip from wailana.com:

One way to get better at yoga is to imagine it. While I'm not advocating pushing too hard, sometimes just imagining you can go further into a pose will get you there. It gives you the will to try just a little harder. For example, if you're doing Bow, visualize the beauty of the pose: the graceful arc formed by the arch of the back, the legs lifted high, feet moving back to open the chest. Then make your body into that shape—not violently or suddenly, but using your intelligence, your breath, and gradual movements from the inside to achieve the best pose possible.

So next time you're doing a pose you find difficult, instead of doing it halfheartedly, thinking, "I can't do this pose," try this little trick of mine. Say to yourself, "I can do it." Use your mind's eye to see yourself a little deeper in the pose and then go there.

By the way, this will also help you hold a pose longer. Summon up your willpower, take deep, even breaths, and see yourself holding it longer, a second at a time. You'll be pleasantly surprised when you see just how well you can do!

Da Vinci, recipe, Gorillaz

I overslept & missed yoga.. but remembered lots of very intense dreams. I just got a job as a police officer. Ok, that’s just scary in itself.. but so much more!

“Beauty and vitality are gifts from nature for those who abide by her laws” – Leonardo da Vinci

I have Da Vinci on the mind this morning. I really wanted to see the DaVinci Code movie on the weekend, didn’t end up going & was told by 2 separate friends who saw it on Sat eve. to wait for the dvd. I borrowed the book for my son, Nick, who read it in 6 hours.. at least I got a brief synopsis from him. Nick reads like crazy. I find it incredible.. shortly after he finished that, I looked over & he was well into Digital Fortress, another book by Dan Brown. Just what does he do with all that information?

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian Renaissance polymath: an architect, anatomist, sculptor, engineer, inventor, geometer, musician, futurist and painter. He has been described as the archetype of the "Renaissance man" and as a universal genius, a man infinitely curious and infinitely inventive. He is also considered one of the greatest painters who ever lived.

He conceived of ideas vastly ahead of his own time, notably conceptually inventing the helicopter, a tank, the use of concentrated solar power, the calculator, a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics, the double hull, and others too numerous to mention… In addition, he greatly advanced the state of knowledge in the fields of anatomy, astronomy, civil engineering, optics, and the study of water (hydrodynamics).
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci)

It is apparent from the works of Leonardo and his early biographers that he was a man of high integrity and very sensitive to moral issues. His respect for life led him to being a vegetarian for at least part of his life. The term "vegan" would fit him well, as he even entertained the notion that taking milk from cows amounts to stealing. Under the heading, "Of the beasts from whom cheese is made," he answers, "the milk will be taken from the tiny children." As a young man in Florence he often bought caged birds just to release them from captivity. (Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists)

From Robert Genn’s twice weekly letters
http://www.painterskeys.com

The da Vinci Mode May 23, 2006

Dear Robin,
Leonardo da Vinci's life was a living demo of his "seven virtues." For those artists of life and of art who might plot to develop higher levels of accomplishment and greater self-realization, here are his seven virtues, as I understand them:
"Curiosita"--an attitude of curiosity and continuous learning. What, when, where, why, and how?
"Dimostrazione"--an ability to learn and to test knowledge by experience. Experimental nature.
"Sensazione"--a development of awareness and refinement of sight and other senses. High sensitivity.
"Sfumato"--a tendency to embrace and accept uncertainty, ambiguity and paradox. Free thinking.
"Arte/Scienza"--a development of balance between science and art, logic and imagination. Whole-brain thinking.
"Corporalita"--a calculated desire to achieve poise, fitness and ambidexterity. Physical action.
"Connessione"--a recognition that all things are connected. Systems thinking.

({(Leo’s 7 virtues = curiosity, experience, sensitivity, acceptance, creative-logic balance, exercise (yoga ;), connection to everything)})

"How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day," by Michael J. Gelb, and, "The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci," edited by Pamela Taylor, are two of the noteworthy sources of Leonardo insights…

In my daily evangelizing, I'm constantly devising ways to press creative people into thinking about things in a Leonardo mode. Whether we're talking about flying machines, military engines or easel paintings, we are led to a greater realization of our potential through personal, self-generated knowledge of the what, when, where, why and how. Perhaps because of Leonardo's charming admissions of personal weaknesses (procrastination, for one), we feel the uncanny presence of a contemporary who's just dropped in from the local Brotherhood and Sisterhood.
For many of us, an evening curled up with The da Vinci Mode would not be a waste of time.
Best regards,
Robert

PS: "Nothing is more apt to deceive us than our own judgment of our work. We derive more benefit from having our faults pointed out by our enemies than from hearing the opinions of friends." (Leonardo da Vinci 1452-1519)

Esoterica: The last time I looked, our own Resource of Art Quotations had 69 quotes from Leonardo. Now it seems that contemporary psychological research has revealed Leonardo-like info about the extent of our potential. Our brains are much better than we think. They are more flexible and multi-dimensional than any computer. They can learn seven facts per second, every second, for the rest of our lives--and there's still plenty of RAM to go. If used properly, our brains improve with age. And this is not just in our heads--it's in every cell of our bodies. Mona Lisa is winking at us. How totally Renaissance!

Recipe from another e-mail:
The Daily Raw Inspiration - 5/22/06 Simply Savory

Mash up an avocado. Chop up a tomato into it. Peel a zucchini. Slice the zucchini into noodles with a potato peeler. Chop them up into noodle pieces. Mix it all together and enjoy! Takes about two and a half minutes to make! Very enjoyable. Add some dried herbs. I found a great brand – Frontier Herbs that are all organic and non-irradiated. I used Tarragon, Oregano, Cumin, and/or Thyme. You can also add a sprinkle of Unrefined Sea Salt if desired.
In Joy,
Jinjee
http://www.TheGardenDiet.com

I heard on the radio that the Gorillaz won an award for best website.. and being a big Gorillaz fan I thought I should post it here.. I just checked it out.. its incredible (cool art on the walls) .. can take lots of time tho. Oh & I got 95.23 accuracy rating on the shooting game. : ) http://www.gorillaz.com/ click on the building when you get there to get in.

2 raw thoughts from: 20 Questions with David Wolfe. http://www.rawfood.com/index.cgi?id=54929285103&sp=20_Questions

Is there a mind/body or spiritual aspect to a living plant food lifestyle?

"The mind, body, spirit connection that raw food cultivates within you is ultimately the major reason for continuing on this path. The Bible says that the body is the temple of the soul. Unfortunately, I used to treat my body like an amusement park! Now I know better. Since we are what we eat, if we eat the best food ever we maximize our mind, body, and spiritual connection with nature and our creator. This is experiential because we cannot miss what we never had. Raw-food nutrition returns to you lost powers and abilities. I like to say that it bestows superhuman abilities — in physical endurance, clarity of thought, and sixth sense perception."

What is the psychology of “beauty consciousness?

"True beauty comes from the inside out. It emerges from proper thinking, as well as proper nutrition, and exercise. Thoughts — positive or negative — etch themselves into the face and record themselves in the character of the individual. You are your own sculptor. The habitual presence of high and noble thoughts polishes the face, defines the stature, and builds the countenance. High purpose and genuine enthusiasm create an immaculate beauty. Thoughts alone can overwhelm the influence of clothing and cosmetics."

painting pic from http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/vinci/joconde/joconde.jpg

water cont. enlightenment, Gurdjieff

Good sign.. I woke up early, did yoga, wrote down fascinating dreams – turned my hotel room into a theater, dragon bracelets & flying cars. Have juicing procedure started, fruit all ready and time to type this. Wow.

I am on water theme lately, one of my fav themes, being a water sign & everything.
From Power of Now, pg 161:

The Nature of Compassion

Having gone beyond the mind-made opposites, you become like a deep lake. The outer situation of your life and whatever happens there, is the surface of the lake. Sometimes calm, sometimes windy and rough, according to the cycles and the seasons. Deep down, however, the lake is always undisturbed. You are the whole lake, not just the surface, and you are in touch with your whole depth, which remains absolutely still. You don’t resist change by mentally clinging to any situation. Your inner peace does not depend on it. You abide in Being – unchanging, timeless, deathless – and you are no longer dependant on fulfillment or happiness on the outer world of constantly fluctuating forms. You can enjoy them, play with them, create new forms, appreciate the beauty of it all. But there will be no need to attach yourself to any of it”

When you are in touch with your Being you can look past the surface of another person and feel the other persons Being through your own. On this level suffering is an illusion. Healings can happen by awakening the Being-consciousness in another person – if they are ready.

Water is a very big deal for me. I remember my Mom asking me once who I was inspired by.. and I remember not being able to think of a person & told her I was inspired & aspired to be like water. She liked that answer.. I did, and still do too.


Story told by John, one I had just read elsewhere.. I think it bears repeating here.

Another Enlightenment story: There was a man who, before becoming a Zen master, spent many years searching for enlightenment. One day he walked into a butchershop and overheard a conversation between a butcher and a customer. The customer asked which was the best cut of meat. The butcher replied that they were all the best. Upon hearing this the man gained enlightenment.
Explanation - when you accept what is, consider every moment as the best – that is enlightenment.

Gurdjieff had a group at a center in Paris (perhaps the Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man south of Paris which he established in 1922) There was one guy here who used to drive everyone crazy; no one could stand being around him. Then one day the man left. Gurdjieff inquired where he went & went off chasing him.. when he found him he not only asked him to come back but even paid him to come back to the group.

Because “Growth only happens outside of our comfort zone” –John

Every bad situation is good, every good situation is bad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurdjieff
Georges Ivanovich Gurdjieff - (1872? - 1949), was a Greek-Armenian mystic and 'teacher of dancing'. His teaching is about becoming more aware of oneself in daily life.
Some of those who had contact with Gurdjieff saw him as a Master - able to practice self-remembering, and work on oneself; in other words a human being able to be conscious of himself. Others saw him as an esotericist or occultist.
About his teaching, Gurdjieff once said, "What do I teach? I teach people how to listen to themselves." The teaching addresses the question of man's place in the Universe and his possibilities for spiritual development.
Gurdjieff believed that man lives his life in a form of sleep, and that higher levels of consciousness are possible. In developing the inner possibility of becoming more aware of ourselves in our daily lives, one is shown a whole new way of living that can enrich our experience of life and acquaint us with our real selves. 'Know thyself' takes on a more concrete meaning. The ability to be 'present' more often (instead of being absent as we usually are in our lives), requires work on oneself over time


Its easy to be a Zen master according to John. There are 3 things you need to know: 1) the ‘don’t know’ mind, 2) no checking (non-judgmentalness) & 3) non-resistance to what is.

..but just how many girlfriends did Nietzsche have???

interactive dreams, water

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. -Anne Frank

I remembered some of my dream from last night when I woke up.. not as much as I used to. I used to be so into my dreams, used to write down pages of things that I dreamt every morning when I woke up, I have books of dream journals.. was very fascinated by them.. still am, just haven’t been taking the time to write them down lately. Maybe cause I am usually rushing to get to my yoga tv show.. I often wake up 10-15 min before, just enough time to get my body moving a bit before getting into it. In my dream last night everything seemed 2-fold. On one side I was sitting with some friends, one couch , a couple chairs.. next door there was an older lady arranging couches and chairs in a labyrinth fashion all over the place, getting ready for something.
Then in another part of the dream we had a Christmas tree, big & full.. and next door they had a very sparse tree.. and although there was very little to the tree it was decorated quite beautifully between the branches and a picture frame type thing was hung in front of it to draw attention to & emphasize the middle part. ..and ten there was this part with Jim driving around looking for someone, I remembered that. Pete Batushin was in it and a few other guys.

When Jim woke up he told me about his dream, which also had Pete in it. I am always interested when I and someone close to me dream the same thing. It happens quite often. I used to notice it a lot because I would remember so many dreams.. sometimes I was waking up & trying to keep 6 or 7 dreams in my head till I got them all written down.. we dream a lot, so the odds of 2 people remembering the same dreams are slim.. but I think it happens. I am convinced that we leave our bodies at night when we dream.. our spirits and we all get together and hang out & do things like what we do in the day, only we have different rules and can do different things.. because its our spirits, not our physical bodies.. so we can float through walls, be anywhere, stuff like that.

A few examples: one time I dreamt I was waiting for Jim at this restaurant or place with a big table and all his family were there, even his Dad, who had recently died, and Margie, his step-mom.. & they kept sending out courses of food & I was waiting for Jim & saving him food & wondering where he was and when Jim woke he told me about how he couldn’t get to this restaurant where his family was getting together, even his Dad & everyone..

Then there was a dream where I was in school & in the morning my mom was telling me her dream about being a teacher in this class.. and there were some things that were the same in the room in both of our dreams. I didn’t see the teacher in mine.. but if I did it would have been my mom.. anyway.. so many dreams like this.

Dreams really fascinate me. I have had things happen in my dreams before they happen in real life also. Not as often as some people I know. I have one friend and it happens to her all the time. I think that is really cool!

From The Promise of a New Day – May 21:
“Faults, when they are closely examined, often turn out to be the other end of virtues. Carelessness in one situation might be generosity in another.; secretiveness might turn out to be an extension of tact. In most of us, positive and negative attributes are related to one another like positive and negative photographic prints. The way we see the image depends on the situation and the light.”

"The bird of paradise alights only on the hand that does not grasp."

"We are the ocean -- vast, deep, powerful and rich. Nourishing and nurturing. Dive down into the dark stillness of being. Sense the rising and falling of surface thoughts and emotions, sometimes gentle, sometimes violent. Always shifting. Always in motion. Draw back and watch the waves of your life at play. Know you are the unfathomable depths -- surface agitations can’t disturb you. Know that you are bigger than the little things that aggravate you." – John Barry

That is maybe the best description of life that I've heard...... all those emotions and feelings ... the wide, up and down range we experience all the time.... like a deep mysterious ocean.... sometimes turbulent.... sometimes gently flowing... very beautiful... very powerful..... always reflecting it's surroundings.... so like us. – My Mom (Joan Gregory)

The Daily Raw Inspiration - 5/21/06 An Open Doorway

For some reason it is harder to get back on the 100% raw diet once you’ve fallen off the wagon! At least it was for me. It took me two years!! I think if you really want it, a door will open. I think the path to that door would be different for each person. For me it happened after I had my third child and the labor was really hard. I realized that the easy birth of my second child had been because of the raw diet, and something in me just suddenly really believed that the raw vegan diet was the right diet for humankind. I just knew it on a really deep unquestionable level. And so after two years of having tried unsuccessfully I was suddenly able to go back to a 100% raw vegan diet instantly. Sometimes the doorway will be a sickness, hitting a rock bottom depression, or sometimes it will be a beautiful insight that comes to you. For instance once I was really seeking to be more spiritual, and I suddenly saw the light in fruit, literally, like how light shines through it, and it glistens, and I realized that I could become lighter by eating lighter. Fruit literally brings light in to your body. So for me it often happens through insights like that. But it might be something else entirely that leads you to a doorway - a person, a book, a thought, a feeling, a desire. I think the key is to really want it, to believe that you’ll be given a way, and to recognize that opening when it comes, and then of course not to miss the opportunity when that opening comes but to seize it and then hold onto it!

With Hope,
Jinjeehttp://www.TheGardenDiet.com

painting by Edward Dwayne Miracle (Ed Miracle) from www.miraclesart.com/

PMS, chaste tree, namaste

“We are here to be a forgiveness door through which peace enters” -Patanjali

“Our intellect tells us we are separate, out deepest nature knows no such thing” from Namaste, a great weekend early morning yoga show. It’s on city tv sat & sun @ 6:30 am.

http://www.namaste.tv/ I would love the dvd’s.. too bad mothers day has just passed!

Great episode – spring wind series – beautiful hand movements.. and just did the Tibetian rites for 1st time, interesting, very yoga.. was funny spinning, 1st movement, felt like a kid!

Happy Birthday Dad!
My Dad has Alzheimer’s. I called him yesterday cause I knew I had to work all day today. But I had been thinking of him & my Mom all day & when I got home I called right away. Was so glad I did, my mom said she was having a sad day.. and this isn’t like her, she is one of the most Up people I know, she’s been on this constant high – not drug high, life high – ever since going raw. But today it got to her that Dad didn’t know who she was. That’s gotta be strange! Mom & Dad always seemed like the most in love couple I knew. I’m sure they have had their moments but I always remember them walking hand in hand every night around the lake, (Jones Lake, Moncton, NB – their house is facing it, I lived there from grade 1 till I moved away) and they just really enjoyed being together. In fact, although divorce rates are high and it seems most couples don’t make it, I have been surrounded by many, many long term (20 yr.+) marriages and relationships in which the couple are or seem totally happy together. It’s very inspiring. But back to the story… I was surprised when I spoke to Dad, as soon as he heard my voice he asked if I was in Moncton or where I was? No, I’m still in To. He said I’ll have to come back soon so we can all be together and asked me to write a letter. The phone really confuses him usually but this was a surprisingly coherent call. You never know with him what he’ll remember and when. & then I had a great talk to Mom.. as always ; )

PMS! Not that it’s really so much of a problem anymore; symptoms go down dramatically eating raw.. but I still felt it coming and still felt a sadness. It’s hard to explain how it used to affect me (pre-raw).. I used to think of it as feeling like I am drowning in 2” of water.. almost hard to breathe, and just an overlying sadness, feeling the human condition, wanting to cry. I know it’s much worse for many women. & like I said, it’s not really that bad now, but maybe compounded with life situation stuff, I felt really sad & down yesterday morning.. remembered my favorite PMS remedy took it.. 1st time I remembered it in quite awhile.

This is amazing, if there are any PMS sufferers out there who get this info.. run, do not walk, run! to your local health food store & buy a bottle of Chaste tree berry, its an herb and its amazing. Much more popular in Europe, not many people seem to know about it here.. but it worked wonders for me. I could actually feel it working, the PMS feelings going away. Hours later I forgot I even had any symptoms earlier at all.

It regulates hormones. It is said to help with bloating, cramps & headaches during the menstrual cycle also, if you have problems with these, as well as irritability and mood swings. It is also claimed to help with hot flashes and menopause symptoms.

pic from http://www.fotoreiseberichte.de/kreta/kreta_03_300gr.jpg
Keuschbaum (Chaste Berry Tree, Vitex agnus-castus)

5 Tibetan Rites

Hi Robin, I am presently enjoying a potent green smoothie (lots of young dandelion leaves) while I write these words. I found the Tibetan Rites and copied them for you..... then found this very detailed site with even more information than I have here.... so I am sending you the site.

Here it is: http://www.mkprojects.com/pf_TibetanRites.htm

That should be all you need to get started. I am glad you asked about them because I will begin doing some of them myself. I do still incorporate the flexing warm-ups anyway, quite often. It's funny how some of everything we learn sticks with us .... sort of automatically ... as if our body and spirit know what we need. I am all interested now in measuring and maintaining proper PH balance in my system...... have been reading some studies that show acidity in our body causes calcium and other minerals to be leached from our bones ( for use in vital functions in other organs) ... so is the primary cause of osteoporosis..... another proof that eating too much meat and dairy is actually bad for our skeletal structure..... the exact opposite of what conventional doctors and nutritionists preach to us ... probably influenced by the dairy marketing boards. So have a great day
Keep in touch
I love you, Mum

From this link:
This program is often described as a modified yoga program. Simply put, yoga is a science that unites the body, mind and spirit. Today this is often called Mind/ Body Healing. The author of the book believes that yoga was brought to Tibet from India in the 11th or 12th century and that Tibetan monks over time modified these exercises and developed an effective program of exercises that western society now calls the "Five Tibetan Rites".

“For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”
Romans 7:19

Grace

I am reading my friends copy of David Wolfe’s Sunfood Diet Success System, I should have bought my own copy! & maybe I will, there’s so much great stuff in here. I was trying to find a part in here I had read about grace. I didn’t find the part I was thinking of.. it was about flowing through life from grace to grace.. but I found this, which he wrote about it:

“Transform all your trials and tribulations, your battles of mind and diet, your thirsting in the desert of knowledge, into flowing grace. Allow grace to embrace you”

The concept of grace used to elude me.. what is grace?
(You’ll have to forgive me, sometimes I don’t get really simple concepts. This may seem obvious to most people.. but on the other hand sometimes I just get complex stuff very easily & naturally.. its weird!)

From the penguin Webster handy college dictionary:

Grace: 1- ease and elegance of manner or movement; charm. 2- liking; favor; good will. 3-virtue; kindness; politeness. 4- postponement, as of a penalty or obligation; clemency. 5- a prayer for blessing at a meal. 6- divine favor.

From the Oxford dictionary of Difficult Words:
Grace: 2- (in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.
-a divinely given talent or blessing.
- the condition or fact of being favored by someone.
-(also grace period) a period officially allowed for payment of a sum due or for compliance with a law or condition..

From my experience: You don’t feel pain or sadness. Good things happen to you, and/or you only notice the good things & the positive. Life flows freely and easily.

I remember back about 4 or 5 years ago when I was going through a particularly hard time in life & I read something about grace from Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach, and in it she said we only needed to ask for grace. So I asked for grace one day.. and the day went so smoothly.. and I asked for grace the next day & so on for about a week.. and every day went smoothly.. I came out of this period quite fine & was amazed at how simple & effective it is to just ask for a day of grace when things are going roughly. It really does work. I looked up the page this morning & found what I had read that helped me. It’s from February 29 & can be found here.

pic from www.paramountorchids.com

air car, Epic Dewfall

Websurfing:

Chek this out! The Air Car. It’s run by compressed air. How beautiful is that!
Guy Negre, the inventor from France, is the creator of this car. I want to go take a test drive right now!!
http://www.theaircar.com/models.html

To always love simplicity,
and believe it must exist.
To finally make a painting thus,
and arm its small with bliss.

A painting shall always have magic wings,
but will fly forever between two things.
It will rest upon the rocks it knows,
but will oft as thought fly far as close.

This is a poem by Epic Dewfall - Amateur Artist Poet from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

I was quite fascinated by his site a couple years ago – I was going to OCAD taking painting classes and I was very into lucid dreaming at this time, And on top of this - I take quite an interest in eccentric, creative, free-thinking people, so Naturally I quite enjoyed this. Epic sees paintings in his lucid dreams and when he wakes up makes pastel pictures of them.

There are 445 on the site, all are 12”x18”. You can see some by going here:
http://www.epicdewfall.ca/pastels38.html

& his faq with lots of info about his art & lucid dreaming here:
http://www.epicdewfall.ca/faq.shtml

pic by Epic Dewfall from his site

Love

The only reason we see weakness in others is because we recognize it in ourselves.

To forgive weakness in others is to recognize and forgive weakness in ourselves.

We are creative beings and we create, consciously or unconsciously, the conditions around us. We create our own world around us with our thoughts, beliefs, perceptions.
Fear will make us see the world as threatening and hostile.
When we have love inside of us we see the world as safe, happy, beautiful, abundant, creative, exuberant, exciting, full of wonder, peace & joy. Ahhh!

: ) I’m really happy right now.. think its all the negative ions. I love thunder & lightening. It was beautiful & sunny & I worked out in my backyard garden all day & then it all of a sudden got grey & I ran my errands in the rain. On & off downpour.. which was really fun!! : ) It’s a beautiful day.

Love is the most powerful vibration. Try consciously sending out love vibrations to everyone and everything around you.. you will make the world a more beautiful & better place to live and of course everything that you send out comes back to you multiplied. : )
Love helps to heal all sickness, all illnesses. Love uplifts people on every level: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Love is magical. It is the best gift you can give.

Interesting personality scenario:
Tonight. Driving along Gerrard. Lots of work being done, tearing up & laying new streetcar tracks. There’s a big No Right Turn sign @ Woodbine. Very little traffic. No visible reason that I can see not to turn right. Green light. I turn right. Kaiya flips. ‘What are you doing?? You’re just asking for trouble!! The police will be looking for you!” Wow. I am laughing, I can’t stop. She says I always do things like this. She’s so upset at me & so all about following the rules regardless of if they are reasonable or not. I thought it was so interesting the difference between us in this respect. It was funny.

The Four Agreements, Quick Draw McGraw

My friend just returned a book I lent her & we went out last night so she could buy a copy of it for a birthday present. I have given it a couple times as a birthday present also. It’s one of my very favorite books. It is so seemingly simple & yet holds such deep wisdom. It’s called The Four Agreements – a Toltec Wisdom book by Don Miguel Ruiz. I highly recommend it & think everyone should read it - at least once.

The 4 agreements are: (this is printed on the front cover)
1- Be Impeccable with your word – Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
2- Don’t take anything personally – Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
3- Don’t make assumptions – Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can totally transform your life.
4- Always do your best – Your best is going to change from moment to moment, it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self- judgment, self-abuse and regret.

From meditation:
There are 2 types of anger: attached & reflective.
Reflective is more quick and impulsive. It leaves you quickly. An example is a mother who yells at her child for running out in the street.
Attached anger is something that lives with you, something you hold on to. It gets personalized and attached to your ego.

Your natural self can not be harmed. It can evolve but it can not be brought down.

If we are here for the evolution of the soul, to face challenges and learn lessons for our soul’s progression then I was wondering how, if everything in the physical plane – the ego, the material world is not real, is an illusion, then how does it influence and affect the soul, and if it does.. then it must be somewhat real. John’s answer was that it is the negative, the fear, the worries, anxiety, pain that is not real. So when we face our challenges with negativity – anger, jealousy, envy, hate & other fear based negative emotions – this is not real and just adds to the illusion, but when we solve the problem with positive love-based solutions then our soul passes the challenges and evolves.
It was asked that when we all get to a state of perfection, when the world gets to a perfect state – wouldn’t we all be the same? Yeah, what about that? I really like being who I am & also it seems like the world would get a little boring with everyone being the same – not that I really expect it to be a bad place or anything, it must be good or else all these people would not be striving for enlightenment all the time. But John claimed that we would all still be unique & that makes me feel so much better. The world would be a much different place though.. we wouldn’t have the rules that we have now, we wouldn’t need them as people wouldn’t want to hurt each other. So we would have freedoms that we don’t have now – like we’d be able to have sex on the street.. hey, not hurting anyone (interesting example ; ) Made me think that maybe this is where my authority issues come from. I do have them.. have always been a natural born rebel, in a very peaceful way.. can’t help it, its just who I am.

Oh, AND Quick Draw McGraw and his side-kick, the clever Baba Looey, and his alter-ego, the Zorro-like avenger El Kabong and especially the episode where he pulled the magic needle out of his back pocket and stabbed himself with it to lunge up to the window of the castle with a YOW – his solution - as the front door was locked – this reminded John of the don’t know mind?? –must be in its creativity!
The show premiered in 1959 with new shows produced until 62. The other two segments of the show were "Snooper And Blabber," the adventures of the cat and mouse detectives Super Snooper and Blabber Mouse, and "Augie Doggie And Doggie Daddy," which featured the Jimmy Durante-like Daddy trying to keep up with his mischevious son. There were 45 episodes made in the series.

I lost track of time & only noticed it at 5 min to 8, Yoga class is from 8-9.. and I actually changed & made it in time! That was quite something! Olof was in for Jeannie tonight.

aware of the obvious, yoga

I was up at 5:30, which seems ridiculously early to me.. but there’s a 6 am yoga show on. I discovered it last week & was up every morning. & there’s another really good one on on the weekends @ 6:30 called Namaste & yes I was up then too.
http://www.namaste.tv/yoga.html
& I’m feeling my body from my yoga class yesterday ..it was an intense one. I’m so yoga obsessed lately – up to 5 classes a week, I get it in any time I can.

My horo says I have to be open-minded & aware of the obvious today (it’ll save the day) .. the obvious is always what eludes us most easily. Hmm sounds interesting. Lol

Mothers Day - tulips and EMF- emotional freedom technique

I have the best Mom in the whole world!!! .. for me anyway, I’m sure your moms the best for you. ; ) ..but mine really is awesome & the best for me.
I got pink tulips! This is a very big deal.. cause I really love pink tulips (one of my very favs) but I don’t remember ever getting them before.. not that I don’t get incredible bouquets & arrangements of flowers. .. but something about the simplicity of tulips just gets to me.. they are absolutely perfect. Bread & Tulips was on tv tonight.. good foreign film - started watching it but ended up talking to my mom instead.
She sent me a book for Mothers day.. Remembering Wholeness by Carol Tuttle.. she said the universe definitely wanted me to have it. Long story. I love my mom!

Website: http://www.emofree.com/
Its about Emotional Freedom Technique. This is a healing technique done by stimulating energy meridian points on the body by tapping on them with your fingertips. I have heard of this before & that it is very effective.. even for short term bursts of energy, studying for exams, working late, etc. ..but its really so much more than this, it clears depression, aches, pains & lots of other benefits. It was created to treat mainly emotional issues but because "Our unresolved negative emotions are major contributors to most physical pains and diseases." it does so much more.
Discovery statement: "The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system."

You can download the 79 page manual which gives you theory & more precise tapping points & lots more ..but I am going to give you the nutshell version.

Using your index & middle finger tap on each meridian point approx 7X, more or less is ok.
1st point: Inner part of eyebrow
2nd: Outside of corner of eye
3rd: Directly under middle of eye
4th: between nose & mouth
5th: between mouth & chin
That’s it for face.. there are 3 more on body if you want to continue..
6th collarbone – actually from U at bottom of neck go 1”down & 1” over, both right & left
7th: under the arm – 4” below underarm, level to bra strap ..or nipple for men
8th – below nipple – 4” below for men ..or where breast meets body for women.
Note: added after. I knew I heard about this somewhere else.. just came across this e-mail from awhile ago, in which Jinjee talks about it in her newsletter.

The Daily Raw Inspiration - 4/16/06 Enlightening Eye Massage
“I thought it would take years of meditation practice and loving and working on myself to gain this type of light. But here is this little physical thing I can do that instantly takes me where I long to be. How completely weird! My eyes were a little strained from working on the computer too long yesterday and so during my yoga this morning I gave myself an eye massage. I learned it years ago but only just remembered it. You tap around your eyes, on your eyes, your eyebrows, below your eyes with your fingers gently, then massage very very lightly. It felt so good and I felt all the strain of the day before drop away immediately.- from my online raw journal, updated today...”

empowerment weekend, endurosport

Gearing up for Mothers day. Went shopping with Kaiya early. Then she went to her empowerment weekend – 48ish hr testing for black belts, those with black belts already get to go watch, support & encourage – it’s incredibly brutal and intense. ..and an incredible accomplishment. Congrats to Uriah & Nathanial on your 2nd degree & to everyone else!

New running shoes are the best. Went to Endurosport on Queen – the girl was so awesome, got me to walk & run in the store barefoot & picked them out for me.. what do you mean its not about color but performance??? Went for a run with them after & they’re amazing.. I love them!

Joe Gustin

It’s a full moon tonight, and a strong one, its in scorpio! It is incredibly beautiful. There is a lilac tree on Waverly that has the most amazing scent that stayed with me long after I passed it, both on my way to & from work. I love spring.

I met Joe Gustin tonight at work, he read my palms & we talked at length about boa constrictors, primeval forests, stars & metaphysical things. Heres his link: http://www.joegustin.com/ & here’s my favorite poem from the link: Chocolate – reading it made me want to go paint, love the visual.

responsibility

Excerpt – May 10 meditation The Promise of a New day - (ok, so I’m a day late)

“Our responsibility in this life is to our own healthy development – not to controlling someone else’s”

My diet

People often ask me what I eat.. so I wrote it down a couple days ago:

AM – I always make juice for the kids before they go to school.. so I had a glass of oj/pineapple/apple to start. (If I was going to the gym, I would have probably mixed 1/3 glass with spirulina 1st & then drank the rest plain after)
- green smoothie – w/ beet leaves, romaine, banana, apple, grape, mango
Lunch – 2 mangoes
Mid afternoon – green smoothie – beet leaves, mango, banana, pear
Dinner – green juice – beet leaves, carrot, celery
- Storm’s tabouli – cilantro, parsley, tomato, green onions, avocado, ground almonds w/ lemon, honey, olive oil (am addicted to this lately, from http://www.thegardendiet.com/)
Beet Salad – grated beets, apples, celery w/ dressing

So, that was it.. I know I ate a lot of beet stuff, which is kind of rare.. but I do eat a lot of green vegetables. Another average day might go something like this:

AM – orange/ pineapple juice
Manna bread (carrot raisin) with almond butter or granola w/ almond milk or cut up fruit & a handful of spicy nuts.
Lunch – Green smoothie – spinach, parsley, banana, pineapple, apple, pear
Then a salad or cut up veggies & hummus
Afternoon – Chocolate smoothie – cacao powder, honey, tahini, banana & water blended
Dinner – green juice – romaine, spinach, carrot, celery
- zucchini pasta w tomato sauce, or a big salad
- date square (I just made them : )

That’s roughly it. I often start or end the day with an E3live shot – it’s a blue-green algae. & I include some superfoods and supplements occasionally: spirulina, chlorella, E3Live,
bee pollen, maca, cacao, Natures 1st food green powder w/ algaes, probiotics & enzymes, Host Defense – a combo of 17 mushrooms. Oh, & I chop up garlic sometimes lately & chase a spoonful of it with water & honey on another spoon. I am being extra careful not to get sick until this virus season is over.

I bought a box of persimmons this afternoon & ate lots of them today. I brought a few over to Dawns this afternoon, she had her daycare kids all colouring outside, they’re my pals, I see them every morning, but today when I was at the gate leaving & saying bye I felt like one of those guests on a kids show.. cause I just went for 15 minutes to share persimmons with them, which they had never had. Kids are the best. : ) !

pic from http://www.gotouring.com/razzledazzle/hongkong/hkphoto039.html

Course in Miracles – vibrational rates

John mentioned last week that we might start reading or doing lessons from the Course in Miracles. I’ve had the book sitting on my bookshelf for about 2 years & it only comes down once in awhile. Its one of those open & flip to a random page to gather some insight into something.. it works well for this.. some books do, like the Tao, the I Ching, the Bible, etc.

A Course in Miracles is not available online to read but here’s the website: http://www.acim.org/

"..Three startling months preceded the actual writing, during which time Bill suggested that I write down the highly symbolic dreams and descriptions of the strange images that were coming to me. Although I had grown more accustomed to the unexpected by that time, I was still very surprised when I wrote, "This is a course in miracles." That was my introduction to the Voice. It made no sound, but seemed to be giving me a kind of rapid, inner dictation which I took down in a shorthand notebook. The writing was never automatic. It could be interrupted at any time and later picked up again. It made me very uncomfortable, but it never seriously occurred to me to stop. It seemed to be a special assignment I had somehow, somewhere agreed to complete… The whole process took about seven years.

Those people operating at high vibrational rates make up a small percentage of the population (Paul put it at 1%) The spiritual world operates at incredibly high vibrational rates. (Is it because it’s so high that we can’t see it, I wonder?) The earth, young plants, babies have high vibrations. People concerned with love, compassion, peace & harmony are high. Most people are concerned with economics and the mundane & have lower rates. Other things that lower vibrations are eating processed foods, lack of sleep, stress, violent movies etc. Think love vs. fear, order vs. chaos. This is not a judgement call, it just is as it is. I think sometimes we need to be at lower levels to learn lessons here on Earth for the soul’s progression. It also seems that we evolve to higher vibrational levels after we have learned these lessons – as we progress through them.

A law of nature states that areas of higher concentration move to areas of lower concentration. A person with a high vibrational rate will raise a lower person’s rate close to him & while the higher vibration will lower, it will be temporarily, until they can build it up again. I like to think of a spiritual teacher-mentor-friend as being like a log with a big flame. When you put another log next to it, it catches fire and grows big also. The big logs flame does not diminish, it may go down slightly while igniting the other flame, but soon rises to be just as bright – until it is done & it dies.. but that’s another story.

The Psychology of Mans Personal Evolution – Ouspensky re: Gurdjieff

“Infinite patience will give you instant results” - John

& Yoga was most excellent!

pic from http://www.wildlandfire.com/pics/fire10/fire10.htm

opening young coconuts, Book of Urantia

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Urantia
The Urantia Book has over 2,000 pages and is divided into 200 individual essays with information on God, other supernatural beings, the history of the earth and the rest of the universe, the development of mankind, and the purpose, history, and message of Jesus Christ. It is divided into four sections: Part I: Central and Superuniverses; Part II: The Local Universe; Part III: The History of Urantia; Part IV: The Life and Teachings of Jesus.

-if it is too much to handle, skip to section 4 - The life & teachings of Jesus.

A patient came to see Dr. William S. Sandler after his wife informed him that he had been talking in his sleep and seemed to have been talking for various supermortal personalities called revelators. The contact personality was entirely asleep during the transmission and had little or no interest in the process when he was awake. From these sessions emerged The Urantia Book. Sadler organized a group to discuss the material collected from this patient and others in 1934-1935. The group was called the Forum. The Urantia Foundation, headed by a five member board, was formed as a non-profit educational group in the year 1950.

The Urantia book can be read in its entirety here:
http://www.urantia.org/papers/index.html

Today's "Thought to Ponder" from The Urantia Book:
Successful living is nothing more or less than the art of the mastery of dependable techniques for solving common problems. The first step in the solution of any problem is to locate the difficulty, to isolate the problem, and frankly to recognize its nature and gravity. The great mistake is that, when life problems excite our profound fears, we refuse to recognize them. Likewise, when the acknowledgment of our difficulties entails the reduction of our long-cherished conceit, the admission of envy, or the abandonment of deep-seated prejudices, the average person prefers to cling to the old illusions of safety and to the long-cherished false feelings of security. Only a brave person is willing honestly to admit, and fearlessly to face, what a sincere and logical mind discovers. [1773:4]

How to open a young coconut – Flash video at bottom.
http://www.rawguru.com/html/openyoungcoconut.html

pic from http://www.deliciousorganics.com/recipes/exoticfruit.htm

Every day I am more & more in awe at the wonder and complexity of nature.

From A Promise of a New day – A book of Daily Meditations – May 7

“Just as every bud aspires to be a flower, and as the flower holds the secrets of the fruit, so we enfold the beauty of our spirits. If we nourish the spirit, we can grow to be our better selves. If we allow nothing to hamper its growth, our spirit will enfold”


We are constantly becoming something different. Reinventing ourselves all the time.

Our physical body recreates itself both from the foods we eat & the thoughts we create.

Our bodies wear out from toxicity through not only the foods we eat but also negative thinking, poor relationships & disempowering belief systems.

Wahe Guru – Sikh Guru Teaching

Kaiya’s dance recital is this weekend – all day today & tomorrow. We could only get tickets for today’s show. It was a 4 hour long performance! It was very wonderful, amazing costumes, great dancing.. but very long. & they are doing 2 shows tomorrow!

http://www.waheguru.org/

THE REAL TEACHING OF THE SIKH GURUS

The real message of the Sikh Gurus is both very simple and extremely metaphysical. They state that awareness (consciousness) alone exists without a body, without any form, substance, time or space. They reveal that since there is no material substance or any space within awareness to create a genuinely physical world, it simply imagines (dreams) worlds upon worlds, upon worlds within itself for play (to experience and express itself). This play (dreaming) within awareness has always existed, and always will. The clue to the power of awareness (consciousness) to imagine with intense virtual reality (of physical solidity) lies within our own dreams at night.

Each night within our own awareness, we imagine a world which seems to be outside and as physically solid as the one we wake up to. Upon waking we realize that world never existed outside, that it never existed anywhere other than as imagination within our own awareness. If we ask of what substance that world in our dream was made of, the answer is of no substance, it was simply imagined. And yet the objects in dreams at night are every bit as solid as the ones we wake up to. And such is the power of awareness (the infinite) which according to the Sikh gurus alone exists, and alone is the real Self of all.

The Sikh gurus reveal what self realized mystics have been sharing for centuries, that the 3 states - the waking state (jagrat), dream state (svapam), and dreamless sleep state (susupati) are all imagined within the witnessing awareness (turiya - the 4th state) which alone is real.

When you are conscious in your consciousness (aware of your inner awareness), you shall be enlightened and illuminated. Raag Gauree 339

kids electric guava jelly juice

The more we know.. the more we realize that we don’t know.

I often enjoy the beginning works of artists & musicians more than their advanced works.. not always, but sometimes academia & knowledge step in & replace an intuitive approach. Ideally there can be learning & a strong connection kept to the inner child.. staying close to Source. It happens, sometimes.

255 On the dreamway, good luck is given to the benders of human minds.

Subject: raw elektrik guava jelly juice

Op -Ti -Mum Keikard !
Bonus of early upspringing today was h lavender gold sun
haze that turned into a chromantic guava orangebutred sunrise RIGHT on
OUR STREET it was royal!
Hope you are ekwwally enchanted in celebration
evn if pewter encases th day
it began in guavish glory
All glo awarded & 4warded on up 2U
Embrite

Power of Now, pg 93 - energy body

Am being very aware of the invisible energy field body inside the physical body – the part that animates the physical body. If you slow downand pay attention you can feel this subtle energy field which fills the body and gives us life.

I am reading Eckhardt Tolle right now – The Power of Now.. on pg93 he is talking about this. He tells us to feel it simultaneously throughout the body as a single field of energy. To keep focusing on it. Do not think about it but rather Feel it. The more attention we give it the clearer & stronger it will become. You will feel your cells becoming alive.. and may get an image of the body becoming luminous. But pay more attention to the feeling than to an image.

“This inner body lies at the threshold between your form identity and your essence identity, your true nature. Never lose touch with it.”

pic from a movie I saw last year - Scared Sacred

Appreciation and Gratitude

Interestingly, at yoga last night I kept thinking my friend Joanne. I mentioned it to her this morning, that she would love this class & this instructor.. turns out the instructor is a very close friend of hers.

A song keeps going through my head.. and then it just played on the radio. I love that!

India Aire - I am not my hair
“I am not my hair, I am not this skin, (I am not your expectations) I am the soul that lives within”

From my mom: Appreciation and Gratitude are two of the most powerful emotional states we can be in. Appreciate everything. Express gratitude for every single moment of your life. The more you create feelings of appreciation and gratitude the more you will attract into your life which you can appreciate and for which you can feel grateful.
Some of the simplest things are the most profound.
Look at the things in your life that you don’t appreciate and discover why you actually should appreciate them. Look closely at these good things and focus on them. What you feel negative about you probably are not understanding clearly anyway.

The energy of Gratitude helps us remember to be grateful about everything that happens in our lives for we have created it ourselves.

Pic from http://www.the-arcturians.com/eng/index.htm

thoughts, fog analogy, ‘don’t know’ mind

A few of my e-mails:

1- Subject – “Be aware of your thinking”

“There’s a thought in your mind right now. The longer you hold on to it, the more you dwell upon it, the more life you give to that thought. Give it enough life and it becomes real. So make sure the thought is indeed a great one.”

May you have great thoughts!
Love, Mom

(we’re on the same wave length ; )

2- Subject - Mon. May 1, 2006
Take only what you need. We can really live on just a fraction of the food we eat, use just a fraction of the water, electricity, and gasoline we use, generate less garbage, and consume much less “stuff” if we want to. We can touch the earth more gently. And rather than being a sacrifice we may find that we ourselves are healthier and happier with more time and peace of mind while also contributing to the greater good and allowing more for others! It may even change us on a soul level, making us relish each little thing life has to offer and opening our eyes to true abundance. To your Health and Happiness,Jinjeehttp://www.TheGardenDiet.com

3- Subject – Spin Cycle
(just the end part – it’s a long e-mail about why we (artists) work) …So why do we work? The spin tells me that it's our human longing for immortality. It's love that we require. And many artists wish to be loved immortally. Our quest for love has its vernacular in our quest for fame. Love is why we work and sing and write and dance and quilt and point cameras and make all the things that we do.
Best regards, Robert

PS: "I saw you there one wonderful day
You took my heart and threw it away
That's why I ask the Lord in Heaven above
What is this thing called Love?" (Cole Porter)

From Robert Genns twice weekly letters- april 28

Yeah, yeah, I know.. I was behind in opening some of my e-mails

What a beautiful day Tuesdays are. It’s my favorite day of the week these days. I took a pilates class with Tracy, whom I love – used to do her spinning classes, they were the best!Then I had meditation class in the afternoon and then my favorite yoga class of all in the evening with Jeannie. Its like power yoga, I think.. I keep hearing this word, power yoga. & because it’s the toughest by far I assume that this is what I am hearing about. I love yoga lately. It feels so great, is relaxing & yet really strengthens core muscles.. I feel tighter & am feeling different muscles the morning after my Tues class than with my regular weight workout. Abs, back, butt – its all good!

Last song @ yoga during the relaxation part – Guru Avatar

Meditiation class – 3 things.
1- fog analogy – being aware/ mindful/conscious of our thoughts and actions leads us to a higher level of spirituality. It speeds up our maturity almost without us realizing it – like walking through a fog and not realizing you are getting wet until you are.

2- In meditation class we leave 3 things at the door: our condition, our situation & our opinion. (or at least we try not to be attached to them)

3- We need to own our feelings. We are responsible for the way we are feeling. It is our own mind creating the feelings. The opposite of this would be to blame someone else or a situation for the way we are feeling.

4- Ok, so theres actually a 4th thing. The ‘don’t know’ mind. Sometimes we meditate on ‘who am I’ but not even the question of it, more the wonder of it. The answer to this, if there is any, is ‘don’t know’ although just the wonder of it is better. The answer to everything is don’t know in the ‘don’t know’ mind. What is this chair? Don’t know. Who is that person? Don’t know… this gets rid of labels and preconceived ideas and opens the mind to all possibilities. It’s like looking fresh at everything.

Next week is our long 2 ½ hour meditation.

pic from free desktop wallpapers.com

The Power of Now - pg 91

Wrote green smoothies info for website. Want to write up a one page condensed version. I love to share the benefits of green smoothies with my friends & others. I believe in them so strongly.. greens are so incredibly good for us, this makes them actually taste good.. I honestly believe they could be a very strong factor in healing the planet. They heal our bodies, heal our minds, help us lose harmful addictions, & make us want to take care of ourselves. I think the planet is an outer manifestation of our collective inward state. As above, so below. As within, so without.

By helping you I help myself. We are all like waves in an ocean – connected.

For the past few weeks I have been interested in watching my thoughts. & interested in the ‘natural’ self vs. the ‘normal’ self as John puts it. (from Tues meditation class)

I am drinking a green smoothie with kale, mango, banana, & pear as I type.

Notes from the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle:

- the knower who lies behind the thinker – the deeper self who recognizes spiritual truth, resonates with it and gains strength from it.
- you know everything already- just forgotten- ancient knowledge embedded in the heart of you.

From pg 91 “But as long as you are run by the egoic mind, you are part of the collective insanity. Perhaps you haven’t looked very deeply into the human condition in its state of dominance by the egoic mind. Open your eyes and see the fear, the despair, the greed, and the violence that are all-pervasive. See the heinous cruelty and suffering on an unimaginable scale that humans have inflicted and continue to inflict on each other as well as on other life forms on the planet. You don’t need to condemn. Just observe. That is sin. That is insanity. That is unconsciousness. Above all, don’t forget to observe your own mind. Seek out the root of insanity there.”

Kaiya and I just did a 20 min stretch session together combining moves from my yoga and her taekwondo. I can really feel the insides of my legs – we focused there – she wants to be able to do the splits.