Vday 2009

I am taking a pause to think about Love on this day.

I have felt the Love this year...
Love in hope and hope in Love at Obama's inauguration.

and today on Vday I feel the Love from my family, my friends
I feel Love in the creation a new Cosm at upstate NY, my home ions ago.

A friend of mine from college sent this saying:

Love comes when manipulation stops;
when you think more about the other person
then about his or her reactions to you.
When you dare to reveal yourself fully.
When you dare to be vulnerable.

Dr. Joyce Roberts

There is something about Maya

Photo above: http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/photocredit/achievers/ang0-007

Photo below: http://www.mercurynews.com ((AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File))

There is magic in dem words.

There is liquid truth that seeps slowly into my being and bewitches me.

I am reading Maya Angelou's collected biographies once again. The first time I read them, I was a young college student still trying to master the English language. Maya's powerful prose was more inviting than intimidating, reassuring me that being a woman is a universal experience. She is a powerful teacher and her lessons come within her personal stories, 

her wisdom flows like comfort food for a hungry heart – mine.

Once again I find myself drawn to her voice, 

unable to put the book down - a whopping 1000+ pages of pure Maya gold.

Thank you, Phenomenal Woman!

Phenomenal Woman Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size But when I start to tell them,  They think I'm telling lies. I say, It's in the reach of my arms The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me. I walk into a room Just as cool as you please, And to a man, The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees. Then they swarm around me, A hive of honey bees. I say, It's the fire in my eyes, And the flash of my teeth, The swing in my waist, And the joy in my feet. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me. Men themselves have wondered What they see in me. They try so much But they can't touch My inner mystery. When I try to show them They say they still can't see. I say, It's in the arch of my back, The sun of my smile, The ride of my breasts, The grace of my style. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me. Now you understand Just why my head's not bowed. I don't shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud. When you see me passing It ought to make you proud. I say, It's in the click of my heels, The bend of my hair, the palm of my hand, The need of my care, 'Cause I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me. Maya Angelou

OBAMA !!!!!

Reading in the tropics

I have managed to gobble down a few books since I arrived.

- "Equador" by Miguel Sousa Tavares was very appropriate for a first reading in the tropics and a much appreciated trip in time back to our years in S. Tome.
Although I had not read anything in Portuguese since "Budapeste" by Chico Buarque in 2005, the language was practically irrelevant for me here so easy was the flow of this book.

- "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith was a delight indeed. I had no expectations for this book and was very pleased with the gracious and witty Mma Precious Ramotswe the first lady detective in Botswana. I am looking forward to reading the other books in these series.

- The next book on conspiracies was an eye opener. A little full of facts and figures that were a little boring but their connection of the real stargate with the shamanic practice was just down my alley. I now want to read Jeremy Narby's "A Cosmic Serpent".

A New Life

We are finally here and I am connected again to this cosmic web.

A new life, a new world !!!
It is all so new but it feels so familiar as if it was meant to be,
a place already visited in dreams.

Sekondi, a small village 4 hours from the capital Accra,
a far contrast from "chichi froufrou" Scottsdale Arizona
without the material wealth but with a rich soul.

Let this rainbow be a sign of the myriad of possibilities that awaits us here.

Phenomenon

I am reading "Shaman, Healer, Sage" by A. Villoldo. 

I decided that I want to read all his books in the order that he wrote them. After "The Four Winds" and "Return to the Island of the Sun" which are about his personal journey, this book is more of a summary of the teachings he received while on that journey.

I am fascinated by the similarities between the Inka's perception of the Energy "body" and the Indian, Tibetan teachings as well. Although the later mention 7 chakras, the Inkas go a step further in describing the 8th and 9th chakras.

I took a break from the book to watch a movie and I have since watched two that somewhat related to what I have been reading ... weird coincidence. 

The first, "Phenomenon", is about an ordinary man that starts perceiving the energy that connects us all after being struck by a flash of light and as a result starts having extraordinary powers, it turns out that he has a large tumor in his brain, nonetheless, he becomes a deeply spiritual being that honors the connection between all things.

"Youth without Youth" is Coppola's latest movie which drew a lot of not so positive reviews but that I enjoyed without fully understanding it. There is are a myriad of metaphysical subjects including time travel, transmigration of souls, the ego or double ... and a lot more interwoven as in a dream where:

 - "the king dreams that he is a butterfly dreaming that it is a king ..."

(Image: Stock photography - Chakra, Wheel of Life with silhouette of woman in lotus position"

Calabaceira

This fruit that I sucked and had as juice and  "fresquinhas" in my childhood has made it out of the cob webbed corners of my memory and into the limelight !

Scientifically known as adansonia digitata, and commonly known as baobab tree, calabaceira, imbondeiro, this fruit is now being paraded around the EU as a "super food"- high in antioxidants, twice as much calcium them milk, 6 times more vitamin C then oranges ... and the list goes on.

This new found celebrity food will soon be featured in smoothies and cereal bars and appear in your supermarket as jam. (BBC article).

Well, no surprise here. 

Our environment contains all the nutritious foods required for our survival, and if the dry areas of Africa where most of these baobab trees are found have such "miracle" food, it's because those areas do not have diets consisting of a glass of milk or fresh OJ for breakfast !!!!

Viva calabaceira !!! 

Well and veludo, jambre, cinbron whose scientific

 names I am still trying to find out.

For more great foods of Africa check out the series: Lost Crops of Africa II at The National Academies Press (with lots of free books online by the way)

Balancing poses

In yoga the balancing poses are very strengthening for the body and for the mind.

I particularly love the Warrior series, especially now that I am trying to balance myself between two worlds.

I am returning to the practice but not without first paying the price for staying away too long. 

The first week I was so sore I could barely walk. 

But now the strength is returning, and the confidence with it. 

Slowly does it.

In returning to the breath my mind stops worrying about the move, the tons of "stuff" to sort, the bureaucracy, the fear of the unknown, the exhilaration of the adventure.

For now I'll just keep posing and focusing on my breath.

Sister, sister

"Observe the ladies of the court.

See how they achieve what they want from their men,

not by stamping their little feet,

but by allowing the men to believe that they, indeed, are in charge.

That is the art of being a woman."

- From the movie "The Other Boleyn Girl"

Great plot and performances. I truly enjoyed it.

Blues

It was one of those days that threatened to pull me down.
News that popped up or thoughts that took the wrong turn.
I could recognize it - the shadow that precedes the mood.
Why do they call it the blues ?

I thought about writing about it and maybe it would go away
but I remembered my own rule ... no negativity allowed !

I switched tactics. Why not focus on the good things that surfaced ?!
There were good things,
there are always good things !

-Ingrid Betancourt is free .. I had tears of joy, I had been following her story and I believe she will one day be the president of Columbia.

- Tahir Shah has a blog where I can go to quench my thirst for his words.

I am a big fan of his stories and although I visited his website once in a while, the addition of his blog has made me a more frequent visitor. (Photo - Tahir Shah from his website)

- There are always the kids ... they are doing great and that is a great blessing not to be overlooked.

- There are friends and friend(s) emails that I look forward to.

- Although chocolate no longer kick-starts my mood as before

(I think I overdosed), I made some sorrel-ginger and spices drink to complement this heat.

- last but not least, I am healthy and there is life to live and many things to discover !

I am grateful !

Stirring the pot of memories

(Painting : Mito in the 80s, found in the vaults of my memory)

Once in a while a series of thoughts trigger the connections that open doors to a distant past ...

I have been peering into the 80s ...

It is a calming gaze, almost like watching a movie.

Detached of emotions I am better suited to see nuances that would otherwise be shrouded in my feelings.

In this ritual, the mind seeks to disperse in the winds of time the memories that no longer serve.

Other memories remind me of the 20-year old that was ...

- The essay for the phi 101 class - what boldness, what imagination !

I see the clear connection to Mother Nature emanating from my youth, a product of my upbringing ... I long for that connection now.

- there are snippets -blood drops - of a love that wasn't ...

and there too I glimpse the innocence lost.

I release you to the flames and to the wind and close the doors...

In search of the "God particle"

It sounds ambitious but Man's search for the ultimate answer, for the "simplest" particle is anything but simple.

The stage is being set for an experiment this summer at the CERN laboratory. 

The 17 mile subterranean ring in the French-Swiss border houses the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

The goal - provoke particle collision at nearly the speed of light in

hope that matter will be transformed and God will show it's "face" if only for a infinitesimal small amount of time and be recorded (the so called "God particle) is  Higgs boson and is believed to give mass to matter).

The fear (by some outsiders) - that a black hole will be created that will swallow the Earth.

The cost - $5-10 billion and counting (or not).

Here is an interesting detail of what might possibly happen.

Original article from National Geographic magazine

my own

If you meet the Buddha,

kill the Buddha !

- Zen proverb

My take on it:

I need to kill all the idols that are crowding / clouding my path and carve my own.

Don't be a follower, be a leader.

Be the observer and the observed.

Crack open the head ;-)

Mar y Oregano

Painting: The Gypsy Medina by David Delamare

SONETO XXXIV

Eres hija del mar y prima del oregano

nadadora tu cuerpo es de agua pura,

cocinera, tu sangre es tierra viva

y tus costumbres son floridas y terrestres.

Al agua van tus ojos y levantan las olas,

a la tierra tus manos y saltan las semillas,

en agua y tierra tienes propriedades profundas

que en si se juntan como las leyes de la greda.

Nayade, corta tu cuerpo la turquesa

y luego resurrecto florece en la cocina

de tal modo que asumes cuando existe

y al fin duermes rodeada por mis brazoz que apartan

de la sombra sombria, para que tu descanses,

vegetales, algas marinas, hierbas: la espuma de tus suenos.

-PABLO NERUDA

Quieting the waters

Last night I tried again to quiet the mind and go deeper.

The first time I tried it did not last long, 

I recall the cough of the kids in the background making me feel guilty for my idleness ...

however, the few minutes that I did manage to sit - pain and all -

transported me to a magical place of my childhood -

TARRAFAL !

A place with the most beautiful natural painted stones that I have ever seen,

a place I was taken to by my seamate, my mermate if you will,

someone that I had lost contact with for years and the pain of that separation,

the anxiety of not knowing of his whereabouts came up (or went out seeking).

I finally gave in to the pain in the limbs, restlessness and all.

A few days later I got an email from my friend

- yes, the seamate !!

I couldn't believed it, I barely contained my joy

- he had visited me in my dreams !

(when I was a child I believed that dreams were the realm of the gathering of souls)

You see it when you believe it !

(Foto: Tarrafal of my youth - mid 70s)

Labor Pains

Image: Gaia by Oberon Zell
... for the MOTHER will awake ... to see it is too late.

Earth, Mother, 

raped ... nipples sucked dry.

What more do we want from you Mother ?

----

I was listening to one of Villoldo's accounts of the gathering of the Elders and he told that the Women / Mothers present referred to this era as the

 labor phase of mother Earth, 

the pain that comes before the birth.

What child will be born of you this time ?

PS> I am struggling with this post and I think I have to rephrase it, it is deviating from my adherence to the positive ...

Obama Black Eagle - One Who Helps People Throughout the Land

On May 19th Obama was adopted into the Crow Nation.

... Members of the tribe wore colorful traditional clothing and feathered head-dresses -- Obama addressed some issues of serious concern not only to the 12,100-member Crow Nation but to many Native American tribes around the country.

(extract from the Washington Post blog)

May you soar to great heights and lead us in a path with heart. God Bless you !

Something to ponder

Is there a relationship between these news ?

1- British Ministry of Defense releases UFO files. There are more details at the National Archives.

2- A new isolated Amazon tribe has been discovered by Brazil's National Indian Foundation. 

(6/30 update - The news of the tribe discovery was a hoax intended on drawing attention to the continuous displacement of the Indians tribes of South America, let's hope it works.)

I can't help but see the irony in these events. 

The danger of exposing these isolated tribes to all the ills of our society equate to extermination. 

As for E.T. it should call home asap because this place is not for aliens (pun intended).

Buddha and Padre Pio

Buddha was born on the full moon in May and Padre Pio on May 25th so I want to take some time and revere these great Masters.

Buddha was born into a royal family and it was foreseen that he would give up all material possessions and become a holy man. His father the king was appalled at the idea and once the young boy was born he build a fortress around his kingdom to shield his son from the "real" world. However after Siddhartha married he was able to leave the palace and met a sick man, an old man and a corpse, the signs that would lead him to seek his true nature and become enlightened. After numerous trials he eventually reached nirvana under a boddhi tree.

Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione on May 27, 1887 in a small town in Italy called Pietrelcina and early in life at the tender age of 5 he felt the need to dedicate his life to God. At the age of 15 he became a Fra (padre / brother). He later became a spiritual director and his five rules were: weekly confession, daily Communion, spiritual reading, meditation and examination of conscience. (Wouldn't we all be better off with a few of these daily).

His theology can be summoned in his saying "Pray, Hope and Don't Worry".

What made Padre Pio very famous later was the appearance of stigmata. He also performed many miracles but throughout his life he suffered physically, emotionally and spiritually for many years and was only posthumously recognized for his hard work and made a saint in 2002.

Dreaming ... Waking life

It seems that once I hook on to some particular subject, the information starts coming in droves. Lately I have been seeing and reading a lot about the dream awake world.

With so many people now saying the same thing, will we have a shift in consciousness by the mere fact that so many are now "in tune" with this view of reality ? Or are we talking about the same things that Buddha, Jesus and so many other spoke of ions ago ?


1- Healing the Luminous Body - Medical anthropologist Alberto Villoldo describes the energy body as was thought to him by the Inka Shamans of the Andes. Great images by Alex Grey complement this documentary and allows us to visuallize the path to spiritual and physical healing.

2- Other Worlds - Trully fascinating account of director Jan Kounen's initiation into the Peruvian Shipibo Shamanic world. Not much different from Castaneda's account or even Shah's description of his own journey but the visual effects and interviews with many scientists give it an all around perspective.

3- The Voice of Knowledge - Don Miguel Ruiz shares the wisdom of the Toltec naguals. He really lays it all out about "our stories", familiar territory for all the forum alumni.

4- Living Luminaries - A slew of masters talk about the power of now, living in the moment, creating your own reality, meditation ... you name it. A great feast and treat to find so many of the masters in one place and drink of their nectar. I feel like a bee ... be ... being ... becoming !

5- Courageous Dreaming: How Shamans Dream the World into Being - Currently reading Villoldo's latest which I am tackling slowly.


5- Waking Life - What is real and what is unreal ? This movie takes you on a brainy walk through dreams and philosophical conversations that are a great mind stimulator. A must see and repeat. I could do away with the animated aspect of the movie which made me a bit dizzy but a small price to pay for the stimulation. It reminds me I need to revisit Mindwalk and My Dinner with Andre again