more views from the garden

Anjali and I got outside before the rain had a chance to evaporate. No artificial irrigation is ever as nourishing as a well-timed rain. The garden felt lush and vibrant. I have been spending a lot of time out there every day. It soothes me. The sun fills me. All the growing and ripening encourages me to pay attention daily ~ looking close up, observing. I am especially delighted by the becoming-ness ~ delicate yet urgent unfurling under leaves and in corners. And the abundance ~ of not just one tiny perfect flower, but hundreds ~ on a single stalk. Voluptuous roundness comprised of many smaller roundnesses. Each a bowl that contains a droplet of water. Full.

butterfly bush

feathery yarrow leaves

yarrow with droplets

onion bloom! gotta get close up to appreciate its amazing bounty and detailed beauty.

yarrow becoming

the paste tomato that could: sealion planted a dozen seeds,

and this is the only seedling that kept growing.

cosmos

volunteer from last year's cutflower seed mix. :-) i love volunteers.

a different butterfly bush ~ juicy with rainwater

tiny strawberries becoming ~ the abundance!

daisy with her collection of rain

delicate, intricate detail. nature is the original and ultimate artist.

lavender

ladybug on lettuce

a daisy's concentric unfurling

Gratitude for Water

This quote by Mother Teresa has always resonated with me: "I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there."
As has everyone, I have felt devastated and powerless hearing about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But, just as with any other act of mass violence, I think it fruitless to hash and re-hash statistics and be glued to the news to hear the latest gory detail; that just seems pointless and actually counter-productive to me. So I'm following Mother Teresa's lead: passing on the following prayer and intention for gratitude and healing. I have a tendency to feel pretty jaded and skeptical about such new-agey seeming stuff these days, but in my heart I believe it can work in individuals' lives. Why not pool our efforts? And, while we are figuring out what else we can do to help, this is something we can do that is positive and loving as opposed to amplifying hatred and judgment.
I plan to focus on how vast and gorgeous our mother ocean is, and how wondrous her creatures are.

May it begin with me.


A letter from the World Gratitude movement:

Beloveds ~

Today, we invite our World Gratitude family to join together, to leverage our
genius and the power of Love to transmute the destructive forces of ignorance,
greed and separation that are at play in the Gulf of Mexico ... and beyond.

We see this as an opportunity to deepen Self Mastery, by employing
our genius and authentic power in a life-affirming way ... by being
Grateful NOW for wholeness, purity and recapitulation of the water
bodies in the Gulf, as well as across the face of creation.

Dr. Masaru Emoto - author scientist, and humanitarian - has shared a brief, yet
powerful prayer and we are passing it along here as a focal point, a space of
conscious creation allowing us to move past fear, judgment and retribution into
Unity, Harmony and Wholeness. This prayer is structured using Ho'oponopono
and is directed initially at WATER - the element connecting ALL Life on the
planet. Water ... the carrier of Spirit and the flow-er of Love!!!

Dr. Masaru Emoto's Healing Prayer for the Gulf:

"I send the energy of love and gratitude to the water and all the living
creatures in the Gulf of Mexico and its surroundings.

To the whales, dolphins, pelicans, fish, shellfish, plankton, coral,
algae, and all living creatures . . .

I am sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you. "

and these words from a Beloved who forwarded this prayer and invitation
to us: "We are passing this request to people who we believe might be willing to
participate in this prayer, to set an intention of love and healing that is so large, so
overwhelming that we can perform a miracle in the Gulf of Mexico.

We are not powerless. We are powerful. Our united energy, speaking this prayer
daily...multiple times daily....can literally shift the balance of destruction that is
happening.

We don't have to know how......we just have to recognize that the power of love is
greater than any power active in the Universe today.

Please join us in oft repeating this healing prayer of of Dr. Emoto's. And feel free to
copy and paste this to send it around the planet. Let's take charge, and do our own
clean up!

And so it is! Pass it on."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thank you, Dr. Emoto and our friends, who are earnest in our intent. We are
grateful to be gathered here, together, and honored to share the journey as ONE.


Namaste,

~ The Ground Crew of World Gratitude

views from the garden

after getting off to a late start this season, the garden is vibrant! i have thinned the greens, we have salad greens every day and stirfry greens at least once a week now. the arugula has bolted and flowered. yarrow is in full bloom, as are the nasturtium which seem to have the goal of covering the whole yard! butterfly bush buds steadily progress. the mint and lemon balm have had to be pruned back for the second time now, as they seem to want to outdo the nasturtium. the tomatoes need an expert eye to their leaf woes...

here are some photos.

volunteer chamomile

even though nasturtium are almost pest-like in their wild natures around here, i love them

and think they are so striking up close. i also like their flavor!

.. am contemplating attempting a nasturtium wine this season!! : )

kale and lettuces

tiny wild sweetpea

yarrow

Forrest

A beautiful soul has passed from this realm to the next. I didn't know Forrest well at all ~ only friendly acknowledgements on the sidewalk or short but pleasant conversation. But I feel a deep sadness, as so many of my loved ones loved him so much. From what I have heard of the Tibetan view of living and dying, as a person's soul leaves their body, it floats around for a little while before it passes on ~ visiting and observing loved ones. As Forrest floats in that middl-y air, I am confident that he can feel without a doubt that his presence was cherished and valued deeply by a community who weren't ready to lose him.

Recently for the first time I heard Ray Charles's version of "Long and Winding Road," and it has been in rotation today as I mourn with my loved ones. So I dedicate it to Forrest.