If you need a lift, don’t call a taxi, don’t call Uber. Call Mother Nature. No phone number or text required — just a posy here or a bloom there works wonders to lift the spirits.
Universal Goodwill
Endowed with jaw dropping beauty, one of Mother Nature’s finest virtues is flowers. No wonder they frequent art, architecture, special occasions, apologies and get well wishes — worldwide. Quite simply, they are instantaneous mood lifters.
A half century ago hippies used flowers for demonstrations of peace. More recently, and in similar polarized times, Lewis Miller’s creativity is lifting countless spirits. Titillating me with Miller’s flash flower pics, a New York friend received them from a friend in Rome which I, of course, forwarded on too. ‘Just goes to show that flowers are dynamo no matter where you live. (And I’ll give tech credit for the worldwide share.)
Fervor in all Places
Imagine turning the corner on a shadowy city street and discovering one of Miller’s flash flower displays. Can you feel the excitement? Joy? Your mood immediately brighten? Or, how about when Petal it Forward hands you two bouquets — one for you, and one to give away. Can you feel the dual happiness as both giver and receiver? The smiles widening your heart? I’ve always believed one person can make a difference and these thoughtful acts underscore that what we focus on grows…
So, why do flowers boost our mood?
Flowers don’t have to be expensive or on a grand scheme to elevate a mood. A single bloom, or flower in the wild induces the same delight.
Color may also be a factor. Similar to chromotherapy that uses color to balance a person’s energy — be it physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental, some Chinese healers use flower colors to elicit a particular power or emotion. Each color is associated with a different frequency of light waves that help release neurotransmitters to produce feel good chemicals in the brain like melatonin, adrenaline, serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin.
The Beneficial Rainbow of Flower Colors
Color
Body Area Affected
Power
Red
Adrenal glands
Boosts energy
Orange
Immune system, lungs
Seasonal allergy relief, aids digestion
Yellow
Brain
Alertness, optimism
Green
Nervous system
Relaxation, stress reduction
Blue
Thyroid gland
Relaxation, sleep
Indigo
Pineal gland
Sleep regulation, eases worry and fear
Violet
Pituitary gland
Cools, suppresses hunger
The Garden State Studies
New Jersey’s Rutgers University completed several studies on the emotional role flowers play. Conducted by Jeannette Haviland-Jones, PhD., professor of psychology at Rutgers, she is an internationally recognized authority who confirmed what many gardeners already know.
Those who enjoy the outdoors and flowers on a regular basisare happier and more satisfied with life.
Eternal Youth?
As a natural and lasting mood enhancer, flowers universally and instantly produce happiness – whether indoors or out, as a gift or not, and regardless of the person’s age. “What’s most exciting about this study,” Haviland-Jones says, “is that it challenges established scientific beliefs about how people can manage their day-to-day moods in a healthy and natural way.” Flowers increase contact with family and friends and lessen feelings of anxiousness, agitation, and depression. “Our research shows that a small dose of nature, like flowers, can do a world of wonder for our well-being as we age,” said Haviland-Jones.
So why not put a little spring in someone’s step with the delight of a flower? It wouldn’t surprise me if gardening gloves could outdo anti-depressants…
Mother’s Lifetime Love
From the time my Mom gave me posies for my elementary school teacher to receiving surprise bouquets from friends and suitors, I’ve been in love with flowers. To me, they’ve always been better than a box of calorie-laden chocolates or birthday cake.
When relocating from the city to the northeastern mountains, I knew I could have bouquets most any time by planting a garden. What began as one 10′ space grew to two plots totaling 70′ of three-season blooms. Gardening afforded me more hands-on explanations about living life than I could ever get from one book. It’s also how I became entwined with the Tao and more life learning.
When relocating from the city to the northeastern mountains, I knew I could have bouquets most any time by planting a garden. What began as one 10′ space grew to two plots totaling 70′ of three-season blooms. Gardening afforded me more hands-on explanations about living life than I could ever get from one book. It’s also how I became entwined with the Tao and more life learning.
About 10 years ago I began photographing the flowers in my garden. Their beauty and diversity overwhelm me with awe and gratitude each time I see them. I hope they will bring you as much love, lightheartedness and joy —
My Memorial Day message about American spirit, led me to another blogger’s post on the Insightful Geopolitics blog which more fully explains some of my concerns about the state of the USA and global politics for that matter.
I consider myself open-minded in considering all points of view. If you are too, please visit this worthy post: World War III Has Begun and We are Unaware. I offer it, not to frighten anyone, but simply to open our eyes and deepen our understanding of what is happening globally. And as I always say, “Take what you like and leave the rest.”
The Tao suggests looking deeply into the ordinary to see the spiritual nature of life. To question, “What are the qualities lying beneath what I see?”
Where is America’s Spirit Today?
Ponder the American flag in the header. What do you see? Feel? It’s one of a smattering of practice photos I took with my smart phone during a recent walk through a cemetery. Although the flag was blowing in the wind at the moment of capture, hung low it appears devalued to me. Perhaps even defeated, stationed among aging leaves in a cemetery — a home for the deceased.
Instead of waving strong and proud, this contorted flag typifies the demoralized spirit of the pandemic lock-down that is sullied with uncertainty and chaos from confusing and irrational commands. From disbelief and even disgust at reckless behavior and proposals to force us against our will.
Passion and Polarity
Polarity is nothing new to America or life for that matter. It just feels accentuated at this time, like a pounding migraine. While my patriotic parents experienced national unity during World War II and Americans came together shortly after 9/11, most Boomers will remember the Kent State protests and abominable vilification of Vietnam War vets. No matter which side, Americans are spirited.
The Tao encourages me to look beyond adversity to claim the wisdom beyond it.
Current D Days
Distraction
For several years I’ve witnessed an erosion of American spirit amidst growing apathy, idleness, and indifference. Too often, incumbents in my area’s elections run unopposed. I question how much of this is due to tech’s creation of sheeple and fake news.
Disabled
Continually run over by out of touch legislators and businesses, and a health, addiction, and education crisis, America’s spirit further weakened when the pandemic ensnared us with fear, mandated inactivity and imposed powerlessness.
Disruption
Learning that the USA now intends to forcibly remove people from their homes, or forcibly vaccinate, feels like communism to me. How will you feel when a family member is removed from your home to isolate the coronavirus? If I refuse the vaccine, will I be hauled away? Will the Thought Police replicate China’s social score system to further control and confine us?
Deception
The answers lie in California’s pilot program slated for nationwide implementation. Their army of 20,000 well-paid disease detectives is under the guise of “for our protection.” Warily I question if the unemployed hungry masses will clamor for these jobs to essentially become the new secret police since marketing so cleverly conceals the truth e.g. convenience/privacy invading, protection/control.
Debilitation
If that sounds too unbelievable, and particularly in freedom loving America, so does isolation, discouraging religious participation, disallowing groups to conjugate, encouraging thought/behavior/activity minders, and proposing forced testing and vaccines. Yet, that’s exactly where we are after brazenly disregarding numerous other laws.
Too closely these protections resemble horrific junctures in world history. Ones that millions of military personnel sacrificed their lives for because they valued our precious rights and freedoms. Whoever thought this couldn’t be happening again needs to pay attention and review the nascency of the holocaust.
Deterioration
The rapid deterioration of our independence and liberties through joblessness, lockdowns, and enslaving our children’s children’s children with enormous debt is alarming. Too quickly, China snatched up our life saving supplies, our farms, our produce, our land. Whoever thought Americans would be required to wear masks as we’ve seen in China for years? Would our deceased military personnel and forefathers, who forfeited their lives for our freedom, be shocked to witness America’s spirit pummeled by communism? (Note: I am not bashing China. I am observing the undoing of America.)
American Resolve
Looking Back to We the People
As we scramble to regain footing during this pandemic, it is my memory of America’s historical bravery, a willingness to stand up and fight whether against taxation without representation, or civil and women’s rights, that gives me hope. I crave a resurgence of American spirit that once stood for character, enthusiasm, resolution, backbone, grit and guts.
Photo by Rhododendrites of gravesite for Samuel Adams, a signer of America’s Declaration of Independence
Allegiance to America’s Spirited Foundation
And so, on this Memorial Day weekend, when Americans celebrate fallen heroes in the military, I also salute revolutionaries who were not afraid to stand up for what they believed in. I include people like Rosa Parks and Margaret Sanger with my heroes, spirited civic soldiers if you will.
Note: I am not condoning protesting health care workers nor am I condoning forced vaccinations or being removed from one’s home. I am condoning and supporting American values such as freedom, independence, self-reliance, privacy, diversity, directness, and equality.
Let’s face it, the coronavirus stopped everything in its tracks. Closing businesses, schools, communities and entire countries shattered the world into millions of individualized personal universes. But, viewing this tragic pandemic through the paradoxical Tao, I see our rapidly moving globe suddenly falling apart to slow us down and turn our attention to what truly matters.
In Sickness and in Health
While I, too, grow weary of monotonous and lengthy confinement, I also see this time of sans distraction as optimal for looking within. The choice is simple. Do I feel better when my thoughts reside in devastation, or as the Chinese do in seeing opportunity in chaos? Shifting the focus from worse to better, this virus offers a prodigious gift. Besides the benefits of families making dinner together again, reading more books, and savoring nature, I’m talking about something extraordinary — a universal gift for humanity’s overall well-being and that of our planet.
According to Holy Ordinance
Reading this Abraham-Hicks sentiment some time ago, it was hard for me to believe. Quite honestly, I didn’t feel that powerful. But, since this message keeps popping up in my life and I can see the monumental effects from humanity’s darkness, I’m revisiting this concept, and largely out of hope.
“Each and every single person makes a difference,” Covid-19 tells us. So, why not use this time wisely to envision the post-virus world we wish to see?
To Love and to Cherish
The pandemic is a call to stop talking about the problems and to act, become directors of life post-pandemic. There’s a productive exercise in creatively envisioning the best that Dr. Elaine Aron calls an exercise in Big Reality. Big Reality is a pathway to global change and participating is easy:
Alter your focus right now.
Turn off the media’s fear mantra.
Clear the virus from your mind and any troubles tainting your day.
Take a few deep breaths.
Make a list. Not the usual “to do” or “gratitude” list but one of a different type.Make a list of all the things that may end up better because of the coronavirus.
Neale Donald Walsch further explains. Think of life as a “huge, blank sheet of paper.” Let your thoughts, words and prayers be the instruments you use to color that sheet of paper. Is it dark or filled with light?
Think big. Universal, if you will. Create more than one blank page and make a new page at any time. Use your imagination to join a universal mind that can create a positive outcome from this pandemic. You may be skeptically asking, “Sure, sure, how is this going to make a difference?” But, is there any good reason not to try? We can’t say we don’t have the time…
As John Lennon sang in 1971, “Imagine.” Imagine the coronavirus eradicated. Imagine vibrant health for you, your loved ones, and community. Use your imagination to create your best self. The best planet. Best community and life. Imagination is the power of the mind to form images – positive, loving, indifferent, negative, funny, sad, or happy. How do you feel? What do you choose? What will you contribute to your spirit and to the health of our planet?
Here’s some of my Big Reality:
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash
Clear skies, vibrant waters and pristine lands
Governments worldwide immediately sharing vital health information
Spamming, computer hacking, and junk mail evaporating
Healthier people devoid of Diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity, anxiety and depression
Hot water in all public restrooms
Photo by Jesse Orrico on Unsplash
Caring outdoing selfishness; simplicity and generosity replacing greed and hoarding; personal pride of “can do” instead of a helpless “I can’t” attitude; kindness and acceptance (tolerance at the very least) replacing hate. Oh, and common sense will be King!
It’s a tall order but why not? Why not think big?
From this Day Forward
The coronavirus gives us downtime. If I focus on the positive, the extra time is a gift. Will we recognize it and act on it, or quickly kick it aside as we have with Mother Earth? Will we engage with each other and nature? Will a unified positive focus create a better world? Why not try? Isn’t it worth it?
Original photo by Luana Azevedo on Unsplash
I understand the coronavirus may end life as we’ve known it, but I must believe it is the transformation to something much better. What do you want to see as our world transforms?
To Have and to Hold
When I hear talk about oneness, I prefer to think of it as a collective energy for the betterment of humanity and the world, not as a melting pot erasing geographical boundaries, individuality and ethnicity. What color will you bring to this universal canvas?
Today is one of the most important days of the year.
Remembering your Mother, the one who essentially brought you into life, is the customary intention for Mother’s Day. But, don’t forget Big Mama either. Big Mama as in the Mother of Nature, the one who essentially gives life to all.
Thank Mother Nature for sharing her treasure chest — a bounty pushing past our imagination with infinite colors, textures, scents, temperatures and sounds almost too breathtaking to comprehend. Look into her cheerful blue skies, hug those white fluffy clouds of transformation, feel the exuberance of her vibrant streams, and soothing sheltering forests.
Contemplate Mother’s Nature’s wildfire fury, rain of tears from disrespect and howling winds of disappointment, yet somehow she does not abandon humanity, reassuring us through the changing seasons of her enduring support.
How devoid of all life our planet would be without her, like living without a Mother’s unwavering love. What better gift to give Mother Nature on Mother’s Day than honoring her with appreciation.
The splendor of Spring showcases Mother’s Day.
Take a stroll through Mother Nature today. Better yet, take your Mom for a stroll and savor the sights of Mother Nature together.
Respect for distancing is nothing new. Mother Nature’s been teaching us all along. Only now are we mandated overall. Touching poison ivy or poison oak will make you sorry. A porcupine or skunk make sure you know if you’ve come too close. A bite from a brown recluse spider or Lyme tic can turn your life upside down. So can the coronavirus, but you may not live to tell it. We do not have to be afraid, just respectful and use common sense. Revere Mother Nature’s lessons. She’s always known what’s good for you.
“Remember, we are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we’re so deeply interconnected with one another.” ∼ Ram Dass
During the aberrant quietness of shelter in place, I’ve reflected more deeply on this statement and how our thoughts and actions produced the position we are currently in, and will also create the outcome. My hope is that increasing sparks of light will escort our minds and hearts through the darkness to an enlightened world.
What have we done? Where are we going? And as Lao Tzu says, “If you do not change direction you may end up where you are heading.”
Strongly independent with a passion for personal freedom, choice, natural healing, and the environment, I am troubled by government’s increased control of our lives. Coronavirus mandates for ourprotection churn memories of how quickly and quietly 9/11 created the Patriot Act and TSA.
Smothering personal freedoms in any capacity is disquieting and largely why I avoid privacy invading sites like Facebook and Google. Being tracked — whether its purchases, conversations, photos, driving habits or associations incites my neo-Ludditism. Just because devices are marketed as convenience items doesn’t mean they are solely for our convenience.
Photo by Sebastian Kanczok on Unsplash
GAFAM (Google-Apple-Facebook-Amazon-Microsoft) are essentially transforming humans into algorithmic clones by snuffing out personal connection while stoking social media propaganda and fake news. Devices were extinguishing human connection but now we are mandated to not touch. Device addiction deters exercise and absorbing Vitamin D through sunlight which impairs cognitive performance. Blue light disruption of circadian rhythms deprives users of sleep. Sleep deprivation is effective mind control…
But wait, if this resembles a hellfire reality of controlling the masses, consider Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai’s illuminating sentiment, “Freedom of thought promotes truth, health and choice.” Remember the day when we could think for ourselves?
There’s a reason they say, “Follow the money to the truth” and “The truth will set you free.”
A long time advocate of naturopathic and holistic medicine, I also support functional medicine, and the health aspects of nutritional foods and a clean environment.
Unfortunately, America turned the light out on natural health care once money entered the equation in the early 1900s. My personal eye-opener was the FDA removing a safe, natural remedy that cost around $8 only to replace it with a more costly Big Pharma drug. And when I say costly, I mean in both dollars and side effects.
Photo by Giovanni Miccio on Unsplash
I’ve subsequently witnessed western medicine’s attempts to discredit and silence natural healers and healing through the guise of authoritative agencies like the FDA, CDC, NIH and academia’s play for pay studies.
Being a gardener, I dig beneath the dirt to expose the root of bias — is it for humanity’s sake or profit driven? As in the coronavirus stimulus, Big Business and special interest groups benefit most — not the desperate jobless or taxpayers incarcerated with more debt. Have you considered how much money Big Pharma will make through mandatory vaccines?
Don’t worry, I’m not proposing a conspiracy theory here. I’m proposing this virus can galvanize us to think for ourselves, to go deeper than what we are told and fan the fire of optimal health for we the people and planet.
“All of us come into this world with different perspectives, and the only way we can approach the truth in any situation is to meld perspectives into a more comprehensive view…You are my travel companion, just as I am yours.” ∼ Derek Lin
If we no longer have common sense, can we still be reason able?
While safety protocols seemed sensible at first, I am deeply concerned that governments will use this opportunity to douse more of our personal freedoms. Still, I do not support protesting shelter in place measures — and certainly not healthcare workers — for what must be done right now.
But, incendiary group think and promoting mandated vaccinations is alarming. Denmark’s new law allows authorities to force testing, vaccination, and quarantine. On the surface, this may sound necessary when everyone hasn’t complied with common sense measures. But, it also means losing control over what is done to our bodies, including being micro-chipped and tracked. (Possibly not a worry for techies but deeply troubling to this privacy loving, natural health practicing neo-Luddite.)
Photo by Michel Bosma on Unsplash
These sci-fi like scenarios during the coronavirus are infiltrating reality with a police state. Extreme measures like China locking people in their homes, governments using drones to enforce staying in place, groups not allowed to assemble, and neighbors encouraged to become “minders” spotlight other dark moments in history. And ones I do not want to rekindle.
A healthier paradigm does exist.
My intent of this post, by the way, is not to fuel more fear but to encourage and energize empowerment. Other less dehumanizing approaches for coronavirus protection do exist. Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai (aka Dr. Shiva) who holds four degrees from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) including a PhD in biological engineering, has emphasized there is no need for country-wide shutdowns. His more reasonable proposal has been to not quarantine all citizens but categorize them into four groups which would also keep economies more stable:
Those who test positive for COVID-19
Those who are hospitalized and in critical condition
Those who are immuno-compromised
Those not in the three above groups
Original photo by John Forson on Unsplash
Pioneers have the most arrows in their backs.
Dr. Shiva’s suggestions are ways to grow out of the pandemic rather than be engulfed by it. Sure, there are those who want to discredit him. Natural healers are often labeled as quacks by western medicine. (Although the benefits of acupuncture and yoga have existed for centuries, western medicine refused to acknowledge their efficacy until 40 years ago.) So, when someone or something is being discredited, I dig again to discern the motivation — is it for humanity’s well-being or for power and control?
Note: there are other longer videos establishing Dr. Shiva’s credibility versus the corruptive practices of Big Pharma, NIH, CDC, and academia. Of course, you will find videos and posts to discredit him as well.
Examine what you are being told. Is it rooted in fear mongering and control…or encouraging empowerment over your own health?
My personal experience aligns with Dr. Shiva’s position that the pandemic is not only about the virus, and we do have a choice in how we deal with it and its potential outcome. But, will enough people demand government change its ways and act in humanity’s best interest and ultimately that of the planet?
5 KEY POINTS OF DR. SHIVA’S TO CONSIDER
Corruption is widespread through medical infrastructure.
Big Pharma educates western medicine with a complex approach of “needing” pharmaceuticals (e.g. mandated vaccines) rather than effective, simpler and less costly solutions.
Media sensationalism ignores our crises of greater numbers. If an average of 15% of people are infected in past viruses and .3% die, even doubling those numbers now does not meet the 600,000-700,000 deaths from heart disease, 500,000 from cancer, 440,000 from medical error, and 200,000 from drugs — yet we do not declare a state of emergency or economic shutdown.
Fear mongering weakens the immune system as well as poor choices and failing infrastructures with dirty air/water/food. Cleaning up pollution will make us healthier overall.
Viewing the immune system as the “operating system” for the body is an empowering and healthier protocol.
For a month I have complied with safety protocols. But, warnings sound when the government mandates further protection for my good. Omitting details on how to keep an immune system healthy helps sell drugs. Sorry! The truth hurts, I know. But, it does set us free if we are willing to look beyond the smoke.
You can easily support your immune system right now.
I began using supplements years ago after pharmaceuticals didn’t help. Having no profit to gain by sharing this, my motivation is similar to Dr. Shiva’s for personal well-being. While waiting a year or so for a vaccine, why not use this time to build a strong immune system, and particularly if a second wave of the coronavirus is forecasted? Here’s an inexpensive, basic protocol available right now:
Original photo by Skyler Gerald on Unsplash
Sunshine, Vitamin D3
Vitamin A – Rich, deep green veggies
Vitamin C – citrus fruits
Zinc
Omega 3s
Eliminate white sugar (it weakens the immune system)
Likewise, my other stress reducers are: meditation, Qigong, music, gardening, hand drumming, discussion groups such as the Tao, and uplifting readings from authors like Alan Cohen, Norman Vincent Peale, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. You know what your modalities are. Dedicating time to them promotes and defends your overall good health.
Lastly, Dr. Shiva also suggests fixing infrastructures to rid our environment of dirty water, dirty air and dirty food which are imperative to improved health but these solutions must be demanded from government.
Fill your head with the positive and I can promise you will feel less anxious. Take control of your health and I can promise a better outcome — for everyone.
Will humanity begin to balance darkness and light?
Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash
Through the Tao, I understand light and dark naturally coexist in the harmony of life. I see the coronavirus as a manifestation of imbalance in humanity and the environment. Yet I also see sparks of optimism, spirituality, envisioning, creativity, and fiercely challenging the status quo of power, greed and fear, igniting universal light. We are being given a choice. Do we continue spiraling down the darkened path or stride toward the light?
“There is a LIGHT in this world. A healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometime lose sight of this force when there is suffering, and too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways.” ∼ Richard Attenborough
Change your life and change the world.
Simple choices like protecting the immune system, voting, boycotting unsavory companies, thinking for ourselves, and living sustainably, enliven our personal and global worlds.
Ask yourself, “How do I wish to live — being shut in my home, forbidden to congregate, and forced to have a vaccine…or to live responsibly autonomous and hug friends and loved ones? Whose words do I wish to follow — those of fear, hate, and control or ones of love, health and empowerment?” As Dr. Shiva says, “Know the truth, be the light, find your way.”
“There is a great God – a force of unbelievable Love – not the “love” of “I love you” – but the Love that connects you, back to YOU, that knows you are eternal, nothing can harm you, & brings forth the Courage to be an uncompromising Warrior for Truth Freedom Health. Be the Light!” ˜ Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai
May these sparks of light guide your way to revitalizing life for humanity and our planet.
Be a spark. Unite for light!
Original photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash
Notation: While I have reported on academia’s play for pay studies, I have included some of them along with other references for those who still view these organizations as the “top” authorities.
I could not let today go by without honoring Mother Earth. It’s sort of like remembering the birthday of a dear friend.
A fellow blogger’s repost inspires me to continue passing the message along. Perhaps you will too. It’s from 350.org which is an international movement working toward ending fossil fuels and building a world of renewable energy for all. There’s no better time to unite our momentum toward healing — the planet and ourselves.
We cannot go back to the old normal. It’s broken.
If you love Mother Nature as much as I do, give her a gift. Unite with thousands of individuals and organizations worldwide by signing this open letter in support of the five COVID-19 #JustRecovery principles:
Put people’s health first, no exceptions.
Provide economic relief directly to the people.
Help our workers and communities, not corporate executives.
Create resilience for future crises.
Build solidarity and community across borders – do not empower authoritarians.
It’s a tall order I’ll admit but one worthy of working toward.
Feeling antsy, impatient, or fearful while being cooped up during this pandemic? Personal contact and the ability to participate in gratifying activities like dining with friends or attending concerts are two pleasures I’ve missed the most.
Thankfully, though, it’s spring which means hours and hours of yard work assuaged with bird song, the warming sun, and dirt sifting through my fingers.Savoring nature’s gifts in the moment helps restrict thoughts of the coronavirus — even as cases escalate in my county. Of course following Rule #1 enriches tranquility: do not succumb to the media’s monotonous alarms. Choose instead to augment this extra time with uplifting activities. Here’s a few that I hope will help fortify your self-quarantine time too:
We’re starting a collective, constructive, and hopefully uplifting exchange. It’s a one-time thing and we hope you will participate.
Please send a poem or comforting thought/verse/text/meditation to the person whose name is in position #1 below (even if you don’t know them), with the email subject Uplifting Exchange. It should be a favorite text/verse/meditation that has affected you in difficult times. Don’t agonize over it. If you’d like to send a poem in your own language and provide a translation, please do so!
path4joy@ptd.net
blog@ptd.net
After you’ve sent the short poem/verse/quote/etc. to the person in position 1, and only that person, copy this letter into a new email. Move the second name to position 1, and put your name in position 2. Only the name you move up and your name should show in the new email. Send it to 20ish friends BCC (blind copy).(Sidenote, some friends found it daunting to select 20ish friends…I’d think 10ish would suffice.)
Seldom does anyone drop out because we all need new pleasures.The turnaround is fast, as there are only two names on the list, and you only have to do it once.
Here’s the lovely poem I received:
AND PEOPLE STAYED HOME
And people stayed home
and read books and listened
and rested and exercised
and made art and played
and learned new ways of being
and stopped
and listened deeper
someone meditated
someone prayed
someone danced
someone met their shadow
and people began to think differently
and people healed
and in the absence of people who lived in ignorant ways,
dangerous, meaningless and heartless,
even the earth began to heal
and when the danger ended
and people found each other
grieved for the dead people
and they made new choices
and dreamed of new visions
and created new ways of life
and healed the earth completely
just as they were healed themselves.
˜ Kathleen O’Meara
♥ Sharing Prayers ♥
Original image by Kerstin Riemer from Pixabay
Hi Folks,
Here is a prayer that we can pray as ONE:
The very energies that course through the Universe also course through us. May we look within, trusting Divine energies to guide the steps that we must take NOW. Let us pay attention to earth’s call for healing, and recognize we are the ones who hold the power to restore earth to her original glory. Hold us in healing peace and light as we journey through these transitional times.
♥ Helping with Humor ♥
Original image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
I was in a long line at 7:45AM today at the grocery store that opened at 8:00 for seniors only. A young man came from the parking lot and tried to cut in at the front of the line, but an old lady beat him back into the parking lot with her cane.
He returned and tried to cut in again but an old man punched him in the gut, then kicked him to the ground and rolled him away.
As he approached the line for the 3rd time he said, “If you don’t let me unlock the door, you’ll never get in there.”
🙂 🙂 🙂
Day 3 without sports: Found a lady sitting on my couch. Apparently she’s my wife. She seems nice.
♥ Connecting Spiritually ♥
Original image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
The first announcement indicated that the monthly Tao discussion meeting would be on hold until the shelter in place ceased. But, a second e-mail announced that the monthly meeting would be held via Zoom.
Two weeks later I received another announcement:
I sent you an invitation to be part of the creation of a new group that I am beginning. It is a virtual spiritual community that is inclusion of world religions and New Thought. A few other members of the Taoist group were interested so I wanted to let you know that you are more than welcome to try it out. Please do not feel obligated. I wanted to include everyone in the group and there are no hard feelings if you select not to attend.
While uncertain if this was the group for me, accepting this opportunity to fill my head with something inspirited rather than thoughts of the corona virus was the better choice.
♥ Positive Thinking ♥
Original image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Wordket’s blog post mentioned The Little Book of Lykke. If the government supplied all residents with a copy of this book, perhaps people would be faring better…in the pandemic and otherwise.
This one I’m saving for later. While I enjoyed blue skies and 60 degree temps a few days ago, it’s grey and blustering 45 mph winds now.The perfect time for coloring my thoughts with a mandala meditation.
Image by Barbara A. Lane from Pixabay
Has something new come to you to cope with the shelter in place? How do you stave off boredom? What is your resolve to not falling prey to fear?
I agree with Stephen King and love this quote: “If you think artists are useless, try to spend your quarantine without music, books, poems, movies and paintings.” Or without positive thought, I’d like to add.
While watching a map of the coronavirus spreading worldwide, words that kept popping into my head were the Silent Spring. Do you recall that early 1960’s science book by Rachel Carson? Six decades later as humanity is self-destructing with mass disinformation and the manifestation of Hollywood’s sci-fi biowarfare films, is it surprising to see our planet nearing a screeching halt, a silent spring if you will?
Does the air appear cleaner to space scientists during this international shelter in place? I’ve noticed starrier skies without light pollution and fresher air with less traffic. Have you? Covid-19 is a formidable teacher. But, will humanity listen? Will humans get beyond their discomfort with silence to be quiet enough to really hear the message?
I disconnected from sensationalized reporting years ago, but, as coronavirus numbers climbed, some well-meaning friends unintentionally bombarded me with media doom. After declaring that every negative message had to be balanced with a positive one, I now receive more messages of humor and hope. Taking control of what I allow in my thoughts helps control my outlook. See what you think of this message that I’m offering for your pondering too:
An Imagined Letter from Covid-19 to Humans
Stop. Just stop. It is no longer a request. It is a mandate. We will help you.
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We will bring the supersonic, high speed merry-go-round to a halt We will stop the planes the trains the schools the malls the meetings the frenetic, furied rush of illusions and “obligations” that keep you from hearing our single and shared beating heart, the way we breathe together, in unison. Our obligation is to each other, As it has always been, even if, even though, you have forgotten.
We will interrupt this broadcast, the endless cacophonous broadcast of divisions and distractions, to bring you this long-breaking news: We are not well. None of us; all of us are suffering. Last year, the firestorms that scorched the lungs of the earth did not give you pause. Nor the typhoons in Africa, China, Japan. Nor the fevered climates in Japan and India. You have not been listening. It is hard to listen when you are so busy all the time, hustling to uphold the comforts and conveniences that scaffold your lives. But the foundation is giving way, buckling under the weight of your needs and desires.
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We will help you. We will bring the firestorms to your body We will bring the fever to your body We will bring the burning, searing, and flooding to your lungs that you might hear: We are not well.
Despite what you might think or feel, we are not the enemy. We are the Messenger. We are the Ally. We are a balancing force. We are asking you: To stop, to be still, to listen;
To move beyond your individual concerns and consider the concerns of all; To be with your ignorance, to find your humility, to relinquish your thinking minds and travel deep into the mind of the heart;
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To look up into the sky, streaked with fewer planes, and see it, to notice its condition: clear, smoky, smoggy, rainy? How much do you need it to be healthy so that you may also be healthy? To look at a tree, and see it, to notice its condition: how does its health contribute to the health of the sky, to the air you need to be healthy? To visit a river, and see it, to notice its condition: clear, clean, murky, polluted? How much do you need it to be healthy so that you may also be healthy? How does its health contribute to the health of the tree, who contributes to the health of the sky, so that you may also be healthy?
Many are afraid now. Do not demonize your fear, and also, do not let it rule you. Instead, let it speak to you—in your stillness, listen for its wisdom. What might it be telling you about what is at work, at issue, at risk, beyond the threats of personal inconvenience and illness? As the health of a tree, a river, the sky tells you about the quality of your own health, what might the quality of your health tell you about the health of the rivers, the trees, the sky, and all of us who share this planet with you?
Stop. Notice if you are resisting. Notice what you are resisting. Ask why.
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Stop. Just stop. Be still. Listen. Ask us what we might teach you about illness and healing, about what might be required so that all may be well. We will help you, if you listen.
Think big. Universal, if
