Silver Linings

Dear ones: As we enter this unprecedented situation brought on by the novel corona virus, I am struck by the many silver linings hidden within. Global pollution: down. Global consumption of unnecessary items: down. Frivolous, self-indulgent travel/vacations: down. From an environmental standpoint, this great global "pause" gives us all a chance to review and redefine all our purchases and activities And as we move forward, after the acute phase of this crisis passes, perhaps we can make decisions collectively that favor the health of all our global family - including the plants and animals with which we share this web of life.

You are invited to join the CV19 Peace & Love Brigade.  The Brigade’s intention is to move the needle away from the red zone of fear and panic which are now palpable energy fields in the human environment.  The only membership requirement is that you carry and spread peace and love to others.  It can be through thoughts, meditation, words, cards, posts, interactions and/or any other option(s). Go forth and spread it until it’s contagious!  The Peace and Love Brigade will SPREAD LOVE NOT FEAR. 

Lockdown (A powerful poem by a Capuchin priest about dealing with fear)

Yes there is fear.

Yes there is isolation.

Yes there is panic buying.

Yes there is sickness.

Yes there is even death.

But,

They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise

You can hear the birds again.

They say that after just a few weeks of quiet

The sky is no longer thick with fumes

But blue and grey and clear.

They say that in the streets of Assisi

People are singing to each other

across the empty squares,

keeping their windows open

so that those who are alone

may hear the sounds of family around them.

They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland

Is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.

Today a young woman I know

is busy spreading fliers with her number

through the neighbourhood

So that the elders may have someone to call on.

Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples

are preparing to welcome

and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary.

All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting

All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way

All over the world people are waking up to a new reality

To how big we really are.

To how little control we really have.

To what really matters.

To Love.

So we pray and we remember that

Yes there is fear.

But there does not have to be hate.

Yes there is isolation.

But there does not have to be loneliness.

Yes there is panic buying.

But there does not have to be meanness.

Yes there is sickness.

But there does not have to be disease of the soul

Yes there is even death.

But there can always be a rebirth of love.

Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.

Today, breathe.

Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic

The birds are singing again

The sky is clearing,

Spring is coming,

And we are always encompassed by Love.

Open the windows of your soul

And though you may not be able

to touch across the empty square,

Sing.

~Fr. Richard Hendrick

How to Truly Listen - Evelyn Glennie

Image credit: https://fractalenlightenment.com/

If this deaf percussion player doesn't capture your heart's interest in the first minute of watching her then you can just turn it off and go about your day! Evelyn Glennie speaks with presence and clarity on topics such as deep listening and discrimination in the arts (and art schools) against people with disabilities. Stick around for her solo performance at the end of the video; it's no wonder that the TedTalk organizers extended their usual maximum presenter time of 20 minutes for an additional 15 minutes!

In these first few days since having watched (and listened!) to this video, as I've been out in the gardens pruning our fruit trees, or standing at the kitchen sink doing dishes by hand, Glennie's invitation to "listen with my whole body" has been a way to keep the door open to the kind of bright, all-encompassing presence to, and appreciation for life that I usually only feel after a session of deep, sitting meditation. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU3V6zNER4g

Welcome to Flight 2020

Image credit: Subhash Purohit

Welcome to flight # 2020! 

We are preparing for take-off  into the New Year ⭐️

Please make sure your Attitude of Gratitude is secured and locked in the 'on' and upright position.

All self-destructive devices should be turned off at this time.  

All negativity, resentment, blame, guilt, jealousy, hurt, and discouragement should be put away. 

Should we lose our attitude under pressure during the flight, reach for a friend and pull down a Prayer.  

Prayers will automatically be activated by Faith.  

Once your Faith is activated you can assist other passengers. ‍♀️

There will be NO BAGGAGE allowed on this flight. 

If you are found to have brought baggage on this flight, you will be loved until you release it.  

Then the flight attendants will recycle your baggage. ️

The Captain has communicated with the universe and cleared us for takeoff. 

Our destination is into the Mystery. 

Bring kindness, understanding, forgiveness, caring, respect and love. 

It's sweet to be on the same flight together!  

Happy New Year & may you have an amazingly beautiful flight #2020 

Sent to us by our friends The Yuba Gals who founded and maintain the Peak Moment TV series: Locally Reliant Living for Challenging Times. LINK

Catch the Light

Here is a poem and picture from my friend Judy Todd. It speaks so well to the challenges of staying engaged and present for the pain and darkness; keeping our hearts open and not becoming brittle or blocked to the pain of the world, while letting the beauty of this amazing planet continue to feed and nurture us. Thank you.

Photo: Judy Todd

There is something about looking at things quietly and close up. I was out in early fall admiring birds, mostly geese, as they whirled and gathered like magical currents of feathers, landing and filling the pond. But the early morning gleam on this feather was what really stopped me. The way the light caught the tiny drops on the curves and the down as it perched along the dark stone with the big black crack running through. The feather hadn't fallen in, but rested there. And there it remained, unlike the geese, who moved about noisily all morning.

I'm doing what the feather showed me, not the geese. Staying near the dark cleft, holding there. Studying that dark perhaps, yet not falling in. Knowing it's there, and it doesn't care if I am in or out. But I want to catch the light, and I want to catch the drops of precious water on the edge of that darkness all around us, darkness that is so big, so near, so easy to fall into. I intend to be like the feather and practice a new kind of being -- gleaming like the feather -- for all my kin, whether or not they notice.

                                                                                                                        Judy Todd
                                                                                           
Judy's organization, Nature Connect:

...offers opportunities to reconnect and foster kinship with Nature in many ways and places through the seasons. We wander each landscape waiting expectantly for its teachings. We learn from other-than-human beings – stones, cedars, and antelope. We study watersheds and spider webs. We offer gratitude to ancestors and oceans. We are building a village in harmony with the web of life. We do it for us now, and for future generations. We invite you to join us.

Bird sheltering from the rain. Credit: Sue Peabody

Gift Culture - 'Simon on the Sofa'

Sign at the Sharing Gardens

Hello dear friends - I was poking around on YouTube last night and discovered a wonderful soul who calls himself  'Simon on the Sofa'-LINK. He has done a series of interviews with people he has met through 'couch-surfing' around the world for seven years. These are just regular folks who are doing their best to unplug from the Matrix and live sustainable, authentic lives based on love and service. Some of them are activists and are directly challenging the system to pave the way for a more equitable and healthy future. Others are pro-actively attempting to actually live as if this sustainable future is already here. Both roles seem necessary in order to birth something new. Chris and I prefer the latter but are grateful to those of you actively working to change laws and stand up to corruption where you see it.

There are countless documentaries out there that outline the many problems of the world today but quite a bit fewer that offer clear guidelines for creating the world we want to see. We see this especially when it comes to the topic of money and the economy. How can we begin to untangle our dependency on money? How can we move from a level of just 'surviving' to an open vista of 'thriving'.

Sit back and enjoy this upbeat, inspiring video which offers concrete ways for moving further into the gift culture. Thank you for all the ways you are already helping to make the world a better place. If you have any comments, we appreciate it if you'd leave them below so all can share in your insights and reflections.

Namaste' (the Divine in me honors the Divine in you). Llyn

The "Season of Giving" - continued...

If you're feeling a little "let down" after the winter holidays, take inspiration from Nicole Martin and see how a little kindness and "paying it forward" led to a lifting of her own spirits and all those around her. If you try this experiment at your local cafe', feel free to share about your experience in the comment section below or, if you're on Twitter or Facebook, connect directly with Nicole at #thenicolechallenge. Happy generosity!

FABULOUS LAB experiment of KINDNESS and Activating CONNECTION! by Nicole Martin

So this morning I tried a little social experiment....instead of going through the Starbucks drive through, I went inside.

As I walked in, I surveyed the scene. Almost every person was enveloped in their phone/computer and probably had no clue anyone new had walked through the door. I looked over my shoulder to see a line of about 10 people deep accumulating behind me. I got up to the cash register, ordered my drink, then asked for a $25 gift card. I quietly asked the barista to use the gift card for as many drinks as it would cover for the people behind me. I told her you can tell them I'm still here, but don't tell them who did it. She smiled...giggled...and said ok.

I got my drink...and took a seat in the corner to watch this unfold.

The first gentleman to receive a free drink demanded he pay, but the baritsa insisted it was covered...so he dropped his $5 he was going to use to pay for his drink into the barista's tip jar. Success. She turned to me and winked.

The second and third patrons in line were 2 old buddies having their weekly coffee date. They had to be pushing 80 and they were so confused at not having to pay that they just left their money on the counter and asked her to use it for the people behind them. It was a younger guy who then after receiving his free drink went over to the gentleman and shook their hands. Success.

I proceeded to watch 14 different people enjoy a "free" drink. Some people paid for the people behind them in line, and some people just took their free drink and scanned the room looking for the free drink fairy, smiling at everyone they encountered. Success.

But the best part about it: I also got to watch people step out of their normal robot-like morning routine and be human. They put their phones down. They picked their heads up and made eye contact with people in the room. They exchanged smiles and head nods, wondering if that was the person that paid for their drinks. I watched people be kind, courteous, and engaging. I watched people who normally would avoid eye contact, spark a conversation all because of a kind gesture. Success.

My favorite part was a little old man named Hank. I guess Hank comes in every day for his tall drip coffee with room for a splash of cream and sunshine (and that's exactly how he ordered his drink). I knew his name was Hank because everyone who worked there stopped what they were doing to say good morning to Hank. After receiving his free drink (the last drink the gift card covered), Hank took it upon himself to ask every single person in that starbucks if they were the one who got his coffee because he needed to say thank you. As I was sitting in the corner, I watched him go around the room, and knew he would eventually make it to me. As he got to me, I smiled. He just stopped and said "It was you huh? Stand up young lady." So I stood up, and as Hank balanced himself with his cane under one arm, he gave me the biggest, tightest hug he could with the other arm and said "You were that little ray of sunshine I seek every day. Today I am vertical, you woke up too, so be blessed not stressed." He tipped his hat, and hobbled away.

I packed up my stuff, and headed off to work.

Next time you can, pay it forward.
#thenicolechallenge

Thank you to Janaia Donaldson of Peak Moment TV for forwarding this story to me. Llyn

An Act of Purest Magic...

OSU students preparing garden beds - Sharing Gardens -2016

Most of us would agree that humanity is facing some of its greatest difficulties of all time. The enormity of the challenges can lead to feeling overwhelmed and stifle our ability to act. Recently, we stumbled across this short video by Gregg Braden who succinctly outlines a simple shift in focus that points the way out of the mess we're in.

Gregg Braden is a New York Times best-selling author and  internationally renowned as a pioneer in bridging science, spirituality and the real world! A former earth scientist and aerospace computer systems designer,  Braden is now considered a leading authority on the spiritual philosophy of ancient and indigenous traditions throughout the world. He’s shared his presentations and trainings with The United Nations, Fortune 500 companies, the U. S. military and is now featured in media specials airing on major networks throughout North and South America, Mexico and Europe.

"Marrying who I am with what I do -- earning a life, not just a living -- has been an act of the purest magic, aligning me with some raw power in the universe, giving me strength to stay up late, get up early, do what I'd never do just for the money." Sy Safransky - Sun magazine April 1984