Witnessing the Obvious

My brother is an excellent cook, and my parents live in Sedona, Arizona. It takes my small family several hours to arrive at their house after the flight from LA and the drive from Phoenix. This year it was obvious my mother had no interest in cooking or cleaning for the Christmas holiday; but more than anything she wanted us together - so the set up for our gift to her was also obvious. In the time it took my small family to get to my mother and father's house for the holiday, my brother, using a stash of funds sent to him in advance, shopped, chopped and created a feast for all of us in my mother's kitchen; it was a meal to savor and remember - a creative combination of sauces, crab, carefully selected meat and desserts, lovingly baked and prepared all from scratch. We're all still reeling from the ecstasy of it.

Today is my birthday, and I'm getting the message that it's time to be aware and receptive of the obvious truth all around me - a truth that can be expressed in a myriad of ways, whether it be the work of art my brother created in the kitchen, or the music he creates on his guitar all year; the sweetness of my cousin turning to my father on the phone for support as her own father, my uncle sits with uncertainty in the hospital this week; the comfort I've witnessed my husband give his mother as she transitions from the passing of her husband last month; the fantastical paintings of Pat Olchefski as she creates visual magic in her studio; or the insightful poems Gary Lemons gifts all of us from his home in Port Townsend; or a group of junior high children singing show tunes from "Beauty and the Beast," (my daughter's helping with the singing on that one;) with each moment, each act of creation and connection there is a beat, a constant declaration of the Truth of what is happening right here, now. It's our job to do that - witness the obvious and have the courage to announce it.

All of us here on the planet, swirling in a synergy of what is, of being, our being, standing as witnesses to it - that's beyond cool. So even if it sometimes feels like there's a dilemma as to what we should do, there really isn't a choice any more. It's obvious. Bathed in love - cradled in love - every object, every movement a testament to that love. The reality isn't survival of the fittest at all, but a celebration of constant being, a message encoded in our DNA, beating right under our noses.

2011/ 2012 and Letting Go

A dear friend and administrator at the school where I work is preparing a holiday breakfast for all of us: waffles, an egg dish that he soaked over night, then stuck in the oven at five in the morning, ham and numerous chocolate covered items. At the same time we are all collecting soap, toothpaste, and brushes, basic living items for several families of students there in the direst of situations; they are two steps away from losing their homes. And then there's this constant background chatter about 2012 - that we are on the brink of a world wide shift in consciousness and economic (the Euro is on the brink of collapse?)disaster. So it looks like we've got lots going on - holiday celebrations, survival issues, and a huge shift in how we perceive one another.

The thing to do is let go, abolish fear and let what is true, the truth of what's happening take care of itself. So into the holidays we go, with a large beat of "thank you" for the feasts, a sense of awareness of what's going on with our brothers and sisters everywhere (because it's time to expand our definition of family,) and an acquiescence that we, as in the small, willful individual, are not the ones in control.

I'm headed out of town for a couple weeks. Blessings to all. See you in 2011.

Relaxing into Acceptance

It was an amazing day in Los Angeles today; the air was crisp and fresh after a morning fog. We walked around the J.Paul Getty Museum and had the privilege of hearing an extremely talented group of young people sing traditional music - their rendition of "Ave Maria" brought tears not just to my eyes, but left the entire audience awe struck. I was lucky enough to have my daughter be one of the singers.

My husband and I weren't planning on attending the concert; it was a last minute event and we only went after our daughter pulled the "every other parent will be there" card, and it occurred to us that even though she's been in several concerts already this month, even though she is nearly sixteen, and even though she never mentioned until five minutes before the concert that she wanted us present, it mattered to her that we attend. We weren't really doing anything else - cleaning out the kitchen cabinets was my original plan, so we acquiesced and drove out to watch out of what we thought was parental duty. And then we were swept away by the joy of listening to the purity of the young voices in an amazing setting.

So my mantra for the rest of the weekend is: "relax and hear the truth." It seems like lots of us are just moving through our time out of habit - choosing to stay inside and clean kitchen cabinets when its time to stop, drive out to a place of beauty right there ready for us, and listen for the truth. It will come in on the voices of our kids singing when we are ready, relaxed and open to hearing it. The sound of truth beats the broken record of false, inaccurate voices we've been stuck listening to up until now. The repetition of these delusions in our minds is harmful.

Our fate, the fate of all of us, depends on our ability to hear, (and see and embody,) what's happening accurately. It's important for us to be aware of the helpful, healthful consequences on our bodies when we relax into what is beautiful, and pure and true. Then we ourselves can become a mouthpiece because that same truth is contained within us.

When all those inaccurate "sub-voices" prattling around inside our heads shut up, then we can recognize the voice of truth that is right there in front of us, and learn to undo our error. When we heal our own perception, then the healing of everyone else around us will follow. "Ave Maria" never sounded better than it did today at the Getty; it's time to relax, be still, and listen to the lovely, precious song of truth all around us, always.

Sacred Spaces

Today I lean into what is happening around me with a new openness to what it is. Now is the time to make everything around me a sacred space.

I notice I get short tempered, grouchy and just plain bitchy when I miss out on sleep, a proper diet and time to myself to meditate or exercise or just walk through the botanical garden in the park by my house and appreciate what is happening there. Realizing the sacred spaces around me is useful in making me a kinder, more tolerant human being.

A balanced physical body makes me less prone to the habitual fear response I fall into when I don't know in advance what is going to happen. We can never know what will happen in advance, and that is why there is a temptation to contract, become a control freak, and approach the world in a suspicious, worried, fearful way.

Fear is a shrinking response to stimuli perceived as outside and separate from the self. It is the direct result of an inaccurate perception of what is occurring and at heart it is the inaccurate sense that it is possible to be abandoned.

I wonder what or who we think will forsake us: our parents, friends, God. There is an inaccurate sense that we can be abandoned by the truth of being, and that fear is by definition mistaken. Our being is ordained by all that already is and all that will be as evidenced by its very existence.

We turn into fear out of habit and ignorance. I'm not a scientist, but I bet there's a habitual misfiring of neurons in our brain that causes the fear response. The more it happens, the more we respond inappropriately and defensively to our surroundings. And that is when we misrepresent who we are, the reality of our own being. Delusion begets delusion out of habit. The awareness - the acknowledgement of divinity of being, all being, will alleviate prior imbalances and misperceptions.

So, it's important for me to eat nutritious foods, rest as required, and visit places of natural beauty like the garden by my house. When I am clear and rested I will be prepared, open to acknowledge the Truth.

http://www.manhattanbeachbotanicalgarden.org/ http://www.manhattanbeachbotanicalgarden.org/

Bodhi Tree in Hollywood this Wednesday

I'll be reading from Bear Speaks and discussing concepts from the book on Wednesday night at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in Hollywood at 7:30 pm.

The link for the event is:

http://www.bodhitree.com/



I hope to see you there!