Roasted Chickpeas

While I didn't produce a fancy meal yesterday, I did try a new recipe from my Ayurvedic cookbook "Eat Taste Heal". The dish was roasted 'crunchy' chickpeas - something that sounded delicious and simple! I think they're yummy, although Ron isn't fond of them at all. However, next time, I'll have to roast them just a wee bit longer as mine didn't make it all the way to crunchy! LOL I used a Pitta-pacifying seasoning - flavor but not hot - and look forward to being able to have them more often in the future. After cooking them, I found quite a few recipes for 'roasted chickpeas' online so get out there and roast 'em up! YUM!

giving thanks

So very many blessings to be thankful for ... I'm grateful every moment of my life for the gifts that surround me in memory and Now.

I share the following by Mary Oliver ...

Every day
I see or hear
something
that more or less

kills me
with delight,
that leaves me
like a needle

in the haystack
of light.
It was what I was born for -
to look, to listen,

to lose myself
inside this soft world -
to instruct myself
over and over

in joy,
and acclamation.
Nor am I talking
about the exceptional,

the fearful, the dreadful,
the very extravagant -
but of the ordinary,
the common, the very drab,

the daily presentations.
Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help

but grow wise
with such teachings
as these -
the untrimmable light

of the world,
the ocean's shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?

~ "Mindful" by Mary Oliver

living into fullness

Life purpose is not limited to a job title or a single achievement. We all have dynamic, constantly changing purposes that make life exciting and challenging. Living into the fullness of your unique constitution is a guidemap to nurturing your deepest talents and passions, leading directly to true fulfillment in life.

~ Eat Taste Heal by Yarema, Rhoda, Brannigan

When I read this, I experienced one of those precious "yes!" moments. I don't have to limit myself to finding my one purpose! This has been a huge realization for me; something I knew but didn't fully realize until recently (months? years?). While some people may find they do have a sole purpose or a single powerful gift that engages them in life-long pursuit and joy, what about those of us who feel multiple passions?! So, while I may have to prioritize at times, I don't have to choose one purpose. And when each passion or purpose is seated in love, isn't that all the more glorious? Ahhh...

Truth

Truth in her dress finds facts too tight.

In fiction she moves with ease.

~ Tagore

secret powers of the universe

"The wonders of modern science through its advanced technologies are merely a mechanical channelling of certain outer aspects of the secret powers of the Universe. These secrets are fully accessible through direct inner knowledge in a holistic and creative manner for those who know the yogic art of concentration."

~ Yogini, by Shambhavi Lorain Chopra

Healthy Bones & Calcium

We hear a lot about the calcium that women need as we age. Of course, it’s better to pay attention to getting enough calcium starting at the very least when we’re in our thirties! That said, most people turn to dairy products for their calcium source, but what to do when either dairy doesn’t ‘sit right’ with you or perhaps you’re vegan? In that case, you may take a tablet calcium supplement, but how much of that isolate is really absorbed without the natural synergy provided by Mother Nature? There are many books and recipes out there but I wanted to share with you one of my own personal whole-food favorites.

Evening Cup of Calcium Herbal Infusion

In the morning, mix together in a tea strainer:

3 heaping tsp oatstraw (delightful, mild flavor)

1 heaping tsp nettles (strong ‘green’ flavor)

1/4 tsp horsetail

1/4 tsp sage

Pour boiling water over this into a cup and let it steep, covered, all day. Contains approximately the same amount of calcium as one cup of milk.*

I drink mine either at room temperature (in the summer) or warmed (the rest of the year), and before or during the evening meal.

*Recipe slightly modified from Susun Weed’s book “New Menopausal Years” which I turn to constantly as an herbal resource.

There are also lots of whole foods to eat that contain good amounts of calcium, including kale, spinach and kelp! And taking Calc-phos tissue salts regularly will assist with maximum assimilation on a vibrational level. To learn more via articles, consults or classes, visit HolistiCARE.

Connect with Respect

Connect Respect Reflect

Heart Mind Soul

In the past week, it seems I've read a lot about relationships through friends, articles, books - everywhere! We are all growing into or out of relationships of all kinds. I delve ever more deeply into one while allowing natural distance to flow out of another yet not in separation but as recognition of and in respect for each path. From Source the vines spread. Like the ivy upon ancient grounds and walls, we all are twining, meeting, joining, dividing and ultimately transforming into a vision of vibrant vital life through death and rebirth.

With awareness ...

Connect with someone in open-hearted presence.

Respect their space in open-minded perception.

Reflect upon the message through the mind that dwells in the heart - through soul/Self.

Before speaking, I may pause, allowing the space in which to ask myself three questions before responding:

Are my words true?

Are my words kind?

Are my words necessary?

I read somewhere about these three questions (the source currently eludes me), and while the first two are reflected in many texts, it was the third that must struck me. Is what I have to say really necessary?! Are the words mere noise to fill the space of a conversation? Or are the words going to truly further meaning within the discussion?

I find myself writing more but speaking less, allowing for deeper listening, communing ... and opening the way, ultimately, for deeper connection to All ... people, animals, mother earth, source ...

Optical Delusion of Consciousness

A human being is part of the whole, called by us “universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
– Albert Einstein

Loving Presence

"This and many other experiences led him to conclude that touch, compassion and human contact were essential components of any deep healing work, and that loving presence is the basic healing attitude upon which everything else ultimately depends.

This is so obvious and so simple that we are extremely liable to forget it and over-complicate things. We get caught in our need to know and understand, or we find the impulse to intervene and to direct or control what is happening just too strong to resist. I was grateful to Ron for reminding me of what is most important in this work we call healing, and for demonstrating so elegantly how it is only that rare combination of attentive loving presence and non-intrusiveness that creates the safe space in which our deepest wounds can gently surface to the light of consciousness."

~ Ian Watson (excerpt from his most recent newsletter, referring to Ron Kurtz)

Ian Watson is one of my favorite healers as his words always resonate so deeply within me. Someday, I plan on attending one of his retreats. Until then, I continue to gratefully read his books and articles, and to listen to recordings of his lectures. I appreciate the path he travels and the gifts of knowledge he shares.

May we all open to receive and share healing.

May we all be in loving presence with ourselves and others.

----------------------

Animals epitomize Being Present; the photo is of my dear, sweet, goofy MacGyver who loved everyone he ever met - two-legged or four-legged, furred or feathered - and who shared his life with mine for over ten years until he departed his body in 2003. Gyver truly facilitated love and healing through his Presence; his heart was as big as the world.

I Say Grace

These words say it all ... as I was outside raking leaves, full bright sun shining through, enjoying the companionship of Ron and our love and our life ... the beauty of Nature surrounding us here in the countryside of Maine ... I say Grace ... thank you ...