Gratitude of Autumn

There’s just something about the light of Autumn that gives everything a touch of beauty. The season understands the truth that every created thing is a precious treasure. Please enjoy this most recent contemplation:

Autumn Raven, by Wendy Lindbergh

Autumn Gratitude

Gold, slanted rays

touch bodies, blades of amber grass,
tree bark furrowed white.
Leaves hold color glow,
Quake with transient ephemera.
Raven flaps oiled wings
~waves of rippling light~
calls to the one who sits In peace
bathed In Autumn joy.

©2018 Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com
Visit Karla’s other blog at: LakeTahoeMindfulness.org

Sunrise Conversation

Poetry Friday is starting early! A continuation of “Amazing, Wonderful Happenings” because the moon can not be without the sun:

Sunrise Conversation

Blue sky said ~ “There Is no limit to your vastness.
It’s Impossible to give yourself away
no more than sunrise can mar with color,
or completely fill my open wonder.
It is the same with you, Vast One.”

I smile and knowingly nod
but the Expanse gently prods ~
“There is also no diminishment.
Just like moon knows, 
she is more than a crescent of light,
and the stars, studded brilliant, pierce the night,
remind of Eternity ablaze 
in every source of life.”

“Do you see it?
Can you find it…
In the waking hubbub?”
Blue Sky, open, spacious and free,
took my hand
and we embraced the rising day. 


©2018 Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

Amazing, Wonderful Happenings

I love, love, love the season of Autumn. This morning a dear heart friend sent a text that summed up the season of Fall perfectly ~ “Amazing, wonderful happenings.” The smells, the turning of the leaves and the golden light are nectar to my spirit. The world becomes magical and I quite literally feel myself opening and filling with the beauty. I was reminded of this feeling when I spotted the full autumn moon in the night sky last evening, silhouetted in the pines. I was penetrated. No matter how many times I see the moon, I find it beautiful. When I woke early this morning, there it was, setting in the morning light. A koan (short blurb not logically deduced but sparking insight) came to me. Please enjoy: Moon in Me

Bright moon setting in pink autumnal sky,
how is it to move through the world entirely free
and filled with light?

An answer was forthcoming, but my answer isn't important. How does Bright Moon answer you? She will most definitely appear for a date this evening! The answer I heard will be in tomorrow's Inner Constellation Blessing send.*

Here's a sneak peak in closing: I could have passed the moon by last night, I could have not looked for her beauty this morning. Stopping in a busy world is paramount for me, it is my daily practice, it is my dedication. Have a magical Fall, dear comrades. Look for and find the amazing, wonderful happenings.

* IC Blessing send is a short email blurb of daily inspiration: short, sweet and contemplative. If you would like to be added to the list, please contact me as my gift to you!

Fall Mindfulness Retreat: October 14, 2018

It's that time of year when we have the great fortune of retreating at our beautiful Glenbrook property beneath the ancient Cottonwood trees!!! Our magnificent Standing Talls will be turning brilliant shades of yellow, russet and gold as we soak up the shores of Lake Tahoe and each other. It's our annual full day retreat and we'll be leaving from The Studio parking lot promptly by 9:00am and returning at 4:00p. Please bring anything you need for your comfort as well as a vegan dish to share if you're so inclined. We'll be doing sitting and walking meditation, total relaxation (with lullabies:) with the contemplation, "All is One," ~  receiving everything into our practice with an open equanimous heart.

It promises to be a wonderful practice day in community as we ride the wave of Plum Village Community and Thich Nhat Hanh's 92nd birthday celebration (October 11, 2018), drawing from our roots of practice. Please join us in Autumn gratitude and consider bringing a friend (or two, or three....).


More information on LTMC's Facebook events page 

This is True Contentment

This past week, I visited dear friends in the Plum Village tradition, the roots of our local Lake Tahoe Mindfulness Community. A discourse was shared that sparked the theme for the month of August ~ True Contentment. Please enjoy this full telling as we explore the conditions that result in happiness and peace.

Discourse on True Contentment

by Sister Dang Nghiem

I heard these words of Thay (my teacher) one time when he was living in the vicinity of Escondido at the Deer Park Monastery in the Oak Grove. Late at night, a group of coyotes appeared, whose passionate howls made the whole Oak Grove tremble joyfully. After paying respects to Thay with the right front paw pointing in the direction of the moon, the elder coyote asked him a question in the form of a verse:

"People, animals, plants and minerals are eager to know
what are the conditions
which bring about true contentment.
Please, Thay, will you teach us?"

(This was Thay's answer)

"To live in community,
to have brothers and sisters working in harmony,
to serve people of all nations ~
this is the true contentment.

"To have a chance to practice and transform,
to see yourself becoming more accepting and more solid,
to recognize that others also blossom ~
this is the true contentment.

"To be able to recognize and forgive,
to nurture gratitude to your blood family and spiritual family,
to express love through loving speech and deep listening ~
this is the true contentment.

"To have time to sit peacefully for your ancestors,
to touch the earth tenderly with each step,
to eat in union with the whole cosmos ~
this is the true contentment.

"To create mindfulness practice centers and hold regular retreats,
to turn gymnasiums and theatres into Dharma* halls,
to bring the Dharma rain into ghettos and prisons ~
this is the true contentment.

"To witness police officers, business people, legislators,
scientists, and war veterans enjoying the Pure Land
with their mindful breaths and mindful steps ~
this is the true contentment.

"To provide a joyful environment for young people,
to help them reconnect with their families and society,
to show them that there is a beautiful path ~
this is the true contentment.

"To practice, work, study and play together,
to realize the beauties and hardships of your brothers and sisters,
to cherish and protect them as your own marrow ~
this is the true contentment.

"To live a life, simple and uncompetitive,
to come back to your breath as your soul food,
to rejoice in the music of the bell, wind song and laughter ~
this is the true contentment.

"To avoid speaking and reacting in anger,
not caught by your ideas and judgments,
and to be diligent in doing beginning anew ~
this is the true contentment.

"To savor the freedom in non-waiting,
to transform the grasping mind into that of true love,
to be a kind continuation of your spiritual ancestors ~
this is the true contentment.

"To see all life forms as your brothers and sisters,
to enjoy simply being together,
to actively build a beautiful past with your true presence ~
this is the true contentment.

"To rise in the morning with a smile,
to retire each night with peace, content to let go of all,
to know that you have loved and have been loved deeply ~
this is the true contentment.

"To live in the world
with your heart open to impermanence and change,
to progress stably on your true path, free of fear and worry ~
this is the true contentment.

"For he or she who accomplishes this,
arriving and at home wherever she goes,
always he is peaceful and happy ~
true contentment is in the moment one lives."

Thay finished the teaching and the coyotes were extremely delighted at what they had heard. At once, they stood up with posture erect and gave rise to another harmonious and joyful howl. The moon smiled contentedly from above as she floated freely in the immense space.

Transcribed from Mindfulness Bell #41, Winter 2005-2006


* Dharma has a variety of meanings of which are the teachings of great beings and the teachings of everyday life

Kindness of Strangers

Beautifuls! Happy summer! As many of you may know, summer begins the crux of my reading. I’m a total cornball and even develop a summer reading list to savor in the hot days of summer after a good ride, run, tennis match or swim in the Lake. So, my latest read, “The Kindness of Strangers,” includes a preface from the Dalai Lama who encourages us to think about the many ways  our survival depends on the kindness of other sentient beings. It seems a perfect question to ponder in our exploration of “altruism,” this month of July.  We can begin with the very basic kindnesses we’ve all experienced from our parents who brought us into the world (weither known or unknown), the animals, plants and minerals that we consume to nourish and keep us alive, the sun that warms our earth and without which we could not exist....you can go down the rabbit hole very quickly. The question after the pondering is then, “why then in the middle (of life) should we not act kindly toward others?”

When exploring altruism, I hold to be true that kindness is a path of paying attention to the needs of others, being thankful for the many ways that we ourselves are supported and to wish with a noble heart, to return our good fortune with those whom we cross paths. It truly is a matter of common sense. What is done for me, benefits me and comes back as a benefit and blessing to others.

As another tidbit of interest, “The Kindness of Strangers,” posits that an altruistic act is most clearly defined as selfless when done for a complete stranger. Why? Our identity is unknown, thereby shadowing the need for approval or secondary benefit. Also, recipients of the kindness of strangers report that the acts, no matter how small, tend to be remembered and treasured. Why? For the exact same reasons, the motive is pure and without ulterior motive.

Loves, let’s get out there and keep our eyes peeled for the many ways to express kindness and allow the fuel of our own experiences of kindness to inspire us on this summery altruistic exploration!

Letting Go Of Ourselves

July presents the theme of “Altruism,” and the impulse of letting go of ourselves for the needs of another. Typically altruism is thought of as a heroic action and such stories of self sacrifice move our hearts and we may ask, if I were in a similar situation, how would I respond? Yet, is altruism something that can be practiced? Can we practice letting go of all the minutia and holding as foremost our love for one another?

Speaking of love ~ you all know my love of the poet Hafiz, here’s a poem he named for himself ~ that steps into the heart of “Altruism,”

Hafiz

It
Is all
Just a love contest
And I never
Lose.
Now you have another good reason
To spend more time
With
Me.

Hafiz also reminds that it is possible to receive love, care and comfort across space and time....

The Gift

Our
Union is like this:
You feel cold
So I reach for a blanket to cover
Our shivering feet.
A hunger comes into your body
So I run to my garden
And start digging potatoes.
You ask for a few words of comfort and guidance,
I quickly kneel at your side offering you
This whole book—
As a gift.
You ache with loneliness one night
So much you weep
And I say,
Here’s a rope,
Tie it around me.
Hafiz
Will be your companion
For life.

Altruism reaches beyond limits of body into the experience of another to cover the feet, feed the hunger, ease the ache of loneliness. In the dog days of summer may we find opportunities to experiment and play with practicing altruism and opening to love and care across space and time.

*selections of poetry taken from "The Gift," Poems by Hafiz, The Great Sufi Master, translated by Daniel Ladinsky

Storm Chaser Benjamin Franklin

Our IC theme for June is Nature as Medicine. Interestingly, I stumbled across a little tidbit of history related to dear Momma Nature ~ today in history (1752) Ben Franklin climbed to the top of a church steeple during a thunderstorm and let lose a kite on which was tied a metal key. He hoped that the key would act as a conduit and harness the power of lightning which he suspected was electricity. He was motivated by the desire to decrease the devastation he saw to neighbor and property when lightning struck.

Benjamin Franklin was reported to have chased storms on horseback. He was obsessed, some say, with the potential raw power inside thunder clouds. He lived in a time when candles were used for light and thus invented day-light savings time, calculating the many tons of wax preserved by the simple habit of, “early to bed, early to rise.”

When his kite experiment proved successful (his son bore witness), he constructed the lightning rod which did indeed attract and empty all harmful power into the earth rather than structures and human beings. Ben Franklin was thought of as a magician, able to control and eventually use, what were viewed as supernatural and godly forces. Can you imagine his bravery? That’s some powerful medicine!!!!

Ben Franklin is going into the Freedom Series category of our IC blog. Today, let’s contemplate and honor his unique relationship with the energy of our earth and his ability to literally harness it for the good of many. Earth bodhisatvha Ben Franklin, we bow to you!

Summer Mindfulness Retreat June 23, 2018

Loves! As we close out the cool Spring season, Lake Tahoe Mindfulness Community is thrilled to invite everyone to our Summer Retreat coming up in less than 2 weeks! We'll be celebrating the warming Solstice season with the theme, Nature as Medicine at our new temple location ~ as we followed Crissy Jory and The Studio Lake Tahoe to ~ 3200 Highway 50, Unit 5, otherwise known as Meyers Trading Post. Come spend the day in community and togetherness! Now, we're only a brief, luxurious walk to Paradise Park where we'll be flowing as a river during walking meditation. Retreat is time for us to soak up our spectacular Tahoe home, each other, and oh, yes...the yummy Vegan offerings. Please bring a light snack to share as we practice the art of nourishing our compassion for all living beings, and a plate, cup and utensil to eliminate waste. We look forward to discovering what Momma Tahoe Nature has in store on June 23! Facebook page for more information:
https://www.facebook.com/events/267177610689974/

Nature as Medicine

June IC theme of "Nature as Medicine" brought to mind a poem written a few years back. Nature is a healing balm, please enjoy....

River Cherith
© 2007 Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

Sweet alarum
floats upon the air.
Churned earth mixing with wild roses
tells me you are here.

I walk on,
searching as I go.
A river, clear as crystal,
greets me.

I retire.
Don’t know if I should enter in.
So, sit upon the rocks, I do,
watching.

Soon,
I thirst.
Desire

loosens all inhibitions.

Into the river I go,
shedding skin that clings,
trying in vain
to weigh me down.

Turning toward the sun,
I slowly lower,
sink deeper and deeper
into your realm.

Unfastened cares
slide away.
Received and set apart,
I open and drink.

Inside and out,
refreshed and satisfied.
Only when I’m ready,
I rise.

Eyes alight,
see raven in a tree,
sitting on a crooked branch,
watching inquisitively.

Flying down,
she circles overhead,
fans doubt away
with wine-black wings.

“Feed me,” caw I.
I am but a fledgling.
Dark mother abides,
drops manna from the sky.

Opening wide,
sweet Mystery filters in.
Raucous noise
replaced with stillness.

Soaked in liquid sun,
I stand to go,
intimate
with revelation.

Right Action: Breathing Peace

On our continued journey of the Eightfold Path (to happiness J), I got to thinking about a key ingredient often pondered ~ breath as life. Without beloved breath we would not be alive, breath is our sustainer, oxygenator, the renewer of our entire systems. Breath feeds our organs, our muscles, our beautiful brains… and if we go longer than a few minutes without it, we cease to function.

It’s a fascinating discovery to look at how breath has played a central role in world religions. Christianity being a major religion in many households, we might remember the famous story of Jesus, having been crucified and buried, mysteriously appearing to the disciples with the following appeal, “Peace be with you…” When he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

How might it be to contemplate breath as a holy spirit which transmits peace and informs our actions?

In practicing mindfulness and the Eightfold Path (noted above), breath is paramount—the active ingredient which leads to concentration and insight. Breath is the holy spirit….

Breath, the Cornerstone
©2018 Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

In…out
deep…slow.
I am peace,
love,
compassion,
peace.

Tie the silver cord and depend on it,
bob through ocean’s cresting waves:
In…out
deep…slow.
Below mind’s frenzied kinetics
resides abiding calm.

Peace
received.

Open Wide and Say, “Ahhhhhhh”

May theme of “Open” has been rich and full with the month’s culmination being a move into new Studio space for our practice community to enjoy and grow into. Lake Tahoe Mindfulness Community (LTMC) has actively beautified the new location, helping the amazing night owls Crissy Jory and her husband Jobe in packing, unpacking, scrubbing, patching, painting, pressure washing, taking down signs, equipment, lights, putting up shelves, stenciling and more. An enormous thank you to everyone for their sweat, muscle, creativity, love, care and devotion. We are opening, opening and opening some more.

This morning, I read a poem by Thich Nhat Hanh and this line touched me….

“If you ask me how much do I want,
I’ll tell you that I want it all.
This morning, you and I
And all men and women
Are flowing into the marvelous stream
Of oneness.”

May’s invitation is to open to new experiences, new spaces and deepen our practices. There is no limitation to the love, support, care and service we offer to our South Lake Tahoe community—we want it all—we are busting out like Spring time! Our sweet little Lotus Room has a new pond in which she’s growing, please come join us.

Spring Mindfulness Retreat April 28, 2018

Oh loves! Hearts sing in anticipation of this year's Spring Retreat! So much so, that a poem has been born...but, before we go off to the Ultimate dimension, the Historical calls: remember to bring a cup, bowl, utensil, napkin and anything else you may need for your absolute comfort (in the afternoon, after our Vegan Potluck, a Deep Relaxation spring lullaby will be offered, so perhaps a mat for stretching out). Here is the Facebook Events Link for more information. And now, the Spring Ultimate calls....

Snow Kissed
©2018 Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

Standing Sun Salutation when in the peripheral I see, 

powder puff,
airborne,
let go the evergreen tree.
Wet diamonds float...
greet sun-warmed skin.
Buzz in my center,
I am a bee:   
chocolate fur face
sprinkled with yellow,
glowing
glee.

Dear Hearts,
drink-in Spring Tahoe Pollen,
be snow kissed
and free!   

Bodhicitta ~ Mind of Love

April theme of “Cultivate,” has me pondering the Sanskrit word, “Bodhicitta,” which literally translates as awakening mind. Bodhicitta is a deep felt desire to water and perpetuate seeds of goodness. In essence, one is cultivating a mind of love. What’s interesting about Bodhicitta is that life experience becomes the vehicle for waking up and fulfilling our longing for goodness. Whatever happens in the course of the day IS the ground to be worked with, coming back, continuously back, to cultivating a mind of love. Mind of love becomes our top priority above all else. When we can practice in this way, our suffering and the suffering of others is immediately reduced. Decisions are no longer about me, or even the other person, but about higher ideals ~ seeds that we water, cultivate, grow and embody: love, peace, respect, dignity….

Cultivate

Early morning walk,
Spring Earth hums
beneath soles of feet.
Tahoe snow permeates grateful soil,
As one question cajoles, repeats ~
“What are your seeds, Little Flower?”

©2018 Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

Right Thinking: Teeming Life

This weekend was a getaway to the ocean, discovered quite accidentally through a tunnel that ran under the highway, on the property where my husband was playing tennis for the weekend. After receiving the go-ahead to scurry across the attached golf course, I popped out on a majestic lookout:

The golf course shared a property line with Fort Funston Public Beach and a quick maneuver around the hanging fence (!) had me sinking my toes into wet sand in no time:

Teeming life was everywhere ~ the bright urge for continuation shone! I walked the beach, breathing in sea breeze and sunshine. Romping, grinning dogs greeted me like a long lost friend. There were more dogs than people (my kind of place!) and the four leggeds were practically delirious with their good fortune. Embedded in the sand were the most amazing creatures, shedding what looked to be a pliable plastic skin....

Smooth stones also adorned the soft grained, open expanse of beach.

I marveled at the tide’s pull on the stone’s rough edges ~ gentle constant and relentless, smoothing them to colorful gems. “I am that,” I thought, “Good to see you again, Mama Sea.”

Breathing, walking, feeling the tide round out every rough edge, my mind became free to see ~ everything just wants to survive...and was doing it beautifully. Contentment had embedded itself deep when I finally turned to go, scrambling back up sea cliffs, across the meticulously kept green grass and back to my own version of teeming life.

Right Concentration: Contentment

Recently I was touched by a young man, 15 years old, who lives in Syria and is recording his region of Eastern Ghouta under siege, posting every few days to Facebook and Twitter. Muhammad Najem is a person I'm now able to check on regularly, and my heart lifts when I see he's still alive and active in his very real desire to be a photo journalist. There's many things about this young man that have impact: his open gaze, staccato voice, languid walk as he maneuvers over piles of rubble, his straight forward persistence. Him and his people are now more than ever in the heart of my daily practice.

Yesterday I had a break in a busy day and turned into Camp Galilee by the shores of Tahoe home. Waters were calm and placid, and as I slowly walked the shoreline, I thought of my young friend, Muhammad Najem. Eyes were downcast to the black Tahoe sand and the flat, colorful rocks adorning the shore....

I studied the stones as I walked, enamored by the colors, shapes and textures of the precious offerings, many etched in constellations reminding me of stars in night sky. I held the two realities of Syria and the peaceful shore of Lake Tahoe as I walked.

Having arrived at the end of the sun-melted beach, I turned around, realizing in my concentration, I hadn't looked out at the calm waters ringed in snow-capped peaks. I had neglected the Pureland in the distance!

My walk on the beach seemed a perfect metaphor for life. How often do I get caught in this event, or that person, this place and that news and forget to open to the larger whole? I was reminded of Right Concentration and our March IC theme of, "Contentment." Where is my energy, my point of focus? Is it possible in the intrigue of rocks and pebbles to look up and remember serenity? To come back to my foundation: body, breath, steps, equals peace, calm and ease in any situation.

As I turned to go, I dedicated insights on an undisturbed Tahoe homeland to my friend and comrade, Muhammad Najem and the people of Syria.


(For further reflections on related content: Right View, Right Speech, Right Livelihood, Right Mindfulness)

Muhammad Najem, 15 Year Old Photojournalist

Muhammad Najem 15 yo photojournalist from Eastern Ghouta, compliments of Missy Morton

Crossing to the Other Shore
©2018 Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

When I push off and place both feet in the boat,
I am received immediately by calm, dark sea.
I turn, look back at land boundaries, previously defined:
hard edges where I’ve come from dissolve
as clear water softens shore.

Moon hangs full, brilliant, peaceful in an open sky.
Sometimes, all freedom takes is the willingness
to no longer stay on demarcated ground.

(Poem written in response to bombings in Eastern Ghouta and the photo journalism of a 15 yearold boy who hopes for a brighter tomorrow)

Right Mindfulness ~ Start a rEVOLution!!!

Heart Nebula IC 1805 discovered by William Herschel

"Turn, ever turn toward love..." February started with this sweet aspiration and the theme of "Revolution!" materialized.  Love, gratitude, peace...are all a practice. I don't know about you, but when I have space in my day, I can rotate more freely, towards the qualities I wish to express and grow in myself. This brings us to the Noble Eight-Fold Path which has been explored since August in a number of IC blog articles--next one up ~ Right Mindfulness.

Mindfulness could be defined as the practice of paying attention. Sometimes our attention is wholesome and sometimes not so wholesome. This Lover of Metaphors appreciates the idea of a garden. Imagine our mind is the soil, with all kinds of seeds (anger, fear, love, gratitude, etc). Which seeds do we water? If we water the tomato seeds, tomatoes will grow. If we water the rows of corn, we don't expect sunflowers. Wholesome mindfulness is the practice of consciously paying attention to what we wish to grow and express in ourselves and in others.

Unwholesome mindfulness might be paying attention to another's shortcomings, seeing his big red button and thinking, "do EEEEEEET!" as we reach to push...but...with right mindfulness we interrupt this pattern and instead, turn, ever turn ~ we have a revolution toward love, peace, compassion and understanding.  We might think this is harder than hard! Perhaps that's why mindfulness is often defined as a practice and a way of life. What are our tools for practice?

• Stopping
• Breathing

Breathing is as natural as, well...breathing. Perhaps it's the stopping that's the challenging part. Science now shows simply oxygenating one's body is enough to shift the nervous system (turn, ever turn...) and light up the parts of the brain that generate empathy, compassion and insight.

• Stop
• Breathe
• Turn

Photo compliments of Eluna Photography

Another beautiful metaphor often used to represent mindfulness is the moon which shines on everything without exception. Moon reflects sun and doesn't differentiate good from bad. Right Mindfulness shares the same qualities of reflecting our inner universe without discrimination. Sometimes moon is full and bright, sometimes it's a mere sliver, or even dark, but moon is always there, same as mindfulness. 

In this month of February, may you turn toward the sweetness of love, reflecting full and bright the beautiful universe within and around you. Start a rEVOLution!

Martin Luther King ~ North Star of Equality Shines Bright

It's been a long time since writing in the "Freedom Series" category of this blog, and I know--I've highlighted MLK before but by far he's one of my favorites, so I'm extolling his praises again! I'm presently reading his book: Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community and this story struck me as clearly defining a major driving force in MLK's life, his aspiration or in Inner Constellation language~his North Star:

...a group of us packed into four automobiles and made our way to that desolate spot on Hwy 51 where James Meredith had been shot the day before. So began the second stage of the Meredith Mississippi Freedom March. As we walked down the meandering highway in the sweltering heat, there was much talk and many questions were raised. 

"I'm not for that  nonviolence stuff any more," shouted one of the younger activists.

"If one of these damn white Mississippi crackers touches me, I'm gonna knock the hell out of him," shouted another.

Later on a discussion of the composition of the march came up.

"This should be an all-black march," said one marcher. "We don't need any more white phonies and liberals invading our movement. This is our march."

Once during the afternoon we stopped to sing, "We Shall Overcome." The voices rang out with all the traditional fervor, the glad thunder and gentle strength that had always characterized the singing of this noble song. But when we came to the stanza which speaks of "black and white together," the voices of a few of the marchers were muted. I asked them later why they refused to sing that verse. The retort was:

"This is a new day, we don't sing those words any more. In fact, the whole song should be discarded. Not 'We Shall Overcome,' but 'We Shall Overrun.'"

As I listened to all these comments, the words fell on my ears like strange music from a foreign land. My hearing was not attuned to the sound of such bitterness. I guess I should not have been surprised....I should have been reminded that disappointment produces despair and despair produces bitterness, and that the one thing certain about bitterness is its blindness. Bitterness has not the capacity to make the distinction between some and all." *

Equality shines bright in our hero Martin Luther King, Jr. May we, as his continuation, strive toward a freedom that sees not gender, race, sexual preference, financial status, class, political party or any other contrived divisions but rather practices this sole desire ~ for all beings everywhere to live unmolested and in peace.

Happy MLK day everyone. 


   * Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? on sale for $7.68 (Amazon) consider adding this classic to your North Star library

After the Rains, Birds Sing

January theme of silver lining is rich with practice material. Firstly, our Tahoe 2018 Winter has been wet and dripping as our pictures from Winter Retreat last weekend attests....

At the end of retreat, a beloved asked, "How can we take the theme of silver lining forward into our days?"

In everything we shared, it seems the commonality was: practice putting others first, step outside our own experiences and focus on the big picture, i.e. the silver lining.

How do we direct our minds to the big picture?

• practice gratitude
• take a pause, literally a breath 

Both of these suggestions are concrete mindful habits to practice and can actually be done in tandem. I notice a storm...breathe...practice gratitude. To do so may offer us a fuller experience and more holistic picture. 

I went on a rainy run the other morning and I noticed as it was still clearing, the chickadees came out, tweeting and collecting seed. In their song I felt the rejoicing, "we're alive, we survived the storm!" Grace filled tweety birds transformed the stormy moment to something better, a celebration of being alive!

Please consider joining us in the practice of noticing the silver linings in the storms this month of January. Lake Tahoe Mindfulness Community would love to celebrate your experiences.