Winter Mindfulness Retreat: January 8, 2017

Reserve your calendar, January 8 will be a beautiful day in community! We will be restoring from the holidays and preparing ourselves for the new year with, "Beginning Anew," mindfulness practices in the tradition of Plum Village Thich Nhat Hanh. Please bring a small vegan dish to share as the food at our last retreat was mind-blowingly delicious. If you're not of the nature to cook there will be opportunities to sign up for service during the retreat to keep our day running smoothly. We will be carpooling from The Studio promptly at 9:00am to arrive at our retreat house on Lake Tahoe shores and will be arriving back at The Studio no later than 4:30pm. Bring warm layers for practicing outdoors and soaking up winter beauty. This house is an amazing exhibit of local artistry with hand-crafted wood features and sculpting honoring the local wildlife along with exquisite stain-glass and metal working. It promises to be a nourishing day for ourselves, our loved ones and our community. Please feel free to invite friends, loved ones and community members. RSVP to InnerConstellation.com or our event Facebook page as space is limited.

Beginning Anew

The world witnessed a Forgiveness Ceremony yesterday that will continue to bring peace to the nations who have gathered in support of the Dakota Sioux and their wish to divert the oil pipeline going through sacred lands and threatening local water supply. An easement to continue construction was not granted thanks to the efforts of many thousands of people who came out to support and protest. Among those thousands were our US Veterans who vowed to provide a front line of protection in the non-violent efforts of all those protesting and making their voices heard. After celebrating the halt to construction, a ceremony was held that so beautifully represents the native path I so dearly love--a Forgiveness Ceremony allowed Veterans to heal from their wounds of war and the unskillfulness of past actions against native people. Many of us living in modern society may scratch our heads over such a ceremony. After all, the actions of the past are not our actions. However, actions of the past have created the present moment and learning how to be more skillfull in the present moment will create the actions of the future.

We can take the lessons of forgiveness into our daily lives. Forgiveness is an act of nobility (and humility) and it sets our hearts on the right path. If I, or the people who I am connected to, have hurt another it's an act of peace to go to that person and set things right and learn what I can do to be more skillful in the future. Then, there is no need to hold onto regret for I have vowed to change--this is freeing.

In the Plum Village tradition such an act is called, Beginning Anew, and it's a practice of looking deeply and honestly at ourselves, our past actions, speech and thoughts to create a fresh beginning in our relationship with ourselves and with others. Beginning Anew is practiced every two weeks in communities and families and individually as often as is helpful. In the spirit and theme of peace, Beginning Anew or practicing a forgiving spirit are helpful tools. May we be heartened today by the example of our Native elders and live with equal integrity and respect as we care for ourselves, our loved ones and our communities.

Who's Your Momma?

I went out cross country skiing yesterday, three days after the snow storm and melt/freeze temps. In other words, snow was rock hard. As I approached a hill that I had gone down effortlessly through the fluffy stuff a few days prior, a tiny voice in my head warned, "ummm...maybe ditch the skis." It was my Momma voice. So what did this kid do? Plugged her ears and pushed off! If it wouldn't be tagged as obscene, I'd post the picture of my bruised @$$ as a result of hucking myself down that path of suffering!

Sitting here typing this post is a sore reminder of my stubbornness (or pea-brain nature). It's no coincidence that the December Inner Constellation theme is, "peace," and... that I received this reminder in the mail (which I dug out of the mailbox after my cement collision:)

Whenever I begin a new monthly theme, I look up the word in the dictionary and let the synonyms stir my creative juices. One such equivalent to peace is non-violence. What does it mean to be non-violent to oneself? Revisiting the cross country skiing moment--nonviolence might mean heeding suffering's warning signs. Our bodies are supreme indicators of distress. Do we listen with compassion and wise attention or stifle our body's signals?

I love the analogy of a mother tending her crying baby. It's a rare momma who ignores the cries of her kid, instead she practices non-violence--going to the baby and doing her best to ease discomfort.

This morning I sit with these questions: What's the quality of my thoughts, is each one loving, peaceful and compassionate toward myself, my loved ones and my world? What are my actions? Are they skillful and kind? Am I 100% non-violent in my body, speech and mind? If I am, then I'm on the path of peace. December holiday season is the perfect training ground to ponder the above questions and deepen our practice of peace as we engage with our world and our loved ones this month. I look most forward to the insights and stories. Safe exploration, everyone!

Molasses Pours in Winter

Happy holidays, you'all! To balance the craziness and Black Friday madness, I'm consciously slowing down for a 90 day Winter Retreat, all from the comfort of my home! I'm reminded how such a commitment is directly tied to mindful consumption--our Inner Constellation November theme--most specifically the idea of mindful consciousness. What exactly is consciousness? We've been exploring this question in LTMC the past few weeks.

Buddhist psychology defines consciousness in a way that makes a lot of sense--comprising it into two parts--"store consciousness" and "mind consciousness." Store consciousness is explained using the metaphor of buried seeds, which represent everything we've ever experienced or perceived: seeds of anger, fear, joy, peace, etc. Think of a seed store--where you might go if you're planting a garden--in the storehouse is every variety of seed, nothing excluded. If we leave with a few packets, go home, plant the seeds and begin watering, the seeds will manifest into plants, herbs or flowers. The same can be said for the buried seeds in our consciousness: anger, fear, joy, peace etc, that when watered will grow and manifest in our mind consciousness--in the form of thoughts, actions, speech, etc. 

Everything our senses consume, waters the seeds buried deep and brings them up to the surface of our mind where we chose to give them form and life. This idea is entirely liberating because the seeds of happiness, compassion, understanding and enlightenment are within everyone, they just need cultivated. As Thich Nhat Hanh so eloquently writes:

There is a baby Buddha in our store consciousness, and we have to give him or her a chance to be born. When we touch our baby Buddha--the seeds of understanding and love that are buried within us--we become filled with bodhicitta, the mind of love....awakening to our mind of love is the moment the practice begins.*

Wholesome seeds are inherent within. When we take time to remember our garden and consciously water healthy seeds, they will take beautiful form. Entering retreat is a supreme way to mindfully water our wholesome seeds, surrounded by a community that is nourishing the same seeds, committed to the practice of love, peace and understanding. How can we consciously consume in a way that creates beauty? Join LTMC in entering the winter season, intent on slowing down to nourish seeds of compassion and care in ourselves, our loved ones and our community.

*Cultivating the Mind of Love, page 6, Thich Nhat Hanh

Freedom Singers, Sing!

I've had the great fortune to listen to an inspiring On Being interview with late, great Civil Rights elder, Vincent Harding, in the aftermath of the presidential election last week. He spoke of his experiences as part of the Freedom Movement during 1960's and the role of spiritual communities in making last change (Yay, LTMC!). He offers wisdom and encouragement for America in this time of division and upheaval. He poses the question,

What would America's "best self" be like? *

In LTMC this week, we spoke of volition--one's deepest aspiration--and how wholesome desires can serve as a source of nourishment and happiness in our lives. Might the answers to the above question serve to clarify one's volition? Throughout Vincent Harding's interview, Freedom Songs were interwoven, anthems that focused and united the beloved community in Martin Luther King's era. I've been singing them nonstop this week, and they've been the best practice companions! Here's my favorite one:

Woke Up This Morning

Mr. Harding reminds us that spiritual vision is a vital ingredient for positive social change. He defined spiritual vision as the innate truth that every life is sacred and this value becomes the guiding light for peaceful non-violent action. Spiritual vision was the Freedom Movement's volition under the guidance of Martin Luther King. Mr. Harding posits that spiritual vision is often lacking in present day movements, as is a community that practices and lives compassion, peace and non-violence.

Where there is no vision the people perish." **

Community and spiritual vision were the foundation of the Freedom Singers, their voices called all those embroiled in conflict, including those acting in violent opposition, to recognize the sacredness of life. They sang mindfully--

"I'm walking and talking with my mind stayed on freedom...."

Martin Luther King's freedom movement is a modern day inspiration for our modern age. Alongside my personal North Star of compassion, is compassion's companion--Freedom. Can we practice our volition to live a free and wholesome life, responding to any resistance in ourselves or in others with loving care? Can we sing ourselves and our community back home when they've gone astray? Yes, most certainly, yes.

Inner Constellation Truth #2 speaks to how we are to do this--Energy never dies, it just changes form. A compassionate America is alive today because of the sacrifices and wisdom of visionary elders who walked their talk, sang their songs of commitment and used their imagination and voice to guide themselves and others in the direction of freedom. These Veterans of Hope can serve as role models in embodying peace, happiness and freedom for ourselves, our loved ones and our communities.


*Is America Possible? A Letter to My Young Companions on the Journey of Hope, Vincent Harding
** Proverbs 29:18

Self Care for Trumpsters and Hillary Lovers

It's a new day, have faith my comrades. Everything once shaken up, eventually settles. Can we hold the possibility of perhaps being pleasantly surprised? Populations of American voters are self-professed dissatisfied and cast their vote for a change in status quo. Can our practice of peace see past left and right, democrat and republican, black and white, woman and man to listen with compassion and understanding?

In these days following the election, we have riots, protests, cry-ins, safety pin movements. Me, I sat with my community the morning following the election, had dinner with my dear beloveds and opened books of poetry. In all these acts of nourishment, there is pure wisdom that guides through any "perceived storm":

"I once asked a bird,
how is it that you fly
in this gravity of darkness?
The bird responded, 'Love lifts me?'"

~Hafiz, The Gift

Bowing to Veggie Broth!

Happy November everyone! This month's theme is mindful consumption and in LTMC we're exploring how we consume the four kinds of nutriments: edible foods, sense impressions, volition and consciousness. This first week of November will focus on edible foods, heck with just finishing our Halloween goodies, we're up for this, right?! To water the seeds of mindful consumption, I wished to share a Veggie Broth recipe that's delicious, nutritious and simple. I used to feel bad about carrot peels, tomato tops and other veggie scraps that were thrown away, knowing there MUST be something I could do with these edible offerings (composting is not an option in bear territory :). Then, while interpreting a Broth's Culinary Class an insight was introduced, so simplistically beautiful the recipe is one delicious sentence:

Freeze all veggie scraps (except potato peels and eggplant) in a zip lock bag until full, place in a pot, cover with water and simmer around 45 minutes, then voila! golden, nutritious veggie broth!

"All" veggie scraps, literally means anything: onion skins, broccoli stems, leaves of cauliflower--everything! Actually, one other exception...I did find lettuces not so edible but spinach stems and leftover herbs work great. The other nightshades, tomatoes and peppers, are fine. Peppers add kick, so be forewarned. I use my veggie broth for all my rice dishes which are often Mexi, so the peppers work for me. Spices such as salt are best added after stock has been strained and placed in containers. These can be frozen and removed as needed.Veggie Broth is good for all soups, chilis and in place of water in most instances. One of my favorite ways to consume it is to add salty V8 juice, more whole veggies and eat as a quick, nutritious soup. Now when it comes to preparing veggies, I'm one happy, grateful girl....

Mindfully consuming the scraps of veggie friends,
I smile,
knowing I use everything Mama Earth
so generously offers.