native american wisdom

The Indian Ten Commandments

Treat the Earth and all that dwell therein with respect

Remain close to the Great Spirit

Show great respect for your fellow beings

Work together for the benefit of all Mankind

Give assistance and kindness wherever needed

Do what you know to be right

Look after the well-being of Mind and Body

Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater Good

Be truthful and honest at all times

Take full responsibility for your actions

written meditation

busybusybusydoingdoingdoing
takingintakingintakinginstimulationstimulationstimulation
wordswordswordsimagesimagesimages
soundsallsplasheduptwistedtogether
wait...what do i need?

i need to breathe....3 deep breaths...in...out...in...out
i notice the pauses...in.........
out............
.....in.......
..............out...
after i exhale it comes...the pause....a stop....
...a place to rest in...........
..............to feel my body against the cushions behind and supporting me....
.....am i supported?.............can i let go into that support a lil more?......
....aaah!......the ache in my shoulder....i feel it....i breathe into it......
the absolute tiredness......i feel it as a wave thro me........stopping clarity
.....stopping my truly being in the moment....this moment.....
...what can i hear?........my breath....in........out........in........out.......in.....
....cars.....folk outside on the street below.....
............a buzzin in my ears......buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........
silence.......underneath it all......silence.....holding it all....
.........aaah......the stillnesss that supports all the movement.....
all the chaos....the creativity of the world...........
...........in.............out...............in.............
...my eyelids feel heavy......
............can i find that space?........a lil space for this lil lady to rest in?........
.........now its there and holds all of me......now its gone.....
and back it comes......weaving in and out....i rest there awhile...
..... a weary traveller........a moment to rest in....to breathe
....to feel.... to connect....to come home

shivaratri

om namah shivaya...the dance of life and death.. creation and destruction...the never-ending cycles which churn and spiral all of life...letting go, breathing out, surrendering... opening to receive , breathing in, expanding outwards and towards...celebrate it all in the rich tapestry of your life... and dance, dance, dance in honour of it all!

Mahashivaratri Festival or the ‘The Night of Shiva’ is celebrated with devotion and religious fervor in honor of Lord Shiva, one of the deities of Hindu Trinity. Shivaratri falls on the moonless 14th night of the new moon in the Hindu month of Phalgun, which corresponds to the month of February - March in English Calendar. Celebrating the festival of Shivaratri devotees observe day and night fast and perform ritual worship of Shiva Lingam to appease Lord Shiva.

Legends of Mahashivratri
There are various interesting legends related to the festival of Maha Shivaratri. According to one of the most popular legends, Shivaratri marks the wedding day of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Some believe that it was on the auspicious night of Shivaratri that Lord Shiva performed the ‘Tandava’, the dance of the primal creation, preservation and destruction. Another popular Shivratri legend stated in Linga Purana states that it was on Shivaratri that Lord Shiva manifested himself in the form of a Linga. Hence the day is considered to be extremely auspicious by Shiva devotees and they celebrate it as Mahashivaratri - the grand night of Shiva.

Traditions and Customs of Shivaratri
Various traditions and customs related to Shivaratri Festival are dutifully followed by the worshippers of Lord Shiva. Devotees observe strict fast in honor of Shiva, though many go on a diet of fruits and milk some do not consume even a drop of water. Devotees strongly believe that sincere worship of Lord Shiva on the auspicious day of Shivaratri, absolves a person of sins and liberates him from the cycle of birth and death. Shivaratri is considered especially auspicious for women. While married women pray for the well being of their husbands unmarried women pray for a husband like Lord Shiva, who is regarded as the ideal husband.

To mark the Shivratri festival, devotees wake up early and take a ritual bath, preferably in river Ganga. After wearing fresh new clothes devotees visit the nearest Shiva temple to give ritual bath to the Shiva Lingum with milk, honey, water etc.

On Shivaratri, worship of Lord Shiva continues all through the day and night. Every three hours priests perform ritual pooja of Shivalingam by bathing it with milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar and water amidst the chanting of “Om Namah Shivaya’ and ringing of temple bells. Nightlong vigil or jaagran is also observed in Shiva temples where large number of devotees spend the night singing hymns and devotional songs in praise of Lord Shiva. It is only on the following morning that devotee break their fast by partaking prasad offered to the deity.

risk

risk

'' and then the day came,
when the risk
to remain tight
in a bud
was more painful
than the risk
it took
to blossom''

anais nin

retreats

time for creating the new...time to stop and rest in one's bones and breath...time to listen to the pulse of one's heart...time to move to stretch to delight in shapes known and unknown...time to play...time to relax...time to restore renew revive refresh...time for oneself...time to reconnect with the wisdom within...time for spaciousness and stillness to work its magic...time to delight in making art as our birthright as our inherent gift

why not join with me on this journey?

wildness

(click on the title 'wildness' to hear the beautiful mexican artist lila downs sing 'burn it blue')

the invitation
oriah mountain dreamer

''it doesnt interest me what you do for a living.
i want to know what you ache for,
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

it doesnt interest me how old you are.
i want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

it doesnt interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
i want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow,
if you have been opened by life's betrayals or
have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

i want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own,
without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

i want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own,
if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be
careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.

it doesnt interest me if the story you're telling me is true.
i want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself;
if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.

i want to know if you can be faithless
and therefore be trustworthy.

i want to know if you can see beauty
even when its not pretty, every day,
and if you can source your own life from its presence.

i want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine,
and still stand on the edge of a lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon, ''yes''!

it doesnt interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
i want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and
despair, weary and bruised to the bone,
and do what needs to be done for the children.

it doesnt interest me who you are, how you came to be here.
i want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

it doesnt interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
i want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

i want to know if you can be alone with yourself,
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.''

precious moments

just returned from watching 'never let me go'...incredibly moving and touching film...makes me reflect on the impermanence and the fleetingness (is that a word?!) of life...how do we spend each moment? are we so caught up in tomorrows dream that todays ordinariness is overlooked? is it possible we are missing our life as it unfolds with each breath, each movement, each little task, each passing stranger, each taken for granted exchange with our loved ones?

when will our time come to pass over to who knows truly whats next? we cant know for sure and yet what we can do is open our eyes wider, stop for a moment...i often find myself looking up whilst tackling the crowds of the city, noticing the clouds shifting shapes, the stillness of the sky, the beauty of the architecture above me, and the feel of my feet on the ground...this is life happening right now...i admit that i am also often drawn to an imaginary future, enticing in its fantasy..whilst losing myself in this anticipatory pleasure is a fine way to oil the imagination i know that to deny the reality that i stand in right now is to deny life itself..what a shame that is, for me and for those that i gently brush past in those moments

i aim to live wildly.. i aim to live widely...i aim to feel, touch, experience all of life, no matter how dull, ordinary, boring, practical (especially taxing for this lady whom the world of fanciful magical realism feels like how life should feel!) and everyday...right now i have a glass of fine red wine left over from a joyous eve spent in the company of a great friend...jose feliciano is on the stereo...my breath eases in and out in a dance riding the waves of the music and the carefreeness of a sat eve...as i open to this moment more and more my heart lifts, a smile gathers on my face and all is well just in this moment right now...wherever you are 'ola' to you and may your 'now' be precious and just as its meant to be!