This is the book I am currently reading and can I just say that it is hands down the most informative and beautifully written gardening book I have ever seen.
Michael Ableman, farmer and author of Fields of Plenty writes, "Part Zen koan, part love poem to the land, part master's manual in the art and craft of gardening, Gardening at the Dragon's Gate satisfies body, mind, and soul like a really good meal."
Goodbye My Winter Suit
N. M. Bodecker
Goodbye my winter suit,
Goodbye my hat and boot,
Goodbye my ear-protecting muffs
And storms that hail and hoot.
Farewell to snow and sleet,
Farewell to Cream of Wheat,
Farewell to ice-removing salt
And slush around my feet.
Right on to daffodils,
Right on to whippoorwills,
Right on to chirp-producing eggs
And baby birds and quills.
The day is on the wing,
The kite is on the string,
The sun is where the sun should be
It's spring all right! It's spring!
Brianna Bodie did a magnificent job creating this beautiful flaming chalice to represent my passion for Unitarian Universalism and my true love for a community of people who strive for a world community of love, justice and peace.
Here is a portion of an article I found about the significance of the flaming chalice found at http://www.uupuertorico.org/100_Questions_eng/Chalice.htm
Three Elements
The symbol of the chalice flame may be further understood as a metaphor for the lives of human beings, both as individuals and in community.
A cup is a familiar object made to be held and passed around -- for sharing. A flame, by contrast, is not an object. It cannot be weighed or measured. It is no static thing, but a dynamic, changing process.
The flame needs three elements. The first of these is fuel. Fuel is material. Like the human body, like the treasured buildings, books, treasure and documents of a church community. If a fire lacks fuel it is said to be "burning low" like a candle in its final moments. The flame shrinks until it is just a feeble glow.
Unitarians are not ascetic or "other-worldly" but try to take a realistic and rational view of life. Unitarians readily accept that, like kindling for a fire, people in their private lives and collectively need the fuel of physical things.
The second element is heat. Think of the heat of life itself, distinguishing the living from the dead; the spark of intelligence, the warmth of human encounter, even the friction of disagreement. If a fire lacks heat, as when you dampen a flame with water, it is said to be guttering.
To develop as human beings, people also need heat. The vitality of congregational life, activities which animate and engross, thought-provoking moments that challenge are signs of a healthy liberal religious community. Unitarians believe that society is sustained by the warmth that functioning and supportive communities can provide.
The third element is air. Spirit has always been compared with air, or wind by Greeks and Hebrews alike. If a fire lacks air, we say that it is smouldering. There is much heat and thick black smoke, but little or no light. Modern life is too often like this.
Unitarians are open to the importance of personal religious experience, whether in a meeting house or a chapel on a Sunday, on a mountain-top, or in everyday moments during the working week. To develop, people need air or spirit: the inspiration, or breathing in, of that invisible, yet vital element; the deep moments of the self in prayer or meditation; the shared movement of the heart when the spirit is felt.
A Living Flame
The flaming chalice is something to be lit, and re-lit, by every person. It requires an act of will, of purpose and of faith.
Unitarianism allows persons to develop freely while experiencing the warmth of community. Unitarians are open to the truths that science has bequeathed, including the truth that darkness has no existence in itself. Darkness is the absence of light. Unitarians believe the way to overcome the darkness is to light our lamps whenever we meet.
I love this and hadn't seen this in a while. I ran onto it on a great homeschooling blog. http://learningumbrella.homeschooljournal.net/. Thank you Sarah for this great reminder.
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some mistakes are made, for sure.
Forget them as soon as you can,
tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely,
with too high a spirit
to be burdened with your old nonsense.
This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, adapted
A friend of mine e-mailed this to me and I thought I would share it with all of you. Thank you Shanda
Taken from a Sanskrit fable called "The Creation of Woman":
In the beginning when Twashtri came to the creation of woman, he found that he had exhausted his materials in the making of man and that no solid elements were left. In this dilemma, after profound meditations, he did as follows: He took the rotundity of the moon and the curves of the creepers, and the clinging of the tendrils and the trembling of the grass, and the slenderness of the reed and the bloom of flowers, and the lightness of leaves and the tapering of the elephant's trunk, and the glances of deer and the blustering of rows of bees, and the joyous gayety of sunbeams and the weeping of clouds, and the fickleness of the winds and the timidity of the hare, and the vanity of the peacock and the softness of the parrot's bosom and the hardness of adamant and the sweetness of honey, and the cruelty of the tiger and the warm glow of the fire, and the coldness of snow and the chattering of jays, and the cooing of the kokila, and the hypocrisy of the crane, and the fidelity of shakrawska, and compounding all these together he made a woman and gave her to man.
But after one week, man came to him and said: "Lord, this creature that You have given me makes my life miserable. She chatters incessantly and teases me beyond endurance, never leaving me alone; and she requires incessant attention, and takes all my time up, cries about nothing and is always idle, and so I have come to give her back as I cannot live with her." So Twashtri said: "Very well," and He took her back. Then after another week an came to Him and said: "Lord, I find that my life is very lonely since I gave You back that creature. I remember how she used to dance and sing to me and look at me out of the corner of her eye, and play with me and cling to me, and her laughter was music and she was beautiful to look at and soft to touch, so give her back to me."
So Twashtri said, "Very well," and gave her back. Then after only three days man came back to Him again and said: "Lord, I know not how it is, but after all I have come to the conclusion that she is more of a trouble than a pleasure to me so please take her back again." But Twashtri said: "Out on you! Be off! I will have no more of this; you must manage how you can." The man said: "I cannot live with her." And Twashtri said: "Neither can you live without her." And He turned His back on man and went on with His work. Then man said: "What is to be done? For I cannot live either with her or without her."
Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, CXXX, p. 285)
http://www.planetbahai.org/cgi-bin/articles.pl?article=217
Sarah Smith posted this beautiful video for some of her friends wishing them a Merry Christmas from the islands. I was so taken with it, that I snatched it up to share with all of you. So get out your flower garland and grass skirt and get ready to be transported to a place far away......
(English translation)
Kamali'i O Ka Po (Child of the night) Song by: Antion Vikram Singh
Listen, child of the night, here I am child of the light.
The sky above is Wakea, Earth below is Papa.
The heavens above, the Earth below.
All in its rightful place, Ke Kuliana keia.
The kahuna received their enlightenment,
Their mana from our ancient gods.
They were the chosen ones.
They spoke the words of the ancient gods,
they taught our laws and maintained our traditions, all in its rightful place.
Ho'ohōkūkalani, the royal mother
Gave birth to Hāloa, the kalo, then to Hāloa, the man.
The elder gave life to the junior lineage
All in its rightful place.
Listen, child of the night, here I am child of the light
You have there with you the middle section of the fish.
But where is the head? And where is the tail?
Where did you come from? Where will you go?
Listen! Is all in its rightful place?
Listen!
Listen!
Child of the Night
Thank you Sarah!
As the hours of daylight grow, so too, we can let our inner light of understanding, love and intuitions grow. Allowing both the dark and the light to resonate within us, for it is part of us, we can practice new beginnings of unity, compassion, empathy and global love.
Celebrating the Winter Solstice on December 21st with Meditations, Decorations, and Incense.
By Donna Oxley http://www.astrostar.com/WinterSolstice-Celebrations.htm
I was looking for the perfect picture for my on-line Christmas card and a good friend of mine sent this beautiful photo in an e-mail. Thank you Melinda!
I have so enjoyed having this blog as a creative expression, a way to share a piece of myself with others and knowing the joy of meeting others from around the globe and taking a peek into their lives as well.
Women have so much power and joy and finding a way that we can all celebrate each other has really fed my soul and I am excited to see where the journey takes us next.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and an amazing new year!!
Wishing you all abundant peace in the new year, Jesse
~~~~~TAKE A FEW MINUTES TODAY AND READ YOUR RIGHTS AND PLACE YOURSELF IN THE SHOES OF THOSE WHO ARE NOT AS FORTUNATE~~~~~
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
*Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, 'sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
*Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
*No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the salve trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
*No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
*Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
*All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
*Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
*No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
*Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
*1. Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
2. No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
*No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State.
2. Everyone has the right to leave any country including his own, and to return to his country.
*1. Everyone has the right to seek and enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
2. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
*1. Everyone has the right to a nationality.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
*1. Men and women of full age, without any limitation die to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
2. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
3. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
*1. Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
*Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
*Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek receive and impart information and ideas though any media and regardless of frontiers.
*1. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
2. No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
*1. Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
2. Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
3. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secrete vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
*Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
*1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
3. Every one who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
*Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
*1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including foods, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection. *1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
*1. Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
*Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
*1. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
2. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
3. These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
*Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
This is an exerpt from the home page of my favorite new site.
The spiral is a universal symbol for the human soul. The labyrinth
has been a healing symbol to all walks of humanity for over 3,500
years. Through the labyrinth, the soul descends to earth
for the human experience, creating circumstances for
experiential learning of "life" lessons, manifesting
the transformational meditative tool of the labyrinth on earth to
assist with this process. Like the butterfly, most often the human
part of us first goes in one direction and then another,
learning the spiritual journey is most important and not the
destination. Understanding, growing, finding inner peace with
life issues, transforming the evolving human towards
True Wisdom – the soul ascending to its Higher Self once again.
The intent of this website is to bring the gift of the labyrinth to
you – through the virtual labyrinth walks, pages of
information, resource tools and links to other labyrinth
enthusiasts all over the world. Welcome, please visit often for
updates and additions... peace on your journey. Namaste.
The spiral is a universal symbol for the human soul. The labyrinth
has been a healing symbol to all walks of humanity for over 3,500
years. Through the labyrinth, the soul descends to earth
for the human experience, creating circumstances for
experiential learning of "life" lessons, manifesting
the transformational meditative tool of the labyrinth on earth to
assist with this process. Like the butterfly, most often the human
part of us first goes in one direction and then another,
learning the spiritual journey is most important and not the
destination. Understanding, growing, finding inner peace with
life issues, transforming the evolving human towards
True Wisdom – the soul ascending to its Higher Self once again.
The intent of this website is to bring the gift of the labyrinth to
you – through the virtual labyrinth walks, pages of
information, resource tools and links to other labyrinth
enthusiasts all over the world. Welcome, please visit often for
updates and additions... peace on your journey. Namaste.
The spiral is a universal symbol for the human soul. The labyrinth
has been a healing symbol to all walks of humanity for over 3,500
years. Through the labyrinth, the soul descends to earth
for the human experience, creating circumstances for
experiential learning of "life" lessons, manifesting
the transformational meditative tool of the labyrinth on earth to
assist with this process. Like the butterfly, most often the human
part of us first goes in one direction and then another,
learning the spiritual journey is most important and not the
destination. Understanding, growing, finding inner peace with
life issues, transforming the evolving human towards
True Wisdom – the soul ascending to its Higher Self once again.
The intent of this website is to bring the gift of the labyrinth to
you – through the virtual labyrinth walks, pages of
information, resource tools and links to other labyrinth
enthusiasts all over the world. Welcome, please visit often for
updates and additions... peace on your journey. Namaste.
www.labyrinthonline.com
The crescent moon is accompanied by planets Venus, bottom, and Jupiter, right, as evening sky clouds stream by the trio in this 15-second time exposure made from Stedman, N.C. Monday night, Dec. 1, 2008 using a telephoto lens. The striking grouping was widely observed from the eastern US. Earlier in the day observers in England saw the moon completely cover Venus.
(AP Photo/The Fayetteville
Thank you Shanda!
I am a firm believer in the idea that the global communion of women--lovers, wives, matriarchs, women artists, spiritual sisters--is what can bring joyful change and peace to this world. Seeing the many ways we are finding to reach out to one another via the internet makes me hopeful...
If you are not already a member, check out http://www.blogher.com/ The Community for Women Who Blog I just found this resource and am overjoyed at seeing the vast array of topics and projects women are working on :)
