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31 Dec

Sages and Scientists

At the Chopra Foundation’s 2012 Sages and Scientists Symposium brilliant minds from all over the world gathered to share their thoughts about “The Merging of a New Future.”  It was a stimulating conversation, filled with revelations and sprinkled with optimism, with topics that ranged from medical research to leadership in business, and even some social media.  I can’t imagine any one other than Deepak who could bring together such a fascinating array of speakers and entertainers!  We heard from former President of Mexico Vincente Fox, General Wesley Clark, Chemist, Quantum Physicists, Corporate leaders, and more, and we were entertained by upcoming musical groups Black Opera, Caught A Ghost, kid’s dance troupe The Miniotics, Flamenco dancers and a group of male acrobats to performed on poles!

 

By the way, all of the volunteers at the Symposium looked fabulous wearing the Jnana Yoga tee-shirts from WearLuck.com.  Jnana Yoga is the path of knowledge, so it’s perfect for this conference!  Each of the speakers received a tee-shirt in their gift bags as well, and we got tons of great comments on them!

Here are some of the highlights of the conference that I caught on video:

 

Dr. Rudy “Rock Star” Tanzi accepted the Spirit of Rustum Roy Award for his contributions in Alzheimer’s Research.  I was fortunate to get an interview with the late Dr. Roy during the 2010 Symposium and you can see what he had to say about the “New Science” in this video:

Dr. Rustum Roy

http://youtu.be/MoI7TyLZQWs

 

This year I was delighted to interview Dr. Lothar Schafer – he had so many amazing things to say that I ended up making his interview into three videos!  Here’s one:

Lothar Schafer on Consciousness

http://youtu.be/-nqxd1OT3mE

 

All of the attendees, including me, were impressed by what two young men are accomplishing to help solve the world water crisis.  Here’s my interview with Mike Muniz from Generosity Water:

Mike Muniz, Generosity Water

http://youtu.be/sD9oBtNZ7JM

 

Leonard Mlodinow is Deepak Chopra’s co-author, their book is “War of the Worldviews.”  It was great speaking with him and getting a behind-the-scenes perspective.  Here’s what he had to say:

Leonard Mlodinow

http://youtu.be/HKJljfmDr6E

 

One of the most popular entertainers was poet/rapper J. Ivy.  He performed with his beautiful and talented wife.  You’ll be hearing a lot from this guy:

J. Ivy

http://youtu.be/xy1x9edjf2M

 

Carlos Dominguez gave a great talk.  He calls himself a “Tech Nowist.”  Find out exactly what that means in his interview:

Carlos Dominguez

http://youtu.be/Nkg6Ndz2dg4

 

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31 Dec

Killing Buddha

Why Killing Buddha? (Excerpt from OmTimes article)

Laughter is the best medicine in hard times and Killing Buddha is first and foremost a comedy. And the title is politically correct! (It’s inspired from a quote from one of Buddhism’s most famous philosopher monks, Linji, the 9th century founder of Chán Buddhism.)

But the film also has a serious message and we have already attached three world superheroes of the New Age: Deepak Chopra, Barbara Marx Hubbard and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev.

While distributing “What The Bleep Do We Know?! ” I was honored to be able to travel the world to speak about my experience making “Bleep”. The most common question was “how did a girl like me, one who had never uttered the words Quantum Physics- end up making such a film?”

Sometimes it takes the most unlikely of people in the most unusual circumstances to create something that touches the world like “Bleep” did. The story I told had a resonance with so many, which I decided to, write a film about it: “Killing Buddha”
Crowd funding is a great way to get involved in the making of a film. Anyone who participates in this campaign will not only get them some cool perk (a t-shirt, a dvd or even a part in the film!)

By participating in this project at any level you’re invited to join a special group – come along as we make the film via a special website just for you! Watch videos from the set, see behind the scenes footage, chat online with the cast and the film makers and so much more! Once you join in the funding you’re a part of the team! Brief Synopsis:
Killing Buddha is loosely based on the life and experiences of Betsy Chasse and what happens when the least spiritual person on the planet gets hired to make a movie about spirituality.

Business flagging, dumped by her boyfriend, car repossessed and the bank eyeing her heavily mortgaged home, disenchanted ex-Hollywood film producer Sara Wells desperately wants change. Convinced by her agent to go to a yoga class, there she receives some simple advice: make a list of what you want and let the universe provide. Confident in her list-making abilities, uncertain about the universe and nostalgic for her Hollywood days, Sara tops her Wish List with a request for a movie to produce—a meaningful film that will change her life. Within hours, Sara is offered the script for Killing Buddha, a privately funded documentary about the modern Western spirituality movement. Sara’s deepest insight into spirituality is that God is dog spelled backwards. But she is intrigued by the coincidence with her list and drawn by the possibility of learning the ultimate recipe for instant happiness and success. Sara takes the project against the advice of her agent, setting out on a hilarious road trip with a bickering mismatched film crew of believers, cynics and seekers: Jason Stroud, born-again cameraman, Brin Halloway, bitterly disillusioned New Age consultant, Catholic editor and sound man Fabio Martinez, and wet-behind-the-ears African American PA, debutant and socialite, Michelle Kandell. Think “Bridget Jones seeks enlightenment while shooting a documentary about God”� a brilliant way of hiding great teachings in a funny, personable movie with a great female protagonist.
You can learn more about the film and her campaign at www.killingbuddhathemovie.com

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31 Dec

Help Women in India and Be Fashionable, Too!

DharmaSmart has created a special bracelet to help non-profit organization Yoga Gives Back raise funds to support women in India with micro-financing and education. Yoga is a gift from ancient India, embraced by the West. Today, however 76% of India’s population-800 million people-live below the poverty line of $2.50 a day. Non-profit organization Yoga Gives Back has a mission to mobilize the global yoga community to empower women in India to build sustainable livelihoods. Inspired by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dr. Muhammad Yunus’ revolutionary micro financing breakthrough, Yoga Gives Back supports micro credit programs in India which lend small loans to women in particular, who have no access to capital. Additionally, the organization developed “Sister Aid” programs where YGB directly funds education, vocational training and micro credit programs for struggling mothers, girls and orphans. Women are the best poverty fighters-the most effective return on investment for development dollars is an investment in women. With $25 a month, mothers can start their own businesses; girls and orphans can go to school. DharmaSmart.com is a new online store that serves the yoga community with “Purposeful Living Essentials.” The company has designed a special cuff bracelet for yoga practitioners to wear in support of the work that Yoga Gives Back is doing. The cuff retails for just $25 and $10 goes straight to Yoga Gives Back. The cuffs will be featured at the second annual Global Day of Support “Thank You Mother India” to be held on Saturday, September 29th in Malibu, California. For more information about the event, including sponsorship opportunities, visit this page: YogaGivesBack.org Those who want to contribute to Yoga Gives Back through the purchase of one of these original cuffs may find them online at: DharmaSmart.com

Here at CoffeyTalk we are big fans of what Yoga Gives Back is doing to help the women of India to build their own businesses and to educate their children. It is an honor to have this opportunity to give back to a country and culture that has given us so much valuable ancient wisdom.

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31 Dec

A Time to Mourn

I can’t focus.  I can’t work.  All I can do at the moment is think about the children we lost, the families who are in such pain, the senselessness of the shooting that occurred this morning at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

This could have been any school, any place.  This could have been any of us.  And really, they are us.  We are all connected, and we feel the suffering, we can’t help it.  These children are our children, we feel the loss, we mourn the loss of their presence in the world, and the promise of what might have been.

Every time one of these tragedies occur, and it is devastating that we have any of these tragedies at all, people rally around and express their support of more strict gun control laws.  And yet, time goes by, and nothing more happens.  Until we have another senseless tragedy.  We need change NOW.  I think that President Obama expressed it very well in his response to the country.  It’s not about politics.  It’s about people.  We need to protect each other not with weaponry, but with kindness, with peace, and yes, with laws that look at a victim’s rights, not the perpetrator’s rights. I also feel strongly that we need better access to mental health care.  Many insurance policies don’t recognize mental health as a concern, the coverage is nominal.  But as we see in cases such as this, the consequences are far-reaching.  

We need to talk about these things.  Not just in the moment, but as the days go on, until something is done, until we get the changes in place that we so desperately need.  

So today we mourn.  We take a moment to pause and remember these sweet faces, the loving teachers, parents, and administrators who work with our children daily.  We can not understand the why of this situation.  But we can bring our hearts together and be in it together.  Our strength will lift us up, and take us to a better, brighter, more hopeful place.

My friend Mallika Chopra posted some links to petitions on her blog.  If you feel so compelled, and want to take action, this is one thing that you can do to make some sort of a difference during this difficult time:

http://signon.org/sign/ban-assault-weapons.fb23?source=s.fb&r_by=6380340 https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/immediately-address-issue-gun-control-through-introduction-legislation-congress/2tgcXzQC http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/546/934/954/?cid=fb_lg_guncontrol
 

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31 Dec

Sacred Geometry Designs

Nature gives us beautiful examples of sacred geometry all around us: snow flakes, pine cones, or the petals on a flower to name just a few.  We see sacred geometry reflected in the designs of holy places such as the pyramids, cathedrals, mosques and temples around the world.  Many scholars, both ancient and modern, believe that everything in the physical world is based on the sacred geometric patterns of creation.  These patterns are symbolic codes of our own inner realm.  When we study these codes, viewing and contemplating these forms, we get a glimpse into the inner workings of The Universal Mind.

The Shri Yantra, and the Flower of Life are artistic demonstrations of these sacred geometric patterns that we can use as tools to deepen our own wisdom. I am thrilled to introduce you to a new design that I created for our Dharma Collection.  It’s based on the Vesica Piscis.  The Vesica Piscis is formed by the intersection of two circles whose centers touch.  This symbolic intersection represents the common ground, or shared vision, between equal individuals.  The shape of the human eye is a Vesica Piscis. This form often represents the mirror of the soul in art and architecture.  Additionally, the ratio of the axes of the form is the square root of 3, which alludes to the deepest nature of the triune.

In “What’s Your Dharma” we look at the four Yogas, and how these define for us the four paths of our life, our four purposes.  There are many areas where these paths overlap, and there is a unity where they all meet, and become one.  I started thinking of the four yogas as four circles, and drew the design that we have now made into wearable art, jewelry that acts as touchstones to help remind us of what is important in life.  These talismans help to keep us on our path.

I love this design for all the meaning behind it.  Where the Four Circles intersect, four Vesica Piscis are created. And at the very heart, the very center where they all meet, there is a square, a perfect four sided shape that has four sides, four angles, and represents once again the four dharmas or purposes.  I had this center area enameled in a pearl color.  Pearls are significant because they are the only jewel that grows from the inside out.  When a pearl is formed, it starts as sand.  The sand gets into an oyster and irritates the oyster, and then the oyster creates a kind of covering of the sand that then grows to become a pearl. This represents that beauty can come from adversity.  The pearl color is white, and white is the result when all the colors come together in light. This white light at the center of the design represents the light within each one of us.

On each circle I have written the four purposes: to love, to serve, to know, and to be.  The four circles are surrounded by one large circle, representing the Oneness of creation, the connection we all share.

This design, which I am calling the Dharma Clover, is simple, and yet so profound.  I have a few different versions so you can use it in many ways: as a pendant, a keychain, a bracelet, a hair-tie, a zipper-pull, and more.  Use your imagination!  Please send us a picture of how you use your personal Dharma Clover talisman.  See it online at http://www.DharmaSmart.com

You can read more about Dharma Symbolism on our What’s Your Dharma website:

http://www.whatsyourdharma.com/dharma-symbolism.php

 

 

 

 

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31 Dec

PGA Award Nominees

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURE NOMINEES

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
“Argo” (Warner Bros.)
Producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Grant Heslov

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn

“Django Unchained” (The Weinstein Company)
Producers: Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone, Stacey Sher

“Les Misérables” (Universal Pictures)
Producers: Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh

“Life of Pi” (Fox 2000 Pictures)
Producers: Ang Lee, Gil Netter, David Womark

“Lincoln” (Touchstone Pictures)
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

“Moonrise Kingdom” (Focus Features)
Producers: Wes Anderson & Scott Rudin, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales

“Silver Linings Playbook” (The Weinstein Company)
Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon

“Skyfall” (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson

“Zero Dark Thirty” (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Megan Ellison

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
“Brave” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producer: Katherine Sarafian

“Frankenweenie” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Producers: Allison Abbate, Tim Burton

“ParaNorman” (Focus Features)
Producers: Travis Knight, Arianne Sutner

“Rise of the Guardians” (Paramount Pictures)
Producers: Nancy Bernstein, Christina Steinberg

“Wreck-It Ralph” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producer: Clark Spencer

TELEVISION  NOMINEES

The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
“American Horror Story” (FX)
Producers: Brad Buecker, Dante Di Loreto, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy, Chip Vucelich, Alexis Martin Woodall

“The Dust Bowl” (PBS)
Producers: Producer Eligibility Pending

“Game Change” (HBO)
Producers: Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Jay Roach, Amy Sayres, Steven Shareshian, Danny Strong

“Hatfields & McCoys” (History)
Producers: Barry Berg, Kevin Costner, Darrell Fetty, Leslie Greif, Herb Nanas

“Sherlock” (PBS)
Producers: Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, Beryl Vertue, Sue Vertue

The Long-Form Television category encompasses both movies of the week and mini-series.

In November 2012, the Producers Guild of America announced the Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture, Television Series and Non-Fiction Television Nominations; the following list includes complete producer credits.

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
“A People Uncounted” (Urbinder Films)
Producers: Marc Swenker, Aaron Yeger

“The Gatekeepers” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Estelle Fialon, Philippa Kowarsky, Dror Moreh

“The Island President” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Producers: Richard Berg, Bonni Cohen

“The Other Dream Team” (The Film Arcade)
Producers: Marius Markevicius, Jon Weinbach

“Searching For Sugar Man” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn

The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
“Breaking Bad” (AMC)
Producers: Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart Lyons, Michelle MacLaren, George Mastras, Diane Mercer, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett

“Downton Abbey” (PBS)
Producers: Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame, Liz Trubridge

“Game of Thrones” (HBO)
Producers: David Benioff, Bernadette Caulfield, Frank Doelger, Carolyn Strauss, D.B. Weiss

“Homeland” (Showtime)
Producers: Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Michael Cuesta, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Michael Klick, Meredith Stiehm

“Mad Men” (AMC)
Producers: Jon Hamm, Scott Hornbacher, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Victor Levin, Blake McCormick, Matthew Weiner

The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy
“30 Rock” (NBC)
Producers: Irene Burns, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Vali Chandrasekaran, Luke Del Tredici, Tina Fey, Matt Hubbard, Marci Klein, Jerry Kupfer, Lorne Michaels, David Miner, Dylan Morgan, Jeff Richmond, John Riggi, Josh Siegal, Ron Weiner

“The Big Bang Theory” (CBS)
Producers: Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro, Faye Oshima Belyeu, Bill Prady

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)
Producers: Alec Berg, Larry Charles, Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Tim Gibbons, David Mandel, Erin O’Malley, Jeff Schaffer, Laura Streicher

“Louie” (FX)
Producers: Dave Becky, M. Blair Breard, Louis C.K.

“Modern Family” (ABC)
Producers: Cindy Chupack, Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morton, Dan O’Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Chris Smirnoff, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny ZukerThe Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television:

“American Masters” (PBS)
Producers: Prudence Glass, Susan Lacy, Julie Sacks

“Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” (Travel Channel)
Producers: Anthony Bourdain, Christopher Collins, Lydia Tenaglia, Sandy Zweig

“Deadliest Catch” (Discovery Channel)
Producers: Thom Beers, Jeff Conroy, Sean Dash, John Gray, Sheila McCormack, Bill Pruitt, Decker Watson

“Inside the Actors Studio” (Bravo)
Producers: James Lipton, Shawn Tesser, Jeff Wurtz

“Shark Tank” (ABC)
Producers: Rhett Bachner, Becky Blitz, Mark Burnett, Bill Gaudsmith, Yun Lingner, Brien Meagher, Clay Newbill, Jim Roush, Laura Skowlund, Paul Sutera, Patrick Wood

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television
“The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central)
Producers: Meredith Bennett, Stephen Colbert, Richard Dahm, Paul Dinello, Barry Julien, Matt Lappin, Emily Lazar, Tanya Michnevich Bracco, Tom Purcell, Jon Stewart

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” (ABC)
Producers: David Craig, Ken Crosby, Doug DeLuca, Erin Irwin, Jimmy Kimmel, Jill Leiderman, Jason Schrift, Jennifer Sharron

“Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” (NBC)
Producers: Hillary Hunn, Lorne Michaels, Gavin Purcell, Michael Shoemaker

“Real Time with Bill Maher” (HBO)
Producers: Scott Carter, Sheila Griffiths, Marc Gurvitz, Dean Johnsen, Bill Maher, Billy Martin

“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Producers: Ken Aymong, Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television
“The Amazing Race” (CBS)
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Elise Doganieri, Jonathan Littman, Bertram van Munster, Mark Vertullo

“Dancing with the Stars” (ABC)
Producers: Ashley Edens Shaffer, Conrad Green, Joe Sungkur

“Project Runway” (Lifetime)
Producers: Jane Cha Cutler, Desiree Gruber, Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, Jonathan Murray, Sara Rea, Colleen Sands

“Top Chef” (Bravo)
Producers: Daniel Cutforth, Casey Kriley, Jane Lipsitz, Dan Murphy, Nan Strait

“The Voice” (NBC)
Producers: Stijn Bakkers, Mark Burnett, John De Mol, Chad Hines, Lee Metzger, Audrey Morrissey, Jim Roush, Nicolle Yaron, Mike Yurchuk, Amanda Zucker

The following programs were not vetted for producer eligibility this year, but winners in these categories will be announced at the official ceremony on January 26:

The Award for Outstanding Sports Program
“24/7” (HBO)
“Catching Hell” (ESPN)
“The Fight Game with Jim Lampley” (HBO)
“On Freddie Roach” (HBO)
“Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” (HBO)

The Award for Outstanding Children’s Program
“Good Luck Charlie” (Disney Channel)
“iCarly” (Nickelodeon)
“Phineas and Ferb” (Disney Channel)
“Sesame Street” (PBS)
“The Weight of the Nation for Kids: The Great Cafeteria Takeover” (HBO)

The Award for Outstanding Digital Series
“30 Rock: The Webisodes” (www.nbc.com)
“Bravo’s Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen” (www.bravotv.com)
“Dexter Early Cuts: All in the Family” (www.sho.com)
“The Guild” (www.watchtheguild.com)
“H+ The Digital Series” (www.youtube.com/user/HplusDigitalSeries)

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31 Dec

What’s Your Positivity Ratio?

We all know negativity; it looms large and is easy to spot. Negativity pervades your self-talk and your judgments. It bleeds into exchanges with your kids and your colleagues, eroding goodwill. Making matters worse, negativity breeds health-damaging negative emotions – like anger, contempt, and depression – which seep into your entire body. You can feel the simmering bitterness eating away at your stomach, raising your blood pressure, and turning your shoulder and neck muscles to stone.

But what about positivity?
Can it transform our lives?
And what is positivity, anyway?

For more than twenty years, Dr. Barbara Fredrickson has researched these questions. What she discovered and teaches has made her a luminary in psychology and beyond. Now, in Positivity, she shares how experiencing positive emotions in a 3-to-1 ratio to negative emotions leads people to achieve what they once could only imagine. Far from frivolous, tapping into one’s own unique sources of positivity is a wise and healthy investment in the future.

In Positivity, Dr. Fredrickson reveals how the stunning new scientific discoveries about this powerful – though undervalued – state of mind can enhance your relationships, improve your health, relieve depression, and broaden your mind.

Experience positivity for yourself and make a lasting difference in the way you live.

Take the online quiz to see where your ratio is at today HERE. 

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31 Dec

A Valentine to Love

A Valentine to Love

By Lissa Coffey

 

Valentine’s Day has us all thinking about love.  We can’t escape the ads, the decorations in the stores, the promises of chocolates and roses at every point of purchase.  We get caught up in the celebration and romance of this holiday.  And yet, we know that there is much more to love than cards and candy.

 

Love is all there is.

 

Really.  There’s nothing else.  It’s what we’re made of.  It’s what we live for.  It’s who we are. 

 

Love is at the source of all creation.  It’s something we all strive to understand, and that we all have in common.  It’s what connects us. 

 

Love is our greatest teacher.  It is so big, so all-encompassing, that individually we could study it throughout our entire lifetime, and as a society we have studied it throughout the ages.  We can learn about love, we can learn from love, we can learn to love. 

 

Bhakti Yoga is the Path of Love.  Bhakti Yoga teaches us to love everything, and everyone, because all of it is divine.  Each small thing is a part of the greater whole, and that whole is divine.  So when we practice Bhakti we experience the feeling of love in the recognition of divinity, with everything we come across.

 

We experience love the most profoundly through our relationships.  Although there is only one love, love is expressed in many different ways. There have been sonnets and songs written about love throughout the ages, yet it is still difficult for us to define because it is so vast.  The Indian sages have come up with terms to help us understand some of the many aspects of love.

 

-Santa: Santa is peaceful, calm, and slow. This is a love we might feel for ourselves.  It is gentle, steady, and natural.

 

-Dasya: Dasya is the love that we might feel towards a teacher, a mentor, someone we respect and want to serve. 

 

-Sakhya:  Sakhya is the love we feel for a dear friend.  In friendship there is a kind of equality, a give and take, an exchange of feelings, a sharing of our selves.

 

-Vatsalya: Vatsalya is the love that a parent feels for a child.  A baby is so innocent and we can’t help but to want to give love to that child, without demands or expectations for anything in return.  Children are pure, and completely lovable.  We recognize this without hesitation.

 

-Madhura: Madhura is the love of our beloved.  This is the “in love” feeling when we are swept off our feet, blissful, devoted, and intense.  

 

Bhakti Yoga continually reminds us to “Love the Highest.”  When we find ourselves infatuated with our jobs, our cars, any material thing, Bhakti tells us that we are misguided.  When all of our human desire for what is new, fun, novel or beautiful is instead directed towards love, we then experience the greatest delight. 

 

In our human experience, love is not all hearts and flowers.  Sometimes it’s messy, it can be complicated, and it can hurt.  Love itself is pure, simple, and perfect – but we tend to muddy it up with our humanity.  We question, we expect, we desire, we need.   And in our attempts to understand we come up with definitions, we analyze, we discuss and then we filter all of this through our past experiences to come up with what we think love should be, would be, could be.  And every one of us is doing the same thing, with oftentimes very different results.  Jealousy, temptation, broken hearts and bitter break-ups are the inspiration for many songs and screenplays.

 

But the basic truth is that love is.  It just is. Love is beyond definition, beyond space and time, beyond any relationship.  Love is a true constant in this world.  It does not need to be created, it is always here, it has always been here, and it always will be here.  We have only to know this to notice it.  Eyes open, mind open, heart open, love is available to us in all of its myriad forms, essential simplicity and spectacular glory. 

 

“Namaste” is a Sanskrit greeting that means: “The Divine in me recognizes and honors the Divine in you.”  That recognition of the Divine is Bhakti, or love.  On Valentine’s Day, and every day, let’s try to practice Bhakti a little more often.  Not just with our Valentines, but also with everyone we meet.  Let’s love the highest, starting with our selves.  This is where we start.  This is where the seed is planted, where love can grow, and thrive, and blossom within each one of us into a delightful bounty that can be shared.  We can feed our souls on this banquet of love.  No one need go hungry.

 

Happy Valentine’s Day.  Namaste!

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31 Dec

My Vegetable Garden Day 1

Saturday I took a vegan cooking class at Madeleine Bistro with Chef Dave Anderson.  I was so inspired that afterwards I ran out and bought a mandolin (for slicing vegetables) and a fancy zester!  Then I thought… I really want to grow my OWN vegetables – and have fresh vegetables plucked from my backyard served up on my dinner table.

So… why not? I mean, I have tried this before… with not so great results.  But I don’t think I was as motivated previously.  My mother, my two grandmothers, and my sisters are all AMAZING gardeners – so I thought the green thumb thing must run in the family.  But I discovered that it takes much more than just dropping a few seeds into dirt.  And I discovered that I’m a much better writer than I am a gardener!

Now I’m approaching this from a different angle.  To keep myself on track I am going to blog about this new experience.  And today is Day 1:

Yesterday my hubby and I went to Home Depot and I picked out pots and plants and seeds.  There’s really no space in my backyard for a garden to be planted into the ground – so I figured a container garden would work best.  I found plastic pots (so that they are lightweight and I can move them around if necessary) that have a built in drainage system.  I’m trying to make this as fool-proof as possible!  I also got 3 big bags of organic soil. The total came to $150., but the cashier said if I opened a Home Depot credit card I could get a $50 discount – so of course I did that!  I’m hoping that we get more than $100 worth of vegetables out of this “experiment” to make it worth my while… and I know that $100 can buy a LOT of vegetables!

I’m not a huge tomato fan – but I do love Roma tomatoes, and they didn’t have a plant of those so I got the seeds.  I put those in one of the large containers.  

Then in another large container I put a couple of little zucchini sprouts, and a couple of yellow squash sprouts.  And in the third large container I put green onion seeds.

I’ve also got 3 medium containers.  In the first I planted basil – I plant basil every year, we use it often!  In the second I planted a lemon cucumber sprout.  And in the third I put some green bean seeds and some snow pea seeds.

I’m the first to admit – I have no idea what I’m doing – but I am giving it a shot!  My new little plants are all tucked in the soil and watered – the sun is shining – so we’ll see what happens!

 

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31 Dec

How is Murder Entertainment?

I am beyond upset right now.  I am appalled, sickened, and totally thrown by what I just witnessed on television.  If I had seen this sooner, I would have written sooner.  I had E! Entertainment on in the background while I was busy working on my newsletters.  The show “Kourney and Kim Take Miami” was on – I was hardly paying attention, until I saw Scott Disick, Kourtney’s baby daddy, shoot and kill an alligator. 

Yes, he did.  We saw the shot.  We saw the blood.  We saw the lifeless body.  It was horrible.  It was REAL.  This is not fiction, this is not a scripted drama – this happened ON CAMERA.  And then, to make matters worse, Disick and his group of hunter pals guffaw as they take the dead animal to the skinner, and he proceeds to cut off its leg.  The whole time the group is making jokes, and Disick arrogantly is caught up in how great his alligator shoes are going to be. 

This network is called E for “Entertainment” – how is this entertainment?  I understand that there are people who don’t get it, who take life for sport, who think hunting is a game.  But I certainly don’t need to see this on television.  Have we gotten so de-sensitized to killing that this can happen on a cable television show and no one blinks? 

Thankfully, PETA noticed, and responded.  But that’s not enough.  Any one who values life, who values the tradition of television needs to respond, and loudly!  There is no excuse for this.  I know that the Kardashians are known to trash talk – they are bleeped out all the time – even their subtitles are bleeped out.  And yet, to kill an animal is ok?  No – it’s not.  If this were a dog instead of an alligator would people be more upset?  A life is a life – whether it is a pet, a wild animal, or a human.

E! needs to have some respect – for its viewers, and for the value of a life.

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