Present Moment, Wonderful Moment May 14, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Books & Movies, Happiness, Meditation, Mindfulness.comments closed
Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, created an inspiring handbook of “gathas” or mindfulness verses.
Reciting the poetic and practical verses from Present Moment Wonderful Moment ~ Mindfulness Verses for Daily Living reminds us to slow down and enjoy the ordinary and magical moments of our lives.
An example of the peace and joy he promotes with his wisdom:
#27. Cleaning the Meditation Room
As I clean this fresh, calm room
boundless joy and energy arise!
It is a joy to tidy the meditation room. In its fresh, calm atmosphere, everything reminds us to come back to the present moment. Every sweep of the broom is light, and every step we take is filled with awareness. As we arrange the cushions, our mind is still. Working in a relaxed way, with a feeling of peace and joy, we become energized. Everything we do can be filled with this peace and joy.
To read a book review on Head Butler: Present Moment Wonderful Moment
To read more about Thich Nhat Hanh’s Inspiring Life: Thich Nhat Hanh
A Lone Piper In The Mist May 14, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Magick & Mystery.comments closed
I have a new crush . . . a writer whose writing resonates with me.
Cindy’s latest post, Stopped Into A Church, created beautiful images of a “bejeweled old whore,” started music playing in my head, and stirred the ashes of a campfire . . . reminding me of a memory from many moons ago:
BFF and I headed to the Shenandoah Valley during Fall Foliage to admire the trees before snow buried the fallen leaves.
We stopped for the night in a State Park, with no other apparent visitors.
Despite the misty rain falling, we built a campfire, donned our ponchos, and sat fireside to watch the flames and chat.
We talked of dreams for the future ~ places we wished to explore before our aging bones encouraged us to sit fireside every night.
As we turned our attention to Scotland, and our desire to see its castles and lochs, its heather filled highlands and silent misty moors, the sound of bagpipes drifted through the evening mist ~ circling the flames of our campfire with its lonely drone.
The sound merged with our misty dreams of moors, creating images of Scottish pipers wearing tartans and cradling their bagpipes . . .
Bagpipes?
Abandoning the warmth of the fire, we walked through the campground, still and silent except for the pipes calling to us through the mist.
The damp leaves underfoot muffled the sound of our approach until we reached an embankment at the edge of the grounds.
There, standing on the precipice, twelve or fifteen feet above us, stood a lone piper, his tartan kilt barely visible in the mist, as he called to his clan across the misty moors.
Synchronicity at its best . . .
Related post: Incongruous (Kate Shrewsday)
Lasting Imprints May 14, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Life Balance, Magick & Mystery, Nature, People.comments closed
I went outside on the back deck and smiled when I saw a mama duck and her 5 babies. As is the norm with ducklings, where she went, they followed.
No questions asked. No arguments.
From birth, baby ducks (and geese) instinctively know that survival depends upon following their mother’s lead:
Ducklings imprint on their mother, a process that begins with the mother and ducklings exchanging low calls before the ducklings have even hatched. Almost immediately after hatching, most ducklings will follow the mothers into nearby water. The newly hatched ducklings are covered with a dense, insulating down that traps air, making them buoyant.
The young are able to forage immediately, but they still rely on the mother to defend them from predators. When necessary, she will call them to her with a “contact call.” Maternal care in most species lasts until the young are nearly able to fly, but the duration of parental care varies across species. (HSUS: Wild Ducks of America)
Eventually, the ducklings mature and leave their mother’s side ~ they head off to have their own adventures, leaving her imprint behind.
And, if they don’t leave, she chases them away.
Humans have a similar, albeit more complex, bonding process.
Instead of days, weeks, or months of “taking the lead,” parents of the two-legged variety have years and years to steer their children in the right (or wrong) direction ~ to create a lasting imprint on their offspring. Other caring (and not so caring) adults leave their imprint as well.
At some point, if all goes well from a developmental standpoint, human offspring stop playing “follow the leader,” and begin to make decisions more autonomously. They head into the real world to have adventures of their own ~ leaving the nest behind.
The question becomes . . . what lasting familial and societal imprints will follow them wherever they go?
For more on imprinting: Learning Who Is Your Mother
Related Posts: Life is Not One-Size-Fits-All * Discovering Right Livelihood * Stop Playing “Follow The Leader” * Discovering Your Secret Identity * Way of the Peaceful Warrior * Live Your Life * But I Might Die Tonight
Spirit Lights The Way 