dreams from last night
semi-productive day
what else can i accomplish in the next few before airport run?
dharma brother will be getting married on july 14th 🙂
thoughts of plum village thailand english volunteer 🙂 and dharma work opportunities there at the new international practice center and isn’t there an asian institute of applied buddhism in hong kong? wow! all these pv opportunities for dharma in asia! i likes, i likes!
7.11 from doreen virtue’s angel numbers invites me to continue energizing my affirmations as they are working. dharma work, dharma work, abundant, fruitful, appropriate, creative, timely dharma work. a continuation of what i am doing now, but aligned more to my breath and dharma teachings, mindfulness in education, peace education, social-emotional learning, cultivating potential, power and giftedness in youth.
i listened for a moment to this talk by the Born This Way Foundation with Lady Gaga. i can’t say i fully even “get” here if that’s even fair to say. but her message, i feel akin to though.
affirmations, what are my affirmations
-to transition smoothly out of teaching high school english at morse (at the right time, either this academic year or one more year 2013)
-to transition with ease into dharma work somewhere in asia, or more locally here. i’d like to find a way to be in plum village thailand and have my livelihood needs taken care of
-kasama house: may there be a way to continue to live in kasama house, to continue paying for it, or to have a gift and boon to pay off the entire house to be able to commit to other dharma work tasks without the worry of the mortgage.
-to be able to contribute to the plum village sangha in a concrete way through a learning center, mindfulness learning center, working with plum village thailand international practice center possibly and finding a way to have that be a home base in asia, southeast asia, near philippines, near cambodia, near nepal, chiang mai, etc. great happiness to be in thailand and practicing plum village tradition!
namo guru bey
joyful completion working at my high school
powerful teaching and learning as the visitors come to evaluate the school sunday to wednesday
blessed days for my time away with my students during the hearings
blessed days with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tibet Festival, Earth Day celebrations…
found out that a sangha friend just up and was let go of her position. wow! intensities continue to show up from all sides unexpectedly.
i check in with myself and do not feel the charge of attachment in holding onto position after this third cycle of being laid off, called back, laid off, call back again, etc. i can’t seem to feel into the frustration or anger, disappointment or indignation anymore. good thing ;)?!
it’s not that i don’t care. it’s just that i’d rather place my attention into energizing new possibilities and continuations/emanations/expressions of what will be instead of holding onto what has been…
it is an entirely different feeling, practicing through the wisdom of letting go.
a couple of days ago, driving home from work, i got this sense about sangha, and sangha refuge, taking refuge in the sangha (and in education-ese, this can be considered as your critical friends) … but no matter the term, the reality and need and effect is similar.
i was considering too the book, “dangerous friend,” and how appropriate to have found that book and had a chance to read it once through. surrendering to the dangerous friend, the inner and outer teacher, letting go, releasing all ideas, all concept (as thay would say) in order to allow the truth to penetrate.
what might the process look like to let go of this life as i’ve been living it and knowing it?
what would look like energetically? materially and physically? what would it look and feel like to deep and expand the practice of renunciation…or lessening the noise that comes from attachments. or returning to a sense of freedom and spaciousness by letting go of the source of busy-ness and activity that ends up becoming the noise that rattles, rings, buzzes and screams from within, with no end.
i was looking into the poc retreat at spirit rock and there is a waiting list forming.
we’ll see what ends up happening with that.
july 14th, big day for kasama house brother.
will be here for that….is there a process for me to begin tonight? may, june, july? three months prior? 3 month retreat :)?
maybe the dream space can continue to teach me 😉
STINGRAY MEDICINE
Stingray Medicine
Ted Andrews/Animal-Wise:
Keynote: Gracefulness in maneuverings and moves. Staying on course.
Stingrays are relatives of the sharks. They have flattened, flounder-like shapes with long whiplike tails that have a stinger or poisonous spine attached. Stingrays have electro-receptors on their snout by which they accurately detect buried food. Some generate and emit low level electrical pulses that help them to guide and recognize food and danger. Often, when stingrays are totems or messengers, people get tingling sensations to alert them to the presence of danger, and treasures, etc.
A network of nerves informs the stingray of the position of each part of its body wherever it is swimming. For those to whom the stingray is a totem, there is a natural gracefulness, a sense of never being lost. This individual is usually confident in maneuvering and operating in whatever environment in which he or she is found. For those to whom stingray is just appearing, the ability to maneuver gracefully in new environments will need to be developed.
When the stingray appears, trust in your own inner guidance. Trust in your own ability to find what is beneath the surface. Do not be afraid to whip that tail around to protect your own dance in life. It will be much smoother and more graceful than you imagine.
Ask if you are hesitating to make the moves that are necessary?
Some species reach a large size, and some, especially on the American Pacific coast, are very destructive to oysters. *Mine: this would indicate that oysters are to be studied as prey, or what will feed the influence of stingray in your life and strengthen you. Sorry, that’s all I have on this topic.
STINGRAY:
Stingrays show how to manuever with grace, style and elegance in the watery depths of emotions. Stingray will teach the importance of undulating and persistent movements in life. He will demonstrate the importance of regularly cleaning and cleanliness; to clear and maintain the clutter at home and work, to clean, balance and center your emotional and spiritual beingness. Stingrays teach the art of camouflage and blending in. Are you aclimating to your surroundings? Stingray’s adaptation abilities will aid in transitions. This is also a time to drink plenty of fresh water and pay attention to salt and overall food intake. Stingray will show the balance of nutritional needs. Are you being too defensive or not being defensive enough? He will show how and when to use the venomous spines to strike effectively. Have you started a new endeavor recently? He shows that in 2-4 months ideas will come to fruition and be alive with possibilities. Stingray shows that movements in life must be balanced with sharp action and graceful tenacity.
The stingray often shows itself as a totem to anyone who has enhanced “feeling” senses. It is the stingray’s natural electrical sensors that alerts it to potential dangers. When the stingray appears it could be a sign that you need to become more aware of your surroundings. Look around and see if you’re missing something obvious.
The stingray’s coloring allows it to safely camouflage itself in the sand on the ocean floor. Are you keeping yourself low and out of sight? When stingray shows up it could indicate a time to keep to yourself and stay out of the lime light.
Although not usually an aggressive animal, the stingray’s barb is poisonous and can cause harm. Do you have the habit of using combative language when you are felling threatened? As a totem stingray teaches us to be careful with our words (barbs) and to refrain from using razor-tongue remarks.
The Stingray Totems messages and meanings are: ready to protect, sensory talents, propelled maneuvers, awareness
Ted Andrews/Animal-Wise:
Keynote: Gracefulness in maneuverings and moves. Staying on course.
Stingrays are relatives of the sharks. They have flattened, flounder-like shapes with long whiplike tails that have a stinger or poisonous spine attached. Stingrays have electro-receptors on their snout by which they accurately detect buried food. Some generate and emit low level electrical pulses that help them to guide and recognize food and danger. Often, when stingrays are totems or messengers, people get tingling sensations to alert them to the presence of danger, and treasures, etc.
A network of nerves informs the stingray of the position of each part of its body wherever it is swimming. For those to whom the stingray is a totem, there is a natural gracefulness, a sense of never being lost. This individual is usually confident in maneuvering and operating in whatever environment in which he or she is found. For those to whom stingray is just appearing, the ability to maneuver gracefully in new environments will need to be developed.
When the stingray appears, trust in your own inner guidance. Trust in your own ability to find what is beneath the surface. Do not be afraid to whip that tail around to protect your own dance in life. It will be much smoother and more graceful than you imagine.
Water Animal Spirits
