Tsunami Song of Love and Hope

The email below was forwarded to me from a friend in California; it is a letter from a friend of a friend, a reminder that even in the most challenging, difficult situations there can be grace, beauty, and healing.

I also just found a beautiful letter from Thich Nat Hahn, I'm sharing that below as well.

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This is a letter sent to a friend of mine from a friend of hers in Japan.  It is an incredible story of courage, gratitude and insight.

Date: 3/15/2011 9:40:51 AM

Hello My Lovely Family and Friends,

First I want to thank you so very much for your concern for me. I am very touched. I also wish to apologize for a generic message to you all. But it seems the best way at the moment to get my message to you.

Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend's home. We share supplies like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat by candlelight, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful.

During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes. People sit in their cars, looking at news on their navigation screens, or line up to get drinking water when a source is open. If someone has water running in their home, they put out sign so people can come to fill up their jugs and buckets.
Utterly amazingly where I am there has been no looting, no pushing in lines. People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an earthquake strikes. People keep saying, "Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days when everyone helped one another."

Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes. Sirens are constant and helicopters pass overhead often.

We got water for a few hours in our homes last night, and now it is for half a day. Electricity came on this afternoon. Gas has not yet come on.

But all of this is by area. Some people have these things, others do not.
No one has washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much more important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of non-essentials. Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition, of caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the entire group.
There are strange parallel universes happening. Houses a mess in some places, yet then a house with futons or laundry out drying in the sun.

People lining up for water and food, and yet a few people out walking their dogs. All happening at the same time.

Other unexpected touches of beauty are first, the silence at night. No cars. No one out on the streets. And the heavens at night are scattered with stars. I usually can see about two, but now the whole sky is filled.

The mountains are Sendai are solid and with the crisp air we can see them silhouetted against the sky magnificently.

And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. I come back to my shack to check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity is on, and I find food and water left in my entranceway. I have no idea from whom, but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if they need help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic, no.

They tell us we can expect aftershocks, and even other major quakes, for another month or more. And we are getting constant tremors, rolls, shaking, rumbling. I am blessed in that I live in a part of Sendai that is a bit elevated, a bit more solid than other parts. So, so far this area is better off than others. Last night my friend's husband came in from the country, bringing food and water. Blessed again.

Somehow at this time I realize from direct experience that there is indeed an enormous Cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world right at this moment. And somehow as I experience the events happening now in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide. My brother asked me if I felt so small because of all that is happening. I don't. Rather, I feel as part of something happening that much larger than myself. This wave of birthing (worldwide) is hard, and yet magnificent.

Thank you again for your care and Love of me,

 **********

People have been asking me what do I do in the face of this disaster? And my response is to hold compassion, love, and energy for healing. When we go into fear or anger or hopelessness or guilt that only adds to the suffering. This is an opportunity, a challenge for us to stay centered, deeply rooted and present. If you find that you are going into fear, create more space for yourself by not watching the news and focusing on being with what is happening in YOUR life right now. Pray. Celebrate the beauty around you. Pray some more. Ask for guidance of how you can support yourself in a new way of being with transformation. Notice how the media generates drama, and where you get hooked by it. This is not about ignoring or pretending nothing is happening; it is about not adding to the chaos and suffering, but being a resource of stability and possibility. And as the letter above shows, knowing that even in dark times, there are miracles. I hold steady for more miracles and love, and less fear and blame.

My dear friend, Will Taegel of Wisdom University, and I created a short video last week with our thoughts on the recent tsunami. You can watch the video on the front page of Wisdom University, which I recommend you visit to watch the video and also see all the teachings Wisdom U has to offer. We are very grateful to be allied with such an amazing organization.

We also have this video and many others posted on our Toltec Center's youtube channel.

May all beings be happy, may all beings be free.

Blessings,

HeatherAsh

*****

Dear friends in Japan,

As we contemplate the great number of people who have died in this tragedy, we may feel very strongly that we ourselves, in some part or manner, also have died.

The pain of one part of humankind is the pain of the whole of humankind. And the human species and the planet Earth are one body. What happens to one part of the body happens to the whole body.

An event such as this reminds us of the impermanent nature of our lives. It helps us remember that what's most important is to love each other, to be there for each other, and to treasure each moment we have that we are alive. This is the best that we can do for those who have died: we can live in such a way that they continue, beautifully, in us.

Here in France and at our practice centers all over the world, our brothers and sisters will continue to chant for you, sending you the energy of peace, healing and protection. Our prayers are with you.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Slowing Down to Get More Done

I had the funny experience yesterday of being stressed out about getting in a proposal to an agent about my Sacred Time Management book.

Hmm, maybe it is time for me to re-read my own book.

Eventually, I did take my own advice; I got up from my computer and went to meditate.

Today I'm taking my own advice again. I'm going to spend most of the day in the garden.
And while I weed and plant I'm going to celebrate my the successes from the past week.

You see, last week was an incredibly full week for me. Then I taught Friday night, all day Saturday, and most of Sunday. Usually I would take some time on Monday to regroup. But I HAVE THINGS TO DO! Yelled an inner voice. And so I woke up and went directly to the computer, and throughout the day that little voice got more and more frantic.

And that is no way to work!

What I've learned from writing and working with the principles in Sacred Time Management is that when we are in stress, overwhelmed, overloaded, and generally frazzled, it is almost impossible to get anything done in a good way. The remedy is NOT to keep going. Ignore the voice of the critic, which would probably have us all working twenty hour days with no breaks for food or to pee. All the critic can see is what is not done, where you are lacking, and all the disasters that are to come because of unfinished business. This critical time manager is compelling, but it is also WRONG!

The remedy is to slow down and create more space. Yesterday a four minute tea break gave me enough breathing room that I went back to my work inspired and excited. When I hit a bump and I started to constrict again, I stopped and worked on another project.

Then I made sure I got a good night's sleep.

This morning I feel more clear-headed; the critic is no longer driving my bus of perception. I am loving the sunlight coming through the oak tree branches outside, and the soft glow of spring green on the ground. Things don't feel like life or death, success or failure. I feel grateful for the growth of the Toltec Center, the emails in my inbox, and my capacity to explain how Sacred Time Management differs from similar books. I feel empowered rather than smushed.

And I feel the critic waiting in the wings for an opening to grab back the reins and list all the things that are not complete. And so I will consciously connect to my heart, to my faith, to spirit as I nourish my garden and myself today. I'll list all the amazing accomplishments from last week, and link those to flow and ease of the coming week. I'll stop looking at what is wrong or what I have to do in the future, and focus on the beauty of spacious unfolding.There is plenty of time when we connect to the sacred.

Creating Space: A Spiritual Community Cleanse

All of the emotional, physical, and mental unweaving and clearing we 
do can be boiled down to one focus: by clearing out what we are not, 
we create space for the Divine to enter us and remind us who we are. 
The more space we have internally the easier it is to listen and tap 
into Spirit's wisdom and clarity.

When I worked with don Miguel our Toltec community did a physical 
cleanse once a year for Lent (about a month and 1/2 between Ash 
Wednesday and Easter). This was always a sacred time for me, and a 
time of huge growth.

A few years ago we started a new tradition by setting intent for a 
community cleansing time from Candlemas (also known as Imbolc) on 
February 2nd to the Spring Equinox (also known as Eostar) on March 
20th. We affectionally call this period "Lense" a combo of the words Lent 
and cleanse.
Candlemas is a cross-quarter day that marks the mid-point 
between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, and is a time of taking 
stock. For our ancestors who lived by the cycles of the land Candlemas 
was a time to feel into how much longer the winter was going to be, 
and how much grain and provisions needed to be saved to get through 
the final stretch. The light is returning, but we are still in winter, 
waiting for the shoots and buds of spring to appear. We can use this 
time of year to gently release what no longer serves us and gather our 
energy and focus as we prepare for a rebirth at Spring Equinox.

There are many ways to work with the energy of this time of year to 
create space and healing. The focus is to lovingly break up old 
routines and remove distractions that keep you separated from Spirit. 
Make sure as you form your own individual focus that the container is 
one of heart and desire for more space for Spirit, rather than a 
subtle punishment or creation out of frustration, judgment, or 
self-punishment. This commitment is to yourself and is a prayer and 
offering, a sacred gift to clean your temple to receive more of the 
gracious presence of the Divine in your being.

Here are some ideas for your cleanse. Make sure to work with your 
coach to come up with a solid focus that takes into account where you 
are on your path. You want to make sure to not overload yourself. And 
also step up! What I have experienced is that the strong energy of the 
community carried me along in beautiful ways, beyond what I thought 
was possible.

MENTAL CLEANSE
• Opinion fast 
Refrain from sharing any opinion you have with others. This is 
especially useful for controllers. Start by defining what is an 
opinion, and have a focus for what you are going to do instead of 
sharing your opinion. Where you are moving towards is not even having 
the opinion arise in your mind.

• Silence 
Partial or Full Silence: Pick one day a week to be in silence, or go 
into silence for the entire time period. It is possible to continue to 
work and interact in silence, it just takes creativity. Read more 
about my 40 days of silence at: 
http://www.spiritualintegrity.com/content/the-power-of-silence

• Mindfulness practice 
Pick a place where you tend to go unconscious and create a mindfulness 
practice, such as saying a prayer before eating and giving your food 
your full attention, staying conscious of your breath throughout the 
day, sitting quietly instead of reading or watching TV.

EMOTIONAL CLEANSE
• Repression fast 
If you tend to bottle up your emotions this is a good cleanse to take 
on. The fast is from any type of repression of your emotions, which 
means you consciously express any emotions that arise in the moment.

• Expression fast 
If you tend to cycle emotions or stories an expression fast invites 
you to pick one emotion/state (anger, victim, fear) and consciously 
choose not to express. You will need to give yourself a focus for what 
you will do instead of expressing that emotion or story.

• Distraction fast 
Pick your favorite distraction (TV, video games, alcohol, looking in 
the mirror) and stop doing it! What will you replace it with….

PHYSICAL CLEANSE
• Refraining 
Pick one food and stop eating it. Practice staying open-hearted and 
soft around the item, not closing to it. Example: if you pick 
chocolate after a week or so put yourself around chocolate or people 
eating chocolate and watch what arises when you refrain. Be curious 
about its purpose and effects in your life.

• Partial Cleanse 
Choose a category of food to refrain from: sugar, bread, coffee, etc. 
See notes above for staying open-hearted.

• Full Cleanse 
Commit to a thorough cleansing program and stick to it. We recommend 
Arise and Shine www.ariseandshine.com, which is the best cleansing 
program we have found. For this cleanse you will probably need to 
start now to get your body alkalized. For any full cleanse make sure 
you start slow so the detox process is gentle. Educate yourself first!

All of these cleanses, from mental to emotional to physical, are 
interwoven. When you do a mental cleanse you will also have the 
opportunity to cleanse your emotional body. When you do a physical 
cleanse you will get to find loving discipline with your mind.

Whichever cleanse you choose, from the most simple to the most 
challenging, be conscious about how you set it into motion. Plan a 
ceremony to initiate yourself into your commitment sometime in early February.

Talk your commitment over with a friend 
and then write it up to share what 
you will be cleansing. Feel free to add you intent as a comment, or on our Toltec Center Facebook Page. This way we will all share in each other's 
commitments. And watch how you think and talk about your cleanse; 
remember it is a joy to make more space, not a chore! Enjoy!

Resolution Realized

I did it.

After years of thinking about, wanting to, and planning to, I took action.

I joined a gym.

And not only did I join the gym, I am loving the gym.

As a motivational teacher and coach, I love helping others create change in their world. I'm a fabulous guide, cheerleader, support person. And yet this one little area of my life kept being neglected: exercising my own body.

I could rationalize that I wasn't in too bad a shape: I walk regularly. I eat well most of the time. But I could feel my body wanting to move, to stretch, to exercise regularly.

So I found the perfect motivation.

I made a bet with my sister.

My sister, Christy, and I are only fifteen months apart. We spent our childhood competing against each other in equestrian events. That deep-seated sister-rivalry was the perfect kick in the pants to get me to the gym.

Around New Year's Eve I asked Christy if she wanted to play a game with me.

She agreed, and we started creating the game: To see who could join a gym faster. Or who could work out the most times a week.

Then our mom, who knows us both well and is wise in her ways, said, Nope, the game is to see who sustains going to the gym over time.

Note that she was the only one in the family who goes to the gym regularly, and also rides horses twice a week. So she got to make up the main rule of the game.

I joined a gym first, but Christy, who lives outside of Atlanta, is not far behind.

What I didn't expect about this friendly contest was how much I would love it.

I joined with my friend, T, who knows all about the various machines animals that populate a gym.  She showed me the care and feeding of each different machine so I could use them properly.

Being on the elliptical is like flying (an elliptical is a cross between a treadmill and a stair master.) I like seeing how my strength grows. Lifting weights and running have motivated me to do yoga, too.

And I love that the machines in the gym I joined are purple.


Yesterday I worked out by myself for the first time, and that was a milestone. It is exciting to go someplace and feel the motivation and commitment of others, and to feel my own inner athlete emerging, ready to run longer, lift more, and stretch farther.

Thanks to T and Christy and mom for your most perfect butt-kicking support!

A New Year's Eve Revelation

Last night God winked at me.

Literally.

It was New Year's eve and I was wandering around the zocalo (main square) in Oaxaca, Mexico with my mom, sister, and Raven. The plaza was a beehive of  over-sugared children, dancing clowns, delighted, wide-eyed tourists, teenaged kissing locals, and ubiquitous vendors selling cotton candy, balloons, and flashy light plastic swords.

Standing in the center of all of this happy chaos stood God.

Well, God posing as a very inebriated man.

Two stories before I get to the sacred, drunken wink:

I knew it was God because of Joan of Arcadia, a television show Arielle turned me on to a couple of years ago.

In each episode Joan (of Arcadia, CA) is given tasks by God to complete. Joan is a teenage girl, so she is less than thrilled by God's attention and requests, as they 1. often get in the way of her social schedule and 2. have her doing nonsensical or not-so-popular things like joining the chess club. Sometimes Joan gets to see the greater Divine wisdom behind her appointed tasks, sometimes she doesn't.

The other cool thing about the show is that God likes to surprise Joan by wearing different clothes during revelatory visits. Sometimes God is the janitor at Joan's school, sometimes God is the homeless woman on the side of the street, sometimes the kid at the playground.

You just never know where the Creator will turn up next.

The second story (greatly shortened and slightly Pixie-ized) is about a man in India who loses everything and winds up sitting in a drunken stupor by the Ganges River. Someone mistakes him for a sadhu (a wandering mystic), someone else points him out as a wise person, and like a game of telephone there are soon crowds of people around this man, who becomes known for his amazing capacity to hold liquor and deliver wise, pithy statements. Some of his followers become enlightened.

Question of the story: Does it matter how one becomes enlightened?

Okay, back to my wink from God on New Year's Eve in Oaxaca.

Baggy, stained pants. Einstein wild hair. Planted with flat feet in the middle of the path, teetering slightly.

My brain said, "Avoid." My heart said, "Engage."

So as I passed this out-of-place stranger I turned and offered him a smile and an open heart.

That's when he sunbeamed me with a thousand-watt smile, and a knowing wink.

And thus God snuck up and reminded me that we are all connected, nothing is separate, and to look for the light in the most unexpected of places.

May we all learn to trust our hearts in 2011….

A new home, homemade wine, and no more armadillos in my garden!

Several months ago I had a vision of having a larger kitchen. And some storage space (oh, my kingdom for a closet.) And a bigger garden. And being more in community. These thoughts flashed through my mind, and then I let them go. I love where I lived, so there was really no reason to move.

Not much later I came home to find my friend Stephen, who was visiting Raven and I from Vashon Island in Washington, jumping up and down excitedly and telling me about an amazing house for sale down the hill from us.

You guessed it. Huge kitchen. Lots of storage. Enormous, fenced garden, already filled with waist-high plants.

Raven, Stephen and I spent an hour with the owner wandering the property with our months either widely smiling or dropped open at the house, the land, the springs, the feel of this place. It was perfect.

But after a few weeks of talking about numbers and feasibility we all realized that it was not time to buy anything. I was a bit sad, but I surrendered to reality. It was not time to move, not yet. Maybe next year Raven and I agreed.

Last week I received a call from one of our students who is researching the feasibility of moving to Texas to be near our community. As i was on the phone with her I turned off the main road into our subdivision (a middle of nowhere Texas country sub-division that is, which means that most houses are on fourteen acres and there are no building codes…) and I saw a tiny cardboard sign stuck up on a pole by the metal white rabbit that is the namesake for Hill Country Ranches.

In rough black felt pen the sign said HOUSE FOR LEASE $500/ROOM WILL RENT WHOLE HOUSE.

"Hey, a sign of power! I'll call them and check it out for you," I told Marilyn.

Little did I know the sign of power (or sacred nudge from the Universe) was for me.

I called the number, left a message, and in a few minutes received a call back from a cheerful man who started telling me about what he was offering.

And what he was offering was the same house Stephen, Raven, and I had fallen in love with but couldn't afford to buy. But now he was offering it for rent.

I immediately called Stephen. "Okay honey, I don't know why but our house is back…" This was on Friday. On Wednesday I gave our new landlord a deposit. Raven and I move October 1st; Stephen will have a bedroom for when he is in Texas.

And so I let go of a much loved house for one that I dreamed of months ago, and has now manifested in spades. It has everything I've wanted in a house, and things I couldn't even have named. Like a landlord who called me a few days ago and said, "Okay, what would you like me to plant in the garden for you this week so it will be ready when you move in?" and who gives us bottles of sweet wine that he makes from the muscadine grapes that grow everywhere on the property. And a treehouse in an old oak at the edge of the property. And water from the enormous rainwater tanks outside that are now full after the rains. And space for horses. And a garden that is fenced from the nibbles of deer and snouts of armadillos. And many things yet to be discovered…..

Summer Sabbatical 2010; City Lights, Temples, and Flower, Flowers, Flowers

To listen to the song Raven wrote in Bali (sung by the fabulous StormMiguel) click here

Raven wrote a poem one night, then the next day his poem blossomed into a full song in his head. He sang it into his ipad, and in a brilliant trans-oceanic partnership emailed it to our dear friend StormMiguel Florez. StormMiguel put it to music, sang and recorded it, and sent it back to Raven. All of this happened in the span of two days.... The recording is rough, and yet both Raven's inspiration and StormMiguel's talent shine through. We have both been singing it in our heads now for days, and it encapsulates our journey perfectly. Enjoy! Thanks, StormMiguel... and to Raven and his new song-writing muse! Check out StormMiguel's website for his newest CD, long lost sun. http://www.stormflorez.com/

HONG KONG

On our first day in Hong Kong (where I took my first breath almost 44 years ago) Raven and I sat in the lobby of the Peninsula,  an ancient British queen of a hotel that was built long before I was born, and had high tea. I remembered the thrill I felt as a little girl having tea with my parents and sister here. Raven and I talked about consciousness, truth, the impossibility of sharing the truth, and I cried at the beauty of the silver cream pot.

It has been a whirlwind, full, marvelous journey to Asia. I'm trying to take in every morsel of it, sight sounds smells tastes touch. I have always loved Hong Kong, and experiencing its energy and vibrancy once again is magical. One morning on one of our many wanderings we spotted incense billowing out of a tiny stone doorway. The many street vendors surrounding it selling candles, flowers, statues, fruit, and incense by the handfuls made it clear we had discovered a temple. We bought three roman candle-sized, red and gold incense sticks and headed in. It was a small space, about 40 feet wide by 60 feet long, crammed full of Buddha statues, offerings piled high, massive incense coils dangling like thin snakes from the ceiling, and at least twice as many people as would have been legal in the United States. As I lit my offering with the flame of an oil lamp, pressed body to body with strangers and inhaling sweet smoke, I smiled to myself and thought, "Welcome back to Hong Kong." 

One we traveled via subway, ferry, and bus to the Tian Tan Buddha; a HUGE statue of Buddha high in the rolling hills of Lantau, and island adjacent to Hong Kong. Part of my intent was to release some emotion and pray for my dad, who has been in my thoughts a lot as I travel in the countries where he raised me. So many memories. I stood inside the building that is the lotus that the Buddha sits on and wept, surrounded by hundreds of tiles of people's ancestors that lined the walls. Some just had names, black Chinese calligraphy on white tile, some also hd black and white photographs, mostly of older moms and dads. Lining the walls were offerings to the dead: neat arrangements of real and plastic flowers and incense, porcelain kuan yin and buddha statues.

I cried for the loss of my dad. I cried for all the people who have lost beloveds and mourned them. I cried for the incredible beauty of this world, and the overwhelming knowing that it is all temporary. In the edges of my consciousness I can taste the freedom of letting it all pour through me, the wisdom of drowning in the sea of life and death and rebirth. 

And as we took the impressively long cable car ride back down the mountain to the subway station and the Buddha slowly receded in the background, I felt like a bird flying free over the green hills and calm water below. 

THAILAND

Even though I lived in Bangkok for several years, it was VERY helpful to have a guide when I arrived in the form of a friend of a friend. Jim Morris connected with me with his long-term friend, Jim Coyne, who lives in Bangkok. I was grateful to have him show me around my old neighborhood, which was pretty much completely unrecognizable after 28 years of growth. I did finally find two things I recognized (the hotel we lived in and the Erawan Shrine, see below), which made my heart happy and my head relieved that there was SOMETHING that linked me to Bangkok! And Jim showed me how to use the SkyTrain and subway so Raven and I could get around. Plus he filled me in on the politics and quirks of living in Thailand. I loved it.

The next morning I took Raven to a shrine that was next door to the hotel my family lived in for six months when we first moved to Bangkok in 1981; it is called the Erawan. We way overpaid for supplies: four rose wreaths, twelve sticks of incense, four packets of leaf gold, four little orange candles. There are always people praying at the Erawan Shrine, and it was so grounding for me to pray there. I'd always been drawn to it as a teenager, so what a gift to go back as an adult and be able to engage fully with the energies there. You pray at each of the four sides of the shrine, which is a white temple open on four sides with a golden statue of the god Brahma (who has four faces that look each direction) in the middle. The first side I sent my blessings to Thailand and her people and all I learned while I lived here; the second side I said prayers for my father. At each side you light incense and a candle, leave flowers, and also rub the gold leaf onto the pillars. 

The Thai's main religion is Buddhism, so I was surprised to see that the statue in the middle of the Erawan Shrine is the Hindu God Brahma. There are Hindu influences everywhere, which I learned was brought in from India by Brahman priests. Each Thai house has at least one, and sometimes two, spirit houses, that guard the land and house. Many spirit houses are empty, others have statues of the elephant-god Ganesh or the Goddess of abundance, Lakshmi. 

My main reason for visiting Thailand was to visit my first two horse-back riding instructors, Mrs. Rhodes and her daughter Puki. They live west of Bangkok in Kanchanaburi, the home of the well-known bridge over the River Kwae. (The River Kwae is where I learned to canoe and water ski! And swim with horses....) What a step back into time to see the stables and the dining room and these two dear women after almost 30 years. 

It was really a trip to visit the camp; Mrs. Rhodes is now 94 years old and still perfectly sharp and present. She shared lots of amazing stories of riding her horse around Bangkok before WWII, then starting her horse riding school after she returned to Thailand from her native land of Germany after the war. Her daughter Puki is 70 years old and very active; she raised two granddaughters, who are now 14 and 16; and all total there are 8 grandkids from Puki's two sons, Peck and Piet. They are currently starting a riding program for autistic and disabled children, which I'll write more about soon. 

We took one side trip to the Erawan waterfalls.... cool blue water, incredible curly vine trees, and fierce monkeys...

Our last day we visited a huge temple called Wat Pho; it is still in use and is the main center for teaching Thai massage. Many many buddhas; including a reclining gold buddha that is about 100 feet long. I found a statue of Buddha that at the base of it had a little statue of the Thai mother earth goddess, so it was by rubbing gold leaf on her and saying prayers that I said goodbye to Thailand.

It was perfect to leave Thailand and travel to Bali; someplace I had always wanted to visit, and that has the same energy as Thailand. Singapore, where we moved in 1982, was so sterile it was really hard on me to live there. So going to Bali was great, and my body is happy. I feel like I got to leave Thailand in a proper way, very consciously saying goodbye and sharing my love and appreciation. I do feel like I've reclaimed something I had left behind.

BALI

The first two weeks of our journey I was focused on experiencing; going to some of my favorite places, or places I'd never been but wanted to visit.

Bali is about integration and slowing down.

The Balinese are wonderful people; I've been amazed to find they are even sweeter and more loving than the Thais, more like the Thais when I first moved to Bangkok so many years ago. When I pass someone and smile I am greeted by huge grins and open hearts. So beautiful; Pixie is happy!

The whole island is based in ritual and ceremony and making offerings to the gods. As we walked the streets of Kuta when we first arrived there were small, square banana leaf plates filled with flowers and moss scattered all over the ground; Raven told me they put out offerings this way three times a day. The Balinese place them on altars that are everywhere, or on the street in front of their house or business. The altars range from bamboo woven, open-ended little boxes that hang from the eaves to tall, elaborate moss-covered stone pillars, topped by what can best be described as a throne. The one to my right is surrounded by a short wall, has two pillars on either side of the doorway, and is about ten feet tall. There is a delicately carved Buddha statue to the left of the altar; when I woke up this morning someone has already been by to put an offering in front of it. I added a flower.

The Balinese are Hindu, a very interesting thing since of all the many islands of Indonesia, only Bali is Hindu, everyplace else is Muslim. They have obviously combined the original shamanic, earth-based practices creatively with Hinduism. Yesterday at one hotel we were looking at staying at there was an altar by the pool that was a large stone slab with rocks on it, being blessed by incense and flowers. The statues that are everywhere are often fierce animal crosses from Indonesian mythology; dragons and demons and guardian garudas. 

Hindus worship many forms of gods and goddesses; but they know that all the different forms are all representatives of One unnameable force. To show this most of the thrones on top of the altars in Bali are empty.

We spent long, wonderful hours sitting on the porch watching the wind lightly blow the rice, listening to the water rushing by in the canals on its way to the fields, going for long walks, and eating at our favorite hangout, the Yellow Flower cafe (Raven: lattes and banana berry pancakes, HeatherAsh: tumeric and ginger drinks and spicy veggies and eggs on toast).

One day we followed a tiny paragraph in our pocket-sized guidebook to a nearby river. Luckily we were found by Wayan, a river raft guide who had the day off and spotted us trying to figure out how to get down to the water. He cheerfully led the way, walking us across the river and across his rice fields. We traveled on tiny, muddy paths, snaking our way through jungle to cultivated areas and back again. Along the way he showed us bright red clusters of coffee beans growing in the shade of tall banana and banyan trees, tehe chubby green pods of cacoa (the mama of all chocolate), date palm where they tap the flowers for the dark, rich date palm sugar that Raven now loves, and a hidden sanctuary of temples surrounded by enormous, many-limbed banyan trees. Later we drank coca-cola at his home, which looks more temple than house. It was a delight to have a local to ask questions about Bali, religion, schooling, and more.

Our last day in Bali we walked along the looong beach at Legian and Kuta, swam in the ocean and got tumbled by a huge breaking wave, and drank neon orange mai tais as the sun set. 

I feel content and blessed, and somewhat wordless around the impact of the journey. Suffice to say I feel a new level of stillness and peace in my being, and though I miss the flowers and smiles, I'm happy to be heading into Austin tomorrow to see my Thirteen Moons circle and share this energy with my sisters.

Here is a video Raven and I made from our porch:

Or watch it on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpsbZlhKvhk

To see more photos, visit my facebook page: 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2072436&id=1298096210&l=bc9768b192

You don't have to be on facebook to view them.

Blessings!