Yesterday while I was showering (where I do my best revelation thinking) a revelation occurred to me. When Jesus told Peter to feed his sheep, he was not only speaking of physical food... he was also speaking metaphorically. This makes perfect sense because Jesus was really good at that.
This may have occurred to many folks before me but I have always taken the text literally. In fact, it is one of the texts I live my life by and try to follow as a follower of Christ. (note I did not say Christian.. that would imply religion which is not something I choose to follow.) I'm also a follower of Buddha and Lao Tze and all that is Light and Truth and Goodness. Not that you asked.
If you consider the habits of sheep this is a true revelation. Sheep cannot be described as deep thinkers. They kinda huddle together in a mass, waiting for someone (or some dog) to come along and tell them what to do. They don't question the one telling them to move. They occasionally get sheared and are powerless to say no even if they wanted to. They seem very frightened if confronted and will hurry to get out of the way, whether they were feeding themselves or taking care of their young, they stop everything and run. It's easy to feel sorry for a sheep. It's also easy to feel like maybe they are quite dumb since they can't speak for themselves.
When Jesus said, "If you love me, feed my sheep" He knew that humans are easily drawn to sheep mentality. Think about the humans during His time. His whole message was about doing what was right and loving, regardless of what the rulers say. He repeatedly broke and questioned the rules laid down before him... even the ones supposedly set by the followers of his Father. He told folks over and over to THINK. Why shouldn't you wash your feet if they are dirty? Why can't I eat when I am hungry? What difference does your religion make if you are hurting and I can heal you? Or what day it is? Brilliant man, Christ.
He never spelled anything out to his followers. He spoke in parables. Why wouldn't he just say, "Dude, I'm the son of God and you need to do what I tell you?" Why? Because He wanted us to THINK. He knew if He told us what to do He would just be laying down a new set of rules for the sheep to blindly follow. (which, unfortunately came to pass for many who claimed to follow Him) The reason He said there was really only one "rule" and that was to love your God and your neighbors as yourself, with all your heart and all of your mind and all of your spirit, was that he knew you couldn't go wrong if you were acting in love. If you think about love when you have a dilemma, you will never choose stupidly. If you live in love, you won't make choices that hurt others because you need to follow the status quo. If you engage all your senses in love you won't have room for other petty concerns, like who has more money or better hair.
If you read or study any text from any religion, you will see this message stated over and over. And it truely is the only real message. And it really is that simple. All the rest is crazy nonsense designed to confuse you and make you become a stupid sheep so you will blindly follow. If you love, feed the sheep. Feed them love and wisdom. Feed them acceptance and the right to question. Feed them with possibilities and with example. And don't treat them like sheep.
Amen.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Just the facts...
Life has been filled with unusual twists and turns lately. (lately? ha.) So far this summer:
I have been asked to officiate a funeral for a perfectly healthy friend.
I officiated a wedding at the beach.
I co-hosted a tarot party that went swimmingly.
I have been entertaining the idea of a new, very exciting change to my business.
I have started teaching yoga where I began teaching yoga. (you can't go back)
I have had an extremely bizarre request for a negative entity removal.
I've taught my first water yoga class. (does the irony of returning to my roots and starting something completely new occur to you too?)
My daughter came home, we annoyed one another, she went back to Montreat and now we miss one another...
I hosted a great party for my old theater friends without being able to answer the question, "what's the next play?"
I was very pleasantly surprised with who came. And not so pleasantly amazed at who didn't.
I began teaching young girls SoulCollage.
I bound and boxed a ton of shoes for Soles4Souls.
I attended church 5 times. A miracle.
I got to hang with my best friend twice, which is more than we've hung in years.. the irony? She now lives in Florida.
My husband built a house in my back yard.
I was furious with my neighbors for cutting down all their trees and now I'm happy because they put up a privacy fence so I don't have to look at it.
I read a whole book about a kooky dead girl. For fun.
I read a book on Jungian pyschology and one on Zen Buddhism. For fun.
I stopped subscribing to the Washington Post and watching the news. For sanity.
I went to my first midnight grand opening movie and screeched along with a bunch of teenage girls. And learned a secret ritual involving fangs.
I have been asked to officiate a funeral for a perfectly healthy friend.
I officiated a wedding at the beach.
I co-hosted a tarot party that went swimmingly.
I have been entertaining the idea of a new, very exciting change to my business.
I have started teaching yoga where I began teaching yoga. (you can't go back)
I have had an extremely bizarre request for a negative entity removal.
I've taught my first water yoga class. (does the irony of returning to my roots and starting something completely new occur to you too?)
My daughter came home, we annoyed one another, she went back to Montreat and now we miss one another...
I hosted a great party for my old theater friends without being able to answer the question, "what's the next play?"
I was very pleasantly surprised with who came. And not so pleasantly amazed at who didn't.
I began teaching young girls SoulCollage.
I bound and boxed a ton of shoes for Soles4Souls.
I attended church 5 times. A miracle.
I got to hang with my best friend twice, which is more than we've hung in years.. the irony? She now lives in Florida.
My husband built a house in my back yard.
I was furious with my neighbors for cutting down all their trees and now I'm happy because they put up a privacy fence so I don't have to look at it.
I read a whole book about a kooky dead girl. For fun.
I read a book on Jungian pyschology and one on Zen Buddhism. For fun.
I stopped subscribing to the Washington Post and watching the news. For sanity.
I went to my first midnight grand opening movie and screeched along with a bunch of teenage girls. And learned a secret ritual involving fangs.
Does this seem like a lot to you? Esp. when summers only half over? I'm thinking of taking August off.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Oh Summer.
I can always tell when the weather is hot and muggy by my blog. I start writing snarky posts about insignificant silliness. I start keeping a professional and personal blog. Eventually when my pitta gets back in whack I'll combine them again but you know blogs that are only perfect entries are boring so I'll stay snarky for a bit, I suppose.
I mean, I think it's important to be real. And being real means you occasionally get your pitta out of whack and become snarky. Can you tell I'm loving that word? Is it a new one? I never heard the word snarky til a few years ago, not sure if it's slang or not but it feels perfect for that feeling of... well... snarkyness.
Anyway. Summer. The wonderful season where the whole world starts taking crazy pills. Seriously, if I were completely honest in my blog... well, if I wasn't worried about hurting the feelings of people who may recognize themselves.. I could tell you some stories of total insanity that have crossed my path lately. Folks blaming folks for their own issues. People who just can't be pleased.. or be quiet about it. Folks wanting others to do their work for them, even their inner work, which, REALLY? How can someone else do YOUR inner work? Wouldn't that then be outer work? Or, their inner work? How do you suppose you'll be healed by that? Lordy, it's enough to make one snarky.
Trouble is, when my pitta gets out of whack I'm supposed to make everything in my word cooling and bland. I HATE cooling and bland.
Oh wait. Definition of Pitta: What is Pitta? Pitta is a a Dosha. What's a Dosha? A dosha is one of three bodily humors that make up one's constitution according to Ayurveda. These teachings are also known as the Tridosha system. The central concept of Ayurvedic medicine is the theory that health exists when there is a balance between three fundamental bodily humours or doshas called Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata is Air, Pitta is Fire, Kapha is Water.
Signs that you need to balance Pitta
Are you constantly critical, impatient, irritable? yes.
Do you feel obsessed by work or a project, unable to stop for a break? yes.
Do you wake up in the very early hours of the morning and then find it difficult to get back to sleep? yes.
Is your skin feeling irritated or more sensitive than usual, breaking out or feeling inflamed? yes.
Is your hair falling when you shampoo or comb it? yes.
Do you have problems with heartburn or excess stomach acid? meh.
Is your tolerance of other people or provoking situations lower than usual? Do you have temper outbursts over minor aggravations? Do you often feel frustrated? Yes. YES, YESSSSSSSSSS
Do you feel hot even when you are indoors? Do you feel thirsty all the time? Are your eyes red? Yes, sheesh.
Is your speech often biting and sarcastic? Do you find yourself getting into arguments easily? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT???? HOW RUDE.
If you answered yes to many of the questions above, following a Pitta-balancing diet and lifestyle can help restore balance to Pitta.
So there you have it. Pitta diet: Favor Cool or warm but not steaming hot foods
Bitter, sweet, and astringent tastes
As far as practical use less butter and added fat. Consume food with moderately heavy textures.
Since Pittas have strong efficient digestion, they can generally eat just about everything. Most Pittas get into trouble by continued use of too much salt, overuse of sour and spicy food and overeating.
Take cool, refreshing food in summer. Reduce the consumption of salt, oil, and spices, all of which are "heating" to the body. Salads are good, so is milk and ice cream.
Avoid pickles, yogurt, sour cream, and cheese. Avoid vinegar in salad dressing; use lemon juice instead. Alcoholic and fermented foods should be avoided. Their sour Rasa aggravates Pitta. Coffee is also pitta aggravating due to the acid in coffee. Herb tea is good. Prefer mint, licorice root or other pitta pacifying tea.
Breakfast: Cold cereals, cinnamon toast, and apple tea is a good breakfast for Pitta. Avoid coffee, orange juice and doughnuts - they aggravate pitta.
The vegetarian foods are the best for pitta. Consuming red meat tend to heat the body from the fat. Consume abundant amounts of milk, grains and vegetables.
Avoid oily, hot, salty, and heavy foods such as fried food. Instead consume starchy foods such as vegetables, grains and beans. Avoid the tendency to overeat under stress.
Avoid processed and fast foods as they tend to be heavy on salt and sour tastes. Japanese and Chinese food are good choices. Avoid highly spicy food such as is found in Mexican restaurants.
To bring down aggravated Pitta, take two teaspoons of ghee (clarified butter) in a glass of warm milk. (Avoid taking the ghee if you have problem with high cholesterol). http://www.holisticonline.com/ayurveda/
Yuck. What the heck is Ghee? Whatever.
Anyways. That's why I have stupid posts right now.
I mean, I think it's important to be real. And being real means you occasionally get your pitta out of whack and become snarky. Can you tell I'm loving that word? Is it a new one? I never heard the word snarky til a few years ago, not sure if it's slang or not but it feels perfect for that feeling of... well... snarkyness.
Anyway. Summer. The wonderful season where the whole world starts taking crazy pills. Seriously, if I were completely honest in my blog... well, if I wasn't worried about hurting the feelings of people who may recognize themselves.. I could tell you some stories of total insanity that have crossed my path lately. Folks blaming folks for their own issues. People who just can't be pleased.. or be quiet about it. Folks wanting others to do their work for them, even their inner work, which, REALLY? How can someone else do YOUR inner work? Wouldn't that then be outer work? Or, their inner work? How do you suppose you'll be healed by that? Lordy, it's enough to make one snarky.
Trouble is, when my pitta gets out of whack I'm supposed to make everything in my word cooling and bland. I HATE cooling and bland.
Oh wait. Definition of Pitta: What is Pitta? Pitta is a a Dosha. What's a Dosha? A dosha is one of three bodily humors that make up one's constitution according to Ayurveda. These teachings are also known as the Tridosha system. The central concept of Ayurvedic medicine is the theory that health exists when there is a balance between three fundamental bodily humours or doshas called Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata is Air, Pitta is Fire, Kapha is Water.
Signs that you need to balance Pitta
Are you constantly critical, impatient, irritable? yes.
Do you feel obsessed by work or a project, unable to stop for a break? yes.
Do you wake up in the very early hours of the morning and then find it difficult to get back to sleep? yes.
Is your skin feeling irritated or more sensitive than usual, breaking out or feeling inflamed? yes.
Is your hair falling when you shampoo or comb it? yes.
Do you have problems with heartburn or excess stomach acid? meh.
Is your tolerance of other people or provoking situations lower than usual? Do you have temper outbursts over minor aggravations? Do you often feel frustrated? Yes. YES, YESSSSSSSSSS
Do you feel hot even when you are indoors? Do you feel thirsty all the time? Are your eyes red? Yes, sheesh.
Is your speech often biting and sarcastic? Do you find yourself getting into arguments easily? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT???? HOW RUDE.
If you answered yes to many of the questions above, following a Pitta-balancing diet and lifestyle can help restore balance to Pitta.
So there you have it. Pitta diet: Favor Cool or warm but not steaming hot foods
Bitter, sweet, and astringent tastes
As far as practical use less butter and added fat. Consume food with moderately heavy textures.
Since Pittas have strong efficient digestion, they can generally eat just about everything. Most Pittas get into trouble by continued use of too much salt, overuse of sour and spicy food and overeating.
Take cool, refreshing food in summer. Reduce the consumption of salt, oil, and spices, all of which are "heating" to the body. Salads are good, so is milk and ice cream.
Avoid pickles, yogurt, sour cream, and cheese. Avoid vinegar in salad dressing; use lemon juice instead. Alcoholic and fermented foods should be avoided. Their sour Rasa aggravates Pitta. Coffee is also pitta aggravating due to the acid in coffee. Herb tea is good. Prefer mint, licorice root or other pitta pacifying tea.
Breakfast: Cold cereals, cinnamon toast, and apple tea is a good breakfast for Pitta. Avoid coffee, orange juice and doughnuts - they aggravate pitta.
The vegetarian foods are the best for pitta. Consuming red meat tend to heat the body from the fat. Consume abundant amounts of milk, grains and vegetables.
Avoid oily, hot, salty, and heavy foods such as fried food. Instead consume starchy foods such as vegetables, grains and beans. Avoid the tendency to overeat under stress.
Avoid processed and fast foods as they tend to be heavy on salt and sour tastes. Japanese and Chinese food are good choices. Avoid highly spicy food such as is found in Mexican restaurants.
To bring down aggravated Pitta, take two teaspoons of ghee (clarified butter) in a glass of warm milk. (Avoid taking the ghee if you have problem with high cholesterol). http://www.holisticonline.com/ayurveda/
Yuck. What the heck is Ghee? Whatever.
Anyways. That's why I have stupid posts right now.
Friday, July 09, 2010
A List
Pet Peeves:
Folks who sign up for stuff and don't show. Personally & Professionally.
Folks who say, "anywho" and "long story short".
Folks who lean forward in triangle.
Mosquitos
Store names with Airs like Tar-g'et.
Tree Haters
Folks who use constant busyness as their excuse for letting folks down.
Glasses and Clothes that are too tight.
Freaking Hot.
And Freaking Cold.
Top Joys:
Yoga
Meditation
Reiki
Trees
Sunshine
Having a bed to myself. (sorry honey)
Frozen Eye Pillows
Wind... and lots of it.
Real Conversations with Real People
Quiet
A Great Book
Truth
Courage
Love
Folks who sign up for stuff and don't show. Personally & Professionally.
Folks who say, "anywho" and "long story short".
Folks who lean forward in triangle.
Mosquitos
Store names with Airs like Tar-g'et.
Tree Haters
Folks who use constant busyness as their excuse for letting folks down.
Glasses and Clothes that are too tight.
Freaking Hot.
And Freaking Cold.
Top Joys:
Yoga
Meditation
Reiki
Trees
Sunshine
Having a bed to myself. (sorry honey)
Frozen Eye Pillows
Wind... and lots of it.
Real Conversations with Real People
Quiet
A Great Book
Truth
Courage
Love
Sunday, July 04, 2010
In French, Le Chapeau...
In the space of 2 weeks I have been a yoga teacher to adults and to kids at a therapeutic pre school , reiki master, soulcollage facilitator for young girls, party planner, director, wedding officiant, counselor, best friend, mother, wife, maid, writer, website coordinator, decorator for vacation bible school, church closet organizer, secretary, nurse and small business owner and boy, are my arms tired!
Not to mention my brain.
You know how when the heat is on, the tough get going? Yeah, that's been me. One thing after another, after another and then some more. Today I crashed. Like, became incoherent. Slept til 10!!! Sat in the Spirit Shack.... then the Spirit Room... then outside in the gazebo.. then in the living room... yep, that's pretty much it. Biggest decision of the day: where shall I sit next? Still worked a bit, updated my yoga page and set some Reiki appts. but lordy.. what a whirlwind!
Trouble is I LOVED all of it! I loved doing Kim & Carl's wedding! I loved having my theater buddies over for a party! I love doing SoulCollage with the girls, I loved teaching the crazy kids at BTN! Yoga is awesome, decorating the Sanctuary for VBS was fun, I love helping my friends and I love doing Reiki! Why is that trouble? Well... I've had a headache for a week and I keep forgetting things... and I feel a little nutty. Perhaps I just need to space it out better.
I don't know. Whatever. One of my favorite quotes of all time is:
I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time."
Jack London
So what's the problem? Nothing.... just a little tired.
Happy 4th of July!
Time to go try and find a secret place to watch the fireworks where there is no traffic! Shaaaa--- right!
Not to mention my brain.
You know how when the heat is on, the tough get going? Yeah, that's been me. One thing after another, after another and then some more. Today I crashed. Like, became incoherent. Slept til 10!!! Sat in the Spirit Shack.... then the Spirit Room... then outside in the gazebo.. then in the living room... yep, that's pretty much it. Biggest decision of the day: where shall I sit next? Still worked a bit, updated my yoga page and set some Reiki appts. but lordy.. what a whirlwind!
Trouble is I LOVED all of it! I loved doing Kim & Carl's wedding! I loved having my theater buddies over for a party! I love doing SoulCollage with the girls, I loved teaching the crazy kids at BTN! Yoga is awesome, decorating the Sanctuary for VBS was fun, I love helping my friends and I love doing Reiki! Why is that trouble? Well... I've had a headache for a week and I keep forgetting things... and I feel a little nutty. Perhaps I just need to space it out better.
I don't know. Whatever. One of my favorite quotes of all time is:
I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time."
Jack London
So what's the problem? Nothing.... just a little tired.
Happy 4th of July!
Time to go try and find a secret place to watch the fireworks where there is no traffic! Shaaaa--- right!
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