Prana Light

To Be Alive

"Just to be alive is enough." --Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

Just something beautiful to consider and see to cap this week of being alive on this Earth...

P.S. Celebrating the Earth here all this week... and with a 25% OFF Sale at my new art gallery-shop Earth Spirit!

Present Moment: Going Slow

"Smile, breathe and go slowly." --Thich Nhat Hanh

A visitor on our windowsill... perfect for celebrating the Earth this week.

Present Moment ...midweek photo posts for 2013.

AND celebrating Earth here all this week... Including a 25% OFF SALE at my new art gallery-shop Earth Spirit!

January Love Note

January... for the first time I think I'm learning to love you. White, gray, silver. So monochromatic, two dimensional, cold. But no. Under the chill, your heart beats tenderly, waiting for me to respond. I try to pay attention to your unique offerings. During your sunnier moments I am warmed by the subtle seductions of anticipation--hints of spring and summer to come. Your thirty-one days inspire contemplation, clarity. I feel wide, expansive. You give me space to grow.

Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice, or Yule, is a magical event in the year, of ancient origin. Yet during this time, other festivity is in focus--Hanukkah was just celebrated, preparations now for Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year etc. December offers so many ways and things to celebrate. And many of the holiday traditions as we know them, stem from very old ways of honoring this time of year. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the calendar year. It is a time of love and new birth, especially the rebirth of the Sun. Winter is a time of nature lying dormant. The Solstice marks the turning point, when the days will gradually grow longer, the sun stronger. Bring in some holly & ivy, throw the yule log on the fire, cozy up with your family & friends, take a moment in some way to honor this time.

Blessings & peace to all...Wishing you peace, harmony and love... Happy Winter Solstice!
 

holding the light of love
in my heart
i turn to the sky
blessings softly falling
i walk on
to take the light
into the world...

P.S. My heart has felt so heavy and sad since the terrible violence last week in Connecticut, in the US. So heavy the sorrow, I could not find enough words to write here... still can't, for the sadness of so many innoncent lives lost. I've been sitting with this in prayer & meditation a lot. My lovely sister and I were talking about all this, and how we could lift the negative energy of violence in the world. We thought how good it might be for us all to do more random acts of kindness. Smile at a stranger instead of just walking by. Check in on a neighbor. Help someone in need. Volunteer time or service. There is so much we could do--small offerings, big offereings. And not just during this holiday season, when we are feeling this so keenly, but more often--all through the year. Every person, every life is percious. Let us take good care of each other while we're here. 

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One last look from our Thanksgiving trip at the end of last month, visiting my family in Pennsylvania...  Above is the wonderful new Visitor's Center building located within the National Military Park at Gettysburg. The circular barn-shaped building to the left houses the Gettysburg Cyclorama--an enormous circular painting of the Battle of Gettysburg depicting very poignantly the last harrowing scenes of the Battle. The experience and exhibits at the new Visitor's Center, let alone Battlefield tour, makes for a very humbling day trip.

The Visitor's Center is backed by a wooded area. A peaceful spot to walk and admire the beauty of nature in so sobering a place, where many lives were lost in battle in 1863.

A cold November day in Gettysburg...

The burst of a russet-orange chrysanthemum--part of the Thanksgiving table floral centerpiece. And one last shot of crimson, gold and bronze before all is tinged with frost and snow. Winter arrives next week. We've already had some snow here!

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