I watch my empty cup become full of coffee. Even though a vast amount of events need to come together for this moment, I am 100% sure that I’ll be enjoying a full cup of steaming coffee. I breathe, and remind myself that life is not much different than this moment.
I enjoy my cup of coffee. I also enjoy finding great coffee beans. I love when my bag of freshly roasted coffee beans arrives. I love the aroma when I first open the bag. I love my special quart jar that I pour the beans into, and I love grinding the beans. I know when to stop buzzing based on a subtle sound change- I like listening for that every morning. I also enjoy the moment my peculator stops bubbling, signaling that coffee is ready! Then, it’s time for that special moment of mindfulness- from an empty cup to a fulfilled hope- a hot, steamy, aromatic, caffeinated, earthy tasting cup of coffee!
My coffee came from Columbia, South America. Think about it- some farmer has been growing these plants, tending to them, waiting for the right time to pick the beans. Picks them by hand, gathers them, washes, sorts them, dries the beans and hopes for a buyer.
Now, there is this guy from Ithaca, NY who finds this farmer. This guy happened to figure out how to create a successful cafe in this tiny upstate NY town. He is the buyer, he gets these coffee beans all the way back to Ithaca- to his special roaster. They roast it, package it, and make it available to people like me. Then, there is the event of the internet, where I get to purchase this coffee. Then it has to be delivered to my door…
There is so much more to a cup of coffee than I generally think about. Still, I am positive that every morning I’ll have a fresh cup. Each morning, I chant to myself that my dreams can be as true as this cup of coffee.
What if you are a seeker without a guide or a teacher? The groundswell of wanting to know, of needing to know, of wanting to mix only with that which is Divine- hearing a constant commentary in your inner ear of what is right, what is wrong, what is real and not, what is Divine and not. In time, you come to know enough to realize that this voice is often out of control, like a two year old throwing a tantrum when the TV is shut off and he realizes the characters were just playing make believe.
But you live in a contemporary world, so you try to play nice. Because even the most spiritually seeking among us likes to have friends, to “succeed”, appreciates a cozy bed and ice cream. So, with one ear listening to the barrage of that booming inner voice of seeking, and the other trying to pick up the language of its peers- this mass of a person wanders while looking stable, successful, normal, healthy, OK. Still, you are without a teacher, and the more you read the sacred books of spiritual teachers, the more you seek for a teacher who can make sense of your spinning mind.
It’s 2010, what are we to do? The tradition of Gurus and Teachers does not exist in the US. Do we make the pilgrimage to India or Tibet- seeking our teacher? Study the Bhagavad-gita, Tao Te Ching, Rumi, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Koran, the Bible? Do we attend the occasional US teaching given by the Dalai Lama or Thich Nhat Han-one of thousands trying to get some attention, adding a “real teaching” to our Seeker’s Itinerary of Getting to the Awakening?
Here is where I am today. It seems to me that all the spiritual and/or religious doctrines say over and over that the truth is found within, that the only separation between me and you and everything is artificial. Given this, it must be that my teacher is everywhere, everything, every person, every experience, thought and impression. The way the wind moves the trees, the rise and fall of the stock market, the voice on the other end of the drive thru microphone, a high-flying hawk, the flow of a river, the ebb of the tides, a marriage, a divorce, high school graduation, jump rope, hammering a nail, cleaning out the cat litter, milk in coffee, freeway exits, airport security, dandelions, weed killers, people I don’t like, email, Facebook, Google, the kindness of strangers, feeling unknown, misunderstood, alone while at the same time surrounded by love, compassion and good fortune. These are my teachers.
And all teachers know that they cannot make a student study or come to know what is being taught. Teachers are only guide posts, reference points, road signs. Teachers are not the road, the path or the destination. The whole deal falls on the student. I’m trying to learn from all of my teachers- known and unknown, obvious and obscure.
“From this awakened perspective, there isn’t any separation anywhere-not in the world, not in the universe, not in all the universe everywhere. The truth is anywhere and everywhere, at all times, in all dimensions, for all beings. It is a truth that is the source of everything that will ever be experienced- in life, after life, in this dimension or any other dimension.”
-Adyashanti, from his book, The End of Your World
Tags: Adyashanti, awakening, teacher
“I have no judgment about myself and my life. There is nothing I am quite sure about. I have no definite convictions – not about anything, really. I know only that I was born and exist, and it seems that I have been carried along. I exist on the foundation of something I do not know. In spite of all uncertainties, I feel a solidity underlying all existence and a continuity in my mode of being.”
- C. G. Jung
Tags: Jung
Lately I’ve been enjoying a simple blend of herbs to support my digestion. Here is the recipe:
In about 4-6 cups of water, add
- 6-8 slices of fresh Ginger Root
- 1 Teaspoon (or a big pinch) of Fennel Seeds
- 1 Teaspoon (or a big pinch) of Fenugreek Seeds
- 1 Teaspoon (or a big pinch) of ground Licorice Root
- 1 Teaspoon (or a big pinch) of ground Slippery Elm
- 4-5 Cardamom seed pods
- Half a teaspoon of Black Pepper corns
- 2 Teaspoon (or big pinches) of Peppermint leaves
Bring everything, except the Peppermint leaves, to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes. Turn heat off. Add the Peppermint leaves and keep on the cooling burner for another 5 minutes.
This makes enough to last a few days, or to serve tea all day to a small group of visitors.
The general idea behind this tea is to soothe the intestinal lining, support digestion and absorption of food, and to ease elimination. I have been enjoying a cup or a two a day.
If making this tea from scratch doesn’t sound like fun, try Yogi Tea’s Stomach Ease Tea bags.
Tags: cardamom, Digestion, fennel, fenugreek, ginger, herbal tea, licorice, peppermint, slippery elm
Tinctures are a popular way to use medicinal herbs. I make a variety of tinctures for myself, family and friends. I love the sense of self-sufficiency that comes out of making my own medicinals. There are a variety of opinions and methods for making tinctures, I’m going to share what I do.
The basic idea of a tincture is that the herb material is soaked in some type of alcohol for a few weeks. The medicinal parts of plants are drawn out by both water and alcohol. By using an 80 or 100 proof alcohol, you actually have a liquid that is part water and part alcohol-perfect for drawing out the medicinal constituents of the herb.
Your work is to locate good quality, organic herbs, get a quart glass jar, buy some 80 or 100 proof alcohol (vodka is a standard), and commit to shaking the bottle of herbs and alcohol once or twice a day while the tincture is soaking. Once the tincture is ready, you just strain it, saving the liquid, and store it in a glass jar.
Here we go, step by step:
I am making a tincture of the herb Astragalus, also known as “Huang Qi” in Chinese. The part of the plant that is used is the root. I purchased my organic Astragalus root from the Crane Herb Company.
Here is the dried, cut astragalus:
Step 1. Put the dried herb into a glass jar
Step 2. Pour alcohol into the jar:
Step 3. Cover and label with herb and date
Step 4. Shake your mixture once or a twice a day. Store this mixture in a dark cool place.
How long do you let the mixture soak? Generally, for roots and barks, I give the tincture 6 weeks to soak and mix. For twigs and leaves, 4 weeks. The concept is that heavier parts of the plant need a longer time than the lighter parts. These times are my times, other herbalists will recommend longer or shorter times.
Step 5. Strain off the plant material- SAVE THE LIQUID- this is the medicinal product that will used later.
Step 6. Put the liquid tincture back into a clean glass jar and label it with the name of the herb and the date.
Tinctures can be poured off into smaller bottles for easier use and transport. I put tinctures into 2oz. dropper bottles. The usual dose of a tincture is measured by drops. 25-30 drops is an average dose for many types of herbs. In order to know how much of an herb to use and what to use it for, consult a qualified herbalist, and take some training yourself.
References:
The Herbal Medicine Maker’s Handbook, by James Green is an excellent text for making all types of herbal products.
Introduction to Alternative Medicine- my online course that includes “Getting Started with Herbs”.
Tags: astragalus, huang qi, tincutre
My mind is foggy, will I laze on the couch or go for a walk?
I am hungry for something sweet, will I grab a candy bar that I believe is not really good for me but a part of me likes, or will I find a piece of fruit that I believe is better for me and I also enjoy?
It’s time for bed, will I brush my teeth and floss, or just brush?
Here I am, being self critical again- chanting a mantra of negativity at myself that I know grows into digestive tension and pain, that leads to a feeling of hopelessness and not caring for myself, that leads to inertia, leading to fatigue, apathy. My self criticism generates criticism of others and I find myself retreating from those who care about me.
Will I just let that tape keep playing, or will I reach for something different? Will I gather my strength to pierce through the negativity and look for something okay, good, positive, about myself, my life, my future? Knowing that when I put my effort in this direction I have a better day, I am happier, and more apt to make daily choices that I believe benefit my health. When I make this effort, I notice I have more energy, more curiosity and creativity, I move in the direction of the call of my Spirit and everything seems to unfold spontaneously, harmoniously, and I benefit from synchronistic events.
I come upon a bush of thorns and flowers. Will I unconsciously, habitually reach for the thorns or will I take a moment to notice the details of what has appeared before me, and fill my senses with the blessings of a rose?
Tags: health care
He who stands on the threshold of this Path is about to commence the last and greatest journey of all, one which he will continue to the end of his days. Once begun, there is no turning back or deserting it, except temporarily.
- Paul Brunton, from the Notebooks of Paul Brunton
Available at Larson Publications
Tags: paul brunton, quest
As the snow and ice melts around us, plants that have been hibernating all Winter begin pushing through dirt, rock, cement, and pavement, to start the cycle of regeneration again. This action of pushing up through the hard soil and reaching for the sun relates to the Wood Element in Chinese Medicine. Trees and perennials must reach up for the sky- always pushing against gravity.
The tremendous energy required to accomplish this is associated to the human emotion of anger. Reflect on how energetic your last blast of anger was! Anger can give us the energy to push through frustration and move us into another level of freedom from whatever was previously binding us. The Organ associated with the anger, Spring, and the Wood Element is the Liver. The time of the Liver is upon us!
Out With Old, In With The New
In the West, we often associate the Spring surge of energy with “Spring Cleaning”- getting all of the accumulated junk of the past year out of our closets. Spring cleaning can be imagined as an outer reflection of an internal cleaning that the Liver also does this time of the year. By cleansing now, we are in harmony with our body’s yearly cycle.
Common spring cleansing suggestions are diet changes such as reducing the amount of artificial and processed foods, sugar, and alcohol, while increasing the intake of fresh greens, lemon juice and more water. The Liver Energy likes to move- again, remember how anger promotes that urge to move, shake, yell, and fight. A simple way to support your Liver Energy in the Spring is move- go take a walk, stretch, take some bike rides, swim, ski- anything you can to get more movement into your life.
To support your Liver during its “Spring Cleaning” you can squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a glass of warm of water and drink that every morning for 10-14 days. Lemon is very supportive of the Liver. In addition, drink a couple of extra glasses of water during your “Liver Lemon Support.” Another great way to ease into Spring is to have a couple of vigorous therapeutic massages and/or a few acupuncture sessions.
Happy Spring!
