Antiquity of the soul

“The eyes indicate the antiquity of the soul” ~Emerson

“The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.” ~Bergson


How do you see the world? How do you see yourself? How old is your soul?

source

Sail

I joined my son in his field trip today. We went sailing and the kids learn how to sail. This was my favorite field trip with him and I could not help but to remember this quote from Henry Thoreau:

“Men go back to the mountains, as they go back to sailing ships at sea, because in the mountains and on the sea they must face up.”

Balance

Every now and then go away,
have a little relaxation,
for when you come back
to your work
your judgement will be surer;
since to remain constantly at work
will cause you to lose power
of judgement...

Go dome distance away
because the work appears smaller
and more of it
can be taken in at a glance,
and a lack of harmony
or proportion
is more readily seen.

Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)


I listened to Da Vinci's advice and that's exactly what I did this last weekend. It was relaxing, but with two active boys around, it can not be that relaxing.

"When you consider the sheer amount of creative work that Leonardo Da Vinci amassed in his lifetime, you might conjure up a picture of a workaholic, Type A person who never did anything but paint, sculpt, and invent, every waking moment of his life. Yet his advice is quite to the contrary. This original Renaissance man is advising us to escape from the daily routine and go some distance away to become more efficient and productive."

Source: Wisdom of the Ages

Traveling to California?

Gone camping for the weekend!

A Prayer for the World

As we enter into Spring Season, lets bow our head and pray for our lovely world:

Let the rain come and wash away
the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds
held and nurtured over generations.
Let the rain wash away the memory
of the hurt, the neglect.
Then let the sun come out and
fill the sky with rainbows.
Let the warmth of the sun heal us
wherever we are broken.
Let it burn away the fog so that
we can see each other clearly.
So that we can see beyond labels,
beyond accents, gender or skin color.
Let the warmth and brightness
of the sun melt our selfishness.
So that we can share the joys and
feel the sorrows of our neighbors.
And let the light of the sun
be so strong that we will see all
people as our neighbors.
Let the earth, nourished by rain,
bring forth flowers
to surround us with beauty.
And let the mountains teach our hearts
to reach upward to heaven.
Amen.

—Rabbi Harold S. Kushner
(Author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People)

Welcome Spring

Spring begins today at precisely 7:07 p.m.,, astronomically speaking, when the sun’s light crosses the equator and begins to shine more directly on the northern hemisphere.

Spring is an universal time of celebration, no matter where in the world it arrives – but the Persians celebrate this day as the start of their New Year (Norooz) and they honor Spring and the new beginning the most beautiful way.

For Romans, Spring used to be a big clebration. It was devoted primarily to the worship of Flora, the goddess of flowers. It was in her honour a five-day celebration, called the Floralia.

Well, happy new begning and happy Spring to all of you my dear readers and I dedicate this poem to you all:

For winter's rains and ruins are over,
And all the season of snows and sins;
The days dividing lover and lover,
The light that loses, the night that wins;
And time remembered is grief forgotten,
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten,
And in green underwood and cover
Blossom by blossom the spring begins

Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837–1909)

Calm & Peace

Keep your perspective

A few good thoughts from Lao Tzo for loving couples:

Nurturing your love
is like tending a small garden.
If you keep pulling up the plants
to see if the roots are growing
your will harvest nothing.

If you focus on your troubles
you give them added power.
Step aside as would a martial arts master.
The troubles still exist,
but your are not unbalanced by their blows.
They lose their power to disturb.
they become food for growth.

Link

Don't you think scrutinizing every detail of any relationship makes one crazy? keep your perspective clear.

Protect your senses!

Color can make us blind!
Music can make us deaf!
Flavors can destroy our taste!
Possessions can close our options!
Racing can drive us mad
and its rewards obstruct our peace!


Thus, the wise
fill the inner gut
rather than the eyes,
always sacrificing the superficial
for the essential.
Lao Tzo

Lao Tzu is mainly calling our attention to the relative importance of the inner compared with the outer, the essential compared with the superficial. Don't you think that our violent TV and films, our high decibel junk music, and our junk food culture can make us blind, deaf and will destroy our tastes. So, let's use our senses wisely!

An inspiring woman

A blogger friend informed me about a film called "Enemies of Happiness". It is a film that follows the campaign of Malalai Joya, a 28 year-old Afghan woman running in the country's first democratic parliamentary elections in 35 years. The film won the World Cinema Jury Prize in Documentaries at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

She came to prominence in 2003 when she attacked fellow members of a Loya Jerga (or governing council) saying:

“The chairman of every committee is already selected. Why do you not take all these criminals to one committee so that we see what they want for this nation. These were those who turned our country into the nucleus of national and international wars. They were the most anti-women people in the society who wanted to [makes pause] who brought our country to this state and they intend to do the same again. I believe that it is a mistake to test those already being tested. They should be taken to national and international court.”

Link: Here, here, and her website here

What a courage, lets send her our prayers and good wishes. That's the least we can do.

More brainpower!

Exercise boosts brainpower by building new brain cells in a brain region linked with memory and memory loss, U.S. researchers reported on Monday

link: Here

It takes a courage

"Why do they always teach us that it's easy and evil to do what we want and that we need discipline to restrain ourselves? It's the hardest thing in the world – to do what we want. And it takes the greatest kind of courage. I mean, what we really want."

Ayn Rand

We don't need more love or compassion to change the world we live in, or change our own lives to that next level. It takes a courage to imagine our greatness and our possibilities. What is it that your really really want to do and don't have the courage to do? hmmm

I love, love, love this picture. It brings me joy and I don't even know who the baby is. The pure innocence of this child is inspiring, which reminds me this quote I once read and unfortunately don't remember who the author was:

While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is.

Acceptance of all emotions

I was feeling sad yesterday and I had read this poem before but I could not remember it completely, so I had to find this Poem to share it with you. Rumi says in suppressing our grief, jealousies, fears and pains, we also suppress delight, joy and our love. Feel all emotions! So I accepted my sadness, and I did not fight it, and it went away when I woke up this morning.

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all.
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
Who violently sweep your house
Empty of its furniture.
Still treat each guest honourably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
Meet them at the door laughing,
And invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
Because each has been sent
As a guide from beyond.

Jalaluddin Rumi
also know as Moulana

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced."

- Vincent Van Gogh

Get inspired with Universe!

Total Lunar Eclipse expected tomorrow, March 3rd. The moon will turn shades of amber and crimson Saturday night as it passes behind the Earth's shadow in the first total lunar eclipse in 3 years. The eclipse will reach totality -- when the moon begins to pass through the darkest part of Earth's shadow -- at 5:44 p.m. EST, about 15 minutes before moonrise.


And look at this amazing picture. This image of Saturn provided by NASA March 1, 2007 shows Saturn floating obliquely as one of its gravity-bound companions, Dione, hangs in the distance.


In ancient times "blood Moon" was viewed with dread and seen as an omen of disaster or great change. Well, lets hope this one will be for a joyous change!

Read here for more info on Eclipse

Blues

Don't try to cast all the blues away in your life, you won't be able to see the perfect rainbow.

Yahu
Photos taken by Dan Bush of Albany, Missouri