Wrestling With My Life

The Prosperity Project this time around is about Living a Larger Life, and just when I think I've got it all together, just when I think my hard work is paying off, this happens... and I begin to lose my confidence and strength of purpose.

This week, today in particular, I think I've done a much better job at emulating "The Wrestler." This video pretty much sums me up, today at least!

Here's a short quote about the move: "It’s a simple but devastating story of faded glories and the inability to let go. They know how to do one thing and keep at it, because what else are they going to do? They may be stuck in the past but what else do they have to stick to?"

And I'm wondering, is all this wanting to "be" Aragorn, or "be" Buffy is this me trying to relive the glory days of the past that never even happened to me? Am I completely nuts? I'm having all kinds of 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th thoughts on the whole subject of "being Aragorn" and "being Buffy" and "being anyone including me." Here are some highlights from today's post on the Prosperity Project:

I missed a few days posting here because I was so worn out from work that I couldn't lift a finger to do anything. The last 3 days have been just brutal. Out of the 100+ dogs I bathed this week, I think there were only 1 or 2 who weren't vigorously resistant to the whole idea of wetness. From little bitty dogs who turned into crazed demons at the sight of water, to a Mastiff the size of a small horse curling his lip and showing his teeth to everyone who looked at him - it was just crazy!

As I was walking out to my car last night - feeling battered and beat up - I said to myself, "I'm tired of having to constantly fight every day!" Then, it hit me... fighting... Isn't that what Aragorn does? Isn't that what Buffy does? Fight Urukai, Orks, and vampires - bad guys? Isn't that pretty much what happens in these epic fantasy movies? Those larger than life heroes get out there and fight, then they fight some more, they get knocked down, they get back up, and they fight again. In the movies, it looks pretty cool... in real life I think it probably pretty much sucks!

Is it true that I don't want to be constantly fighting? or is it just that I don't want to be fighting with silly dogs who don't want their bath? Maybe I enjoy fighting, I just wish it was more interesting, or more rewarding, or that in the end I'll be winning something richer and way more cool than my piddling paycheck. Which sounds really ungrateful - and that's something else to consider - since that paycheck is what keeps my electricity on, my car running, and without it I'd be pretty frightened and cold right now.

Maybe at the end of the day I'd like to be sitting around the fire, or sitting in the library with my friends and companions thinking about how we saved the world yet again, instead of sitting at home, alone. And why is it that I'm generally attracted to the warriors, to the die hards, to the relentless hero fighting against all odds. Could it be that bathing dogs is just too easy? If they really were little demons, and if I really was saving the world one Lhasa demon at a time, would I be happy and fulfilled in my work?

And as I'm writing this, it occurs to me that movies and books tend to leave out the tedium and the long hours and even longer days when nothing interesting is happening. Would I have become such a Lord of the Rings fan if I had to watch it in real time? Would I even be out of the Shire yet if I was watching it as it actually occurred? And if movies did unfold in real time, I guess the movie I'd rather be in is Avatar... and I'd want to be one of those cool flying dragon creatures!

Of course, if that happened, I'd probably end up with a job flying and fighting... and I'd be coming home from that job feeling beat up and tired and wishing I had a small animal to eat... maybe a dog even... and saying to myself, "I'm really tired of flying and fighting."

So... guys... those are my thoughts for today. What about you? What are you wishing for and then wishing it wasn't almost as soon as you get it? Are your glory days over? Were they over before they even began?

Better Late Than Never

This post is about .... let me see.... 21 days late!

Yesterday I had the best New Year's Eve! I made ornaments, I cooked, I drove on ice - a solid sheet of ice that lasted about 2 miles, I went shopping, I set raisens on fire, drank champagne, had a spectacular fire to watch, did magic, saw faeries, toasted the moon, talked to my mom, spent time with my granddaughter, tromped around in the snow, got really really cold, lit candles, cleaned up my mess, I even took pictures!! ... what else... oh, and I took the christmas tree outside.

The only thing I didn't get to do that I wanted to do was take a long hot bath, and that was because I've had to leave the water dripping so the pipes won't freeze. I turned off what I thought was the hot water side so that I'd have hot water for the bath, but I accidentally turned off the cold water instead.

The original plan was for a New Year's Eve party. I was going to get pizza, pop, bourbon, and champagne. And we were going to do magic all night long. But then we had the blizzard of 2009, Michelle and her kids got sick, and it just didn't work out. So I made magic by myself... and it was so much fun!

First thing I did was make gingerbread men with holes in their bellies for a spell I'm starting today (New Years Day) and continuing with throughout the year. It's a spell for filling up the empty space in me with something other than food ... like light, love, laughter, magic, etc. I couldn't find a cookie cutter, so I cut the shapes out with a knife, and used cherrios to keep the belly hole from filling in. They look a little strange... here's a really small not very good picture of them.

Then, I made edible ornaments for the birds. It was so much easier than I thought it would be. And while I was making them, I was thinking about the fairies, and the birds, and the magic spells I had planned for later on, and next thing you know, I was in an incredibly good mood.

I took the Christmas Tree outside and hung the edible ornaments on it. What a beautiful day. The moon was rising as the sun was setting. Here's a picture of the tree outside. I know... the image is really small, and you can't really see it, but here it is anyway. The tree itself was one of my favorite things we did for our Yule celebration.

We did this cool thing of putting bells on it and making wishes. The idea was to say your wish into the bell and then the fairies would work on making that wish come true. Michelle and her kids came over, Saskia, James and Sydney were there, and we had a "yule" party and the wishes and the bells were the best part of the whole day. The kids really got into it, and the little tree looked so cute with all the bells hanging on it. The only other ornaments we had were a couple of short garlands made out of cheerios, and it was a seriously cute tree. I think it must have had some fairy glamour on it. Plus Michelle and I made that awesome star for the top of it... I know you can't see it in the picture... but trust me, it was awesome!

Anyway... I told the kids that I'd take the tree outside on New Years Eve and put more edible ornaments on it for the birds and the other little wild critters, and that the fairies would really like that.

While I was doing the tree, James came up and I got him started burning the burn pile. I figured with all the snow that we couldn't possibly start a grass fire, and probably nothing would even catch on fire, but it was worth a shot. And wow! Tbat fire turned out to be the most spectacularly magical thing of the evening. It just took off! Almost as if the fire spirits had been itching to get their hands on it all year long!

Up close, the fire was burning in an amazing array of colors. I found an image online that will give you an idea of how cool it was to watch from up close.



Later, having finished with the magic, I sat at the window and watched the fire. That's when I saw them. I saw the feary folk around that fire, and I saw the fire dancers, and the trapped energy within the burn pile traveling up to "heaven." Totally unexpected and cool. At first I thought it was James moving around the fire, but it wasn't. Then I thought it must be the neighbors dogs, but it wasn't them either. I saw shadows and silhouettes, and it was so magical and cool.


I took several different pictures of the fire. Some close up, others far away, and for some strange reason, I ended up with the same picture over and over in my camera... at first I was pretty annoyed, because not only did I only have the one image, it was really a small picture. And then I saw it, the faery dancing in the fire. It's very clearly a fire dancer! Really! I didn't even realize it until I was writing the post and uploading the pictures. Here, I'll show you the picture enlarged... can you see it?



I also did the snapdragon spell. That was interesting! I put raisens in a bowl, covered them with brandy, and set it on fire. I thought it would be way different then it was. It took several tries to get the bourbon to light, and then it just sort of hovered over the top of the raisens, a low blue, odd sort of flame. I made three wishes, and then ate all the rest of the raisen/brandy mixture. It was yummy!

Having done that, I got busy with the Once In A Blue Moon Spell. It was surprisingly difficult to come up with a total of 13 wishes. Interestingly enough, one of the wishes was to be able to actually see faeries... and it came true almost immediately.

So... that's what I did on New Years Eve!

Filling In The Blanks

Over on the Prosperity Project I uploaded a thing about Buffy, a sort of introductory story and I was talking about how interesting and informative it might be if we each wrote our own introductory story. Initially, I had the idea of also uploading a blurb about Aragorn, but it was too much. So I said to myself, I'll just put that part of it here on Shirleytwofeathers.

Here are the two descriptive paragraphs I found:

"In the Third Age, another tale may be heard, that of Aragorn son of Arathorn, the nine and thirtieth heir in the right line from Isildur. Descended from the faithful of Númenor and whose destiny it was to reclaim the kingship of the fractured realms of Arnor and Gondor."

"His ways were hard and long, and he became somewhat grim to look upon, unless he chanced to smile; and yet he seemed to Men worthy of honour, as a king that is in exile, when he did not hide his true shape. . . Thus he became at last the most hardy of living Men, skilled in their crafts and lore, and was yet more than they, for he was elven-wise, and there was a light in his eyes that when they were kindled few could endure. His face was sad and stern because of the doom that was laid on him, and yet hope dwelt ever in the depths of his heart, from which mirth would arise at times like a spring from the rock."

They sound a little intimidating, don't they? But I thought, what the heck, I wonder what would happen if I made them into a sort of fill in the blanks template. And, VOILA! Here it is:

"In the _________, another tale may be heard, that of _______ (daughter) son of _________, the _____ and _____ heir in the right line from _____ . Descended from the faithful of ______ and whose destiny it was to _______ the _______ of the fractured realms of _____ and _______."

"(Her) His ways were _____ and ______, and (she) he became somewhat _____ to look upon, unless (she) he chanced to _____ ; and yet (she) he seemed to _____ worthy of _____ , as a _______ that is in exile, when (she) he did not hide his true shape. . . Thus (she) he became at last the most ______ of living _____ , skilled in their crafts and lore, and was yet more than they, for (she) he was _______ , and there was a light in (her) his eyes that when they were kindled few could _____ . (Her) His face was _____ and ______ because of the ______ that was laid on (her) him, and yet hope dwelt ever in the depths of (her) his heart, from which _____ would arise at times like a spring from the rock."


Now I need to get to work filling in the blanks and seeing what I come up with. When I get it finished, I'll post it. If you make a similar one, I'd love to see it!

Look what I found!

Ok... I stumbled onto something very cool and hilarious. It's the very secret diary of Aragorn... something I definitely  need if I'm going to be him, don't you think?




The Very Secret Diary of Aragorn, Son of Arathorn

By: Cassandra Claire

Day One:
Ringwraiths killed: 4. V. good.
Met up with Hobbits. Walked forty miles. Skinned a squirrel and ate it.
Still not King.

Day Four:
Stuck on mountain with Hobbits. Boromir really annoying.
Not King yet.

Day Six:
Orcs killed: none. Disappointing.
Stubble update: I look rugged and manly. Yes!
Keep wanting to drop-kick Gimli. Holding myself back.
Still not King.

Day Ten:
Sorry no entries lately. V. dark in Mines of Moria. Big Baelrog.
Not King today either.

Day Eleven:
Orcs killed: 7. V. good.
Stubble update: Looking mangy.
Legolas may be hotter than me.
I wonder if he would like me if I was King?

Day 28:
Beginning to find Frodo disturbingly attractive. Have a feeling if I make a move, Sam would kill me. Also, hairy feet kind of a turn-off.
Still not King.

Day 30:
In Lothlorien. Think Galadriel was hitting on me. Saucy wench.
Nice chat with Boromir. He’s not so bad.
Took a shower. Yay!
But still not King.

Day 32:
Orcs killed: none.
Stubble update: subtly hairy.
Legolas told me that a shadow and a threat had been growing in his mind.
I think Legolas might be kinda gay.
Nope, not King.

Day 33:
Orcs killed: Countless thousands. V. good.
Boromir killed by Orcs. Bummer. Though he died bravely in my arms, am now quite sure that he was very definitely gay.
Not so sure about Gimli either.
RIP Boromir.
Still not King, but at least Boromir seemed to think I was. Might however have been blood loss.

Day 34:
Frodo went to Mordor. Said he was going alone, but took Sam with him. Why?
My God, is everyone in this movie gay but me?
Not so sure about me either.
Still not King, goddammit.

Here's something fun!

Found this at Facebook, and couldn't resist putting it here as well. The instructions for Facebook are a little different.... I don't know if we'll have any "takers," but I'm hoping we will, and that over time this will be a really interesting comment stream!

Here's the game: Grab the book nearest you. Right now. • Turn to page 56. • Find the sixth sentence. • Post that sentence as a comment right here. • Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST book.

If you want to share this on Facebook, use these instructions:

Here's the game: Grab the book nearest you. Right now. • Turn to page 56. • Find the sixth sentence. • Post that sentence AS YOUR STATUS. AND POST these instructions in a comment to this status • Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST book.

Avatar Makeup Tutorial

I haven't even seen Avatar yet, and I'm already learning know how to do the makeup! How cool is that?

Here's something cool!

I got this widget a while back when I was going "widget crazy." I put it on my facebook profile page, and every time I use it, the astrological forecast is astoundingly accurate.

This morning, for example, I was talking about bad coconuts, how I didn't want to call the bank, and my massive procrastination effort. So, here's what my horoscope was:

Things are a little tense today, but that doesn't mean that you've got to ignore them. Just push along and see what you can do to improve the situation -- you may be surprised at how easy it is.

Cool, huh? So here it is... try it for yourself. See if it works for you!


More Astrology widgets here

So... today...

Well, I dug my car out of the snow and went to the store and got all the ingredients for Kitchari. Did you know that ground Cardamom is more precious than gold? I couldn't believe how expensive it is! Then, I picked out a really cute little coconut.... only to find out... now this morning... that it's bad.

Now, I'm usually a fairly decent coconut picker outer. I grew up in South America, I know what to look for. And it's clear that my coconut picking skills have  been languishing from under-use. So, I went looking for a good tutorial on how to choose a coconut, (which I posted).

Anyway, I am actually following through on my plan to do a Kitchari Fast. I'm going to substitude cashews for the coconut... I hope that's not a mistake.

So... what else? I have to call a bank about their bogus claim that I owe them 4 times more money than I actually do... And I'm having a huge amount of anxiety about it. So much so, that instead of calling them, I turned my house upside down, moved my office into the kitchen, reclaimed my meditation room, did laundry, collected boxes for a kitty condo thingy I want to make, planned a fast, bought groceries, beat up a coconut, started a twitter page, wrote this post, ... and if I could think of a gagillion more totally useless and ridiculous things to post... I would, and if I could think of even more ways to mess up my house, I'd do that too. How's that for aggressive proactive procrastination??? I wonder what Aragorn would do...

How To Choose A Good Coconut

There’s nothing worse than going to all the work of opening a coconut, just to discover the meat is rancid. Here are a few tips to help you choose a good coconut at the supermarket.

1. Look the coconut over carefully. Do not pick one that has any leakage out of the three black eyes at the top.
2. Pick up the coconut with one hand. It should be fairly heavy for its size.
3. Heft the coconut up and down with your hand to see if you can feel the liquid (the coconut juice or water) sloshing around.
4. Compare coconuts for differences in weight and amount of liquid.

Oh, and by the way, here's a great tutorial on How To Open A Coconut, it has pictures and everything!

source

Here's A Cool Quote

I found this really cool quote at The World Pantheist Movement. It supports my new dedication to rejuvenation and better living through... I dunno... right thinking?

We shall be notes in that great Symphony

Whose cadence circles through the rhythmic spheres,

And all the live World's throbbing heart shall be

One with our heart; the stealthy creeping years

Have lost their terrors now, we shall not die,

The Universe itself shall be our Immortality.

-Oscar Wilde, Excerpt from Panthea

Turn Back Your Biological Clock

Rejuvenation is the deliberate restoration of youth and vigor through self-intervention in the aging process. Negative mental states such as anxiety, depression, hostility, and insecurity tend to be debilitating, hastening the aging process. Positive mental states such as self-confidence, self-esteem, self-acceptance, and a sense of personal adequacy are empowering and inject rejuvenating energies into the body, eradicating those disempowering states which contribute to aging. Love, for example, is one of the most empowering rejuvenation elements know. When present in the psyche, it neutralizes hate, its negative counterpart that is destructive. Dormant rejuvenating forces already exist within each of us and can be activated to intervene in the physical aging process.

Psychic Rejuvenation

• Step 1:

Relaxation. Physical relaxation sets the stage for using your psychic faculties to intervene in the body's many functions. Close your eyes, slow down your breathing and allow your muscles to relax from the forehead down followed by the affirmation:

"I am now in full charge of my body. I am capable of influencing every function, mental and physical. All rejuvenating energies of my being are now at my command."

• Step 2:

Stress Expiation. Even when stress is reduced through relaxation, certain residual effects tend to linger. By visualizing the major systems and organs of the body and mentally infusing them with rejuvenating energy you can extinguish the residual effects of stress on the body. Energizing the body's systems and organs is accomplished by centering full awareness on various body regions and mentally bathing them with glowing energy while using the following affirmation:

"Youthful, invigorating energy is now flowing throughout my body. All organs systems and functions are now revitalized. The wear-and-tear of stress is now replaced by the flow of youth and vigor."

• Step 3

Balance. With the body physically relaxed and the residual effects of stress relieved, an empowering state of full balance is possible through a technique called the Fingerpad Engagement Procedure. Designed to balance left- and right-brain functions, this procedure attunes the mind and body-a condition essential to rejuvenation. Bring the tips of your fingers together; then with the fingerpads in a comfortable position, with your eyes closed, imagine your hands as antennae for your brain. Imagine your left brain actively generating positive energy, which flows into your right hand as an extension of that hemisphere. Next, imagine your right brain producing positive energy which flows into your left hand as an extension of that hemisphere, Allow the energies flowing into your hands to mingle and create a powerful exchange that balances your mental and physical systems. After a few moments, disengage your fingerpads and allow your hands to relax, palms side up. Conclude with the following affirmation:

"My total being is balanced and infused with rejuvenating energy. The energies of youth are now unleashed to flow throughout my being. I am completely attuned within myself and with the world."

• Step 4:

PK Illumination. This is the final and most critical step in the rejuvenation process. Visualize or look at a photograph of yourself in your youthful prime. Study this image, carefully noting the youthfulness in your eyes. Now close your eyes and visualize yourself at the peak of youth standing before a full-length mirror. Study your eyes in the mirror and observe a youthful gleam. Next, surround yourself with a glow of energy, then think of your favorite color. Finally, while breathing slowly and rhythmically, soak in the rejuvenating glow enveloping your body. Conclude with this affirmation:

"My powers of rejuvenation are now being unleashed to permeate my total being with the glow of youth and vigor. Every system within is now being revitalized with the infusion of rejuvenating power. Tired, worn tissue is being fortified with the energies of youth. Every function of my body is now fully infused as sparkling youthful energy is absorbed into every cell and fiber. Surrounded by a colorful aura of rejuvenating energy, I am now secure in the present, bathed in vitality and the glow of youth. My inner rejuvenating powers are fully and completely unleashed to flow freely throughout my total being. Each day, my mind and body absorb the abundance of youthful energy that is constantly being unleashed within my being. Whenever I envision myself enveloped with the colorful glow of radiant energy, I will immediately become invigorated and fully empowered."

This rejuvenation procedure can be repeated daily, or as often as you wish. You may want to place a small, self-adhesive star or other reminder on your mirror, computer, or TV as a cue to periodically re-activate the inner flow of rejuvenating energy. With practice, the process of combining visualization with affirmations and tapping into the dormant powers of rejuvenation within you will become a natural, spontaneous and continuous function.

© 1995 by Joe Slate Ph.D.

Test Post

I'm going crazy on facebook, friending everyone who's a friend of a friend, and uploading all my blogs to NetworkedBlogs. This is a test post. If it works, that means that every time I post it will show up on my wall automatically without me having to do anything! How cool is that?

I might have figured something out!

Well... I have been snowed in for days, haven't been to work since Tuesday, and I'm starting to get a little stir crazy! Even though I have no way to go to the store... (well that's not entirely true... maybe if I took a crowbar and pried my car door open, took a blowtorch and warmed my battery up, and then slid in and out of ditches for 2.4 miles... it's possible I might actually get to a place that sells food). And even though I will probably have no money for food anyway... I have been doing nothing but eat. Munch. Munch. Munch!

Sitting and eating, blogging and eating, reading and eating, watching TV and eating... By the time the weather clears I'll be too fat to fit into any of my clothes! Not only that, but I'm feeling old and used up, tired and dragged out, weak and just plain... well... bleah!

On top of all that, I've started a new Prosperity Project centered around my yearly obsession with the Lord of the Rings. I don't know who anybody else on the Project wants to be (not entirely true... I know Daniel is identifying with Sam), but I have been aching to be Aragorn. And it's stupid, because all the while I'm wanting to badly to be this strong, athletic, physically fit, well diciplined hero... what am I doing? Eating... mostly. Well... there is a fair amount of sleeping going on too. All this time when I could be working out! Practicing slashing heads off of Orcs, and I'm spending it doing what??? Hanging out on facebook? It's stupid.

Stupid, except that I did find some really interesting stuff, and now I have a really good idea for something that might give me at least a small start in my quest to be Aragorn. First thing I found was this cool article about the 256 year old man. I guess he never thought he was too old to live his life. If I had 256 years... well... there'd be plenty of time to create the life I want to create, and I could stop with the ridiculous notion that it's too late, and I'm washed up, over the hill... etc. etc. ad infinitum...

Then, I stumbled onto a page about Kitchari. And wow! There it is! My ticket to feeling better and stronger, and a great way to break the cycle of eating mostly crap. As soon as I can get to a store, I'm going to buy the ingredients and get started with a 5 day Kitchari fast...

Ok, I can just see you rolling your eyes and nodding, all the while thinking... yeah right. I'll believe that when I see it... and yes, you will, because I'm really going to do it. Not only that, but I'm going to budget for martial arts classes. If this 93 year old man can do it, I can to.

I think I actually have the beginnings of a plan for how to be Aragorn this year. Wanna hear it?

1. Immerse myself in the Living a Larger Life project.
2. Get healthy - start with the Kitchari - and follow through with better choices.
3. Investigate matrial arts classes, and figure out what's possible for me to actually do.
4. Find something that I can actually do right now, something that doesn't cost money or require me to get into my car. Hmmm.... there must be something ....

A 256 Year Old Man!

Li Ching-Yun. Image from The People’s Republic of China

According to the 1933 obituaries in both Time Magazine and the New York Times, Li Ching-Yun was reported to have buried 23 wives and fostered 180 descendants by the time he died at the age of 256.

The Secrets to an Interminable Life

“Keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon and sleep like a dog.” These were the words of advice Li gave to Wu Pei-fu, the warlord, who took Li into his house to learn the secret of extremely long life.

Li maintained that inward calm and peace of mind were the secrets to incredible longevity. His diet after all, was mainly based on rice and wine.

Unsurprisingly, not much is known about Li Ching-Yun’s early life. We know he was born in the province of Szechwan in China, where he also died. We also know that by his tenth birthday, Ching-Yun was literate and had travelled to Kansu, Shansi, Tibet, Annam, Siam and Manchuria gathering herbs. After that, it gets a bit fuzzy…

Apparently, for over one hundred years, Li continued selling his own herbs and then subsequently sold herbs collected by others. He also (according to Time) had six-inch long fingernails on his right hand.

You might be thinking that he looked decrepit, shrivelled, leather-like and creepy, however sources at the time were astonished at his youthfulness. Was this suspect? Was Li Ching-Yun as old as he claimed he was, or was his birthday a clerical error or exaggeration?

Let’s take a brief look at both sides…

The Nine Lives of Li Ching-Yun

By his own admission he was born in 1736 and had lived 197 years. However, in 1930 a professor and dean at Minkuo University by the name of Wu Chung-chien, found records “proving” that Li was born in 1677. Records allegedly showed that the Imperial Chinese Government congratulated him on his 150th and 200th Birthdays.

So the question is, had he forgotten his own birthday? Was this even the same Li Ching-Yun?

Looking at all of this from a medical and documented perspective: Jeanne Louise Calment, a French woman who died in 1997 so far holds the title for the person who has roamed the earth the longest: 122 years, which is a phenomenal length of time.

That means, that if the records discovered by Wu Chung-chien were accurate, Li Ching-Yun’s age would surpass the official record by more than 130 years. Is this even medically possible?

The detail, which seems to prove both arguments and debunk them at the same time, is Li’s youthful appearance, noted in a 1928 article from the New York Times. Visually and physically, he appeared to look like a typical 60 year-old. Does this therefore signify a superhuman body capable of lasting one quarter of a millennium, or is the story of Li Ching-Yun based on a series of half-truths, lies or exaggerations?

Unfortunately, we may never know. You may draw your own logical conclusions. I have decided to believe it.

source

A Kitchari Fast

In Ayurveda, the ancient wisdom of India dating back 5,000 years, this mix of rice and mung beans is considered extremely easy to digest and is said to purify the digestion and cleanse the body of toxins. Ayurvedic physicians often prescribe a kitchari diet before, during, and after panchakarma, a rejuvenative treatment that cleanses toxins stored in bodily tissues as it restores systemic balance.

Kitchari provides solid nourishment while allowing the body to devote energy to healing. You can safely subsist on kitchari anytime in order to build vitality and strength as it helps balance all three doshas. For restless vata, the warm soup is grounding; for fiery pitta, its spices are calming; and for chilly kapha, it provides healing warmth.

According to Vasant Lad, in his book, The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies, "A five-day kitchari fast, using plain kitchari with just some chopped cilantro leaves added, will cleanse the system and help to strengthen memory."

Kitchari fasting is actually a mono-diet, which means the body receives a limited diversity of foodstuffs and therefore needs to produce a limited number of digestive enzymes. The work of the digestive system is lessened, allowing for greater healing and cleansing to occur. A kitchari cleanse can be calming, soothing and warming.

Kitchari tastes like a cross between a creamy rice cereal and a light dal, or lentil soup. If it is a cold, blustery day or you are feeling under the weather, a steaming bowl of this classic Indian comfort food can both warm up your bones and restore sagging energy. Everyone has his or her own special method of making kitchari. Ayurvedic Cooking for Self Healing offers a half-dozen kitchari recipes, including this one found on Yoga Journal:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup split yellow mung beans
• 1 tbsp peeled, chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp shredded coconut
• handful chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp each of cardamom, pepper, clove powder, turmeric, salt
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 tbsp ghee or butter
• 1 cup raw basmati rice
• 6 cups water

Directions:

First, rinse the mung beans and soak for several hours. Set aside. In a blender, liquefy the peeled, chopped ginger, shredded coconut, chopped cilantro with one-half cup of water. In a large saucepan, lightly brown the  spices, salt; and bay leaves (remove before serving) in the ghee, or butter.

Drain the beans and then stir them into the spice mixture in the saucepan. Next, add the basmati rice. Stir in the blended spice and coconut mixture, followed by six cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook on low heat for approximately 25 to 30 minutes until soft.

Walking Through Walls

I am reading this awesome book. It's called, The God Who Begat a Jackal, and wow. I picked it up at a flea market because I liked the title, and once again I am amazed by how the Master of the Universe uses obscure books from odd places to speak to me.

Listen to this:

"Aster became sullen and withdrawn. She ate little and grew thinner. Her days were spent talking to invisible friends in a language that no one else could understand. Wild animals became attracted to her. Thrushes landed on her tiny shoulders, lizards gave her the right of way. Absentmindedly, she wandered about asking the names of common, everyday items....

"Count Ashernafi dismissed his daughter's oddities, believing that she was experiencing the tribulations of growth, until one evening when she got up from the dining table and walked right through a solid wall... When he finally came to, Count Ashenafi had his daughter shackled to a post, and sent for the family diviner..."

So, the diviner comes... and makes his assessment of the situation:

"After only a cursory examination, the diviner was able to pinpoint what was ailing her: tthe girl hadn't been immersed in the proper social conduct, no one had told her that whisking through a solid barrier, like chatting with songbirds, was not a human thing to do..."

The diviner goes on to explain...

"...babies come down to earth burdened by many languages, hopes, and dreams. In their cribs, they laugh at the jokes of spirits, and cry at the waft of the Devil's noxious fart. Left to their own devices, the innocent would think nothing of debating with a pack of hyenas or singing in the tongue of a thrush.

"Child rearing is, for the most part, stamping out the budding languages from the baby's essence, giving room for only one to grow. It is a series of methodical and coordinated attacks on the baby's ability to perform a forbidden act - such as walking through a solid wall..."

And it was decided that:

"Aster needed a qualified hand to help her unlearn some of the lessons of the world beyond, a job for which the diviner was uniquely qualified and, therefore, volunteered himself..."

So she spends the next six months with the diviner, while he teaches her that what used to be possible is now impossible. For example:

"One morning, for instance, the sight of a bunch of boys swarming up a towering fig tree prompted the holy man to impress on the young lady that it was out of step with nature for women to climb trees. Aster had been running up and down trees since the age of four, with the ease of a nimble leopard. She attempted to prove the diviner wrong by scaling the fig tree, but was reminded of the new truth when she lost her grip and fell to the parched earth below, twisting an ankle."

Who would we be without those well meaning misguided people who work so hard to make sure our lives are ordinary and completely lacking in magick? What would we be able to do if no one ever told us what was impossible?

Me... Today!

"Not yet willing to endure Apollo,
the prophetess raged within the cavern in her frenzy..."

from the Aeneid by Virgil.

So, that just proves that I'm not the only one with sanity issues! Not the only one unwilling to endure the God of Love, and not the only one who hangs out in a cavern, raging and frenzied! I found that quote on a page at facebook called Pagan Prophets, and immediately became a fan! How could I resist?

Love this!

Being Entish

Ok... so I just posted a bunch of stuff about Ents. As a matter of fact, you now have access, on this site, to just about everything you might ever want to know about Treebeard and the Entmoot. I have quotes, a list, and fresh from wikipedia - a history. Why?

Well, I'm getting to that. Don't be hasty, little human.

I watched the Lord of the Rings, as I always do this time of the year. And while I've already blogged about how once again, I'm going for the gold and will be trying to "be" Aragorn, what I haven't talked endlessly about, at least not yet, but I will... soon enough, is who I have actually succeeded at "being" for the past year. And yes, you've probably guessed it already. I'm pretty sure that I've spent most of last year being about as Entish as a person can get.

And yes, there were those interludes of insanity where I was absolutely "The Wrestler," it seems that I did manage mostly to pull myself up by my bootstrings, and I've been hiding out in Fanghorn Forest ever since.

Being an Ent isn't all that bad, they are at least stable, private, and basically good. The problem is that an Ent is not what I aspire to be, and in my heart, I am only a little bit Entish. On the other hand, maybe it would be a good idea to aspire to be the best possible Ent in the coming year... what if the following description (from the book, The Two Towers) was true for me as well as Treebeard?

"One felt as if there was an enormous well behind them, filled up with ages of memory and long, slow, steady thinking; but their surface was sparkling with the present: like sun shimmering on the outer leaves of a vast tree, or on the ripples of a very deep lake. I don't know but it felt as if something that grew in the ground — asleep, you might say, or just feeling itself as something between root-tip and leaf-tip, between deep earth and sky had suddenly waked up, and was considering you with the same slow care that it had given to its own inside affairs for endless years."

Yes, I would like that. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it. Magical even. Altogether self absorbed - something I have a real talent for! And yet, it doesn't fill me with the enthusiasm or the deep yearning I feel when I think about if I could only be Aragorn....

So... there you have it! Clearly, no one has been chomping at the bit to find out who I think I was in the "real" world of 2009. But it feels good to have it posted at last. I'm not sure why, but I get a sense of having "finished" it once it's posted.

Oh, and by the way, it took me several hours to get this posted.... I guess because "it takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish. And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say."

The Long List of the Ents

This is an old list of a living things that ents learned when they were young. Treebeard recited this when he met Merry and Pippin, trying to figure out where hobbits were in the list. When he bid goodbye to them at the fall of Isengard, he had added them in.

Learn now the lore of Living Creatures!
First name the four, the free peoples:
Elders of all, the elf-children;
Dwarf the delver, dark are his houses;
Ents the earthborn, old as mountains;
Man the mortal, master of horses:

Beaver the builder, buck the leaper,
Bear bee-hunter, boar the fighter;
Hound is hungry, hare is fearful…

Eagle in eyrie, ox in pasture,
Hart horn-crowned; hawk is swiftest,
Swan the whitest, serpent coldest…

Ents the earthborn, old as mountains,
The wide-walkers, water drinking;
And hungry as hunters, the Hobbit children,
The laughing-folk, the little people.

~The Two Towers, "Treebeard"

My Favorite Treebeard Quotes

Merry: It's been going for hours.

Pippin: They must have decided something by now.

Treebeard: Decided? No, we have just finished saying "Good Morning".

Merry: But it's night time already! You can't take forever!

Treebeard: Now, don't be hasty, master Merriadoc.

Merry: We're running out of time!

Treebeard: You must understand, young Hobbit, it takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish. And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say.

Treebeard: I promised Gandalf I would keep you safe and safe is where I'll keep you.

Treebeard: That doesn't make sense to me. But, then again, you are very small.

Pippin: And whose side are you on?

Treebeard: Side? I am on nobody's side, because nobody is on my side, little orc.

Treebeard: I always like going South; somehow, it feels like going downhill.

Treebeard: I believe you will enjoy this next one, too. It is one of my own compositions. Ahem. 'Beneath the roof of sleeping... leaves and dreams of trees untold, When woodland halls are... green... and cool, and the wind is in the west, Come back to me... Come... back... to me, And say my land is... best.'

Pippin: Why are there so few of you, when you live so long? Are there Ent children?

Treebeard: [Sadly] Brrharroom. There have been no Entings for a terrible long count of years.

Merry: Why is that?

Treebeard: We lost the Entwives.

Pippin: Oh, I'm sorry. How did they die?

Treebeard: Die? No. We "lost" them. And now, we cannot "find" them.

Treebeard: [hopefully] I don't suppose you've seen Entwives in the Shire?

Merry: Can't say that I have. You, Pip?

Pippin: [thinks for a moment] What do they look like?

Treebeard: [pauses] Hrrooom... I... don't... remember... now.

Ents' Marching Song

We come, we come with roll of drum: ta-runda runda runda rom!
We come, we come with horn and drum: ta-runa runa runa rom!

To Isengard! Though Isengard be ringed and barred with doors of stone;
Though Isengard be strong and hard, as cold as stone and bare as bone,
We go, we go, we go to war, to hew the stone and break the door;
For bole and bough are burning now, the furnace roars – we go to war!
To land of gloom with tramp of doom, with roll of drum, we come, we come;
To Isengard with doom we come!
With doom we come, with doom we come!

~The Two Towers, "Treebeard". Sung by the Ents as they marched south to make war on Saruman and destroy Isengard.

All About Treebeard

Treebeard (Sindarin: Fangorn) is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The eldest of the species of Ents, he is said to live in the ancient Forest of Fangorn and stands fourteen feet in height and is tree-like in appearance, with leafy hair and a rigid structure. His motto is, "Don't be hasty."

Fangorn Forest lies next to Isengard where Saruman the White resides. In the The Two Towers he meets with Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, two Hobbits of the Shire known also as Merry and Pippin. Treebeard is known to have a strong hatred of Orcs, and, after Saruman's betrayal of the Ents, of Saruman as well.

Spirits were sent by Eru Ilúvatar to inhabit the trees, which the Vala Yavanna had created along with other plants or olvar. The Vala longed for their protection since Morgoth or Melkor was destroying the trees and olvars, which could not defend themselves from him. The Ents were created by Ilúvatar at the behest of Yavanna as the Shepherds of the Forest or Tree-herders. Entwives were also created for the Ents, but, in the Second Age, were driven out by Sauron.

Treebeard is the oldest of three remaining original Ents. He is said to have once roamed all of the forests in Middle-earth, which included the Misty Mountains, Mirkwood, and the Blue Mountains. After the loss of the Entwives by the end of the Third Age, he and the remaining Ents dwelt in the Forest of Fangorn. This led the remaining Ents into isolation and all information from the outside world was cut off. The arrival of Merry and Pippin shifted Treebeard's attention to take action against Saruman for hacking down his trees. He led the Ents to war against Saruman and his Orcs. Treebeard later realised that while Saruman had learned much from him, the Wizard had shared no useful information of his own.

"One felt as if there was an enormous well behind them, filled up with ages of memory and long, slow, steady thinking; but their surface was sparkling with the present: like sun shimmering on the outer leaves of a vast tree, or on the ripples of a very deep lake. I don't know but it felt as if something that grew in the ground — asleep, you might say, or just feeling itself as something between root-tip and leaf-tip, between deep earth and sky had suddenly waked up, and was considering you with the same slow care that it had given to its own inside affairs for endless years."

—The description of Treebeard in The Two Towers Volume III - Treebeard

Treebeard had been friends with Saruman. It is described in The Two Towers that Saruman travelled with Treebeard and had talked with him on various subjects of concern. Saruman gathered information from Treebeard about the Forest of Fangorn; its inter-twinning paths were of particular concern to him. Saruman later abandoned Treebeard, choosing to stay in Isengard and build an army for Sauron.

After Merry and Pippin's meeting with Treebeard, Treebeard called a meeting of the Entmoot — which lasted three days — who then decided to call an attack on Isengard and Saruman. Since Leaflock and Skinbark were the oldest of the Ents along with Treebeard, they refused to fight, however, Treebeard thought he was going to his doom during "the last march of the Ents." Treebeard hoped that some of the younger Ents would come instead of just the two, and, during the night he spread the word. They later launched an assault on Isengard.

After Treebeard ordered the Ents to march to Isengard, the Ents felled Saruman's walls and destroyed every object in and around Isengard; the Tower of Orthanc could not be breached, but Saruman was trapped within. Treebeard stopped the attack on the tower when he realised their efforts were in vain: the tower was too strong. The Ents were ordered to unleash the waters of the River Isen, which flooded Isengard. When Merry and Pippin departed Treebeard he requested them to watch for the Entwives. At one point in the book, Tolkien gives hints on the whereabouts of the Entwives. It is speculated that they were spotted by Samwise Gamgee's cousin Hal in the North Farthing. However, this may or may not be conjecture:

"But what about these Tree-men, these giants, as you might call them? They do say that one bigger than a tree was seen up away beyond the North Moors not long back......But this one was as big as an elm tree, and walking — walking seven yards to a stride, if it was an inch."

—Samwise Gamgee and Ted Sandyman arguing over Sam's cousin's account of spotting Ents near the Shire in the Fellowship of the Ring Volume I - The Shadow of the Past

In the Years of the Trees where the Ents were thriving in 1495 Morgoth had re-established his realm in Middle-earth. With this the Entwives had moved across to the east where Anduin lay. Treebeard's Entwife Fimbrethil was driven from her land and the two were separated forever. This may have been the dominant cause of the loss of the Entwives and the loss of the Entings.

The Elven-realm Lothlórien was situated near the North of Fangorn Forest and Treebeard had met the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim of Lothlórien, who refer to him as "Eldest". This marked the time the Ents and the Elves would be separate. Treebeard had in addition met Galadriel and Celeborn. Over time the Ents and the Elves separated and the Elves had nothing more to do with the business of Ents.

source: Wikipedia

Aragorn Again

Every year, I sit down and watch The Lord of the Rings Trilogy from start to finish. I think about my life, and about who I would be if  that movie was my real life - what character I'd be playing. Then I think about who I would WANT to be, what role I would elect to play if I could just figure out how to do it.

So, I watched Lord of the Rings - and once again, I'm electing to "be" Aragorn. It would really be helpful if I was a man, a man in great physical shape, someone strong and cool looking... and it would be even more helpful if I was Viggo Mortensen... yes,.. it would be extremely helpful if I looked like this guy and could actually ride a horse!

But... no... It's just me, Shirley. Trying once again to be more than I am. Ok, that's not exactly true. It occured to me yesterday that the reason I have this deep seated desire to BE Aragorn is because I am Aragorn in my heart, and to see a vision of the inner me unfolding in a successful way... well... it draws me.. And it's frustrating as hell because my vision of my inner self and my vision of my outer self are so irreconcilably different. And the failure of my life is so unbearably present.

It's as if what Eowyn feared the most has already come true for me:

Aragorn: What do you fear, my lady?
Eowyn: A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.

Maybe instead of consistently picking Aragorn - I should set out to be Bilbo. Old and done. I could do that one quite easily, I think. Not happily. But easily. And I don't because the Aragorn inside me will not allow it. I guess I'm a fight to the death kind of person with no great battle to fight in... or something... so I end up just flailing around, flapping my gums, treading water, and posting shit on facebook.

I was looking for clips of the movie and found this one called "It's My Life." Wow. Yes! That's what I want. Action, adventure, courage, meaning! I want to be a hero. Like this:

Remember that awesome speech at the Black Gate? Yeah! I want that kind of a life. I want to live/give my life that way. And it just seems impossible. What is the quest? Where is the fellowship? Who has the ring? Is there a Mordor? And did Sauron already win the war? Where is my lost love? Who is my family? What is my destiny? Where the heck is Sam??? Right now when I need him? And is the desire to be Aragorn the Ring I have to take to Mordor?

And who have I been this last year instead? Well, I think I've been a pretty credible Ent. A lot of bla bla bla... and I think I'll leave that for another post. So... the day travels on, snow falls, the sun fades... and it's time now to engage in the stuff of my real life such as washing dishes, starting up a frozen car so it won't forget how, and I don't know... bla bla bla...

Aragorn's Awesome Speech At The Black Gate

Wow and wow!

I would follow that man into ... well... anywhere!

It's My Life

Wow!

My Life As It Stands Right Now

So, well ok... if you haven't read them yet, you might as well read the two posts I just put up. One is about who I want to be in the world, and the other is about well... downloading a program of perfection from the casual body of God... if indeed that is possible, and am I really sure that I want to be perfect?

Clearly, I am dissatisfied with my life as it stands right now. A friend of mine watched Avatar on New Years Day. She liked it so much she actually watched it twice, the second time on IMAX, and she said that as she was driving home, the world looked so dull... and boring... and she was just aching to BE in the world of that movie. Maybe, given my current mood, that's the last movie I should watch. I already think my life is dull and lifeless, if I go see Avatar, it'll just be clearly even more dull and lifeless...

LSD... remember those days? I used to drop acid so that my life would be filled with color and meaning, and eventually I gave it up because I realized that it wasn't actually improving anything, that my real life was just as colorless and meaningless with LSD as it was without...

Now, I don't know. I just wish I could peel away the scales from my eyes and see a vibrant living world, full of color and meaning, interesting and exciting, and me a valuable player in it, a person with an important (and interesting) part to play. And probably this really is a vibrant living world, and I am no doubt surrounded by color and meaning, and it's very possible that I am a valuable and interesting part of it... BUT... I just can't see it.

So... maybe I'll rewrite the Violet Flame Download... maybe I'll even do it. Or maybe I'll just talk about doing it... and talk and talk... bla bla bla.... by the way, did I tell you about The Lord of the Rings yet? Looks like that'll be my next post.  Stay tuned.

THE NEW TECHNOLOGY OF THE VIOLET FLAME

I found this in my inbox this morning... and I think I'm going to actually do it. Sounds pretty strange, even to me, and that's saying ALOT! But what the heck, I just might give it a go.... it's not like I couldn't use a program and pattern of perfection!!!

The 5th-Dimensional frequencies of the Violet Flame allow us to easily download programs or patterns of perfection from the Causal Body of our Father-Mother God that we would like to manifest in our lives. We begin with an invocation, then we decide what programs we want to download and ask our I AM Presence to assist us. The downloading occurs instantly and automatically, very similar to the way the process occurs when we put a disc with a new program into our computer.

After the program is downloaded, our I AM Presence uses the technology of the Violet Flame to scan all of our records, memories, belief systems, fears, blocks, etc., from all time frames and dimensions both known and unknown. Any thought, word, action, or feeling that we have ever expressed in any lifetime that conflicts with the new program is identified, transmuted, and deleted.

We also have the ability to download programs for our families, our friends, and all Humanity. All we have to do is invoke their I AM Presence and ask that the program be downloaded according to their Divine Plan.

For our collective purposes here, the Beings of Light have grouped the programs we are going to download together according to subject matter. We are also going to invoke our families, friends, and the entire Family of Humanity.

The first step involves invoking our Father-Mother God, our I AM Presence, and the I AM Presence of all Humanity:

DOWNLOADING PROGRAMS
FROM THE CAUSAL BODY OF GOD

Through the Presence of God, I AM, I Invoke:

My Father-Mother God, My I AM Presence, the I AM Presences of ALL Humanity, and the entire Company of Heaven.

I invoke the full-gathered momentum of the 5th-Dimensional Violet Flame.

I ask the I AM Presence of each member of my family, my friends, and the entire Family of Humanity to downloaded these programs for each person according to his or her highest good and their individual Divine Plans: And I begin...

Beloved I AM Presence, download now the programs from the Causal Body of God for the Infinite Flow of God’s Abundance, Opulence, Financial Freedom, and the God-Supply of ALL good things. (pause)


The programs are successfully downloaded, and my I AM Presence now scans through all facets of my Being and transmutes and deletes anything that conflicts with these programs. (pause)


Beloved I AM Presence, download now the programs from the Causal Body of God for Eternal Youth, Vibrant Health, Radiant Beauty, and Slim, Firm, Flawless Form. (pause)


The programs are successfully downloaded, and my I AM Presence now scans through all facets of my Being and transmutes and deletes anything that conflicts with these programs. (pause)


Beloved I AM Presence, download now the programs from the Causal Body of God for Perfect Health Habits including Eating and Drinking Habits, Exercise Habits, Work Habits, Relaxation and Recreation Habits, Spiritual Devotion, Meditation, and Contemplation Habits. (pause)


The programs are successfully downloaded, and my I AM Presence now scans through all facets of my Being and transmutes and deletes anything that conflicts with these programs. (pause)


Beloved I AM Presence, download now the programs from the Causal Body of God for Divine Family Life, Loving Relationships, Adoration, Divine Love, Divine Sexuality, True Understanding, Clear and Effective Communication, Open Heart Sharing, Oneness, and the Unification of the Family of Humanity. (pause)


The programs are successfully downloaded, and my I AM Presence now scans through all facets of my Being and transmutes and deletes anything that conflicts with these programs. (pause)


Beloved I AM Presence, download now the programs from the Causal Body of God for Eternal Peace, Harmony, Balance, and Reverence for ALL Life. (pause)


The programs are successfully downloaded, and my I AM Presence now scans through all facets of my Being and transmutes and deletes anything that conflicts with these programs. (pause)


Beloved I AM Presence, download now the programs from the Causal Body of God for Self-Empowerment, Success, Fulfillment, Divine Purpose, A Rewarding Career, Self Esteem, Spiritual Development, Enlightenment, Divine Consciousness, and Divine Perception. (pause)


The programs are successfully downloaded, and my I AM Presence now scans through all facets of my Being and transmutes and deletes anything that conflicts with these programs. (pause)


Beloved I AM Presence, download now the programs from the Causal Body of God for the Perception and Open Heart and Mind Telepathic Communication with the Company of Heaven and the Angelic and Elemental Kingdoms. (pause)


The programs are successfully downloaded, and my I AM Presence now scans through all facets of my Being and transmutes and deletes anything that conflicts with these programs. (pause)


Beloved I AM Presence, download now the programs from the Causal Body of God for Inspired Creativity through Music, Singing, Sound, Toning, Dance, Movement, Art, and Education. (pause)


The programs are successfully downloaded, and my I AM Presence now scans through all facets of my Being and transmutes and deletes anything that conflicts with these programs. (pause)


Beloved I AM Presence, download now the programs from the Causal Body of God for Laughter, Joy, Playfulness, Fun, Self-expression, Elation, Enthusiasm, Bliss, Ecstasy, Wonder, and Awe. (pause)


The programs are successfully downloaded, and my I AM Presence now scans through all facets of my Being and transmutes and deletes anything that conflicts with these programs. (pause)


Beloved I AM Presence, download now the programs from the Causal Body of God for the physical manifestation of Heaven on Earth. (pause)


The programs are successfully downloaded, and my I AM Presence now scans through all facets of my Being and transmutes and deletes anything that conflicts with these programs. (pause)


I now ACCEPT and KNOW through every fiber of my Being that these programs from the Causal Body of God have been successfully downloaded. I also ACCEPT and KNOW that my I AM Presence will update these programs every single day and continually delete anything in my Being that conflicts with these programs.


In deep Humility, Divine Love and Gratitude I Decree,

It is done. And so it is. Beloved I AM, Beloved I AM, Beloved I AM.

source: Patricia Diane Cota-Robles