Change my Beliefs

"If you don't change your beliefs, your life will be like this forever. Is that good news?" ~ Robert Anthony

Agenda:

1. Read "Present Moment Awareness"

2. Ponder this

3. Ongo Journal

4. Spiritual growth intention

Full Squirrel Moon and Chung Ch'iu

The squirrels are creating great entertainment these days

Today is the start of Chung Ch’iu, the 3-day Mid-Autumn Moon Festival - a happy and beautiful Asian family celebration that comes each year at the time of the full moon in September or October.

And tonight is the full moon called the Squirrel Moon, because now the squirrels are busily gathering nuts for the winter. We are now at the peak of the strong-energy yang phase of the waxing moon, and will soon begin the quiet-energy yin time of the waning moon.

Agenda for today:

1. Take a vision walk
2. Celebrate balance

3. Read "The Sweet Spot"

4. Fall cleaning and Home projects

5. Make moon cakes

6. Make a floating lantern

7. Have a moon-viewing party

Mindful of Needs

Today I finally feel like I am on the mend and caught up with life.

Agenda:
1. Ongo Journal
2. Spiritual growth intention

October Garden

The season is moving along, and I'm trying to catch up. We were out of town for a week, and temperatures dropped and rain increased while we were gone. 

The garden looks pretty raggedy and needs some tender loving care!

I'm still harvesting tomatoes, beets, peppers, rhubarb, and a few beans.

Agenda this week:

1. Finish preparing beds

2. Planting

3. Save seeds

Days of Passion

On Fridays I make a plan for Nature-Culture flow and writing through the next week. My Nature-Culture theme this month is water, drought, plastic and pollution, and rain gardens, and I'm also working on the idea of the intersection of Nature and Culture: Is there a balance point, like a Yin yang, between the two? How can I better incorporate a sense of my wild animal instinctual being into my days, and thinking like an earth dweller rather than a person from mars?

• S: Write about awareness and eco-spiritual practices with bodies of water; how to understand local fishes.
• Listen and advise the EC group; discuss the theme "Our Garden, Our Earth" and bring ideas for ways to stretch ourselves with minimal effort.
• Weed and mulch new butterfly beds, build hugelkulture, plant clover?
• Paint a moon painting in the studio.
• M: Write about rethinking cleaning supplies (because of streams); plastics, oil, what else?
• Plan for my own cleaning supplies and plastics.
• T: Write about Autumn awareness ideas 
• W: Write about celestial viewing; get Moon books.
• Th: Write about plastics advocacy and education, trout-friendly education and craftivism; 
• Th: Plan fall themes, projects, and skills for teaching Nature-Culture to kids - Outdoor preschool!
• Design a new craftivism fish tag
• F: Write about how to be an ally for the water that flows through your land; also stormwater rain gardens and water-wise planting.

Home again

Home again, thank the universe! I will spend today recovering from the trip, catching up with writing and home tasks, and reconnecting to normalcy.

Agenda Today:

1. Read "The Creativity Book"
2. Write a letter about What I Want and What I Will Do to Get it
3. Creative visualization

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1. Read "the Creativity Book":  

A few years ago I started but didn't finish this book by Eric Maisel (one of my favorite writers). The subtitle is "A Year's Worth of Inspiration and Guidance." Who doesn't want that?
I'm on part 8, Be Ambitious, and last week I read Week 29: Want Everything. He talks about the "desire to make our mark, to do great work, and to create like a god..." and asks that my focus this month be to dream big, let my ambitions out of the bag, and to want it even in the face of long odds. He says it's in our nature to want what we want: to use our brains, discover new things, live authentically, and create something.

He challenges me to be precise - to want everything true, beautiful, and good. And then plan how to get it. He suggests that I write a letter to myself.

2. Write a letter about What I Want and What I Will Do to Get it:

Dear self, Fall is a great time to reevaluate my creative goals. I want three basic things this fall:

I want to make things with my hands to give away - useful things, things that inspire and teach, gifts and craftivism.This will be my late week focus, Thursday and Friday, and I will plan and prepare on Thursday morning. 

 

I want to make artworks with a message - things that explore and support my Nature-Culture writing. This will be my weekend focus, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, with at least two hours in the studio, and I'll envision, explore, write, and set out supplies on Saturday morning.

 

And I want to make things with my grandsons - fun things, exploring basic skills, seasonal materials, and folk crafts. This will be my mid-week focus, Tuesday and Wednesday, and I will do all the prep on Monday, gathering all the supplies and making samples.

 

3. Creative Visualization:\

Every month, at the waxing gibbous moon (my last push for action), I call on the practice of visualization to help me to see the next steps towards bringing my goals to fruition.

Today I shine a light on all my art projects, and picture what it will look like and feel like when they are finished.

Creative visualization is a technique that uses my imagination to create change. (Because of my visual and auditory sensitivity, this is the best process for knowing what I'm feeling.) It has these steps:

• First, set an intention: Say, "Today I call on the Spirit of Love to bring me clarity and open my eyes to a vision of my art projects finished and delivered." 

• Center and relax each part of my body: With each breath, allow my awareness to deepen and become softer. No stress. No rush. I walk or float in an imaginary void. Open a connection to Spirit. Feel a soft warmth begin to grow and spread through me, until I am radiating quiet energy.

• Create a clear, detailed picture in my mind, as though the objective has been reached. Paint a vivid mental image of a straw doll or my alter and one in each of my grandsons hands; a butterfly tag kit, with Friends making and taking; a clean water collage / painting with my thoughts and fortunes attached; and put as much positive energy into the images as possible. 

• Lastly, affirm that this is what I want with a short positive phrase in the present tense: "Today I will take the next steps towards manifesting the the art I want to make"

• Give thanks and return: Saying thanks out loud is how I acknowledge the reality of the gift of my vision.

The thought-image is like a signal-flare that guides the physical thing or deed to manifest in my life (and it's a good way to keep my intentions in my mind). I will carry the vision of the completed goal with me, and focus on it often during the day, in a gentle manner.

Mehregan

Mehregan (pronounced ‘meh-re-gahn’), is an ancient Persian festival, older even than Zoroastrianism, that began as a feast for the sun god/dess, Mehr.

Mehr (also known as Mithra) is responsible for knowledge, love, friendship, promises, and the light. The word "mehr" in Farsi means kindness.

When Zoroastrianism took hold in Persia, in around 1400 BCE, Mehr was reduced from a God to an angel, but the festival of Mehregan remained. Now Iranians celebrate it usually on October 1st or 2nd, as a day of thanksgiving and the start of the second half of the year (Noruz, in March, is the start of the first half). People decorate their houses, put on new clothes, and visit their relatives and friends, wishing each other a good harvest, long life, and happiness.

Agenda Today:
1. October thoughts

2. Journal queries

3. Make soup

4. Set the table
5. Fire

First Quarter Moon of Late September

Monarch in St. Paul

Tonight is the First Quarter Moon; we are one-quarter of the way through the moon cycle. The moon is waxing - growing in light and energy, creating a time for decisive action. I use this end-of-September quarter moon's energy to find clarity and balance in the chaos of travel.

Agenda Today:

1. Read "Earthwalks"

2. Journal queries
3. Make a full effort plan

Arriving

We arrive in St. Paul in about 4 hours, at 8:30 in the morning, and will pick up a rental car, then drive around a bit. We will probably look for a park to sit and drink coffee in, and perhaps a place to eat lunch, maybe an art museum or gallery, and check in with family. Then at the earliest possible moment, check in to our hotel and take naps!

I did manage 6 hours of sleep last night, but it wasn't great.

Agenda Today:

1. Read "The Earth Keeper's Handbook"

2. Ongo journal

3. Days of Passion

Train Art

It's one in the morning and I'm on the Empire Builder, in Spokane, Washington. They are adding a dining car with a lot of bumping and banging. 

I managed to get 4 and a half solid hours of sleep before my knees started to ache, and so now I get a relatively quite time to write and read, in the observation car. Not a lot to observe - it's dark; but I heard an owl call.

Agenda Today:

1. Read "The Creativity Book"

2. Evaluate my creativity habits

3. Make some Save the Butterfly tags

4. Ongo journal

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1. Read "the Creativity Book":  

A few years ago I started but didn't finish this book by Eric Maisel (one of my favorite writers). The subtitle is "A Year's Worth of Inspiration and Guidance." Who doesn't want that?

I'm on part 8, Be Ambitious, and Week 29: Want Everything. He talks about the "desire to make our mark, to do great work, and to create like a god..." and asks that my focus this month be to dream big, let my ambitions out of the bag, and to want it even in the face of long odds. He says it's in our nature to want what we want: to use our brains, discover new things, live authentically, and create something.

 

He challenges me to be precise - to want everything true, beautiful, and good. And then plan how to get it.

2. Evaluate my creativity habits:

Once a week I try to take stock of my creative habits: 

Have I launched into a large creative project, one worth exhausting myself on, and if not, why? 

Have I constructed a schedule for my creative work and am I keeping to it? 

Do I set goals at the beginning of each week? 

Do I have a daily routine that supports my creative efforts?

 

Journal: Yes, I have launched into a large creative project - it involves writing, but also practicing all the steps needed to blend nature and culture. It's an all-day, everyday kind of project. I'm making a craftivism component this week: Save the Butterfly tags.

 

3. Make some Save the Butterfly tags:

I brought along a craftivism project for this train trip - I revived a butterfly tag I made a few years ago, with a new QR code and a compelling message: 

Save butterflies;

Plant natives!

Butterflies and moths face threats 

that are leading towards 

extinction. Habitat loss is one 

of the top causes of butterfly 

and moth species decline - they 

do not have the food and living 

conditions they need to survive.

Discover how to help at 

Homegrown National Park.org

 

Today I'll take some time to paint some small butterflies on watercolor paper to cut out and sew onto the tags, add a bead, and they will be ready to fly! 

 

My goal with craftivism is always two-fold: Making something with my hands to calm and revive my creative spirit, and in the process make a small token that is eye-catching and educational. My butterfly tags are a gentle gift to both butterflies and to people.

 

Soon I'd like to design a similar tag for fishes, and clean water.

 

4. Ongo journal:

One important shift we need to consciously make is to always remember the nature in ourselves and in others. I mean, remember the wild animal that we each are, and the wild needs: The physical survival and sanctuary that earth provides. Just as the wild birds need a safe place to live, with food and clean water, so do we. When we care for the earth, we care for people too.

This seems obvious when stated that way, but we often place all our attention on humanitarian needs, and forget that human needs are the same as all the creatures. And so the opposite is also true: When we care for ourselves and other people, we are also caring for the earth. When I feel cynical about humankind and all our excessive behavior, I remember to look at us as wild animals, deserving of my compassionate forgiveness. When I remember to honor the nature in you, I honor also the earth and the creator.

The Great Journey Begins

Today we will get on a train for Minnesota - the longest train trip I've ever done: Two nights of sleeping in a chair; going through two time zone changes. I'm approaching it as a challenging adventure - and I'm not doing it alone. 

I've got two goals for this trip: First, that I practice my communication skills with my beloved husband, and second, that I stick to my other priorities - creativity, writing, healthy self-care, and earth unity.

Agenda:

1. Read "Present Moment Awareness"

2. Start an Ongo journal

3. Train schedule

4. Pack for self-care

Autumn Equinox

The autumn equinox occurs this morning at 11:19 a.m. in the Pacific Northwest. Summer is over and darkness will again catch up to the light.

The rains have already begun (hallelujah!), Canadian geese are on the move south, the leaves are turning and beginning to drop, and night temperatures are cooler. Everything in nature is paring down, and moving energy to the roots and into the earth.

Mark the Start of Autumn:

1. Journal queries

2. Read "The Sweet Spot"

3. Sustainable straw collecting

4. Make a straw doll

5. Fall cleaning and gardening

International Day of Peace and New Harvest Moon

Today is the International Day of Peace, established in 1981 by a resolution of the UN General Assembly. In 2001 the date was fixed on September 21, and declared as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres says, "Around the world lives are being ripped apart, childhoods extinguished, and basic human dignity discarded, amidst the cruelty and degradations of war."

Tonight is also the new moon. The Chinese call this eighth new moon the Harvest Moon, for obvious reasons. The new moon is the start of the lunar cycle, a time of high energy and clear thinking. Historically, the new moon is when women took time to be alone; it's a time to retreat, set intentions, and initiate something new.

Peace Day Agenda:

1. Journal queries

2. Choose a month theme

3. Set intentions

4. Raise awareness

5. Make peace stones

6. Peace vigil

7. Retreat Day plans

Mid-September Garden and End of Ghost Month

The September garden is cooler and calmer. We have had some rainy days to refresh the green, and I can relax with the watering. This is the time to begin a little garden clean-up, and prepare for winter.

Today is also the last day of Hungry Ghost month. On the last day of the seventh lunar month, before the next new moon, the gates of hell close up again. Asians celebrate this day in a variety of ways - they might burn paper money and clothing again, and taoist monks might chant to drive the ghosts away or release them; and the Toucheng Ghost Grappling Competition is held in Yilan's Toucheng Township in Taiwan(!)

 

Today:

1. Release my hungry ghosts

2. September garden tasks

3. Garden clean up and winterizing

4. Freeze tomatoes

5. Make a floating lantern

Nature-Culture Brainstorm

I'm making slow progress on my big passion project, writing a book about Nature-Culture. The research of a new topic - water, drought, and pollution - has been slow work. I've only made a dent and it's soon going to be time to move on to air!

Agenda Today:

1. Read "The Earth Keeper's Handbook"

2. Compassionate Observer practice

3.

 Five days of passion

Autumn Art Plans

Autumn begins next week, and then we will be trapped  on a train for 8 days... I need some ideas that will span the trip and flow into an autumn art practice.

So what are my goals for art this autumn?

Agenda Today:

1. Read "The Creativity Book"

2. Evaluate my creativity habits

3. Discern Autumn art themes and goals

4. Preschool plans

5. Do the smallest thing

Cusp of Autumn

 We are on the cusp of Autumn, and I want to take time to prepare myself - body, mind, and spirit. I'm taking this whole week to bring my attention to the shift we are undergoing - attempting to slow down, simplify my schedule where possible, and celebrate.

Agenda:

1. Read "Earth Walks"

2. Fall possibilities

3. Practice a Reverent Way of Being

4. Nature culture practices for fall

5. Fall vignettes

Reset on the Road

Monday is my day to reset for the week and get my ducks in a row - make some plans for health and home, and prepare for Grandson fun.

Agenda:

1. Read "The Sweet Spot"

2. My Exercise Script

3. Home projects

4. Bird School plans

Third Quarter Moon of September

Today is the third Quarter moon. This waning moon energy is yin - quiet, internal, heart-driven, intentional Being-ness. At this phase we can ease off a bit on actively pursuing goals, slow down, go within, and attend to inner work, renewal, and self-care. This isn’t a moment for starting new projects but for finishing up old ones, making peace with the past, and preparing for a fresh start at the next new moon. 

Agenda Today:

1. Read "The Earth Keeper's Handbook"

2. Spiritual growth goal

3. Renewal plans

4.

 Ritual for Release and Realignment

5. Meditation and Evaluation Journal

6. Monthly journal brainstorm

Creativity on the Road

 

Agenda Today:

1. Love meditation

2. Read "The Creativity Book"

3. Evaluate my creativity habits

4. Do the smallest thing

Paitishem

The Zoroastrian community honors the six seasons of the year by celebrating six Gahambars; the word gahambar means "proper season". Each of these six festivals is celebrated for five days, and each honors one of the six material creations: The heaven, water, earth, flora, fauna and man.

Paitishem is the third Gahambar, celebrating the creation of the earth, the end of summer, and the harvesting of crops. It takes place each year from September 12th through the 16th.

Agenda:

1. Recite prayers
2. Make Iranian soup
3. Harvest and preserve

People are Nature

People are Nature. I want to help to create a shift towards a deep acceptance that we are not separate, that caring for the earth and for people is the same thing, that it's not an "us vs. them" scenario! We can find creative ways to inhabit this planet together, with space for butterflies and houses for people.

"...a personal Earth Connection [can] also be achieved simply by considering ourselves and our fellow people as “natural resources” who are also beautiful, unique and wild and who should be revered, explored, protected and shepherded as carefully as conservation biologists strive to protect those undeveloped “natural” spaces we deem ecologically important..."

1. Read "The Earth Keeper's Handbook":

I've just begun this book by Loren Swift (2019), subtitled "Assuming Leadership in a New World." The premise is that lack of care for each other (people) results in lack of care for the earth. She says, "At our core, I know we are good. ... It is our external focus and false beliefs in separation, the illusion that we don't need each other, that keeps us held back."

"This book details the practical steps to shift the paradigm internally from conflict to cooperation and to make the same shift in relationships and in group endeavors." Well, that is the work I need to do this fall and winter. The sections include The Way In, The Way Through, the Way Together, and Divine Intimacy.

2. Love meditation:

Every month after the full moon, in the quiet-energy yin time of the waning moon, I practice a love meditation that progresses from receptivity, to gratitude, to generosity:

Day 2: Practice a love meditation, and end by feeling and expressing gratitude - send a prayer to the universe of thanksgiving for all I have in my life. 

(If I practice using an I-message to express gratitude, I will give more of myself: I feel such gratitude when you ... because ...)

When I remember to feel grateful for my blessings, my days take on a different tone: I have more vigor, optimism, compassion, and peace. By noticing how I am blessed, my impatience decreases and I realize how satisfied and fulfilled I really am.

3. Proaction and Reciprocity:

Every Wednesday I journal a bit about the future, and my dreams and goals: What GREAT things do I want to accomplish? How will I serve people? How will I use my talents? How will I stretch myself? How can I become an “island of excellence”? What is essential?

Then I try to define achievable, meaningful goals and prioritize the goals and tasks with the greatest long-term impact.

Last week I wrote as my fall goal to: Gather a core group of active individuals who want to work on earthcare projects; Take a theme that the group is excited about and write and plan my own kind of education and craftivism; Personal growth and study in clean water and air.

This week I expound on that:

1. Help the newly gathered Earthcare Action Group begin to define a plan of action for the fall, with the theme - Our Garden, Our Earth.
2. Write an essay about the intersection of Gardens and Earthcare (creating small-scale habitat then spreading it out, helping to clean waterways with our gardens, taking the next step into reciprocity...), and share it.
3. Go back to writing a bi-weekly action newsletter.
4. Write a mad-libs script for letter writing regarding the neonics bill.
5. Prepare a trout friendly tag to give away at a Meeting event.
6. Prepare a sample neighbor letter for Habitat Haven.