prayer

May a good vision catch me

May a benevolent vision take hold of me, and move me

May a deep and full vision come over me, and burst open 


around me

May a luminous vision inform me, enfold me.

May I awaken into the story that surrounds
,

May I awaken into the beautiful story.

May the wondrous story find me;

May the wildness that makes beauty arise between two lovers

arise beautifully between my body and the body of this land,

between my flesh and the flesh of this earth,

here and now,

on this day,

May I taste something sacred.

david abram

YOU ARE NOT A GADGET

estuary

found in between
uncovering duality
bringing unity
dispelling illusion
manifesting oneness and biodiversity
reminding me that
"there is no duality in reality"

y asi de la nada

llegó ese tan esperado momento,
ese prolongado hasta luego.
aquel adiós que trató de atrapar
y guardar entre la luz del sol

escondiéndose, jugando y corriendo
para que la sombra
nunca la alcanzara ni a rozar, ni a bañar
pero que ella sabía
que en algún atardecer
la alcanzaría
pues no hay tiempo que sea linear
en su corazón todo vive en el tiempo de la espiral

probablemente la alcanzaría
al caer el sol
durante una tarde de otoño,
en la cual se encontraba,
como entre en un sueño absorbida
debajo de la copa de un árbol,
mirando una dozena de mariposas zebras
perchando en la ramita de un árbol

todas las mariposas junticas
volando y llegando a casita,
a esa ramita que es su hogar
durante todas sus vidas

así fue,
durante ese misma noche,
la luna estaba llena
y trajo consigo la marea
alta y fuerte

ella sintió dentro de sí misma,
el oceáno entero,
el palpitar y el movimiento de las olas,
un llamado intenso
que fluía al mismo ritmo de la marea

ella se dejo llevar
dejó que su ser interior se invadiera, se impregnara
por la esencia de la marea, la luna y el oceáno

poco a poco
esa intensa alta marea interior
fue rompiendo su pasado
poco a poco
con la ayuda de la luna llena
que brillaba resplandesciente
fue abriendo espacio
como removiendo piedras del caúdal de un río

en ese espacio
donde antes habitaba su pasado,
donde antes habitaban grandes piedras,
quedó la tranquilidad y la serenidad
la posibilidad de un nuevo amanecer
pintado con los colores de sus sueños

y ahí,
dejó su pasado
se vació de el,
se despidió de el
sin explicarle nada
simplemente,
ella lo dejó ahí
en la orilla del oceáno
emprendió su viaje
hacia el estuario
ese puente entre todas las aguas y la tierra firme
emprendió su viaje
hacia el equilibrio de todos los elementos

ajo pachamamita

earth my body
water my blood
air my breath
and fire my spirit

i am born of the elements x4

earth my body soil and sand,
make me strong heart and hand.
water my blood flowing strong,
lead me with your healing song.
air my breath blowing true,
let my life take flight in you.
fire my spirit burning bright.

i am born of the elements

happy navaratri!!!
had an amazing navaratri celebration this year, during the last 10 days culminating yesterday.

eating starfruits picked up from the ground, sitting by the fire, healing with the warmth of stone ancestors, cleansing my soul in a sweat lodge, meditating, eating wholesome and organic foods, community meals, satsang, being with great friends, beautiful hugs, night conversations lit by starlight, sweet dreams, amazing breakfast cooked by friends, connected with old friends from my sangha

ajo abuelitas las piedras
i will listen to you carefully, to hear your wisdom and advice
you bring so much healing and warmth to my life
you are so strong and remind me of the power of fire and warmth
dissipating any blockages
i am emptying myself to be full
letting go to receive
i am grateful for all that is given to me
connecting to non-linear cycles
creating space in my life
simplifying to discover depth
seeking wildness
searching for wild places
walking in the direction of the path of heart-wholeness

following my heart

last week, i went on an amazing camping trip in the everglades. the moon was beautiful, the sun was heart-warming, amazing heart to heart conversations, creating closeness with living being in my environment. i am recognizing more and more plants, finding it enjoyable to sit down with a quiet mind and breathing deeply without the need to "be doing something", being with a place and all living beings that inhabit it. the bird season has just begun and i spent a lot of time observing blue herons, anhingas and sand hill cranes. i remembered the depth found when being immersed in natural environments. i did not miss technology at all. i saw how it creates a false impression of relationship, when many times it's just the convenience of a click of a button.

since then, i started taking a mindful break from technology, began journaling more and writing letters to friends. i love using my hands to create. i want to keep in touch with people through care and interaction that is more tangible than a click in cyber space. slowly using my cel phone less and less, thinking about a way to not be attached to a phone and its screen. considering closing my blog and sharing my journal with all that would like to and having conversations about life more openly.

i feel a deep transformation unfolding in my soul, finding my true self and tapping into my essence, my happiness. there's a more stable freedom unleashing from that space. i am grateful to be able to stop and engage critically with my inner self when i reflect on my life. I CAN CHOOSE MY HAPPINESS, i do not have to blindly follow what society "dictates", it's ultimately my choice and responsibility to find the rhythm of my drum/ my heart and dance and flow through life while honoring my own rhythm. things in life change, it's part of growth, no need to be the same every single day. the beauty of cycles is that no day is ever the same. allowing myself to go through change opens the door to explore uncovered territory and journey into the discovery of unlimited possibility.

i can feel shivers all over my body as all my cells realign themselves as i let them be who they want to be without repressing them or forcing them to be a certain way. letting go of the need to be accepted, letting go of that insecurity and cultivating gentle self-confidence.

for peace and stability

on namo narayanaya
on namo narayanaya
on namo narayanaya
on namo narayanaya
on namo narayanaya
on namo narayanaya
on namo narayanaya
on namo narayanaya
on namo narayanaya
on namo narayanaya

last stage of metamorphosis

Recently hatched atala butterflies observed at fairchild garden and about to take flight. Notice how the atala caterpillars devoured all the leaves on the stem of the coontie where all the atala butterflies are hanging from.

metamorphosis

this morning, i saw in 6 atala butterflies that had just hatched, hanging from a countie plant. on that same plant several caterpillars where in the process of undergoing metamorphosis. i could see a few chrysalids very close to ending the metamorphosis process while some had just begun it. i could also see old, empty and dried chrysalids hanging from different leaves, more butterflies had hatched recently. i was amazed!! what is the ecological footprint of a butterfly and how many butterflies can one coontie plant sustain? A LOT!!! i was especially surprised because coontie plants are not big plants (in size) and this one plant is average size. i am loving the coontie plant everyday a little more, plus it's pretty cool that it's a living fossil, being on the earth since the dinosaurs' time. talk about adapting to your environment, changing and shifting while leaving your legacy behind.

 i went back a couple of hours later with some people and 4 of the 6 butterflies had already flown away. we stayed there for a few minutes and then we saw one atala butterfly, as it took flight for the first time and began it's new life, after metamorphosis.

so much to learn from nature... what comes after the quiet stage of the chrysalid? it seems as if nothing is happening, when a deep change is happening within and behind the naked eye. suddenly the caterpillar is totally transformed, breaks its shell and the butterfly emerges and takes flight for the first time.

i believe metamorphosis in my life happens in that same way. every once in a while, moments of silence, quiet, restoration and contemplation lead to deep transformations within that transform everything in my life from the emotional to the physical. so beautiful to be able to grow and transform, to go with cycles, because it leads to something greater that no rational mind can explain. life is beautiful! the world is so much bigger than me and there is so much to learn from everything around, harmony and peace resonates in natural systems.

working at the garden

some of the cool things about working at the garden are:
-friday we harvested some basil and oregano to take some home and share with people
we left it at the entrance of our office building/house for people to take some home
our office smelled like fresh yummy herbs all days
-i got an amazingly beautiful avocado from someone's avocado tree today
-left-over lemongrass from the plant sale this weekend got planted in the learning garden
-having meetings at the porch of the gatehouse breathing fresh air

i love that the connection with plants is part of my work and that there is a community aspect too. community and sharing with others is so important. it's our garden, a beautiful place to walk and learn about beautiful plants, connect with ourselves, listen to the wind, see some birds. a place for tropical plants to be, a little gem in the middle of the city.

everyday, i like working with volunteers more. i love that their motivations are not based on any physical retribution (money), they are there because they care and are passionate about plants, the environment and passing that on...
seeing people's faces lighting up when they teach and when they are sharing their knowledge and wisdom with others.
seeing people's faces lighting up when they learn about the mind-blowing adaptations of plants and their interrelationships with their environment, with other animals...
there is so much light to be found in gardens, forests and swamps.

i give thanks to the plants, to their life-giving and life sustaining properties. for their close work with the sun and transforming that energy into beauty and food. plants sustain life physically and emotionally. they are humble with hidden secrets of wisdom within to be discovered when paying close attention.
observing and learning
learning and growing

bell hooks

ecofeminism informs my life
learning about ecofeminism empowers me in a patriarchal society
wings are lighter
ecofeminism for me is about reconnecting with my feminine, nurturing and playful side in a society that underestimates and forgets the importance of such qualities.
ecofeminism for me is about communicating freely without repressing or judging myself or others. it helps me honor myself, my life and my cycles.
i want to reclaim the feminine spirit for women and men alike
we both need balance just the same, the sun and the moon in equal measure,
bell hooks was my first conscious connection to feminism and i relate to her books a lot
here are some quotes, if they resonate with you, you should read her books. they are liberating and inspiring. she touches on many really interesting topics such as education, culture, patriarchy and sexuality in a deep, respectful, loving, caring, compassionate and bold way

"love is an action, never simply a feeling"


"If I were really asked to define myself, I wouldn’t start with race; I wouldn’t start with blackness; I wouldn’t start with gender; I wouldn’t start with feminism. I would start with stripping down to what fundamentally informs my life, which is that I’m a seeker on the path.  I think of feminism, and I think of anti-racist struggles as part of it. But where I stand spiritually is, steadfastly, on a path about love"


"all advocates of feminist politics know most people do not understand sexism or if they do they think it is not a problem. Masses of people think that feminism is always and only about women seeking to be equal to men. And a huge majority of these folks think feminism is anti-male. Their misunderstanding of feminist politics reflects the reality that most folks learn about feminism from patriarchal mass media"


i like this image a lot! i thought i would share it with you

soul transformations

when you change everything around you changes
internal transformations change everything in your environment
being back in south florida after being on the bus is a completely new experience
a new beginning,
a sunrise of the soul
strong circles and friendships remain
and many many others have dissipated and gone away
i am learning every day new ways of letting go
welcoming new circles, new beginnings, building a new community
a place that is nurturing and fulfilling at the deepest levels
letting go of all things that are not life-giving
letting things transition naturally
without avoiding the natural and organic process of decomposition

standing up in my own life for personal sustainability and balance
voicing my needs with courage and vulnerability
shaking things off
rejoicing under the sun and dancing in the rain
enjoying mindful movement and inner growth
discovering what it's like to be grounded
exploring to find the places where i can connect with nature on a daily basis
feeling supported by great friends close and far
appreciating those that are there for me unconditionally
there for me every step of the way
loving being there for you
supporting you for what is best for you
trying to learn to support others from their own dreams
kind of like a game of tele-transporting myself into their hearts and their deepest, purest dreams
when the door is open and the windows are clear,
it feels like swimming in cosmic bliss
recognizing those that are not there unconditionally without attachment or judgement
while allowing myself to feel that departure and knowing that it's just part of the bigger cycle of life

loving the process of discovering where balance between self-love and love for others is
deconstructing old limiting point of views
tuning in to that place of interconnection with others
where all separation vanishes
and i become one with you
while being completely myself and without the need to give up any part of my essence and uniqueness
there is strength in diversity in natural systems and within myself
inviting rainbows into my life and my heart
saying goodbye to black and white approaches
collaborating, building with equality,
bringing consensus as much as i know how to within the western society system
giving up quantity and slowing down to have quality time in my life
trying to create a calm, fun, colorful and inclusive nest for my life, an inviting energy unlimited possibilities flow and create all things necessary for the benefit, happiness and enlightenment of all living being in the world