Happy Earth Hour!

Just a quick reminder that tonight we all have the opportunity to celebrate Earth Hour by switching off all the lights between 8.30-9.30pm. Amidst complaints that this is just another liberal publicity stunt, I think it is important to remember that we are here and alive because of this magical planet, which continues to sustain us despite our best efforts at planetary destruction. The nourishment, joy, beauty, and love that we are blessed to experience in every moment are a gift that we should never take for granted. This is a wonderful chance for people to come together and honour Earth, whether strolling outside in the fresh air, or eating some delicious dessert by candlelight. Thank you Earth!

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors,
we borrow it from our children"
~Native American Proverb

New Moon

Tonight is a special occasion to celebrate - it is a New Moon in Aries, symbolic of fresh starts, with Aries representing our inner child - our sweet, innocent, natural selves :) This New Moon is a light shining brightly for us, even in times of turmoil like, well, nowadays. We are bombarded with messages of gloom and despair, however, there is always hope and there is always light that illuminates the darkness and transforms it into soul piercing beauty.

This particular New Moon is a wonderful time to bring about changes in one's life, and to set new goals. It is the time to figure out what we want in life (reigniting our glimmering dreams), and to start making it happen. Letting go of old, comfortable habits and embracing spontaneity and adventure is possible and extraordinarily liberating!

Aries also rules sports and exercise, so now is the perfect time for starting a new exercise program. Just going outside for a walk in the fresh air is fantastic after the hibernation and slower pace of winter.

Aries announces "I can!" with childlike enthusiasm and pure belief - when we are children we believe that anything is possible, and now is the time to bring back this sense of wonder and burning delight. We can let the limitations of our thoughts fall away and feel, once again, what it is like to be alive in a world of infinite possibility and creativity. This New Moon reminds us that anything is possible, as long as we can laugh, play, and dream...the way we naturally do as children. Let your inner child awaken and surrender to imagination! Happy New Moon!

"Beauty is a form of genius - is higher, indeed, than genius, as it needs no explanation.

It is of the great facts in the world, like sunlight, or springtime, or the

reflection in dark water of that silver shell we call the moon"

~Oscar Wilde

Sunday morning on the beach...

One of the loveliest sights at this time of year has to be the gradual, almost shy blooming of the flowers. In the midst of still wintry grayness and barrenness, catching a flash of gorgeous colour in the twinkling sunlight is absolutely delightful and invigorating! This particular daffodil is located not too far from the ocean, which was quite the sight itself this morning. Whenever I go for a Sunday walk, I'm pleasantly surprised by how many people are already flocking there. Many are out for exercise - it's never too early or too late to run - and most others are out for a more leisurely, relaxing stroll. I like seeing the different kinds of people that come out - the families, quiet cozy couples, close-knit girlfriends, solitary artists, young kids, old kids...all enjoying the fresh air and engulfing natural beauty. Being outdoors on a morning like this is more rejuvenating than eating a stack of pancakes with maple syrup :) 

An early morning walk is probably my most favourite way to start the day, maybe if we could all do this on a regular basis there would be more love and relaxation in the world :) Actually, I don't think that's even questionable. So that's the goal - more strolling around (preferably barefoot in the sand, but let's not get picky here) without watching the clock or thinking of what needs to be done at home/back at the office. What we really need is to open up some windows, swing the door as wide as it will go, and welcome the world with open arms. Open yourself, and everything will flood joyfully inside! 

"Nature abhors a vacuum, and if I can only walk with sufficient

carelessness, I am sure to be filled"

~Henry David Thoreau

After a Long Day's Work...

Every once in a while, those days come along when regular daily routines just don't seem to cut it - something feels like it is missing from the day. Sometimes after I finish work I walk home under the stars (or, at this time of the year, pretty sunshine), and I feel an immense resistence to dinner (gasp!) and all the other usual options that seem available. I feel so hypnotized by the big sky, more than anything I just want to lie down in the grass and stare at it, forgetting about all of the day's petty worries and letting myself be seduced by the universe.

The sky calls to something greater within us - those huge, cosmic, universal qualities that connect us to each other and to something that transcends us all. Looking at the sky, you forget yourself and get lost in the endless blue, the glowing stars, the blazing moon...the bigness of it all. 

In the olden days, people were united by a common vision of the universe - a universe that they believed they were the very center of. No matter what kind of madness plagued the world, there was stability and comfort in this unshakeable knowledge. In this age of science and information, we don't have that kind of recognition or comfort. Everything is a bit shaky, tenuous, fragile. Rather than being united by a common vision, we are divided by conflicting outlooks or driven to apathy by the idea that there simply is no meaning - we're just floating randomly in vast, empty space. 

The latest science of cosmology and astronomy, however, is pointing towards a very different - and very meaningful - picture of the universe. They are now coming up with scientific evidence of the special, miraculous nature of conscious life and its unique role in vast space. I don't know that we've ever really needed this kind of hard proof. After a long day's work, having gotten stressed out by silly human troubles, nothing calms the mind and lifts the spirit like a long drink of the night sky. In that moment, everything is enough, and nothing is missing. In that moment, we are all as one, and we are all beautifully complete. 

"The reason why the universe is eternal is that it does not live for itself;

it gives life to others as it transforms"

~ Lao Tzu

The Coming of Spring

Awakening to Spring means coming out of the cave, leaving hibernation behind, and embracing the new light of a beautiful and energizing season. Every year, Springtime brings hope, new life, and an irresistible freshness that makes me want to skip and sing and talk to the birds :) In a good way :) 

What better time than now to consider where we are and where we want to go. If we would like to see a bend in the road, this is the moment to start creating it. We are currently aligned with the forces of renewal, creation, and rebirth. This is the time to make it all happen - to become the change. I have been thinking a lot about what new skills I would like to learn, what new places to go and explore, what new approaches to take in order to live closer to my vision, experience fulfillment, and be of service. What can I throw in the shopping cart in order to cross out that list of needs? Alas...it doesn't work that way :) Sometimes, maybe often, we have to get our hands dirty. In order to really make a difference, it is not enough to read books and burst with good intentions. Recycling the tetra-pack container from my imported coconut water may be a positive start, but what I would love to experience is eating berries from my own living, breathing garden. 

We are all born with dreams inside of us. With infinite imagination matched only by our infinite potential to make those dreams happen. For so long we have been raised in an environment that stifles those dreams and replaces our radiant potential with societal rules of how to live and the importance of conforming so that we can be easily herded like sheep. Every creature, every plant, every single human being is a miraculous thing of beauty. It is time that we recognize and honour our own unique specialness and, in so doing, embrace the beauty of everything and everyone else on this planet. 

"We are such stuff as dreams are made on;

and our little life is rounded with a sleep"

~Shakespeare