I’ve just come back from Spain. It is sunny, warm and beautiful there, as always. There is this painting that I really like, I like how the artist draws light in it, but I never knew its name or the name of the artist. Interestingly, I ran into it in Spain by accident. The painting is called Stroll Along The Seashore and it is by Joaquin Sorolla.
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An interesting alternative perspective from Buddhism on birthdays… It is my birthday! I baked 2 cakes, prepared post Soviet “tapas” like sproty, red caviar rye bread canapes, pickled tomatoes, a mandatory post Soviet New Year salad, there is sangria in the fridge and I started a rewatch of both seasons of Young Royals 🐸 👑
Another approach to birthdays in Buddhism is that one gives rather than receives presents. In that spirit, please see below or here a template that you can use to reflect on a passing year and to plan for the year ahead. I’m planning to fill it in also.
Happy New Year! ⭐️ May 2023 be happier, healthier and lighter.
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And if you want to do a reflection exercise looking back at 2022, here is a perfect one from Loner Wolf – contemplative journaling prompts. I had a go at it below. Share/ comment your thoughts on how this exercise went for you.
There is so much I am doing and not doing that I want to share – books, films, new experiments and ideas, epiphanies. But we’ll keep it simple. It took me a while to get the tree up this year. I actually started with a smaller, special symbol holiday tree – can you spot a 🦊 for the Fire Fox from one of the ceremonies, a 🍄 Father Frost, obviously, and a 🚀 for The Expanse (tv show)?
What special stuff are you doing for you? Are you slowing down? Taking it easy? Practicing lots of self-love? I hope so! And if like many of us this year, you are not in a holiday spirit, that’s ok too. We have not had a break for a while. Remember you are not alone, I love you ♥️ and please do what is best for you, or don’t do much, like some of us 😊 Blessings, light and love!
To begin with, I’ll only say GO WATCH THIS FILM IMMEDIATELY (I watched it on Prime in the UK). Below I continue with my thoughts.
“…and I know that you think it’s your responsibility to fix everything. You can not outwork disruption and disfunction.” [aka chaos/ entropy]
Changes are afoot.
I discovered that all my goals were an illusion.
They self destructed as soon as I “reached” them
(As much as one can reach a mirage in the middle of nothingness).
Career success, being a good girl, looking for love,
Then happiness, impact, awakening.
And now I arrived to nowhere
As a no one. This is it. The liberation.
Nothing to do, nobody home. Ha!
Turns out the last remaining question –
Why am I here? What’s my purpose?
Has no meaning.
Purpose is what’s in front of you right now.
What you have to do now.
There is no purpose beyond that
In the future or anywhere else.
You have arrived.
Stop overthinking. Do the best you can.
Forget about the outcome or what you want
And stay as empty as you can.
Happy enlightenment/ liberation!
Nazaré has been on my radar a lot lately. It is a fishing village in Portugal with the world’s highest waves where surfing world records get made and beaten. As someone who is not a great swimmer, is afraid of water and has a recurring nightmare about floods, when I noticed this documentary about a Portuguese female athlete surfing big waves in Nazaré (only 3 women having done so ever), I had to see it.
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In 2020 (it was a strange year), I did a digital at-home shamanic (!!!) retreat with Blue Morpho and Hamilton Souther (see more here). I wrote a draft about my experience afterwards but for some reason did not publish it. Here it is.
Continue readingA 30 minute meditation which will powerfully shift your perspective, emotional and energy state.
Ram Dass, aka Richard Alpert, was not just a Buddhist, a Hindu and a mystic, he was also a child psychologist. I love his perspective on the question that has forever bugged me – why do almost all of us lack self-love and why does it start so early in our lives? Ram Dass explains in this video and shares a reframing technique on how “to love oneself more.”
Are you stuck,
Or are you incubating?
Are you empty,
Or are you liberated?
Are you lost,
Or are you reassessing?
Are you drifting,
Or busy manifesting?
Are you lacking,
Or great at letting go?
Are you slacking,
Or finally at peace?
Are you lazy,
Or are you non conforming?
Are you slow,
Or moving at your pace?
Are you crazy,
Or is your path unfolding?
Are you suffering,
Or is it grace?
Healing is your hustle,
Liberation is your goal.
Spiritual growth – ambition,
It’s ok to be going slow.
Nomad of the Universe 