All in This Together?

I went out this morning to buy a new hair-dryer.  The first one I bought (used from a leaving volunteer) had melted from the inside out during my recent gig as a counselor at as a girl's empowerment camp. We were a lot of girls and we needed dry hair!  The campground where we stayed was built for summer use and so our autumn descent on the premises created some challenges-mostly towards being warm enough.  And so the hair dryers were necessary for anyone planning to shower.  Overuse and age in combination with the inexplicably strong electrical current that seems to spew from some outlets here in Moldova, was simply too much for my little machine. 

I didn't bring a hair-dryer to Peace Corps for two reasons.  Number one was the electrical current and adapter issue and number two I was hoping to "not need" this modern day tool for "beauty"-you know, in my village/hut/milking cows life.  And since I now DO need one, I had to shop.  The store where I decided to purchase my glorious heat machine was across the street from the Balti Primaria (mayor's office and where the city officials work).  There was a large gathering outside of the building, at least 100 people, and a man standing on a box speaking into a megaphone in Russian something about utilities, payments, and otherwise I am not sure.  I'm pretty sure these were my other sitemate Ross's neighbors.

Ross lives in an apartment building as do Laela and I.  However, unlike us, Ross's heat hasn't been turned on yet.  He is quite literally freezing in his apartment.  He got a space heater for the meantime but what was frustrating him more than the cold is the reason why the heat had not been turned on and further, that he couldn't find out the real reason.  Finally last night, his landlord who lives in a village outside of the city, came to investigate and told Ross there would be a gathering the following day at the mayor's office to get some answers.
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Moldova is a former Soviet Republic.  A lot of the infrastructure here was built during that time.  The current Republic is the poorest country in all of Europe and there hasn't been much work done to improve this dinosaur of a system.  Let's look at how this problem is affecting Ross and his neighbors:  the apartment buildings we all live in are known as "Soviet Bloc Apartments".  Unlike in the States or other countries with more recent development, these apartments are linked to one main heating system.  This means that no one apartment has any control over their own heat.  There is a governing body (who I have no idea) who decides when to turn on the heat (after so many days of the temperature being below so many degrees-the actual I again have not a clue and can't seem to find one answer), how high it should be, and when it will be turned off.  The tenant simply receives the bill.  Now we can see where the obvious problems with this system are.  Let's look at some of the issues that come to mind:

Conditioning
Number one, this is no longer a communist nation yet this system of controlling utilities is completely communist with a big ugly twist; you have to pay for it.  So imagine now you have a babushka (grandmother) living in the same apartment since she was a teenager (fifty years ago).  For the large majority of her life she never paid these bills because it was "taken care of" by the government.  Times change and now she is responsible for this bill.  Does she pay it?  Does that register with her after a lifetime of a different way of acting...of thinking.  Because even if she doesn't pay, the heat stays on.

Opportunists
Does the single mother whose husband is in another country driving a truck or building infrastructure for richer nations even have the money to cover this bill? If she does, if her husband is sending back what amounts to a lot of money in Moldova, does she?  Because even if she doesn't, the heat stays on.

Fatalists
Similar to the issue of conditioning, a predominant thought in Russia has long been fatalist.  Whether this way of thinking came to Moldova with the communist regime or if it just became stronger I am not sure (but wanting and willing to look into), but if one has the thought that it doesn't matter what they do, they cannot effect the whole, will they take responsibility for their own lives let alone for the lives of others? Because even if they don't, the heat stays on.

Poverty
Unlike in the US or other more developed nations, there are people living on very little right next door to someone who is doing quite well.  Their apartments have been passed down through generations and since this whole architecture was put together at a time where everyone was "equal", there were no class divisions.  No rich people/poor people buildings.  It was ALL government housing.  And so now, after twenty years of free markets, you literally have some people in the building who can and do pay their heating bills and some who simply cannot.  The money is just not there. So then who pays?

What Ross thinks happened in his building was that there were far too many people with passed-due heat debts.  And so it wasn't turned on.  Perhaps it is a way to communicate to the people in his building that they HAD to pay their bills, no more letting it slip.  No more handouts.  Is this tough love?  Perhaps for some, but torture for others.  What about those with no debt like Ross?  How fair is that for him?  And so the cyclical questioning of "where do old ways hamper us and how can we possibly afford to get out of them?" occurs.  How can these people come together to ensure everyone is paying for their heat?  Should they even have to do this?  It's like involuntarily living in a commune. 
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There is a lot of foreign money coming into a place like Moldova.  This is in the forms of foreign aid and remittances from citizens working overseas.  Wouldn't it make sense to combine these investments into helping people to physically live in a way that doesn't continuously remind them of their communist past, that doesn't encourage the kind of thinking that takes away personal responsibility?

Two ideas at a more micro level:

1).  Renovating the current systems to give individual control over one's heat.   This involves a lot of material and workforce investment and would also create a lot of jobs. OR

2).  Assisting to develop communities within these buildings where the citizens work together to solve the issues of debt and do what needs doing to ensure each person can take care of their bills and if not form some sort of loan/assistance/social program. 

And from the WAY "macrocosmic" view I cannot help but see, it's truly an issue of the individual vs. the whole.  Are we all in this together?  Though I haven't fully developed the idea yet, here is another concept I am researching:

Is it better if people:

• Do what is best for one's self in order to contribute positively to the greater good? For example taking good care of your health and home so that you have energy to contribute to the whole.

or

• Do what is best for the greater good in order to positively contribute to your own life?  For example helping to create better public policy, being an honest public servant, creating businesses that respect the earth and its people.

What do you think works best?  I see that it's a balance of each.  But are we living in different imbalances in different cultures as a whole?

XOm

Einstein's Thoughts=YUM

I was contemplating Albert Einstein the other day…

How cool it is to have such original thoughts

that take this physical world to new realms and continually inspire others

Original thoughts and ideas and the strength to stay true to them

Not give in to society's "norms" and how “everyone else” is thinking...

Bears great fruit!

XOm

Big Sky Delight: Solstice, Eclipse, Full Moon Oh My!

There is some stuff going on celestially-no doubt. We have many interesting alignments: Winter Solstice, Full Moon, Lunar Eclipse. It's VERY rare to have three strong aspects in one night. This I know. The implications? That I don't. I am by no means an astronomer nor astrologer but I am fascinated by it all. So I have taken on the task of trying to make some sense of what this could all mean for us as we close out 201o and prepare for a new year. I broke down my research into the three aspects and will do my best to share what I think is happening. All I know is that when I was living at the ashram, Swami Sita would keep us in check with any strange happenings celestially (sometimes through decisions regarding when to hold classes ect. not by telling us anyting), like when NASA was bombing the moon back in October 2009...apparently there was a really strange alignment that signified some violence with moon energy!

So first we look at the solstice. The Winter for the northern hemisphere and Summer for the southern. Since I am in the northern and so are most of you, I will focus on that. It seems that many a profound insight can spring from the dark. We are currently in our darkest time of the year given the amount of sunlight vs. darkness. And when we would normally have a nice bright moon to lighten up THE darkest 24 hours...it is blocked. Think about it. Well back to solstice; we begin to get more light each day leading us to Spring. So symbolically, I see it as a time when we can collect all that we have experienced over the past year and really digest it. Pass off what doesn't need to sit with you any longer and open up to the new, using what you have learned. This is the light.

And this leads us to the Lunar Eclipse. Seen at exactly 3:17AM EST and 12:17AM PST (tonight/tomorrow), this rare alignment with the Solstice has not been seen in centuries!!! A full lunar eclipse only occurs when there is a full moon. The Earth gets between the Sun and Moon and blocks the Sun's light (power, heat) from bouncing off of the Moon (receptivity, cooling). When this happens we can tend to feel closed off and heated up...I think. I mean that it what makes sense to me. Eclipses are also known to be harbingers of change. Feelings or desire of a need for change may feel pressing and urgent at this time. With the solstice/eclipse combo I think it leads to a lot of CHANGE and LETTING GO.

And lastly, we have the aspect of the Full Moon. It is in Gemini/Sagittarius so apparently this means it's time to realize the power of our inner thoughts and desires and to perhaps re-evaluate where we have been and on what path we traverse. REALIGN AS-NEEDED! That being said, there is some advice to heed regarding how best to go about doing so. On the Gemini side of things, we find an emphasis on how we learn. I think this connects to us digesting what we take in (or casting off what we don't want to) which either expands or limits our range of effectiveness concurrently. We need to be sharing and taking in information in a way that doesn't choke the network but invites joy and exciting change. How do we do this? We stay focused and confident. And on the Sagittarius side of things, this will be an important time to check in and see how you stand with you. It's also important to make sure to have enough information so as choices we make right now are not short of the mark. If it feels like you don't know enough to make a decision right now-->wait. Keep hunting and be continually wise, changing when the input changes.

In summary (and if this seems like just a whole bunch of STUFF...trust me it was just has hard to rake through the dozens of sites I read, each having different times, outlooks and information), it seems the main themes and advice for this powerful time of transformation are:

1. Reflect on what you have learned this year, digest what you want, cast off the rest.

2. Stay positive and focused. Be confident in your path or make changes as needed. (Only when you feel you know enough to make the decisions necessargy for change).

3. Transmute any 'closed-off' or 'heated' feelings into powerful new opportunities. Listen to what your heart is saying (not your head). *Note: wearing pearls can help with this.

4. Make sure you are good with YOU.

5. Be sure to share with others what you have learned in a way that invites joy rather than creating blocks. Commune.

It would probably be a very good idea to work on being in control of your thoughts today and tomorrow and keep them focused on what it is you would like to see traspire in your life. No better time to meditate than now.

Om shanti shanti shanti!!! Have an amazing solstice/eclipse/full moon...get outside and see it, feel it and shape your life.

This Gives Me Goosebumps!

I love this kid! OMG! It so truly warms my heart and gives me so much hope as the generations coming up are totally understanding the craziness that is "frankenfood". This video brings together two things that I truly love: the sustainable agriculture movement and the TEDx conferences. When together there is a 'viral' ability to spread the good news that there are MANY people out there, young and old, that understand how many many many of the 'issues' we face in our world: climate change, fossil fuel reliance, the economy; are connected to the fact that we have too many over-chemicalized, under nutrient-rich foods circulating in our food chain. While many of the wealthier nations are stuffing themselves silly with these 'foods' that come in shiny wrappers, others are starving due to soils that cannot grow foods and unstable governments and environments that limit the ability to establish a sustainable growing system.

OK-as I step off my soapbox, I encourage you to WATCH THIS!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Id9caYw-Y

Om Om

PS-I totally am aware of the possible 'brainwashing' people might see here. But Birke IS 11 and not 7 and that is totally a big difference. I choose to simply stick with the message :)

Thought Power, Happiness, and the Yuba River

I am been moving around quite a bit lately. I find myself now in Colorado and in all of the movement over the last month, from CA to Boston to PA to CA to Boston and finally to Colorado...well let's say my Vata is WAAAY off balance! (Vata is a dosha in the yogic science of medicine Ayurveda). So after finally making my way to a health food store and getting some triphala, sesame oil, and ashwaganda, I am on my way back to balance. But regardless of the awful physical symptoms, what has been worse is the mental tossing...by far! The mind is racing, the heart rate is up, concentration becomes tough. And this leads to unhappiness, worry and in the end, suffering. It's where most of the world lives...time to grab some control!

This takes me to 2 of my journal entries from the Yoga Farm-

January 13, 2010:

The fewer thoughts you have a time, the more powerful they are. So if you have 100 thoughts/minute they are weak thoughts whereas 1 thought/minute...the mind's power becomes limitless.

Have few and positive thoughts to bring the best life.

January 14, 2010

You are only as happy as your mind is slow...the slower and less amount of thoughts the happier. 'Empty thy vessel and I will fill thee' said Jesus.

My current thoughts and desires aren't serving me. If I can dispell, empty, then there is space in me for Bliss & Clarity! I can trust that when Divine energy fills me I will have the thoughts and ideas that will assist me in fulfilling my highest dharma.

OK- so now OUT of the Yoga Farm I read this and am like...whoa! How easily we forget. That's right, it's not about me, I don't need to plan everything. That causes suffering. I need to be that yogini, that seeker of BALANCE in order to work towards dharma (Dharma is one's life purpose or duty). I look at it like this: there is a beautiful river near the Yoga Farm, the Yuba River. We would go there weekly to pick up some prana from the water and relax in the beauty, the shakti. I would always contemplate the river, thinking, that right there, that river IS life. Just like the Ganges to the Indian Yogis...why is it SO special? And what I came up with is this: life is the river...it's moving at a rate and current completely out of our control. It is simply up to us how we navigate the river. We can be a leaf being tossed hither and tither, we can be a big rock, not making movement, being carved up, or we could be a salmon, swimming upstream...so tiring! OR...we can be a kayaker...a skilled, wise and trusting kayaker (or canoer-you get the jist), navigating the river. Knowing where to give, where to take, when to push and when to surrender.

Now it's just LOVE the river, CONTROL the thoughts...and live the life you were meant to.

Om shanti!

Airplane Reading: Special Delivery

As my first post, I thought I would share a quick story from my recent flight home to the east coast for a family emergency. In this blog, my purpose is to share tidbits of insight and wisdom that come through during my studies in yoga and life. My only hope is that even one person finds some comfort and inspiration here. Om shanti!

Sometimes we get a little gift in the pocket in front of us on the airplane. And sometimes we leave them. Sometimes, rather than a gift, it might be a temptation, as I recieved on this particular flight. I suppose we can see temptations as gifts too...in either case, whether we yield or not, we experience some sensory pleasure (usually followed by pain) or we resist and gain strength. The gift that I unwittingly left, and the one I recieved are so far apart in nature and yet all a part of the duality of our world.

Traveling from the ashram in Grass Valley, CA back to the east coast, I , with best intentions, brought along a copy of Swami Sivananda's, "Thought Power". I have been trying to get around to reading this book for some time now. I did, however, purchase a copy of Vogue at the airport newstand so that could be seen as the first indication I might not read the book... Taking my seat on the plane and preparing for the first leg of this venture across the country, I pull out all of my proposed reading materials: Thought Power, Vogue, and Cards of Destiny (more on that book another time) and stuck them in the seat pocket in front of me, leaving the Thought Power behind as I departed the aircraft to switch planes.

As I dug through my over-stuffed carry-on bag for said book that I was finally going to read, it was nowhere to be found. I pondered for a moment on where it could be and began to feel a smile spread across my face. "Oh the soul that finds that powerful book!" I thought to myself. Surely it is karmic that the next person to sit in that seat, or clean out that pocket, who finds that book and reads the wise truths of this great master's teachings on the mind and power of thought, will be changed forever. This could be their salvation; their awakening.

To know I was somehow part of this delivery from the Divine feels pretty neat. I somehow followed through on some karmic action to benefit another soul. So the question remains....why was the 'gift' in my seat pocket a copy of Us Weekly? ;)