living presence now

An Oasis of Stillness...

2012-01-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

It's who we all are!

Winter Weekend Retreat

with Moni & Tomas

An Oasis of Stillness

It's here!

Join us!

Details

Soul Candy!

2012-01-26T14:31:00.000-08:00

Aaaahhhhhhhh....

Extraordinary!

2012-01-25T13:16:00.000-08:00

Polar Star roses!

We are this brilliant shining extraordinary Presence!

As Eckhart once said to me,

"Let the light shine through!"

Thank You.

2012-01-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

Sayoko's Rose ~ from The Roses I Met in 2011! post here.

Strong Stable Stillness

wisdom

true beauty

intentions of the heart

Thank you to the Burnaby Women's Satsang!

Such delight to be together.

We'll meet again on February 9th!

Be in the world but not of the world.

2012-01-18T16:11:00.000-08:00

Cute little neighbourhood cars ~the quintuplets ~ all had to stay at home today because of the snow!

A neighbourhood tree being still beautifully decked out with bling!

Part of our back garden at the moment.

Under the hummer!

All fluffed up!

And cute! Look at those toes!

The great adventure continues... !

We'll meet this evening and continue the deep explorations of being in the world but not of the world.

Turn toward.

2012-01-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

Zen Master Tabouli!

"Sometimes you hear a voice through the door calling you...

This turning toward what you deeply love saves you."

~ Rumi

Create. Love. Create Love.

2012-01-16T14:27:00.000-08:00

Hum in snow! We've been dusted with snow here in Vancouver today! Our visiting hummer friend is sitting on its favorite branch in the lilac bush out of the snow. I was allowed really close to take this photo. Pure sweetness. And joy.

I've been speaking with friends today about creating from love.

Creating what is loved out of love...

Must have been inspired by what is loved here!

Such joy to express this love!

To create

and be created

and honour the creative force

and the creation.

Happy creating,

however the love expresses itself!

Holy Holy

2012-01-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

Our hummer friend in the afternoon sun!

THE HEALING TIME

Finally on my way to yes

I bump into

all the places

where I said no

to my life

all the untended wounds

the red and purple scars

those hieroglyphs of pain

carved into my skin, my bones,

those coded messages

that send me down

the wrong street

again and again

where I find them

the old wounds

the old misdirections

and I lift them

one by one

close to my heart

and I say holy

holy.

― Pesha Gertler

~ from Blossoming January 2012

the monthly e-newsletter from

Banyen Books & Sound

Beauty + Miracles

2012-01-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

An Anna's Hummingbird visiting this afternoon! Can you see the crimson-red throat?!

Beauty and miracles are everywhere!

Do we have the eyes to see them?

The first Meeting As Stillness of 2012 is tonight!

All details are here.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T11:51:00.000-08:00

Roses I Met in 2011... well, a few of them!

From Spain, England & Vancouver.

I'll post more in the next little while.

This morning I did a little internet search to find a new year’s prayer. I found some lovely prayers, though, none that were ‘just right’, so I searched inside (the inner-net... ha ha).

Thank you for the year that has passed and for all the great gifts it brought ~ the beauties, the loves, the joys, the teachings, the teachers, the insights, the adventures, the laughs, the creations, the friends, the heart connections, the inspirations, the blessings, the abundance, the peace, the stillness, the grace.

May we welcome this new year with open arms, open minds, open hearts. May we be grateful for all that is given, all of it (the 'good', the 'bad'), knowing that it all serves a purpose, trusting in the essential goodness of all, and with absolute faith in the One who created us and sent us here. May we stand firm and strong on this foundation of who we are, unwavering Presence, 100% in alignment with our source, listening deeply and obeying swiftly. May we know that we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear. May the connections of the heart grow stronger with each heartbeat, and may we uncover the heart connections and nourish them where it seemed there were none. May we continue to be graced and guided and blessed and loved beyond all that we could ever imagine.

Happiest of New Years!

Merry Christmas! There IS hope for all to find peace.

2011-12-24T17:28:00.000-08:00

This afternoon in the lilac bush!

Sing along here!

Mary's boy child Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day.

And man will live for evermore, because of Christmas Day.

Long time ago in Bethlehem, so the Holy Bible said,

Mary's boy child Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day.

Hark, now hear the angels sing, a king was born today,

And man will live for evermore, because of Christmas Day.

Mary's boy child Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day.

While shepherds watch their flocks by night,

they see a bright new shining star,

they hear a choir sing a song, the music seemed to come from afar.

Hark, now hear the angels sing, a king was born today,

And man will live for evermore, because of Christmas Day.

For a moment the world was aglow, all the bells rang out

there were tears of joy and laughter, people shouted

"let everyone know, there is hope for all to find peace".

Now Joseph and his wife, Mary, came to Bethlehem that night,

they found no place to bear her child, not a single room was in sight.

And then they found a little nook in a stable all forlorn,

and in a manger cold and dark, Mary's little boy was born.

Hark, now hear the angels sing, a king was born today,

And man will live for evermore, because of Christmas Day.

Mary's boy child Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day.

Oh a moment still worth was a glow, all the bells rang out

there were tears of joy and laughter, people shouted

"let everyone know, there is hope for all to find peace".

Oh my Lord

You sent your son to save us

Oh my Lord

Your very self you gave us

Oh my Lord

That sin may not enslave us

And love may reign once more

Oh my Lord

when in the crib they found him

Oh my Lord

A golden halo crowned him

Oh my Lord

They gathered all around him

To see him and adore

Oh my Lord
With the child's adoration
Oh my Lord
There came great jubilation
Oh my Lord
And full of admiration
They realized what they had (until the sun falls from the sky)

Oh my Lord (So praise the Lord)

They had become to doubt you

Oh my Lord (He is the truth forever)

What did they know about you

Oh my Lord (So praise the Lord)

But they were lost without you

They needed you so bad (His light is shining on us)

Oh my Lord (So praise the Lord)

with the child's adoration

Oh my lord (He is a personation)

There came great jubilation

Oh my Lord (So praise the Lord)

And full of admiration

They realized what they had (until the sun falls from the sky)

Oh my Lord (Oh praise the Lord)

You sent your son to save us

Oh my Lord (This day will live forever)

Your very self you gave us

Oh my Lord (So praise the Lord)

That sin may not enslave us

And love may reign once more

~ Boney M, Mary's Boy Child

Merry Christmas!

A year ago... 129 ways to say PEACE!

3 years ago... IMAGINE!

Return of the Light!

2011-12-21T14:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Winter Solstice!

21 December 2011

9:30pm PT

Happy Christmas... War is over Now!

2011-12-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

This morning at the feeder!

Sitting in the lilac bush being as sweet as ever!

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong

And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

War is over over
If you want it
War is over
Now...

~ John Lennon & Yoko Ono

P.S. We can choose to end the war/wars within... Now!

Grace and love entered.

2011-12-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

Mr. Blue Eyes!

Look at those cute little toes!

Bare copper beach with the beautiful blue sky.

Thirteen years ago today, I met someone (well actually, no one!) and 'his' teaching who changed my life completely...

everything brightened and lightened!

These are a few favorite excerpts from a favorite book.

May all be graced and loved.

Roses. Joy. Gratitude.

2011-12-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

December rose in Kitsilano!

Up close. Close up.

Molly Molly Bo Bolly Banana Fanna Fo Folly Fee Fi Fo Folly Molly!

Miss Molly of the cute toes!

2 photos of her... Kitten wasn't up for paparazzi today.

Kitten smitten.

Yup, these cats are human sitting us this weekend!

I love the Women's Satsang!

Such joy and deep explorations and profound insights.

Thank you to all.

We'll meet again in January.

(Dates will be posted soon.)

P.S. Happy Full Moon Lunar Eclipse!

December 10, 6:36am PT

Sayoko's rose in Horsham, UK!

Great Happiness

2011-12-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

In the neighbourhood.

"THERE IS GREAT

HAPPINESS

IN NOT WANTING,

IN NOT BEING

SOMETHING,

IN NOT GOING

SOMEWHERE."

J. Krishnamurti

Meeting As Stillness tonight!

Priceless Jewel

2011-12-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

One of the Anna's hummingbirds that visits daily!

The photo is a little grainy because of the light quality, but it's the best one so far. This little one moves so quickly.

Here he is sitting in the butterfly tree a few moments later.

"There is a force within that gives you life; seek that.

In your body there lies a priceless jewel; seek that.

Oh, wandering Sufi, if you are in search of the greatest treasure,

don't look outside, look within, and seek that."

~ Rumi

The blessing continues

2011-11-25T12:48:00.000-08:00

I so enjoyed the Women's Satsang in Burnaby last night. Beautiful golden threads of light were woven throughout the exquisite tapestry created in simply being together, holding the frequency of our real self. The living being, our gathering, called for a focus on living in not-knowing and obedience and creating a life of quality and things (food & knitting! as examples) of quality, imbued with love and joy and care and presence. These quality creations (the things and the life) are the healing and nourishment and medicine of the feminine way. Such joy in being together and exploring this depth of being and the new way, the feminine. Thank you to all and especially to Jan for hosting us. We'll meet again on December 8th!

Happy mercury retrograde!

(Started 11:19pm PT November 23rd. Ends December 13th)

and

Happy Partial Solar Eclipse New Moon!

(10:20pm PT November 24th)

Last night's meeting opened the space for me to post a recent food creation ~ pumpkin pudding!

Blessed beyond belief!

2011-11-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

Booey snuggled up in front of the heater with the warm air blasting out.

It's a Winnie-the-Pooh day outside here... cold, rainy & blustery!

Happy Thanksgiving to our American neighbours!

I'm feeling the influence of the American Thanksgiving holiday and over the last few days I've been writing a list of things that I'm grateful for. The list is getting longer and longer! Quite a few of the 'things' aren't actually things... they are formless qualities or essences. And maybe because of different courses I've taken over the years and the gratitude lists I've written, the items on this list are very specific. As an example, while I'm grateful for all the hummingbirds of this world, I am especially grateful for the three sweet hummers that visit us on a daily basis. Their joy is infectious.

The list is what is true for me. With each item on the list, the question that comes is, "What about this am I grateful for?" Of course, friends & family are on the list. And, what about friends & family am I grateful for? I am grateful to be surrounded by loving, caring, creative, happy, generous, deep-hearted, consiousness-loving beings.

Writing this list and being with it over the last few days is such joy! I'm loving the creative process and the living with something, a live being, while it is being birthed. The realization has come several times that I am blessed beyond belief. I've always had a deep knowing about this, and somehow the list is highlighting it once again. Perhaps the greatest blessing is getting to be here, living as a real human through this body and knowing the Source of all creation, God. That's the cake and everything else on the list is the icing... or to stay true to the Thanksgiving feast tradition, that's the pumpkin pie and everything else is the whipped cream!

Happy day of counting blessings!

1, 2, 3... 1,000,000!

P.S. I'm grateful that I get to meet with a group of women this evening and explore the feminine essence!

Beauty... right here!

2011-11-23T15:21:00.000-08:00

Images from the garden today:

I am constantly amazed at how much beauty surrounds us and how close it is!

Right here.

All the time.

Don't have to go anywhere.

It's here!

Live the real you

2011-11-16T16:07:00.000-08:00

"All of us can make a difference through the life that we live."

~ Oprah Winfrey

The miracles of being alive... given so much.

2011-11-15T14:22:00.000-08:00

In Vancouver ~

In Phoenix ~

I've just returned from a grace-filled weekend in Phoenix. (Raven is calling outside right at this very moment!) I've been traveling to Phoenix (and other places) over the past year attending classes in a language called GeoTran. It is the language of the field of all possibilities. I began my study in 1998, just 3 months prior to meeting Eckhart & his teaching of The Power of Now. Over the course of the years, I took a long break from studying GeoTran. During this past weekend, lead by the founder and master teacher Dorothy Espiau, I witnessed miracle after miracle. Something in me knew that I had been waiting for this weekend for as long as I could remember.

I witnessed another miracle sitting on the plane yesterday waiting for take-off. I looked out of the window and saw the first light of the morning, just before the sunrise. It was as if I was seeing the sky and the horizon and the light and the colours for the first time and it was spectacular! And, it was more than all that. Spontaneous tears came out of my eyes (which is a signal for me of something big)… tears of gratitude and awe. It had a sense of being shown something so beautiful, something that only the heart can recognize. I know this explanation doesn't do justice to what I witnessed. It was something big and these words are small in comparison.

This morning I woke up to the sense of Christmas morning. And just like yesterday, I heard the phrase "we've been given so much". Along came some tears... spontaneous tears of gratitude and awe. The realization of the truth of that statement... given so much.

It is so beautiful to be alive and be here and be real and be the witness of all that is. Endless miracles live here. Boundless gratitude lives here, too.

Thank you to Dorothy and to the whole village that it took, and to all the wise beings who came before us clearing the way, and thank you to you for being here and truly being you.

Love

Meeting tonight!

2011-11-09T10:43:00.000-08:00

Tabouli!

The light's not so great which creates a bit of a blurry image, but I just had to include it!

Satsang (aka Meeting As Stillness) is simply a celebration of being, in which we gather together as our true authentic self ~ this brilliant shining presence! We deeply explore this essence that we are. Really, it seems like we get together and do nothing! It's in the truest sense of doing nothing, meaning we also don't do anything in our mind. Satsang offers a complete rest from being in the mind and a way of becoming stable here, in the heart of being, in the now. Perhaps more accurately, we become aware of the great stability that is and has always been here.

See you tonight!

The last of the back garden dahlias.

Blessed by your Presence

2011-11-08T12:53:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Louie Schwartzberg & TED.com for this beautiful short video of sublime images & potent wisdom!

"I wish you will open your heart to all these blessings and let them flow through you, that everyone whom you will meet on this day will be blessed by you, just by your eyes, by your smile, by your touch. Just by your presence. Let the gratefulness overflow into blessings all around you."

YES!

Still

2011-11-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

I found this in the front garden yesterday while raking leaves! I'm hoping to see some fairies!

Even though the image of the amanita muscaria (toadstool mushroom) and the images in Hafiz's poem do not match up, they are two things that I am enjoying immensely at the moment... almost swooning!

A Still Cup

For

God

To make love,

For the divine alchemy to work,

The Pitcher needs a still cup.

Why

Ask Hafiz to say

Anything more about

Your most

Vital

Requirement?

~ Hafiz

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

I see you!

2011-10-31T10:09:00.000-07:00

In the morning light.

In the afternoon light.

I see you, dear God

all covered in tree.

I see you, I do

wherever you be.

♥

Love from Vancouver!

2011-10-29T04:12:00.001-07:00

We're back home in Vancouver!

It's still dark outside otherwise I'd post a photo of our big copper beech tree that greeted us with welcoming waving arms!

All's that left for this fantastic journey is...

Thank you! ¡Muchas gracias!

Thank you to all who hosted, assisted and joined us!

We're so grateful for 'your' Presence.

Blessed beyond words.

Much Love

♥

P.S. More of Torrevieja!

LoveLoveLove!

2011-10-25T11:30:00.001-07:00

Carlitos!

We're still here in beautiful Torrevieja enjoying our last few days in Spain

and our sweet friend, Carlitos!

Another profound satsang in Alicante on Sunday... Thank you to all!

"The true man of God sits in the midst of his fellow-men, and rises and sleeps and eats and marries and buys and sells and gives and takes... and yet never forgets God even for a single moment."

~ ABU SA'ID IBN ABI'L-KHAYR

[And woman!]

Mucho Amor!

♥

Pillars of Presence

2011-10-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

A few images from within Jardin de Mar...

And, in the surrounding area...

The group of friends retreating!

Along with our wonderful host, Amin, seated at the bottom right.

I loved this retreat!

It was a successful experiment... 5 days together. Fantastic stillness, fantastic friends, fantastic food, fantastic weather, a night of raining stars, and a full moon!

It revealed itself early on as the 'Pillars of Presence Retreat'... not surprising, as we had visited the Virgin of Pilar (pillar) a few days before the retreat (on the advice of a friend). She must have had a great influence! On the last day of the retreat, October 12, one of our friends told us that it was the fiesta of Pilar that day, a holiday! (The fiesta is why the retreat could be longer this year.) What a synchronicity! I really had no idea. We visited her before, she was present during the retreat and the last day was dedicated to her throughout Spain. She had a great presence at the retreat... birthing pillars of Presence.

Thank you to all!

Si Dios quiere (God willing), see you next year!

♥

The Virgin of Pilar

Love from Torrevieja... sun, sea, sand & salt!

2011-10-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

In the back garden.

In the front garden.

Carmen's rose!

We're here in Torrevieja with Tomas' family... resting.

The retreat was absolutely f*a*n*t*a*s*t*i*c!

I'll write more in a few days and post photos.

Much Love

♥

Retreat... it's here!

2011-10-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

Maribel's daisy!

Our 4th annual residential retreat in Spain is here!

We're off to Jardin de Mar, our retreat centre in the Sierra Calderona Nature Park just outside the city of Valencia.

Much Joy!

Jardin De Mar ~ Garden by the sea

I'll be without internet until next Thursday at the earliest... perhaps there'll be some retreat photos to post then!

Photos from the previous retreats are here and here.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Canadians!

Happy Full Moon on Tuesday October 11 at 7:06pm pst!

Thank you all for being the brilliant shining Presence that you are.

Much Love

~ Moni

♥

Love from Spain!

2011-10-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

In addition to our dear friend, this is what greeted us at the Barcelona airport!

A drive-by view of Montserrat on our way from Barcelona to Les Cases Noves de Can Pardo (LCNDCP!)

The sweetest smelling roses growing on the upper patio at our friends' home in LCNDCP. Some of them (the roses and the friends!) came to satsang!

The wild beauty of this amazing land at LCNDCP. The stillness here is strong.

More natural beauty here in LCNDCP.

We lunched at a fantastic countryside restaurant in the middle of nowhere outside of LCNDCP, where the owner is also a textile lover & artist.

Part of a rose quilt hanging on the wall at this restaurant.

Another one of her beautiful quilts!

More textile art on the restaurant walls.

One of the friends that joined us for lunch!

The view from the bench where Tomas & I sat in LCNDCP enjoying the late afternoon stillness.

We visited this lovely piece of land a few minutes drive outside of LCNDCP... it's the future home of an organic farming co-op!

The view from the land... very still.

We travelled from LCNDCP to Zaragoza, in the province of Aragon. It's our first visit here! And it's famous for the Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar next to the Ebra river. The Basilica is the home of the Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title Our Lady of the Pillar, and is known to be the first church in history to be dedicated to Mary. !

A very modern fountain in the old plaza outside the Basilica. I love the blue!

The top of one of the entrances leading into the Basilica with trumpeting angels.

A closer look.

One of the domes of the Basilica.

And closer.

Another entrance into the Basilica... more angels!

A closer view of the lute (?) playing angel.

Another view of the outside of the Basilica... it's huge! Signs posted inside asked us not to photograph, otherwise I would have taken a photo of the Virgin of Pilar. Here's her photo from wikipedia...

On our way from Zaragoza to Madrid, we stopped for lunch in a small village. I love the decoration on the top of this building and the blue sky!

The church in this village.

And the autumn leaves!

The satsangs so far have been profound... we're very blessed... graced by Presence.

I'd love to take before and after photos of each one coming to satsang.

It's a noticeable difference. The light that shines through even stronger is miraculous!

I am so enjoying being with old friends and meeting new friends on this fantastic adventure!

Much Love

♥

A New Beginning!

2011-09-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

Sayoko's rose!

Hello Dear Friends!

Welcome to the new home of Living Presence Now!

And, happy first new moon of autumn!

How auspicious to begin anew with a beautiful rose & a beautiful poem!

"If there is a paradise on earth,

it is this,

it is this."

~ Jami,

Persian Poet

♥

~ Moni

An Ending...

2011-09-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

Tricia's Peace Rose!

I've run out of space here on this blog.

Please join me at the new blog site!
(I've found a way to create more space here, so I've moved the new blog back! ~ Moni, 15 October 2011)

Thank you to all who have visited here!

I'll likely keep this site up... for the moment.

Much Love

♥

Women's Satsang in Burnaby!

2011-09-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

I've been invited to offer a Women's Satsang in Burnaby, B.C!

I said yes!

If you're a woman, you're welcome to join us!

Thursday, September 15

7:30 - 9:00pm

$15

At a private residence.

Please contact Jan for the address, directions and more info.

(The link to Jan is here.)

"The number of women who are now approaching the fully conscious state already exceeds that of men and will be growing even faster in the years to come. Men may catch up with them in the end, but for some considerable time there will be a gap between the consciousness of men and that of women. Women are regaining the function that is their birthright and, therefore, comes to them more naturally than it does to men: to be a bridge between the manifested world and the Unmanifested, between physicality and spirit. Your main task as a woman now is to transmute the pain-body so that it no longer comes between you and your true self, the essence of who you are. Of course, you also have to deal with the other obstacle to enlightenment, which is the thinking mind, but the intense presence you generate when dealing with the pain-body will also free you from identification with the mind."

~ Eckhart Tolle
The Power of Now

Beautiful harvest full moon image from moxiemamakc.blogspot.com

Happy Harvest Full Moon!
September 12

2:27am pacific time

♥

9.1.1.

2011-09-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Labour Day!

2011-09-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the sweetness of being!

♥

Valencia Retreat!

2011-09-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

A few more images of this lovely space for our retreat!

I posted previous images here.

Just over a month to go!

Woo hoo!

Happy long weekend!

♥

Choose HE*RE!

2011-09-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Here is where the sweetness is.

Here is where life/reality/sanity is.

Here is where God is.

"Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven."

The kingdom of heaven is here!

And it can be chosen over everything else... here.

Choose *h*e*r*e*!

♥

Angel on your shoulder!

2011-08-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

A sweet fledgling being who befriended Tomas recently!

I took quite a few photos... I'll post more soon.

It's an angel on his shoulder!

Meeting tonight!

♥ ↔ ♥

Joy here.

2011-08-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

There is a joy that lives here, that simply is.

It is.

It's not waiting for anything,

or looking for anything,

or hoping for anything,

or determined by anything,

or contingent on anything.

It just simply is.

This joy arises out of nowhere, which is also everywhere.

And it's here.

Now.

Where else could it be?!

♥

Pure Bliss!

2011-08-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

Our holiday was pure bliss... from start to finish!

All of the elements were present...

fire, water, earth, wood, metal

plus, tons of laughter, joy, creativity, knowings, play, heart, music, beauty, stillness and rest.

What more could one ask for?!

Oh, and great food!

And, of course, the first thing to get my attention were the flowers!

Then the blues of the lake water and the blues of the sky and the greens of the trees... aaaahhhhh...

If I could have taken pictures of stars to show you, I would have!

And of the campfires.

And of all of the trees.

We were mesmerized & awed.

Pure bliss.

Thank you.

♥

Summertime... !

2011-08-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

Beauty in a neighbour's front garden...

Everyone enjoys this garden!

This garden is particularly compelling & peaceful... I didn't want to leave... some lovely sounding chimes hang in a nearby tree... it's the sweetest energy here.

We're off on our annual camping trip!

This year we're being called to the interior of B.C.

The computer will stay at home, but the camera will come along!

So, no blogging for a little while...

See you in a week!

Continued happy summertime adventures!

Much Love

♥

The fruits of stillness...

2011-08-18T17:06:00.000-07:00

Last night...

another meeting of deep stillness.

Thank you to all.

♥

Some of the fruits that appeared:

i ~ Be conscious of the conditioning/programming of knowing what to do and not doing it. Do whatever it takes to obey the knowing.

ii ~ We have access to the abundance of wisdom that is here 24/7 and is beyond the thinking mind.

It's wise to use this wisdom!

iii ~ While we were conditioned to believe that the thinking mind is the source of power, we've come to realize that the true source of power is beyond the thinking mind. Connect with this power source.

iv ~ The only thing I know for sure is that I AM.

♥

Burst out in laughter!

2011-08-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

This morning in the cherry tree!

Here's what I found today while working on 'The Big Clean-Out Of The Storage Room!'...

something I had saved from my days of working at Banyen Books...

one of their beautiful book marks!

Now they have a new location, with the same phone numbers, website & beauty.

Yes!

We meet tonight!

♥

joy joy joy!

2011-08-16T20:41:00.000-07:00

Last night on the line.

This morning in the cherry tree.

Spreading joy and sweetness,

not to mention, entertaining us with spectacular moves & serenading us with chirpy notes!

A very happy being.

♥

NOW

2011-08-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

We are the majesty that rests on the throne of Now.

♥

Garden Delights!

2011-08-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

The harvest!

♥

Blessed.

2011-08-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

This is the big loud hummer that visits us!

♫ "... And I love to live so pleasantly,

Live this life of luxury.

Lazing on a sunny afternoon.

In the summertime.

In the summertime. " ♫

~ Ray Davies

(The luxury to sit in the garden [or anywhere!]... and rest deeply!)

♥

Start here.

2011-08-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

#5!

Another beautiful meeting last night.

Thank you to all.

Yes, it was wild and creative!

Key words/phrases/themes:

1. Start here. Out of the mind. Out of time.

2. Stay here.

3. All that's left is surrender. At the end of the rope, after everything else has been tried and has failed, there's only one thing left.

4. Yes!

5. Nothing is what we think it is... Our direct experience of being isn't what we thought it would be. It is beyond the concepts/ideas/understandings of the thinking mind.

Happy day to you!

Love

♥

Here...

2011-08-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

in the back garden!

(Well, as of yesterday late afternoon... when the sun was shining!)

❤

Meeting tonight!

Yes!

♥

Another beauty in the garden!

2011-08-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

I just found this in the back garden and couldn't wait to share it!

Love

♥

Flowering!

2011-08-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

Still flowering!

Watching the sunset!

A back garden visitor!

A failed attempt at taking a panoramic pic... even so, I love the curve!

Last night's sunset from Jericho Beach

Dryness promotes the formation of flower buds...flowering is, after all, not an aesthetic contribution, but a survival mechanism.

Ann Haymond Zwinger

The Mysterious Lands

♥

Valencia 5 Day Retreat!

2011-08-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

Tomas & I are delighted to return to Spain in October to hold our 4th Annual Residential Retreat!
This is one of our favourites!
And this year, by request, it's been extended to 5 days!

In the bagua above are a few glimpses inside the retreat centre ~ Jardín de Mar (Garden of the Sea!) ~ and one of the surrounding area. It's located in the beautiful setting of the Sierra Calderona Nature Park, about 30 minutes away from the city of Valencia, which is on the gorgeous Mediterranean coast of Spain.

View Larger Map

I love this retreat for many reasons. Mostly because we get to just simply be together for an extended period of time, sharing space and stillness. I love the 2 daily meetings, 2 hours each, plus the space for quiet time, and for walking in the nature park, exploring the retreat centre grounds, enjoying activities (we've done yoga, tai chi, chi gong, movement meditations), swimming and just resting. I especially enjoy the periods of silence! Our host & retreat centre creator, Amin, makes delicious international vegetarian food for us. Some food pics and more are on his blog here.

More than anything, I love the people who attend! My heart is deeply touched not only by the sincerity and commitment of those who say yes to the retreat, but by the vast love that shines through, a true sense of community. This is the whole reason why I show up, to witness and experience this love, and to share in the gifts we give each other through 'our' presence... the gift of presence itself, stillness, peace, love, recognition of the same essence.

This is what we say about retreat:

Retreat is a celebration of being
in which we deeply investigate this that we are and what we are not.

It's very joyful to simply be together.

The end result is more space, more stillness, more peace, a deeper resting, a deeper recognition of who we are.

All of the retreat details (dates, times, costs etc) are on our website here, in English and in Spanish. (During the retreat, each session is translated into Spanish, unless Tomas speaks Spanish during his solo sessions, which are then translated into English.)

If you feel pulled to join us, we'd love it!

Please be in touch. We can also answer any questions you have.

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.

~ Rumi

♥

¡Espero que nos veamos pronto!

(I hope we see each other soon!)

♥♥♥

The greatest service is to recognize the essence or the reality of the other person.

Everything else passes away, is transitory,

but that recognition of the other as God and one with who you are,

to see that,

that is the greatest service you can give —

the realization of who that person truly is beyond the form.

~ Eckhart Tolle

♥

Opening and opening and opening!

2011-08-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

This morning in the garden!

Wherever you go, there's BEAUTY!

2011-08-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

All of these beauty beings (Dahlias!), except the last one, are from a neighbor's garden. I discovered them on my weekly walk to buy flowers for the Wednesday evening meeting yesterday. The last one, I discovered in our back garden this morning! It's newly opened and shining its beauty!

♥

Another day...

2011-08-02T12:16:00.000-07:00

[i]

[ii]

[iii]

[iv] this is the right way up!

[v]

[vi]

[vii]

in joy!

♥

i ~ the butterfly tree in our back garden... somehow an airplane got in the picture!

ii - vii ~ on a beach in Vancouver...

ii ~ a beach treasure!

iii ~ the view toward Bowen Island

iv ~ the view of West Vancouver when lying on the sand

v ~ a crow opening its lunch

vi ~ waves + crow!

vii ~ the view toward the West End

living presence now

An Oasis of Stillness...

Soul Candy!

Extraordinary!

Thank You.

Be in the world but not of the world.

Turn toward.

Create. Love. Create Love.

Holy Holy

Beauty + Miracles

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas! There IS hope for all to find peace.

Return of the Light!

Happy Christmas... War is over Now!

Grace and love entered.

Roses. Joy. Gratitude.

Great Happiness

Priceless Jewel

The blessing continues

Blessed beyond belief!

Beauty... right here!

Live the real you

The miracles of being alive... given so much.

Meeting tonight!

Blessed by your Presence

Still

I see you!

Love from Vancouver!

LoveLoveLove!

Pillars of Presence

Love from Torrevieja... sun, sea, sand & salt!

Retreat... it's here!

Love from Spain!

A New Beginning!

An Ending...

Women's Satsang in Burnaby!

9.1.1.

Happy Labour Day!

Valencia Retreat!

Choose *H*E*R*E*!

Angel on your shoulder!

Joy here.

Pure Bliss!

Summertime... !

The fruits of stillness...

Burst out in laughter!

joy joy joy!

*N*O*W*

Garden Delights!

Blessed.

Start here.

Here...

Another beauty in the garden!

Flowering!

Valencia 5 Day Retreat!

Opening and opening and opening!

Wherever you go, there's BEAUTY!

Another day...

Choose HE*RE!

NOW