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	<title>Touchstones of the Sacred</title>
	
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		<title>Paradox of Spiritual Seeking</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TouchstonesOfTheSacred/~3/qKfsNKqW7Dw/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Nov 2012 22:52:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael Nagel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daily Wisdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Living with Intention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mind Body Spirit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teachings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Touching the Sacred]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mind body spirit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sacred Living]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/?p=7133</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If I am seeking, I am seeking some thing – an object which is other than me. I am the seeker; the object is the sought. There is the duality of I – and that which I seek.  If I am a seeker of spiritual realization, I first conceive of realization and its presumed attributes (calm, equanimity, bliss ?), and I presume that such fulfillment rests there in the enlightenment I seek, not in the lowly person I take myself to be.]]></description>
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<p>In their search for enlightenment, some persons cross deserts or and climb mountains at great peril to themselves. Others seek realization at the feet of their beloved masters listening expectantly to every word. Still some attend weekend seminars or study sacred texts late into the night.</p>
<p>While there are a great many seekers, there appear to be few finders. Perhaps this confirms that, by definition, a seeker can never be a finder.</p>
<p>If I am seeking, I am seeking some thing – an object which is other than me. I am the seeker; the object is the sought. There is the duality of I – and that which I seek.</p>
<p>If I am a seeker of spiritual realization, I first conceive of realization and its presumed attributes (calm, equanimity, bliss ?), and I presume that such fulfillment rests there in the enlightenment I seek, not in the lowly person I take myself to be.</p>
<p>Such a seeker must think that the great sages have been in error. But might such seeking be mistaken instead? The Buddha taught that buddha-nature (the intrinsic potential to become enlightened) exists within every sentient being. The Christ taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is within. Nondual teachers point to our inseparability from the natural perfection of all that exists. Like the Buddha and Christ, they suggest that what we seek is not in the Himalayas, at the feet of a master, or in a book – but “closer than your nose.”<br />
<span id="more-7133"></span><br />
“Closer than your nose”? Yes, because you are that which you seek. The awareness which now peers out through your senses and would traverse the world in search of enlightenment is itself the sought. The seeker’s dilemma is like a donkey and carrot, always chasing, never nearing the other. Were the seeker to stop seeking, he might find himself coming to rest in his essential, perfect nature which is in unqualified accord with the given-ness of the NOW.</p>
<p>To point to “awareness” as the source of realization as I have done above exemplifies another error in seeking. This may be difficult to follow. Seekers conceptualize truth – as in the word “awareness”. In conceiving “awareness” or “enlightenment”, an object or thing is conceived in thought. Yet the Mystery in which we swim is not an object. It is no one thing, for to be some one thing, it would be other than all else which has sprung forth from It. It can neither be touched, tasted, seen, nor conceptualized. Yet it is. And you are That.</p>
<p>With regard to the tendency to reify (make a thing or object out of) the Mystery, Lao Tsu, founder of Taoism, remarked: “The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.”</p>
<p>Paradoxically, with due diligence, seekers may find precisely what they have conceived, but that will not be the Mystery, rather one of its infinite number of faces.</p>
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		<title>Presence, Neurons, and the Internet</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TouchstonesOfTheSacred/~3/VR2Kqr_CJqU/</link>
		<comments>http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/presence-neurons-internet/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:03:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael Nagel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Mind Body Spirit]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/?p=7125</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Presence, neurons, and the internet: these concepts are intimately related in an unsuspecting and unfavorable way which might concern you, if in your pursuit of authenticity, you practice presence.]]></description>
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<p>Presence, neurons, and the internet: these concepts are intimately related in an unsuspecting and unfavorable way which might concern you, if in your pursuit of authenticity, you practice presence.</p>
<p>Contemplative traditions consider the practice of presence the sine qua non (“without which nothing”) of spiritual unfolding. The Tibetan Dzogchen master, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chogyal_Namkhai_Norbu" target="_blank">Namkhai Norbu</a>, for example, considers presence to be “the ultimate” practice.</p>
<p>Presence could be considered the unreactive resting of awareness in the experience of the moment-to-moment experience of the Now. Initially the practice of presence requires sustained voluntary attention. Ideally and impossibly, we would be in presence uninterruptedly throughout the day. Yet, unless you are a master, inevitably distractions will interrupt your attention leading you to not be present.</p>
<p>The internet and your neurons relate directly to your capacity to practice presence. To understand how they relate, it’s helpful to know of the relatively new science of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroplasticity" target="_blank">neuroplasticity</a>. Perhaps you think, as once I did, that your brain stopped developing when you reached physical maturity. Not so!<span id="more-7125"></span></p>
<p>Your brain matter changes incessantly. Your ongoing experience, knowledge, and behavior can generate new synaptic connections between neurons, atrophy others, and even create new neurons. Such changes in brain structure can be as immediate as within a second of exposure to a stimulus.</p>
<p>But not all brain matter changes are good. Numerous research studies now report that internet usage actually alters your brain matter in ways which result in a decreased ability to think deeply, to comprehend reading matter, to form long-term memory, and… to sustain focus or attention (just what is required for the practice of presence).</p>
<p>Yes, the internet does have some favorable impacts on brain matter: it enhances visual acuity and eye-hand coordination. While that’s a questionable plus for the advance of civilization, joystick operators of military drone aircraft and their victims may benefit from less civilian “collateral damage”. Additionally governments who benefit from unthinking populaces will be pleased also.</p>
<p>If you wonder why you’re not reading as many books as you used to or you wonder why you find it difficult to read long internet articles, perhaps the net has zapped your brain (and this is reversible). Of course, not just the internet, but all media and sources of distraction augment our increasing inability to sustain attention. If you are interested in learning more about the impact of the internet, read “The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains” Nicholas Carr (2011).</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Of course the internet offers genuine benefits which we will want to balance with our concern for presence. If you wonder how to enhance your practice of presence, perhaps a practical start might be to curb your exposure to distractions by limiting the amount of time you spend surfing the internet and limiting the number of times a day you download email.</p>
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		<title>The Virtue of Self-ishness</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TouchstonesOfTheSacred/~3/ThvolZ_rcqc/</link>
		<comments>http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/the-virtue-of-self-ishness/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Aug 2012 22:11:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael Nagel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Living with Intention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mind Body Spirit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inspiration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[intention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mind body spirit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sacred Living]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/?p=7119</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Was it 1984 when I walked up to a teller of the Santa Monica branch of First Interstate Bank to deposit my paycheck? I must have laid on the teller counter, title up, the copy of “The Virtue of Selfishness” by Ayn Rand which I was reading, because as I filled out my deposit slip, the teller remarked with palpable moral indignation, “Don’t tell me you want to be selfish!?”

Slowly looking up straight into her eyes, I replied, “As a matter of fact, I do!”

I still want to be Self-ish, though sometimes others may misinterpret that as my being selfish. But that is their problem, not mine. I wish that you be Self-ish too.

That is, I wish everyone be taught how to think critically with the light of their intellects. As individuals and a nation...]]></description>
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<p>Was it 1984 when I walked up to a teller of the Santa Monica branch of First Interstate Bank to deposit my paycheck? I must have laid on the teller counter, title up, the copy of “The Virtue of Selfishness” by Ayn Rand which I was reading, because as I filled out my deposit slip, the teller remarked with palpable moral indignation, “Don’t tell me you want to be selfish!?”</p>
<p>Slowly looking up straight into her eyes, I replied, “As a matter of fact, I do!”</p>
<p>I still want to be Self-ish, though sometimes others may misinterpret that as my being selfish. But that is their problem, not mine. I wish that you be Self-ish too.</p>
<p>That is, I wish everyone be taught how to think critically with the light of their intellects. As individuals and a nation, we might not fall victim to deceit.</p>
<p>I wish everyone finds within themselves,<span id="more-7119"></span> not others, the moral authority to value, think, feel, and act as they choose, rather than conform to the opinions and dictates of others.</p>
<p>“That will lead to moral anarchy,” some might rebut. True, were human nature not beneficent and itself the very source of intuited morality. Yes, life experience distorts some of us. Yet generally the heart of humanity is sound. After all, when was the last time you met someone who would rather kick a lost puppy than pet, hold, or help it?</p>
<p>I wish that we find the ease and strength of being self-directed, rather than find the comfort of being directed by others. It would be more difficult to herd us as sheep towards fascism.</p>
<p>Critical thinking, being one’s own locus of valuation, and being autonomous I wish were life skills taught to every senior before graduating from high school.</p>
<p>I wish too that we enjoy the deeper experience of Self by dis-identifying from the drama and content of our experience, and resting in the one awareness which underlies each instant, each life-form, and which peers out now through your eyes and mine.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Fire, Nature &amp; the Art of Transformation » Pele Flow</title>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:58:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mary Lane</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Awakening Feminine]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[divine feminine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fire]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[solstice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spirit]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/?p=7095</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Divine Feminine has many facets to her. She is vast. She is pure sexual creative energy connected to the Divine Source as the womb of the realm of possibility. She gives birth to all there is, she nourishes it, guides it, devours it. In her wholeness she is united with her masculine essence that brings her unbridled sexual creative energy into focus, resulting in form. All form can be traced back to her. Everything is self similar. It just vibrates at a different frequency depending on the dimension in which it is accessed. Form is the densest frequency, but by all means no less Divine.]]></description>
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<p>Happy Solstice! And welcome to the fire element, and season of the yearly cycle. This element rules the heart, small intestine and sex circulation. We are collectively transforming our relationship with all three of these aspects of the fire element. In fact we are transforming our relationship with the fire element in general and maturing into a human race that is more heart centered. We are welcoming the receptive feminine principle back into our world to create the much needed balance we all long for.</p>
<p>So what is her role in this fire element? We have the heart which rules our passion, relationships, joy, warmth, transformation, creativity, and just plain juiciness of life that emanates care toward everything and everyone else. The heart’s partner in this is the small intestine that supports the heart by sifting through and separating the pure from the impure. It supports the heart to follow what is pure with discernment. When we walk through life with an open heart and follow it, a good companion is discernment.</p>
<p>Sex circulation moves our raw creative energy through the channels and supports us to create, bring into manifestation and form from the realm of the unmanifest. It supports the nourishment of all the organ systems so they are alive and healthy, contributing to the creative process.<span id="more-7095"></span></p>
<p>The Divine Feminine has many facets to her. She is vast. She is pure sexual creative energy connected to the Divine Source as the womb of the realm of possibility. She gives birth to all there is, she nourishes it, guides it, devours it. In her wholeness she is united with her masculine essence that brings her unbridled sexual creative energy into focus, resulting in form. All form can be traced back to her. Everything is self similar. It just vibrates at a different frequency depending on the dimension in which it is accessed. Form is the densest frequency, but by all means no less Divine.</p>
<p>No wonder she scared the beejeezes out of those who didn’t understand her. However, she has never left us. Her wisdom, intelligence, compassion, fierceness, beauty has been disregarded, ignored, hidden, and pushed back into the shadows until we were mature enough to handle her. Seems we are finally approaching that time in history. Her intelligence in it’s least distorted manifestation comes into form as nature, our beloved Mother Earth.</p>
<p>It is no coincidence that when she was devalued and ignored, so was the physical manifestation of her wisdom in the form of the natural world, the body, and women. They are all self similar. It is also no coincidence that as we honor the Divine Feminine and welcome her wisdom back into our world, we are returning to honoring women, our bodies and the Earth. You can not separate them.</p>
<p>We are witnessing the Divine Feminine the collective level as she shines a light on all the corrupted belief patterns in our society causing them to crumble. They are just a larger manifestation of individual unconscious and disowned beliefs, thrown into one big pot of yucky tasting soup. If we are to welcome her, then we must honor her in her entirety, not try to save her. We must honor her as she is manifested as the Earth, not try to save her.  We must honor her as manifested as woman, not try to save her. We must honor our bodies’ wisdom, as it is her wisdom. “Saving” still comes from the patriarchal stance that we are superior. What a joke.</p>
<p>So how does this relate to the art of transformation? As it has been taught by the ancient ones in many cultures, sexual energy has enormous transformative power. It creates and transforms. However, it is not discriminating. It creates form of whatever consciousness it is channeled through. As long as we are hooked into the consciousness of our old negative beliefs, and the patriarchal collective system that is what will be created. However, she will not stop shining a light on this, and we may see what is hidden in the shadows and allow this energy to transform into a consciousness that is more aligned with hers if we choose.</p>
<p>If the natural world and Earth is a physical manifestation of the Divine Feminine and  self similar to us then the same kundalini energy that moves through our bodies and consciousness also moves through the Earth’s. This wave of creative life force moving through the Earth’s body can be witnessed as seasons going through the process of creation, life, and destruction, death. We are witnessing her infinite creativity and willingness to let go of what no longer serves, and become food for the birth of the new. It is transformation at it’s best.</p>
<p>As self similar creatures we are souls who have manifested as a physical being on a human journey to evolve. Our physical surroundings are transforming constantly. When we are aligned with this wisdom of the Divine Feminine we are one with this ongoing transformation, and we are carried by this wave of sexual energy. We let go of what no longer serves us and give birth to new creations of our soul’s growth cycle by cycle. Spring birth transforms into summer’s full expression, transforming into the harvest of our creation, letting go of what is no longer aligned in fall, planting seeds for new growth, and allowing death to become compost for these seeds of potential in winter for the new life ahead.</p>
<p>Take this yearly cycle and apply our self similarity and you have the same cycle every day, every minute, every breath.</p>
<p>She is the master. She is a manifestation of this transformative process in the form of the natural world. She carries us through the transformation, and when aligned with her wisdom, the wisdom that honors all of her creation, and the harmony of life and death, this raw sexual creative energy that flows through our bodies, consciousness, and Earth we will become the channels for this Divine wisdom and love. We will enjoy the journey, and experience the ecstasy that comes from unbridled sexual creative energy brought into form through our imaginations free from old limited negative beliefs.</p>
<p>Sounds like a lot to accomplish? She has brilliantly set this wisdom in motion one cycle at a time, making it doable as an exciting adventure one digestible bite at a time. Aligning with the wisdom of the Divine Feminine physically manifested as the Earth will support us to grow, evolve, and raise our consciousness as a collective reflection of her creation. Honoring the Divine Masculine energy that is a part of her supports us to bring her creation into form. We can know ourselves as a self similar embodiment of her Divine creative energy, wisdom, and love. She is the Master!</p>
<p>Growing into a healthy relationship with the fire element is not for sissies. But then, from what I can tell those souls who have incarnated to support the planetary transformation are far from being sissies. When we can truly own who we are, know our value, and honor ourselves from every fiber of our being, imagine what form that raw creative sexual energy can take.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>The Finish Line</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TouchstonesOfTheSacred/~3/k2QnVokDJts/</link>
		<comments>http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/the-finish-line/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>celedra</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aging With Grace and Glory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Living with Intention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mind Body Spirit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[half marathon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mind body spirit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[running]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/?p=7090</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our culture demands speed, precision, sharpness, success and I have done my best to be a disciple of them all.  To what end, I ask myself.  And who am I to become if and when I slow down, calm down, turn inward; allow rather then push; ask for help, say no.  Somewhere inside of me though, it is already happening, almost on its own and from a deep well of wisdom.
]]></description>
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<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/wp-content/uploads/Rock-n-Roll.jpg" rel="lightbox[7090]" title="Rock n Roll Half Marathon"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-7105" title="Rock n Roll Half Marathon" src="http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/wp-content/uploads/Rock-n-Roll-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a></dt>
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<p>Six months ago, I purchased a RunKeeper App for my IPhone, set some goals as usual, and assumed that running a Half Marathon was simply a matter of pushing through until I got to where I wanted to go.  Not so much any more.</p>
<p>Suddenly I seemed to be in a whole new relationship with my body.  The &#8216;pushing through&#8217;  transformed into a practice of patience and attentiveness as the entire experience seemed to be reorganizing my DNA.  I found myself  juggling the gap between &#8221; I&#8217;m getting older so I should slow down, be gentle and not push myself too hard&#8221; to  &#8220;if I don&#8217;t push myself, I&#8217;ll eventually slow down completely and UGH!,  I don&#8217;t want to let age slow me down; I must keep on pushing against this tide in order  to stay vital and healthy&#8221;.</p>
</div>
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<p>The ten days before the run, I felt exhausted.  In spite of the fear of not finishing, I decided to simply rest and listen to my body.  What joy and relief to awaken on the day of the run feeling energetic and excited about the 13 miles of pavement waiting ahead. It was a glorious slow and steady run, filled with cool cups of Gatorade grabbed and tossed in every few miles along with multiple flavors of sugary Gu to keep us going.  The bands were energizing, the weather cool and misty and the air filled with heartfelt hum of men and women doing something really great for themselves.</p>
<p>Our culture demands speed, precision, sharpness, success and I have done my best to be a disciple of them all.  To what end, I ask myself.  And who am I to become if and when I slow down, calm down, turn inward; allow rather then push; ask for help, say no.  Somewhere inside of me though, it is already happening, almost on its own and from a deep well of wisdom.</p>
<p>I am unsure of this new ground and how to tread mindfully upon it.  I am curious to explore its edges and look forward to the unfolding.   Oh, and by the way, only 10ks from now on.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Obstacles and Their Overcoming</title>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 24 May 2012 20:23:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael Nagel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Living with Intention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mind Body Spirit]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/?p=7086</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Just as a question asks to be answered, as a pain calls out to be healed, so too an obstacle beckons to be overcome.
Imagine you’re walking down the highway of life, you turn a corner, and there before you sits a boulder of overwhelming size which blocks your path. What would you do?]]></description>
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<dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a href="http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/wp-content/uploads/image001.jpg" rel="lightbox[7086]" title="Michael Nagel"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-7085" title="Michael Nagel" src="http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/wp-content/uploads/image001-150x150.jpg" alt="Overcoming Personal Obstacles - Authenticity Project" width="150" height="150" /></a></dt>
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<p><em>The beauty of the soul shines out when a man bears with composure one heavy mischance after another, not because he does not feel them, but because he is a man of high and heroic temper.</em><br />
~ Aristotle (384-322 BC )  Greek philosopher</p>
<p>Just as a question asks to be answered, as a pain calls out to be healed, so too an obstacle beckons to be overcome.<br />
Imagine you’re walking down the highway of life, you turn a corner, and there before you sits a boulder of overwhelming size which blocks your path. What would you do?<br />
Some persons would throw their hands up in plaintive despair. Forlorn, they might sit down before the boulder, and wait for it to move itself. It may be a very long wait.<br />
Others might shake their heads, and just turn around. They might think they were mistaken when they took the path that lead there.<br />
Still others, after carefully examining the situation, might: tunnel beneath the boulder, climb over it, chart a new path, dynamite it, detour left or right, hire a helicopter … do whatever is necessary to overcome the boulder, and&#8230;<br />
continue on their way.<br />
A capricious god does not place boulders in our lives to thwart our progress. It’s profitless to speculate whether the boulder is due to karma or any other cause. It simply is what is: an obstacle on our way. It beckons a response.<br />
Persons who live as the causes of their lives and not as the victims of their circumstances experience that obstacles evoke from them an almost instinctual choice to overcome. Notice the word “choice.”<br />
Although it may be habitual to collapse before an obstacle, or to turn back, or to overcome, still it is a choice for which we are responsible. The act of choice is the fulcrum point of our unfolding lives. Choosing to overcome expresses that quality of authenticity called “agency” (see “A Life of Your Choosing“). Moreover overcoming taps the seemingly inexhaustible ‘high and heroic’ depths of our Being.<br />
How do you respond to obstacles on your path?</p>
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		<title>Tomorrow I Go On Medicare With More Than 10,000 Other Baby Boomers!</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TouchstonesOfTheSacred/~3/wHmCoHgeQ50/</link>
		<comments>http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/tomorrow-i-go-on-medicare-with-more-than-10000-other-baby-boomers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 May 2012 06:08:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>celedra</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aging With Grace and Glory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mind Body Spirit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[aging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[baby boomers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[medicare]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mind body spirit]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/?p=7077</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Can you believe that this turnover is going to keep happening EVERY day for the next 19th years? This timed acceptance into one of our government's most generous clubs would seemingly have me filled with the hard facts of old age. But, alas, I am absolutely delighted to give up my medical savings plan with it's $2500 deductible and payments of approximately $400/month, for a $99 a month payment to Medicare and $39/month to Kaiser, which, in case you didn't know, received the ONLY 5 stare rating from Social Security.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_7080" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 160px"><a href="http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/wp-content/uploads/childhood-150x1501.jpg" rel="lightbox[7077]" title="childhood-150x150"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-7080 " title="childhood-150x150" src="http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/wp-content/uploads/childhood-150x1501-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Ease, Grace, Laughter &amp; Joy</p>
</div>
<p>Can you believe that this turnover is going to keep happening EVERY day for the next 19th years? This timed acceptance into one of our government&#8217;s most generous clubs would seemingly have me filled with the hard facts of old age. But, alas, I am absolutely delighted to give up my medical savings plan with it&#8217;s $2500 deductible and payments of approximately $400/month, for a $99 a month payment to Medicare and $39/month to Kaiser, which, in case you didn&#8217;t know, received the ONLY 5 stare rating from Social Security.</p>
<p>So, what does all this have to do with Touchstones of the Sacred? Turning 65, which actually doesn&#8217;t happen for me until June 1st, feels like a cultural initiation into the last third of life. Last time I wrote about taking this marker of time as preparation for death. Inspired by our interview with Margueritte, I have started taking Qigong and have increased my meditation practice. I am committed to a life of <em>ease, grace, laughter and joy</em> and plan to write this commitment along our hallway in large sprawling letters. The older I get, the more I know this is a choice.</p>
<p>The wise women we interview with Aging With Grace and Glory live this choice through the foundation of their spirituality. The many Tibetan Lamas I&#8217;ve met though the last 20 years live this choice through the foundation of their spirituality. My mother lived it through the choice of her spirituality. All different, all the same. Right now, I am deeply grateful for my health, my strong body (which just ran 12 miles with my daughter in preparation for the Rock N Roll Half Marathon) and all the immense love I have in my life. Oh, and FINALLY not being ashamed of my age!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Pesto Recipes Spring Healing</title>
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		<comments>http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/pesto-recipes-spring-healing/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:23:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mary Lane</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Feminine Wisdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mind Body Spirit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mind body spirit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pesto]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spring recipes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/?p=7061</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The verdant colors of “new” at this time of year brings such excitement of potential creativity, and the birthing of a fresh start. My heart just sings, jumps a beat and expands when I am surrounded by the delicate greens of new plant life.

In Chinese medicine spring is the wood element and the color associated with it is green. Any wonder? The liver and gallbladder are the organ systems related to this element that embodies the rebirth time of the year.

Have you ever noticed when you walk or drive into a green area in nature how the temperature immediately cools down? Do you think it is a coincidence that these new fresh green plants that are bursting forth in the spring support the liver and gallbladder?]]></description>
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<p>The verdant colors of “new” at this time of year brings such excitement of potential creativity, and the birthing of a fresh start. My heart just sings, jumps a beat and expands when I am surrounded by the delicate greens of new plant life.</p></div>
<p>In Chinese medicine spring is the wood element and the color associated with it is green. Any wonder? The liver and gallbladder are the organ systems related to this element that embodies the rebirth time of the year.</p>
<p>Have you ever noticed when you walk or drive into a green area in nature how the temperature immediately cools down? Do you think it is a coincidence that these new fresh green plants that are bursting forth in the spring support the liver and gallbladder?</p>
<p>If they have a cooling affect in the natural world does it not make sense they would have a cooling affect on your liver? It is very common for our liver to heat up, especially during stressful times.</p>
<p>Your liver needs the support to “stay cool” in these stressful times. Think green. Think newly fresh, young greens. There are a multitude of fresh green plants popping up everywhere both in the garden and in the wild to support your liver.</p>
<p>Here are a couple pesto recipes that I designed specifically for this purpose. Not only are they good medicine for your liver, but they are delicious. For those of you that live in an area that nettles and chickweed grow you couldn’t have better allies. I have shared with many gardeners who thought they were plagued with chickweed taking over their gardens in the spring that is the best crop you could have right now. Not only does it support you greatly in the spring, but as it dies off it feeds the soil. Simply turn it under.</p>
<p>Enjoy these spring recipes. They are from my book, Divine Nourishment. If you already have my book this is a friendly reminder to pull it out and receive the benefits of the spring chapter.</p>
<p>If you are in a cleansing mode leave out the parmesan and walnuts.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p><span id="more-7061"></span></p>
<p><strong>CHEESE-FREE PESTO VERDE</strong></p>
<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong></p>
<p>1-1/2 cups fresh parsley, chopped</p>
<p>1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped</p>
<p>2 TBS fresh sage, chopped</p>
<p>2 TBS fresh oregano, chopped</p>
<p>1/2 cup scallion tops, chopped</p>
<p>4 cloves garlic</p>
<p>3 TBS chopped walnuts</p>
<p>1 TBS balsamic vinegar</p>
<p>2 TBS lemon juice</p>
<p>2 TBS water</p>
<p>1/2 tsp salt</p>
<p>1/4 tsp white pepper</p>
<p>1/2 cup olive oil</p>
<p><strong>Directions:</strong></p>
<p>Blend pesto ingredients in food processor, or blender. You will have to put 1/2 the chopped herbs and all the liquid except olive oil in first. As you blend it some, then you can put in rest of herbs and drizzle olive oil while blending a little at a time at end. Store in air-tight container in refrigerator. Yieldsapproximately 1 cup.</p>
<p><strong>WILD CHICKWEED &amp; MINT PESTO</strong></p>
<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong></p>
<p>Amounts are approximations, as it is according to personal taste.</p>
<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong></p>
<p>4 cups packed wild Chickweed</p>
<p>1/4 cup wild mint</p>
<p>2 TBS chopped wild garlic</p>
<p>3/4 cup walnuts</p>
<p>1/2 cup parmesan cheese</p>
<p>Juice of 1 lemon</p>
<p>1/4 cup olive oil</p>
<p>Drizzle of water</p>
<p>Salt/white pepper to taste</p>
<p><strong>Directions:</strong></p>
<p>Gather chickweed that has not yet flowered. Cut with knife toward top of plants, so you get a nice clean top. Do not pull plant out by roots. Do the same with mint. Rinse in colander and spin dry in salad spinner.</p>
<p>Toast walnuts on sheet pan in 350 degree oven just until you can smell them. About 10 minutes.</p>
<p>Chop garlic. Shred parmesan. Place chickweed, mint and garlic in food processor and begin to process. Stop and add parmesan, walnuts, a little lemon juice, salt &amp; pepper.</p>
<p>While processing drizzle in a little olive oil until it becomes blended. Do not over blend. Thin if needed with small amount of water. This should be done fairly quickly so as not to over process walnuts.</p>
<p><strong>NETTLE PESTO</strong></p>
<p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p>
<p>1 cup raw almonds</p>
<p>1 (15- to 17-inch-long) baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices</p>
<p>10 cloves or 1 large head garlic</p>
<p>1 teaspoon mineral salt, or to taste</p>
<p>1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper</p>
<p>4 cups spring nettles*</p>
<p>3 cups loosely packed arugula leaves</p>
<p>1 cup extra-virgin olive oil</p>
<p>2 TBS fresh lemon juice</p>
<p>Dash of water to thin if necessary</p>
<p>*optional 3 cups finely grated parmesan cheese (I prefer omitting this and serving on top of goat cheese)</p>
<p>Adjust seasoning, oil, lemon, water to taste</p>
<p><em>*If nettles are unavailable, use additional arugula (7 cups total).</em> <em>Use just the leaves of nettles. They lose their sting once chopped, dried, or cooked.</em></p>
<p><strong>Directions:</strong></p>
<p>Preheat oven to 350°F. In shallow baking pan, toss together walnuts and pine nuts, then place in oven, stirring occasionally, and bake until golden, about 8 minutes. Cool completely.</p>
<p>Arrange baguette slices on large baking sheet and bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.</p>
<p>With food processor running, drop in whole garlic cloves. Process until finely chopped, then stop motor and add cooled nuts, nettles, arugula, lemon juice. Process until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil and process until incorporated. Add a little water if needed, or more oil. Fold in grated cheese. Makes 3 1/2 cups pesto (with leftovers). Add salt and pepper to taste.</p>
<p>Mary Lane</p>
<p>Divine Nourishment.net</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>True and False Autonomy</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TouchstonesOfTheSacred/~3/TjHLICgGA9g/</link>
		<comments>http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/true-and-false-autonomy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:09:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael Nagel</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Living with Intention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mind Body Spirit]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Autonomy is one of the themes of Thoreau’s writing (which may be why today he no longer is taught). His life is an example of personal authenticity. Now, about authenticity…]]></description>
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<p><em>A saner man would have found himself, often enough “in formal opposition” to what are deemed “the most sacred laws of society,” through obedience to yet more sacred laws, and so have tested his resolution without going out of his way. It is not for a man to put himself in such an attitude to society, but to maintain himself in whatever attitude he find himself through obedience to the laws of his being, which will never be one of opposition to a just government, if he should chance to meet with such.</em></div>
<p>~ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau">Henry David Thoreau</a> (1817-1862),<br />
American <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentalism">Transcendentalist</a>, author and naturalist, in <strong>Walden</strong></p>
<p>As a brief prelude to this post, I recall that while sharing coffee with a 20-something-year-old a couple of years ago, I mentioned Thoreau.<br />
“Who?”, he replied.<br />
“Thoreau!”<br />
“Who’s he?”<br />
…..<br />
For those of us whom the American educational system has misguided, Thoreau’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Disobedience_(Thoreau)">“Civil Disobedience”</a> inspired Mahatma Ghandi who liberated India from British colonial rule. Thoreau also inspired Martin Luther King Jr. who helped liberate fellow citizens from social injustice. Thoreau’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walden">“Walden”</a> is one of the great works of American literature, and it is a foundation stone of American Transcendentalism.</p>
<p>Autonomy is one of the themes of Thoreau’s writing (which may be why today he no longer is taught). His life is an example of personal authenticity. Now, about authenticity…</p>
<p>____________</p>
<p>Living things have innate intelligence. From amoeba to human, each is capable of directing its own activities in a way that seeks to optimize its existence. Science describes this trait as self-organizing. In psychology, we speak of an innate drive to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_actualization">self-actualize</a>.</p>
<p>Personal autonomy is an attribute of the self-actualizing person. <a href="http://wordinfo.info/results?searchString=autonomy">Wordinfo.info</a> defines autonomy as “the quality or state of being independent, free, and self-directing.” In our striving to be autonomous, we need to distinguish between false and true autonomy.</p>
<p>We act with false autonomy when our seemingly self-directed action is a reaction to something else. However subtle our reaction may be, we are ensnared by that to which we react. Our action is not independent, but rather it depends upon that to which we react.<span id="more-7051"></span></p>
<p>Our reactivity could be as subtle as associational thinking (see the <a href="http://personal-authenticity-project.com/life-automaton-presence">“Life as an Automaton”</a> post). For example, in going to feed the cat, I remember that the litter box needs cleaning. I then go to clean the litter box, and note the cleaned laundry needs to be put in the dryer. This is reactivity, not autonomy.</p>
<p>Our reactivity could be an emotional reaction to someone or something else which we like or dislike. Someone cuts me off in traffic, and I become angry, speed up, and tailgate. This too is reactivity, not autonomy.</p>
<p>We might react to a societal condition or governmental policy. For example, the government decides to convert all pension plans and 401k stock holdings to treasury bills, in order to cover the federal debt, and in opposition I protest on the streets. This too isn’t autonomy, for my action depends upon the action of another.</p>
<p>What distinguishes false from true autonomy is not the nature of the action, but rather the source of the action. Am I acting in response to another, or in response to listening to my inner Self, its guidance and direction. Yes, I could protest on the streets, but only if that was the inclination of the Self, or as Thoreau said, the laws of my Being.</p>
<p>True autonomy is an attribute of Being. Its actions are Self-sourced, nonreactive, spontaneously arising from presence according to the needs of the moment. Such actions of course will reflect the society’s “sacred laws” – but only if that society is just, for Being itself is sacred. The less reactive we are, the more stabilized in presence we are, and the more autonomous we are.</p>
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		<title>Detoxifying: You are what you eat (or don’t eat)</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TouchstonesOfTheSacred/~3/R9Jc5E4hh-4/</link>
		<comments>http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/detoxifying-you-are-what-you-eat-or-dont-eat/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:16:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Patricia Tedeschi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Living with Intention]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mind Body Spirit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cleansing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[detoxifying]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mind body spirit]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://touchstonesofthesacred.com/?p=7029</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In 2000, the Environmental Working Group and Commenweal began the Human Toxome Project to analyze human tissues for chemicals that enter the body. Utilizing the latest technology, the project thus far has shown that all 75 participants ranging in age from newborn to the elderly tested positive for a combined total of 455 out of 528 chemicals.

As the skin is the largest organ of the body, it is imperative that we are conscious of what we put on it. That includes some of the more "technologically advanced" ingredients touted by many skin care lines. It is tempting to grab a bottle of the "latest, greatest" product with the "latest, greatest" ingredient(s), but "buyer beware."

Most molecules are too small to penetrate the skin, (And do you really want them penetrating deeply into the skin?), some ingredients (Vitamin C) are highly unstable and lose any effectiveness they might have had very quickly, and some ingredients actually cancel out their effectiveness by being utilized together. Be a knowledgeable consumer and don’t be taken in by the "hype premium."]]></description>
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<p>In June, 2006, the World Health Organization reported that nearly one-quarter of global disease is caused by environmental exposures and that well-targeted interventions can prevent much of this environmental risk, “saving what could amount to millions of lives every year.”</p>
<p>In addition to the external toxins that assault the body daily, our own bodies produce toxins, called metabolic waste products as a result of digestion and respiration. Although many mainstream doctors feel that the body is capable of detoxifying itself without &#8220;intervention,&#8221; we are impacted by many more pollutants than ever before.</p>
<p>In 2000, the Environmental Working Group and Commenweal began the Human Toxome Project to analyze human tissues for chemicals that enter the body. Utilizing the latest technology, the project thus far has shown that all 75 participants ranging in age from newborn to the elderly tested positive for a combined total of 455 out of 528 chemicals.</p>
<p>As the skin is the largest organ of the body, it is imperative that we are conscious of what we put on it. That includes some of the more &#8220;technologically advanced&#8221; ingredients touted by many skin care lines. It is tempting to grab a bottle of the &#8220;latest, greatest&#8221; product with the &#8220;latest, greatest&#8221; ingredient(s), but &#8220;buyer beware.&#8221;</p>
<p><span id="more-7029"></span></p>
<p>Most molecules are too small to penetrate the skin, (And do you really want them penetrating deeply into the skin?), some ingredients (Vitamin C) are highly unstable and lose any effectiveness they might have had very quickly, and some ingredients actually cancel out their effectiveness by being utilized together. Be a knowledgeable consumer and don’t be taken in by the &#8220;hype premium.&#8221;</p>
<p>There are many different methods of detoxifying &#8211; from merely eliminating the obvious toxic contenders from our body to the most extreme case of water fasting, the latter of which has resulted in death if not medically supervised.</p>
<p>Certain asanas in yoga (see this newsletter’s article on &#8220;twists&#8221;) help the natural detoxification process by increasing circulation, compressing and twisting organs, and encouraging relaxation.</p>
<p>One needs to know that extremities of any kind are considered stressful from the Ayurvedic standpoint and therefore not encouraged. In Ayurveda, the treatment of Panchakarma is utilized to release physical and emotional toxicity, restoring the body’s natural balance and health.</p>
<p>A conservative, environmentally friendly approach is to eat organically as much as possible starting with animal products (including dairy) that are free from antibiotics, hormones and ideally as cruelty free as possible. Eating less animal food is always a good idea&#8230; moving toward organic fruits and vegetables is a close second. It costs more but in the long run, your life is worth the investment.</p>
<p>Many skin diseases, on some level, can be attributed to accumulated toxins and until a person is willing to go beyond the external remedies, there can be no permanent change. This includes dietary changes as well as a &#8220;mental fast.&#8221; You must consistently cleanse, nourish, and lubricate the body internally as well as externally if you want to have truly flawless and radiant skin and hair. REMEMBER, YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT– OR DON’T EAT!</p>
<p><strong><em>Namaste,</em><br />
Patricia</strong></p>
<p>Owner &amp; Director of Education, Better Botanicals</p>
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