Earth Day

Care2 Earth Day E-Cards!



Stepping out onto the terrace this morning there is a gentle soft rain falling, the mists wallowing in the valleys below us, the air is clean and fresh and full of the sound of bird song and the village is still asleep.

Dolores knocked at the door yesterday morning and started talking at her express train speed, I catch a few words here and there, finally she takes me through to the kitchen and points at a saucepan, which I give her, she toddles off only to return a couple of hours later with a big pan of casserole, which was exceedingly tasty, I think this is a thank you for the cutting of one of my plants I gave to her the other day, oh I wish I could find a buddy to learn Spanish, I feel so stoopid at times like this; there is no way I can afford to take a Spanish course and I find myself staying *hidden* because I cannot converse with these lovely ladies that surround me, 5 years down the line and I am ashamed of my lack of language skills.

Val called up on Thursday and we spent a few hours catching up and inspiring one another, I do miss her presence, she has left 4 of her beautiful bright bold paintings in her house here and told me to go chose a couple - ooooooo - maybe pop round later today, they have such a vibrant energy and will certainly brighten the hallway upstairs, what a honey; she is also gonna check out a craft market held in Benhavis to see if it is the kinda market that would be suitable for my stuff a the regular inland markets are not the best of places for me to try and sell my wares.
Lovely Annie, the Dutch lady reappeared on Friday so have got her email addy now and hopefully Annie could be a good contact for Val, who would really love to use her art as a way of helping others

Open Heart
Spiritual teachers have always pointed to the heart as the seat of consciousness,
and recently Western science has found evidence to support this realization. It
turns out that the heart has its own central nervous system and is not simply under
the rule of the brain as formerly believed. Anyone who has taken the time to explore
the heart knows this and, more important, has realized that the heart is the source
of our connection to a consciousness greater than the ego. Approaching life with an
open heart means that we have opened the door to this greater consciousness, taking
up residence alongside it in the seat of our soul. Fortunately, at this time there
is a lot of support for this shift energetically as well as practically. To some
degree, approaching life with an open heart is as simple as shifting your attention
onto your heart.
Eventually you will be able do this any time, any place, but at first it may help to
try it in a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. Simply sit with your eyes
closed and draw your breath into your heart. As your breath expands your chest
cavity, your heart expands and opens. You may feel tenderness or sadness in your
heart, and you may also feel relief. Any emotions that arise can be effectively
witnessed and healed through the meditation process, which benefits both your
physical heart and your energetic heart. The more you practice, the more you will
find your heart opening to your own presence and to all the situations your life
brings.
When we open our hearts, they may feel tender and vulnerable, which simply means
that they need our loving attention as we cleanse and heal them of past hurts and
blockages. This process asks us to practice some of the heart's greatest
lessons-patience, compassion, and unconditional love. On the other hand, we may take
up residence as effortlessly as a bird returns to its nest. Either way, approaching
life with an open heart simply means returning to our true home.