Monday, July 30, 2007

If you think your body and mind are two,
that is wrong;
if you think that they are one, that is also wrong.
Our body and mind are both two
and one.
- Shunryu Suzuki


All vibration is the spiraling undulation of three forces: sattva, rajas, and tamas. All life grows thru union of these gunas so that we may resonate in tune with the polarity of the Universe.

And so, all nature is a expression of cycles: birth and death, pushing and pulling, acid and alkaline, positive and negative, yin and yang, male and female, spirit and matter, ida and pingala. All energy moves in a cycle of consciousness, spiraling and pulsating from the sattva guna (Sat refers to the Supreme Being); the prana powerhouse and the diamond castle of our lady, Sushumna.
Emanating from sattva guna is a positive centrifugal field of force called the rajas guna- the energy of expansive and creative expression that underlines the evolutionary process; quite literally "the glow” in the expression of life that sustains the conscious mind.
The negative centripetal field is called the tamas guna. The Sanskrit word for tamas means, "to perish" and rules the resonance of negativity and the reactive unconscious mind. Tamas is the instrumental purifying source which eliminates that which is not life sustaining.
All vibration is the spiraling balance of these three forces.



Only with harmony may we harvest equanimity, discrimination and wisdom. It is in harmony with the five phases of materialization (Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth) that we vibrate with Body and Soul.


Why am i addressing this very important concept of polarity today? Because so often we forget to pay attention to the ever so spiritually sensual oscillation of life; we tend to 'buy into' the black or white mentality when really, all forces work together to re-establish natural balance.

So the sacred breath of Brahma dances and flows, gets stuck and flings undoubtedly inward and down, outward and up..


..inevitably back to the Source.



a bow to all who dance with awareness.
may we continue to learn and be present.

Sunday, July 29, 2007



so this feeling that i've been having, this energy that i cant quite put my finger on...well i figured it out! if you haven't guessed... its PAINTING! which i have been doing religiously for the last few days. these are some images of my new babies. (they're actually really big!)

Tuesday, July 24, 2007


why do i feel like i have tapped into something powerful today? almost like there is too much chi coursing through my body. sure one might say that there is too much heat, an imbalance of some sort. yet this can not be treated with herbs, foods or even breath. what i got is a case of...

a case of...


honestly, i don't know. it's a new feeling. one that makes for better posture, and spontaneous asanas. is it joy? is it just a positive outlook?


"If we have a habit of thinking in a particular pattern, positive or negative, then these tendencies will be triggered and provoked very easily, and recur and go on recurring. With constant repetition our inclinations and habits become steadily more entrenched, and continue increasing and gathering power, even when we sleep. This is how they come to determine our life, our death, and our rebirth." -Sogyal Rinpoche


well, if that is the case, today i declare a new habit of feeling...

Monday, July 23, 2007


"Anyone can revolt. It is more difficult silently to obey our own inner promptings, and to spend our lives finding sincere and fitting means of expression for our temperament and our gifts. "
~Georges Rouault , French Expressionist painter
(1871 - 1958)

Friday, July 20, 2007


Imagine that you had gone all your life without ever washing, and then one day you decide to take a shower. You start scrubbing away, but then watch in horror as the dirt begins to ooze out of the pores of your skin and stream down your body. Something must be wrong: You were supposed to be getting cleaner and all you can see is grime. You panic and fling yourself out of the shower, convinced that you should never have begun. But you only end up even more dirty than before. You have no way of knowing that the wisest thing to do is to be patient and to finish the shower. It may look for a while as if you are getting even dirtier, but if you keep on washing, you will emerge fresh and clean. It's all a process, the process of purification.
- Sogyal Rinpoche

Wednesday, July 18, 2007


"I dream a lot. I do more painting when I'm not painting. It's in the subconscious."

-Andrew Wyeth

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

confusion2, 2004

what is it that stops us from speaking our true language?
the ego mind can come up with a gazillion excuses.


sometimes i think and feel we need a little grace period to fuel our liberation- a pause for some clarity; some stillness to make it sacred. perhaps that is what i have been doing all this time. taking a break.

i feel blessed to have found my place of rest in this universe, and look forward to a colorful liberation.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007


on letting go and clarity...

it is a deep and earnest appreciation for life, a parting of the clouds, a spring flower after the storm; it is my 365th day of sobriety. like waking up slowly from a deep and dark sleep, each moment is fresh and frightening. i feel naked, i feel anxious, i feel free. there once was a time when red wine filled my cup, made me drunk with wild and inexplicable poetry, fogetful of body and yearning for soul. now i am empty- learning to steady the dragon with mindfulness and perserverence.

may these next 365 days be filled with glorious determination and fierce dedication to clarity, truth and love...

after all, i got bigger fish to fry.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

I dashed down into the nether regions and brought the vital breath up;
I got its clue out of earth and stones;
Then my kundalini woke up with nada;
I drank wine by the mouth,
I got the vital breath gathered it within myself.

~Rupa Bhawani

Sunday, June 17, 2007


ok, so i have no idea where this came from, but here ya go:

http://www.ethnicpaintings.com/new_contemporary_artist/karen-carmona.html

ps. i live in Oregon

Monday, June 11, 2007


On many an idle day have I grieved over lost time. But it is never lost, my lord. Thou hast taken every moment of my life in thine own hands.

Hidden in the heart of things thou art nourishing seeds into sprouts, buds into blossoms, and ripening flowers into fruitfulness.


I was tired and sleeping on my idle bed and imagined all work had ceased. In the morning I woke up and found my garden full with wonders of flowers.


-Rabindranath Tagore

Saturday, June 09, 2007


If we are interdependent with everything and everyone, even our smallest, least significant thought, word, and action have real consequences throughout the universe.

Throw a pebble into a pond. It sends a shiver across the surface of the water. Ripples merge into one another and create new ones. Everything is inextricably interrelated: We come to realize that we are responsible for everything we do, say, or think, responsible in fact for ourselves, everyone and everything else, and the entire universe.

-Sogyal Rinpoche


Saturday, June 02, 2007


http://shift2bikes.org/pedalpalooza/pp2007.php

um, WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE, anyone?!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

PLEASE make a contribution at any of the sereval sites this year.... and even if you cant afford to hang at Disjecta... just get in and get dirty!
Oh, and don't forget to stop by the TLC Farm to see the new composting toilets!

http://www.cityrepair.org/wiki.php/projects/vbc7

Tuesday, April 24, 2007


It’s official- cardio commute has commenced! As if you haven’t noticed already, it is BEAUTIFUL out there: perfect riding conditions with early morning light and every Dogwood blooming in its poetic glory! Thank Goodness for the two wheel revolution! May all beings get out and ride their beloved bikes today! Viva la liberation!

Monday, April 23, 2007


at Cedar Mountain Drums
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
2239 E. Burnside, Portland, OR (Upstairs)
503-235-6345

First Wednesday
Men's Drumming

Second Wednesday
Mixed Drumming [Children, Women, Men]

Third Wednesday
Women's Drumming

Fourth Wednesday
Shamanic Drumming ($10.00 donation)

Donation of $5.00 helps pay for the use of the space.Bring your own drums and rattles, or use one of ours

Saturday, April 21, 2007


Ego plays brilliantly on our fundamental fear of losing control, and of the unknown. We might say to ourselves: "I should really let go of ego, I'm in such pain; but if I do, what's going to happen to me?"

Ego will chime in sweetly: "I know I'm sometimes a nuisance, and believe me, I quite understand if you want me to leave. But is that really what you want? Think: If I do go, what's going to happen to you? Who'll look after you? Who will protect and care for you like I've done all these years?"

Even if we see through the lies of the ego, we are just too scared to abandon it; for without any true knowledge of the nature of our mind, or true identity, we simply have no other alternative. Again and again we cave in to ego's demands with the same sad self-hatred as the alcoholic feels reaching for the drink that he knows is destroying him, or the drug addict feels groping for the drug that she knows after a brief high will only leave her flat and desperate.

-Sogyal Rinpoche