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June 29, 2007
friendliness
"the branches of these two flowering trees are intertwined, and their fallen petals blend together on the ground in their beautiful colors. it is as if heaven and earth are bridged by love. but they stand individually, each rooted in the soil in their own connection with the earth. in this way they represent the essence of true friends, mature, easy with each other, natural. there is no urgency about their connection, no neediness, no desire to change the other into something else.
this card indicates a readiness to enter this quality of friendliness. in the passage, you may notice that you are no longer interested in all kinds of dramas and romances that other people are engaged in. it is not a loss. it is the birth of a higher, more loving quality born of the fullness of experience. it is the birth of a love that is truly unconditional, without expectations or demands.
first meditate, be blissful, the much love will happen of its own accord. then being wiht others is beautiful and being alone is also beautiful. then it is simple, too. you don't depend on others and you don't make others dependant on you. then is is always a friendship, a friendliness. it never becomes a relationship, it is always a relatedness.
you relate, but you don't create a marriage. marriage is out of fear, relatedness is out of love.
you relate; as long as things are moving beautifully, you share. and if you see that the moment has come to depart because your paths separate at this crossroad, you say goodbye with great gratitude for all that the other has been to you, for all the joys and all the pleasures and all the beautiful moments that you have shared with the other. with no misery, with no pain, you simply separate."
Posted by soul sista' at 09:59 AM | Comments (0)
courage
"this card shows a small wildflower that has met the challenge of the rocks and stones in its path to emerge into the light of day. surrounded by an aura of bright golden light, it exposes the majest of its tiny self. unashamed, it is equal to the brightest sun.
we are faced with a very difficult situatioon we have a choice: we can either be resentful, and try to find somebody or something to blame for the hardships, or we can face the challenge and grow. the flower shows us the way, as its passion for life leads it out of the darkness and into the light. there is no point fighting against the challenges of life, or trying to avoid or deny them. they are there, and if the seed is to become the flower we must go through them. be courageous enought to grow into the flower you are meant to be.
the seed cannot know what is going to happen, the seed has never known the flower. and the seed cannot even believe that he hast he potentiality to become a beautiful flower. long is the journey, and it is always safer not to go on that journey because unknown is the path, nothing is guaranteed. nothing can be guaranteed. thousand and one are the hazards of the journey, many are the pitfalls-and the seed is secure, hidden insdide a hard core. but the seed tries, it makes an effort; it drops the hard shell which is its security, it starts moving. immediately the fight starts: the struggle with the soil, with the stones, with the rocks. and the seed was very hard and the sprout with be very soft and the dangers will be many.
there was no danger for the seed, the seed could have survived for millennia, but for the sprout many are the dangers. but the sprout starts towards the unknown, towards the sun, towards the source of light, not knowing where, not knowing why. great is the cross to be carried, but a dream possesses the seed and the seed moves.
the same is the path for man. it is arduous. much courage will be needed."
Posted by soul sista' at 09:49 AM | Comments (0)
June 27, 2007
playing hooky
snuck out for a quick surf this afternoon. there's nothing like being able to surf diamond head, with only one other person next to you!! windy as hell. but of course it didn't matter. the ocean was clear torquoise blue, humpy and bumpy. a few big sets came up out of nowhere, up to 3 feet. got to giggle at myself and tune into nature's lessons. as i was swimming into shore, i let my body go with the current, which was a pretty strong side current. but then i focused on trying to make it into shore, as a nice even pace, as well. alas, reaffirmation of letting the universe do what it's supposed to do, going with the flow of nature, and yet allowing my intention to slip beautifully into it all. there's my lesson of nature today.
now back to work, seeing a couple more clients to round up the day. not bad, a combination of play and work. that's my libra tendency, gotta balance everything out :)
also, reading a great book..."soul mind body medicine", by dr. zhi gang sha. he talks about healing from the perspective of healing the soul first; then healing of the mind and body will follow. everything has a soul. from inanimate objects, to our cells, to nature... the golden keys to healing is unconditional love, forgiveness, and service. love melts all blockages. forgiveness brings peace. everyone & everything is a universal servant. a universal servant offers universal service, which include universal love, universal forgiveness, universal peace, universal healing, universal harmony, and universal enlightenment. it makes sense to me. anyway, just wanted to share a little bit of what's going on in my little world...
much love, aloha, peace, and harmony to you all!
Posted by soul sista' at 06:29 PM | Comments (0)
another wonderous day
coming down from yet another wonderous day, full of adventure, love & healing deep within. i started my day this morning with my usual office hours hike, up koko crater. only my partner, was sleeping in from the birth from that evening before. so i headed out to hike the crater and decided to go on my little adventure of exploring the other side of the crater. scaling the ridge, straddling it like a fine tight rope in some sections, jumping across from boulder to boulder, rock climbing some sketchy stretches, taking one mindful step at a time, breathing in the fragrant plumeria forest from below the crater. alas, i popped out into the plumeria forest of the crater. the smells of heaven on earth.
then back at the office for a few clients, whom are so full of gratitude for my services, as i am for working with them. there's nothing better to me than contributing to world peace, through one person at a time.
i chatted with single fin, to check in on his day at work. he's a busy bee, as always. word on the street is that he's got a new short board, that's snappy as hell. good practice for indonesia, is what i say. that's why i got a shorter board, anyway. so, i've been pleading him to post something for his blogging fans. he said he would. so we'll see.
then off into the surf for some cleansing away of the day. i brought lori out with me, to float on our bianchi sea foam green board. we had such a fun time. the winds were in full speed, 10-25mph, which deters most of the surfers. yay!! we've got the whole break to ourselves. screaming, laughing, and getting thrown around left and right, like a raging bull. i love the windy days for some reason. maybe it's because of the humbling feeling i get? maybe because i can never stop laughing at myself?
afterwards, we met up with kimo & went to my now favorite vietnamese restaurant on keeaumoku street. vegetarian pho, loaded with lot of veggies, piled high with bean sprouts and basil...the aroma of anise, cinnamon, lemon grass, ginger & onion is so very nourishing to me. it reminds me of my mom's cooking, which i miss so dearly. i've been practicing my vietnamese over there. it's been really nice.
then off to straub hospital, to go visit one of our clients, who was in need of a little love. she was so happy to see us. we held her hand, hugged & kissed her, told her how she was in our prayers and how much we loved her.
and back home, settling into some of my downtime. i received a phone call from my dear friend & brother, makana from the mainland. he's such a shining star. radiating positivity and full of love deep within. if you haven't heard any of his music, i highly recommend it. check out his website at www.makanalive.com.
i'm on call for a birth right now. she's due 4th of july. i get to be the doula, labor coach, at the hospital for her. so the drill is to be open & ready for anything & not fully attached to anything that you've got planned. go with the flow... alas', isn't that how life should be? :) babies are so wise. we should listen to them.
Posted by soul sista' at 12:41 AM | Comments (3)
June 25, 2007
kiss the earth
Walk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom.
Kiss the Earth with your feet.
Bring the Earth your love and happiness.
The Earth will be safe when we feel safe in ourselves.
~Thich Nhat Hanh
Posted by soul sista' at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)
June 24, 2007
love
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast.
It is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
It is not easily angered,
It keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts,
Always hopes, always perseveres.
~1 corinthians:13
Posted by soul sista' at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)
metta prayer
May all beings be happy, content and fulfilled.
May all beings be healed and whole.
May all have whatever they want and need.
May all be protected from harm and free from fear
May all beings enjoy inner peace and ease.
May all be awakened, liberated, and free.
May there be peace in this world and throughout the entire universe.
Posted by soul sista' at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)
June 23, 2007
love & healing
happy saturday to you all! it's been a nice one for me, so far. slept in till 6am (funny, huh?), rolled out of bed, spent some bonding time on my meditation cushion, then packed the volvo wagon, ready to go on a hike and/or surf.
i ended up hiking up our usual koko crater hike, only this time with a different twist to it. it's amazing how much comes up for me on my solo hikes, which i used to do all the time in the pacific northwest. it's rare that i am ever by myself out here. and so i truly relish these moments when i can just be with me.
being so mindfully present with each step i take, going up the stairs, that puts a pretty good burning on your ass and quads, then walked gently along the crater ridge, this time all the way to the end and down into the koko crater botanical garden. unsure of where each step will lead, but fully open to the moment.
thoughts of healing came up for me during this time, as i came in and out of being present, depending on the terrain. the new millineum was a huge turning point in my life. it was a time when life as i knew it was pulled out from underneath me. it was during my second year of naturopathic medical school, where i questioned everything that was before me. that was a time, when i had to finally let go of what all the concepts that i hung onto so tightly, including my relationship at the time.
that was the time that i found out that i had a chronic liver condition, that could ultimately in the end lead to hepatocellular cancer. for the last seven years, it has been an amazing journey of healing from deep within. my medicine, that i practice, gives to me on so many levels. my health is my gift. for without this condition, i never would have been on this path of healing, of following what is true for me. i live my life to its fullest each day. i strive to become strong in my body, as well as my mind. i am learning to soften and surrender more and more each day. practicing loving kindness, compassion and forgiveness upon myself has been one of the hardest lessons to learn. and those that we love so dearly, has always been a reflection of myself. when i am not fully living my truth, that is when i feel down. i have realized that beyond nutrition, exercise, taking supplements, that healing comes from a deeper place inside.
after my first year of practice, we spent some time in india to celebrate my official year of residency. i have had the honor of meeting with the dalai lama's attending physician. so many of his words resonate with me deep within. but the most powerful was, "when the mind is at peace, is when the body will heal itself." how very true.
and so i am on this path to find peace within my mind. it is our minds, our ego, and our insecurities that cause us suffering. i come from a place of love for all, for humanity. i have learned a lot about myself being out here in hawaii about love. love is something that you cannot hang onto too tightly, if you squeeze it, it will suffocate. the more you cling onto it, the more you end up suffering because of it. love is without boundaries. love is something so beautiful that it deserves to be shared. i believe that love & healing go hand in hand.
~much love & peace to you all
Posted by soul sista' at 03:15 PM | Comments (0)
June 22, 2007
summer solstice
happy belated summer solstice! summer is officially here. whew hew!! there's a buzz in the air that there's going to be the biggest swell so far next week. we'll see...
so yesterday was the longest day of the year, in more ways than one. i had some nice solo soul searching time throughout the day. i started the day with my mysore practice of ashtanga. i've been going consistently at 6am now. starting with the opening prayer chant, which resonates deep within me the entire day. my yoga practice has been so truly healing and deeply self-empowering on a physical, mental and emotional level. i've been practicing doing handstands in between all my poses. i used to be pretty fearful of bringing my legs all the way up into the air, for fear of falling over backwards. now i seem to be shooting them way up, sometimes a little too excited to rise high into the sky. finding that find balance in between, grounded yet full of lightness to float upwards.
spent some time at my favorite wireless cafe/restaurant hangout, called town. journaled, did some emailing, took care of business, ichat single fin from across the way, and had our favorite breakfast, rice, mahi mahi fish and 2 eggs sunny side up.
then back home to see a few clients, whom are all like my family to me. i feel so truly blessed to call this my life work. it is a profession that gives back to me on such a deep level. i learn from my clients as they learn from me.
a little cat nap in the middle of the day, before i jump into the surf. i took my buddha 9'0" long board to diamond head. a typical windy, small kine kind of day. just content with floating around and paddling back and forth. i've been towing my board back into shore after my last wave just to get me stronger for big waves and whatever else comes my way.
then off to hike makapu'u lighthouse, in celebration of summer solstice, the longest day of the year, at 7pm. i scrambled up the rocks, got to do a little rock climbing on the side, taking in the big wide blue ocean with every breath. i had some time to myself to reflect, to acknowledge, to be present with my heart. a time of letting go....as hard as it is, in my heart this is the only way for us to heal.
ho'opono'pono, which is the hawaiian form of conflict resolution/forgiveness, stressed the importance of cleansing, of letting go. i am thankful for this amazing culture that i have immersed myself in. my path to hawaii has been about healing deep within, so i can be there for others. i have learned so much about myself here. home is wherever my heart lies... my heart has broken open and has expanded that much fuller, where all i feel is love, amidst great pain at times.
happy summer soltice, to my 'ohana. to new beginnings....
much love, peace, & namaste.
Posted by soul sista' at 02:00 PM | Comments (0)
June 20, 2007
the fool
"moment to moment, and with every step, the Fool leaves the past behind. he carries nothing more than his purity, innocence and trus, symbolized by the white rose in his hand. the pattern on his waistcoat contains the colors of all four elements of the tarot, indicating that he is in harmony with all that surrounds him. his intuition is functioning at its peak. at this moment the Fool has the support of the universe to make this jump into the unknown. adventures await him in the river of life.
the card indicates that if you trust your intuition right now, your feeling of the 'rightness' of things, you cannot go wrong. your actions may appear 'foolish' to others, or even to yourself, if you try to analyze them with the rational mind. but the 'zero' place occupied by the Fool is numberless number where trust and innocence are the guides, not skepticism and past experience."
"a fool is one who goes on trusting; a fool is one who goes on trusting against all his experience. you deceive him, and he trusts you; and you deceive him again, and he trusts you; and you deceive him again, and he trusts you. then you will say that he is a fool, he does not learn. his trust is tremendous; his trust is so pure that nobody can corrupt it.
be a fool in the Taoist sense, in the Zen sense. don't try to create a wall of knowledge around you. whatsoever experience comes to you, let it happen, and then go on dropping it. go on cleaning your mind continuously; go on dying to the past so you remain in the present, here-now, as if just born, just a babe. in the beginning it is going to be very difficult. the world will start taking advantage of you...let them. they are poor fellows. even if you are cheated and deceived and robbed, let it happen, because that which is really yours cannot be robbed from you, that which is really yours nobody can steal from you. and each time you don't allow situations to corrupt you, that opportunity will become an integration inside. your soul will become more crystallized."
Posted by soul sista' at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)
June 19, 2007
fly high into the sky
waking up to the sounds of the birds chirping outside my lanai, in the wee hours of the morning. i rolled out of bed a little before 5am, excited to start the day. i just got back from my trip to seattle. coming off the plane last night, feeling the warmth of hawaii's embracing air, smelling the scents of tropical leis everywhere i turn, watching a local hawaiian band perform with their hula dancers moving to the rhythms of nature, all with smiles that light up the whole sky...it is this place that i am so very thankful for.
seattle was really nice to be able to revisit, to reconnect, to acknowledge some of our roots of where we came from. i was there for 5 nights and 6 days. it was a whirlwind of a trip, that also felt like another full chapter in my book of life. mt. biking with rachel and alan in bellingham, connecting with some of my colleagues within my professional community...jane, joe, & michael, meeting up with our soon to be resident, bonding with family...hiking with ai-di, supporting brooke in her big graduation day, chatting with steve, reconnecting with old friends...sipping margaritas with jeff, summer, and julie at el camino, spending family time with kay, mary kay & deacon, chilling in quaint little coffee shops, celebrating summer solstice in fremont, shopping in capitol hill, eating breakfast at the bay cafe overlooking good old ballard, seeing old clients in magnolia at unravel therapeutics, soaking up my yoga class at the ashtanga yoga school in the central district, and hanging out with my best friend & soul mate, single fin amidst it all.
it was good to be back in the pacific northwest. there's something comforting about the grayness of the sky and the crispness of the air.
i've been reading a couple of books by paulo cohelo. i highly recommend them, if you haven't read them already. one is "the alchemist", which is about following your heart...and the underlying theme is about wisdom. and the other one that i just finished is "by the river piedra i sat down and wept", which is a novel of forgiveness. they are both such wonderful books that nourish the heart and spirit.
off to start my day...office hours hike with my associate & soul sister. hiking up the 1000 stairs and trying to make our way around the crater that overlooks the great big blue tourquoise ocean. you can see molokai and maui on clear days. then i've got an house call in the west side of the island. that's the side that is truly old hawaii. filled with poverty and suffering, but also is as authentic as it gets. we swim with the dolphins (& sharks) there from time to time. then back to the south side, to jump into our regular surf break, diamond head. everyone knows everyone at sunset. they're my family out there. always looking out for me and asking about single fin. "where's your husband?" "he's in LA." "oh, don't tell him about the waves." :)
he's in a different world out in LA. a whole new place to discover. rubbing elbows with the entertainment industry. i think he's gonna be a calvin klein underwear model one of these days. don't tell anyone, but that's always been a dream of his.
to my soulmate and best friend, i am with you always. the world is yours & mine to discover...may we spread our wings and fly high into the sky and always trust that home is deep within our hearts. i love you!!
~loving aloha to all.
Posted by soul sista' at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)
June 04, 2007
letting go
"in this image of the lotus leaves in the early morning, we can see in the rippling of the water that one drop has just fallen. it is a precious moment, and one that is full of poignancy. in surrendering to gravity and slipping off the leaf, the drop loses its previous identity and joins the vastness of the water below. we can imaginge that it must have trembled before it fell, just on the edge between the known and the knowable.
to choose this card is a recognition that something is finished, something is completing. whatever it is-a job, a relationship, a home you have loved, anything that might have helped you to define who you are-it is time to let go of it, allowing any sadness but not trying to hold on. something greater is awaiting you, new dimensions are there to be discovered. you are past the point of no return now, and gravity is doing its work. go with it-it represents liberation."
Posted by soul sista' at 10:20 PM | Comments (92)
June 03, 2007
sunset
it's sunday and i have the whole day off!! space & room to breathe, to do as i feel inspired to do...the possibilities are endless.
yesterday afternoon, i headed to the north shore. the north shore of oahu is so very different from the south shore. the ocean there is wild, fast, full of power & extremely unpredictable at times. it's much more country than living here in the heart of honolulu. world famous surfers make the north shore their home, so they can surf breaks like, "pipeline", "backdoor", "waimea bay", "sunset"...just to name a few of them.
famous people frequent this area all the time. you could be sitting at a restaurant right next to the "lost" crew, run into edward norton & woodie harrelson at the local thai restaurant, do yoga with minnie driver, workout with cameron diaz...and not to mention all the big time surfers, kelly slater, laird hamilton, andy irons, just see them out and about.
and in the end, we're all the same when it comes to being in the ocean. i got to surf "sunset" at sunset time. that place is a crazy break, to say the least. but my friends tell me that it is an epic wave. so this is what i've learned about that break so far. you have to be on! you have to always watch how the motion of the ocean. a friend of mine described "sunset" as a woman. "she can treat you really nice, but when she is angry, she can really f____ you up :)"
i caught the biggest wave in my surfing career yesterday. it felt like the whole entire ocean floor was swelling up from beneath me as i was taking off...all i could think was "oh s___, here i go!!" my heart was beating a hundred miles per hour it seemed like, yet i felt so at peace. all i can remember was that i was at the top of the peak and i had a long, long, long way to go down. i hugged close to the wall, which felt like i was next to a mini sky scraper. the top of it was towering way over my head. there was a dark shadow that loomed over me. and then i came out the other side!!! and to top it all off, i had a witness :) i'm not sure how big it was. i'm horrible with gauging how high it is. i guess that's why i get away with dropping down some big waves at times. alas, ignorance is bliss at times.
and then the next few sets were white washes from the land of the giants. so big where you definitely had to throw your board and just let the water take you wherever it wanted to. total surrender and reverence for the ocean. she's the boss. we are just guests who have the honor to try to connect with her.
Posted by soul sista' at 12:13 PM | Comments (86)
June 02, 2007
blue moon
alas, another week has already flown by so quickly. another full moon has passed by, the second one in the same month. it's called a blue moon..."once in a blue moon". i had the privelege of doing a full moon surf at the epic break in waikiki called, "threes". the waves are consistent, they seem to peel consistently, our friend kimo described it as "zipper" and the rides are so long that your legs actually get tired from standing and going up and down the wave. the ocean was glassy and no wind in sight. the full moon glowing brightly over our heads with the shadow of the crater, always there as our landmark here in waikiki.
it's that time again, to go help mentor the girls from the hawaii court system, do a little yoga and teach them how to surf. we surf on the world famous beach break called canoes. the waves are gentle, the sand is soft, you've got the view of the diamond head crater to your right, as you glide in on your board looking onto shore at the masses of waikiki hotels. at sunset time, you'll hear hawaiian music playing in the background live by one of the many hawaiian bands that frequent this special place.
today's theme is about community, interconnectedness, being more than one. this is one of my many passions in life, to bring together community...all types of people. i suppose it's from my family roots, being vietnamese, family is everything. when you feel alone, you are never alone. i've learned the importance of acknowledging and having respect & reverence for our roots even more so through the years. for without our roots, i have learned that is hard to grow and blossom upwards and outwards into the world. i feel so very blessed to have family in so many places. to know that i have family always allows me to never feel alone, wherever i am at.
when i teach my yoga classes in the park, i always begin with the chant of OM, it is the universal sound that connects all beings & all places, among many other things. it is such a sacred sound that eminates throughout my soul, when i am able to chant it at the end of class...when i truly feel connected to everyone.
much love, peace, and aloha to you all.
~namaste
Posted by soul sista' at 09:04 AM | Comments (87)