Sunday, July 15, 2012

Gifts of the Lilies

They were gone by morning. Well before morning, actually. And I knew they would be, that day lilies only last a day. That's precisely why I picked these stems from my neighbor's garden which I've been charged with watering in his absence this dry dry month of July. I cut them because each was the last flower on its respective stem. I cut them because I knew they would live and die that day without notice, and I wanted to enjoy and appreciate them. Such beauty! Such vibrancy! I wanted to preserve it, and I'm glad I did.

I meant to take an "after" photo the next day, but I forgot. It wouldn't have been much to look at anyway: all green and a bit of pale pink and lavender from the remaining phlox and spearmint flowers. The lilies were shriveled to nothing, as expected. The bright light of the bouquet had gone out: over and done--but not forgotten.

And once again I am reminded that all is passing, to cherish it while I can.

Thursday, July 05, 2012

The Heart Supreme

"When the brain entrains to the heart, connectivity increases between brain and body. Conversely, the location of consciousness in the brain leads to an increased disconnection between brain and body. When one shifts into heart-oriented cognition, mental dialogue is reduced...

"Since we have been habituated to the analytical mode of cognition through our schooling, taught to locate our consciousness in the brain and not the heart, [heart-brain] entrainment must be consciously practiced. (For most of us, heart-focused perception is not a natural mode of processing information, though it was for ancient peoples and sometimes still is for indigenous cultures.)"

~Excerpted from The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature by Stephen Harrod Buhner