an ordinary, extraordinary year—2011!

December 31, 2010December 31, 2010Leave a comment

Ahhh, another turn of the year and here we are on the eve of 2011. How exciting! How enthalling! How positively intriguing. What will this year bring us? Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a most health-filled, posperous, and full-filled year, this blessed year of 2011. And I don’t say that lightly. A new year is a new beginning. When all of us (at least those of us who follow this solar calendar, not the lunar calendar of other cultures) have the opportunity to assess what’s come to us this last year, and how we’d like to set out course, so our sails will fill with promise and good intentions for this next year.

setting our sails for the far-off horizon of hope and love

My wishes for all of us in 2011:

May all your dreams come true.

May all the world’s promise of a united family of man happen, one step at a time.

May all of us, each individual in the world, shine our lights a little brighter.

May we all come to believe that we are ONE, and that we are all in this thing called life–together!

May we all assist each other, in whatever way we can, to help the bigger picture become more filled with Light, more peaceful, more accepting of forward evolution.

May we put aside our differences and forgive, truly, in our deepest hearts.

May we approach each moment as if we’re seeing what is before us for the first time—with wonder, with curisoity, with excitement, with trust.

May our world leaders be filled with inspired, enlightened decisions, taking all of those under their wings, to a better place.

May we all believe in our dreams, and never let go of knowing we can achieve them….one little step at a time, one word at a time, one act, one thought, one breath at a time.

Lordflea is sending you all (the plural is ALL you all, kind of a southern jokey thing) the very best thoughts…from my heart to all of yours. To me, that is the most important social network there is—one heart united to ALL hearts. A heart-work, if you will.

May the Light shine upon all of us in this upcoming year of 2011!

earth energy with yogis at work

in the Light, Lordflea

Life— and Death — what never changes

November 21, 2009November 21, 20092 Comments

so here i am still discussing “change.” Besides what I’ve said previously about the constancy of change being the only thing one can rely on in our lives, and the reliance upon a Higher Power, for those of us lucky enough to hold this comforting Truth of the sanctity of life close to our hearts and minds—the other thing about change that never sways is the inevitability of Life one day ending in Death.

the three aspects of mySelf

This is a painting i did to portray what i’m talking about here. It’s a self-portrait, done on my 32nd birthday (not too long ago). The three different representations of my own Self are simply this, as lordflea sees IT:

the blue face, somewhat hidden, is how i perceive myself from an everyday, living-the-life-i-have point of view; how i can “see” the ever-beckoning choices before me and how I have the Inner Power to choose how my life decisions go: what i make of my life’s potential, what i came into life with, how i use my gifts, and how i see mySelf contributing to the uplifting evolution of humankind (instead of the opposite, contributing to our downfall).

the green side of my Being-ness: this is my ancestral Self: what i’ve inherited from the DNA within my body, the temple of my soul; what i’ve learned from the culture i was born into, and the many generations of cultural imprint upon my soul—even before i arrived in this life i have here and now, today.

the “flesh colored” figure: ahhhh, here is the REAL me. The naked Truth. This is my spiritual body, my glistening aura, my True Self. It is always within me, as all three aspects of mySelf are as well. But this part of mySelf is the most important to me. That’s why it is the most predominant, and fully formed.

By the way—when i painted this painting i hadn’t had ANY of this figured out. I just painted. It’s only in hindsight, after many journeys, many lessons, many teachers, that I’ve been able to decipher the totally WEIRD art that i create.

So why am I talking about this particular topic, life and death, and who we REALLY are, today? Well, a good friend of mine, Isabel, lost her mother yesterday. Isabel Senior died at home. A few of us gathered with our friend and sat with Isabel and her ritualistically cleansed, annoited, and nicely dressed and laid out dead mother’s body, and …. no, it wasn’t morbid! … it was quite beautiful. After the initial hotness of tears (because this lady who passed over into the Light, who would have been 90 on Sunday, was a dear heart i had known for years, and I was feeling a wave of sadness only because i couldn’t visit her anymore, even though we were all glad she’d finally been released from her too-long later-life journey of a major stroke, almost total immobility, and loss of so much of life’s great gifts)—it was a joy to celebrate Isabel Sr’s life, which had been lived well.

Unlike the contrasting and senseless loss of my friend, Michelle, three weeks ago. She was only 44 and died as a result of her own actions: drinking and drugging herself to death.

Choices. We can choose to live well, take good care of our temples and enjoy the benefits of health—even though we’ll always have SOME challenge to figure out (toe fungus? bad back? overweight? tennis elbow? diabetes?). Our bodies–our temples—are the greatest gift we’re given in this life, but it is not WHO or WHAT we actually are. People too often forget this. And for this reason, I am a yogi because in the scriptures of yoga that is clearly taught: we are the eternal Self…all of us, a part of the ONE.

Oooooooommmmmmm

Life and Death. What else is there worth living for? It’s pretty intense stuff, when you’re right next to it. Either the birth of a gorgeous new soul entering our world, or the leaving of one after a life lived—-well, according to whatever choices were made.

Isabel Senior was a grand lady. Filled with love for her family and others. And in turn, she was always surrounded by adoring people. She was kind, open-hearted, yet sophisticated, stylish, and interested in all of life’s many offerings. If Isabel Sr. had demons she dealt with them quietly, and got on with her life at hand. On the other side of the coin Michelle struggled very loudly, very ego-centrically with her demons. And even though she too was blessed with intelligence, beauty, and a loving family—she made the bad choice of indulging in self pity, over and over. She never let go of the demons. That was her choice. And now she is dead, waaaaay too prematurely. Isabel Sr. is dead too, but everyone is celebrating her life, and her release from her old age harassment. Because her passing-over seems like a reward—whereas Michelle’s death is a horribly tragic end to a life filled with endlessly bad choices. Michelle’s little four-year-old Nicole, left behind in stunned confusion, will have to bear the stigma of what her mother’s choices meant to her life. Michelle’s other daughter, Carri, aged 24, is shocked into a stunned spiral of what can only be life-defining understanding—or not. Carri is the one who found her mother, dead from an overdose. What can one think of life, when faced with such trauma?

take time and breathe .... look within your own Self

our choices direct our life’s experiences.

We can make our lives a prayer. This is why I do mantra repetition. CONSTANTLY. Om Namah Shivaya (I honor my Inner Self) is ONE with my breath, my mind, my life.

We can experience heaven on earth, right here, right now—even in the midst of life’s tragedies, violence of war and oppression, and personal adversity, if we choose to see life as an experience our spiritual Self is having—and realize this “life” we have is only a temporary stop on our REAL journey. To where? I know not. But I do know there is much more than meets the eye, in this existence called Life.

Or—the other choice—we can make our lives sheer hell, if our viewpoint is that of wanting to control everything about life, know every little thing about it. Some things are just plain un-knowable. Life is a mystery.

The choice is ours.

set your sails and let your breathe lead you to the Source

in the Light, lordflea

spirituality is about … choices

May 21, 2009May 23, 2009Leave a comment

a few people have expressed surprise because i choose to include the widget (a doo-hickey gizmo) on my blog which uploads interesting, varied, and random video clips that change almost daily (thanks to my mothership, WordPress.com).

random … like … something about this weird, that makes one wonder what’s up huh?–

makes ya wonder, huh?

if something makes one think, even if it’s to say to yourself “NO NO NO”–then it’s a valid thought to have, for just a split second! why not? that’s what GOOD ART should be … make us REACT, think, ponder … and CHOOSE. and that’s what lordflea’s about. here on lordflea sings, the blog, we’re into spiritual thought and spiritualizing others via internet-vibes, uploading writing and thought-provoking-evolutionary, visionary ART. not just talk. too much talk out there! too much too much. so …. let’s try anudder conundrum for ya, okaY? wha’dya think THIS one be about?

ah symbols! cross, God, blue dress, stone wall. hmmmmmm, lemme see, mmmmm

life is a puzzle and we’re the One (we are One) searching for the pieces to fit.

for some of us it’s easier to get the “big picture” (religion or philosphy may help some; studying history, ancient cultures, and appreciating subtle or not-so-subtle messages from NATURE, fine art and literature, too). then our job, whether we wander or dance our way through life, is to figure out the piecing-together of the entire picture, even if there are few other “clues” to life’s secret(s) other than … a glance of color, an odd shape, a … weird thought … remembrance of a sound . . . seeing a bit of LIGHT within . . .

So, instead of thinking and figuring out, sometimes we need to just get quiet, and listen. Practice Tolerance. See life as a series of choices. LIGHTEN up! See life as an adventure you can have fun “deciphering” with your intellect . . .

or . . . the cessation of thought . . . meditation . . . ommmmmm

or . . . by practicing the cessation of thought . . . meditation . . . ommmmmm

i say…include ALL in our search for inner peace and our personal truth! why not? when you’re on the spiritual path that doesn’t preclude appreciating modern culture, historical studies, art or civilization-in-all-its-varied-forms vs. the purity of the wisdom of the ancients, including holy scripture. we don’t have to concentrate on JUST things high-brow and turn our backs to things considered “down-brow” or anti-evolutionary. i think ALL things cultural should be watched, sorted out, and either embraced or … dismissed by our own piecing together of whatever particular part of the “puzzle of life” one happens to be working on.

i discovered my long lost New Zealand lover boys, the Flight of the Conchords right here, on my own blog! i got to see Barack and Michelle and girls introducing to the public Bo, their new black and white dog, right on my own blog! i get to see things i otherwise would never see (i don’t watch much TV, and only read the NY Sunday Times..all week long though…). because of this video-widget i get to see weird wonderful wacky stuff. so i hope you enjoy it as much as i do.

for those of you wondering about the eclectic variety of lordflea’s taste, yeah, that’s right. all things, and i mean ALL things are of Spirit … good or bad. ALL is made by the creative Force, the Source, the Higher Power of a zillion names. what to some is “bad” may be “good” to another, including Lucifer: don’t forget his tremendous fall, that High Angel to the depths of satanic hell! Ouch! What a misstep he made, in scriptural documentation. whether the existence of a person, place or thing is considered by us to be good or bad, right or wrong, fine art or just crap, whether we feel repulsed or attracted, a certain “thing” is either embraced or dissed–the act of choosing is up to us. ahhhh, that good ol’ free will, remember? because WE do the choosing, negate or embrace, the CHOOSING is the spiritual part of life. everything else is just a game, a presentation of choices: and we’re the players here in the middle of the cosmic play, Act Twenty First Century, maybe? … i dunno, what act are we on anyway?

according to the yogic scriptures, we’re in Kali Yuga … the age, epoch, that humanity has finally arrived at (we’re at the start of Kali Yuga, which lasts for tens of thousands of years, so don’t worry!). here in this scripturally forecasted age we, humankind, are going to be FORCED to become spiritualized … or … guess what??

the uplifting wave of spiritualization of us ALL

the uplifting wave of the current spiritualization of us ALL

see the tiny person in the middle of the breaking wave? well, that person is you, and me, and all of us … as we are, right NOW, riding the wave of the breaking-NEWS!!-type of evolutionary power unleashed on the planet at this time, this era, this Kali Yuga age. the wave began to break over us, the entire world, in FULL FORCE on the pivotal day, “Black Tuesday,” September 11, 2001. if we trust where the wave is taking us, if we “ride” the wave of our own personal choices, and don’t buck it, don’t fight it … ride into the LIGHT, allow yourselves to be UPLIFTED by the wave of POWER, we’ll be safe and happy and … eventually . . . all of us . . . as ONE . . . because we are ONE . . . the entire human race, the family of humankind will become en-lightened!

BUT if we resist, and fight it … and try to control IT or OTHERS … well, the wave just might break over us, and … go figure what happens then.

by the way, check out that trailer on my widget to the right, —> about Sherlock Holmes. Robert Downey, Jr, as the Great Weirdo Dick, Himself! How cool is that gonna be! wheeeee, and we get to see it here FIRST, right on lordflea sings!

that’s my thought on this gorgeous rainy day in st. augustine. on a day when colors are rich, and thoughts go deep. i’m having fun! how ’bout you?

"sufi bird" says: sing with lordflea, yeah mohn!

lots of good choosing, my friends, in the Light, lordflea

dreams and inner visions call to us

May 7, 2009May 7, 2009Leave a comment

in a meditation i recently had this vivid image, and no, it wasn’t a dream…but when you get a clear “picture” such as this in deep meditation, it is like a dream coming forth from one’s subconscious.

they are coming to tell us ...

when this image appeared i was shocked. i thought, “how horrible!” but then i decided to sit and contemplate what it could possibly mean, the way i often do when i have an profound, message-relaying type of dream.

the more i thought about this image, the more i realized it is Nature reaching out, in the form of her most powerful beasts on earth, the whales, telling us–we humans–that we must pay more attention to the plight of all creatures who live on this great watery planet, called Earth.

think about it. if you saw an entire pod of huge right whales all streaming toward shore, where you happened to be standing…wouldn’t you wonder? wouldn’t you wonder why? wouldn’t you think they were doing this for a specific purpose, and it wasn’t just a freak “accident.”

so…whenever i have a powerful image appear, either in a dream or a meditation, i always ponder what the message could be. of course the origin of the message is from my own inner self…but then, isn’t that where all our wisdom originates?

Our job is to listen to the inner wisdom. and to do that, we have to get quiet. that’s why i talk so much, here in lordflea sings, about the importance of following your breath. watch it flow in and fill you with radiance…and then watch it slowly leave you, taking negativities out with its release, and then…bringing in, with each new breath, new energy, new ideas, new peace! watch the breath as it comes and goes, and…this is meditation. sometimes the inner landscape is very peaceful, with no “image.” sometimes my meditations “feel” like this…with an expansiveness that is indescribable. similar to how one feels when you look up at a clear night sky and see the entire cosmos before you…but the same can happen right within your own being, in meditation. this is the stillness of focusing on one thought: meditate on your breath.

the inner regions, a meditation experience

in the Light, lordflea

We’re all RICH!

March 10, 2009March 14, 2009Leave a comment

if you just think for a moment–that we’re alive!, breathing, feeling the wind on our faces–we’re rich beyond our wildest imaginations. to have life, to still be breathing and able to “play” this game of life–we are indeed fortunate, and rich rich rich.

Breathe, and walk in peace even in turmoil

a lot of people are freaking out these days. job loss, economics, global warming, the Middle East threat–all of it a bit much for some. each day you hear on the news some other catastrophe, how people are struggling, how even our world, the Earth itself, struggles.

global warming in Glacier Park

these are challenging times, for sure. these are times that, if met with belief that they happen for a bigger purpose than we’ll ever be able to figure out–we will all end up in a better place as a result of having gone through them–together.

i’ve lost a lot lately. people, friends, even a dog. other people’s losses affect me deeply. my own are nothing in comparison. grief is something we all must go through. it’s part of being human, being able to love.

binky person, my hopi friend, calls me from his butte out in arizona and we laugh together, at how people who are so uncomfortable when they lose what they are used to. the hopis have nothing, never have had anything, and those that don’t want much are okay with that–that’s their life. it’s only those who want more (from watching television mostly) that are unhappy. of course the entire Native American situation is pretty dreadful still. alcoholism is rampant among all the indigenous of our beloved country. i’m certainly not saying it’s good to have nothing. what i’m saying is that if we lose something, anything, there is an opportunity of growing spiritually, of becoming more complete, more content with life, if we allow the pain of loss to ripple through us–and leave us, too, in its due time. when pain gets stuck in the human heart, that’s when addiction takes over. i talk a lot of addiction on lordflea, if you’re interested to find out more.

today i’m sending an encouraging message of staying positive even in face of great loss, to those out there who have found lordflea. and to all who benefit from our being positive, even if the negative-thinkers don’t practice being grateful for their loss, they too will in time become awakened to the gift of being alive. no matter what is happening in your life–focus on the positive! all negatives come and go, come and go, but the positive force of being alive is the most basic, most sustainable, most important gift of all. Breathe. Enjoy the Light of Being. Focus on being in the moment–and all will be well, with your participating in making it better one day at a time–or not.

breathe, and enjoy being in the waterfall of life

in the Light, lordflea

challenge the fear mongers afoot

February 18, 2009February 19, 2009Leave a comment

why is it the news is always filled with bad news: the TV, newspapers, even internet bloggers all jump on fear as if it’s a bronco they love to fall off of, get back up on, fall back off again, on and on, as the fear mongers laugh themselves black and blue all the way to the bank.

are people addicted to feeling bad or what? do we really want to be told how bad things are, when if we could instead, focus on how GOOD things could be…even if we’re all in a tight spot right now…how much better we’d all feel, and how much better things will get if we could re-train ourselves to be addicted to feeling positive, instead of filled with trepidation.

fight negative things by wielding the sword of sowing positive thought-seeds

i believe in thought-seeds. in particular the power of positive thoughts, real energy (but hard to detect) sown and affecting the electromagnetic field of each of our consciousnesses (wow, that’s a word for s’s, huh).

positive energy can help right wrongs. negative energy only continues to encourage downward spirals. it’s been proven. thoughts are as effective as physical actions, and in some cases, even more so. take the case of people who heal themselves from terminal cancer with positive thoughts. see www.hayhouse.com to see what i mean, louise hay’s work on self-healing through positive thoughts.

instead of listening to everyone who delights in already (less than 1 month after inauguration) predicting doom for Obama’s economic policies, for instance, why not practice letting-go and letting-Obama, and let the man do his job! i for one am not going to pay any heed to the fear, just as i refused to participate in any negative put-downs about the last administration (although i certainly wasn’t happy about what was going on, i use my personal energies to create a positive force field around so-called bad situations…like the war in iraq, the animals and ice caps disappearing, the greed of the few that have caused such stress for the many).

i invite you all to plant a thought-seed. put it into your consciousness that–no matter how difficult things mnight appear to be right now, in this economic crunch, in this Middle Eastern war-conflicted tense time of today–put the “white Light” of your own positive energy around these situations (and any situation from your personal lives, friends, family, etc) and then–let it go! offer your psychic energy, your “prayers of positive thought” to these situations, and don’t drown them in your fears. fear only increases negative vibrations, believe me.

try it on your own life. if you have a situation that’s not working out, just put a “thought-seed” of positivity around it, and then–let it go! watch how the situation takes care of itself, turns around, or manifests that it needed to occur, painful as it was, to open up the next window of opportinity that takes us all to the next, higher place. security. spiritual well-being. perhaps even happiness. satisfaction. contentment. even if things are rough around the edges. so what? life can be perfect in its imperfection, just as you can be.

relax, use "bad" things as opportunities for spiritual rowth

relax, use "bad" things as opportunities for spiritual growth

experiment. exercise those psychic muscles of yours that get flabby with dis-use.

when you feel stressed, worried, filled with fear–relax and breathe in the Light, slowly, let your body fill with energizing, positive breath of life. Blessed Life. A gift. Your Gift. learn to love adversities, because they make the good things in life so much better! Believe in Love. Live to Love. Yeahhhh, breathe in the love, breathe out love to others, too. thanks. you’ll be glad you did too.

enjoy the moment. Trust, stay centered in the Light,

your pal lord flea

We’re going to Cuba! In Spirit.

January 8, 2009January 9, 2009Leave a comment

hi friend,

yes, carter my consort and i leave for Cuba on Monday, Jan. 12th, arriving in havana with as much over-the-counter medicine, powdered milk, ivory soap and ovaltine as we can carry, plus a wheelchair apiece. we’re going as volunteers with a humanitarian effort, supported by the u.s. gov’t–so don’t worry, we’re not going to get thrown in u.s. or cuban jail or get in touble of any kind. the organization that supports these efforts, for which we’ve volunteered, to help do special art projects with havana artists, among other things, is www.fundacionamistad.com ; “foundation of friendship” between u.s. concerns and the cuban people. we are not going to support the castra gov’t in any way shape or form. we’re going to help the people. the medicine we’re carrying is going directly to children who suffer from cancer. the other goods will be dispersed as needed.

i have a lot of questions about cuba, as i’m sure the rest of the world does, too. i’ll be open-minded, with wide-open eyes, and hopefully my digital camera fully charged (god, do they have electricity in our hotel, with plugs that can re-charge batteries?). all i know about cuba is from old movies and stories my mother tells me about the tropicana, where she and my dad went to dance and gamble back in baptista’s time, and other things I’ve learned from the few exiles i’ve met: in particular our sister-in-law, Carmen Bettencourt Lord, who left as a child in ’59 or ’60, and our yoga-artist friend, Tomas Sanchez. Here is one of Tomas’ paintings:

notice the small, insignificant figure of a person sitting by the water’s edge? in contemplation? well, that’s why fidel made trouble for tomas, telling him over twenty years ago, “make the people BIG and the landscape small. it’s the PEOPLE this revolution is about, not the land!” but tomas, a yoga meditating friend of mine (we have the same teacher), was in love with painting the landscape, and how humanity should reflect upon it to glean knowledge, peace, and guidance from an intimate relationship with it. so…fidel harassed him, and, just before tomas was to be thrown in jail, or worse, tomas managed to get off the island and defect to mexico. consequently he went to live in miami, and now resides in the hills outside san jose, costa rica, where carter and I met him. he’s sad about leaving his beloved country, as all cubanos are. his elderly father is ill and tomas has only just recently been allowed back to visit him. we’d all like to see cuba freed of the kind of iron-fisted dictatorship that decides what is for the people. but the people are starved for freedom, that’s what they are. right, tomas?

today tomas is free to express himself in however a fashion he wishes. his paintings sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars in all major art capitals of the world, yet he donates the proceeds of several each year to the kinds of mind-expanding organizations such as www.siddhayoga.org that have allowed him to find peace within his own being. raised as a peasant’s son in cuba, tomas is now represented by the very best gallery in new york city, the marlborough gallery, with musem shows (recently at the most beautiful modern art one I’ve ever been to, in monterey, mexico, see: www.marco.com ) and … the most evident sign of modern success … ripoff tomas sanchez’s popping up everywhere, trying to paint in his inimitably subtle, evanescent, mystical style–impossible to do, my friends. beware of when you google: tomas sanchez. you’ll find many of them. the cuban tomas, my yoga friend, is only represented by the marlborough ( www.marlboroughgallery.com ). you can find a poster for sale of his beautiful rendition of swami nityananda, an Indian saint at a reasonable price, at the bookstore of tomas’ meditation teacher: ( www.siddhayoga.org/bookstore )

tomas makes my entire Being smile:

stay tuned for more about our trip to CUBA…we’ll be back in a week, and i’ll share pics and what i discover on our trip. meanwhile, if you want to read a blogger i’ve recently discovered, who managed to find a way to blog directly from havana, where even computers are verboten (the gov’t can’t shut her down now, because already yoani sanchez, the blogger, has won numerous awards and the outrage would be an avalanche of international proportions, if they did) please go to: www.desdecuba.com to read yoani’s blog in spanish. she’s translated into 13 languages: english address is: www.desdecuba.generationy . WOW. the power of the blog continues to astound me.

remember to breathe, and as you do, include the sound of Om with your outbreath, and you’ll feel much better. for those of you suffering in any way (physical, mental, spiritual, or materially, with the current economic crunch) if you focus on your breath, and make the sound of Ooooommmm with your outbreath, this is the best medicine in the world. try it and see.

don’t forget: if any of you want to be included on my “lordflea alert” email, sent out whenever i make a new post (i’m pretty irregular with my posting, due to many commitments other than blogging) please write me: dearlordflea@gmail.com and ask to be put on it. i won’t give away your e address, ever. cross my lordflea heart.

in Spirit, with great love for each and every one of you,

your pal lordflea

Hello life-giving sun

December 11, 2008December 12, 20081 Comment

hi friend,

please check out my latest update to “We Are ONE” on the “page” side of my blog, to the right. every week i’ll upload a few more pages of this picture book for you.

wow, the “brains” behind wordpress have really messed me up! somehow they’ve changed the editing format and i can’t see what i’m typing, so bear with me if things are…weird. i’ll do my best, and shoot them an e-mail to tell them of their well-intentioned, but mis-placed latest updates!

i wanted to share today, the joy of stretching. simple hatha yoga changed my life, literally. yesterday i had the pleasure of introducing a new friend to sun salutes, and today i am with you, too. if you haven’t already tried this easy-to-do, yet life-changing method of stretching-along-with-breathing, i’m encouraging you, right here, right now, to try it.

this drawing is my version of a sun salute. i drew it to illustrate how one must imagine their own “private sun” above them, because i was teaching at the time to girls in prison. even if you’re in a cell, you can bow and honor the source of all life on Earth…the sun. here’s the 12 steps (poses, called “asanas”) of a sun salute, surya namaskar, a yoga vinyasa (series of flowing poses).

a series of poses called the sun salute, "surya namaskar"

and here are simple, step-by-step directions, and PLEASE, enjoy yourself!

1. go very slowly. you will increase speed as you loosen up. first poses is standing with hands folded at your heart, breathe in and out, and steady your busy mind by focusing your eyes on one spot. thank you says your body, your heart, and your mind. end on an exhale.

2. inhale and lift your arms overhead, either to the side, like opening wings, or just up and over your head. keep your legs straight and only bend over backwards if you feel like it. that can come later. on this first round of the sun salute it’s good to stay in each of the 12 poses for several breaths. up to you, but don’t rush. eventually, you will coordinate the poses with your in and out breathing, but for now…just enjoy the stretch and stay with what your body tells you (huh?) it needs, like how many breaths do you want to stretch this particular way.

3. exhale and slowly arch your back and bend forward. let your head and neck completely relax. Hang there. Hang hang hang. let gravity do some work for a change. when you’re ready to go into the next pose, engage your abs so you protect your back.

4. inhale and take your right leg backwards into a full lunge. MOST IMPORTANT here is to make sure your left knee is directly over your left ankle. place fingertips of floor, torso goes downward, as your back gently bends upward. again, enjoy the stretch for several breaths at the beginning of your practice.

5. exhale and bring your left leg back along your right and make a high arch with your butt way up in the sky, into a “downward dog” pose. let your head go completely loose. don’t worry if your feet don’t completely go flat, that will happen eventually. point here is to PUSH away from the floor with your hands (shoulder-width apart) and up with your strong legs (hip-width apart) with your hands energetically engaged with the floor, the index fingers pointing straight ahead. enjoy your breath.

6. here you have a choice! ahhhh, choices. that which makes or breaks our lives. beginnings sink to your knees now, and slowly come forward onto your belly, not moving your arms, into a “small cobra.” more seasoned stretchers, you can, with your elbows CLOSE TO YOUR BODY 9otherwise you’ll compromise your rotator cuff, in shoulder joint), “swoop” your body in an arcing motion, from a bent-knee half-bow to… a beautiful, graceful “big cobra”…with arms more fully extended, but with your pelvic bones still on or nearly on the floor. enjoy your breath. eventually, this will all be accomplished on a single exhale. really.

7. inhale and enjoy the snake pose, bhujangasana, “the cobra.” keep your pelvic bones as close or on the floor as you can, while streching the lower back muscles, gentle!

8. exhale and push yourself back into the downward dog position. check your alignment (arms shoulder-width; feet hips-width, arms pushing, butt upward…so much to remember, but hey! you’re your OWN TEACHER!!!) EMPOWERMENT…it’s YOU! right within your own self.

9. inhale and bring your right leg forward into a lunge on the oother side. you may have to “help” your leg get up there at first, so just hop it along, but make sure your right knee is directly over that right ankle. thank you.

10. exhale and push yourself into a forward bend, and fell the difference. ommygod!! you are probably fainting from sheer pleasure at this point. i know i am with each first sun salute of the day. yummmmm.

11. inhale and please engage your abs before you stretch up and over your head with your arms straight, and palms eventually touching, into a small backbend, if you wish only. with ab muscles still engaged …

12. bring yourself from the little standing backbend into your original pose, the moutain, “tadasana.” With hands at your heart give great thanks to the sun (still above you, even if only in your mind!) and the life it shines upon this gorgeous blue garden planet of ours, which grows such delicious things as you, and all the food we need to sustain ourselves.

Repeat the above with your LEFT leg back, and bringing your left leg forward at end of the vinyasa.

By learning to empower your own self, using your body to strengthen your life, center your stormy emotions, and uplift your small-things centered mental faculties, your life will automatically expand. the teacher is within you. your body is a gift. keep it strong, clean, and agile, and you will be honoring the most important teacher–YOU!!–you’ll ever have. the Great Spirit lives within us all! really!

I hope you enjoy this little yoga lesson i’m sharing with you. occasionally i’ll give some tips. lordflea does love hatha yoga, the physical poses, so very much, that i want the entire world to know these ancient, but very effective moves that keep us fit, grateful, and calm (thanks to the breathing, the key to inner peace).

in the Light, lord flea singing our song of ONE

Staring at my feet

November 24, 2008November 24, 2008Leave a comment

Friends,

the importance of what i spend my time doing the most of has been central in my thinking of late. y’know: you are what you eat, and you certainly become what you think. that’s why i haven’t been bloggin’ as of late. wanted to keep centered in my heart, and not just spew, at least for the sake of spewing.

i do this occasionally. withdraw and feel life living me, instead of trying to be so active, so concerned, so consumed with “other” that i forget this experience of life itself. here’s another way of looking at it:

the interconnectedness of All

all i have is my self, and my Self–the little me that squirms with responsibilities and worries, and the big Me that knows there is more to this life than i’ll ever know…and to feel the majesty, the magic, the wonder of it all is more than enough for me to be concerned about. certainly enough upon which to base my creative energies’ pursuits–my arting, as i call it, whether i paint, draw, make a garden, a cake, or sew a sail, write a book–or blog.

this feeling of being connected to all came to me as a child. then i lost it. then i rediscovered it later, mostly through working on getting rid of the garbage that my mind collected over the years. now i have trained myself to stay as much as possible in that simple place, that inner place, where the breath connects with even the movement of faraway galaxies, and the knowledge, the Truth of feeling connected is real–this is my daily experience.

the drawing i use as an example shows us all in our “Higher Self”… our so-called “angelic” bodies…that part of our nature that is connected to the Highest good for all. yes–we all have that in our nature, whether you are aware of it or not, whether you exercise that birthright, that ownership of your highest nature, or not.

living in the moment; accepting our sacredness, our divine nature–our Higher Self: this is the way of living i want to share with you, not because of any other reason but my humble offering to help make the world a better place to live in.

we are not all just scrambling around trying to get something to eat, or make happen, or elect, or conquer, or succeed, or even be good at. but yes, we all exisit as individual cells within the larger “thing” that makes up this known reality…what is called the Universe (and some call, simply, “God”).

we are all One, breathe, and feel: Truth

many other things have passed my mind, and of course i’ve been doing many (many!) other things since my last entry here. don’t worry. some of you who read my blog might think i’m just a holy-roller who only sits around contemplating my navel. but no—-i have a family, a job, lots of social duties, and creatively i’m consumed by writing a nonfiction narrative, illustrated, naturally, which i am debating about uploading here, so i can let you, friends on my web, read as i write, day by day. but…i haven’t decided to or not. ha ha! all i can say for now is…writing this book is certainly my immediate, and main creative focus, not this blog.

my garden has been covered with an entire truckload of mulch, delivered free by a tree-man who took down a big One over at my mother’s place. Carter and i’ve been doing lots of HOT HOT yoga, in our little yoga shed, which i call the santosa shack (santosa being contentment in Sanskrit). we chant, we meditate, we even attend his church, ahhweeee, diversity in God-liness! lots of cooking (made dosas twice this past couple weeks…a lentil and rice fermented east Indian flat bread, terribly exotic tasting, and terribly nutritious because of the legume and grain mixture). what else? oh so much biking, hiking, rehabing my knee, still injured from dancing too fiercely at daughter’s wedding way back in June. injuries take energy. life takes care. time is precious. do i use it wisely? i try to. when i lay my head down on my pillow, i feel rewarded by deep, comforting, beautiful sleep. what a gift, life is.

i will do a page next, i promise, on a subject i’ve been thinking a lot about: what to say to someone who is really, truly, either physically, spiritually, or mentally suffering. because recently i ran into an old acquaintance, who has all the world at her feet: she’s rich, successful, socially powerful and consciously humanitarian beyond measure—but—she’s absolutely miserable. the only outer proof, however, is that of her uncontrollable, mind-numbing, self-pitying drinking. of course she’s in denial about having a drinking problem. and i simply can’t share with her my own experience in that matter (being in alcohol and drug addiction recovery now for my third decade)…but i can post a page here. perhaps one day a chink will open in her tightly-bricked-up facade, and what a person formerly-miserable (me) has to share with another who still is (her), will make a difference.

a little light in the well of darkness, that’s all i attempt to do…with my art, with my words, and now with this public web-spew.

so look on the right hand side in a day or say and you’ll see a new page. those pages stay up, where this post side changes when i enter a new one.

whew! i finally figured that out! now, if only i can find my beautiful color paintings. let me see, let me try again. a treat for you, perhaps?

plants, animals, mineral--we are all One

i love each and every one of you, truly! lord flea

Dare to be Spiritually Correct … huh?

October 15, 2008October 15, 2008Leave a comment

Hi Friend,

Just back from Boston where we spent a pleasantly gentile weekend attending a gathering of old college friends.

bridge to nowhere ... crossing the Charles River

we got to share stimulating thoughts, discussions, symposiums, dances, exhibits, and most importantly, the sharing of life’s sweet laughter.

as i’d mentioned in an earlier post, i’m starting a new awareness about all of us catching ourselves in our tendencies to over-intellectualize and/or over-politicize, and become, more and more, aware of each opportunity to practice, and finally arrive at BEING … more and more … with practice, with joy, even … being SPIRITUALLY CORRECT

instead of being p.c. i suggest we all try to be, and help each other to remember to be … “S.C.” — spiritually correct.

you may laugh, but once you get the hang of this new movement, you’ll enjoy this carefree, “all for others” attitude, even in midst of the worst financial crisis, the most confusing and challenging of political climes.

take our pal Bob, here, showing off his new tattoo. bob chose the ancient hebrew phrase honoring “Logos”… the “word” of Spirit … in his humble way of proclaiming his own brand of reminding himself to be spiritually correct. a former businessman, now an ordained minister, bob has branded his love of Spirit into his very flesh. i kept calling him “reverand biker bob” but … we just laughed, because surely he is not that. bob’s tat is his own private reminder of his dedication to this new way of being:

Reverand Bob showing his new "Logos" tattoo

so, for the moment, my journey with you that my blog records, documenting my personal lust for art, nature, and adventure, is taking an inward turn as i report more about my most cherished discovery … that among all things people like to share about, the most important journey of all, and perhaps the most unbelievalbe … is a person’s discovering, and then embracing, the Inner Light within.

being Spiritually Correct, s.c., is to acknowledge this Truth (of Spirit) as not only real — but really important to remember. to call yourself s.c. is to remind yourSelf to keep a heightened awareness ever at the center of all actions, all thoughts, in the rest of all our daily living, whatever that might entail. being “spiritual” doesn’t mean just now and then. being s.c. means to live with awakened recognition that we are all ONE. being s.c. takes precedent over being any other kind of “correct,” be it social, political, intellectual, environmental, groovy, hip, religious, anti-religious, cultural or quaint, material or non-consuming, or … any other ways of being fashionably or unfashionably human.

try something new — be s.c.

being s.c. means … letting go and letting Spirit into the scene.

Dive into living In Spirit, being s.c.

fly from your restraints and you, too, can learn to fly, In Spirit! let your own Inner Spirit be one with the knowledge that we are all connected, we are all One. there is a discernible energy that connects us all. as Chief Joseph said, “we are all connected, in the web of life.”

right now, everywhere i go and you, too, people are buzzing, ranting, non-sequituring, going off the wall (but not jumping out windows–yet!), being passionate about politics, the financial fiasco, the mess our environment is in. on everyone’s minds is the need for climate change; we’re desperate for conscious, compassionate leadership. and so it should be, all of us being passionate — right now — at this election time. because we all must fight for what we believe in, and that includes stating, even fighting for our choices. each of us must discern from the political pile the best of what is offered.

but come the evening of november 4th, we must all come together as One, no matter what the results of the u.s. presidential election is.

i won’t go into politics here. this blog is not about that subject. my thoughts are about art, nature, the environment, and the more important subjects (hey! it’s MY blog, right!) of finding the universal Truth that hides in the heart of all members of the human race, of all living beings, too. we are all tiny cells in the body of what some call “God” but … it doesn’t matter what you call “IT.” IT is a mysterious, mystical, but very real, very tappable energy. IT is a force that is unseen, yet IT connects us all, in more ways than science has yet to discover, but they are quickly on the trail of pinpointing and proving: cellular knowledge, quantum physics, string theory. stay tuned: michio kaku will explain it all, in all good time.

the IT of plants is the same as ...

the IT within all … spiritual energy … a person’s chi, also called the kundalini, qi, tao, Great and Holy Spirit … whatever name we choose to call the Divine … is the only reality there is, the alpha, the omega, and … the Logos:

the Force within i call Noname

this is not serious, no-fun business i’m talking about here. i hope you realize i am reporting on the absolute certain joyousness i feel in my heart, and soul, based on my own experiences of discovering we are all One, all connected. if you don’t think this is fun stuff–lighten up! don’t get me wrong or put me in some box marked “weirdo serioso.” no sirree. when i speak of living a life based on being s.c. i’m conveying the choice to embrace an attitude, based on personal experience. but don’t just scoff. put this s.c. business into practice for yourself, and see your face light up, the smiles barge into your life, and others!

a person whose life is based on being s.c. is much more prone to laughing and doing silly things like … being in an elevator with or without friends (as happened this past weekend up in Boston) and, for the hell of it, when the doors close and the strangers stuck with you refuse to look you in the eye, or even crack a smile … gently, mellowly start to Ooooooommmmmmmmmmmm. you’ll feel the energy change, BIG TIME!!! boy! you’ll see, as we did, uptight strangers rush out of an elevator so fast you’re practically knocked down! we laugh and we laugh, and we continue to Oooommmm in the most unlikely places, with or without friends. this is all good, all great, all unbelievable loosening action:

BE A SPIRITUAL ACTIVIST … be s.c.

help others rid themselves of stiff, old, doesn’t-work, irrepressibly stuffy and unfun thinking that needs to be unwound from the human collective soul.

let go let Spirit into your heart, and learn to fly!

so come on, i dare you! do something totally whacked-out remindful of Spirit today, and forget being “proper” or “polite” or “afraid to offend”…. just spread the word, of IT, of God, of Spirit, however you sing that song of bliss, whatever the Name is, whatever IT means to you.

IT may be nature.

allow yourself to become calm, secure enough, just for today, somewhere a wild bird might easily choose to come and rest upon your head. sit still, and thoughtful, breathe, become filled with s.c. … in your yard, by your window, on a park bench … in a golden autumn meadow.

just allow yourself to feel the goodness of being in tune with the earth, this glorious earth that we are ever-more-consciously stewards of. your activism starts with remembering the beating of your heart, of listening to your own breath. your entire life will feel so much better if you invite your busy mind to just stop — for a little while — and merge with your natural surroundings. become safe enough for a wild bird to trust its life to, to alight upon the top of your head. feel the tender feet of the bird believing you and IT are indeed, the same.

breathe deeply in, pushing your belly out with the in-breath… breathe gently and long out, contracting your belly with the out-breath. merge with your breath. why not? what have you got to lose?

that is what i mean by being “spirituall correct.”