This post explores the multi-faceted benefits and immense untapped potential of choosing our perspective consciously in each moment through both the lens of spirituality and the lens of science.
"The full extend of the the nourishment for the heart, mind, body and soul and the poetry for the senses I receive from my recipes is intrinsically connected to a larger process and holistic cycle of creation that extends far beyond the confines of the kitchen." Yes!
I have a daily practice of 'sauca', cleanliness. And with that I sweep and clean my home each day, with the joy of cleaning my home each day as an action without a purpose and yet whose presence provides a foundation on which life rests peacefully. This simple practice, which I extend to doing dishes later in the day, has been one of the single most powerful agents of change in my life. You have articulated this so well.
Thank you for sharing your Self as you create the world we are creating.
I am honoured to be here on this path with you. (And I will be looking to begin a fermentation experiment here in my tiny one room cabaña with one of the least functional kitchens it is possible to imagine!)
Namaste.
P.S.: I am organising and leading a 4 day silence retreat here outside the wonderful and spiritual city of Oaxaca beginning May 25th. If you are interested and have the time, your energy here would elevate the experience for everyone. (It is limited to 10 people.)
Through reading your words I sense your choice to be present in the moment. I sense your choice to embrace the gift of life through connecting fully to those that cross your path, sharing candid expressions from the heart (which offer seeds of wisdom that have the potential to take root and produce food for the soul in the soils of fertile minds).
Thank you for being present and reading what I had to share with an open heart and mind.
I am truly honored by your kind offer to join in on your silence retreat (and I find the idea of being part of such an experience very compelling and appealing) but I work 7 days a week at my day job during this time of year (doing regenerative agriculture consultation, soil testing/remediation, permaculture landscape design and installation) so I unfortunately will not be able to attend the retreat.
I am working overtime to save up for self-publishing my regenerative gardening/recipe book and it is going to take every last penny I can gather together to make my first printing run a success, so I have to prioritize bringing that labor of love into the physical in this world at this point in time.
I have never been to Oaxaca but I have been to the spiritually uplifting Mayan structures in the Yucatán and I have some friends that live in Mazunte (and I have always wanted to visit them but not found the time). Perhaps I can plan for visiting with my wife at some time in the future (after my book is published and shipped to everyone who pre-ordered a copy).
Thanks again for the kind invitation and for taking the time to read my essay.
Well if we visualize my book as a seed (being whole and complete, containing all the essence within required to manifest bountiful harvests) I would say that it is planted in fertile soil and germinating now. I hope and expect to see it emerge physically in spring of 2023. :)
I will keep everyone updated with posts on the book website, kickstarter and here as things develop with the self-publishing process.
Thank you for that Gavin.Ha,your responses are similar to my own...ensuring a most unique and worthy readership.Keep-on-trucking and let that seed-archetype shine!
One of my most prized possessions is a calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh that reads, "Breathe, My Dear". We waste so much precious time in a state of busyness. I have to constantly remind myself to slow down. And Breathe. :) Beautiful post.
I love the simplicity, potent wisdom and warmth embodied in your prize possession. Thanks for sharing that :)
I am so glad you enjoyed the post.
May each breath you take being present and grateful serve as a magnet that draws into your life all of your heart's unfulfilled hopes and desires in the coming new year.
My youngest daughter was just saying that the superpower of the oldest was her ability to be consistent and steady with all the details in the maintenance of a house, a garden, a life. Sometimes that seems slow-moving (and often tending to be late) but it's really giving each task the patience it deserves to be done well. I've tried to learn from her not to do tasks with resentment, as you said, already thinking about the next thing. I've been pondering how often, when I'm in the middle of one bite, I'm already thinking about the next. The Dalai Lama, I've read, would put down his chopsticks inbetween.
And I'm learning from you to commit to the thing I'm reading or writing and do it fully, not skim through as if it's homework I've given myself. Or glance and delete if it feels like a chore. Still learning how to manage this realm of endless self-assignments.
I love it! Speaking of 'cherished heirlooms' I just spent the last 2 hours packaging and sending out heirloom seeds (holding them and carefully placing them in their little baggies like each one was a baby buddha) :)
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, poetry and story with me.
In your comment you said "This degenerate bizarro is WW3 upon all of us !!! But one just can´t go down without a fight".
While I agree that there is a kind of degenerate global war being waged on the majority of humanity (by a tiny minority of humans that are part of a transnational racketeering cartel of weapons manufacturing corporations, central banks, pharmaceutical corporations and others) and they intend on continuing to wreak havoc, perpetuate inequality, create wars for profit (see: https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/lest-we-forget-war-is-a-racket for more info), push eugenics operations via involuntary depopulation schemes and mentally subjugate the weak minded, I disagree that these unpleasant facts of our current situation necessitate 'fighting' (as in using violence to attack a perceived 'enemy'). I do not say this because I am afraid to fight, or because I think we are powerless, but rather I say this because attacking these oligarchs openly (and just generally being combative, competitive and/or violent) is exactly what they want. They are well equipped to deal with that kind of resistance, thus, considering their parasitic nature our most effective tool for crippling the apparatus that enables their imperialistic global war to continue is not open warfare or violence, but rather cutting our ties to their parasitic corporations and governments (as much as possible) and starving their systems (while we build alternative ones to replace their degenerative systems with regenerative ones).
Here is an excerpt from the article above that relates to my own personal views on the mentality involved with your statement about 'not going down without a fight':
Lets say hypothetically (for the sake of argument) the worst case scenario happens (total overt totalitarian technocracy involving out in the open democide of dissidents). Even if that were to come to pass my answer would be the same… because for me in that hypothetical situation the question becomes “How do I want to spend the time I have left on this Earth?”
Do I want to spend the time I have been gifted to wield the weapons of man in violence?
Or do I want to embody faith in that which the Creator of all things gave us and plant the seeds of hope, love and abundance by working with my hands in the rich Earth?
Therefore, I see creating regenerative gardens and food forests as a viable, honorable and practical path forward in these uncertain times. We can forge alliances with the more than human world through planting food forests and regenerative gardens all over, and in doing so provide not only for ourselves, but countless future generations in the process.
The article above about mindfulness is applicable whether we are resisting global oligarchic tyranny, struggling for survival in challenging living conditions, weeding the garden or even just washing the dishes. It is about a shift in perspective that allows us to become the masters of our own mind, increasing our ability to appreciate the beauty around us (whether it comes in the form of little things or big and obvious things) and also empowers us to be more effective problem solvers and peaceful warriors in our efforts to dismantle the oligarchic control grid and plant the seeds for a more equitable, abundant, honorable, compassionate and hopeful future.
I admire your tenacity and drive to persevere despite the physical challenges you describe in your living situation. I understand that it may be difficult given your physical status, but do you garden at all? I cannot spare any fiat currency at this time but I would be willing to donate practical knowledge (in the form of pertinent info on cultivating medicinal and food plants and preserving them that is in my soon to be published book). Would you be interested in info on how to cultivate and preserve medicine and food?
Yes comrade, its chilly in Canada right now (though we are at the southern edge of Canada so our winter is mostly rain and slush, not much snow).
I appreciate your thoughtful and candid reply.
Sounds like you had quite a diverse garden going. Perhaps you could do a few containers or raised beds so you do not have to bend?
I would be willing to try mailing you a few heirloom seeds if you wanna give growing them a try.
I appreciate your kind words about my articles, though I have my reservations about the conventional education system and see it as mostly a means to brainwash and perpetuate the status quo (rather than educate) still, the sentiment is appreciated.
haha yes I imagine some people think of me as a "UFO" sometimes as well so i can relate.
I wish you a new year filled with prosperity, peace and fulfillment.
Ya, seeds for some medicinal herbs that help with inflammation and nerves (like Tulsi aka Holy Basil) and other superfoods that pretty much grow themselves (like Amaranth, Kale and Goji Berries).
Ahh yes there are quite a few countries that have weird fascist seed sharing laws like that. I have managed to get seeds past most of the border/customs checks to other countries in the mail via a couple tricks (though I had no luck with sending seeds to people in Russia last year since Canada post, Fed Ex, USPS and Purolator stopped allowing people here to send gifts there).
I could attempt to send a few seeds if you have a friend there with a mail box to receive them?
I do not have extra money, the small amount of fiat currency I do have is all tied up in the printing / shipping budget for my soon to be published book (which many people have pre-ordered so they are my priority).
You are most welcome! I love those books, I am the same so this post is just as much for me to look back to from time to time and continue to hone my own mindfulness practice as it is for anyone else :)
Wonderful and up lifting.
"The full extend of the the nourishment for the heart, mind, body and soul and the poetry for the senses I receive from my recipes is intrinsically connected to a larger process and holistic cycle of creation that extends far beyond the confines of the kitchen." Yes!
I have a daily practice of 'sauca', cleanliness. And with that I sweep and clean my home each day, with the joy of cleaning my home each day as an action without a purpose and yet whose presence provides a foundation on which life rests peacefully. This simple practice, which I extend to doing dishes later in the day, has been one of the single most powerful agents of change in my life. You have articulated this so well.
Thank you for sharing your Self as you create the world we are creating.
I am honoured to be here on this path with you. (And I will be looking to begin a fermentation experiment here in my tiny one room cabaña with one of the least functional kitchens it is possible to imagine!)
Namaste.
P.S.: I am organising and leading a 4 day silence retreat here outside the wonderful and spiritual city of Oaxaca beginning May 25th. If you are interested and have the time, your energy here would elevate the experience for everyone. (It is limited to 10 people.)
Thank you very much for the thoughtful comment.
Through reading your words I sense your choice to be present in the moment. I sense your choice to embrace the gift of life through connecting fully to those that cross your path, sharing candid expressions from the heart (which offer seeds of wisdom that have the potential to take root and produce food for the soul in the soils of fertile minds).
Thank you for being present and reading what I had to share with an open heart and mind.
I am truly honored by your kind offer to join in on your silence retreat (and I find the idea of being part of such an experience very compelling and appealing) but I work 7 days a week at my day job during this time of year (doing regenerative agriculture consultation, soil testing/remediation, permaculture landscape design and installation) so I unfortunately will not be able to attend the retreat.
I am working overtime to save up for self-publishing my regenerative gardening/recipe book and it is going to take every last penny I can gather together to make my first printing run a success, so I have to prioritize bringing that labor of love into the physical in this world at this point in time.
I have never been to Oaxaca but I have been to the spiritually uplifting Mayan structures in the Yucatán and I have some friends that live in Mazunte (and I have always wanted to visit them but not found the time). Perhaps I can plan for visiting with my wife at some time in the future (after my book is published and shipped to everyone who pre-ordered a copy).
Thanks again for the kind invitation and for taking the time to read my essay.
Namaste.
Always enjoy your posts! Gavin,when does your book ''Recipes'' emerge? Thank you...
Well if we visualize my book as a seed (being whole and complete, containing all the essence within required to manifest bountiful harvests) I would say that it is planted in fertile soil and germinating now. I hope and expect to see it emerge physically in spring of 2023. :)
I will keep everyone updated with posts on the book website, kickstarter and here as things develop with the self-publishing process.
Thanks for reading and for the comment.
Thank you for that Gavin.Ha,your responses are similar to my own...ensuring a most unique and worthy readership.Keep-on-trucking and let that seed-archetype shine!
And,the answer is? I thought it'd make a nice stocking-stuffer...but,am sure willing to wait.
One of my most prized possessions is a calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh that reads, "Breathe, My Dear". We waste so much precious time in a state of busyness. I have to constantly remind myself to slow down. And Breathe. :) Beautiful post.
I love the simplicity, potent wisdom and warmth embodied in your prize possession. Thanks for sharing that :)
I am so glad you enjoyed the post.
May each breath you take being present and grateful serve as a magnet that draws into your life all of your heart's unfulfilled hopes and desires in the coming new year.
Aww, thank you, Gavin! How beautiful. i wish the same for you, as well. :)
My youngest daughter was just saying that the superpower of the oldest was her ability to be consistent and steady with all the details in the maintenance of a house, a garden, a life. Sometimes that seems slow-moving (and often tending to be late) but it's really giving each task the patience it deserves to be done well. I've tried to learn from her not to do tasks with resentment, as you said, already thinking about the next thing. I've been pondering how often, when I'm in the middle of one bite, I'm already thinking about the next. The Dalai Lama, I've read, would put down his chopsticks inbetween.
And I'm learning from you to commit to the thing I'm reading or writing and do it fully, not skim through as if it's homework I've given myself. Or glance and delete if it feels like a chore. Still learning how to manage this realm of endless self-assignments.
Hey Tereza :)
I love how she recognizes an attribute of her sister as a "superpower" :)
I did not know that about the Dalai Lama, thanks for sharing that.
I have a lot of work to do in mastering applying the concepts and truths in the post above into my moment to moment life as well.
Thanks for the candid comment and for sharing your own ways of striving to apply mindfulness in your life.
I read some words from TNH about washing the dishes as though each one was a cherished heirloom about 2 hours ago, we are in sync!
I love it! Speaking of 'cherished heirlooms' I just spent the last 2 hours packaging and sending out heirloom seeds (holding them and carefully placing them in their little baggies like each one was a baby buddha) :)
How beautiful 🌱
Greetings from Canada Libor
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, poetry and story with me.
In your comment you said "This degenerate bizarro is WW3 upon all of us !!! But one just can´t go down without a fight".
While I agree that there is a kind of degenerate global war being waged on the majority of humanity (by a tiny minority of humans that are part of a transnational racketeering cartel of weapons manufacturing corporations, central banks, pharmaceutical corporations and others) and they intend on continuing to wreak havoc, perpetuate inequality, create wars for profit (see: https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/lest-we-forget-war-is-a-racket for more info), push eugenics operations via involuntary depopulation schemes and mentally subjugate the weak minded, I disagree that these unpleasant facts of our current situation necessitate 'fighting' (as in using violence to attack a perceived 'enemy'). I do not say this because I am afraid to fight, or because I think we are powerless, but rather I say this because attacking these oligarchs openly (and just generally being combative, competitive and/or violent) is exactly what they want. They are well equipped to deal with that kind of resistance, thus, considering their parasitic nature our most effective tool for crippling the apparatus that enables their imperialistic global war to continue is not open warfare or violence, but rather cutting our ties to their parasitic corporations and governments (as much as possible) and starving their systems (while we build alternative ones to replace their degenerative systems with regenerative ones).
I explore this unavoidable truth further in this article: https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/in-pursuit-of-an-antidote-for-parasites
Here is an excerpt from the article above that relates to my own personal views on the mentality involved with your statement about 'not going down without a fight':
Lets say hypothetically (for the sake of argument) the worst case scenario happens (total overt totalitarian technocracy involving out in the open democide of dissidents). Even if that were to come to pass my answer would be the same… because for me in that hypothetical situation the question becomes “How do I want to spend the time I have left on this Earth?”
Do I want to spend the time I have been gifted to wield the weapons of man in violence?
Or do I want to embody faith in that which the Creator of all things gave us and plant the seeds of hope, love and abundance by working with my hands in the rich Earth?
Therefore, I see creating regenerative gardens and food forests as a viable, honorable and practical path forward in these uncertain times. We can forge alliances with the more than human world through planting food forests and regenerative gardens all over, and in doing so provide not only for ourselves, but countless future generations in the process.
The article above about mindfulness is applicable whether we are resisting global oligarchic tyranny, struggling for survival in challenging living conditions, weeding the garden or even just washing the dishes. It is about a shift in perspective that allows us to become the masters of our own mind, increasing our ability to appreciate the beauty around us (whether it comes in the form of little things or big and obvious things) and also empowers us to be more effective problem solvers and peaceful warriors in our efforts to dismantle the oligarchic control grid and plant the seeds for a more equitable, abundant, honorable, compassionate and hopeful future.
I admire your tenacity and drive to persevere despite the physical challenges you describe in your living situation. I understand that it may be difficult given your physical status, but do you garden at all? I cannot spare any fiat currency at this time but I would be willing to donate practical knowledge (in the form of pertinent info on cultivating medicinal and food plants and preserving them that is in my soon to be published book). Would you be interested in info on how to cultivate and preserve medicine and food?
Yes comrade, its chilly in Canada right now (though we are at the southern edge of Canada so our winter is mostly rain and slush, not much snow).
I appreciate your thoughtful and candid reply.
Sounds like you had quite a diverse garden going. Perhaps you could do a few containers or raised beds so you do not have to bend?
I would be willing to try mailing you a few heirloom seeds if you wanna give growing them a try.
I appreciate your kind words about my articles, though I have my reservations about the conventional education system and see it as mostly a means to brainwash and perpetuate the status quo (rather than educate) still, the sentiment is appreciated.
haha yes I imagine some people think of me as a "UFO" sometimes as well so i can relate.
I wish you a new year filled with prosperity, peace and fulfillment.
Ya, seeds for some medicinal herbs that help with inflammation and nerves (like Tulsi aka Holy Basil) and other superfoods that pretty much grow themselves (like Amaranth, Kale and Goji Berries).
Ahh yes there are quite a few countries that have weird fascist seed sharing laws like that. I have managed to get seeds past most of the border/customs checks to other countries in the mail via a couple tricks (though I had no luck with sending seeds to people in Russia last year since Canada post, Fed Ex, USPS and Purolator stopped allowing people here to send gifts there).
I could attempt to send a few seeds if you have a friend there with a mail box to receive them?
I do not have extra money, the small amount of fiat currency I do have is all tied up in the printing / shipping budget for my soon to be published book (which many people have pre-ordered so they are my priority).
I wish you all the best on your Journey.
You are most welcome! I love those books, I am the same so this post is just as much for me to look back to from time to time and continue to hone my own mindfulness practice as it is for anyone else :)