Fuel Consumption

Ok, so I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who has noticed that the price of auto gas/petrol is really, really high (and on so many levels... that's a whole different posting). As usual, the wisdom I share here is as much for my own re-focusing as anyone else's who stops by.

Here's a few ways to reduce fuel consumption (besides giving up on the beasts, which some of my friends have done):

1. Keep the tires properly inflated. Underinflated tires waste fuel and wear out the tire tread.
2. Do regular tune-ups. A properly tuned engine burns gas more efficiently.
3. Don't warm up your car longer than a minute or so, even on cold mornings. It's unnecessary and wastes gas. Don't rev the engine, either; it doesn't make you a stud.
4. Don't carry unnecessary stuff. Keep only important emergency items and not a lot of junk.
5. Plan your trips to combine errands. Better yet, shop by phone or the Internet. Bank by mail or online. Buy in bulk; you'll make fewer trips (and likely waste less packaging as well).
6. Make sure the gas cap is secure. Fuel will evaporate if it doesn't seal properly or is missing altogether.
7. If you're in the market for a car, look for fuel efficiency when you buy a car.
8. Keep an even speed when you can, and don't make fast starts -- smooth driving saves fuel.
9. Don't be a lead foot. Resting your left foot on the brake will drag and gobble up gas. It'll cause your brakes to wear out faster, too.
10. Telecommute, start your own home business, find a job closer to home (or a home closer to work), or try taking public transportation/carpooling, even 1 day a week.

Thanks to Georgene Lockwood for the suggestions!

Anaïs - May 25, 1932

"Late at night. I am in Louveciennes. I am sitting by the fire in my bedroom. The heavy curtains are drawn. The room feels heavy and deeply anchored in the earth. One can smell the odors of the wet trees, the wet grass outside. They are blown in by the wind through the chimney. The walls are a yard thick, thick enough to dig bookcases into them, beside the bed. The bed is wide and low. Henry calls my house a laboratory of the soul." Anaïs Nïn

Tangerine Meditation

"One day, I offered a number of children a basket filled with tangerines. The basket was passed around, and each child took one tangerine and put it in his or her palm. We each looked at our tangerine, and the children were invited to meditate on its origins. They saw not only their tangerine, but also its mother, the tangerine tree. With some guidance, they began to visualize the blossoms in the sunshine and in the rain. Then they saw petals falling down and the tiny green fruit appear. The sunshine and the rain continued, and the tiny tangerine grew. Now someone has picked it, and the tangerine is here. After seeing this, each child was invited to peel the tangerine slowly, noticing the mist and the fragrance of the tangerine, and then bring it up to his or her mouth and have a mindful bite, in full awareness of the texture and taste of the fruit and the juice coming out. We ate slowly like that.

Each time you look at a tangerine, you can see deeply into it. You can see everything in the universe in one tangerine. When you peel it and smell it, it's wonderful. You can take your time eating a tangerine and be very happy." Thich Nhat Hanh

Blue Chalcedony

I had intentions this evening of sharing information that I've learned from a book on emotional eating, but as soon as I logged on to post, I had a strong feeling to save that for another day. The idea of writing about the healing properties of a crystal came to mind instead, so I pulled out my copy of Michael Gienger's Crystal Power, Crystal Healing, and opened to this page. A beautiful stone, indeed. I'm amused by the "coincidence" of tuning in to this rock at this time, being in the midst of a retrograde Mercury right now, not to mention the uncanny connection to my original posting idea for the day.

Blue Chalcedony

Spiritually: Blue chalcedony represents both aspects of communication: the ability to listen and to understand, as well as the ability to communicate effectively. It encourages the pleasure of contact with other humans, with animals, plants and beings from all worlds.

Emotionally: Blue chalcedony bestows a light-heartedness, a carefree, elated feeling for life with an optimistic tenor. It enhances conscious self-awareness through improving perception of our feelings, emotions, desires and needs. This is how we learn about the true motives for our actions and are able to change them. In addition, blue chalcedony improves memory, has a calming effect and dissolves stress (touchstone).

Mentally: Blue chalcedony improves oratory, verbal dexterity and the ability to speak foreign languages. For this reason, chalcedony is also the crystal of diplomats. With this crystal, we remain mentally open to new ideas; it generally eases understanding and helps us to translate ideas we agree with into action. This increases creativity and openness to inspiration.

Physically: Blue chalcedony alleviates problems of the respiratory tract such as colds or the effects of smoking. Banded chalcedony, in particular, encourages regeneration of the mucous membranes. Blue chalcedony also helps with complaints caused by extreme sensitivity to changes in the weather, problems with the eyes that relate to pressure (glaucoma), the ears, and our sense of balance. It has an antiinflammatory effect, lowers the blood pressure and has a cooling effect in raised temperatures. It stimulates the flow of the lymphatic fluids and body fluids, abolishes water retention in the tissues (oedema) and enhances the immune system and the secretions of the glands. Clear blue, white or rose coloured chalcedony, owing to its Type by manner of formation, encourages the formation of milk in nursing mothers.

Habits

"For every habit we have, for every experience we go through over and over, for every pattern we repeat, there is a need within us for it. The need corresponds to some belief we have. If there were not a need, we wouldn't have it, do it, or be it. There is something within us that needs the fat, the poor relationships, the failures, the cigarettes, the anger, the poverty, the abuse, or whatever there is that's a problem for us.

How many times have we said, 'I won't ever do that again!'? Then, before the day is up, we have the piece of cake, smoke the cigarettes, say hateful things to the ones we love, and so on. Then we compound the whole problem by angrily saying to ourselves, 'Oh, you have no willpower, no discipline. You're just weak.' This only adds to the load of guilt we already carry.

Whatever we are trying to release in our lives is just a symptom, an outer effect. Trying to eliminate the symptom without working on dissolving the cause is useless. The moment we release our willpower or discipline, the symptom crops up again.

When I say 'needing the problem,' I mean that according to our particular set of thought patterns, we 'need' to have certain outer effects or experiences. Every outer effect is the natural expression of an inner thought pattern. To battle only the outer effect or symptom is wasted energy and often increases the problem.

One of the first affirmations to use is: 'I am willing to release the NEED for the resistance, or the headache, or the constipation, or the excess weight, or the lack of money or whatever.' The willingness to let go of the old is the key." Louise Hay

I am willing to release the need for...

The Tide Recedes

The Tide Recedes
Author Unknown

The tide recedes,
But leaves behind
Bright seashells on the sand.

The sun goes down,
But gentle warmth
Still lingers on the land.

The music stops,
And yet it echoes on
In sweet refrains...

For every joy that passes,
Something beautiful remains.


For Jackie.

Mercury goes retrograde

Astrologically speaking, Mercury represents the functions of intelligence, transmission of information, and reception of information. Starting today and continuing until April 12, Mercury will be retrograde. When a planet appears to be going backward from our vantage point here on Earth, it's said to be retrograde. Basically, planets act like channels for the various signs to express themselves. But when a planet is retrograde, instead of flowing outward in the normal extroverted pattern, its energy is directed inward, away from the world. Some pop culture astrologers will say that Mercury going retrograde is nothing but trouble in ways of connecting with others: broken phones and email services, computers not working, packages not arriving, travel plans being thwarted, etc. And while this may very well be the case for some (resisting "what is" will not make this any less frustrating!), it's also a great opportunity to allow our minds to turn inward and "unplug" for awhile. These next few weeks will be an opportune time to think in independent, imaginative, and innovative ways. Refocus on yourself. Be particularly patient and gentle with yourself and others during the next few weeks if self-expression seems difficult -- this too shall pass!

Homeland(s)

No wisdom this evening, only a wee bit of inspiration. Vermont bloody well beat Syracuse!! Shout out to the boys back home!

Not to mention the dear lassies at Fado, still serving with a smile even after working 18-hour shifts on St. Patrick's day yesterday. Even when they swear like sailors, they still sound lyrical. I hope my eyes rest upon that beautiful land again someday.

Whack to ya, Catamounts!

Worry

"Are you worried? Do you have many 'what if' thoughts? You are identified with your mind, which is projecting itself into an imaginary future situation and creating fear. There is no way that you can cope with such a situation, because it doesn't exist. It's a mental phantom. You can stop this health- and life-corroding insanity by simply acknowledging the present moment. Become aware of your breathing. All that you ever have to deal with, cope with, in real life -- as opposed to imaginary mind projections -- is this moment." Eckhart Tolle

Choice

"At any moment I could start being a better person -- but which moment should I choose?" Ashleigh Brilliant

Meditation

"In particular, nowadays, many people are interested in meditation, but few know how to meditate. Most of them believe that meditating is stopping all thoughts and remaining in that state. This is a mistake. In meditation, one does not try to stop thoughts. One keeps the mind open, relaxed and resting without distraction in the consciousness of the present. In this manner, thoughts can stop by themselves, but one does not do anything to constrain them in order to make them stop.

In effect, while one is learning to meditate, it is often very difficult to place the mind in its own essence, and so one uses supports to guide it to inner calm. Any external object can be used: a glass, a table, a light, a statue of the Buddha, or any object that pleases us. One then directs all one's attention on the object, without distraction. It is simple attention which implies neither analysis nor commentary. One does not examine its form, note its character, nor evaluate its qualities... the mind is simply placed on the object." Bokar Rinpoche

Gay Marriage

While I tend to shy away from politics, the following good news was reported on MSNBC today:

"A judge ruled Monday that California's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional — a legal milestone that, if upheld on appeal, would open the way for the most populous state to follow Massachusetts in allowing same-sex couples to wed.

Judge Richard Kramer of San Francisco County's trial-level Superior Court likened the ban to laws requiring racial segregation in schools, and said there appears to be "no rational purpose" for denying marriage to gay couples.

Two groups opposed to gay marriage rights, The Campaign for California Families and the Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund, argued that the state has a legitimate interest in restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples as a way of encouraging procreation."

You know, I must have missed the news conference which alerted us that we humans are in grave danger of becoming extinct. Strange, because last I heard, there were quite a few humans on this dear Earth. Approximately 6,424,453,462 of us, actually. And in case you're thinking that other nations are responsible for this titanic breeding program, the US currently weighs in with roughly 295,663,139 consuming bodies.

A few more facts to consider:

* The world is growing by more than 76 million people a year. At the current rate of growth, even accounting for a continual decrease in the growth rate, the world population is headed for double digits within 50 years.

* Every 20 minutes, the world adds another 3,500 human lives but loses one or more entire species of animal or plant life - at least 27,000 species per year.

* The world population has doubled in the last 40 years. It took just 12 years to leap from 5 billion to 6 billion. It took about 18 centuries for the earth to reach its first one billion inhabitants.

* The world is adding a city the size of Los Angeles every two weeks.

* Birth rates are falling worldwide but death rates are declining even faster. A tiny fraction - only 7 percent - of the world's people live in countries where population is not growing.

* If fertility remained at current levels, the population would reach the absurd figure of 296 billion in just 150 years. Even if it dropped to 2.5 children per woman and then stopped falling, the population would still reach 28 billion.

* 1.2 billion people worldwide are living on $1.00 a day or less.

* The United Nations estimates the Dec. 26, 2004, Asian tsunami has left about 1.5 million children homeless, most of whom may be orphaned.

Enough facts, here's my two cents: if two people wish to legalize their promise to love, honor, and cherish each other for the rest of their lives, power and blessings to them.

Abundance & Gratitude

"There is an inexhaustible supply in the Universe. Begin to be aware of it. Take the time to count the stars on a clear evening, or the grains of sand in one handful, the leaves on one branch of a tree, the raindrops on a windowpane, the seeds in one tomato. Each seed is capable of producing a whole vine with unlimited tomatoes on it. Be grateful for what you do have, and you will find that it increases. I like to bless with love all that is in my life now -- my home, the heat, water, light, telephone, furniture, plumbing, appliances, clothing, transportation, jobs -- the money I do have, friends, my ability to see and feel and taste and touch and walk and to enjoy this incredible planet. Our own belief in lack and limitation is the only thing that is limiting us. What belief is limiting you?" Louise L. Hay

This morning, I feel particularly grateful for: this delicious cup of peach tea; my purring kitties; the beautiful blue sky outside my window; Jane Siberry for sharing her beauty with the world; my friend Trey for his help in getting me on the web; my computer; my employment, which allows me to pay bills today; Lincoln Park up the street from me; and the wind dancing through my wind chimes.

Procrastination

I've been enjoying SARK's work for years. She often mentions her methodology for working with procrastination: microMOVEments. Does this sound at all familiar?

"I would embark on a new project, filled with excitement and enthusiasm, and then would get distracted, lose interest, or just feel overwhelmed. Every time I tried to follow through on exercises, plans, or goals, I would quit in the middle and feel like a pathetic failure."

So SARK created microMOVEments. Here's the gist:

"A microMOVEment is a very tiny action that anyone can take toward some part of his or her creative dream. It's 5 seconds to 5 minutes in length, and you write it down, along with a gentle date and time for completion. I say gentle, because you can change it as many times as you need to. A microMOVEment is 5 seconds to 5 minutes long because we can do just about anything for 5 seconds to 5 minutes. You may begin and complete your microMOVEment and suddenly feel energized to continue on. That's great! Go galloping off for hours, days, or weeks of sheer activity. Or simply complete your microMOVEment and go take a nap. Or gently reschedule your next microMOVEment." SARK

SARK loves naps. You can learn more about SARK by visiting her website; there's a link to Planet Sark in my Links section to make your trip easier.

Performance Anxiety

During an interview, the Dalai Lama was asked how he deals with anxiety or nervousness before a public talk or teaching. After quiet reflection, his holiness replied:

"I think having proper motivation and honesty are the keys to overcoming those kinds of fear and anxiety. So, if I am anxious before giving a talk, I'll remind myself that the main reason, the aim of giving the lecture, is to be of at least some benefit to the people, not showing off my knowledge. So, those points I know, I'll explain. Those points which I do not understand properly -- then it doesn't matter, I just say, 'For me, this is difficult.' There's no reason to hide or to pretend. From that standpoint, with that motivation, I don't have to worry about appearing foolish or care about what others think of me. So, I've found that sincere motivation acts as an antidote to reduce fear and anxiety."

Attention

"Whatever you put your attention on becomes energized. Whatever you take your attention away from dwindles." Dr. Deepak Chopra