Blue Moon

A blue moon rises tonight as the year comes to a close: a perfect opportunity for a little candle magic.

Maybe a small house with chickens and a goat, gardens, a grove, and a pool, and a view of the ocean and the life this home would support.

Eight Diagram Palm

Tom Bisio in 12 Posture Zhan Zhuang.
I find this breathtaking.

"In practice, the Ba Gua practitioner steps and turns moving smoothly like a swimming dragon, swooping and spiraling like a hawk, coiling like a snake, and changing postures nimbly like a monkey."

Repost: Secrets to a Happy Marriage

When Joanna of Cup of Jo went on her honeymoon this fall, she invited several people to guest blog on her site their secrets to a happy marriage. One of my favorites was by Craig Nova. Don't miss the link to the letter he wrote to his beautiful daughter Abbey on her wedding day.

Fourth Month of Pregnancy

(Art by Shinichi Maruyama)

In the fourth month of pregnancy, the fetus opens to the essence of the element of water. This element constitutes the pool of genetic inheritance, including the "unconsious reservoir of intuitive intelligence, will, and life-force energy". It relates to the "divine love, power, and spirit" that is ancestrally available to the fetus.

In the fourth month of pregnancy, the connective tissue develops, the matrix by which everything is connected in this new being. It is the matrix of "intercellular communication," and can be thought of as the scaffold of the astral body.

Acupuncture during this stage of development can be particularly beneficial to the pregnant woman.

(Primary source: Sui Dynasty Imperial Physician Chao Yuan Fang as written in Energetic Anatomy and Physiology (Chinese Medical Qigong Therapy, Volume 1) by Jerry Alan Johnson)

Winter Solstice

(image via SoundsandFury)

The winter solstice is today at 12:47 pm in New York. The longest night, the shortest day.

Recommendations from Shamanic Astrology:

"Solstice, like a New Moon cycle for the year, is a beautiful time to create quiet space to meditate on your deepest intentions for the coming year. It is a good time to engage ceremonially in whatever way you may be moved to give gratitude for the blessings of the year past, to release all that is no longer needed, and invoke the new seeds of growth for a coming year.


This day is powerful beyond measure, as it is informed by the Triple Aquarian Conjunction, as Jupiter conjuncts Neptune, then Chiron in the sign of Aquarius for the 3^rd and final time—then the moon conjuncts all three, magnifying the impact of the aspect.


Be sure to ask for guidance and assistance from Spirit, and as you do, imagine how it feels to trust life, to trust that all is unfolding as it should. Imagine how it might feel to live a life in alignment with Grace, to know how to dance with all that Is—not fighting, not seeking for anything to be other than it is. Imagine the absolute inner transformation and ecstasy that would be part of this state of being. If you have angels or guides, invite them to be with you, assisting you in this process of intention setting and deep prayer."

New Best Friend

This little guy is going to be joining our household this weekend, and we're all very excited!

He is a Japanese Chin, an aristocratic breed with origins in the regal courts of the ancient Chinese.

A charming and intelligent noble amongst dogs.

I guess we will see who comes out on top in ruling our kingdom, Oskar or the pooch?

I bet they will be come fast friends.

How the Zen Buddhists Eat

Doesn't this look gorgeous?

It is:

Celery Roots Tempura with Grated Apple

From Kajitsu, a Japanese restaurant in the far east village.

The cuisine is Shojin, of Zen Buddhist origin.

We just had our office holiday dinner there!

How reluctantly
the bee emerges from deep
within the peony
-Basho

Travel Lust: Crystal Cave in Mexico

A couple of years ago, I got into crystals. I think my mind might completely blow out in the Cueva de los Cristales of Mexico.

A blog account by Paul Williams with more spectacular photographs on his travels into the cave.

Unreal.

Magic!

What to Do When Injured

Many of my patients who see me for sports-related issues ask me what they should do, if they shouldn't run/fight/bike/spin/weight train while recovering from injury, and my answer is always Tai Chi.

There is a living master in New York City, and his name is William C. C. Chen, and he is teaching beginner classes several days a week in his studio on 5th Avenue and 28th Street.

Felt Balls and Felt Ball Kits

Last weekend, we went to the Winter Fair at the Brooklyn Waldorf School, where Oskar was very attracted to the felt balls in the playroom. And they were gorgeous!

So I bought a kit to make my own on Etsy!

The image above is from Crunchy Parent. It has directions and even videos on how to make your own felt balls.

Another kit you can get from a funny Etsy seller whose wares all come from her sheep Moses.
Here is the info on her profile:

 "Hello from Pennsylvania,

You probably have seen the photo of Moses my sheep. Moses is my bottle raised sheep that supplies me with wool to spin and felt.

I am a full-time caregiver. Moses came to me while I was working on a farm that provided a handicap accessible farming experience to children and adults with disabilities.

Moses mother had triplets and was not able to take care of Moses. She pushed him aside. Maybe she felt overwelmed with three or maybe she just knew that allowing us to take care of Moses would provide a very rewarding fun experience to many.

Moses quickly adapted to receiving his meals from a bottle given by many different "surrogate moms".

Moses "lambhood" was very active. He provided many people with disabilities a very fun chance to "turn things around" they enjoyed becoming the caregivers to Moses.

Moses attended the UCP Adult day programs, (wearing an inside diaper of course) childrens programs, as well as church events.

Now that he is grown he provides us with his wool. Moses is now fully grown. He is 5 years old."

Doesn't it feel difficult to not suppport Moses?! 

The Trashy Novel

This is one of my favorites, and the seventh in the series was just published!

The Reasons: Beautiful Prose; Very Long in Length (500+ pages each); the Heroine is a Healer; the Hero is a Highlander; Places of Power; Magic Crystals; Acupuncture and a China Man, Bodice Ripping Humor, the List Goes On.

Gorgeous Lavender

The most beautiful lavender essential oil I've experienced.

The story of its origin here.

The Padre Hotel, Bakersfield, California

Photo by Jennifer Williams

I grew up in Bakersfield, California, which tortured me most of the time, but I do have some fond memories of weird experiences there, many of them in the lounge and lobby of the Padre Hotel. The Padre was a shabby and slightly scary place to go, smelling of past sins and dereliction and drunken mistakes.

I just learned that it has undergone a massive renovation into a luxury hotel. I guess the news makes me sad and curious at the same time. I found a funny article by Herb Benham in the local paper, the Bakersfield Californian, some of which really captures the essence of my Bakersfield nicely:

"The new Padre Hotel could be the biggest thing to hit downtown since the earthquake. If it opens. If it works.

If the owners are able to saddle and ride this beast...

In the last couple of years, downtown has settled into something of a funk (with some notable exceptions).

The recession and the subprime meltdown haven't helped. Nor have the fights, the stabbings and a couple of homicides. People may want to experience downtown, but they want to live, too...

For years, the Padre has been an eyesore. The hotel shut down eons ago and besides a barbershop, a coffee shop, a print shop and a jewelry store on the bottom floor, it's basically been sitting there.

I go back and forth on the Padre architecture. One day, it glows. Another, it simmers. The Padre, built in 1928, looks better when backlit by a sunset at the end of a day well spent.

If you want to be generous, you can talk about the Padre "being a fine example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture," but really, the magic, if any, has always lay inside its spacious lobby with the large arched windows and 20-foot-high ceilings.

I slept through the glory days of the Padre Hotel. Milton "Spartacus" Miller bought it in 1954 and installed a girl in a swing over the bar and had a musician named Ernie Kelly playing the piano."

Integrity of the Spine

 A beautifully aligned spine is a virtue, and one that is often lost in the great blow out of childbirth. The return to spinal integrity is best managed gradually, with intention, and great care.

The sculpture is fibers:connective tissue by sarah nance.

Happy Baby

East Asian fetal education principles recommend pregnant women look at pictures of happy babies to influence the nature of their own gestating babies.

Here is Oskar having a laugh with his grandparents last weekend.

Hafiz Knows the Way You Can Get

I know the way you can get

When you have not had a drink of Love:

Your face hardens,
Your sweet muscles cramp.
Children become concerned
About a strange look that appears in your eyes
Which even begins to worry your own mirror
And nose.

Squirrels and birds sense your sadness
And call an important conference in a tall tree.
They decide which secret code to chant
To help your mind and soul.

Even angels fear that brand of madness
That arrays itself against the world
And throws sharp stones and spears into
The innocent
And into one's self.

O I know the way you can get
If you have not been drinking Love:

You might rip apart
Every sentence your friends and teachers say,
Looking for hidden clauses.

You might weigh every word on a scale
Like a dead fish.

You might pull out a ruler to measure
From every angle in your darkness
The beautiful dimensions of a heart you once
Trusted.

I know the way you can get
If you have not had a drink from Love's
Hands.

That is why all the Great Ones speak of
The vital need
To keep remembering God,
So you will come to know and see Him
As being so Playful
And Wanting,
Just Wanting to help.

That is why Hafiz says:
Bring your cup near me.

For I am a Sweet Old Vagabond
With an Infinite Leaking Barrel
Of Light and Laughter and Truth
That the Beloved has tied to my back.

Dear one,
Indeed, please bring your heart near me.
For all I care about
Is quenching your thirst for freedom!

All a Sane man can ever care about
Is giving Love!

From: 'I Heard God Laughing - Renderings of Hafiz' - Daniel Ladinsky 

Artie's Steak Sandwich

Norma Wilson Cow Art

Post-partum, I was ravenous. I never seriously got the food cravings while pregnant (though Dan did get very specific instructions about broiling fish and did gallantly make midnight runs for ice cream), but right after giving birth to Oskar, my appetite became this insatiable monster.

One memorable meal with a good new-momma friend on the Upper West Side was the Sliced Steak Sandwich at Artie's. We very contentedly tucked in, our sleeping babies slung in our laps. It was very deeply satisfying. I even took half of the sandwich home and enjoyed it later that day. When I got home, I shook off a small shower of stray crumbs that had collected on Oskar in his sling.

Dinner Flea in Freetown Christiania

Photo via Flickr.

One of the most interesting places in Copenhagen, Denmark, is the commune of Christiania. In the early 1970s, hippies squatted out in a mostly abandoned military barracks. The result:  a fascinating community with the most interesting music and art, commerce in organic and sustainable and smokable goods, and one particularly awesome restaurant: Spiseloppen.

The 160-seat warehouse restaurant is the ultimate in Danish cozy. And the food is a treat too.

Placentophagia

 Oskar's and My Placenta, Steamed

In East Asian Medicine, human placenta is a healing post-partum tonic for both mother and nursing baby.

For the mother, the placenta provides nourishment on the order of restoring the qi and blood that was lost during birth. As such, taking the placenta can enhance lactation, uplift the spirit, and provide a new mother with some much-needed ballast.

For the nursing baby, here is a rare and precious opportunity to boost her/his pre-natal jing. Pre-natal jing is the treasure and inheritance that each person receives from her/his parents, and is therefore something that cannot be renewed or restored. We consume it continuously as we live our lives, and death comes to us once this store is spent.

Personally, Dan and I felt there was something very special about consuming the placenta. It represented the organ  that grew out of the powerful love that Dan and I had for each other, so powerful as to call forth and hold a new life. It represented the organ that provided an important, sacred boundary between Oskar and me; it both bonded him to me as well as shielded him from me during his forty-one weeks inside. Eating it was the most natural thing to do. It was also very exciting and sensational!

Here is the recipe Dan used in preparing the placenta. It is best for the placenta be prepared with intention and love.

1. Rinse the placenta;
2. Steam the placenta, with a hot pepper, slices of ginger, and a slice of lime in the water, over low heat for 15 minutes;

3. Turn it over and continue to steam for another 15 minutes;
4. After steaming, slice the placenta into thin strips;
5. Lay the strips on a baking sheet and place them in the oven on warm (lowest setting);
6. Dry the placenta strips until they are dehydrated enough to snap (about 8 to 10 hours);
7. Break the dry strips into smaller pieces and then grind them to powder with a mortar and pestle.

8. Consume daily, and store in a cool, dark place.

How did it taste?

To me, very gamey and primal.

I felt like a wild animal when I took my daily tablespoon dose.

First Food

 

Oskar's pure diet of breast milk has been infiltrated by small amounts of bath water, flower essences, and (a larger dose of) nose. Some time in the coming weeks, we'll be introducing him to food. Although he's already had a first bite of banana ("It just happened," is how Dan describes it!), this will be the first time he's been fed with intention.

In East Asian medicine, the two primary choices for first food are rice porridge or millet porridge. The choice depends on whether or not the child would benefit from more heavenly or earthly influences. With rice, its fluffy whiteness is reminiscent of clouds, whereas millet is round and yellow like the earth.

We're going to start with rice for Oskar, because he is already plenty grounded and also because of the strong relationship between rice and his Korean heritage. His Danish half has not yet been able to mount a compelling argument for pork or butter, much less pork with butter.

The benefits of rice porridge are manifold: it can easily be digested and assimilated; tonifies blood and Qi; harmonizes digestion; and is demulcent, cooling, and nourishing. The longer it is cooked, the more potent its health-promoting properties.

Recipe: 1 part of white rice to 7 parts water cooked overnight in the rice cooker until the grains loose their form.

Wild Horses

Art by Kerryone.

Adhi Moonien Two Owl's Wind Horse Workshop on Assateaque Island in April sounds magical.

Observing the wild horses in their environment;
Creating mandalas and offerings to the ocean, elements, and the beings both seen and unseen on the island;
Clearing and purification techniques for preparing to go into the upper realms;
Journeying to connect to the horse guides;
Exploring what they can tell us to help with what is going on in our world today;
Creating a rattle shaker for the calling in horse energies;
Creating offerings and bundles.

Gratitude

Among the many people and things I feel thankful for today, six and a half (gasp) years of and with Dan.

Opera by Candle Light

The little town of Verona is a sweet place to visit when traveling through Italy in the summer. The highlight is open air opera performed in an ancient arena.

As dusk settles into true darkness, everyone in the audience lights the birthday candles they have been given, and it's like the stars in the night sky begin to appear one by one in the arena. I have never witnessed a more beautiful start to any performance. It was magical.

Third Month of Pregnancy

Photo by Naoyuki Kurita

In the Third Month, the mother's qi, spirit, body fluids, and primordial essence combine to cleanse the spirit of the fetus. This process creates heat, which ultimately rouses the baby's ethereal soul. The ethereal soul is what fuels our purpose in life and propels us to achieve our destinies.

In the Third Month, the Prenatal Five Agents (Wu Jing Shen) begin to energetically awaken. There are five agents, one for each of the five elements found in nature. Jing Shen can be described as the essence and spirit.

The first set of characters is for Jing, which depicts an exploding rice grain next to a young sapling shooting out of the earth. I think of the cycle of life, how the decomposition of the rice is linked with the propulsion of life in the tree. Death and destruction nourishes life.

The second set of characters is for Shen, which depicts heavenly influence on earthlyn natural forces.

We have the cycle of life bringing manifestation to the spirits of heaven and earth.

This begins in the third month when the heart beat can first be detected.

Living Water

Soon, my body will no longer be Oskar's only source of nourishment, so I am thinking a lot about water.

The picture above is one of Emoto's images of water, this one vibrates to the tune of love.

Living in Brooklyn, I don't have easy access to fresh, living spring water. The next best thing, they say, is ionized alkaline water. So, we're going to get a Gold Fox to do its magic on our beautiful NYC tap water.

Update: We ended up ordering a Chanson Eden.

My Life as Dog

On the other side of motherhood, this movie becomes even more moving and painful and gorgeous.

One of the things Dan observed and said to me in the early, shell-shocked, post-partum days was how awesome and serious the responsibility was of being parents to our boy: that he would love us no matter what we did.

I had always wanted to be the object of unconditional love, but, like so many things, I hadn't thought it completely through.

The sheer weight of is just staggering.

Hip-hop-opatamous

Oskar's newest playmate is Harpo, a hip-hop-apotamous, home spun and hand knitted in 100% natural wool by rural women in Kenya. He was knitted by Teresia Esinyeri of Kenana Knitters.

We found him in pb & Caviar, a lovely mother and baby boutique in Tribeca.

Lonely Beach, Ko Chang, Thailand

IAmKoChang sums it up like this:

"For western visitors, Lonely Beach has long been regarded as the best beach to stay if you’re a true backpacker. For Thais, Lonely Beach has long been regarded as the best beach to visit if you want to see western girls topless."

It was my favorite Thai beach by far. The Siam Huts were very very basic, but offered every necessity for less than US$10 (2003). Fresh mango lassi breakfasts, and simple, luscious dinners of fish grilled on the beach with jacket potatoes and corn on the cob.

When we're 65, we're heading back to see if we can still find paradise there.

Acupuncture for Pains in the Neck

This picture shows how headaches in the temples, jaw pain, and neck pain can all be caused by trigger points (often tight and tender spots) in the shoulder muscles. With acupuncture, you can treat all these areas simply by needling the X'd areas. The sensation can be very intense and provide a very huge relief.

Leonid Meteor Shower Tonight

Starting at 1:30am EST until sunrise, there's a possibility of spotting hundreds of falling stars. It's also a new moon... 

Imagine all the wishes to be made...

(Photo from Astronomy.com)

Friday, the 13th

A very witchy day...

The Wonders of Tea

Tea-Drinking

The first cup moistens my lips and throat;

The second cup breaks my loneliness;

The third cup searches my barren entrail but to find therein some thousand volumes of odd ideographs;

The fourth cup raises a slight perspiration-all the wrongs of life pass out through my pores;

At the fifth cup I am purified;

The sixth cup calls me to the realms of the immortals.

The seventh cup-ah, but I could take no more! I only feel the breath of the cool wind that raises in my sleeves.

Where is Elysium? Let me ride on this sweet breeze and waft away thither.

by

Lu Tung, a Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty

Some interpret it in this way:

The first cup: quenches thirst.
The second cup: leads to the awareness of Oneness.
The third cup: is a laxative.
The fourth cup: purges colds and flus.
The fifth cup: purifies the entire body, including the skin and the bones.
The sixth cup: opens the doors of perception.
The seventh cup: zen.

13 Grandmothers

 

My friend Abbey told me about this and I am all signed up!

THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF THIRTEEN INDIGENOUS GRANDMOTHERS
HEALING CIRCLES

Jivamukti Yoga School is delighted to welcome members of the International Council of the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers. Join us for two evenings of Prayer, Healing, and discussions on Prophecy and Sacred Medicine.

"We the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, believe that our ancestral ways of prayer, peacemaking and healing are vitally needed today. We come together to nurture, educate and train our children. We come together to uphold the practice of our ceremonies and affirm the right to use our plant medicines free of legal restriction. We come together to protect the lands where our peoples live and upon which our cultures depend, to safeguard the collective heritage of traditional medicines, and to defend the earth Herself. We believe that the teachings of our ancestors will light our way through an uncertain future."


When: Saturday Dec 12th
Teachings: Prophecy and Sacred Medicine
Time: 7.30pm
Ticket Price: $35.00

When: Sunday Dec 13th
Teachings: Prayer and Healings -(This session involves hands on healing work from the Grandmothers.)
Time: 7.30pm
Ticket Price: $70.00
(Tickets are $100 if you attend both nights)

For Online registration go to www.jivamuktiyoga.com
or call the jivamukti  Front desk at 212-353-0214 ext. 0
Please register soon as tickets are limited as this will be a popular event.

Sponsored by friends of The Center for Sacred Studies and The Jivamukti Yoga School

http://www.grandmotherscouncil.com

If You Liked Yesterday's Book, Check This One Out!

An excerpt:
"... this is love. The feeling you have for your child is so indescribably deep and consuming that it must qualify as one of the few transcendent experiences in your plain old ordinary life. It arrives spontaneously as though part of afterbirth. It is miraculous and supreme and irrevocable. It makes all things possible...

There is a certain attitude, perhaps unavoidable, that most of us seem to adopt as we grow up. It is a kind of self-satisfied conclusion that our parents didn't love us. Oh, they might have loved us, but they didn't love us enough. They didn't love us the right way. They didn't love us just so. Have your own child, and you will penetrate into the utter absurdity of that idea..."

From Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood by Karen Maezen Miller

Joy in Parenting

I am so happy in parenting right now, and part of it has been inspired by reading Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn's Everyday Blessings.

The Christian

My favorite Christian speaker is Dr. Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. I don't often make it up to hear him live, but I do download his sermons.

Sometimes when I'm feeling down, he lifts me up.

One of my favorites is Inside Out Living. Download it here.

(Image from http://www.fallenandflawed.com/tim-kellers-blogging-guide/)

Anatomy of Kiki Smith

How I Know I'm Here (1985-2000), if I had $20,000 extra.

Tattoo by Ugly

I had never wanted a tattoo before I met Ugly in Chiang Mai, Thailand. And then I was obsessed. I forced myself to think about it for 24 hours, and I could wait for them to end.

So I took the plunge, Ganesh, Remover of Obstacles, in full color, tattooed in the middle of my back.

He wasn't ugly, really. In fact, very cute, with hair horns and an impish smile. And, a steady hand.

Doctrine of Signatures to Enya

Oskar's Samhain

Oskar usually has the quiet, soulful presence of a gorilla, so I searched high and low for the right costume. We only kept him in it for a few minutes, because it was a little too true-to-life: he really did seem like a sad gorilla in a zoo in it.

He did better in his monster suit.

The tradition of dressing in costume on Samhain originates from attempts to trick and evade the ghosts of the dead who walked the streets on this day when the veil between worlds is thinnest. I guess Oskar felt better equipped to face the demons as a serious, blue plastic monster.

Four Years Ago Yesterday

Four years ago yesterday, Dan and I got married at City Hall.

We had the loveliest day: morning ceremony and breakfast at Dan's favorite Cafe Orlin on Saint Marks with my brother, sister, and best friend as witnesses, a movie, then dinner at the River Cafe.

We went on to have two more public celebrations, a loft party in Brooklyn and a church wedding in California, so we celebrated big.

I am so happy we had the small, quiet day together when we actually wed, so we could focus on just us.

Yesterday, we lunched at Union Square Cafe and watched Where the Wild Things Are.  Magic.

Samhain

(Image of a Soul Card: http://www.touchdrawing.com/3SoulCards/SC2/pages/84.htm)

At Samhain, the time of the Celtic new year, the veil between worlds is thin.

Recycled Woolens

Sometimes I fantasize about being a Stay At Home Working Mom making clothes for Oskar from recycled wool and cashmere and unicorn applique like Batik Bum.

Check out her birth stories too!

Indiana Jonesing It

In the spring of 2003, Dan and I headed to Siem Reap in Cambodia to check out Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is one of the most magical places in the world.

After staying in amazingly serviceable and cheap guest houses for weeks, I deeply desired a splurge, especially to cope with the dry, 100 degree plus days exploring the ruins. So we stayed at Angkor Village. Bliss! The best gifts for a pair of dusty travelers: a large, luxurious bathtub and delicious room service.

Oddly, Siem Reap also had a very charming french restaurant. Even more oddly, the vietnamese restaurant we found was awful.

Second Month of Pregnancy

In the second month, the mother's breath conducts the symphonic movement of embryonic qi in its minute currents, eddies, and whirlpools that ultimately grow into the baby's organs, flesh, bones, meridians.

Be aware of the breath.

In their beautiful book on mindful parenting, Everyday Blessings, Myla and Jon Kabat-Zinn say this about the breath:

"Through ongoing practice, it is possible to develop an intimacy with the breath that extends your awareness into whatever else is happening in your world at that moment. Cultivating awareness in this way allows the deep potential in each moment to become available to you."

Would could have deeper potential than the child growing in your womb?

Spinning Babies

Another one of the things I did in my pregnancy that I think helped me have a wonderful birth was to use the information I found on Spinning Babies. In particular, I learned how to do inversions from the video above and practiced them daily in the last couple of weeks.

I just found this wonderful blog by Spinning Babies too!

In Pursuit of Pleasure...

As soon as I can, I am enrolling in Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts!

(Photo: Ecstasy of Saint Teresa)

A Favorite Designer

I am nine months pregnant in this photo by Lisa Levart, wearing a silk dress by one of my favorite designers, MomoFalana. They use the most gorgeous silks! And, oh, the color!

Happily, some of their styles adapt beautifully to an expanding body. Their pieces are lovely, pregnant or not.

Now on HBO On Demand...

I Could Never Be Your Woman is now on HBO On Demand. Paul Rudd's dancing really tickles me. And Saoirse Ronan is totally rad in it.

The West Coast Trail

One of the most harrowing experiences of my life was hiking the West Coast Trail, a 47-mile long backpacking trail on Vancouver Island.

47 miles long... I think that is the horizontal distance... there was also a vertical distance to contend with: at one point, we had to climb up a kilometer or 52 stories of ladders up and down.

Ancient growth forest. Waterfalls. Bogs. Beaches at low tide (we had to consult tide tables!).

Crossing rivers and streams by hand-pulled cable car, fallen logs, and boat.

Ladders, lots of ladders.

One of the things you do to prepare for the trip is how to deal avoid being mauled by a cougar.

The hike takes seven days on average, and is a pack-in, pack-out affair. It took us nine days, and we ran out of food. Thankfully, we were able to beg some on the trail from first nation guides and other, more seasoned hikers.

At some point, most of our group wanted to be evacuated by helicopter from the trail.

Somehow, we survived. Seriously, it was like being on an episode of Survivor. At the time we hiked it, we had heard that there was usually one death every year. Surviving was not a given. I don't think any of us are the same. In fact, sometimes Dan and I still can't talk about it!

It is one of the most breathtaking, unspoiled places on planet earth.

Visualizing the Chakras

I thought this was so beautiful.

(Source: http://www.folknouveau.com/healing/chakra-meditation-spiral.gif)