Month: December 2011

kombucha : a healing tonic

Posted on by Rachel Dragon

what you need :

– large glass container (2 gallons is a good size)

– 1 piece of cloth (a pillow case works great) and a rubber band to cover the jar

– 1 kombucha scoby (also called a mushroom) Continue reading →

sit down and listen.

Posted on by Rachel Dragon
I.
You.
He.
She.
We.
.
In the garden of mystic lovers
these are not true distinctions.
.
There’s part of us
that’s like an itch
call it the animal soul
a foolishness
that when we’re in it
we make hundreds of others
around us
itchy
and
there is an intelligent soul
with another desire
more like sweet basil
or the feel of a breeze
listen
and be thankful
even for scolding
that comes from the intelligent soul
it flows out closer to where you
flowed out
but that itchiness
wants to put food in our mouths
that will make us sick
feverish with the aftertaste
of kissing a donkey’s rump
it’s like blackening your robe
against the kettle
without being
anywhere near
a table of companionship
the truth of being human
is an empty table
made of soul intelligence
gradually
reduce what you give
your animal soul
the bread
that after all
overflows
from sunlight
the animal soul itself spilled out
and sprouted from the other
taste more often
what nourishes
your clear light
and you’ll  have less use for the smokey oven
you’ll bury that baking equipment
in the ground
.

touching with her ears..

Posted on by Rachel Dragon

[photo by Sarsten Noice]

There is a Boddhisattva,

whose name is Avalokitesvara.

It means:

“Listening deeply to the sound of the cries of the world“.

And listening deeply is the practice of mindfullness.

But if you are full of pain, full of anxiety, full of projections,

and especially full of prejudices, full of ideas and notions,

it may be very difficult for you to practice deep listening.

You are too full.

And that is why to practice in order for you to have space,

to have freedom within,

to have some joy within is very important for deep listening.

Avalokitesvara, Quan Yin, she practices deep listening to herself, and to the world, outside.

She practices touching with her ears.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh