You the Bell

 

“Let this darkness be a bell tower and you the bell. As you ring, what batters you becomes your strength. Move back and forth into the change.”
~ Rainer Maria Rilke

Dear readers,

In my lifetime I have had a tendency to go into regular spells of darkness… But, I have a very strong base of happiness in me, so I know how to create happy moments, even when I’m being battered in darkness!

How about you, is your base of happiness strong?

My dear ones, I sincerely hope that my posts help you to Happy Up. 🙂

With happy hope even in my dark time of grief,
StarFire Teja

 

Photo color enhanced by StarFire Teja. Original photo by Chris Barbalis on Unsplash.

 

March 2020 Keywords

Dear readers,

How was February for you? Did you notice any interesting themes or shifts?

February was pretty emotional for me, because my Dad died suddenly on January 25^th… So my keywords for the month were Healing and Love, and I am thinking those are good keywords to just keep intending on-going! I mean, who can’t use some steady healing and love?!

For March I’ve come up with two keywords, which are actually phrases ~

~ Hold on to mantra ~ The primary mantra I say is Om Namah Shivaya, which means I bow to Shiva, the Pure Consciousness. This month, with each painful thought or sensation, I intend to think, say, or sing Om Namah Shivaya to remind myself that I bow to the Pure Consciousness which is watching the painful thoughts and sensations. Through the mantra, I intend to connect with that Watcher, that Peace, that Pure Spirit, that Supreme Divinity.

~ Take delight in small joys ~ Even though I am enduring incredible pain over the death of my Dad, I still know how to create small moments of happiness and gratitude each day. This month I intend to focus on the small joys, such as the birds flying in the trees, my happy black coffee, glowing candles, the scents of vetiver and sandalwood, and my sweet bird theme as seen in the photo with today’s post: joyful birds on the covers of my journal and calendars! Did I mention I love birds? They bring me such cheerful delight!

How about you? Do you have a mantra or affirmation that helps you get through hard times? Are you taking delight in small joys? Do you have any keywords set to guide you this month?

Happy March to you all…

With loving intentions,
StarFire Teja

 

A Shared Love of Peace

“I will fight no more forever.”
                                                   ~ Chief Joseph

The day after my Dad died, my Mom, three brothers, and I sat around a table with Daniel, my high school friend and Funeral Director of Ziemer Funeral Home… He asked us what quote we would like to put in the printed materials for the funeral mass, and we chose to put the above quote by Chief Joseph, because in my Dad’s last few months he was reading a lot about the plight of Native Americans and he was particularly touched by the books he read about Chief Joseph. As he read, he shared with my Mom and me that Chief Joseph did not like fighting and he just kept telling the white men, “I just want to go home.” Even though he did fight at times, he was overall a non-violent person who wanted peace.

Chief Joseph’s beliefs were in alignment with my Dad’s lifelong anti-war, peaceful philosophy, which caused him to fight hard for (and win) the status of “C.O.” (Conscientious Objector) when he was drafted to the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. During that time, he slimly averted going to jail, and then served his time in an office in San Antonio, Texas, where he continued to oppose the war, even while he was in the army!

This was something that my Dad and I very much agreed upon… I have also been opposed to war for my whole life, and after studying the teachings of ancient India, I changed my life to reflect the highest Vedic teaching, ahimsa, which means doing no harm… It is a doctrine of peace and non-violence to all beings… That is why I eat a plant-based diet and live a vegan lifestyle… And I pray that more and more humans will awaken to the sad war of torture that is happening to the animals, fish, and birds on this planet… I pray for the peace and happiness of all beings, including the chickens, turkeys, fish, lambs, cows, and pigs…

So, my Dad really liked Chief Joseph, and my Dad’s middle name was Joseph, and my Dad was buried in a natural green burial at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery (a few feet from where his parents were buried years ago)… and when my Dad read that Chief Joseph quote to us, his eyes lit up with such love! ~ “I will fight no more forever.” ❤

To read a little more about that quote, click here: Chief Joseph.

May All Beings Know Peace.
May All Beings Be Free of Suffering.
May All Beings Be Happy!

 

Tree photo by PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay.

Chief Joseph photo from historyplace.com.

 

Another New Year!

Dear readers,

How is 2020 going for you so far? Are you feeling like you need yet another fresh start? Well, today is your chance! It is the New Moon and the start of the Chinese New Year of the Rat!

In the Chinese zodiac there are twelve animal signs, and the Rat is the first, so this year is all about new beginnings, and there should be a lot of creative energies for accomplishing your goals!

In my last post (“Maintaining a Balance”) I shared that I was going to take a few days off from blogging in order to re-read the books I published last year… Well, that same day my Dad went into the hospital and he ended up having double bypass heart surgery on Thursday, so I’ve taken a longer vacay from the blog than I expected to… and I didn’t even write a StarFire Friday Blessing post… so please consider my Chinese New Year wishes as my StarFire Blessings for you this week!

In China, to wish someone a happy new year they say “Gung Hay Fat Choy” which literally means “Wishing you great happiness and prosperity.”

Happy New Year of the Rat 2020 to you and your loved ones!
May the Force of Good Luck be with you!
May you be happy and healthy! 🙂

With much love,
StarFire Teja

 

Photo of Red Chinese Lanterns by Lauza Loistl on Unsplash.

Happy Chinese New Year image found on google images.

 

How happy?

“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

Dear reader,

How happy have you made up your mind to be?

With lots of love and choosing happiness,
StarFire Teja

 

Red rose photo by Vlad Costache on Unsplash.