It's February! February is a funny word. That first 'r' feels a tad excessive. Last month I sat down to write my newsletter on a rainy day, and here I am again today, sitting in my kitchen watching the liquid sunshine trickle down outside listening through for a second time, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. It is brilliant but pretty dense. |
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Pictured on the cover of Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism is the Vajra, a ritual object and a weapon. |
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*It's essentially an ornate bronze Tibetian Buddhist bludgeon to represent the ability to destroy but is itself indestructible. Vajra is a Sanskrit word for diamond thunderbolt. |
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The Vajra-Buddha family, associated with the color white, the winter season, and the emotion of anger. Vajra-buddha also represents the element of water. First, as cloudy and turbulent, it is defensive and aggressive. Second, as crystal-clear and precise representing mirror-like wisdom and thought-provoking sharpness. |
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"Vajra deals with objects in terms of their textures and their relations to each other. Everything is analyzed in its own terms. The intelligence of vajra never leaves unexplored areas or hidden corners. It is like water flowing over a flat surface. Completely covering the surface, but remaining transparent." -Chögyam Trungpa |
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The sunshine has been on my mind for some time now. Trungpa Rinpoche, from his book Shambala, has this beautiful quote about the sunshine that connects me to our own inner divinity, "The light of the sun shines wherever the sun rises. The sun does not decide to shine on one piece of land and neglect another. The sunshine is all pervasive." |
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I visited home ("Bienvenidos a Miami") and experienced cold weather with a lot of rain, and man, was that a bit of a disappointment! I still had a great time visiting friends and family, but having fun in the sun playing in the ocean is part of the main attraction. |
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*notice by the worn-out appearance of this card that I come back to it a lot Poet Mark Nepo explains this nicely here. I've mentioned him before in a previous newsletter. Link below if you'd like to read: |
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Again, I am aware I've jumped around a few texts and concepts, but my hope is there's something to take away from here. Perhaps it is brilliant but dense, like a diamond. |
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Retreat with me! Email kori@revampretreats.com or myself with questions. We've partnered with local non-profit Surfers for Strays so now you can relax with yoga and meditation, unwind by the beach, AND play with puppies! Click this link for more info on their mission! |
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⬆️ = inhale ⬇️ = exhale hold certain postures for 2-3 breaths or longer! Start by stepping your left foot back to lunge and then switch to standing on your left leg from chair to warrior 3 pose. Repeat for a second round stepping your right foot back and then switching your standing leg from chair! |
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