Author Archives: Andrea

When you recognize a friend has a mental illness

Once you recognize someone has a mental illness and you see it come out in an unhealthy way, it’s time to step back and let the professionals handle it. Especially if you’ve been their advisor.  Leave this powerful work to those who are equipped for it and educated in it.  Most of us are not.  Don’t chance it.  Above all, do no harm.

Attitude affects reality

When you know that everything happens for the best, then everything that happens is okay with you. The irony of this is that when everything that happens is okay with you, you set up an energy field of such equanimity and harmony with the universe that the universal law of attraction draws more equanimity and harmony into your life. ~ Neale Donald Walsch

Squirrels know all about faith and trust

This evening I am sitting on my new patio area overlooking the east garden, watching the squirrels play in the pines and the bamboo.  They chase each other and leap fearlessly long distances.  They are a good lesson in faith.  In trusting that the leap will land them where they want to go, even though it seems reeeealy far away.  It seems like such a giant leap, yet they always make it and go on their merry way.  Squirrels, you are my guru.

How an 8 foot tall woman is changing the music industry

Amanda Palmer is a burning flame in this world.  This is a beautiful dialog on art, the state of the music industry, connection, and trust.  An elegant insight to the art of simply asking.  See her Ted talk at How an 8 foot tall woman is destroying the entire music industry.  How?  ”Mission Statement of Amanda F. Palmer: DEAR DOWNLOADER of MUSIC, this store is built on a “pay what you want” philosophy for my digital music. i firmly believe in music being as free as possible. unlocked. shared and spread. i believe that in order for artists to survive and create, their audiences need to step up and directly support them. honor system.   no judgment. if you’re broke – take it. if you love it, come back and kick in later when you have the money. if you’re rich, think about who you might be karmically covering if you really love this record. once you have it, SHARE SHARE SHARE! COPY COPY COPY! SPREAD THE EVIL!!! we are the media. I also release all of my music and writing using the Creative Commons “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA)” license. If you want to understand what this means, google Creative Commons.  LOVE, afp”  She raised over a million dollars with about 25,000 donations.   Continue reading

My yard is calling me!

“Come move the sprinkler,” it says, “deadhead my spent blossoms, come pick up some wood for tonight’s fire and weave more fronds into the bamboo and palmetto wall.  Come outside.  It’s sunny, it’s 61 degrees.  Don’t delay.  This is only today and there is only now.”

I just gave someone the tools to be very dangerous or very helpful

An insight came during meditation this morning: I either just gave someone the tools to help carve a new path to wholeness, or to be very dangerous in this world.  The tools were my gift.  I cannot be attached to what happens to my gift after giving it. What I CAN do is take time to consider before giving friends “secrets” and methods for work they do not yet understand.  Until they have a basic understanding, the words they hear do not convey the meaning of the words I say.  If I am under illusion at the time or in my ego, my vanity lets me fill in the blanks and stay in the illusion that we are on the same page. That we both will use use our super powers for good.  Hope springs eternal. I must take responsibility for those in whom I awaken the kundalini shakti, if my ego allows me to do it simply because they asked. Is it my place to judge whether they are ready for the implications? Or is it my place to simply give what is asked if I am a vibrational match to a child of God who walks to my door and asks for something I’m capable of giving?

What is processed food and why do I eat so little of it?

I walked through the Wickham Farmer’s Market yesterday afternoon with a friend and, after buying a beautiful bouquet of organic kale, we looked at all the goodies the vendors had on display.  ”Bread,” I said, “I miss bread.”  I told him I eat very little processed food now.  ”What is considered processed food?”  he asked.  Good question.  Usually anything with a label of ingredients that has been through a cooking process.  A can of soup is processed.  Bread and pasta are processed, snack foods are processed, cookies, crackers, chips, pastries, candy, box dinner mixes are all processed. Most contain sugar, salt and wheat, some are gluten free.  It’s all processed.  So what is not processed?  Fresh fruits and vegetables are not processed.  Most meats are not processed, potatoes are not processed.  Dehydrated fruits and veggies have been through a process, however I consider them unprocessed.  I eat the occasional can of soup, pasta or Joseph’s oat bran and flax pita, but it’s not every week.  Continue reading