Everyman's Journal #71
© 2014 Rev. David Seacord
April 27-28, 2014
Being True…
I can't say it's 'spring in the desert' right now…because it isn't, but then again, it is. What winter rains there were are February's ancient history, and the slight greening that they did to the rocky mountainous crags and hillsides nearby has already returned to brown…and, the energy-sapping Heat will be getting serious soon…so out in the world, spring has 'past'. That said, on this little property where I, after a lifetime of wandering, have somehow landed (as least for now) it is a delightfully different story.
I am awakening from my 5 successful days of water-fasting bed-occupying detoxification hibernation (several pounds lighter, yeh!) into a very alive bird-song filled personal world, like this little lot is a small riparian zone. The two large guamuichil trees that offer me afternoon shade and a home for my summer treehouse sleeping platform are in early fruit--- and the results of a couple of days of strong winds this past week testifies to that---as I pick up a small basketful of the long curly fat pea-green pods, some already burst open along their seams and revealing the tasty softly textured whitish semi-sweet pith that surrounds each of the small hard flatish black seeds in the pod string. The bees are swarming on the tops of the saguaros too, as they are loaded with flowers about to open. The one-day-only blooms of the Pipe Cactus have also just happened, and new fig leaves are unfolding on the four year old black mission tree (bush, at this point) daily. As I up the time on all the automatic watering systems, I am grateful for it, and at the same time, I miss the days when I did it all with a hose (but then, seeing the need for summer traveling and the aging condition of our neighbors who had watered for my parents in the past, I installed the systems… I'm now glad I did).
I look around at my self-sufficiency food growing experiments… I detect a problem with the corn---not sure what yet, it just seems 'stalled'--never grew corn in a bale of straw before-- but right next to it in the same bales my flat summer pan squash plants are kicking the pigskin through the uprights… I am thinking I will be looking for many new creative ways to prepare them soon… And, thank you Godness, because when I went down to the irrigation canal drainage ditches in the fertile bottomlands near here and helped myself to the free dirt that is piled alongside them as a result of cleaning them out once in a while, I didn't know that I was going to be receiving upsprouted 'weed' seeds too… but yes, there they are, popping up right beside my intentionally planted species… beautiful edible highly nutritions purslane, lambsquarters, and amaranth. I am not such a fool as to pull them out… to me they are precious and delicious free fresh greens…and a beautiful morning chlorophyl munch.
The Acerola cherry (Barbados Cherry) that I planted as a twig three years ago has become the best success story of all my tree planting attempts… and it's six foot high bushy volume is loaded with many hundreds of cherry blooms and young baby cherries. I admit they are not like the sweet bings or rainier's I love to u-pick and eat up in the Northwest each summer but they are tasty and I am a proud papa of that bush (which I must somehow shape into a tree, I think pretty soon..).
Not all is well everywhere though… the grapes are struggling to grow faster than the something that is eating their leaves, and the same with the jujube tree… and I've been wondering for a while if the Chinese Mulberry that I put into the ground in 2010 is ever going to amount to anything… it doesn't die, but it doesn't grow much either. The poor Loquat is a casualty, following the footsteps of my failed attempts with plum, anna apple, pear, and avocado. So not everything works, at least not until I am more experienced. But to be involved with producing and growing my own food is so very deeply satisfying to me… and whatever the outcomes of my experiments, it what been time well spent. Why? I realized one answer to that today…
Because most of the time when I am so involved with tending other living species, my mind is fairly quiet. It's not quiet like there is no thoughts… it is quiet like 'fully focused'… like as when I am painting, or truly practicing or playing music. Somehow the download dropped in on me as I was seeing this… that 'see, the spiritual path is ALL about mastering the mind'. Duh, huh? Well, it's the best I can say it right now. Please don't think I've never seen this before or anything, ok? But each time we/I get something, especially if it is from a completely new vantage point it IS like 'something brand new'. Obvious, but brand new. What I saw along with this is that what we are doing with 'spiritual practices' is very simple. We are simply staying sane….staying human. That is the gift we receive from practice. Look at the world that does not 'practice'something/anything, is not the instability obvious and apparent? Is not 'dehumanization' easily visible nearly everywhere in our 'mainstream' culture? Maybe that is because it is 'mainlining' addictively on something false. Could that be a viable and true statement?
It is a conundrum, is it not, to walk through this world, to be a part of it, and yet remain true to Self. However, to me, that is the journey. I am just a simple man with a few gifts that distinguish me. I am sure truth be told that is a fitting description of just about everyone. I suggest that the purpose of our each having gifts is to give them to each other. Here I press up against the distinctions between giving, and selling. I think selling something is 'to generate a desire to have or possess something strongly enough that the desirer will offer something of value in order to possess it'. (Just made that up. :-) So here we/I are/am, a soul needing nothing, placed for 'soul-growth-opportunities' in a holodeck-world that preaches from nearly every speaking mouth that 'you need, you must have, you must do, you can't survive without, you're not cool unless'… all that. What to do but listen to our/your/my own drumbeat, heartbeat… and walk your own true path. Yes? Yes. My very best to you in this…. this 'being true' to you.
Namaste,
David
______________________________________________________________
FYI: If you would like to share this Journal as a webpage, at the very top of the email where it says:
"Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser." etc.
…. well, the word 'browser' is a clickable hyperlink that will open this email as a webpage…
which you can then copy and paste anywhere (like to share it on Facebook, or elsewhere).
ALSO: If you would like to share the link to the SUBSCRIBE page, here is the clickable or paste-able code:
If you get value from reading this Journal, I do appreciate your assistance in expanding it's distribution. Thank you so much.
________________________________________________________
Addition links to other writings, websites, etc:
Rev. David Seacord
Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment