Via White Crane Institute // ALEXANDER HUMBOLDT

 

Alexander Humboldt

1769 -

ALEXANDER HUMBOLDT, German naturalist and traveler, born (d: 1859). This is one of my personal favorite discoveries in the development of this LGBT history project. One of the geniuses of the 19^th century, he made so many contributions to science there is no way to do justice to him in this space.

From 1799 to 1804 he made an expedition with A.J. A. Bonpland to Central and South America and Cuba a journey reputed to have laid the foundations for the sciences of physical geography and meteorology. Humboldt explored the Orinoco and Amazon. He ascended the Andean peaks of Peru to study the relation of temperature and altitude, made observations leading to the discovery of the periodicity of meteor showers and the fertilizing properties of guano.

In 1808 he settled in Paris and published his findings in 23 volumes. During this period, he also established the use of isotherms; studied the origin and course of tropical storms, the increase in magnetic intensity from the equator to the poles, volcanology and pioneered the investigation of the relationship between geographical environment and plant distribution. All this before middle age. He was extraordinarily handsome according to pictures rendered of him throughout his lifetime.

He was always thought to be homosexual, with the rumors having begun with the suspicion that he and Bonpland were lovers. What was suspected seemed to be confirmed in the minds of his contemporaries when he named his valet Seifert as his sole heir.

Via White Crane Institute // THE ELEUSINIAN MYSTERIES

 This Day in Gay History

September 14

Noteworthy

Demeter

0350 BCE -

In ancient Greece, this was the first day of the ELEUSINIAN MYSTERIES, during which the sacred objects were brought from Eleusis to Athens. The Mysteries were based on a legend concerning Demeter, the goddess of life, agriculture and fertility. According to the legend, Demeter's daughter Persephone was gathering flowers with friends one day, when she was seen by Hades, the god of death and the underworld. Hades fell in love with Persephone and kidnapped her, taking her to his underworld kingdom.

Distraught, Demeter searched high and low for her daughter. In her distress, she neglected her duties; this caused a terrible drought in which the people suffered and starved.

According to the myth, during her search, Demeter traveled long distances and had many minor adventures along the way. In one instance, she teaches the secrets of agriculture to Triptolemus. Finally, by consulting Zeus, Demeter reunites with her daughter and the earth returns to its former verdure and prosperity: the first spring. Before allowing Persephone to return to her mother, Hades gave her seeds of a pomegranate.

As a result, Persephone could not avoid returning to the underworld for part of the year. According to the prevailing version of the myth, Persephone had to remain with Hades for four months while staying above ground with her mother for a similar period. This left her the choice of where to spend the last four months of the year and since she opted to live with Demeter, the end result was eight months of growth and abundance to be followed by four months of no productivity. These periods correspond well with the Mediterranean climate of Ancient Greece.

The four months during which Persephone is with Hades correspond to the dry Greek summer, a period during which plants are threatened with drought. After the first rains in the fall, when the seeds are planted, Persephone returns from the Underworld and the cycle of growth begins anew.

The Eleusinian Mysteries celebrated Persephone's return, for it was also the return of plants and of life to the earth. Persephone had gone into the underworld (underground, like seeds in the winter), then returned to the land of the living: her rebirth is symbolic of the rebirth of all plant life during Spring and, by extension, all life on earth.

Via Tricycle // Embodying the Healing Mother

 

Embodying the Healing Mother
By Mindy Newman

Working with the goddess Tara, also known as the “mother of all Buddhas,” can help us to cultivate infinite compassion and a boundless capacity to help others.

Read more »

Via Daily Dharma: Blossoming Through Suffering

While we may not recognize it at the time of a traumatic event, life-changing suffering has a way of being an opening to a greater understanding of life. The “mud” and mess of our most painful experiences can become the fertile ground for the blossoming of our understanding and self-compassion.

—Sister Dang Nghiem, “Suffering Is Fertile Soil”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Episode 9: Pride

Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - September 12, 2021 💌

 
 

The way you work in doing Sādhanā is that every act you perform becomes a method of taking you to this other state of consciousness. You are trying to change your perceptual vantage point and everything you do has to be a device to take you to that place. From a Western point of view, you are doing a complete cognitive reorganization. You are changing your reference point, changing the core concept around which the whole constellation is built. - Ram Dass

 
Today is the last day to register for the upcoming "Cookbook for a Sacred Life" 21-Day e-course that begins tomorrow, September 13th. Registration closes at 9pm PDT tonight. Sign up here!

Via Daily Dharma: Connecting Heart and Mind

 

In Zen the heart’s truth and the mind’s truth are one and the same, arising from an undivided self whose being is inseparable from the living moment.

—Lin Jensen, “Right Lying”

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Via FB // Always With Love // Expected Death

 

 

Expected Death ~ When someone dies, the first thing to do is nothing. Don't run out and call the nurse. Don't pick up the phone. Take a deep breath and be present to the magnitude of the moment.

There's a grace to being at the bedside of someone you love as they make their transition out of this world. At the moment they take their last breath, there's an incredible sacredness in the space. The veil between the worlds opens.

 

We're so unprepared and untrained in how to deal with death that sometimes a kind of panic response kicks in. "They're dead!" 

 

We knew they were going to die, so their being dead is not a surprise. It's not a problem to be solved. It's very sad, but it's not cause to panic.

 

If anything, their death is cause to take a deep breath, to stop, and be really present to what's happening. If you're at home, maybe put on the kettle and make a cup of tea.

 

Sit at the bedside and just be present to the experience in the room. What's happening for you? What might be happening for them? What other presences are here that might be supporting them on their way? Tune into all the beauty and magic. 

 

Pausing gives your soul a chance to adjust, because no matter how prepared we are, a death is still a shock. If we kick right into "do" mode, and call 911, or call the hospice, we never get a chance to absorb the enormity of the event.

 

Give yourself five minutes or 10 minutes, or 15 minutes just to be. You'll never get that time back again if you don't take it now.

 

After that, do the smallest thing you can. Call the one person who needs to be called. Engage whatever systems need to be engaged, but engage them at the very most minimal level. Move really, really, really, slowly, because this is a period where it's easy for body and soul to get separated.

 

Our bodies can gallop forwards, but sometimes our souls haven't caught up. If you have an opportunity to be quiet and be present, take it. Accept and acclimatize and adjust to what's happening. Then, as the train starts rolling, and all the things that happen after a death kick in, you'll be better prepared.

 

You won't get a chance to catch your breath later on. You need to do it now. 

 

Being present in the moments after death is an incredible gift to yourself, it's a gift to the people you're with, and it's a gift to the person who's just died. They're just a hair's breadth away. They're just starting their new journey in the world without a body. If you keep a calm space around their body, and in the room, they're launched in a more beautiful way. It's a service to both sides of the veil.

 

Credit for the beautiful words ~ Sarah Kerr, Ritual Healing Practitioner and Death Doula , Death doula

 

Her original video link is here ~ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7mG0ZAym0w

Beautiful art by Columbus Community Deathcare

#alwayswithlove #dying #death

Via Daily Dharma: Just Notice the Process

 Remember that whatever you observe, whether it’s in the body or the mind, whether it’s pleasant or unpleasant, it’s helpful to hold the view that “this is just nature, this is just a process.” This is the only difference between someone who is meditating and someone who is not meditating.

—Sayadaw U Tejaniya, “Meditating While Thinking”

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Via White Crane Institute // MARK BINGHAM

 Died

9-11 hero Mark Bingham

2001 - 

MARK BINGHAM, passenger on United Airlines Flight 93, died (b. 1970) Bingham is believed to have been among the passengers who attempted to storm the cockpit to try to prevent the hijackers from using the plane to kill hundreds or thousands of additional victims on September 11, 2001. He made a brief cell phone call to his mother, Alice Hoagland, shortly before the plane went down. Hoagland, a former flight attendant with United Airlines, later left a voice mail message on his cell phone, instructing Bingham to reclaim the aircraft after it became apparent that Flight 93 was to be used in a suicide mission.

Bingham was survived by his former boyfriend of six years, Paul Holm, who says this was not the first time Bingham risked his life to protect the lives of others. In fact, he had twice successfully protected Holm from attempted muggings, one of which was at gunpoint. Holm describes Bingham as a brave, competitive man, saying, "He hated to lose — at anything." He was even known to proudly display a scar he received after being gored at the running of the bulls in Pamplona.

A large athlete at 6 ft 4 in and 225 pounds, he also played for the San Francisco Fog, a rugby union team. The biennial Gay Rugby tournament is named in his honor (the Bingham Cup).

Via Daily Dharma: Let the Mind Settle

 Accept whatever the mind is doing, and let it settle on its own.

—Mark Van Buren, “Accept Whatever the Mind Is Doing”

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I left the Hasidic community I'm homeless with no education and because ...

Via Daily Dharma: Practice Is in This Moment

 Whatever is happening right now is exactly what we need to be receptive to. What’s arising for you moment-by-moment, in this moment, is exactly our practice.

—Koshin Paley Ellison, “No Longer Alone”

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Earth Ceremonies // Mount Shasta Prophecy, the Dream of Gaia

 

 Mount Shasta Prophecy, the Dream of Gaia

 

In years to come great political and social unrest, environmental and climatic problems will reach a climax. In the mist of that seemingly desperate situation, everyone will proclaim the end of the world has come - a time of massive destruction and chaos on the planet.

But Mount Shasta prophecy says otherwise. It is stating that if they wish to do so, all the people of the Earth can unite, fulfill the prophecy, and bring back harmony on the surface of the Earth.

In recognition of the majesty and love the Earth has for her children, people will gather on all continents. They will go to places where men have been drawn to perform ceremonies for time immemorial. Specific mountains, volcanoes, churches, temples, forests, lakes, rivers, that we call « sacred » will see thousands of men and women come together and hold hands with deep love in their hearts. They will start singing a very powerful word and beat a rhythm with drums or their hands.

They will sing for many hours, on the evening of December 23rd, 2024, thus modifying the electro-magnetic frequency of the whole planet, that is others human beings, plants, animals, minerals, thus restoring harmony.

All will be impacted and life will never be the same again on the Earth.

Via Bizarro.com

 

Via L.A. Times // Shasta

 

Via FB

 

Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - September 8, 2021 💌

 

We're all just walking each other home - Ram Dass

Via Daily Dharma: Learning From Failure

 It can be hard to tell what’s a failure and what’s just something that is shifting your life in a different direction. In other words, failure can be the portal to creativity, to learning something new, to having a fresh perspective.

—Pema Chödrön, “How to Fail”

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