Threads That Weave Us

Catastrophe is the essence of the spiritual path,
a series of breakdowns allowing us to discover
the threads that weave all of us into a whole cloth.

~Jean Halifax


Of Note: Few might realize but to the Earth the rising of a mountain is a cataclysmic event. The great mass is pushed up from the depths to be exposed for eons until broken down into dust at some distant time--and then the process begins anew. Over and over, up and down, the cycles continue. Humans have much in common with their mountain brethren. Life after life the consciousness evolves through the form animated by crises. The beauty in this process becomes apparent when one day the Human awakens to his Real Self in full consciousness aware of the interconnectedness of all Life. Then he can say triumphantly to the mountain, "Ah, you too will be here one day. The evolution of Humanity is your guarantee!"

Today's Weather Report: We are having a certifiable blizzard at the moment. It hasn't snowed like this in months. But that's OK because we could use a little "freshening up" outside. With temps in the 20's, it is relatively warm, though the flakes look small. Much different than the huge, wet spring snowflakes which generally don't stick around long. Marie took this cerebral shot at Big Bend National Park last April. That seems like so long ago.

Watch For Change Snippet: I was pleased to see that a national food aid group, backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will ask Congress to change our food aid laws to encourage farming in Africa rather than food subsidies from US farmers sent exclusively in US ships. This kind of protectionism has helped create a situation where Africans are starving while our subsidies often rot. Congress, of course, was not the only institution to blame for the problem. African governments and other international groups and nations also bought into the program. However, when the cost of commodities skyrocketed last year, the folly of food subsidies instead of farming infrastructure became apparent. My guess is that if the Bill and Melinda Gates are on this, we can expect that Africa may once again become the breadbasket of old.