Make Thyself Unto the Mind Itself

IF there is joy in meditation upon the sun and moon,

the planets and the fixed stars are the
magic creation of the sun and moon;
make thyself like unto the sun and moon themselves.

IF there is joy upon the meditation of the mountain,
the fruit trees are the magical creation of the mountain;
make thyself like the mountain itself.

IF there is joy in meditation upon thine own mind,
distinctive thought is the magic creation of the mind;
make thyself like unto the mind itself.

~Milarepa
(1040-1123)

Of Note: Without the sun's life-sustaining energy, Earth would be a whirling rock tumbling through space. Home to no one and no-thing. We take the sun for granted and barely give it a second thought as its rays bathe the Earth on a daily basis. Things are about to change. Next week, the sun and its ubiquitous energy will become a hot topic at a meeting convened in Egypt by the United Nations for 100 invited researchers and government officials from 30 countries. Of great concern to this global body is the increase in solar activity, particularly violent storms from the sun, which could take out great swaths of technology in the blink of an eye. When a solar storm hits "waves of ionization ripple through Earth's upper atmosphere, electric currents flow through the topsoil, and the whole planet's magnetic field begins to shake." At the equator, the effect is particularly strong and moves magnetic currents in unexpected ways. Developed countries already have an abundance of solar monitoring stations that keep track of local magnetism, ground currents and ionization. The developing countries--many of which straddle the equator--do not. Therein lies the rub. One official said: "International cooperation is essential for watching the equatorial anomaly. No single country can do it alone." Of the thirty countries sending representatives, more than two-thirds call the equator home. Co-sponsors of this solar powered meeting are the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA.)

Today's Weather Report: Speaking of solar powered, that would describe this day perfectly. Nothing but sunshine and blue sky to invigorate the body. Every day we have warmth is one less day we have cold. Come spring, that makes a difference. The rainy weather seems to have passed for the moment. Haven't seen a drop in quite awhile. We have turned the aerator on so we don't forget. The first hint that it would soon be needed was the ice glaze on the lake after sub-freezing temps several mornings. Our two long-haired German Shepherd pups think this cooler fall weather is perfect. If we could speak dog-ese, I am sure that we would hear them complaining vociferously about the HOT summer and how they suffered with all that fur. Their coat will be just the ticket come winter.