most American households have a variety of knives in the kitchen, including “knife sets” that are designed to cut different foods in different ways.
that being said, my guess is that most people have a “favorite” knife. ..you know, the one knife that you tend to choose, above all others. ..let’s explore several reasons why we tend toward our “favorite knife.”
* it works for us
* we know where to locate it, at any given time
* when we need it, it's usually within an arm's reach
* we’re familiar with it
* we know how to utilize it, safely
* it feels comfortable, and we like the way it feels
* although it might not be the best for every situation, it's the best in a variety of situations
* it is dependable, reliable, consistent
in a data-filled, smoke & mirrors world of incomprehensible information, there are times when we simply need to cut through the red tape.
..........there are many, many situations in life, when we tend to favor the favorite knife.
......light becomes the darkness .........day melds into night ............every thing is separate, yet Everything: Unite
.........come then go then come (you know that Father/Mother: Sun) ............every thing is separate, yet Everything Is One
______________________________
* imagine... if you were the prodigal son.
* let's pretend (for a moment) that we are Spiritual Beings, living a physical experience. ..let's label "Spirit" (the All, the Is, the One, the Good, Love, etc.) with a term like "Father," or"Mother,"or "Source."
.......so, the idea is that our True Essence is Spirit.
* let's pretend that our Spirit Self "goes away" (e.g. It "incarnates," or "part-i-cularizes," or "indiv-i-dual-izes," or mater-i-all-izes," -- which allows It to experience a time of the pleasures and dramas of the flesh). ..let's pretend that, during this lifetime, we make mistakes. ..a "mistake" can be defined as a thought, word, or deed that is out of alignment with our True Nature.
.
(sidenote: Spirit's "son" would, of course, be a prodigy.)
.
*let's pretend that our mistakes wake us up to the idea that "separation is the opposite of Unified." ..another way to word this would be that "material is the opposite of Spirit." ..another way to word this is that "fear is the opposite Love."
.
(sidenote: "the opposite of" doesn't mean "apart from," but rather a part of.)
. * let's pretend that, after our lifetime of squandering, indulging, mistaking, etc., we re-TurnHome. ..imagine our "Source" welcoming us back, with open arms, to aLove-ing feast of Metaphysical proportions.
* imagine if the Whole thing was by de-sIgn, and that the "re-Turn" was just part of a re-Cycling of that which All-ready Is.
* in this scenario, materialwould be an aspect of Spirit. ..ego-ic fearwould be a component of Love. ..apparent separationwould be Oneness, One-ing. .."dreaming" would be an experience of the Dreamer. ..the "created" would be an extension of Source.
*imagine if Love-ing Spirit "incarnates" into drama-filled relativity, only to re-Turn to that which It never (Really) wasn't.
3. my sister (donna) who recently invited me to share a time-share experience (the palm-tree pictures were taken during time-share 2008, u.s. virgin islands). ..in 2010, it's aruba.
live (pronounced "liv"): to experience. ..to play in the Play, to dance at the Dance, to dream in the Dream, and to love (in this Ocean of Love). ..to unwrap the Present.
.."live" (pronounced "lie-v"): to do it Now. ..to Be, in the Now. ..to give and receive Presence. ..to For-Give, when ever ego has gotten too wrapped-up in for-get-full-ness.
and: in addition...
Let: to Allow, to re-Lease, to re-Member, to re-Collect, to Surrender, to Be. ..to Let It Be (click here).
Live: (see above) -- but capitalize the "L" (giving the word more of a Higher-Level resonance).
to "live and Let Live" ...is to See Above, and Beyond... (while living here, in the mellow-drama)
* pictures by l. martineau:
(1) pura vida fountain (circa de alejuela, costa rica)
(2) picture of sun/moon painting as seen in an art shack/store enroute to cataratas de la fortuna (arenal, costa rica)
an "artist" (writer, painter, poet, musician, dancer, yogi, massage therapist, healer, lover, videographer, photographer, choreographer, etc.) is one who is in touch with the beauty of this physical world, yet connected with another world of exponential exponentiality.
one who finds him/herself in this predicament is seldom understood, even by him/herself.
call it a "split-mind," a "multiple-personality order," an "attention-deficit order," an "open mind," a "loss of inhibition," a "passion," or whatever you want to call it. ..s/he expresses multiple-meanings, conflicted/unified feelings, separated/together thoughts...
an "artist" is, in a way, lost.
an "artist" is, in a way, Here and Now.
an "artist" is one who cannot not express the Oneness that Is, the Connection, the color, the touch, the Way, the scent, the Tao, the vibration, the whatever...
for most of my young life, for whatever reason, i've observed couples. ..out of my hundreds of married-couple observations, a small percentage have shown through as examples of that which i'd LOVE to experience/emulate.
one such couple is "jeannie & gary."
from the moment that gary & jeannie said "hello" (outside of the san jose airport's baggage claim), it was obvious that they were special. ..jeannie brought gary (a man who had never, ever been to a massage class in his life) to a place of peace, and gary responded by being the type of learner who focused totally on how he could support and care for the woman who he LOVES.
without going into detail, imagine:
* a man, who smiles constantly, a man who wants nothing more than to please his wife, a man who is grateful to be alive...
* a woman who smiles constantly, a woman who LOVES to be next to her husband, and who wants to experience life -- to its fullest...
* a couple who dedicate time to each other...
* a couple who strive to nurture each others' dreams...
* a couple who enjoy the challenges, as well as the successes...
* a couple who share...
* a couple who LOVE...
yes, ladies and germs -- gary & jeannie have made it to the top 10 couples of all time.
thankfully, my "top 10" includes couples from my own, immediate family.
please allow me to express my gratitude for meeting YOU, the couples who pave the way of my own future, with the sweet woman of my dreams, should she ever stumble upon me (and decide to share the roller-coaster ride).
the (above) 13-minute video is a compilation of pictures taken during zen thai training at the pura vida spa in costa rica from 12-19 september, 2009. ..the workshop was sponsored by the l.m.t. success group, and consisted of 30 hours of thai massage training.
thai 101/102 participants included tiffany, monty, arian, gary, jeannie, janice, jamie, selena, sarah, carolyn, mercedes, ana, and christy.
we infused a good amount of thai-yoga into the program, and we practiced several meditations, including:
dr. andrew weil's healing breath technique
a mindful walking meditation
"the joy of slowing down" eating meditation (using raisins)
simultaneously, another group of students participated in a 40-hour medical massage program. ..all of the students had the opportunity to experience several excursions, including:
waterfall tour
zip line canopy tour
volcano tour
whitewater rafting excursion
day at the beach
the program included a stress-busting pool party, costa rican salsa lessons, a drum circle, and much, much more. ..individual activities included tours of san jose and alejuela, hiking in the coffee fields, and lounging by the pool.
the pura vida staff provided three excellent meals per day, numerous massage & bodywork treatments, and excellent classroom support.
the hot tub seemed to be the place to gather, after hours.
.
.
.
.
.
.
my assistant instructor (eduardo) helped to create an environment where our students felt accepted and cared for, and the students themselves acted as student-teachers during several phases of the process.
(yes, jean, he's your future husband...)
the name of our spa is the welcoming phase for this beautiful country. ..costa rica's meek yet strong people welcome you at every turn, with the simple phrase...
"pura vida!"
(enjoy life!)
_____________________________________
recommended song purchases include the background music for the video:
* i have the touch by peter gabriel (from the movie "phenomenon") * i remember by george skaroulis (http://www.evzonemusic.com/) * through your hands by don henley (from the movie "michael")
note: for more pictures, please click on the other posts for september, 2009. you'll be able to download the pictures by right-clicking, then saving to your "pictures" file.
"watsu" (or water-shiatsu) is a form of massage therapy that is administered in a specifically designed watsu pool where the water is heated to 35 degrees (c) -- which is about 95 degrees (f) or higher.
although it appears to be quite intimate, you won't even know that your watsu practitioner exists -- if you can simply let go and relax.
during the session, your legs are suspended by floatation devices. ..other floats can be placed under your neck, etc.
my therapist was a costaricanPura Vida Yoga teacher named nati, whose calming presence will take you to new levels of inner peace before the session even begins. ..during the treatment, she sings to you (both above ground and underwater) -- and the combination of touch, floatation, sound and movement create an experience that is out of this world.
you tap into connection with your own heartbeat, and you release, release, release (i must have had 10-15 spinal adjustments, but didn't bother to count). ..my treatment was scheduled for after sunset, and was accentuated by occasional, distant thunder & lightning.
this practice is sooooooooooooo sensational that i'd like to learn how to administer it (if only i had access to a watsu pool).
more to follow...
_______________________________________
* the first picture is of lalah, a puravida yogi & massage therapist, demonstrating watsu.
* the second picture is the watsu pool, as seen from the tower.
* the third picture is the watsu pool, at night, overlooking sanjose.
what follows are some of the best-of-the-best pictures, from pura vida and the l.m.t. success group's venture to costa rica from 12-19 september, 2009:
______________________________
simultaneously, another group of students participated in a 40-hour medical massage program. 
the name of our spa is the welcoming phase for this beautiful country. 
.jpg)
