Final Dying Breath

'Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.' -Buddha     In the Navajo belief system, there resides a special type of spirit known as the Chindi. The Chindi originates as a byproduct of violence, whether accidental or during warfare. It is made up of everything that was bad about the...

Healed by Nature

 'Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.' - Buddha   This week my writing group gathered at the home of one of our members. She has a beautiful Victorian-era home that she has decorated to fit the time period. We gather...

Stone Protectors

'Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.' - Buddha   Gargoyles are typically depicted as a winged, human-looking creature with demonic features including horns, a tail, talons, or a beak. Gargoyles can generally use their wings (if they have them) to fly or glide. They are often depicted as having...

Quarantine and Isolation!

  'Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except your self.' - Buddha   In an age when news about a Zika Outbreak, an Ebola Epidemic, or an HIV Pandemic is no longer shocking, we sometimes get confused as to how large or pervasive these diseases might be. We have become so used to...

Stepping Through Time

'One who acts on truth is happy in this world and beyond.' - Buddha   We live in a world full of anecdotes and myths of wonder and mystery. Some of these stories are nothing more than the impressive work of our human imagination; others are founded on mankind's attempt to make sense of things...

Elemental Spirits to Guide Us

'If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.' - Buddha   Since before humans existed, our planet has been home to the Elementals. Even if we cannot see them, we can feel their existence. Paracelsus, the great Swiss alchemist, classified Elemental Beings in accordance with each Element...

Mind, Body, and Soul

'Just as the great ocean has one taste, the taste of salt, so also this teaching and discipline has one taste, the taste of liberation.' - Buddha   The history of the Shaolin Temples with its fighting monks is a long and honored tradition. Through the ages, the Shaolin Temples (north and south) have been...

The Pretzel of Hell and Hope

'There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires.' - Buddha   Pandora's Box is used to refer to a source of endless complications or trouble arising from a simple miscalculation that grows exponentially. Pandora's story comes to us from ancient Greek mythology. In Greek mythology, it was Prometheus who brought fire to...

Guides in the Shadows

'No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.' - Buddha Last week, my writers' group gathered at the home of one of our members. We had a great time discussing our writing, talking about our day, and nibbling on food. Wow, the buffet that...

Lord of Death

'We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.' - Buddha In my writing class, we have a fellow writer Kat. She is an amazing poet! She has Synesthete, which makes her art all the more interesting. Synesthete is when someone may see sounds,...