A Hearty Day

Yesterday a friend and I went to do some writing in a quiet place, away from civilisation. We ended up in Grand Riviere. There, I found many hearts ... or did they find me? Two of my favourites are below.

Heart-shaped hole in almond leaf that was floating in the river.

Partly wet, partly dry rock in shallow waters of the river.

Funny how your feet know where to land

My feet on a heart-shaped rock in a river, 6-10-11

Listening to this fantastic song this morning (Do You Hear The Music - by Kirtana), I realised that the above photo says it all . . .

Here are the lyrics:
Your Beloved calls you here today
to ask you for this dance; what will you say?
Are you going to throw the chance away?
And do you hear the music?

I know you've got a lot of things to do,
but I think the world could turn a time or two
without all your precious plans
and you could stop to hear the music
in your heart, in your heart

Maybe you should give your mind a rest
and put its main assumption to the test;
just let go and see who leads the best,
surrender to the music

Maybe you don't need to understand
Maybe these are steps that can't be planned
Funny how your feet know where to land
when you listen to the music
in your heart, in your heart

Your Beloved calls you here today
to ask you for this dance; what will you say?
Are you going to throw the chance away? --
or listen to the music, listen to the music
in your heart....

Invest in Love (new choices)!

Love is Succulent
*
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 INVEST IN LOVE:
Click here to view new natural heart photos available.

* LOVE IS ON YOUR PATH
* LOVE IS IMMERSING
* LOVE IS SUCCULENT

Order locally or internationally and own one or more of these special images in any of the following sizes:

4" x 6" - $100TT - heat sealed on hard board, ready for hanging
8" x 12" - $250TT - heat sealed on hard board, ready for hanging
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(Plus shipping and handling where applicable)

($1US = $6.3TT)

To place your order, Email Me or call (868) 786-2539
 

Less is more

Heart shape on mango in drain

Before I left for Toronto on May 2, I did (what felt like) a massive clean out . . . things to throw away and give away. I went through my clothes and pared down to (what felt like) a bare minimum, tossing tops and bottoms that either no longer fit, look old, or which I don't wear for one reason or another.

Today, as I find myself clearing away yet again, I wonder: "Where does it all come from?" Despite having gotten rid of things before my trip, I return and feel as though more needs to go. I've been at it all day—putting more clothes into a bag for the needy, ripping papers, clearing everything I don't use or need. I want to bring it down to a minimum and do my best to maintain that space and "emptiness".

Why and how do we accumulate so many things?  The reality is (in my room alone) the only things I use are my laptop, my yoga mat, my bed, fan, telephone, clothing, guitar.

Let go

Heart of flames bursting forth from 31-12-2008 bonfire in the garden

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Tonight I will have my third annual end-of-year bonfire celebration. As always, we will engage in simple, enjoyable symbolic rituals to release the old and receive/embrace the new.

I needed to get wood for the fire. I was planning on driving around and picking up wood from the roadside, as I and my friend Vandana (who was spending Christmas with me) had successfully done last year. However, walking home yesterday from the bank, I noticed a large pile of dry logs and tree branches at the corner of my street. Perfect.

I told a friend about it and her response was "The Universe always provides." This simple phrase is very powerful and true. It struck me that this is the theme of this year's bonfire . . . and the theme of life.

Do not be afraid to let go of who and what is not for you. In this way, you will receive what is truly yours.

Sold out and a great ride

SOLD OUT

I sent out the ad for the heart calendar yesterday and it is now sold out. Granted there were only 50 (four of which I am keeping), but still, I think that's pretty good.

Yesterday evening I went riding with a friend and her cousin in Gran Couva, one of my favourite places in TT because of its vibrant greenery, fresh air, peaceful spirit, rolling hills.

We started off from her cousin's house at around 5:00-ish. The ride took us up and down hills, past homes with open doors, windows and no burglar proofing. I always notice when I am in areas with no burglar proofing. In a country where many live in houses that look like jails, windows without bars says a lot about the community's level of safety, values and togetherness.

It was a verdant ride and the late afternoon sun coming from the west was streaming through the bamboo and leaves to our right, reminding me of stained glass in the Church of Nature.

Whizzing down hills, it was great feeling my jersey puffing up in the breeze . . . and riding up hill, pumping our thighs, I thought of yoga and those times when holding a posture seems difficult, but you go through it anyway and come out on the other side. 

Keep up and you will be kept up (Yogi Bhajan)

Maybe a total of about five or six cars, driving slowly (i.e. not speeding as they do up north and in the west), passed us on the road. I felt like I was back in "the good old days" where everything was more laid back and simple. Cool breeze, freedom, relaxation. I noted people lounging in hammocks under their houses, sitting on their steps, enjoying the fresh country air, having drinks, talking. It was perfect.

My body is thanking me for the experience. I had one of the deepest sleeps I've had in ages and woke up feeling like a new person.

Give Love

Sample (2 pages & cover of calendar): 

Please click on the image to see details more clearly.

* 

No more sitting on the fence, wondering at the last minute what gifts to buy. 

Ideal as a Christmas/New Year's gift:

12 of my natural heart images put together in a compact desktop CD calendar.
A reminder that Love is all around us—a reflection of who we are.

Only $70 each.
Special limited edition.

Please place your order(s) early, while stocks last.

Elspeth
786-2539

Love is All

Love is All

To invest in Love, the ideal gift, please click here http://tinyurl.com/26ctlwt 

Three new images were added today.

Christmas orders close December 15th to allow adequate time for processing of prints and heat sealing.

Please see order details on the Invest in Love album.

Ready for Love?

INVEST IN LOVE: the ideal gift

Please visit this link http://tinyurl.com/27vvzby to see the available selection of natural heart photos—a reminder that Love is everywhere and comes in all forms. The ideal gift for you and/or loved ones . . . for any special occasion or "just because."

Orders have already started coming in. This week, the first batch of requests will be processed. If you already know which hearts you would like to order, please contact me with details by Thursday 4th November to ensure that your images are produced with the current set.

Pricing and other information
4" x 6" - $100TT ($1US - $6.3TT)
8" x 12" - $250TT
Discount of 10% for wholesale orders

Each order:
(a) is printed and heat-sealed on hard board with a hook, for hanging and easy framing.
(b) comes with a special "Love Note"

FOR INFORMATION & TO ORDER:
Email Me
Or call: (868) 786-2539

Average production 3 - 5 days.
50% downpayment on all orders. Balance upon delivery.
Special arrangements (inc shipping & handling) for international orders.

Christmas orders close 15th December.

(Copyright signature on thumbnails not included on prints)

Pre-dawn yoga and heart-shaped Yogi tea

Bottles of yogi tea on the couch, waiting to go

As it is a public holiday we were able to meet early for our Friday yoga—i.e. as early as in 4:30 a.m. So, it was not a "class", but sadhana.

We had a fantastic sadhana on Shiv's poolside terrace (which looks like it is our new venue, at least for now). When we began, the stars and a huge bright moon were up. Venus was glowing. By the time we were done, the sky was lighter, but the sun was not yet up enough for the day to be hot. We had come to the end of our chanting, but the birds continued on our behalf.

At the end of it all, I gave everyone a bottle filled with yogi tea from the batch I had made yesterday. The labels I made for the bottles each said SAT NAM.

When I dropped Patrice home after, she had something for me upstairs, so I went up to get it. We decided to have our yogi tea and share some with her boyfriend, who was just rising. As she poured the tea from one of the bottles into the pot to heat it up, a drop of tea fell onto the counter ... in the shape of a heart ... and just under the heart was a snakelike drop of tea, quite like Kundalini rising. (Unfortunately I didn't have my camera but Patrice took one or two shots with hers).

As we watched the tea bubble in the pot, the little masses of white bubbles kept breaking up leaving heart-shaped spaces of tea. Amazing confirmation that we had started the day on the perfect note.

Hearts galore

For the morning already I've seen three hearts.

The first was the leaf on the driveway with a heart-shaped hole in it.

Then, on the way to get the car brakes checked, I saw a huge heart-shaped concrete slab of sidewalk near a gaping manhole.

I returned home and, while searching the small garden outside my bedroom window for a rock, I came across a small piece of heart-shaped snakeskin.

Of course I took shots of all.

I get the message, loud and clear.

Eat, Drink, Love

Yesterday and the day before, I decided to listen to my body and give it what it wanted to eat and drink. The day before (food-wise), it was sweet potato and carrots, water and Yogi Tea. While shaving the skin off the sweet potato, this heart-shaped piece fell into the sink—confirmation that my body was happy with what it was about to get.

Sweet Heart

Yesterday morning my body asked for coconut water, so I went and took a jug to be filled (6 coconuts did it). Amazingly, after the vendor chopped one of the nuts open, I noticed that the hole was heart-shaped . Once again, confirmation.

A (w)hole lot of Love

As I sit here now and tune in to my body, what does it want? More coconut water, fruits, Yogi Tea ... and something soft, warm and textured (slightly rough)—mashed eddoes with a dash of a herb or spice, perhaps. On one hand—cool, juicy and rehydrating and on the other hand—soft, warm/hot and spicy. Comforting, nurturing, cleansing and refueling.

Recent Hearts

Love is all around us. Hearts continue to pop up around me wherever I go. Below are some recent ones.
Heart-shaped glob of undissolved cocoa powder, spotted at the bottom of my glass as I was about to take the last sip of Cadbury's Drinking Chocolate.

Heart leaf (placed) on large swing hanging from tree branch (near old wooden Tortuga church).

Large heart rock down by the Maracas Valley river this morning

Hearts for Recycling

Heart(s) formed from rolled up opaque garbage bags for collecting plastic for recycling
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After the fire

Over the weekend there was a huge bush fire on the hill next to the house. The hill is bare land (bush, grass and some trees) and, being dry season, everything was brown and incendiary. Suspicion is that some people living on the fringe were burning a fire in their garden (not wise during dry season) and a spark from their fire set off the blaze. There was a lot of wind that day and the tall flames were advancing quickly toward the house. Luckily there was water in the taps and, with three hoses, we managed to keep the flames at bay. It was my first and hopefully last experience of "fighting fire". Scary at first, but (once we had it under control) exciting and even beautiful to watch and listen to the flames.

By the time the fire engine arrived about an hour later, most of the fire was out.

When it was all over and I was going to turn off the hose, I looked down at my feet and saw the heart-shaped stone in the above image. For a long while after, even when I took it back inside with me, it was still hot. It has been sitting with me ever since - and every time I hold it, it feels like it's more than just "a rock" ... or, more precisely, more than just a piece of concrete with small stones embedded in it.

What powers do you possess, Fire Heart?

Can't buy me Love

Melting: from my ice tray for making heart shaped "cubes"

Yesterday I went into a store that sells local art and I was looking around. After a few minutes, the woman who owns the store said: "So what kind of art do you give to the art world?"

When I told her, she said: "Yes. I can see the creativity clearly in the aura."

We chatted for a while and, all the time, my eye kept going to a heart-shaped section of wood - cut from a tree trunk. It was standing on top of a shelf.

I figured it wasn't for sale, but when I was leaving, I still asked her if it was. She smiled, blushed slightly and said: "No, that's not for sale. It's a gift to me from a secret admirer."

She told me of all the gifts she had ever received from men, this section from the heart-shaped tree trunk was the best. Even the diamond studded heart pendant she had received from one man could never compare.

"Can't buy me Love," I said.

She pointed to a crack running from the top of the heart crease towards its centre and said that the secret admirer had indicated that his heart was broken.

I told her that I had noticed the crack, but that to me it didn't look like the heart was breaking. It looked like it was splitting open because it was getting bigger and creating room to let more in.

"Yes. Growth," she said.

Shadow Blessings

Heart formed by chipped paint on wall near Little Store, Curepe
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Have a listen to this.

Fire Heart

In the garden at night with my nephew playing with sparklers. Note the heart that appears in this one. (Soft background panting courtesy Pippa the dog).

I seem to have a thing for Fire Hearts.
1. This one in the fire on Old Year's Night 2008
2. And this, the hoop I ordered from Toronto and named Fire Heart

Follow Your Heart

Standing in the river

This morning I was up early as usual and headed out to buy some fruits and vegetables. However, instead of just going to the fruit stall around the corner, something told me to go further. It was a lovely clear morning and because it was early, heat was not a deterrent.

The roads were quiet. I found myself heading into more rural distructs, enjoying the breezy quality time with myself.

I ended up at Salybia (at least one hour from home, for those who don't know it), where the river meets the sea. There were enough people on the beach for it to not be 'deserted' - a small family of what looked like three tourists, an elderly man bathing in the river, two men at the fishing depot, a woman in the refurbished building with toilets and changing rooms, a man selling fruit at the corner of the road. (I bought a coconut, watermelon and paw paw from him after).

I got out and walked along the beach. I have a knack for seeing rainbows before they appear and knowing when there are heart shapes in the area. My heart radar was strongly telling me that I would find a special one, so I kept my eyes to the ground. I saw nothing in the sand. But when I got to the river, I found this (see below video). As I saw it, I couldn't help but say "Thank You!" aloud. It made my day.

Does your path have a heart?

Wearing my heart on my (yoga) pants

This heart was on my path this morning as I walked around the Savannah with a friend before a yoga class.

Then found this on Youtube: