Remembering

"Yesterday is but today's memory, and tomorrow is today's dream." ~Kahlil Gibran

It's Easter weekend and although the dates are not the same as last year I keep thinking of how the weekend before my mom's passing was Easter weekend. There are special times of the year I believe. Days that are good for coming into and leaving this world. Days for growing and harvesting. Days that have their own energy depending on where the stars are in the sky and how the people are on this Earth. I'm sure there are other factors. 

Last year when my mom was definitely coming towards her end I had thought that Easter was a good time to move on. It's a time of new beginnings... I've always thought that death is not the end of us. Just a phase. Transition. It's a good transition period. 

Yesterday I did the egg white in the glass thing. 

What patterns do the egg white make?

My brother does not know of this tradition which I found somewhat strange... but then I have no memory of him doing it with us. Just mom and I in the early morning before the sun came up, setting up to see our future. We have different memories of our parents; different amounts of time spent with them and different ways of relating to them. I'm only just realising this though I've known intellectually that this was so. 

I am remembering my past and thinking of my future. It's a good time to do so. 

peace,

Ren

Be curious.

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvellous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity." ~Albert Einstein 

Sometimes I share things I see on Facebook without first fact checking simply because I'm curious about it or interested in what it says or that it makes me think. I consider my Facebook timeline to be something of a bookmark/note-taker... when I see stuff others have shared that I want to check up on I share it to my timeline. I really need to stop doing this... or find a better way of saving such things.

Today I shared this: 

I didn't say anything about it which I realised I should have done after people started commenting on it. I had previously read about Ishtar and have my own thoughts about her. I'd also recently read American Gods by Neil Gaiman in which he makes mention of Easter and the forgotten goddess behind the holiday. I thought it interesting that this then showed up on my timeline and so I shared it. I think when people see something they should be curious about it... whether it's true or not or feels right for them. Be curious. Explore. Discover. There's so much we don't know or do know but have yet to realise. 

Tonight, I did some card readings... it's something I like doing around the full moon and today still falls in that full moon bracket. I shuffled and shuffled and drew this card from my deck of Goddess cards:

  

Now what?

peace,

Ren

Every day's a holiday...

Or so it seems sometimes. 

It's something that we Trinis joke about - the amount of public holidays that we have in Trinidad and Tobago. The count for this year is 14, though that's only because two fall on the same day this year. These holidays celebrate our heritage. Trinidad and Tobago is known for being a melting pot of many cultures - each culture has their sacred days which are revered and then there are days that celebrate our nation as a whole.

This weekend is Easter Weekend. I'm not a Christian but I'm thankful for having the Friday and Monday (Good Friday/Easter Monday) as holidays. Rest is definitely needed. Yesterday (March 30th) was also Spiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day. Today, members of the Hindu faith celebrated Phagwa... it isn't a public holiday and the actual date for the festival this year was March 27th but, as far as I know, temples and groups celebrated today.

 

Busy weekend. Spiritual weekend. Celebrations of light and love. 

Do you have something to celebrate? To remember? Something that requires you to pause and give thanks for? I think it's the perfect time for that. 

peace,

Ren

Easter Sunday...

"For I remember it is Easter morn, and life and love and peace are all new born." ~Alice Freeman Palmer

Had no internet most of yesterday ... ah well. The blogging will be done when I'm able to do it. 

It's Easter weekend in Trinidad and Tobago... I'm just grateful that that means a long weekend and therefore less time at work. I'm not feeling to do much, not feeling to interact with many people... Just being for the while.

Going out later to maybe see some kite-flying... it depends on whether it rains or not - first of major April showers today (April showers bring May flowers).

The Cat is currently using me as a pillow. Oy. He's very needy.

I guess I don't have that much to write at this moment.

Wishing you a happy day...

peace,

Ren

Thoughts about life, death and in-between...

"How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?" ~Satchel Paige 

I can't seem to get my mind to settle... birthday jitters? lack of sleep due to new kitten? hormones? I can't get my mind to settle. Tomorrow I have to hand in the last of the MBA stuff... I'm anxious about it - I just want it to BE OVER ALREADY! Perhaps tomorrow evening I'll be more at ease? Am [somewhat] hopeful.

The birthday's on Thursday. When I say how old I'll be out loud it sounds like a lot but I don't feel that it is (most times... other times I feel.. creaky). My brother has a theory (or maybe it's not his theory and is some random psychological something he picked up somewhere) that the older you get the shorter the day/month/year seems... because you have more life experience to compare your current life experience with and therefore the fraction would get tinier as you age... so that for a young person they'd feel as though their year was a long time because they wouldn't have much life experience to compare it too but for an older person a year would seem to be a shorter span of time because of the amount of life experience. It's an interesting theory. 

Our new kitten is about 2 months old - he has a lot of energy... he's somewhat needy (though I hear that's cuz he's a male...). It's interesting to see him discover the world... he's very curious - I wonder if I was the same. Was I needy? demanding? in need of constant attention? accepting? He's much less skittish than when we first got him. I feel slightly grumpy that I can't speak 'cat' as he's just leapt onto my lap, settled in and started talking... I know not what you say kitten. It makes me think about what we knew as a child... what we've learnt over the years... what we may have forgotten. 

Went to a wedding this weekend. A Hindu wedding of the sister of a friend. I got hit on by a guy that was maybe 8 - 10 years younger than me... apparently I look younger than him. Meh. I've always thought that I didn't want to get married or do the wedding thing (I think it's really more practical to spend money to buy a house than to spend it on having a wedding... if one can do both then that's amazing)... I find myself thinking now that I won't mind getting married. I find myself thinking whoa... why would I want to get married?! Is it that persons my age (and younger.. and older) are getting married? Is it a biological clock thing that has suddenly made an appearance? I won't mind being married (which is really not the same as I want to be married... just that I'm somewhat open to the idea now whereas 5 years ago... even 1 year ago... I'd have said no way... marriage + me = No). I find myself thinking of what a wedding (if I had to have one) would be like... It doesn't help that the Royal Wedding is the day after my birthday.. I'm happy for them as I'm happy for anyone that's taking such a step... it makes me think about myself though... is that a step I want for myself?

Read about (& heard about) two deaths this weekend... I think this is an interesting time for someone to die - Easter... resurrection... spring. Hmm.

The first death is known worldwide. Sathya Sai Baba has passed away... left this realm to move on to wherever. He left his body on April 24th (yesterday... Sunday) and his funeral is expected to be held on April 27th (Wednesday). It's a *very big thing*... on par I'd think with the passing of Christ or Muhammad... because of his reach and his followers. I think it's going to be interesting to see how his followers react as well as how the world reacts. 

The second death is that of Carib Queen Valentina Medina who passed away on April 23rd (Saturday)... the Caribs are one of the First Peoples of Trinidad & Tobago... they were here when Christopher Columbus came... that we still have some semblance of a community and that such culture still exists is something to be grateful for. A release from  one political party says that: 

"Queen Medina, queen for the past 11 years, represented the purity and soul of our First People. She worked assiduously to promote the philosophy and history of the great Carib community. Even though she was soft spoken she always made her passionate views heard. She epitomised the concept of religious and cultural diversity in Trinidad and Tobago, a feature for which she was well known,"

I wonder sometimes what people will say of me when I die.

I wonder what people say of me whilst I'm alive.

I wonder if it matters in any way.

Currently contemplating,

Ren

Customization...

"Creation is a sentient and instinctual flow that determines where to go and what to change or omit."
~Shaun McNiff

I should have been writing some post about my weekend... instead I was playing around with blogger and layouts and such...

Got pounded... submerged... tossed around... by waves at Maracas Beach on Saturday... It sucks sometimes being small and non-heavy. Spent time with the parents... ate pineapple chow & corn soup though not at the same time... Got some shades darker.... Yay for tanning and not sun-burning!  Was reminded of being playful and enjoying the moment by a dog pack... How big a group does a pack have to be before it's labelled as a pack? Got one of the dogs to pose for the camera...  

Sunday... Happy Easter!!! I can still say that as it's now Easter Monday and a holiday in T&T... sweet T&T - I love you for all the holidays... I thought Sunday would be a lazy day.. and it was in part... my dad made mango chow... and that's the 2nd time I've mentioned chow in this post... maybe I'm hungry? lol I've noticed that tends to happen at this hour... 

It's a long weekend... I feel rested somewhat... focused somewhat... my horoscope for today just appeared in my inbox and I am a force to be reckoned with! though I also have to be cautious about risk taking and planning for the future.. hmmm. 

I should go to bed. Workshop on chakras & leadership in the morning... looking forward to the workshop... not looking forward to having to be with some of the people that will be there... Please universe... let me be nice and non-scary to the ppl even if they annoy me. Thank you. 

Love to you world... it's a good time of year... 

peace,

Rtr