Happy 75th Dalai Lama!!

Thanks to Facebook where connections of connections posted the pix of the Dalai Lama's birthday which took place across the world in an earlier time zone. Even the photos themselves are a tribute to DL, filled with intense color and pageantry, and the grateful smiling faces of his many many devotees. And again thanks to FB to write my regards, which was "I hope you live long enough to help us through this transition..." because many great spiritual leaders and teachers are passing away.

It was the story of the DL which all those years ago inspired me to accept my own 'exile' on Planet Earth, and to understand the bigger mission behind place and time, nationality and identity. A young monk who understood his purpose, uniting the many like-minded people from all over the earth in a quest to alleviate the insidious effects of political and mental violence through compassion. A teacher who seems never to decline an invitation to sit with students. A symbol of all Tibet has not yet completely lost, but is in danger of...Truly may he live long enough to see some resolution to his own cultural crisis.

Never one for patriotic Independence Day instead a time to reflect on the various forms of repression which seek to take away our precious freedoms, and to give thanks for independent thought and action. For a woman nothing is more important than protecting this right and we all too often give it away in the name of money, romance, power and security, all the while losing ourselves to the repressive grind. For anyone on a spiritual path, the stakes rise on the temptation to parrot your guru, your sage, your favorite healer...all the while your own unique voice, your talent is waiting to express itself into the world.

While I work through the new challenges in running I never take a step anymore without a 'thank you' to the Powers that Be which keep me moving. Running is like a gift from the gods, bringing me closer to their presence in every bit of Nature, air, breeze, swoosh of my feet along the pavement, along the grass...Today the pain from new meds was almost eliminated after a long night of discomfort. The run reminds me of my potential, power and position on the earth....and that intention is nothing without action - nothing without the heart which nurses a dream and brings it to fruition.

So now, it may not be marathons, but its each loop I set out to finish...its each day at work, every client, every chart. It's fighting for my life and those of others in searching for healing and functionality to keep me in the game. It's devotion to Cause, to DL, to all the Teachers who have helped me along the way. While my heart weeps for the Gulf and The Mother's tremendous journey towards Her own wholeness, I hold onto Hope for the Vision She gives us; to never surrender to repressive forces, to embrace the creativity in change, to keep moving!!