Dear Goddess, One of the most remarkable experiences from last weekend’s  Thich Nhat Hahn conference was the mindful eating exercise that was conducted by the monks  and nuns from  Plum Village, France.

We all ate mindfully together, all 300 plus of us. We ate quietly, although my friend Joel would sometimes whisper a wise crack or two in my ear.

We put a bite in our mouth, laid down the fork, and chewed 30 or more times. Then the next bite, laying down the fork, chewing and so on.

Joel and I touched base in the middle of the week, and we both have been eating mindfully in this way, ever since.

Making this one change in my life has been truly calming and inspirational.

Being mindful every time we eat spills over to every other area of our lives.

Today’s Prayer Prescription? Eat mindfully.

Om  Peace Amen

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Kate Loving and the Collective Wisdom
Giant Squid Open Mike

Dear God/ess, I just finished the second draft of my book, Prayers To Heal: 102 Prescriptions For A Life Of Kindness. I just counted them and yes, there are 102 prescriptions.

The word prescription is used in the book title to  signify a different way of looking at this word.

Far too many prescriptions are given out by Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Midwives and Physician Assistants, to alter the consciousness of their patients.

By the time a person is 60, they have several cabinets full of drug bottles that undoubtedly make a person feel like the end of the world is here.

Prescription as used here is strictly meant to make you feel good. Naturally. Without any side effects.

A life of kindness and kind hearted gifts and gestures is what the world needs now. We need to respect all people everywhere. Or at least make the decision to do so.

And as kindness grows, so does the depth and breadth of our ability to Love. There really is no other choice.

Om Peace Amen

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Kate Loving And The Collective Wisdom
Giant Squid Open Mike

Transformation is happening everywhere we look. We see this on the streets of every major city and on every country pathway.

This transformation may overturn everything we know or thought we knew. It is up for grabs, at this point. It is cause for a total letting go, releasing everything we are and will ever be.

Om Peace Amen

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Kate Loving And The Collective Wisdom
Giant Squid Open Mike

Dear God/ess, We had a wonderful discussion tonight on my radio show with Kip de Moll, upcoming author of Zen And The Art Of The Mid-Life Crisis. We discussed that the Mid-Life Opportunity is another alternative explanation to what is going on for so many of us, in these tumultuous times. After all, a crisis and an opportunity are different sides of the same coin.

Kip and I met during Christine Kloser’s “Transformational Author Experience.” We both entered a contest together that Christine made available to us, to get our books published. In the process, we got our books together. Kip is just about to publish his book.

The Occupy Movement has made it clear that everyone is a journalist. We all have cell phones with at least a camera. The new iPhones have the best camera/video system on the planet. I can stop anyone on the street and interview them, if I want to.

The same is true of writing a book. We don’t have to wait for a publisher to publish a book anymore. Amazon has opened the door for a grassroots effort for many people to get their messages heard. We just have to be creative about making our voices heard.

These examples demonstrate that democracy is alive and well.

Om Peace Amen

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Kate Loving And The Collective Wisdom
Giant Squid Open Mike

Dear God/ess, The journey to New York City and back was epic. I did not sleep for 38 hours, and could not process Linear Time. I lost all track of it..

Occupy Wall Street at three in the morning had a surreal quality. We talk about time and timelessness all the time here on this blog. But  nothing can compare to the experience of sleeplessness, harmlessness and people coming together in a transformational movement emphasizing community.

Thich Nhat Hahn, whom I went to see after spending several hours with the Occupy Wall Street folks, said that we cannot be happy unless we touch deeply the suffering of ourselves and other people. If we do not have compassion for the plight of our brothers and sisters, we will never be happy.

We do not practice compassion in order to be happy, and we don’t seek  happiness  in order to find compassion. But as we experience life to its fullest, we find we have enough of everything.

The Occupied Movement is a wake up call for all of humanity.

If not now, when?

It has to be now because it is now. “When” is an arbitrary left brain notion,  creating an inability to surrender into the full dimension of the here and now.

I made a video of a homeless man who is living at the encampment of Occupy Lancaster. This gentleman once had a good job, maybe several good jobs, but as usual, the corporations came in and he lost health coverage, and many other benefits. He lost his home.

He lived in constant danger of being arrested for vagrancy, and was at a complete loss as to what to do.

Now he has a place to live (at the encampment) and he has found his family (the Occupy Love In). I loved getting his story on video, and I put it up on You Tube. I saw him again today after bringing a huge pot of Chili for everyone.

He was having a great time. Living so  close to the edge made him learn to live totally in this second. He said so on the video.

I am starting to get hard nosed comments on that video about how he should get a job.

What people are failing to realize is 1) it’s all falling apart, like a house of cards. 2) We have to learn this lesson Thich Nhat Hahn talks about involving compassion. 3) And as we watch such incredible change happening everywhere around us, I say, have fun with it, enjoy it, start dancing the dance of pure liberation. The whole world is involved.

It is the greatest party there is!

Om Peace Amen

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Kate Loving And The Collective Wisdom
Giant Squid Open Mike

Dear God/ess, Today is the day that we all celebrate! Why today? Every day is worth a tremendous celebration. But we focus on this moment at hand. The celebration is only meaningful if it is done in the here and now.

Looking too far ahead, we lose the joy. We get bogged down. Too many thoughts compete for our attention.

The past operates in a similar way. The only difference is, we don’t anticipate the past as we do the future. We may look at the past with regret. We don’t look at the future that way.

So I’m  going to take a nap. Then I will be up for 24 hours. New York City is not necessarily a restful place. But I plan to be Rest-full in my spirit.

Love to you all. And be sure to occupy your own Wall Street, so that we can preserve our democracy.

Om Peace Amen

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Kate Loving And The Collective Wisdom
Giant Squid Open Mike