Sunday, April 28, 2024

WHAT IS MOM'S COSMIC DINER?


Relax as you sit at your favorite, virtual booth. Take a few minutes to "step away from the world" and reflect on your life with tips on how to fine-tune everyday living. Below are over one hundred postings on health: recipes, "taste" of yoga, meditation, tai chi and even Sunday cartoons. You're invited to come back often. Before you log out, why don't you scroll down for a *seated, deep relaxation and soothe away your stress. Looking forward to seeing you again at MOM'S COSMIC DINER.

Behind Mom's Cosmic Diner is the "Mindful Path" a reminder when on your Life's Journey... be mindful of the twists, turns, beauty, obstacles/challenges you'll be experiencing. Living in the moment and being present to all that awaits you is powerfully rewarding.MOM's TAKE ON TAI CHI

QUIET SENTIENT BEINGS...


Five years ago when MOMS COSMIC DINER relocated a neighbor was clearing the fir trees on his family's homestead for his dream house. As I heard the power saws cutting into the forest... in my mind I heard the trees "screaming." I know this statement must sound outrageous to many, however at the age of 72 years I trust the messages that come my way. Soon after this experience while sitting on the diner's back deck and viewing the property I noticed the multitude of tree stumps that were bearing witness to the clearing of this bit of forest. I knew then I needed to bless those stumps for their lives that was literally cut short by the original owners of this land. So, I began to select pebbles on a beach and created "altars" on the remaining visages of the tall, beautiful, fir trees that was once a family. I feel that in doing this "ritual of gratitude" it created peace with the land. There's a wonderful documentary "INTELLIGENT TREES" on Amazon Prime, below is a trailer.



~ Life's Twists and Turns ~

* Double click on photo to enlarge

Behind Mom's Cosmic Diner is the "Mindful Path" a reminder when on your Life's Journey to be mindful of the twists, turns, beauty, and obstacles that you will face. Living in the moment and being present to all that awaits you is powerfully rewarding.  MOM


MMMM... TASTY LITTLE NUGGETS


Wrap your truths with kindness... MOM



The Importance of Being in the Moment...
 ~ even if it's for a few minutes everyday ~
MOM


HANGING ALTAR “2020”

A few months ago as I was about to take an empty egg carton to our recycling bin, on the radio I heard the previous president stating how "covid would magically disappear." I was so upset that I dropped the carton and began stomping on it. As I picked it up I liked the mangled look and saved it. Now that it's 2021, I wanted to "cleanse" myself of negativity from the previous year and made the piece below. The menacing and angry bulldog represents the state-of-the-nation and at the bottom, the hanging rock covered in moss is the heaviness that was weighing me down during 2020. However, the egg carton itself represents an awareness of the outer beauty of nature combined with my meditation, tai chi and yoga practices that created stillness within my center a few moments during the day. It was a mini-break from the fray's noisiness. And that’s the rest of the story!


* Double click on photo for larger version









“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions
Albert Einstein 

May all your mindful “manifestations" unfold with sparkling ease.
MOM

Here's a link that "Mom" recorded in 2017 however it's relevant any year for an incredible, New Year's MANIFESTATION Ritual you can do it anytime during winter...

MOM's 2021 Manifestation Ritual


Collard Greens Casserole is the most popular winter entree served at MOM's COSMIC DINER.
Enjoy! 




Collard Greens Casserole / serves 8
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
Avocado oil
2 bunches fresh organic collards or kale /chopped
1 lb. shitake mushrooms /chopped
2 onions /chopped
1 1/2 cups oatmeal (or: steel cut, oat groats)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (or: soy, rice or almond milk)
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (or: cheese substitute)
2-3 tsp salt
pepper to taste
In large frying pan, saute onions and mushrooms in olive oil until tender
Add chopped collards 
Stir all and cook until collards are bright green
Squeeze out any liquid as you place mixture in large mixing bowl and let cool
In another bowl add and stir:
eggs, milk, oatmeal, salt, pepper and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Add to veggies and stir well
Place in large, oiled casserole dish top with remaining cheese
Bake for 40- 45 minutes... after 30 minutes cover casserole, so cheese topping doesn't burn and return to oven for another 10 -15 minutes

Serve with salad.
Collard Greens Nutritional Benefits

Collards are packed with nutrition.  As other vegetables in the cabbage family, 
collard greens provide anti-cancer properties.  They offer an excellent source of 
vitamins B6 and C, carotenes, chlorophyll, and manganese.  One cup of collard greens 
provides more than 70 percent of the RDA for vitamin C.  Collard greens are also a 
very good source of fiber, and several minerals, including iron, copper, and calcium.  
They also offer a good source of vitamins B1, B2, and E.
  
Sources:Murray , Michael N.D.. The Encyclopedia Of Healing Foods.
New York: Atria Books, 2005.
Centers For Disease Control And Prevention-5 A Day.
National Agricultural Library-USDA. usda.gov.
Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. 

MOM invites you to a ZOOM Workshop...

For more information or questions: thecircleofchi@gmail.com



MOM teaching TURING the WHEELhttps://youtu.be/vPkx-vc3_u0
For maximum benefits continue to do this movement for 5 minutes more after the video has ended.

TAI CHI's ESOTERIC BENEFITS

The other day as I was practicing my tai chi I understood once again the value of being focused on every step.
It’s a metaphor for being on a journey.  It’s not about the destination. It’s honoring the present and every step along the way that enriches life experiences.

And like tai chi, if you allow the mind to wander and venture off into the past or future; oftentimes you find yourself lost and unfocused emotionally, physically and mentally. 

However when the mind returns to the journey’s path... the "gift of the present" is stunningly apparent.
Photo Credit: Annie Boone Crane

MOM's SEATED DEEP RELAXATION

I invite you to take a seat at your favorite MOM'S COSMIC DINER booth for your de-stressing session...











"Remember to smile as you greet the world with your radiant face. Spring is a wonderful time to nurture your seeds of gratitude and appreciation for Mother Nature's gifts. After all... we are her children." MOM
WHAT IS A NON-REALITY-REALITY?

Spring is the season of “new beginnings.” On an emotional level it’s time to be present as we tend to our manifesting seeds gathered during Winter’s conscious life-dreams.

We think 60,000 thoughts a day. Each thought releases a chemical from the brain into the body. If the thoughts are negative we receive a chemical that will attack our cells. The positive thoughts actually boost the immune system! This is why we feel either stressed and knotted up or in a productive mode while enjoying radiant health. 

Many of these thoughts are what I refer to as a NON-REALITY-REALITY. Often times in a stressful situation we tend to launch ourselves either back to the past or into the future. Both are places where we have absolutely no control. It's only when we're firmly planted in the gift of the present... we can take care of the "business of life."

During the day when you're feeling stressed-out ask yourself if you’re doing a NRR? If so, gently bring yourself back to the moment. In doing so you'll begin to strategize solutions to challenges, enjoy the sweetness of large and small unfoldings and live a more conscious, healthy and productive life.

Spring is the time to burst forward and upward on the wings of yang energy and enjoy the ride!     

When visiting my father in Coconut Grove, Florida, I meditate on the balcony of his sixth floor condominium. Beneath is a beautiful rock garden surrounded by gardens.  I watch the sun languidly rise amongst the billowy clouds that make Miami’s sky so sensual. The various shades of tropical tangerine, pinks shimmering in the morning heat and the iridescent, turquoise blue waters of Biscayne Bay seem to applaud the appearance of a new day. I feel very fortunate to observe this beauty. 

As I close my eyes the warm breezes caresses my skin allowing me to feel the borders of my body. I hear the gentle rustling sounds of coconut palm trees, the waterfalls in the gardens, the birds chirping and singing their morning songs. I also listen to the wind playing angelic chimes. I’m watching myself think "how tranquil and soothing nature’s sounds are."

Then I hear a jet as it flies high above me. At first I begin to attach judgments to the sound… "it’s so loud, uncomfortably powerful, annoying, an irritant." I stop myself and allow the sound, just to be a ~ sound ~ a vibration. Not good. Not bad. Just energy.

As I realize this I immediately understand I can still hear the water, birds, trees, and wind in the background. I feel my perception of reality shift.

After my meditation I thought about the experience and appreciated the lesson I had been given. Often times in our daily encounters we experience anger, sadness, low self-esteem, etc. and these powerful feelings have strong energies attached to them. However, if we begin to understand that life is a spiritual journey we can perceive the emotional upheavals as static and still know the peaceful humming core within all of us is always there.

This is why the meditation practice is so important. It’s a sacred space of clearing. A daily reminder that we can always access our inner peace, which is always quietly waiting for us... to be still, to turn our attention and intentions inward and gift us with another way of perceiving life.