Ladybird, bug or beetle!

It is getting cooler here now in these northern latitudes. A few weeks ago when it was warmer clusters of Ladybirds began to appear (Ladybugs in the USA and Ladybeetles to more aptly describe them - and Coccinellidae to entymologists!) It seems that, like migrating geese, they're looking for new homes as the weather cools

In Australia seeing even one Ladybirds is uplifting - a flash of brilliant spotted colour - solitary designer wonders. Here on the east coast of the USA they're familial wonders hanging out together. I was putting up prayer flags with a friend Dechen, and we found oodles of them on this flag pole. I had never seen so many in my entire life: a biological cornucopia.

They were also crawling over Stupas and Statues - and in my friend Rinchen's room where they had taken up residence in the corner. Here is a picture! Well you can't really see them in detail but you get the picture.

Rinchen said don't be deceived by Ladybirds - as she had been bitten by at least one of them. I was disbelieving at first but on further inquiry found they can bite when their food supply of aphids is in short supply. So they're predators! Watch out if they start looking at you like a giant aphid.

Still there's a lot of interesting stories associated with Ladybirds that are quite captivating like the associations with wishes, love - and spirituality. The most moving association I found was the use of the symbol of the Ladybird by the Dutch Foundation Against Senseless Violence. A paving stone with a Ladybird is placed at a site where senseless violence is deemed to have occurred and people are encouraged to step around the Ladybird paving tile - not stepping on that which is beloved. If we placed a paving stone wherever senseless violence occurred it would cover much terrain. In this respect the Ladybird is an uplifting sight in dark places, glossy winged light.

Iwo Jima and a legacy of trauma

What is stress? This war memorial is one of many sculpted signs in the US capital area denoting US involvement in war. This is sculpture happens to be a memorial to all the wars that the US has been involved with including the American Revolution – and to me it speaks not of war but the traumatising impact of war and its aftermath.

This sculpture by Felix W. de Weldon was based on a photo taken by Joe Rosenthal - and the photo won a Pulitzer Prize. The event it documented has been magnified into collective USA memory.

These US soldiers raising their country’s flag were part of one of the most horrific and bloody battles against Japanese soldiers in the Pacific in World War Two on the island of Iwo Jima. Thousands died, and of those that survived on both sides, countless numbers experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD).

In earlier times PSTD was known as battle fatigue, shell shock and operational exhaustion. In the American Civil War it was called soldiers heart. What happens to the ‘heart’ in war? PSTD is a huge issue for everyone impacted by war and trauma – soldier and civilian alike – but in the USA it’s particularly significant because of the high number of people involved in the armed services and the ‘off to war’ we go expenditure. One measure of its scale is the per capita figures. In the USA active service personnel per capita is approximately 4.2 and in Australia it’s approximately 2.4 per capita.

In 2015 there was an estimated 22 million US veterans potentially bearing the scars of war inside (their minds) and outside (their bodies) - or both. An article from TIME earlier this year estimated that 500,000 U.S Troops who served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq over the past 13 years have been diagnosed with PSTD. The health burden is enormous. The US spends $3 billion to treat the disorder and is the third most common US service disability and impacts those with and without wounds. PSTD is signalled by hypervigilance, depression, flashbacks, isolation, irritability and sleeplessness – with thousands and thousands of symptom combinations - and these symptoms describe all those impacted by violence. (I’ve riffled a few of more facts in my blog from the April 6 edition of Time Magazine.)

In the USA they’ve started a brain bank to map the structural signs of PSTD in the brain – but there is no brain bank for the mind ultimately.

This statue of flag raising on Iwo Jima is situated within a short walking distance of the Arlington War Cemetery – it’s kind of beautiful and kind of disturbing with its endless rows of white headstones. War is endless, peace is fragile. Where in that space can trauma heal: in our hearts perhaps, in our healing hearts.

The Pope, a Portabello and my friend Skyler

The Pope is just finishing his final mass in Philadelphia and people are so excited here because he frequently peppers his homily's, talks etc with the word LOVE. How unusual. In the history of the Catholic Church and the Papacy there has been equal if not more measure of conflict, politics, war and torture than love - and of course the Catholic Church continues to be a bastion of conservative and at times reactionary values. How far removed can one get from the original teachings of Jesus I ask myself? However the Pope in person comes through as a genuine love filled person. Here is the link for the official  I love Pope Francis T-Shirt site!

I wanted to share another something starting with 'P' with my brother Simon who is a wonderful cook - and once upon a time cooked the most amazing portabello (mushroom) tomato pasta sauce that I have never forgotten!

In Australia I never clapped eyes on a fresh portabello mushroom in the shops - only the dried Italian variety - but here there are oodles. I didn't realize this - but it turns out they're overgrown button mushrooms! I They make a substantial nutritious meal. They are as big as my hand which is probably not saying much. Here is the one I had for breakfast Simon. They grill and bake easily and go especially nicely with with pesto sauce. Yumbo!

And finally to something starting with 'S' - my dear friend Skyler - who is a new furry friend of just 8 months. I have been living with Skyler along with his 'Mom' - Ani Alyce Louise - and other furry friends - including Nebulous Norbu the Cat and Zoe Canoli - golden dog of unknown golden descendants. Skyler died at home on Thursday. His body finally gave out on him after 16 long years. He was a fusty, feisty, grumpy loveable dog and I  miss him. The Pope recently said all dogs go to heaven. If heaven is universal love - may you be there. Travel well and in peace Skyler. Really glad to have met you.

A sign of the times

There is nothing like signage to indicate a place - so I got snap happy on my way to the visit upper New York State. What distinguishes a USA sign in these parts from an Aussie sign? Well there's certainly more villes and bergs on the end of places names - that's for sure - and the English 'town' is perhaps in third place and perhaps the Latin 'ia' in fourth!

And there are always signs of somewhere else over the seas...Lebanon in this case...and the captivating name of Frackville  which is on topic these days as there is a lot of fracking/debate happening right now in the USA. The subject and procedure of fracking (hydraulic fracturing) is dividing parts of the nation in an earth versus economic equation.

I was pleased to discover that I was passing close by the Hershey's Chocolate Factory, but as Mum said one day when we were passing by the Chocolate shop on the way to Daylesford - no time to stop!

I don't think you would find a picture of a reindeer in Australia either...although one would in New Zealand. And I rather like this one of a Farmer on a Tractor.

And then there's the stand-alone commercial signs that constantly beckon you from the side of the road - old and new.

And  the legacy of the frontier wars between Native Americans and the new migrants is evident in this sign.

And the ever-present signs of post-settlement military history and the legacy of that.

And here is a blue New York sign as opposed to green everywhere signs!

Meetings with a remarkable Monk.

Dear Dad,

I always remember you regaling us about Gurjieff's Memoir, 'Meeting with Remarkable Men' and I feel that in many ways your life has been about these pivotal encounters with both remarkable men and women on the subject of the human spirit. How uplifting it is to meet such people. I had a recent encounter with a man that you too encountered in Sydney -  Buddhist Monk and former molecular biologist Matthieu Ricard. But how brief can these encounters be! After hearing Matthieu talk I had the opportunity to offer the traditional Tibetan white scarf to him - notwithstanding that he was flanked by a bevy of admirers - of which I was one - and that he was moving at speed making it difficult to even offer the scarf. One of my friends took this picture. They wanted to capture the moment I offered the scarf but apparently meetings with remarkble men - in this case a remarkable Monk can be very fleeting indeed. I have this post-event photo - a picture tells a thousand words even if it is rather blurry which means it looks like nothing particular happened or something particular happened!

And here is a picture of Matthieu on stage combining his scientific and environmental interests to entreat us to make sure that at least the next 7 generations have a place to call home.

Mattieu also took this opportunity at the annual Buddhafest in Washington DC to fund raise for his charity Karuna-Shechen especially in Nepal at this time to bring resources to those most in need after the devastating earthquakes caused so much death, injury to many, and loss of infrastructure and the basic necessities of life.

It is a long way to go before Nepal recovers - knowing that full recovery is not possible. The other day I encountered a Nepalese husband and wife going for a morning walk. Their son had brought them over to the USA to stay: they had no physical home to return to in Nepal.

What happened next

Well it's been a month or more since I last posted. Life is sometimes a gallop not a canter - not that I do either!  Perhaps I could say I have been trotting not around the globe - but to closer destinations at hand - one of which is upper New York State - in this case our summer retreat place. Here are some sunset pictures of a small lake I walked around and at which I attempted sitting meditation . I meditated in a gentle dawn sitting at the end of the pier but my mind was not clear at all - more like the fog rising from the lake! Oh well. I will keep trying.

And here are some mini-inhabitants of the mini-lake. Can you guess what they are? You may need glasses - or a magnifying glass. The one you really can't see is a turtle's head!

I did go for a row in the boat though with my friend Mary and one paddle. That's a recipe for circling (not rowing). We found a snake skin near where the paddle was resting. Perhaps the snake skin was a symbol of regeneration and letting go old patterns - or a snake simply losing its old skin. The previous day we found a snake mesmerizing this frog. Perhaps it was this snake that shed its skin.

Nothing like to natural environment in a retreat landscape to feel re-connected. I felt rejuvenated by the time I left this part of the country.

Adventurous friends

I live about an hour away from Washington DC with lots of exhibitions and sites to explore. I have been on a few exploratory adventures into DC with my intrepid exploration partners - Noreen and Shelley. So far we've been to the photographic exhibition of 18th century Burma which I talked about in an earlier post - and since then we have been to the Eastern Market  and the United States Botanic Garden: the latter is essentially a giant atrium - but a very interesting atrium. Here are a few pictures. In the first picture I am trying to be a photographic artist as Shelley peers in the window. We had discovered the offices of National Home Care & Hospice but it was closed.

And here is Noreen's hand pointing at the site of purchase of the Tibetan carpet she is holding!

Nothing like good sweet potatoes - kumara - yum! Lots of fruit and vegies in addition to flying carpets.

And one should never lose perspective on an open sea!

And here are a few piccies of the Botanic Gardens. They had a particularly captivating exhibition on 'roots' - and out the front they had a 'tree root' sculpture which reminded me of overly active heart ventricles which the artist fittingly called Romeo and Juliet - or perhaps what's left of them in essential botanic form.

I thought this fellow's beard bore a strong resemblance to the exposed roots he midwifed into the air.

And here is some botanical plant life.

And guess what this is? It's a close-up of my sun hat - not a pink cycad! Can you believe that?

And here's a floating plant...sticker! What's real?

Thanks so much Noreen and Shelley - now on to the next adventure with...Shelley and Noreen!