groove. write. work. love. to this music

TODD BOSTON. A musician that meditates while he’s playing music.  Is aware of his breath.  With the intention to play exactly the music needed to heal your heart.  He’s a dear friend of mine.  And he’s very cool. And he loves flower essences.

On a full moon eclipse day last spring Todd accompanied me on a flower essence collection trip by playing specific notes and music over the top of each flower essence with his bamboo flute. Ithuriel’s Spear flower is one of them–this beautiful flower magnifies a heart full of love for others instead of looking for love. (see photo above)

Now he’s recording a new album, The Nature of Harmony, with Grammy-winning artists & producer. And he might just be the next Grammy winner!

ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT to pre-order his new CD, support his project, and get your groove on with this music.  You won’t regret it.

Check out the video.

why urgency works & rushing doesn’t

What's fascinating about desert plants is their ability to conserve energy and grow ... until exactly the right moment--and then they go for it. Nature never rushes or forces things. But it also doesn’t just sit back and wish for things to happen.

The problem with rushing is the result of moving through life without awareness: mistakes, carelessness, not seeing things – leading to forgetfulness, misplacing things, and a general feeling of frantic-ness and lack of mental and physical ease. And ultimately not being at peace with the way things are.

Urgency, on the other hand, is paying attention and doing things with awareness of the present moment and of timing. There is a sense of working hard, but mindfully. You’re tuned in to what’s happening around you. You’re motivated by a purpose, you take initiative, you tap into all the resources available, and make something happen.

Life is short …. life is precious. We’re all doing a million things and wanting to make a difference in the world. To make sure that a sense of urgency doesn’t turn into rushing, I use these simple–but superpower–practices (try them out if you haven’t before, and if you have–it never hurts to hear this again. and again. and again.):

*** Be aware of your breathing — deep, shallow, fast, slow — doesn’t matter, just observe it

*** Be aware of your body — any tension anywhere? Notice how the minute you’re aware of any tension you let go of it.

*** Be aware of your senses — listen to the sounds around you, smell the air, feel what it feels like to be inside your body, and when you look – really look; when you eat or drink – really taste it

… and you can practice these all the time, no matter what you’re doing, adding a whole new level of spaciousness and depth to everything.

Lately I experience a tremendous sense of urgency–a desire to work as efficiently as possible to create positivity in the world. And when I find myself spinning with too much to do or that sense of rushing, I bring myself back … to the breath … how my body feels … what’s happening around me … and the lusciousness of the present moment.

Moonflowers & Nightbirds

Night-Blooming Cactus

I just love walking the dog at night. Mostly because it brings me joy to watch my happy dog. But also because if all else fails, and I didn’t take breaks during the day, or I spent too much time in front of the computer, walking the dog at night is my time to really soak in the beauty of nature that’s all around.

Every time it’s different. And now it’s spring in the urban desert, which means that every few weeks there is a new fragrance lingering in the air. At first it was the tiny sweet-smelling flowers of the African Sumac tree. Then it was the heady waves of Orange Blossoms. And Lemon and Lime blossoms.

Right now there’s nothing remarkable, just cool fresh air and the nightbirds singing beautifully. Growing up as a child in the midwest, birds only sang during the day. Here in the desert, birds sing at night too. And loudly. And proudly. The mockingbird runs through its many calls, imitations of all the other birds it has heard in its lifetime.  Even though the sun has gone to sleep, these nightbirds joyously sing their heart’s song in the trees. I could listen to them for hours … spring serenade that spills over into summer nights too.  When you emerge at night, safe from the the desert’s fierce summer sunbeams, sacred moments of silence are accompanied by the nightbirds’ calls.

Tonight I saw three night-blooming cactus plants called into action by the waning full moon–on gorgeous display for only tonight, dying by the morning-sun. There are many kinds of night-blooming cacti, some more rare than others, but every one is stunning and miraculous. What’s most rare is the ability to stumble upon them at the right time and place, awake and aware, realizing their precious magic. These flowers have a special quality that always seem to push you to the next level. I’m so grateful for my dog, helping me be at the right time and place to see them. What have you seen this week that inspires you?

Reaching out for the Moon

Date Sex, Flower Powder, & Jungle Paradise

gorgeous fruity rose

I spent the last two days in a peaceful bamboo and banana tree forest, full of flowers, fruits, and pure fun. I lost myself in the vibrant green lusciousness … enormous avocado and loquat trees, tiny unraveling ferns and clovers, and water lily pond with a soothing waterfall. There’s nothing like leaning up against two bamboo trees, perfectly aligned to support your back, staring up at swaying banana leaves and fertile bunches of date flowers hanging from the palms.

All around are carpets of bright orange nasturtiums, soft pink primrose flowers, and other secret treasures, like white and yellow bog irises, fiery red pomegranate flowers, exotic-looking cashmere plants, and explosions of elder flowers. I chewed on sour grass and ate hollyhock petals and sweet mulberries. I got intoxicated with aromas of fruity roses and tulsi – holy basil.

This living garden so lush and full of revitalizing plant medicines and nourishing food … I ate elderberry leather (kind of like the fruit roll-ups we ate as kids, this one made with tangy elderberries, which have anti-viral properties) and drank herbal tea with dried olive and artichoke leaves, peppermint, and comfrey. I was especially enchanted by the kumquat trees, whose kumquats were the sweetest I’d ever tasted, each one with its own unique burst of flavor, pure candy treats.

Coincidence or synchronicity would have it that I arrived to this magical place on full moon, and the timing was perfect, so I made 3 flower essences: banana flower, date flower, and white water lily.

Banana trees are so interesting, with their wide trunk and exquisitely expansive leaves, so gentle, almost feminine. The life cycle of a banana tree is short–only 3 years–it shoots out from a potato-like root with ‘eyes’, grows tall, flowers on top into a huge gorgeous purple bud of petals, under which each petal bloom the actual flowers that later turn into bananas. After the bananas come and go, the tree dies. And from its roots many more banana trees grow.

Date trees come in male and female forms and need to be close together to pollinate each other to produce sweet fresh dates. If the male and female trees are not close enough together, you can cut a big bunch of male date flowers and dust them over the female date flowers to help along the process. The male date flowers are so rich with pollen  you can shake the flowers on your hands and it collects into the finest, most exquisite powder that can be used on the face!

And who doesn’t love water lilies? In all their beautiful colors and magic carpet pads that float on the water’s surface, they transform tea-colored water into a kaleidoscope paradise. Water lilies bloom for several days, opening their delicate petals in the morning sun and closing back into a bud in the evenings. I’m told that the night-blooming lilies need the hot sun as a catalyst to get them to open at night.

I was so enamored and intrigued by this magical place.

What are your recent experiences with flowers and plants? What’s in bloom where you are? What do you hold dear?

Banana flowers underneath larger purple petals, green bananas in the background

powder-filled date flowers

headquarters of this magical place

The Big Picture