Archive for June, 2006

New Pepsi Can: Religious Freedom of Choice (Stop Xtian force-feeding)

// June 28th, 2006 // 2 Comments » // Uncategorized


I got this from someone on my friend’s list blog. I was respectful enough to NOT post a comment on her blog, because although what I say is true, I’m not convinced that it would be useful to HER and therefore I can’t attribute it to “right speech.” I can, with good mindfulness, see that it would be beneficial to post my comment here for the larger group, and so I will:

Below you will find the message which I assume is making the regular internet circuit of unsolicited chain-emails. Read it (in blue)…make up your own mind. If you want…read my comment below the message. But only if you want to…

And now…on with the show:

Subject: DON’T BUY PEPSI IN THE NEW CAN!

Don’t buy Pepsi in the new can. Pepsi has a new “patriotic” can coming out with pictures of the Empire State Building, and the Pledge of Allegiance on them.

However, Pepsi left out two little words on the pledge, Under God.” Pepsi said they didn’t want to offend anyone

In that case, we don’t want to offend anyone at the Pepsi corporate office, either. So if we don’t buy any Pepsi product, they will not be offended when they don’t receive our money that has the words “In God We Trust” on it.

My Comment:

Thanks so much Cindy, for letting me know about PepsiCo’s good business decision to omit “under god” from their new packaging product. In a land as diverse and robust as the United States of America, and as someone who is offended by the Christian religion feeling so smug in their efforts to stuff their religion and beliefs into every nook and orifice they can find, I certainly appreciate when a large business has extended their effort to combat what is certainly an onslaught of guilt and intimidation techniques to get them to submit to a position that is in the minority.

As someone who firmly supports the separation of my personal spiritual convictions and my community and economic involvement, I appreciate the cultural sensitivity that PepsiCo has shown by this decision to leave out “under god.” I understand that my Setian sensibilities might inhibit and intimidate some others so I respectfully leave my inverted pentagram jewelry and my pointy-hat invocations to my sacred spaces I have created. My church is the place for my spiritual adorations and my life is my reflection and manifestation of my spiritual work.

As a stoic Diet Coke drinker I would have never known about PepsiCo’s compassionate decision without your post, but now that it has been brought to my attention I can certainty write to them and express my support of this choice and encourage all my diverse friends to embrace the PepsiCo product and company and to support them financially with our wide economic support.

Thanks PepsiCo for making a small foothold against the vocal and bossy minority that is the Xtian Right. We need more companies with the balls to keep religious freedom free and personal.

Yahoo! 360° – Cindy’s Blog…ie. cool stuff and some not so cool – Entry for June 25, 2006 The New Pepsi In A Can…?????

Kitchari

// June 22nd, 2006 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Cleansing Kitchari – This Indian comfort food provides strength and energy while you’re fasting.

By Alison Rose Levy

In America, downing a hearty grain dish would not be called fasting. But in India kitchari—a soupy porridge made from rice and mung beans, lightly spiced with ginger, cilantro, and other spices—is considered a fasting food and is used to purify digestion and cleanse systemic toxins.
Ayurvedic physicians often prescribe a kitchari diet before, during, and after panchakarma, a rejuvenative treatment that cleanses toxins stored in bodily tissues as it restores systemic balance. Kitchari provides solid nourishment while allowing the body to devote energy to healing. You can safely subsist on kitchari anytime in order to build vitality and strength as it helps balance all three doshas. For restless vata, the warm soup is grounding; for fiery pitta, its spices are calming; and for chilly kapha, it provides healing warmth.

Ayurveda believes that all healing begins with the digestive tract, and kitchari can give it a much-needed rest from constantly processing different foods while providing essential nutrients. The blend of rice and split mung beans offers an array of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Its mixture of spices is believed to kindle the digestive fire, the Ayurvedic description for your innate digestive power, which can be weakened by poor food combinations.
Kitchari tastes like a cross between a creamy rice cereal and a light dal, or lentil soup. If it is a cold, blustery day or you are feeling under the weather, a steaming bowl of this classic Indian comfort food can both warm up your bones and restore sagging energy. Everyone has his or her own special method of making kitchari. Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing (The Ayurvedic Press, 1997), by Usha Lad and Vasant Lad, offers a half-dozen kitchari recipes, including this one that was adapted for Yoga Journal:

First, rinse one cup of split yellow mung beans and soak for several hours. Set aside. In a blender, liquefy one tablespoon of peeled, chopped ginger; two tablespoons of shredded coconut; and a handful of chopped cilantro with one-half cup of water. In a large saucepan, lightly brown one-half teaspoon cinnamon; one-quarter teaspoon each of cardamom, pepper, clove powder, turmeric, salt; and three bay leaves (remove before serving) in three tablespoons of ghee, or butter.

Drain the mung dal and then stir it into the spice mixture in the saucepan. Next, add one cup of raw basmati rice. Stir in the blended spice and coconut mixture, followed by six cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook on low heat for approximately 25 to 30 minutes until soft.

HAPPY SUMMER SOLSTICE TO ALL

// June 21st, 2006 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Raising My Staff, Rah-Tim in hand,As Thor’s drum circle beats to me,Filling me with spirit from the cosmos and Mother Gaia’s land,Laugh if you must, My Brother and Friend,Lord Loki,You always make the king a better viking,Rex of the Fae,Witnessed by The Faeries, Dark and Light,I speak to the elements, Spirit, Air, Earth, Fire and Water of Sea,Calling to the planets and stars, on cosmic wire, All that is Sacred to you and me,The Great Spirit that guides,Let the spirit, from all destruction be free,To the Indigo, Seeker and HippieFrom LA to Hong Kong, Prague and Brest, South America, Australia, Africa and Budapest, Let your heart-light be seen,To the princes of India and Arabia too, The one Utah shaking his coccoon, Yes Windtalker, The king does indeed love you,To gatherings we go, That will take place soon, It is time my friends, Shake away those Blues, To places where love,Make the romantic swoon,God and Goddess in heaven, Please be at your best, We suffered enough,Let the great waves turn to gentle dunes,Let all who need it,Find the comfort of nursing,Mother’ s breast,Mother’s womb,Let it be warm, not too cold,In our summer camp,Not too dry or damp,May the elders be as children,Not feeling too old,Their bones not creeking,Pain of life under control,As the younger sit at their feet,Sharing a smile,A fable, parable or three,Make the ancestors rock,As the grains pass through the astral clock,For the time being,WE petition those gods in heavenly form,Suspend the tests, As finery and jewells we do adorn,We do need one season to love and rest,Let human-kind be happy in summer’s light, As well as those moments of starlit nights, Let all, at The Autumnal Eqinox,To good health and happiness,A season well-lived, attest, For this moment in time anyway,Noble guardians, Winged Brothers and Sisters, Divine, Let us toast both sides,The season upon us,With the sweetest Ambrosian wine,The Solsitce is here my friends, so dear, Let this be a most joyous summertime,The long days are upon us, So let me be clear, Enjoy the rays and warmth,Don’t make a fuss,Make it bliss not bust,Atone for the wrong-doing,As in life and magick,We must harm none,Learn from your lessons,Dark and light,As a student of mortal life,One should not be mean, ungracious or uptight,Get naked, love, dance and trance,Things such as this,Make the faeries prance,Hold the children and hear their laughter, Enjoy the paws of your pet, Going pitter patter,Sing praises of joy from the rafters, Let which good time to have be your only fight,Let love and beauty be never far from sight,Revere all the souls, gods and elements, As balance does balance beget, Take you lover in hand, Together, Watching the sunset, For in old age these are the moments, One never regrets, A summer kiss is a memory so grand, As you will remember this year, Dancing around the fire, Your feet barefoot, Planted in the sand, A breeze blowing through your hair,Lightening bolts of love and healing,Filling the air,Swimming in the rivers, lakes of your own humanity, In embracing a positive energy,Your spirit will soar with me, As you remain in mortal form, Great bliss will come, you see? Walking with The Faery King, Admittedly, not some’s cup of tea,As the Christian Pope might say;”I shall pray for thee,”Y’all need to have fun,If not with, then just like me,In the desert sands of Burning Man, The Green of Starwood and CoSM Fire,Lay your troubles on that pyre,Let them burn,As you learn to let go of that which brings pain,Love others before they love you, To Thine ownself and the Gods be true, In this sacred time, as always,

–The Faery King blesses and loves all of you, Namaste, His Serene Highness, Yust II Oberon, Fae RexBeacon of the Indigos