meditation on trash

As Julia Butterfly Hill famously said, "When you throw something away, where is away?"
We are now in an age where we are so connected to everyone else on the planet that it is impossible for us to ignore the fact that what has been so-called trash for so long has been piling up in the backyards of those that cannot afford to pay to have it sent elsewhere. "Away" seems to be the landfills in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua. The economically impoverished areas in every city in the United States. Natural areas that cannot defend for themselves against the piles of trash that accumulate every day, destroying her slowly and relentlessly.
Why? Because we are not yet conscious of how our actions are affecting the rest of the planet. Or we are addicted to disposable goods, having a hard time putting the brakes on.
Here I am living in a sustainable community where we are using as little pre-packaged goods as possible. We are conscious of our use of plastics and things that have a very short life span and do our best to eliminate these things from our daily use. We do not have a "trash pick-up". No one is going to come take it away.
So, each thing that we cannot compost or eat, we must look at as a resource. These things, if possible, will be reused or re-appropriated. Empty bottles as containers for new things. Old clothing as mulch for the garden. The wrappers of things that are brought into the community or things we cannot find a reuse for, are stuffed into plastic bottles and the bottles full of trash are then used for building houses. Cool, eh?
I was doing my best to go through our "resources" the other day, realizing that just dealing with the little bit of trash that a community of 15 or so conscious individuals has created over the past few weeks is more than we need to be creating. Then I thought of the amount of trash that is created when I live in the states!
I am meditating on waste and how to eliminate it from my life as much as possible. It's worthwhile to play this game. I am already noticing that I have declined buying a few things in the tienda that I would have otherwise gotten had I not been acutely aware of where each package ends up...in my own backyard.

One, by Mary Oliver

I have fallen in love with her work...

The mosquito is so small
it takes almost nothing to ruin it.
Each leaf, the same.
And the black ant, hurrying.
So many lives, so many fortunes!
Every morning, I walk softly and with forward glances
down to the ponds and through the pinewoods.
Mushrooms, even, have but a brief hour
before the slug creeps to the feast,
before the pine needles hustle down
under the bundles of harsh, beneficent rain.

How many, how many, how many
make up a world!
And then I think of that old idea: the singular
and the eternal.
One cup, in which everything is swirled
back to the color of the sea and sky.
Imagine it!

A shining cup, surely!
In the moment in which there is no wind
over your shoulder,
you stare down into it,
and there you are,
your own darling face, your own eyes.
And then the wind, not thinking of you, just passes by,
touching the ant, the mosquito, the leaf,
and you know what else!
How blue is the sea, how blue is the sky,
how blue and tiny and redeemable everything is, even you,
even your eyes, even your imagination.

Janey's visit to Panama

Above: Janey Does Panama! (view from cosco viejo)
Panama Canal, can you read what the cargo ship says? Wilmington, DE.
Above: Me and Einsteins head. Panama City.

A bit about Inanitah

Of course, you can go to the website, which I have posted many times already, but: www.Inanitah.com. There are also quite a few videos on you tube, such as this one, which I really enjoy because it brings back a fun day when I was here in November 2010:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFS94qqnZAQ

But I would also like to sink into sharing something more personal as well of my experience here. This community is just 26 months old. It's a baby, and looking around the "baby" analogy works very well on many levels. There are only 3 real structures in place, the temple (classroom), the kitchen (original small one still in use, new one work-in-progress), and the bodega (tool shed). Oh, Gaia and Paul's house as well, but that doesn't count as community space. The living accommodations are tents and hammocks around the property. The social structure is fluid within a daily routine as follows: 5:30 a.m: meditation (5 rhythms dance, OSHO, zazen, other...), 6:30: breakfast, 7 a.m: community meeting (discuss flow of the day), 7:30-12: working on projects collectively or individually, 12 noon: lunch, 1-3: siesta/relax, continue projects, 3:30 p.m: yoga, 6:30 p.m: dinner, evening circle/activity/movie, quiet time.
Everyone's usually in bed by 9 p.m.
It's a really sweet flow, where I've found that I am loving being held by this community. I feel that I am supported to go deep here into my own process and given the opportunity to hold space for others in a way that empowers me. I am not asked to do things that I am not interested in doing or that feel obscure. All of my time and energy can go into developing massage programs and deepening my connection with the earth, spirit, and other humans around me.
This lifestyle is something I have always known is good for me. It feels very healthy and gentle.
During my years of living outside of community, I have missed this soft space of having other loving people nearby who are available to connect with me whenever I need it. This is extremely important for me as a single woman. I think Erika, who has lived her for the past year now, said it best the other day. To paraphrase her, "I remember feeling so lonely living in the states. If I wanted to visit with someone, I needed to schedule an appointment. I haven't felt lonely since I've been here."
I remember the ridiculousness of that feeling as well. How hard it was to realize that in order to spend time with people I loved I needed to schedule them in my calender. This was a brutal feeling, especially since there were many nights I would spend alone in my house, wanting to connect with others but not feeling like putting out the effort to get in my car and drive somewhere or hang out in a bar with really loud music or TV blaring in the background. It all felt so challenging a lot of the time.
So, I am thriving being in community right now. I am eating from the earth. Finding the abundance of the garden so nurturing, 80-90% of our food is from our own earth or the neighbors and we take turns cooking. Practicing yoga everyday and teaching it as well.
I walk around barefoot a good amount of the time. I haven't seen a mirror since I arrived. I lost my hairbrush a week ago, and I don't give a damn.
Feeling blessed with this time here. Just wanted to share that joy with whomever reads this blog.

Loving Community

So, the second round of basic massage training is complete! Now, we are working on pulling together a deep tissue course at the beginning of May, 2-6. It will expand on the training that the Nicaraguan grads already have and give them a means to go a little farther with their work. Here's the course description:

Intercultural Professional Massage Training: Deep Tissue Massage Intensive

Learn together, grow together, heal together. Learn the art of professional healing massage alongside local Nicaraguans and get a chance to practice your Spanish!

To support the creation of new economic opportunities for local Nicaraguans, we are offering a ongoing professional massage training for Ometepe residents. Graduates of the course will be given skills that will allow them to offer massages at InanItah and local area hotels.

This class is the next step in therapeutic massage education and designed specifically for people with a basic massage training who are looking to expand their skills. We will focus on deepening our understanding of anatomy while integrating techniques to treat common musculoskeletal issues in the body. During the 5-day course we will address leg, hip, low back, shoulder, and neck pain, utilizing a combination of trigger point therapy, stretching, and myofacial release techniques.

A minimum of 50 hours Classical/Swedish massage training is required for all participants.

The course will taught in English and translated into Spanish.

About the Facilitator

The course facilitator is Valerie Cherrin, who has been a practicing massage therapist since 1997 and a massage instructor since 2003. Her passion for bodywork is equaled only by her passion for travel, and she has traveled far and wide, incorporating techniques from teachers in Thailand, China, India, Australia, Hawaii, and Europe. She recently completed her yoga teacher training at Nosara Institute in Costa Rica. To learn more about Valerie, visit her website: www.bodywisdommassage.org.

Contribute $195 to the workshop.
Reserve your spot now with a non-refundable deposit of $55