The Butterfly And The Fly

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A World Of Insects

“Change your thoughts, and you change your world.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
 

In a meditation group, Kate wrote:

“A butterfly landed on my hand today! It was beautiful. I mildly squealed and jumped up off the bench and it flew away. Not very zen. But I still feel really honored...””
 

Something To Consider

Wait, what? Would you be just as honored if a fly landed on you?

If not, why not? I asked this question in response to Kate's message.

House Flies Or Butterflies?

Isn't every expression of the divine dance beautiful?

With our human judgments of less and more, good and bad, we define the world's existence.

As if our existence could be defined.

It doesn't seem possible that God, the One Source, the Creator of All, whatever you call it, finds any created creature higher or lower than the other. Otherwise, it wouldn't be here.

One person commented back to my question:

“Because butterflies are butterflies, while flies are flies.”
 

Well, he has a point. Flies can be concerning if they spread disease, such as:

“* Shigellosis - bacillary dysentery and other diseases causing diarrhea
* Salmonellosis - food poisoning, typhoid, paratyphoid and enteritis. Although flies are capable of carrying these diseases, it is much less common than the shigellosis diseases.
* Bacteria causing conjunctivitis - this mainly occurs in Asia and Africa and the Pacific regions
* E. coli (Escherichia coli)
* Parasitic worms - especially tapeworms.”
— HubPages, Helen Murphy Howell
 

Yikes!

Still, they have a purpose here on this planet. Housefly larvae feed and develop in a wide range of decaying organic matter which is important for recycling of nutrients in nature.

Forensic scientists love them.

“Small House Flies are annoying because they are attracted to food and toilets, but their affinity for corpses makes they quite useful to Forensic Entomologists.”
 

The scientists use flies to help them gauge the amount of time a corpse has been decomposing.

A Day In The Life Of A Fly

“You will find house flies pretty much everywhere there are humans or animals. Flies love things like garbage, manure and anything else that left out in a warm environment (like food you left on your counter all day).

House flies don’t feed off of human flesh – they get their nutrients from spitting saliva on their food, which liquifies it so they can suck it up with their sponge-like mouths.”
— Kids World
 

We tend to think of flies as being dirty, but in fact, they, themselves, are very clean. A fly spends a lot of time cleaning itself.

Picture all those times you see a fly rubbing its antennae together. It uses its legs to clean dirt from every area of its body, then rubs its legs so the dirt falls off. Great for the fly, although that dirt is now dropped on your food or kitchen counter top.

Flies are also remarkable:

“Flies use their antennae to smell.
A fly can go 45 mph and beat its wings up to 200 times per second.
Houseflies existed 65 million years ago!”
— bugfacts.net
 

Miracles Of Creation

The miracle of life expresses in both the butterfly and the fly.

Ah, man, who deems that his judgment creates the world. 

Of course, I, too, would be more inclined to have a butterfly landing on me than a fly. Still, it's nice to learn about both of them with an expanded vision that can appreciate all of creation.

To be here at all, together, is an honor.

Another commenter added his thoughts:

“I would be more honored by a butterfly because butterflies seek nectar while flies have a tendency toward bad smells!

But there is a great video on Youtube called Mindfulness – The Fly. Perhaps your views are right after all...”
 

Video: The Samurai and The Fly

 

Honey Bee Rescue

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Honey Bee Down

So there I was, minding my own business... Well, actually, I wasn't minding my own business.

I was in my backyard checking on the resident garden spiders. I've been watching them and learning by observation, but that's a story for another blog post.

A honey bee was caught in one of the older, tattered spider webs. He struggled to break free as he wiggled his legs against the confining threads. I took a quick look around, it seemed this spider web was abandoned. Or, so I convinced myself.

I understand the law of nature. If a spider already had the honey bee and was munching away, I would lament, "Oh pooh. Score 1 for the spider, 0 for the honey bee. Poor honey bee."

Since there was no spider in sight and none moving in for the kill, I decided to interfere. 

Help Has Arrived

I spied a forlorn leaf and scooped the bee out of the sticky threads. He was pitiful, unable to fly. He could barely walk as he fell this way and that on the leaf.

I remembered the sugar-water-on-a-spoon honey bee remedy that I saw on Pinterest. A way to help a honey bee that was exhausted and far from home. It seemed a little far-fetched, but I pinned it on the off chance it might come in handy.

Now was the moment.

I carried the leaf holding the honey bee back to the house. I briefly thought about bringing him inside, then changed my mind. If he had a sudden recovery and started flying about, we'd have another problem of how to get him back out safely. I set him down on the patio next to my sliding glass door.

I bolted into the kitchen and grabbed my sugar container. I poured a spoonful of sugar in a small bowl, added warm tap water, and stirred to dissolve the granules. I stepped back outside to find my honey bee still lying there. He was constantly falling over as he tried to walk. I maneuvered the spoon in front of him. He held on to its edge. He appeared to take a long drink. Or was he just holding on? Hard for me to tell.

He pushed off from the spoon and staggered about on the patio. He fell into a concrete seam and couldn't get out, I helped him up with the leaf.

Recovery Process

He was still staggering and falling over. I was worried. Perhaps I would simply bear witness to his demise. But then, he started to preen himself, cleaning his little antennae. Surely this was a good sign?

After more cleaning, he lied down, tucked in his tiny wings and bowed his head. I swear he took a nap. I know honey bees sleep, having seen photos of it (on Pinterest again). Maybe he even had a miniature honey bee dream when he gave a tiny jerk.

This had to be encouraging, since I usually saw dead bees with their wings open. On the other hand, maybe he was bowing his head as he prepared to die. 

I waited.

He awakened, legs started moving again. He was stronger, less staggering. Another careful cleaning of his legs and antennae. I wondered if he needed more sugar water and placed the spoon in front of him. Nope, he didn't want it. I retreated with my spoon, watching.

He buzzed his wings. Now it really seemed like a good sign. He walked forward with determination. He buzzed again. Suddenly, he lifted straight up and flew away into the blue sky. 

Honey bee rescue accomplished.

The Smallest Amongst Us

“... mysterious and little known organisms live within walking distance of where you sit.
Splendor awaits in minute proportions.”
— Edward O. Wilson, Biophilia
 

Moral of the story: some things on Pinterest really do work. 

 

The first image is from the fable: The Spider and The Honey Bee

The Heart Of A Lion

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Cecil The Lion

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
— Mahatma Gandhi
 

All of us have lion hearts. Sometimes we have to find them.

Cecil The Lion

Cecil the Lion – with his black mane, was a major attraction and beloved animal in the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. He was a source of national pride.

He lived on protected territory and was part of a University of Oxford research program.

He was illegally hunted and killed. The hunters were well aware that what they did was illegal. Cecil had a tracking device that the hunters tried to destroy, unsuccessfully.

The lion killer bragged to a waitress that he "killed the biggest lion in the world."

Great, so none of the rest of us can enjoy that lion? Could you be any more selfish?

Jimmy Kimmel weighs in on the killing of Cecil the Lion.

It's an entirely uneven fight. He killed something and proved his power? Seriously? Shooting a gun full of bullets kills any and everything. That's a given fact and no big surprise. He acts like this makes him important. How can that possibly make you superior?

What if the hunter had said instead, "I saw the biggest lion in the world and look at this photo." Wouldn't we all be able to share in the joy of it and pat him on the back?

Trophy Hunting Of Endangered Animals

What destruction must drive through someone's heart to need to partake of trophy hunting? Hearts devoid of compassion and love, unable to empathize or grasp the pain or suffering of others. The hunters try to justify their actions with defensiveness.

Trophy hunters purposefully use the key word "took" instead of "kill" in an attempt to lull others into thinking it is less violent than it is. That is exactly the word the killer of Cecil used in his letter to his dental patients.

Fighting Our Causes

All of us have political and ethical issues that are near and dear to our hearts. One issue is not more or less valuable than the other. Certainly, one single person cannot carry the burden of every single issue that exists. If this is not an issue that speaks to you, that is your right. 

Working together, on all our different issues, hopefully our combined efforts will change the world for the better.

Because change is needed. Desperately.

“Since 1986, WildCRU, now with over 50 researchers, has grown to be one of the largest and most productive conservation research institutes in the world.”
— WildCRU

WildCRU (Wildlife Conservation Research Unit) is the conservation group that was tracking Cecil. WildCRU is part of the University of Oxford, within the Department of Zoology. You can visit their website to learn more about them or to donate to their work.

The Tears Of A Lion

Sometimes an issue is so difficult to face and full of sorrow that we turn away. It can be difficult to fight or even direct positive energy, because the situation causes us great pain or makes us angry. These are the moments we have to remind ourselves to keep going forward.

We have to walk through that pain or anger. We can't let the darkness stop us from moving into the light, exactly what darkness would want.

We have to find the heart of a lion within us.

Loving And Caring For Our Animals

Some people belittle those who are fighting for Cecil the Lion, for caring so deeply for animals. It's okay to love our animals and our planet with all your heart. 

Our animals need our help. They don't have our human voices to yell about the wrongs, nor the money to make people listen.

We are their voices.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
— Anatole France
 

Say Hello To Pluto

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Pluto Fly By

Hello there, Pluto.

It's nice to finally make your acquaintance. That’s an understatement. It's awe inspiring to finally see you.

NASA hit it out of the park with these recent photos of Pluto. The spacecraft, New Horizons, zoomed by at a blistering 30,000 miles per hour relative to the dwarf planet's surface. Snapping photos and gleaning information like nobody's business.

It will take about 18 months to receive all the information transmitted by the tiny spacecraft that is all the size of a grand piano. A tantalizing feast of treats will be savored over many days by the scientists at NASA.

Pluto is about two-thirds the size of Earth's moon. We have already begun to identify icy mountain ranges extending as high as 11,000 feet  on this mysterious planet. 

“This graphic presents a view of Pluto and Charon as they would appear if placed slightly above Earth’s surface and viewed from a great distance.
Recent measurements obtained by New Horizons indicate that Pluto has a diameter of 2370 km, 18.5% that of Earth’s, while Charon has a diameter of 1208 km, 9.5% that of Earth’s.”
— NASA
 

The Sun Shines On

NASA was on a roll with delights for us mere mortals. They also captured this new single shot of planet Earth in full sunlight.

The photo on the left was caught in 1972.

The photo on the right was snapped in 2015. 

Over forty years is a long time in between selfies.

The difficulty with this particular selfie is that you need to have the sun to your back and be in the just the right position to grab this shot as you're zooming past.

Most of the images we have seen of Earth since 1972 have been composites.

“In order to view the Earth as a fully illuminated globe, a person (or camera) must be situated in front of it, with the sun directly at his or her back.
Not surprisingly, it can be difficult to arrange this specific lighting scheme for a camera-set up that’s orbiting in space at speeds approaching thousands of miles per hour.”
— Astronaut, Scott Kelly
 

Observer Effect In Outer And Quantum Mechanics

Tracking the images and wealth of information that NASA makes available to us is a humbling and yet enlightening experience. Keeping the solar system in mind helps us to keep things in perspective.

Insights into our solar system remind us of the vast connectedness we have to everything.

Talk about a perfect example of "the observer changes the nature of what is being observed" within quantum mechanics. Passing by Jupiter, the spacecraft New Horizons gained a push in speed from its gravitational force. The effect for Jupiter was that its years are now slightly shorter. 

“Jupiter lost as much kinetic energy as New Horizons gained, causing it to fall a little closer to the sun. A year on Jupiter today is slightly shorter than it was before — all because humans wanted to get a good look at Pluto.”
 

That's a stop and pause moment.

Marbles In The Sky

Back to our dear Pluto.

Finally, we have a completed family portrait of the planets in our solar system.

Yes, we are running with the idea that Pluto counts as one of our planets. Besides, look how nicely our planets line up in this pattern of nine.

We don't care what anyone says, Pluto, you'll always be a part of the family.

Maybe you're the eccentric relative we always wonder about. The one whose story never quite matches. We’re all good with that. We love you anyway.

Cheers.

Almond Milk Is Not Vegan

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Almond Milk Gains Popularity

We're munching on almonds and beating them into milk and cheese. Almond growers couldn't be happier. Some people also feel happy that they're not using cow's milk. They consider almond milk to be vegan.

However, the definition of vegan is not eating any animal product or using any by-product. This includes wearing silk made by silkworms and honey made by honey bees.

“To me, saying I’m vegan is synonymous with saying,
I have decided to live a lifestyle that does not support animal exploitation.”
— Jack Norris, Co-Founder of Vegan Outreach
 

Spoiler Alert: Almonds Are Not Vegan

Without honey bees, we wouldn't have almond milk. The only way our vast almond groves exist and the millions of pollinated flowers become crunchy tidbits is because we enlist the massive workforce of our honey bees.

LOTS of honey bees. 

California Almond Groves

You've probably seen the ads for California Almonds. All that advertising by California almond growers is paying off.

The majority of almonds are grown in California. They provide more than 80% of the world's almond harvest.

 

California almond groves cover more than 900,000 acres. Plans are being made to expand even further. 

Almond trees are not self-pollinating; honey bees provide the missing link.

We don't have enough honey bees in California to pollinate all of these almond orchards. Every year, nearly 85% of ALL beehives in the United States are trucked to California to pollinate the state's almond crop.

More than one million beehives (not bees, beehives) travel to California every year from as far away as Maine. Honey bees provide pollination for the almond crop in February and early March.

Honey Bees On The Road

Shipping honey bees around the country is not particularly beneficial to them. Traveling the entire length of the United States on trucks with hives wrapped in saran wrap is stressful. It can weaken their immune systems.

When honey bees gather together from around the country, they bring their local viruses and pathogens. Not all the little bees make it back to their own hives, and thus, germs and diseases are shared.

“The migration continually boomerangs honeybees between times of plenty and borderline starvation. Once a particular bloom is over, the bees have nothing to eat, because there is only that one pollen-depleted crop as far as the eye can see.

When on the road, bees cannot forage or defecate. And the sugar syrup and pollen patties beekeepers offer as compensation are not nearly as nutritious as pollen and nectar from wild plants.

Scientists have a good understanding of the macronutrients in pollen such as protein, fat and carbohydrate, but know very little about its many micronutrients such as vitamins, metals and minerals — so replicating pollen is difficult.”
— Scientific American
 

Bees Face Danger When Traveling

The road trip itself is not necessarily a safe one. A semi-truck loaded with beehives crashed on I-5 in Washington State. Clean-up crews killed nearly all the bees.

Out of 448 beehives only 128 were rescued. This doesn't help our declining bee population. Perhaps if they had not been on the road in the first place. From this article: Almonds Require A Ton of Bees:

Mono-crop Risks

Large mono-crops provide an ideal habitat for pests like fungi and insects and thus, the almond growers have a strong incentive to use pesticides and chemicals. There was an uproar from beekeepers when a massive die-out of the honey bees took place in 2014 – beekeepers thought almond growers had used too many pesticides.

More Beehives?

Some have asked why we don't just add more beehives into California. 

“California is already home to 500,000 of the nation’s 2.7 million hives. The almond bloom is great for a few weeks, but not in terms of year-round foraging,

California is already at or near its carrying capacity for honey bees. The areas with the best-quality forage are already well stocked with bees.

So, satisfying the world’s ever-growing appetite for almonds will continue to require an annual armada of beehive-laden trucks.”
— Eric Mussen, UC Davis

Everyone Wants Honey And Almonds

No one is saying that we do away with almonds. Who doesn't enjoy a toasted, salted almond? Who can resist the lure of a delicate macaron?

No one is suggesting that we do away with honey bees or honey. 

We need to raise awareness that literally millions upon millions of honey bees give us all these almonds. We must find ways to support them.

 

Helping Our Honey Bees

There are ways that we can help the situation and our honey bees. We simply have to choose to do so.

At the personal level: buy local. Support small businesses of beekeepers and buy local, organic honey. Not only are you getting fresh, unadulterated honey, you also benefit from the local pollens.

Amongst the thousands of crop acres, we could restore portions of acreage with natural, bee-friendly habitat. This would favor native pollinators as well as honey bees.

The idea is to plant varied types of wildflowers in different areas for bees to have more places to forage and nest. With a robust population of native bees and pollinators, the amount of honey bees required could potentially be cut in half. 

Although, bear in mind, beekeepers currently make more profit from pollination services than they do from honey sales. This idea could be met with resistance from the beekeepers themselves.

irrigation ditch, california. ap photo/jae c. hong

Almonds And Water

Given California's recurring drought situation, it is worth noting that almond crops are one of the highest water consumers. It takes about a gallon of water for one almond. 

“There is little dispute that almonds are among the thirstiest crops in California. Almond trees require about 4 acre-feet of water a year for every acre planted.
Tomatoes and grapes take about half as much water...”
— David Goldhamer, UC Cooperative Extension

Furthermore, almond orchards are continual crops and must be watered throughout the year. Almond trees don't have the option to lie fallow during the off-season.

Everything We Do Touches Everything

There is nothing we do that doesn't touch everything. We are all connected together. The idea of separation is a simple delusion. It's not our greater truth.

With each breath we take, we touch a vibration that connects us all, all the time, wherever we are, whether we are conscious of it or not. 

This article Why California Almonds Need North Dakota Flowers (And A Few Billion Bees) describes the interconnection of our bees, orchards and wild flowers.

Support Honey Bees

It’s important to support local beekeepers. We need to continue to bring awareness about the almond groves and the growers as well as making sure that policy-makers make decisions and policies that are responsible and caring.

We can have both almonds and honey, but let's do so with awareness and responsible caretaking.

We may, however, want to rethink the idea that almond milk is vegan.

Celebrating Earth Day – 22 April

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Earth Day – 22 April

 
“Loving our Earth all year long – celebrating it today!”

Earth Day was first created on 22 April 1970 as a means to bring attention to the environment. It was an emerging concept at the time in terms of general public participation. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin came up with the idea for setting aside a day to honor the environment.

Over the years, the event has gained momentum and it is fêted in the U.S. as well as other countries. There is even an Earth Day Network where you can connect to various events and environmental campaigns.

Joyfully we sing our song to the Earth – a song of healing, a song of repair.

Caring For Our Earth

We should hold the Earth in great tenderness. Perhaps our notion of "having dominion" over the Earth has always been a terribly bad translation of an ancient text.

It should read that we "have responsibility" for the Earth; a great responsibility to care for and tender the Earth and all its inhabitants, most notably the plants and animals. 

What a different energy that would be for us. Instead of blithely taking, destroying, and wantonly discarding the Earth; we would protect and love it, and nurture it in every way that we could.

Perhaps a large majority of us will achieve that level of responsibility one day.

Arbor Day – Plant A Tree

This day is also shared with Arbor Day that emphasizes planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation states:

 
“We inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees.”

We can always have more trees, can't we? It's delightful to listen to the wind moving through their leaves. This is a favorite tree planting quote:

 
“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago.
The second best time is now.”

Earth Day With The Radiance Technique®

Students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) can participate in Earth Day. Plants benefit from the universal energy in your Radiant Touch®. Students of The Second Degree of The Radiance Technique® can direct radiant energy to matters that concern them.

We certainly don't lack in topics that need attention.

For example, our honey bees need help and our marine life, such as whales and dolphins, need protection.

Others are working to bring balance to the deforestation and to promote clean drinking water. When you direct energy with TRT®, you will not control any outcomes. Rather, you offer radiant light from deep within to support clear and right choices.

A wonderful meditation for both The First and Second Degrees of TRT® – picture the Earth in your heart and do TRT® hands-on in Front Position #1 for an extended amount of time. Maybe 10 or 15 minutes – more, if you would like.

Celebrating Earth Day

The most common way to observe Earth Day is by participating in activities designed to preserve the environment and our natural resources. These include collecting garbage  for sorting and recycling, avoiding the use of gasoline-powered vehicles, picking up roadside trash and planting trees. 

There are many activities, especially for teaching our children. If you're stumped for ideas, this page at Family Education has a list that includes 10 Eco-Friendly Crafts and Top 10 Earth Day Books for Children.

 

Spring Is Springing Into The Equinox

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Spring Equinox Is Upon Us

The calendar tells us that spring is about to make an entrance, even if we can't see it outside our windows.

Spring is certainly arriving on the West Coast here in California. The flowering pear trees are happily blooming in a profusion of white. In this photo, their eager blossoms are given an early morning kiss by the rising sun.

For the East Coast, I fear that Spring will arrive with a bit of a limp. Another "chilly front" is predicted there for the Spring Equinox. The weather pattern "favors below-average temperatures in the eastern states late in the week and into early next week, including the first day of astronomical spring on March 20."

The East has already struggled through quite a severe winter. February was the second-coldest February since modern records began in 1895 for the Northeast.

Whatever our temperatures, we will, nonetheless, greet the Spring Equinox as we reach the equal balance of light and dark before heading into our longer days of summer.

Students of The Radiance Technique® (TRT®) can focus their meditations on this change of seasons. In particular, we can join our TRT® friends in the U.K. with their celebrations of the Spring Equinox. The Radiance Technique® Association for Great Britain (TRTAGB) has gone all out with planned events.

If you're able to be there in person, here are some of the activities offered.

Events for TRTAGB Spring Equinox Celebrations 2015

Thursday 19 March 3 – 5 pm: Meeting for alumni of The Third Degree 3A for Attunements and Directing at Woburn Walk, London, near Euston station. Followed by gathering for tea.

Friday 20 March: The New Moon is at 9.36 am. In Britain, the Eclipse begins about 8.30 as the moon begins to touch the edge of the Sun, reaching a maximum around 9.30 and moving away by 10.30. In the evening the Equinox is at 22.45.

Saturday 21 March: Morning meeting for TRT® Hands-on and Directing near Stroud, Gloucestershire.

Sunday 22 March: Meeting for TRT® Hands-on in Leicestershire

Monday 23 March: Visit Leicester Cathedral to participate in the historic Richard III ceremonial.

 

Doesn't all of that sound delightful? How I wish I could be there for the Richard III ceremony. The story of a King fallen in battle, and then whose remains were discovered under a parking lot, has captured the imagination of the world.

The Richard III ceremonial is just one of the events of this Spring Equinox.

The Richard III ceremonial is just one of the events of this Spring Equinox.

However, if you can't attend in person, fear not. There is a wonderful Inner Planes celebration and students of TRT® can join in from around the world.

Spring Equinox TRTAGB Inner Planes Celebrations: 19 – 23 March

This year the weekend of 19 – 23 March is special. A New Moon, an Eclipse of the Sun, and the Spring Equinox are all within a few days of each other.

Friday, 20 March: a Total Eclipse of the Sun is visible in the Faroe Islands with a partial eclipse visible in Britain. This Solar Alignment is a time of transformation for Planet Earth. It’s a wonderful occasion for renewing our commitment to our regular practice of the Cosmic Science of The Radiance Technique®.

Students of The First Degree of TRT®, as well as students of all other degrees can participate with TRT® hands-on.

“..in the Inner Planes from Thursday 19 March to Monday 23 March. Devote extra time each day for revitalizing with TRT® hands-on.

If you’ve studied to The Second Degree (or beyond), pattern the Cosmic Symbols and use the techniques you know for Directing Energy and Attunements.”
— TRTAGB

Whatever your plans for the Equinox on 20 March, the date marks the promise that Spring is on its way. We welcome the rebirth and blossoming on many levels.

Happy Spring Equinox.

If you have a keen eye for detail, you'll notice that the URL in the photos is RadiantNursing.com.

Exciting changes are taking place here. We've got a new name and we're thrilled to share all the details with you soon.

There may be a break between blog posts as we migrate to our new website with our name: Radiant Nursing. New name, same great content.

Actually, even better. We look forward to seeing you there!