Friday, December 16, 2005
Namaste
“I honor the place in you where Spirit lives
I honor the place in you which is of
Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace,
when you are in that place in you,
and I am in that place in me,
then we are One.”
***
"The divine in me recognizes and bows to the divine in you."
These are just some of the meanings of the Indian word "Namaste". It is traditionally said while bowing with both hands clasped over the heart.
When you know the meaning of the word Namaste, you will see every single human being as all part of the same divine soul. You will see everyone, even your most hated enemies, as equally loveable, and worthy. You will begin to accord everyone with deepest respect, one sacred and eternal being paying homage to another. Because inside every human lives a spark of the divine. If you look within, you'll find love, truth, light, peace.
Every now and then, I sit down and think of all the people in my life, and I say to them in my head: "Namaste".
I think of the people who have been there for what seems like an eternity, who are so much a part of my everyday existence that I sometimes take them foregranted, and I say to them, "Namaste".
I say "Namaste" to those people who were destined to be in my life for just a short while; people whose only purpose was to breeze through, deliver a divine message, and then leave, not knowing that they changed my life forever.
I think of the people who have hurt me most deeply, the ones I find most difficult to love, the ones whom I can't ever seem to understand, and I say to them "Namaste"- for in life, they are some of my most important teachers. They are destined to teach me some of the greatest lessons I will ever learn.
I think of all the people I don't know personally but read about in the news everyday- world leaders, celebrities, victims, prisoners, soldiers- people who change the landscape of the living world, and whose lives are so publicized that they barely even seem real or human- and I say to them "Namaste". They are people, too.
And to all of you who have brought some new insight into my existence through a comment or whatever else, I say to you: Namaste.grace
You all may have noticed that I've been writing like mad, not just in this blog, but also in my own personal, hardbound journal. I think about so many things. Never in my life have I craved so much silence, so much solitude. I am most content when I am in a large, open space where I can sit, stare at the sky, and think.
I've been going to church on my own, and I never go to church unless my parents tell me. I'm not religious but I believe that I am spiritual and that I do have faith. I sit there, even when there is no mass and the place is big and empty. I pray. Not the hail-holy-Mary kind of praying. I sit there, and feel real gratitude for everything in my life, and I wish for good things, and I put my trust in The Transcendent. Sometimes I write in my journal, right there inside the church. Then I step outside, sit on a bench, and stare at the big open field, and the sky.
Christmas is different this year. For one, I'm not buying anyone any presents. I am giving people only things that I already have. For the first time, Christmas will not be a mad rush to spend money on presents that most people won't even like or appreciate. It's not going to be one party after another, before finally getting sick from exhaustion.
Christmas this year is quiet and meaningful, a time for me to appreciate and give thanks for everything that is in my life. Because everything is impermanent. And it's good to be grateful for things whil they are still there.
Today, at Simbang Gabi at the Church of the Gesu in Ateneo, I ended up writing a prayer of thanks:Thank you for all the love I have received in this life.
Thank you for enriching my life by letting me experience being loved so much by someone else.
Thank you for my friends, my spiritual brothers and sisters.
Thank you for my family, my heart and soul.
Thank you for all the people whom I often forget to take time out to appreciate, the maids, the houseboy, the driver, and the so-called "lowly people" who have taken it upon themselves to bear the burden, not just of their daily lives, but also of mine.
Thank you for making me an artist, for giving me hands to draw, a voice to sing, a heart with which to feel with, and eyes to witness the overwhelming beauty of this world, and of this life.
Teach me to be humble. Teach me to be kind. Teach me to be patient. Teach me to be healing and nurturing towards others.
Above all, teach me to give without expecting anything in return, for there lies the key to abundance.
Amen.
And speaking of Christmas, I think we Filipinos celebrate it the best way. Christmas in the Philippines is beautiful.
I took this picture outside the Church of the Gesu after simbang gabi. As I walked out of the church, a very pretty song started playing from the belltower, and I was greeted with stands selling churros and bibingka, and this:
Dozens of star-shaped lanterns hung from the trees, and the Bel Field was dripping with lights.
Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat!and today i promised myself i'd do something creative
I made a painting which is viewable here. (Greenpeace people will be pleased)
at 10:32 PM 
Comments:
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great painting ala :) makes me nostalgic haha. i also keep a journal for my personal thoughts ( the one i brought on the trip just let its pages loose after i ripped some sheets for the sea life drawings :( huhu ) you are an inspiration to a lot of people. keep on shining! its a very powerful gift you have, this creativity, perspective and wisdom and your yearning for more truth about life. keep on searching, you will find it.. but then again, the pieces of experiences we pick up along the way... those are little truths part of higher truths that we've already found ... ;) namaste ( i was thinking of this word like 3 hours ago... then i read your blog :O
"be empty to be full" - Lao Tzu
p.s. check out www.themeatrix.com and www.thestorewars.com funny sites about vegetarianism, organic consumerism and the environment. salud!
"be empty to be full" - Lao Tzu
p.s. check out www.themeatrix.com and www.thestorewars.com funny sites about vegetarianism, organic consumerism and the environment. salud!
and ,.... i miss school :( used to walk to school on sunday afternoons and weekday evenings... makati is helllllllllllll!!!!
Great painting.
Interpretation:
Yellow Sunshine
Orange Sunshine
Purple Haze
Wow
And dreamy as it is.
Namaste!
Interpretation:
Yellow Sunshine
Orange Sunshine
Purple Haze
Wow
And dreamy as it is.
Namaste!
#
: 9:44 AM
: 9:44 AM
ive been going to church on my own, too. with my sisters both in manila and my parents abroad, i am on my own. and like you, i admit, im not religious..but i do have faith in God and i envy those people who are.. :)
merry xmas ala. :D
merry xmas ala. :D
Nice entry, Als. I have just been so caught up with the stress that always comes with the season. You made me ponder on what Christmas really means -- maybe I should really find time to sit down and pray and just be grateful for all the blessings that He has bestowed on our family all these years, despite the pain and hurts we also experienced. Thanks for making me realize that people around us, whether friends or foes, are meant to be appreciated because they all teach us what life is all about. You have been a teacher to me also, just by reading your blog. Take care and I still have to find your gift ;-) Hehe.
Love, T.Ollie
Love, T.Ollie
# : 9:56 AM
: 9:56 AM
I thought ako lng gumagawa ng pumunta ng simbahan ng walang misa, just stay inside and say to him whatever you want, make kwento etc.... then after punta sa labas ng church upo sa may bench,to breath, look around; the trees, the sky, the birds,and the little children, ahhh...sarap ng feeling! I never told anyone that I do these things para kseng weird, parang ako lng gumagawa nun. Well anyway, since si ala rin ginagawa yun...try nyo rin minsan and feel enlightened kahit sandali lng. ( ewan ko lng kung nagkataon na bka weird din si ala! haha!)
namste and merry x-mas!
namste and merry x-mas!
How can you Philipino's have Christmas without snow?
Seriously though, glad you are getting a lot out of your Church experiences, remember it is important to not miss Mass!
As for the Hail Mary's, repititve prayer may not seem thrilling or powerful on paper, but go through a Rosary in front of the Blessed Sacrement and you'd be surprised how powerful an experience prayer can be!
Great blog by the way, blogging has really been a neat window on the world, obviously I know very little about the Philipines (outside of the fact that the US liberted them from the Japanese) so today I learned something new.
Seriously though, glad you are getting a lot out of your Church experiences, remember it is important to not miss Mass!
As for the Hail Mary's, repititve prayer may not seem thrilling or powerful on paper, but go through a Rosary in front of the Blessed Sacrement and you'd be surprised how powerful an experience prayer can be!
Great blog by the way, blogging has really been a neat window on the world, obviously I know very little about the Philipines (outside of the fact that the US liberted them from the Japanese) so today I learned something new.
I didn't mean you're a druggy--
that's my interpretation.
I like your art so much that I will
print one. Never did I see all the As in one art work. Makes me giggle. Ok let me interpret Van Gogh's Starry Night now...
that's my interpretation.
I like your art so much that I will
print one. Never did I see all the As in one art work. Makes me giggle. Ok let me interpret Van Gogh's Starry Night now...
# : 7:26 PM
: 7:26 PM
kung sino man gumalaw ng account ko...may you have a terrible year ahead of you. ala sori for using ur account for this.
no enemies.
being One, everyone is a reflection of yourself.
the presence of 'enemies' or peole you just plain don't like only means that there are facets of yourself that you, well don't like din.
...
and your painting is wonderful.
dreaming of water is something very spiritual and cleansing.
heard of kundalini?
being One, everyone is a reflection of yourself.
the presence of 'enemies' or peole you just plain don't like only means that there are facets of yourself that you, well don't like din.
...
and your painting is wonderful.
dreaming of water is something very spiritual and cleansing.
heard of kundalini?
# : 5:02 PM
: 5:02 PM
it's the reservoir of creative energy.
it's believed to be located at the baseof the spine. in the hatha yoga, it's depicted as a 'coiled serpent.'
when the energy is released there is heightened awareness of the oneness of the universe and yourself.
i just thought your snake might be uncoiling.
it's believed to be located at the baseof the spine. in the hatha yoga, it's depicted as a 'coiled serpent.'
when the energy is released there is heightened awareness of the oneness of the universe and yourself.
i just thought your snake might be uncoiling.
# : 1:35 AM
: 1:35 AM
this entry reminds me the unnameable Tao in taoism. when i took philosophies and religions of asia, for our final oral recitation, we were made to choose which of the philosophies and religions (aside from the ones we were practicing) attracted us most and which we can relate to most, i chose tao chia (taoism as a philosophy). it says kasi that we, all creatures, are one and part of a huge macrocosm (the universe). it's really nice to have that kind of thinking because you don't feel superior or inferior to anyone. the whole time i was reading the "namaste" part of your entry, i was thinking about tao chia.:)
about enjoying being alone in a huge space and just introspecting, the masjid (mosque) comes to mind. huge open space. we don't even have chairs or whatever. just carpet. it's great. sana, one day, i can take you to one. there's one beautiful masjid (quite well known in the philippines) super near (two-minute-walk) my house back in mindanao. it's called the king faisal masjid. siempre, medyo malabong madala kita doon as we speak, 'di ba? hehehe:) balang araw siguro.:)
and, i say to you, too: NAMASTE!:)
about enjoying being alone in a huge space and just introspecting, the masjid (mosque) comes to mind. huge open space. we don't even have chairs or whatever. just carpet. it's great. sana, one day, i can take you to one. there's one beautiful masjid (quite well known in the philippines) super near (two-minute-walk) my house back in mindanao. it's called the king faisal masjid. siempre, medyo malabong madala kita doon as we speak, 'di ba? hehehe:) balang araw siguro.:)
and, i say to you, too: NAMASTE!:)
hi ala...this christmas should be special kase you'll leave in a couple of months. enjoy the holidays. you're life is beautiful and you're gifted with so much. and I'm glad you're using your gifts well. God is pleased with you, I'm sure.
I am certain that I've seen your face in the sky before. as I lay on the grassy fields of my youth i think back to a time before the machines ruled our world. and i remember the tw oof us in a "sexytime" kinf of situtation. Needless to say it ended well.
# : 4:11 PM
: 4:11 PM
I am certain that I've seen your face in the sky before. as I lay on the grassy fields of my youth i think back to a time before the machines ruled our world. and i remember the tw oof us in a "sexytime" kinf of situtation. Needless to say it ended well.
# : 4:11 PM
: 4:11 PM
hi ala. i'm sorry i have no background in deviant art but i am very much willing to learn. how do you do this? is there a program or something?
thanks. :)
thanks. :)
# : 7:26 PM
: 7:26 PM
saw you at the gesu. i didn't know you have such dreamy eyes! :) di ko siguro napansin before sa holy because I thought you always looked quite *sabog* (to use a more positive word: carefree) back then.
merry christmas!
merry christmas!
Napanood ko na rin ang banda ni ms. ala paredes. (sa magnet)
ok naman yung melodies ng mga songs.
who wrote them?
ok naman yung melodies ng mga songs.
who wrote them?
# : 6:56 PM
: 6:56 PM
aww =( i remember how you could just drive around and feel christmas back there =(
funny where i am, their independence day falls on the 16th, so they also got a bunch of lights up here well minus the stars, trees, parols etc
yeah.. mosques.. hehehe
happy christmas!
funny where i am, their independence day falls on the 16th, so they also got a bunch of lights up here well minus the stars, trees, parols etc
yeah.. mosques.. hehehe
happy christmas!
Beautiful artwork. I could almost smell the sun and the sea.
Great photos, too.
I've always found it hardest to find the good in people I hate, but I know that there exists in them SOME good, at least. After reading this entry, I said to myself, "Yeah, why not try harder?"
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Great photos, too.
I've always found it hardest to find the good in people I hate, but I know that there exists in them SOME good, at least. After reading this entry, I said to myself, "Yeah, why not try harder?"
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