Sweet elephant gift from India & butter lamps to welcome the New Moon.
May the observation of the New Moon assure all sentient beings that endings are also new beginnings.
15 years ago, this pendant was sold at a discount, having lost its competition among the trendier & newer trinkets in the shop.
Recently, this “casualty” of a merchant’s stock clearing exercise was chosen to accompany a person on an important trip to India.
As a result, this humble pendant of inexpensive stones became a witness to many priceless acts of spirituality & charity as it sits close to the wearer’s heart.
Like this pendant, we may lose favour as circumstances change, or even be discarded as the world hurries on. However, if our essential nature is one of stability & kindness, we cannot be defeated. 😊
A blessed new moon to all sentient beings.
The humble pendant of inexpensive white jade & adventurine also brought me these sandalwood gifts from India.
Two days ago a screw from my brace (Knee-Ankle-Foot Orthotics) came loose. I didn’t realise it till the metal bars came apart & grazed my skin.
I panicked. Without the brace, walking is painful. I panicked because my brace was customised overseas. The company that handled my case has since changed hands. Any replacement parts if they still exist will take time to source & order.
Found!
Meanwhile, a trip downstairs to retrace my steps & see if I could locate the lost screw was urgently needed.
But I couldn’t do so with a broken brace.
In my anxiety, a memory from years ago of an unkempt but cheerful man outside the Ganesh temple along Keong Siak Road floated up in my mind like a movie.
Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple. (Keong Siak Rd, Singapore)
Even though the man didn’t look like he was all there, he had the sense to hold up his oversized pants by passing a rafia string through the belt loops around his waist.
Palms together, the homeless looking person would greet just about anyone passing by or entering the temple dedicated to Ganesh, the elephant-headed deity of Wisdom & Resourcefulness.
Inspired by the memory of his resourcefulness, I lost my fear. As calm descended, a space in me opened up to see if cable ties could hold up my brace.
And the ties worked!
With my brace secured by these plastic wonders, I painlessly & confidently sallied forth & found the missing screw lying on the walkway down my block.
I now have 2 pieces of cable ties in my wallet, just in case. And it humbles me deeply to see that a vagabond is also a channel of divine guidance. 🙏
The memory of the vagabond’s resourcefulness led me to these plastic miracles.Once Ganesh encountered a snake about to strike him. He picked it up & turned the snake into a belt by tying it around his waist, turning an adversary into an accessory. 😄
Today is New Moon. It’s also Day 7 since the passing of Topaz, the last member of a school community cat project that began in 2007.
In all of his 18 years, Topaz lived by his own terms. He accepted food, water & treats, but would disappear for days if anyone tried to get close to him.
Topaz looks on defiantly as his then hiding place was discovered.
As he aged & health issues surfaced, worries over his safety & where he might hide increased. Having lost their mother when he was a kitten & later on his litter mates & cat buddies to dogs & traffic accidents, Topaz was the ultimate survivor.
Topaz, Amber, Ruby & Bella in 2007.
But even heroes need to rest. Last week, with prayer support from well wishers across the world & help from his feeders, Topaz finally allowed himself to be taken to the vet & then to home palliative care.
A touch that took 18 years to happen. Caregivers who fed Topaz & went around the school compound calling for him whenever he didn’t show up for his meals.
He spent the last few days of his life without fear, leaning his lovely leonine head towards his feeders’ palms when they stroked him for the first time.
Pain relief to ease Topaz’s final journey.
After he had breathed his last, Topaz was carefully brushed, blessed & wrapped in cloths bearing auspicious symbols.
Topaz at peace.
On the paperwork for his final transformation, I wrote, “Himalayan” for his breed & “Gold” for his colour.
This little cat will forever be associated with the mountains for his will to live & his love for freedom, and the Light he continues to cast on the lives of many who remember him.
In the quiet sadness, the crematorium room was also charged with peace & grace as multi-faith prayers & blessings were recited over Topaz.
Finally an abundant life is not just about length, but also about love. And I think Topaz has both. ♥️🙏
A life that began in fear & loss has ended in love & peace. 🙏♥️
The Chiku Tree is all decked up with red banner & pineapple hangings on Chinese New Year of the Snake. (29-1-25)
The wind rose and sent the tree branches dancing as I approached the temple on the morning of Chinese New Year.
I stood on the steps to savour the rustling of leaves & greeted the Chiku Tree. Planted by my dad when we were kids, this tree being has been tended to by kinsmen, kinswomen & friends with rudimentary plant knowledge.
Over the years my brother has picked up our dad’s interest in cultivating Desert Roses. When a plant needs healing, he hangs it on the Chiku Tree to let it rest.
Each season the Chiku Tree brings forth sweet & succulent fruits that feed birds and are given freely to whoever asks.
I arrived just in time to see my Mom picking up a Pineapple decoration which the Wind had sent her from the Chiku Tree. Pineapples are symbols of abundance among ethnic Chinese.
Quietly, she bears witness to all temple festivities, performances & feasts. Banquet cooks & street opera singers catch their breaths under her loving auspices. Our late temple cats filed their nails on her trunks.
With each passing year, my admiration for the Chiku Tree grows. She brings sweetness, provides refuge & inspires trust with minimum fuss.
How auspicious it will be, if we could age The Way of the Chiku Tree! 😄🙏
With my Mom under the Chiku Tree on the first day of Chinese New Year.
Our yoga teacher, Erika Khoo, holds Span the cat for the first time in her life.
The visit on this October full moon to shelter animals is extra special because our yoga teacher had asked to join us. It is her first trip to an animal shelter & the first time she ever held a kitten in her life.
When we arrived, the feline PR team at Mettacats & Dogs Sanctuary wasted no time in turning on their furry charm offensive.
Little Red (Xiaohong), survivor of abandonment & vaccine reactions gives Marcus a welcoming nuzzle.
Soon, our deep purple clad yoga teacher was knee deep in adoring eyes & fluffy ears that twitched at the cadence of human speech.
Full on feline charm offensive.
In return the teacher of homo sapien alignment gazed in amazement at the perfectly symmetrical markings on Hermit, the mackeral tabby, & the flawless landing of Toesie, the white cat, on a strip of arm rest about the width of a tissue paper folded in half.
Despite having extra toes on each foot, Toesie the white cat can land on narrow spaces perfectly.
Not to be outdone by his shelter buddies, Asher, the siamese strutted about at my teacher’s feet to show off his chonky form and sepia powdered ear tips and paws.
Asher is up for adoption. Please contact MettaCats & Dog Sanctuary for advice & details.
The chinese word for leisure is written as 閒 or 閑. One character features a moon 月 and the other wood 木. Each is framed by a door 門. Leisure can be understood as standing by one’s door to gaze at the Moon or the Woods (trees).
Despite months of intensive yoga teaching & busy housekeeping, our teacher wanted to spend her rare day of rest to understand love for animals.
That day behind the shelter door, a silence fell upon us like a comfy embrace as our eyes feasted on the sure footed grace of animals & the perfect love of their human keepers. 🙏
5 stalks of Lotus on the table next to ours. Number 5 is associated with grace & completeness in old cultures.
Today at Tekka Market Food centre for lunch, my mind was on a cat undergoing spaying at the veterinary clinic even as we ate.
I had named her Pema when asked for a name during the booking procedure. “Pema” in Tibetan means Lotus Flower.
As I was wondering if Pema would be all right, a spritely silvered haired woman sat down at the table next to ours, after placing a bunch of lotuses on hers.
We began a conversation when my lunch mate included her in our beverage order.
When our orders came, she paid for all of us, praising my friend for his kindness.
After I told her about Pema’s surgery, she pointed at the 5 stalks of lotus flowers on her table, smiled & said, “See, all will be fine. Be at peace.” 😄
Later on in the afternoon, the vet called to say Pema’s surgery went well. She had woken up & while in cage rest, charmed everyone by extending her paw for high fives. 🙏
May the Harvest Full Moon grant us the clarity to see grace, abundance & completeness in ourselves so that we may see them in others.
Oliver welcoming my first Himalayan singing bowl on 8 Dec 2018.
When the cats were here, I began my day with changing their water bowls & replenishing their kibbles. It was usually followed by incense & butter lamp lighting. In their final months, their medical needs directed my mantra recitations.
Each morning my cats, Oliver & Emmanuel led me towards the altar where Compassion represented by Avalokithesvara & Wisdom represented by Ganesha sit.
I’m still processing their absence. And now in their memory, I begin my day by paying attention to my heart & breath.
My Heart & My Breath. (24 October 2022)
When I started doing that, gifts that promoted physical, emotional & spiritual well being from female elders started coming my way. They were a yoga chair to strengthen my standing, a hand carried meditation cushion bought 10 years ago in Rishikesh, India to facilitate my sitting and a newly printed book from its UK author to aid my spiritual evolution.
Gifts of yoga chair & meditation cushion from Wise Women.
A few days before yesterday’s full moon, a younger friend gave me a book on words that console, and another on embracing impermanence.
On Vesak Day morning, as I listened to a mantra on compassion I received a call which allowed me to share my understanding of wounds, medicine, & mending.
Much like the teenage footballers whom I used to mentor who always entered the soccer field with their right foot, I’m a believer in starting the day right.
Yesterday I was beyond grateful to begin a high holiday by offering words of assurance and healing, just like how I used to offer sustenance & hugs to my cats & dog. ♥️😊
Starting right includes choosing to be kind instead of right.
Drawing of Ganesh adorns the box of handmade sweets I received in 2016.
“Madame, please buy it. It’s very nice!” gushed the indian shop assistant. His lady boss at their grocery shop looked on sternly.
The mass produced laddoo being promoted was sealed in plastic wrapping. I could see it had been tossed about quite a bit. I wasn’t even sure if it was still edible, much less tasty.
A laddoo is a bright saffron colored spherical sweet made from flour, sugar, ghee & dry fruits. It is presented as snacks and offerings for celebratory & hindu religious purposes.
Taking Indian sweets with unsweetened massal tea makes me feel like a rani.
Having been exposed to freshly made indian sweets since I was a kid, and as an adult, tasted delightful morsels sold by weight, I’m somewhat of a sweet snob.
Years of savouring sweets sold by weight have made me into a sweet snob.
But what if the shop assistant needed me to buy THAT laddoo in order to show his boss that he was a good employee?
When I agreed to add that tired & slightly toxic looking golf ball sized sweet onto my grocery purchase, the shop assistant beamed in delight while his boss’ face opened like a flower in wonderment.
“You mean you would buy this laddoo from him just because he asked you to?” She clarified, amazed.
“Of course! He’s so enthusiastic about the laddoo. No harm giving it a chance,” I chortled.
Back home as I placed the shabby *prasad at *Ganesha’s feet, I apologised for the way it looked, & promised I would get him nicer ones next time.
Rose quartz Ganaesha in my home.
The next day I had no heart to toss out the laddoo. It was food after all, even if it didn’t meet my standard.
So I took a little bite. And it was the tastiest laddoo I’ve ever eaten! As expected, I single-handedly polished off the whole prasad in one sitting. 😄
On this eve of celebrating compassion & wisdom, may our heart & mind stay open to little acts that can sweeten our life and the lives of others in unexpected ways. 🙏
*prasad – offerings in sanskrit language *Ganesha – elephant headed hindu diety associated with wisdom & possibilities.
My interest in sweets causes me to leave sweets for the housekeepers who take care of the rooms I stay when I travel.
Mandala of Sweets for the Full Moon. May we remember all the pockets of sweetness in life that have been bestowed upon us. May we be forgiving to ourselves & others. May we be receptive to teachings to improve all lives.
Yesterday’s full moon was not only a time for reunion meals for those celebrating lunar new year but also Lailat al Bara-ah for Muslims (day of forgiveness) & Sangha Day (day of teaching) for Buddhists.
Prayers on Lailat al Bara-ah yesterday evening.
In that context, cab fares island wide were understandably higher than usual. Passengers for rides increased even as drivers may have slowed down to fulfill their familial & spiritual obligations.
Instead of lamenting & stressing over the price hikes, I stopped to have a salad. While refreshing myself with the greens I recalled the times where my cab fares were low & journeys were eased by the goodwill of many others.
Messengers of Ease: Oasis Holistics founder, Erika Khoo and media lecturer, Jailani Abu Bakar.
Yesterday was also my yoga teacher’s birthday. She was born in the Year of the Dragon, and is looking stronger each year we meet. In the quiet of the salad shop, I sent her a birthday greeting.
The cab fare had dropped by the time I finished my meal. When I reached home, I was greeted by the sight of the golden yellow moon. ❤️😊
This morning I offered a belated mandala of sweets to the first Full Moon of the Dragon Year.
Mandala of Sweets for the first full moon of the Dragon Year.
May the brightness of her light illuminate our mind & the simplicity of her shape calm our heart so that we may call on the sweetness of life to see us through trying times. ❤️🙏
We are known by the goodwill we send out. These decorations were put up in the common area by a resident whom I have not met.
And just like that, the first new moon of 2024 is upon us. It felt like just recently we were at Boudha Stupa to observe the last new moon of 2023.
Observing the last new moon of 2023 at Boudha Stupa with some of the most compassionate people I know. (13 Dec 2023, Nepal)
The postcard I wrote & mailed to myself on 7 Dec 2023 from Nepal arrived on 7 Jan 2024 in Singapore. I showed it to my first tuition class of the year to get them to design & write a postcard to themselves to capture their hopes for the New Year.
“Who’s Marcus?” The curious speed readers in my class asked.
Visiting Ganesh at Park Village Hotel in Budanilkantha. (7 Dec 2023)
“Marcus was my travel buddy who helped me carry relief supplies for street & shelter animals. He also held my hand when the road became uneven so that I wouldn’t fall down,” I explained to the clean limbed and bright eyed 12 year olds.
Marcus with Lakshmi at Street Dog Care.
For Nepal constantly tests one’s fitness, capacity for kindness and openness to changes.
Marcus carried all the heavy stuff, helped me up & down stairs, vehicles, curbs and kept me from tripping over misaligned tiles & bricks on our paths.
Some days he went ahead to check out places we could have our meals in, their menus and accessibility to me. He was my google map. 😄
Our first meal in a Tibetan shop tucked deep in an alley. Without my travel buddy, I wouldn’t have the motivation nor strength to venture further.
Silence followed as the young ones ruminated on the challenges of travelling with someone like me, and reflected on new reasons beyond that of entertainment & education for travelling.
Listening to his singing bowl at Pilgrims Book House, Thamel, Kathmandu.
As we look to the first New Moon of 2024, may we continue to find new meanings, new directions and new resources for our benefit and for all sentient beings, regardless of the conditions & situations we’re in.
The “photo bombers” in this pic show me we don’t need to wait for a “perfect background” to take a good shot. In fact their presence enrich this picture. 🙏
Lisa Ong 