GET PREPARED
A lot has been going on in the U.S.A. which had me torn - do I wait to post, or make one about the issues? I do not want to get too deeply into material or political issues, while simultaneously I feel it is right to prepare ourselves, just in case.
First we've had the withdrawal or reduction of Snap/Food Stamp, help for many who genuinely need it. What to do? We can't control that, but we can recall how to eat simply yet with flavor. Stock pile rice and beans now, so you will be ready.
And learn some good related recipes. I googled "vegetarian rice and bean recipes" and this link is what came up. Tons of them! No need to be boring now. 🙂 Of course, substitute garlic with hing, and offer it all to Krishna first.
SPICES - they are what makes the difference! Use a chaunce! It will create the contrast between feeling like poverty level to feeling first class! Therefore get some ghee or [raw virgin organic] cocoanut oil ahead of time for the chaunce - along with Himalayan or Celtic salt, Masala, Hing, etc.
Next would be to grow even a few vegetables. In cold weather, indoors, starting now! Even if you live in the city, a few pots of the following may bring some financial and food relief:
Zucchini [easy to grow and makes many zucchini's!], tomatoes [use an indoor led or high lux light to get them to produce fruits - and research them a little on the net], potatoes if you can get a potato bag to grow just a few in. ......Spices To Grow: Hot peppers, basil, thyme - all easy. Etc! Check out this blog post.
MEDICAL is actually too huge of a topic for me to cover, as everyone has different medical needs, and the cost is different everywhere. So please take action and look into your and your family's specific medical needs. Make arrangements NOW.
Over the years throughout this blog I have put some helpful links for survival or gardening and so on. I will add some of them in the Related Links section below.
You know what we need the most? Spiritual life and Sankirtana! IMHO a lack of distributing Prabhupada's "transcendental" knowledge has had it's role in what's going on in America right now, coupled with the people not knowing where to turn for spiritual upliftment therefore they turn to whoever puts on the best show. Too much of our populace is sad, needing to hear something higher. If you are young or healthy enough to go out on book distribution, you do not need a big organized temple to make you do it - just do it on your own.
I admit I was never good at it BUT I always believed in it, so if you can't distribute the books, maybe you can send a donation of unchanged books to a friends of yours who will do so. LINK to original books. If you just don't have it in you too do either one, what my husband and I use to do, is keep a few small books in the car, like Journey To Other Planets, or Beyond Birth and Death, the Perfection of Yoga, etc. Then if going to a library anyway, see if they will accept them. If not, give it away to anyone we met while shopping who may looked open-minded enough. Right now at this time people are more open than they outwardly appear. Right now people are suffering and unhappy with the fundamentalism being preached, from politics to religion. Give them a book on transcendence, give them hope.
Don't forget your own spiritual life. :) We can't save others if we haven't first saved ourselves. The example is given, a drowning person can not save anther who is drowning, first must put the lifesaver around theirself before extending a hand to save another. So never neglect your own spirit.
And let us not get complacent. Maybe been home so long, each day the same, we take our spiritual activities to be less and less powerful. But it doesn't work that way. Sometimes we feel it's power, sometimes we don't. Keep on keeping on :) especially during these crazy times. You deserve it.
On fb I keep seeing posts from godsiblings my age [old lol] worrying they may no longer be able to feed their family or even themselves due to snap benefits being cut.
Simultaneously, let us not get sad or depressed or hopeless! We have each other. And stuff is not over, we should not think it all to be horrible, as we do not know the final outcome. We do know that Bhakti Yoga changes the earthly vibration and helps everyone to think more clearly. Harinama ki jai!
So keep on chanting and be happy! Keep on doing those at-home arotikas! Allow yourself to feel the bliss. Preparing is not only on the material level (tho that is needed too), but also the spiritual level. Buy some extra incense to offer, stock pile a bit of it. And anything else.
Allow yourself to relish your eternal position with Krishna thru hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping, serving, whatever you need to do to get there!
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