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 Stamps 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. (Beans that are 'split' will cook faster, like lentils or peas).
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 spices like Himalayan or Celtic salt, Masala, Hing, etc.
One extra item that technically can go under the spice section: Sun-dried tomatoes. A good thing to bring extra flavor to boring beans or rice. Stock up, maybe buy a little each week. This may next bring some to the topic of, why not make your own? Sure, if you can, if it's easy during these times, if you have everything you need all ready and don't need to spend in order to purchase a food processor or etc. However, I'm trying to keep this page simple and doable for anyone, therefore sun dried tomatoes, purchased a little each week, is doable for most. After that, you're on your own. :)
Next GROW even a few vegetables. Do not feel you can not grow anything at all because you live in a city or a situation that does not offer a backyard. Anyone can grow a few plants in the house. And if it is cold weather, similarly grow them inside.
Prabhupada has given us warnings of what is ultimately going to happen. Some say because the timeline has passed, he was wrong. Think again. It just means our Harinama and Book Distribution has worked. But to what degree? So ultimately the material systems will not hold, and at the very least, will be damaged.
"The modern civilization is a condemned civilization. The innocent people are being dragged from the villages and exploited in the cities. But in the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna recommends them to remain where they are and produce grains: annad bhavanta bhutani. Grow your food, eat sumtuously, and chant Hare Krishna. This is real life." - S. Prabhupada's letter to Mahavir, Sept 7th, 75
Even in cities, towns, in cold weather - start growing indoors, now! Please do not procrastinate. The more we break free of control over us, and become independent, the less we or family will be hurt. A few pots of the following may bring some financial and food relief but anything takes awhile to grow and produce, so get started:
-Zucchini [easy and produces 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].
-Option: potatoes if, for indoor growing, you can get a potato bag to grow just a few in.
-Anything else you feel drawn to growing. Including but not limited to, Sprouts.
......Spices To Grow: Hot peppers (less salt is needed when using these - but never for children), basil, thyme - all easy. Etc! Check out this blog post.
Over the years throughout this blog I have placed some helpful links for survival or gardening and so on. I will add some of them in the Related Links section below.
MEDICAL is 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. (See links below too).
You know what we need the most? Upliftment of overall consciousness. This requires spiritual life and Sankirtana! IMHO a lack of distributing Prabhupada's "transcendental" knowledge has played a role in what's going on in America right now.
"Outdoor kirtana must be done, even at the cost of suspending all editorial work. Temple worship is not so important. If need be, the whole temple can be locked, but the outdoor kirtana cannot be stopped." - Srila Prabhupada's letter to Rayarama May 16, 1969 [My Note: Editorial work should not be confused with book distribution, because it is different].
Plus, folks do not know where to turn for spiritual upliftment therefore they turn to whoever puts on the best show, not recognizing the difference between feigned insincerity and genuine spiritual bliss. Yet, who could recognize this difference when that education is not sufficiently being made available, not out there in the form of books - Prabhupada's unchanged books. Too much of our populace is sad or hopeless, 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 friend of yours who will do so. LINK to original books. If you just don't have it in you to do either one, what my husband and I use to do, was keep a few small ones 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, we'd give it away to anyone we met while shopping who may look 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. Remember, always preach based in love, understanding, and kindness - without changing the philosophy.
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.
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.
[PIC: Old woman holds baby for another woman so she can work, in exchange for a slice of bread and cup of tea. Real photograph from 1877 Brittan. Is this what we are coming to? Lets do our part to not let that happen].
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. What we do know is that Bhakti Yoga changes the earthly vibration and helps everyone to think more clearly. In the past, Prabhupada explained that we actually stopped war due to Harinama! There is currently fear of war. It does not have to happen:
Ramesvara: Now, what I am thinking is this, that you have mentioned many times, several times, that there is a conflict which is inevitable between Russia and America.
Prabhupada: Hm. No, if they understand Krsna consciousness, both of them -- now we are publishing -- then there will be no conflict on..." SP Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara
This works when we do. Book Distribution and Harinama ki jai!
Preparing is also to be done for spiritual life. Buy some extra incense to offer, stock pile a bit of it. Grow a mint plant so you'll at least have some lovely leaves to offer. (Always pot them as they are highly invasive). And anything else. Allow yourself to feel the bliss. Keep on chanting and be happy! Keep on doing those at-home arotika's! And read Prabhupada's books. A common mistake some think is that book reading time is meant more for the nondevotee. No, it is for the devotee as well. You deserve it. Take out time and read daily, even if it's just a few minutes. Reading has a lot to do with faith. And faith is not blind following nor sentimental. It all unfolds in his books, which he said Krishna actually wrote (thru him).
Empower yourself to return to, and relish, your eternal position with Krishna through hearing, chanting, remembering/thinking of Him, worshiping, serving, etc. Whatever you need to do to get there!
RELATED or HELPFUL LINKS:
