Greetings!

☃️ The wintery days continued here at Hickory this week. The roads were icy. We had a gorgeous sunrise. Snow balls were made (but not thrown ☺️), and Stephen hiked around the closed golf course nearby. ⛳️

🕯 For our morning meditations, we included a form of chanting every day. Mostly the Pali and Japanese chants from the Monastic Academy, but also some Theravada Buddhist chants that Stephen learned at Forest Dhamma Monastery, and a "Tuning Meditation" by the late composer Pauline Oliveros. 🎶

☀️ On two evenings, Donna led an introductory series in Mutual Awakening, a partner practice intended to cultivate a deep sense of shared experience between the participants. 👥

🎥 For movie night, we watched Charles Eisenstein's And The Music Played the Band, a lovely reminder of where we are and how we can tell a better story as a culture right now. 🌍

💞 The whole house attended Tasshin's Saturday Night Metta on Zoom. Delightful to connect and share loving-kindness meditation together as always. 💓

🌲 Today, Donna lit incense in the woods to honor the passing of Thich Nhat Hanh. He will be missed. 😿

😿