29 Dec 2016

End of the year contemplations: Connection through Creations, Timeless form of Gratitude, and Doors to Happiness

These are some of my contemplations as the Gregorian Calendar year ends. I chose these because these were the ones that left strong emotions and gave deep insights in my life. All of these things that I shall write are born out of my experience and observations through the lenses of my soul.

Connection through Creations

As with many people, I carry a mobile device that allows me to send a message anywhere, anytime, and to anyone instantly. When I receive one, I can choose to reply immediately or later because I know that I can send one instantly anyway. The problem is, along those lines, the effort, the emotions, the thoughts lose importance and weight. Convenience has taken over our intention of giving proper time and effort to convey what we have to convey. In some cases, since we have already taken for granted the depth of communication, we worry over not being able to communicate for a short while. We worry over being "disconnected" with anyone and this happens most often with our current partner or family. I even experienced this anxiety of not being able to communicate or talk with someone even though I badly wanted to talk with her. I was frustrated with the distance and difference in the rhythm of work and lifestyle. I felt "disconnected" at one point but I realized immediately that this "disconnection" is illusory.

The concept that we are connected through electronic devices and social networking services is illusory. Our true connection lies more deeply, deeper than the deepest part of the ocean. Our true connection goes beyond the farthest star yet it is so close, we need only close our eyes and breathe.

I simply have to touch the ground where I am standing and I am already connected with that person. 

I simply have to breathe in air and I am already breathing the same ethers as that person. 

I simply have to drink water and I am already drinking the same water as that person.

Within me is the cosmos from which the Earth was made, and the same is true for that person.

This is our true connection. Through the Creations we are bound together yet our Creativity is boundless.

Timeless form of Gratitude

Most often, we say thank you once we receive something. We feel gratitude only after something happened, whether it be good or bad. This is one form of gratitude that we feel almost every day. This year, I have countless things that I have to be grateful for. I am grateful for all the experiences, all the people I met, all the Love I received, all the happiness people shared with me, all the pains and suffering I went through, all the things that did not happen. There is also a gratitude that is directed towards the future. We are grateful for the blessings, the good tidings that will come next year. Even the bad things that may happen, we are still grateful for them for they will lead to better things. 

Feelings of gratitude born from the past and future are all well and good but there is another form of gratitude that goes beyond the past and the future. This gratitude is a gratitude that is not directed to anyone or anything. You are not merely thankful for the things that have happened or will happen. You are no longer expecting anything, you are no longer bound to the past. You are simply thankful. The gratitude becomes so vast and empty that you can only smile and utter nothing. I experienced this feeling once while I was working the field. I took a break and sought shelter from the strong sun and sat on a piece of log lying nearby. There was a big fir tree in front of me and I looked at it. It's the same tree that I have been looking at for months but somehow that day, that moment, it looked different. There was a certain energy it was releasing or maybe I was the one directing it towards the tree and it is simply reflecting it. I do not really know. I cannot define it clearly in words but I caught myself smiling, and tears were running down my cheeks. I felt so happy, there was a deep gratitude that I cannot explain. I was not grateful to anyone or anybody, I did not even know what I was thankful for. I was just filled with utter gratitude and joy that I cannot stop myself from smiling. I just tried to put it in words as "timeless gratitude" but these actually do not suffice as a worthy definition of the experience. There is no explanation enough to express what I felt and I think it needs to be experienced rather than explained.

Doors to Happiness

There is no door to happiness. You can drop all your luggage, cancel all your travel plans, and stop yourself from walking further.

There is no door to happiness. 

The road you are standing on, the path you are on right now IS happiness. 

There is no seeking needed. 

There is no soul-searching needed. 

The more you seek, the more you are losing. 

Many trust the teaching that you should be happy for what you have because many people do not have it such as food, shelter, and clothing. This is true and we should indeed trust this teaching but I will also add something to it. Be happy for what you do not have. Many people carry burdens that need not be carried. This is true for many politicians and big businesses. They have too much that the happiness brought by material wealth is overburdened by the stress and fear that go with it. They indeed have material wealth but they also have the fear of losing it. 

True happiness in my experience is a balance of what you have and what you do not have. Standing in the middle of the path, the good and the bad is equilibrated and you experience Peace and Happiness. You are no longer happy just for those things you have but you are also happy for what you do not have. Through the clarity and pureness of your perspective, you become more aware of what you need to let go and what you need to hold, then you attain balance. 

This is the road of happiness, and through co-arising, the road of happiness is also the road of peace, joy, and love. 

Amen.


"Live your Life as if you are carrying a baby in your arms- not too tight for the baby might suffocate, not too loose for the baby might fall." 
(Photo taken at Teshikaga Town, Hokkaido, Japan)

7 Dec 2016

Shipping Container Tiny House Part 1: Reasons for building a tiny house, Container inspection, Condensation Problems

Winter Project Number 1 will now commence! As soon as I got back from my pilgrimage to Nara, I immediately went to our land to make some inspections on the shipping container that I will convert into a tiny house. Before anything else, I would like to share the reasons why I decided to build a tiny house.

What is a tiny house?

First of all, what is a tiny house? Simply put, a tiny house is a house smaller than the normal houses and usually these tiny houses are built on trailers and renovated shipping containers. There is already a tiny house movement going on around the world. Since the tiny house is built on trailers or shipping containers, they usually require no city permit to build no building tax. This is also an alternative lifestyle to minimize waste, consumerism, and move towards a more ecological and sustainable lifestyle. 

Living in a big house requires a lot of energy!

Cooling, heating, lighting, and regular maintenance of a large house requires a lot of energy. I am now living in a house for one family and the amount of wood I am using to heat the house is more than I anticipated. The house also has poor insulation so all the heat simply dissipates away to the roof and walls! A tiny house requires smaller energy for heating and with proper insulation, heating the house will be more efficient. 

Live in my own Land!

Building my dream house will require meticulous designing and since I have no professional experience in building a house, it will take a lot of time. So, in the meantime, I wanted to live in a tiny house while slowly building my dream house. I am still renting a house in a nearby house so I had to drive back and forth to my land. I wanted to live in my own land as soon as possible so as soon as I wake up, I can immediately see how my land looks. 

Future Guest, Volunteer, Staff House

When I was looking for a land, I volunteered at different farms and lived in different conditions. I experienced some living quarters with no toilet, no bathroom, no heating, no privacy, and some have one of these or a combination of these. It was a great experience for me to be grateful for whatever I have right now and I realized that living is really supposed to be very simple. So, for my future guests, volunteer, or staff, I wanted to provide a better living quarters than what I have experienced. So, after I finished building my dream house, I can allow volunteers and guests to live in this tiny house and experience living simply with all the needed facilities. 

Shipping Container Inspection

The shipping container is a nominal one (8ft wide, 8 ft 6 in high, 20 ft long; 2.44m wide, 2.59m high, 6.1m long). How the heck can we live in such a small space?! Well, the answer is, we can. With compact design, less possessions, and creative thinking, we can. The shipping container has about 2 to 3 inches of insulation(glass wool). There was already an electric connection from the grid which saved me a lot of work! This was used as a place to rest by the previous owner.

Emptying this place is going to be a big job!

Upon further inspection of the container, I noticed a wet spot on the ceiling with some rotten wood around it. I was worried that there may be a leak on the roof so I removed the ceiling on the part where the ceiling was rotting and lo and behold, rat poop rained all over!

Glass wool with sprinkles of rat poop

The glass wool was a perfect haven for field mice- it's warm, fluffly, and humid. So, the number of job increased! I now have to remove the ceiling, replace the insulation, and rewire the electric connections! I looked closely at the walls too and noticed some wet spots as well. When there are wet spots on the wall, one highly possible problem is condensation.

Condensation Problems

Imagine a cold glass of water in a warm room. You will start to notice droplets of water forming on the surface of the glass, this is condensation. When warm air and cold air meets on a surface, the difference in the temperature causes the water vapor to condense on the surface. In tropical countries this is not a big problem because there is no big difference in room and outside temperature but in cold climates, during winter, because the house is heated and the outside air is cold, the wall becomes the condensation surface. This problem occurs especially when there is no insulation on the walls. Insulation acts as a barrier between the warm air inside and the cold air outside. Venting, or air exchange between inside and and outside is also critical to prevent condensation.

Wet walls due to condensation on the metal container walls

Condensation on walls becomes a problem when the wood starts to rot. This becomes a habitat for insects and pests such as rats. Molds also grow resulting to poor air quality. The number of job again increased! I have to remove the rotten wall panels, place a proper insulation, and reframe the walls and panels.

A few days into this project and I can already see the project taking longer than planned. I learned from a carpenter that after planning a building project, multiply the amount of time and budget by 1.5 times and this will be a good estimate. Along the way, for sure there will be unexpected problems that will cost time and money. 

Now, onto deconstruction!








1 Dec 2016

A Letter to my Co-Creator

To my Dearest Co-Creator,

I pray this message reaches you in high spirits and in Love and Peace. I am writing this 
letter publicly so that you and everyone whose hearts are both open and slowly opening 
will be able to read this and bring joy to their hearts.

Presently, you are physically not in my presence but I still wanted to write this in the Present moment for two reasons. Firstly, my heart was simply moved to write one and secondly, I wanted to share this feeling to everyone who is currently seeking their co-creators or even those who have found them.

I wanted you to know that I have finally found the land- the land where we shall co-create a bright family in the Presence of Creations. I am now starting to build the homestead, clearing the land, planting trees, and right now, I am slowly renovating a shipping container into a tiny house. I know building this homestead will take time and money, but I also have that figured out! Right now, I am earning some money from the company my family owns, but to slowly be financially independent, I will be growing mushrooms on logs. I have many things planned so that the money comes in naturally while we would enjoy working on our own land and building the homestead.

Besides building the homestead, I am also building myself one mindful step at a time. Each moment, I try to live mindfully so that I am always aware that within me, my ancestors and my future descendants are living already. Each food, sights, sounds, and air that go inside my body, I am aware that even my ancestors, my descendants are feeling these as well. I am now more mindful of each nutriment that I take in. Sometimes, though, I eat unhealthy foods, listen to music that waters seeds of aggression within me, but I am trying my best to slowly do away with these. I am sure though, that everyday, I grow mindfully one step at a time.

Maybe right now, you are somewhere building yourself as well. Maybe right now, you are caught up in the conditioned world and still unaware of my Presence. Maybe right now, you are going through great suffering in your life. Maybe right now, you are very happy with what you are doing. Maybe right now, you are slowly awakening, finding your way through the dark, guided by a small light. Maybe right now, you are just under my nose and I am not noticing! (give me a big kick at the knee if that's the case!) All these assumptions are not actually needed because I am sure that with each day, each moment, we are moving forward and flowing with the great unfolding of Life! Paths that need to merge will merge. 

I am not in a hurry to meet you but surely, I am very excited! I simply wanted you to know that I am doing fine and slowly building this homestead. Although I do have one request. Can you please arrive sooner? lol! I want you to see how the place is changing, I want us to design where to plant trees together, I want us to build the house together! There are many things that we can co-create as this place is being built. So, maybe you can arrive a day earlier than the day we are supposed to meet? lol!

Take your time, love yourself, build yourself, be at peace with yourself first. Love the people around you, love your family, love everyone! So that when we start this co-creation, we can love more people! You are doing well in Life. 

I am both waiting and moving on in Life. Many may say waiting is not good, but I think there is an error in this. Waiting is good as long as you are moving on and doing what you love in Life as well. Waiting idly and constantly worrying is not good.

It took eons for this beautiful Earth to manifest, so waiting eons for you to manifest while doing what I love is not a bad idea at all!

See you soon!

With all the Love, Peace, and Joy,

Satoshi




The Stars have aligned for this beautiful Creation to manifest and soon, the stars will again align for another Co-Creation to happen



28 Nov 2016

Winter Projects! No hibernation for me I guess.

The snow has settled and is not showing any signs of melting. Surely, this is the start of winter! I have forgotten how cold the winter is here in Hokkaido. I enjoyed summer and autumn too much while the temperature suddenly dropped below zero and snow piled up to blanket the sleepy terrain.

"Now that winter has begun, what are you going to do in your land?" This may be one of the questions that I have heard of frequently. Well, the answer is, I will do what I can do. Winter Hibernation is still a luxury for me who has not yet built my own home in my own land. I have several winter projects that I have in my checklist that I have to do before spring arrives! Here are some of them.


Winter scenery at the homestead

Tiny House Winter Project

Since the July of this year, I have been living in a rented house in a nearby town while going back and forth to my land. I am deeply thankful that they are renting this house to me almost for free but I really hope to live in my own land and build my own house. Building a house needs meticulous designing and I want to build slowly but surely while having fun. So, before starting to build a house, I will reconstruct this shipping container into a Tiny House. During this winter, I will design a compact but cozy tiny house, remove the inner walls and floors of the container, and renovate the inside. I hope to finish by spring so that I can move in to my own land starting next year!


Shipping container to be converted to a Tiny House (Photo taken during summer)

Article or research paper on Food Production and Consumption in Iwamizawa, Hokkaido

Last month, I went to a lecture of Helena Norberg-hodge on localization of food and businesses. This greatly intrigued me as to how self-sufficient is the community I live in when it comes to food. How much food is produced? How much of this is consumed here? How much food enters this community? What are the hidden costs of the cheapness of other products? What are the effects of large businesses on small, local businesses? These are some of the questions that I will try to answer and share to the local people to shed light to this dilemma.

Cutting logs for mushroom production

Before spring arrives, trees for mushroom production must be felled during winter while all the sap is in the roots. I will cut the tree and make sure to leave a bud for it to regenarate or I will replant again in spring. This is the most laborious job but winter is the only timing for this job, plus I get to learn the contours of the land and the species of trees in my forest without being afraid of encountering any bears.

Future Projects Possible in Philippines during winter

This winter, I will find time to visit Philippines and talk to my friends and professors regarding what type of project or movement can I help with when it's winter here in Hokkaido. I'm sure there are still many people who I can help through their spiritual growth and through them, I can also grow. I can also do workshops on some gardening methods, building techniques or any new alternative idea that I tried and tested in Hokkaido and modify it to fit the climate and culture of the Philippines

Honestly, before winter finally set in, I went through some inner turbulences but finally, after a five-day pilgrimage to Nara, Japan, I have finally found my center again and I am now very excited to start on these projects!


This winter and the coming spring, there will be great changes in my life and in the Homestead! Slowly, the place is being prepared for the building of home, then of the family.


The fire accepts both my good and my bad. There is no discrimination. When all is burnt, when none is left, from the emptiness, true insight is born. 


27 Oct 2016

A Contemplation on a Quiet Autumn Day: Where should we be now?

Before winter sets in, I have been moving and working as if I am a bear who is about to hibernate. Though, I know that I have to stop sometimes, I was lost for a moment and tried to busy myself with work. Today, I was able to stop, light a fire on the wood stove, and slowly contemplate and face my inner turbulences.

The question that recently I am asking myself and also hearing from other people is "Am I where I should be right now?" This question stems from deep anxiety and fear that we are not fulfilled with where we are now. We think that we are currently not doing enough to be satisfied with life. This is commonly referred to as the "quarter life crisis".

I also asked myself this question a quite a few times. I have seen people who are quite far ahead in life and doing what I wanted to do. I have seen people of my age doing something beyond my abilities. Once you start comparing yourself with others, that is when anxiety kicks in and slowly, fear creeps through our system. Once we start looking at another's plate, we tend to look at our own and compare it with them.

I tried to face this side of mine a number of times but no matter how hard I try to "fight" it, the anxiety and fear still lingers. Recently, I have found the answer. After fighting this "demon" inside me, I realized that this demon is only feeding on my focus and stubbornness to deny it. From the very beginning there is no demon to fight. Fighting it solves nothing. A demon stops being a demon once you embrace it with love and acceptance.

This is how I tried to face this anxiety.

Recognize and accept that you carry this feeling

The very first step is acceptance and recognizing that you have this anxiety. This not only applies on anxiety but on other feelings such as loneliness, insecurities, fear, envy, and others as well. Do not deny that you are anxious of something. Accept it. Recognize that this feeling lingers within you. Because you now recognize this feeling, you can look into it directly. You no longer deny its existence. This first step is very important because without properly identifying this feeling, this will continue to take over our lives and decisions. Before you actually get to know anyone, your first see their face, hear their voice, and know their name. You first get to recognize them before actually getting to know them deeper.

Look deeply into this feeling and learn its roots

After being able to recognize and accept the existence of this feeling, you can now look into it deeply face to face. By looking deeply, we can learn more about this feeling.
"Why are you here?"
"Where did you come from?"
"Why do you exist?"
These are some questions you can ask yourself and to this feeling to know more about it. As you learn more about it, you will know where this feeling came from. Did this anxiety come from comparing yourself with others? Is this what I really want to do with my life? Did this hate come from your past experience? You don't have to deny anything. Simply ask yourself these questions and whatever answer arises, accept it. This is the origin of your suffering, embrace it! You have now recognized your anxiety, and looked deeply into it and realized its origin.

Finding the solution to face this feeling

Now that you have learned and understood the origin of this anxiety, you can now come up with a solution that will help remove this suffering. Maybe you need to put more focus on what you are doing. Maybe, instead of comparing what you are doing with others, you can learn from what others are doing and apply it to your life and improve upon it. Maybe you need to avoid seeing these things so what you have to do is filter your social networks or even completely remove it. Only after deep looking can a true and proper solution arise. Do not hurry, give it time. Look deeply as much as you can so you can be sure as to what action you must do. Maybe you do not even have to do anything and this feeling will dissipate. The essential step is to be able to look into it and embrace it as a friend and not as an enemy. 

Stepping forward or backward

So the question is are you stepping forward or backward? You may ask this question yourself but it is important to know that step is a step. Whether it is forward or backward, that's not important. The important thing is you are aware of each step you take. There is no forward or backward, you simply are where you should be. In this moment, you do not have to be anywhere. You simply have to be there. When the time comes to step again, you step again. It may be forward, backward, left, or right- the essential thing is that you are ready to let go and accept new things to enter your life. You may see others in front of you but being in front does not necessarily mean you have to be in the front as well. The direction you need to go may be on the east or the west. It may even be possible that where we have to go is back. Life and technology have become complicated because of our twisted perspective on the concept of development and progress! If this is the current understanding of moving forward, then I would rather step backward. 

Even in relationships and partnerships, we are either afraid to take a step, or we are in too much of a hurry to take a step that we make mistakes and love turns into hate. Here, I have experiences where a person is too focused on stepping forward that the person loses sight of the people and events currently around. People tend to forget what they have currently and try to move forward trying to seek something in the future when in fact, when they look closely to what they have now, it is just within their reach. I have encountered people here where they wait for a certain opportunity or a status in life before they can experience other aspects of life. This is one of the traps of suffering. Thinking that you currently do not have what you need so you wait for the future to be happy is a perfect source of anxiety and suffering. 

So, wherever you are right now in life, you are supposed to be there. When the proper time arrives for you to take a step, take your step confidently. Go ahead and look at other people's direction but know that you have your own direction to go to. They may look far away from where you are going but that does not mean that you are behind. Each one of us takes a detour in life thinking that this is were we should be going when in fact all of us will reach the same direction in the end, so why not enjoy the journey? It's actually more fun to have a longer journey so just enjoy where you are right now. Turn, meander, take a U-turn, step backward, go up and down, go wherever you want! Just make sure that with each step, you are stepping with love and kindness, embracing creations and manifesting peace!


"The person is where he or she should be right now. You are where you should be. It is that simple. Tomorrow, you will be where you should be. So, just do what you have to do now, and think of nothing else"

(Photo of Mt. Otobe taken from Assabu)


Here comes winter! Winter house preparations and a little DIY renovations

The days are getting shorter and shorter while the nights drag on longer. Winter is coming, and it's coming in fast! The first snow already fell but melted the next day. The surrounding was white for a moment but as soon as the sun shone, all melted away. This is just the beginning! Nature is just telling us that soon, the snow will pile up so do all the things you have to do before the snow starts piling up!


Within half an hour the weather changed and the surrounding became all white!



The houses built in this area are made similar to the warmer areas of mainland Japan. The main problem is that during summers, the house is hot inside and very cold in winter! There are draughts going inside the house from all around. To lessen the draught problem, people in this area place a temporary wrap on the windows. Most of the draught go through the window so it is essential to cover it properly. Double pane or even triple pane windows are very expensive so most of the houses here simply use a normal window. 


Setting a 7mm bubble wrap on one of the rooms


Covering the other entrance that I never used! I placed wood frames then about ten centimeters of foam insulation. I will place a plywood or a pallet to cover the foam. 

One of the ways to reduce heating cost of the house is to lessen your living space. This means only using the stuff you need, not buying more stuff, and making the room use as efficient as you can. I covered the other room and then sealed with a plastic bubble wrap.

Heating the house is also one of my concern this winter. The way you heat the house will greatly affect the cost of heating the house. Currently, most people use kerosene to heat their houses. It easier and more convenient to buy kerosene and simply turn on the stove and wait until the house gets warm. Convenience comes with a hidden cost. It is really irrational to think that the fuel used to heat the house has to come from another country. To process the fuel, another fuel needs to be used. To transport the fuel, fuel again is needed. Before it reaches your home, it already used a considerable amount of fuel. Comparing it with using firewood readily available in my surrounding, firewood is more efficient energy wise, and environment wise. Fossil fuel is a non-renewable energy source. It took thousands of years to form and it takes only a few centuries to use all of it. As for firewood, you cut the wood, and new tree will grow in 6-10 years. Using local resources to heat the house was the best choice for me so I replaced the kerosene stove in the house with a wood stove. I got a help from my friend in installing this wood stove.


The chimney is not yet installed but the bricks were placed around. The bricks were not mortared permanently because next year I will be building a house and I am only renting this house.

Before the snow falls, I started gathering firewood from all over the town. Fallen branches, felled trees from the typhoon, demolished houses, and cardboards from neighbours. I was amazed as to how much stuff people don't need that can still be used! They consider these things as trash but once you decided on pursuing a minimalist lifestyle, nothing can be considered as trash!


Still not enough firewood for one winter!

One of the exciting jobs in winter is construction work inside the house! Now, I can start doing some carpentry or masonry work in the house. I wanted to cover the grey-colored cement floor with a more earthy touch of brown or beige color. I mixed some clay with cement and sand and plastered the whole floor of the entrance!

Cement plastered floor. Personally, the grey color gave off a bleak feeling

Cement, clay, sand mixture.

First-timer's plaster job!

This was my first time doing a plaster job. I have no idea how the plaster should feel or how much water should be added. I improvised as I went! It was really fun and it was pretty levelled. This is one aspect of living a DIY (do-it-yourself) lifestyle. Instead of hiring someone to do this for you, you try to do it with your own skills. No matter your skill level, as long as you try doing it yourself, you learn through the process and a feeling of doing it better next time will arise. You slowly learn how to use your own talents to grab hold of your life. Many DIYers miss the point that DIY is not simply carpentry work or doing something fashionable and stylish. DIY means knowing that you are capable of living in its true essence. Besides carpentry and handicrafts, you have to learn how to cook, how to build a house, how to fix the toilet, how to build a bathroom, how to grow your own food and many many more! DIY also entails reusing as much materials as you can. Instead of using new, non-renewable materials, we try to reuse them as much as possible because we are aware of the environmental impact of manufacturing these products. In doing some carpentry work, instead of using imported wood materials, we use local materials. Instead of buying new insulation materials, we try to find alternative, more ecological materials. In the entrance cover that I made, I reused the insulation foam used by the previous farmer and also reused the wooden frames and pallets. There are limitless possibilities! 

As the winter sets in, more thoughts, considerations, and imaginations flow into or spring from my mind! I am thankful for the hot summers and the cool autumn. I am thankful for the busy life of summer. Now, I am thankful for the calming winter. It is time to stop. Start meditating and planning for next year's bounty! Winter is a time for imagining the next spring's co-creation! 


"Now is the moment you should be in. Be in it. Cherish it. Then happily let it go."
(Photo taken at Katsurazawa Dam in Mikasa City)













8 Oct 2016

Writing a Love Letter...To Yourself.

Have you ever written a love letter to someone? Have you ever received a love letter from someone? I have received and written one before and I felt very happy that I can think and write slowly what I really feel. It helped me express my feelings calmly and not get lost in the moment. The thought that the person who wrote the letter for me spent time and effort to express something to me is very heartwarming so I also spend time to properly reply.

Today, because of easy communication through texting and e-mails, writing a letter has been quite rare. We prefer to communicate faster and easier and most often through that convenience, something is lost. The depth of the words, the effort in each letter are lost along the way and even though communicating has become very quick and convenient, we forget to relate wholeheartedly. In the face of convenience, effort is lost, feelings are diluted, meaning is blurred.

Recently, I have almost been lost in the convenience of electronic communication so I stopped for a while to write something...a love letter. This letter is not just for anyone, this letter was for me.

This is how it went.

Dear Toshi,

I hope this message reaches you in light and loving spirits! Recently you have been very busy with your preparation for winter. You have been focusing outwardly to other people. I see you are disturbed and your heart is wavering. Why are you anxious? Why do you fear?

Please stop for a while and feel that I love you. I love you with all I am. You are loved. It is alright.

Everything that shall come to pass will pass. You are on the right path. Trust the signs and move accordingly. Embrace your fears and anxiety.

Love everyone and everything! Even your fears and mistakes. Love them. Without these, you are not who you are.

All is well. All is well. 

Listen to your heart, tell it that fear is just a feeling out of lack of trust to the path. Trust me, trust your path, trust the signs.

You may sometimes get hurt, tired, stressed, and frustrated to things going that are unplanned, but, trust me, these are planned. Planned by who? By us of course! We have already created images of a bright future and all we are waiting for is for these to physically manifest. Trust these images!

If you sometimes feel tired and lost, just stop and breath. Notice that I am here. Know that you are loved and you can love people, plants, animals, and minerals.

With all the Love in this world,

Toshi

This is how the letter went. As I was writing this letter, I felt very happy and calm. I was filled with love not from anyone else but from within me! This is one way to learn how to love oneself! This helps us realize how much love is already present within us. After writing a love letter to yourself, and after feeling you have lots of love within you, share it to someone else! Write a love letter to your friend, loved ones, or even your enemies! It doesn't need to be a romantic one. It can be a love letter of gratitude, forgiveness, presence, or understanding. 

Spend time to write, express, and share your feelings. I know it is easier and faster to send via email or text but writing and giving your full presence as you write will surely make your feelings reach that person. It does not matter whether they reply or not. The important thing is you showed your presence to that person. You made them aware that you are willing to spend time for them. Many people here around me are always busy! I just want to share with them that they can stop for a while, and create time. A time to reevaluate, reconnect, and reform the foundation of self.

Please, I urge you to create time to stop and write yourself a love letter and you will be surprised as to how much love can spring from your own self!




Under and Above the Tree of Life, We are All Connected