Solar Cooking - Cooking With Sunshine

While scrolling through my endless Facebook feed...yes I admit I do it too... every now and then I run across a subject that really peaks my interest.  Earlier this summer when Karen Casey-Smith posted a glorious photo of banana bread she had baked in her solar oven, I knew Solar Cooking was a subject that I definitely wanted to know more about.  Karen was kind enough to write up an article for our blog.  Ohhh this looks so cool.   Thanks Karen!

Solar Cooking - Cooking With Sunshine

Yes! You really can cook with sunshine using a solar oven. Place your food into a dark colored pan, set it in a solar oven outside under clear blue, sunny skies, and come back later to a delicious hot cooked meal! How amazing is that? You can even make a solar oven yourself! Now why would you want to cook outside if you have a perfectly nice oven in your home?

Solar Oven Baked Banana Bread

Benefits of Solar Cooking

• Solar cooking preserves more of the nutrients in your food because it cooks slower and at lower temperatures.
• You'll enjoy the improved taste and texture of your food and baked goods. You think you know what your vegetables taste like, but wait until you've had them cooked by the sun!
• Increase your indoor comfort and reduce energy bills during the warm months of the year by cooking outside instead heating up your home by using your conventional oven.
• Food doesn't dry out or burn when cooked in a solar oven. You don't need to stir your food while it's cooking.
• Energy from the sun is free.
• It saves natural resources.
• It's portable. You can use your oven in your backyard, camping, at the beach, on a boat, or at a picnic cookout.
• It's fun!

Make a solar oven, buy one, try one!

A demonstration at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair was my introduction to solar cooking. Not only did I get to see solar cooking in action, I had my first delicious tastes of solar baked cookies and bread. Solar cooking is fascinating! Since I love to experiment I had to try it for myself. Also, I wanted to see (and taste) my own results! To begin with I made a solar oven from two cardboard boxes, so with only a small investment of time I could find out how interested I was in continuing. There are several types of solar cookers, including panel cookers, box cookers, and parabolic cookers. A quick search online will bring up lots of plans for making your own.

It turned out that I love using solar for cooking, so we eventually bought an early version of the Sport Solar Oven. It's a great oven, durable and very stable. I've been cooking with mine for at least 13 years. We made our own reflector for the oven out of foam board, and covered it with Mylar. To stabilize the reflector in windy conditions I use two bungee cords, one each at the center top and bottom of the reflector that I hook to the rim of the oven. The reflector increases the temperature of the oven significantly. With the reflector this solar oven usually bakes between 250-300°F. In the right conditions you can cook with solar in winter and summer.

Solar Oven Disassembled

Solar Oven Interior View

Solar Oven Assembled with Homemade Reflector

I've had wonderful results baking banana bread. The crust is light and tender,

the bread is divine. I've often baked jerk chicken, rice, vegetables, lots of things! The solar oven is great for one dish meals, baked or roasted meats, grains, beans, breads, desserts, and more. Here are some recipes to get you started.

To use your solar oven with success you need:

• clear, or mostly clear, blue skies on a sunny day
• dark colored cookware - the dark color absorbs heat allowing faster cooking, shiny cookware reflects heat
• maintain safe practices- use pot holders or oven gloves, protect your eyes from glare
• maintain safe temperatures while cooking
  
• oven thermometer
• solar oven
• tasty recipe

Improving lives and the health of others

As if that weren't enough great things about solar ovens, there are more, very important benefits. Solar ovens are improving the lives and health of people the world over, especially women and children. Solar cooking is smokeless, and when used, eliminates breathing serious health-damaging smoke from indoor cooking fires. In addition to the health benefits of cooking with free, clean energy, solar ovens can be used for water pasteurization to provide safe clean water. Using solar energy also saves overburdened natural resources. Money that would have been spent on firewood, or charcoal, can be used for food or other necessities. There's a wealth of information at Solar Cookers International, a non-profit organization whose "mission is to spread solar thermal cooking technology to benefit people and environments." They are a wonderful resource for information on solar cooking. Please consider donating if you'd like to support their work.

I hope you're inspired to try solar cooking yourself. You'll get great tasting food with lots of nutrients, cooked with free energy, save resources and money, and help our environment all at the same time! This is a win/win for everyone. It would also be a fun project to do with your family and friends. A project where you get to eat your homework is definitely a plus!

Happy solar cooking!


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Angel Unaware

You’ve been an angel more times than you know.

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.  ~ Leo F. Buscaglia

Close in Heart

Let me explain why I call you an angel unaware, and why I believe that I get to be one now and then too.

Have you had someone call you just when you needed a friendly voice, had a stranger simply smile or say something kind when you’d had a hard day, or someone slow up to let you in front of them in traffic? Have you received an email that contained helpful information that you needed, a handwritten note, or caring message, that lifted you up? And then, perhaps it was you who made the call, or smiled, or sent the message.

I’m sure you can think of many kindnesses, and many ways they can arrive. Maybe you think of them as random acts of kindness, which is lovely, though I believe there’s more than that going on. It’s not random at all.

The reason I call you an angel is because one of the meanings of angel is divine messenger.

Informal angels are all around. Contact with them is always positive. Being this kind of angel is a casual position, on an as needed basis. Sometimes others are angels for us, and sometimes we get to be the angels; both are a gift, and a joy.

When you get to be the angel, you may not be consciously aware, especially at the time, that you’ve had this honor. You might notice on those occasions that you do find out how much what you did meant to another person, that it felt like you really did nothing extraordinary, in that it was effortless and done lightly, a spontaneous expression of the peace, joy, and love you were experiencing within.

When you’re feeling loved, you’re naturally loving, and in this state, you’re also in tune with the Divine. If you are the nearest tuned in person, to the one who needs the message, then you have the opportunity to deliver it. It’s that simple.

So tune in first, then heed those gentle promptings, make that call, say those kind words that just now came to mind, to your friend, or that someone you haven’t been introduced to. Being in tune with the Divine is a wonderful place to be anyway, and then too, you have the delightful privilege of being available to be an angel.

It’s a brilliant delivery system!

Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.  ~ Scottish saying

En Pointe

Thank you, thank you, to all you angels. Never underestimate those seemingly small acts of kindness; they really do make a positive difference. Please appreciate yourself, just as much as you appreciate each angel in your own life. ♥

~ Karen Casey-Smith 

Thank you to Karen Casey-Smith for sharing this beautiful post with our blog.

Karen's lovely photography can be found in her shop on Etsy.

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Enlightenment and Empowering Others

The following excerpts were taken from the book Spiritual Growth by Sanaya Roman.

  Wise words, and good food for thought.

Numinous Reflection

"Shifting consciousness is an important aspect of your world service.  You shift consciousness by empowering people.  People make changes when they have new insights and perceptions.  They make changes when someone reaches them at the deepest part of their being and touches them with love.

True service comes in moments when there is openness, love, and a lack of boundaries between you and another.  It comes when you feel your equality, recognize the other person's divinity, and act in a way that empowers him or her.  It comes when you link with a higher power and, through your alignment, allow a greater good to come to both of you.  You connect with the other person's Higher Self, and each of you comes away expanded.  In those moments you have become the teacher as well as the student.

Empowerment is different then simply helping people.  If people are hungry, you give them food and help them temporarily.  They are empowered when you teach them to get food for themselves and they can eat on an ongoing basis.  If you are a healer, you can keep "fixing" people's problems, or you can teach them how to solve their own problems.  Empowerment means teaching people skills they can use to take charge of their own lives rather them out of recurring problems....

When you assist people, perhaps helping them find solutions to problems, they either remain the same or make positive changes in their lives.  If they make the changes, you have shifted their consciousness and made a true contribution to them.  Then they will have more choices and higher visions of themselves, which they can use to create better lives.

To shift consciousness you need to recognize where you can truly make a difference.  It requires knowing when people are open to growing and giving them assistance only if they are ready.  This way, you will gain much energy from your contact, and your time with this person will contribute to your spiritual growth.....

Consciousness can be shifted in simple ways.  When you are with children or friends, focus on what you can do that will create a shift for them.  When you meet people, think of what you can contribute to them, not what you will get from them....

It is important to know when to assist people and when not to.

It takes a certain amount of energy to shift someone's consciousness to a higher level.  It is important to learn how much energy to put out to create the shift.  You may have experienced helping someone with just a few words of advice.  He or she made changes and solved the problem.  You probably felt good and energized by the exchange.

You may have had other exchanges with friends in which you poured a lot of energy into assisting them, but the recurring problem never got solved.  You probably felt drained, for the energy you put out didn't create any lasting changes in their lives.  If you choose the wrong time to help or if the person is not open to growing, you will put out much energy with little result. You also need to learn how much energy you are capable of shifting so that you do not take on more than you can handle.

The higher your consciousness, the more of a penalty you pay for putting your energy where it doesn't create a shift.  You may feel tired or drained, or even get sick.  When you create a shift, you feel charged with energy and your radiance increases.  As you grow, you will want to be increasingly alert to whom and what you are putting your time and energy into and the results you are or aren't creating.

If people feel like burdens, it is a sign that "carrying" them is not for their higher good.  You may be taking away their lessons and slowing down their growth.  They may become dependent on you and stop taking responsibility for making their own lives work.  People who are growing rapidly from your assistance will not feel like burdens....

To serve others you will need compassion and the ability to detach.  Compassion is helping people understand what they are learning and empowering them to see their gifts in what they are experiencing.  It is watching others go through their lessons the way they have chosen to experience them, knowing that though they may be suffering at the personality level, their suffering will help them give birth to a new, stronger self.  Assist them by focusing on all the gifts their problems are offering them, such as teaching them about self love, compassion, patience, inner strength, and other positive qualities."

 Numinous Reflection courtesy of Karen Casey-Smith.

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The Lovingkindness Blessing

Lovingkindness (metta) is an ancient practice, though it's as valuable today as ever. More love in your own life, and the lives of others, will always have positive effects. Not only will you benefit from this practice, so will all recipients of the blessing, and yes, even the world. 

Lovingkindness Blessing by Karen Casey-Smith

The Lovingkindness Blessing presented here is only one version of this beautiful traditional blessing. It's to be said with feeling, from your heart, and very importantly, without expectation. It has to come from a sincere desire for the well-being and happiness of others.

Begin to practice lovingkindness, and directly experience the benefits. Observe how things shift in positive ways with this powerful practice. They cannot help but shift. As you offer peace, love, and good wishes, your feeling toward others changes. Without your doing anything other than offering blessings, those around you will also change in how they relate to you. Don’t attempt to send a blessing in order to get someone to change though. That won't work. The blessing must come from your heart, with no expectations, only a sincere wish for their happiness.

Peace on the outside begins with peace on the inside. This is why it's important that you begin your practice by saying this blessing for yourself. As the Dalai Lama says, “We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” 

You can’t do blessings for yourself, and not have your life change for the better, and you cannot send a blessing to another being and maintain any unkind feeling toward them, or about them. As you are filled with a deep peace, and love that asks nothing in return, you begin to notice that everyone around you is more comfortable, and happier. How you are is that important. 

Next, you can send blessings for those close to you. After that you can begin to send them for neutral people, which would be someone you’re often in contact with, but you don’t have strong feelings about. When you're comfortable with this, you can move on to difficult people, blessing all of the above equally. Now you’re ready to send blessings to the entire universe.

It wouldn't be unusual to find yourself resistant to sending blessings to difficult people. Give yourself time. Remember, you aren't blessing their behavior, or their actions. These blessings are not about being deserving. All beings wish to be happy, healed, and free from pain. Don't you imagine these difficult people would have very different actions if they were at peace, had open hearts, had realized the beauty of their true nature, were healed, and a source of healing? In time, I believe, this is something you could sincerely wish for everyone.

 

Lovingkindness Blessing 

May my heart remain open.

May I realize the beauty of my own true nature.

May I be healed.

May I be a source of healing for this world.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May you be at peace.

May your heart remain open.

May you realize the beauty of your own true nature.

May you be healed.

May you be a source of healing for this world.

Some benefits of practicing Lovingkindness include: 

• peace of mind and sense of well-being
• sleeping easily and waking happily
• not suffering from bad dreams
• good health
• easy concentration
• radiant complexion
• antidote to ill will
• people around you are more comfortable and happy
• you contribute to a world of love, peace, and happiness
• dear to humans and non-humans (affection and good will of all)
• devas protect
• one dies unperturbed

Long ago appreciated by the ancients, the benefits of this practice are increasingly being recognized by present day researchers.

Using one of my photographs of the sweetest fern “heart,” I’ve designed prints with the Lovingkindness Blessing on them. It's a nice reminder for me to say it each day, and I thought that others might enjoy them too. There’s a 5×7 version, and a 12×9 version. Keep one near as a reminder, or they can be given as gifts.

Best of all, simply offer this blessing from your heart, and know that you too are blessed.

  Karen Casey-Smith



I'd like to thank Karen Casey-Smith for sharing her beautiful Lovingkindness Blessing with the Mind Body Spirit Odyssey.  I recently purchased a copy of this beautiful, gentle loving reminder for my studio.  It's definitely something we should all keep in mind.
                                                                                                                     ~ diane




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Meditating Through Noise

I was beginning my meditation session the other day when the crane that was working down the street started up it's engine.  I chucked to myself and thought - well, that figures.  I didn't dwell on the noise though, and aside from that one quick thought the sound quickly faded away.  I drifted into my meditative state not bothered or interrupted by the crane or anything else around me.

When my meditation ended I found myself once again thinking about the noise from the crane.  It made me reflect back to some of the classes I have taken over the years and the varied approaches different teachers would take whenever some sound, noise or vibration would filter through the walls during our periods of meditation.

I had one teacher who would always hastily apologize to the class at the end of the session for any disturbance.  And there were always several students who would stand in front of her nodding right along, as if they really needed to hear her say those words.

Another teacher I had would not say anything if an unwanted noise made it's way into our class.  But if a student would mention the noise she would just shrug it off and answer - We don't live on top of a mountain in Tibet, do we?  It is what it is.

Then I had another class a few years ago where the students would never, ever mention anything about an unwanted noise...except one time.  I remember it so well.  The student was new and our teacher 'answered' by just standing there - with the sweetest most benevolent smile on his face that I have ever seen.  He didn't say a word.

Why did he do that?  Well, no we don't live on top of a mountain.  Our lives are and never will be completely serene.  Sure, going into meditation, among other things, will help us be able to get into a more calm receptive state - but it, as with everything else in life, is fluid.  Not perfect.  The conditions are not always as we may want it to be.  So you deal with it because meditation time is just another facet of life.  Smiling does help though ~

enjoy your day
:)


 ~ diane fergurson

'Flower Mandala, Lavender Pink Peony - Love is Within' courtesy of Karen Casey-Smith.

Prints are available in her shop on Etsy.

         

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Every Precious Moment

Set-a-Spell

"You see this goblet?" asks Achaan Chaa, the Thai meditation master. "For me this glass is already broken.  I enjoy it; I drink out of it.  It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns.  If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it.  But when I put this glass on the shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say. 'Of course'.  When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious."
                                             ~ Mark Epstein, Thoughts Without a Thinker


This was a story told by Mark Epstein in the PBS documentary, The Buddha. Though I've heard other sayings and sentiments that echo the message here, this gave me one of those wonderful "awake" moments. Since hearing this story, I'm still finding that I have a deeper moment to moment appreciation for everything in my own life.

All things do change, nothing is permanent, that is truth. What better thing to do than to savor and appreciate who and what is in your life this moment while knowing it's already broken, already gone?

Now, if you find these thoughts distressing, you aren't in appreciation for what's in your life; you've moved into thinking about how you might feel in the absence of these things. This is truly a waste of the time you have with the people and things that you love. Take the time to truly feel appreciation, and perhaps you'll find you're able to release things from your life, when it's time, with grace and appreciation that you had them in your life. As the wonderful and wise Dr. Seuss says:
     
           Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened - Dr. Seuss

Every moment is precious.

Echoes

 ~ Karen Casey-Smith

Karen's wonderful photographs can be found in her Etsy shop.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I'd like to thank Karen for contributing this beautiful blog post.  Karen wrote to us, saying that when she watched the PBS Documentary on The Buddha and heard the story of the broken glass it really had an impact on her and inspired her to write this piece.  If you've watched any shows or read any books that have had a profound effect on you, we'd love for you to share it with us in our comments section or if you'd like, submit a blog post.   ~ diane


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You May Also Enjoy Reading:
Wu Chi
My Path, Your Path - Many Roads Lead to Oz
From Jing to Qi to Shen:  An Interview With Healer Darren Orr
                                                                                   
 

Wu Chi

When Karen Casey Smith designed the Black and White Mandala image for our interview with Jovita Wallace, she told me that it reminded her of Wu Chi....the Chinese creation story.  She then sent this piece to me along with her description.  It was so beautiful that we wanted to post the story with the image. Thank you Karen!

"It looks like creation... light, springing from the void, and brings to mind the Chinese creation story. Wu Chi (the infinite, potential) moves and gives rise to the Two, Yin and Yang (Tai Chi), which gives birth to the ten thousand things......."  ~ Karen Casey-Smith

WU CHI – ULTIMATE OF NON-BEING

Before the universe was created, there was nothing at all.  It was unnamable and beyond description.  There was no heaven, no earth, no sound, no smell, no color, no appearance.  It was in a state of chaos.  It is called Wu Chi.  Literally, it means “No Limit”, or “Ultimate of Non-Being”.  It may also be taken to mean “Absolute Infinity”, or “The Infinite”.

Wu Chi is the subtle origin of truth, the source of all creation, the fountain of all lives, the root of the universe and the mother of myriad things, therefore we call it “Tao”, the “Absolute Way”.

TAI CHI – SUPREME ULTIMATE

Wu Chi is the substance of Tai Chi. When Wu Chi moved it became Tai Chi. So Tai Chi is the function of Wu Chi.

In the Song Dynasty, the philosopher Chou Tun-I (1017-1073 A.D.) designed a diagram to represent Tai Chi in an ingenious way.  That is, with a circle (O) to represent Wu Chi in the state of calmness.  When it starts to move, then Wu Chi becomes Tai Chi. The circle was divided into two equal parts by a wavy line ().  So Tai Chi is the integration of Liang I (Yin-Yang) and the mother of heaven and earth.

From Ch’ang–Shih Tai-Chi Ch’aun: The Ultimate in Health and Self-Defense by Frank DeMaria

You may also enjoy reading:
From Jing to Qi to Shen:  An Interview with Healer Darren Orr
A Taoist Perspective of the Earth on Earth Day

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"The Magic of Color Vibration" an Interview with Jovita Wallace, Part 3

Question #4:

What about black and white?

I think we need to change our concepts and feelings around the Black vibration and put it into a different light.
Black is magical and sacred.

Black, to Native Americans, is a color of power and only to be feared if misused. The intention for using black must be from the light.

Raven is associated with black, symbolizing the Void. The Void is creation- all that is possible. It is the mystery of that which is not yet formed. Ravens are symbolic of the Black Hole in space, which draws in all energies toward itself and releases it in new forms. The iridescent blue and green in the glossy feathers of the Raven represents the constant change of forms and shapes that emerge from the vast blackness of the void.

Raven is one of my totems and a kindred spirit. We work together as advocates for people and animals in need of healing. Raven’s element is air, and he is a messenger spirit who I can shamanically use to project the raven magic over near and great distances.

I consider black a sacred color in healing work. It is also used to help bring a person into a state of grace, to help them reach silence to experience peace from the source.

We see that may artists wear black. The creative inspiration of the visual artist, musician, and writer brings light into the void. Color, shape, and form are channeled through the artist to be experienced as a piece of work, and this is the magic of creation. Of course, the creative process is not just limited to this group of artisans or shamanic healers. Everyone is capable every day of inspiration and creativity in all that we do.

Inspiration - an idea - is symbolized as a light in a bulb. When the light bulb goes on, the energies of the void are activated. Dark seeks light.

In illuminated color, black is the absence of light. But it is just the opposite in pigmented color where black represents the presence of all colors.

Society hasn’t been that generous when assigning the attributes of black. It has been associated with witches and demons and the black arts, and negative experiences in general. We need to change our concepts about the color black. Black can be used effectively and positively. It signifies dignity, sophistication, refinement, power, believability, and authority.

Black works for cars, but not for airplanes. We want white or silver to fly. It is right for the CEO’s suit (authority), but not the junior executive’s. We can use black to shield and to go inward, as in grief. Black appears further away. It absorbs light.

If you tend to be stubborn, rebellious and often reckless, the color black describes the energy of your personality. Conventional thinking bores you, and the word “can’t” is not in your vocabulary. This description is based on the time-honored Luscher Color Test developed by Swiss psychologist, Max Luscher, Ph.D. He tested over 30,000 people using eight different colors to develop a test that defines different color personalities.

White seems to be the opposite of black. Black and white – the great duality.

You see white and you think purity. Why is this so? White light, carrying all the colors of the rainbow, balances all the chakras raising the energy field to a higher vibration – a state of pure balance and energy flow. It purifies the body on the highest level.


Try this meditation practice: Visualize a white beam of light over your head and slowly, breathing in and out, bring the light into the crown chakra, continue to visualize the light and breathe the white light into each of the chakras, moving from crown to root chakra.

In illuminated color white is the presence of all color, and in pigmented color white is the absence of all color.  Purity, cleanliness, and innocence are associated with white. In Western culture brides wear white, symbolizing the virgin. In the East, however, it is the color for mourning and funerals. White does create a sense of space and reflects light. White light is a spirit vibration like ghosts and angels.

The neutral beiges, ivory, and cream colors carry the same attributes as white, but are more subdued, less brilliant. The white spectrum harmonizes with all other colors. Maximum whiteness does not compete or diminish the vibration of other colors when combined. The walls of art galleries are painted white to best display artwork.

White might also feel cold, bland, and sterile. This is because, as a pigment, it contains no color. Color stimulates specific emotional responses. White elicits no emotion and is felt as a non-experience.

Use white in your life when you are starting new beginnings and for the development of a new direction. You can use it to clear blocks from your path. The cold quality of white provides clarity since its energy is complete. You can also work with white to clear clutter and obstacles. To purify your intentions, your thoughts, and your actions use white.

Black and white equally represent the spiritual dynamics of cosmic energy. They represent the duality and power of the Universe.

************


Thank you Jo for taking the time for sharing your valuable insight and expertise with us!   Your comments about black are probably the best I've read on that subject in a long time.
I hope you will be back with us soon!
You can contact Jovita Wallace at:   jovitabinb@yahoo.com 


Karen Casey-Smith's stunning Mandalas accompanied all three parts of this interview.
Thank you Karen! 
Karen's work is available for purchase in her Etsy Shop.

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~ diane