Let yourself be silently drawn....

Let yourself be silently drawn
 by the stronger pull
of what you truly love.

Rumi
 

































 ~Claudia

Loving wrinkles

I have always loved to look at faces of old women and men and tried to guess what their lives might have been like. This is especially true here in Tuscany in the evening, on the piazza, when it is cooler and when people of all ages gather to socialize.  The days in the summer are hot, dry and dusty and the faces of the elders in the village are tanned.  Many express a life of hard work, wisdom and love for their families and land.

It is every Tuscan’s pride to have his or her own vegetable garden and often fruit trees as well.  Berries and Mushrooms are collected in the woods.
The Tuscan cuisine is simple and wholesome.  Vegetables, Salads, a few herbs, pasta, polenta, meat, fish and fresh cheeses are all part of their diet - all as natural and healthy as possible.
Italians, on the whole, are very conscientious in how they cultivate their land.  In the people of the village you can see some of this care for the land etched into their faces.

In Chinese face diagnosis, every line and wrinkle has meaning and can tell the reader what and when something has happened in a person’s life.  Also a young face without lines shows features, the relationship between features and inherited qualities indicating a person’s disposition and character traits.
 
Hands as well can tell a lot about a persons disposition and character.
The lines in our hands indicate events of the past (left hand) and what is to come in the future (right hand).  Lines and wrinkles are the imprint of joy and sorrow, pain, illness, health, concern and the strength and weaknesses of character.

Have you ever asked yourself which wrinkle(s) you love in particular?

I know exactly which ones I love: the little ones under the eyes that show up in a certain smile of people that are serious, upright and correct by nature and it takes a little to make them laugh.  This smile then reveals another side of them: unexpected, mischievous and impish.  I can think of a few people just now that have it and I can’t wait to see their smiling wrinkles again!

Every wrinkle tells a story.  We miss the richness of life and the experiences it has brought by trying to do away with them.

Anyway...that’s what I tell myself when I see my face in the morning!

~Claudia

The luxury of olive oil

Every day I walk through the olive trees and vineyards up to the village Panzano.  In a few days the olive trees will be blossoming.  On this picture you see the buds ready to burst!  Once the tiny blossoms open, the trees have a yellowish green shimmer.  The sun is constant now and warming everything up.

Olive oil is concentrated sun energy.  It is lighter and easier to digest than any animal fat and offers many different flavors depending in which region the olives have been grown.
In Tuscany you see olive trees everywhere.  Their leaves have a silvery green sheen whereas the vines are yellowish green at this time.  Two regions are famous for their olive oil-the area surrounding Lucca and the Chianti region in the heart of Tuscany.

Today there are about 30 different varieties of olive trees with various fruits.  The small ones are better for pressing out the oil while the bigger ones are better for eating.

The best soil for olive trees is found at about 300 meters above sea level on sparse, chalky soil with good sun.  Hilly areas where it is hot in the day and cool at night make the olive aroma stronger.  In orchards where olives and grape vines are cultivated together, the character of the oil is best developed.  They form an optimal community of life which has been known since ancient times.

Olive trees bear fruit from their tenth year onwards and carry fruit for about 250 years in two year intervals.  They blossom between May and June, and out of 200 blossoms only grow five olives!  By the end of October they have reached their full growth.

It is best to harvest olives by hand.  The trees are shaken and the olives fall onto big cloths laying under the tree.  Then the ones that are not damaged are picked out by hand and quickly processed which makes for superior quality.

At the very first pressing no heat is used and the oil is called “Olio Extra Vergine”.
The Consorzio Olio Vergine di Oliva, Zona Chianti Classico, checks the oil of every member after each harvest.  Only olive oil with less acidity than 1% can be called “Extra Vergine”.  The oils with acidity of 1%-1.5% are called “Soprafino Vergine” and with 3% acidity “Fino Vergine”.

Olive oil should not be kept in the refrigerator or in direct sunlight and the bottle should always be closed.  In an unopened full bottle, olive oil can last for 2-3 years.

I love a piece of fresh bread with good olive oil and a glass of wine.  So simple, yet so luxurious;  especially once you imagine the light and warmth condensed in it and know what is involved to make it!


~Claudia

Musings about friendship

A true friend backs you up come what may and also will be honest with you, no matter what.  “Friendship is my favorite therapy” somebody said and I love that expression.  My friends and I experience that frequently: we talk about everything and help each other understand the mystery of our lives.  In conversation unexpected wisdom and inspiration can drop in.  The bond of friendship and the tapestry of words and thoughts exchanged, invite this element of being able to see a new aspect, laugh away or sort out any ‘mishap’, or recognize that it’s time to move on from a rigid or unhealthy place.
In friendship we are allowed to see clearer who the other one is, because we don’t need to uphold the masks, roles and protective mechanisms.  Trust grows and we begin to love and support each other.  The word “friend” comes from a root that means “to love”.
It always amazes me how different chords of my soul come alive in the presence of different friends. Underneath though lies unconditional faithfulness in all of them. 

In a mediation retreat a few years ago, I learned that Buddha said “friendship is the spiritual path”. 

Maybe one could say that the most immediate and multi facetted connection to spirit is to another human being. 
Any connection to spirit, be it animal, plant, earth, sun, moon, the stars or the rainbow, needs to be cared for and renewed continuously.  By simply being in awe of any of these relationships, we deepen and renew them.  This becomes an unending discovery of the forces that lie behind these phenomena filling us with wonder and reverence. 

In friendship for example we want to be awake to each other and notice soul developments and steps of growth in the other.  We want to celebrate the accomplishments and progress and be there when we hit rock bottom.  This growing inner landscape between two friends is precious and one feels protective of it.

Some of my family relationships also have an aspect of friendship.  I remember my mother saying to me, when I was a teenager, that she would like to be friends with me.  It didn’t make sense to me then, but much later in our relationship journey, when we are able at times to leave behind the mother-daughter relationship, then we indeed share like friends.

Our relationships are a considerable support to us.  In a few days my oldest friend will come and visit me.  We became friends in Brussels as we both attended L’école européenne.  At the time she picked me.  I was overweight, unpopular, shy, different than everyone else and depressed most of the time.  For some reason she decided that she wanted to get to know me which changed my life and made for many happy and good times.
    It is interesting to remember how a friendship began.  Sometimes the beginning reveals a lot!
I am so grateful for my friends.
Are you finding nourishment in your relationships?
~Claudia