HOW BARBARA AND THE BIG BUDDHA GOT BAMBOOZLED

Resolving any issue can be done by following three basic steps: (1) identify the problem.  (2) Find the solution..(3) Move on.
When I collided with step (1) last week,  my stomach sank.

All my life I have had a fascination with collecting gem stones, crystals and anything having to do with Merlin the Magician.  But my absolute favorite is the collection of Buddha statues that I have. Po Di (a Buddha) is in my front garden, facing my house.  I am told he is the Buddha of love and sex.  How intriguing is that?  Every time I open the door and see his smiling face, I feel joy.  His presence blesses my home and all who pass through the front door, Po Di does a great job of being my happiness generator.

The back yard is a different story now.  That had always been my oasis, my place of relaxation and peace.  I had planted a living fence of bamboo that shielded me from the sights and sounds of the neighbors.  In front of the bamboo I placed my prized Big Buddha, carved from a huge single piece of stone.  I often rub his head for luck and his belly for gratitude.  The living fence, the Buddha, the flowers and shrubs made a magical scene in which I enjoyed hours of quiet contemplation, and it was a lovely sight from the inside of the house as well.  I nurtured the bamboo, cutting back the leaves and keeping it orderly as it grew tall and gently enclosed my peaceful haven.  I just loved the little bit of heaven it represented to me.

And then a neighbor turned me into the town and a big, official letter was taped to my front door telling me it had to be cut down and taken away.  The problem was identified, and Step 1 was achieved.

Today my stomach still sinks with disappointment and sorrow.  Was this my December 21, 2012, my end of the world as I have known it, the end of something I cherished?  It was not the loss of a loved one or home or end of a career, like many have experienced in recent years.  Still, the idea of destroying something that "Mother Nature" and I had created, something beautiful and wonderful, hit me hard.  The solution was the destruction of the bamboo.  Step 2 was achieved.

Many planetary changes are taking place, with more on the way, and we are all seeing some kind of garden being cut down  and hauled away.  How does anyone find a new beginning?
Where is my new beginning?  Where does anyone start?   My living fence---15 ft. high and 60 ft. long---is gone...
Sitting in what's left of my back yard, I see my neighbor's rotting garage.  I see a broken window and falling down gutters.
My Big Buddha stands alone now, without the bamboozled bamboo.  I feel sure he is laughing, still happy, and waiting for me to come up with a new plan and ideas of rejuvenation.  I am not quite through moving on and achieving Step 3.

The future holds a greater chaos.  Personal consciousness is the key that opens the lock that allows you to stand at a pivotal point and find your direction.  It is not an easy path and the air is charged with the energy of the planet Uranus squaring Pluto.  This is the most significant and challenging planetary influence you have faced in your lifetime.   So, for the next five years, you will live with major generational upheaval.  Perhaps, for some, feeling at rock bottom is the place you need to be to get it in gear and wake up to the need to cultivate your personal consciousness.

I don't know what my garden will look like as it goes through its rebirth.  I hold a picture of the old one in my head and heart and no one has the power to destroy it.  Perhaps that is one of the keys to completing Step 3.  The things on the inside, what I hold in my head and heart, are real and indestructible.  Everything on the outside is just a reflection of that and subject to the whims of neighbors, the county...you can fill in your own words there.  Instead of focusing on how I ended up in this position, I have chosen to put my attention on what to do next, on the happy and creative solution I know I will come up with.  It's  all a matter of perspective.

Maybe I'm closer to achieving Step 3 than I thought!!

BUDDHA'S QUOTES; 

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought... The mind is everything... What we think we become."
" Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."
The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. The tongue like a sharp knife. It kills without drawing blood.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent on throwing it at someone else; you are the one that gets burned.
To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's mind. If a man can control his mind, he can find the way to enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him. 
What we think, we become...