Video

Residential Retirement Living

Gabe Gregoratos talks about his life at the Carlisle, a residential care facility, including the advantages and disadvantages. He also explains the four levels of residential care: 1. Independent Living 2. Residential Care 3. Intensive Care 4. Memory Care


Dante’s Divine Comedy: Inferno, Canto 1

This is a difficult poem, coming from another time, another culture and another religion. The language and the references are medieval and the symbolsm is obscure as we follow Dante through various adventures on his journey to salvation. Canto 1, the introduction to the work, sets the scene for his long journey, of which the […]


Alchemy 5,6,7

Alchemy is about the transformation of the self. It is transforming the base self into gold, or spiritual awareness. Stage five: Fermentation, describes the decay of one’s old self and the rebirth of one’s true self. The first four stages involved discarding our old, inauthentic self and drawing together the authentic elements within us. Stage […]


Alchemy Stages 2, 3, 4

“The secrets of alchemy exist to transform mortals from a state of suffering and ignorance to a state of enlightenment and bliss.” — Deepak Chopra


Seven Stages of Alchemy. Stage 1, Calcination.

As revealed in the Emerald Tablet, by Hermes Trismegistus, there are seven stages of spiritual alchemy. The first stage is Calcination, which refers to the burning off of all the superfluous elements of ourselves, until we are purified and all that was calcified is removed. Our preconceived notions about our identity and our beliefs are […]


Spiritual Alchemy

Alchemy is an ancient practice whose practitioners sought to turn lead into gold, Spiritual alchemy uses the metaphor of transforming metals into gold for attaining spiritual enlightenment, or breaking down the image of who we think we are to discover who we truly are, at the soul level.


Alchemy Intro 3

Alchemy is the medieval forerunner of modern science; alchemists were interested in converting base metals into gold. Spiritual alchemists sought to liberate the soul from its attachment to matter, using the quest to transform metals into gold as a metaphor for attaining spiritual enlightenment.


Alchemy Intro 2

Alchemy is the medieval forerunner of modern science, Based on the goal of transforming matter, alchemists attempted to purify, mature, and perfect certain materials. They were particularly interested in attempting to convert base metals into gold, or to find a universal elixir. However, alchemy is far more than transforming metal into gold; it is the […]


Alchemy Intro 1

Alchemy is the medieval forerunner of modern science, Based on the goal of transforming matter, alchemists attempted to purify, mature, and perfect certain materials. They were particularly interested in attempting to convert base metals into gold, or to find a universal elixir.


The Woodpecker

Noisy borers and the basis for a cartoon character, these fairly long-lived birds have a 12-year lifespan. They can be found in wild areas like nature preserves and state parks. Woodpeckers prefer moderately moist habitat with a high density of old trees. They have also adapted well to living in spaces that have been altered […]


The Quail

The California Quail is a handsome, round bird with a rich gray breast, intricately scaled underparts, and a curious, forward-drooping head plume. It is often seen scratching at the ground in groups or dashing forward on blurred legs, California Quail are common but unobtrusive. They flush to cover when frightened.


The Crow

Crows are thought to be among our most intelligent birds. Despite past attempts to exterminate them, crows are quite common in farmlands, towns, and cities. They are sociable, especially when not nesting. Crows gather in communal roosts, sometimes with thousands or even tens of thousands of crows roosting in one grove.


The Dove

The Dove The graceful, slender-tailed, small-headed dove is common across the continent. Mourning Doves perch on telephone wires and forage for seeds on the ground; their flight is fast and bullet straight. Their soft, drawn-out calls sound like laments. When taking off, their wings make a sharp whistling or whinnying. Mourning Doves are the most […]


The Hummingbird

Art song. Hummingbirds are small, with most species measuring 3–5 in in length. They are specialized for feeding on flower nectar, but all species also consume flying insects or spiders. Each of the 17 hummingbird species that breed in North America builds slightly different nests in various habitats although all hummingbird nests have much in common.


PEACE

This short poem describes a deep and profound love. It is filled with beautiful imagery, which makes it a classic. I have interpreted it here as a hymn.


A Jelly-Fish

“A Jelly-Fish” is a short poem by Marianne Moore (1887-1972), one of the foremost poets in the modernist movement emerging in the early part of the 20th century. The poem contains elements of the fragmentary, disjointed verse style that was poetry’s equivalent of the cubist paintings of Picasso.


Desiderata

The word desiderata, which means “things wanted or needed,” often evokes this famous poem by Max Ehrmann. Written in 1927, the poem is about how to live your life well.


IF by Rudyard Kipling

‘IF’ is a type of didactic poem. Considered to be the most inspirational poem ever written, It contains advice about how to become an ideal human being.


Grass, by Carl Sandburg

This deeply moving poem addresses the horrors of war and human kind’s responsibility to never forget them. In the first lines of the poem the grass asks that it be allowed to do its job — covering up the countless bodies and numerous battlefields all over the world.


The End and the Beginning

Nobel Prize winning Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska writes about the horrors of war in terms of the adjustments people must make after the war has ended.


The Peace of Wild Things

Dedicated to all the people of Ukraine.


The Garden of the Self

In this poem the garden, or nature is used to illustrate a deeper meaning – to give us insight into our essential Self.


The Garden of the Soul

A self-descriptive, meditative poem about connecting with nature (or the garden) through art, as an expression of the soul.


With an Open Heart

Tending your Garden