I am feeling much more grounded back here in LA, it took a few days, and a 2 hr massage and I finally feel acclimated. I will be teaching my healer training class today and tomorrow and I am excited to meet several new people. It’s a good time to be alive!

After this weekend I will be submitting my book to the designers for the interior design, and we are just about finished with the cover, which I will post on the blog next week when we are complete with it.

I am also excited to return to one of my favorite places on the planet - Sedona - this Thursday for the annual Labor Day Retreat. I have loved Sedona since the first time I drove through the hills and saw those red rocks! So, if you don’t have anything exceedingly fun to do on Labor Day…join us. It’s not too late! The cooks are still making the recipes and haven’t bought the food…and there are carpools leaving LA on Friday with room in them…just let me know. Have a great weekend! LOVE, David

WOW! I have experienced a bigger adjustment coming back to LA this time than ever before. I know there are multitudes of reasons why, but I didn’t expect it to feel this way. If you don’t know me well, I am generally highly functional in just about any situation. I love LA and I am not a person that has the typical issues with the big cities. I love the country and I love LA (although I don’t love every big city!). Anyway…the spiritual energy, message, and test for me upon this re-entry is showing me just how deep I went into my experience in NM. I was in a 2 month meditation there - writing, exercising, cleansing, being w/ nature and the land. So, it is understandable that things are going to feel different. AND as I said in ealier entries I would be hitting the ground running here. I have been recording audio of The Reluctant Healer with Paul DuGre - we will finally have that done in a few weeks! Doing final edits on Healing and making other decisions about the next steps with it, as well as getting ready for the healer training class this weekend. On top of that I have a Skype healing group @ 6am Sunday morning with a wonderful group of people in Verona, Italy. Life is busy, life is good! Now to get myself grounded, anchored, and present to move forward enjoying every moment. Maybe a good massage tonight will do it for me! That’s my update, I hope you’re treating life good! Love, David

I wake up a sad to leave NM tomorrow…it’s not that I won’t be coming back. It’s just that this property is taking such good nurturing care of me, I hate to leave it. Do you know the feeling?

In some small way it feels like my Walden’s Pond. I mean this property has really taken care of me this last 55 days. This is the first time I have stayed at my place, since I have owned it, where I was not doing construction on something. I was able to be here, relax, and put 100% of my focus on writing this book. I have never felt so supported! Throw in lot’s of great human support, a lush garden/greenhouse and all I can say is, “Life is God (Good)!”

Well, I am about to head off on my morning bike ride. Physically I have not felt this good in 3-4 years. Emotionally I feel very content, although I finally got around to putting Buffy’s ashes and bones in the ground the other day. That completed a long journey for me and I felt it for a couple of days. Mentally I feel exercised, in shape, and ready for more. I see myself in NM - writing. Writing the next book, and the next one…

I have known since the first time I traveled here, close to 20 years ago, that the mountains of NM were a place for the writer. The first time I spent considerable time in NM I had the funniest thing occur. For about one month - virtually all of my thoughts rhymed. Is that crazy funny or what? I knew my spirit was telling me something. So I started writing poetry for that summer. It was a magical time. As a matter of fact I owe a huge twin Ponderosa Pine tree a visit, it is located deep in the Manzano Mts of NM and I do not know if it survived the fires of 2008. I used to sit under this tree and write poetry for an hour each morning. It had a burrow between the forks of the two trees joined together at the trunk. I had stashed a small tarp and some writing implements in that burrow. I have no doubt they shared the space with any number of forest creatures. I was told the fire of ‘08 wiped the forest clean of all the big trees in the area of this big pine, as well there was the daddy Alligator Juniper close by it. It must have had close to a 10′ diameter and showed significant evidence of surviving many forest fires. I sensed this Juniper tree had seen life come and go for hundreds of years. It was also leaning heavily to one side like it had shifted on it’s feet long ago, so I must pay it a visit also…maybe later in the fall when I return to NM I will venture to the Manzano Mts to see my old friends!

Now off to the Sandia Mts for my morning ride. Love, David

About eight years ago decisions were being made to have a natural home birth. There were meetings w/ the mid-wife and many preparations as the end of the year drew near. The baby, Ruby, was due right around New Years. Anyway the last meeting w/ the mid-wife she sent the birthing tub home w/ us. I was told it’s easy to put together, wait until labor starts and you can slap it together in about 15 minutes. Being rather practical, handy, kind of a “jock” of all trades - I didn’t think twice about it.

Cut to January 2, 2002 - made it past New Years! I was doing a phone session walking around outside and speaking to the client. I gazed up in the sky and saw two hawks circling overhead - not too strange of a site in Eagle Rock, CA. Generally hawks are more solitary, but you do see two dancing in the skies sometimes…as I was watching a third hawk joined the circle. I said, “aw-oh!” Sure enough the door opened and I was informed labor had begun. I finished the call rather quickly, thinking the baby could emerge any second. She was in LABOR!

And I remembered the birthing tub. I checked in everything seemed fairly calm. I went to put the tub together. Basically it was some hard plastic sides that slipped together easily with a big plastic bag inside to hold the water - hundreds of gallons of water - and the hose adapter for the sink was missing. How was I supposed to fill this thing up? I had a five gallon bucket. The labor pains were getting more intense! Could I hurry? OK, let me start filling the bucket with water and putting them in the tub…suddenly our 3 dogs started to get restless. They needed to go outside to pee. OK, I’ll take care of it. Let me check the gate. It’s raining now. Funny thing the silly gate won’t close! Damn. Could I hurry? I’m trying. Let me deal with the dogs they are frantic now. I guess they are busting a kidney. I let them out the back side and go get the bucket of water that is overflowing in the bath tub. I leave the door open for the dogs to come back in. I hear them rampaging back in the door. I go to check on the ruckus, and I smell the worse smell ever! What is that metallic smell? One of the dogs is sneezing and shaking his head. It’s a skunk! Lord, what now? Let me catch the dogs, don’t run in the house. The one who is sprayed is trying to wipe his face on everything. Get the lease and tie him to an outside - something! He’s rubbed against the other two, they all smell like skunk now.

How’s the tub going?? I can’t finish it right now…I have to find out what time Petco closes. It’s 8:55pm, call Petco. They close in 5 minutes. Can I make it? It’s raining, be careful…I make it! Run inside as the girl is about to lock the door. Head for the dog section — fleas, ticks, de-skunk spray shampoo. I head to the cash register, suddenly everyone who is in line moves aside. I say, “Thank you!” And I start to pay realizing these people are staring at me kind of funny. I guess I stink! Oh well, that was the fastest I have ever been served at a retail store. Head home…deal with the stinky dogs. Skunk doesn’t come out of collars. Oh well…the gate still won’t close. I get back to the tub and about 100 buckets later I get it filled to the the lower level, now I can add to it once the birthing kicks in…so, as you can see I learned an important lesson about checking the parts list ahead of time - especially with important matters like birthing! And it’s a Capricorn trait to be well prepared…Love, David

I have one more week here in NM. I am savoring these last 7 days because when I get back to LA I will be busy! Then I go right into Healer Training - Level 1 class Sat & Sun, after that a few days rest and I head to Sedona for the annual Labor Day Retreat. It will be a wonderful time in Sedona with people traveling in from all over. Then back to LA for a healing group @ the Hub, and Healer Training - Level 2, in LA and in Italy! I am rested and ready to get back to teaching. WHAT A SUMMER THIS HAS BEEN!

Lot’s of Love and Gratitude, David

As I was riding my bike this morning I was thinking about how many times I remind people about the power of gratitude, and conversely the power of the ego to create pain in one’s life. I was reflecting about a dear friend who called me one more time with the same old story playing on the violin. I reminded this person one more time that her ego was causing the pain. She didn’t want to hear it and wanted me to talk about her problem (person). I said, “No, I’m not going to waste my time. Your ego is wanting a result from this person. Just because he won’t apologize the way you want him to is not reason enough to bring this junk to me.”

Call it tough love, call it what you want. I refuse to talk negatively about another person who is not in the conversation. I told her to have gratitude for this person and the lessons he brought to her, especially the lessons around the ego. She said, “Yes, but…” And I said, “Save your breath, have gratitude.” She sighed, and said, “I’ll call my mom, she has sympathy.” I laughed and said, “I love you, but I am not going to feed your ego.” She said, “Thanks, I know you do. I just need some sympathy.” I said, “Goodbye!” And the call ended.

Some people think they need sympathy. I choose gratitude instead of sympathy every time. You would think people would learn these lessons about my responses whether they are in session, friends or family…

I reflect about all that I have to be grateful for, the list is long. I am grateful to the Universe for all the love, lessons, and life coming my way. I am just about finished with the editing of my book. We are moving into interior and cover design, as well as making the last line edits. It has been a great summer! I am so grateful for the time to be able to dedicate to birthing this baby. I feel like the mid-wife is checking in, and birth preparations are being made. This time I won’t wait until the last minute to put the birthing tub together! Another story, another time.

Hope you are having a great weekend! Love, David

On a break from writing today I made a short inventory of the garden and some spaces to make a fall planting. I planted fall lettuces, late season carrots, fall spinach all being put in the ground for the Fall Harvest Retreat. The garden is full of bounty providing fresh juice each day as well all of the veggies that we can eat. I will include some more photos tomorrow. As well there is great progress being made on my book. Illustrations are going in now, and it is possible we will be looking at interior book design within a couple of weeks…it’s all good! More tomorrow. Love, David

I always use the analogy of plants being like people - a little bit of lovin’ goes a long way. I was explaining to a friend yesterday that these plants were growing in 3-4″ of black dirt that came from under the pine trees, and 2″ of compost, and lot’s of love. He looked at me and said, “No Miracle Gro?” I said “You don’t need fertilizer - attention, love, good dirt and lot’s of compliments stimulate plants to reach new heights.” These are 9′ and will keep growing, we will run them laterally now because they can’t grow any taller…anyway, the point is for you to think about how simple life is. Every morning I tell the tomato plants how beautiful they are. You can feel the life force before you get to the greenhouse! And not to overlook the collards, kale, basil, lettuce, and peppers, because they are all thriving. They are all filling me with many times the love I am putting into them. They are taking my attention and multiplying it by the sunlight, water, earth, and air energy they are soaking up. Can you imagine what it’s like to pick the fruit of these plants? I don’t even need to wash most of them because there are no chemicals, pollution, or bugs to wash away. No, I just pull the fruits and leaves take them inside and eat. I feel more nourished than I have in a long time. Here are a couple of pictures of the greenhouse.

OK, many of you have heard how I say I talk to tomato plants, maybe I could call it tomato whispering. The energy of the plants expand when I come close to them (it’s like Buffy used to do as she would wag her tail and shake her whole body) I see the plants reaching out trying to touch me, so I reach out to touch them. They bless me with their scent, I love the smell of the tomato plant. I say, “Wow you are so beautiful, so feminine, a mother to so many!” I feel fruit setting in those moments and turning red. The acknowledgment is like gallons of Miracle Gro, but why use fertilizer when you can do it with love? Every plant has their own characteristics, from my view, tomato’s are one of the most feminine plants on the planet. Collards have a different energy, as well peppers, lettuce, etc. - maybe someday I’ll talk about them more.
The greenhouse is extra protective, whereas the garden is slightly more challenged growing out in the elements. This garden was planted exceedingly early and these plants are tough, they survived freezing weather for their first month of existence. Chrissy and Eddie, two of my valuable helpers, nurtured them along while I was traveling and teaching. Most of the early planting lived. Explaining a bit more about how we did it, we planted seeds in the ground April 1st, in the mountains @ 7000′ above sea level. It was snowing the day before we planted. I knew the seed was wise, and with the ground temperature quite cold they would take their time coming up. You may say, “Why didn’t you wait until later?” That’s a good question and with me not returning until mid-May I decided to risk planting this early - it’s a Capricorn and a farmer thing! It worked because we bought some burlap to cover the young seedlings at night, and would uncover them if the days were nice enough, and covering them back over at night. This went on until I returned and by that time the little plants were quite vigorous. We began to mulch and nurture them along and look at what they’ve turned into…

…life is abundant if we nurture it along. People, animals and plants all thrive when loved and exchanged with. There’s no secret in that, you can grow anything you set your heart to interact with.

OK, I’m off for my morning bike ride, then back to writing! Lot’s of gardening happening here. Love, David