Honouring The Ingredients of Your Journey

A delicious meal is the result of its ingredients, loving preparation, presentation, setting and company.

Not many will stop to learn about the history of each ingredient, the farm practices that nurtured the perfect tasting grains or vegetables, and the businesses that made it their mission to bring such ingredients to their local market.

Even the inventors and manufacturers of the machinery to cultivate or transport those ingredients contributed to your experience.

If you grew most of the components yourself, others were involved in cultivating the seeds, creating the tools, keeping you informed on weather patterns, etc.

It’s clear that the meal you’re enjoying has a rich history that involved the time and attention of Mother Earth, many people and perhaps a few other creatures along the way.

Once in a while, take a moment to pause before you eat to bring this interconnected network to consciousness and be grateful for all who’ve had a hand in feeding you… including your sources of income to pay for your food.

Similarly, you are the culmination of your nature, experiences, encounters, choices, relationships, etc.

You’re like a delicious casserole teaming with history and flavours unlike any other dish on the planet. There is no recipe that could replicate you on this earth – not even cloning.

I confess, I’m writing this close to dinner time…

My intention was to write about the lotus flower’s journey through the mud to reach the light – designed to push through and let go of what no longer served it to blossom brightly above the surface of the water.

But I’ll let Meranda Squires go more into that in the video above.

What I really wanted to say is that without dwelling in the drama of your story, it’s important to recognize and honour all that you are. This includes the blessings and challenges that happened for you along the way and all other unique ingredients that helped co-create who you are today.

It’s also important to recognize that all those you meet along your path also have a basket full of produce, spices, preferred cooking utensils, expertise, and rituals. Be curious. Be hungry to discover what’s cooking in their lives. 

There’s so much more to each of us than meets the eye – even in our human journey in this incarnation…

This inspiring message is part of why I decided to share the video above with you today.

You may recognize Meranda Squires (a.k.a. Mridula) from my documentary “Tree of Life – Sustainability Project & Retreat Centre” and video “Portrait of a Yogi – Meranda Squires shares her personal practice“.

She’s also hired me to work on a few yoga teaching videos for her business, The Lotus Centre here in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador.

My most recent project for her was to come up with a way of sharing a bunch of old VHS footage she brought back to Canada from her 17 years in India. You’ll get to witness glimpses of her journey between 1983-2000 (ages 20-37). 

At first, Meranda thought I’d pick & mute clips to give the context of her years at the International Meditation Institute, Kullu, HP. She would then record a voice-over to talk about her experiences.

But as I listened to the clips, I found so many tasty bits of wisdom I felt would contribute to the buffet she wanted to offer her viewers. I didn’t want to silence her growing journey of awakening.

Part of the video editing process includes re-listening over and over again while making adjustments. Surprisingly, I never tired of hearing her bites of wisdom.

That’s how I knew that sharing this video here on my blog might inspire others to reflect and honour their own journey, no matter how different.

As you watch & listen to Meranda’s speeches, dances, singing and family visits with her guru and community, may you find some nourishment for your own transformational journey.