Light of Awareness
Happy Sunday and Happy Solstice my friend,
I hope the doings of your week offered space for simply being. There is certainly enough uncertainty these days to challenge the very foundation of our humanity, making how we exist a conscious effort.
This week, I attended a two day health retreat at Dharma River Mindful Living Centre, just north of Toronto, led by Brother Phap Lu from Plum Village in France. Before becoming a monk, Brother Phap Lu was a medical doctor. The retreat focused on mindful eating—from how we approach food, to what supports healthy living, to dry fasting, which was new to me. I’ve done water fasting and intermittent fasting before, but fasting from both food and water was a first. It was a fascinating experience.
Though the dry fast was optional, most of us chose to try it. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as difficult as I expected, especially considering the retreat was entirely food focused. I think the shared effort helped. Anything becomes more manageable when done in community. We were encouraged to stay active and present in the body. Each day began with over 100 full prostrations. My grandson later said that “prostrations looked like spiritual burpees,” which made me laugh. None of us could keep pace with Brother Phap Lu, who, at 75, begins each day with 108 prostrations before meditation.
When it was time to eat again on the second day, he shared an optimal order in which to consume food—starting with “eating your water.” This meant beginning with raw veggies like cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce. Then moving to cooked vegetables, followed by fruits and berries (least sweet to sweetest), and finally, finishing with carbohydrates and proteins. Even just 24 hours of fasting in this way gives the organs a rest and allows the body to reset.
Honestly, I never felt truly hungry. Perhaps it was because Brother Phap Lu advised us to respond to hunger with more prostrations—to stay in the body and distract the mind from creating doubt or chaos. I didn’t go to bed hungry, and I slept a full, uninterrupted eight hours, which is a rare and welcomed gift. In that peaceful, contemplative space, when it was time to eat, every bite of food felt like an extraordinary experience.
In Friday’s meditation with MPC, the facilitator used the phrase “bring the light of awareness” to direct where we place our attention. Interpreting it literally helped me become deeply present with the movement of my breath. For thirty minutes, we followed the breath from the nostrils to the top of the lungs, then down to the diaphragm and belly. Bringing the light of awareness to each part of the body created a beautiful, intimate dance with the breath. It reminded me that our breath is truly the light of our existence.
The retreat came to mind again. Everything we did seemed to be held in this same light of awareness—intentional, steady, and expansive. Imagine if we approached our daily lives this way: not rushing, not fragmented, but gently focused. We live in a world of multi-tasking, splintered information that needs to be determined whether it is true or false, and two-second attention spans. It feels almost radical to be able to give anything, or anyone, our full attention.
And yet, this may be the most important thing we can do. To live in presence. To listen deeply. To breathe consciously. To allow the light of awareness to soften, sharpen, and illuminate every part of our human experience, and to be able to share that with one another. That is a gifted life.
As I am organizing the product side of Mindful Necessities, as to what is left, I posted on social media a couple of lovely Tam rings that I found in the vault. Both have been claimed quite quickly. There will be other items and one of a kind pieces that will become available. Next time I will also offer them as a Substack note, for those who are not on social media.
Today I had a request for hearts by another who also finds them in nature’s unfolding. When I checked my inventory, there was enough to list the collection on our online pop-up store. You can find them here. The inventory is updated, so if the site allows you to put your choice in the cart, it exists. Otherwise, it’s sold out.
One last thing.. I decided to do a metal melt in early October. If you have any gold and/or silver jewellery that you no longer wear, and would like to convert it into money, this is a really good time to sell. Alloys are high, especially gold. You can join my batch and save the set up costs. This will most likely be my last refining. Email me and I’ll give you an idea of how it works.
Wishing you a week filled with stillness, clarity, and grace.
With love, a bow and a smile,
Gisele