The scenery here is hardly ever dull...

A clean crow high up on the Eucalyptus...

MrPuffyPants glowing in the sun

and listening, observing carefully, curiously...

His beautifulness MrSweetPants looking at me with one eye...

and then closing both eyes so he can listen better.
I read to them (one at a time) the following:

“The world, this palpable world, which we were wont to treat with the boredom and disrespect with which we habitually regard places with no sacred association for us, is in truth a holy place, and we did not know it. Venite, adoremus.”

(Pierre Chardin de Teilhard)

Cat boys send kisses for you along with their heartfelt christmas wishes!

On the way to work this morning

I came across my favorite little bird..hop, hop, hop, tss, tss, tss, it fluttered from spot to spot, so fast I could not really see. I was about to just walk past him or her when I realized that I could not just do that. I grabbed my kitty camera for a few shots.



Earlier in time, yesterday, MrSweetPants was reposing and when I decided to photograph his beautifulness


he gave me the look that said I am reading your mind!


Somewhat earlier the same day I was with MrPuffyPants on a stroll. He took me back to the backyard where he told me that he was my leader. I was puzzled by this because I already knew that!


We meditated individually on this:

"Although a brief example hath been given concerning the beginning and ending of the relative world, the world of attributes, yet a second illustration is now added, that the full meaning may be manifest.

For instance, let thine Eminence consider his own self; thou art first in relation to thy son, last in relation to thy father. In thine outward appearance, thou tellest of the appearance of power in the realms of divine creation; in thine inward being thou revealest the hidden mysteries which are the divine trust deposited within thee.

And thus firstness and lastness, outwardness and inwardness are, in the sense referred to, true of thyself, that in these four states conferred upon thee thou shouldst comprehend the four divine states, and that the nightingale of thine heart on all the branches of the rosetree of existence, whether visible or concealed, should cry out: "He is the first and the last, the Seen and the Hidden...." These statements are made in the sphere of that which is relative, because of the limitations of men. Otherwise, those personages who in a single step have passed over the world of the relative and the limited, and dwelt on the fair plane of the Absolute, and pitched their tent in the worlds of authority and command -- have burned away these relativities with a single spark, and blotted out these words with a drop of dew. And they swim in the sea of the spirit, and soar in the holy air of light. Then what life have words, on such a plane, that "first" and "last" or other than these be seen or mentioned! In this realm, the first is the last itself, and the last is but the first.

"In thy soul of love build thou a fire
And burn all thoughts and words entire. [Rumi]" " (Seven Valleys)

MrPuffyPants sent you kisses.

Wishing all love and joy...

Ciao!

Smack in the middle of the city

early in the morning

two cat boys are sending messages to each other from across the ways.

I don't know what they could be up to because that changes on a daily basis.
We continue with our morning rounds that commenced in the dark hours of pre-dawn.

MrSweetPants winks at me,
smiles,
and sniffs the fresh air. He loves being out in the quiet of early mornings!
MrPuffyPants has the serious look on his face, the squirrels are running all around him, doing pirouttes. This is because I throw shelled sunflower seeds on the ground so the squirrels come and MrPuffyPants can play.
He is only one kitty and can only chase one squirrel at a time!
Here he is presenting his woes to me and wants to know if there is a solution.
MrSweetPants arrives on the scene, he wants to know what is up.

I noted the pair together, and sensed that they had the posture of anticipating a reading coming on, and they were so right!

We reflected on this passage selected by MrSweetPants the night before:

"That most precious of gifts is attainment unto His unfailing guidance, that the inner reality of humankind should become as a niche to hold this lamp; and when the scattering splendours of this light do beat against the bright glass of the heart, the heart's purity maketh the beams to blaze out even stronger than before, and to shine in glory on the minds and souls of men....." (compilation)

Cat boys them made kisses and blew them in the fresh air with their best wishes....

Ciao everyone!

I am thinking of a title...

I don't think that I am the only one who is thrown into the fast December river, and then of course, my two furry companions take advantage of me in such very moments. One second Augustus is leading me to somewhere and in another moment I find that he has disappeared sitting calmly way up on the wall!!! He has been enjoying this lately quite a bit!
Augustus scoping.
Augustus enjoying the rising sun in the cool morning hour.
Ollie is down below with me, also basking in the sun that makes his orange fur glow.
I am now chuckling at his cute profile.
Now Ollie is leading me. "We have to go", he meows.
Out on the street where I follow the fur ball around our glances fall on these spiky balls,
and the remaining leaves
that have caught some ginger cat's eyes.
I remember that I wanted to title this post "For the love of light" but I did not have any reading selected because that is usually SweetPants' job on Tuesdays.

MrPuffyPants then chose this reading for our daily meditation:

"O Son of Generosity! Thou wert in the deserts of nonbeing and, by means of the earth of command, I made thee to appear in the world of possession. I charged all the atoms of dependence and the realities of creation with thy training, so that, before thou didst issue from the womb of thy mother, I ordained for thee two fountains of bright milk. I appointed eyes to guard thee, set thy love in all hearts, and with pure generosity I reared thee under the shadow of My Mercy, and protected thee with the essence of My Grace. The purpose of all this was to enable thee to arrive at Our Eternal Might and to deserve Our Invisible Favors..." (Hidden Words)

I complimented Ollie on his choice of reading. I reminded him that all the atoms of dependence were there for his training, that his love was set in all hearts. He accepted the compliment graciously and also naughtily.

"Go ahead", I said. "Make kisses and blow them in the air", and that he did.
Ciao everyone! We wish you a splendid week!

Last night...

we decided to check the cat boys' wardrobe. We would not want them to not be ready for Christmas. So I searched through their belongings and found a few things that will be shown below.

Ollie wearing his festive work bow tie, he does not like the long ties that get in the way of his running.
Augustus prefers to wear a red plaid one though at this time he is very tired.
He also wanted to pose with his cape that miss dove made for him a year or two ago.
He looks so good in the cape that I must make him another, maybe one in blue like this from Carolina of LateNightDrawing.
He sent you kisses and went for a snooze.
Upstairs in his own quarters Ollie had fallen on his back, plumb exhausted. He did not even have the energy to round up his toys!!!

Look at his tired legs.
And ahhhh those arms!

I have to admit that the busy busy days have gotten not the best of me but some of me.... and so I skipped the reading. Instead I had the boys listen to this.

Wishing all a great weekend with many cat kisses!

Ciao!

It starts rather early

my blurry eyes follow these cat boys around here and there. It is cold.

Mid day one could find Ollie in the upper world or down below where he inspects the gutters for the city of Pasadena, another one of his professions in addition to the more prestigious doctoring profession.

These hurried little legs tell me that he has a lot to do and cannot spend time with me.
Ollie never walks as is expected of any cat who holds down several professions
but he never forgets to stop and smell the jade plant.
Oooh, I think it smells good, Ollie let me know.

Thankfully though, catboys who play a lot during the day don't have the energy to pull all-nighters. All they can do is read a little and go to bed.

Our reading was selected by Augustus who had noticed that I did not have clear thoughts in my head. We read this:

"The mind and the thought of man sometimes discover truths, and from this thought and discovery signs and results are produced. This thought has a foundation. But many things come to the mind of man which are like the waves of the sea of imaginations; they have no fruit, and no result comes from them. In the same way, man sees in the world of sleep a vision which becomes exactly realized; at another time, he sees a dream which has absolutely no result.

What we mean is that this state, which we call the converse and communications of spirits, is of two kinds: one is simply imaginary, and the other is like the visions which are mentioned in the Holy Book, such as the revelations of St. John and Isaiah and the meeting of Christ with Moses and Elias. These are real, and produce wonderful effects in the minds and thoughts of men, and cause their hearts to be attracted."

He suggested that I smell the jade and hope for some constructive thoughts. He is precious beyond words.

Shortly after the read SweetPants and his big tired paws went to sleep.
And back in his own quarters Ollie invited his toy mice to bed
for some happy dreaming!

Cat kisses and best wishes to you all..hang in there, christmas is around the corner!

Ciao

I think...they remember

I don't think that we have been away at all and only in reviewing photos I realize that we have. Thankfully, the cat boys remember. The familiar faces, the meows, the purrs, the shenanigans and the sacred all remained the same.

A mighty Augustus perched on top of the wall and assumed the posture of anticipating a reading

while Doctor Ollie assumed the relaxed posture essential to reflection and meditation.

I call him by his other other name Dr Ollie on those days when he comes and checks my breathing during the night to make sure that I am still alive.

The squirrel came to see what this was all about.


Today's selection was chosen by Mr Sweet Pants who senses the sacred in every moment, every thing, every place!

“In the bath today, a sweet-scented mud reached me from the hand of my beloved; I said: “O mud, whence comes thy sweetness?” and it replied: “Verily, I am naught but clay, but for a time, I lingered with a rose. The fragrance of that union has left its trace in me, otherwise I am still that clay that I was.”

Sa’adi poem translated by Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih ͯKh̲ánum (from a talk she gave in India at the home of Boman Ulyai on 16 February 1964 found in the book Travels in India.)

I was pleased with his selection. The two cat boys made their lovely kisses and blew them in the air to sanctify this early part of December.

Ciao everyone!