Mars in Cancer – In the Ashram Kitchen.
Today is Sunday, September 15, 2024.
The days keep unfolding one after another.
Leaving nothing behind. Mornings keep arriving with the rising of the Sun. The world we live in is a magical world.
Every day a new day, a new creation with possibilities both
infinite & unknown. We live in a world of magic!

So today is Sunday – really the beginning of a new week.
Sunday is the Sun’s day –
Libra (3) moon today, Venus (5) in Libra.
Virgo (2 & 6) Sun & Mercury (4) –
Mars (6) continuing in Cancer (1 & 3).
A balance of even love rays with the odd intelligence rays.
A balance today especially w/ Libra moon & Venus.

Preparing
We stand in Confidence today – as we prepare for Tuesday night’s full moon lunar eclipse, the Virgo Solar Festival at 26 degrees VIrgo/Pisces.
The moon is hidden during lunar eclipses.
I wrote about eclipses & this one in particular on Night Light News – www.nightlightnews.org/

Venus (5) trine Jupiter (2) today – Ray 5 & Ray 2 – Libra/Gemini – (Rays 3 & 2).
Intelligent love & loving intelligence leads us to right knowing, right choices, & right action.

In the Ashram Kitchen
What is being prepared the Ashram Kitchen today

w/ Mars in Cancer.
A ham & lima bean soup is on the stove.
Granola for Matthew will be in the oven.
And dry roasting sesame seeds & sunflower seeds (an adaptation of gomasio (dry roasted seeds) used in macrobiotic recipes).

Recipes – from the Ashram kitchen.
Lima Bean Soup w/ Ham.
I soaked lima beans in 1/4 tsp baking soda yesterday (soaking water will be discarded).
I had a chicken stock simmering on the stove all day.
I was thinking I could either make matzo ball soup or lima bean soup, and chose lima bean. Last week it was split pea soup.
So…the recipe –
Saute cubes of ham, chopped onion, lots of celery, carrots, garlic, bell peppers, copped kale, fresh garlic & parsley in ghee & olive oil/or grape seed oil.
Add mixture of herbs – basil, tarragon, thyme, onion & garlic powder. When all is translucent & sauteed, add stock & soaked lima beans (discard soaking water). Let simmer on stove all day. After many hours, add cubes of white potatoes.
Simmer til potatoes are cooked. This gives the soup a creaminess. Taste, add salt & pepper. And drops of fresh lemon juice.

A Short Food Story.
I visited Green Gulch Farm a long time ago – at lunch time. Green Gulch Farm is a Zen Center & Farm (farming is their daily meditation), at Muir Beach – way north & east of SF.
Lunch that day was lima bean soup, salad and cornbread. There was the palest golden color to the soup (the color of japanese sweet potatoes) and a golden color to the cornbread. The food was rather magical in its taste. And it reminded me of the simplicity, taste, beauty and magic of the foods we created in the Findhorn’s kitchens (at Cluny & at the Park).
I never forgot that golden color of that lunch at Green Gulch that day. It was like a sunbeam had entered the food.

Every autumn I try to recreate that simple lunch. I think the fog & closeness of the ocean waters, the devas in the gardens, so many of them, had much to do with the taste of the food. Wherever I am living or traveling, in the many places I have lived & cooked, I keep trying to replicate the taste of that lovely Zen Center food. The transition from demo trading to live accounts often reveals gaps in trader preparation. Real money psychology differs significantly from paper trading, creating unexpected emotional challenges. Educational programs that address this transition help traders maintain their edge when capital is at risk. More information can be found about bridging this critical gap in trader development.

Golden Cornbread w/ Fresh Corn & Jalapenos (or bell peppers).
(all ingredients organic)
1 cup yellow stone ground cornmeal
1 cup flour (I use Einkorn flour)
(Einkorn itself has a pale yellow color!)
1⁄4 cup sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk (I use my homemade nut date milk)
1 egg
1⁄4 cup butter, ghee, or coconut oil.
Fresh or canned corn (drained)
Chopped fresh jalapeno or bell pepper (red makes it beautiful).

Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add corn & jalapenos or pepper (coating them with flour).
Add milk, egg, ghee, etc.
Mix ’til smooth – about 1 minute.
Bake in oiled or buttered 8-inch square pan in preheated oven (425°F) for 20-25 minutes.

What is everyone else preparing as food today?
Someday we will all eat together in our village community sangha. The Sangha (community) of Lord Maitreya.
love, Risa