Susan Placek, Owner of THE CREATIVE IDEA SHOP

Heading to my friend's book signing in Venice Beach I decided to pull myself away from the computer a few hours earlier and take a break at the nearby Meditation Center of Lake Shrine,  "nearby" of course in Los Angeles standards that is.

The serene Lake Shrine Meditation Garden and Temple is located in the beautiful Pacific Palisades off Sunset Boulevard featuring a spring-fed lake, nestled in the center of the Garden.

Knowing the quite interesting history of this place makes a big difference in the whole experience. Being on a schedule  however I decided to focus on the Garden during this visit and walked straight through the double doors to the stairs, leading down to the lake.

In the late 1940ies Mr. McElroy sold the property to an oil-company president who's strange re-occurring dreams of his new home becoming a "Church of All Reli­gions", inspired him to write a letter to the Self-Realiza­tion Fellowship Church of All Reli­gions in Hollywood, in which he offered his property for sale.
Deeply moved by his dreams he decided to quickly call instead of waiting for his letter to arrive, and when he did, the founder, Paramahansa Yogananda himself answered his call. Before the man had a chance to introduce himself, he was asked about the property he had for sale, even though his letter had not arrived yet.

After change of ownership made possible through generous benefactors, once again construction began at Lake Santa Ynez. Paramahansa Yoga­nanda himself directed and oversaw the ongoing work and the creation of his spiritual legacy from his new and temporary headquarters, the houseboat.
1,500 people attended the formal opening to the public on August 20, 1950 of what was now Lake Shrine.

All of Mr. McElroy's buildings still exist and are part of today's site and landscaping.

New constructions added under the vegetarian Guru's supervision were the Court of Religions honoring the five principal religions of the world, the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial, home to a portion of Gandhi's ashes, and a Museum which exhibits Paramahansa Yogananda's work.
The white hill-top Temple and Retreat, looking at the lake and the Pacific Ocean was built in 1996, 44 years after Paramahansa Yogananda's passing, fulfilling his last wish for a construction of such a building.

Yogananda also designed the Golden Lotus Archway, or "wall-less temple, topped by golden lotus flowers, the Indian symbol of divine unfoldment and the awakening of the soul to its infinite potential.
The orange-red flowering plant next to the Archway looks like a shrub on fire, and I wonder if this species was purposely chosen to be planted there as a symbol of the eternal flame of life.

Swans, ducks, turtles, fish and many other animals call Lake Shrine home and the park itself with its lush landscaping, rocks, waterfalls, trees, tropical plants, flowers and shrubs is a sanctuary for people looking for a place to unwind, to meditate or simply to enjoy this spiritual place and the stunning scenic beauty.

With the Windmill Chapel currently under construction, to be re-opened again in Fall, and part of the Garden including the Visitor Center and the large statue by the waterfall not accessible at this time, there was only one more place to go to:

The Lake Shrine Gift Shop and Museum offering a variety of inspirational gifts from India, from books to statues, candles, incense, singing bowls, jewelry, clothing and hand made Indian arts and crafts.

Susan Placek, Owner of THE CREATIVE IDEA SHOP

The fast-food style restaurant offers a nice variety of dishes, from Starters to Bowls - the Bombay Bowl with herb-roasted veggies, super grains, steamed kale, cannellini beans, cilantro/green curry sauce with coconut milk, almonds, hemp seeds was very tempting - Homestyle Plates, Burgers, Sandwiches, Soups of the day, Taco Plates and plenty of Sides to choose from. Patrons may pick pairs from each menu category.

After some consideration I decided to order 2 Sides, Steamin’ Kale for $ 3.50 with ginger-miso dressing,  sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and Cauli-Mashed Potatoes + Gravy for $ 3.25, made from fresh cauliflower blended with mashed potatoes, topped with porcini mushroom gravy with fresh rosemary, a combination that's right up my alley.

Links:


The VeggieGrill has currently 24 restaurants in Southern and Northern California, Oregon and Washington.
http://www.veggiegrill.com/index.html


Photography: http://www.cocoonworx.com

Susan Placek, Owner of THE CREATIVE IDEA SHOP

Ocean Kelp is one of my favorite motifs when I am out hunting with my camera. I am fascinated by looking at it at the right time of the day  - sunset - when it reminds me of golden flames dancing on the water surface.

Because of its rubber/leather like look and feel that it has, I often wonder if it could be processed into belts, maybe shoes and other goods that are usually made of leather.

 After all, tons of Ocean Kelp is washed ashore daily and delivered at no charge by our planet's Oceans.

Links:

http://www.CocoonWorx.com (Images)

http://www.TheCreativeIdeaShop.com

http://www.catalinaadventuretours.com/

http://www.puritan.com/food-supplements-004/sea-kelp-000623

Ulrike Maria, Owner of MODERN THOUGHTS THEORIES

The ego is a peace-disturber, a troublemaker. It wants more and more, it doesn’t stop or find satisfaction. The inherent and characteristic goal of unfoldment and growth, striving to expand, is fully misunderstood by the ego-mind, as it sees this task as an accumulation of material riches and status, worldly powers you might say. However, the spiritual mind knows that the unfoldment of self consists of the humble awakening of Truth within. We have to expand our minds beyond our five senses; to truly ‘sense’ is to go beyond your accustomed limited perception. Mind always seeks to know and to expand its awareness.

“In the last analysis, life is found to be nothing but sense”, is stated by one of the great metaphysicians William W. Walter in the early 1900’s. Life, boiled down, hidden behind the veil of all perception, leaves a purely mental essence. Truth is mental.

Your work is to observe this inner sensing that is going on at all times. Do you see yourself as the dynamic, powerful, yet peaceful Soul you are? Or do you see yourself as struggling, confused, and always in a hectic state? Where is your inner peace?

Once we have mastered this inner harmony we can start sowing the seeds to include our surroundings and in the end, once we have found this stillness and calm within, it will naturally and effortlessly contribute to a grander picture. It will spread easily, and flow with the natural current of the Universe. It will certainly contribute to a better life and manifest into world peace, as we are part of Collective Consciousness, which is connected to the All-mighty Universal Source.

Links:


Links:

http://www.ModernThoughtTheories.com

http://www.examiner.com/mind-and-body-2-in-los-angeles/ulrike-maria-wilson

http://www.CocoonWorx.com (Images)

Susan Placek, Owner of The Creative Idea Shop

It is about courage, about standing up for your beliefs, granting the right to live and raising your voice against animal exploitation and abuse and waste of valuable resources, when ignorant silence would be way more convenient.
It is about being a voice for those millions and billions of animals who's cries go unheard every day and every year.
It is the only logical consequence after opening your eyes to the sad and brutal reality of today's food industry, the mass production of foods, that are killers for both, humans and animals alike and that serve one purpose only: Filling the bank accounts of greedy corporations.

Veganism means restricting yourself by choice to a plant based diet and respecting animals for what they are: Living sentient beings. It is about letting go of human arrogance and bad food choices, about healing your body and your soul. Veganism is a positive revolution of gratitude, of people changing individually, thriving and reaching out to unite in the desire to change our planet, discovering what Earth and Life has to offer to all of its inhabitants.