Kintsugi is a Japanese method for repairing broken ceramics with a special lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum.
The philosophy behind the technique is to recognize the history of the object and to visibly incorporate the repair into the new piece instead of disguising it.
The process usually results in something more beautiful than the original.
Kintsugi is rooted in the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, which appreciates the beauty of imperfection and impermanence. It encourages embracing flaws and seeing them as part of a unique history rather than something to be concealed.
When I had my recent fainting (syncope) episode, my fall smashed one of my favorite planters. It was white, simple, pure, and had a twin, which makes my OCD happy. When I cleaned up the mess, I saved the broken pieces. I wasn’t sure what I could do with them but I wasn’t ready to toss it out, especially as it created an imbalance with its sibling.
Yesterday, finally, I decided to see if I could repair it. I used E6000 to glue all the pieces back together. I thought I could use it outside in the garden even if it was too destroyed to be brought back in the house. It didn’t look great, but then I remembered that I had a gold permanent marker.
Instead of hiding the damage, I used the kintsugi concept and revealed the beauty in its brokenness.
I love the way it looks and the rattlesnake plant is once again displayed in a perfectly, now imperfect setting.
I know you can buy kintsugi repair kits, but my little gold marker did a great job.
While traditionally used for ceramics, the philosophy of kintsugi has been applied to various aspects of life, including personal healing. It offers a perspective on how to find beauty in the brokenness and learn from life’s experiences.
Since I break things all of the time, I’m fairly certain I’ll be able to attempt more kintsugi in the future. I’m slightly tempted to break something on purpose. I won’t, but maybe I will!
If I could, I’d wish everyone a happy 4th of July, but in our current USA climate of ICE kidnappings, lack of due process, total annihilation of our Bill of Rights and Constitution, it’s more of a sad, funereal, and tragic day than a celebration.
Instead, I’m looking to the skies for inspiration, hopefully some “as above, so below” joy, the kind you get from wishing upon a star…
Star light, star bright, First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, Have the wish I wish tonight. ⭐
It’s time for Sirius to shine as the brightest most twinkliest star in the night sky. Also known as the Dog Star, it’s a binary star system consisting of Sirius A and Sirius B. Sirius is located 8.6 light-years from Earth in the constellation Canis Major.
Each year from July 3 to July 7, the Earth experiences a powerful energetic alignment known as the Sirius Portal. This five-day window marks a period of increased cosmic energy, spiritual awakening, and inner transformation.
During this time, the Sun aligns with the star Sirius, the brightest star visible from Earth, often referred to as our Spiritual Sun. Sirius has been revered by ancient cultures for thousands of years for its connection to divine intelligence, spiritual activation, and higher consciousness.
In astrology and energy work, this alignment is known to open a cosmic gateway or energy portal, allowing a flow of high-frequency light codes to reach Earth. These light codes are energetic patterns that support soul remembrance, intuition activation, emotional release, and vibrational upgrades on both a personal and collective level.
While this energy is available to everyone, those who are more energy sensitive or actively working on growth may feel it more strongly.
During the Sirius Portal, many people feel a mix of emotional, mental, and physical shifts. These are signs that your energy body is adjusting and upgrading in response to the alignment.
The energy coming through this gateway often reveals what needs healing, highlights what is ready to shift, and strengthens your connection to your higher self. It can be a time of deep insight, emotional clarity, and powerful intention-setting.
The Sirius Portal represents a connection between the Earth and higher realms of consciousness. While our physical Sun sustains life in the material world, Sirius is seen as a source of spiritual light, providing insight, healing, and guidance from the soul level.
This alignment is considered sacred as it opens a brief period where access to wisdom, clarity, and transformation becomes easier, faster, and more direct.
It is believed that spiritual downloads, energetic healing, and intuitive insights are more accessible during this time. People who actively work with this energy may experience a breakthrough, make an important decision, or feel deeply inspired to move forward with something they had been holding back.
To make the most of the Sirius Gateway, it helps to take time out to pause and reflect. This is a perfect time for journaling, meditation, or stillness. By asking focused questions, you open a dialogue with your higher self and invite answers that may come through thoughts, dreams, feelings, or synchronicities.
Here are some powerful questions to ask during this portal:
⭐ What parts of my life feel out of alignment with who I am becoming? ⭐ What am I ready to release so that I can grow emotionally or spiritually? ⭐ What would it feel like to fully trust my inner guidance right now?
Asking these questions from a place of curiosity, without pressure, allows answers to flow naturally. Sometimes they come right away. Other times, the answers appear gradually through signs, intuitive nudges, or conversations that confirm what you already feel inside.
While the Sirius Portal is deeply energetic, the way you respond to it physically and mentally will shape what you get from the experience. Choosing to be intentional during these five days helps direct the energy toward your goals.
You might take time out each day between July 3 and July 7 to do one or more of the following:
⭐ Write down one intention that you want to manifest before the end of the year. ⭐ Meditate on your highest self and visualize living your next-level life. ⭐ Clear out old clutter, thoughts, or habits that no longer match your direction. ⭐ Pay close attention to your dreams or signs and write them down immediately.
What we do, say, think, and feel during these days carries extra weight. Approach the portal with clear intentions, openness, and trust. Curated from Alex Myles
I guess all we can do is manifest and set intentions for a positive future with decent humans making better choices for us and our planet. Fingers crossed!
⭐ Best of all, I discovered a Leon Russell (as Hank Wilson) song about stars!
I don’t talk much about the part of Southern California where I live; other than my beach, lagoon, and the stupid local government. I’m about thirty or forty miles or so from the city, and while I don’t often get down there, I do love old pictures that chronicle the history of San Diego far more accurately than words.
Here’s a photo of San Diego Bay taken in 1892 from the vantage point of State Street and Broadway. It all looks calm and free of tourists, exactly how we locals like our life here in SoCal.
San Diego Bay / Photo from Reddit
I always thought the oldest bar in San Diego was the Waterfront, but it’s not, because the Waterfront opened in 1933 when prohibition was repealed,
The oldest bar in San Diego is the Tivoli Bar, opened as a saloon in 1885. It’s located on a lot originally owned by Alonzo Horton who helped develop most of downtown San Diego.
Tivoli Bar/Curated from SFGate
Built in 1864, the building was first called the Walker House and functioned as a boarding house, feed store, and blacksmith shop. The Walker House was converted into a saloon and kitchen in 1885. The original bar (still there) was built in Boston and brought to San Diego by ship around Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America, a journey which took three to four months.
The original cash register from the turn of the 20th century and the old safe are still displayed in the bar.
The Tivoli Bar has hosted many famous characters including Wyatt Earp and his wife Josephine, whose photos are prominently displayed over the entrance to the bar, along with Frank Sinatra and Sophia Loren.
The bar flourished during a time when San Diego was a boomtown and the Gaslamp was the city’s red light district, an area then known as the Stingaree. A warning sign from the time reads: “This area is known to be populated by anarchists, confidence men, cut throats, shady ladies, hop heads, perverts and thieves.”
Here’s an 1882 crime report from a local newspaper: “About 8 o’clock on Friday evening, a fracas occurred in the Tivoli Saloon between Gus Young and one Ballantine, in which the former was struck over the head with a chair in such a forcible manner that the latter is of no further service, and will have to be sent to a furniture store for repairs.”
I bet there were some wild times inside the Tivoli–if only the walls could talk! It’s a certified dive bar and I can’t believe I’ve never been there. I think it’d be fun to take the train downtown and check it out.
Have you heard of reporter and author Max Miller?
Max Miller was a reporter for the San Diego Sun and author of twenty eight books. In 1932, he wrote I Cover the Waterfront, an interesting account of San Diego’s port community that inspired Hollywood movies and became the title of a jazz standard sung by Billie Holliday, Frank Sinatra, and Sarah Vaughan, but sadly, NOT Leon Russell.
The book’s characters include true-life sea captains, Portuguese fishermen, flying squid, sparkling Garibaldi fish, movie stars, Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth, and a beautiful young woman who got away.
Miller also drew from his experiences living in Everett, Washington and when he attended the University of Washington. He also wrote Harbor of the Sun: The Story of the Port of San Diego, which is a fairly difficult book to locate. He died in La Jolla.
Here’s Sarah Vaughan with her 1946 version of I Cover The Waterfront (I couldn’t find a Leon Russell connection this time at all…LOL).
FYI: This is not a post written with the intention to extol any vacation virtues of San Diego. We REALLY have far too many visitors here but I’m sure there are other lovely places to choose for a holiday…
The concept of yutori speaks to me, especially right now in this scary political climate of gestapo-like kidnappings, Alligator Auschwitz, and a real sense of anticipatory dread.
“Yutori” (ゆとり) is a Japanese concept that broadly translates to spaciousness, room, or breathing room.
It’s about creating intentional space in one’s life, both physically and mentally, to allow for relaxation, reflection, and a sense of ease.
This can involve anything from leaving for appointments early to allow for a buffer, to simply taking moments throughout the day to pause and breathe
Yutori aligns with mindfulness practices and encourages a more balanced and less stressful approach to life. For me, that means going outside, watching a magnificent beachy sunset, cleaning the house, thoughtfully organizing a drawer — or my massive seashell collection.
International Leon Russell Day is celebrated on June 25th, coinciding with National Leon Day.
It’s a day to honor the visionary, legendary musician Leon Russell with events like special performances and tribute album release parties.
I had another one of my accidental mishaps and was totally incapacitated for a brief period of time. No surgery necessary, but I was in recovery mode yet again…that’s the only reason I can think of to explain how I missed a day to honor the Master of Space and Time.
I was there on June 26,1971…
Early Leon performing Hi-Heel Sneakers from the Shindig TV show. He was only 22 years old. S1E7, October 28, 1964. Leon starts at 2:25.
And a decade later, Strangers in a Strange Land:
And many, many years later, he’s still the Master of Space and Time. All you need is Leon and his piano…his version is so nuanced and poignant, it brings tears.
I don’t want to hear about that orange POS or worry about WW3 or the economy or ICE or any of the other no good, terrible, very bad things that are going on. I want to bask in my ignorance.
Just for today I want to be the innocent who waters her garden and talks to crows and delights in butterflies and believes in the inherent goodness of humanity.
Curated from Cottage Whimsy / Artist: Naoko Stoop
This Beach Boys song seems to convey the vibe of the day, only good vibes! Here’s Good Vibrations studio footage. I know that Leon Russell played on a version of GV, but I don’t see him here:
Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, and it holds significant spiritual symbolism. It represents the triumph of light over darkness, new beginnings, and the peak of nature’s abundance. Here are three of my favorite things…
🌻 Summer Solstice Mantra:
Om Hrim Shivaya Namaha This is a powerful invocation of Shiva (consciousness) and Shakti (energy). The bija sound “Hrim” amplifies the transformative power of Om Namah Shivaya, making it especially resonant at this sun-drenched turning point in the year.
🌻 Solar Plexus Chakra:
Another way to celebrate the summer solstice is to embrace our inner light by connecting with our solar plexus chakra. Awaken to and be aware of our inner radiance and true power.
The solar plexus chakra–Manipura–is where we derive our sense of self and personal autonomy. It’s our distinct source of personal power that allows us to live life freely and authentically. Associated with a bright yellow color, we can empower our solar plexus chakra by meditating and with yoga poses like the plank and variations of warrior, or any pose that focuses on our core strength.
🌻 Poem:
Summer Stars
Bend low again, night of summer stars. So near you are, sky of summer stars, So near, a long-arm man can pick off stars, Pick off what he wants in the sky bowl, So near you are, summer stars, So near, strumming, strumming, So lazy and hum-strumming. –Carl Sandburg
Last night I made some popcorn the old fashioned way — on the stovetop. I don’t often have popcorn, but I couldn’t think of anything to eat, so I made some and sprinkled it with pink Himalayan sea salt, which I know is uber trendy right now, but I’ve always used it primarily because it’s PINK and so pretty!
While eating the warm crunchy popped corn, I remembered that once upon a time, I met the Popcorn King himself, Orville Redenbacher.
During the America’s Cup races in San Diego. I was on a spectator boat and Orville was on board, too.
There was an undercurrent of chatter; buzz that someone famous was with us, and there he was, in his trademarked glasses and bow tie. Since we know by now that I’m not afraid of talking to anybody, whether it’s Willie Nelson or Vice President Al Gore or a rude Rob Reiner (Kauai), I had a sweet little chat with OR, who WAS a very nice man, by the way.
Did you know that Orville Redenbacher actually was a scientist? He developed a new strain of popcorn that kept that whole industry alive.
Back then, before smart phones, no one was as obsessed with documenting each and every moment of their lives, and while it WAS the America’s Cup and a pretty big deal, I still didn’t have a camera with me, so I don’t have photographic proof, I’m sorry to report.
Orville asked me for my address and I gave it to him because he said he was going to send me something. I had totally forgotten about our conversation until a gigantic box arrived a few weeks later, full of OR popcorn and products.
Sadly, I didn’t know that Orville Redenbacher died in 1995 at his home in Coronado, which is on the other side of San Diego Bay.
I updated this post to honor the life and genius of the Beach Boys Brian Wilson. You can’t write about a surfer girl without that song in your head, right?Listen to Surfer Girl at the end ⬇️
Riding the waves, enchanted fairy-girl style…
A girl adrift, where sunlight streams, Through liquid glass, a world of dreams. She dances free, a silver thread, In currents soft, where fishes fed. The water whispers, soft and low, As gentle eddies gently flow. A world of wonder, cool and deep, Where secrets sleep and shadows creep.
Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 