Greetings from nature

Mother Nature seems to have many ways to accost us. The slideshow above is just a little amongst the abundance. [skd]

Happy Fasting, Ramadan 1430 H

The holy fasting month for the Moslems is coming. It’s Ramadan 1430 H. After a year of common life, today they have to retreat from lusty way of life into holiness, framed with fasting, and filled with prayers, listening to /reading Qurans, good deed and charity.

I just want to give respect to this special time with a brief insight, taken from my garden. I found a caterpillar, swinging on a banyan leaf. It just hung on with a tiny fiber from its spittle. The creature started to wrap its whole body with salivary fiber coming out from the mouth. A new stage of life began, a crucial one of metamorphose: to be a chrysalis - a silent chrysalis. It ceased eating leaves and everything, and spent the time by fasting. That’s a beautiful period for such creature to change its character: from being a greedy animal to be a beautiful and helpful one – from being an ugly caterpillar to be a fabulous butterfly.

So, chrysalis has become a spiritual symbol of fasting time for inner change of life.

However, all is begun with a little movement of the caterpillar: to let itself ‘drop down’ to be ‘hanging on’ a leaf! What does it mean? This is my spiritual insight: fasting should be based on humbleness. To be mature in faith, ones have to trust their lives humbly to God, not to their selves! Then, fasting is a process of letting this self go, and letting God come into the deepest heart and drive all the purity of human dignity.

The perfection of fasting does not depend on how strong ones can keep out from eating and drinking, but it depends on how ‘keeping out from eating and drinking’ has led them into the purity of being human before God! [skd]

Happy fasting, Ramadan 1430 H
my beloved Brothers & Sisters!

Some place to perch on

I wish I could tell you the vibration of this Javanese song "Kupu Kuwi", hoping that you could feel the cheerful atmosphere brought by the gamelan music. Or, maybe you could make a dance with the harmony! It's about butterflies. Well, here you are the lyrics, in Javanese and English:

Kupu Kuwi
kupu kuwi dak incupé
mung aburé ngéwuhaké
ngalor ngidul ngétan bali ngulon
mrana mréné mung saparan paran
katoné ra ngerti sayah
mentas méncok cégrok banjur mabur bleber

Translation:

The Butterfly
I would like to catch the butterfly
but it's flying busily
going to the north, flying to the south, to the east and back to the west
going around where it loves to
it seems to have no tired
after perching on here, then fly away somewhere

In many ways, butterflies may inspire ones who want to grasp the spot of their lives. The composer of the simply short and beautiful song just captured regular activities of them. He might think of nothing but describing the creature when it’s flying and perching. Of course it’s just looking for nectar, sometimes just enjoy flying. No relationship, so far. However, he made it when he wanted to catch one of the beautiful, and he realized that it was hard to do. This could generate many ideas for one's life!

One of my friends means it as a process of his struggle to survive. Like catching butterflies, he feels so when working for livelihood. Another one means himself like the butterflies, which will perch on some place after flying around. Everyone needs a place to stand on, temporarily or permanently!

So, let's dance with butterflies! [skd]


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Download: Kupu Kuwi - MP3.