Of Serpents and Doves

“Behold I send you out as sheep amongst wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves . (Matthew 10.16)

In this well known quotation from the Christian tradition we are given the best of advice. Like the disciples, we can benefit our lives by attempting to follow it because in  that simple statement lays the key to healthy management of our outer life.

Those two qualities mentioned – wisdom and harmlessness- form the two pillars of a gateway leading to control of the personality.
The injunction here is the Delphic one: Know Thyself. This is the wisdom which we normally associate with old age and a degree of life experience. Yet we are encouraged to actively pursue it as a way of life. It is the kind of wisdom that allows us to see the qualities and attributes of our being exactly as they are.

There is real virtue in taking that first step of standing to one side as the observer of our own activity and asking: What does this action I am taking say about who I am? Who am I and why do these thought arise in my mind? What is the source of this feeling?

In all wisdom traditions the student is advised to take stock of himself first and foremost. He is asked to hold a mirror before him and see there both his virtues and his vices with an unflinching eye.
Why so?
The reason is that fundamental occult truth that what one perceives and experiences in life reflects that which is within.
It follows then that if we are to improve our life and the quality of our experiences we must work first to know and understand the strengths and weaknesses of the inner ground of our being.


The second aspect here is harmlessness. The dove is used to symbolise this quality because of its association with peacefulness and love.
This is not the passivity of a person lacking self assertion. Being harmless is more the power of a non-combatant life.
It means to do no harm to one’s own life as well as to do no harm to others.

Being able to navigate this ethical minefield brings us full circle – back to wisdom. For how can we know what action or omission is the harmless one if we lack understanding of who we really are?

In the West we have historically abrogated the responsibility for self control and self knowledge to Church, State and the prevailing cultural paradigm. The trouble with that approach is that it substitutes blind allegiance for authentic expression. Invariably this climate produces a conflict of duty within us.

Does the pursuit of wealth, for example, really satisfy our search for meaning?

If the hand of Fate should sweep our material wealth away over night would we be less worthy because of that event?

How are we to solve those incessant ethical issues which require us to “trade off” duty to provide and duty to ourselves in this materialistic culture?

Only by going within. Only by taking back responsibility, by taking the time to reflect, by seeking out what is meaningful and right for our Selves. Only then are we equipped to navigate those choices.

Ultimately these two pillars of wisdom and harmlessness call us through to the place where our activity reflects our inner values, for there we stand in our own Light.

Hearth and Home

The Kitchen at Alberton House, Auckland, NZ

The Kitchen is the engine room of Homestead. We have set out with the intention to provide as much as possible from within the home. 

We do this for several reasons:

-On a practical level making our own supplies at home means we know what is in our food. We also know where our ingredients have come from.

-We are able to control quantity and quality of supplies ourselves. We have little waste, as what we do not use returns to the compost cycle for reuse by other lives. Any surplus we can process for a later season or share with family, friends and neighbours. 

Shared natural abundance builds communities.

-On a spiritual level we are able to be present for the whole process. This enables us to appreciate the lives who help to sustain us – such as the grains, cereals, fruits and vegetables. We also add our light and life force to what we are about to eat, completing a creative partnership loop with the natural world.

Intuitively sourcing food means that supplies come into the house in their season, and from various sources.

Right now we are at the tail end of citrus season in our part of the world. The cellar is bristling with several different flavours of marmalade.

Over the last few days I have turned my attention to cordials, so that we have cool drinks ready to hand in the hot summer months ahead.

My sister gave me this cordial recipe which I share here with you. You will notice we are not recreating any pastiche of the past at Homestead- my food processor is a very good friend of mine.

 The amount of sugar in this recipe seems alarming, but you are making a concentrate here. Dilute about a Tablespoon of the cordial with water in a tall glass. If you are lucky enough to have plenty of liquid honey you may like to try substituting that for the processed white sugar listed here. It makes the cordial a different colour but the flavour is rich and delicious.

Old Fashioned Lemon Cordial

Makes 3 litres of concentrate

To make the cordial you will need the following equipment:

A Food Processor with cutting blade attached

Vegetable peeler

Lemon squeezer

Large preserving pan or saucepan of about 5 litre capacity.

Sufficient sealable bottles to contain 3 litres of cordial.

Oven to sterilise bottles

Ingredients:

1.5 kg bag sugar

 6 large lemons

 1 Tbspn citric acid

Method:

Place the bottles in the oven. Set the temperature to 110C.

Peel rind of 2 lemons, being careful not to get any white pith. Set this to one side.

Extract the juice from all of the lemons

 Place the peel & 2 cups from the 1.5kg bag of sugar into the food processor. Run at high speed until the rind is really ground up and the sugar is yellow/oily looking.

Measure the juice and place it into the preserving pan with sufficient boiling water to make 3 litres. Add the rind and sugar mix from the processor to this liquid. Over a moderate heat stir continuously to dissolve the sugar, adding the rest of the 1.5kg sugar and 25- 50g citric acid as you go. Once all the sugar is dissolved turn off the heat. Remove the bottles from the oven to stand on a wire rack or wooden board. Fill each with cordial and seal immediately. Cool and label each bottle.

Once opened the cordial should be stored in the refrigerator

Use as cordial concentrate, diluted with cold water and garnish with lemon slices or mint leaves.

This method is also successful using oranges, limes or mandarins.

Lemon and Barley cordial can be made by substituting some of the boiling water with water in which pearl barley has been cooked. Barley water darkens the appearance of the cordial, but it adds a deeper flavour and nutritional benefits to your summer drinks.

Enjoy!