Blue Moon soon!

You may wonder what they are!
They are the lights of an apartment building.

I was taking photos of moon tonight, enjoying its beauty.
And I just found a funny function of my camera, which could change the lights of night view into the shape of star or heart.
I used it right away! Those stars are so cute!!

This is the heart pattern!
So cute!! I love them!!!

Oh! the main moon tonight is like this.

It has already full-moon like power.

On 31st August, it is the 2nd full moon this month, called Blue Moon.
I'll view the Blue Moon in Hakone with my best friends.
I'm looking forward to the day!

About a year has passed since I went to Hakone.
I wrote about it in this article, Hakone Trip.

Many things happened and I grew up a lot mentally since the days.
I'll visit Hakone Shrine to say, "Thank you for the past year and guide me for the next year."

I wish you also have a wonderful Blue Moon night!!

Live in our own justice

Because the sunset yesterday was very beautiful, I tried to express the beauty by pastel.

All the colors of Nature are very beautiful!
It's difficult to make the perfect color to match it.
Roma wasn't built in a day.
So I keep practicing!


What I'm thinking these days......

Life is miracle.
We don't know what will happen next.

The only thing we know is we should live in our own justice, following our heart.

People, companies and societies try to take advantage of whatever they can use
and steal whatever they can steal, saying they are always right.

The sense of justice differs in times, countries and people.

Although we trust justice outside us, the justice is changing.

We should always trust our own justice.
That is the best way to live like who we are, instead of being affected by others.

Taking all the responsibilities, we live in our own justice.
By doing so, we are sometimes persecuted.

But the universe always watches us.

And the universe rewards us for what we did all the time.
It locates us at the right place.

So don't worry!
Please follow our heart and live in our own justice.


Thank you very much for always watching me.
Love,
Chiaki

Moon Goddess

On August 18th, it is a new moon today.

Once a moon hides herself in the darkness.
And it's getting bigger to become a full moon.

On the 31st, it is the 2nd full moon in August, Blue Moon.
Since I have a fun event on the 31st, I treasure each day and welcome the Blue Moon!


I do pastel-painting these days.
Since I haven't done for a few months, I just paint what I feel.
I felt like using Blue today and painted today's sky.

The sky of these days have many unique expressions.

I still liked to use Blue to paint something soft and light after I painted the sky.
At first, I painted a variety of blue on the white paper.

While I was doing, I started to see something different.
Anyway, I followed my intuition and kept painting.
Although I didn't know the whole image, I painted one after one image.

Once I learned how to paint angels.
But I couldn't see wings and instead, I wanted to paint a veil.
The paint below is what I drew at last.

It is a new moon today.

I thought it was Moon Goddess!
And Rainbow Goddess too because I wanted to use multi-color for her cloth.

I also thought this Goddess reflects my Goddess's energy inside me.


Before I started painting, I received a message and just wrote it on my note.
The message is.......


You have never done anything wrong.
So, you don't need to be ashamed of yourself.
Keep living fair and square.

Others try skillfully and slyly to let you think you are wrong
and plant a sense of guilt in you.
It's because they can't bear their mistakes.

You are very strong because you try to endure the mistakes which you have never made.

So, please trust yourself and live fair and square.
 
You've never made mistakes.

 
After I drew Moon Goddess, I thought the message was from her.

Before I went back to the tour business this autumn,
I had something I worried and cared in my mind.

Actually it is very tough for a woman to work with big companies
All the faults and mistakes are put on somebody small and weak although they are not wrong.

However, this message helped me to confront the hidden truth and to release my wounded heart.

Yes! I have never done what I had to be ashamed of myself.
So I live fair and square!

Like I found Moon Goddess in my pastel,
My true-self can also be revealed


Enjoy a magical New Moon night
and the days to the Blue Moon




 

my favorite phrase

There has been my favorite phrase since I was a student.
I forgot I had a favorite phrase but I just remember it yesterday.
The phrase is.....

If I wasn't hard, I wouldn't be alive.
If I couldn't ever be gentle, I wouldn't deserve to be alive.

The phrase was said by Philip Marlowe, a detective in a novel written by Raymond Thornton Chandler.

I didn't know this until I looked into it now.

When I heard this phrase, it was translated into Japanese.
The translation was more likely this....

If I wasn't strong, I wouldn't be alive.
If I couldn't ever be kind, I wouldn't deserve to be alive.

It is a little different but strong and kind are very important to me.

When I heard this phrase about 20 years ago, the phrase was inscribed in my soul.
I decided to be a person with both kindness and strength.

Basically, Japanese are not direct to say what we think.
But unlike typical Japanese, I am rather direct.
It is good to non-Japanese but too sever to Japanese.

When I think it's necessary to say for my friends and people related to me,
I decide to take all the responsibilities and say what I think directly to them after thinking a lot and choosing words carefully.
But those who think they are always right and stubborn are upset at me and away from me.

I know I always hit their points they try not to see and don't want anybody to touch.
I don't do this to everybody.
I do this to people who try to come into my life or whom I want to be closer.
I can't deceive myself and pretend not to see what I saw.

It's alright even if those people can't understand what I truly mean.
I often see them changing toward good directions after they decide to beat me.

I haven't expected anybody to understand me.
But these days, people around me started to understand me.
Some of my friends said to me yesterday,

"There is love within your strength.
What you say sometimes seem there is no love but you really think of the person.
What you say are always based on love and compassion.
Therefore, people who understand can understand later although it takes time."

I am very happy to hear this maybe happier than I realize.

My dear friends can always find and accept my true love behind what I say.

I inscribe this phrase in my soul again and go up to the next stage!

If I wasn't strong, I wouldn't be alive.
If I couldn't ever be kind, I wouldn't deserve to be alive.

the anniversary of the end of the World War II

August 15th is the anniversary of the end of the World War II in Japan.
67 years will have passed tomorrow since the war ended.

On the 14th of August, Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration.
And next day, Japan's emperor, a father of today's emperor announced by radio Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.

For other Nations, the day has been known as "Victory over Japan Day," or simply "V-J Day."

I try not to discuss about the war.
I just hope there are no more wars in the world.

Japanese have many opportunities to think about Death and Peace in August.

August 15th was the day of the end of the World War II.
Before the day, the 6th was the day when the first A-bomb was dropped in Hiroshima.
And the 9th was the day when the 2nd one was dropped in Nagasaki.

In addition to those days, most Japanese are having summer vacation called "Bon Ysumi" now and go back to their hometown to hold a memorial service for their ancestors.

Bon or O-bon are the days when the spirits of our ancestors come back home and stay with us.
It is something like Halloween.
We are not scared at the dead.
We welcome and entertain them.

During this period, the death and the dead are nearer to us than usual.

It starts to be difficult to explain the connection of those above things logically but they are all connected to me.

There are many reasons to conduct wars.
But I really hope there are no more wars.
Our life is small and short in front of Mother Earth and Nature.
I hope all of us can live our life fully and experience Love and Peace.

the beginning of autumn

I just said August has started and now I say the beginning of autumn has started.
According to the traditional Japanese calender, August 7th was the first day of autumn.
I couldn't believe it but now I can feel cool breeze in the morning and evening, even between heat at daytime.

My long vacation seems to be ending....
I'll move around again this autumn.
My tourists are coming back!
I said I quit my tour job before.
Yes, it's still true.
But I have known the guests who are coming back about 10 years.
It will be my 5th trip with them.
I introduced them in this article, videos of real Japan.
They are Japanese-Americans and like my family.
I'm looking forward to seeing them again!

And my another dream came true!
My dream was I wanted to travel around as an interpreter too.
Mamiko and David I introduced in this article, book release party
will come back for another healing workshop in Hiroshima.
They asked me to work with them and will pay for my expenses.
I thought it was difficult and cost to hire me outside Tokyo.
I'm glad I didn't give up hope!
They are very nice and always treat me with respect.

If I continued working only as a tour guide, I've never tried another possibilities.
Once I was away from this job due to many reasons including disasters last year.
During that period, I had a hard time and didn't know what to do.
But now I realize I became strong mentally and found many other possibilities.
I enjoyed painting and teaching pastel.
I have many new friends to care and support each other truly.
I still like to have my own workshops and actually I'm thinking to have another workshop collaborated with my best friend.

I can tell all the experiences including sadness and happiness were indispensable and nothing unnecessary happened.
While you are going through hardships, you don't realize this fact but you'll know everything is perfect at the end.

One of my good points is I never loose HOPE and can find bright side even though it seems very difficult to find it.

If you feel you are stuck, don't give up and you'll find an exit soon.
And you'll know everything is perfect for you.

Lotus flowers bloom beautifully in mud.
Dirty mud is like our society.
Our society is filled with not only innocence and purity but also jealous and envy.
But lotus flowers absorb everything darkness and ugliness and bloom beautifully
Everything is indispensable essences to let you bloom beautifully.
Trust yourself.
Trust everything is unfolding perfectly.
Love
Chiaki 

Kamakura again!

August has started!
And it is a full moon tomorrow.
The power of moon is already strong!

Do you know there are two full moons this month, on 2nd and 31st?
The 2nd one is called "Blue Moon."
I feel it's already a special month!


Today, I wen to Kamakura with one of my friends since my junior high school days.

In my article, beautiful hydrangeas,
I promised lotus leaves to come back to see their beautiful flowers!

I can't brake promises with Nature.
Although I can't keep promises with people, I can excuse myself and change the schedule.
But I can't excuse and change with Nature!

When we arrived at Kamakura station, it started raining although the chance of rain was 0%.
I thought it was purification.
When we just entered the precinct of the shrine, it stopped!

There was one rain drop on a leaf.
This rains cooled them.

Lotus flowers open early in the morning and close at noon.
We were a little late.

After the shrine, we had a nice lunch and went to say "Hi!" to the Great Buddha.

We have known each other for so long.
She was the first one among my friends to get married and have kids.
Now the older son is in high school and the 2nd one is in junior high.
She declared she would spend time for herself from now on!
I'll support her!!
It was a beautiful day and I had a great time!!