I write, but I don't feel like what I imagine a writer feels like.
I play the harp and I sing, but I don't feel like what I imagine a musician or singer feels like.
I am artsy. I do art. My home is covered in evidence of that, but I don't feel like what I imagine an artist feels like.
I'm not sure what it is, lack of commitment, lack of inspiration, or simply a lack of personal acknowledgment?
What makes a person assume the identity of what they do as who they are?
I am a writer.
I am an artist.
I am a musician.
I garden.
I cook.
I bake.
I sew.
I crochet.
I have had piano lessons, singing lessons, harp lessons, gardening lessons, painting lessons, Reiki lessons, Aikido lessons. I have children and I am their primary educational overseer. We utilize aromatherapy, massage therapy, and holistic health concepts. We raise goats, chickens, dogs, cats, rabbits, aquarium critters, and a hamster. We tap Maple trees, tend beehives, make soap and candles. We dry herbs for a variety of uses, and make tinctures. We make wine. I don't do these things alone, but I am involved in all of them to varying degrees.
Is it that I am just doing too many things? I certainly don't do them all every day, but everyday I am doing at least one of them.
Perhaps I am having a hard time with singular labels because I am a renaissance.
Monday, April 4, 2016
The Echo of Tree Rings
Numerous personality profiles define me as leadership material. That always baffles me. I do not see myself in the way that people tend to see leaders, not human leaders anyway. Human leaders are like tall trees. They are obvious, strong, stately, and over-shadowing, intimidating, etc. I am just prickly.
Then I realized, in nature the tall trees are the leaders toward doom, not the leaders of healing, though they do offer much healing. A forest full of tall trees beckons loggers and wildfires. A tall tree is old and many of them die on their own without the hand of man. An old tree is impressive, because they don't all get that old. On the other hand, if you plow a field and then let it sit fallow you will get common weeds, lots and lots of common weeds, brambles mostly, raspberries, blackberries, hawthorns, blackthorns, nettles, burdocks, etc. They won't all be prickly, you will also get things like poison ivy! If walking through that field in two years, or so, don't wear short pants! You might not even be able to walk through that field without some sort of cutting implement. Those are the real leaders, the mothers of the forest. They will sort out the properties of the soil and encourage the growth of the appropriate weeds for the balance that is required for the little saplings. They will protect the little saplings from a variety of threats. They will offer gifts to anyone thinking of plowing that field again, gifts of berries and medicinal herbs. Granted, there are few these days that understand the value of those gifts, but that does not make them any less valuable. The value of a field that sits fallow for a few years is so great that Nature herself will burn down an ancient forest so that the underbrush can be reborn. If all those little prickly leaders get their way they will one day be overshadowed by the giants of the forests.
I am in awe of tall trees, especially the ones that are in ancient forests. I am not a tall tree. I am a prickly little mother leader.... the kind that every tall tree has way, way back in its family story. Maybe some day I will be overshadowed, perhaps by a tall tree with little squirrels in its branches, the forest planters, they promote the leaders of the next generation, as do the birds, and the bees, and the flowers, and all the trees... such interconnectedness.
Then I realized, in nature the tall trees are the leaders toward doom, not the leaders of healing, though they do offer much healing. A forest full of tall trees beckons loggers and wildfires. A tall tree is old and many of them die on their own without the hand of man. An old tree is impressive, because they don't all get that old. On the other hand, if you plow a field and then let it sit fallow you will get common weeds, lots and lots of common weeds, brambles mostly, raspberries, blackberries, hawthorns, blackthorns, nettles, burdocks, etc. They won't all be prickly, you will also get things like poison ivy! If walking through that field in two years, or so, don't wear short pants! You might not even be able to walk through that field without some sort of cutting implement. Those are the real leaders, the mothers of the forest. They will sort out the properties of the soil and encourage the growth of the appropriate weeds for the balance that is required for the little saplings. They will protect the little saplings from a variety of threats. They will offer gifts to anyone thinking of plowing that field again, gifts of berries and medicinal herbs. Granted, there are few these days that understand the value of those gifts, but that does not make them any less valuable. The value of a field that sits fallow for a few years is so great that Nature herself will burn down an ancient forest so that the underbrush can be reborn. If all those little prickly leaders get their way they will one day be overshadowed by the giants of the forests.
I am in awe of tall trees, especially the ones that are in ancient forests. I am not a tall tree. I am a prickly little mother leader.... the kind that every tall tree has way, way back in its family story. Maybe some day I will be overshadowed, perhaps by a tall tree with little squirrels in its branches, the forest planters, they promote the leaders of the next generation, as do the birds, and the bees, and the flowers, and all the trees... such interconnectedness.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
A Pendulum and Tarot Exercise
I was a bit unfocused today, which is nothing new, but on days when there aren't any pertinent calendar events then that feeling of being particularly unfocused usually leads me down a mystical sort of path. It took a little while to establish the energetic interaction that felt beckoning. The tarot cards and the pendulum, a fresh green pillar candle, some mint for smudging, a bit of Reiki to start off, and the course was beginning to develop some definition.
My path is currently meandering through the neighborhoods of Self-Discovery and Self-Initiation. My teachers are primarily books, articles and promptings. I do consider myself very fortunate when I occasionally encounter a flesh and blood mentor with respectable experience. I always learn something that feels quite valuable, though I try not to give away my own power, that is, the power of intuition. If something doesn't feel right, I just want to discreetly shelve it. I have also learned that there are a lot of conflicting views about most things, so adopting my own perspectives is strongly about what resonates well with me.
What I found myself doing today was not something that I read anywhere or was taught from any person, but it felt wonderful and energetically led. I lit a green pillar candle. I smudged my cards with mint and laid them all out, face down in tidy rows. Then I positioned the pendulum over the first card in the corner to my right and observed the activity of the pendulum, or lack thereof. The pendulum's motion was the first communication, the second communication was the clairaudient words, such as, if the pendulum was swinging in reverse the clairaudient words might be, "This is something that you are in the process of letting go." Or, if the pendulum was swinging forward the clairaudient communication might say, "This is a lesson that you are learning." If the pendulum was swinging wildly forward the clairaudient words might be, "This is a lesson that you have learned well." All these instances and more were part of the reading today. After the pendulum showed its activity, and after a clairaudient communication about its particular meaning for me regarding the card, the card was then turned over and reflected upon. All of these things were journaled and occasionally an additional comment was dictated. I got a little over three rows in when the pendulum no longer showed any activity over cards, and the clairaudient communication was. "That is all for now. Reflect." Not all of the cards in the first three rows had pendulum activity. There were a few that were still. That was communicated as, "Not currently applicable to your path."
My path is currently meandering through the neighborhoods of Self-Discovery and Self-Initiation. My teachers are primarily books, articles and promptings. I do consider myself very fortunate when I occasionally encounter a flesh and blood mentor with respectable experience. I always learn something that feels quite valuable, though I try not to give away my own power, that is, the power of intuition. If something doesn't feel right, I just want to discreetly shelve it. I have also learned that there are a lot of conflicting views about most things, so adopting my own perspectives is strongly about what resonates well with me.
What I found myself doing today was not something that I read anywhere or was taught from any person, but it felt wonderful and energetically led. I lit a green pillar candle. I smudged my cards with mint and laid them all out, face down in tidy rows. Then I positioned the pendulum over the first card in the corner to my right and observed the activity of the pendulum, or lack thereof. The pendulum's motion was the first communication, the second communication was the clairaudient words, such as, if the pendulum was swinging in reverse the clairaudient words might be, "This is something that you are in the process of letting go." Or, if the pendulum was swinging forward the clairaudient communication might say, "This is a lesson that you are learning." If the pendulum was swinging wildly forward the clairaudient words might be, "This is a lesson that you have learned well." All these instances and more were part of the reading today. After the pendulum showed its activity, and after a clairaudient communication about its particular meaning for me regarding the card, the card was then turned over and reflected upon. All of these things were journaled and occasionally an additional comment was dictated. I got a little over three rows in when the pendulum no longer showed any activity over cards, and the clairaudient communication was. "That is all for now. Reflect." Not all of the cards in the first three rows had pendulum activity. There were a few that were still. That was communicated as, "Not currently applicable to your path."
Friday, April 1, 2016
Grow and Live
Why don't they love me?
It's not about you,
The question's been posed.
Why do they carelessly pluck a rose?
Why do they chop down a mighty tree?
Why do they all wander aimlessly?
It's not about you,
Dear One with the thought.
It's not about you,
though you're worried and fraught.
Not really, at all,
though you stumble and fall.
Not really, you see,
just grow, like the tree.
Some trees manage to rise from a seed.
They blossom and fruit
meeting many a need.
meeting many a need.
They sway in the storms.
They sing in the wind.
They do it all once,
and then do it again.
Some have lived and then died
no one knowing they're there,
but for woodland creatures
like rabbits and bears.
The squirrels would have known,
perhaps planted, they did,
the tree in the forest
that lived and lived.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Thoughts
I like the rhythm of my own thoughts
Perhaps I like the rhythm of yours too
Perhaps I don't
I won't know unless I listen
But at least I have my own thoughts
to return to if yours turn out to be crappy
HA! Surely not, you scoff.
But I ask you, do you like your own thoughts?
My thoughts are filled with old growth forests,
dancers around firelight, strong mothers,
wise men, sassy and creative daughters,
sons with good reasoning skills and noble dreams,
cottages surrounded by fragrant herbs, and homes filled
with those that know how to use herbs well,
small patches of grass surrounded by privacy hedges and
fruit trees and greenhouses and gardens and permaculture
landscapes melting into semi-wild parks and even wilder
conservation areas. Foods that heal rather than kill and
professionals with hearts bigger than their paychecks.
A world where money stays in its proper place and quality
of life is so common that there is no such thing as a need
for charity fundraisers.
Of course I will entertain the thoughts of others for awhile,
but I will continue to return to my inner world quite frequently until
it is quite outside of myself.
Perhaps I like the rhythm of yours too
Perhaps I don't
I won't know unless I listen
But at least I have my own thoughts
to return to if yours turn out to be crappy
HA! Surely not, you scoff.
But I ask you, do you like your own thoughts?
My thoughts are filled with old growth forests,
dancers around firelight, strong mothers,
wise men, sassy and creative daughters,
sons with good reasoning skills and noble dreams,
cottages surrounded by fragrant herbs, and homes filled
with those that know how to use herbs well,
small patches of grass surrounded by privacy hedges and
fruit trees and greenhouses and gardens and permaculture
landscapes melting into semi-wild parks and even wilder
conservation areas. Foods that heal rather than kill and
professionals with hearts bigger than their paychecks.
A world where money stays in its proper place and quality
of life is so common that there is no such thing as a need
for charity fundraisers.
Of course I will entertain the thoughts of others for awhile,
but I will continue to return to my inner world quite frequently until
it is quite outside of myself.
Energetic Weather
There is always some sort of weather happening, in the literal world and in the metaphysically energetic world.
Empaths feel both types of weather very keenly.
I cannot speak for all empaths, but I love a rainy day. I love snow. I love cool breezes. I love sunny spring days and I love surprisingly chilly summer nights. I also love the joy of children, the sense of fulfillment that some grandparents get from spending time with their grandchildren, the overwhelming sense of honor that adoptive parents feel after a long struggle to offer themselves up as a family. I love compatible, romantic matches, and tolerant, appreciative friendships. I love when people correctly realize when it is time to walk away, and when it isn't.
There are also things I don't like. I don't like acres of mowed grass. I prefer small lawns for a game of Croquet or Bocce, pathways and permaculture. I don't like clearcut logging. I want old trees to be highly respected. I don't like soulless science. I don't like greedy capitalism. I don't like abuse of any kind.
Not everyone feels the same things the same way. Some people love to sunbathe on shadeless beaches, while others might prefer sking, or scuba diving, or spelunking, or bike riding, or hiking. We can't judge another person's happiness for them, they have to tell us these things. On the other hand, when the geese begin to fly south we know that winter is on its way. We can see the signs and we can feel the chill in the air.
Energetic weather isn't exactly about preferences, although it may seem so to some. Energetic weather is a lot like literal weather, you might like it, you might not, but there it is. Some try to manipulate weather, literal and energetic. To a degree they feel that they are succeeding. Since energy can be manipulated there are those that desire to harness it, and in many ways they can, but energy also has a mind of its own. Empaths involuntarily measure the unharnessed energies, literal and metaphysical. Just as it isn't too difficult to predict the arrival of winter, so it isn't too difficult to predict generalities in metaphysical weather. The specifics are more tricky. To say how many inches of snow will be coming is a much greater skill, that no one I am aware of has perfectly mastered yet.
What I have been leading up to is this, there is a metaphysical storm front on the horizon. This is not a maybe. The cold front and the warm front are building and affecting each other. The sky is a peculiar color. One is torn between a desire to stay out in the open and watch the mesmerizing display, or seek shelter immediately. Most are seeking shelter. Oddly, it is the introverts who are still out and about, seemingly oblivious to the herd mentality. The hotheads and the healers are also still able to be seen, perhaps representative of the hot and cold energies, perhaps even feeling a surge of uncommon vitality.
What sort of storm is brewing? Are there tornado warnings? High wind cautions? Will there be flash floods? Will the air be charged and cleansed?
The first big drops start to fall, just after the lightning strikes a tree in the distance. A sense of wonder and relief and fear is upon us.
Empaths feel both types of weather very keenly.
I cannot speak for all empaths, but I love a rainy day. I love snow. I love cool breezes. I love sunny spring days and I love surprisingly chilly summer nights. I also love the joy of children, the sense of fulfillment that some grandparents get from spending time with their grandchildren, the overwhelming sense of honor that adoptive parents feel after a long struggle to offer themselves up as a family. I love compatible, romantic matches, and tolerant, appreciative friendships. I love when people correctly realize when it is time to walk away, and when it isn't.
There are also things I don't like. I don't like acres of mowed grass. I prefer small lawns for a game of Croquet or Bocce, pathways and permaculture. I don't like clearcut logging. I want old trees to be highly respected. I don't like soulless science. I don't like greedy capitalism. I don't like abuse of any kind.
Not everyone feels the same things the same way. Some people love to sunbathe on shadeless beaches, while others might prefer sking, or scuba diving, or spelunking, or bike riding, or hiking. We can't judge another person's happiness for them, they have to tell us these things. On the other hand, when the geese begin to fly south we know that winter is on its way. We can see the signs and we can feel the chill in the air.
Energetic weather isn't exactly about preferences, although it may seem so to some. Energetic weather is a lot like literal weather, you might like it, you might not, but there it is. Some try to manipulate weather, literal and energetic. To a degree they feel that they are succeeding. Since energy can be manipulated there are those that desire to harness it, and in many ways they can, but energy also has a mind of its own. Empaths involuntarily measure the unharnessed energies, literal and metaphysical. Just as it isn't too difficult to predict the arrival of winter, so it isn't too difficult to predict generalities in metaphysical weather. The specifics are more tricky. To say how many inches of snow will be coming is a much greater skill, that no one I am aware of has perfectly mastered yet.
What I have been leading up to is this, there is a metaphysical storm front on the horizon. This is not a maybe. The cold front and the warm front are building and affecting each other. The sky is a peculiar color. One is torn between a desire to stay out in the open and watch the mesmerizing display, or seek shelter immediately. Most are seeking shelter. Oddly, it is the introverts who are still out and about, seemingly oblivious to the herd mentality. The hotheads and the healers are also still able to be seen, perhaps representative of the hot and cold energies, perhaps even feeling a surge of uncommon vitality.
What sort of storm is brewing? Are there tornado warnings? High wind cautions? Will there be flash floods? Will the air be charged and cleansed?
The first big drops start to fall, just after the lightning strikes a tree in the distance. A sense of wonder and relief and fear is upon us.
Tree Telepathy
Tree Telepathy
My thoughts:
A tree is not blind
or deaf
A tree is not alone
or without community
or without family
A tree is strong
A tree is wise
A tree is symbolic
A tree is metaphoric
A tree is sacred
A tree is able to be used and abused
I don't think I would have the courage to be a tree
A tree is courageous
The tree's response:
"Don't cry for me,"
said the tree.
"Learn from me
how to be,
and how to be
community....
For we already are."
~The Squirrels favorite Shagbark Hickory growing by the creek
My response:
You are the tree planted by the waters.
I want to be like you.
Though trees do not often get the respect they deserve, they are deserving.
It is towards our own peril that we undervalue the trees.
My thoughts:
A tree is not blind
or deaf
A tree is not alone
or without community
or without family
A tree is strong
A tree is wise
A tree is symbolic
A tree is metaphoric
A tree is sacred
A tree is able to be used and abused
I don't think I would have the courage to be a tree
A tree is courageous
The tree's response:
"Don't cry for me,"
said the tree.
"Learn from me
how to be,
and how to be
community....
For we already are."
~The Squirrels favorite Shagbark Hickory growing by the creek
My response:
You are the tree planted by the waters.
I want to be like you.
Though trees do not often get the respect they deserve, they are deserving.
It is towards our own peril that we undervalue the trees.
Monday, January 4, 2016
Diet Opinions
Happy New Year!
I wonder what percentage of the North American population thinks about their weight the first week of January?
Since it seems to be the season for weight thoughts, let's think about them.
For me, opinion only... no advice here, really, even if it sounds like it, even if you take it, these thoughts are just my opinions....
~Your heritage probably matters. Meaning, wherever your ancestors adapted to the local foods sources probably still affects the way you assimilate foods. That doesn't mean that we aren't still adapting, but your ancestry might be a good place to find the basics of your eating style, experiment from there.
~For me, that would be the areas where the Gauls lived. Ancient grains don't seem to bother me, and I think they enjoyed potatoes long enough that I can add them as a staple food, even though they originated elsewhere. Foods that originated with animals agree with me in moderation. Leafy greens really need to be in balance for me, I don't feel the slightest bit well on a diet that is primarily leafy greens... side salad here, please. Onions, on the other hand... bring them on! I have never tried a diet that was just onions... I really think people shouldn't do stuff like that unless their very survival critically depends on it. Variety is best, maybe not too much variety, but definitely variety.
~The Mediterranean Diet and the book French Women Don't Get Fat have served as inspirational guidelines for me, when it comes to focusing on a lifestyle of eating. I don't like the word diet when it seems to be referring to a disciplined and potentially goal-oriented way of eating. I prefer focusing on a healthy lifestyle which includes enjoying foods that are also good for me and ethical regarding the balance of nature.
~I love whole grain biscotti for breakfast, or maybe some cookies from really good ingredients, and maybe fresh fruit in season, especially fresh berries. Nothing like a seasonal morning walk to collect berries for breakfast. A heavy breakfast makes me want to take a nap. Organic milk with organic coffee, brewed at home, keeps me feeling great. The rich stuff I get elsewhere usually gives me a belly ache. Caffeine doesn't necessarily agree with everyone, but I think a lot of that has to do with their primary source of caffeine coming from modern soda, and there is almost nothing good in that stuff. The older varieties of fermented sodas, on the other hand, really were medicinal. Caffeine promotes weight loss and reduces cellulite, but you want a good source of it, something that doesn't aggravate any other conditions that you might have. For many, the benefits of green tea seem to be huge, I personally can't tolerate caffeinated or decaffeinated teas. I absolutely love herbal teas, though, especially before bed in the cold months.
~Lunch and supper are a bit more complicated. I don't naturally like to eat a meal at midday, I prefer to snack, but maybe I should be a bit more serious about it. Sitting down for a break, filling up my body with conscientious sustenance, it might feel like a nuisance if I am busy doing things, but I know that when I do I end up with more optimism and stamina. When supper rolls around it seems to be time for wining and dining, not that I always do that, but supper as an art form should not be underrated. Using seasonal, local foods should be the heart of the artisan supper, but nothing should be off limits, unless it is trashy, i.e. overly processed. Winding down with the magic of kitchen zen is something I am taking baby steps toward.
~Everything derives from nature, somehow, somewhere. The term "natural" is used loosely these days. What you want to watch for is how far from nature the end result managed to get. What is meant by artificial is that it is posing as something else, such as artificial strawberry flavor with zero strawberries in it. I could bake an "apple" pie using zucchini and it would sort of be an artificial apple pie, but that isn't usually how the word is used. I think you can safely translate the food related word "artificial" to mean: avoid if possible. The word you are looking for isn't exactly "natural" but "ethical." Foods carry energy. There is no denying that. You want good energy, you don't want sad energy, or guilty energy, or stupid energy. Nature is smart, you want to interactive intelligently with it, without taking mindless advantage. People have different opinions about how to best do that, but it is an important conversation to be having with yourself, and the energies.
~A lot of people bless food. As I got farther and farther from Protestantism, I became less and less likely to pray before I ate, but I have returned to the belief that the energy is still interactive and mysterious, and I fully enter into a meal blessing now, with the hope that blessings ripple through time and space. I desire to bless the entire process from which my food came, the process of eating it, and the results. A Reiki energy blessing is one way of doing this, but there are numerous ways.
~I am working on appropriate ways to express gratitude to the seen and unseen beings. It is not a foreign concept to me, but it has recently developed a depth that is profound. It certainly has to do with food, as well as other things, but I may have to blog about that in more depth another day.
~Gardening is a spiritual practice that reaps tangible benefits. Gardening is not, and should not be completely about those benefits. Honor the environments, they want to bless you, do not curse them in return. You truly will reap what you sow, but you aren't only sowing tangible seeds, there are intangible blessings and curses that you are entering into as well, they matter very, very much. I am only just beginning to learn about them, but they were wholeheartedly respected for thousands, upon thousands of years. You probably wouldn't be here if our ancestors hadn't been sensitive to the spirits of the environments. Don't mock what you don't understand, they weren't stupid, even if many of them did embrace the negative from time to time, often really. "The times they are a'changing."
~My favorite go to supplements include:
Wine, in moderation, for stress and overall well-being.
Magnesium and Stinging Nettle for allergies
Magnesium and Hawthorn for insomnia and heart palpitations
Milk Thistle for skin conditions, sluggish systems, and feeling toxic. Milk Thistle is said to be great for liver support, shouldn't hurt to get in the habit of taking some when exposed to intoxicants and contaminates. It might also boost the metabolism when taken regularly.
Dandelion was called a blood tonic by the Old Timers. Turns out there may be something to that. Although not a lot of studies have been done on humans, there seems to be some evidence that Dandelion flushes out the kidneys. You really don't want crappy kidneys. I reach for Dandelion when I have water retention. It is a great menstrual support herb for me, especially in combination with Milk Thistle.
Vitamin C, you have probably heard of it. One of the most popular supplements, can be overused, but overdosing isn't a big issue. What I have learned about Vitamin C is that the wild animals can adjust their levels of it more naturally than we do. When they are sick they automatically shoot their Vitamin C levels up dramatically. Many people take Vitamin C as a preventative, regularly. Although we do need some regularly the benefit of it might be amplified if we take a lot of it when we are feeling poorly. It helps us to assimilate many other beneficial vitamins and minerals.
Sambucus (Elderberry Concentrate) and Peppermint (and/or Eucalyptus) for chest ailments, i.e coughing, bronchial, pneumatic type issues.
Edible berries in general tend to be powerhouses of blessings, especially if they are local and wild, but domestic and organic would be the next best.
Lemon for fevers.
Probiotics including yogurt and kefir for sore throats, digestive disturbances, and system rebuilding during after antibiotics. I am learning about the value of prebiotics, foods that enhance the value of probiotics, I haven't learned enough yet to say that I have a good grasp on them.
~Again, these tidbits are my personal beliefs gathered from about 20 years of observation, but they do not necessarily hold truth for you. Everyone is different.
I wonder what percentage of the North American population thinks about their weight the first week of January?
Since it seems to be the season for weight thoughts, let's think about them.
For me, opinion only... no advice here, really, even if it sounds like it, even if you take it, these thoughts are just my opinions....
~Your heritage probably matters. Meaning, wherever your ancestors adapted to the local foods sources probably still affects the way you assimilate foods. That doesn't mean that we aren't still adapting, but your ancestry might be a good place to find the basics of your eating style, experiment from there.
~For me, that would be the areas where the Gauls lived. Ancient grains don't seem to bother me, and I think they enjoyed potatoes long enough that I can add them as a staple food, even though they originated elsewhere. Foods that originated with animals agree with me in moderation. Leafy greens really need to be in balance for me, I don't feel the slightest bit well on a diet that is primarily leafy greens... side salad here, please. Onions, on the other hand... bring them on! I have never tried a diet that was just onions... I really think people shouldn't do stuff like that unless their very survival critically depends on it. Variety is best, maybe not too much variety, but definitely variety.
~The Mediterranean Diet and the book French Women Don't Get Fat have served as inspirational guidelines for me, when it comes to focusing on a lifestyle of eating. I don't like the word diet when it seems to be referring to a disciplined and potentially goal-oriented way of eating. I prefer focusing on a healthy lifestyle which includes enjoying foods that are also good for me and ethical regarding the balance of nature.
~I love whole grain biscotti for breakfast, or maybe some cookies from really good ingredients, and maybe fresh fruit in season, especially fresh berries. Nothing like a seasonal morning walk to collect berries for breakfast. A heavy breakfast makes me want to take a nap. Organic milk with organic coffee, brewed at home, keeps me feeling great. The rich stuff I get elsewhere usually gives me a belly ache. Caffeine doesn't necessarily agree with everyone, but I think a lot of that has to do with their primary source of caffeine coming from modern soda, and there is almost nothing good in that stuff. The older varieties of fermented sodas, on the other hand, really were medicinal. Caffeine promotes weight loss and reduces cellulite, but you want a good source of it, something that doesn't aggravate any other conditions that you might have. For many, the benefits of green tea seem to be huge, I personally can't tolerate caffeinated or decaffeinated teas. I absolutely love herbal teas, though, especially before bed in the cold months.
~Lunch and supper are a bit more complicated. I don't naturally like to eat a meal at midday, I prefer to snack, but maybe I should be a bit more serious about it. Sitting down for a break, filling up my body with conscientious sustenance, it might feel like a nuisance if I am busy doing things, but I know that when I do I end up with more optimism and stamina. When supper rolls around it seems to be time for wining and dining, not that I always do that, but supper as an art form should not be underrated. Using seasonal, local foods should be the heart of the artisan supper, but nothing should be off limits, unless it is trashy, i.e. overly processed. Winding down with the magic of kitchen zen is something I am taking baby steps toward.
~Everything derives from nature, somehow, somewhere. The term "natural" is used loosely these days. What you want to watch for is how far from nature the end result managed to get. What is meant by artificial is that it is posing as something else, such as artificial strawberry flavor with zero strawberries in it. I could bake an "apple" pie using zucchini and it would sort of be an artificial apple pie, but that isn't usually how the word is used. I think you can safely translate the food related word "artificial" to mean: avoid if possible. The word you are looking for isn't exactly "natural" but "ethical." Foods carry energy. There is no denying that. You want good energy, you don't want sad energy, or guilty energy, or stupid energy. Nature is smart, you want to interactive intelligently with it, without taking mindless advantage. People have different opinions about how to best do that, but it is an important conversation to be having with yourself, and the energies.
~A lot of people bless food. As I got farther and farther from Protestantism, I became less and less likely to pray before I ate, but I have returned to the belief that the energy is still interactive and mysterious, and I fully enter into a meal blessing now, with the hope that blessings ripple through time and space. I desire to bless the entire process from which my food came, the process of eating it, and the results. A Reiki energy blessing is one way of doing this, but there are numerous ways.
~I am working on appropriate ways to express gratitude to the seen and unseen beings. It is not a foreign concept to me, but it has recently developed a depth that is profound. It certainly has to do with food, as well as other things, but I may have to blog about that in more depth another day.
~Gardening is a spiritual practice that reaps tangible benefits. Gardening is not, and should not be completely about those benefits. Honor the environments, they want to bless you, do not curse them in return. You truly will reap what you sow, but you aren't only sowing tangible seeds, there are intangible blessings and curses that you are entering into as well, they matter very, very much. I am only just beginning to learn about them, but they were wholeheartedly respected for thousands, upon thousands of years. You probably wouldn't be here if our ancestors hadn't been sensitive to the spirits of the environments. Don't mock what you don't understand, they weren't stupid, even if many of them did embrace the negative from time to time, often really. "The times they are a'changing."
~My favorite go to supplements include:
Wine, in moderation, for stress and overall well-being.
Magnesium and Stinging Nettle for allergies
Magnesium and Hawthorn for insomnia and heart palpitations
Milk Thistle for skin conditions, sluggish systems, and feeling toxic. Milk Thistle is said to be great for liver support, shouldn't hurt to get in the habit of taking some when exposed to intoxicants and contaminates. It might also boost the metabolism when taken regularly.
Dandelion was called a blood tonic by the Old Timers. Turns out there may be something to that. Although not a lot of studies have been done on humans, there seems to be some evidence that Dandelion flushes out the kidneys. You really don't want crappy kidneys. I reach for Dandelion when I have water retention. It is a great menstrual support herb for me, especially in combination with Milk Thistle.
Vitamin C, you have probably heard of it. One of the most popular supplements, can be overused, but overdosing isn't a big issue. What I have learned about Vitamin C is that the wild animals can adjust their levels of it more naturally than we do. When they are sick they automatically shoot their Vitamin C levels up dramatically. Many people take Vitamin C as a preventative, regularly. Although we do need some regularly the benefit of it might be amplified if we take a lot of it when we are feeling poorly. It helps us to assimilate many other beneficial vitamins and minerals.
Sambucus (Elderberry Concentrate) and Peppermint (and/or Eucalyptus) for chest ailments, i.e coughing, bronchial, pneumatic type issues.
Edible berries in general tend to be powerhouses of blessings, especially if they are local and wild, but domestic and organic would be the next best.
Lemon for fevers.
Probiotics including yogurt and kefir for sore throats, digestive disturbances, and system rebuilding during after antibiotics. I am learning about the value of prebiotics, foods that enhance the value of probiotics, I haven't learned enough yet to say that I have a good grasp on them.
~Again, these tidbits are my personal beliefs gathered from about 20 years of observation, but they do not necessarily hold truth for you. Everyone is different.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Statement of Faethe
I believe in faeries and Christ-consciousness.
I believe that witches have been much maligned by religion and that, although there can be misuse of power, there can also be much beauty and goodness in the power of the intuition and its ability to interact with elements of nature and spirit. The world has lost a lot of magic and it is time to start finding it again. I believe magic can be used for good or bad, but whatever you use it for will affect you even more than your intended. Intentions are magic, some people know that, some people don't. People with a lot of effective emotion behind their intentions are already practicing magic. Anyone with a lot of emotion is already a witch. Women tend to be particularly full of emotion and intuition, a lot of people ridicule that, but probably because they know deep down that it is a type of power and there are a lot of power struggles in the world. Some people have been trained to deny their emotions, that creates a black hole. Have you learned about black holes?
Emotions, actions, and words are all different. Just because you have emotions does not mean that you can use them however you wish, at least not without consequences. Weigh the consequences of words and actions, but never deny emotions. Emotions are always valid, actions are not always justifiable. Words have power, and you can't take them back. How have you used your powers?
Work ethics are important, but so is stillness.
Balance is the key.
Your surroundings will reflect your psyche... it might take time, but you really can get a good look inside yourself by staying in one place for a long time and seeing what your surroundings look like. We are all creators and/or destroyers. There are other creators and destroyers as well... there are many mysteries.
You can get a good look at the psyche of others by observing their surroundings also. What's up with acres and acres of boring grass? What's up with poison?
Messes aren't necessarily a bad thing, they aren't necessarily a good thing.
Cleanliness isn't necessarily next to godliness, but creativity is.
I find the term "Christian" insulting. Christianity was created by the man called Apostle Paul and I cannot stand his legacy. He wrote some good things, that he most likely plagiarized from others, but he also created a set of cultural rules, gender regulations, religious laws and bigotry. He rode a wave of power and directed its course toward subjection of women and created a religious order that was very, very contrary to the Christ-consciousness. All I can say about that is that evil can be alchemized eventually... I think that is beginning to happen. I sure hope so! I also think he stole Peter's identity and tried to steal his calling, but that is just my belief... rooted in studying theology, history and the Bible....
The Bible is a library. What you see in it depends on who you are. I see stories. Other people say they see truth, but what they mean by that is that they are right and people should do what they are told by whoever has the biggest guns.
My ancient ancestors were Gaelic. I am reclaiming aspects of that heritage and adding my own modern twist.
I love learning, I hate being told what to learn or how to learn "properly."
It is okay to rest.
It is okay to not be accepted by everyone.
It is not okay to not accept yourself.
I believe in energy. I believe it manifests in more ways than we can ever hope to understand. We call the manifestations by many names. I don't rule out anything just because I don't understand it, but there are cruel things that I don't want to accept as good. Cultures define good and bad differently, that doesn't make it right or wrong. There may or may not be an inherent truth, but I am still seeking it.
I was told that for every unkind thing you say to someone you have to say 10 kind things if you want to balance out the relationship in a healthy way, but I think there is more to the story. We will all probably say unkind things at some time or another, the first one might require 10 kind things for balance, the second one might require 11, the third 12, the fourth 13, the fifth 14, the sixth 15, etc.... If you are in the habit of saying unkind things you will eventually not be able to balance out the relationship. It is just math. Also, some unkind words weigh more than others. Some people don't even try to balance out their unkind words and then appear shocked when the relationship is unhealthy.
I have a lot to learn.
I believe that witches have been much maligned by religion and that, although there can be misuse of power, there can also be much beauty and goodness in the power of the intuition and its ability to interact with elements of nature and spirit. The world has lost a lot of magic and it is time to start finding it again. I believe magic can be used for good or bad, but whatever you use it for will affect you even more than your intended. Intentions are magic, some people know that, some people don't. People with a lot of effective emotion behind their intentions are already practicing magic. Anyone with a lot of emotion is already a witch. Women tend to be particularly full of emotion and intuition, a lot of people ridicule that, but probably because they know deep down that it is a type of power and there are a lot of power struggles in the world. Some people have been trained to deny their emotions, that creates a black hole. Have you learned about black holes?
Emotions, actions, and words are all different. Just because you have emotions does not mean that you can use them however you wish, at least not without consequences. Weigh the consequences of words and actions, but never deny emotions. Emotions are always valid, actions are not always justifiable. Words have power, and you can't take them back. How have you used your powers?
Work ethics are important, but so is stillness.
Balance is the key.
Your surroundings will reflect your psyche... it might take time, but you really can get a good look inside yourself by staying in one place for a long time and seeing what your surroundings look like. We are all creators and/or destroyers. There are other creators and destroyers as well... there are many mysteries.
You can get a good look at the psyche of others by observing their surroundings also. What's up with acres and acres of boring grass? What's up with poison?
Messes aren't necessarily a bad thing, they aren't necessarily a good thing.
Cleanliness isn't necessarily next to godliness, but creativity is.
I find the term "Christian" insulting. Christianity was created by the man called Apostle Paul and I cannot stand his legacy. He wrote some good things, that he most likely plagiarized from others, but he also created a set of cultural rules, gender regulations, religious laws and bigotry. He rode a wave of power and directed its course toward subjection of women and created a religious order that was very, very contrary to the Christ-consciousness. All I can say about that is that evil can be alchemized eventually... I think that is beginning to happen. I sure hope so! I also think he stole Peter's identity and tried to steal his calling, but that is just my belief... rooted in studying theology, history and the Bible....
The Bible is a library. What you see in it depends on who you are. I see stories. Other people say they see truth, but what they mean by that is that they are right and people should do what they are told by whoever has the biggest guns.
My ancient ancestors were Gaelic. I am reclaiming aspects of that heritage and adding my own modern twist.
I love learning, I hate being told what to learn or how to learn "properly."
It is okay to rest.
It is okay to not be accepted by everyone.
It is not okay to not accept yourself.
I believe in energy. I believe it manifests in more ways than we can ever hope to understand. We call the manifestations by many names. I don't rule out anything just because I don't understand it, but there are cruel things that I don't want to accept as good. Cultures define good and bad differently, that doesn't make it right or wrong. There may or may not be an inherent truth, but I am still seeking it.
I was told that for every unkind thing you say to someone you have to say 10 kind things if you want to balance out the relationship in a healthy way, but I think there is more to the story. We will all probably say unkind things at some time or another, the first one might require 10 kind things for balance, the second one might require 11, the third 12, the fourth 13, the fifth 14, the sixth 15, etc.... If you are in the habit of saying unkind things you will eventually not be able to balance out the relationship. It is just math. Also, some unkind words weigh more than others. Some people don't even try to balance out their unkind words and then appear shocked when the relationship is unhealthy.
I have a lot to learn.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Theoretical Metaphysics
Once upon a time a friend's mother criticized North American women in general and me in particular for giving birth wrong. It is quite trendy to criticize mothers in birth, apparently there should be no screaming, no painkiller, no stress, no doctors, etc. Perhaps they are correct in their criticisms, perhaps not, perhaps the critics need criticized, perhaps not.
It has also been said that the better a woman's relationship with her mother, the more smoothly she will deliver her babies. Hmmm.... that explains an awful lot, seriously. I have no idea who to attribute that original thought to, but I have been fascinated by mother/daughter relationships and birth stories ever since.
So, my theory is this (it just came to me at 3:00 am as I was trying to sleep):
An unborn child's chakras are initially stimulated by its mother's chakras. All throughout life our chakras can be influenced by ourselves and others, but an unborn child's first energetic chakra interaction is with its mother.
First the Sacral Chakra is activated. A child will probably not attach to the womb if the sacral chakra is too unbalanced, thus an inability to conceive at all. Difficulties may be more likely to arise if a woman is at odds with the energies of the sacral chakra. If a woman's sacral chakra is whole she can more easily accept the new life being offered.
Second the Solar Chakra, the umbilical cord develops to receive nurture. The solar chakra is said to be an energy center of choice. For many reasons the choice to remain in the womb results in miscarriage, but many more times the choice is made to stay. The child accepts the mother, the child bonds with the mother, what the mother eats and drinks at this point is her choice, though she is not the only life affected by that choice.
Third, the heart chakra is activated. It is the chakra of wholeness, of love. How very profound, the love between mother and infant. Of course, we all know that sometimes things do not always work out as ideally as could be hoped. Sometimes mothers are not whole in their own heart chakra and they cannot pass on something that they do not have themselves. If their heart chakras are too blocked or unbalanced they may desire to terminate the pregnancy, or they may choose to give the child up for adoption, or perhaps the child is raised by its birth mother, but a lack of maternal intimacy creates a difficulty for the child to enter into other intimate relationships. All these things are difficult, but perhaps less difficult with chakral awareness.
The throat, brow and crown each have their turn, and I am sure that upon deeper reflection much insight could be gleaned...
The root chakra is last. If an unborn baby's root chakra is activated before it is born it is not a good sign and can make the child very sick, but if the root chakra is stimulated, as it should be, during the birth, as it passes through the birth canal, all is better. I do not want to say that all is well, because the birth canal connects a child to its spiritual ancestral legacies, at least on the mother's side. I suppose that the spiritual connection to the father's side has something to do with how the mother and father's root chakras have interacted up to that time....
So, aboriginal, indigenous type women, with clear connections to their spiritual roots would possibly have less complicated deliveries. A woman whose relationship to her matriarchal clan is not clear would possibly have very complicated deliveries, so much so that the root chakra may not even allow the birth, causing a need for a c-section. Which, in itself seems like a betrayal of feminine instinct, but on the other hand, in this passing era of patriarchy, for a child to disconnect from a heritage of misogyny is probably a very good thing. To instead be born through a different chakra symbolism is powerful.
The root chakra, which is the birth canal, is a chakra of survival instinct. If a child's chakra is not activated by the survival instinct of its mother it is likely to be activated by the survival instinct of a collective. In other words, the child may be less territorial for one particular tribe, and more considered about survival of the species.
Friday, December 4, 2015
Oh, Ye Sensitive Souls
Oh, ye sensitive souls,
those who know
when a kind word
is needed most,
but perhaps not why,
or how desperately.
May you always
receive the same.
Oh, ye sensitive souls,
who know where the
spot is most tender
and press hard,
until tears flow,
so you can feel your
own power.
May you know weakness.
May it heal you.
Oh, ye sensitive souls,
that are not yet born,
that are even now
choosing this life,
your path, your trials,
your joys, your heartbreaks,
take heart, you are needed.
May you know meaning
and great good
and hope.
those who know
when a kind word
is needed most,
but perhaps not why,
or how desperately.
May you always
receive the same.
Oh, ye sensitive souls,
who know where the
spot is most tender
and press hard,
until tears flow,
so you can feel your
own power.
May you know weakness.
May it heal you.
Oh, ye sensitive souls,
that are not yet born,
that are even now
choosing this life,
your path, your trials,
your joys, your heartbreaks,
take heart, you are needed.
May you know meaning
and great good
and hope.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Now Is Always A Beginning
According to seemingly valid historical documents, Columbus was a jerk. I refuse to celebrate Columbus Day anymore. When people rant about how much of a jerk he was I totally concur! I just read a rant from someone about how Thanksgiving too should be shunned, how it is about respecting a history of genocide. The Pilgrims did also have their fair share of faults, and I won't defend them one iota. However, I don't think they hold the rights to thankfulness. Just because they had a famous harvest meal in the first years of their colonization does not mean that I need to be ashamed of my harvest meals. They also had another harvest meal on Llammas a few years later, it is less popular, but does that make them Catholic or Pagan? Harvest feasts are not exclusive to anyone. Being thankful does not hold any guilt by association. What you choose to respect is your business, here in this house we are not expressing thankfulness to Pilgrims. We are simply being thankful. It is good for the soul. I do not pretend to understand the deities, but I do believe they exist. I do believe it is also wise to express thankfulness to all Benevolences.
I do not condone the ill-treatment of anyone. I have an ever-growing respect for the beliefs and lifestyles of indigenous people. When I was born, here in this state, all that had been long gone. I can't turn back the hands of time. I can move forward with as much awareness as possible, I can be thankful for the chance to live another day, to appreciate the divine blessings, to delve ever deeper into the old stories and learn about the ancient spirits, to taste the tastes and hear the sounds and contemplate a way to infuse peace into the future.
Tonight is a full moon. We are breathing, my house is bustling with life and love. May the good things that we are thankful for ripple out positive vibrations and may the good things that others are thankful for do the same. May the magic of love and blessing heal the wounds of the past and create wisdom and symbiosis for the future. Now is always a beginning.
I do not condone the ill-treatment of anyone. I have an ever-growing respect for the beliefs and lifestyles of indigenous people. When I was born, here in this state, all that had been long gone. I can't turn back the hands of time. I can move forward with as much awareness as possible, I can be thankful for the chance to live another day, to appreciate the divine blessings, to delve ever deeper into the old stories and learn about the ancient spirits, to taste the tastes and hear the sounds and contemplate a way to infuse peace into the future.
Tonight is a full moon. We are breathing, my house is bustling with life and love. May the good things that we are thankful for ripple out positive vibrations and may the good things that others are thankful for do the same. May the magic of love and blessing heal the wounds of the past and create wisdom and symbiosis for the future. Now is always a beginning.
Curses and Blessings
I dedicate this post to the current Gemini Full Moon, that no doubt inspired my urge to write today.
According to the Biblical story, God did not tell Eve personally to not eat of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, only Adam was told directly by God. (Genesis 2:15-18) Eve was privy to an embellished version, since she knew enough of it to talk to the serpent about consequences (Genesis 3:3-5), but what she said to the serpent was an embellishment on what we are told God said to Adam, adding "you must not touch it." Isn't that the way of it? Embellishments, there are so many of them in patriarchal religions. Extra consequences, when we have plenty enough of them without making up extras, why do that?
I have often mused over the Eden story. I am a woman. Paul said that Eve was the sinner, not Adam. That Eve brought the curse down on all our heads and that is why she needs to sit down, shut up, be pregnant. No forgiveness for the mistake of Eve, not for Eve, not for all women.... according to what we are told Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:12-14.
Of course, any woman with any self-respect is going to cringe at such a statement, and men too, I should hope! For centuries this mindset of Paul has been used to shape the structures of religious congregations and religious households and even entire societies. Second rate citizens, that is what women have been. Feminism got ahold of that injustice and shook the bugs out of it, bringing the outrageous nature of it into the light. Feminism swings the pendulum pretty far while striving for women's equality, and personally, sometimes I think the point gets kind of lost, but I am grateful for the clean slate that they have been attempting to offer my generation. "Do what you want, girls, we have cleared the path for you!" Why, thank you, thank you very much.
I was reading some thoughts of the Taoist, Osho, this morning. He was referring to the Adam and Eve story, linking it to the Mary and Jesus story. His thoughts were along the lines of "through woman the curse entered the world, and through woman the curse was broken." At first, I did not like what he was saying. After all, Adam gave Eve misinformation and she didn't receive consequences until Adam ate the fruit, so surely Eve is the one who was not at fault, but....
The other thing I have come to notice, thanks to the outrageous claims made by Paul of the Bible, is that Adam was created first, then Eve, so that makes him boss, according to Paul (1 Timothy 2:13). With that kind of math, everything created before Adam would be boss over Adam, no? What makes more sense and is also stated in the Genesis story, is that Adam was to be boss over all of creation, or so it gets translated by much of today's Christians. What I think it is really saying is that Adam is to be the caretaker, the nurturer, the nanny, the keeper, of all that was created before him, and the same for Eve. Although, Eve was especially given the task of caring for Adam, which, in the same respect could get misinterpreted as being the boss of Adam, and from the musing of some anthropologists, that is exactly what the world was like for thousands of years, matriarchal. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob came to be known as some of the first famous Patriarchs. The stories have all been filtered through the subsequent ruling of patriarchs. Things are now beginning to come to light again, the true order of things, the symbiosis that is meant to be. Men are to care for all that is, and women are to care for mankind, causing much to overlap.
So, what does the Genesis story say to me now? It says that Eve invited Adam to do something that was not in his best spiritual interest and she knew it. The story of Mary, on the other hand, is a story of a mother's sacrificial love, supporting her beloved child through the hardest choices that any mother could have to face. Her son was tortured for the best interest of the spirituality of mankind. At least, that is what the stories say.
I can sort of see now why Catholics revere Mary so highly, but I don't see why that didn't translate into a better world. Why women continued to be treated badly because of Eve. Paul is the anti-Christ, in my opinion. The Christ is alive and well amongst those that understand the Christ-consciousness, and that enlightenment holds the key to understanding true salvation.
What are we being saved from? Curses, I suppose. What are curses? Imbalances. Who curses? I don't know for sure, maybe everyone that utters a negative statement or desire, but I do believe that the counter-curse is blessing. "Bless those that curse you." (Luke 6:28) That is the basis for being a Green Witch. Thank you, Jesus the Christ, who I believe was the first "Druid," the founder of the people of the faith, the Fae People... Friend of the Faeries. Eventually the Quakers were also to be called the Friends, a people who began to experience the enlightenment of the Christ-consciousness in spite of the overwhelming religious dogma of their era.
I have noticed three out-of-season blooms in our yard this autumn. According to superstition they are cursed flowers, do not pick them, and especially do not bring them into your home, they say. I remember the curse breaker, "Bless those that curse you." I blessed the little things, after all, you shouldn't shoot the messenger. I am guessing that they are a sign of the polluted state of Gaia. We should certainly learn how to bless the cursed. Bless all that you come in contact with.
One more opinion regarding Paul of the Bible, he parroted. Much of what Paul writes is not original thought. What makes him a novelty is that he also includes some original thought amongst all the plagiarisms. He snags some amazing words from some amazing people and he gets credit for them. In other words, not everything attributed to Paul is crap. Like all really great liars, the trouble lies in a small percentage of his propaganda, namely the order of things and the embellishments that go over and above what Christ taught. Christians tend to see Paul as a great clarifier, an additional blessing, because Christ and the many, many followers that he personally taught (1 John 1:1 'whom we have seen with our eyes, whom we have touched') weren't quite enough for us? (Sarcastic) Apparently, the simple instructions of Christ were too confusing for many... "Love? Seriously? There has got to be more," they waited and then, "Subjugation of women! Thank you, Paul, now we have something to work with!" Religion in general, I'm currently annoyed by it, but I do think there is much to learn from the past. Stories, they teach, but different people learn different things.
In the Old Testamant, the word that gets translated as prophet (nabi) means prophet/speaker. In the New Testament the word that gets translated as prophet (dikaios) means prophet/poet.
Translating according to Amy: (Words of the Christ from Matt. 10:40-42): Anyone who accepts you accepts me, and anyone who accepts me accepts the One who sent me. Whoever accepts a poetic-seer as a poet-seer receives a poet-seer's reward, and whoever accepts a divinely impartial man receives an divinely impartial man's reward, and whoever gives even a cup of water to a little one due to the example of learning from me shall surely be rewarded.
“This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.”
― Walt Whitman
According to the Biblical story, God did not tell Eve personally to not eat of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, only Adam was told directly by God. (Genesis 2:15-18) Eve was privy to an embellished version, since she knew enough of it to talk to the serpent about consequences (Genesis 3:3-5), but what she said to the serpent was an embellishment on what we are told God said to Adam, adding "you must not touch it." Isn't that the way of it? Embellishments, there are so many of them in patriarchal religions. Extra consequences, when we have plenty enough of them without making up extras, why do that?
I have often mused over the Eden story. I am a woman. Paul said that Eve was the sinner, not Adam. That Eve brought the curse down on all our heads and that is why she needs to sit down, shut up, be pregnant. No forgiveness for the mistake of Eve, not for Eve, not for all women.... according to what we are told Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:12-14.
Of course, any woman with any self-respect is going to cringe at such a statement, and men too, I should hope! For centuries this mindset of Paul has been used to shape the structures of religious congregations and religious households and even entire societies. Second rate citizens, that is what women have been. Feminism got ahold of that injustice and shook the bugs out of it, bringing the outrageous nature of it into the light. Feminism swings the pendulum pretty far while striving for women's equality, and personally, sometimes I think the point gets kind of lost, but I am grateful for the clean slate that they have been attempting to offer my generation. "Do what you want, girls, we have cleared the path for you!" Why, thank you, thank you very much.
I was reading some thoughts of the Taoist, Osho, this morning. He was referring to the Adam and Eve story, linking it to the Mary and Jesus story. His thoughts were along the lines of "through woman the curse entered the world, and through woman the curse was broken." At first, I did not like what he was saying. After all, Adam gave Eve misinformation and she didn't receive consequences until Adam ate the fruit, so surely Eve is the one who was not at fault, but....
The other thing I have come to notice, thanks to the outrageous claims made by Paul of the Bible, is that Adam was created first, then Eve, so that makes him boss, according to Paul (1 Timothy 2:13). With that kind of math, everything created before Adam would be boss over Adam, no? What makes more sense and is also stated in the Genesis story, is that Adam was to be boss over all of creation, or so it gets translated by much of today's Christians. What I think it is really saying is that Adam is to be the caretaker, the nurturer, the nanny, the keeper, of all that was created before him, and the same for Eve. Although, Eve was especially given the task of caring for Adam, which, in the same respect could get misinterpreted as being the boss of Adam, and from the musing of some anthropologists, that is exactly what the world was like for thousands of years, matriarchal. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob came to be known as some of the first famous Patriarchs. The stories have all been filtered through the subsequent ruling of patriarchs. Things are now beginning to come to light again, the true order of things, the symbiosis that is meant to be. Men are to care for all that is, and women are to care for mankind, causing much to overlap.
So, what does the Genesis story say to me now? It says that Eve invited Adam to do something that was not in his best spiritual interest and she knew it. The story of Mary, on the other hand, is a story of a mother's sacrificial love, supporting her beloved child through the hardest choices that any mother could have to face. Her son was tortured for the best interest of the spirituality of mankind. At least, that is what the stories say.
I can sort of see now why Catholics revere Mary so highly, but I don't see why that didn't translate into a better world. Why women continued to be treated badly because of Eve. Paul is the anti-Christ, in my opinion. The Christ is alive and well amongst those that understand the Christ-consciousness, and that enlightenment holds the key to understanding true salvation.
What are we being saved from? Curses, I suppose. What are curses? Imbalances. Who curses? I don't know for sure, maybe everyone that utters a negative statement or desire, but I do believe that the counter-curse is blessing. "Bless those that curse you." (Luke 6:28) That is the basis for being a Green Witch. Thank you, Jesus the Christ, who I believe was the first "Druid," the founder of the people of the faith, the Fae People... Friend of the Faeries. Eventually the Quakers were also to be called the Friends, a people who began to experience the enlightenment of the Christ-consciousness in spite of the overwhelming religious dogma of their era.
I have noticed three out-of-season blooms in our yard this autumn. According to superstition they are cursed flowers, do not pick them, and especially do not bring them into your home, they say. I remember the curse breaker, "Bless those that curse you." I blessed the little things, after all, you shouldn't shoot the messenger. I am guessing that they are a sign of the polluted state of Gaia. We should certainly learn how to bless the cursed. Bless all that you come in contact with.
One more opinion regarding Paul of the Bible, he parroted. Much of what Paul writes is not original thought. What makes him a novelty is that he also includes some original thought amongst all the plagiarisms. He snags some amazing words from some amazing people and he gets credit for them. In other words, not everything attributed to Paul is crap. Like all really great liars, the trouble lies in a small percentage of his propaganda, namely the order of things and the embellishments that go over and above what Christ taught. Christians tend to see Paul as a great clarifier, an additional blessing, because Christ and the many, many followers that he personally taught (1 John 1:1 'whom we have seen with our eyes, whom we have touched') weren't quite enough for us? (Sarcastic) Apparently, the simple instructions of Christ were too confusing for many... "Love? Seriously? There has got to be more," they waited and then, "Subjugation of women! Thank you, Paul, now we have something to work with!" Religion in general, I'm currently annoyed by it, but I do think there is much to learn from the past. Stories, they teach, but different people learn different things.
In the Old Testamant, the word that gets translated as prophet (nabi) means prophet/speaker. In the New Testament the word that gets translated as prophet (dikaios) means prophet/poet.
Translating according to Amy: (Words of the Christ from Matt. 10:40-42): Anyone who accepts you accepts me, and anyone who accepts me accepts the One who sent me. Whoever accepts a poetic-seer as a poet-seer receives a poet-seer's reward, and whoever accepts a divinely impartial man receives an divinely impartial man's reward, and whoever gives even a cup of water to a little one due to the example of learning from me shall surely be rewarded.
“This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body.”
― Walt Whitman
Monday, November 23, 2015
Current Events
It isn't that I don't view "refugees" as I would view my own friends and neighbors. I view them exactly like my friends and neighbors. I don't particularly get along well with some of my neighbors, and many of my friends and I overlook the ever-growing gulf of religious differences, at least the ones that still call themselves my "friends" seem to. I also have an ever-growing list of friends that don't have to overlook anything to appreciate the friendship, delightful, that.
The current "refugee crisis" is a crisis of underdogs, basically. The ones that are without the most violent power are seeking refuge from the ones who are displaying the strongest shows of violent power. If some of the tables were turned and my radical, fundamental Christian friends and neighbors found themselves in a similar plight, you better believe they would get increasingly violent and make large violent displays of power, for awhile anyway, until they ran out of bullets and then they would also seek refuge and have terribly sad stories. I would probably end up seeking refuge as well,
even deer hunting season around here leaves me considering refuge elsewhere! Even though I am a pacifist and not a Christian, wherever we would find ourselves looking for a safe haven they would not be able to distinguish us and our motivations from each other, they would not be able to weigh the violence in our hearts, or lack thereof, and they would not be able to ascertain our futures. They would not know that I was raised a Christian, but have chosen a deeper, older faith. They would not know if we had something beneficial to offer their homeland, or if we were a doomsday threat. That is exactly how I view everyone, not just refugees. Everyone is a book unable to be judged by its cover. Everyone. Every single person we encounter every single day, some of them are living with extreme abuse in their personal lives and some of them will become abusers, maybe they already are, some won't. Some will justify abuse of others due to the abuse they have personally witnessed. Some will be able to let the wrongs go, probably few, but some. Some will learn to be discerning and insightful and will be the gems that the world needs to become a better place.
Suffering adjusts discernment. Sadly, abuse tends to create abusers, that is a very unpopular fact and it is not conclusive. The problem with the refugee crisis is that people see themselves. They know their own human nature and they know that given the same situation they would be a predictably unpredictable lot (like saying 80% will be violent, and 20% will be peaceful, but not knowing who falls into which category), they already are predictably unpredictable and they are very afraid of what suffering would show them about themselves.
We cannot see things in others that do not exist somewhere in ourselves. The question is, what are we cultivating and justifying?
The current "refugee crisis" is a crisis of underdogs, basically. The ones that are without the most violent power are seeking refuge from the ones who are displaying the strongest shows of violent power. If some of the tables were turned and my radical, fundamental Christian friends and neighbors found themselves in a similar plight, you better believe they would get increasingly violent and make large violent displays of power, for awhile anyway, until they ran out of bullets and then they would also seek refuge and have terribly sad stories. I would probably end up seeking refuge as well,
even deer hunting season around here leaves me considering refuge elsewhere! Even though I am a pacifist and not a Christian, wherever we would find ourselves looking for a safe haven they would not be able to distinguish us and our motivations from each other, they would not be able to weigh the violence in our hearts, or lack thereof, and they would not be able to ascertain our futures. They would not know that I was raised a Christian, but have chosen a deeper, older faith. They would not know if we had something beneficial to offer their homeland, or if we were a doomsday threat. That is exactly how I view everyone, not just refugees. Everyone is a book unable to be judged by its cover. Everyone. Every single person we encounter every single day, some of them are living with extreme abuse in their personal lives and some of them will become abusers, maybe they already are, some won't. Some will justify abuse of others due to the abuse they have personally witnessed. Some will be able to let the wrongs go, probably few, but some. Some will learn to be discerning and insightful and will be the gems that the world needs to become a better place.
Suffering adjusts discernment. Sadly, abuse tends to create abusers, that is a very unpopular fact and it is not conclusive. The problem with the refugee crisis is that people see themselves. They know their own human nature and they know that given the same situation they would be a predictably unpredictable lot (like saying 80% will be violent, and 20% will be peaceful, but not knowing who falls into which category), they already are predictably unpredictable and they are very afraid of what suffering would show them about themselves.
We cannot see things in others that do not exist somewhere in ourselves. The question is, what are we cultivating and justifying?
Friday, November 6, 2015
Going the Way of the Buffalo.... or the Goddess... You Decide.
Who am I that you should listen to me? I am nobody, nothing, not much of anything significant. Almost no one reads this blog anymore since I have dropped the drama, it is boring. I am just a middle-aged white homeschool mommy blogger with a high school education and a fascination for seeking.... something. This is my most real identity (I also don't like commas, but sometimes they are necessary). It isn't my only identity. There are days when I am sure that I mean something, that I am highly significant, but those feelings are brief, fleeting, they are ants under the giant magnifying glass of society. There are also days when I am the child that my parents hate or even worse, don't think about at all. I am worse than dead to them, they don't grieve my absence or wish for more days with me, they wish I was never born. I have come to realize that is also a view that society has, over-population, wishing that more and more people just don't get born. Wow. Happy Days... not.
I started to reflect on thoughts like this first thing this morning when my alarm went off. NPR was talking about a recent study that highlighted a "disturbing" trend among the middle-aged white population that topped out their education with a high school diploma. Hmmm... I am part of the middle aged white population with a high school diploma. I have a homeschool diploma. I went to school for 12 years, K-11, and then I homeschooled my last year. I didn't actually need to. I kind of thought that I didn't actually need to, but when I had a meeting with the vice-principal of my high school about graduating early, since most of my classes were with the class above me, he told me that I could not due to needing more credits. So, I homeschooled my senior year, since I was bored with school, and when I went for my end of the year evaluation for approval for a certified diploma the evaluator said that I didn't even need the last year, I had plenty of credits from school. I had mixed emotions about that. I have chosen to home educate my own children, but every year I ask them if they prefer to be home or if they would like to try out school. They do not want to commit to school. I don't blame them, but I do wonder what life has in store for them. I don't know how homeschoolers fit into the middle-aged white "dilemma." I guess we will find out.
As for me, like I said, I seek, and sometimes I find. Through my seeking I have discovered the possibility that people need communities. It is a strong possibility. People are generally not designed to be solitary, but they do need the freedom of personal space and solitude. It is a confusing blend, but we see this demonstrated with chickens. If you force too many chickens to be together in a confined space they turn on each other, but if you let them wander freely about they flock and stick up for each other. They prefer to flock with other chickens that look like them, "birds of a feather flock together," they really do, but if none of them actually look like each other they will hang with chickens simply because they are chickens, if they don't have other chickens they will find ducks or geese or peafowl, if they don't have those they will find whatever they can, they like companionship, but they don't like crowded spaces. We are much the same, but the world is so full of crowded spaces, and when we do flock together, much like chickens, we establish pecking orders and territorial flocking spaces. It is kind of simple, kind of. Factory farmed chickens are raised in large, crowded spaces, they are debeaked, and deinstincted, much like people. We too are being raised in large, crowded space, deweaponed and deinstincted. It is hard to trust our own kind, we are so far removed from our instincts, we don't even know which feather we are in order to identify the others that look like us, we are having a hard time seeing our souls, and that is really what defines us.
Does this dilemma have a story? Yes, a long, foggy, complicated one, but the short, oversimplified version is that well-meaning concepts have been attached to pendulums that swing wildly out of control. What is good in moderation is not good in excess, basically. Sharing one's spiritual beliefs, for instance, is a great thing to do, forcing those beliefs on entire civilizations at the cost of death is not a good thing to do, yet it has been done for centuries, therein lies the root of the current problems. The solution is a tiny little sprout, I hope it is a stubborn weed.
The solution lies in the power of our instinctive spirit not dying when they confine us and debeak us. The solution lies in realizing that ants are not defined by the magnifying glass. The solution lies in using those beaks for what they should be used for, not for defense, they are great for defense, but they are best used for foraging. We are the same, what we use to harm others is really just meant for foraging, mindfully. Chickens are not vegetarians, nature is not vegetarian. There are vegetarians in nature, and carnivores eat them like big, yummy plant byproducts. That does not mean that vegetarians should be disrespected, or that they are not part of the circle of life. It also does not mean that carnivores should be disrespected, or that they are not part of the circle of life. It does mean that there is a circle of life, with a balance of life and death. What society offers us is a circle of death, and no balance. Look around you, are you being defined by a symbol of death, such as, say, a cross, or a gun? It is your identity, you are very proud of it, you would peck your neighbor to death to defend that identity of yours, and you wouldn't feel guilty about it. Or would you... who are you? Who am I? What happens when we die? What happens when our neighbor dies? Is there hope in these answers, or fear? Hope and fear get so intertwined. "I know I am going to heaven not hell!" I have heard since I was a wee lass. The fear of hell seems to balance out the joy of heaven, for so many. I too entered into that mindset as a child, but as I became more and more of a seeker I just wasn't all that happy about being part of an elite minority. I wanted to be part of a symbiosis of life. I wanted everyone and everything to have a beautiful part in this life and in whatever comes next. All rainbows and butterflies and light and joy! I hoped, then I had a nightmare that all the trees in my yard were chopped down, that there was nothing but sunshine, so much sunshine! I realized that darkness has a good place, but are there types of darkness, surely darkness is dangerous, metaphorically speaking, or is it just metaphor? We are a solar-powered planet, I think, it seems anyway. We do literally need light, but we also need darkness, literally and metaphorically. That is what the religions don't excel at, the cooling, refreshing darkness, the balance. They show us the dangers of excessive darkness, and they are correct, when the pendulum swings too far there is trouble, but they don't highlight the dangers of excessive light. They showed us the cross and we have run so far the other way that we are standing thirsty in a desert of light, a crowded desert.
The information shared by NPR this morning was like an arrow of poignant thought for me. I then looked up another article online by the NYTimes. (Here is a link Middle-Aged White American Crisis) A lack of college education is being emphasized as a determining factor, but I am seeing something deeper. I heard the article to be saying that out of an elite majority in the "Land of the Free and Home of the Brave" we have raised a hopeless generation, disconnected from their communities and disgusted with their society. There are some that fit in with societal standards, they are the ones that go to college and semi-happily find purpose in the "rat race." Have you read, "Who Moved My Cheese?" The other ones, the white ones, the enslavers, the ones who aren't allowed to have white pride, the ones that have been given the benefit of being born in America with all the privileges of being a caucasian in the "best country in the world," the ones that have no excuse to not succeed, because they have been given every advantage, the ones that weren't born in huts without running water, the ones that have achieved the much promoted high school diploma.... they have decided that life hurts. Life hurts so much that they need to numb the pain with whatever they can get their hands on. That reminds me of another article I read recently about the nature of addiction. (Here is a link Human Connection and the Roots of Addiction) Seems that people need people, and not just to be forced to be together in confined spaces. Learn from the chickens, folks. Why does that chicken keep crossing the road? I think the road might be the answer. We have had several chickens hit by cars, sadly. We confine them in movable coops, but sometimes they just love to run about. They are so happy running about that I let them take their chances with it, life is short anyway. Turns out that chickens really like standing in the middle of the road, a much disdained place by society, but if you look at it from the perspective of the pendulum or scales, it looks more like balance. To be able to stand in the middle of the road without getting hit by the speed of "progress," that is what "underachieving" middle-aged white America is trying to do. They aren't dying in huts, but they don't want to be part of the rat race, and the only place left is the middle of the road. It is a lonely place to be, but if there were more and more and more chickens hanging out in the middle of the road there would probably be more cars stopping rather than running right over them, the chickens might get a tad more respect, but in America you aren't allowed to have a flock of chickens hanging out on the road. We are civilized, for crying out loud. Well, our suicide and addiction rates don't look too civilized, folks. Sorry, but we need a few more flocks of chickens to teach us about what we are doing wrong.
I really wanted to talk about trees. I think trees are the answer, and wolves, and sharks and butterflies and rainbows... and.... what does it matter what I think? No one reads this anyway, and even if they did, I don't have a college education, so my thoughts don't matter. I am just a middle-aged white American housewife, no one listens to them, not their parents, not their children, not their friends, not their government, not their God. Their Goddess on the other hand.... have you met her? Don't let that pendulum swing too far, though, the God and Goddess thrive on balance. The Chalice and the Athame, the cup and the knife, what do they symbolize to you?
I started to reflect on thoughts like this first thing this morning when my alarm went off. NPR was talking about a recent study that highlighted a "disturbing" trend among the middle-aged white population that topped out their education with a high school diploma. Hmmm... I am part of the middle aged white population with a high school diploma. I have a homeschool diploma. I went to school for 12 years, K-11, and then I homeschooled my last year. I didn't actually need to. I kind of thought that I didn't actually need to, but when I had a meeting with the vice-principal of my high school about graduating early, since most of my classes were with the class above me, he told me that I could not due to needing more credits. So, I homeschooled my senior year, since I was bored with school, and when I went for my end of the year evaluation for approval for a certified diploma the evaluator said that I didn't even need the last year, I had plenty of credits from school. I had mixed emotions about that. I have chosen to home educate my own children, but every year I ask them if they prefer to be home or if they would like to try out school. They do not want to commit to school. I don't blame them, but I do wonder what life has in store for them. I don't know how homeschoolers fit into the middle-aged white "dilemma." I guess we will find out.
As for me, like I said, I seek, and sometimes I find. Through my seeking I have discovered the possibility that people need communities. It is a strong possibility. People are generally not designed to be solitary, but they do need the freedom of personal space and solitude. It is a confusing blend, but we see this demonstrated with chickens. If you force too many chickens to be together in a confined space they turn on each other, but if you let them wander freely about they flock and stick up for each other. They prefer to flock with other chickens that look like them, "birds of a feather flock together," they really do, but if none of them actually look like each other they will hang with chickens simply because they are chickens, if they don't have other chickens they will find ducks or geese or peafowl, if they don't have those they will find whatever they can, they like companionship, but they don't like crowded spaces. We are much the same, but the world is so full of crowded spaces, and when we do flock together, much like chickens, we establish pecking orders and territorial flocking spaces. It is kind of simple, kind of. Factory farmed chickens are raised in large, crowded spaces, they are debeaked, and deinstincted, much like people. We too are being raised in large, crowded space, deweaponed and deinstincted. It is hard to trust our own kind, we are so far removed from our instincts, we don't even know which feather we are in order to identify the others that look like us, we are having a hard time seeing our souls, and that is really what defines us.
Does this dilemma have a story? Yes, a long, foggy, complicated one, but the short, oversimplified version is that well-meaning concepts have been attached to pendulums that swing wildly out of control. What is good in moderation is not good in excess, basically. Sharing one's spiritual beliefs, for instance, is a great thing to do, forcing those beliefs on entire civilizations at the cost of death is not a good thing to do, yet it has been done for centuries, therein lies the root of the current problems. The solution is a tiny little sprout, I hope it is a stubborn weed.
The solution lies in the power of our instinctive spirit not dying when they confine us and debeak us. The solution lies in realizing that ants are not defined by the magnifying glass. The solution lies in using those beaks for what they should be used for, not for defense, they are great for defense, but they are best used for foraging. We are the same, what we use to harm others is really just meant for foraging, mindfully. Chickens are not vegetarians, nature is not vegetarian. There are vegetarians in nature, and carnivores eat them like big, yummy plant byproducts. That does not mean that vegetarians should be disrespected, or that they are not part of the circle of life. It also does not mean that carnivores should be disrespected, or that they are not part of the circle of life. It does mean that there is a circle of life, with a balance of life and death. What society offers us is a circle of death, and no balance. Look around you, are you being defined by a symbol of death, such as, say, a cross, or a gun? It is your identity, you are very proud of it, you would peck your neighbor to death to defend that identity of yours, and you wouldn't feel guilty about it. Or would you... who are you? Who am I? What happens when we die? What happens when our neighbor dies? Is there hope in these answers, or fear? Hope and fear get so intertwined. "I know I am going to heaven not hell!" I have heard since I was a wee lass. The fear of hell seems to balance out the joy of heaven, for so many. I too entered into that mindset as a child, but as I became more and more of a seeker I just wasn't all that happy about being part of an elite minority. I wanted to be part of a symbiosis of life. I wanted everyone and everything to have a beautiful part in this life and in whatever comes next. All rainbows and butterflies and light and joy! I hoped, then I had a nightmare that all the trees in my yard were chopped down, that there was nothing but sunshine, so much sunshine! I realized that darkness has a good place, but are there types of darkness, surely darkness is dangerous, metaphorically speaking, or is it just metaphor? We are a solar-powered planet, I think, it seems anyway. We do literally need light, but we also need darkness, literally and metaphorically. That is what the religions don't excel at, the cooling, refreshing darkness, the balance. They show us the dangers of excessive darkness, and they are correct, when the pendulum swings too far there is trouble, but they don't highlight the dangers of excessive light. They showed us the cross and we have run so far the other way that we are standing thirsty in a desert of light, a crowded desert.
The information shared by NPR this morning was like an arrow of poignant thought for me. I then looked up another article online by the NYTimes. (Here is a link Middle-Aged White American Crisis) A lack of college education is being emphasized as a determining factor, but I am seeing something deeper. I heard the article to be saying that out of an elite majority in the "Land of the Free and Home of the Brave" we have raised a hopeless generation, disconnected from their communities and disgusted with their society. There are some that fit in with societal standards, they are the ones that go to college and semi-happily find purpose in the "rat race." Have you read, "Who Moved My Cheese?" The other ones, the white ones, the enslavers, the ones who aren't allowed to have white pride, the ones that have been given the benefit of being born in America with all the privileges of being a caucasian in the "best country in the world," the ones that have no excuse to not succeed, because they have been given every advantage, the ones that weren't born in huts without running water, the ones that have achieved the much promoted high school diploma.... they have decided that life hurts. Life hurts so much that they need to numb the pain with whatever they can get their hands on. That reminds me of another article I read recently about the nature of addiction. (Here is a link Human Connection and the Roots of Addiction) Seems that people need people, and not just to be forced to be together in confined spaces. Learn from the chickens, folks. Why does that chicken keep crossing the road? I think the road might be the answer. We have had several chickens hit by cars, sadly. We confine them in movable coops, but sometimes they just love to run about. They are so happy running about that I let them take their chances with it, life is short anyway. Turns out that chickens really like standing in the middle of the road, a much disdained place by society, but if you look at it from the perspective of the pendulum or scales, it looks more like balance. To be able to stand in the middle of the road without getting hit by the speed of "progress," that is what "underachieving" middle-aged white America is trying to do. They aren't dying in huts, but they don't want to be part of the rat race, and the only place left is the middle of the road. It is a lonely place to be, but if there were more and more and more chickens hanging out in the middle of the road there would probably be more cars stopping rather than running right over them, the chickens might get a tad more respect, but in America you aren't allowed to have a flock of chickens hanging out on the road. We are civilized, for crying out loud. Well, our suicide and addiction rates don't look too civilized, folks. Sorry, but we need a few more flocks of chickens to teach us about what we are doing wrong.
I really wanted to talk about trees. I think trees are the answer, and wolves, and sharks and butterflies and rainbows... and.... what does it matter what I think? No one reads this anyway, and even if they did, I don't have a college education, so my thoughts don't matter. I am just a middle-aged white American housewife, no one listens to them, not their parents, not their children, not their friends, not their government, not their God. Their Goddess on the other hand.... have you met her? Don't let that pendulum swing too far, though, the God and Goddess thrive on balance. The Chalice and the Athame, the cup and the knife, what do they symbolize to you?
Friday, October 23, 2015
The Outrageousness of Regular
Two large dogs and one small kitten
Separated by a rigged fence
A tension gate tied to a tv stand
They are good dogs
They can't take their eyes off of the small cat
They don't step across the boundary
They could easily step across the line
It is almost imaginary
A little girl tries to hold the kitten
The kitten does not trust the gate, the dogs, or the child
The kitten hasn't scratched anyone yet today
The child begins to sing to the kitten.
"You have to be trained if you want to be a grown up,
You have to be trained day and night."
The child walks toward the dogs, holding the kitten
The dogs begin to bark
The cat begins to grow tense
The child takes the kitten to a hiding place behind the couch
The dogs wish there was something more exciting to bark at
They pace from the kitchen to the living room
Barking at seemingly nothing
The little child tries to extract a promise from the kitten
"Promise me something. Promise me that you will never run off."
Separated by a rigged fence
A tension gate tied to a tv stand
They are good dogs
They can't take their eyes off of the small cat
They don't step across the boundary
They could easily step across the line
It is almost imaginary
A little girl tries to hold the kitten
The kitten does not trust the gate, the dogs, or the child
The kitten hasn't scratched anyone yet today
The child begins to sing to the kitten.
"You have to be trained if you want to be a grown up,
You have to be trained day and night."
The child walks toward the dogs, holding the kitten
The dogs begin to bark
The cat begins to grow tense
The child takes the kitten to a hiding place behind the couch
The dogs wish there was something more exciting to bark at
They pace from the kitchen to the living room
Barking at seemingly nothing
The little child tries to extract a promise from the kitten
"Promise me something. Promise me that you will never run off."
Monday, September 28, 2015
Taking the Semi out of Semi-Precious
What do I think I am reaching for when I reach for my crystals?
Well, for starters, what do I mean by crystals?
I mean rocks. Beautiful rocks with ancient significance, some more known to the ancients than others.
John's Revelations have some of my favorite examples of ancient crystal awareness:
"The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow gleaming like an emerald encircled the throne."
I'm not entirely sure how my relationship with crystals happened, I vaguely remember a chain of events, but looking back it just seemed that one day I was not aware of crystals and the next day I was addicted to their resonance. It was as if they found me, I guess they did.
17 years ago we named our cat "Jade." I don't even know why I thought that was a beautiful word, I had no idea what Jade really was.
My mother-in-law shared some jewelry with me, I suspect that one of the strings of beads is Jade, but I have yet to have that confirmed. My wondering began.
My mother gave me some Tiger's Eye earrings and an Agate pendant. My youngest daughter desired a piece of Rose Quartz and then a piece of Amethyst, and was allowed to purchase them, and when she brought it home I loved them much as she did, it seemed. I began to purchase pieces for myself and my collection grew and grew and grew. Each piece comes with an encouragement, Tiger's Eye for insight, Agate for strength, Rose Quartz for gentle love, Amethyst for spirituality. The descriptions I mentioned are very, very basic. Each stone actually has layers of meanings, and can mean different things to different people.
My collection is more than some and not as much as others, but I have developed a sense of what they mean to me, so what do I reach for when I reach for:
Labradorite? Positive magic
Carnelian? Physical attraction
Citrine? Positive finances and sunny outlook
Aventurine? Luck in love and money
Jade? Power, but not for power's sake. When I feel like positive things are happening I reach for Jade to enhance the effects of that positivity. I avoid Jade when I feel negative. It also feels like it draws me to earthy people, but repels me from those who are motivated by the "Jotunn machine."
Jasper? Comfort and beauty, although it seems like it is backfiring a bit lately. As if my motivation for being beautiful causes me to overthink my own vanity and feel insecure instead. Perhaps Jasper needs to be used along with a desire to focus on letting inner beauty be seen outwardly, as opposed to vanity. I think outward beauty is a nice thing, but without inner beauty, vanity really is like a rotten Easter egg.
Tiger's Eye? Safety while traveling
Pink Quartz? Romance
Amethyst? Enhanced spirituality
Chevron Amethyst? Clearing an area of negativity
A necklace of Lapis Lazuli combined with Smokey Quartz? Enhancement of the "clairs," i.e. clairaudience, clairsentience, clairvoyance. It also seems to be helpful in seeing auras and communicating with nature spirits. At this time it is too powerful for me to wear frivolously, or it will mess with my realities. I have to wear it in relative solitude, it is wonderful to wear while walking in nature alone.
Denim Lapis earrings? They always stand out to my husband, he always says "nice earrings." I have come to reach for them when I am planning to be focused primarily on him.
Pearls? Letting go of expectations
Amber? Warmth and pain relief
Amazonite? Strength from the inside out, literal strength for bones and teeth and skin
Sardonyx? Emotional and physical protection
Malachite? Enhanced sense of personal worth
Kyanite? Good communication skills
Selenite? Spiritual sensitivity
Garnet? Spice of life, and deflection of negativity
Turquoise? Friendship
Blue Calcite? Saying the right things
Calcite? Find my personal perfections, what is just right for my journey
Goldstone? Energetic alchemy
Howlite? Neutrality
Clear Quartz? Aspirations
Pink Mangano? Reiki Stone
There are so many more, but the aforementioned have been entering into my daily life often.
I also have a bracelet that has a variety of stones to enhance the chakra energies and I wear it for energetic balance.
These are experiential observations. I start with the meanings that have been attributed to these stones by others, and I observe how I feel while I wear them. I sense how they interact with me and my surroundings. Different people respond differently to different stones, and some people aren't open enough to responding to stones at all, they might change, they might not.
Everything has a measurable vibration, and everything can affect the vibrations around it. Vibrations are related to emotion and relationships, and emotion to health. Vibrations will affect manifestation for better or worse, might as well be for better, right?
Well, for starters, what do I mean by crystals?
I mean rocks. Beautiful rocks with ancient significance, some more known to the ancients than others.
John's Revelations have some of my favorite examples of ancient crystal awareness:
"The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow gleaming like an emerald encircled the throne."
"The foundations of the city (or people of the city) were adorned (or arranged) with every kind of precious stone: The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, as pure as transparent glass.
But I saw no temple in the city...."
I'm not entirely sure how my relationship with crystals happened, I vaguely remember a chain of events, but looking back it just seemed that one day I was not aware of crystals and the next day I was addicted to their resonance. It was as if they found me, I guess they did.
17 years ago we named our cat "Jade." I don't even know why I thought that was a beautiful word, I had no idea what Jade really was.
My mother-in-law shared some jewelry with me, I suspect that one of the strings of beads is Jade, but I have yet to have that confirmed. My wondering began.
My mother gave me some Tiger's Eye earrings and an Agate pendant. My youngest daughter desired a piece of Rose Quartz and then a piece of Amethyst, and was allowed to purchase them, and when she brought it home I loved them much as she did, it seemed. I began to purchase pieces for myself and my collection grew and grew and grew. Each piece comes with an encouragement, Tiger's Eye for insight, Agate for strength, Rose Quartz for gentle love, Amethyst for spirituality. The descriptions I mentioned are very, very basic. Each stone actually has layers of meanings, and can mean different things to different people.
My collection is more than some and not as much as others, but I have developed a sense of what they mean to me, so what do I reach for when I reach for:
Labradorite? Positive magic
Carnelian? Physical attraction
Citrine? Positive finances and sunny outlook
Aventurine? Luck in love and money
Jade? Power, but not for power's sake. When I feel like positive things are happening I reach for Jade to enhance the effects of that positivity. I avoid Jade when I feel negative. It also feels like it draws me to earthy people, but repels me from those who are motivated by the "Jotunn machine."
Jasper? Comfort and beauty, although it seems like it is backfiring a bit lately. As if my motivation for being beautiful causes me to overthink my own vanity and feel insecure instead. Perhaps Jasper needs to be used along with a desire to focus on letting inner beauty be seen outwardly, as opposed to vanity. I think outward beauty is a nice thing, but without inner beauty, vanity really is like a rotten Easter egg.
Tiger's Eye? Safety while traveling
Pink Quartz? Romance
Amethyst? Enhanced spirituality
Chevron Amethyst? Clearing an area of negativity
A necklace of Lapis Lazuli combined with Smokey Quartz? Enhancement of the "clairs," i.e. clairaudience, clairsentience, clairvoyance. It also seems to be helpful in seeing auras and communicating with nature spirits. At this time it is too powerful for me to wear frivolously, or it will mess with my realities. I have to wear it in relative solitude, it is wonderful to wear while walking in nature alone.
Denim Lapis earrings? They always stand out to my husband, he always says "nice earrings." I have come to reach for them when I am planning to be focused primarily on him.
Pearls? Letting go of expectations
Amber? Warmth and pain relief
Amazonite? Strength from the inside out, literal strength for bones and teeth and skin
Sardonyx? Emotional and physical protection
Malachite? Enhanced sense of personal worth
Kyanite? Good communication skills
Selenite? Spiritual sensitivity
Garnet? Spice of life, and deflection of negativity
Turquoise? Friendship
Blue Calcite? Saying the right things
Calcite? Find my personal perfections, what is just right for my journey
Goldstone? Energetic alchemy
Howlite? Neutrality
Clear Quartz? Aspirations
Pink Mangano? Reiki Stone
There are so many more, but the aforementioned have been entering into my daily life often.
I also have a bracelet that has a variety of stones to enhance the chakra energies and I wear it for energetic balance.
These are experiential observations. I start with the meanings that have been attributed to these stones by others, and I observe how I feel while I wear them. I sense how they interact with me and my surroundings. Different people respond differently to different stones, and some people aren't open enough to responding to stones at all, they might change, they might not.
Everything has a measurable vibration, and everything can affect the vibrations around it. Vibrations are related to emotion and relationships, and emotion to health. Vibrations will affect manifestation for better or worse, might as well be for better, right?
Looking at Thoughts
I long for something.
I'm not sure what.
I feel it when I hear the struggles of others, when I know I have had similar struggles and have found something that has helped, but they don't want to try it, or they say it won't work for them for xyz reasons.
I feel it when I like someone and they don't like me back.
I feel it when I don't feel like I even like myself.
I feel it when I don't like other people.
I feel it when I am happy, because I know that life is fleeting.
I feel it when I am sad and feel alone.
I feel it when it when I am joyful, and scared.
I feel it when I don't feel alone.
There is almost always a longing for something.
I feel like I am getting closer to knowing what that something is, perhaps because of the process of elimination. Perhaps because certain aspects of this longing have been fulfilled, while others have grown increasingly stronger.
My desire to understand healing has grown stronger, while my desire to nurture has diminished.
My desire to understand psychological influences has grown stronger, while my love of baking and sewing have nearly disappeared altogether.
My love of music is faint, while my love of theories consumes my thoughts.
What do I long for? I feel like I connect with it momentarily while meditating, and sometimes while doing yoga. Sometimes when I awake from dreams I feel like I am leaving something behind that I want to keep with me while waking. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by a sense of completeness, and I am not sure why, and then I am left seeking the cause of that feeling, like an addiction. Some people say that we shouldn't trust our feelings, I don't trust those people. I don't trust anyone or anything, I don't feel like I should. Trust seems irrelevant. I want to know why. Why seems relevant. Why do people do what they do? What is their motivation?
I feel like maybe if I can understand the motivations of others I might be able to better understand my own motivations, but I just feel distanced.... I feel very disconnected from people in general. I don't necessarily want to be, but their motivations are not my motivations, even if their motivations benefit me, they still aren't necessarily my motivations.... What are my motivations? I think that is what I am searching for.....
What motivates me?
It seems so obvious when I look at others, their motivations usually seem to shine like neon lights, but I can't seem to see my own motivations.
Trying to step back and view myself as I view others, I think it might have to do with an image of keeping a cozy home with alternating seasons of hospitality and solitude. Perhaps that is what is coming.... that has never fully been for me, perhaps that is why the longing remains. A home is a powerful place, a power that should be used for good.
I'm not sure what.
I feel it when I hear the struggles of others, when I know I have had similar struggles and have found something that has helped, but they don't want to try it, or they say it won't work for them for xyz reasons.
I feel it when I like someone and they don't like me back.
I feel it when I don't feel like I even like myself.
I feel it when I don't like other people.
I feel it when I am happy, because I know that life is fleeting.
I feel it when I am sad and feel alone.
I feel it when it when I am joyful, and scared.
I feel it when I don't feel alone.
There is almost always a longing for something.
I feel like I am getting closer to knowing what that something is, perhaps because of the process of elimination. Perhaps because certain aspects of this longing have been fulfilled, while others have grown increasingly stronger.
My desire to understand healing has grown stronger, while my desire to nurture has diminished.
My desire to understand psychological influences has grown stronger, while my love of baking and sewing have nearly disappeared altogether.
My love of music is faint, while my love of theories consumes my thoughts.
What do I long for? I feel like I connect with it momentarily while meditating, and sometimes while doing yoga. Sometimes when I awake from dreams I feel like I am leaving something behind that I want to keep with me while waking. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by a sense of completeness, and I am not sure why, and then I am left seeking the cause of that feeling, like an addiction. Some people say that we shouldn't trust our feelings, I don't trust those people. I don't trust anyone or anything, I don't feel like I should. Trust seems irrelevant. I want to know why. Why seems relevant. Why do people do what they do? What is their motivation?
I feel like maybe if I can understand the motivations of others I might be able to better understand my own motivations, but I just feel distanced.... I feel very disconnected from people in general. I don't necessarily want to be, but their motivations are not my motivations, even if their motivations benefit me, they still aren't necessarily my motivations.... What are my motivations? I think that is what I am searching for.....
What motivates me?
It seems so obvious when I look at others, their motivations usually seem to shine like neon lights, but I can't seem to see my own motivations.
Trying to step back and view myself as I view others, I think it might have to do with an image of keeping a cozy home with alternating seasons of hospitality and solitude. Perhaps that is what is coming.... that has never fully been for me, perhaps that is why the longing remains. A home is a powerful place, a power that should be used for good.
Top Ten(ish) Essential Oil Favorites
Let me begin by saying that this post will be about personal preference, personal experience, and personal favorites. This information is not to be considered professional advice.
I have been using essential oils for several years now and there are several that I would just feel lost without.
We began with the very popular Tea Tree Oil, and it is still a nice one, but I find myself reaching for it less and less as I get to know these other oils.
I don't know if I have a number one favorite, so these are in no particular order:
~Peppermint and Eucalyptus~ These are not the same, but I find that they can be used interchangeably for many things, such as anything related to breathing. They are cooling.
~Frankincense~What a heavy hitter! This oil is a warm one, and powerful enough to fight cancer, yet gentle enough to be used without a carrier on facial skin. In my mind, Frankincense is a deep worker than can help to cure what ails you, physically and spiritually.
~Rose~Feeling down? Reach for Rose, the most uplifting of all the oils. It might raise your vibration so quickly you could feel dizzy, grounding is a word that I have learned to use a lot! (Certain crystals help with grounding. Amethyst and Rose Quartz would probably enhance the effects of Rose Oil, while labradorite, onyx, carnelian, and sardonyx [a blend of onyx and carnelian] might help to ground, they are some of my favorites for feeling grounded, there are many more options.) Don't reach for Rose if you are afraid of heights... metaphysically speaking. Scientifically speaking, the higher your vibration the healthier and happier you are likely to be, and there is science behind that statement.... research it yourself.
~Citruses (Lemon, Lime, Orange, Tangerine, etc)~Again, these oils are not the same, but they have many of the same affectations. Clarity and immune balancing being high on the list of why I might reach for them. I have read that Lime is one of the most popular smells on the planet. The citruses are not known to have long shelf lives and they aren't usually among the most expensive of oils, so they are nice to use often. Lemon on the bottom of the feet has been helpful for easing fevers, a few drops every two hours was recommended and possibly a much more balanced alternative than other over-the-counter fever medicines.
~Rosemary~Headaches
~Lavender~Flies and moths don't like it, and it is a general soother, also good for breathing issues and immune balancing.
~Lemongrass~ Try it for yourself. I don't even know what to say about this one.... it seems to enhance whatever positive energy is already present.
~Clove~ Another powerful punch, it just seems to kill negative things like pain, bad breath, parasites, germs, etc...
These Blends from Eden's Garden are also among my "always want to have on hand" list:
~Four Thieves Blend~Clove, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Rosemary (good for what ails ya, pretty much)
~Stay Alert Blend~In spite of its name, this oil is great for promoting a good night's sleep, silencing snoring and enhancing breathing, when used on the length of the spine in combination with frankincense it can encourage circulation while sleeping, and some have reported incredible healing.
~PMS Ease Blend~this is a great for the complaints related to female hormones
~Peace Blend~Doesn't the name say it all? We have also found that it is soothing for itchy skin due to poison ivy or bug bites. I also like to use Peace or Frankincense on my hands when practicing Reiki.
Most of these oils are also great for cleaning and repelling pests. There are many more that we have tried and liked, but this list includes the ones I find myself reaching for again, and again, and again, and again....
I have been using essential oils for several years now and there are several that I would just feel lost without.
We began with the very popular Tea Tree Oil, and it is still a nice one, but I find myself reaching for it less and less as I get to know these other oils.
I don't know if I have a number one favorite, so these are in no particular order:
~Peppermint and Eucalyptus~ These are not the same, but I find that they can be used interchangeably for many things, such as anything related to breathing. They are cooling.
~Frankincense~What a heavy hitter! This oil is a warm one, and powerful enough to fight cancer, yet gentle enough to be used without a carrier on facial skin. In my mind, Frankincense is a deep worker than can help to cure what ails you, physically and spiritually.
~Rose~Feeling down? Reach for Rose, the most uplifting of all the oils. It might raise your vibration so quickly you could feel dizzy, grounding is a word that I have learned to use a lot! (Certain crystals help with grounding. Amethyst and Rose Quartz would probably enhance the effects of Rose Oil, while labradorite, onyx, carnelian, and sardonyx [a blend of onyx and carnelian] might help to ground, they are some of my favorites for feeling grounded, there are many more options.) Don't reach for Rose if you are afraid of heights... metaphysically speaking. Scientifically speaking, the higher your vibration the healthier and happier you are likely to be, and there is science behind that statement.... research it yourself.
~Citruses (Lemon, Lime, Orange, Tangerine, etc)~Again, these oils are not the same, but they have many of the same affectations. Clarity and immune balancing being high on the list of why I might reach for them. I have read that Lime is one of the most popular smells on the planet. The citruses are not known to have long shelf lives and they aren't usually among the most expensive of oils, so they are nice to use often. Lemon on the bottom of the feet has been helpful for easing fevers, a few drops every two hours was recommended and possibly a much more balanced alternative than other over-the-counter fever medicines.
~Rosemary~Headaches
~Lavender~Flies and moths don't like it, and it is a general soother, also good for breathing issues and immune balancing.
~Lemongrass~ Try it for yourself. I don't even know what to say about this one.... it seems to enhance whatever positive energy is already present.
~Clove~ Another powerful punch, it just seems to kill negative things like pain, bad breath, parasites, germs, etc...
These Blends from Eden's Garden are also among my "always want to have on hand" list:
~Four Thieves Blend~Clove, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Rosemary (good for what ails ya, pretty much)
~Stay Alert Blend~In spite of its name, this oil is great for promoting a good night's sleep, silencing snoring and enhancing breathing, when used on the length of the spine in combination with frankincense it can encourage circulation while sleeping, and some have reported incredible healing.
~PMS Ease Blend~this is a great for the complaints related to female hormones
~Peace Blend~Doesn't the name say it all? We have also found that it is soothing for itchy skin due to poison ivy or bug bites. I also like to use Peace or Frankincense on my hands when practicing Reiki.
Most of these oils are also great for cleaning and repelling pests. There are many more that we have tried and liked, but this list includes the ones I find myself reaching for again, and again, and again, and again....
Friday, September 11, 2015
Being American
We did it. We created America. A few hundred years have gone by and we are still here, the Americans. Who are we? Who am I? This American that I am.
This morning I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock radio and an NPR interview with American musician Zack Condon. He is different from me, but his words resonated similarities. Searching the world for my own sound. Finding it at home. Thank you for that, Zack.
I haven't actually gone searching like he did, but my husband has done some traveling. The more he reflects on the differences in places and cultures the more I wonder who we are, as a people. Are we a people. The world seems to see us a people, "those Americans." Some want to be us, some want to destroy us, but they all know that we are here. Whoever we are.
We came here to this country from all over the world and fought with the people that were already here. I was told in Christian School that they were heathens. I am now surprised that people are still saying that. Less people are saying that, but people are still saying that.
We have attempted to destroyed this place. We have cut down the ancient forests. We have polluted the pristine streams. We have poisoned the fish and obliterated the birds and slaughtered the buffalo. We have made a mess of things. I was taught that we should be proud of ourselves. I am ashamed.
If we continue to recreate our futures as we have been living the past we may miss out on the opportunity to learn the best lessons from our deep-rooted histories. Travelers from America go looking all over the world for meaning and perspective. They go to places with older architecture and older habits and they litter and offend and spend lots of money and come home feeling richer for it. Why? What are they bringing back except bragging rights?
We should become humble. We should share this earth with all living things, as much as we possibly know how, and we know how, but greed prevents it. Fear prevents it. Will fear save us from ourselves?
What does it mean to be an American. An American housewife at that. You may have guessed by now that I am led by my heart. That my children motivate my thoughts on the future. All children motivate my thoughts for the future. What sort of future are we laying out for them? What tools are we giving them to survive and thrive?
I'd like to think that we are learning, evolving into a kinder more symbiotic species. Maybe we need a cold, hard glimpse of ourselves, maybe we need mercy. I have read the histories of religions. I have talked with and listened to atheists. I have become pagan.
A Pagan American, what is that? I hesitate to seek out other pagans, I know we are all on our own path. Paganism is a journey of experience. Perhaps a love of nature unites? The invaders of this pristine land called the original people pagans. May we reignite the lessons that the spirits of the land taught them, and become a new type of people, a blending of the old ways inspired by the lessons we have learned for the new ways. May this melting pot of fury and pain and greed and quest boil down into a wisdom and hope and love. May we find our true freedom and the freedom that belongs to this place. May we live in true peace. We are all Earthlings, we are made of stars.
This morning I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock radio and an NPR interview with American musician Zack Condon. He is different from me, but his words resonated similarities. Searching the world for my own sound. Finding it at home. Thank you for that, Zack.
I haven't actually gone searching like he did, but my husband has done some traveling. The more he reflects on the differences in places and cultures the more I wonder who we are, as a people. Are we a people. The world seems to see us a people, "those Americans." Some want to be us, some want to destroy us, but they all know that we are here. Whoever we are.
We came here to this country from all over the world and fought with the people that were already here. I was told in Christian School that they were heathens. I am now surprised that people are still saying that. Less people are saying that, but people are still saying that.
We have attempted to destroyed this place. We have cut down the ancient forests. We have polluted the pristine streams. We have poisoned the fish and obliterated the birds and slaughtered the buffalo. We have made a mess of things. I was taught that we should be proud of ourselves. I am ashamed.
If we continue to recreate our futures as we have been living the past we may miss out on the opportunity to learn the best lessons from our deep-rooted histories. Travelers from America go looking all over the world for meaning and perspective. They go to places with older architecture and older habits and they litter and offend and spend lots of money and come home feeling richer for it. Why? What are they bringing back except bragging rights?
We should become humble. We should share this earth with all living things, as much as we possibly know how, and we know how, but greed prevents it. Fear prevents it. Will fear save us from ourselves?
What does it mean to be an American. An American housewife at that. You may have guessed by now that I am led by my heart. That my children motivate my thoughts on the future. All children motivate my thoughts for the future. What sort of future are we laying out for them? What tools are we giving them to survive and thrive?
I'd like to think that we are learning, evolving into a kinder more symbiotic species. Maybe we need a cold, hard glimpse of ourselves, maybe we need mercy. I have read the histories of religions. I have talked with and listened to atheists. I have become pagan.
A Pagan American, what is that? I hesitate to seek out other pagans, I know we are all on our own path. Paganism is a journey of experience. Perhaps a love of nature unites? The invaders of this pristine land called the original people pagans. May we reignite the lessons that the spirits of the land taught them, and become a new type of people, a blending of the old ways inspired by the lessons we have learned for the new ways. May this melting pot of fury and pain and greed and quest boil down into a wisdom and hope and love. May we find our true freedom and the freedom that belongs to this place. May we live in true peace. We are all Earthlings, we are made of stars.
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