Harvest Moon

Harvest MoonImage by CaptPiper via Flickr



You must believe in order to receive ... open your heart and your mind!
Enhanced by Zemanta

I’m a winner at a losing game …

Original depiction of fictional anthropomorphi...Image via WikipediaIt’s not always easy to create a place and sometimes finding yourself lost in a bad dream doesn’t help. I’ve never really ever figured out how and why my  innate self  changes when I am in this place. Here in this city so many call grand. I fall into the rabbit hole every time and it’s always dark and dreary, sometimes rather creepy. The reality of it is that I am not surrounded by my values, I’m not surrounded by like minded people. People who share the distinct honor of ‘getting me’. There is a saying that says you should be happy where you are or something like that but no matter how hard I try, I find no happiness here, just loss, a feeling of emotional poverty. And as I look around, everyone is shouting ‘This is the place to be.’ You know how it goes, Sinatra sang all about it. All I see is a sad bedraggled looking place where the ‘general population’ lives in a bubble thinking their block, their neighborhood, their borough is the seat of the world. You would think they got out more often. There are those who have fashioned their bubble of liberal elitism who are truly the saddest having no real understanding of the rest, believing they are right in every aspect, perpetuating lies about the ‘other’ people, those who don’t reside in their bubble. I can’t even joke about it as my laugh forms a snide sound.
Enhanced by Zemanta

Adele … a passionate voice!

I am incredibly impressed with the strength of this women’s voice …. Enjoy !!!!

Enhanced by Zemanta

Summertime!

…and time to share my newest summertime drink! Found in the current issue of Garden & Gun Newsletter, it is just wonderful so go ahead and brighten up the day with Peach Sangria.

PeachSangria

Peach Sangria
(Serves 25–30)

5 ripe freestone peaches, halved then sliced ¼-inch thick
1 orange, halved then sliced ¼-inch thick   
2 lemons, sliced in ¼-inch circles
1 can (5.5 oz) pineapple juice (to color)
½ bottle Riesling Spätlese
2 bottles pinot grigio
2 ½ oz Hiram Walker peach brandy
2 ½ oz peach schnapps
2 ½ oz Triple Sec

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

To serve:
Add 5 oz of mixture to glass (include 5–6 pieces of fruit), fill glass with ice, and add a splash of soda water and a splash of Sprite.

Out of balance …

The mythical seagull out of balanceImage by fisserman via Flickr

When one side of human nature grows out of balance with the other, it becomes a tyranny on the soul. That is the tyrant Duke Morgan. It drives its complimentary opposite into the unconscious. That is Blanchefleur. But the unconscious will not tolerate this kind of imbalance; we have already learned that the greatest force in the psychic universe is the demand for completion, for wholeness, for balance. The feminine will return. Across the seas, Iseult is waiting. And when Iseult comes, the self-satisfied patriarchal world will never be   the same.   --WE, Robert Johnson.

We all find ourselves out of balance now and then ... it's my now and then! Mind sorting ...
Enhanced by Zemanta

Full Pink Moon

Full Pink Moon RisingImage by TomRaven via FlickrApril full moon’s herald the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox—one of the first spring flowers. It is also known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and the Fish Moon.
Makes me want to go outside and look around, make camp and sing.

Did you gather on the new moon to bring alive the dreams and wishes that you sit with??

It’s time to sing stories into life and it’s time to release the old. Always much to release as it leaves bit by bit but the excitement of the new stories, the stories of freshness and making the old new again can be yours.

Spring clean the soul ...


Everyday is cause for celebration!

phlox-1106612998562242vi
Enhanced by Zemanta

Paths … winding, wondrous

winding pathImage by nicpic via FlickrMy presence was not planned, it was born of unbridled change occurring in a moments time.Note… And I was thinking to myself, 'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
But I wonder Note…and still those voices are calling from far away, wakes you up in the middle of the night”


It’s all really new and different and who would have thought the path to be thirty-five years from one end of a street to the other. It kept coming back to me in moments of time … my path forcing me back to a place I chose to leave so long ago. Thinking it would show itself like a hairy beast, then be on it’s way so I could find my way back to my soul’s home. Is this a bigger message. One that has nothing to do with home but with purpose, could it be Note…we are all just prisoners here of our own devise”
But indeed, I started the journey of WISE when I was 17 and fresh-faced at an internship on Old Tarrytown Road and 35 years later pick up the journey again less than one minute up the road at the other end of Old Tarrytown Road for a different but just as purposeful chapter of WISE.

Who threw the bones, what is the medicine, where are the messengers … I wait! And wonder what will be Note… 'Relax,' said the night man, ‘We are programmed to receive.You can check-out any time you like,  But you can never leave!'
Enhanced by Zemanta
Wild AnalysisImage by neonihil via Flickr


 You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you.” ~~ Isadora Duncan
Enhanced by Zemanta

Mmmmm …. yes!

dancing under the rainbowImage by Mara ~earth light~ via FlickrMy good friend Nancy shared this with me today and although I was familiar with Maya Angelou’s work I had not the opportunity to read this beauty.

My ladies … Enjoy!

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
*
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to...
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...
*
**A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
*
a youth she's content to leave behind....
a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to
retelling it in her old age....
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...
one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...
*
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .......
*
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her
family...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, (ok for some of us…coffee
mugs)J
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored...
*
**
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
*
a feeling of control over her destiny...
how to fall in love without losing herself..
*
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
*
how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without;
ruining the friendship....
*
**EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW....
*
when to try harder... and *WHEN TO WALK AWAY...
**
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
*
that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
that her childhood may not have been perfect...but it's over...
*
**
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
*
what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...
how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...
*
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. .
*
whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...
*
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...**
*
where to go...
be it to her best friend's kitchen table..
or a charming Inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...
*
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
*
What she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month...and a year...
*

Share freely and with abandon ...

Being a “Dirty Girl” ….

It’s funny how connections are made. I guess I have to say, I love how connections are made. A couple weeks back, a friend on Facebook mentioned a small and native owned business in Broken Bow, Oklahoma that made wonderful handmade soaps. I have been trying to limit my use of the commercially produced products that big corporations saturate the market with and hope to use only sustainably created products. It’s not easy but it can be done and of course economically, it’s important to support small business. 
I had been looking for a new soap that would not dry my skin and was curious if they also sold Lotion Bars after being turned on to the bars by the fabulous Aquarian Bath from whom I won an almost mouth watering chocolate scented lotion bar back in February when I entered a poetry contest at Poppy Swap
Aquarian Bath also has the goods if you are interested in making your own lotion bar. Great selection of goodies.

The company my friend was talking about is called Dirty Girl Soaps and how can you not love that name!
I ordered the Gypsy Rose Soap which is so luxurious, you’ll never want to leave the bath. It is naturally made of Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Water, Organic Palm Oil, Soy Oil, Fresh Goat Milk, Sunflower Oil, Shea Butter, and a proprietary blend of essential oils. Delicious!!!
I also ordered the Champaca & Bamboo Lotion Bar … the scent is heavenly! It is also made naturally with Organic oils of: Sweet Almond Oil, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, natural vitamin e, essential oil blend, makeup grade Mica. I am sold on lotion bars and don’t think I will ever buy a liquid lotion again.
As small businesses often do, they sent me a sample of my choice. I chose a sample of Dirty Harry for my boy to try out. It’s a manly man scent of bay rum and the boy gives it a thumbs up!!
Theses wonderfully pampering goodies are all natural products, ‘biodegradable, cruelty free, minimally packaged, and do not contain unnatural preservatives, petroleum or other harmful chemicals.’
Isn’t that the way to live naturally and as wildly as you can. 
Enhanced by Zemanta

When the universe speaks …

The earthquake in Japan and in other areas of the Pacific Rim is heartbreaking. The footage taken by people with the presence of mind to do so is hard to watch and the potential danger surrounding the nuclear reactor at Fukushima that is damaged because of the 8.9 earthquake is frightening. I recently read that this full moon on March 19, the Full Crow Moon, is the moon that will come very close to the earth in it’s arrival and that often in the past, when this closeness has occurred, many a natural event has taken place shortly before and after. It reminds us that we are connected to everything and really, what does money, possessions, wall street or any other commercial thing really matter, especially war. It reminds me of the only things that matter, the people in my life … my child, my family, my friends, my neighbors, my workmates. What’s important is the natural world, our spiritual selves and the beauty and happiness we get from being a part of it.

It seems the universe is trying to literally rock us back to consciousness … prayers of healing for all beings, especially those in the hardest hit areas and let’s never forget our animal friends who will also suffer.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Just sayin'

NYC Dance Parade 2010Image by Ennuipoet via Flickr



I vote for wild dancing in the streets!!!

Everyday .....
Enhanced by Zemanta

Happy Birthday Boy


Thirteen years ago today my boy came to greet me with a howl and a head of jet black hair sticking straight up, a reminder. The midwife tried to wrap him in a blanket just like all the other babies she whispered but he would have none of that, no. Within minutes he broke free of those wraps and stretched his long arms and legs in freedom. Even then he took his place … and has proven to be well deserved of it. Happy birthday JR, I love you more than I can explain. You are my light, my joy and my bliss.
"But you know the worth of that young man.
He is your past and your future. He is hopes
and dreams that have made it through …"  ~~
Barbara Cage

JR _
Enhanced by Zemanta

Wishcasting

Jamie prompts, “What limits do you wish to set?”

After finding myself in the ER being prepped for emergency surgery last weekend, I have seen and felt what I do not want to see or feel again. I don't necessarily want to make an intention to set limits because I want expanse. So, I instead wish for healing … again, and good health going forward, the strength of mind to follow through and the peace that come with knowing I am tip top. Perhaps I could set limits on bad health to zero.

But there are so many other things to wish for as well. I wish my boy a wonderful celebration of the day he came to this world. I wish him a lifetime of joy and bliss, love that will expand him in all ways … I’m honored to be his Mom.

And things to be grateful for as well, a loving circle of friends and family, old acquaintances and new, shifts in mindsets, shifts in time, passionate work and new beginnings!
public domain fishing
Join us in celebrating Wednesdays with Wishcasting with Jamie Ridler. It’s a lovely way to set and voice your intentions.
Enhanced by Zemanta

It’s a good month …

“Search deep within, concealed caves hold answers to the moon's question…”  ~~Jessie Vitale
This is the month my boy came to me in this world. He made his arrival on the 3rd day with a howl and a head full of obsidian hair that stood straight up reminding us of that tiny bit of blood. On his first day, he broke away, tore off his blankets to expose himself to the world. He wasn’t going to be like other babies and that is as it should be. It’s a good month!

The March full moon is also known as the crow moon. The crow caws it’s goodbye to the cold and welcomes the spring. Some will call it the worm moon because worm starts to come out for a look about now to let us know winter is ending and spring is nearby. It’s a good month!

The Roman calendar showed march as the first month of the year. Symbolically, this makes some sense in that march heralds in the spring time and the time to grow and produce, create and expand. I find all of those words appealing and I also find the lengthening of the day appealing though it is still much colder than my bones like. It’s a good month!

Boy will be thirteen this month, almost a man and yet still a boy. It seems appropriate the new moon will appear within 20 hours of his day. A good start for his teen years, a time of such expanse. Full of spunk and grit … and a mind of his own, he is my light and my joy. It’s a good month!


Enhanced by Zemanta

Wishcasting

Flag of the Red CrossImage via Wikipedia




Today's prompt is "What do you wish for your home" and today I wish for healing.
Enhanced by Zemanta

Luck be mine !!

I just learned that the poem I wrote for Poppy Swap’s give away was a winner and soon I will be the recipient of a ‘velvety Lotion Bar made with Organic Cocoa Butter, Dark Unsweetened Chocolate, raw unrefined Shea Butter, Extra Virgin Olive oil, and Candelilla wax and it will be hand crafted by Aquarian Bath.’ I am very excited … and it will be heart shaped!!!
How beautiful!
f323e8f72da59c2d48812dbd092dda9e49f8684fchocor
Please visit Poppy Swap, I think you will love it!

“”Poppy Swap is an online market place of herbalists, wildcrafters, gardeners, farmers and sustainable wholesalers. Poppy Swap introduces people, plants, and products. (The) founder Kiki, is on a mission to ignite these relationships, foster herbal enthusiasm and  to "bring people herbs."
(The Poppy Swap) site promotes sustainable commerce that supports artistic value.Poppy Swap is developing community that cares about the planet. The Poppy Swap forum is a resource for personal and environmental education and a great meeting place for people to connect about herbs, spirit and sustainable living.
Poppy Swap will only list products that are made out of natural ingredients or that have been produced in a sustainable, holistic manner. (They) do not promote or support the trading of intoxicants or illegal substances.””
Enhanced by Zemanta

Wishcasting

Jamie prompts “What aspect of your personality do you wish to express more of?” ….

I have spent much time suppressing ME …  knowing I was wilder than the others, I had to hide in the brush, behind the trees to avoid the insensitivity of those who would try to cage me, claim my nature. I was birth into a circle where ‘extreeemmme’ pressure was placed to conform, to be what the self-elected said you must be. There was no air to breath so I escaped into my heart, into the wilds, into the deserts. The roots were deep and I only allowed a few into my den and when they proved true, they became anam cara and my tribe. I know that I can not cage even small parts of ME, even to appease the elders, can’t, won’t and understand that those who choose to cage spirit are only doing so because their spirit is poor of health. 

With that knowing, I am free …

So what do I want to express more of? I would answer ME, the creative, wild ME. The woman who steps to her own music, hears her own drummer … makes her own medicine.

kechara_paw_01

Loves Day

CAPEL CURIG, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 16:  Ha...Image by Getty Images via @daylife
This is a lovely meditation for a day such as today ....


Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 
~~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
Enhanced by Zemanta

Pretty Picture

I’m so pleased with my new Etsy purchase. I really love the idea of buying handmade items from wonderfully creative people. This print titled A GOOD MOTHER from Pixie Campbell is just my recent love. I’ve already ordered another piece that I think will complement this one well and can’t wait for Mr. Postman to stop by with the goods.
<<Pardon the poor photography.>> 
This print is incredibly vibrant actually and a better photo can be seen at Pixie’s Etsy Shop  
IMAG0560
Included in the package were three cards featuring other creative works by Pixie. Each card had a story about her inspiration for the painting.
IMAG0561 (1)
A smaller print as well.
IMAG0565
Enhanced by Zemanta

Love Poem to the Planet

Kiki of Poppy Swap, a wonderful new online marketplace for herbal products has just announced a ‘give away’ and has asked for  people to write a love poem to the planet. Well, as I work on stretching my vision through writing, I decided to step out, looking both ways of course, and post a love poem to the earth. The toughest part of doing this was not really the writing of four lines but it was grabbing my heart and posting it on Poppy Swap’s Facebook page where many people will see it and <<cringe>> they may not be as loving as my dear blog friends. I guess this will be a huge learning for me in many ways, getting an opportunity for an objective review through the reaction. It would also be pretty fun to win too!
Sing me a song of the earth, a song of life
Sing for the mother, We suckle at her breast
Give back to the mother, She offers us her bounty
Sing me a song, a song of life
IMAG0228

Wishcasting

Oniric childImage by Renzo Ferrante via Flickr
A hawk flew in circles above me today …. but that will be words for another time, maybe.

I was prompted today “What do you wish to Dare?”

Ahh, so intriguing to think about being daring, it’s delicious,  and delightful!
 
I dare to find the dream that floated around me when I was just a child. I dare to create it as something of passion, of wonder … that will sustain over time and be remembered.

Enhanced by Zemanta

Sun Healing

I often wake before the dawn, at that time when it feels as if you are between two worlds. My perfect time to gather myself, throw bones, create words if so inspired. This day I woke but continued to dream a fuzzy half awake, half asleep dream where the movement was slow and filled with shadow. Do you know what I mean? I think we all have these wondrous times when we are hearing the sounds of ancestors and angels. The moments lasted a long time ‘till I became truly awake to the sounds of blue birds squawking at each other and the sun pouring in on me and I rose with a sense of urgency to see the day. It was the first time I had heard  a family of birds since the snows arrived and I felt refreshed, wanting, needing to hear the sounds of life, and feel the sun on my body even if only through glass.
322-1225680860P5DO
Can you feel the sun? … warm on your skin … melting into your bones … calling you, teasing you, wanting to be your lover. Your arms open wide to embrace, face turned up, skin pulsing to each beat of your heart.

Rabbit Rebirth

The Chinese New Year is upon us … the year 4708. The party started today on the New Moon and will rest on the 18th, the full moon. It all seems so auspicious … feels like good luck is in swirling through the air for all new ventures. Feels like  there will be a rest from the heady intrigue of last years Tiger.
When Rabbit show up it’s time for a rebirth.
Some say Rabbit symbolizes fears because they tend to be nervous little creatures. Fears that hold us back from treasured archetypes, from the strong creations we are meant to be, it’s a time to cast fears away and allow wild growth.
This theme of new, change, shift is following me around and I’m just sitting with it, opening my heart to it. It showed itself this afternoon in my meeting. As I interviewed I felt the conversation in an inspired way rather than the usual ‘business is business’ way. I’m seeing my work in a new light, a deeply creative light, I’m understanding it differently and the exploration is wonderful.
It’s good medicine …
rabbit hiding
Enhanced by Zemanta

New Moon, New Dreams

Fire-bearers circle figures of The Green Man f...Image via WikipediaThe new moon is here and at the same time we have reached the half way point between winter and spring! Soon the earth will awaken from it’s rest. A time to celebrate and dream new dreams, make new plans … open your heart for the new that you want.



Enhanced by Zemanta

Wishcasting on the New Moon

I am prompted to consider what burden I wish to put down. Though I wish for no burdens to be held by anyone, I am a realist (at times) and know each of us experience weights of burden.  I am aware of the hardships created by this long, harsh winter … the snow, cold, ice … that so many people are feeling and wish Winter Katsina would ease his grip.

As I watched the change of the two worlds this morning, from dark to light, I again saw the gray sky, the moon hidden and only the wet flakes flowing down, I felt the weight of this month full with snow. Though I know that an awakening will come soon and life will return.

 

A Hopi Legend

Blue Corn Maiden was the prettiest of the corn maiden sisters. The Pueblo People loved her very much, and loved the delicious blue corn that she gave them all year long. Not only was Blue Corn Maiden beautiful, but she also had a kind and gentle spirit. She brought peace and happiness to the People of the Pueblos.

One cold winter day, Blue Corn Maiden went out to gather firewood. This was something she would not normally do. While she was out of her adobe house, she saw Winter Katsina. Winter Katsina is the spirit who brings the winter to the earth. He wore his blue and-white mask and blew cold wind with his breath. But when Winter Katsina saw Blue Corn Maiden, he loved her at once.

He invited her to come to his house, and she had to go with him. Inside his house, he blocked the windows with ice and the doorway with snow and made Blue Corn Maiden his prisoner. Although Winter Katsina was very kind to Blue Corn Maiden and loved her very much, she was sad living with him. She wanted to go back to her own house and make the blue corn grow for the People of the Pueblos.

Winter Katsina went out one day to do his duties, and blow cold wind upon the earth and scatter snow over the mesas and valleys. While he was gone, Blue Corn Maiden pushed the snow away from the doorway, and went out of the house to look for the plants and foods she loved to find in summer. Under all the ice and snow, all she found was four blades of yucca.

She took the yucca back to Winter Katsina's house and started a fire. Winter Katsina would not allow her to start a fire when he was in the house.

When the fire was started, the snow in the doorway fell away and in walked Summer Katsina. Summer Katsina carried in one hand fresh corn and in the other many blades of yucca. He came toward his friend Blue Corn Maiden.

Just then, Winter Katsina stormed through the doorway followed by a roar of winter wind. Winter Katsina carried an icicle in his right hand, which he held like a flint knife, and a ball of ice in his left hand, which he wielded like a hand-ax. It looked like Winter Katsina intended to fight with Summer Katsina.

As Winter Katsina blew a blast of cold air, Summer Katsina blew a warm breeze. When Winter Katsina raised his icicle-knife, Summer Katsina raised his bundle of yucca leaves, and they caught fire. The fire melted the icicle.

Winter Katsina saw that he needed to make peace with Summer Katsina, not war. The two sat and talked.

They agreed that Blue Corn Maiden would live among the People of the Pueblos and give them her blue corn for half of the year, in the time of Summer Katsina. The other half of the year, Blue Corn Maiden would live with Winter Katsina and the People would have no corn.

Blue Corn Maiden went away with Summer Katsina, and he was kind to her. She became the sign of springtime, eagerly awaited by the People.

Sometimes, when spring has come already, Winter Katsina will blow cold wind suddenly, or scatter snow when it is not the snow time. He does this just to show how displeased he is to have to give up Blue Corn Maiden for half of the year.

1296651301