somewhere over the rainbow

While running errands around town, I was listening to Jason Castro's version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow (the version made famous by the Hawaiian Israel K.) along with the other songs from his album (including one of my favorites Let's Just Fall In Love Again). I just love this guy's voice and his music; so many of the songs on his album are so perky and upbeat, and perfect for the mood I was in. Anyway, just thought I'd share the beauty of this song and its message. I believe we can experience "somewhere over the rainbow" right here on Mother Earth; peace, and dreams coming true, are right here, right now, if only we have the hearts and souls to live in love. Have a beautiful day!

webs of life

Caught. Breaking away. Letting go. Settling within. Releasing so much, letting go of Ego and expectations (mine and those of others for me), not pushing myself in a direction that doesn't feel quite 'right'... How to put into words what are essentially little gray-ghosty tendrils in my mind, wispy, vague, and I thought that I created them but perhaps they were impressions that came in and I attached to them, clinging, falling into the web on purpose. Why would I do that? Because the web was glowing, glistening with droplets that made it seem appealing and substantive and nourishing; did I feel it might quench my thirst? Beckoning, calling. I can feel the threads across my face, but can't find them to pull them away; they cling to my eyes and nose and mouth. But it was still a web, a construct designed to attract me so that I became caught up in its threads, all leading me somewhere that wasn't of my choosing. Not bad. Just perhaps a different path. Maybe a lot of worthwhile sights along the way, but then I needed to break out and continue on my own way. Interesting all the analogies of webs and spiders in Native American, Greek and other cultures, and Mom's nickname for me was/is Missy Muffet. There/here I am, eating my curds & whey (love those dairy products, so sweet and smooth and grounding), when along came a spider, sat down beside her, and frightened Miss Muffet away. Certainly I have usually shied away from the webs of the 'norm', the webs of what others want me to be/do, often running in the other direction. The times I haven't - the times I've been caught in a web - were times of tremendous inner growth that I didn't often recognize as such while in the moment, i.e. caught in the web, but once I was free or struggling to be free, I could see and feel the sticky threads of someone else's ego or pain-body clinging, not wanting to release. And sometimes I had to destroy the entire web in order to escape, while at other times I could break a few strands and simply pull free. So what about the webs that I create for myself or others? Sure, that happens. Although, being a loner, seldom do others draw near enough to get caught in my web -- but I can definitely become entangled myself in a web of my own design! And then the pattern becomes a mess. Sometimes evolving, growing, building itself into a maze because I didn't see, or want to see, what was happening, and was fearful of destroying my own flimsy web so it became stronger and tougher. Webs of life. Fascinating.

belly breath softer than dusk

Grandmother sits on my lap

Comforting by being comforted

Her claws prick so lightly

Barely touching my skin

Her purr raspy and eternal in love

Belly breath softer than dusk

She brings forth peace

Her gaze direct, she sees my soul

And holds nothing back

skating on towels

On my knees, the phrase "wax on, wax off" from “Karate Kid” pops into my mind. Muscles flex and relax -- thank goodness for the arm strengthening of 'down dog' as I feel the cooperation of flesh and bone -- and my fingers tighten on the handle of the scrub brush. I glance to where I've been and smile at the glistening tile. If it weren't for Phoenix, the little stinker, I would only have to use the mop and could stand up to clean the floor! LOL He spends his spare minutes licking the 'lines' where the grout is between the tile, over time leaving behind a streak of dirt because that canine saliva is kind of sticky! Then, standing up to mop is a break for my back (instead of breaking my back) plus it’s much easier to dance to "Fujiama Mama" and "Dynamite" by the incomparable Wanda Jackson and Brenda Lee! This mop pole is made for an average size person, so my height doesn't lend itself as easily to the job as I'm always bent over just a bit more than is comfortable; maybe if I close my eyes and imagine a tall dance partner? But the really fun part follows as I skate across the floor with raggedy drying towels beneath my feet! Hmm. I think Pippi Longstocking had more fun with this... I am in total housecleaning mode this week, relishing the full-spectrum results - albeit perhaps not the work itself - as compared to the spot-cleaning I’ve been doing. After almost a year of intense studying in addition to being gone for extended periods of time, I've come home. Literally, and very physically, on this warm summer day.

a lesson in flexibilitty

This past weekend, I was reminded of the importance of flexibility...

Friday, the lovely delphiniums at the center of one of the flower gardens were nearly seven feet tall! One had blossomed out entirely, while the other stalks were starting up their stems. Alas, we had torrential rains along with the thunderstorms and all but one delphinium broke (the one that didn't was a young one, the stem still bendy). I was sad for them and that I wouldn't get to see them all in full bloom -- and annoyed that I hadn't taken a photo of them last week when the hot weather had them joyously straining up to the sky! However, I did go out and bring the salvageable ones inside so that we could enjoy their beauty for a little while longer. The cats thought they were interesting, although I think they found the bug that rode in even more fun!

Woop-woop

Ron was mean. Okay, maybe not "mean" in the true context of the word. He was teasing me. :-) Here's the story...

We're at our favorite little restaurant (krista's in Cornish, ME) for breakfast this morning. We sat at one of our usual tables (yes, we're 'regulars' -- we have a 'date' there almost every Saturday morning where we catch up on the past week, and reconnect our energies for the coming weekend time spent happily together, but I digress...) -- this time I was sitting with my back to the wall so that I could see out the window to watch the river (whose waters are SO low right now due to the extreme heat and the lack of recent rainfall), when Ron glances over my shoulder and, with a straight face, says "oh, the woop-woop is gone". I gasped and whipped my head around at about 90 MPH -- I could have injured myself! He busted out laughing, and then I laughed, too, in huge relief, because the "woop-woop" was still there, hanging on the wall as usual. The backstory is that I fell in love with this piece of artwork as soon as I saw it -- must have been at least a year ago -- and a few months back I asked Krista if she would please give me first right of refusal if she ever decided to sell it (she sells other pieces of art hanging on the walls, but this one was done for her by a friend, and the creature is called a woop-woop). Every time I see the woop-woop, I feel silly and happy and full of child-liked delight! Anyway, I share this lovely little fella with all of you this morning so that you can enjoy the "woop-woop", too! LOL

Do Not Lose Heart We Were Made For These Times

If you haven't already found this essay - or if it has yet to find you - please do read Clarissa Pinkola Estes' Do Not Lose Heart, We Were Made For These Times. An inspiring, heart-warming, and truly beautiful message to us all.

~ Bright Blessings ~

Little Burnt-Face

One of my favorite stories as a child was Little Burnt-Face, read to me from the impressive tome Anthology of Children's Literature by Johnson and Scott (my copy is a bit tattered but it's the original that Mom sent me a few years ago when I asked her if I could keep it with me). Little Burnt-Face is sort of a Native American "Cinderella" story, and probably most cultures have a similar one, but this version always captures my heart - even when I read it now as an adult. I mean, it has magic and nature and a happy ending! In spite of all that her sisters put her through, the girl called Little Burnt-Face persevered and remained true to her Self -- and in the end this brought her happiness, peace, love and a new life.

I thought today of Little Burnt-Face because I'm following Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes' posts on fb, listening to her podcasts, hoping to soon obtain some of her audio programs from SoundsTrue, and eagerly awaiting the publication of her masterwork The Dangerous Old Woman. Her classic Women Who Run With The Wolves changed the lives of many women, and I have no doubt that her new book will do the same. Through the stories Dr. E shares, and how she relates them to our journeys in life, we open to new possibilities, to creativity, to flowering of consciousness - to Self. Dr. E is a scholar, poet, Jungian psychoanalyst, and cantadora (keeper of the old stories in the Latina tradition).

Predicting the weather in your body via the internal winds

I read this article earlier today and the quote reminded me of how Vata subdoshas move throughout our bodies.

"Understanding how meteorologists predict the weather may actually be a useful metaphor for a better understanding of the practical workings of the energy flowing through the body. Meteorologists predict the weather by measuring wind patterns and high and low air pressure. By doing do, they predict where clouds will go and if and where it will rain. Wind and air pressure are forces, or energies, and if experts ignore these invisible forces and only watch and evaluate those elements of nature that can be seen (clouds), their skills at predicting weather will be embarrassingly poor. By understanding and observing how energy flows, experts can then predict how matter will be influenced and how it will behave."

Full Article HERE

Hibbertia Flower Essence

This was interesting; I love it when this happens! Here I am, retyping my notes from the Australian Bush Flower Essence Level 3 Workshop. Under Hibbertia, the very last entry, I glance down at my handwritten notes and then type "perfect wisdom" -- however, after another minute or so, I glance down again and I had not written that but rather "perfectionism." So, without consciously being aware of it, I realized that when we release being perfect, we allow in the possibility of perfect wisdom. And that's what Hibbertia is all about. Fun, right?!

Seizures

Seems like a lot of peoples' dogs have idiopathic seizures. One of the natural approaches that someone can take is to supplement the diet with a few of the cell salts in alternation. The top four are Kali Phos, Kali Mur, Mag Phos and Calc Phos. You'll notice the preponderance of the phosphates in there, but please keep in mind that these aren't your heavy-duty "conventional medicine" phosphates. The cell salts (aka tissue salts or biochemic therapy) are entirely a different approach; not only are they completely natural, they are mostly a vibrational remedy with only a miniscule amount of the material element. This means that they are providing an energetic template for assisting the body in remembering how to properly utilize its minerals! Cells need information - clear, concise information - in order to operate well but sometimes the communication channels becomes misaligned, and, in the case of seizures, we see neurological misfiring manifest on the physical level. Cell salts are extremely safe to use for pets, children and adults because they are simply providing a message of proper functioning along with a tiny bit of the element itself. I've used them extensively for my own animals as well as for myself for over a decade now. They greatly reduced the incidence of seizure in my mom's Poodle, and, along with a constitutional Homeopathic remedy, reduced our Chiana's seizures to almost non-existent for the past five or so years (Chiana is now thirteen years old). Why not explore the possibilities further?! Vibrational remedies can be amazing!

Nice parking job Hun

We ran to the grocery store for a quick shopping spree, and this was Ron's photo and comment. I ask you. What's wrong with THAT?! ;-p