Thursday, February 27, 2014

After Writing Wednesday




I practiced my writing on Wednesday; fortunately, in the company of a wonderful, amazing, talented group of women writers. We began the day chatting about the writing we were doing ~ sharing our stories of writing and our opportunities to write. Then we drew Goddess Amulets. Mine was the Cow Goddess ~ associated with the moon and holding the meaning of uniting in partnership. Her message suited where I was physically, emotionally and mentally.

We wrote for a couple of hours before we ate lunch, then for a couple more afterward. Mostly in silence. It was wonderful! I continued on a couple of stories I'd begun the previous week, including doing some research on the Sami and Maori cultural traditions, mythologies and legends. It was a very good day.

Driving away afterward, I recognized this was what I wanted to do when I grew up ~ or retired, whichever came first ~ write, solo and in the company of other women writers. The support and encouragement means the world to me. Maybe, just maybe, I've found my corner of the world.

Where do you feel comfortable? With what group do you feel connected? supported? How do you take care of yourself so you can be with those who support and care for you?

Monday, February 10, 2014

Definition of a Shaman

Susan Seddon-Boulet

from Oriah Mountain Dreamer (https://www.facebook.com/Oriah.Mountain.Dreamer):
A shaman is often described as one who walks with a foot in both worlds ~ the realities of spirit & matter (that are inseparable in this lifetime only in our thinking). It can be tempting to use experiences of the essential unity of the underlying reality to move away from the very real losses of a human life. But what if our human experiences are just as important as our "spiritual" visions? What if the point of those glimpses of a bigger/deeper reality is to help us stay present & open-hearted? What if being human offers us the experience of being an ensouled body NOT as something to be endured, but something to be cherished, celebrated & savoured?
Shamanic practice brings together the worlds we often see or claim as separate. It's a way to join our spiritual sense and being with the physicality of the world around us. For some it's an easy flow. That's their life. But there aren't many who find it so.

For others, it's a constant slipping in and out of the ordinary and extraordinary times. It's a fluid space-time to be, to find a moment of our personal existence. Walking between the worlds, with a foot in each, demands our vigilance. We continue to slide and move as we determine which reality we are in moment by moment. Neither one is 'right' nor 'wrong', 'better' nor 'worse'. Both carry us forward.

How do you walk between the worlds? How do you define the 'shaman' within you?

Sunday, February 9, 2014

The Storm in the Heart of the Sun



Again, here's the same quote as posted previously ~~ with a different focus: the storm in the heart of the sun. Since time immemorial, we humans have looked up into the heavens. We have followed the progress of the sun and the moon and the stars. We have watched the various styles of weather and shifts in our capacity to see.

We also follow the effect of the sun and the moon on our planet ~ and on ourselves. In this snippet of the mythos of Dr. Who, he is a Storm of the Sun. This correlates most closely with what we know and name Solar Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections which "are extremely large explosions on the photosphere. In just a few minutes, the flares heat to several million degrees F. and release as much energy as a billion megatons of TNT. ...
Solar flares emit x-rays and magnetic fields which bombard the Earth as geomagnetic storms. ...during sunspot maximums, the Earth will see an increase in the Northern and Southern Lights and a disruption in power grids and radio transmissions. The storms can even change polarity in satellites which can damage sophisticated electronics." [http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fsd/?n=sunspots]

A Storm in the Heart of the Sun. Think about the power of that image; the possibility of influence over a vast array of power. What would you do with that kind of power? What in your life influences you that much, that completely? How many 'storms' have you weathered? and of what magnitude?

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Snow Day


Today was a most amazing day. It started out cold.... well, cold for the Pacific NW.... then it began to snow. And snow. And snow. And it's still snowing.

The school district announced that schools were closing at 1:00 p.m. due to the continuation of the snow and storm front coming through. But, wait, it really didn't mean 'closed' ~ it meant that, well, if you could pick up your child, you could do that after 1:00 p.m. ~ but really, schools will be open until the usual end of day. And, oh, that text and/or email sent to you about schools closing at 1? Never mind.

Traffic was an absolute mess. An hour and a half to drive the distance that normally takes less than 20 minutes. Interstate 5 was a parking lot for much of its length through the stormy section.

Oh, yes, and now comes the email and the text announcing that school is closed tomorrow. For a snow day. Maybe, perhaps, for real this time.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Do Your Words Matter?

When I was very young, I didn't speak much. I watched others and waited to see what the next event would be. Words mattered only slightly because I lived in a different world: one where every presence was noticed and colorful.

When I got a little older, I thought my words mattered. I thought others should listen to what I had to say because it was deep and ponderous and important. I still spoke little. And often people did listen because I'd spent years paying attention and learning. Much of what I said made sense.

Then I realized that what I said, my words, didn't matter as much as the meaning and force of them did. Sound contradictory? In a general way, it is. Over the years, I began to see my self as important as the deliverer of the significant words. One day, it struck me that it wasn't me ~ or any one person ~ who was the all-important deliverer of the words, it was how the words were formed, how they struck the soul, that made all the difference in the world.

What about you? Do your words matter? Why? or Why not?