Earth...Be One.

from...www.carriehart.com

The Transformational Power of Gratitude

Now is the time to enter the chrysalis.  Take with you all of your experiences, your childhood, your karma, any lessons you believe you are here to learn.  Take it all with you. 

Now let spirit guide you, let spirit weave the protective, silken cocoon and then fill it with gratitude.  Then let the miracle occur.  Let the old self dissolve away, leaving only a grateful memory of what was, now transformed into a deep and compassionate understanding.  Let the gratitude become who you are, the gratitude for all that has been, all that you are, and all that you are now ready to become.

Immerse yourself in gratitude, for this is the liquid that will dissolve the old hurts and ways of being.  This is the healer, this gratitude, deep loving gratitude for life itself.  Let everything dissolve and dissolve into gratitude until you are only your most essential self.

All the past is dissolved.  All the pain, the hurts, the old habits and ways of being, all dissolved.  And you feel now your soul entering you and building your form anew, building and evolving, shaping you into what you are meant to be, the form of your truth, the form of those deep, deep dreams you dared not even express aloud, all of this is part of the emerging form.

And know that it is all related, that the experiences you have had gave you the strength to become what you are truly here to become.  The relationships have taught you what you need to know.  All that went before has given you the perfect ingredients to form the life you are meant to live, expressing your greatness and expanding into your glory.

And then, when you have reshaped yourself into your truth, begin to chew your way out of the cocoon.  Gnaw your way through the fears and doubts that no longer serve any purpose.  Feel how spirit has removed them from you and put them into the casing that is now ready to be discarded, for once and for all.  Feel how you can push through the olds ways of being and begin to see the light of day.

The sun is shining brightly as you emerge, new and shimmering with the moisture of birth and newness, emerging now in your full glory.

Ah, yes, feel the sun.  Feel the warmth as you spread your wings wide.

See and know and feel your beauty.  The furry caterpillar is no more.  This old form was necessary, but it is no more.  You have crawled slowly and painfully through the early stages of life, gone into the cocoon and transformed yourself through love and gratitude, and now you emerge in full beauty and glory, your greatness shining brightly as you stretch out your gorgeous wings and begin to fly.

Ah, yes, feel how effortless it is now to fly.  The breeze lifts you higher and higher as you soar up into the sky, showing your glory to the world.

Yes, this is the moment.  This is the time.  And all of it, the caterpillar, the chrysalis transformation and the struggle to emerge in newness, all of it is a part of the journey to make you into the gorgeous creature that you truly are, free and riding the wind. 

From the Anam Cara....John O"Donohue 

Each person also has an inner face, which is always sensed but never seen. The heart is the inner face of your life. The human journey strives to make inner face beautiful. It is here that love gathers with in you. Love is absolutely vital for human life. For love alone can awaken what is divine within you. In love, you grow and come home to your self. When you learn to love and to let your self be loved, you come home to the hearth of your own spirit. You are warm and sheltered. You are completely at one in the house of your own longing and belonging. In that growth and homecoming is the unlooked -for bonus in the act of loving another. Love begins with the paying attention to others, with an act of gracious self-forgetting. This is the condition in which we grow.

Once the soul awakens, the search begins and you can never go back. From then on, you are inflamed with a special longing that will never let you linger in the lowlands of complacency and partial fulfillment. The eternal makes you urgent, You are loath to let compromise or the threat of danger hold you back from striving toward the summit of fulfillment. When this spiritual path opens, you can bring an incrediable generousity to the world and to the lives of others. Sometimes, it is easy to be generous outward, to give and give and give and yet remain ungenerous to yourself. You lose the balance of your soul if you do not learn to take care of yourself. You need to be generous with yourself. You need to be generous with yourself in order to recive love that surrounds you. You can suffer from desperate hungar to be loved. You can search long years in lonely places, far outside yourself. Yet the whole time, this love is but a few inches away from you. It is at the edge of your soul, but you have been blind to its presence. Through some hurt, a door has been slammed shut within the heart, and you are powerless to unlock it and receive love. We must remain attentive in order to be able to recieve the love. Boris Pasternack said, "When the great moment knocks on the door of your life, it is often no louder then the beating of your heart, and it is very easy to miss"........... 

from Daily Om June 3, 2008......Enjoy!

Pamela

Poetry in Motion
Moving Our Body

Our bodies love movement. When we stretch or dance, our bodies adjust, realign and start to become fluid with the rhythm of life. Our mood lifts and we feel more connected with the world around us. If you are feeling stuck, ready to release old energy, or eager to feel more alive, try moving your body. By giving your muscles a chance to do what they were created for, you may find that all areas of your body and your life benefit as well.

Many times we can be so busy that we forget moving our body is even an option. Some of us remain seated at our computer for hours every day or rush from task to task with robotic precision. When we are caught up in crossing items off our to-do lists, we tend to neglect all the opportunities there are to enjoy our bodies in the process of living. If this is true for you, begin looking for opportunities to move. You might try dancing or moving about freely as you clean your home, tend your garden or care for your children. If you are able to devote a set amount of time to self-care, practices such as yoga, dance, tai chi and walking are all great ways to keep your body in motion.

Imagine how freeing it would feel to trust your body’s movements completely, knowing it has a perfect strength and rhythm of its own. See if you can sense your bones providing graceful support, your muscles and tendons expanding and contracting in just the right measure, your lungs changing pace to fill deeply with fresh air. Movement is a vital celebration of life. It is a way to proclaim your own existence and relish in the joy of being alive. Today, and into the future, give yourself the gift of your body in motion.

The Winds of Change

Carrie Hart

www.carriehart.com

The winds of change blow across your life.  Sometimes change is like a gentle breeze that kisses your cheek on a spring day.  Sometimes change is like a tornado that uproots your life. 

But no matter what the change is and how it comes to you, know that you are always changing nonetheless.  Know that it is not possible or desirable for life to remain static.  Everything changes. 

Let life be.  People will enter your life and they will leave.  Some will stay for years and some for only a short time.  Let it be.  Life is change.

Learn to welcome change.  Learn to see newness as an exciting event.  Learn to appreciate how the wind opens new doors and windows even as it closes others.  Learn to appreciate the fresh smell of change, the way newness can clear out the cobwebs as it blows through your life.

Do not chase after the past.  Do not run after what the breeze has blown away.  Let it go.

It does not matter if you judge an event as good or bad.  Your judgment of it does not alter it.  And if you can learn not to judge it, then it is simply another event in your life, an event like all of the events, moving and changing, flowing and blowing across your life.

And even when a strong wind blows, there is one thing that remains:  you.  In all of the blowing change, there is one thing that is steadfast and stands:  you.  Deep within you, in your core, in your center, is the one thing that is unchangeable:  your essential nature, the truth of you, who you are.  This is the one constant and the one thing you can count on to be there, unchanging, ever true: your heart full of love and your center full of peace and truth.  It holds.

Go there.  Go there when the storm blows and you feel you need to run for cover.  Go there for shelter.  Go there, knowing that this is the shelter you have sought, the safety you have yearned for.  Your own core, firm and steady, full of peace and love and yes, even joy, weathers each storm through this life and even beyond.

You are.  You stand.  You are.

be~autiful ones...from www.carriehart.com  Enjoy.

Pamela

Build Your House of Joy

from Carrie Hart

Every thought you think, every word you speak, every choice you make in every moment, is creating the house in which you dwell. 

You may choose to build a house of glass bricks, each brick a beautiful moment, a perfumed rose, damp grass under bare feet, crickets on a summer evening, sunshine warm on your shoulders, the smile of a loved one, the lick of a puppy on your cheek, joyful laughter with friends. 

And when you build your house of deep emotional joys like these, it becomes like a fortress, a house of true wonder, where the outside storms are kept at a distance and yet your own joy and beauty always sparkle.  It becomes a place of great safety and security, a place you can dwell within every moment of your life, no matter what is happening outside.

And after a time, you will find that you cannot be contained within that house, for your joy and peace are so complete that they must shine out and create a world of light for others as well.  You become the house up on the hill, a house made of glorious glass bricks, sparkling with all of your joyous thoughts and emotions, and allowing the glow of your being to shine out to light the world.

And so, you have built the perfect environment, one that is safe and secure and yet one that is also a beacon for others.  And it all begins with what you think and what you say, what you choose to do and be in every moment of your life.

Right now, fill your heart with beauty and joy.  Right now, let joy course through your veins.  Right now, picture the most beautiful day you have ever experienced and allow that emotion to live within your body.  And as you do this, know that this moment of pure joy has added a beautiful glass brick to your house of wonder, your house of I Am, the perfect and glowing shelter that is your life.

You are infinitely powerful.  Your power knows no bounds.  You not only have the power to create a world, you are creating it, consciously or unconsciously, right now.  Whatever your world is, you are creating it, moment by moment.  And if your previous thoughts, words and deeds have created a world you do not wish to dwell in any longer, then change your thoughts, change your words, bring beauty and joy into your life through conscious choice, and the world outside you will begin to shift as well. 

It cannot help it, for such is your power.

Today is a Day of Choice

 Carrie Hart

Today will be full of choices.  Even though you may not be aware of it, even though you think you are just walking through your normal paces, you will be making choices every moment.

And so, today, you have two assignments.  First, be aware that the choice is there.  Every moment, be aware that you chose to do what you are doing.  And then, after you have begun to understand the truth of this, begin to choose love over fear.

Every moment, in every way, choose love over fear.  In the words that you speak, in the actions you perform, choose love over fear.

This may mean that you are kinder to people, more thoughtful, and certainly that you listen more closely.  But it also means choosing love of yourself over fear that someone else may disapprove of what you want to do.  Choosing self love is a very important thing and one that most people do not do. 

Every time that you want to say something or do something, but hold back because you are afraid of someone's disapproval, you have chosen fear over love, love for your own inner truth.  Every time you  decide to pursue the career that has historically brought you money over the one that your heart yearns and sings for, you have chosen fear over love, love for your own right to do work you find fulfilling.

Every time you set aside your dreams, put them in a closet and close the door, so that you might make room for what others want you to do or what you are afraid you must do, you have chosen fear over love.

But you ask, how can I choose love of my dreams and yet live as I must, making money , making my way in this perilous world?

Of course, there must be balance.  Of course, there must be transitions.  And of course, everything involves aspects that you may not absolutely love.  After all, the dishes must be washed in order to get the orderly house that then allows you the time and space to do what you desire.

And so, this then leads to another choice that you can make in every moment.  Choose to love what you are doing.  If you have chosen to do something, even if it is not something you would normally perceive as fun to do, then just take a deep breath and allow yourself to enjoy it,.  Think of how you did this as a child, making shapes with the soapy bubbles, using the sponge as a little boat cruising across the top of the dishwater. 

Choose to love what you have chosen to do.  This is another very, very important choice toward love.

Life is full of choice.  Life is nothing but choice, over and over, every day, every moment, every hour.  Choosing your words, choosing your actions and choosing your attitude.  Dealing with what comes your way, with the unexpected obstacles and gifts, deciding how to handle them and then always choosing love and truth over fear.

Your words, your actions, your emotions, your attitude, let them all point to love.

I love this...since I have been dreaming so wildly lately...

Pamela

"I am the darkness that is the light and the stillness that is the dancing."

Blue Resonant Night....  Blue night is the dark mystery within, the journey into self, that place to which you can always retreat to garner the gifts of your process subjectively. You are being asked to enter into and explore your process subjectively. Blue Night is the immense field of potential found in the depths of human emotion and feeling. The touch of Blue Night is like the moment you crawl into bed and feel yourself surrounded by warmth, darkness and peace.

Blue Night's abyss holds the potent evolutionary playing field of all possibility. Here, as in the aboriginal dreamtime, there are no distinctions between then and now, real or imagined, dream or dreamer. In this expanded field, all things are not only possible but are constantly in the process of creation. In the framework of dreamtime, limiting constructs of "ordinary reality" such as time, space, and linear causality are freed into an expanded system, with unlimited access to ALL realities.

Dreamtime holds powerful opportunities. It is a field where potential, past, and future are held in the same matrix as the present moment. If such a construct is foreign to you, stretch your mind and entertain the possibility that you could help to dream a different reality into being. Enter into the mystery where reality is actually created.

In becoming a conscious dreamer, you can assist in literally creating a new reality for yourself, as well as constributing to the larger dream that is emerging. By focusing on this creation, your thoughts and intentions are projected at superluminal speeds across the crystal grid network that encompasses universes. This energetic field seeds, supports, and empowers the creation of an unfolding reality. 

Among other things, the dreamfield will bring to the surface your psychological polarities and core issues. These are the belief constructs you learn from society and experience, such as likes and dislikes, values and attitudes. You naturally attract the situation that promises integration, but through conditioning and habitual behaviour, you may choose to compensate, staying in a fixed pattern to protect your position. This choice will create only momentary relief, because the issues will keep being drawn back to be integrated. Thus, you may often find whatever is blocked or hidden manifesting into your consciousness through a dream, a body symptom, or a relationship. Often you may resist the new and the unknown. You may avoid going over your "growth edge", because it may be asking for a shift in your underlying belief structures. Yet profound growth is possible through working with this charged material. Through following it into the darkness, you bring into the dreamfield the light that will carry you to wholeness and fulfillment.

In working with the growth edge in your dreamfield, often it is important to catalyze enough energy to free the stuckness and fixed patterns. By following or amplifying the feeling, your increased awareness will lead to the root of the issue thas has been separated from consciousness. Hidden within the unused channels of your perception are clues to the mystery that will integrate and release the restrictive pattern.

2days Tone~NRGY

Tone 7 - Resonant

Mystical alignment, self-acceptance, technician of the sacred, direct connection with the Source.

Seven is the ray of Mystical Power, the foundation of the individual slef freed within the two points of polarity. Your soul calls forth your ability to decode the hidden mysteries. Claim your mystical wisdom by acknowledging your personal relationshp to the Source. Catalyze the mystical force of your seven chakras to propel you to the region of divine illumination.

The consciousness of seven puts theory to the test, asking for practical application of your mystical power. As a technician of the sacred, you integrate the polarity of worlds into an operant foundation. You wear the seven-pointed star, symbol of the master artisan. Combine your feelings and intellect to transmute matter into mystical consciousness. Standing in simple self-acceptance, craft a light body from the column of light in your spine. Open your lotus to the world. You are the gift. Accept yourself unconditionally. Freed from the need for outside confirmation, stand open to your full mystical power. Align with the spinning mystery of the seven: seven chakras, seven planets, seven rays, seven steps of the pyramid - the seven stages of consciousness conjoined.

Eve, Afterwards

by Patricia Monaghan

How can I tell you, in words, what it was like,
before words? Before names interposed themselves

between us and the world? Before life became
fragmented, hardened into atoms of meaning?

It was like this: I would see a flower, yellow
under a blue sky, and I would not think flower,

or blue, or yellow, or sky, I would not think
perfume or softness or springtime or fragility-

my eyes would hear the evanescent color
of each petal's wavering line, my hand

would see how soft the yellow rested
in the bloom, I would drink the slow sound

of the roots, breathe sharp leaf greenness,
hear endless staccato motioning of bees.

When I say I was in love with Eden
I mean exactly that: every moment I caressed

its unnamed beauties with my eyes,
my hands, my mouth, my senses, held it

to me like a lover, memorized its shapes,
its brilliant shadows, its essential light, each

wordless eternal moment is alive in me
still, and when you ask me, where was Eden,

how can I show you it is here, hallowing
this moment, hallowing us in this moment — 

~Hear me laughing as wind through the trees ~

 Love~lies....today is a day of Self~LoVe.  Trust in Your BE~auty.  Trust their is a larger picture WE are All connected to.

Pamela

The Red Dragon represents the root source of life, the nurturance and support of primary being, and within it are found the primal waters of unity. This is where your deepest roots receive true nourishment. Red Dragon is the energy of form contained within the formlessness of the primordial sea.

Primal trust means making choices with no guarantees, knowing that divine nurturance will provide what is needed for your journey. It means making choices moment by moment, implicitly trusting your innate steering mechanism of heart-knowing. Primal trust implies surrendering to the will of the divine self, letting go of what your ego deems to be control of the outcomes in your life. It means deeply trusting the processes that are at work within your present spiral of evolution.

The energy of Red Dragon asks you to embrace the depth of your receptivity. Perhaps you have been taught that it is better to give than to receive. Giving is a powerful way to learn how to receive, but it is not the whole picture. There is a circuit of completion in giving and receiving that happens within you and in your external world at the same time. If you trust unconditionally in the giving, you are not attached to how the gift is received. When you freely give, you fill your cup with sweet waters, which you can then offern innocently and purely to another. Know, on one level, that your gift is poured out universally regardless of how it appears to be received. However, when the gift comes from the ego, it is limited by expectations and conditions. Love just is. It is neither given nor taken; rather it is simply discovered and allowed.

The universe is an inseparable whole. Red Dragon represents the energy matrix lines that look like a web in the universe, through which all points are connected in time and space. This energetic web of communication is known as the 'crystal grid network.' It is a cauldron of creati on, a potent field in which all things are not only possible but constantly being created. Within this grid, the linear causality of time and space has been freed into an open system in which all time and all space exist and interact simultaneously. This grid connects the larger holograms of reality with our own. Its energy lines connect all places, times and events - even those that are seemingly unrelated. All phenomena and all actions are part of this larger whole; it is the very foundation for telepathy and synchronicity. Red Dragon embodies unity, in which all things are one with the Source.

Loved this.....

Peace and Joy,

Pamela

Living with the Illusion...written by -Neale Donald Walsch

The journey of the soul is an endless one, with peace and joy and love as the destination--and with an ability to reach that destination in any moment.

Life goes on around us, and the temptation is to make it all very real. Yet the trick is to be "in this world, but not of it." Observe it, and comment upon it, and even affect it if you choose, but do not believe in it as if it were Ultimate Reality, because it is not.

Yet why bother with it if it is all unreal? That is the question asked by every Student. The Master knows that it is in the Unreality that Reality may be experienced more fully than in Reality Itself -- just as in a darkened room, the light can be experienced more brilliantly. And so, the Unreality becomes a tool, a blessing, a gift from the Divine through which That Which Is Divine may experience Its Own Divinity.

We are encouraged, then, to interact with our world -- this world of our own device, this circumstance and situation of our own creation -- in a way that allows us to express what we choose of Divinity to experience. We are invited to bring that experience through, in us, as us. The idea is to not get caught up in it. The idea is to move through the world creating, experiencing, and retaining your true identity -- using the world as a tool with which to do so.

The world we live in is an illusion. (For more on this fascinating idea, read The Holographic Universe, by Michael Talbot.) The idea is to live with the Illusion, but not within it. That is, to use the illusion, much as a magician uses tricks to produce particular outcomes.

What we are living here is a case of mistaken identity. We think we are human beings...but that is just what the physical part of us is. The largest part of us is non-physical. The physical part of us is the tiniest part of us. We take this teenie-tiny part of us and move it through the physical world (which is also, as it happens, the tiniest part of Ultimate Reality) in such a way that we provide for ourselves the Right and Perfect people, places, and circumstances allowing us to announce and declare, express and experience, become and fulfill Who We Really Are.

Intuitive Message for the Scorpio Full Moon:
The Power of Now
by Julia Bondi       http://www.mooncircles.com/

Be here now…the power of now…these simple statements embody the ultimate power, the power of presence. The first step of all spiritual teaching has always emphasized focus, attention, breath, sound and other techniques to return our awareness to the present. The present is not the realm of the busy thinking mind but instead it is one of feeling. To feel the body we inhabit, the world unfolding around us and all that is moving within us is to begin to awaken. To feel is to be present in now, reorienting our attention from the past or future to the immediate experience of being.

Living in being dissolves the mental defenses of endlessly revisiting what was and what might be. As the old story of who we are, why we are where we are now and who we wish to be recedes we are left with the reality of self, not the story of self. Without definition we cease to be only the age we are, the appearance we are, the successes and failures we remember or all that we are not and may never be. Now we just are the full power of right now as I am. The question is not "is that good enough"? There is no longer any question or any "good enough," only feeling, awareness and presence.

Entering the archetypes of Taurus/Scorpio a second time this season offers us greater insight into the simple truth of the human development of first building separate ego in the Taurus stage of development and then dissolving that ego in the Scorpio stage of surrendering to the soul. It is in the first recognition of separateness from the mother and our world that we form and must form an experience of me that is focused on what is me and what is not me until the soul insists through the pain of loss, loneliness, addiction or pervasive dissatisfaction with life that there is something more. The path to that something more is first to let go of the identity we formed from the needs and awareness of a dependent child creating the space to reveal the truer identity that lies within. Having mastered the separation, defenses and compensations of that childlike definition of self, this letting go is at once frightening and exhilarating thrusting us into the void of Scorpio to experience the death of the old, false self. This death is FELT as powerful emotions surge and surface having been long held at bay by the old definitions of what is and what is not. Tossed about in this sea of feeling, what we thought we knew no longer can provide a sense of safety or meaning. Only now can we begin to just feel and discover what really is.

One of the gifts of the Scorpio archetype is to cease to need to know, to welcome the void, to feel without fear, and to allow awareness to surface freely. Then and only then can the Taurus builder within begin to rebuild a self that is a free, illuminated self aware of the genuine creative power of a human life. To be is a joyous gift.

© 2008 Julia Bondi
All rights reserved

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White Self-Existing Wind...

I define in order to communicate,
Measuring breath.
I seal the input of spirit
With the self-existing tone of form.
I am guided by the power of endlessness.

White Wind – Communicates Spirit *
When operating in the light of your energy, the positive aspects are: Inspiration, Divine Breath, Presence, Truth, Expansion, Release, Change, Flood, Outburst, Unseen Forces, Integration of Polarities

THE
White Wind represents spontaneity and simplicity. As you experience the truth of the present moment, White Wind leaves you free to move on to the next moment without the baggage of desire, regret or expectation. White Wind is the simple knowledge that invisible forces are always moving in your life, guiding and inspiring.

White Wind also embodies the concept of presence. Presence is an expression of beingness, a creator of intimacy. It has to do with being wise in your simplicity. From simple beingness, your true identity emerges. Presence is being open, aware, and in the now. Presence is 'being there' for whatever is.

Think back to a time when someone looked deeply into your eyes, acknowledging your beingness with their full presence. Remember how wonderful and intimate that felt. When you wnat to be intimate with someone, become equally open, aware, and present. When you bring your awareness into the present moment, everything else falls away. When you are fully present, your mind is not preparing responses to what it is hearing while you're listening and feeling. Drop your evaluating and reactive nature. Trust that your heart will have the appropriate response when the time comes. Allow your mind to be quietly responsive, like a pool of water, natural in its unconditional acceptance of the moment.

Presence is simple. It is like being caught in the moment by the beauty of nature. Presence is your natural state of being. When you are present, your heart feels open, charged, full. When you are present, whether alone or with another, you are loose and relaxed. Time may seem to slow down. You can expand your awareness with ease, allowing yourself to truly see and be seen. You let your feelings speak through your eyes, and the 'feeling channel' in you breathes freely, without expectation or judgement.

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Ik

Mayan Oracle Interpretation
by
Ariel Spilsbury and Michael Bryner

I am Ik, Spirit's fire, breath of life, Apollo's lyre!
Spark ablaze in cherished flight,
all I touch I do ignite,
I am knowing, Spirit flowing,
fire filling form with light!

I am the brilliant, crystalline core.
As cosmic breath I dance and soar,
life's essence infusing time and space,
arousing creation with tender grace.
Revelation of the Beloved's face
mystic reunion divine!

As I billow into Divine Mother's silken sails,
we fill the spiral dance with forms unveiled
that awaken the dazzling light upon the face of creation.
All do I arouse upon the shimmering crest
of my graceful descent.

Breathe deeply of the pervasive Presence,
feel its exhilaration.
I ignite the circuitry of your potential.
I mirror the potency of your presence,
the completion of your polarity.
I am the frequency of unseen forces through which,
in this moment, reality courses.

Hear me laughing as wind through the trees,
See me moving mighty ocean waves in rapturous vortices.
All I touch, I stir into celebration
in honor of Spiritus, divine elevation!
As galactic solar wind,
I am knowing, danced as the One.
Power purifying, I arise;
I am inspiration as it flies!
Let me lift you, free you, fill you.
I carry the very breath of heaven upon my windy wings,
enfolding you with the sweetest song simplicity can sing!

 I so love this.....Let Us Celebrate!

Pamela

"To my fellow swimmers:
There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift,
that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore,
they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly.
Know that the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore,
push off into the middle of the river,
keep our heads above water.
And I say see who is there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history,
we are to take nothing personally,
least of all ourselves,
for the moment that we do,
our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.
The time of the lone wolf is over.
Gather yourselves.
Banish the word struggle from your attitude and vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done
in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we have been waiting for.”

Hopi prophecy

Beltane, or May Day, is one of the Great Sabbats of the Wiccan calendar. Of the four Great Sabbats, Beltane is one of the most important, second only to Samhain (Halloween). Beltane is chronologically opposite of Samhain, splitting the year evenly.

The word 'Beltane' is derived from the Irish Gaelic 'Bealtaine' or the Scottish Gaelic 'Bealtuinn', meaning 'Bel-fire', the fire of the Celtic god of light (Bel, Beli or Belinus). He, in turn, may be traced to the Middle Eastern god Baal. Bonfires were often lit for this holiday, and leaping the fire was a custom thought to encourage the crops to grow as high as the leaper could leap the fire. These fires, also called 'need-fires' were thought to have healing properties, thus we have the tradition of 'sky-clad' (naked) witches leaping the fire to ensure protection. Other May Day customs include walking around one's property ('beating the bounds'), repairing fences and boundary markers, processions of chimney-sweeps and milk maids, archery tournaments, morris dances, sword dances, enacting the 'Robin Hood' story, feasting, music, drinking, and maidens bathing their faces in the dew of May morning to retain their youthful beauty.

Perhaps one of the most misunderstood traditions of Beltane is the custom of free sexuality on this night. For a long time after the Christian form of marriage (and it's strict rules of sexual monogomy) had replaced the older customs of handfasting, those strict rules of monogomy were relaxed for the May Eave rites. Called 'greenwood marriages', in which young men and women who spent the night in the forest and brought back boughs of flowers and garlands to decorate the village in the morning, were especially condemned by the Puritans. Many a young woman would come back pregnant from these romps in the woods, and such children were referred to as 'merry be-got'.

These wildwood antics have inspired writers such as Kipling:

 Oh, do not tell the Priest our plight,
Or he would call it a sin;
But we have been out in the woods all night,
A-conjuring Summer in!

 And Lerner and Lowe:

It's May! It's May!
The lusty month of May!...
Those dreary vows that ev'ryone takes,
Ev'ryone breaks.
Ev'ryone makes divine mistakes!
The lusty month of May!

The maypole is, of course, one of the great symbols of May Day. It is a part of that fertility symbolism that is so much a part of this holiday. It is most often refered to as a phallic symbol, joined with the Goddess in holy sexuality. These days there are many people whose sexual path makes them uncomfortable with this imagery, and because of this they choose not to celebrate the maypole. This is too bad, since the maypole is a powerful and moving experience, and is not limited by personal sexuality choices... for instance, one could view the pole as the Tree of Life instead of a phallic symbol. To join ourselves by ribbons of the colors representing different aspects of life to this sacred Tree, one can work just as powerful magick as the other person who views the pole as the more sexual phallic symbol.

The aspect of Goddess represented at Beltane is the Maiden, called Maya, Maia, May or Mai in Northern Europe, Flora in Rome, or Kore in Greece. The God is the grown Son, the Lover, the Green Man. This is the time the Maiden and Lover meet and perform the Great Rite (sacred sexual union) in harmony with the fertile energies of the season. This is the beginning of Summer, of the growing season. Thus what is done on the spiritual plane is echoed on the physical plane.

There are many ways to celebrate Beltane yourself, such as:

• Weaving a garland of flowers to wear in your hair
• Wearing green all day (and nothing all night!)
• Hanging fruits and baked goodies from trees and bushes for later feasting
• Building a Beltane fire: leap over it to cleanse yourself, or state your desires and let the fire carry them upward
• Leaping over your garden rows (or house plants), sharing joyous energy
• Making a 'May gad': peel a willow-wand and twine cowslips or other flowers around it
• Erecting a Maypole; choose a bright ribbon of a color symbolizing your desire, and dance and weave...
• Performing the Great Rite symbolically with your lover, in your garden, fields, or ritual area in your home.

excerpt from...www.ourladyofprairie.home

My Gift for You today... 

There is a quiet light that shines in every heart. It draws no attention to itself, though it is always secretly there. It is what illuminates our minds to see beauty our desire to seek possibility and pour hearts to love life. Without this subtle quickening our days would be empty and wearisome, and no horizon would ever awaken our longing. Our passion for life is quietly sustained from somewhere in us that is wedded to the energy and excitement of life. This shy inner light is what enables us to recognize and receive our very presence here as blessing. We enter the world as strangers who all at once become heirs to a harvest of memory, spirit and dream that has long proceded us and will now enfold, nourish and sustain us. The gift of tis world is our first blessing.

John O'Donohue

2days NRGY The RED DRAGON :))))))


I Am Imix, Primal Mother.
Still, dark womb of the patterned potential of becoming,
sacred, interstellar genesis, I Am.
Nourishing, fertile abyss, I birth you.
Benevolent, my mighty cauldron of primal waters,
enveloping the living seed.
Eternal is my embrace.

As you are trusting and receptive,
I sustain you with the sweet wine of my many gifts.
I bathe your seed essence with abundant life force,
for I Am the primal sound of creation,
the potent energy and vibration of the undivided waters.

As stillness sources movement,
so this tender seed is protected
within my devoted watchfulness.
I Am the divine cradle of potential realized through primal trust.
I hold you close, my beloved,
for you are of my lifeblood and do arise
from the depth of my tender power,
which is the very substance of your heart.

It is I who weaves the web
of the universal connectedness of all life.
Within my silken tapestry is the story
of the one womb that I Am,
each shimmering thread leading back to me,
Mother Mystic Spider.

Spinning arms of my galaxies embracing you,
my form becoming your form,
weaving silken tapestry ... all form...
all form yielding to no form
within which my womb is the Great Mystery.

Holy, hallowed temple from which springs
the sweet song of creation, melody divine,
I sing you,
my cherished essence,
gentle nourishment on your path of awakening.

...so fitting for my day.....

LoVe for LoVe... 

"All that you are, and all that you will ever be, exists within you as a seed that will inevitably bear fruit. Anything that you can imagine as possible, is possible, and will be even more so to the degree that you can believe in it."

~Julie Redstone~

Prayer of the Seven Directions

From the East
House of Light
May Wisdom dawn in us so that we may
See all things in Clarity

From the North
House of Night
May Wisdom ripen in us so that we may
Know All from Within

From the West
House of Transformation
May Wisdom be transformed into Right Action so that we may
Do what must be Done

From the South
House of the Eternal Sun
May Right Action reap the Harvest so that we may
Enjoy the Fruits of Planetary Being

From Above
House of Heaven
Where star people and ancestors gather, may
Their Blessings come to us Now

From Below
House of Earth
May the Heartbeat of her Crystal Core
Bless us with Harmonies to
End all war

From the Centre
Galactic Source
Which is everywhere at Once
May everything be Known as the Light of Mutual Love


OM YUM HUNAB K’U EVAM MAYA E MA HO!

A New Broom by Witt Wittmann

I bought a new broom today
and swept the cobwebs down,
A thick accumulation of dregs,
a mass of tangles and smut.
I whisked a conglomeration of dust
that forever stuck—inaccessible.
Lifted the rug under which was hidden
years of grime that
Made traversing treacherous
with things that trip you up.

I rolled that rug and cast it off
and pitched the whole mess out.
I bought a new broom today
and mucked about the house.

Gone are the indignities that cannot be untwined
from the unfulfilled goals and dreams,
Cleared the place of bitter resentments
secured with insecurities.
Shackling phobias, permanently pitched
with a flick of bristles strawy,
Dismal doubts and grubby grudges
all brushed not so effortlessly away.

I bought a new broom today
and swept the corners of my brain.

May you use the Energies of the Moon to allow yourself to clear of unwanted negative energies.

Blessings,

Pamela

I loved this excerpt on what time is.....

"Time exists so that you can experience these flavors as deeply as possible. On the path of devotion, if you can experience even a glimmer of love, it's possible to experience a little more love. When you experience a little more, then the next degree of intensity is possible. Thus, love until you reach the point of saturation, when you totally merge into divine love. This is what the mystics mean when they say that they plunge into the ocean of love to drown themselves.
Time unfolds the degrees of experience until you reach the ocean. Pick any quality that holds charm for you, and if you follow it far enough, with commitment and passion, you will merge with the absolute. For at the end of the path, each quality disappears, swallowed up by Being. Time isn't an arrow or a clock or a river, it's actually a fluctuation in the flavors of Being. Theoretically, nature could have organized it without a progression from less to more. You could experience love or mystery, or selflessness at random. However, reality wasn't set up that way, at least not as experienced through a human nervous system. We experience life as evolving. (love at first sight take the same journey but in a matter of minutes instead of weeks and months) Your relationship to the universe follows the same course--if you let it. Time is meant to be the vehicle for evolution, but if you misuse time, it becomes a source of fear and anxiety."

Deepak Chopra
The Book of Secrets

Embrace the Dark and Light of You

a message from Quado/Carrie Hart

Life is all things that are, the so-called good and the so-called bad, the human condition and the wonders that go far beyond this mere mortal existence.  Even fear and doubt are not bad, but are merely limits you place upon yourself.

Bring in peace, love and joy and let them mingle with your fears and doubts.  Allow yourself to be as you are, a lively mix of all of this, so that the negative and positive, the dark and light, all acknowledged and present, begin to cause sparks to fly, creative sparks that create newness and life.

After all, a person with no past mistakes and no present failings is not very interesting.  The creative spark comes from the mix of opposites, flashing and sparking as they encounter each other, causing originality and creativity to be born at the very spot where the opposites meet.

That shortcoming of yours that you try so hard to either hide or correct may in fact be the very thing that will propel you into a higher state of being.  Perhaps it is the characteristic that attracts others to you, as they recognize themselves in you.  Your struggles to overcome yourself could end through a joyous acceptance of what you struggle against, and the love and safety you seek could well be born out of a loving acknowledgement that you are who you are, just as you are. 

There is no better version of yourself to be sought.  There will be evolution, yes, but it is not movement from bad to good, but rather natural growth and change as you go through the stages of your life.  And growth itself holds within it both renewal and decay, entropy as well as acceleration, as what was passes away and what was to be becomes what is.

The contrasts, the dark and light of you, the positive and negative of you, all of this is part of who you are.  And your power resides in this knowledge, this embracing of reality as it is and feeling yourself expand within it.  Embrace that fear and let it empower you; let it fuel your movement and evolution.  What is it you are so afraid of?  Say it out loud. Then acknowledge it as part of who you are and let it begin to transform and evolve as you grow.  Take what is hidden and detested, and bring it all into conscious awareness.  Find a place for everything, acknowledged and loved, embraced as a part of your reality.

Let that part you admire about yourself rub up against that dark side you try to hide and then see what sparks of creation are formed where they meet.  Let the hope and joy penetrate and mix with the fear and doubt and see what beautiful and powerful patterns are formed.  Embrace your humanity, all parts of it, and begin to glow in your own wonder.

No one else defines you.  You define you.  Do not allow society to label you as good or bad, fat or skinny, rich or poor, old or young.  These are fashions that come and go, parts of your society that mirror you in ways that would not be true in another time or another society.  They are relative, not absolute.

And so, you can choose not to acknowledge them.  You can choose not to give them credence and not to accept their judgment in your life.

You can choose freedom and power, a power that comes from all that you are, a power that comes from the fuel of your experience, your love, joy and laughter, your tears, your anger, your fears and doubts.  All of it is fuel for your power.  All of it is a part of the unique individual that you are.  All of it is what creates the creative spark of youness, shining out in the world.

You are loved.  You are love.  You are one with all that is.  You have all the power, all the love, just as you are, right now.

Blessings of Peace in your Heart,

Pamela

BE Natural...

It is very difficult to be natural.  To be natural is to be at home with your own nature.  If you are outside yourself, always reaching beyond yourself, you avoid the call of your own mystery.  When you acknowledge the integrity of your solitude and settle into its mystery, your relationships with others take on a new warmth, adventure, and wonder.

 Each person also has an inner face, which is always sensed but never seen.  The Heart is the inner face of your life.  The human journey strives to make this inner face beautiful.  It is here that love gathers within you.  Love is absolutely vital for a human life.  For love alone can awaken what is divine within you.  In love, you grow and come home to your self.  When you learn to love and to let your self be loved, you come home to the hearth of your own spirit.  You are warm and sheltered.  You are completely at one in the house of your own longing and belonging.  In that growth and homecoming is the unlooked-for bonus in the act of loving another.  Love begins with paying attention to others, with an act of gracious self-forgetting.  This is the condition in which we grow.

Once the soul awakens, the search begins and you can never go back.  From then on, you are inflamed with a special longing that will never again let you linger in the lowlands of complacency and partial fulfillment.  The eternal makes you urgent.  You are loath to let compromise or the threat of danger hold you back from striving toward the summit of fullment.  When this spiritual path opens, you can bring an incredible generosity to the world and to the lives of others.  Sometimes, it is easy to be generous outward, to give and give and yet remain ungenerous to yourself.  You lose the balance of your soul if you do not learn to take care of yourself.  You need to be generous to yourself in order to receive the love that surrounds you.  You can suffer from a desperate hunger to be loved.  You can search for long years in lonely places, far outside yourself.  Yet, the whole time, this love is but a few inches away from you.  It is at the edge of your soul, but you have been blind to it's presence.  Through some hurt, a door has slammed shut within the heart, and you are powerless to unlock it and receive the love.  WE must remain attentive in order to be able to receive.  Boris Pasternak said, "When a great moment knocks on the door of your life, it is often no louder than the beating of your heart, and it is very easy to miss it."

The Buddhist tradition has a lovely concept of friendship, the notion of the Kalyana-mitra, the "noble friend."  Your Kalyana-mitra, your noble friend, will not accept pretension but will gently and very firmly confront you with your own blindness.  No one can see his whole life totally.  As there is a blind spot in the retina of the human eye, there is also in the soul a blind side where you are not able to see.  Therefore you must depend on the one you love to see for you what you cannot see for yourself.  Your Kalyana-mitra complements your vision in a kind and critical way.  Such friendship is creative and critical; it is willing to negotiate awkward and uneven territories of contradiction and woundedness.  You can never love another person unless you are equally involved in the beautiful but difficult spiritual work of learning to love yourself.  There is within each of us, at the soul level, an enriching fountain of love.  In other words, you do not have to go outside yourself to know what love is.  This is not selfishness, and it is not narcissism;  they are negative obsessions with the need to be loved.  Rather this is the wellspring of love within the heart.  Through their need for love, people who lead solitary lives often stumble upon this great fountain. They learn to whisper awake the deep well of love within.  This is not a question of forcing yourself to love yourself.  It is more a question of exercising reserve, of inviting the wellspring of love that is, after all, your deepest nature to flow through your life.  When this happens, the ground that has hardened within you grows soft again.  Through a lack of love everything hardens.  There is nothing as lonely in the world as that which has hardened or grown cold.  Bitterness and coldness are the ultimate defeat.

Only in solitude can you discover a sense of your own beauty.  The beauty is frequently concealed behind the dull facade of routine...In the neglected crevices and corners of your evaded solitude, you will find the treasure that you have always sought elsewhere.  Erza Pound said something similar about beauty:  Beauty likes to keep away from the puble glare.

~~~John O'Donohue words from Anam Cara~~~

January 22, 2008 prayers...

Posted by earthbeone at 05:37 PM on January 23, 2008

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Om Namah Shivaya,,Living

Om Namah Shivaya,,everything

Om Namah Shivaya,,in the past

Om Namah Shivaya,,is finished

Om Namah Shivaya,,Forgiving

Om Namah Shivaya,,everything

Om Namah Shivaya,,in the past

Om Namah Shivaya,,is finished

Om Namah Shivaya,,Living the dharma

Om Namah Shivaya,,the sublte

Om Namah Shivaya,,the unseen

Om Namah Shivaya,,energy

Om Namah Shivaya,,the essence

Om Namah Shivaya,,of the

Om Namah Shivaya,,chant

Om Namah Shivaya,,remains

Om Namah Shivaya,,and

Om Namah Shivaya,,yesterdays

Om Namah Shivaya,,tomorrow

Om Namah Shivaya,,is today's

Om Namah Shivaya,,giving...& healing

Om Namah Shivaya,,the chant

Om Namah Shivaya,,connects

Om Namah Shivaya,,one place

Om Namah Shivaya,,to another

Om Namah Shivaya,,one heart

Om Namah shivaya,,to another

Om Namah Shivaya,,the chant

Om Namah Shivaya,,Love

Om Namah Shivaya,,for

Om Namah Shivaya,,Love

Om Namah Shivaya,,as you walk

Om Namah Shivaya,,chanting

Om Namah Shivaya,,in the early

Om Namah Shivaya,,morning hours

Om Namah Shivaya,,you leave a trail

Om Namah Shivaya,,of spiritual energy

Om Namah Shivaya,,each morning

Om Namah Shivaya,,as you follow

Om Namah Shivaya,,that same path

Om Namah Shivaya,,chanting.

Om Namah Shivaya,,the spiritual

Om Namah Shivaya,,energy increases

Om Namah Shivaya,,and your path

Om Namah Shivaya,,becomes

Om Namah Shivaya,,a nectarous pool

Om Namah Shivaya,,of delight.

Om Namah Shivaya,,this is called

Om Namah Shivaya,,living

Om Namah Shivaya,,the discipline

Om Namah Shivaya,,of yoga

Om Namah Shivaya,,sadhana

Om Namah Shivaya,,never alone...

Oommmmm Namah Shivaya

Ommmmmmm.

Love for Love

Eternial Bliss

 

May you find peace while on your journey to the divine inner self.

Om Shanti,

Pamela

 

Stop Waiting....

Stop waiting for someone to hand you the answers to your most difficult and perplexing questions.  Those answers will come when you focus your life on what you know in your heart to be true and worthwhile.

The secrets of life are not kept from you because someone has chosen to hide them away.  They are always yours to know and experience when you're ready to accept who you truly are.

The world may seem to be filled with confusion, frustration and random events.  Yet when you become fully focused on your most profound purpose, it all makes perfect sense.

There is value, there is meaning, there is opportunity and beauty in such abundance that you cannot begin to imagine.  Let go of your ego, drop your useless pretenses, and a whole universe of magnificent possibilities will pop into view.

It's time to stop running from the fears you've imagined.  It's time to start fulfilling the life that you are.

What you most fervently and sincerely desire is longing for you to accept and live its reality.  Go ahead and discover the joy in letting it be.

~~~Unattributed~~~

September 29, 2007

The beauty in one simple moment is enormous.....  On a glorious fall morning this past week there was such a moment.  Mother Earth sets the scene so elegantly....with many opportunities to just stand in awe.  Let me share with you my many moments of beauty.....

Sedum...a plant that shows its beauty in the fall..... gardeners love the florets of tiny star shaped flowers....the leaves are succulent and add interest to the plant.....after seeing my husband off to work, I caught a glimpe of a beautiful moment.  

The early morning sun was casting its shadow on the entrance to my yard.  Shadows in themselves are filled with wonder.  First I noticed the sedum and wondered why I chose to place it in this location...then my eyes caught the attention of the silver artesmia lighting the feet of the sedum....a shadow casting over it..the color of the artesmia complimenting the pink heads as well as the reverse.  Then continuing deeper into the moment....I noticed the spiked leaves of the daylilies....and rejoiced in this new season of fall...their leaves starting to brown and accent the purpose of sedum...it is now fall...enjoy the cycle of life. 

I have been given the good fortune of perception and appreciation.  The stones then showed their faces....I wondered how the Creator chose to make each one as an individual...with their own shape, texture, color and life story.  Stones are so very intriguing...their essence is one of an endless lifespan. 

The blanket of mulch was doing its job of protecting the plant life...during warm weather...keeping the life cool and moist....during cold weather...snuggling in to cover and provide warmth.

Mother Earth has a divine plan....she creates one to add and assist another... she took into consideration the colors, textures, and seasonal changes.

One moment led to another moment.....I discovered a bee on the tiny flowers...busy gathering pollen for the community it belongs to.  The morning had a chill in its air.  The bees move so very slow in the cool weather.  They wait on the flowers until the air warms up and they can continue on. One can spend many a moment lost in this wonder.  Again Mother Earth provides for her creations.

My original moment continued on....

...giving me a vision of the tired leaves on the trees....sharing with us one last breath of life.  This is my favorite tree in the fall.  I must thank my neighbor for choosing to plant it years ago.  The leaves slowly turn a beautiful bright red....providing a moment for another day.  How did the Creator choose to give one tree the beauty of a shade of yellow or orange or red? 

As I pondered this question....I noticed the sky...

During this moment I realized that the clouds were "autumn" clouds....their appearance is one of change and strength.  The white ones are thicker and the dark ones more omnimous and mysterious...the autumn sky speaks of the cool days ahead and the nights with bonfires to celebrate the season.   I noticed the clouds were moving so quickly....as if they were in a hurry to stay warm.  How do they know they need to change in meaning when a new season approaches? 

A simple moment can provide one with many pleasures, curiosity and humbling.  Only Mother Earth can provide such beauty.  We must show gratitude and honor her offerings.  

Many moments of enlightenment are wished upon you.  Enjoy the new season and its rituals.

Blessings,

Pamela

"Once we discover how to appreciate the timeless values in our daily experiences, we can enjoy the best things in life."  ~Harry Pepner

September 2, 2007

Hi All.......

For those of you who know me well....you all have heard me discuss the hobby farm I wish to have some day....and how I look forward to tucking myself away in the Apalachian Mountains....far, far, far away from the city.  I have mentioned I would prefer 2 horses, 2 sheep, chickens, and 2 goats.  As a matter of fact, my dear friend Randelyn from work has been helping me collect my "virtual farm" by cutting out photos, sale advertisements for animals and so on.  I now have my "virtual farm" hanging up at my desk. 

Rande you are so sweet.....one holiday years ago I stated I wanted a living nativity for my front yard so all the children could come and pet the animals and watch.....she found all the animals I needed for it....in the classifieds of course....she has also been known to give me classifieds for camels, llamas, exotic birds, reptiles and such.  Rande....I love you for your thoughts!  You are truly one of a kind and life would not be the same without you.

So.....where am I going with all of this?.........

Well...I spent time at my Uncle's farm today for a family celebration....and...it just so happens my cousin Kathy raises sheep and shows them at the State Fair every year.....this year she took 3rd place.  I am so happy for her...she works hard and loves what she does...and she is still in high school with big aspirations.  She took me under her wing today and shared her lambs and caretaking knowledge.  Thank you Kathy.....I learned so much!

I may never have my own sheep to raise someday....life has a way of changing unexpectantly....if I do...I know where to go to purchase my lovely lambs.

Blessings,

Pamela

Kathy....with her prize winning lamb...April.

Me playing with the baby lambs......they like to lick fingers....

Aren't they just the cutest ever?  And...they are so soft to the touch.  Thank you Kathy.  I had a wonderful time.

Did I mention....Kurt will have to learn how to drive a tractor....it isn't quite the same as driving the '66 VW bus...maybe I will have to show him my skills.....

August 27, 2007

Friends......

We are home safely from our short venture to Duluth.....We all enjoyed ourselves and it was a pleasant trip to end summer.

We originally planned on staying in a cabin, but all were unavailable.  Then the decision was to pitch the tent.....everyone agreed...no tent this time.  We decided to take our camper bus....and we were pleased with the choice....we made it to & from without any problems!...most importantly...we put smiles on many traveler's faces while driving along on the freeway....many horns honking, peace signs and thumbs up.

We made our 1st stop at Canal Park in Duluth.  It will never change...the bell rings and the lift bridge rises...the seagulls are dipping down at you looking for food....the light houses are off in the distance...and the boulders are great fun for the boys to climb on.

After the boys were thru conquering the world....we took a scenic drive up the North Shore....passing all the mansions along the way....question??? What do these people do for a living? I am pretty sure it isn't scheduling surgery at a hospital.

We found a great place to stop and admire the view of Lake Superior.  I have never experienced it so calm and smooth.

The shoreline was the next adventure.....

I was on a mission....to sit in the rocks, absorb all the colors and look out over the vast water.

And....of course discover the story from each and every one I touched.....

I even managed to collect a few to bring home.

And before leaving....I made a fortress......

Obviously, the shoreline is what I wished to experience.  My family was so kind and patient with me.

After leaving the Lake, before going to the campsite....we drove across the lake into Superior Wisconsin to revisit a skatepark the boys had been to one time before.  We were lucky enough to share it with an in-line skate contest going on.  The boys still had room to "rip it up"...and had several hours to display their skills.

I must say....I am getting used to watching them skateboard without screaming..."hey!  do you have to go so big?  I don't want you to get hurt."  The boys have now allowed me to be within visable site as long as I keep my mouth quiet....and promise to behave.

After the in-line skaters "took over the whole place" per Lucas, we headed to the campsite in Cloquet. 

We set up camp, went swimming and ate a ton of junk food by the fire.  I read a great book while Kurt took the boys exploring along the railroad tracks, where they each found spikes and brought them back for souveniers.  The campsite was packed.  We had a great time people watching...including entertaining the cutest blonde children who decided we were their friends, and the Harley Bikers across the way and the gigantic mobile homes set up for all your camping luxury needs....Zach made friends with a couple and watched the Viking's game in the great outdoors.

It was a great quick get-away from the distractions of home and the city.  May you all enjoy your last week of summer.

Love,

Kurt, Pam, Zach and Lucas

June 22, 2007

Happy summer everyone!  Yesterday was the Summer Solstice....15 glorious hours of sunlight!  I had a hard time going into the house at the end of the day.  I just wanted to soak up more of the light.  I hope you all had the chance to soak up some of the sun's energy also.

Let us talk about butterflies.  They are most intriguing to watch.  They never seem to stay in one place for very long.  Do you remember as a child chasing them to try and catch them?  I do.  Recently I have noticed so many of them flittering around.  I must be intune with them because whenever I step outside into my yard one or two will come flittering by me.  I have a hydrangea bush they take great pleasure hiding in.  When I walk around the corner of my garden where it is located, they fly out and follow me down my path.  This morning one floated out of my car when I entered it....then 2 more made their presence known as I was driving into work.  A lovely friend made mention that I must carry the scent of a flower for them to follow me.  Thank you Christine. What a beautiful compliment. 

With all my encounters recently with butterflies, I decided to do some research!  What symbolic messages do butterflies carry with them????Hmmmmm.......this is what i discovered.....

Butterflies represent a spiritual evolution according to many sources.  It is symbolic of rebirth after death.  Many christians believe the butterfly represents a resurrection into a new condition of life that is free of any material concerns.  How wonderful! 

The butterflies wings are very delicate.  They can easily be damaged by heavy rain.  Thus the butterfly is a symbol of a woman's delicacy, which serves as a reminder to treat her with gentleness.  (I love this one!)

Butterflies also symbolize witches and fairies...or the soul of witches.  Both butterflies and witches have the ability to change their form; butterflies change in the course of their development, witches allegedly can change at will.  (bugbios, cultural entomolgy www.insects.org)

The butterfly has been mentioned as a symbol of the beauty of nature.  It also has been used as a symbol of Nature itself.  This is my favorate discovery.  Nature is beautiful and has much love and light to offer one's soul.

May the butterflies find you today and bless you.

In Spirit With Mother Earth,

Pamela

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.
~Irish Blessing

For those of you who attended my garden sale...a sincere gift of gratitude from my heart.  I enjoyed meeting all of you and hope you come and sit with me someday soon.

MAY 1, 2007

Just a quick note about a day in Pam's world......Happy May Day to you all.......Enjoy the story.

Love to you,

Pamela

my baby ducks hatched saturday morning...all 14 of them followed mama duck to the creek peeping away.

I filled up my bird bath on saturday and I had a visitor soon after.

 

This is what I saw when I came home from work today.....

if you look really close there is a blue dragonfly on one of the top lilac flowers.  I was checking the mail.

 

When I was walking around the house I smelled these crab apple blossoms.  They are one of my favorite smells.

 

I meandered around the corner and chimney and noticed I have lily of the valley getting ready to bloom.  When I went in to look closer I found baby bunny hanging out right next to them.

 

"Slow dow and take time to really see.

 Take a moment to see what is going on around you right now,

 right where you are.

 You may be missing something wonderful." 

                                   ~J. Michael Thomas

April 18, 2007

A sunny warm day....I feel like I have been waiting an eternity for this day.  After our bout of warm weather in March winter returned...snow and all.    I am hopeful winter has now officially ended....but in Minnesota you never know for sure.   I have been busy, busy, busy tending to my potted bulbs and seedlings.  I am happy to report everything is thriving.   

  This year I am growing wisteria from seed.  I have never done this before.  Right now I have 3-4 seeds spouting up.  Quite frankly this is a pleasant surprise.  Wisteria can take many years of maturing before blooming...some say 4-6 years.  I was fortunate.  My gorgeous vine bloomed the 2nd year.  It is a vigorous growing beauty with a spicy floral scent..  When the blossoms open they start at the top of the panicle. The leaves are frond like and look stunning when the sunlight shines through them....a favorite for me to photograph.  The vines are thick (up to 8 inches) and are able to twine around everything (as seen below).  If you so choose to grow a wisteria, be sure it is growing up a sturdy base.  Mine has pulled my gutters right off the house on several occasions....note to my husband Kurt....it is time to start building a stronger pergola and fix the gutters.  I am planning on transplanting the seeds so the vines will grow up my pavilion.  .... a wonderful vision for an evening meditation.  I also plan on offering the seedlings at my plant sale in June.  I would love to share this gorgeous vine with everyone. 

*** Wisteria Mystical Lore......

Planet Wisteria Represents....Mercury      Element Represents.....Air     Basic Powers:  Gentleness, inspiration, knowledge, love and wisdom

Wisteria Oil was used for anointing oil in prayer & meditation.  It also aids in keeping thoughts organized in the pursuit of intellectual development.

***Thank you Toad Hollow Herbs.

Moon.........

  It was a new moon April 17, 2007.  For those of you who are moon gardening this is the time to start your seeds for your above ground annual crops...seeds that are produced outside the fruit....although I have been told cucumbers are an exception.  At a new moon, the lunar gravity pulls water up and causes seeds to swell and burst.

The new moon is in the zodiac sign of Aries.  Aries represents your inner child.  It is about adventure and the abdomidable spirit of the adventurer.  This is the time to go on an adventure, be spontaneous or do something out of the ordinary.  You may find that you will like the activity when previously you were not partial to it.  This is the time to try something new.

If your life is in disarray right now, this is the best time to set your intention and make the changes happen in your way...a time of new beginnings.

A wonderful time for fresh starts!  What are you planning on doing?  What adventure do you intend to partake in?

May your gardens, simple pleasures and faith in love bring you great joy today.

Blessings to you and yours,

Pamela....Earth...Be One.    

April, 1, 2007

Happy April Everyone!  I do love the new beginnings of this time of year.  I have been busy removing the leaves from my front south gardens.  It looks better already.  I see some green! 

 In the future, to enjoy more spring garden photos, please visit my photo album.  It will be available in a couple of days.

 GREEN GARDEN TIPS

I have been researching natural-old fashioned gardening tips this past week.....ok...on and off all winter.  Thanks to Adrienne, a soul sister of mine, my eyes have been opened to green living and protecting our precious planet.  I have always felt this way, but chose not to put my thoughts into action.  Now I am happy to say I have been slowly making the change....progress!  Read on for some garden helpers....all are non-toxic and safe for the earth.

1.  Dryer lint (with natural fibers..not synthetic) works wonderful as a mulch if worked into the soil.  Another great idea would be to use your vacuum bag contents (including the bag) as a soil additive.   The bag will breakdown into compost along with the contents.  Personally, I am going to try both this year in the garden.  I am always looking for new additions to my "magic potion" compost.  Hint:  the dryer lint is also a good source of building material for the birds.  They use it to build their nests.

2.   Use chamomile tea with water on seedlings.  This helps to prevent damping off.  You also can empty your tea pot around roses.  The tea is a good source of nutrition. 

3.  Used coffee grounds can be added to your garden soil.  Dry them, then throw the filter in with it.  Both are great for composting.  You will want to work them into your soil.  If you are not a coffee drinker, you can check with your local coffee cafe.  Most are willing to give away their used grounds.

4.  Epsom Salt.....sprinkle some around your dogwood bushes and you will have an abundance of blooms.  Mix Epsom salt with water and use it on seedlings after they are 2 weeks old.  It helps to strengthen their stems.  It can also be poured around other plant stems that are weak.  LOVE this!  I can't wait to try it.

5.  Banana peels......dry them on a screen, throw them into a blender or food processor, chop them up, and use them as mulch.  I have also been told they work wonders under roses.  Soak the peels in a quart jar that is sealed.  Leave them to ferment for a couple of days.  Then pour the mixture onto the base of your roses.  I have never tried this before, but Pat, an excellent garden source and friend of mine, made mention her mother did this and had great success.

These are just a few to get started.  I will add more as I come across them.  If anyone would like to add to the list, please do so in the comment section on "the watering can" page.  I would love to keep sharing so we are all learning how to make our gardens beautiful without hurting the "good" creatures in the dirt.

JUST FOR FUN....

crabapple

I went outside today to clip a few crabapple tree branches.  I have been keeping a close eye on them for the past 2 weeks, waiting patiently for the buds to make their appearance.  It has been raining for the past 5 days and the tree has been VERY happy.  Two days ago I noticed the buds were growing and decided to bring some inside to enjoy.  I also clipped some lilac branches. I brought them into the house and will watch for the leaves to open.  It is another way I like to enjoy spring indoors.

 You too can enjoy these beauties in your home.  First you will want to clip some of the small side branches.  Then split the ends and pound them lightly with a hammer...just enough to crush them slightly.  This will help the branch draw up water.  Put the branches into luke warm water and watch the leaves slowly appear.  It will take several weeks, but it is really a fun way to experience the outdoors in the early spring.  Witch hazel and forsynthia will also work.

ANOTHER SIGN OF SPRING

female cardinal

I happend to be gazing out of my kitchen window today and noticed a robin....The first one for me this season...and pregnant.  I can't remember the last time I saw a robin that wasn't pregnant.  Soon the blue eggs will be here to look at.  Robin's egg blue is such a great color.  I have always wanted to paint a room that particular shade of blue.  Another day.....

I also have many cardinals.  They look wonderful right now and are very easy to spot amongst the brown background.  I have decided they are my favorite.  I have never been a bird lover, but I really do like the cardinals.   

Enjoy this marvelous time of year when all is fresh and new.  Look for a sign of spring everytime you walk outside.  You may have to slow down and look close, but you will be sure to find it.

Infinate blessings of miracles,

Pamela

"O sweet wild April came over the hills...., Sing hi, Sing hey, Sing ho!"  ~William Force Stead 

March 20, 2007

Spring!  It is finally here on the calandar.  I feel like this has been the longest winter ever.  Like most gardeners, I am anxious to start my spring garden clean up.  I believe I may just clean up under my dining room window today.  I thought I saw tips of tulips coming up along with greening of hollyhock leaves.  This is all up against the south side of my home.  All the snow has melted...all 32+ inches.  It is time to start picking away at my beautiful gardens.

Spring has returned.  The Earth is like a child that knows poems.   ~Rainer Maria

NEW MOON ECLIPSE...

The new moon is in the constellation of Pisces.  The position of this new moon as it occurs is also in the sign of Pisces--so it is particulary potent.  On top of that, there  is a partial solar eclipse within 12 minutes of the full moon...So that amps the energies up even further.

Pisces is the oldest, most experienced sign...And it's funtion is essentially evolutionary:  To sacrifice/ renounce/ release/ detatch from the old in order to be reborn anew in Aries.

This is a great time to meditate, pay attention to dreams, start more healthful practices, ponder what it's time to let go of..And ponder what you want to bring into your life in Aries..which officially begins with the Equinox on March21."    ~Rev. Lisa Lockhart 

SEEDLINGS.....

As many of you know, I started my seeds 2 weeks ago.  Each and every seed was thriving...until I took the plastic cover off and was side tracked and forgot to put it back on.  CRISIS!  The poor seedlings were all laying down clinging to life.  I quickly watered them...some made it...some did not.  I did manage to save quite a few.  Last week I started globe amaranth, carnations, gazanias, violas, and celeosia.  Teeny tiny sprouts are everywhere.  I am so excited!  This time I will be more careful.

BULBS...

I have been busy potting tulips...50+ last week and plan on putting more in this week sometime.  This is a huge experiment.  I found these bulbs on clearance at a local store sitting next to an outside door....they were sprouting up so I thought...hmmm...maybe they will bloom if I put them in containers.  The price was right so now I am knee deep in this experiment.  Let's just say..every day I am checking for some form of growth. I am also excited to say, grape hyacinth, crocus and daffodils  that I gave as holiday gifts to friends and family have been reported as "growing and beginning to bloom."  A little bit of spring in the house is never an eye sore.

AT THE GREENHOUSE...

I have been trying to figure out how to download my digital pictures onto the computer.  My sister, the computer expert, lives in another state and will have to give me play by play instructions over the phone.  Once I have it figured out, I plan on adding my Earth Cards to this section.  They will be sold individually for $4 or as a pack of 5 for $15.  I am looking forward to adding more products to this section.  I will keep you all posted.  Please drop me an e-mail p.fillhouer@comcast.net if you would like to be notified new items are added or when I post a something new.  I will in turn, send out a notification to your e-mail address announcing new updates.

Sending you signs of spring,love and joy!

In Spirit of Mother Earth,

Pamela

MARCH 3, 2007

Wow!  We just had 19+ inches of snow here in the Minneapolis area.  That is on top of the 13+ inches we had last weekend.  The Earth is going to be so happy with all this moisture.  It has been a very dry winter thus far.

In past years I have been out in my garden mid-late March clearing leaves off and cleaning up.  Not this year.  I am not quite ready to go out yet.  I am still working on projects in the house...like packaging seeds from last year's harvest. 

SPEAKING OF SEEDS..........

Have you started your seeds indoors yet?  If not, now is the time.  Herbs such as lavender, chamomile and basil need a head start before planting outside this spring.  I have a number of annual and perennial seeds available on the 'greenhouse page'.  A long time favorite of mine are morning glories.

DAFFODILS

March brings to mind daffodils.  I remember being able to buy a bunch of them out of a bucket for some worthy cause when I was a child.  If you have chosen not to force bulbs for this spring, it is not too late to enjoy them.   You can visit your local nursery and purchase a pot of bulbs already growing and ready to bloom.  I find that daffodils are a long-blooming bulb.  When choosing a container of daffodils, look for non-yellowing leaves and plants with numerous buds on them.  The least amount of bloming flowers is your best option.  When you bring them home they will bloom a few days later.

DAFFODILS......the plant will come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors.  The white blossoms with yellow/orange interiors are especially striking and the tiny variety of tete-a-tete are so cute you can't help but to fall in love with them.

In the spring after the danger of frost has past...I like to purchase a pot of daffodils, remove them from their container and dig them into an outdoor planter.  This way when it does dip down to the early season cold weather, I can move the planter into a warm place.  It also provides me with outdoor spring flowers I wait all winter for.

When the forced daffodils are finished blooming, you can keep the plants until late spring, then move them to the garden.  They will flower the following year outdoors. 

MOON PHASES....

March 3........Full Moon              March 12.........Last Quarter            March 19.......New Moon        March 25.......First Quarter

I hope to have future information on moon gardening.  I have never done it before, but am in the process of researching it.  I will share what I have learned as time goes on.  If you are familiar with it, please feel free to leave a comment in the watering can page so we all can enjoy the information.  I am also working on adding a moon phase calander to my home page.  

This is the little tidbit I have found so far......During the increasing light (from new moon to full moon), plant annuals that produce their yield above the ground.  During the decreasing light (from full moon to new moon), plant biennials, perennials, bulb, and root plants.  A simple, though less accurate rule is to plant crops that produce above ground during the increase otf the moon, and to plant crops that produce below ground during the decrease of the moon. 

I guess now is the time for me to start seeding my hollyhocks indoors and dahlias.

MARCH LORE....

**March 18....signals a solar eclipse in Pisces and, as with every eclipse, drama is in the air and a new Moon is upon us.  The ultimate season of rebirth launches with the Spring Equinox on March 20, when the Sun is directly over the Earth's equator and enters zero degrees Aries.  March itself is named for the roman god of war, Mars, who is identified with the Greek god Aries.

**March 18... is considered the birthday of flowers in the Chinese lunar calendar.

**March 19....QUINQUATRUS.....In Rome this was the beginning of a five-day festival honoring Minerva, goddess of arts & crafts, probably because her temple was dedicated on this day.  Blackburn, Bonnie and Leofranc Holfore-Strevens, Oxford Companion to the Year, Oxford University Press 1999

**March 20....SPRING EQUINOX....The astrological start of the year.  Another chance to start the year over again.

*March 21...SPRING EVE...On the eve of March 22nd, Spring Day, Albanian children go out to search for fragrant greens and flowers to decorate doorways.  They sing songs to the newly-awakened spring.  ONE OF THE 3 DAYS OF THIS MONTH WHEN IT IS AUSPICIOUS TO SOW SWEET PEAS (the others being March 1 &17).  Martin, Laurie C. Garden flower Folklore, The Globe Pequot Press 1987 Spicer, Dorothy Gladys, The Book of Festivals, The Woman's Press 1937

**March 28...The Greeks honored the Earth Mother on the 10th day of the lunar month, Elaphabolion.

**March 29....THE BORROWED DAYS..."March borrowed from April 3 days and they were ill....The first was snow and sleet, The next was cold and wet, The third was such a freeze, The bird's nests stuck to the trees."  It was the Romans who gave these days a bad reputation.  They believed they were dangerous days, fraught with taboos and the specter of bad weather.

Have a wonderful week and find great joy in nature,

In Spirit With Mother Earth,

Pamela

  happy valentine's day....

There are many versions on the history of Valentine's Day.  To read about them click on this website.  www.crewsnest.vispa.com/valentine.htm   Wishing you love and joy on this day.

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spring bulbs.....

You can have your own indoor Spring Garden to brighten up the last few months of the winter.  A great idea for this is to force bulbs.  Tulips, hyacinth, and daffodils are fairly easy to force.  Purchase the bulbs at your local nursery, then chill them in your basement or refrigerator for approximately 6-8 weeks.  You can choose a creative container to plant the bulbs in.  I have used wine glasses, bowls, tin containers and tea cups in the past.  Before planting, place small rocks on the bottom of the container for drainage purposes.  When you are finished planting, place the pot in a space that receives sunlight, but not direct sunlight.  If forcing your own bulbs is not your idea of fun....you can always purchase the pre-made bulb containers at your local home and garden store.  With those, you simply have to water and wait.  Have fun!  I would love to hear how your ventures turn out.

  starting your seeds indoors......

Before you go out and purchase new packets of seeds this year, take an inventory of the seeds you currently have....maybe from last year's harvest or gifts from others.  This is a great way to save on doubling up and/or over buying.  When purchasing your seeds remember to check for local or internet seed swaps.  Last year I was very successful finding seeds I did not have and was able to swap with someone through the internet..  Also be sure to read the packages as to when the appropriate time is to start your seeds indoors and the growing conditions they will need.  Below is a chart of  when the last expected frost date is for your zone.  If you are unsure of your Zone, check the USDA Hardiness Zone Map or contact your local Cooperative Extension..

ZONE 1:  June 1-June 30                   ZONE 2:  May 1-May 31                         

ZONE 3:  May1-May 31                    ZONE 4:  May 1-May 31

ZONE 5:  March 30-April 30              ZONE 6:  March 30-April 30

ZONE 7:  March30-April 30               ZONE 8:  February 28-March 30

ZONE 9:  January 30-February 28       ZONE 10:  January 1-January 31

ZONE 11:  Frost Free Year Round 

 living green......

A great way to start your seeds is by  planting in your recycled egg cartons.  My son had a golf ball collection and stored them in used egg cartons.  When he received a new golf bag for Christmas he had no use for the cartons.  I snatched them up quick and stored them away.  In a week or two I will be planting my seeds in them.  What a wonderful way to recycle and reuse.  Simply place seed starting mix in each compartment and plant your seeds.  When it is time to transplant them all you need to do is tear each compartment off, poke small holes in the bottom and place the entire section into the ground.  VERY COOL way to be clever with what you have on hand.

 in my garden......

Today it was around 18 degree F outside.  I was poking around my front garden to see if everything was "still there".  I spotted a bit of green showing from my rose mallow.  Keep in mind this is the south side of my home up against the house.  Everything is still fast asleep for the winter. 

I started my indoor bulb gardens this past Saturday afternoon.  It was so nice to be "digging" again.  I planted several different types of bulbs into 7 separate containers....squill, grape hyacinth, daffodils and crocus.  Everytime I walk by one of them I am inspecting it for some sign of growth.  This morning when I was making my rounds.....I noticed the grape hyacinth popped up during the night.......this afternoon.....crocus.  I am so excited.  I love watching things grow.  To read more about my adventures this spring.....visit my "what's blooming" page.  Please feel free to e-mail me with questions, comments, helpful tips, or just plain information about nothing.   p.fillhouer@comcast.net

Walking in Love and Light,

Pamela

"Out beyond ideas. Out beyond ideas of wrong-doings and right-doings, there is a field.  I'll meet you there."         ~Rumi