I cleaned algae from the bird bath in the front courtyard and turned the sprinkler on. Now I’ve got two sets of cardinals (2 are babies!) and 2 doves bathing in it, going wild. Birds really get into their baths, don’t they?

 I am so ready to be done with work for the day, and it’s not yet 9:00am. Sometimes I feel done with it all.  Anytime I think that, I really just need a few hours break from all work and everyone I perceive as tugging at me.  In 1998, I thought I was done with living in Melbourne, FL.  That summer I spent a month at my cabin in Murphy, NC.  At the end of the month, I wanted to be back in my Melbourne home again. I’m sure glad I didn’t sell my house and move instead of taking the month up there.  I like lots of space between my molecules, lots of space between one interaction and the next. I was glad I got out of  Melbourne and glad I came back.  I love my yard, it’s like a Disney movie with all the woodland creatures and it’s a cool lil community we have here.

I was asked if I’d give a fake smile if I was unhappy. I have a different take on “the fake smile.” A smile despite troubles, that’s just understanding that life is going far more well than not, so the smile is for the higher percentage. Also to not emotionally coerce someone into asking what’s wrong to join them in a chain of pain they don’t need to get into. A true friend knows that.  A lot of people misunderstand “fake it til you make it.” It doesn’t mean you’re denying anything, it just means you’re holding the higher thought and since you’re aiming for it, you know to stay focused on it, unwaveringly.

To Domino  The lesson here is our perceptions form our reality and right now I am in the work of helping you learn how to change your perception to help you live a more expanded life.  It’s in our mission statement.
Domino asks: Who actually believes in Faeries, Elementals, etc. Who might have done the research? Do you believe in Faeries? From the standpoint of, for example Reality what we really see, the way the eye works, we’re really seeing a image in our brain. Continue reading →

One way to lower your stress level is to get away from it all. Another way is to get ok with it all.   Stress becomes more stressful the more you fight against it. Keep in mind, though, that you don’t have to fight it.  You can actually choose to welcome and accept whatever is going on. As soon as you do, you put yourself in a position of power and control.  By accepting the stressful situation instead of running away or fighting, you give yourself more positive options. You become able to make use of whatever is going on and to direct it toward a worthwhile purpose.  Accepting the presence of a difficult situation does not mean that you’re in favor of it having it continue. It means that you’re ready to clearly see and deal with reality.  Instead of making the stress worse by fighting it, step calmly and confidently forward to make the best of it. Choose not to let it get to you, and you’ll be able to accomplish so very much more.  — Ralph Marston

When the remedy you have offered only increases the disease, then leave him who will not be cured, and tell your story to someone who seeks the truth. (Rumi)

I find the times I have the most exciting things going on, I don’t have time to write about it.  Or else they are part of someone else’s story that is not mine to tell.

It was a long day so I went to bed at 8pm and woke up at 1am. There was a movie on showtime called Jolene about “an orphan who makes her way in the world.” I almost didn’t even look at it since I thought they meant a kid orphan, but no it was a young woman, a sweet and beautiful curly redhead. It ended up being an excellent movie and very synchronisitic. She’d been left to her own devices growing up and was in and out of juvenile detention and then a couple of young marriages. Continue reading →

What is your favorite kinnikinnick recipe?  I’ve used this during sacred new moon and full moon ceremonies, as well as on Solstice and Equinox.  I like to add mullein, sassafrass, clove and no more than 1/10 part tobacco to crushed seeds of fennel and cardamon, calamus root, myrhh powder. This makes for a light smoking mixture.  Mullein is an expectorant, as is calamus, as is fennel, and all three aid the lungs in expelling mucous  by allowing it to be coughed up.  If I’m going to be smoking, I want it to be a healthy blend that is a balm for my lungs.  Do not wrap it into a cigarette, use it as loose tobacco, either in a ceremonial pipe or waved onto you while burning on a charcoal.   Here is what Michigan herbalist Jim McDonald has to say: Continue reading →