Live like you were dying

"So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.

Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and

Demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life,

Beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and

Its purpose in the service of your people.

Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,

Even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and

Bow to none. When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and

For the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks,

The fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and nothing,

For abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts

Are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes

They weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again

In a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."

Chief Tecumseh

Goddess in the tree!

It's as if the image of her soul rose to the surface, who will see me? This tree symbolizes a complete metaphor of the sacred feminine in all her creation.  Gentle and strong, her image is surrounded by the shape of a heart so perfectly placed as if to show the most intimate part of woman. If you can unlock the her heart, you will gain access to her soul, and her true souls beauty. As a women in general, this sweet spot has been cloaked under layers of protection.  We are now rising up, ripping of the layers one by one, and discovering that within this chamber, is the magic of who we are.  Joseph Campbell draws a stunning parallel between the womb of woman, and the universe. Pure in creation, giving life, love, and nurturing.  Through photosynthesis we breathe what the tree exhales. Deeply rooted in the earth, a tree provides us with so many nurturing gifts. Shade, shelter, food, breath, and fire as she dies, preparing the way for new growth. She is also home to the winged ones, who build their nest in her branches, and fly into her interior for protection from the storms of life. Just like a child returns to it's mother for comfort and protection from human storms.  In the womb space of this tree goddess you will see a nest so appropriately nestled in the cavity of her belly. And what a joy to see the bird that calls this home. 

 Then there is the unseen part of the tree, the root system. The grand redwood trees are feminine. When the mother tree dies, the burls attached to her trunk, are released from the trauma of her death, stimulating these pods. The seeds then give birth to the ring of daughter trees around her. Those daughter trees absorb the sunlight that was stored in her bones, and they continue to sustain nutrients from her strong and stable root system.  The daughters grow independent of their mother, but continue to sustain themselves through the unseen parts below ground. Perhaps this explains our deep connection to the ancestors. When you consider the ebb and flow of life and death, and understand the role nature plays, it can be a very grand and humbling process. 

As I was driving down the road, in my state of contemplation and mediation, my peripheral vision caught a glimpse of this image. I pulled to the side of the road and stood in awe as I stared at the "Woman in the tree!" How does this happen? Has anyone else noticed? How could you miss it? It has caused deep reflection as I have uncovered the message for me. I felt I needed to share this wonderment with those who stumble upon it. Unplug every now and again when your in the car. Turn off your phone, and notice nature passing by. It may just amaze you when you see the hidden messages just outside of your window.  Within nature are metaphors so beautiful, they can answer your prayers, and give insight to the concerns you face every day. 

Carpe Diem Seize the day!

Carpe Noctem Seize the night!

Carpe Noctem

Guest House

Projection Selection...

I was born with a spirit that called me to venture "off the beaten path." In kindergarten, my teacher, Mrs. Bankhead gave us a coloring assignment. I began "outside" of the lines, creating my own crayola masterpiece in the margins.  There was a rhythm to her monitoring. She would glance down at each child assessing their progress. I could see from the corner of my eye that she was getting close to me. With giddy anticipation, I waited for her to praise my blending of colors, and whimsical patterns all outside of the black line in the middle of the page. Would she find me creative and wonderful? A solid whack to my tiny knuckles with a pair of scissors, ripped me out of my wandering fantasy, and into her classroom. Her huge tangled beehive hairdo, came very close to my face and her bright red stained lips shouted, "NEVER COLOR OUTSIDE OF THE LINES!" Her old lady breath, penetrated my skin, and her words embedded into my soul, a frightening realization. "You must obey the rules." On this day, I thank Mrs. Bankehead.  The day I remembered this moment, was the day I shouted hallelujah!! I have spent a lifetime with the deepest desire to wander outside of the lines, and explore. What I realized, is that I was born with this fascination, as a child, i naturally ventured to the area outside of the line, I loved exploring those margins.  When I turned 40, I was finally able to understand that this was a tremendous gift worth honoring. I realized that my life up until then had been much like the collapse of the wave function theory. I was told that I had to "observe" a specific way of thinking, and behaving, which caused the "collapse."  The act of the observer, causes all other possibilities to fade away. I call this "projection selection." It is allowing others to project their beliefs and  ideas influencing your selection. By doing this, the infinite options available, tend to fade away.  So knowing that answers take seed in the question, I allowed my self to question outside of the box. Exploring those paths that may look or feel different. What would happen if???  What I realized, it that within my own unique soul, there are answers that are very custom made for me. The mystery of the exploration has allowed me to see the infinite possibilities. I have practiced observing or focusing in on the one or two choices, that will take seed that makes sense for me. I trust that my spirit's knowing decides to collapse the wave, when it is time.  As my journey takes me off the beaten path, I observe new truths, and the system can then evolve again.  I love to wander with the knowing that I am not lost, not at all!!!

Facing your reflection

Trigger points of change

"No one is immune to the cycles of balance and change. Regardless of how large our families are, how many friends we have, how many books we've written, or how successful we've become, we all have a trigger point that invites change into our lives. Interestingly, the trigger appears to be different for eveyone. While we may believe that we have neatly arranged life as something that we can regulate and control, all the while each experience and every relationship is training and preparing us for something that may be beyond our control.

"In doing so, we move ever closer to the moment when we'll be given the opportunity to demonstrate our mastery over our betrayals, violated trust, and hot-button issues. It's only after we've put our last spiritual tool in place to create the balance, however, that we signal our readiness. It is our balance that says, 'Hey! I'm ready. Bring it on!' Now we're ready to demonstrate to the universe what we've learned." Greg Braden.

"People see God every day, they just don't recognize him."

People see God every day, they just don’t recognize him.” - Pearl Bailey

It was a chilly day at the beach. My body temperature is always registering a few degrees below normal anyway. Part of me wanted to leave, or go sit in the car with the heater on. And then then I noticed the magic. My son was having a mud flinging  contest with his buddies. The sun was preparing to kiss the ocean goodnight, providing a mystical light. There was a mist in the air as the tide was pulling back for the day. I grabbed my camera, and forgot about the chill in my bones. I only saw magic in every shot. The kids were delighted and full of wonder lust as they flung salted, wet sand into the air, and at each other.  This beach was providing the kind of fun that doesn't cost a dime. Their brains are not overloaded with T.V. ad's and video games. The true joy of their spirits are bubbling over and out, with the laughter of voices floating on the wind currents. How full of gratitude I am, that I took a minute to pause, and in doing so saw God all around me. It reminds me of a lyric by India Arie. "It doesn't cost a thing to smile. You don't have to pay to laugh. You'd better thank god for that!" 

And so in that very moment, I said Thank you, thank you, thank you. My soul smiled, my heart opened, my bones warmed, and I noticed!!