Redneck Jam

I love redneck stuff...
Gopher Central Blogs

Thank you ALL!!

Thank all of you for the lovely comments and cards. It means a lot to me. We have such a great little circle. I wouldn't give it up for the world!
Bright Blessings to all of you!! ...and now I shall sleep.

Getting older...

Yay!! I found a template I can live with for awhile. The exact color green is the same color I just did my kitchen in. Green and white. Clean, calm, yet energizing. I need to clean it up a little and move a few things around, but this will work for now. I am putting together a couple of ideas for my perfect custom template for Denise to do for me eventually. This works for now.

New beginnings for my new year. I always make a list of new things I want to do for the year. I have to do the same amount of things I have never done as I am old...so 48 new things this year. Every year more and more. I have 24 hours left to do the list.

I got a surprise phone call from one of my favorite old classmates this morning. I have know him since we were in the 4th grade. He had been trying to track me down for six months. It made me feel good. He caught me up on my small hometown in Eastern Oregon gossip, and let me know about my high school class reunion planned for July. I really look forward to that. I can't believe it has been 30 years. I went to our 10 year reunion. We didn't have a 20 because we all forgot. Is that funny or what? There will be some changes in all of our looks this time. **lol**
Jeeeesh!!
I am kind of nervous about it...certain parts of me have certainly transformed.

Cat's

I haven't felt like blogging much. I am changing my house around as much as my blog. And no...I am not done with it. This blue is not soothing to me...it's agitating. I am a purple girl...I like the water picture but that's it. So yes... it will be going bye-bye.. I need to talk to Denise I guess and see if she can do what I want.
I found these posts about cats in a NASCAR forum. Stole them to share with you. 1. After dark, all cats are jaguars...
2. Never *ever* try to baptize a cat.
3. Cats are smarter than dogs. You cannot get a cat to pull a sled.
4. A cat knows your every thought. It doesn't care. But it knows .
5. If I want to hear the pitter patter of little feet, I will put shoes on my cat ...
6. Most people with cats, know they are being controlled.That's the horror of it ...
7. Never try to out stubborn a cat .
8. Thousands of years ago ,humans worshiped the cat . They have not forgotten this . .
9. Whenever I bathe my cat, it takes an hour to get the fur off of my tongue.
10. I prefer to live with Feline Sapiens, thank you very much.
11. Picture of a fat tabby on a couch , looking at his owner, "My species domesticated your species... "

Cat Wake-up Method
6:00 am. Cat is snoring at end of bed.
6:15 am. I make a bathroom trip.
Cat is still snoring.
6:45 am. I fall back to sleep. Cat is waking up.
6:48 am. Cat is on my pillow, staring at me.
6:49 am. Cat stare has drilled a hole in my head. I wake up, but feign unconsciousness.
6:50 am. Cat is onto me. He knows a faker. Cat meows VERY softly. I ignore cat.
6:51 am. Cat meows more loudly. I ignore cat.
6:52 am. Cat places nose in my ear and meows loudly. Eardrum ruptures. I tell cat to go wake up husband.
6:53 am. Cat approaches unsuspecting husband. Cat stares at husband intently. Husband has no cat radar, therefore continues to sleep.
6:54 am. Cat sits on husband's chest. Husband continues sleeping.
6:55 am. Cat leans forward and meows softly. Husband sleeps on.
6:56 am. Cat meows more loudly. He is ignored.
6:57 am. Cat stands on husbands face. Husband, fearing suffocation, wakes up.
6:58 am. Husband stupidly asks, "What do you want, cat?" Cat proceeds to yank mini blinds off wall and point outside.
7:00 am. Husband lets cat out
***
Our old cat wakes us up all night long lately. He keeps walking on our heads and biting at our hair. Cute the first time, not so cute at 2 AM, the 10th time. We shut the door last night and he was not a happy camper for awhile. Meowed and howled for a few minutes. Tried to open the door with his paw. Stuck his whole leg under the door and did the sound he used when he is looking for us (you know the little chortle sound a mother cat uses when she calls her kittens?) and finally gave up until 5 AM.
I felt bad but JEESH, we both have enough sleep issues as it is with out Mouser.

Identity Crisis

I am having a blog template identity crisis...bear (bare) with me.

Who makes up this stuff?

I want to know who makes up this stuff...and even more...do they get paid for it?
From Bizarre News.com:
January is: National Careers in Cosmetology Month, National Eye Health Care Month, National Fiber Focus Month, National Hobby Month, National Soup Month, Hot Tea Month, Oatmeal Month, Prune Breakfast Month

January 1 is . . . . .First Foot Day and Z Day
January 2 is . . . . .Run Up the Flagpole and See if Anybody Salutes It Day
January 3 is . . . . .Festival of Sleep Day
January 4 is . . . . .Trivia Day and Humiliation Day
January 5 is . . . . .Bird Day
January 6 is . . . . .Bean Day
January 7 is . . . . .Old Rock Day
January 8 is . . . . .National JoyGerm Day and Man Watcher's Day
January 9 is . . . . . Play God Day
January 10 is . . . . Peculiar People Day
January 11 is . . . . National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day
January 12 is . . . . Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day
January 13 is . . . . Make Your Dream Come True Day and Blame Someone Else Day

January 14 is . . . .
National Dress Up Your Pet Day
Poor dog...
Weimeriener's are such a dignified and cool breed too.

January 15 is . . . . Hat Day
January 16 is . . . . Hot and Spicy Food International Day and National Nothing Day
January 17 is . . . . Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral Day
January 18 is . . . . Winnie the Pooh Day
January 19 is . . . . National Popcorn Day
January 20 is . . . . National Buttercrunch Day
January 21 is . . . . National Hugging Day
January 22 is . . . . National Answer Your Cat's Question Day and National Blonde Brownie Day
January 23 is . . . . National Handwriting Day, National Pie Day, and Measure Your Feet Day
January 24 is . . . . Eskimo Pie Patent Day
January 25 is . . . . Opposite Day
January 26 is . . . . Australia Day
January 27 is . . . . Punch the Clock Day and Thomas Crapper Day
January 28 is . . . . National Kazoo Day, Clash Day, Rattle Snake Round-Up Day
January 29 is . . . . National Cornchip Day
January 30 is . . . . Escape Day
January 31 is . . . . National Popcorn Day and Child Labor Day

National measure your feet day is a day I will honor the rest of my life.

Signs along the side of The Road

I truly believe everything happens for a reason. Sometimes I know why and sometimes I don't. I do believe we are given a map for our journey before we start on the road tho. I think syncronicities are the road signs that tell us we on on the right path. They can also be the road signs that tell us when to turn at crossroads. Red flags tell us to stop and go a different way or turn around. I feel red flags. I don't always listen to them, I admit. I will tell you that everytime I ignore one, I am guaranteed to discover what is was about. Always...

**{This picture is taken at Succor Creek State Park, OR. One of my "special" places I go to get my head together. It is a one hour drive from my home. It is like a mini Grand Canyon, 6 miles long.}

My Jan. 15th post about Syncronicity is a prime example of a road sign in my life...
I went to the site that was linked to Melody Beatty. It is primarily about the dangers of the drug that Dale is on. There are a lot of sites out there about Hep C and most of them are ran either by the Drug companies that manfacture the Interferon itself, or scammer's trying to tout a "cure all" to get rich on people's misery. The site does sell an herbal program for the disease. A very expensive program. There was a lot of dated info on Peg-Intron and Ribaviron on there. I kept reading tho...looking for what I thought was the reason that I was led to it. I trust Melody Beatty. That was the only reason I kept reading. There was nothing in there that I didn't already know about the drugs, herbs or the disease that was new to me. UNTIL...I went into one of the links to a trial study report to the FDA. There was a person that had been in the trial that had a reaction to the drug that caused fluid retention around the lungs and heart. It also caused extreme distention of the abdomen that constricted the lungs. It could also cause congestive heart failure.

Last week Dale had been really "bloated". He was also short of breath (that can also because because of the drop in Red and white blood cells). We were waiting for the results of his last blood tests.Sunday night the distention and bloating were terrible. Yesterday he got up and even his face, eyes and ears were swollen. His abdomen looked like he was nine months pregnant. He looked almost deformed. He had a terrible headache, and was very short of breath. I call the Hep doc's office and her nurse said "Well I don't know...maybe you should see his regular Dr. Those aren't
side effects of the treatment." BOOM! RED FLAG! BINGO!!!!Now I knew why I had been led to that site. It most certainly was a side effect. A remote chance but someone had DIED from this side effect in the trials.His primary Dr. said he has fluid built up in his abdomen that was putting pressure on his heart and lungs and that was why he was so swollen and short of breath. His heart had not been affected. He has put him on Lasix to remove the fluid. The blood tests we have been waiting for came back BEAUTIFUL. There is no sign of HCV this go round. He has went from a viral count of 350 MILLION to ZERO...to do that in twelve weeks is nothing short of miraculous. All his other counts were low but not in the perilous level. The plan is to continue the treament for the the remaining 12 weeks at this point so the chances of remission are reduced.

My belief that we are led daily when we listen, is reconfirmed. There is nothing missing, nothing broken, nothing that is imperfect in Heaven...

Choosing to make each moment of life as meaningful as possible can help us feel more satisfied and content. When we look for meaningful experiences, we commit to making the most of our time on Earth. In our search for meaning, we naturally tend to shy away from shallow people and situations and embrace fulfilling and nurturing ones. Looking for meaningful experiences can help us spend our time more wisely to pursue our passions and interact with people we care for and who care for us. Creating a meaningful life means always being on the lookout for those circumstances that will feed our soul. When we choose to seek meaningful experiences in our life today, we may discover that living is more satisfying than ever.

One fulfilling experience can eclipse many empty moments strung together. It is not the quantity of time that matters, but the quality that we experience during each moment. Every minute is an opportunity to loveourselves and others, develop confidence and self-respect, and exhibit courage. Ultimately, quality can make life sweeter. When we focus on quality, all our life experiences can be meaningful.
Often, in the pursuit of quantity we cheat ourselves of quality. Then again, quantity also plays a significant role in our lives. Certain elements, such as hugs, kisses, abundance, and love, are best had in copious amounts that are high in quality. But faced with the choice between a single, heartfelt grin and a lifetime of empty smiles, most would, no doubt, choose the former. Ultimately, it is not how much you live or have or do, but whatwe make of each moment that counts...

Sometimes, we may find ourselves wishing we knew what our lives are going to look like or what gifts and challenges are going to be presented to us in the coming months or years. We may want to know if the relationship we're in now will go the distance or if our goals will be realized. Perhaps we feel like we need help making a decision and we want to know which choice will work out best. We may consult psychics, tarot cards, our dreams, Holy Writings and many other sources in the hopes of finding out what the future holds. Usually, at most, we may catch glimpses. All of these can be helpful tools as long as we are looking at the whole picture and not just projecting what we wish we want. A Higher Order and Power exist, no matter what you call it. It just is.There is a Higher Truth out there with a Plan for us. Even even though we think we would like to know the whole story in all its details, the truth is that we would probably be overwhelmed and exhausted if we knew everything that is going to happen to us. That same Higher Order also protects us from ourselves.

Just think of your life as you've lived it up to this point. If you are like most people, you have probably done more and faced more than you could have ever imagined. If someone had told you as a child of all the jobs and relationships you would experience, along with each one's inherent ups and downs, you would have become overwhelmed. With your head full of information about the future, you would have had a very hard time experiencing your life in the present moment, which is where everything actually happens.
In many ways, not knowing what the future has in store brings out in us the qualities we need to grow. For example, it would have been difficult to commit yourself to certain people or projects if you knew they wouldn't ultimately work out. Yet, it was through your commitment to see them through that you experienced the lessons you needed to grow.

Looking back on your life, you would likely be hard pressed to say that anything in your past should not have happened. In fact, your most challenging experiences with their inevitable lessons may have ultimately brought you the greatest rewards. Not knowing the future keeps us just where we need to be-fully committed and in the present moment.

Everything really does happen for a reason. When we are at a Crossroad and have to make a choice, we need to look at the Road Signs of Syncronicity. All of them. Sometimes the signs are confusing. Sometimes we have to look at the signs that have been there along the way for years. Put the links together. Sometimes there was a sign that was pointing to the place you are at today, years ago. One that you had never figured out. It all comes together, eventually. We are all called to, and for, a purpose, to something in our lives.Remember synchronicity. If you have an event happen that you do not understand, take the time to ask why and then TRUST the Universe that you are always where you need to be. Right then and Right Now. Trust that you will have the answers you need. Examine all your options from that point. Make your decisions from a point of surety. Always ask "What am I supposed to learn from this?". Sometimes you will be the vehicle for someone else's lesson. When that happens, accept it, but remember there is also a lesson in it for you. If you are truly dedicated to your path, you will always, again, be, WHERE YOU NEED TO BE, FOR A REASON. Be grateful for all experiences that cross your path. Be truly grateful everything that has and will happen in your life. The good, the bad and the ugly.

Pay attention to the Signs on the Road.


Now, as Always, I am off...
On a Quest...

TALLY HO!! JAMBO!!

I'm IT.

Teressa tagged me so I guess I am it. I like to read these. We learn a lot about each other.

Four jobs you've had in your life:
1. Activity's Director in a Long Term Care Facility
2. YMCA Pre-School Teacher (combo Head Start)
3. Florist Trainee ( My first job ever...hated it)
4. Child Protection Case Manager

Four movies you could watch over and over again:
1. Amazon Women on the Moon
2. The Wizard of Oz
3. Big Fish
4. Under the Tuscan Sun

Four places you've lived:
1. Cripple Creek, CO also see here.
2. Joseph, OR
3. Ione - Metaline Falls, WA
4. I hate Boise i-DUH-ho ( Boise Inversion Picture or what the weather is like in the winter and why I am like a dying plant in Dec and Jan)

Four places you have been on vacation:
1.Mesa Verde National Park, CO
2. Sedona, AZ
3. Mt Shasta, CA
4. Machu Picchu, Peru

Four websites you visit daily
1. Tut's Adventurer's Club
2. Daily OM
3. NASCAR.com
4. The Miracle Times

Four of your favorite foods:
1. Brownies....deep moist yummm...
2. Toll House Cookies
3. Cheese
4. Braunsuager

Four places you would rather be:
1. NOT in Boise
2. NOT in I-duh-ho (ok that is cheating, right?) I will change it then....2. places I do not want to be.
**************
Four places you would rather be:
1. Daytona
2. Anywhere in AZ
3. Anywhere in NM
4. The OR or WA coast....anywhere.
5. Hovenweep National Monument (that is where our Tower is)

Four albums you can't live without:
1. Grateful Dead "Terrapin Station"
2. Soundtrack from City of Angels
3. Talking Heads "Brick"
4. Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show "Sloppy Seconds"
and many, many, more....

Four magazines you read:
1. Backpacker
2. Whole Living Body Mind and Soul
3. Cooking Light (this is my fav)
4. Handyman (yes, it's for me.)

Four cars you have owned:

1.1970 Mercedes Benz 220sl diesel (yes)

2.1997 Toyota 4 Runner (no)

3.1963 T-Bird (yes)

4. 2006 Ford Ranger (just bought it)

and of course the 1992 Bluebird Bus...

Yay!! I finished without losing everything when Blogger went down!! YAY!!!

I tag Rocky and MAD...

I have studied A Course in Miracles for many years. I was looking this morning at my home page which is set to The Miracle Times, doing my daily lesson. I remember this lesson in particular more than any other except the lesson on the Holy Instant. I remember vividly the first time I read it, where I was...what I was feeling, the scents of the house... the texture of the walls. The weather.
My life changed that day. March 15th,1993.
My copy of The Course is page worn and highlighted in different colors for everytime I have read individual passages. I started marking in the margins when the page could not take any other colors without the words being no longer legible. I still mark the date each day on each lesson and each passage I read.
I lived in Pend Orielle County WA. at the time. I had a really old house that sat on 150 acres bordered by BLM land. My land encompassed a whole mountain...( if you have ever seen Kevin Costner's film ,The Postman, the movie was filmed in the town and surrounding area where I lived. Many of my freinds were extra's in the movie.). I loved that place.
Back to my point...the weather that day was a typical early spring day (we called it MUD Season, not Spring) the sun had came out for a little while and the clouds were beginning to roll in again. I had read my lesson, and stepped out onto my porch to take in some sun. It was snowing on one side of my yard and sunny on the other. Like a split screen picture. It was a very strange feeling. I was in awe that I got to see it.
It did the same thing here today. In exactly the same chronilogical order. Read. Stepped outside. Said ...WHOA...
NO WAY.
Yup...weird...Good wierd, but weird.
Synchronicity of the day, #1.

My slogan for my Hynotherapy practice is:

Remember...Changeworks...Now.

Changeworks has been my Practice's name since I started it. A long, long time ago.

I always say re-member who you really are.

I came back in the house and started readin my email. The very first one I opened said this:

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~ Melody Beattie

Melody Beatty wrote Co-dependant No More and several other books, which I was also reading at the time I started A Course in Miracles.

I immediately lost my train of thought and wondered what she is doing now. She changed a lot of woman's lives. I ran a search on her and here came Synchronicity #2.

Ok. YOU have my full attention, NOW. What do you want me to do? Said a prayer of gratitude....Let it go...

The very next email I opened said this:

You will receive answers. be prepared to accept what is given.daily engage with Self and re-member, too, Listen... Listen again... Listen deeply.questions, of course, will elicit true response. ask well.
I swear to God, Goddess...All there is.

Here In The Hills

Here In The Hills
Wow!! Go take a look at this ladys cacti garden. Wow again....

Phobia's

I was over at Yellow Dog Granny's this morning catching up on her posts. Phobia's are interesting, and tho they are not funny when you have them, they can sure be a lot of fun when you make fun of the names and make your own phobia's up. Thanks Jac...now I am going to be stuck on that for awhile.
I did a post on NASCAR Driver's Phobia's in Oct.
I developed Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia after working on that post. The phobia's named in that post are all real with real descriptions. NOT real Driver's phobia's of course (don't wanna get sued here), but real names of real phobia's. So any way if you can imagine:
If you are living with hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, what is the real cost to your health, your career or school, and to your family life? Avoiding the issue indefinitely would mean resigning yourself to living in fear, missing out on priceless life experiences big and small, living a life that is just a shadow of what it will be when the problem is gone...
Most phobia's are caused by a one time experience.
Now I will get a phobia of developing a phobia.
If you want to learn about Phobia names and see which one's you have go here: The Phobia List. They have posted from A-Z ...there is a warning on the front page that says:
If you are looking for a phobia and the name is not on the list then we don't have it. You can even buy a poster with all the Phobia List on it. The site is a lot of fun.
What phobia is this? Scriptophobia.

My Birthday List...the beginning

I am starting to put my "What I really want for My Birthday" list together in case the #1 #88 fan figures out how to get on my blog and see it.
I want this bad.
Really.

Post.

Figured I better get back over her and post something. NASCAR season is fast approaching...My NASCAR brain is kicking in. I am getting mighty antsy.
I will be updating all my blog links along with putting my website back together after the deletion fiasco. Can't sell any gemstones on line with out it unfortunately. It is my abundance provider. I managed to mess this one up good too. As Bab's says copy and paste your template before you start messing with it. Duh...
Bab's your dealing with an Aquarian here. We don't like to read directions. We like adventure and dreams. The daffodil is our flower. It is where the word Daft and Daffy came from.
Air head comes from AIR SIGN.
Ever learning from the water's of knowlege ...thru experience.
The consequences of those experiences teach us well.
For all of you who asked or wondered, Dale is doing quite well after our little emergency.
Satan seems to have been exorcised...and he is back to his jolly old self, or as good as he can be right now considering how sick he has been. We are now officially half through treatment. 12 more weeks. My... how time flys when your having so much fun.
I wanted to share the latest picture I have taken of our little healer Paige.. Notice the NASCAR beads...and that red hair.

4 of my six grand babies have my red hair and 3 are left handed like I am. Interesting genetics.
Hope all is well with all of you.

Happy Birthday to Babs!

Happy Birthday Babs! You are on of the most remarkable people I have ever been honored to "meet". Your compassion is unbelievable and the support you provide others is a gift beyond compare. You are carrying out your purpose...

We are having a chat birthday party for Bab's today at The Tower. Come wish her Happy Birthday and all of us a Happy New Year. If you havn't gained admission yet there are a lot of moderators that can approve you very quickly. You can sign her birthday card that Denise made... here. If you have tender eyes DO NOT GO. You will be blind...or grow hair on your hands or something like that.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
She is probably snoozing since we were in there half the night entertaining each other! What Fun....I was laughing so hard half the time I had tears rolling.
SOONER! SOONER? Where are ya Buddy?

Christmas Together

For all of us that are spending Christmas alone...
I have a yahoo group site that is by invitation only that I have dedicated to be used for our own little Christmas party.
It has built in chat and a place for just posts.
If you would like to join us, click on my email and I will send you and invite.
Don't be shy....we are all here for each other. I would send the email straight out to you already if I had all your email addresses!
Let's have fun with this! Or not....cry if you need to...just come.
If anyone has any other ideas let me know or you can go straight to the site for admit :
Here in the Ivory Tower.

Another Letter from the Universe...

There comes a time in the evolution of every spiritual being, along that sometimes dark road that leads to enlightenment, when their inner yearnings, struggles and frustrations bring them to a truth that could not have otherwise been achieved. And so, beloved, I come this holy day with such a truth, though it may hurt eyes that have been shut too long.
Reaching this milestone was inevitable, for the light that will dawn hereafter is not only what you have summoned, but what all now seek. And with your blessing and recognition it will bathe those who follow in your footsteps and the burden they bear shall be lessened.
If it's not yet obvious to you, the real reason for this season is You. A more perfect child of the Universe has never lived. Until now, only a celebration cloaked in myth and mystery could hint at your sublime heritage and divine destiny. You are life's prayer of becoming, and its answer. The first light at the dawn of eternity, drawn from the ether, so that the Universe might know its depths, discover its heights, and frolic in endless seas of blessed emotion.
A pioneer into illusion, an adventurer into the unknown, and a lifter of veils. Courageous, heroic and exalted by billions in the unseen.
To give beyond reason. To care beyond hope. To love without limit. To reach, stretch, and dream in spite of your fears. These are the hallmarks of divinity - traits of the immortal - your badges of honor, and your ticket home.
This is the time of year we celebrate who you are.
Merry Christmas, a few days early - The Universe

Yeah, I said the same thing last year, but more people are listening now, and still, a more perfect child than you has yet to be born. Unless I missed someone...

"Life has its own hidden forces which you can only discover by living." ~ Soren Kierkegaard

I love this quote. I think it offers a profound piece of wisdom.

I'm not sure I can improve on Kierkegaard, other than to offer that life, lived well, is truly an action adventure—with lots of ups and downs.

It's scary.

It's fun.

It's exhilarating.

It's supposed to be a challenge.

Live the beauty of your dreams.
Become the miracle of personal metamorphosis.

Please don't let another year roll by without thinking about how your life impacts others... and what you can do in the coming year to discover life by living it to the fullest.

Promise yourself that next year, no matter what...

I Will Live My Dream...


For me, my friends, family and community:

"Life moves on, whether we act as cowards or heroes. Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such. " ~ Henry Miller

The Miracles of The Season are upon us.
No question, life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful. But it can get better.

Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God. ** A Course in Miracles

You can become All that You Dream.
Prepare yourself for the Miracles that surround You.
Let miracles find you.
Join the adventure. Create Miracles in your life.
Get on the bus...once you get on you'll never want to get off...

Think Good Thoughts... because Thoughts become Things.
Go On a Quest...Tally HO!!


THE LAW OF ONE
We are all one.
When one is harmed, all are harmed.
When one is helped, all are healed.
Therefore, in the name of who I AM,
and I am one with all;
I ask that ONLY THAT WHICH IS THE HIGHEST GOOD OF ALL CONCERNED happen here and now, and through all time and space.
I give thanks that this is done.

How can Thy Will not be done?
Blessed be...
From ME

Winter Soltice in History

December is known as a month for holidays. Wherever you live in the world, this month has become a time to treasure all that was in the past year and to begin to make way for a new cycle of rebirth.
Much of this seasonal mood has roots in the celebration of Winter Solstice, which takes place every year in the northern hemisphere on December 21 or 22. On that day, the daytime hours are the shortest they will be all year while the nighttime is at a maximum. For the ancients, this indicated the disappearance of the nourishing, life-sustaining sun and yet it also meant that in the days following the Solstice, the Sun would rise and strengthen again, bringing the promise of spring and new life. The Winter Solstice pledges the same to us today. It presents an opportunity to release that which we want to leave in the past and set our intention for the coming year.


Many aspects of ancient Winter Solstice festivals live on in traditions of the season. The Roman midwinter holiday, Saturnalia was a merry time in which homes were decked with boughs of laurel and evergreen while friends visited each other with fruit, cakes and other treats. In Scandinavia, people listened to minstrel-poets singing ancient legends while the yule log, which was thought to magically help the sun shine brightly, burned in the family hearth.


Burning indoor hearths and candles were an aspect of numerous winter solstice festivals and continue to be a part of the season today. In Iran, the Winter Solstice is observed through the Yalda festival, when a huge bonfire is kindled to symbolically stimulate the sun to grow stronger. For the Hopi tribe of Native Americans, the month-long Soyal festival includes many rituals to honor lights shining amid darkness, a theme echoed by holidays such as Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa. Common to many winter solstice festivals is the gathering of friends and family to feast and spend time together. China's winter solstice festival is called Dong Zhi and is marked by plentiful winter foods.

For many in northern climates, Winter Solstice is an opportunity to celebrate the cyclical nature of our lives. You can honor the New Solar Year by creating your own Winter Solstice ritual incorporating both darkness to represent the end of a year and light, to mark the rising sun. Perhaps you will want to close off the artificial lamps and light candles or a bonfire, ringing in the solstice as in ancient times. Maybe you will choose to contribute some time to helping those having a hard winter or just spend some time meditating on how to bring more light into the world. Whatever, you do to commemorate this crucial time of year, remember that winter solstice is all about the hope for a bright and warm future.
I have journaled for many many years... since 1980 consistently, sporadically prior to that. I have journal that go back to when I was 10.
I go thru my journals specifically to look at the cycles and themes of my life, that surround the Soltices and Equinox. There are several major lessons that are recurring themes in my life. More about that later...
If you want to create your own ritual for the winter solstice, keep in mind that many modern observances involve symbols for three important actions: remembering and appreciating the year that is ending, letting go of the "bad stuff" in the past that we want to leave behind, and then setting an intention or a direction for the new year.
Orange's are the colors for the the Day.
I have honored the cycles with awareness since 1988.
Soltice exactly occurs today at:10:35 PST.
You can learn more at Candlegrove on the exact time. They have a beautiful and very informative site that is dedicated to Winter Solstice.
So for now...Happy Yule! I am off to cleanse in the beautiful rain in my back yard to remove my old wheel and build a new one.
Son RISE!!! I will also observe Son Set....
In Love and Gratitude to all of YOU.
Blessed Be...Clance'

ADVENTURERS WARNING!!

Sometimes being your true radiant self, living in the moment, glad for all you already have and who you already are, isn't always easy.

Nope, such conditions create the precise moment in one's life when the floodgates of abundance swing open the farthest, giving rise to that persistent, nagging issue of the ages:

...where to put it all.

Really.

Caught you just in time, huh, ?

Tomorrow is Winter Equinox...
I sing...Out with the Dark and In with the LIGHT!!!

Intertwined Fates

From today's Daily OM
"There are times when we may feel disconnected from the world. Our actions can seem like they are of no major consequence, and we may feel like we exist in our own vacuum. Yet, the truth is that our simplest thought or action - the decisions we make each day, and how we see and relate to the world - can be incredibly significant and have a profound impact on the lives of those around us, as well as the world at large. The earth and everything on it is bound by an invisible connection between people, animals, plants, the air, the water, and the soil. Insignificant actions on your part, whether positive or negative, can have an impact on people and the environment that seem entirely separate from your personal realm of existence. Staying conscious of the interconnection between all things can help you think of your choices and your life in terms of the broader effect you may be creating.
Think of buying a wooden stool. The wood was once part of a tree which is part of a forest. A person was paid to fell the tree, another to cut the wood, and yet another to build the stool. Their income may have had a positive effect on their families, just as the loss of the tree may have had a negative impact on the forest or the animals that made that tree their home. An encouraging word to a young child about their special talent can influence this person to develop their gift so that one day their inventions can change the lives of millions. A poem written "merely" to express oneself can make a stranger reading it online from thousands of miles away feel less alone because there is someone else out there who feels exactly the way they do.
Staying conscious of your connection to all things can help you think of your choices in terms of their impact. We are powerful enough that what we do and say can reverberate through the lives of people we may never meet. Understanding that you are intimately connected with all things and understanding your power to affect our world can be the first step on the road to living more consciously."

I have thinking a lot of all the wonderful people whose paths have intertwined and crossed mine this year. Do we fully realize the impact we have on each other?
Do we in our own self denial, realize that we are all Angel's in each others lives? Think about the fondness we feel for each other as bloggers. Strangers (in the beginning) who we have never met and may never...yet bonds are created, love, respect and concern grows for each other. The Universe creates an impeccable system of support, and brings together those that were bound and destined in some way, to meet and touch each other's souls.
I am very grateful for all of you. We all keep each other feeling, moving and Shining...