Many of the people who are planning to vote for Trump are too young to know the horrors of Hitler and the Third Reich. Even sadder is that many of them are so gullible they wont bother to go read the history. Throughout history men like him have risen like a wildfire and enthralled the masses who wound up paying the most serious of consequences for their blind following of the devil himself right through the doors of Hell. This man is following the tactics of every tyrant who rose to power.
Here in America we are supposed to be intelligent and conscientous and too well informed to fall into the same trap masses have before. WAKE UP! Look at the division and violence that he has promoted since he began his campaign. He has reignited embers of racism and bigotry into raging infernos that will consume this nation if he takes office.
This country will fall if he becomes the "leader of the free world". There would be no freedoms...seniors, single mothers and the poor and disabled would be disenfranchised and left destitute. Blacks, Native Americans, Mexicans..any non-white, poor or "ugly" people in Trump's view and all women would be under attack even more than they have at the hands of the obstructionist GOP the last 8 years. The handwriting is on the wall...take off the rose colored glasses folks...this is no longer Wonderland!
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Our Broken World
With all the hurt and pain that has fallen over this nation in the last few months with all the shootings, all the violence, it is sometimes hard to believe things can ever heal. Racism and bigotry at intensities not seen since the 50s/60s... violence that rivals the bloody wars of the gulf, irreverent disregard for human life. Playing the blame game is not the answer. It is not just a black/blue/red lives matter issue ... it is not just tensions between police and blacks, or any of the things that the media and so called "experts" are declaring. We are a nation overwhelmed with fear and desperation and diseased with unspeakable hate. We have no leaders in this country to look up to. The government has forgotten its job description and governs only according to the needs of the rich and powerful. The people can't feed and care for their families but they are expected to support the bailout of banks, car manufacturers, support wars we have no business being in, or finance other countries in their aggressions!
We have a man running for President who condones bigotry, racism and discrimination against poor whites and blacks, elderly, women, Hispanics, Jews, Native Americans...where does the list end? He has made statements that incite the kind of actions that have proliferated these last few months...why isn't he in jail somewhere instead of being heralded as the "presumptive candidate"?
If you're looking to our "leaders" for help....you may as well stick your head in the sand...the only help that is coming is the help we offer each other. It is time for people and not the politicians to take control of our survival. Reach out to those who are hurting and feel there is no hope. Their race, religion, gender or sexual preference is of no importance at this time in our society...the hearts, minds and spirits of the people is what needs to be supported and healed. Offer them what you can, even if that is just your time, a hug and a prayer.
Monday, June 13, 2016
The Real Source of Radicalization
I just watched the FBI press conference from Orlando and it is painfully obvious that no one in power is willing to point the finger of blame where it really belongs....right here within our own borders. Yes...radical Islamist, ISIL and Taliban and other extremist groups from the Middle East are a huge threat...always will be, and we need to be aware and vigilant and even militant to protect ourselves from their terrorist actions. But please stop overlooking the obvious source of radicalization that lives thrives and breeds right here in our federal and state governments and in the supposedly benevolent churches of America. The hate that is proliferated from the dais, the lectern, the pulpit or even the throne are just as much a motivating factor for someone who is mentally unbalanced and easily influenced as any foreign influence. If you author and sign laws that permit discrimination and dehumanization of the LGBT community,( any community that is not white and Christians or that you fear out of ignorance) if you stand before a congregation on Sunday and teach that all LGBT people should be killed "in the name of Jesus"...then you are advocating and aligning yourself with domestic terrorism and are the homeland source of radicalization of the fractured minds that carry out these heinous acts of murder. WAKE UP AMERICA! See the situation for what it is...not what they want to whitewash it to be. Put the blame where it needs to be internally. Stop the radicalization of politics and religion or we are no better than the evil we are spending billions of dollars to eliminate.
If you need proof...just open your eyes...it is there before you in black and white everyday. We get too passive and willing to accept it as "just the way it is". NO NO NO! It is what we are allowing to happen.... it DOES NOT have to be this way. We need to stop these hate filled, bigoted purveyors of hate in their tracks and let them know we will no longer allow them to pander separatism, aversion and hate from their positions of respect or power.
http://www.ranker.com/list/the-most-anti-gay-us-politicians/ballerina-tatyana
http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2014/10/25/are-these-most-antigay-governors-america
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/09/robert-gallaty-anti-gay-pastor_n_5792996.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/23/bert-farias-gay-demons_n_5614163.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/20/colorado-floods-gay-blame_n_3962912.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/rick-scarborough-gay-use-sodomites-_n_2733482.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/08/jeffrey-s-smith-florida-pastor-homosexual-perversion-sermon_n_2432925.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/29/hurricane-sandy-gays-same-sex-marriage-obama-romney_n_2038781.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/courtney-odonnell/anti-gay-pastors_b_1566346.html
Monday, January 11, 2016
Giving a Name To the Emptiness
May The Blessing of God Go Before You
May Her peace and grace abound.
May her spirit live within you.
May her love wrap you ‘round.
May her blessing remain with you always.
May you walk on holy ground.
~Miriam Therese Winter, Life Prayers
How often have you felt that vagueness, that undefined nothingness in your life that leaves you feeling disconnected, no longer part of the daily activities that move around you? That feeling that you are trapped inside a movie set with no script and the director just won't yell, CUT! Do you find more and more that you are often less and less motivated, or fail to get excited over the accomplishments of your children, your spouse, or your own the way you used to? Mental health practitioners would most likely mark these symptoms up to depression or some mood disorder. Would they ever think to consider that perhaps it is just a "lost connection"? A broken connection to the very substance that is the wellspring of the body, mind and soul.
I am talking about our lost connection to those things we view as sacred, divine...in particular the feminine aspect of divinity. It does not matter what "religion" you practice..the sacred force of life knows no dogma, no boundaries, no heritage, no bloodline. The very essence of life requires a balance of opposing energies. When one energy becomes dominant or excessive, natural processes become unbalanced. When upper air masses and surface wind currents become unbalanced we have tornadoes, hurricanes, destruction on a grand scale. When the pressure within the earth, or the pressures on opposing land masses shifts, we have volcanoes or earthquakes, sometimes catastrophic. When solar heat exceeds needed rainfall, we have drought and often famine, likewise excessive rain and inadequate absorption results in widespread flooding. In all of nature when we experience imbalance, catastrophe and devastation follow. Why then should an imbalance in our sacred connection and our natural spiritual selves be any different?
Religions and cultures around the globe, have for millenia become "paternalized". All aspects of their divinity have become strictly a "Father" image. The women have been delegated to supporting roles, or very often to demons and temptresses, but almost no where are the faces of the divine seem as feminine. For millenia in every corner of the globe, nearly every culture revered and worshiped a mother goddess. Her relationship to the god was as consort, sister, mother. In her triune aspects, Maiden, Mother or Crone, she could address all the issues, ills and trials of a woman's life. She was a warrior, a protector, a provider, a healer, a nurturer, she from who all life proceeded and she to whom all life returned. As male dominated religions grew, she was pushed into the shadows, and with it women's power. Her groves, temples and monuments were replaced by basilicas, temples, churches and synagogues. Her role as Supreme Being was transformed into temptress, demon, sorceress and all but stripped of her power. Women were no longer viewed as sacred, divine beings. They became "second class citizens", property, insignificant.
Over the last one hundred years there has been a conscious shift growing. What became a small ripple at first, is quickly becoming a tsunami. Women are yearning for their own, personal connection to the sacred, for a divine presence they can relate to and know that she is as close as their own heart. In even the smallest, most backwoods towns all across America, women are coming together to meet and rediscover what has been missing in their lives. They are answering an ancient call to gather, to share and to learn; to heal and be healed. They gather to discuss the issues significant to women, and the broader issues of community and state affairs.
Where women gather, magic is always present. It's no wonder that women were accused of being witches and men feared their power. Problems and even illnesses that seemed hopeless have been healed in the sacred container of feminine power, issues facing a community or a town that the biggest brain trusts have been unable to solve, have been dissected, boiled down, analyzed from a - z, and a solution is found. No fancy software, or algorithms, no convoluted theories of government or political science...just common sense humanity balanced with compassion and logic. And woman's intuition.
Women in Arabic/Islamic countries are beginning to stand up and stand their ground. Some of them have paid the ultimate price and we all suffer their loss, but we must also celebrate their victory in bringing change and a new world for women in countries where women have been subjugated, maligned, crushed down and robbed of their power for too many centuries. In African countries where the practice of female genital mutilation has been carried out for as long as memory serves, even the men are standing up and demanding the process be stopped.
In 2016 we have a woman running for President of the United States, and many more strong women holding offices in the House and Senate. We've made great strides in tearing down the walls of male dominated institutions, but we still have many long battles ahead of us in creating true equality for women. The battles against abortion, Planned Parenthood and other women specific political agendas continue and instead of pulling ahead it seems each round of the battle we lose a little more ground. This imbalanced playing field leaves too many women feeling hopeless and even more disconnected from their divine nature. Masculine assertiveness and aggression, apathy and greed have all but silenced our ancient memories of the Great Mother, and left us with an emptiness that could not be identified, silent, stripped of her power and nameless. But there's been a shift in the universe. A stirring sending out ripples through the circles in those small towns and big cities. A knowing is rising, and her name is on the wind. The emptiness has a name....and it is SHE.
Rebirthing the Divine Feminine will be a long and daunting path. Reconnecting to her infinite love and restoration will require many women (and men too) to reach deep within to find the remnants of our memory of Her. She is there, and is re-awakening after a long, forced slumber. Perhaps she thought we had forgotten her and resigned herself to return to the nothingness of our amnesia. But she has felt our tug at her silver cords, our beckoning to restore a season of nurturance, an attitude of common welfare, of responsibility to the earth and all its inhabitants. She has heard our prayers for a world of peace and compassion and has begun to spin her web of healing and softening of minds and hearts.
The more we come together to meet in our circles, and stand up to help those who cannot help themselves and actively work to create positive, humanitarian change in the world, she will rise even stronger. We will no longer feel alone and disconnected from Her. We will be her children again. Our Human Family will be whole again.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
True Community
A couple of years ago, an unplanned visit to Serpent Mound with spiritual “family” really sent me off on a train of thought about the true meaning of community. The last 10 years sent me on a search to find the meaning of community. That search alone has sent me down many roads, many joys and a few disappointments. It has taught me painful lessons about true leaders and... not putting people on pedestals.
It has shown me how “shining stars” are the fastest to fade…they burn white hot and “wow” the masses for a short while, then just as quickly, they burn out and fall by the wayside. But mostly it has taught me that community is much like a family … dysfunctional at times but always there for each other when times get tough. Often this family involves people at various locations, just like a nuclear family. Sometimes we won’t see each other for months or years, but when we finally come together there is no doubt that there is a bond there that time and distance cannot diminish. We may all walk different paths but have no trouble finding enough common belief in each other that all the dissimilar thoughts and beliefs become the glue that holds us together instead of separating us.
True community is about fostering a spirit of love and sharing. When each of the members of that community begin to realize it is about coming together in the spirit of giving and sharing, not just receiving, that is when something wonderful begins to happen. This isn’t something that usually happens instantly. Those seeking community often come with only a need to receive. Many come feeling they have nothing to give because they have lost their sense of self, their confidence in self. Some are so new on their path of self discovery that they are still learning the lessons set before them and aren’t ready to share until they have started putting the pieces of their own puzzle together. And that is perfectly alright. As they get more involved, as they come to listen to the stories shared in a sacred circle and take the bits and pieces that help complete their puzzle they become stronger and begin to share their wisdom, they give their compassion and unconditional love.
From time to time there will be those who come only to tell others how much they know –(whether they actually do or not) and criticize or belittle those who are still in the learning and growing stages of their life lessons. Then there are others who come only sporadically. Those who are so sure they know everything there is to know that they don’t need to be a regular part of the community. Very often they do have vast amounts of knowledge, but take it with them and don’t bring that knowledge to the circles. They don’t see how that is wasted knowledge and does nothing to help strengthen the community or themselves. Community is about sharing…whatever it is of value that we have. Experience, wisdom, knowledge, resources, skills, …all these things contain the gemstones that become the building blocks of a strong, vital community. If they are not brought together…not placed as an offering on the sharing blanket, they serve no value…to anyone.
Community is about love…given and received.. Just like our blood families, we are going to have disagreements, we are going to have personality clashes, we are going to have different political and spiritual or religious beliefs that put us at odds with each other…and that is OK..that is how it should be…we are individuals, we are each unique and wonderful. We need to see those differences as healthy opportunities to use both sides of the brain. We need to use them as a lesson in exercising diplomacy, in practicing respect. We don’t have to always agree with each other … just imagine what a boring world that would be..if everyone saw everything in the same light.. if there were no differences of opinion or belief. We would not survive as a species if that were the reality we lived in! What we do not need to do is go to war over them. We do not need to create conflicts and engage in verbal attacks that serve no purpose other than to harm or tear down.
Respect the diversity…celebrate the differences.
Community represents a collective desire for something better...a desire for unity and harmony. Community is about coming together to build something that serves a higher purpose for all, not just for ourselves. Community is about coming together to carry on the legacies and the stories so that future generations will know their histories and carry them forward to their own communities. Communities bring together the children to sit at the feet of the grandmothers and learn the true meaning of the Great Spiral of life. It is where Mothers share the responsibility of raising children with hearts, eyes and minds open to all possibilities and realities. Community is a circle where the fathers protect and provide and share in the rearing of their progeny. Where mothers teach their sons to plant and forage and nurture, and fathers teach their daughters to hunt and to fight when there is a real threat.
And communities do not put up walls to keep the wandering stranger out, but instead have open doors where the stranger, even the aggressor is invited in to share a meal, given a bed to rest his body weary from traveling or fighting. This is a tough lesson for many to learn, but one that is very much needed if we are to ever heal the world we live in. Another tough lesson was in realizing that although we can show kindness to the stranger, we do not give him a key to our house. We have to protect the safety and the sanctity of those who truly dwell there. Not everyone who sits at our table will appreciate the kindness or the generosity they are shown. They may be there to steal the peace and harmony and everything you hold dear. Learn to discern who needs help and who is there to help themselves.
Our communities need to reach out, like spokes on a wheel or strands in a web. We can no longer be isolated and cut off. We need to connect with other communities who support healing and harmony. We need to bring the women’s circles together to teach our daughters and granddaughters. We need to bring men together in circles of sharing and teaching…we need to bring back the Rites of Passage to celebrate the births, coming of age, parenting and elderhood. We need to come together to share the songs and the stories..the histories and the dreams. We need to come together to share the most common element we share …. Life. There is nothing stronger in this world than life shared with a common goal.
True community is about fostering a spirit of love and sharing. When each of the members of that community begin to realize it is about coming together in the spirit of giving and sharing, not just receiving, that is when something wonderful begins to happen. This isn’t something that usually happens instantly. Those seeking community often come with only a need to receive. Many come feeling they have nothing to give because they have lost their sense of self, their confidence in self. Some are so new on their path of self discovery that they are still learning the lessons set before them and aren’t ready to share until they have started putting the pieces of their own puzzle together. And that is perfectly alright. As they get more involved, as they come to listen to the stories shared in a sacred circle and take the bits and pieces that help complete their puzzle they become stronger and begin to share their wisdom, they give their compassion and unconditional love.
From time to time there will be those who come only to tell others how much they know –(whether they actually do or not) and criticize or belittle those who are still in the learning and growing stages of their life lessons. Then there are others who come only sporadically. Those who are so sure they know everything there is to know that they don’t need to be a regular part of the community. Very often they do have vast amounts of knowledge, but take it with them and don’t bring that knowledge to the circles. They don’t see how that is wasted knowledge and does nothing to help strengthen the community or themselves. Community is about sharing…whatever it is of value that we have. Experience, wisdom, knowledge, resources, skills, …all these things contain the gemstones that become the building blocks of a strong, vital community. If they are not brought together…not placed as an offering on the sharing blanket, they serve no value…to anyone.
Community is about love…given and received.. Just like our blood families, we are going to have disagreements, we are going to have personality clashes, we are going to have different political and spiritual or religious beliefs that put us at odds with each other…and that is OK..that is how it should be…we are individuals, we are each unique and wonderful. We need to see those differences as healthy opportunities to use both sides of the brain. We need to use them as a lesson in exercising diplomacy, in practicing respect. We don’t have to always agree with each other … just imagine what a boring world that would be..if everyone saw everything in the same light.. if there were no differences of opinion or belief. We would not survive as a species if that were the reality we lived in! What we do not need to do is go to war over them. We do not need to create conflicts and engage in verbal attacks that serve no purpose other than to harm or tear down.
Respect the diversity…celebrate the differences.
Community represents a collective desire for something better...a desire for unity and harmony. Community is about coming together to build something that serves a higher purpose for all, not just for ourselves. Community is about coming together to carry on the legacies and the stories so that future generations will know their histories and carry them forward to their own communities. Communities bring together the children to sit at the feet of the grandmothers and learn the true meaning of the Great Spiral of life. It is where Mothers share the responsibility of raising children with hearts, eyes and minds open to all possibilities and realities. Community is a circle where the fathers protect and provide and share in the rearing of their progeny. Where mothers teach their sons to plant and forage and nurture, and fathers teach their daughters to hunt and to fight when there is a real threat.
And communities do not put up walls to keep the wandering stranger out, but instead have open doors where the stranger, even the aggressor is invited in to share a meal, given a bed to rest his body weary from traveling or fighting. This is a tough lesson for many to learn, but one that is very much needed if we are to ever heal the world we live in. Another tough lesson was in realizing that although we can show kindness to the stranger, we do not give him a key to our house. We have to protect the safety and the sanctity of those who truly dwell there. Not everyone who sits at our table will appreciate the kindness or the generosity they are shown. They may be there to steal the peace and harmony and everything you hold dear. Learn to discern who needs help and who is there to help themselves.
Our communities need to reach out, like spokes on a wheel or strands in a web. We can no longer be isolated and cut off. We need to connect with other communities who support healing and harmony. We need to bring the women’s circles together to teach our daughters and granddaughters. We need to bring men together in circles of sharing and teaching…we need to bring back the Rites of Passage to celebrate the births, coming of age, parenting and elderhood. We need to come together to share the songs and the stories..the histories and the dreams. We need to come together to share the most common element we share …. Life. There is nothing stronger in this world than life shared with a common goal.
Moving Through Grief
Our community in this past year has suffered more than its share of loss. Too many are still struggling to make sense of those losses and move on with life. I am never more than a thought away from feeling their pain and wanting to find something to help them process their grief. Then my niece posted an article on Facebook this morning about how God DOES give us more than we can bear and I had to think about that for a minute. How many times when you have been going through a major heartache in your life has someone told you "God will never give you more than you can bear". And you first instinct was to at least think how little they knew, or that the God they knew was different than the one who just took the world out from under your feet.
How could anyone look into the eyes of a mother who lost their child and tell her the burden of pain, guilt, uncertainty and loss that her suffering isn't more than she can bear. When they watch her moving through each day like she is a ghost herself how can someone actually tell her at that moment "it's all part of God's plan!"
There is no easy way through the pain. It is a second by second, day by day process to cut through the layer upon layer of pain to reach some level of relief, maybe a morsel of understanding. Some may never get there if they allow their loss to consume them.
We fight so hard against these soul killing events in our life. That makes the burden heavier and intensifies the pain. We fight with our gods/goddess or our angels to change it, to bring them back, we bargain for one more day, one more hour, one more breath. Then the reality sets in that we have nothing to bargain with, our pleadings are in vain and we unleash our anger on those same gods and angels and deny their existence and curse them as we would our own worst enemy. And we are still left trapped in our despair. It seems at that darkest moment there will never be joy, love or light again.
What can we do? First stop fighting the reality of what is. Accept that they are gone from this life, this existence. Their earthly vessel is gone. Their spirit never dies. Their consciousness never dies. The spirit of our loved ones will linger near longer than they should if we do not find a way to release the grief. When we bottle up our tears, try to keep them with us by tricking our mind into believing they are not gone...just in another room, or away somewhere on a trip, we trap their spirit here with us. Trapped in our pain and our grief right along with us. So you have to stop, remind yourself that the love you felt for them when they were alive would never have allowed anyone to cause them that kind of suffering....so why are you? They would not want you to dwell on the pain and have your life come to a halt. They would want you to accept life for what it is and move on in a way that celebrates every precious moment you had with them.
We have choices, free will in this life. When we suffer a loss that we think we cannot survive, we have a choice to give in, give up and let it take our soul. Become one of the real living dead, and I'm not referring to zombies here. We can choose to die and let the story of their life and our gifts die; or we can choose to carry on. It may be like carrying a boulder around at first, but everyday the stone gets smaller or your muscles get bigger, but soon...it is nothing more than a pebble.
Once you can begin to move into acceptance that it will be a while, maybe a long while that you are separated from them, you can begin to celebrate the time you had with them in this plane of existence. Begin to focus once again on things that gave you meaning and reconnect with the gifts that have gone dormant. As life begins to flow through your core once again, you will free their spirit to move on to be healed and move into a higher spiritual plane. They will be freed from the dull, heavy, torturous existence of this incarnation, and return to the light and source of all creation. Or you can hold on, one more day, one more hour, one more breath, and keep them from experiencing eternal love and Oneness.
Acceptance is the gateway to healing from loss. At first you can't see any possible way you will get there. It will not be easy, and it will take a conscious effort on your part. You will have to want to go on. You will have to find something to anchor yourself to that will give you the incentive to just get out of bed. Your family, your children...a purpose driven goal, creating a memorial. You may have to force yourself just to move, even to breathe in the beginning, but the more you drive yourself, the more you want to be free of the pain, of wanting their spirit to be released and free of your prison of pain and move into Acceptance, it will get easier. You will begin awakening each day not with that boulder crushing your chest, but with hope and anticipation of another day you will honor and create beautiful, joyful memories from your loss.
It is very important during this time to surround yourself with people who love and care for you and understand that it will take time for you to come to terms with your new life. Be careful of people who place their own needs and agendas ahead of yours and will take advantage of your vulnerabilities. Find a safe sacred container where you can talk about your loss and share what you are experiencing with others who have gone through, or are going through the same thing. Spend time with people who will help you remember how to laugh and feel joy again, who can help you awaken all your spiritual gifts, creative expressions and desire to feel alive and functioning again.
Seek out spiritual advisors, healers who can help you sort through all that you are going through. I emphasize the plural above. Not every healer, not every spiritual advisor will have the one exact answer you are searching for. But each one will bring a different perspective and bring healing on many different levels. The more spiritual and emotional support you can receive the sooner you will begin to heal. Your strength will return, your focus and purpose will return and you will become the safe place for someone else in pain, who will need you to help them find their way through the pain.
So is it god that sends us more than we can handle. I don't believe so. It is just one of the absolutes of life. We are meant to experience grief, sadness, pain and hopelessness. If we did not how would we ever find our strengths? How would we ever find our purpose? Grief is one of our best teachers about the meaning of life and who we are, what we know about our own potential, how far we can go. In the moment that may be the hardest realization to come to terms with. But as you begin the process of metamorphosis, breaking the shell of darkness that seemed more like a tomb than a place of renewal, you will change, transform into a beautiful butterfly.. Full of color, full of lightness, able to fly and taste all the sweet nectars of life. It is only by these experiences that eventually turn out to be soul cleansing instead of soul killing, do we get to fully experience the beauty and joy of life, and be grateful for the brief gift we were given with our loved one.
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