Your God must be so small having to carry the weight of his children’s hate, why not take responsibility for your own guilt and let him stretch his legs, You keep building walls around heaven thinking that is is us you are keeping out, guess again.. you are just locking yourself in… We are messy and we will keep writing on your walls messages of love and grace.. this place is too fucked up to keep putting up barb wire, wrapped too tight around your neck you only breath messages of hate, take down the walls and set a table of hope… let us sing songs of praise to the God in each other, brother… you see only the reflection of your own disgust directed at a God that is tired of carrying hate… let go, breath, take a seat, and lets watch the sun rise..
Smile
What makes you smile? What brings joy to your life? Leave your response in a comment below.
Poem 1 4/06/10
I am happy to be alive.
I am happy that tomorrow I have another day to appreciate the greatness in even the smallest things. The world brings us gifts wrapped in dandelions preparing to set sail, blow me a kiss and send me flying forward to carry your dreams to reality, kiss me softly like God’s gentle hand brushing away every tear I’ve cried for dreams not realized, but I finally realizing that the horizon is my own limitation, flatlining my own dreams not seeing the miracle that are birthed every time I open my eyes, every time I see a single blade of grass, kissing the sun through a concrete nightmare, I see my own small self reaching up towards the sun, showering in the rays of my own glorious light, shine bright…. light the sky with your life, what are you waiting for..
NaPoWriMo: Write, Write, Write…
So, I was just doing my usual Facebook surfing when I came across the NaPoWriMo (No, this is not Diddy’s new name). Basically this is National Poetry Month, and the idea is to write a poem a day for the entire month. You can visit http://www.napowrimo.net to see the list of amazing poets participating. So, being that I end up on the latter end of the curve, I am now 5 poems behind. Which means I must now double up on a few days. I learned that Hafiz wrote a poem a day for 40 years, so on those standards I am really behind.
Stay tuned my lovelies, here comes the poetry!!!
Reflections on 2012: Our DC Winter Wonderland
We braved the tundra today because I needed to get some Decaf from the 7-11. While venturing out the first thing we were hit with was the sense of isolation, the sense that we were the only ones, and you realize the true power of the elements.
It really brings to question how prepared we are for things to come. There are a lot of theories about 2012, and what will or will not happen. I feel that the universe is giving us time to prepare. We are having mini test runs of things to come, and how we react to these events will give us an approximation of where we are in our preparedness. I’m not only talking about having extra toilet paper, but where are we on our spiritual paths. When we see someone in need, to we offer to help, or do we just walk on by. We are all in this thing together, wether we like it or not. It is much easier to prepare now than to wait. I am going to start doing more discussion on the 2012 topic. There is so much information out there, and there is not a lot of honest discussion. When we are in a place where we can talk about what the future holds- good and bad- we start to eliminate fear. We being the process of becoming prepared to face anything.
For those of you who think nothing is going to happen, I only ask that you look to your newspapers, TVs, or backyards. The world is changing rapidly. We are more disconnected in this time than we have ever been in our past. Our reliance on technology has removed from us an important part of connection to others, and in turn to self. What if technology disappeared? How would you know what is going on in the world? How would you stay connected to those you love?
You are all loved. If you have specific questions about 2012 that you want to discuss, share below and I will post in response.
Becoming a Spiritual Activist
When we learn to move beyond ourselves and see the true interconnectedness of all, we learn that we have the power to change the world. We have become so disconnected from one another that it takes a great tragedy for us to awaken and see the need that is out there… why? We only need to look around us to see that the need for human connection is now, the time for peace in our own lives is now. We too often become so overwhelmed with focusing on what we cannot change that we do not start without our own hearts. If we see someone having a bad day, lets give them a smile, a hug, or a kind word. Money can only do so much, how about offering prayer. When a stranger reaches out their hand, and you have nothing in your pockets to give… offer love. Give them a kind word, see them as human, offer them light, offer them hope.
You only need to look around to see that these are desperate times for everyone. People are still losing their jobs, people are in financial struggle, but also people are awakening. Now is the time to open your eyes and connect with those around you. It does not take more than an open heart to being your journey as a Spiritual Activist… What are you waiting for?
Keeping Your Eye on The Prize by David Salisbury
Visualization is not a foreign word to anyone in the new age community. We see it pop up in instructions for meditation, pathworking, spell work, and a great number of other things. How many times have you heard the phrase “now I want you to imagine in your mind’s eye…” in a self help CD or even at yoga class? It sounds easy, right? Just imagine it in your head and POOF, you just practiced what is called “intentional visualization”, also called “creative visualization” or “mindlight”. Though people don’t talk about this very often, most people find that it’s not as easy as you may think.
Just as anyone with experience in meditation can tell you, it’s a concept that’s so simple yet can be a pain in the butt to get right if it doesn’t come “naturally”. Anyone can sit still and breathe, but can everyone keep their mind clear, their soul focused, and their brain-chatter quiet? Usually not. The same goes with visualization. If I tell you to imagine a bright red apple in your mind, what happens? OH, right there, you just did it! Now I want you to imagine the apple and only the apple. Now background, no thoughts associated with it, and no other meaning to it. Gets a little harder, doesn’t it.
For visualization to be effective and powerful, we need to do more than just “imagine it”. We had good practice with this by playing make-believe as kids, but as our hardened adult minds grew, our ability to see things in the mind, in the astral, shrank. Let’s try the apple again, but this time give it a little more “oomph”. When you see the apple, imagine how it would taste to you. Let your mouth salivate as if it’s right in front of you. How does it feel when you hold it in your hand? What does the crunch sound like when you take a big bite? By doing all of these things, we are engaging all of the five senses (plus our 6th) to bring the apple out of our mind and into the astral. And what happens in the astral, takes formation on the material. Speaking of that, don’t be surprised if you find you crave apples for awhile after doing that exercise! Remember that when we visualize, we are putting a thought into the universe, an energy that has a body. A prayer would be like the “soul” of the visual body. It helps move it forward and creates change in a tangible way much quicker. Next time you pray, visualize the intended outcome while you do so. See it happening in your mind like a movie. You can stop, rewind, and fast forward. Just remember to not let images of doubt, fear, or failure cloud your work or you’ll be putting road blocks up that your work will have to drive around before it can reach its goal.
Now that you have a basic understanding of the inner working of visualization, try it! If you find it’s difficult for you to imagine an image you’re not alone. Practice makes perfect. If you can’t clearly imagine the movie scenes, go back to the apple, or any simple image. It will come to you.
Meanwhile, remember to keep your thoughts in good order in your day to day life. Just as we can visualize things for our benefit, we can do so for our hindrance as well. When we imagine negative things, we’re essentially sending curses. And it would be silly to curse ourselves, wouldn’t it? When you see something negative, try thinking to yelling “cancel, clear!” and imagining a big red X. This can help cancel out your thought.
Do you have any tips or tricks for creative visualization? I’d love to hear them!
Blessed Be,
David
Being of service
If I have been of service, if I have glimpsed more of the nature and essence of ultimate good, if I am inspired to reach wider horizons of thought and action, if I am at peace with myself, it has been a successful day. – Alex Noble
How many of you have given to another today without the expectation of receiving anything in return? Did you hold the door for someone, did you tell the teller at the bank thank you? Did you acknowledge the beauty in the world around you?
In this time where many of us are held at arms length, it is time that we begin reaching out. It is time that we become personally invested in bringing light into the world around us. Technology, life, our own hang ups keep us at arms distance from one another. We forget that we share this planet with countless other souls. Put down the cell phones, log off your facebook profiles, and reach out. What happens if/when we do not have these electronic distractions?
The art of human connection has gone to the wayside, as with only the click of a button we can see the lives those around us, we can see all their likes and dislikes, and we never have to even meet them. This has robbed us of essence of what it means to connect. I agree that in this day and time, it is necessary to plug into technology. It is wonderful that in a click we can donate funds to help those that are suffering in Hati and in other situations. Do not forget that with only the extension of a hand you can help someone in need, give a shoulder to someone to cry on, or just give a hug to someone that may feel down.
I hope you all have a wonderful start to your week! Leave your comments below! How do you connect with others? How are you of service to others?
Poem flow, little raw… but, it is…what it is. :-)
Each day I wake up to the beauty of an every expanding moment, an ever-expanding opportunity to be part of this great big inhale… we breath in moments of glory, let us exhale moment of love…. we breath in moments of pain… let us breath out moments of salvation… we breath in moments of loneliness… let us breath out oneness… ONE singular breath meditating to the heartbeat of the Earth, because even-though we’ve done so much to kill her, she’s still breathing, believing that one day we will change, believing in us, even when we’ve given up on each other… The sun wakes up each morning just to kiss your cheeks, the sky sometimes cries because we forget how beautiful we are… and we are beautiful. When you look in the mirror who do you see looking back at you… look beyond the flesh and the many broken things that litter our front yards… and sometimes it takes more than a coat of fresh paint for us to feel beautiful… but we are beautiful. And if mother earth can keep carrying us on her back and father sun can keep kissing our cheeks… we have to believe that somewhere down the road, we will start believing in us to….
A Personal Story of a 10 Year Journey by David Salisbury
The air was cool but fast, as it whipped through the woods on a clear early-December sky. The soft waves of the stream brushed up against the rocks. Some of its cold droplets fell on a collection of small cloth and paper nearby. The young boy took in the scents and sounds of the chilled woods around him. Inhaling deeply, savoring each cleansing breath, just as the book instructed him. As he found his place of center, looking upward he began the words. “I dedicate myself, in this place that is not a place, in this time that is not a time, between the worlds but in all the worlds.” Pausing to breathe again he continued, “I dedicate myself, with perfect love and trust, with honor and reverence, to the great spirit which animates all things: earth, air, fire, and water”. The boy uncapped a small vile of sweet scented oil and anointed his forehead, then wrists. “By the earth that is her body, by the air that is her breath, by the fire of her living spirit”. He let out one last exhale…”So mote it be”. The boy closed his eyes and felt the wind whip up, stronger, and with more intention blowing out the small candles of the circle. The branches of the tree’s whistled and sang. The woods were speaking. Everything was alive, vibrating with energy and life. Connected, in tune, and with purpose.
And so began my journey on the path of The Goddess, the path of the Witch. It is hard to believe that ten years has gone by since that December evening, the night of my “Dedication” to the Old Ways, as we call it. It is hard to say exactly what called me to this religion. I don’t think I chose it, I think it chose me. I didn’t know many others, save for a few who pointed me in the right direction when I wanted to learn. I just knew that there was something “more”. I was always fascinated with spiritual things. I prayed and attended Christian youth groups as it honestly did interest me in general, but there was no connection. Religion means alignment and connection, and I didn’t feel like I was aligning myself with anything. I would best describe my past practices and spiritual upbringing as “worshipping air”. There was no substance, no form for me. I craved more.
I was lucky enough to have a series of people placed into my life at that time to point me in the right direction. Sure, Wicca was pretty widely accepted ten year ago but so much has changed. Information placed on the internet was usually sketchy and it was difficult to discern what information you could trust. Add to that the fact that I had to save up my $1.25 lunch money for books, and you can imagine my frustrations. School life made things very difficult. I even had a teacher in the 7th grade who confiscated a copy of “Teen Witch” by Silver Ravenwolf (one of my very first books) calling it “inappropriate reading material”. God forbid something teaching a youngster about personal responsibility and respect for nature be read in the classroom! Then the classmate taunting. Oh how cruel children can be. The death threats quoting scripture referring to Pagans deserving death poured in. It was more like a 90’s inquisition than a school. When I defended myself with words, I was put in detention from other kids claiming I had “threatened to curse them”. Yes, that really did happen once. But I persevered. I learned about metal exercises designed to deflect negative energy, to bind harm, and to heal my emotions. Over time, their words lost power and I regained my own.
As mother read more and became more comfortable with my new “thing”, I was able to start developing a daily practice and reach out to the Pagan community. For awhile I attended “Teen Wiccan Wisdom”, a Charlotte-based youth group for Pagan teens sponsored by Shamans of the Willow Moon Coven. Through them, I learned about disciplined study, ritual work, and using my religious beliefs to help me grow into a responsible, compassionate young adult.
Into high school the hardships varied and we’re less intense than middle school. I was able to handle things much better. I was starting to realize that the opinions of others didn’t matter to me and that my connection with myself and the divine was what needed to be made a priority. The “personal responsibility” aspect of the craft really came into play here. And through it all, I emerged with many different career ideas, ready to take on the world. The magick did help too. Memory augmentation charms for exams, spells of truth and discernment in dealing with tough relationships, things like that.
My understanding of magick now-as a daily art and science-is much different. I find now that everything is magickal and has very different sides. I no longer see the world as black and white and either “cruel or kind”. The experience of working with this energy has taught me that there are so many different layers and aspects to things. I know now that when seemingly “bad” things happen to me, it isn’t because something hates me or I did something wrong. I think of it in terms of the goddess Brighid. She forges the steel of being in her cosmic “flame”, bettering her skill and tools. When I am “thrown into the fire”, something is being transformed for the better in it. It’s that process of hardship that refines, that polishes away all the extra “stuff” so I can shine. That is probably one of the deepest and most valuable things that Witchcraft has brought me to understand.
The community has been kind to me. Through the years I’ve had the pleasure of learning from and being in circle with some prominent Pagan elders in our community like Starhawk, Dorothy Morrison, Christopher Penczak, Janet Farrar, Gavin Bone, and Jamie Wood. I’ve been on radio shows, had articles published, and am pleased to announce I’m working on a book (once I nail down a publishing agent). It’s been such a joyous experience and I can hardly believe how much I’ve learned and how much I’ve changed. As I go forward and past my 20’s, I’m looking forward to another 10 years of magick, mystery, and growth. Sure, I may burn some potions along the way and there may be times when I fall off the broomstick, but I know now how to get right back on it again.
I have so much to be thankful for. My life is so much richer and filled with so much more substance than I could have ever imagined. I feel and experience the divine in everything I do now. It’s in the subway on my morning commute and it’s in my dreams when I fall asleep. There’s a known Wiccan proverb that says “She [the Goddess] changes everything She Touches. Everything She touches changes”. And she has. May I always be changed, may I always be transformed, and may the world be a better place because of it. Here’s to 10 more years and beyond.
Blessed Be
Tending the mystery 