We cannot redeem our physical environment without restoring our relationship to the sacred.

I put the question out there "If our thoughts become our reality, then where do we go from here?" And I think this is a pretty good answer.

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee writes in the Huffington Post, and has his own online blogs about
Green Spirituality, Nature, and Spiritual Ecology and Environmentalism. I recently found this article of his about our planetary crisis and our own inner spirit crises particularly relevant and articulate.

I just got turned on to him by a friend.

He Writes:Spiritual Ecology is an exploration of the spiritual dimension of our present ecological crisis. At the core of Spiritual Ecology is an understanding that our present outer ecological crisis is a reflection of an inner spiritual crisis. Recently many people have been made aware that we are at the "eleventh hour," or even a few minutes before midnight, of a global ecological situation that could result in catastrophic climate change or other irreversible global situations. However we are less aware of the inner spiritual crisis that underlies this outer crisis -- that a lack of awareness of the sacred within ourselves and within all of life has created an inner wasteland as real as any outer landscape. The interconnection between the outer and inner is foundational to life, both our individual life and the life of all of creation, as has been understood by indigenous peoples since the very beginning; therefore we cannot address our outer ecological crisis without a real consciousness of the inner situation. We cannot redeem our physical environment without restoring our relationship to the sacred.

Our collective pursuit of materialism and our disregard for the sacred within all of life has had a devastating effect. We have dismissed our ancient role as guardians of the planet. As a result, the sacred fire that we were supposed to keep burning, the light of the sacred that nourishes all of creation, is slowly going out. We can see this in a culture that is increasingly soulless and fractured. We may feel it in an underlying collective anxiety that can easily become anger, projected onto outer situations. We may sense it within our own soul as if something is becoming lost. And we are responsible. We vitally need to become conscious of what is happening to this sacred light. We need to recognize this growing darkness which is a forgetfulness of the sacred within our own souls and within all of creation. Only when we are aware of what is happening can we begin to change our world.

Those of us who have been given a knowing of the sacred within ourselves and within the world have a responsibility at this time. We may ask ourselves, "What can I do?" but the inner world primarily requires consciousness rather than action. It is the lack of an awareness of the sacred that is at the root of this crisis. Therefore we first need to bring the light of our spiritual awareness into the present predicament. We need to recognize what is really happening within the inner world as much as the outer, within our own soul and within the soul of the world. Only then can we begin to redeem the sacred and open the door to any real change or transformation. Only then can we begin to heal the world and bring it back into balance.

Send me your comments!!
OM Shanti and Many Many Blessings.

The Strength of Bear

My boyfriend told me the other day - (finding himself in a particularly difficult time of his life), that "when we see a bear, ...Everything will be okay".
I forgot about what he said, until I saw a bear yesterday. It is not often that I see a bear, and that was the first bear I've seen since I've been up here in the Chico Canyon!!
The Native Americans see 'Bear' as a symbol of Introspection.
Here's what Jamie Sams and David Carson say in the 'Medicine Cards' book for animal energies,

"In the winter, when the Ice Queen reigns and the face of death is upon the Earth, Bear enters the womb-cave to hibernate, to digest the year's experience."

Sounds good to me. It sounds like this is perfect timing for all of us to take Bear's message to heart, and enter the 'cave'. Many tribes have referred to this space of inner-knowing as the 'Dream Lodge' - where the veils of illusion of physical reality can drop away. In India, this Dream Lodge space (what we know to be located in the center of the four lobes of the brain - literally the Pineal Gland) is called the Cave of Brahma. It is said that here, our ancestors sit in Council and advise us regarding alternative pathways that lead to our goals.

"For eons, all seekers of the Dreamtime and of visions have walked the path of silence, calming the internal chatter, reaching the place of rites of passage... "

We've all been invited to enter the silence and become acquainted with the Dream Lodge, so that our goals may become concrete realities. This is the message that Bear brings!!

Love and Affection

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

She said she learned to 'Mop Dance' Today

How'd I ever get so lucky.??!!

Finding Beauty in all things, we reflect the divine within and outside of us!!



I think we are born knowing all the answers!! The secret's of longevity, the key to happiness - plain and unadulterated; we carry this knowledge with us at the time of our arrival here.

I'm certain the trick is - - not accumulating baggage along the way, and not forgetting the secrets to the great mysteries of the universe.

This little angel still knows!! What a blessing to have children. She reminds me every day how to trust in the divine order of things, and how to make lemonade out of life's lemons!! She mopped the floors for me and Dulcy, and learned how to dance with the mop. She's beautiful!!

Birthday Blessings

Repairing the Spiders Web

Right in the Midst of Fall. I am so thankful for the abundance she brings us!! I love the reminder of the 'slowing down' that the cooler weather and shorter days bring.

I've been reading Return of the Rishi by Deepak Chopra (one of his earlier books). He talks about returning to innocence as the key to re-connecting and repairing the broken world. Traits of trust, simple belief, and devotion are lost from us either in childhood, or somewhere along the way, and recapturing these is difficult and often seems impossible.
He refers to the process as being as delicate as repairing a torn spiderweb. Deepak quotes Emerson from his essay Nature:

"The reason why the world lacks unity, and lies broken and in heaps, is because man is disunited within himself".

How do we learn to trust again??
How do we learn to forgive??
Look within. That's where all the answers lie!! And how do we look within? By being still - by being quiet with the self. Stilling the mind, enough to hear Great Spirit - the Self - God, speaking to us!! Start with the breath.

• Listen to your inhales and get in touch with the quality of your exhales throughout the day.
  
• As you work, as you play, and as you create, pay attention more and more to your breathing. Notice how it changes.
  
  You can only stay TRULY, 100% focused on the breath when the mind is not thinking. The Yogis call it no Thought Breath.

Looking within is a beginning to repairing the delicate spider web of individual and collective innocence in each of us. I'm curious to know what other people think about this idea of restoring trust, and finding innocence once again.
Send me your thoughts, personal experiences, and comments on this topic or anything else.

For me:
Restoring my innocence took a gradual acceptance of myself simply as I am, and learning to be okay with that. Being able to see the child in everyone, helped me regain trust. How does the saying go?.. "Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves"...??

Sacred Medicine Bird

I prayed and asked Great Spirit for guidance.


Owl came to me and told me to use my powers of keen, silent observation to intuit my life situation. Owl brought me messages in the night over the past two weeks through my dreams and meditations; telling me to pay attention to the signals and omens.

- For the truth, no matter how hard it is sometimes to accept, brings further enlightenment, I am told.
Tonight owl befriended me in a very personal way, and helped me in seeing the total truth.


I got to be part of a team of researchers studying the saw-whet owls (we think) just passing through this area. This is the first year, that they have been able to put radio transmitters on the owls and track them to try to find out if these particular owls are sticking around for the winter, or are heading farther south. Hopefully their diligent studies will shed some light on the topic about these darling little beauties. They seemed so magical, calm, and very intelligent, as I got to watch the research team carefully bag the birds from the nets, collect all the data necessary, and then release the birds again; which I felt so privileged to participate in.
Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, had a companion Owl on her shoulder which revealed unseen truths to her. Owl had the ability to light up Athena's blind side, enabling her to speak the whole truth, as opposed to only a half truth.
"Owl is called Night Eagle on several medicine wheels used by Amerindian teachers. Traditionally, Owl sits in the East, the place of illumination."

"Owl hunts its prey at night. Not only can Owl see in the dark, it can also accurately pinpoint and identify any sound. This gives it a great advantage when seeking food. Owls are the night hunters. Some Native people are fearful of Owl and call its feathers "deceiver feathers." An Owl feather is silent. You cannot hear owl when it flies, but its prey definitely knows when it strikes, for its beak and talons are razor sharp." (Medicine Cards - Jamie Sams & David Carson)

I found looking into owls ears, when the feathers were pulled back, was the most amazing thing about these particular birds. The eyes and ears are asymmetrical (the owl expert told us) so they can pick up depth perception and pick up on slight movements from far away. The ears looked like large gills on the sides of the head, under the feathers, and you could see the back of the eye ball. Really cool looking!!