Exploring Aspects in 200 words

An on-line acquaintance posted about aspects of her spiritual journey yesterday in groupings of double-drabble (200 word) paragraphs. (Why I am an ___, in 200 words or less). Another on-line friend responded with four aspects of what makes her a unique person whose footprint upon this earth will be imitated by none. I thought I'd take a quick turn and see what I could do with this, interspersed by pictures, of course.

Musician and Music Appreciator –

An adopted child of people from Vienna, music was always a part of my life. No “Rock-a-by Baby” lullabies for me, though. No, the tunes sung and hummed while mother danced with me in her arms were waltzes by Strauss, music by Oppenheimer, and of course some Mozart and Wagner. I grew up listening to rehearsals by symphony and chamber orchestras. I attended operatic performances inspiring me to sing my speech for weeks on end. I sat at a piano keyboard as soon as I could stretch across the keys and when a cello was first placed in my hand and my first note sounded, I knew I had found my anchor. Although I am not actively playing instruments any more for a variety of reasons, music is still important in my life. Classical music is always on in my car, I search YouTube for recommended contemporary music because I rely on the guidance of friends for a broader musical score. And every story I write always has music underpinning the words – even this one. Yes, I consider myself a musician, but more than that, I consider myself a music fan in all of its many forms, shapes and hues.

by Sara Nadeau

Artistic Interpreter –

When I was a young child I discovered that I could express my feelings through the visual arts. It is still my primary form of worship because through the works of my hands, eyes and spirit I celebrate the Powers who direct my life. My greatest happiness is to look at the artistic works of others and then return to my own studio to continue in my own endeavors. As a girl I worked with paints, pastels, pencils and clay. As I grew up I shifted into braiding elaborate braids with leather, embroidering and collage/decoupage. I always wanted to try stone carving but could never find a good studio and tools to use, but I worked with wood and leather, making a variety of items both useful and attractive. My art always was a foundation of my life, but the means of expression changed with my disposable income. For several years now I have been slowly accumulating the tools and equipment I want for the last twenty-thirty years of my artistic life. For the ending of my lifespan, as my body grows colder and less flexible, I’ll be working more with fire and molten glass, metals and color – always color.

Writer, Author, Reader –

If I wasn't born with a book in my hand, I should have been. From the time I was a small child I was raised with a love for books. My father believed strongly in the power of the written word and raised me with Greek Mythology as my bedtime stories. My father always wrote – stories, screenplays, and towards the end of his life, textbooks. My mother always read popular books – nothing earthshaking but she always had a book at her bedside. I had my nose in a book from the time I could read and have always written here and there. Because I despise handwriting anything, I have a trail of discarded journals behind me. The best gift of my youth was a manual typewriter. Suddenly I had a tool for writing and I never looked back. Many disastrous literary adventures and scholarly texts were pounded out on my typewriter, but I never actively sought to write fiction until a few short years ago. Now I am a published author, working on more submissions as well as a novel with another one in the wings. I have a broad group of on-line friends who share this addiction. How wonderful!

I wasn't quite this young when I got my first typewriter, but I wasn't
any older than ten years old. It was one of the best gifts of my life.

Spiritual Believer and Worshiper –

I was raised by parents who were, at best – agnostic, at worst – atheistic. The trauma of being Jewish in Europe during WWII never truly left my parents. It was part of their foundation and the reason why I had few living relatives remaining. Mother turned her back on God believing that any deity who would allow the murder of more than six million of his “chosen” people did not deserve her worship. I can’t say that I disagree. This lack of directed “popular” religious training allowed me to choose my own path. I explored everything – Christianity (several denominations), Judaism, even Buddhism. After many years I met the man I call brother – a full-blood Lakota Sioux and acknowledged spiritual leader. My steps on the Red Road helped finalize my divorce from traditional religions. Although I no longer worship at those altars, they taught me to acknowledge and to recognize the Powers. Today I am proudly Pagan. The Powers are everywhere in this world – they are multifaceted and their strength flows through each moment of life with a pulse that forms the heartbeat of Earth. This rhythm guides my thoughts and steps. It inspires my art and music. It forms my love.

I am so grateful for the life I've been granted and experience joy in each sunrise.

So there you have it – four different 200 word explanations of who I am and why I walk the pathway that I do. For better or for worse, this is me. 

Sleep? What's Sleep?

Obviously my body is squirrely - it has no idea that people are supposed to be sleeping at 2am, especially when I only went to sleep at 10:15pm - not very many hours previously. But I tossed and turned for 15 minutes upstairs, then went downstairs to see if changing to the couch would let me get another hour of sleep. No go! So, I'm operating on four hours today and I know I'll regret this BIG TIME by the end of the day. Crazy. You would think I'd at least get some writing in, and I do have one story out for beta and two others in the works, but I'm just catching up on Emails and posts from the weekend. Silly me!

The US Post Office had some special painting on selected mail boxes when they introduced their Star Wars stamps a few years ago. This little R2D2 was one of them - too sweet!

I did finish the bead weaving for my larger repair yesterday, and am just down to weaving in the loose ends before completing it totally. It was an interesting project, but would have been much faster if several people who had never worked on that type of project hadn't tried to "fix" it in the past. Their "fixing" caused me to have to double the time I had to take to get everything repaired. Now I have one more repair pending, then I can work on my own stuff again, just in time to mail things out for the holidays. Crazy! I'm still searching for the computer file where I put last year's holiday card addresses, so...if you want to receive a holiday card from me and haven't already Emailed or PM'd your addy to me, please do so. Also, I post this blog in three different places, so if you responded to one of the earlier call-outs I made on different hosting services, don't despair. I have those addys, it's the 2010 ones I'm missing.

I wake up each morning with a look at the Astronomy Picture of the Day and thought I'd share Saturday's pic with all of you just for the beauty of it. The pic, entitled "Light Echoes from V838 Mon" is a Hubble photo from February 2004. Isn't it just stunning? It's views like this that make me think the universe has to have a much greater mind than my own puny one behind it. Whatever name I put to it, I believe in the power of the Song and the Love, and isn't that all that's important?

Santa Claus Exists...Doesn't He?

Of all the things I love best about Solstice time, I love Santa Claus. He has gotten a bit too tied up with the commercial aspect of the holiday, but who can turn their back on this jolly, immortal being with the infectious laugh and the bright smile? Even though children often freak out when they are finally close to him to tell him their holiday wishes, as an adult, I wish I had that opportunity again. Just to sit on the lap of someone who actually knows everything and has an arm around you buffering you from the world at large, it sounds so wonderful.

Another thing that I love about the Holiday season are all of the holiday television specials. Last night I laughed along with "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and the Shrek Christmas special, both of which are delightful. My husband called it a green Christmas night. Tonight I'll get "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Go Bumble!) and then at 9pm, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (hey, I can admire beauty and those wings...oh my!!).

I have stories to write, presents to make, specials to watch, cookies to eat. So far this Holiday Season is truly bright. Oh...and my glass saw arrived yesterday at the shop and is now in my living room, boxed up, waiting for Christmas morning before I open it. Then I'll have to find space for it in my glass area which is quite crowded as it is. I'll figure something out, but I'm not quite sure what at this time. I'll make a home for it though.

Tunnels

So today I have my root canal.  I awoke this morning looking at the experience similar to looking at a tunnel.  This tunnel has an ending - an opening at the other side that I will exit from, and in six hours or so, I'll be back home, recovering, and I'm sure I'll be feeling much better in the long run.  It's a guarantee that I can't continue with the pain I've been in.  I can't eat anything hot or cold, and just biting causes twinges of pain.  I'm tired of taking high-powered pain meds, I want my life to return to "normalcy".  Yes, I know that's a laugh - there is no normalcy IN my life, but it's a goal, right? 

So I have an opening at the end of my tunnel, and that's a good thing.  There are many situations that people can find themselves in that have no escape, where the end of the tunnel is bricked off and they are trapped.  I feel very fortunate that I am not in a situation or country where that would be the case.  So while I am not looking forward to this dental procedure, I still send my heart out to my fellow women across the world who find themselves in situations where they are trapped - trapped in bad marriages, trapped by war or disease, trapped by being female in a world where that is one step above the value of a cow, or worse.  I will concentrate on how very lucky I am and I will thank Spirit for having placed me here in this time and place, with those around me who support me and help me.  I am blessed. 

Prayers For Japan

I had a restless night, waking at 1:00 am.  I went downstairs to the couch to finish sleeping there and for some odd reason (probably because I was tired - DUH) I set my small alarm for an hour and fifteen minutes.  So when it went off closer to 2:30 am, I got up and went downstairs to realize that instead of my norm, I had turned my computer off for the night.  I turned on my computer and the TV and wondered why I wasn't hearing the news....  Then I looked at the clock on the computer and realized I could go back to sleep for an hour.  I went back upstairs, set the small alarm for another hour, but only managed another 45 minutes.  I'll be a wreck tonight, but this short stints of sleep followed by sleeplessness is swiftly becoming my norm and I don't like it.  There is some stress somewhere in me that I'm just not finding and can't conquer that is affecting my sleep habits to my detriment. 

When I finally got to the computer and the news, I heard about the Japanese earthquake which had struck shortly before.  The news sources can't agree on the strength of this earthquake - estimates range from 7.9 to 8.9.  Either way, it was strong and seriously damaging with tsunami waves crashing over the north island and extended throughout the entire Pacific ring. 

I don't think that the Earth and Spirit are very happy with our stewardship right now and they are making their unhappiness felt.  Earthquakes, major ones, have been happening more frequently over the past year or so.  And there have been other major weather changes - increased warmth in Antarctica, and increased snow in the snowbelt of the US and Canada.  Tornadoes are increasing, rain in general is increasing causing more flooding,   My prayers go out to the people, but also to our world who is trying so very hard to get us to pay attention to her. 

10 Things I Hate

Hate is such a strong word and I am reluctant to focus on negative thoughts at 4:00 am, but I'll try. 

1 - I hate oppression of those who are perceived weak.  This includes the oppression of women and children, as well as those who are handicapped in any form.  Those who oppress are on power trips and ego trips and personify true evil. 

Hitler was the personification of evil in last century.  Who will be

the evil for our current century? 

2 - Speaking of evil I hate it in all forms.  I fight it where I can and refuse to succumb to it.  Sometimes standing up against evil is frightening, but it has to be done.  And if I lose my possessions or my life through standing up against evil, I will have lost for the right reasons.  I do not want to live in a world ruled by evil. 

3 - I hate those who take this wonderful and amazing world that we live on for granted.  Those who throw trash out of their car window, those who place graffiti on the rocks in national parks, those who throw empty beer cans in the streams and rivers.  Shame on them! 

Puppies are just SO cute!

4 - I hate those who abuse animals.  Those plants and animals who share this world with us should be cherished and welcomed as partners in this life.  Do you want to know about a person?  Check out their attitudes towards animals and plants. 

5 - I hate people who exploit children.  Children are our most precious asset and should not be sold into slavery either for work or sexual slavery.  Children should be protected and allowed to experience a true childhood in a loving family. 

6 - I hate people who exploit people for sexual superiority.  It is not sexual pleasure, it is total exploitation.  It is far different than consenting adults participating in sexual games that benefit both parties, I hate those who are placed in these sexual situations against their will just so that their partner can find release. 

7 - I hate liars.  There is a difference between tact and small untruths and true lies.  True lies should not be tolerated by those who hear them.  Do you hear this, politicians? 

8 - I hate politics.  It has its' place in the world, but I despise it.  The reality is that if someone actually wants to run for office of any kind, they probably are the worst person for the job.  But, that said, once they are in office, sometimes they can grow into that position and truly become responsive to those who they represent. 

9 - I hate people who do not communicate; those who think that they are always right and will not listen or even try to understand other viewpoints.  People with this type of tunnel vision are dangerous people. 

I love the Dalai Lama.  His pure joy in his beliefs of Spirit and people

is infectious.  Spirit should be joy! 

10 - I hate many aspects of "organized" and "mainstream" religion.  There are many parts of the many religious views practiced in this world that are worthwhile and true.  But there are also too many people who walk the road of "souls at any cost" which sends fear to my heart.  I am deeply spiritual, but I walk my own path as I hear the Song.  I have no intention, now or any other time, of fitting into the box provided by organized religion.  The fact that I don't walk their road does not mean that I don't believe in Spirit, but they see all those who don't walk their road as damned and evil.  I respectfully disagree.  In older days, I would have been burned at the stake for my beliefs.  That's quite frightening, isn't it?