I was thinking that I would like to represent the essence of this time of year with a symbol. The next thing I knew, was an open book on my lap and The Goddess Lilith looking at me. She made it pretty clear that she was up for the job. She is a Sumero-Babylonian Goddess. The divine lady, often represented with the lower half of her body encompassed in flames. She is a wild, winged seer, full of hutzpah. She governs the birth, death and re-birth cycles, the transformation of energy. An owl is her attendant, she brings us the message… cast off the parts of the self that suppress and stand up to reclaim your power. Men, Women and all who occupy the gender spectrum, can relate to her strength and forceful nature. Reference- Genia Pauli Haddon’s book, Uniting Sex Self and Spirit

Have you ever wondered why the main figure in most fairytales do exactly what they were told not to do? “Don’t stray from the path” Red riding hood’s mother cautions her, then she directly gets lured off the path by some delectable berries. I always thought that I would do as I was told if I were her, because it would cause a lot less trouble for everyone. But when I reflect on my life’s decisions, I did not do what I was told and I made a lot of trouble and a lot of mess for myself and plenty of others. It is not wise to do what we are told, it is wise to break out and make mistakes. That is where the growth and the transformation happens. That is how we get to know ourselves. We learn how to make repairs and know our own inner voices.…

I am totally stuck right now, what is the average citizen going to do about the state of the world’s affairs? As I watch the horror show of the current events unfold in front of my face, I ponder the use of my energies. What would actually help at this time? And what is effective and useful work? Activism, Prayer, Revolution, Apathy, Denial, Community building, Ignorance, Self-foolishness, Entitlement? “I think this is the most urgent political task. Never before have we had to work politically with so much integration of our own psyches into the political process. We don’t have the luxury of just doing politics, of just doing good works on the outside and not living them on the inside, because anything superficial won’t hold.” From “When the Heart Speaks,” Deena Metzger interviewed by Elizabeth Good, April 1984 issue of The Sun Magazine. Real Self-work is one answer. Adjusting,…

For Detachment’s Sake An age old question, do people change over the course of their life time or not, some heavy material to suss out. The burden of consiousness develpoment is all yours to tinker with. There are plenty of resources to stick your nose in and people to question but in the end, it is comes down to you and You. Are you brave enough? To let your own ego identity break down and to come to the humble conclusion, that you do not even matter very much on this planet. It was never really about you, your family, your possesions, your stories and your career or anything like that. It is about something much greater. It is about the connection amongst you and other living things, that is what is important. That connection is what motivates incrimental movements of change within your personalilty. Love is probably the only…

Photograph credit: Ryan Niven Humility, being truly humble means not wanting anything for the self, pure devotion. untainted love and willingness to give without reward and return. This is not coming from the limited perspective of the ego, that needs to be pampered, preened and fluffed. This is coming from an entirely different world of concerns, not to be misconstrued for martyrdom and co-depency. This is giving of the self and not expecting or even asking for any kind of reciprocity. “This work of the spirit, it is the one who thinks less and has the desire to do less that accomplishes more. What we have to do is beg like those who are needy, when they come before a wealthy emperor and lower our gaze and humbly wait.” St. Teresa of Avila This is the work of loving. Loving the people in your lives, and the world of mysteries…

I just had a grotesque flashback of some vivid movie about black slavery in the Southern part of the United States. I wonder what can justify that kind of treatment of other human beings? Pop, another flashback, a scene in a Star Wars film. The rebel pilots say that all the bad things they have done and all the killing they have performed were justified because it was done for the right cause. The mind is a powerful weapon. All these horrible things happen and they are condoned because of what we believe. That doesn’t seem right but it is does seem to be how things work. There is a bumper sticker that I like a lot, which says “Don’t believe what you think”. It is a major emphasis of many spiritual practices to learn how to evade our own programs of mind control, to see the illusions of our…

I just visited the most amazing exhibit in NYC. The murals of the Lukhang Temple and the Potala Palace, Tibet. They were created in the 17 th century and kept secret for many years. The temple of the serpent water spirits. The vast landscape depicts copious images painted with ground mineral pigment, showing every aspect of human development from pre-conception through all stages and aspects of human existence on through death and beyond. There are Buddhas, Deities, humans, Demons and animals: the murals keep your eyes roving up and down and side to side, feasting on the raw, gory, beautiful pictures. They stir something deep within, foster a insatiable craving for comprehension. What were the intentions of these murals? I was so attracted to the pictures, that I almost could tolerate leaving them and had a strong desire to see them again. I enjoyed the radical pictures of demons, and…

Misfits and Fringe Dwellers Unite! The disease of normalcy has corrupted our internal structures of self, it has eaten away at our foundations and created a fever pitch of fear driven insanity. It all has gone so very wrong and we are now so far away from an even tempered way of living that we are hard pressed to find a balanced environment to surround ourselves in. Some people find small communities that comfort them and some isolate themselves, it is all traveling against the current. What would going upstream mean and changing the way the water flows? It would take a large mass of people sticking together and standing firm. How can we unite the fringe dwellers and the misfits of the world? The ones that always felt they were different that they were called by the whispers of their heart to do more and go further. The mantra,…

The goal of human existence is to be happy. A ragged declaration, the ultimate statement that defines our society. We have been indoctrinated, little rats to follow the siren call of the pied piper, you must obey. We will buy the big screen T.V, cover our blemishes with makeup, starve ourselves thin and if we tout the line, we will be happy. Yes sir, Yes ma’am I will do what you say, I will bend myself backwards for you. It doesn’t work. Well then I will fake it and pretend it is working and still keep trying to make myself thinner, smarter and buy even nicer things. I will tell my neighbors it is working so that by them coveting my happiness, it will make it more real for me.I will play this game as long as I can. It is still does not work. What am I doing wrong?…

It seems just recently that I have crossed over some invisible bridge of aging. No one really tells you that it is coming or when you will feel it, then one day it just happens. I look around and realize that the cafe is filled with 20 year olds planning their eco-fermenting businesses. The new veterinarian and orthodontist are about 28 years old. A whole new generation of professionals are coming up and the bulk of the baby boomers are retiring. I am not really old but all of sudden it feels that I am not young anymore. In one way this feels like a relief. Some of the competitive challenges of youth are fading. No longer do I feel not pretty enough or not smart enough. I have a enough life experience to not really pay attention to those whimsical thoughts. I know that there are good and bad…