A Search for Solace ~ COVID 19 ~ Panmenic

I've not written in this blog for over four years.  It might be time to start again...

 Red Lunar Dragon/ Imix, Tone 2

Many of the inhabitants of this planet have suddenly come to the realization that no matter how we resist the idea: We Are One. We are a Global Community. 

This idea, this fact of oneness, in the last few days and months, has become known to us as the Coronavirus, where nearly 4,000,000 global cases have been confirmed to date and 257,000 deaths reported. In the US alone, over 1,200,000 cases confirmed, with 77,000 deaths recorded in the last two months.  

This devastating pandemic has caused unimaginable deaths, amateurish preparation, partisan division and unbelievable chaos. Biased quibbling over saving the Health and Well Being of the American Public or Protecting  the Wealth of Portfolios has escalated into one deadlock after another. Stay-at- Home orders are high among states governed by Democrats and Get-the- Economy-Back by Republicans.  Rallies are taking place at state capitols with Nazi and Confederate signs, disregard for social distancing and armed protestors wearing flack jackets, shouts for Freedom!, even challenges at hospitals toward  Essential Medical Workers.

Businesses have been shuttered and hospitals overwhelmed. Social distancing is taking its toll in many forms: Employers without clients or customers, employees without jobs, children out of school, teachers without students, excess drinking, eating and loss of sleep, families locked in their homes and thousands and thousands of people dying with no loved ones near.  Everyone alone. 

This toxic environment begs the question: how can we tear ourselves away from the gut wrenching news, the division of strategies and our isolation to search for solace?

I as many others (in an effort to keep from drinking ourselves to death!) have resorted to methods we know work but have shelved as lives seemed too busy or our desolation not as pressing. Now, it's pressing! We have called upon  meditation, yoga, walking, running, reading and yes, Netflix.

My GoTo, on and off, for nearly 20 years has been the Mayan Oracle or Calendar.  A few weeks ago I dug out the glyph cards and tone markers, pictured above.  Today is Red Lunar Dragon or Imix, Tone 2: I Polarize in Order to Nurture, Stabilizing Being.

Trying to bring the pandemic into focus, this is a reflection on what  that statement might mean to me today.  Take a look at this link first, scrolling down the page to : Lunar Tone 2 Polarize ~ Stabilize ~ Challenge...

If in fact Tone 2 does this "... encourages:  Stabilize challenge by receiving opposition as a catalyst to strengthen your truth. Embrace challenges as stimulating soul growth!"  ...we couldn't be closer to the dragon's mouth grappling with embracing a challenge if we tried! But, this embracing has currently become duality.

The next line is soul growth...in order to escape from duality we are encouraged to search deeply into our moral fiber for the yin and yang of this pandemic. May we allow ourselves to focus on what we can do to protect ourselves, our family and those we might come into contact with. Practice keeping in virtual contact with those we love and physical contact with those who live with us.  Allow ourselves to enrich our soul and stabilize our being with music or reading or meditation or anything that takes our mind  from the chaotic, frightening and contradictory elements currently surrounding us.

Then. Breath. Close your eyes. Take a walk outside . Pick a flower.  Be steadfast in your determination to question your beliefs, rising to Do No Harm. 

Take a moment to read Tone 2 again, see if you can glean any ideas that resonate differently with you now.  You are your own decision maker.

That's all for now folks, hope to be back soon, jb

A Question for White People

Unarmed Black Men Killed by Police

Would you be happy to be treated as most Black citizens in this country are treated?

Yes? .....No?

Minneapolis, Cleveland, Chicago, Baltimore, New York City, Ferguson, Waller County Texas: Jamar Clark, Tamir Rice, Laquan McDonald, Freddie Grey, Eric Garner, Michael Brown & last but not least Sandra Bland. These cities and these names should be on the tip of your tongue. These murders in the last couple of years have all been documented on video cameras, yet not one police officer has been convicted of a crime, most have not been charged:  Reasonable Justification. When is this going to change?

We  White people are deluged with mountains of information assuaging our guilt and justifying our attitude as to why more black people than white are  unemployed, under-educated, stopped for traffic violations, arrested, sent to prison and killed by police. Statistics laden with facts confirming our White Supremacy dictum : All Lives Matter....as long as they aren't Black. The time has come for us to Own our Racism, admit to ourselves and the Black community:  The United States of America is a White Supremacist Racist Country.

Now, we, the White People Already in Motion, must gather our wits and work with relentless energy to change these everyday circumstances for Black citizens. We must courageously acknowledge the depth of the injustice taking place all around us. Perhaps we can't see it in our own community. It's frequently hidden from us as we live our safe and rather uneventful lives, in our quiet white neighborhoods, children and grand children attending schools in our white districts, not too many of us are unemployed, mostly we are pretty much okay. I feel confident in saying, however, there is an ongoing fear for Black people in our own city of an unprovoked hostility from the police. When is the other shoe going to fall. When is it going to happen to them.

It's my understanding there were over 1100 unarmed black men killed by police in this country in 2015. Details Here from the Guardian. As activists, our focus should begin with the police forces of our own cities, inquiring into procedures, training, and accountability for shots fired.  Lansing has had at least two incidents recently involving police and fatal shootings, December 2014; Randy Minier and this Christmas Eve TerrozzoaTyree Griffin. The officer who shot and killed Minier was cleared in fatal shooting. The 12 officers involved in the killing of Griffin are currently on administrative leave. It's true, a career in Law Enforcement is difficult, but it is not the career for the unstable. or untrained. Summarily, when an investigation takes place it must be from an unbiased source. Organizations who work hand in glove, do not file criminal charges against the hand that feeds them. In addition, Guns Everywhere is certainly not a solution. 

My original question came from viewing this thought provoking video [I was unable to locate who this woman is or when the video was created, however those facts have little bearing on the content]: A Question for White People. Maybe we don't understand the question...or maybe we do. What steps can you and I take to create change?

I found the info on the woman; Here is the Frontline link to R.J. Elliott's discussion of racism. A Class Divided originally filmed between 1968-1970....

Santa ~ Someone to Trust

The little girls have been begging me to get the ornaments out. I finally relented. The first tub they dug out was labeled  Boxed Decorations, Old.  So, the task of decorating the house for Christmas has begun: Santas by the dozens, nativity scenes, angels, and stockings. Holiday treasures, placed in the same location year after year. Tradition. We've always done it that way.

That's just the way it is...I had just finished arranging the garland and lights on the banister, with the original faded old fashioned garland I'd used since we moved here 30 years ago, when a troubling thought struck me while totting one more tub up the basement stairs ...if I do not believe the myth of Christianity, is it wrong to display Christian objects in my home and call the holiday Christmas?

I grew up with these symbols in my home and dutifully raised my daughters likewise. I'm attached to time honored traditions. But, as I grew older the Biblical story didn't jibe for me, and eventually I heard someone say,  "God isn't what you think, and Jesus cannot save you."  I was sold and gave up on Christianity completely. After dabbling in several religions  I came to realize all faiths tell a similar tale of their Messiah. It's a story of comfort mostly with a little bit of damnation thrown in to keep us on our toes. Nevertheless, I never went back to Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac, Noah and the Ark, two by two by two...and of course the virgin birth... truly too much to handle... but I have treasured a few precious symbols. This tree top angel has adorned my Christmas tree my entire life. Always on my mother's tree, then a few years after I was married I found the same angel at Richter's Garden Supply. Nearly all of my 70 years it has been a symbol of the happiness of Christmas, not so much as sacred, but nostalgic.

Anyway, as I was sorting out the decorations and considering this conflict, another question came to me...was what I am doing, giving recognition to a religion I no longer believed in, any different from Southerners clinging to a symbol of  their culture, the Confederate flag? Who knows why I thought of it, too much social media I suppose, and apparently liberals delight in anxiety so it's logical I'd fret about some issue! Nevertheless, just for a second, I got a glimpse of the attachment. All cultures persist in maintaining the glory of their heritage. We teach our children and our grand children what is ingrained in us. We trust it as truth. We believe it.We create heroes.  God only knows religious zealots have killed and been killed forcing their ideology upon others. Similarly, the racial clash and white supremacy has ravaged our country for centuries.  Neither religion nor racism has found harmony. We find ourselves idolizing actions which have brought untold suffering. Religions, Ideologies, Manifest Destiny. It's a bloody path and it's not over.

These symbols and biases...traditions... are part of who we are. As a nation and a culture we continue to kill around the world, claiming our righteousness. On a smaller scale, we resort to verbal attacks inciting fear and hatred. I find it in myself, begging, no, demanding, my point of view be validated. Hypothetically we profess to change the world one step at a time. We cling to it, although it's not been proven , it seems self evident ...humans killing humans is inhumane! Or maybe not, some might say... It's always been done that way. 

What is the answer? How do we put the happy in Happy Holidays? 

Head in sand? 

Buy a bunch of crap? 

Continue along our Merry way, singing Joy to the World?  

It's beyond troubling, no matter whose telling it, the age old story of Peace on Earth Good Will Toward Men, ain't happenin', not right now, not in my lifetime.

To keep from pulling the covers over my head, a long time ago, I swapped out one tradition for another, putting my faith in Santa...and a beautifully trimmed Christmas tree, kookie brittle, poppy seed bread and presents under the tree...activism, intellect, perseverance, the environment & consciousnesses rising....family & friends...a great meal once in a while and Cabernet more often. For now it's all I can do. So, Merry Christmas to All!  I hope it's enough because the kids are counting on me. They are counting on all of us, aren't they, because everyone believes in Santa Claus.  jb

PS. I owned a Confederate flag once. I was newly married and  had just moved from Nebraska (via Michigan) to North Carolina in 1965. It was a symbol of the South. I had no clue. Thankfully it's no longer in my possession...but I do have the nativity set, which I let the little girls play with. They set up the figures and create their own stories...things do change.

(I think I just wrote my Xmas letter. Besides the ranting, how am I doing?...I'm good.)

The Amazing Seed

 "...all seeds hold the holographic power of their completion" ...

Solar Seal

   #4 ~ Yellow Seed

The Power of Touch

"When we bring peace to all that we do, everything becomes an act of healing. Let us express our artistry, craft and skills as a means to uplift ourselves, our community and our environment." 

Taken directly from Blue Hand ~ Solar Seal #7

Our Life is a Model

Cracking the Harmony; sevennotesofgrace.com

Harmonize ~ Model ~ Integrity "...in all circumstances and situations and conditions one should try to harmonize with one's fellow creatures."

On occasion it's possible to close our eyes and visualize the sound of harmony, in music, as the photo eludes, a wonderful sensation of contentment or rightness fills our being, a complete and utter sense of perfection. Fears of world chaos, destruction and power slide into the ether. Peacefulness does and can  exist. It's possible to go there. Grasping these moments may ultimately be our salvation.

The two readings today, Tone Eight and #17 Red Earth set forth such comforting images to begin a wintry day, cold, yet activity is demanded. Out we go into the elements, expending energy to continue the work of  harmony. For me, a world without killing. I don't know why humans continue to kill humans. It is a question which baffles me. Other mammals do not kill their own (one on one, yes, but not  en masse)...I just don't get it.  What happens to eliminate the human to human connection? These are the questions which disrupt our harmony, the questions which put the world in chaos. And so, we continue our efforts to model our values.

Many of my friends and I will be participating in the Eyes Wide Open Exhibit today, hosted by Red Cedar Friends. A reminder all is not harmony. Whatever your tasks today, may the intention of integrity prevail and inspire.

The Growing of the Cold

01.01.2015 _Đurđica Marković

Month of January--smoky is the vale;
Weary the wine-bearer; strolling the minstrel; Lean the cow; seldom the hum of the bee.
__anon. Welsh Poem

The Twelve Days of Xmas and the Prelude

This of course will not be a traditional reflection as I've given up on religion in general and Jesus in particular, ie: god isn't what you think and Jesus cannot save you. That being said however, I read several wonderfully thought provoking pages this morning in the Celtic Spirit which I feel compelled to share with you. Share because one of the references mentioned taking time and space to be who we are. To actually push aside the pressures of an often frantic season and reflect on who we are or who we wish we were or in fact who we portray ourselves to be.  For me it's been a difficult year: a sister and former husband dying, a four year relationship ending, a weight loss regained and wine consumption beyond the parameters of  personally acceptable. I say this out loud because to me they seem difficult, then I compare it to any current news topic (just pick one, Ferguson, Garner, CIA Torture Report, Immigration Reform, Ebola, Any Country in the Middle East, North Korea....the list tumbles off the page),  and my life is a piece of cake in comparison. But it isn't of course, just like your life probably isn't either. We are forever trying to solve some pressing issue deep within us, sometimes making headway, sometimes failing. The key is to keep coming back.

Somehow taking time to create this entry, when I have a list a mile long to prepare for a house full of festivities, just seems like something I should really do. Something which brings me back to what I really enjoy, which is writing. And just when I'm sure I read an email and this appears One of the important opportunities of this solstice and new moon is to work on releasing all disappointments, regrets and dissatisfactions from the past year.  It's all tied together, it's a circle, we are one human family on one planet earth.....

So...my intention for these next few days is to share some of the insights from this book, which,  toward the end of December, focuses on the solstice, hearth & home, and being human. Those would be the 12 days of xmas. Two days prior, the topic is suspending your disbelief and what gifts do you really want. I'm particularly interested in 23 December when the focus turns to coming home, the preparations we make for family and friends. Perhaps you will have, or take, the time to read and reflect on your life, your family, your beliefs. For me, there are some calming and restoring inferences to temper my conflicts both personal and global. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...

The 12 days plus 2 which I've chosen are December 19th through January 1st, and have no real connection to the art picture above , the song or the Christian references...it's just a title.

You may now click on this link Twelve Days to read the entries. I did not get them completed however as I became ill, posting only the 19th thru the 28th.  Perhaps it will be complete by next season!

When Wrongs Fester Without Justice

The time is long past for change.  We must admit what is taking place and take action. To say we are mistreating the poor and the black and the brown is an understatement of outrageous magnitude.  I sit here in my white skin and my white neighborhood and I'm ashamed to be living in a country where so much injustice is taking place. My only recourse is to care and continue to press on.  Once again I take a stand:

Slavery by Another Name

8 December from "The Celtic Spirit" ~ another timely reading.

          Revenge

Three incitements to revenge: screaming of female relatives, and seeing the bier of their relation, and seeing the grave of their relation without compensation__triad from Laws of Hywel Dda

Both the Welsh laws of King Hywel Dda (HOO'wel THA) and the Irish brehon laws understood the deep-seated nature of revenge upon people who receive neither compensation nor apology for their wrongs. 

When wrongs fester without justice, revenge raises up its own host to deal with things. When we are pondering the causes of terrorism or vendetta, we should remember that these abuses arise among a people when appropriate compensation or justice is denied. The causes of revenge lie deep in the human heart: a need for revenge is evoked by loo, grief, anger, the inability to gain compensation or redress, the bold-faced behavior of the guilty, the desire to cause a like injury in the guilty "so they can see what it feel like."

Revenge can be maintained beyond the grave and cascade from generation to generation down the bloodline until all descendants are likewise infected by the disease. When revenge enters the bloodstream of a whole nation, then we face a situation that has defied boardrooms of arbitrators and peace-brokers. Proponents of terrorism seek redress on behalf of countries and nationalist sensibilities that they perceive have been abused or neglected. Terrorists are fueled by ancestral appeasement: they are no longer individuals with ordinary concerns but the living incarnation of ancestral revenge feuds. 

If peace and reconciliation are to be brought about, the wronged party must be listened to seriously and the source of the injury must be investigated by impartial witnesses. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the matter, the release of forgiveness is the only sure balm to revenge.

How has revenge been a factor in your own life and that of your ancestors? What solutions have been found to be acceptable?

Are we going to let this continue?

 

 

 

The images of  police brutality were so horrific and I did not take time to positively verify so I have not posted them. I recommend you take a look however, the reality of their suffering is beyond my comprehension and very possibly yours.....

The Practice of Being Human

The following passage is from an old reference of mine called The Celtic Spirit:

Integrity in Work

Whether we work for an employer or are self-employed, whether we have retired or are taking a sabbatical from work, the integrity of our actions contributes to the universal web of life. If an employer begins to bend the rules for his own benefit, then his staff may be tempted to follow his example. One person's actions may affect the company in such a way that certain positions or products are canceled, for who robs one, robs all. Occupations that strip the earth of its resources or leave it polluted are easy to target as culpable of gross theft and planetary vandalism, yet the actions of everyone living enable such results to some degree.

To be in right relationship to our universe, a certain integrity and code of practice in our work and actions is necessary. Most of us have no explicit code by which to steer, but what we value is revealed when we consider why and for whom we are conscientious in our work and actions. Surely it is not only our employer or fellow workers who inspires us to do well but those who consume or use what we make, or our families who are supported by our work.

Hands that work are the partners in manifestations of the unseen world where in Spirit (by whatever form or forms we recognize it) is the keeper, maker and inspire of all that is. Any code of practice must first apply to the sacred source of spiritual inspirations to keep its actions pure, to operate from the highest motives, to irrigate all work from the wellspring of integrity.

What is your code of practice for your occupation and your actions in general? 

This is offered as a moment of reflection as we move into the holiday season. Those of you who happen on my blog are likely the choir. We believe we are giving this life our best shot. May we simply take time once in a while to dig a little deeper into our "wellspring of integrity." The example we set with our  considered thoughts, words and actions may very well be our greatest contribution.

What does it mean to be in right relationship to our universe?

Approaching the Solstice

Winter Farm_Brian Kuether Studios

December

Month of December ~ the shoe is covered with dirt:

Heavy the land, flagging the sun;

Bare are the trees, still the muscle.

__anon. Welsh Poem