Diamonds, Diamonds, Diamonds  My articles have a tendency to take on a life of their own. Whenever I start to write one, I have a general idea of what I want it to be about. In this case, I was sharing a somewhat humorous story about our trip to the Crater of Diamonds.
But something happens in the midst of creating an article. The story begins to take over, and I can only follow where it leads. The true story of the Quest for the Yellow Diamond wanted to be told, and as I am only the scribe, I must listen to my inner voice. I hope that it has been of some value to you. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions you might have.
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 I thought that no one would name a dog Wigglebutt but then I heard someone describe a dog as having a wriggly butt. So the dog that is featured in Devin O'Branagan's book Threshold is certainly well-named. What is more confusing, however, is that in the book Wigglebutt is a girl but the real dog, whose image was chosen to represent Wigglebutt, is a boy. He has one of those long pedigree names but most call him RJ.
I can't tall you how much this book means to me. You'll have to read it yourself to discover your reaction to it. Some people I have recommended it too have not found it to be to their liking. So be it. Everyone has a different outlook. If you haven't read the review, doggy paddle over to Paranormal Thriller Threshold. Then run right back her to tell me what you think. If you want to give complements to Wigglebutt/RJ, feel free to do so. If you have followed this blog, you would have noticed that I pay attention to syncrhonicities which often affects what I write. A synchronicity is when a coincidence occurs with no causal relationship yet seems to be meaningfully related. In my first publication of my article “Web of Connection,” I mentioned the synchronicities I experienced in the form of references to spiders and webs
When the website I had posted the article closed, I started making a new website on Weebly. I have been slowly transferring over to the new venue, but “Web of Connection” was not high of my list. That is until the synchronicities began to show up. Once again I was reading a book which mentioned the movie Avatar. I waiting for another one to surface and it wasn't long before, in an interview with Brian May of Queen, he stated he loved the movie Avatar due to the 3-D images as he is a totally immersed in the art of stereoscopy. As I am a huge Queen and Brian May fan, I took this as a meaningful coincidence and focused my energies on recreating it on Weebly. Thank you, Brian, for your poke to increase my motivation. If you have not yet read “Web of Connection – Inspired by the Movie Avatar,” I suggest you follow the highlighted link and then come back to leave a comment about your impressions.  Image via Pixabay I first read Peace Pilgrim's book when I was a young, idealistic college student active in the peace movement. At that time I truly believed that I, and others of my generation, could change the world. I was inspired by her words and eager to go forth and help others.
Of course, there was that whole section of life called establishing a social work career and another segment called raising children; plus a concurrent section called trying to pay the bills. Soon life fell into a routine, placing one foot after another, but seldom with joy in my heart as the Peace Pilgrim did. Now I am 65years old and looking back I wonder, did I help change the world? The news is filled with stories of wars, murders, and rapes. People continue to hurt other people. Our TV shows and movies are full of violence. What happened to the idealism of my generation, the ones who said “give peace a chance?” Oh I know that here and there I gave some comfort. I listened with an empathic heart to the troubles of my clients. I tried to resolve their problems and acted as an advocate. I offered boxes of tissues to dry the tears. I know these actions were appreciated and every little bit helps. But did they change the world? After re-reading PEACE PILGRIM, HER LIFE AND WORK IN HER OWN WORDS, I understand its messages at a deeper level. I have decided that I must find inner peace before attempting to bring peace to others. I have re-discovered that possessions can become burdens. My husband and I gave away most of our belongings and are now living quietly in our motorhome. I have been practicing thinking positive thoughts and trying to see good in everyone. I try to follow Peace Pilgrim's example of living without fear, although I think that is probably my greatest test. If you haven't read the article Messages from Peace Pilgrim, click on the highlighted link to take you there. Then hurry back here to let me know what you think in the thoughts below.  That's me enjoying dabbling my toes in Lake Superior after a long absence. "There is hope if people will begin to awaken that spiritual part of themselves, that heartfelt knowledge that we are caretakers of this planet." Brooke Medicine Eagle
The official Earth Day comes just once a year. But really, every day is earth day, for we should be constantly aware of our connection to the Earth Mother and how our actions affect this living entity. In our house, we accumulate a lot of plastic soda (we call it pop) bottles. Luckily our RV park has a recycling bin, so periodically we gather them up to take to the collection bin. But there have been times when we have been in places with no access to recycling and each time I put a bottle in the trash, I would cringe. We have created a culture that promotes the obtaining of things, such as clothing, furniture, knicknacks, and even more. For some people, going shopping is a cure for depression. When I am forced to venture into a Walmart for our biweekly grocery shopping, I often sit on one of the benches to rest. I look around at the displays all around me and wonder, how much is enough? When do we have enough baby items, shoes, electronic devices, posters, or toys? We have become possessed by our possessions and our economy is dependent on the making of them. Moving into an RV forced us to release most of our material possessions. In return we were gifted with the simple pleasure of enjoying many of the country's most beautiful lakes and forests. But taking care of the Earth is much more than thinking about what ends up in landfills. We need to be concerned with having clean water to drink and clean air to breathe. We need to raise our voices in protest when large amounts of the Rain Forest are cut down. If you have ever sat in your car during rush hour, moving only inches at a time and smelling the exhaust from all the other cars, you come to value and appreciate good public transportation. I grew up on the shore of Lake Superior, one of the cleanest, fresh water lakes in the world. But, it too is in danger of pollution from harmful chemicals dumped in the water. We mustn't allow these things to happen. Become aware of the environment around you and join or become active in one of the many environmental protection organizations. As I said in the article “Gaia – Earth Mother,” she will take care of us, but we also need to take care of her. I encourage you to leave a comment in the space below. I enjoy hearing from my visitors.  Image via Pixabay The celebration of Beltaine honors life and fertility. If you live in a part of the world that has long, harsh winters, as I did growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, then we greatly appreciate the awakening of the earth once again. Flowers are blooming, trees are turning green, and it is time to celebrate the “merry month of May.”
I wrote about my first experience at a Beltaine festival and dancing the Maypole in the article, “What to Wear to the Beltaine Maypole Dance.” If you have read it and danced over here to this blog post, this is where you can leave a comment or ask a question. Don't be shy. I would love to learn about your experiences. Have you danced around a Beltaine fire? Do you love to wear flowers in your hair? Tell us your tale in the comment section below.  Image via Pixabay "There are no accidents... there is only some purpose that we haven't yet understood.”
Deepak Chopra, The Return of Merlin There I was, goofing around by watching You-Tube videos. You'd be surprised at what I have learned from You-Tube. For several days I had immersed myself in videos about the band Queen. Don't ask me why; it was just something that appealed to me at the moment. I've mentioned before that I am a book addict and like to read before I go to sleep. I was reading a short novella written by a friend of mine, Devin O'Branagan. The book is called Incarnation and one of the many interesting characters is a parrot that thinks she is Janis Joplin. Now the odd thing about this, as if a parrot thinking it is a bluesy rock singer isn't enough, is that the bird's favorite song is “Killer Queen” by the band Queen. There it goes again. One of those synchronicities that tap me on the head and says “pay attention.” I laughed about it, finished the book, and went about reading another one. The very next book mentioned "Bohemian Rhapsody," again by Queen. Okay, I am beginning to get a message, but really I didn't feel like writing about Queen. The internet is full of articles about the band and its legendary singer, Freddie Mercury. What new thoughts could I add? When the third book mentioned “We Will Rock You,” I knew I had better get busy and write something! I decided to focus on the great collaboration between Queen and Adam Lambert, who was one my favorite singers on American Idol. I opened a word doc and started doing some more research. But evidently I wasn't working fast enough, because the book after that one mentioned the song “Another One Bites the Dust.” I was seriously getting spooked now. I totally believe in synchronicity and the power of coincidences. But they are usually not as insistent as these were. I have no idea why I was led (no I'd say pushed) to write about this group and current lead singer, but there you have it. I had to do it. Hopefully you will find “The Magical Synergy of Queen + Adam Lambert” to be interesting. If you have some thoughts about any of this, be sure to leave a comment below. If you tell me you hate Adam Lambert and don't think he should be trying to fit in Freddie Mercury's shoes (which he isn't), don't be afraid to say so. I will do my best to be open-minded about all opinions.  Fly Winged Monkey Airlines Poster by realtegan at Zazzle This is the page where you can leave a comment about the Oz articles. I cannot emphasize enough how much the Oz books affected me as I was growing up. I eagerly waited each night for my bedtime story time to begin. My imagination grabbed onto L Frank Baum's descriptions and entered into the fantastic world he had created. These images have stayed with me all my life and pop up at the most unusual times. It might be a glimpse of Glinda reading from her Great Book, the Nome King turning people in knickknacks, and even Princess Langwidere changing one of her heads. I never know what triggers it, it just happens. I decided to write a series of articles about the Oz books because I was horrified to find out that many people believed there was only one book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In fact, there are 14 books written by Baum and I have read them all. I began the journey with the article "Following the Yellow Brick Road." I soon found out that there was too much information, about both the books and Frank Baum's life to easily fit into one article. I decided to continue the story with additional articles. At this time only the first two articles are available, but I'll be adding the others soon. If you have come here first, whisk yourself of to Following the Yellow Brick Road to read about Dorothy's adventures in the first three books. The second article is called "Oz--Oz! more about Oz, Mr. Baum!" where I continue to discuss the writer L. Frank Baum and his influence on children's literature. The third article in the Oz series answers many questions like "Why doesn't Toto talk? We meet the Patchwork Girl and a mechanical man. We also learn about Frank Baum's dark side. Visit Interesting Tidbits from L Frank Baum’s Oz Books. The last of the four part article is called L Frank Baum's Last Five Oz Books. There you will meet more unusual characters and learn about how Baum wrote several books while he was sick in bed. Then you can grab the tail of the tornado and come back here to leave a comment. Please feel free to leave a comment. I promise that no Winged Monkeys will fly in to take you away.  Image via Pixabay This is the place to leave a comment about the article "Robert Johnson and the Legend of the Crossroads.
As I began my research about Robert Johnson and the legend of the crossroads, I realized that this was going to be a huge project. Although there is little known about his short and tragic life, there is a wealth of documentation about his music, how it affected other musicians, and whether or not he really made a deal with the devil. I watched multiple videos with different versions of the Cross Road Blues. I poured over websites devoted to the Blues for any mention of this mysterious man. I watched documentaries about his life. I pondered over inconsistencies in the stories and tried to find accurate sources for the quotes and information I used. At one point I threw up my hands and told my husband, “I can't do this. There is too much information, too many people to talk about. It is overwhelming me.” And I put the project in a hidden room of the Crossroads and moved on to something else. The Dalai Lama said, “I am open to the guidance of synchronicity, and do not let expectations hinder my path.” Synchronicity or random coincidences seem to pop up in our lives quite frequently. Sometimes my husband and I just shake our heads, laugh, and wonder just what the Universe was trying to tell us. I am fond of reading books on my Kindle before I go to sleep. I am a book addict, so I tend to download free or low cost books that seem interesting to me. On one particular night, I was reading a detective story with paranormal twists that took place in Los Angeles. The name of the book is The Antiquity: An L.A. Crime Novel by Darren Hackett. It's a pretty good story that involves a burned-out homicide detective trying to solve a string of murders that have to do with an ancient sacred artifact. There was nothing in the plot of that related to the blues or the Mississippi Delta. So imagine my shock and amazement when one of the characters started talking about Robert Johnson and the legend of the crossroads. I looked up at the ceiling and shook my fist at the Universe. “No, no, no!” I don't want to go back to writing about Robert Johnson. It is too much. I can't do it.” I crawled out of bed (I wanted to say leaped, but in our RV crawling is a more apt description), made my way to the living room (a short journey) to tell my husband what had just happened. I felt it was important that I have a witness so I wouldn't doubt myself. Then I stomped back to bed to try to sleep after being hit over the head by a synchronicity that was so clear I couldn't ignore it. The next day I started working on Robert Johnson's article again. I am rather happy with how it turned out. If you haven't read it, slide on over to the page titled “Robert Johnson and the Legend of the Crossroads.” Then slide back over here to let me know what you think. Do you often experience synchronicity in your life? Have you ever acted on them? Just a bit of trivia, a “slide” is a guitar technique that Robert Johnson often used on his songs.  Holly Girl Postcard by WelcomeYule at Zazzle “Welcome Yule” my husband and I say in response to those who wish us a Merry Christmas. As pagans and witches, we do not celebrate the birth of Jesus. Instead we celebrate the Winter Solstice also known as Yule. Welcome Yule is a shortened version of the phrase, “May all things Well and good Come to you and yours at this season of Yule.”
My husband and I started searching for pagan Yule decorations many years ago. We noticed we could not find any holiday cards or signs that used the words “Welcome Yule.” So we decided to make our own in our Zazzle store. Zazzle is an on-line marketplace where you can design products and sell them without having to keep an inventory. I searched high and low to assist other pagans in finding unique decorations for their Yule tree. Well that is not really true. I actually searched for items from Amazon and Zazzle that fit the symbolic mythology of the season. I also provided a bit of information about the symbols that are associated with Christmas, like mistletoe, holly, and the evergreen tree, that come from pagan customs and have nothing to do with the nativity in Bethlehem. So feel free to browse at Pagan Friendly Decorations for Yule. There will be a link there if you wish to return to leave a comment. I'd love to hear about your own special Yule traditions. |
AuthorI am a storyteller. I like to wrap inspirational messages inside little vignettes of my life or the lives of others. I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and am now living full time in an RV. Everything I've experienced in my 65 years in this incarnation is fair game to be written about. Archives
April 2018
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