 Postcard similar to the ones we sold - ad As a child living in the Keweenaw Peninsula of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, I knew very little of the rest of the UP (Upper Peninsula). After all it contains 16,377 square miles of land and 1700 miles of continuous shoreline with the Great Lakes. My little piece of it was a small town called Copper Harbor, which lies near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. There my parents had a small rock shop which catered to tourists in the summer.
I remember helping out in the shop and customers would come to the counter holding a handful of postcards they wanted to send to friends. Usually one of these postcards would show a large waterfall flowing with brown water. How ugly, I thought. Who would want to go see that? Now, much older and wiser, I know that it is tannin in the water that creates the root beer coloring of the water dropping over 48 feet to the river below. Now, don't laugh, but I was 60 years old until I actually got to see the falls for myself. My adult life was spent traveling back and forth from my home in Kansas to visit my parents who still lived in the Keweenaw. I just never made it to the eastern part of the UP. So when my husband and I drove our RV over the Mackinac Bridge from the Lower Peninsula, I made it a point to stop to see the brown water falls. And just like many before me, I realized how majestic and awesome it really was, with the foamy water loudly pouring over the ledge. I know now the postcards don't do it justice. After we camped near it for a few days, I felt drawn to write about its unique history. If you haven't read it yet, visit Stories and History of the Tahquamenon Falls and then, if you wish, paddle your way back here to leave a comment.
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Quote from Marcel Proust "A pair of wings, a different respiratory system, which enabled us to travel through space, would in no way help us, for if we visited Mars or Venus while keeping the same senses, they would clothe everything we could see in the same aspect as the things of the Earth. The only true voyage, the only bath in the Fountain of Youth, would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to see the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to see the hundred universes that each of them sees, that each of them is; and this we do, with great artists; with artists like these we do really fly from star to star." from the fifth volume of Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust.  Image via Pixabay Proust mentions that the only true voyage, or journey, should only be undertaken with "new eyes." Our lives are a journey, a spiritual journey that can either stay stuck in one paradigm of thought which has been programmed into us since birth, or can meander about the universe,always seeing and learning new things. My journey has been of the meandering kind, as I started out as a Lutheran, became an agnostic in college, delved into Eastern religions for awhile where I learned about Ram Dass, and a long period as a Catholic where I had hoped to find out more about the Catholic mystics. I myself programmed my children in this viewpoint, which they hold to this day.
But I was born a seeker, and became disillusioned with the rituals and teachings of the Church. I became involved in some spiritual chatrooms on the Internet. I found a strong attraction to Wicca, a neo-pagan nature religion. I also met a man on one of these sites, and to my surprise and dismay of my family, found myself on a bus to meet him in California. We were together for almost 20 years, becoming legally married in 2006. We believed we are Spirit Mates and I was saddened when he passed over to the other side in 2017. By that time I had become disillusioned with Wicca as well, feeling that it was more a role playing game that had become, within its ranks, very political and mean spirited. So I went back on my spiritual quest and re-visited many of the authors and teachings I had earlier explored. This has been an on-going experience, and I suspect I have been on a life-long journey of spiritual awakening. I will not claim that I have become totally Conscious as I still find myself immersed in judgement, anger, and deep despair. Yet I find it easier to recognize when this has happened and am striving to look at the world and my life with different eyes. I am now a widow living alone in a senior apartment in New Mexico. Since the Covid-19 outbreak I have been basically home bound, which has not been too much of a burden as I tend to be a hermit anyway. It has certainly given me a wealth of silence and alone time to try to embrace my true nature, Consciousness. Thus I began to write the essay "Looking with Different Eyes" to explore in more depth my own feelings on topics of the soul, reality, ego, good and evil, and near-death experiences. If you have wandered this way, you might have read it. If not, I encourage to follow the link back to Looking With Different Eyes and then come back here to leave a comment. You are free to disagree with me on any point, but I ask that you be kind. Comments that are derogatory or made in anger will be deleted.  Image via Pixabay I have been fascinated with quantum physics since I saw the movie What the Bleep Do We Know? Then when I saw a video by Dr Michio Kaku about Alice in Wonderland I was hooked. That led me to writing the article about Alice and Wormholes. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the concept of parallel universes and multiverses. Just leave a comment below. If you need to read the article first, just hyperjump to "Is the Alice in Wonderland Rabbit Hole Really a Wormhole?" Then come back and tell me what you think. in Wonderland Rabbit Hole
Really a Wormle Is the Alice in Wonderland Rabbit Hole Really a Wormhole?  On the surface, Moundville doesn't look all that exciting. It is just a field with grassy mounds dotted around it. But if you study its history and use your imagination, you can begin to see it as a community of a peoples who participated in life by growing food, making art objects, and honoring their spiritual beliefs. I wrote this article to describe my own feelings about the energy of the place and share an imaginative journey into the past.
Feel free to leave a comment below. If you haven't read it yet, follow the link to The Mystery of Moundville, Alabama.  Photo ©CE Wallace As sometimes happens, I didn't know what I missed until I left Copper Harbor for Kansas. I've lived n other places as well. Although I loved California and the ocean, it could not replace the tiny village of Copper Harbor and Lake Superior.
So I gathered together some of memories both to share with my visitors and also to keep my memories alive. I have been back to visit, but not as often as I would have liked. I would not want to live there now for I have an aversion to snow. Now I am living in New Mexico and do not miss the snowstorms. Unless you are into winter sports, and many people are, I have found that visiting the Harbor is best in the summer. The autumn color season makes fall a popular time as well. If you have not visited I Love Copper Harbor, Michigan, follow the highlighted link to take you there. I mean to the webpage, not Copper Harbor itself. Then wander back over here and leave a comment to let me know what part of the Harbor you liked the best.  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.  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. |
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, have lived in an RV, and am now living in a senior apartment. Everything I've experienced in my 69 years in this incarnation is fair game to be written about. Archives
June 2021
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