{ musings }

Shine Your Light

Awaken with a heavy heart this morning at 2:00am (my normal hour of inspiration, it seems!), I turned to my in-box to see if there was perhaps a loving connection with a friend, a bit of inspiration, some words of peace.  And so it goes, as in my life with increasing frequency, that the perfect message was received just when I needed it most.  The following message was received from The Daily Om and it resonates with me SO MUCH!  Read on...be inspired...and shine YOUR light!

April 17, 2009
Power in Numbers
Sending Our Collective Light to the World

Like tiny ripples that merge to form great waves, combined human intent is worth more than the sum of its parts. A single individual can initiate worldwide improvement by emitting conscious frequencies of love, beauty, goodness, and wisdom. A group of people focusing their energy on sending out light to the world can set the stage for positive global transformation. All of us possess the ability to channel love energy, to heal, to be a conduit for white light, and to positively influence our fellow humans from afar. Yet one person can only do so much. Imagine if each one of us took a few moments at the start of each day to send out light to the world from our hearts. Mother Earth would be quickly eased and the planet, as well as every organism and being on it, would be bathed in loving light. The world would be an infinitely beautiful place.
 
You can help bring about an earth where love triumphs over violence, air and water are nourishing in their purity, and people take pleasure in simply being alive. Alone, the light you emit is a wonderful healing tool, but when you join with others who share your intent to shine compassion and positive energy over the world, a powerful force is created. Your collective consciousness and collective light will wash over the planet, enveloping people, communities, cities, countries, and continents. Inviting others to send light with you can be a daunting task. People may question the benefits of sending light to an already broken world. You will likely need to explain that each person’s light joins with every other, and through the joining all are strengthened. Assure them that what matters is not technique or what religion or beliefs you hold but intent.

As more people come in mindfulness to send their collective light to the world, the power of their planetary gift will increase exponentially. You may already be affiliated with groups that would gladly participate in such a noble project. Children, who often feel incapable of influencing their world yet are reservoirs of innate power are usually enthusiastic about sharing their collective light. As you gather together willing people, your individual intent will become a great and powerful wave, and you will see results in your fellow humans, in the news, and in your daily life.

Don't Watch This

(uncensored)

VOTE!

It isn't too late.  In most states, we have just less than one month left to register to vote in this year's Presidential Election.  Get out there.  Register.  VOTE!   The shit going on in our country right now is pretty scary and as responsible citizens, we OWE it to ourselves, our children and to the brave women who EARNED this precious right many years ago to VOTE!

Here are some helpful, non-partisan links where you can read up. register and make your voice heard!

• League of Women Voters
• Women's Voices, Women's Votes
• Generation Engage
• Rock The Vote

Do the research.  Look beyond the pretty, professional speeches.  Look at the facts.  Review the records.  Make a responsible and informed choice.  If you don't, I don't want to hear any bitching in 2009+...

Am I the Only One?

...Who is freaked out just a little bit by this???

Yes, she's cute.  Really cute.  And yes, I am envious that THEY get Annie Liebovitz to take photos of their baby.   But eeeeeewww....aside from those almond shaped eyes she gets from her mom, she looks just like her freakshow father!!!!!!

Poor kid.

Just Imagine...

One of my dearest friends, Michele, sent me this today and...well...I am speechless.

Just Imagine .

Peacemaking: The Verb

I am becoming increasingly distraught with the state of global affairs these days - so much so that, on many days, I choose to just try and forget it all exisits because contemplating it causes me too much pain.  But, that said, I was scrolling around blog-ville and happened upon another person who apparently has tapped into my brain waves, and very eloquently wrote on the subject of PEACE, and the fact that is is a noun and can be made into a VERB!  Pretty basic concept, and certainly worth considering and thinking about.

The original transcript is here, but I will quote:

"As the Good Book Says..."

Well, okay -- so I don't know about you, but I myself am almost auto-reflexively suspicious of any post, speech, or sign that starts out by saying "As the Good Book says..."

It's not that I'm anti-christianic or anti-religion and especially not anti-spiritual -- it's just that in my old age I know that I definitely am very much anti-dogmatic, in any format that I find it.

Not without cause, mind you; and it's taken me well over four decades to come to feel as strongly about that as I do. But that's neither here nor there, nor is it relevant to the comments I'm about to make.

Still, as *a particular* Good Book says... or, more specifically, as one of many authors to whom are attributed the words in at least one translation of one of a number of significant and undeniably Good Books said, lo those many years ago...

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9)

Now, I can make a pretty strong case for saying that we are *all* children of God, or Goddess, or Allah, or the Supreme Being, or the Great Mystery, or however you want to phrase it in terms of whatever spiritual connection works best for you.

But that's also neither here nor there.

The most important part of that quote, that phrase, that concept, are the first five words:

"Blessed are the peacemakers."

The peace *makers* -- not the peace breakers, or the peace takers, or the peace shakers, or the peace fakers.

Blessed are the peacemakers.

Now, I don't know exactly why this is -- although I have some personal ideas on the subject, they're also neither here nor there at the moment -- but over the last few weeks I have been intensively and increasingly becoming re-aware of how powerful that concept is, and of how strongly it drove my feelings and my actions when I was so much older then (I'm younger than that now).

And it's also not that one particular set of current events in Iraqistanetnam has brought that phrase to mind again after so many years for me -- although I'm sure that you all know to which particular subset of events I am referring.

And I surely do hope that all of us are praying to your God and my Goddess and their Allah and whatever other Great Mystery exists that one particular group of four Peacemakers that is still at high risk in a far-away country be permitted to come home safely to their loved ones.

But, once again, that is neither here nor there, at least not in terms of the point I'm trying to make in this particular post. I've been meaning to write more about this subject for longer than that particular set of events have been current.

I find that I've been ruminating greatly for many weeks now on the entire concept of peace as a noun and peacemaking as a verb -- and, most importantly, peacemaking as a conscious activity that can and should and must be performed as early and often as possible, by us and everyone around us, as far and wide as our influence can be felt.

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

We are all of us children of what Matthew chose to call God, though some of us may not realize that consciously.

We are all of us blessed, whether we know it or not, though many of us seem determined to prove otherwise.

And we are all of us peacemakers, should we choose to be so.

And it is a choice, make no quibbles about that. It's a choice, and a decision, and a call to action.

We can all be peacetakers, and peacebreakers, and peacefakers, anytime and anywhere. It’s easy if you try.

But we can also, each of us separately and all of us collectively, be peacemakers instead.

And I can think of no higher calling, no greater honor, no nobler action or intent -- and, yes, no more meaningful exercise of what it means to have a heart and a soul -- than to be well and truly called a peace *maker*, in the most active sense of the verb.

Yes. Indeed. Just so.

Blessed are the peacemakers.

And may all of us choose to be so blessed, and each of us take action to prove it, in every case and in every place.

It is, after all, the least that we can do. We owe it to ourselves -- and to each other.

blessed be,
Otter (M. Loutre)

Eulogy

(I took this photo in April on our anniversary trip to New Orleans, LA)

still reeling...aching...crying and feeling helpless. 

sending prayers...healing...blessings...love and hope. 

I Can Hear You Crying...

This is a poem written by a friend, Thena.  Pretty fitting for this terrible tragedy called Katrina.

I watched in horror at the news

That showed hurricane force winds

And rising water over streets and homes

And debris around the reporters flying

And over the din of all that was going on I could hear you crying.

Deep heavy sobs for those who lost their lives

And all else involved in this destruction

Tears choked back as they prayed for

Help soon for reconstruction.

Heart felt sobs for those homeless

And who knew not where to go

Tears for those with arms up to Heaven

Beseeching God for help here below.

It broke my heart to hear the sobs

And feel the anguish and the pain

I felt as if my ears would bust

From the sadness and the sorrow

And I could only pray for them

A better day tomorrow.

Then I looked toward Heaven

As over the newest reports I was sighing

And I realized that it was my tears I heard

It was my heart which for you was crying.

Now....how can we help?  This was a suggestion from my little brother...Thanks Steve.

Salvation Army

Humane Society Disaster Relief