Circe | magic & witchcraft

This Halloween season it is a real treat to read the novel, Circe by American writer Madeline Miller. This adaptation is derived from various Greek myths set during the Greek Heroic Age. Told from the perspective of Circe - the first witch in western literature. 

The novel explores Circe's origin story and narrates this contentious sorceress' encounters with humans, gods, monsters and all sorts of mythical creatures - on her own road to revelation. 

book cover art

Circe is a bold and subversive retelling through the lens of a fierce feminist and formidable enchantress. The story brilliantly reimagines her life of wild adventure and ever enlightening awareness.

love & loathing

While the world is busy spinning all to dust I sit still and quiet at home. Shifting consciousness - mine and the planet's. Me to you. You to me. We to tree. 

Plant Medicine.

our local Canlaon Wonder Tree - a 1,328 year old balete or banyan

Buried and borrowing deep roots into the rich dark soil of the land - into the core of Mother Earth. Growing and spreading eager fresh tendrils and branches into the Ether. 

Here I am. Be I Am. You I am. 

christ consciousness

Jesus was chosen and volunteered to carry out a multi-faceted mission, in tandem with Mother Mary. Both were perfect examples of utter obedience to God or the GodSelf.

They knew the Christ within, and they lived by what they received from it. When a person is doing that or even trying to, they are opening to the Christ Consciousness.

In Edgar Cayce's perspective [reading 849-11], Jesus is the Elder brother for all of humankind, deeply committed to assisting all souls in reawakening to the awareness of their oneness with God. This Jesus is not interested in religious conversion, denominationalism, or even mighty personal accomplishments.

He is simply interested in how we treat one another. With this in mind, even in the midst of our diversity as a human family, we share a common spiritual heritage. We are all Children of the same God. We are all part of the one spiritual Source. We are all destined to return to our Creator, our Mother/Father, our God/Source.

pre Holy Week celebration

As Fulton Sheen put it in his The Life of Christ, Jesus Christ was the only person whose birth and death were preannounced. He was the one person brought into the world to die. It is in the Garden of Gethsemane, the dark pivot point between the hosannas of Palm Sunday and the sorrows of Good Friday, that Christ in agony accepts that difficult fate - the will of the Father, “Thy will be done.” 

Holy Week reminds Christians and non-Christians to pay attention to the world of Jesus’ “Way of the Cross.” It began in triumph on Palm Sunday, followed quickly by hideous injustice, and concluded in glory - the resurrection. That victorious ending confirms there is hope for all, even now. 

Christ Consciousness is the state of awareness of our true nature, our higher self. It is our birthright as children of God.  Christ Consciousness is our living expression as children of Spirit - revealing and sharing our own divine life plans to manifest upon the earth plane to build heaven on earth. 

Living in the reality of our Christed Self is being fully alive and invested in who we truly are. As manifest inspiration for others to seek this for themselves - we can collectively move our planet forward into the divine plan for planetary transformation and glory. 

William Penn quote

The highest state of intellectual development and emotional maturity is sometimes termed the Christed state because it represents the sacredness and purity of the individual who has achieved it - human made divine.

Jesus achieved this in his human life and was given this term as part of his name, Jesus the Christ - in recognition attaining this spiritual status. 

This path is open to anyone regardless of their religious tradition or belief - if and when we are open to become a living vessel of love, truth, and goodness on the planet - actively striving to attain it.

A blessed week to us all.

belief vs faith

Miriam-Webster defines these two, often interchanged, words in our common vocabulary. 

belief - [1] a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing; [2] something that is accepted, considered to be true, or held as an opinion; [3] conviction of the truth of some statement or the reality of some being or phenomenon, especially when based on examination of evidence

faith - [1] loyalty or allegiance to duty or a person; fidelity to one's promises; [2] sincerity of intentions; complete trust; [3] believing with strong conviction

Belief is taught or acquired by external and outer experience. Faith is nurtured and grown within and internalized. 

carved in stone

“Without minerals there is no life. Life learned how to make minerals, in teeth, bones and shells. People think these are separate, [i]t’s all part of a whole.” Dr. George Harlow, geologist and seasoned curator.

On a recent trip to New York City, we visited the newly refurbished Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals at the American Museum of Natural History.

early cave petroglyphs

The dazzling displays include meteorites, fossils, minerals, gemstones - rough and cut, new and old. All spectacularly displayed so each can shine in their own awesome spotlight.

The mission statement of the museum is: "To discover, interpret, and disseminate—through scientific research and education—knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe."

The newly reopened gems & minerals exhibit

Nowhere does this strike closest as in these immersive halls and exhibits that take us back in time to the origins of Planet Earth and the human race. There are over 5,000 minerals on earth and in the surrounding space around us, forming the substance of the world we evolved in and are made up of.

vessels of consciousness

All along the eastern seaboard we just had our first major snow storm of the season. Although it's bright and sunny today, it still has not stopped snowing and the sixteen inches of snow is barely melted. 

Let's not forget that it's still officially fall and not yet winter, making this sting even more. This first snow is magical and magnificent, even as we shovel white fluff off our sidewalks and driveways into high mounds at inconvenient corners. 

Nature in all her glory, her pristine and crystalline brilliance blinding in today's bright sunshine, lords it over all. 

Sahasrara, crown chakra

Just like much of 2020, we're not sure how to do this, how long it will take, or what lies beyond this change. For those who have the realization, all we know is we can no longer stay where we were. It feels that the amount of people who are hearing their soul calling has occurred at a much higher number in this pandemic.

feel deeply | love fully

"For those who feel too much, may you guard your position as holy."

As tensions rise, so has the need for more healers.

The waymakers, the agents of change, the ones armed with compassion.

No day passes without my heart being stretched to its capacity.

These feelings are what we are made of, beneath this skin and bone. 

These feelings were first created inside stars and passed down to us through the bloodlines of ancient sages. 

They connect us to each other with the invisible threads of our shared experiences.

When we let ourselves feel unapologetically and share the experience, we allow others to have the courage to sink into their feelings in a more authentic way and express themselves without shame.

Deep feelings are a gift; they have the capacity to transform us if we follow their wisdom. Allow yourself to feel from your core, with your heart, and let yourself be moved.

The feelings we feel so often, are our connection to the divine, and ultimately to our self. Let them wash over you like waves; let them heal you. Let them break you and build you.

Let your feelings show you who you are and then let them set you free.

a polymath community

The universal being or a polymath (Greek: πολυμαθής, polymathēs, "having learned much"; Latin: 
homo universalis, "universal man") is an individual whose knowledge spans a significant number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. 

Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci

All inclusive, non sectarian, non denomination centers of education in many parts of the world are devoted to creating and developing the type of human being curious and concerned enough to keep on learning. 

In all our diversity any type of specialization may be too limiting if we are working towards a more complete form of thinking and being. 

This is expressed in the term Renaissance man, often applied to the gifted people of that age who sought to develop their abilities in all areas of accomplishment: intellectual, artistic, social and physical. 

At the recent graduation of the latest batch of sound healing practitioners at New York Open Center I was delighted and astounded by the diverse and masterful accomplishments presented by each graduate. Kudos to you, the faculty and organization for bringing this into our world. Bravo! 

Integrating sound into any type of practice is a major plus for our evolution and enlightenment. Channeling this power through each unique individual is only limited and bound by their imagination and insight. 

The vibratory ripples are cosmic and life changing on so many levels. We stand in awe of your incredible contribution. 

Good vibes go round and round. 

the 8 world views

The health of all community depends on how we treat each other.

How we personalize these ancient worldviews and their vibrant practices is for each of us to discover. What does it mean for you: to repair the connections, to water our common roots, to face a life of compassion, to stay in honest conversation, to welcome other views, to honor our uniqueness and commonness, to create a sense of belonging, and to bear witness to each other?

These are not concepts but living tools by which tribes and cultures have sustained human growth on Earth. How can you make good use of these tools today? By figuring out how to enact these practices in our daily life, we can strengthen the human community, one relationship at a time.

In summary, the eight worldviews and their practices are:

• All My Relations from the Native American tradition.

The Practice: To discover, name, and repair the connections that exist between all things.

• Ubuntu from the African tradition.

The Practice: To water the common roots by which we all grow and to honor our strong need to join.

• Thou Art That from the Hindu tradition.

The Practice: To face and feel a life of compassion that honors that we are at heart the same.

• The I and Thou Relationship from the Jewish tradition.

The Practice: To stay committed to the life of honest conversation.

• Ya Ayuni! from the Lebanese tradition.

The Practice: To welcome other views in the belief that we need each other to be complete.

• The Great Spoked Wheel from the early Christian mystic tradition.

The Practice: To embody the paradox of our uniqueness and commonness by which the Great Wheel of Humanity turns.

• Hygge from the Danish tradition.

The Practice: To create well-being, connection, warmth, and a sense of belonging.

• I See You! I Am Here! from the African Bushmen tradition.

The Practice: To be present and bear witness to each other and other life.