"A thousand things went right today." ~ Ilan Shamir, Storyteller & Artist Even slight shifts in wording and perception can make a huge difference. "A thousand things went right today" is from one of Ilan Shamir's poems (find more on... Continue Reading →
New Solar Year. New Lunar Year. New Moon. New vision. New beginnings. New adventures. New mindset. Any time we begin anew -- or want (or need) to stir new inspiration and meaning into what's already underway -- it's a fine time to invoke our Muses. This Sophia's Children article explores the tradition of the Muses of Inspiration, and how we might connect with our own Muse ... or Muse Posse! You'll even find clues about how to spot the Muses in your astrology chart (which itself is a clue-map from a long-running wisdom tradition!).
“My dear, in the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within... Continue Reading →
[11-6-17 Update: This is fresh once more, as Saturn in Sagittarius transits to its original retrograde degree and conjuncts the Galactic Center midpoint for the third and last time, and completes another Trine with Uranus in Aries. Some potent fiery... Continue Reading →
Over the years, I've 'experimented into' many of the things I write about, or that seem possibly worthwhile for shifting away from toxic-culture norms and back into a healthier way of living. Some of these experiments worked well. Some of... Continue Reading →
One of my favorite medicine-poems: I have a feeling that my boat has struck, down there in the depths, against a great thing. And nothing happens! Nothing...Silence...Waves... -- Nothing happens? Or has everything happened, and are we standing now, quietly,... Continue Reading →
“I relate to the firing synapses willy nilly ... I am wildly alert, yet kinda stunned or something …” quipped one Aqua'd wayfarer just this morning. Sounds familiar. My mind has been going at warp-speed, as my Aquarius Sun, Saturn,... Continue Reading →
"If you don't know where you are going, any road will do." ~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland If you do have a notion or yearning, even if it's only a whisper of a gist, then interesting things can unfold... Continue Reading →
"What do you yearn for? What vision stirs and beckons you from your inner depths?" At this point, it's no secret: Constant, frantic, frenzied 'busy' gets you more of the same, along with the stress and burnout that go with... Continue Reading →
"I believe that it's time to say our first relationship and responsibility is with the Creative Spirit." "Not to brand it, not to sell it, not to convince others with it, but to have a relation first and foremost where... Continue Reading →
"We can rediscover the wisdom of Cerridwen's Cauldron, or the underlying support of the Stone of Destiny, if we are ready to venture beyond the confines of this frantic world into the silence of past realms. If we enter the... Continue Reading →
"One person alone can't do it. I've learned that. But two people? That's a done deal. If two people believe in the same thing, it's automatically real." ~ Bulahdeen, in Lost Lake, by Sarah Addison Allen There's that age-old saying:... Continue Reading →
"Living without a horizon is one of the greatest distractions. It cramps the imagination; it stifles the soul's need for wildness, for adventure, or simply for free breathing." ~ Tom Cowan, in The Celtic Way It's true. Living without a worthy... Continue Reading →
We've recently gained some much-needed fire in the astro-energetic alchemy cocktail, which is likely most welcome after several years of depth-diving in watery realms. At least I welcome it. Though I truly appreciate underwater cave diving and Lunar-gift reclaiming well... Continue Reading →
"We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see." - Taoist Proverb I've always found calm, and sometimes clarity, too, in these very Taoist, natural-element bits of wisdom, especially water-related ones.... Continue Reading →
"It follows that now is the time for yielding justice, for foolish forgiveness, for outrageous generosity, for elaborate hospitality. None of these acts can come from fear, anxiety, or despair. But they are all acts that evoke new futures that... Continue Reading →
A perfect set of musings for the dark moon, dark of night, or dark of Winter (whether you're in seasonal Winter, as we are now here in New York, or in the Dark Night or winter passage of some life-cycle you're... Continue Reading →
“The true teacher is one who has experienced it absolutely through and through, and speaks from the authority of having experienced it -- not read about it, heard about it, learned about it, but done it.” ~ David Hawkins Sir David... Continue Reading →
"Peace isn't something you wish for; it's something you make, something you do, something you are, something you give away." - John Lennon
“What I am suggesting is that each of us turn from the negativism that permeates our society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom we associate, that we speak of one another’s virtues more than we speak... Continue Reading →
"Asking for help does not mean that we are weak or incompetent. It usually indicates an advanced level of honesty and intelligence." - Anne Silson Schaef If experience has taught me anything -- and indeed, it's taught me much --... Continue Reading →
This is one of my favorite Muse Foods for my morning reflections, though it seems a lovely reflection for any time, doesn't it? "Let my song give blessing and insight to those who can’t see for themselves. And let your... Continue Reading →
"Let the stream follow its course, it will know the way among the mountains. Watch, and it will lead you to the ocean with gentle certainty -- unforced. Have faith in your direction." David M. Bell, Spirit of Nature: The... Continue Reading →
Things have a way of arriving or arising in batches. Ask a genuine question, and watch (if you're observant) various answers or clues popping up in different ways as you go through a given day or week. That's Spirit's fascinating way... Continue Reading →
This gem about seeing with our other eyes arrived in my email inbox this morning from Transfiguration Monastery, a contemplative Benedictine community not far from where I currently dwell. This poem by the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Lisel Mueller (b. February 8, 1924),... Continue Reading →
"Live where you are, where you stand is your altar ... right where you are, all is sacred." ~ T. Thorn Coyle, Kissing the Limited Muse-a-liciously Yours, Jamie
Today is the anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s epic "I Have a Dream" speech. In another of his powerfully challenging and inspiring speeches from 1967, he talked about when we might want to adopt a bit... Continue Reading →
A quote often fully attributed to Goethe -- he of The Holy Longing *-- has its true origin in the writings of the Scottish mountaineer, William Hutchinson Murray, whose adventures would have no doubt required no shortage of both commitment... Continue Reading →
And here we are, once again in the season of Lughnasa-Lammas (or Imbolc, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere ... inspiration and links for both below). Technically, the ‘exact’ time for this ancestral ‘Festival of Light & Harvest’ is when... Continue Reading →
Speaking of Imagination (in recent posts) ... "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” ― Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court