Today we’re going to talk about the shadow, and we’ll move toward trusting the journey. To begin, here’s a question that someone wrote in the comments section of an article about the noble effort of Native Americans to protect the Missouri River in North Dakota: “Will the American people ever do anything to stop or rectify the harm being done by ‘their’ government in their name?”

Of course the question presumes that we’re not doing anything to stop the harm and rectify things. In fact, there are millions of us on the side of Life and Balancing and Harmony and Peace. We want change and we want to do something. So we spread the word, a few of us sign petitions and make phone calls, and yet we stand in what feels like an incredibly weak position, not knowing a way to really turn the tide. Why does our position seem so powerless? Are we losing this war to the ‘deciders’ and ‘controllers’? And a big one… if we abhor conflict how do we engage in it? Continue reading →

I took this quote from one of many articles I’ve been reading about the plant medicine called kratom: “A patient requiring constant medication is, from a business standpoint, preferable to people getting pain relief from a plant.”

The list of things we can’t do according to the law is getting longer and longer. In a month another will be added to the list. I’d just like to give the readers a head’s up on what’s going on in the US, within our strangely backward drug enforcement agency (DEA). Continue reading →

The more we enjoy personal relationships with those we have been told are ‘others’, the less likely we will be to judge. That path has been a way of life for me, and I imagine a lot of folks have a similar path, realizing that it is through relationships that we evolve and are able to serve the Divine. I’m going to tell you about my relationship with a young man who came to our door, and what happened with judgment.

A few days ago I told a friend, “I don’t think I’ve ever met a sociopath.” It’s interesting how I believed that I hadn’t met or dealt with a person in that state. Continue reading →

On this journey, life gives us scenarios that ask us to ‘live up’ to ourselves. When we decide to live up we change, and we go back and clean up our mess. For example, if you realize you harmed your children emotionally, if you failed to protect them, tell them that you have realized how you harmed them and invite them to talk about the pain it caused. Feel the pain it caused. It is an open heart that creates a space for forgiveness… if not now, some day. Stay there until it’s time to go. And then be on call to help them. There is redemption in this. Continue reading →

If there ever was a time in my life to be determinedly in the world but not of it, now is that time. I don’t have to give a rundown on the things that are happening. Everybody knows because we can’t help being ‘in it’. If we don’t look at the turmoil, we still feel it, especially the empathetic ones among us. We’re in it, and how do we be ‘not of it’?

A chance encounter: M – “How are you doing?” O – “I’m doing okay.” M – “How are you doing really?” O – “I’m tired.” M – “Me too.” O – “I guess it’s not easy for any of us.” M – “No, it isn’t.” They hug, one of them weeps, the other one holds, and that’s how people keep on keepin’ on. Continue reading →

For several months, as I woke up in the morning, I could feel myself coming back from far away… and a not too pleasant far away. Once I would open my eyes and realize I was in my familiar room, this location, these circumstances, this ‘my daily life’ story, clarity would begin to return. I’m here, glad to be here… now where did I go and why???

Not remembering dreams or any people that I met, just the mental activity and the feeling, I ask myself if I have been pulled into, or intentionally traveled into the turmoil-filled collective subconscious. It could be that, or it could be my own dross and I’m doing some visiting. In any case, when I realize that I’m still here, incarnated in this cool body, able to make the choices and do the journey, it’s a relief. The outcome of this journey is beyond beautiful, so all I can say is… Whew! It’s all good, let’s keep it moving. Continue reading →