Hope to be blogging again soon

Due to a debilitating cold that began on July 4 and a lower back strain at the same time and limited ability to read and write due to a cataract in my right eye and an inadequate reading prescription  for my left eye, it's been several weeks since I posted here or commented at anyone's blog.  I haven't been able to keep up with my blog reading.  My cataract surgery has finally been scheduled for next Tuesday.  I had to cancel it a first time in February, again in May, and then in early July until the cold had run its course.  It will be a relief to be able to see clearly again and rejoin our community of bloggers.

Sending love to all in the meantime. 

Reading An Extraordinary Book On Interdependence Day 2019

Page 327

"... Even a wounded world is feeding us.  Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy.  I choose joy over despair.  Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift ..."

Page 377

"... I throw myself on the ground, pounding my firsts and grieving the assault on my medicine woods.  I don't know how to defeat the monster.  I have no arsenal of weapons, no legions of fighters like those who followed Nanabozho into battle.  I am not a warrior.  I was raised by Strawberries, who even now are budding at my feet.  Amid the Violets.  And Yarrow.  And Asters and Goldenrod that are just emerging, and the blades of Sweetgrass shining in the sun.  In that moment, I know that I am not alone.  I lie in the meadow surrounded by the legions who do stand with me.  I may not know what to do, but they do, giving of their medicine gifts as they always do, to sustain the world.  We are not powerless against the Windigo, they say.  Remember that we already have everything we need.  And so -- we conspire ..."

A reading from Braiding Sweetgrass:

Mandala #43: Hansa (Swan) for Kevin

Mandala #43's ground is a letter that my artist and musician friend, Kevin, signed on June 27, 1989, when he was still able to use a typewriter.  He had been diagnosed with ALS a few years earlier and wanted his letter to be sent to his friends and loved ones after his death.  As the ALS progressed, his speech could be understood only by the one closest to him.  He died on June 25, 1991.  It was only after my friend, Deven (Kevin's wife) died unexpectedly this last February that I realized Kevin's major role in leading me to do a series of mandalas in recent years.  His final paintings were monumental mandalas.  Kevin and Deven were unwavering in their enthusiasm for my art work during a time when I felt inadequate and uncertain and lost in so many ways.

My goal once again this year is to complete 12 mandalas.  My first mandala was for Deven.  Now it is July, and my second mandala is for Kevin. 

Meditation on Mother Earth:



The Cart The strap that holds the cart in rein Has been let loose by wearing thin By wearing thin, by biting through The shift in power leans to you And the cart is on a wheel I've wept with joy for the things I've done And I've wept as hard for what I left undone For what I left undone For what I couldn't deem mine For what I thought was yours And so I drew the line And the cart is on a wheel And the wheel is on a hill I heard someone fall I saw another one flail I saw an arm dig deep Where there was no rail Well there is no rail And there's no 'because' Though the body be strong The Spirit is law And the cart is on a wheel And the wheel is on a hill And the hill is shifting sand And inside these laws we stand. If we are lives and souls to keep If we are Love, I hope we do not sleep I hope we do not sleep I hope we stay our ground Hold fast to the Mother as she turns us 'round. 'Cause the cart is on a wheel And the wheel is on a hill And the hill is shifting sand And inside these laws we stand. Hold fast to the Mother...hold fast.

(Song and lyrics by Ferron)