Airy Fairy

Who ARE these people?

2011-02-11T07:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I stepped out of my comfort zone and attended my very first creative writing workshop. This story is not so much about the workshop content, but about events surrounding it.

A little background, because how I got there was a bit circuitous and adds to my overall wonderment of the story.

Through a series of offhand remarks and following up on a "coincidental" conversation with the owners of GPLDG, the company I work for, I am taking a course in Web Design and Development at Phoenix College. It happened very quickly: Conversation at the company Christmas party; affirmation a week later that it wasn't just wine talking; a little on-line research; voila! next thing I know I'm picking up a campus parking sticker and having my student ID picture taken.

School began on January 18. Two weeks into the course, I was passing through the school website to get into my student email account. Before I clicked off the home page something caught my eye. It was this:

New this Spring!

Weekly Creative Writing Workshop

Open to All Students

Thursdays 2:30-3:30pm (starting January 27)

Room ### in the English Department

Writers of all levels exchange feedback on each other's work.

Discuss various writing topics and work with creative writing prompts.

All types of creative writing welcome: poetry, creative non-fiction, short and flash fiction, novel excerpts, play and screenplay scenes.

What to bring: Something to scribble with and something to scribble on. If you would like to workshop a piece of writing, please bring about 5 copies.

Before I even connected that the time was tailor made (my Web class ends at 2:15 on Thursday), and before I even noticed I had already missed the first session, and before I had the chance to think about the fact that I have nothing at all to workshop, I sent an email to Jacquie, the contact listed in the ad. Within minutes I received a reply that I was absolutely welcome to participate. I marveled at my own impetuousness.

I planned to begin immediately, two days later, which would have been only the second workshop session. Unfortunately, on that Thursday, for the first time in months, I had a pressing task at work for which I had to return right after my Web Design class ended. Normally I might have taken that as an omen, but no, it was like I was being led to the writing workshop by some unseen force, so before returning to work, I stopped by to introduce myself to Jacquie and to obtain the weekly writing prompt in order to experiment.

Several days later, in a monthly group meeting with 5 good friends, when it was my turn to talk I spoke about my going-back-to-school experiences with the Design class and then brought up the happy little bonus of the writing group, lamenting that I already had to miss the first one I was supposed to attend. This is a group of very intuitive women, and what three of them said next was something I hadn't even considered. They all felt very strongly that the real reason I happened into going back to school had way more to do with the workshop than the course I'm taking. Additionally, a few days later, while recounting the workshop story to my Mom, also an intuitive, and before I even got to the part about what my friends said, she made the same observation! Well, OK then. All my intuitives are on the same page!

Onward to the next Thursday, the aforementioned yesterday. I finished everything I needed to do at work before I left for my Web Design class. When it ended I made my way down to the workshop space, which is a conference room rather than a classroom, so the seating style was a table in the middle of the room with chairs all around it. I was the first one there but was soon joined by Jacquie, two women, one older and one younger, and one older and two fairly young guys. One of the younger guys sat next to me on my right and immediately turned to me and said, "Hi, I'm Eric." I introduced myself and we shook hands.

The workshop started with the writing prompt. We all spent about 20 minutes writing the first thing that came to us and then we all took turns reading aloud what we had written. I was nervous because they seemed way more experienced and writerly than me, but I took a deep breath and shared. My piece was well received, a huge relief. We spent the remainder of the hour "workshopping" pieces that several of them had brought.

I left feeling pretty jazzed. One reason was because I didn't make a fool of myself and the other was because I was headed to see my FABulous hair stylist, Miguel. It had been over 4 months since my last haircut and this was only my second time visiting his salon since meeting him at the Temple. He works in a really cool space called Trini, right next to my favorite coffee shop, Lola, on Roosevelt.

I'll bet you're wondering if I'm just digressing here. No, I'm not!

So I was at my way overdue hair appointment, seated comfortably in the hair washing chair, Miguel administering a fantastic cranial massage, when another stylist and client walked into the room. The client, a young guy, sat down next to me on my right hand side. Out of the corner of my eye, I see it is Eric, the guy I had just sat next to, and met for the first time only about an hour before in the workshop. We were both just completely amazed at the "coincidence." I mean really, Phoenix is one big ass city, you know? And it's not like Trini and Phoenix College are next door to each other.

As Miguel led me to his chair to cut my hair, I explained how weird this little synchronicity actually was. All of a sudden he said, " I had something like that happen today too!" He woke up early that day, which he said was very unusual for him. He prepared a bowl of cereal and turned on the TV to watch the morning news, something else he said he never does. He watched a report about people waiting in line overnight to be first in line for the release of the new iPhone offered by Verizon. The first person in line was being interviewed, a young woman who had been there since 3:30am. She was wearing a hoody and shivering from the cold, but quite excited, he said. Several hours later when Miguel got to the salon, his first client of the day came in. She was someone he was meeting for the first time. After the introduction was made she excitedly showed him her new iPhone that she was able to obtain that morning. And then she said, "I was even interviewed for the news!" And then Miguel realized that she was the girl he'd seen on TV because he, for some odd reason, couldn't sleep that morning.

After my haircut, I went next door to Lola to wait for Pat who would be joining me shortly after taking the light rail from work. Over coffee I told her all about my exciting day, and in particular, about both my and Miguel's odd synchronistic new person meetings. Pat listened intently and then asked, "Who ARE these people?"

Good question.

One Word for 2010

2010-01-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

When I fire up the old way-back machine and conjure the ghost of New Years past my recollections include: too much alcohol, revelry and noise, resolutions I never kept and a feeling of let-down that the Christmas holidays were officially over.

One of the best things about getting older is being able to deconstruct our old ways of doing things and to create new traditions that serve us better.

New Year's Eve has been repurposed in ways that make it one million times better than it ever used to be, starting with the fact that the day is first and foremost Pat's birthday. For the past few years, we've spent the entire day doing whatever floats her boat ending the day with a meditation from 11:30 pm until 12:15 am.

On December 31, 2009 we slept in, took our time performing our regular morning routine, then went to a noon yoga class. After class we went to Lola's Coffee Bar (the new 2nd location on Roosevelt) and then out to lunch at Cibo, where we sat in the front garden to eat and feed bread nibbles to the sweet little finches who decided to join us. From there we went to the Biltmore to browse around in Borders, where we bumped into two sets of old friends who'd had the same idea.

After a brief stop at home we then drove up to Cave Creek to the home of our new friend, Therese. We enjoyed a pot luck with 5 other wonderful ladies and then we adjourned to her back yard for a Blue Moon, New Years Eve Medicine Wheel ceremony at which we threw into a fire pit any regrets, resentments, and issues we no longer wanted to carry forward. We'd written those out on paper beforehand. We'd also written hopes, dreams and wishes on a separate piece of paper. Those we kept. At 11:00 we all caravan-ed down to the SRF Temple for the 11:30 meditation, where we all brought in the new year with quiet contemplation.

Earlier that same week, as 2009 wrapped up, it seemed like every recap of the year went on endlessly about how awful it was. I actually found myself adopting that mindset myself. But when I stopped to think about it, independent of the thoughts of others, I came up with a different conclusion. I actually found myself thinking that 2009 was one of the best years ever. I was able to realize the blessings in everything that had occurred, both good and bad.

And so, my realization became the inspiration for a one word theme for 2010.

GRATITUDE

It is the only New Year's resolution I made.

Winter Solstice and 2009

2008-12-22T08:35:00.000-08:00

This Is A Unique Solstice

by Patricia Diane Cota-Robles
http://eraofpeace.org/

The Winter Solstice is considered one of the most powerful times of the year by many cultures around the world. In the Northern Hemisphere this celestial event usually occurs on December 21st. The timing of the solstice this year will be Sunday, December 21, at 7:04 a.m. EST, 4:04 a.m. PST, or 12:04 p.m. Universal Time.

The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year, and it heralds the initial impulse of the annual return of the Sun, the Light, to the Earth. This year the spiritual effects of the solstice will be more powerful than ever before. This is due to the incredible influx of Light that is pouring into the planet through the heartfelt pleas of people everywhere.

Humanity is experiencing the most intensified purging of the economic system, and the various other social structures that do not operate with a consciousness of the highest good for all concerned, that we have ever endured. This is a necessary cleansing that is paving the way for the physical manifestation of the patterns of perfection for the New Earth. The difficult part of this process is that the masses of Humanity do not see the bigger picture. Millions of people see only the painful situations that are happening in their lives. As a result of this limited perception, they feel overwhelmed and hopeless. This is very hard to observe, but it is not all bad.

After our fall from Grace aeons ago, we became so numb to the discord in our lives that we just muddled through our Earthly experiences accepting mediocrity as a natural state of being. We fell into the terrible habit of using pain as our motivator. Unless we were writhing in agony, we did not feel that it would help to take action or to ask for assistance from our Father-Mother God. For millions of people on Earth, prayer and an invocation for Light from our God Parents occurs only when they are brought to their knees by their life situations. This is exactly what is happening at this time for millions of people all over the world.

The Company of Heaven is revealing to us now that more people than ever before are reaching a critical moment in their life experiences. Consequently, millions of people are asking God for Divine Intervention. Many of them are praying for the very first time. This powerful event, in unison with the millions of Lightworkers who daily invoke the Light of God, has created the greatest influx of Light the Earth has ever experienced during a Winter Solstice. This Heavenly assistance will greatly empower the patterns of perfection for the New Earth, and it will accelerate our individual hopes and dreams by leaps and bounds.

Beginning now, and continuing for the next 72 hours, focus intently on the vision of what you want to manifest in your life and the lives of your loved ones. Focus on your visions for the New Earth and the harmony and balance you wish for all Humanity. This is a rare opportunity, and we are being called to action by our God Selves—our I AM Presence—and the Company of Heaven. Be sure your visions and your intentions always reflect our Oneness and the Reverence of ALL Life.

This event will pave the way for a God Victorious New Year. 2009 is going to be a year of miraculous changes. These changes have been in the works for quite some time, and now we are going to experience them tangibly in the world of form. These changes will not happen by chance. They will occur through the unified efforts of Lightworkers all over the world and the Company of Heaven.

I know there are a lot of dire predictions regarding the global economy and the challenges Humanity is going through, but we are not the victims of circumstance. We are the cocreators of our Earthly experiences. If we do not like the way things are going in our lives, we have the ability to change our circumstances. This is what we have been preparing for aeons to accomplish—and now is the time.

As the Hopi prophecy states: “We are the ones we have been waiting for.”

2009 numerically is an 11 year. Eleven is the master number that reflects the transformation of the physical into the Divine. The archetypes for the patterns of perfection for the New Earth were securely anchored into the physical plane in August 2008. In 2009, through our creative faculties of thought and feeling, we will expand these patterns into our daily experiences.

The purging and cleansing of the obsolete behavior patterns that have caused the maladies existing in Humanity’s lives will continue. But the wonderful news is, as these old archetypes crumble away, the expansion of the patterns of perfection for the New Earth will begin to manifest in ways that will bring joy, fulfillment and great expectations into the hearts and minds of people everywhere.

There is a new sense of hope flooding through the hearts of people around the world. Humanity’s hope is magnetizing Legions of Light from the Realms of Perfection into the atmosphere of Earth in ways we have never experienced. The Divine Intent of these Messengers of God is to assist Humanity to move quickly through the cleansing process so that the bliss of the New Earth will manifest in the twinkling of an eye.

2009 is going to be whatever we cocreate together. Do not let this opportunity pass you by.

Patricia Diane Cota-Robles

New Age Study of Humanity's Purpose

a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit educational organization

Website: http://eraofpeace.org/

FAX: 520-751-2981;

Phone: 520-885-7909

New Age Study of Humanity's PurposePO Box 41883, Tucson, Arizona 85717

2008-11-07T15:15:00.000-08:00

Our Better Angels

2008-10-31T18:37:00.001-07:00

I have been doing a lot of thinking recently about higher vibrations compared to lower energies and how they can apply to almost everything we say, think and do. What has been occurring in our political arena as Election 2008 heads into the final heated days is a perfect teaching moment to illustrate how these energies affect all of us.

The seven energy chakras in our body are a combination of higher and lower energy vibrations. Base energies consist of the first three chakras: 1. the root, depicted red; 2. the sacral, orange; and 3. the solar plexus, yellow. The third chakra is the energy of what we call “gut feelings.”

Moving up to the higher chakra centers there are: 4. the heart, depicted green; 5. the throat, blue; 6. the third eye, indigo; and 7. the crown chakra, violet.

We can all recall times that we reacted to events in our lives with our hearts and our heads and the experience most often tended to be a positive, loving one that maybe taught us a valuable life lesson. Then there were those situations that made our guts literally churn. If we were to name one most prominent emotion driving this feeling, it would probably be fear.

When fear drives us, making our solar plexus the dominant energy center, our base vibrations are winning the day. When we are reacting from a place of base vibration we often are not allowing our higher vibrations of reason to gain traction. We go crazy with worry that feeds upon itself creating more fear and more worry, like a fire that gains intensity the more oxygen it gets.

Ideally all chakras should be in balance and spinning at a similar rate to each other, the base chakras are not negative when in balance with the higher energies. It is when there is a lack of balance that there is a problem.

Getting back to the election; it has been striking the marked difference between the tone of the rallies for Barack Obama and those for John McCain, especially once the palpable negative energy of VP pick Palin was added into the McCain mix.

On one hand, people at Obama’s rallies are happy and hopeful. The candidate speaks of ideas and policy proposals and the crowd cheers and beams. Even when they booed recently at the mention of McCain’s name, Senator Obama just smiled and said, “Don’t boo, get out and vote!” He was appealing to their better angels, their higher vibrations. People leave Obama rallies energized and happy to be a part of a historic movement. I have been to a rally and have volunteered quite a bit over the course of this campaign and I have yet to witness anything resembling hate or negativity from any of the other attendees or staff and volunteers.

Contrast that with what the McCain and Palin campaign stops have become. Listening to those candidates you learn one main point – they hate Barack Obama and will say anything to vilify him and get their audience to agree with them. There are virtually no solid ideas discussed regarding the direction they want to take the country, instead, almost every single sentence starts with, “Senator Obama…” Their main goal is to tear down their opponent and it has come to define their entire campaign. People leave those rallied angry and afraid. Their guts are churning and they’re mad as hell.

Another 21st century politician who governs from the gut is our current, and thankfully soon exiting, president. I think we all know how that worked out for the American people. I see the McCain campaign as a continuation of this lower energy field that has pervaded for eight long years.

So many of us are working, calling, voting and praying fervently that Change really is coming. It’s time to raise the collective consciousness of not only this nation but the world. It’s time to heal our planet physically and mentally. We all need to get back in touch with our better angels. Elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden on November 4th.

Note: This piece was cross posted at Multiply

All 5's for Always....Thanks for the Sign, Zivan Perich

2008-10-15T16:22:00.000-07:00

The following is reprinted with permission from Sally Hanson's blog. Sally is a friend of Joni and Mary Perich, (Pat's cousins.) Their father, Zivan Perich, passed away on October 4, 2008. This story is exactly why we started this blog and we're very happy that Sally has agreed to allow us to cross post it here. One more thing... if I believed in coincidence, I'd say it was one that my last post here contained the number five in the title!

I called a client of ours to express our sympathy having learned of her Dad's passing and wanting to send her dinner on a night she would want it most. It was her first night home having held a vigil at her Father's bedside and stayed with her mother for a couple nights following his passing. Joni Perich and her sister Mary were busy making arrangements and doing all the things to prepare for the weekend funeral service. Mr. Perich was born in Serbia and was fluent in 7 languages. He and his wife, Bea had 3 daughters and raised them all to understand how very important it was to get a good education. In his homeland, the grading system was 5 thru 1 with 5 being the equivalent of our "A" . He stressed to his daughters the importance of earning "5's ", studying hard and getting a good education.

Joni had to stop at a TYME machine for cash to get her thru the expenses of the next couple days as she helped the family with funeral arangements. She pushed the withdrawal button and had specified $200 in cash. Her eyes got wide as the machine seemed to endlessly spit out cash....and then it stopped. Joni reached onto the platform....and there, as though touched by her Dad.....were forty $5 bills. The tears fell at the same tine she smiled and looked to the Heavens. "I can't spend it Sally," she said...."I just have to frame it...." Thank you Mr. Perich....you have taught your daughter to be the kind of adult we know you are still very proud to call your own...and Thank you for letting her know that it really is just fine "on the other side."

The Five Miracles*

2008-06-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

He's sitting on my computer desk right now, trying to push his head under my hands as I type. Every so often a paw reaches over the edge and presses a key. “No, Scout,” I tell him, “There is no letter q in the word computer. Unless it’s a Compaq, which it isn’t.”

“Mee-hee,” he replies. He’s a perfect audience; he thinks I am witty, even when I’m not. And then he settles down to nap , his little head strategically placed so that I can easily lean forward to plant a little kiss on top, between his ears. “Meep!” he’ll squeak.

I call him my most able bodied assistant, one of many nicknames and terms of endearments. He is my constant companion now; he follows me from room to room whenever I am at home. It wasn’t always that way. For several years he protested the arrival of our dog, Maggie, by choosing to spend most of his time under a huge shrub in the front yard of our old house.

It was during this dark period of our history, five years ago, that The Five Miracles took place.

The events began with the death of a close friend. Glenn was the most kind, gentle bear of a man there ever was. Cancer took him down in what should have been the prime of his life, too soon after meeting and marrying Nancy, the woman of his dreams, finally acquiring his small ranch with two horses and settling down to enjoy it all. He was gifted with animals, small and large; he loved them and they loved him. I am convinced that how people relate to animals is a good measure of their character.

After learning of Glenn’s death, Pat and I spent several nights tossing and turning, unable to sleep. It was full moon and the light coming in through the curtains added to our insomnia. On the third night after Glenn’s passing, I had just finally drifted off when I heard a commotion from our front yard; a shout, a car door slamming and then the sound of tires squealing as a car sped off.

I bolted upright and exclaimed, “Scout!”

I ran to the front window and looked out, all was quiet. I went out the front door with a flashlight and began calling for him, looking under the boughs of his bush house. He did not answer, and after searching around the entire perimeter of the house with no result, I went back to bed with a sense of dread.

I could not sleep at all that night. My sadness about Glenn was now accompanied by the terror that someone had done Scout harm. Visions of Satanic cult members performing a full moon ritual on my all black cat were burning themselves behind my eyes and I was nearly hysterical by morning.

Pat and I spent the hours from first light until we had to leave for work walking up and down our street, calling for him. Each time I passed Scout’s bush, I looked under, and each time I saw it empty I lost a little more hope.

I went to work that morning with a heavy heart. I could barely concentrate on what I was doing, and apparently Pat was having the same problem. In an extremely rare occurrence, Pat was actually sent out of the office that day on an errand. She took advantage of the situation to drive home to look for Scout. See, she already knew that my worst case scenario cult vision was not true because that morning in the shower she had a visit from Glenn.

It went something like this:

“Glenn! I’m naked”

“Pat, it doesn’t matter, I’m dead. Listen, I just want to tell you that I always knew you were a true friend, so don’t worry that you didn’t realize it was the last time when we saw each other. Oh, and Scout is OK.”

That was The First Miracle.

So, Pat finds herself at home at 10:00 that morning, an extreme rarity based on a conversation with the dearly departed and some unexplainable magnetic pull that drew her there. As soon as she got out of her car she walked over to Scout’s bush to check underneath. He’s not there. Just as she turned to walk back across the front yard, three big dogs ran up to her and circled her.

Pat is afraid of dogs. It is the reason she wanted to get Maggie; she hoped to break herself of the fear. It worked and she is comfortable around most dogs now. But on this day, when those three rushed at her, barking, she felt the old fear coming back. Obviously, I think most of us would feel more than a bit of trepidation about being surrounded by three large, loose dogs with no owner/human in sight.

But what happened next is truly incredible. Pat felt a wave of calmness wash over her. She felt no fear, just a sense of protection. “Go home,” she said to the dogs, and they all turned and trotted up the street. She went in the house and called me. That was when I learned of The First Miracle, right after The Second Miracle occurred.

“It was Glenn,” she told me. “He was right there, protecting me. It had to be Glenn; he was so good with animals. And I knew I was OK with him there, I wasn’t even afraid.”

And in that exact moment she realized what happened to Scout. The same dogs must have been on the loose the night before and they had flushed Scout from under his bush and chased him. But he ran like a track star and got away and was hiding somewhere. She simply knew it. She knew it because she knew she had been drawn home at that exact moment in order to have that encounter with the dogs.

Right after work that Monday evening we resumed the search for Scout, armed with a new understanding. I was still very worried, still had in the back of my mind that niggling fear that he was a victim of full moon crazies, but I was feeling much more hopeful. I had made flyers that day at work, so we started with our street first, knocking on doors and putting flyers in mailboxes, talking to neighbors who were outside on that balmy April evening.

Our neighbor a few doors to the north of us had an interesting tale to tell. Apparently that same morning another neighbor lady was out front when the same three loose dogs rushed her. Knowing who they belonged to she tried to lead them and return them to their backyard when one of them bit her. I guess he didn’t hurt her badly, but the story only reinforced the miracle that kept Pat safe on our front lawn.

We walked and called all that evening, when finally after dark, we were exhausted and so returned home to spend another night tossing and turning and worrying.

The next night, Tuesday, we set out right after work again, flyers in hand, and this time Pat felt drawn to the south, towards the elementary school. When we got to the school I headed for the street adjacent to it when suddenly Pat said, “No, this way.” So we turned and began walking down an alley. Most of the fences were chain link and by now dogs were beginning to go crazy in the way that dogs behind a chain link fence bordering an alley do. I expressed doubts that Scout would have journeyed this way, since dogs were the bane of his existence, especially now. But Pat pushed on. “Glenn says go this way,” she informed, and by now that’s good enough for me.

We reached the end of the alley after having looked behind every garbage can and under every clump of overgrowth and found ourselves on the street running parallel behind the school. We walked toward the east and soon approached a woman in her front yard and her two sons who were playing with a ball. We walked up to her and handed her a flyer and asked if she had seen Scout. I nearly fell over when she replied, “Yes, as a matter of fact, I have seen him! He looks just like our cat, Shadow, and I saw them out here together the other night.”

On cue, from under the bushes in front of her house, emerges Scout who walks towards us. My heart leaped with joy (yes, leaped) and then I saw that “Scout” had grown much larger since I saw him last, and I realized that it was not Scout but the aforementioned Shadow walking towards us.

But this was certainly a breakthrough, we had a definite Scout sighting! We exchanged phone numbers and she promised to call us if she saw him again. We continued on, heartened that he must be around this area somewhere. We walked all over the several blocks surrounding Shadow’s house, calling. We went home after dark again, but feeling real hope. We’d just had The Third Miracle, as Glenn lead Pat right to Shadow’s house where Shadow’s family just happened to be outside.

The next morning we got up and made a beeline for Shadow’s house. People in that neighborhood must have thought we were casing the joint, or were some kind of crazed stalkers, we were there so often. And as would become a routine, after not finding him waiting for us at Shadow’s house, we would cruise around the adjacent streets searching, calling, crawling under bushes, poking through the alleys.

It was Wednesday and we were to attend Glenn’s memorial service in the afternoon. Pat and I both left work early that day to attend the service and the reception held afterward at Glenn and Nancy’s ranch. The memorial was a beautiful tribute to a wonderful human being; incredible stories were told, testimonials to the generous nature of a man who would literally have given the shirt off his back to someone who needed it. We laughed through our tears at stories of some of his Glenn’s wild youthful antics and we cried unabashedly during every story of his helping people, we sobbed through his favorite songs. There was not a dry eye in the place.

Emotionally wrung at the end, we walked up front to wait our turn to speak with Nancy who was receiving condolences by a table laden with pictures of Glenn from birth to the end of his life. One of the final pictures in the chronology stopped me short. It was a grainy candid, just a snapshot in a tiny frame. Wordlessly I tugged at Pat’s sleeve and pointed. It was picture of Glenn holding a black cat. We both just stared; we know a “sign” when we see one. Although Glenn had many animals, dogs, cats, horses, birds and rodents, and although many of the photos on display featured him with various pets, this was only photo of Glenn with a cat. A black cat.

There was no doubt in either of our minds; this was The Fourth Miracle.

When we got home from the reception that evening we went back to Shadow’s house to call for Scout and sit vigil in case he decided to make an appearance. And went home without him once again. We did the same thing after work every night that week. On Friday, which happened to be Good Friday, we stayed out longer after dark thinking that since cats are nocturnal we might have a better chance at a sighting. An interesting side note - after our first chance meeting with Shadow’s mother and her boys, we never saw any of them outside again.

It was the next morning, Saturday, when The Fifth Miracle occurred. I was in the bedroom putting on my shoes to go hang around over by Shadow’s house again, when suddenly Pat began to shout, “JEANNE!! HURRY!! SCOUT’S HERE! SCOUT’S HOME! COME QUICK!” I dashed to the door and there he was in the carport, a vision in black fur, meowing loudly! I scooped him up and hugged him and kissed him and cried for joy.

It was a wonderful reunion. I know he was as happy to see us as we were to see him; it had been a long ordeal for all of us. Later we theorized that maybe because we had walked over to the neighborhood that he was hiding in so many times that we had left a scent trail that he followed home. Or more likely Glenn showed him the way; it was so like him.

I give thanks to this day for The Five Miracles. Without Pat and Glenn, I’m not sure I’d be gazing upon Scout right now, leaning across my keyboard to put my nose in his sweet smelling, silky fur and having him answer me with a little chirp, “Meep!”

*This story originally appeared on my old 360 blog two years ago. It is reposted here because it is a story that belongs in this space much more than that one.

One Year Ago Today

2008-06-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, I posted this entry on my Yahoo 360 blog:

I was attracted to this page view stat just before closing out of my home page while I was talking to Bo-Bann on the phone and I wanted to give her my full attention.

Visitor Stats: Since Mar 2006

Page Views

15,111

So I copied and pasted it onto a new blog entry page before settling in to listen to my friend. I wanted to hear everything she had to say about the subject of neutrality. I had just been relating to her my frustration about feeling energies around me but not knowing what to do with it, not being able to decode what it means. And she said that perhaps it doesn't mean anything if I don't receive clarity, perhaps it is just energy that I should acknowledge and move on. To be content that it is what it is and no more. It made perfect sense. And the fact that I saw all those ones just as we began this conversation? I believe I am to be mindful of how I am feeling; that how I am feeling will manifest itself in a neutral way. Neutrality means that the universe doesn't care one way or another, but our perceptions can create different energies. In my case I understand that just like the shadow that crosses my peripheral vision and disappears when I look directly at the place I saw it, when I try too hard to get meaning from what I think might be a message it is likely counterproductive.

We also spoke of some events that are related to my throat chakra and she asked me if I felt I speak my truth. After giving it some consideration I realize that I do not always, that I still edit to please, but that I am learning to overcome this. It does get easier with age and awareness.

This might look like a bunch of crazy strung together thoughts, but I know what I mean. It is hard to define the undefineable and I really am not even trying to... but maybe someone else reading this will see something in it that is beneficial.

Tags: paranormal, , personalmeanderings Edit Tags

Tuesday June 19, 2007

I haven't visited my 360 page in months but today I went over trolling for some old material to cross post here (since I am too lazy to write something new) and this entry captivated me and made me realize how far I have come in a year regarding the development of my awareness and sensitivity as well as my reaction to them. I realized too, that may have been the conversation that provided a turning point. When I realized that I wrote those words exactly one year ago today (the 3rd Tuesday in June) I knew it meant something that I was to stumble across them again today. The very last line? I think it was by me, for me.

We're Expecting!

2008-06-13T13:59:00.001-07:00

Guess what! We're expecting! And we're due to deliver this coming Sunday. Meet Aerie Faerie Willow and Micaya Rose*. (*subject to change once Pat gets her hands on this one!) They'll be called Faerie and Mickie for short.

It has been seven months since the passing of our beloved Chelsea Brown, and although we know full well that we can never replace her, we can love again. And besides, we believe that possibly Mickie may have some essence of the Brownie... check it out:

Busy House

2008-06-13T13:04:00.001-07:00

None of the Orbisons wanted to come out

and play that day...

until they heard the didgeridoo calling.

A couple weeks ago we had some friends over for lunch on a Saturday and at one point some drumming broke out. Since there were six of us and only three drums, we took turns playing drums and alternating with the other hand instuments available (bells, singing bowl, maracas, eggs and the didge, as shown above). And dancing, lots of dancing. And cameras, always with the cameras in this group. I took quite a few pictures of the proceedings and discovered that the resident Orbison population had a definite fondness for the didgeridoo, because the sound of it was the only thing that brought them out to dance and play!

In related news, a few evenings ago, at around 7:30, Pat and I were sitting at the dining room table playing a rousing game of Rummikub when suddenly we heard a helicopter right over our house, so close the pictures on the wall actually rattled. At the exact moment I first heard the noise, a bright blur of white light moved over the corner of the table beside my right arm. I said to Pat – “What was that light? Did you see it?” She didn’t, and I spent the next 5 minutes with every hair on my body, especially on my arms and the back of my neck, standing on end, the energy was so great.
The helicopter circled our neighborhood for the next two hours. At one point we were outside watching it and a bullhorn announcement came from it telling everybody to get inside and something about a gun. We watched the news at 10 pm and I checked the newspaper and looked on line the next morning, but I still have no idea what was going on because there were no reports. I also don’t know what the light that streaked across the table was either. I do know that when we finally went into the front room to meditate it was during that session that the crisis finally ended and the helicopter stopped shaking our house.

I floated this story amongst some of my more intuitive friends to see if anyone was getting any hits and here is what one of them said: "I think what you witnessed was an entity reliving his last moments of the physical plane before he left it. I got the impression that he was being chased by a helicopter in his time frame (maybe around 20 years ago?) and the present day activities stirred up this event. The standing hair is a pretty good barometer of Spirit presence. "

To which I replied: "I read with interest your impression of what took place and my first thought was that the entity was very “lucky” to have wandered into our field of energy because I feel that it is very, very positive. We surround ourselves with light, love and protection daily; Divine Mother, Guruji and all manner of saints are regulars at our meditation sessions!"

Not to mention didge happy, dancing Orbs!

Archangel Gabrielle

2008-01-22T15:28:00.001-08:00

"Graceful Landing"

PHOTAGGIO by sapphic graphics design cafe

Several days ago, as I sat in meditation at Temple*, I received a vision that I was to pull out my Angelic Messenger deck of cards (Doreen Virtue) and choose one because there was a message I needed to receive. So as soon as I got home, I lit some incense, opened the box of cards and as I contemplated my meditation, absently shuffling the deck, one card flipped out and landed at my feet. It was Archangel Gabrielle and her message is this:

"You have an important life purpose involving communication and the arts. Please don't allow insecurities to hold you back. I will help you."

"I am with you as one of your guardian angels. You may wonder why an archangel is with you. I help many people simultaneously, and you are among them. I help those whose life purpose is in the arts or communication. I will help you polish and trust in your natural talents. Then I will open door for you to express those talents in a way that will help others."

"What I need from you in return is honesty and cooperation. Tell me about your confusion, your insecurities, and your dreams. Ask me to help you. And then, please walk through the doors of opportunity that I open for you. I am on your side completely! My function is to be your coach, and as such, I may prod you along. Please know that I am only pushing you because I know that you need a little boost from above."

I was very happy to get this life path affirming card that day. The next morning I was up before Pat (a highly unusual event) and as I stepped into the sun room with my coffee I was drawn to the angel card deck again, still sitting on top of the sideboard with Gabrielle turned up as a reminder. I picked up the deck, turned Gabby over then sat down and just held the cards for a while before shuffling them until one stuck up at an odd angle out of the deck. I said to myself, ‘this must be today’s card!’ I guess I wasn’t really surprised when I turned it over and it was once again Archangel Gabrielle.

Later that evening, while on a walk with Pat and Maggie, I was relating the synchronistic card readings and in the process of doing so I realized that even though I often joke about ‘not knowing what I want to be when I grow up’ I have always only ever wanted to be an artist. And for the first time, it occurred to me that I have been fairly true to my calling. It was an awesome realization.

*http://phoenixtemple.org/

Angel

2007-11-21T08:07:00.001-08:00

Chelsea Brown 1990-2007

My sixth sense must now take command where
sight, sound, smell and maybe most importantly,
touch used to be in charge.
No longer do you share my physical space,
it is now in my heart that you live .
Once there were purrs and sandpaper kisses,
now your presence in my dreams will be
our nightly bed time story.
You were already an angel
but now you have wings.
I miss you most fiercely, my friend.
Come back to us soon.

The Three Jewels of the Tao

2007-09-27T15:47:00.001-07:00

They are such simple concepts, really. And I'm sure that most of the time we all manage to stray from practicing one or another or all of them. Pat and I learned of the Three Jewels of the Tao while reading a work of fiction, Lamb by Christopher Moore, the odd premise of which is that Jesus had a childhood best buddy who writes a tell all book about his early years. In it they seek the three wise men who attended Jesus' birth and receive many lessons about different teachings.

Pat was particularly fascinated with the concept of the Three Jewels as outlined in the book and we discussed them quite a bit on our early morning dog walks. We are both on the same page when it comes to most of these types of things and we agreed that the three attributes were something to strive for in life. We decided that we would like a visual reminder and I set about to create one in the media that I am currently working the most in, Photaggio.

It's A Sign

2006-10-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

Our friends, Chris and Al, saw this sign while out exploring the other day. They snapped the picture because they said it seemed to be a sign meant for us. They claim we have quite a bit going on right now with the new websites and creative opportunities and ideas and brainstorms. I think they're right. I can actually envision being able to soon pin down the last few unknowns of what the perfect reality should be, and once we do, we will know what to do to be able to achieve them.

When Things Are Meant To Be

2006-09-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

It's strange how one thing will lead to another and end up in a place that was completely unexpected. That is exactly what transpired last night after Pat and I decided on the spur of the moment to go on a date.

It all began with some research we were doing in order to come up with a good place to take Pat’s cousin Mary when she visits next week. While perusing the possibilities on a website we’d Googled, we found one that probably wouldn’t work for the visit due to the location, but looked inviting because it was an outdoor place on a pier by a small man made lake. So we decided right then and there that we deserved a date night and that is what we would do and where we were going.

As soon as I got home from work we set out, hungry and in a good mood. We arrived at our destination only to find it booked for a Chamber of Commerce mixer! Deciding that the lake idea was still a good one we jumped back in the car and drove a few more miles to another similar man made lake that had a choice of several restaurants. We passed on Mexican, Chinese and a Grill Bar that all had patios by the lakefront in favor of The Pita Jungle. Once inside we were informed that we would have to wait 20 minutes to get a patio table.

OK, then, no problem, we would kill the time in a cute little metaphysical emporium a few doors away. As soon as we walked into the shop we were amazed at the square footage of it – this was the biggest store of its type we had ever seen! There were several psychics on duty and a belly dancing class just starting. The woman who greeted us when we walked in was being followed closely by a large, shy looking dog.

We wandered through the vast space until we were attracted by a jewelry case. Inside we were first drawn to some silver OHM pendants in various sizes. Pat suggested that we buy one for me for my birthday and I immediately agreed. We debated the merits of the different sizes and decided on the medium sized one. No woo-woo pun intended there.

Just then, Pat was drawn to a heavy, solid silver drop on a chain with a small bead at the other end. She picked it up and it began to sway from side to side. We both were mesmerized and then we started to giggle as we pretended to be hynotized. Even though we didn’t even know for sure what it was, the weight of it, the look of it, and just the mere fact that it had called to Pat was enough.

We went to the register to pay for the mysterious thing and the OHM and the lady who had greeted us didn’t bat an eye when we told her we didn’t even know what it was we were buying. She informed us that what we had was a divining pendant and she asked if we knew how to use one. We said no, so she proceeded to teach us. She explained that each one is different and each one reacts to the querant in unique ways; she held it above her palm and asked it to show her “yes” and it began to swing in a circular motion. Then she asked it to show her “no” and it slowed down and then started to swing side to side. When she asked it to show her “indifferent” it came to a stop. I had noticed that when she first suspended the pendant above her palm it had kind of quivered, like it had picked up her energy.

As we walked back over to The Pita Jungle, I commented that it was an interesting little snippet of synchronicity since I had just a few days prior written for the first time ever about the incident with the dark spirit claiming to use a necklace to divine answers from her grandmother. And here we had just bought a divining pendant that had somehow spoken to Pat. Things that make you go, “hmmm.”

Finally seated on the patio, with a glass of wine for Pat and an organic pale ale for me, we had some wonderful chicken schwarma dishes and we talked about all kinds of things. We discussed how lucky it was to have found that little shop because it had made our little dinner date night even more interesting and special. And Pat pointed out that the whole remarkable spur-of-the-moment evening was due to cousin Mary, so of course now we were wondering if she might be into the woo. I suppose we’ll find that out soon enough.

Then it occurred to Pat that we should have looked for some sage when we were shopping because there is a weird energy spot in one corner of our garage that we have been talking about trying to get rid of because both of us have felt a negative energy force there from time to time. So after paying the bill we strolled back over there and located a large display of sage. There were two types but we preferred the smell of the white sage, so we decided to ask our new friend what she thought. She said they both work but she too preferred the white sage, so we told her to ring it up.

She asked us if we knew how to use it, and we said we thought so, but were open to any advice she had. She told us that she always begins with an affirmation that she is asking dark spirits to leave. Then she lights the sage and walks the perimeter of the room drawing counter clockwise circles with the smoke, pausing in each corner for extra coverage. That action is to chase away any negative spirits and energies. Then she lights an incense stick and does the same walk, circling the smoke in a clockwise direction, this to invite good spirits and energies.

While she was demonstrating these techniques to us, a beautiful black cat walked up to the counter. He allowed me to pick him up and hold him as I watched, and it just seemed one more sign that we had found a truly special, unexpected place.

Once home, we couldn’t wait to try out the divining pendant. Oddly enough, it seemed to respond with bigger swings and circles to me, and for me yes was side to side and no was big loopy circles. Pat thought she wasn’t getting much of anything until I finally noticed that for her it swung in one direction for yes and a different direction for no and every so often, it seemed to do tiny circles, I think that may have been for indifferent, or not sure.

We asked a lot of questions and noticed that the first few were more enthusiastically responded to and the longer the pendant was asked to continue with the same person, the more it seemed to not be as sure. But one of the early questions was about the garage. We asked if there were dark spirits in the corner I call the portal and it responded yes. I asked if we should sage it right away and it said yes again.

We did the entire sageing ritual as we had been instructed and then, finally spent, we put the pendant in a little ohm box we have along with a crystal pendant and some amythyst beads.

I know we were supposed to end up where we did and that is why the first place didn’t work out. As I sit here writing these events, I every so often find myself absently touching my new OHM pendant. It will always remind me of one of my favorite dates.

Guardian Angel

2006-09-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

Mary Esther Baker Lamparter

I’m not sure, but I think today may have been the first time that I cried out loud for my grandmother. It was like spontaneous combustion with the words of a song as the accelerant. I have listened to this song by the Dixie Chicks many times and never really paid attention to the lyrics to the point of making any personal connection with them. Today was different.

"Silent House"

These walls have eyes
Rows of photographs
And faces like mine
Who do we become
Without knowing where
We started from

It's true I'm missing you
As I stand alone in your room

Everyday that will pass you by
Every name that you won't recall
Everything that you made by hand
Everything that you know by heart

One room
Two single beds
In the closet hangs
Your favorite dress
The books that you read
Are in scattered piles
Of paper shreds

Everything that you made by hand
Everything that you know by heart

In the garden off the living room
A chill fills the air
And the lilies bloom

And I will try to connect
All the pieces you left
I will carry it on
And let you forget
And I'll remember the years
When your mind was clear
How the laughter and life
Filled up this silent house

I don’t know how it happened, maybe because I have been working with some old photos of her, maybe because whenever I see 7:14 on a clock I think of her since that was her birthday, maybe she was just very present today… but there I was, driving to work, bawling out loud remembering my grandmother who died 18 years ago, tears streaming down my face as those lyrics sent me back in time to her house on 917 North Queen Street.

We had a special bond, my grandma and I; she was my primary caregiver from the age of 2 until I was 6. All my young life I knew I had someone I could go to who thought everything I did and said was wonderful. Not to say that she couldn’t be a strict disciplinarian if I got out of line; to this day I don’t see a wooden spoon without thinking of her wrath at the other end of one!

Her house was always a second home to me. When I think of my grandma, it is always in that setting; watching TV in her living room with her jumping up every two minutes to bring out more goodies, another glass of lemonade, more napkins, etc. or us sitting together at the kitchen table discussing everything that was going on in my life. It was always my life we talked about; I now realize she never shared much about herself.

I only found out later, from my mother, that my grandma was raised by her family’s neighbors because her own mother died while giving birth to her. Her daddy could not deal with a fresh infant on his own, with other children to raise, so to the neighbors she went. She grew up an outsider in the home in which she lived and an outsider among her own blood family right next door. It was a very sad existence that created an extreme lack of self worth in young Esther.

When she met my dashing grandfather, he swept her off her feet and into the house at 917 North Queen. Typical of the era, she stayed at home and kept house and raised my mother, and my grandfather worked and spent most evenings doing his manly club things. He was a member of the Masons, the Elks Club, the Lions Club, Rotary and I don’t even know what all else. She never learned to drive and depended on grandpa for everything. He always called her Essie Belle, and that term of endearment was what my children, her great-grandchildren always called her.

She died in 1988; it was sad, but as she had been sickly for several years, not surprising. I grieved but not in a break-down-and-cry physical way. Soon after I began to feel her presence, like she was with me in some way. In 1997 this was confirmed by a psychic who, apropos of nothing, suddenly told me that she was standing right beside me as we spoke, and that she was most likely my lead guardian angel. I had not mentioned my grandmother and the reading was about something else entirely. Confirmed now was something I already knew on a deep sub-conscious level.

Since then I have had three more psychics tell me the same thing, that she is right beside me, especially when I need her the most. One such time was several years ago. A dear friend of ours was under the influence of a dark spirit and Pat and I summoned up every light and bright spirit we could think of to keep our friend safe. Leading the charge was Essie Belle.

I will never forget the night she put on a spectacular show for the benefit of the aforementioned dark spirit, who was in our home, along with our friend. The dark spirit was explaining to us how she was able to communicate with her “grandmother” by using her necklace as a divining pendant; up and down meant yes and side to side meant no. Just then, although I was sitting perfectly still, my earring flew horizontally out of my earlobe and landed in my lap. We all sat there stunned for a moment, and finally I said I thought it must have been hanging half out already. The other three assured me it had not.

Several minutes later I went into my bedroom to get a sweater and as soon as I walked into the room I noticed the light coming through the curtains was sparkling as if hanging onto a mist and the air actually felt wet. A feeling of calm came over me as I walked through the thick, moist atmosphere to the closet. Almost trancelike, I opened the door, pulled a sweater off a hanger, closed the door, and walked out of the room. Back in the hallway I stopped short and just stood there, realizing what had just happened and every single hair stood up on my arms and neck. I remember saying out loud, “Whoa, Essie Belle, that was intense!”

Over the next year, until our friend eventually escaped the hold of the dark spirited one, I felt I could count on Essie Belle to be where I could not, by my friend’s side, keeping her bathed in light despite the life of darkness and despair she was living. I finally realized that my grandmother angel was also a guardian to my friend and I also intuited that in another lifetime my friend was my sister and Essie Belle was our mother. Just this past spring another psychic confirmed this belief and also informed me that it was no “grandmother” the dark spirit was consulting with her pendant, not unless “grandmother” was a black blur with big yellow teeth. I now know that Essie Belle was showing that evil spirit just who was boss in our house that night! She’s quite powerful.

There are times when I don’t feel her presence and I wonder if she’s moved on, maybe into a new incarnation. Just when I start feeling that way, she makes sure I know that isn’t the case. My morning drive was definitely one of those times and it is interesting that it happened the morning after I spent time with my friend. I’d call that a coincidence if I believed in such a thing. Now I just have to figure out what she was trying to tell me.

Airy Fairy Debut Post

2006-09-18T16:47:00.000-07:00

Airy Fairy Logo - Kid Fears

by acclaimed ATC ACEO artist Ann Cabano

Welcome to the Airy Fairy Blog Page. We of the airy fairy persuasion take our woo-woo very seriously, however we do not intend this page to be serious in nature. We hope to make a place where kindred souls feel free to visit and to share. We hope to create an atmosphere where revelry in our free spirited-ness skips hand in hand with exploration into the messages the universe is trying to send us.

We are open to any and all discussions about messaging from guardian angels (those from beyond as well as the earthly variety) astrology, numerology, tarot... really any type of woo woo devination is fair play. There is only one hard, fast rule - no dark spirits are welcome. We are a gathering of light working fairies and our mission is to bring messages of light and goodness, because goodness knows, evil shrivels when exposed to light and positivity.

So, check back often for stories of light work, tales of hope and love, artwork depicting these themes and discussions about different subjects of a paranormal persuasion!