“One’s own self is well hidden from one’s own self.
Of all mines of treasure, one’s own is the last to be dug up” — Nietzsche
We are coming up to the Spring Equinox, and I have been recovering form a severe pain in my neck, which has forced me to slow down. I joked in my meditation group Sunday night that my pain in the neck (Jasmine) was meeting me here at 6:30, as if my pain were created by Jasmine. Pain is a signal, so rather than smashing the pain with “pain killers”, I listened to the voices in my own head, and was able to detach from the committee, and focus back on my breath, and still my “mad monkey” mind. Today my range of movement is expanded.
The Spring Equinox sweat lodge is coming up on March 19th out at Heartspace in Carson. What is that spark that can ignite your creative fire? The spring is the element of fire – the spring and budding – emerging of persephone from her underworld life to the birth of hope. Hope and springs are what is so needed in this time of turbulence and deception. Seems the spring is about renewed hope and new beginnings – becoming childlike so that we can transcend. Grandmother bear begins to emerge from the winter’s sleep. This is New beginnings and house cleaning, and the restitution steps of recovery.
In the winter of life, hospice work of helping first me and then those I love finish what they need to. In the sacred hospice work, I am addressing the five things that need tending to before I return to spirit:
- Please forgive me.
- I forgive you,
- Thank you,
- I love you and
- goodbye.
Death teaches us the importance of live, and out of the old will emerge the new. In this time, we pray to the holy wells to bring us hope and water to quench the thirst of the soul. We pray for the people, and for abundance for all, and begin to gather the seeds of vision. The 12 steps and red road have been my path to find first the inner light and then to carry that light to others.
Raising a “tween” has been sometimes been difficult, setting boundaries and limits, agreements and consequences for breaking sacred contracts. The greater love is looking for the good of the child by saying no to the incessant demands and hormonal changes change…AND SAYING YES TO take loving care of the treasure inside. When a word or deed does not honor my essence, I can just say no, for without embracing my own divinity can I embrace yours. What do I hold as sacred. The sacred contracts are the ones that we make on the other side, and the wisdom of “to thine own self be true” is the essence of loving.
The child is my heart. Finding the treasures within and tending to the fires of creativity, learning to cook and the spirtual alchemy that can happen in the sweat lodge. and spiritual alchemy. Also the walk around the wheel begins with a willingness to move … or be moved into action rather than guilt, shame or the various other vibrations of fear. In recovery, I learned to keep it (I) simple. one second, a minute, an hour, day, year, decade or lifetime, the non-progressive great spirit gives us the freedom to choose.
My lodge will be on March 19th – looks like we will have help, but I need to know who will commit to helping and being there. I know that I commit to being there, and do the Ceremony of the rites of spring. Our lodge holds about 15, and is for my family and friends and those who are committed to begin again the purging of the old and the walking into the unknown of new. We do this on each breath and each night when we “die” to the dream, and every morning when we awaken.
Tonight is the ending of the “Teachings of the North” class, and I will pray with and smoke the pipe, setting my intention of seeing with “new eyes” and walk the path of beauty and loving kindness.
Mandi is flying in on Sunday evening, and thanks to my friends who have supported me during her absence. Jasmine’s teacher has been both picking up Jasmine and bringing her home each school day, and Jasmine is getting her first taste of baby sitting experience by Helena, her teacher trusting her to watch her children so she and her husband can have a night out. Jasmine got to experience a little boy that refused to go to bed, and went into a tantrum, and deal with that. Hopefully, these experiences will help her develop more confidence in her own abilities.
I am revising and simplifying my website, so that I can personally make changes and show new drums, rattles, talking sticks and other products made by us, and also have the links to Heartspace in Carson, and the many workshops and classes in a more natural setting. Our land in Carson is a refuse away from the city to come and work together in community in building a new economy and educating others how to work with our hands, the drums rattles and flutes – and begin new cooperatives to make us a model of the mental, physical, spiritual and social ways of being together in community.
My web designer is also an amazing woman who helped build my first site, and gave me two versions to share – here are the two links. 
I would love to hear feedback regarding your preference of the light and dark. light and dark . Blessings, Patrick