It never ceases to amaze me the unexplainable mysteries on this planet. Archaeologists, geologist, astrophysicist, even theologians can not unequivocally provide hard facts about the phenomenal places on Earth Mother or her true origin. It all makes me smile. I love the magic of it all and the not knowing is as much a delight to my soul as hearing the speculations from well known "specialist" that have dedicated their life's work to trying to explain the unexplainable!
   Probably 20 years ago or so I heard of the Serpentine (Serpent) Mounds just outside Cincinnati and Friday a couple of friends and I finally made that journey. I had no perceived idea what to expect, all I had been told was they were Native American burial mounds and from an aerial view looked like a snake. Well, they are so much more then that! The Internet reports they are about as ancient as any known land form on Mother, and it is believed they were inspired and constructed by the ancient aliens. 
  What i do know is it is, indeed, an amazingly beautiful and sacred place. The reverence of the place is felt by those that show such respect for it's beauty by keeping it well groomed, along with the way in which they speak of land. One can feel the respect for energy there by not only those that work on the land, but by the many people that visit. Families brought picnic lunches, walked the path along the actual mounds as well as the nature walk surrounding it. 
  I will not begin to try and explain what I experienced, I will only tell you to read up on it then take the time to make the trip to actually "feel" the sacredness of yet another place on this beautiful blue planet.  I find that experiencing such uniquely sacred spots seems to put everything else in my life in perspective. While the whole world is changing at warp speed, and paradigms are shape shifting into new forms, visiting such an ancient and sacred site offers a heart felt, here and now experience that will cause one to hit the pause button. Somehow it makes one remember something that life can keep one from remembering . . . it's called the magic of the mystery of it all!

  Today, after all the fireworks and hoopla around Independence Day, I am wondering how many people actually feel independent . . . and what that "independence" really means. As in most situations, the interpretation is in the "eye of the beholder." Does Independence mean a person relies solely on him/herself, or does it mean a specific regional community, race, religious, ethic or gender group identify mainly with each other? 
  To me, independence is a privilege that was given to all of us by those that walked before us, and it is maintained by those that show honor for that gift. Contrary to some popular belief, it is not just a right, it is a gift, and with that gift comes the responsibility to show respect for the high cost people past and present paid for such an honor. We are, indeed, all part of a community, and, we need each other to be truly free. After all, independence was not achieved by one person, it took a community working together to gain such a freedom. The truth is, if we do not have others standing with us, we are prisoners to the self induced limitations we place on our lives. Every soul that lives needs love to grow and thrive, without it we are imprisoned by our fear of being hurt, not being good enough, never having enough, always being a victim to the life around us. 
  On this July 5, it is my wish that each person opens their hearts and minds to the possibilities of what life as a sacred, loving community that lives in harmony and peace really looks like. And, I know it has to begin within myself; with how I treat myself, what I tell myself about my life and what actions or inaction's are important for me to take to align to the dream within my heart. This work "ain't for sissy!" It means I have to look honestly at what I tell myself about life. The truth is, what I say means nothing . . . it is my actions that show what is in my heart.
  With that said, the very first step is to know what is in one's heart. How about July 6 each of us consider what our heart truly desires. Tell your mind its only job is to remember what your heart has to say and to really come on board with this whole independence things by being a participating team member. 
  There you have it; independence is being free from the illusion we are separate for each other. It is means we have peace within ourselves . . .  that our head and heart love and respect each other! Gotta love the simplicity of it all! 
  
  

  It seems every where we go the word, "transitions" is being coined. New constructions, renovations, refurbishing, recovering, new additions, are but a few of the words used to describe movement. We all know our world is in the flux of change, be it the weather, economic situations, political maneuvering, or lifestyle changes, things are being stirred up. 
  Everyone has an opinion as to whether these changes are for the betterment or detriment of life, however, one thing is for certain, the reference point by which we view life is shifting. My wish is for all of us to stay grounded in our personal point of truth . . . to have a clear knowing what "feels" morally and ethically true for each of us . . . individually. Then, from that point, hold true to that place and stand respectfully and loving true to our hearts. It seems to me chaos happens when we randomly ride the emotions of these changes. When we are clear what brings us a peacefulness within, we can stay steady through these changes. It is when people react to these changes on the whims of the moment rather then a personal place of truth that negativity is stirred and the possible gifts of such changes are missed. 
  Each of us must intimately know that personal place of truth and stay faithful and true to what brings harmony within in order to be a positive agent of change for those around them. It is like the old saying, "you can't see the forest for the trees." We need to stand back, take a deep breathe and ask our place of power within what it needs to be steady that we actually see the possible benefits of such changes. And then, most importantly, it is each person's responsibility to honor what is needed within rather then look outside his/herself for answers. We can listen to others opinions and points of view; however, ultimately it is what an individual chooses that helps keep balance through such times of change. As Gandhi so clearly and simply stated, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." At least, that is how I see it!

  About ten days ago my body had an allergic reaction to poison oak. Being a woman who loves gardening and working in the dirt, I am certainly no stranger to poison ivy. However, poison oak is something I am not so familiar with; that is, until this year. While pulling weeds from the yard, I immediately recognized one the green beauties had a familiar feel. Sure enough a few days later a rash developed on my chest and within another day or two my bottom lip and eyes felt tingly. Yep, I was having an allergic reaction to that "green beauty!"
  As is often the case, this occurred over the weekend, so I opted to try home remedies and wait until Monday to see if the rash would cooperate with me. Monday afternoon I am sitting in the doctor's office with my chest and neck beet red and my doctor confirming what I knew. She gave me a shot and a week's supply of steroids. 
  It took about 3 nights of not sleeping before my patience began to wear with everything. I felt irritable, nervous, and overall, not myself. Sure, I am like most people and can ride the waves of emotions from time to time; however, this was different. I have certainly learned to keep my bad mood to myself and not inflict it on others; however, about the fifth day it was another story. 
  Most of you know my mother, who has dementia, lives with me. In the nearly ten months she has been here we have had our ups and downs; however, because of her condition, erratic and illogical behaviors are certainly worked through. After all, she really has little control in managing much in her life, let alone her behavior. Gratefully, she is mostly a patient and cooperative person to work with through such types of situations. She can; however, be bull headed and head strong as most of us, if we are honest, can be from time to time. 
  On day 5, after marginal sleep, stripping bed clothes for the third time because of her lack of bladder control, she refused to follow directions to ensure she did not fall. What I want to make very clear is the feeling I had in my body. I felt complete and utter rage, I wanted to scream. It was absolutely ridiculous how angry I felt. I mean it certainly was not the first time she's behaved that way nor can she really be responsible for her actions since she forgets more than she remembers all the time. I asked myself, "why in the world are you so angry" as I felt my gut well up with frustration. I escorted her into the house and slammed the door closed behind me as I stomped off for a walk.
  All I could do was cry, cuss, scream at whatever was in my path as I felt this nasty, ugly, vile rage well in my whole body. My body shook from in the inside out. I could literally feel the vibration as this dense, heavy feeling moved to my heart and it began to race. Literally, my heart was thumping as I felt the intensity build. I can't say as I was scared at all, I was just plain and simple mad and I felt completely out of control. It was crazy making at it's best! Finally, I looked to the heavens and asked for help. I told whomever would listen this was not me and I asked for help. I knew I needed to shape shift this toxic gunk in my gut into something peaceful and harmonious. I mean who in the world wants to feel such ugliness? Especially for no logical reason! There was no "talking it down," it seemed to have a mind of its own and it was going to be felt with a vengeance.
  As I felt the universe surround me with sweetness my heart began to slow down and I felt the energy of the emotion move to the bottoms of my feet and into the earth.  I asked for forgiveness for having such illogical and unsupported feelings. I quickly felt shame for hurrying my mother into the house and slamming the door. She certainly did not deserve such disrespectful behavior. When I got back home I apologized to her then went into my prayer room and spoke gratitude for the help I got with rebalancing my emotions and for being healthy! Sure, the lack of sleep can contribute to irritable behavior; however, what I realized was it was those silly steroids that caused the rage. 
  I quickly recalled the number of athletes that have been in trouble with such rage and I understood more clearly how such behaviors can be prompted. This certainly is no excuse for such behaviors since everyone is ultimately responsible for their actions; and yet, I understood on a very physical level exactly how a person's body feels when such rage is present. 
  Tonight I pray for a greater awareness to the side effects of prescription drugs. I am grateful for the illnesses controlled and/or cured with such medicines, and, I pray for more conscious attention to be paid to reading the side effects before agreeing to take whatever the doctor prescribes. Obviously, I quit taking the steroids. While I am grateful for the teaching poison oak gave to me to pay attention, I have decided poison oak and I need to come to some sort of agreement as to how to coexist peacefully, or how I can assist it with living somewhere else other then my yard! Ah, the joys of life!

  Everyone is looking for their place in the world. Whether it is a career, a partner, a special place to call home, a favorite hobby, song, type of food, travel destination or anything else that occupies our time, we are seeking something of meaning. Absolutely everyone has a desire to feel loved and respected and somehow we have appointed a person, place or thing to acknowledge we have "arrived." We have to have something that indicates we have arrived or we seemingly would not know we are there.
  Goals help us have something to aim for, they are the destination point for which we get up everyday and do whatever we do. The sense of accomplishment is what motivates us into some sort of action; some specific end result that ultimately lets us know our lives are not in vain. That whatever action we do has purpose. 
  I wonder what the world would look like if we simply knew that our presence on the planet has purpose regardless whether we have a name for it or not? I wonder if just knowing that the footprints we leave helps those coming behind us to find their way? Perhaps knowing the only thing we need do is find the goodness in life and really feel it in our being would bring a peacefulness within that adds more goodness to our little corner of the world and ultimately would help us find our place in the world. These are the things my heart wonders this morning.

If you want to learn to trust your inner knowing and move into the next level of understanding, check out Looks Far Woman, this month.  She offers her assistance to all seeking Truth.