Preparing for Travel, Again

It is early morning, here in the Northwest, and I stepped outside to look at the moon. The moon will be full on New Year's Eve, and through the fog tonight it glows brightly behind the clouds. There will also be a lunar eclipse on the 31st, so the intensity of emotions will influence us all, as the clock marches toward 2010.

I am tired, yet unable to sleep tonight, as I correspond with people in Kauai, who I will spend time with this week. Usually, I travel Christmas Day, however, this year traveling on New Years Day seemed to be the right time to depart. Flying into the new energy of 2010 and leaving the challenges of 2009 behind is what my flight is all about, planned in advance by super-consciousness. Thank you, higher self.

This year was a year of changes for many people. Life paths were re-routed as corrections in emotions and soul purposes urged us to new places in our lives, both geographically and spiritually. As I head down my path toward 2012, I find myself calmer and encouraged by the changes I am making in my life. Some of these involved little action on my part, as past actions accumulated and forced change because of the nature of energy I had created over my lifetime.

As changes occur, my reaction to them swirls toward confusion, for a time, and then the understanding of the spiritual meaning reveals itself to me. It is then, I can breath and laugh, realizing I am heading to a better place inside my head and heart.

Unplugging from old patterns and dis-assembling mental constructs that no longer serve my soul, hurts in a number of ways. How else could I recognize joy, if not for that moment when I finally allow the attachments and controls to dissolve into the ethers?

Becoming grounded quicker is the result of allowing that which needs to be let go of, go.
Seeing the fear and pain caused by the inability of many humans, now, to recognize that which no longer serves them has been an strong undercurrent in the human dramas, this past year, has it not?

The interesting thing is we all, at some point, let go of the same things in our lives. Apart from our bodies, when we die, we also let go of homes, people we cared for at one time, people we still care for now, pets, cars, careers, relationships, addictions, and eventually that which causes disharmony which brings sorrow, illness, death or poverty to our lives, over time.

There are no beings on this earth that seek suffering. All sentient beings seek peace and harmony. How we go about it can be destructive, insane at times. In the end, before we breath our last breath, the breath of peace, hopefully, in that moment, as our last release of all the stuff we have accumulated in our lives, there is a final recognition of knowing our self as we truly are and always have been at our soul's core.

I will spend time on one of the most beautiful and powerful islands on the earth, for a while, in the next few weeks. The Garden Island also known as the rainiest place on the planet and the most remote island on earth. I will enjoy a ride in a helicopter across the Na Pali coastline and into the valleys which are so mysterious, in many ways. Sacred pools and waterfalls I shall sit by and swim in. Hoping to release some of the pain and emotional scars that I have given myself in this lifetime is the goal or at least the joy from those swims and meditations in beauty.

It is an honor for me to be taken into these places by healers and some will witness and understand the beauty of our mutual release of energy and rekindling of new energies that occur as you walk with someone who understands the healing powers at sacred places.

Something will change in me. What that will be will be revealed in my life, my actions and my writing. It could cause me to make a radical change from what I do now, to doing what I need to be doing at this point in my life because of my experiences and growth. It could also send me down that steep, slippery path of deep introspection, like when I sat in my home for 3 months, after my first trip to India, trying to assimilate all that had happened to my consciousness from that journey.

I never know the impacts these journeys have until I return and there is not any reason to worry about it anyway, because amazing and miraculous events happen at the right time, in the right place for each and every one of us. Some of the events, the meetings, what we see or experience are so profoundly intense, explaining the event to ourselves, once our soul enjoys the beauty of it, can take a long time.
The shift happens so quickly, when we walk into a forest, or across a desert, or swim in an ocean, never again returning as we were before we first entered into the power grid of nature.

Change happens in every second even though we may not recognize it. So, I do not know what will happen to change me on this journey. I so know it will be intense, I may release some tears, there will be laughter, dancing, and deep conversations with new friends that I am about to enjoy.

I know the universe supports me wherever I go, with whoever I encounter and it is up to me to figure out how important it is for my soul's purpose to keep the connection going and use the power for good.

I wish you all a wonderful new adventure for 2010. If you leave the planet before 2011, bless you on that journey also. Remember, matter is neither created nor destroyed and whatever you have created well on this planet will remain, and that which you have not managed well...Well you may get to come back and fix it next time around. Depending on what you believe about God or Spirit, you might even know your fate at heaven's door and recognize your foibles then andnever have to come back. We all have different ideas about the next part of the journey, when we close our eyes in that final flutter.

One reason I love to take myself on these journeys is to hear and see the richness of the Creator's hand across the universe, in minds, in deeds and in beauty. Namaste and Blessings for the New Year.

This is one of the most difficult of days. Moving computers to new rooms is always tedious and involves cleaning and un-scribbling wires and wires. Seems my cable connection, in the new room, is not activated and I cannot reach the internet from here. Comcast said it was,though. Who should I believe? My eyes or a provider who left this room 10 months ago? Hmm.

What to do? Relocate everything back into the living room or let it go? I could just hook up the wireless equipment and then I would not have to move anything, however, that also will take a lot of time and effort on my part, including watching the Setup Video for the software and hardware installation, the modem switches for the VOIP and cable would have to be re-wired, which could be another 2 hours lost to my life’s purpose. Today's life purpose is to get out of here by 6PM to meet friends for drinks on Jake's deck. Some of the best goat cheese stuffed calamari will be waiting for me, and a glass of cool Reisling from 2001.

It is becoming clear to me, that another 20 years of my life could be wasted by sitting and sleeping through the last days of my life, however, I am feeling a little antsy and not willing to sit through the last days of my life, on a hillside above the Puget Sound, alone, and certainly not until visiting those 1000 places, or so, I need to see and write about before I die, and posting all the travel pictures that I shall take, edit and publish for the masses who, unlike myself, may not have an opportunity to visit them.

There is a silence, today, around the neighborhood which is unusual given the fact that it is a Saturday. Perhaps it is because it is the end of summer and people begin to think ahead to winter times, and what will be required to get them and their houses through the winter months, which shall include harsh and frigid storms and winds, this year. Much worse than last year, when for 9 days we were snowed in because of a deep freeze and snow accumulation not seen on the shores of the Puget Sound in over a hundred years.

The winters have become worse over the past 22 years, since I moved here from Hawaii. At first, it was fun to experience snow on the hills in April, at Edmonds, when I moved there 20 years ago. I was snowed in many times, when no one else, East of me was snowed in because the frigid air whipping up off the Sound, from the North Pacific Ocean, would slam into the steep hills winding up the coast, along the PugetSound, dumping snow and sleet just for me.

Every year, it's a little bit colder, more snow falls, and freezing ice storms stop humans, frighten racoons and birds, sending them deeper into caves and tree stumps. The 50-70 mph winds rip off more roofs, pushes trees ontop of roofs, flip over boats, and kills more life, as animals try to cross roads to get food or shelter. This is what I am seeing living next to the forest, above the big water, in a small village on the Puget Sound.

December’s 1991 storm completely shut down Seattle, for another 7 days, when I loved and lived there. I remember walking in the middle of the carless streets, from Pioneer Square all the way to the Fish Market, and not a soul, except the snow plows, and lots of sun were out at that early morning hour. Cars and buses were abandoned in along the streets and on sidewalks.

Seattle was a frozen beauty, and I had keys to the 53^rd floor of the Blue Building downtown (that is what I called it anyway).I went up to my office, with my photo equipment and a new tripod, and took the most amazing 360 degree view pictures of the Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains, the Cascades and Mt. Rainier covered in snow and sun, every day, until the freezing rain and snow came back and the beauty turned into a monstrous slap in the face, to those unable to get to a store for milk or toilet paper, for 4 or 5 days, because the frozen sleet, and snow bound cars left in the streets and highways were stuck there and no deliveries were coming in. Pedestrians could not walk down hills because they had turned into ski runs, the kind I grew up on back East, which meant they had morphed into hills of ice in 2 days.

Woe to those who had no alternative heat source, since the electricity was out for a week+ in some areas. Since 1991, the weather, every year, gets harsher than the previous year, yet the humans walk around still believing we have mild winters and angels will take care of them, once again, while they are stuck in homes or cars along I-5, in Winter 2009-2010. My feeling is that we will be stuck in our homes, and businesses will be closed more frequently, even longer than the hellacious December 2008 storm.

This last year, I stayed at home for 8 days while the ice storms and 24 inches of snow, at ocean level, and raging, freezing cold, high winds of ice pellets, ripped trees and power lines. The storms were unlike anything I have seen, in my years living on the Puget Sound. So, my prediction for this year is more, many more storms will come and they shall visit for longer time periods.

In any case, as you can see since this blog was updated, I bit the bullet, and re-located my office into the sun room instead. Moved some art around, too,so this is better than I planned. Planning is something that I find can be fun, once I throw away the original plans, and follow the current inspiration.

Your Ticket Home

One of the main beliefs, of Crete culture, is that the sin of Hubris was the one which all other sins emanated from, at the beginning of the universe. I have been thinking about this today and realized my ancestors were right. I am influenced by my paternal lineage, emanating from Crete. Crete existed long before the Greeks arrived, sweeping south down the Peninsula and out across the Mediterranean Sea. My grandfather never said he was Greek; he was from Crete.

When you think about murder, theft, lying, or break an oath or vow, the original sin of Hubris covers them all, it seems, to me, anyway. To act in a dishonest or cruel manner exposes the hubris, a human displays, toward planetary co-inhabitors. They believe they are above all laws of nature, and answerable to no one. They believe their acts will never be discovered. Unfortunately, sometimes, they do get away with evil deeds.

I rest, knowing, that at some point along their evolutionary path, they will hit a brick wall. They always do, although they may know not why they hit it. But, they always hit it.I have acted with hubris, toward another human. However, never did I enjoy it, nor did it bring peace to me. I always paid for my acts of hubris, for which I am grateful, after making payment to the Universe, I understood the lesson.

Conscience is a difficult concept. I tend to delve into the etymology of words- their roots. I break them down, so, Con Science, would translate to, in my mental matrix, as, 'not of science'. Yet, conscience exists.

I came to be thinking about the Sin of Hubris, in ancient Crete, today, because I found out that a friend was lying to me. She lied about me to someone; then lied to me about the other person. She revealed her Mal intentions, when she tried to manipulate me since she was too obvious, suggesting I should lie to this other person. Stay away from friends who ask you to lie. If you can't be honest in relationships, then be patient until you understand why you need to lie. Then, don't.

You may have found out a friend was lying to you, because they wanted something or someone, that you had said that you wanted-- a lot.Well, that was me.

She acted as if she had my best intentions at heart when, in reality, she had a hidden agenda, with an intent to mislead me, by omission, by suppressing the truth from me. She acted with cruelty, in a very charming way, that endears her, to other people. I have identified her as a dysfunctional caregiver. She is only happy when one is disabled, gets you to not trust others' advice. Am I the only person who knows someone like this? It totally sucked to find out she was lying to me, and now I see her passive aggressive ways.

What did I do when I found out? Well, how do I deal with a pathological liar? I just would hear more lies, from her, and she would try to get me to believe that I was wrong or revise her game plan, so she looks like the injured party. Her game is--Trust me, you are needing help, and I am the only one who knows what to do.' There is too much drama with this woman and who has the time now? Why waste the time now? Life is moving quickly, so speak your truth and move on.

"Pathological Liar" is a harsh description, however, I look at 'pathological' and it becomes 'logical pathos', which I perceive as the absence of conscience, while on a free fall, using destructive intent to harm or mislead.

So, I unplugged from her game. Yes, I can sit across a table, from her at dinner parties, engage in dialectical conversations, without revealing personal feelings. I find her hubris, overrides her ability to know that I understand her game, and so I walked off our playing field, with a slow, graceful cadence, in withdrawal, from our friendship.

Mourning should be experienced to the fullest, until all those who cry with you, stop. I mourn the death of our friendship.She has been buried and I am about to walk away from her grave.

There are relationships I need to maintain, like courtesies with neighbors, vendors and friends. When they move or die, I feel a loss. I am learning to recognize my states of hubris, when they arise now. In doing so, my conversations with strangers become easier, as my need to impress them or reveal myself, lessen.

Listening to someone else's heartbreak, or a story about their life threatening illness, is more important that trying to match them death for death, or illness for illness. I wish my old friend had not been so jealous or greedy, and spoke with truthfulness, rather than lies and deception, that revealed her ill intent toward me.

I came across something today that helped me feel better, about the fact that a person, I once trusted, no longer was trustworthy and acts of Hubris occur out of fear, which is the absence of self-love. I will forgiver her, but I will never forget the pain she caused, and the loss. I choose a different path from hers, and am happy for those who love me and remain good and faithful friends.

This excerpt is from Mike Dooley's book, More Notes from the Universe: Life, Dreams and Happiness, and it seems appropriate to end on.

To give beyond reason.To care beyond Hope.To love without limit.

To reach, stretch and dream in spite of fear.

These are the hallmarks of Divinity-Traits of the Immortal-

Your badges of honor, and your ticket home.

Take a Left instead of a Right

Today I walked out of the house for my morning walk, with the dog, and took a right instead of a left at the dirt road. I had never gone very far down the dirt road since walking right, toward the Olympic Mountains seen from my hill, was my usual practice. I can see the Puget Sound from my home, which is only a few blocks up the hillside from the shoreline.

This left turn walk proved to be of immeasurable good fortune, as I was trying to find a place to train the dog, without a lot of energy swirling around her. The dirt road continued for about an eight of a mile, into the back side of my forest, next to the house, and proved to be a huge open area that a dog could be happy in if she had to take a class from her inept, but dedicated, dog trainer. Me.

Whenever I travel around the world, there are always those moments when I scurry down a street because there is a sense that I have to go that way. Like the dog, following my nose, so to speak. Sometimes I am dissapointed as it leads to nothing I am interested in and usually it leads to a wonderful surprise, like the perfect doorway to take a photo of, or an interesting encounter with a stranger in a cafe.

Unlike dogs, humans tend to stay to their known paths everyday. Same work route, same lunch room, same gas station, only because we are tied to time addiction, which restricts not only our movements toward new discoveries, but also our discovering a surprise which solves a problem we have been pondering for weeks. Like me trying to figure out where a large space is close to home that is private for dog training.

My mother had a stoke a few weeks ago which brought me to the realization that life is short and I needed to act more consciously in designing mine now. So I am renting a fence for the dog. 200 feet of 5 foot fence sections with a man-door, so she can be outside safe. The dog was rescued from the side of the road after someone had thrown her out of a car. 

Then, like my mother, began to not be well. Bella is gone now, however, for the little time we spent together, I appreciated all the joy she brought into my life, for those few short months. The fence was never installed, since she died. I waited all this time to write this post, or finish it, and remember  how she sat with me on the couch, tried to attack cars while we were driving 65 mph on the freeway, but more than that how she came to trust me, and I her, whenever we were alone together.

Bless those 4 paws and that lovely animal that changed my life in a few short months.