Life's Little Epiphanies

Merry and Bryte

~*Sprye*~ — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:10:04 GMT

This weekend was fun with a touch of bittersweet in it to bring you back to a bit of reality. Santarchy DC was a great time! A much needed weekend to get my mind off of other things. My friends Rebecca, Amy, and Scratch all went to Santarchy in DC to play in the streets of DC and bring the Spirit of a wacky Holiday Season to all who saw the Santas. Rebecca, Amy and I headed down to DC in our festive wear and were asked if we were in a play several times...:) As we got toward Metro Center there were a few more Santas and they were happy to see us. When we headed out of the Metro toward the museum of Natural History you could see all the 200 + Santas on the steps of the museum. We were greeted by cheers of "Hello Santa!" by all those on the steps. Once we crossed the street we were in a sea of red and white. It was crazy. From Santas of all sorts, from elves (good and very bad) to reindeer, christmas trees, presents, steam punk windup toys, dolls, and even a beautiful snow queen! You name it it was there. We headed over to the Merry-Go-Round in the park across the street as this is an annual Santa tradition. Shouts of Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday's, and caroling as well as excited kids and families reacting to all the Santas was heard through out the crowd. We passed out candy, some passed out mini bottles of booze to the adults and other fine things as gifts from "Santa" and his helpers. From the carosel we headed to the National Monument. Traffic was stopped, Santa's handed out candy to those who were waiting for all Santas and friend to cross. One Santa even boarded a bus and "Caned" the bus...:) At the monument, several santas locked arms and charged the monument. Carols were sung and a circle around the Monument was created by all involved. Next was the huge DC Christmas Tree near Santa's workshop. Scratch aka Rudy Toot Toot, being a music teacher, brought his pocket trumpet and played many songs. He started playing to a very small group of Santas who were singing along and within minutes more and more Santas joined in. A huge chorus of several songs were heard til all Santas's and friends were singing. Then we decided to visit the White House. We needed to say "Buh-Bye"to GW and Scratch started playing Nah nah nah nah, Hey Hey Hey, Good-bye getting the Santas to sing once again. Lots of photos were taken by participants as well as the public. It even SNOWED in DC. A Rare occurance for Santarchy DC so we did well...:) We ended up at Archibald's strip club for about an hour and then Amy, Rebecca and I had to head home. Luckily we did because the roads were really icy and lots of accidents happened along the way slowing us down. :P What a fun time! I was so wiped out. We started at 1 and ended up at Archibald's Strip Club at 3:30 so that's a lot of walking around and working to stay warm. I slept like a baby! Images are here: http://flickr.com/photos/21943511@N02/sets/72157603488866048/ and hopefully you can get in to see them...:) Yesterday, I went to Spoutwood Farm to help Rob and Lucy bury beautiful Shadow, their border collie. I felt a very strong urge to be there to help them with this. I am so glad I went because the love and care that went into that burial was just amazing. Lucy had chosen several different herbs and branches that represented Shadow's spirit to put into her resting place. We went around pruning them and each had a meaning to them. Rob had dug her space and Lucy and I made a bed of maple leaves for her. She was gently laid on the bed of leaves and we each placed in an item one at a time reflecting on what each aspect meant. Shadow was a wonderful dog and her spirit is truly blessed having been with Rob and Lucy. We placed daffodil bulbs that had been dug up in the space and so by spring we will see them on her grave. A bit of joy and knowing that when we see them Shadow's spirit will be running around blessing the festival grounds ready for Fairie Festival 2009. I am on the Music Committee for FF 2009 and will be at a meeting on Sunday to help choose the many performers that have applied to be there. I am looking forward to changing up duties for sure. I love music and what it brings to my life. In a way this may be giving back in several ways to what it has brought to me from the time I was a kid til now. After being at Spoutwood I went to Frederick's Drum Circle at the Center of the Four Wind's Studio on Caroll Street. The space is run by Rose Sincevich and her kids are all in Shakespeare with Kayley. Wonderful energy and even though the space was small I was still able to hoop a little. So that was a good end to my weekend. Now on to another week. I have 15 days until I head to Texas. I hope it is warm....:) Ok now let's see if I can get back into my computer at work - it's been a bear all morning trying to get in...not so cool when I need to get stuff done!!! Grrr... Peace!

Jeez this took forever...

~*Sprye*~ — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:13:57 GMT

I finally just got on here... It's been a busy September to say the least and October will probably be just as. I just returned from a new festival called Earth Warriors: Return of the Guardians. It was small, in Ohio (7 hours away) but very worth going to. I met so many people from Wendy Rule to Dorothy Morrison and MR Sellars and the Dragon Ritual Drummers. We actually all hung out around a portable camp fire ring I brought both Friday and Saturday night. Wendy is really awesome and she and myself as well as another friend really connected. Talked alot, laughed, shared deep thought and danced around the fire. I needed this...just one more time around a fire to dance and release and to just be. Now I can go into the colder months with memories sitting in my head of all the wonderful people I have met so far this year. It's been pretty amazing really. So many new facets added to the joys in my life. Alot of folks are on here and some are not but I am almost overwhelmed byt the new steps I have been taking. I booked my flights to go to Austin in December. Just need some family time I guess. :) Heading to sleep...I may or may not be on here depending on how tribe acts....we all know that I guess... Hugs and miss you all!

Getting creative...

~*Sprye*~ — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:08:26 GMT

I did that yesterday. I have this giant cupcake cake pan and have been thinking about doing this and had the right occasion for it. I now have so many ideas rolling in my head now and so many edible faerie houses I see... I even topped it with edible glitter. You can't see it but it's there. I'll just bring them to parties I go to or parties I have. It was fun to do. :) Only problem no one wanted to cut into it. They didn't want to ruin it. Um it's cake guys...just a dessert....;) Luckily my kiddo had friends over and they cut into it. Enjoyed cake and commetned - I got a window or I got a door... It made me laugh cause most say I got a rose or I got the edge. I sent the rest home with her boyfriend who has more people in their household than we do. Thank goodness for that! I knew we wouldn't be able to eat it all. ;)

Sending out Peace

~*Sprye*~ — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:35:01 GMT

Last night was fun, random, spur of the moment....etc etc etc. Yesterday was World Hoop Day and also 08-08-08. My friend Kristina and I spontaneously decided that we wanted to spend the evening hooping but also wanted to connect to whatever positive energies we had together and then raise that up and send it out to the World in whatever ways we wanted to. I pulled together my hoops after work, grabbed my singing bowl, camera, a cd of some tones that link up with 2012 that are seriously just wild to experience and headed to West Virgina. I got to her house at about 6:30 pm and pulled my hoops out. Micah and his friend Lee were up on their roof busy working on reshingling it. I turned toward their fire pit and saw my long lost tripod camp fire grill and that made me happy - it had been missing since ohhhh 2003! Went into the house and found Kristina and Keller coming down the stairs. We got so excited about hooping that we were almost out the door when Keller in his infinite wisdom of being very close to 3 said, "Shoes!! " We ran back toward the stairs where they were dropped and quickly put them on him. As we got outside he saw all the hoops and literally gasped in excitement and ran toward them laughing. We pulled them out onto the yard and started playing for a while. Keller and I played catch me if you can - he ran - I chased with the hoop and captured him! He wore me out - Run run!!! :) It got closer to 8 and we knew we wanted to meditate so we set Keller up with his Grammie and went upstairs. We relaxed and played the tones - she has surround sound so it was even more intense than what I felt it already had been from my little boom box. Back ache sprung up in K and so I kicked in working with reiki and the tones playing around us. We worked until the aches went away for her and the sounds stopped - about 20 minutes. We chatted in the dark about experiences and more during that time - feedback, releasing, etc. - and then headed into Keller's room to get his Big Boy bed ready for him. We chatted more through it creating railings and setting up a secure space for Keller to sleep in this full sized bed for the night. He was having bath time with Grammie as we did this and just as we finished getting the bedding on the bed along with various stuffed animals he was done. Brought in cradeled in a towel he looked up and saw the Big Boy Bed all ready for him and gasped again in excitement. Jammies were quickly put on and hair quickly combed and he jumped into his bed hopping around like a little frog laughing and excited. We took him downstairs for good nights and then he headed back up tucked in and fell asleep very quickly. K and I were still jazzed by all the raising of energy and grabbed some food. We got the idea to tape glow sticks on our hoops and so we had to run out to the store and get some. We got back and started setting up the votives to create our peace sign. We filled up glass baby food jars and put them in a little red wagon. K had always wanted to do this in her front yard and I was totally game. Our objective was to keep the energies positive, raised up, focused on the world and on manifesting this night into whatever it needed to be - but with the theme of light, fun and positive - letting any cares go. We had about 50 - 75 votives. We broke some glow sticks and mapped out our circle and then went from there. It was about midnight byt the time we were finished just setting them up in the yard. We ran inside and with all the glow sticks, broke them and taped them to our hoops. We ran back outside and began to light the votives and slowly our huge peace sign was glowing. We hoped that the airplanes abov or whatever above us saw this huge symbol coming from the two of us, like little kids hoping that waving to the truck driver would entice him to honk the horn. If the planes had horns we hoped they would honk! :) We shut out the porch light and grabbed our hoops and hooped right in the peace sign. I was hooping and taking pictures and some of them turned out with crazy looking lights, like mini messages written in glowing colors in the dark of the night. We saw shooting stars fly above us and played and played. At one point we stopped and I grabbed our singing bowls. We stood at opposite ends of the big line outside of the peace sign and began to tone them. Encircling the symbol sounding the bowls and sending more energy out to whomever was receptive. Once full circle we stood back in the same place as we begun and struck the bowls 3 times spontaneously sending a prayer a signal or whatever out into the Universe with an energetic message from the two of us. K began talking after the tones died down as we stood across from one another. We stood there like that for minutes and then moved into the peace symbol and sat and talked for hours about all different kinds of things but just enjoyed that space. By the time we were finished it was 3:30am. I headed for home still on the buzzing from our night. I love spontaenous things like this! The fact that I have friends like this who will play in this way with me...just going with the flow and moving with whatever we wanted to create. We both needed this personal time together to do this. Just the two of us moving like we did in that flow and allowing each other to play off of it. I feel so grateful for this. Being Peace, Being in the moment and Sending Peace....

See I remembered for real!

~*Sprye*~ — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 18:58:17 GMT

I am going to the dentist now...seriously this is a milestone after this month...;) See you all with bright shinies in a bit! Love! PS - oh and yes I am totally making fun of myself....;)

Just a little reminder to myself...

~*Sprye*~ — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:17:11 GMT

Am I creating from and through Unconditional Love fo myself and others? Will my creation bring the highest good fo myself and others and the planet? Am I reacting to others and their creations from individual and personal, emotional or mental patterns, or am I responding as a channel for the Love of Source? Am I ready to surrender to the flow of Love from Spirit and to Trust that my creation will manifest in perfection at the right time? Am I creating from my heart in a balanced and loving way? I will lovingly connect with Source daly to co-create my daily life with the Highest and most Loving Intentions fo myself, others and the planet.

Transformus

~*Sprye*~ — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:43:40 GMT

I am not sure I can put all the experiences into a blog...I am still swirling around from it. Here's what I love the most: Everyone saying "hi" and welcoming me home as I drove into Deerfields Friends meeting back up again Seeing those who I have met here and actually making them a part of my growing family Meeting new friends and encircling them with love Costumes Scratch bead hooping Jenny's quick witted humor and supporting her "conquests" Runways Tarpology BACON Starry ceilings Songs and conversation from Area 51 Amira and Scott's smiling warm faces and sparkling eyes Colorful Bubble Camp Wafting spice from Indian food People playing with the Giant Penis at Pornyata Fire Spinning across the way Hearing "Ring of Fire" about 20 times over the weekend and thinking of Silent Hill Camping Shower's The World's Largest Underpants Hula Hoops Knowing Junebug the moment I saw him at PLF PLF! Yeaaa! The MAN! The Art! BACON! The beautiful Armadillo The beautiful Full moons and starry nights! Piling up blankets and sleeping int he tent Jenny's Yummy camping foood! Thank you! Costumes and the amazing donations to the cause! Delicioso Wine from the lovely Wineman at the main stage Filling & Cleaning Lamps Being warned about a possible whupping - Run Sprye RUN!!!! Walking around in The World's Largest Underpants and experiencing the reactions - hee hee! You Are Beautiful! Hooping with Scratch to Mambo #5 and having others stop to dance Cool Art Cars and tractors and bikes, Oh My! Glow sticks in the porto-potty's when I forgot my flashlight - love you people for doing that!! Rocky Horror! Progress Darrell and crew at PLF doing synchronized grass dancing! Did I say BACON??!? Lucas spinning with the flow! Go little brother! The Loooooove Boat and show tunes! C-eh-N-eh-D-eh! Lucy the puppy with the cast on her little leg romping around and puppy happy anyway! Starry lights in the trees Mid-night snacks at 4am Human Habitrail Jenny's Unicorn Hair Scratch bead hooping!! You really h ave to see this! The Conclave and the beauty of the fire they brought to us and the synchronicity & unity of their dance! Amira shouting to me about being there next year! The Burn and how fast it went! The crowd letting loose, yelling and cheering and running, running, running around the fire! Willy Wonka Matthew McConauhey/Woody Harrelson dude and the Big Bird Yellow Boa Smiley Face guy! Popscicles - Love you guys! Chatting about kiddos and seeing the bigger picture Big Blue Beaver Gifting Tree The Lake Day Glo Jenny PEX - w00t! Chocolate! Having one small rack of clothes on Sunday! Packing Up Meeting more people Saying good-byes Riding to the lot with nice people being pulled by a tractor Packing almost everything into my car - damn bag is still in NC...:\ Taking a kid to Asheville on the way home Singing in the car and smiling at the memories of all that touched my spirit at Transformus and hoping we all get together again very soon!! Decompresssssssssssssion......... That's not all cause there is so much more but it's all for now....;) I'll have pictures hopefully once I get my bag back.... XOXO

From Daily Om - Under The Hood

~*Sprye*~ — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:53:43 GMT

Importance Of Looking Deeper It’s easy to get caught up in examining our actions instead of really deeply examining ourselves. This can be deceiving because our actions may be very spiritual—we meditate, are nice to people, take care of ourselves and others—and yet, we may not be penetrating to the issues below the surface. It’s as if we’ve washed and shined the surface of our car without taking the time to check under the hood. We may appear to be in great shape, but if we aren’t engaging in the deep, inner work of self-examination, the chances are good that we are not deeply aware of the real substance of our lives. We live in a very appearance-oriented, externally focused world, so it makes sense that we place a lot of value on how our lives look, sometimes to the detriment of noticing how our lives really feel. When we get too caught up in what we are doing and lose track of our core, we sometimes begin to feel dissociated, as if we are not fully awake, alive, and grounded. This is a sure sign that it’s time to engage in the hard work of going deep within to rediscover the foundation of our lives. Without the substance that comes from looking at ourselves deeply, and working through the difficult things we find, our spiritual lives can start to feel hollow or shallow, as if there’s nothing at the center holding it all together. Of course, the peace that comes with meditation and spiritual practice is an essential part of the whole picture of our development, but it serves us best in conjunction with the less settling, more chaotic work of digging around below the surface to see what needs to be healed, owned, or released. Then our actions are more than just an attempt to keep everything in control, looking pretty and nice. Fueled by the energy of a life in transformation, they become powerful expressions of courage and faith, further inspiring our own inner work and that of those around us.

Hmmmnnn now isn't this interesting???

~*Sprye*~ — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:25:46 GMT

The blog before this I talk about foundations....then I check into this site (http://www.whatsuponplanetearth.com/latest.htm) that I like to check into and found this interesting. I defintely feel like I need to rest, rest, rest...yet there is so much to do this week with visiting family and then preparing for T-fus. I am finding I have to make ample room for this resting thing I know I truly need to do so I am allowing that space to happen. Oh and I have a new keyboard so bow I am happy cause it makes life easier computer wise..wheeee! ***************************************************************************************************************************************************** July 9 , 2008 LAYING THE NEW FOUNDATION AND THE MEANING OF OUR STORE-FRONTS Greetings! (Several of you have written wanting more clarification on the meaning of store-fronts. I have written a brief section at the end of this energy alert for those of you who may be interested in what I frequently refer to as “our store-fronts.”) Like aftershocks following a massive earthquake, we have experienced several minor shifts in the weeks following the solstice and full moon, and even since the last energy alert of July 1. As more and more souls catch up and find themselves in very new energetic spaces, this creates another shift of unity and cohesion, and thus, another awesome shift of a positive feeling nature occurs as we suddenly begin to feel as though more is settling in. Yes, we are settling in now, if even in small and continuous steps. Re-connecting is the theme and purpose now, and until we find ourselves re-connecting to a fair degree, the road can seem rocky, unpredictable, scary, out of sync, strange, confusing and nonsensical, and perhaps even grossly uncomfortable as we do not seem to know where we are or what is going on around us and within us. This last energy upheaval of the June 21st time frame reminds me of the Big Bang theory of evolution. I really know nothing of physics and these types of things, so please bear with me. What is occurring now is something similar to the Big Bang if one were to read the current energies of late. These energies of June blew just about everything out of the water or out of its old groove so that much could begin again. This is what is causing the stress, insecurity, confusion, and nonsensical feelings many of us are experiencing. After we have separated and spread out as far as we can go (and some are still spreading out), we can then connect once again. In this way, we may find that our loved ones and those near and dear to us are leaving and going somewhere else. It may seem that we are being permanently separated from those with whom we have shared the closest connections. It may seem like much of everything is “going away” and that our lives have completely broken down and fallen apart (along with ourselves!). The separation needs to occur, as we need to find out who we really are, we need to re-connect to our true and authentic selves, we need to connect to Source more fully, and thus, establish a new and stronger re-connection with our foundations. (Some may not need to re-connect at all, but are simply waiting and respecting the re-connection experience of others, if even at a soul or subconscious level.) This separation phase involves a journey which we can only undertake on our own. It is a very private one, distinctive to whom each and every one of us truly is, and needs to be undertaken before we come together once again. It is a rare gift and very sacred process between our souls and our creator. It involves stepping into our soul shoes if we have not yet done this already. After this has been accomplished, we then begin the re-connection to our brothers and sisters once again, and when this occurs, we feel a joy and completion I can barely begin to describe. The time-line for this process can be different for all of us. Some are quite done and others are just beginning. It can greatly depend upon our willingness to let go, surrender to Source, get out of the way, and trust that all is in divine and perfect order. When the re-connection occurs, the masks are removed. For those of us who have been able to see behind the masks for a very long time, it can be quite emotional to now connect more deeply to another who has just now removed his/her mask. It is like coming home! And it is glorious to finally have company! As we near the boundary before we cross over to acceptance and connection into our very new spaces, we can feel a tightness, much stress, like the walls are squeezing in on us, and a fear and panic that we do not know how we will now survive or where we need to go. It is then that we know that we have hit the wall and can go no further within the old reality. Similar to the dying process in the old 3D reality, if we can trust and let go, our journey will be much simpler and filled with much more grace and love. The old reality is indeed gone, and staying within it is what causes these very uncomfortable feelings. As much is beginning to now collapse like a snowball rolling down a massive hill, capturing everything in its path, we really have no choice but to surrender to a higher way of living and being in order to experience a peace, contentment, and unity which can only exist on the other side. The beating down of our old walls within and without which occurred over the past several weeks had a very distinctive purpose. When this phase was occurring, we may have felt that we had been traumatized, beaten up, banged around, and simply worn down. Our ego states needed to be worn away. We needed to arrive at a place where we realized what is was that really and truly mattered. Specific desires and detailed manifestations we may have held for a very long time, could now be replaced by knowing that perhaps what we really and truly wanted all along was the love of another, the simplest things in life, and a unity with our brothers and sisters. Watching our loved ones and animal companions suffering with their own specific dilemmas, struggles, and traumas was difficult indeed, but if we can know that we need only honor and respect the paths they have chosen to get to the other side (without saving them), we can then trust that all is indeed in perfect and divine order. Each and every human being, animal, plant, and the earth are going through this process now. So then, it may have felt as though so much suffering was occurring as the earth and all her inhabitants are adjusting to the new and higher vibrations which are arriving at rapid speed. We may have reached states of being where we greatly cherished the simplest things in life, a small act of kindness, the beauty of a small flower blooming, the sound of a bird singing, and a great gratitude for anything vibrating as goodness, light, and beauty. And it is then that we finally know what really and truly matters. In these times, the contrast can be profound, but it creates within us states of gratitude, clarity of what truly matters, and a deeper connection to those around us….thus assisting in the creation of the unity which we could not seem to embody and embrace any other way. (We decided as a group of souls who came together to create a very new world and reality that this is how we would accomplish the next phase. Things were not moving fast enough…not enough of the inhabitants of the earth were awakening…so we decided to go with the crash course which creates the states of being which were necessary for the evolution of the planet.) Old desires were perhaps initiated from more of our ego states, and as these connections to our ego selves being to dissipate more and more, our desires may change as well. We may not know who we are anymore, as so much of who we thought we were has now left. In this way, we can wonder how to behave now, or perhaps what our real and true power is, or where we are indeed headed as so much of our old selves have now departed. How to cross over that wall and begin experiencing the other side of miracles, unity, immense love and wonder, and living the life of our true and authentic dreams? Let go. Just let go of what you thought was real or important. Allow what is truly real now to enter your space and your reality. Take time for yourself…make it all be about yourself now and what you need to do to rest, self-nurture, exhale, be in the moment, let go of responsibilities, and just stay in your own sanctuary and bask. Find a way to re-charge your battery, rejuvenate, and allow time for you. Say no to commitments, gatherings, appointments and have-to’s as much as you can. Allow yourself time for you, have a willingness to no longer make anything happen, and you will find that everything will simply happen on its own without you needing to be at the helm. Letting go of what no longer feels good or right will allow the new to arrive and place you in a very new space at the same time. TRUST. When we arrive in a higher vibrating space, we usually do not feel like doing a thing. This is usually because we are now filled with much more light, vibrating higher, and in this reality we do not make things happen on our own. Much like the feelings we might have when newly in love with another, we can find it difficult to concentrate, get serious, have any kind of discipline, or go to a job and be present. In the company of love energy, we can get giddy, feel spacey and lost, ungrounded, and just plain lazy while seemingly only wanting to do things pleasurable, joyful, and fun. We are re-booting as well as we ready for the next phase. And after we have our period to exhale, bask, self-nurture and remove ourselves from the outside world, we will again be ready to serve along with experiencing the life of our wildest dreams. Weaving in and out of this process we may also find that much is manifesting for us….much that we could only begin to dream about. When we arrive in Heaven, it is different for each and every one of us. We can choose what we believe Heaven should look like or what we want to experience. We then create our own specific Heaven on Earth and this is happening now. There are many, many versions of Heaven and no one version is right or wrong. Each version represents who we are, what we value and enjoy, and what we are about. In the old 3D reality, after we “died,” we were allowed to experience whatever we chose while we rejuvenated and rested from the 3D experience. After we had our fill, we would usually be ready to move on and many times move on into a position of service to a lower vibrating reality. And this is what is happening now. So then, when we are not residing in our Heaven on Earth, we will be providing service through our store-fronts. Our store-fronts will comprise about 25% of our time while the remaining 75% will be spent residing in and creating the very new communities of another reality here on Earth after we are done basking and having our fill of rejuvenation energy. Our Store-Fronts Until we no longer have the need for money, we will need a portal for money to arrive through. We will need a space on the dimensional border where we can be found. And this will be our store-fronts. As much continues to collapse, our store-fronts will exist to provide service to those on various rungs of the evolutionary ladder. Our store-fronts will be varied and will reflect what our own specific gifts and talents are about. They can be artistic creations, healing practices (healing will still be needed for those who are at certain levels of their evolutionary process, but after individuals reach a certain threshold, healing can be detrimental), teaching services for the creation of the New World, and the like. The store-fronts will completely reflect who our true and authentic selves really are, and this is our gift to the world as we continue to serve and assist our brothers and sisters on varying rungs of their ascension process. And again, store-fronts can also be about our contributions to the creation of the New World. You will know what your store-front is about, as it will reflect something that is really you. And as so much of who we thought we were is leaving so rapidly now, what is left is then the pure gold nugget of our true and authentic selves. It was planned that we would be taken care of during these times. It was planned that we would experience much abundance during this time of new beginnings. We will all be fine. It has been pre-ordained. We have waited until enough of us were ready. It is now time indeed. More and more miracles will manifest for us in the very near future. Yes, it is finally time for our very new beginnings, and new beginnings they are indeed. I could never have imagined that mine would involve the new connections with old and familiar souls that I have recently re-connected with. Oh, how I love the surprises that Source delivers! www.whatsuponplanetearth.com Wishing you heaven in your heart, starlight in your soul, and miracles in your life in these miraculous times... Until next time, Karen

Foundations being built through love and dedication of spirit

~*Sprye*~ — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:17:35 GMT

Wow! is all I can say about this past weekend... Ok maybe not but there are so many words that roll around in my head and stir the senses of what I experienced. Being a part of a space that was created that is awakening the ancients of the land, and within each of us, bringing everyone to a place called home once again. Honestly, these mountains have been calling and asking for a while and now they are being listened to. Healing has been done on so many levels it is a beautiful place to be in in this time and space reality. I had felt very driven to be there and had actually changed my plans and listened to myself on what I needed to be doing with the time I set aside for the week. I am glad I did that. It was incredible watching energies being released, re-built and the laying of the foundation for future generations. It is funny about spiritual foundations. You can create the basic blueprint of what the layout will be via intention and a bit of planning. You build it and then you begin to create a surrounding structure, to assist with the energies, creating a safe space for them to come into. But there are so many unseen energies floating around in the process. I watched this fire circle evolve each night. It seemed that the basic construction of the circle itself was set with the intentions coming from the people of this time. The first night, you could feel that energy was set up for release and changing of the current energy. Whether conciously or subconciously known, it did what it was supposed to do. The dancing. The drumming. The ceremony. The Spirit. We had to get our footing. The land needed to get used to us and we to the land. The energies around us needed to visually see us in action to make sure we were doing what our intentions, collectively, individually, to know we were serious about this. That the love we each were bringing was creating a collective whole and that they woudl be invited to the dance of that collective. There was a death process for the energies that were there. the ones that had taken over that old connection, forcefully, from the ancient energies long ago. A literal cleansing came over the night after we were in it for about an hour or so. I remember getting back to my car and looking at the time and thinking - That is it It is early! But it was set and the invitation was sent. Those that were unseen were watching from the distance and those who were assisting stirred the energies to do what was needed to make them comfortable to come in. The next day we worked together. Each element drawing us to what we needed to move to the next place for our own growth and also for the strengthening of the foundation. We learned from one another. Laughed. Cried. Sat on wonder. Eyes shone with awe at things spoken. We spoke from the depths of our spirits and sat in silence at points listening, sensing, and connecting as a whole. Each with their own story. Each with their own path but eventually joining together, in a sense of unity, to understanding what was needed for the next part of our mission. We created an opening to healing and put that into action. The group I was in created prayer ties for a ceremony of healing of a place that was in deep need of honest loving healing. I had never created them in the way I did before. I enjoyed that kind of working. It was meditative to me. Each blessed. Each thought of. words and energy flowing in and mixing with the offerings. At night, my friends came in from a long drive from Richmond. Oola and Kent joined in the energies and the connection was exactly what we knew it would be. Instant validation of the sisterhood we already knew we shared. We met here through Bard and had made mention a year ago that we would actually meet physically at a fire circle and this happened. Awesome, awesome stuff! And this night around the fire circle we danced as we said we would. We were focused. We were into day two of understanding the land and the feel of it. We sat outside and sometimes in silence just watched everyone working their own versonal magic, weaving it into the mix fo energies. Imani started to play her beautiful Hang Drum and began singing. It was amazing because where we were sitting you could hear her sing and then it echo out into the surrounding mountains. Into the trees and beyond. A calling so to speak and all I can say is it was heard. I felt that this was a pretty profound moment because the bridge was being crossed and the joining of the ancients to the present energies came together. I will not ever forget this moment when I go back onto the land. I do not want to say too much because it just was what it was and there are no words that can tell you about this in the depths that it was felt. Oola and Kent moved to the next space they needed to be and I stayed until dawn then headed home to sleep for a bit. Day three brought us all back together and we played collectively in our groups. We talked about our experiences. We talked about things we felt we could not in the outside world because we knew we were safe. That is always a wonderful place to be in. Even if each path has been set a little differently from the other it was fine. A few of us took the ties and other offerings to where we were going to offer our own form of bridging and honoring and healing. Hawk cried out, assisting us, validating the direction we were moving in for this was the proper one. This was a trusting. Things were at least at the beginning stages of being set right. There is much more to do but it is a start. Afterward another cleansing happened. It is a funny thing about timing. We joke about pagan time but I feel that there is more to it than just the brush off joke. It is about connecting to the deeper sense of ancient timing without the constraints of a watch. Many times things happen just because the timing is supposed to be different than what we expected. We have to release the attachments in those moment and whatever energies are assisting are doing so in the best way. Just like whomever is supposed to show up does and whatever everyone gets out of a situation is what they are supposed to get and it is all different. I feel like I have been able to honor this a lot more over the past year. Things happen when they are supposed to and that is that. You could hear the rain coming. It was crazy. It was behind me working to run to catch up to me. I could hear it and just asked to please let me get in my car because it was so loud. It almost sounded like hail was coming at me but I felt it was just a seriously strong rain. I put my hoops outside of my car and once I got in it hit and hit hard. Thank ya Universe - bock, bock! Magic was being worked and I got up to the circle late. Or at least I thought it was. Everyone working it was there and it had completely changed its look and feel. I liked it. It felt like the flow was better for some reason. It felt safe. So much prior to the rain had been done and then some washed away. Beautiful Rangoli was soaked into the ground and puddles in the peat were deep and trenches were being made. Squishy is an understatement. We all got to work doing whatever we needed to do and before you know it the beginning of the circle started. You could see the stars above us and we began again. As we stood around the circle in the very beginning I noticed rangoli designs popping up from the peat but I thought they were replacements from what was there. I found out later that they were the same. This also amazes me. Whatever symbols the ancients wanted are what came up. That was all that went through my mind after hearing that this is what happened. All that was set into motion for a celebration was what was needed. This was all recognized and owl spoke and the deeper mysteries of night time magic ensued. We danced, drummed, hooped, spoke, prayed, and sang until dawn. Crow spoke and swallow chirped once more passing over us in the end. What I have from it are experiences and a drive to move back into the space with those I worked magic with all weekend long. I have a little poison ivy and swollen feet to tend to but these minor physical aspects of the weekend are only reminders. They are here to help ground me back into this world once again bringing what I have learned into awareness and into the world we live in. This helps me to not forget and I appreciate this so I can move to the next space I will be going to. A 45th wedding anniversary of my aunt and uncle, Dad and Hazel visiting this week and into next and then heading to Transformus for more wonderful experiences. I hope I have at least passed on enough information to intrigue those of my friends who did not get to go to this to come to the next fire circle and I will let you knwo when that happens as soon as I know. To those who were there...Thank you! For those who are yet to come...see you soon! Blessings to all.

Sacred SoulFire MD

~*Sprye*~ — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:52:59 GMT

I just got back from a truly amazing event in the all night fire circle realm with some exteremely magical people all around. I have been up since midnight and up both Friday and Saturday doing a lot of work. I am wiped and will share more on this event once I am rested. I have to say I feel so grateful for finally meeting a tribe sister Oola la this weekend....love you and thank you for coming out all the way from Cali and playing around the fire wih me! We did what we said we would in our first meeting of each other face-to-face.love that kind of manifesting! I also got to see my local family of brothers and sisters and well and bring in new family members to the circle. I defintely feel very blessed! Ok, Sprye needs some shut eye so she can catch up on her sleep. I am about to fall face first into my keyboard and I cannot even imagine what kind of ending this blog would have under those circumstances....I will answer everyone who wrote me during this time very soon.... XOXOX to all!

Weird dreaming some more...

~*Sprye*~ — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:19:33 GMT

I am not sure what is going on with dreaming but again another weird dream and basically reoccurring. This one I have had before and am not sure what to think. Some of the elements have changed a little bit but still. This one was a doomsday kind of thing. It surrounded water as an element. I was in or near a water source - like a fountain or something - and everything was shades of white and lighter blues. There was a mermaid in the water - this came up because I watched lady in the water last night - and she had changed the water. You could drink it and be ok. Something happens to the rest of the water in the world around me. Some kind of sickness happens and people go crazy and begin dying off. We had gotten plenty of jugs of this mermaid water and were safe. It was me and my daughter and some friends who were ok. One part sort fo replayed itself. We were taking off to go somewhere in the snow and we were not warm enough and then the whole scene replayed itself. A friend of mine and her family were separate from me and I called them on the phone from this house or really apartment like place to make sure they were ok. You could hear screaming outside of the door. My friends said they were coming up to where we were and before I could tell them not too they had hung up. They had a little baby and I was worried for their safety. We heard banging on the door but it wasnt our friends. It was someone trying to get in that was sick. They never talked just were working to get the door open. I remember holding on to the door handle and it being pulled open just slightly and then I would shut it. This struggle with keeping the door shut and them working to get in went on for a bit. I really began worrying about my friends just because of the people who were sick. I dont know if they were killing others but I felt like they were. In the second round of this scene I wanted to get heavier coats because it was cold and snowy out. There were young children so they needed warmth. Adults needed the warmth as well so we could help the children survive. That was the main thing...well besides the water. I noticed in the dream some of us who drank the mermaid infused water stayed sane and alive in all of this. It was some kind of magical water. If you ever saw 28 Days Later it had that kind of feel to it. That movie freaked me out and sat with me for days after watching it so this wasnt a nice dream. It wasnt to the extent of the movie but still had that kind of feel. Ok I am off to do my weekend...I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July weekend. Stay safe!

Newest Energy Alert

~*Sprye*~ — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:57:40 GMT

JULY 1 , 2008 THE WEARING AWAY OF OUR EGO SELVES AND CONNECTING TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS The What's Up On Planet Earth? energy alerts are offered several times per month by viewing them here. Your financial support makes it possible to continue offering information on this website free of charge. Please make a donation. Notify me when a energy alert is posted! Greetings! Chaos, swirling energies, unpredictability, overload, feeling apathetic and lethargic, anxiety, sleeping like a baby and having insomnia for brief periods as well, losing things, having wonderful new connections, and helping our animal companions with ailments are but just a few of the many and varied manifestations of the incredible energies that the summer solstice has created. The solstice energies served to dislodge much. In this regard, much movement was created. Like an enormous eruption from beneath the earth, much of anything and everything was jolted out of its old position, old rut, old pattern, or basically any space that used to feel remotely comfortable and familiar. If you are a sensitive, you may feel that you have been hit by a tidal wave, traumatized, severely clobbered by who knows what, or perhaps even finding you have a great need for rejuvenation, rest, and some solace of a much needed order. When the energies rev up, as they have been doing of late, especially since the solstice, we can begin to feel beaten down. Ascension energies at times seem to wear us away, with no break, reprieve, or time to rest in between the high pressured waves that serve to polish us and bring us oh so closer to Source and our authentic selves. We are being worn away so that what is deep inside of us can be revealed. In this regard, our ego selves cannot seem to keep up, get in the way, or even navigate things. When we begin feeling helpless, powerless, weak, exhausted, or not in control, it is then that we open and can begin to connect to our brothers and sisters and to our authentic and true selves. When we surrender, we then begin the new and perfect connections that the solstice energies came to deliver. We are being seriously squeezed now from every direction. This can cause feelings of great apathy about our work, our futures, and even the effectiveness of what we believed we were here to do and create. As a part of our ego selves begin a rapid depart, we may feel that nothing much of us is in charge or in the know. But feeling apathetic and not caring anymore has always been a continual phase of the ascension process and it always passes. With all this occurring at once, we are literally being pushed into connecting to one another. We know now more than ever before that we can no longer go it alone. We absolutely must come together. I have been writing for several years now that we will be forming small communities of mutual support. As we evolve higher and higher into higher vibrating ways of being and living, this blueprint will begin to finally form. We were prepped for this time for the past several years, and especially the past several months. It is now time. We are indeed ready, even if we feel we may not be. It has been decided by our souls at the higher levels that the waiting period is now over and we will now move fully into our very new beginnings. We have been preparing for so long for this. And now, the outside realities that the higher energies are creating, notably the fall, are supporting this very new reality into forming itself out of grave necessity if nothing else. So then, all is in divine and perfect order indeed. And this is when the new beginnings will finally “begin.” We may feel that suddenly we do not know who we are or what we are indeed here to create. We may feel insecure, unconfident, ineffective, or perhaps greatly confused. We may feel rocky, ungrounded, fearful, unfocused, and as though we have lost our bearings. It is the solstice energies of great movement that are creating these feelings. We may feel that we do not know anything at all. We may feel that we do not know what will indeed happen next. We may feel that we cannot count on a thing, as when one thing adjusts and changes, a domino effect occurs and everything down the line is thus affected as well. But in these times of great change and new beginnings, we are also being given the opportunity to connect to new and more highly vibrating relationships, endeavors, and anchors. As much begins to change and re-align, we then begin to re-connect. Things we never believed would ever happen will begin to happen now. Miracles, relationships, and opportunities of the divine will find themselves at our doorsteps. We may begin manifesting so much wonder so very rapidly that we can begin to feel overloaded. We may feel overloaded as well with any type of manifestation that has arrived in our consciousness as a brief thought….whether a higher vibrating one or not. The key now is to get out of the way. The key now is to surrender and let the divine enter. The key now is not to navigate out of fear and a knowingness stemming from what used to be, but to allow for a new and better scenario to enter that one would never expect. The key now is to come together as brothers and sisters and to support one another. The key now is to know that our ego selves are no longer in charge. I can guarantee you that we are being highly protected by the divine at each and every turn. We were not meant to suffer through this process, and if we allow it to be so, we will thrive in great wonder in times to come. A few days ago I decided it was time to break down all the cardboard boxes I had discarded directly outside my back door in my outside porch area when I unpacked. As I began this process, I suddenly felt a great pain in my foot. I had been stung by a wasp, and now needed to go into the house, put my foot up, and tend to it. Phil came over and doctored me up, and together we began again to tend to the removal of the boxes. In a very short time, we found a rattlesnake directly underfoot. It coiled and hissed, and Phil was able to remove it from the premises. (I have since had a conversation with the snake community and everything is now fine…) The wasp had indeed protected me from the rattlesnake. And this is the way it is and always has been. Even when we feel we may be being beaten down, in actuality, we are only being protected and watched over. And although it may not feel like it at times, all is always right where it needs to be. Even though it may feel rocky right now for some of us, at the highest levels things are being put into place. New connections are being made. Higher level doors are opening. Things we may have always wanted are beginning to arrive. We will no longer have to go it alone. And while we may feel relegated to staying nearly housebound for a variety of reasons, it is only because we are readying for these very new connections. The miracles are beginning now and dis-connecting from the old systems, structures, and ways of doing things is a great assurance to arriving in this higher vibrating reality. As we begin to connect together with our brothers and sisters, we will then begin introducing these new ways for the masses who are needing our assistance, and we will then be assured of thriving as it was indeed intended. We are the ones holding the light now. As we evolve higher and higher, it is a natural part of the process to rely on our guides and non-physical companions less and less. They become inaccessible to us. This is because we eventually begin to vibrate where they are and we literally become them…these higher aspects of ourselves, as we are and have always been one in the same. And as we receive this light from one another, we will begin to form the beautiful grid of the very new world. Wishing you heaven in your heart, starlight in your soul, and miracles in your life in these miraculous times... Until next time, Karen www.whatsuponplanetearth.com

Weird dream elements....

~*Sprye*~ — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:37:32 GMT

How doth the little crocodile Improve his shining tail, And pour the waters of the Nile On every golden scale! How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly he spreads his claws, And welcomes little fishes in, With gently smiling jaws! I just remembered parts of dreams I had last night. One part was I was in an old house that had a huge staircase. You could actually go around the bottom of the staircase all the way around. I was talking to an older woman and there were about 3-4 guys on the other side of the staircase smoking hookahs. I could only see part of one the way they were standing. He was engrossed in what he was doing but also answering a question the woman had asked. I was listening but dont remember now what was said.... I didnt see anything with hookahs or an old house so I have no idea where that is coming from or what the heck it means. Second half was there were people in a very large creek swimming around and I was on the banks. I have had this creek in my dreams before several times. At some point I was yelling at them to get out of the creek because there were crocodiles in the creek and they were beginning to come after them. I have seen the crocs in the creek in my other dreams. It looks peaceful with very green grass around it and beautiful old trees but it is not with the crocs in it. I remember the first dream with them in there...its weird. I was thinking about a specific person I do not trust really before I fell asleep so this part of my dreaming could relate to this. I looked up the meaning of crocodile and this is kind of interesting... Alligator/Crocodile's Wisdom Includes: Maternal protection Connection to the earth mother Protection from manipulation Understanding deceit Revenge through patience Initiation Understanding weather Access to ancient knowledge It takes a lot for me to not trust a person so I can see this part maybe more for what it is about but the other I have no idea...Weird none the less...

Loving the self

~*Sprye*~ — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:41:52 GMT

It's been a huge time lately . I have been seeing some things that I hadn't before. I am pretty grateful that this is happening because I missed it so many times before. It's almost like relearning how to ride a bike after you fall off of it because now you see that bike in a different way. At first the bike was a separate thing and you were learning and thinking you had some kind of control over the bike or that you had to have some kind of control over the bike. In a sense, yes maybe in the beginning, but you didn't allow that to flow. Then you fall and the bike maybe lets you realize that you never had control over it. That really you and the bike needed to be an extension of each other and work together...that the energy would flow better if you did that. In the past month I have been growing in many different ways and seeing how old patterns are not separate things but extensions of myself. I see them in reflections of people, situations, life, etc. I have seen some moments, positive and not so positive, that are extensions of how I am treating and loving or not loving my Self. It is like I am getting it now. I understand this a bit better due to the lessons other people, especially, have brought me. I see where I have felt the need to fall back into a pattern based on the comfort of that pattern and not seeing it for what it is...then I have fallen and then I look at where I fell. This time the fall hasn't been so hard cause I pushed myself to fall down to understand this place. I look at a moment where I was in a loving comforting, taking care of myself bliss state of being and realize that this was a representation of how it feels to love me on a deeper level. This was my example. This is my personal love and it is something I can continue for myself. And it was beautiful and left me wanting more. And then I saw how I transitioned into old patterns...and you know it was mainly forced. Forced cause I felt like "I should feel THIS way now cause that happened..." and then tried it out and it wasn't really how I felt and so I thought "ok...this is ridiculous cause this is not how I really feel you know?" That basically I am happy overall cause deeper down I know I am loving me I am taking care of me...that the examples in front of me are telling me - hey this is REALLY where you are so stop being such a dork about it all...;)" But, in value of forcing or trying to create my personal pattern, I also saw, how, in those moments of forced crap that I was not loving my deeper self. I had reflections of this as well and saw in those examples how I chose to treat me. How I was thinking. What my actions were. Even the visual of it it was interesting to see the deeper aspect of this thing that was happening. It's like the Universe has thrown a big mirror out in front of me and is saying - "See???" and now I am replying back - "Oh yeah...NOW I see! Duh!!!" I tend to treat my self lovingly in a half way mode is what I realized...it's weird. Sometimes, just briefly, I allow it to be whole but have realized it has never been on a continuous basis. And that is my own fault. It is an old aspect of not taking care of me, something I have been seeing for over a year now very deeply...with the help of a truly beautiful reflection of my Self voicing this to me on a regular basis. Saying, "You need to take care of yourself!" "You need to quit worrying about everyone else and do things for you now." and even "Wow, you are doing so much better about taking care of yourself than you did in the past!" And then, even in my own personal moments, with my own reflections, I hear the words I have said to those reflections and realize it is me giving myself advice as well. It is wild to see things in this way. I am giving the reflection of myself advice *I* need to listen to. Way too interesting when you look at things in this way... Half-way. Why half and not whole? Just what I learned...like when I rode my bike - I learned it a certain way but then eventually, thinking I had total control, I fell. When I fell, and I sat there, I realized needed to see it all...for what it really is. The whole thing. The whole feeling and the understanding of the connection and extension to the self. Half cause I was only loving me half way. It's something I actually get now. Half way told me I was close...really close. So the glass was always half full and not half empty like I thought...I just didn't hear it or see it. I can look back at all the other examples and see exactly how I had been treating myself. Seeing things and how I held myself back. How I let myself yearn for more of what I already had the ability to do. So, I sit in the moments, each one, in a better understanding. In a better way of observing myself and seeing what I do or don't do. In this, I move forward in a better understanding. A better focus. A better way. I feel like I understand this better....I know myself better and can only thank all the reflections and examples for what they have brought me....

George Carlin will be missed....

~*Sprye*~ — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:49:18 GMT

I cant help it...I saw this today and was saddened to see someone who probably not only pissed off many people but outnumbered them in making people laugh is gone.... I don’t have pet peeves — I have major psychotic fucking hatreds! Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that. The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, “You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done.” Just when I discovered the meaning of life, they changed it. Religion has convinced people that there’s an invisible man…living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn’t want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer and burn and scream until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you and he needs money. I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately. I would never want to be a member of a group whose symbol was a man nailed to two pieces of wood. Here’s a bumper sticker I’d like to see: “We are the proud parents of a child who’s self-esteem is sufficient that he doesn’t need us promoting his minor scholastic achievements on the back of our car.” Once you leave the womb, conservatives don’t care about you until you reach military age. Then you’re just what they’re looking for. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. The planet is fine. The people are fucked. The real reason that we can’t have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse: You cannot post “Thou shalt not steal,” “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” and “Thou shalt not lie” in a building full of lawyers, judges, and politicians. It creates a hostile work environment. I think everyone should treat one another in a Christian manner. I will not, however, be responsible for the consequences. Cloud nine gets all the publicity, but cloud eight actually is cheaper, less crowded, and has a better view. I think I am, therefore, I am. I think. I don’t have a fear of heights. I do, however, have a fear of falling from heights. May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house. I have as much authority as the Pope. I just don’t have as many people who believe it. Ahhh there are sooo many more....rip GC!

Retrograde planets...

~*Sprye*~ — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 13:48:09 GMT

I thought I would post some of the energies floating around us right now because it seems to at least help in my understanding of what is happening and some of the whys. From the site I got this from ~ http://www.karmictools.com/RetrogradePlanets.html It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure ~ to embrace the new. But there is no REAL security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power. So heres what we have going on right now and the meanings of each of these retrogrades. Pluto Retrogrades on April 2, 2008 and goes Direct on September 8, 2008 *Pluto is the planet of death, rebirth and transformation. So when it Retrogrades be prepared to allow some part of you or your life to "die" ... and be transformed anew. *Ready or not, it is time for you to move on to the next level. The more you resist it, the harder it will be. *It may even seem sudden, but really whatever leaves your life at this time has been on it's way out for the last couple of years whether you were consciously aware of that or not. *You must recognize your reflection in others. During this time, you may even be very aware of your behavior but still unable to control your Self. *This is a test of what you TRULY desire and value. *Any attempt to hold on to an old habit, person, place or circumstance that is clearly "dead", "completed" or "over" will result in more havoc (which you've outgrown) and you create a harder struggle to get past it (and grow) to the good stuff that awaits you. *Now being TOTALLY dedicated to fulfilling this deep knowing what you want is not as much of a stretch as it used to be. If you can be aware enough to know it's just time for the definition of your Truth and purpose to emerge, then you will finally have access to that military discipline required to truly focus and make it happen! *Pluto tends to strip us of all that we think we need to exist and insists that we realize that it is solely your responsibility for CREATING (Pluto rules Scorpio, the energy of creation) YOUR AUTHENTIC LIFE! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jupiter Retrogrades on May 9, 2008 and goes Direct on September 8, 2008 *When Jupiter goes Retrograde you don't actually feel the effects right away. Basically what happens is you're going along happy and enthusiastic and all of a sudden the wind is knocked out of your sails. *Everything we attract is an outer reflection of our inner Selves. *Jupiter's biggest purpose during its Retrograde period is to inspire us to connect to a deeper and more personal sense of justice; that which serves YOUR personal Highest good. *This is the classic tug of war between ego and Spirit. *One of the blessings of this energy is that we stop reaching outside our Selves for guidance and turn to our own inner guidance to direct us now. *Work smarter, not harder. Make the necessary adjustments being demanded of you at this time. It will ultimately empower you. *If you disregard the current energy, and impose YOUR will, rather than accept this direction, you will expend a LOT of energy, with very little compensation or reward. All this time requires is a little flexibility and patience. *You might want to reflect on repression in your own life - is it for the good of all or is it based in fear of confrontation (with Self or others)? Retrogrades demand that we contemplate the (true) source or hidden cause of our motives. There may be an imbalance. *What you've been subconsciously thinking about or even acting out in some way, will come to the forefront and demand attention. *Closer to Jupiter going Direct things may begin to take shape in unexpected and wonderful ways that even you couldn't dream up so I hope you planted those seeds BEFORE Jupiter Retrograded! (If not, get serious NOW!! This energy was meant to be worked WITH!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Neptune Retrogrades on May 26, 2008 and goes Direct on November 1, 2008 *Take this time to consciously prepare for (yet another) rebirth. It is time to return to your Source remember why you're here, your truth and purpose *Take as much time in quiet solitude as possible. Get re-connected within, strengthen and fortify that connection and come back out (after the retrograde) with a renewed spirit and sense of purpose *If you feel the need for a supportive community, create one! *Give some time and energy to your most personal dreams and visions *Work on your personal boundaries; some may need to be more firm with their boundaries and some may have to relax them a bit *Practice the "Let go and let God" principle. Allow the dissolution of blockages and be more "water-like" in your ability to adapt to your ever-changing path *Work quietly, behind the scenes, on integrating the different parts of your Self that have been shattered apart *Focus on your very deepest, longest standing hopes and dream *Do anything creative; dance, writing, music, art, etc. - in private - for your own pure joy and delight, as well as for cleansing, releasing purposes *Instead of dreaming for the community, dream for your deepest Self *Connect to your original intent *Re-connect with your deepest core being, strengthen and fortify your Self, for the pending rebirth ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mercury Retrogrades on May 26, 2008 and goes Direct on June 19, 2008 *This is a good time for almost anything beginning with "re" - re-evaluating, re-doing, re-arranging, re-building, re-covering, re-discovering, re-viewing, re-peating, re-newing, re-storing, re-pairing *Communicate more internally, with Higher Self *Go over things with a fine-tooth comb, looking for anything you may have overlooked *Re-check the details and correct things before they're too big to fix *Review and revise your goals *You get a chance a few times a year to check in with Mercury and see if YOUR systems are all communicating properly. This should be welcomed not resisted *Review & revise goals *Consider the down-time, a "back up" of your internal computer *Avoid signing contracts *Avoid starting new projects especially ones that rely on communication in any form *Back up all computers and do regular maintenance on your car ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hope this helps in some way...

Getting ready for next week and moving through so much right now as well...

~*Sprye*~ — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:45:07 GMT

Focusing time for me right now..focus, focus, focus.... I am getting myself prepared for Free Spirit Gathering next week. I am pulling together all my materials and doing the planning on a different level for the mask workshops I will be offering there. This is definitely pushing me out into the sea of offerings of what I can bring to the world I live in. Typically, I do these workshops in a smaller way and typically with people or groups that I know. This is taking it to a whole other level but I am glad I am doing this. It's probably time and if I can bring to those who enter the space what they are looking for, and that could be it's own sea of understanding and being, then even better. No attachment to it all though...just know that I can only plan so much and let the rest flow out the way it is supposed to. I typically don't have an attachment but more of an intent that you get out of what I do whatever you are supposed to get out of it. That could be that day or night or three days or weeks or months from the time I present this. Three days working on mask magick. Death, Transformation and Rebirth. I have a respect for the mask. It takes you to places you typically don't go or sometimes to places so familiar that you are stuck within that space. There are so many kinds of masks but these masks will be two differet kinds. One sort will be revealing those masks we put on ourselves and hide our true self that we actually want to permanently remove from our being that damages us or hides us in a way we can not fully be who we should be in this world. The other will be focused on what we want to become - kind of like the masks you see ancient tribes wearing as they journey into the other realms to become the animal or deity or other spirit they want to be empowered with. We will be creating masks on our faces with plastered gauze strips. It's an interesting way to create them because they are simple but hold the image of your face. You see that face and then work with other materials to create what it will be for you. Each one turns out completely different from the other depending on what the person on the journey is seeing, feeling, etc. I love doing these just for the individuality of the masks. Even if an aspect is the same it still holds something completely different for those in the process. I feel like the deepest intent over all, at leat for me in doing this, is opening yourself to love the self beyond what we have been told to be. So, at this point, I am preparing and gathering final materials and moving into that space of understanding what I need to do next for all of this. Plus more camping of course and meeting people and growing and understanding the self. I can't wait to see what other things are being offered. My workshops are starting at 2pm and going until 4pm so I won't miss the Fire Circle with Spinner and Magnus...:) That makes me happy since I am not heading to Fires Rising this year. That would have been way too much to do honestly even though I love the venue. I am glad I can still experience a bit of what they are bringing and hope to experience more through what I am doing and what others are bringing as well. I am looking forward to it all and can't imagine what will happen over the next week as I move my being into this space...:)

Aligning Actions And Words from Daily Om

~*Sprye*~ — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:49:48 GMT

Actions Speak Louder Than Words Words carry a lot of weight in this world, from how we say them to what we say with them, but it is through our actions that we bring things into being. This is what we mean when we say to one another that actions speak louder than words. In many cases, what we say doesn’t necessarily line up with what we are doing, and it is here that it becomes clear that it’s easier to talk about doing something than it is to actually do something. At the same time, it’s easy to keep doing something that we don’t necessarily acknowledge ourselves doing verbally. It’s good for all of us to take a look every once and a while to make sure there is alignment between what we say and what we do. For example, it’s easy to talk about our dreams, but it takes a lot more energy to take the many small steps that lead to bringing our dreams into reality. If all we ever do is talk about it, we begin to lose faith in ourselves because nothing changes on the external level. In this way, being all talk and no action is actually a form of self-sabotage. It’s also useful to examine our actions to see if, through them, we are following through on our words. For example, in expressing concern about the environment, we can look to make sure that we are taking the simple steps we can take to put that concern into action. It’s always helpful to observe what we talk about and who we say we are, and then to observe what we actually do in the world. Sometimes we realize our actions haven’t caught up with what we are saying, and at other times we see that we might change our words in a way that it will more adequately reflect what we do in the world. Either way, the more we align our words and our deeds, the clearer we are in expressing our truth in the world, and the more powerful we are in bringing it into reality.

Opening to the light

~*Sprye*~ — Sat, 31 May 2008 00:11:54 GMT

I sit in my center I sit in my knowing I feel the depth within and reach as far down into this space as I can go. I reach for the golden center of life within and I am not afraid Not afraid to see what clouds it Not afraid to sit within it and feel those vibrations of life I knock on the walls I sense the reality of them and know that just beyond is the truest sense of myself that I can reach Outstretched arms waving around in the darkness Touching the nothingness that sits there the veils release light flows I open I open

Wickerman Burn 2008 - Pictures, pictures, pictures

~*Sprye*~ — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:41:48 GMT

So much easier in a link right now.....as promised so enjoy! http://www.flickr.com/photos/21943511@N02/

Expectations....(sorry kids this is long cause I need to get it out...:)

~*Sprye*~ — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:35:06 GMT

What a great weekend but one full of so many lessons too. I found this one was about expectations and how that plays into people's lives. You never realize how much that one idea can play positively or negatively into your life. It was odd for me because I have always had high expectations for myself in my own life. I can also see in the past where I have had that for others too. I feel like it sets a person up for so much pressure and most likely disappointment that it's painful to watch people do this to themselves. I understand where they come from in my own life as well. I let go of so much on this last summer but realized I had a little more to do on this and that was a good thing. I went to Wickerman Burn over the weekend and my friends who were going to do this with me weren't able to go. Their poor car was a mess to the point where they need work on it costing about $2,000 and my one friends health petered out on her where she was in the hospital a day before I was to leave. I totally understood. It was only disappointing in the fact that they probably would have had fun but I knew that it was impossible under their circumstances to really get around the farm and with mounting costs personally I probably would have done the same thing. I went into the weekend not knowing what to expect. Not only of the event but just things in general. But, I tend to hit a point where it doesn't matter and whatever happens happens. That my main thing was to just have fun overall and not worry about stuff. That things would fall into place and all would be good. I was also starting out a little personally rocky just because I had made some financial choices and vehicle choices that I felt like I was still very unsure of. I was looking toward the future for my kiddo and hoped to find balance in letting something go that I really enjoyed as well. Also, having my work back up do exactly what I felt she would do - complain and try to work her way out of helping where I feel obligated to not go on vacation and work around what she wants (ding ding ding - not taking care of the self...hmmmnn!). To the point where I told my boss that so much working was actually burning me out completely and that last year this stuff she was doing was pushing me into this. That I was not happy in my job at all because I really have not had ample time away from it without worry. That I would be taking vacations this year and she needs to step up to the plate without me feeling like things would not be backed up. He is a cool guy and totally felt on with what I was saying. He wants me to be happy at work and not feeling like I had for a year. To go away from it without worry like I had last year and to really take the vacation for myself. I was happy to voice exactly how I was feeling and felt so much better expressing this to him. I also said goodbye to a friend who had passed away two weeks before while she was visiting family in Florida. She was battling an illness prior that was so elusive. It would eventually shut down her body completely but not her mind. I had no idea it would take her to this point. I have had that happen a couple of times this year. Just unexpected death though now I realize the signals I am getting prior to go and spend that time with that person before the passing. But I also recognize the need for privacy. To be remembered for the spirit you really are and not the ill body you see before you. But in my heart I would have loved to sit with her and hold her hand and be there energy wise for her - as well as for Geo's mom. So, it was a bit of a whirlwind week for me prior to the event. I think the whirlwind happens and sometimes you have to realize when you need to step back and really start to go inside to see what is happening. I tend to pull back in those moments and do this for my own self discovery a lot. I hit the sack fairly early on Thursday night and was able to get up in the morning and get set up for everything (after mantra-ing that I was in the Sahara Desert over and over cause it was coooold in those early morning hours and outdoor showers were a bitter sweet thing - luckily they were hot!). People kept rolling in and I saw so many friends there and felt really happy to have them around. Some I hadn't seen in a while so it was great to re-connect with them throughout the weekend! Brothers and sisters to me in so many ways and the connections continue to grow with them. I value this soo much and they don't even know th half of how I feel about each of them. How important they are in my life and the love I do feel for each one of them. There were also so many new people around me. Lots of male energy especially as well. Odd since I have kept myself a bit hidden from all that for a good while but it was fine to have that happening. It was funny because there was probably a signal that this would happen a bit. Not everyone looks at animals a lot as a way to signal things coming to you but as I pulled off the main road, and began driving toward the farm, a male cardinal sat right in my way. He didn't move. Just sat there. I was saying to myself, "Ok I get this signal. Not sure what you are trying to say but I get it." There is an interesting site I like to go to to see what some of that nature symbolism means. Cardinal/Redbird's Wisdom Includes: Courtship, Fatherhood, Understanding the power of the wind, Finding your soul song, Renewed Vitality through Recognizing Self-Importance, and Cycle of Power: Year-Round (often with rhythm of 12-hours, days, months, and years). "Cardinals brighten the environment. They catch the eye and add color to our lives. When they appear as a totem, they do so to remind us to become like them. Add color to your life, and remember that everything you do is of importance." I feel there were many aspects of life this weekend that surrounded some of this reflection. I am finding that things throughout this year are about full circling. There has been so much of that right now and I am seeing that. Life and death full circling. People in and out of life full circling. Lessons full circling. It's been amazing to watch this process. Seeing it all for what it was. Letting go of things fully to open to better things and aspects of the self included. I walked through the weekend without expectation and saw so much more in the flow of life for myself personally. I took time to meditate on Friday morning and bring myself to a place where I needed to resolve my inner tensions and release them for what they were. Lessons. Good or bad they were lessons. I started meeting so many new people. Some great people showed up and needed a camping spot and I had so much room to share so they set up camp in the area. The camp was fun to set up and the hard work was worth it. Silliness helps push you to that point of moving beyond the other stuff. It pulls you away from where you were. After meditating, reiki for people seemed to be in order. Again, unexpected but still it was supposed to be there. I found that my energy was centered and then it began to just fall into place. I wasn't worried about work or major responsibilities or anything. It just kind of flowed. Life was doing what it was supposed to be doing. There was a dance like effect of it all. People moving in and out of the energy area I had set up and me doing the same. I like to go to places where I can experience as much as I want to. I enjoy my freedom in this and my independence to do what I want so I am not held to the constraints of expectations of others. Learning about the energies of people and where they are in life. Moving from one aspect to another. You interact and experience. And with the fact that I had no expectations would take me to so many different interactions. I found that I was able to flow from one space to another easily. That made me happy. I enjoy that. I filled my time with hanging out with so many different people through fire side chatting, drumming, wine tasting, sharing of food, games, music, dancing and listening. Nothing held me down or back from any of this. There was an aspect of one kind of expectation, that I saw, that was interesting and knew I needed to personally look at. I do feel that some expected me to be around them but what was not understood was that there wasn't a "contract" set up by me to do so. There were no signals from me that what they wanted I was going to reciprocate. I realized how damaging this is to the person that does this. That it only sets people up for huge disappointment and the thresholds for this kind of disappointment depends on how much self observation you have done in your life to remove the blocks you have created in yourself. I saw this in a couple of people. I saw how this held them back from the experience of life in general. How this sets up a need to feel in control of energy. I flipped that mirror, looked back at my own life and saw where I had done this to myself in the past. How this was so damaging. How much pressure is involved in this kind of thing. How there is a lack, in a persons life, that they are working to recreate to keep a victim stance going because this is the only thing they know how to do even if all it does is damage the self. That "death wish" so to speak of blocking the self from being fully expressed. The lost aspect of seeing the self in this kind of thing. The set-up for a victim stance they hate so much and yet revel in because it keeps that familiar "feeling" going for them. Blocking life's natural flow and adventure into any of the possibilities. It's funny because as I write this I can feel that strong pressure in my chest and stomach. That weight of the block in this. The weight of the disappointment and anger at the self that the other is not revealing to themselves because of their own fears. That pressure to be the expectation of another because they are not working through what the expectation actually means to them. The projection placed on this and the possibility of creating more reasons for disappointment in this line of thought. And if they would only turn the mirror to see the self fully and see what they are doing to themselves. But not all do this and so in my part I realize this and know that there is nothing I could do for them. It's their "stuff" and theirs only to deal with. I used to take that crap on and have realized that this is not effective. I also felt bad for any of the times i had done this in my own life. Where I had damaged myself more than I personally realized but also the pressure I put on others when I had done this. I saw how awful this truly was and knew that it was a good lesson overall to see and understand for myself. For my own growth and for my own understanding of myself. As hard as it was to look at this it was worth it. It was a valuable lesson in viewing how I had acted in times where I had done this. How it was not mature or conducive to an effective life. i sent apologetic energy out to anyone I had done this to and thanked them for the lessons. Not easy to look at in the self but worth every damaging bit I had done in the past to open to this new way of seeing myself in the future. It's a lesson in loving the self once again and that was mot important out of all of this. Where I had done my own damage and where it pushed people away long ago. Full circle lesson once again... I had to step away personally and physically from this. That kind of pressure, to be the expectation of someone else, sets up a sense of things being way too much for me to internally handle. I never realized why I would walk away or avoid situations or people because of this. Now, I understand better and realize that it was the one thing that always pushed me into what I did not want to do. It pushed me into a forced care taker space that I regretted being in and resented because it was nothing I personally wanted. It was never mine to deal with. It would never get resolved through me. Because I know this it does not make me happy but extremely uncomfortable. I realized now that when I stepped away it was a smart thing to do. To re-process exactly what I wanted, where I personally was in life, and shows the damage of the willing of your shit, on another, to "fix it" and how dark that energy can be. I walk away to protect my self. The victimization to suck you back into the spin that they have set up by their projecting this or working to will against your own desires is so dark and so unyielding it becomes a massive turn off even from just a friendship. You even see it here in this online space. That "stalker" or "troll' mentality of life behind a curtain that is set up. They feel safe in doing this and yet continue to damage the self over and over. Some people feed into that and some don't. At this point in life I don't. Way too much of that crap in my life and way too many more wonderful things I need to experience in life because it IS too short. I also knew that this was happening for a reason, had to look at myself deeply and honestly, and see the moments where I have done that even in the past. Even in situations where I thought I had it worked out and I didn't. Lessons abound under these circumstances. You can see too how people deal with it when you look at your own reflection in the mirror and keep it on you instead of being distracted by what the other is doing. I moved toward people who are relaxed and do not have a strong manipulating expectation stance. I moved from that in my own life personally and saw myself for what I could be at times. At this point, I am a pretty laid back person especially after releasing major responsibilities in my life over the past year and a half. After learning to take care of myself and love who I am and not worry about caring so much for others to the point of forgetting my own existence. I've seen and done too much of that. So, I walk toward those that do not do this to me. And still, on my part, with no expectation. With no "contract" of what I believe they should be doing 'for me" to "fix my shit". It's unrealistic. I feel there are healthy expectations in life, don't get me wrong. I see in relationships where there is commitment especially, not so much the need for expectation, but maybe more the need for common courtesy or an agreement on what each person personally needs to create a happy life in unity instead of separately? This goes for all relationships and it depends on what level that relationship is existing at. I feel that too strong of an expectation, even in something completely established can still set someone up for negative issues to come up, if that makes any sense. That the trappings of the expectations can set the stage for strong control and manipulation in any relationship. But so many base life on unhealthy expectations due to their past experiences. If you look at how you are feeling when they come up you can see where it stems from, if you are brave enough to do that. As always I sit right in the center of it all when I feel anything that I know is my own damaging being done to myself. I am glad I saw this for what it was worth and flipped the mirror once again toward me. It's definitely not easy to do but it is necessary so that you can move forward in a better way. It's my responsibility to take care of me really and my responsibility to see it all for what it is. I am grateful that this is where I am. That the full circling of life comes back around and I see it, can touch it, feel it physically and understand it fully as I move to the next aspect of where I am supposed to be. I enjoyed the rest of my weekend. Saw the lessons for what they were and the value in that, as I typically do, in my own personal way of seeing things. Shared energy. Listened to music. Danced some more around the fires. Spent time with those I wanted to be around, in that same energetic level I felt was on key with where I needed to be. Released unneeded aspects of myself to come full circle in those places in my own personal life. Let go without any expectations and allowed for the flow to be where it needed to be naturally. Opened to new things that showed me where I was. Happy to share a smile, tent space, food, conversation, laughter, and peace with each person I came in contact with. All good stuff. And sending blessings to all I came in contact with no matter what happened and hope we all move to where we all need to be in a positive way. And now I flip the mirror back outward after learning the strong lesson and hope that whatever I have shown others allows them the capability of being whatever they saw in me that was positive within themselves. I'll have pictures of the weekend soon that I will share but hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well.

Wickerman Burn and Pastafarians...;)

~*Sprye*~ — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:09:55 GMT

So I am down to the wire almost cause Wickerman Burn starts on Thursday....;) I can't wait! I am close with my freshly dyed black sheet that will bear the Pirate Fish symbol for the Pastafarian Camp banner. I am creating a huge Flying Spaghetti Monster out of yellow nylon ropes and huge white beach balls - one size for the eyes and one size for these massive meatballs. There's still so much more to do but it is funny seeing these huge eyes sitting on my bed as you walk into my room. The kid's been freaked out a couple of times looking i my room! Ha ha! The Gospel will be on hand as well as propaganda! I am waiting for my pirate ducks to get in for the Pirate Duck Derby down the Creek from North Crook to the Faerie Cairn. Ohhh that water is going to be cold!!! But it will be fun over all. The last I checked they were in Capital Height, MD so I know they are on their way! 108 ducks will be in my house soon! I think besides the banner, FSM and all the Pirate Duck derby is what I am most excited about. :) Tonight I am running more errands to get things and then start getting my gear in order...:) It looks like great weather this weekend as well so you can't beat that! Can't wait! RAmen

What is wrong with people???

~*Sprye*~ — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:00:28 GMT

We need to send positive compassionate energy to the government of Myanmar/ Burma so that these people can get the food and help they need after this disaster. How completely horrible! Globe reikiing is in order for me tonight when I get home! ***************************************************************************************************************************************************** U.N. 'furious' as Myanmar aid 'seized' BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- The United Nations' top World Food Program official says he is "furious" over the Myanmar's government's refusal to allow the organization to distribute aid that was flown in for cyclone disaster victims. Two planes that landed Friday morning in Rangon carrying 38 tons of high-energy biscuits, medical kits and other items were seized by officials at Yangon International Airport, said Tony Banbury. The cargo is enough to feed 95,000 people, he said. "We off-loaded the food, and then the authorities refused us permission to take that food away. "We were told we needed a special letter from the Minister of Social Welfare. We hand-delivered a request to him. The answer back was 'No, you can't have the food.' "That food is now sitting on the tarmac doing no good." Under U.N. rules, the organization must control and distribute its aid supplies. "I'm furious. This is unacceptable," Banbury said. As many as 6 million people lived in the Irrawaddy Delta, the low-lying region that bore the brunt of the storm. More than 2,000 square miles of land are under water. The Myanmar government says last week's cyclone killed 22,000 people, but the top U.S. envoy in the country says the death toll may exceed 100,000. Thousands are without food, shelter and clean water, and aid workers say boats and helicopters are needed to reach remote areas. As the delivery of aid supplies lags, the possibility of diseases such as malaria rises, medical authorities say. Friday's move by the Myanmar military government comes one day before a national constitutional referendum that would strengthen the power of the military junta. The government delayed voting in areas most ravaged by last Saturday's cyclone, but, despite urging by U.N. General-Secretary Ban Ki-moon, refused to cancel the balloting countrywide. Ban told authorities it may be "prudent" to focus their resources on emergency response efforts. Political observers note that Myanmar has been isolated from outside influences since the military began ruling the country in 1962. Referring to the government's actions on Friday, the Asia director of the World Food Program, said, "This is another example of them actively getting in the way of relief getting to the victims." Asked whether the move would jeopardize future U.N. aid flights, Banbury said, "absolutely, from our perspective, it shuts them down." The two aircraft that few into Yangon on Friday were carrying 38 tons of high-energy biscuits, six portable warehouses, and an unspecified number of emergency health kits,. The food is sufficient to feed 95,000 people for one day. All of it was seized at the airport in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, widely known by its former name of Burma. One plane originated in Bangladesh and the other, the United Arab Emirates. On Saturday, the United Nations had been planning three further aid flights, from Dubai, India and Cambodia. Those planes would carry tons of biscuits, emergency ready-to-eat meals, and logistical support and equipment, such as boats, to reach isolated areas. The United Nations has had a program in Myanmar, where there are 15 international and 225 local staffers. One senior U.S. military official told CNN that the United States is presenting Myanmar with an aid plan that would minimize the presence of American troops on the ground. The United States is proposing that C-130s fly into the Myanmar carrying U.N. supplies. The planes would drop supplies off and then turn around and leave. But they would conduct as many flights as possible. The United States is also proposing that Navy helicopters already in Thailand and on board U.S. Navy ships in the region fly supplies to remote areas. The helicopters would conduct low-level flights and air-drop the supplies but not touch the ground. Four U.S. Navy ships are now moving to a region offshore Myanmar. They are the USS Essex, USS Juneau, USS Harpers Ferry and USS Mustin. Some U.S. Marines are ashore in Thailand for an exercise but could readily be moving to relief operations. Paul Risley, a spokesman for the U.N. World Food Program, told CNN the agency has never encountered such resistance to offers of help in such a mushrooming humanitarian crisis. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the military junta in Myanmar has behaved "appallingly" by declining to grant more visas to relief workers. "This has never happened before," he said Friday. To complicate matters, Myanmar's embassy in Bangkok, Thailand -- where aid groups have been waiting for days for entry permission -- was closed Friday for a holiday.

From Daily Om today

~*Sprye*~ — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:03:11 GMT

Been seeing this and so this came at the right moment of me asking this very same thing yesterday and thinking it early this morning...someone's reading my mind! ********************************************************************************************************************************************************* A New Level Of Mastery Coming Full Circle Life is a circular journey through our issues and processes, and this is why things that are technically new often seem very familiar. It is also why, whenever we work to release a habit, change a pattern, or overcome a fear, we often encounter that issue one last time, even after we thought we had conquered it. Often, when this happens, we feel defeated or frustrated that after all our hard work we are still dealing with the same problem. However, the reappearance of a pattern, habit, or fear, is often a sign that we have come full circle, and that if we can maintain our resolve through one last test, we will achieve a new level of mastery in our lives. When we come full circle, there is often the feeling that we have arrived in a familiar place, but that we ourselves are somehow different. We know that we can handle challenges that seemed insurmountable when we began our journey, and there is the feeling that we might be ready to take on a new problem, or some new aspect of the old problem. We feel empowered and courageous to have taken on the challenge of stopping a pattern, releasing a habit, or overcoming a fear, and to have succeeded. At times like these, we deserve a moment of rest and self-congratulation before we move on to the next challenge. Coming full circle is like stepping into a clearing where, for a moment, we can see where we came from and where we are standing at the same time. Remembering that we will be tested again is important, but it’s also important to pause and take a look at the ground we’ve covered, honoring our courage, our persistence, and our achievement. Then we can begin the next leg of our circular journey with a fuller understanding of where we are coming from.