Divine Poetry

Last night I prayed to Brighid, asking her to visit me in meditation.  I was already pretty sleepy so I quickly entered this very lucid trance.  I suddenly found myself in a forest.  The sun was shining bright through the trees.  I remember distinctly seeing a birch and quaking aspen.  There was a bright white stone on the ground which, for some reason, I fixated on.  I did not see Brighid but I heard her voice reciting beautitful poetry that I can't really remember...  It was about finding her, that I do remember...  Did I hear the fairy song for one fleeting moment?  I remember the power of the words, though.  I was hanging on them as they flowed so effortlessly.  I suddenly really recognized what was going on and I woke up.  Bah.

Still.  I heard my lady's voice.

( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )

Play the drum and meditate on the deer - the doe - the hind.  See her in the woods.  She runs.  Follow through whipping branches and thorns.  Follow through ferns.  Follow until you trip over a large root and lay facedown in the moss and moist soil.  Call out to her and she comes, looking down on you with big brown eyes.  She looks into you...  She has been waiting.  She gives her name and you see her image fade a little.  You can almost see the image of a wild woman with long, untamed hair standing in her place.  You have seen her before.  She gives you a job to do and takes the apple you have brought her.  She fades into the woods like a woman backing away and a deer leaping through ferns.  You watch her vanish and suddenly wake up knowing what to do.

( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )

Blurb

My spirit really wants to take a walk in the woods but my body is very much against it.  For starters, I had a long and wearisome work day.  Second, and most influential - it's dreadfully hot today.

I think it will be a good night for trance.  Maybe.  *crosses fingers*

It is also a good night to work on study programs and catch up with my mentoring and reviewing...

( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )

Returned from the Faire!

Hello dear readers! I went away for a few days to visit some of the tribe and travel to the Sterling Renaissance Festival. Hubby and I go every year and always enjoy it immensely. As usual, Weretoad and I dressed up.  It was pirate weekend, but we dressed as ...  wealthy merchants?  Lesser nobles?  I dunno.  We wore nice outfits, how about that?  I wore the outfit my mum gave me.  It looked like this but in hunter green.  My husband wore his wedding outfit which looked somewhat like this but with hunter green accents rather than silver and Celtic knot embroidery.  I made us each pouches which I will display at a later date.


I purchased many lovely things.  I always save some money to indulge myself at the Renaissance Festival. I look forward to being more financially secure (if such a thing will be possible in the future) and buying a whole wardrobe or large pieces of home decor one day*.  Even when I cannot afford the luxuries, the numerous talented artisans annually inspire my imagination and encourage me to keep practicing.   

Anyway, I bought a miniature clay bowl for my traveling altar, two bottles of ink (one of green pigment and the other called "wine"), some echinacea root, witch hazel bark, coltsfoot, and rosemary incense.  My husband bought me a rose and an amazing sculpture to hang on our walls (Photo at left.  The sculpture was made by the talented Jason Bakutis).  It's supposed to be Bast but I don't get the Egyptian vibe from it.  When I saw it, I fell in love with it as a catsidhe or my personality incarnate**.  Art is all about interpretation, no?  Now I just need to figure out where to hang this beauty...  


We didn't see as many shows this time, which leads me to believe that we need to go twice next year.  There is just too much to see and do in one day.  I did, however, have an amazing discussion with the Earthcraftyr herbalist and self-proclaimed "ditch witch."  We talked about trance, flying ointments, different plants,  and connecting with nature.  I was so grateful that she took some time to share her wisdom with me.  I would love to take a class from her in the future.  




* "I wanna be a billionaire so freaking bad..."


**  All the same, I used to be devoted to Bast in my eclectic Wiccan days.  She helped me through some rough times and started me on the road to being a strong woman.  I'll always be grateful to her for that.  We grew apart eventually; I guess she had taught me all I needed and I was sent promptly to the Gods of Ireland.  


( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )

Otherworldly Travel and "Inception"

I saw Christopher Nolan's latest film "Inception" with some of my tribe on Friday.  It was an amazing film complete with an intricate and fascinating plot, gasp-worthy special effects, and a riveting soundtrack*.  One thing that kept striking me were the similarities between the concepts of traveling into dreams in the film and the beliefs/teachings/experiences Pagans and such ilk have in meditation, trance, astral travel, and/or lucid dreaming.  I'll just bullet a few.

• The characters in the movie had personal totems that only they held and touched.  The intimate knowledge of the totem would help its owner determine whether or not they were in the dream world.  Many people who try to "cross the veil" have totems, charms, or talismans for protection, the facilitation of psychic abilities, a connection to "reality," etc...  
• "Inception" used architects, or highly imaginative, visual, and spacial thinkers who constructed dream worlds.  This is similar to the belief of many that safe houses/circles/groves/etc can be constructed in the Otherworld, or that your will can manipulate it with enough focus.  
• Dreams are dangerous places.  In "Inception," a person's subconscious projections or memories can become hostile.  There are dangers in the Otherworld too.  Some Pagan authors, like Paxson, even suggest a practitioner go through therapy before beginning to trance** due to possible projections.
• Cobb, Arthur, Ariadne, and company travel into dreams together as they all have a job and there is strength in numbers.  I've heard of people astrally projecting together, into other people's dreams and the like.  I've never experienced it or tried it myself but the concept is there.  The casts' teamwork also reminds me of spiritual teachers or guides.  Working with and developing a relationship with one is supposed to make your Otherworldly travels safer, perhaps even easier. 
• There's one dream scene, when Cobb is first training Ariadne*** at a cafe.  He reveals to her that she's in a dream and things start to fall apart.  Cobb tells her to relax, but the dream shatters. I've never been able to dream lucidly, but everything I've read about it speaks of the practitioner realizing that he or she is dreaming and using that knowledge to manipulate the dream, to seek inner information, or to connect with Otherworldly beings in the dream world.  
• As many of us already believe, and as is evident in the fictional world of "Inception," the dream world and what happens there is incredibly influential on this world.  

The film has me thinking more about the concept of the Otherworld.  What exactly is its nature?  Is the dream world the same as the Otherworld?  Are they connected so that one can lead to the other?  Could people who achieve states of insanity or coma be stuck in such a place?  If the Otherworld is really the dream world and we can manipulate it and create places there, are the fairy realms people stumble into something people made, Gods made, or the fairies made?  What came first?  Are we really just another island in the Otherworldly land of dreams?  Interesting and complicated questions.  They are the essence of many Pagan festival discussions, that's for sure!

* The song “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien," by Edith Piaf is featured which was amusing because the actress who played the French chanteuse in the biopic "La Vie en Rose," Marion Cotillard, played Mal in "Inception." 


** I think anyone who has had the usual ups and downs of life should be fine, especially if ones talents are average and one has minimal danger of getting in over one's head.  If something really nasty showed up in trance, then perhaps...  but unless you have an unsettling background, I wouldn't worry.  That's just my belief.  As long as people can differentiate one world from the other and lead a productive life, things are peachy!


*** I loved Ariadne's character and the subtle and not-so-subtle ways that the director drew on the original myth.  


(The photos are scenes from "Inception.")


( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )

Inspiring Words...

I need to remember these as I continue to meditate.

Within the circle, ways of journeying into the three realms of land, sea and sky are taught. These are powerful tools for seeking wisdom and developing and deepening our connection with the earth. The techniques take time, as do aLL worthwhile things. No promises of instant success or enlightenment are made. The most significant accomplishment within the circle Lies in contemplative repetition, using its gentle rhythm to reach a peaceful state of consciousness for sorting through the cares of the day and affirming that tomorrow our work can be done in greater harmony with the world around us.

 Erynn Rowan Laurie

A Circle of Stones

( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )

More Meditation and its Validity

I think that meditating in the evening allows me to enjoy numerous advantages over doing the same in the daytime.  To start, it is cooler.  This is less distracting.  While I acknowledge that a practitioner of such arts should be able to meditate whenever, and that discomfort can lead to visceral trance experiences, I am still very much a novice (still...after seven years of on and off again practice...).  Another advantage is that most people have returned to their apartments.  The children are no longer playing in front of my ritual space.  The skateboarders have ollied their hearts out.  The neighbors upstairs have decided to quit attempting to be successful at Call of Duty and therefore quit screaming (very loudly) at animated adversaries.  In the evening, I'm better able to focus due to the quiet that settles over my neighborhood.

Today I did some drumming which helped to relax me.  It is occasionally distracting because I perceive my beat changing slightly, or the handle of the drum stick shifting.  Drumming while meditating is very new to me.  I want to continue practicing it but, at the same time, I think using an mp3 now and again will be just as useful*.  I also felt an ant on me again.  I really need to clean that room this week.  I don't know what the ants are so interested in there but it probably has something to do with the remnants of plants housed there during the spring.  The ant wasn't as distracting this time...but still...

Meditation went well for the most part.  I was better able to relax and experience a slight trance.  I say slight because some people have different definitions of trance and I occasionally falter as to what I believe...  Some say that a trance is all in the head.  Some say it's both.  Others that it has to be completely "separate from the body" to be valid.  I'm mostly in the "both" category as I've experienced each to one degree or another.  They were vivid for me...  I suppose whether someone else proclaims them as valid or not is meaningless in the long run.  What do you think?

* I'm starting to consider myself a slight technopagan...  Slight!

( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )

Meditation Practice

I settled into my meditation corner after lighting a cone of incense and took some cleansing breaths followed by a two powers meditation.  It was difficult to focus, at first, because there was an ant crawling on me from time to time.  I decided to let it be an exercise on focus but, relative novice that I am, it was a challenge!

I opted not to use my drum today.  Weretoad had just got home from work and wanted to take a nap.  I wasn't sure if my drumming would disturb him or not.  I tried to focus on my breathing and on the image of a triquetra.

Along with the ant, the heat made it difficult as well.  My ritual/art room has a wall of southern facing windows.  Even with the shades down, it stays quite warm.

In the end, I didn't achieve trance but I was able to stay focused on the image of the triquetra for extended periods of time.  I also relaxed myself quite thoroughly.  When I came out of it (mostly because of the heat), I felt content and peaceful.  Trance or not, it is good for someone with a fiery personality to reach that state.

I think I may try again later when it's cooler out.  I'm endeavoring to restrict my internet access and I think disciplining myself to meditate in the cooler part of the day will help me on both fronts!


( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )

Meditation Fail

So I was all ready to go.  I told my husband that I was going to meditate.  I had pillows against the wall for comfort and support.  The smoke of my incense was coiling to the ceiling.  I had my drum.  I was in the zone.  I felt my awareness fuzz and fade.  I let the drum fall and started to focus more on my breath...  Then I heard the scrape scrape scrape of a skateboarder who decided it was cool enough to practice some ollies nearby.  Sighing, I came back into awareness and started to drum again.  While I drummed I focused on the image of a triquetra, a symbol that has a lot of spiritual and personal significance to me.  Again, I felt my awareness start to shift.  I felt just about to fall somewhere when I heard my husband say my name.

I gave up.  He didn't mean to be disruptive.  I guess I had been in there for awhile and he wasn't sure if I was done.  He says I should make a sign.  I say he should make me a sign or just not bother me until I come out.  I was grumpy for a bit but decided to let it go.  Watched the first episode of an anime about high schoolers and zombies complete with horrifically humorous fan-service.

There's always tomorrow for more meditation!


( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )

Into the Forest

I've recently begun to feel inadequate as a Druid.  I feel like all I do is read, read, read but I hardly do!  Yes, I've been doing my devotionals and my one formal ritual a week.  Yes I consider art to be magic and I do that a lot.  But...  I guess it's because I've been reading up for my Magic 1 essay for the IP.  I know more about magic now than I ever did, and yet I hardly ever do it.  And by it, I don't mean the everyday magic of crafting, cooking, gardening, etc...  Not that I'm overlooking its importance or meaning to me!  I mean the conjure up energy, focus, concentrate, shoot, charge, kind.  I did a few spells when I first became interested in Wicca.  They hardly ever worked out the way I wanted.  Part of this was probably because of how inexperienced  I was.  People would lose their shyness but then become so social that we grew apart.  People would attract someone but in a purely sexual way rather than in a loving way...  It was frustrating and so I kind of...stopped.  I still try to use positive thoughts and prayer...  But the last "high" bits of magic I've done were a year or so ago and, while they both worked and worked well, I've not felt the need to do much else.  I started to think that magic should only be used as a last resort, when all the "mundane" processes were complete and I hadn't any more "logical" means of action.

Well what a bunch of bullocks that is...  At least, that's how I'm starting to see it.  If I want to see something manifest in my life, there's no excuse for not doing a "mundane" action as well as a magical action to see it through!  Not only would it give me an extra boost towards whatever goals I have, but it would give me the necessary practice to increase any "psychic" abilities I may have.

That's another thing I've been worrying about recently.  Am I really cut out for the IP?  Can I actually be a proper Druidic magician?  Can I actually do trancework?  Divination?  I get so down on myself because I'm not constantly walking around with one foot in this world and one foot in the Otherworld.  I read about peoples' experiences - including good friends whom I fully trust and believe - and I think, "Well damn.  Why aren't I that good?"    I think it's, in part, because I don't practice enough or let myself believe in the validity of what I have experienced  Because I have experienced Otherworldly things.  I've felt the presence of deities so vividly that I could feel them hold me.   I've had a few deep trance experiences.  I've had one short out of body experience.  I've seen an unexplained being on the wall when I was little.  I've felt or known things that turned out to be true.  They were always around times of personal or family crisis.  My mother has a sort of intuition as well and has seen the fetches of her friends before finding out that they had died.  Maybe there's something in our blood and we just don't properly know how to use it?

Well I'm taking steps to better use and understand what I have.  I just need to practice!  I need to keep doing my rituals and devotionals, but also do more magic, meditation, and trance.  I need to get out of the house and into the forest to commune with the spirits there.  I need to connect deeply and, maybe, walk the paths of the Other World.  I need to use this computer a lot less!

I've been feeling the pull of the forest for weeks now.  I've been scared to go in by myself.  We've been here for nearly a year and I hardly visit the forest because I'm not the only one with access.  Children play there all the time.  People have paintball wars.  Some mysterious person used a tree as a bathroom.  There are cans here and there, no matter how many times I try to pick up...  I'm more scared of meeting the wrong person in the woods.  Humans scare me more than anything else right now.  Today I took a first step towards the strength I need to be the Druid I want to be.  I went into the woods by myself.  Twice.  I had a knife with me, which some traditions may argue insults the nature spirits, but I hope they know that it was more for defense against perverts.  I spent some time in the woods, whispering my intentions to the seen and unseen.  I relished in the shade, breathed in the pine, and enjoyed the sights and songs.  I came in later and did my ritual with a magical working.  It felt good.  It felt fairly focused.  It's a start.  I should probably journal about it towards my IP...


*One was to get a refrigerator back from the former tenant of a place we were renting, and the other, performed with a good friend, was to keep a flirtatious girl away from her husband.




( For My LJ Friends: http://adfcatprints.blogspot.com/ )

Bits and Bobs

~ Last night went well.  I decided not to give myself a reiki treatment.  I had a professional massage and no longer felt the need.  The massage was amazing and I really liked the woman who did it.  I got a good vibe from her and we talked a bit about some of the New Age/Pagan community in the area.  I learned about several opportunities I would like to look into!  More on these soon.

~ I meditated last night and used my bodhrán to drum myself into a trance.  It's something I've been meaning to try but I always put it off because I thought the physical motion would be too distracting.  It was strangely effective!  I met Brighid and had a little chat with her. She put me at ease about several issues.  I also met with my spirit guide and learned a strange dance from him.  We also talked briefly about how funny it is that a vegetarian has a carnivorous spirit guide.  He basically gave me the impression that just because he hunts for meat, it doesn't mean I have to.  He said I hunt for other things.*

~ There's another ADFer in Watertown!  I randomly looked at the roster for NY state and saw his name!  He joined a month ago.  I decided to email, say hello, and tell him about Muin Mound.  He replied and said he is hoping to attend the grove.

~ My husband and I are getting really excited about Wellspring. He's mostly excited about camping out and finally using our tent.  I'm looking forward to meeting more of my spiritual community and the workshops!  I wish there was more information about what is being presented and when certain rituals will be...


*My bodhrán has a skin head.  Yes I know this is hypocritical...  I deal with issues like this all the time.  I try my best and take my baby steps and live peacefully...  But I also really trust the person who makes the drums and, frankly, I would rather have a drum from someone who respected the animal than a synthetic drum head from a factory.  

The Game Plan

As you saw in my last post, I'm working diligently on the Artisan Guild study program.  I want to get into the Initiate Study Program as well and was suddenly feeling overwhelmed with the possibilities.  Kirk gave me some perspective that really helped.  I need to find a balance between the practical/experimental and the academic.  This goes for my art studies as well since I'm doing them at the same time.

I was thinking of doing Divination 1 for the ISP.  I may yet start the research components of it, but I don't want to start the journal until I've created a new set of ogham and I'm planning to do that as part of my Artisan Guild study program.  So here's what I'm thinking (bear with me if this seems complicated - it makes sense to me!):

1) Submit my working outlines to the Art Guild preceptor.
2) Use some online drawing tutorials to refamiliarize myself with perspective, scale, shading, etc...
3) Continue sketching and, eventually, create the necessary pieces for my portfolio.
4) By then I can start "Technical Competence" requirement 3 - "Single Ritual Piece," aka my new and improved ogham.
5) Then I can use the ogham to practice divination for Divination 1.

In the meantime!

1) Start Magic 1.  I just ordered a few books to help me complete this portion:

•  Practical Magic in the Northern Tradition
  Nigel Pennick
•  Irish Celtic Magical Tradition: Ancient Wisdom of the Battle of Moytura
  Steve Blamires
•  The Magic Arts in Celtic Britain  Lewis Spence

I'm really excited to dig into these!  

2) By the time I finish Magic 1, I'll be able to do Magic 2 and overlap the journaling with Trance 1.

3) Hopefully, after all the above work, I'll be able to start my divination journal at this time.  

4) Throughout all of this I'll be studying Irish, working towards the goals outlined in Indo-European Language 1.

So, yeah.  I have a *lot* of work ahead of me.  How exciting!  Seriously, I love this sort of stuff.  (Yes, I miss college already!)

Dealing with Stress

I've found that one of the biggest hurdles I have to overcome before meditating or trancing is dealing with stress.  If I have a lot on my plate or recently experienced a stressful situation, I feel less motivated to meditate.  If I somehow convince myself to try for the sake of piety and practice, I then have to figure out what to do with my stress to calm my body down.  For awhile I was trying a couple different methods - relaxing each part of my body individually or visualizing a river where all of my stress went into and flowed away.  


Recently I've been trying something new that resonates with me and works very well.  Those of you who know me know that I have a thing for fire.  I'm a Sagittarius after all!  I started to visualize a bonfire in my meditation.  I imagine my stress floating into the fire like bits of paper which then burn up and float away into nothingness.  Nothing has been quite as helpful to me as this method.  


How do you deal with stress in meditation?

Trying Not to be Lazy

The terrible fatigue I've been feeling lately has spread to my spirituality. My rituals are suddenly shorter and lack any real meditation. I've tried to meditate in bed but I always fall asleep and have strange dreams that I can't really remember in the morning.

I keep thinking about and seeing foxes everywhere. My inner teacher is calling out to me. I really should get down to business later. And I need to do it in my ritual room. I'm too programed to sleep when in bed. Meditation doesn't come easy there.

I'm attempting to be more physically active in the hopes that it will improve my health and my energy. I started doing some aerobics yesterday. Perhaps I'll do some yoga today - something not too jarring but also strenuous. I do love stretching...

Speaking of exercise, I've looked for belly dance instructors in and around Watertown. It seems that the closest are across the border or in Syracuse. With one car between myself and my husband, neither is really feasible at the moment. In the meantime, I'm hopeful that the local BOCES will get one down the road.

Pagan To-Do List

1) Carrionmann got back to me about being a mentor for people working on their Dedicant Programs. I was informed that my DP was excellent and that I definitely qualify! Huzzah! I'm really excited about helping people and giving back to the religious community I love so dearly. I just need to complete the questionnaire.

2) Oak Leaves and Tribeways work - I have an article to edit for someone else and an article that I am writing to contribute. I was thrilled to contribute to the Solstice Tribeways podcast and I definitely want to think of something to contribute for that. Again - I am so excited to get more involved.

3) The artisan guild is working on making a gallery of member work. I need to get some photos of things in! On a related note, I want to start planning an entry for the guild competition at Wellspring!

4) I want to do another trance soon, if not tonight. I feel better and am ready to meet my teacher once more.

Teacher Fox

If you've been reading my blog, you know that I've been working through Paxson's Trance-Portation. I mentioned a few entries ago that I've been revisiting animal spirits / spirit guides. Paxson suggests asking a companion animal to lead you to a spirit who can teach you to better navigate the inner realms.

Last night, while the husband was at work, I took advantage of my free/quiet time and prepared to trance. I took a cleansing shower to help me release the stress and tensions of the day. While there I felt compelled to chant which felt great. Chanting really gets me in the mood for spiritual activity.

I then sat at my altar, honored the kindreds and lit a stick of incense to honor my spirit guides in particular.

Going into trances is coming easier and easier to me given the right mental cues. It used to be a real effort for me to guide myself into anything. Now it's almost second nature to call on the Two Powers and enter my inner nemeton. I'm finding that my inner realm has a definite landscape that I can navigate. I've really not ventured far. Beyond my nemeton is a field and, in the distance, more forest. In the middle of the field is a big rock that I've visited plenty of times in Katrina's rock meditations. An Dagda likes to frequent it.

Before leaving my nemeton, I called to my long-time spirit guide, the lynx. I've been trying to work with him more and feel like I have a better relationship with him. I asked if he could lead me to a being who could teach me more about trancing and navigating. We walked through the field and a few animals passed by, including a deer. They weren't interested in stopping. Finally a fox walked in our path, stopped, and waited for us. I asked her if she was willing to teach me and she said yes. At this point I felt a pull from my physical body - my throat was irritated and I knew I was going to cough but I held back. The vixen laughed at me, called me a foolish human, and basically said that if I need to cough I should just get it over with. She then said that I needed to finish healing before I come back to her and sent me off.

It was an interesting experience, that's for sure. And then today I kept seeing red foxes *everywhere*.

Mars in Retrograde and Spirit Guides

My friend Katrina is pretty good when it comes to astrology. She and her husband have been studying it for quite some time. She brought it to my attention that Mars is in retrograde. I did a little bit of reading up about it and, apparently, this causes stagnation of projects, a lack of energy, arguments, and illness. I have been feeling so out of it recently. Earlier this week I had an upset stomach. By the weekend I had an ear infection and a fever. Goodness gracious - early March, hurry it up!

In other news, I've moved on in Paxson's book Trance-Portation. Before I became so dreadfully ill this weekend, I started to revisit my spirit guides. "Revisit" should tell you that I've done work with them before. Now, spirit guides, animal totems, or whatever you want to call them have a nasty New Age reputation. For good reason! It's an easy meditation that newbies can do and is usually one of the first trance exercises introduced to people in self-help type circles. Just think of that scene in "Fight Club" where the lead character has a vision of a penguin who tells him "slide." Things like that make it seem very ridiculous, but I think it can be approached in deeper, more fulfilling ways than is portrayed by the media. I find myself agreeing with Paxson's sentiment - regardless of whether or not we create the spirit guides with our own unconsciousness, they can be helpful in communicating with that side of our being. Think of them as the adult imaginary friends if you want. And cultures all over the world have legends about meeting animals on heroic journeys. My own hearth culture is filled with sacred prohibitions and bonds (gease) with dogs and birds. There are cats guarding treasures and otherworldly entrances. There are salmon full of knowledge and magical deer. As myth can be a symbol for the heroic journey we must take internally from time to time, I find no problem with meeting spirit guides in an Indo-European context. Just ask my friend Dubhlainn who recently had a very powerful spiritual experience with a blue heron.

So I've started to interact with my spirit guides again. The first time I did such an exercise, I met a dove. I've never seen that creature since. The one creature who has had staying power is the lynx. The last two times I called out on my inner journeys, I met ... a beaver. It was quite unexpected, let me tell you, but he has prodded me both times with messages about productivity, creating, and rebuilding. I'm starting to wonder if it has something to do with my house... I really should get around to making curtains...

The lynx showed up as well. I don't know the beaver's name, but the lynx gave me one. Only... it's not in English. It has something to do with wind and grass. I feel a comfort that the lynx is still there. The appearance of a beaver in my mental landscape adds to the population of North America, specifically NY, fauna.

Trance Dance

"Moving Meditation" has been something I've heard more and more about this past year. I've read various articles about it and the luck some have with it over more traditional/stereotypical forms - still meditations, if you will. Sitting quietly and letting my mind alternate between quieting and exploring have always worked well for me except for when I'm wound up, tired, or angry. The first time I really tried a walking meditation was at the Mohawk Valley Pagan Network's "Workshop Day" in the summer of '09. The welcoming and patient Seraphoenix lead a workshop on labyrinths. It included some basic history and lore, construction ideas, modern uses, and a walkthrough. Although I never reached any depth of being or had any visions, I was able to still my mind very easily. I was too focused on my feet and where I was going to think of anything else. I was feeling congested that day and was amazed at my sudden ability to "clear my mind" without having to focus on my breath - a truly annoying task when one has a cold.

The next time I tried a labyrinth was at the CNY Pagan Pride Day in Liverpool, NY. They set up a simple labyrinth using small posts placed in the grass. One could walk it at any time of the day which was very convenient. I really enjoyed it and hope to see it at a future PPD.

Today I was listening to music and suddenly found myself engaging in what I've realized to be my favorite form of moving meditation - dancing. Only I've never danced this way before. Usually my dance moves are inspired by pop music, tribal fusion, and belly dance. Oh and I've got a little Beatles head wobble and Cotton Eye Joe too. :P But tonight... I just... I let go completely and just ... threw my body around? I suppose that makes it sound violent which it wasn't. I was just literally dancing like nobody was watching and throwing myself into a very tribal sounding piece by a favorite band of mine called Faun. The song was Lynansa and it has a pulsing, chanting energy that made my body want to jerk forward and backwards while simultaneously swaying from right to left. The repetitive motion very nearly took me somewhere else - until I realized what was happening. I HATE that! It happens so often to me lately! Whenever I'm just about to break into a deep trance or, perhaps, astrally project, my body snaps out of it. It's frustrating... However I must be optimistic and admit a minor victory in that I think I truly felt what it meant to trance dance.

It was also an amazing workout...

In other news, I rather liked this top-5 list of best environmental films! Enjoy!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mncskGdLO_U