Animism: The Rocks Were Alive

I found a link to this video on RMN and just had to share the video images here. For those who spend much time in Nature, this will not come as a surprise, but seeing fifteen minutes of nonstop faces and bodies in the rocks synchronizes that inner knowing with tangible reality.

More from the same youtube channel creator, with explanations and photos detailing that these are natural occurrences, not photoshopped, carved, eroded, or otherwise manipulated.:

Those of you who remember The NeverEnding Story might find some similarities to the Rock Biter, but stories of rock people also abound in mythology and legends from around the world. This link will take you to some wise words from Dr. Sharon Blackie, sharing her own experiences and research into What Rock Knows. She includes snippets from Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching series, yet another synchronous nod from our dearly departed and extremely active from beyond friend Tim.

Garden Update: Bursting Forth and Bittersweet

I’ve been so busy with sessions and house hunting, which makes this season’s Dance of Spring a little bittersweet. The literally thousands of bulbs I’ve planted as recently as last Autumn have begun their smiling jigs and Sufi swirls. I still contend that this circle of miniature daffodils I planted around our North Star Cherry tree, visible from the stairwell’s window, was one of the very best gifts I’ve ever given myself:

You can also see the chives poking through as they prepare to bloom in the season of alliums, while the Elfin Thyme ground cover awaits warmer weather.

As David and I view property after property,

Aparna Hasling ~ Mother Nature’s Cosmic Web

Here’s a lovely submission from reader Aparna, who shares how her give and take with Nature informs and enhances her spiritual tradition at Sri Vidya Temple in New York. I especially appreciate her ideas about invasive species. This piece first appeared in Sri Chakra, which you can find here. If you scroll to page 8, you can see photos of the land and Her people. Thanks to Aparna for sharing this post on yet another spiritual tradition’s focus on healing the Sacred Land — and it’s all sacred!

Mother Nature’s Cosmic Web
By Aparna Hasling

Blazing the Vanadevata Trail at the Sri Vidya Temple continues to teach me lessons about nature, society and existence. I have learned to see traits of individual plants akin to human beings and ecosystems as complex spiritual communities. The spiritual experience we call LIFE is a dance of Shiva/Shakti (akin to flora/fauna) reciprocally influenced by the subtle energies of stored samskaras (akin to soil), and it continuously repeats in infinite variations throughout the cycles of time.

As maya refracts infinite consciousness, individuals are blinded to most of the electromagnetic spectrum and ignorant of the microcosmic ecosystem beneath their feet. Yet embracing the power of anima-siddha, it is possible to hold a single teaspoon of healthy soil and commune with half a billion tiny life forms.  Soil is a dynamic community of microorganisms with diverse populations of predators and prey. They have complex survival strategies, and winners of these underground battles determine the level of nutrients available to plant roots.  Among the most sacred are the mycorrhizal fungi, a cooperative network of organisms which carpet forest floors.

The temple woods and wetlands, a place I call Shakambhari’s Sanctuary, has nurtured my unique spiritual perspective. After Aiya announced that Devi would show me Herself in the trees, in 2005 I began exploring this uncharted land. Alone and oblivious to my own vulnerability, I walked through thicket, marsh, and meadow without map, compass or GPS.   Getting lost was part of the experience, as I slowly awakened to the consciousness of nature.  For me, it was a place to worship without murthis and heal without words. A mystical link developed such that when I lay on the ground, I could feel Devi’s embrace.  And as I learned to make friends with the trees, my devotion to guru magnified.

In 2014, I offered the trail and trail guide to Aiya. It was the culmination of an intense sadhana, and I hoped it would evolve into an actual environmental center linking spirituality and science ecology. Unfortunately, comments from devotees were discouraging and I feared some would unknowingly desecrate land.  I had to explain to visitors that every turn of the trail was designed to bring attention to a particular tree, or divert attention away from a sensitive habitat. I felt protective of the land and prayed that others would respect the trail as sacred ground, rather than an opportunity to further subjugate nature or construct according to their desires. Yet my attention shifted when I saw a more immediate threat on the horizon.

In early spring and late fall honeysuckle bush dominates the understory. Before I understood the plant was invasive, I admired its capacity to defy winter by leafing out early and holding leaves through late fall. Yet just as wealth is no longer beautiful upon learning a corrupt source of funds, so honeysuckle monopolizes the soil’s and sun’s energy, offering nothing in return to local insects or wildlife. Caterpillars cannot munch the leaves, birds cannot eat the caterpillars and fox cannot eat the birds.  This plant should be given a different name because the only things it attracts are ticks and mosquitos.

For years I knew that temple land suffered from invasive plant species: buckthorn, honeysuckle, garlic mustard (and many more). At first, the wild grape vines seemed most destructive, since I could see them use trees as giant trellises and eventually kill our trees by blocking light from above. Then I learned that invasive buckthorn trees lead their attack underground by emitting a toxic compound called emodin through its roots, overpowering adjacent root structures. In partnership, garlic mustard groundcover emits a phytotoxin, thus killing the sacred mychorrhizal fungi. My studies were overwhelming as I learned that buckthorn also interferes in the embryonic development of frogs and garlic mustard also suppresses butterflies eggs. The overall impact of these non-native plants have cascading effects on the biodiversity of nature’s web, yet only those devoted to Mother Nature conceive the consequences.

The spread of invasive species kicks nature’s balance off kilter; it causes some creatures to perish which stimulates others to overpopulate.  For example, the extermination wolves led to a 10-fold proliferation in white-tail deer. Simultaneously, human populations increased, shrinking forest habitat. As a result, deer have become a destructive force in the forest; they overgraze native plants and allow unsavory invasive plants to spread further. Today, deer are blamed for the disappearance of regenerating trees as well as vertebrate and invertebrate fauna.  Land managers respond by caging/protecting young trees. Yet their bias toward particular plants continues to disrupt nature’s web; even though poison ivy is a native species relished by deer, it is routinely removed from public lands.

For millions of years the animal kingdom (Shakti) lived in harmony with the plant kingdom (Shiva). Each was part of a chain, and the bounty of food was enough for all. Now, just as our spiritual culture is being depleted by worldly influences, so the environment is experiencing collapse. The reciprocal influence between plants, animal and soil is no longer sustainable and the intricate food-chains are broken. Modern society disavowed the sacred circle by converting forests into farmland, fertilizing soil with toxic chemicals, hunting animals to extinction, and cultivating exotic tastes.  Attempting to become civilized, the human race has become an invasive species, destroying without cause and amassing resources without providing for the community.
Chaos is expected in the Kali Yuga, yet some devotees are compelled (by duty, remembrance or compassion) to strive for an ancient balance.  The Vedas deify Mother Earth, and therefore service to Her is divine seva. For me, the work of land restoration is equal to the task of re-identifying the tiny self with infinite consciousness.  Removing invasive plants, I imagine my own negative tendencies. Chipping the dead plants to bits, I invoke Kali’s energy of transformation.  And nurturing new native plants to thrive, I awaken my consciousness to God.  While the manual labor is intense, it is a contemplative path and slowly the echo of Shiva’s drumbeat calls me home. Sri Gurubhyo Namah!

 

Advanced Science on How to Really Befriend a Tree

This just in from Raven:

“I love trees and this opened up a whole new world for me. It marries Chinese medicine with shamanism and working with the Fae in a very positive way. Enjoy!”

http://www.bodymindsoulspirit.com/advanced-science-on-how-to-really-befriend-a-tree

Thanks for the great link, Raven! I so often recommend people commune with trees as part of their healing process and connection to the Earth. This article really does give advanced information on various techniques.

Why You’ll Want a Garden This Year

Long term blog readers know I love my organic garden and all the adventures and delicious produce it provides. I generally like to focus on the positive motivations of gardening: fresher produce, grounding with the planet, chance to observe and commune with Nature, greater independence and cost savings. This year, though, the world –particularly the US — faces some potentially major food shortages. All of the greatest food providing regions in our country and many others around the world are experiencing either severe drought, unprecedented snowstorms, or major floods. You can read articles like “How to Beat Coming Killer Food Shortages” and “California Drought Threatens Entire Country. Three Pictures Show How Bad It Really Is” to find very sobering maps, photos and statistics.

I’ve already suggested people on the West Coast build orgone chembusters to break up the geo-engineering chemtrails exacerbating the situation. You can find substantial evidence for weather manipulation if you look for it. Some theorize that “someone” is trying to keep the Fukushima radiation cloud from hitting the West Coast, but even assuming this as a “benevolent” intention, the fact remains that most of America’s food comes from California. After hearing that the Fed’s won’t provide them water (or worse, are trying to allow private companies to claim available water!), farmers have decided to plant far fewer crops or none at all. Fruit and nut orchards face devastating consequences from the worst drought in 500 years. Prices will skyrocket as the longer term effects play out — unless other regions step in to fill the void.

Every crisis presents opportunities to grow and thrive. With the technology and know-how now available for growing in small places and growing indoors in off-grid greenhouses, people looking to fill a definite need would be wise to investigate ways to produce organic foods in their area. Next winter will likely highlight the worst effects from the California and Western droughts, since the rest of the country doesn’t tend to grow food in winter. We have about 9 months to shift that dynamic, and we would be wise to do so. Those reading from other countries would also be wise to explore ways of becoming more self-sufficient, especially with an eye towards fall and winter. California exports a lot of food to other countries. If you value food, you’ll want to find ways of replacing those imports into your own nation.

People without their own land can join community gardens or team up with neighbors who have yards but don’t garden. Offering a share of produce in exchange for the land brings benefits to both parties. People who have a little space can learn from this earlier post about maximizing vertical growing space. The Organic Prepper article I linked to in the beginning also shares great information on intensive gardening. Those who have land but not much sun, can look forward to a future article I’ll post on tips for gardening well in moderate shade. For getting the most out of very small spaces, I suggest tiered raised beds like the InstaBed Cubic Foot Gardening system or The Garden Tower Project.

I used three of the InstaBed’s last year, and the black beds raised soil temperatures enough that we had tomatoes far earlier than anyone else we knew. In retrospect, I would suggest building those in concentric circles rather than the “cascade” setup and also splurging on the extra soil mixture to fill the beds completely, rather than backfilling them with compost. Ours sank a lot! We did, however, have highly, highly productive plants. The InstaBeds work better for backyard gardens, as they look less attractive until your plants cover the black plastic. The Garden Tower Project, by contrast, offers a complete system –vermicomposting, gardening, fertilizing and extra compost creation — and looks especially attractive in the terra cotta version. You could totally display a Garden Tower in your front or side yard! I plan to order one myself just to demo for our town. Maybe some locals will decide to buy them for winter gardening or an off grid greenhouse by next fall.

Those who already do garden and who love to garden: please consider planting extra this year. I’ve composted and mulched our entire front yard as an experiment but also because I anticipated the coming food shortage. I intend to plant edible ornamentals far beyond our own needs, just in case neighbors can’t afford their own food. If we don’t need all that produce, then it will still look pretty, or I can donate to food banks, but in the event we need an urban farm … um … we’ll have it! LOL, but seriously. I’ve layered up so much compost and wood mulch that I hope the front won’t need much, if any watering, especially after all this snow. You can’t put wood mulch right next to veggies, as it will rob nitrogen, but in between plants, the wood mulch stores many times its weight in water, slowly releasing it to the soil as needed. Leaf mulch works great closer to each plant, and the more organic matter you add to your soil, the more water it will hold.

All these tips represent practical, 3D things you can do, and I highly recommend doing any or all of them. Even if you can’t become 100% food self-sufficient, you’ll still save money on produce and eat fresher food. On more metaphysical levels, those in drought areas can pray for rain, make offerings to the water spirits, and/or do rain dances. I’ve shared before just how effective rain dances and working with the Elementals can be! Every time I mention this again, more people tell me their amazing stories of Nature’s response. We can also work with the plant Deva’s, asking them to nurture our gardens and farms. Organic and heirloom plants work best for this, since Nature and Nature Spirits don’t dig on GMO’s! At all.

Companion planting and certain “stinky” flowers will help with unwanted bugs. Marigolds and red geraniums not only look pretty; they also repel unwanted eaters. Various herbs and flowers like lavender, borage and zinnias attract beneficial insects that eat the eaters. By working with Nature, you can let Nature do much of the work for you. Gardening need not take massive amounts of time. Work smart and sacredly, not hard. 🙂

On an even more metaphysical/magical level, you can practice generating “supply” with your mind. This takes instant manifestation up several notches, so that you can actually create something out of the ideal in your mind. Thanks to Ariadne Stardust for the suggestion to read Life and Teachings of the Masters of the Far East by Baird T. Spalding. David owned this set when we first moved in together, and I’ve reached over it every day to answer the phone since we moved to Goshen! Whether or not you believe the adventures occurred exactly as written, the techniques work. I’ve long practiced versions of them just on my own — manifesting things I need within moments to days of visualizing and requesting. Someone either gives them to me, I find them on super-duper sales, or sales clerks remark that they’ve “never seen this item in inventory before. It’s not even in our computer!” Hmmm, well, fancy that. 😉

I don’t tell this to many people and no one believes me when I do, but I will share it here as relevant: I once created seven $10 bills out of thin air. They literally appeared as crisp, new $10 bills inside a previously empty hat. It freaked me out so much I never did it again that way, but I know for an experiential fact that we can supply ourselves with what we need. Emphasis on need, not for party tricks. My late friend Leigh went through a period of extreme poverty before she passed. She would often go to the grocery store with no money in her purse, select everything she needed to purchase, and when she checked out, she’d find exact change in her purse to pay for her goods.

While married, I went through a period in which money flowed out more than it came in, and I remembered Leigh’s experiences. I would select whatever we needed without tallying up the cost. Every time, it always came in just under what I had to spend — even if that took 75% off sales to make it happen. It always did. I also frequently found unexpected $20 bills in pockets or wrapped around credit cards, which I know did not exist until I needed them. I share these details here not to brag, but as testimony that we have many ways of meeting our needs. Whether food or money to buy food, the principle remains the same: tuning into the pure image of what we need and then allowing the Divine Spirit to respond and create through us.

I truly believe all the challenges facing our wold today offer opportunities to return to our Divine connection, spiritual tools and natural abilities. Faery tales — great repositories of truth — describe so many situations in which people with pure hearts receive even the most impossible gifts. People say with scorn, “Oh, that’s just a fairy tale, a myth,” in order to dismiss something as ridiculous. I could not disagree more. Our weakness, disconnection and “need” to struggle are the biggest lies ever told. Faery tales, folklore, ballads, and myths — real ones, not Disney — give us clues and wisdom for a return to more magical lives.

Blessed Be, and be the blessing!

Elf Lobby Blocks Iceland Road Project

Oh, those Icelanders and their elves! This headline appeared in Sunday’s edition of The Guardian (thanks, Tania!):

“Elf lobby blocks Iceland road project

“Supreme court to rule on case brought by Friends of Lava, who cite environmental impact of highway and effect on elf culture”

The article details the complex debate among environmentalists, elf-communicators, politicians and would-be highway builders. Although road projects have been halted before due to elf concerns, this one threatens to go right through an “Elf Church,” and so it’s raised particular concerns in a country where an estimated 62% of the population believes that elves at least might exist. One of my favorite excerpts:

“Terry Gunnell, a folklore professor at the University of Iceland, said he was not surprised by the wide acceptance of the possibility of elves.

“‘This is a land where your house can be destroyed by something you can’t see (earthquakes), where the wind can knock you off your feet, where the smell of sulphur from your taps tells you there is invisible fire not far below your feet, where the northern lights make the sky the biggest television screen in the world, and where hot springs and glaciers “talk”,’ Gunnell said.

“‘In short, everyone is aware that the land is alive, and one can say that the stories of hidden people and the need to work carefully with them reflects an understanding that the land demands respect.'”

I keep saying, there’s a connection between those who respect Nature Spirits and the land, and those who respect themselves enough to demand freedom from gangster-banksters and governments in collusion with them. “Scandinavian folklore is full of elves, trolls and other mythological characters. Most people in Norway, Denmark and Sweden haven’t taken them seriously since the 19th century, but elves are no joke to many in Iceland.” A few other things that are no joke in Iceland: privacy rights, mortgage forgiveness, freedom from corrupt power companies, and arresting the bankers who deliberately caused the 2008 housing crisis. Iceland leads the way in so many things. You can read the full article here.

Michael Pilarski ~ Prayers to the Devas of Radioactive Elements

At the risk of making my own website get blocked for posting “malicious content,” as my web security claims when I opened the Friends of the Trees/ INW Permaculture Guild newsletter on my laptop instead of my iPhone, I feel this information and prayer are important enough to share. I don’t know if it’s the Fukushima information that’s objectionable or some other part of the newsletter, but here goes. Michael asked for people to share the prayer, and I believe it’s a powerful one.

A quick note for people who don’t know what a “Deva” is: “The word deva is from the Sanskrit language, meaning ‘a being of brilliant light’ and is used to indicate a non-physical being. …A Deva refers to any of the spiritual forces or beings behind nature.” More info here and here.

Prayers to the Devas of Radioactive Elements
by Michael Pilarski

Within the next two weeks the workers at the Fukushima plant are going to try to remove spent fuel rods that are suspended on damaged racks. They weigh about 400 tons all together and contain radiation equivalent of 14,000 times the amount released by the Hiroshima atomic bomb. This is very dangerous work, not just for the workers, or Japan, but for the entire world. There’s a media blackout about the gravity of the situation (and has been for two years) but right now I believe that prayers are needed more than ever.

The seriousness of it extends far beyond the removal of airborne fuel rods, but this one act of removal is extremely dangerous and could impact all of us within a rather short amount of time. I believe it needs our utmost attention and prayers. I would like to ask that we join together in daily prayers* for the next month focusing on stabilization of the plant, of the fuel rods, of the workers safety and fair working conditions, and for their utmost competence in facing this daunting global responsibility. A request that prayers focus on the world community coming together, encouraging the best nuclear specialists and global engineers to step forward in a unified manner, bringing their expertise and best plans in stabilizing and containing leaks and damage to the plant.

Lastly, may we pray for stabilization for the entire nuclear plant, including the end of radioactivve leaking and contamination of the Waters, and for the renewed health of our Pacific Ocean, and all marine life there.

All thoughts on how to add or build onto this multifaceted prayer for stabilization, safety, and protection — of the plant, workers, families, waters, marine life, and global community.

Amaji has asked us to pray for a successful conculusion of the removal of the fuel rods at Fukushima’s crippled reactor pools. There is a potential for a catastrophic explosion during this process which would cause a huge emission of radioactive elements into the whole world.

Here is one such prayer, which you can add to as you see fit.

Prayer to the Devas of Radioactive Elements

“I pray to the great devas of the radioactive elements, uranium, plutonium and others that they will closely oversee the removal of the Fukushima fuel rods without great release of radioactivity. Furthermore, I pray that they will cloesely oversee Fukushima and all the other nuclear power plants until they can be closed and safely dismantled. I include here all the nuclear weapons on the planet as well. I appreciate the natural role that the radioactive elements play on the Earth. It is humans that have concentrated the radioactive elements for their own ends. May you assume your natural roles and not be allowed to be used for evil purposes or to greatly harm the human race and other species.

I ask my guides to carry this prayer up to the highest levels they can reach and so on until this prayer reaches the ears of the highest devas of the radioactive elements and to the ears of the great deva which overlights all of humanity. I send this prayer also to the ears of the great Overlighting Logos of the planet Earth. Sana Kumara, Gaia, or whatever other names may be used for this great Being that ensouls our planet.

Thank you for hearing our prayers. So be it.”

Of course, we should also be praying to all of the spiritual allies of the human race.

*Perhaps the prayers could begin everyday at 10 a.m. Pacific time, 11:00 Colorado, 12:00 noon Chicago, 1:00 East Coast time. Other suggestions?
PLEASE SHARE
***

Protecting Yourself from Radiation

While researching nascent iodine for protection against radioactivity I came across the following article on protecting yourself from radiation and we should probably all read it closely at this time.

Living With Radiation: Protection Starts Today by Hank Liers, PhD