When the Osprey Flew In

Honorable Shamans and Fellow Pagans, one day an Osprey flew into my life.  Or, I should say, a person,  whom I’m going to call, Osprey, flew in to my life a few years ago.  As some of you may remember,  I’ve nickname most of the people in my life, after birds.  In this case, Osprey is a guy who likes to climb trees, and to fish.

At any rate, Osprey flew in a few years ago, at just the right time, and we began our Adventures.  We have traveled all around Florida, and many other places.

We’re migratory.  We call a semi-permanent tent in a wild location, “ours.” We live there on the weekends, as much as possible.

We’re migratory because we are following the herds of animals as they make their way across Florida:  Boar, Deer, Wild Turkey, Alligator.  We are learning as much as we can about tracking animals and the cycles of plants.  What does the deer eat?  When are those plants in season? What do those plants look like, during their life cycle?  Can we eat those plants?

All of this, is expanding my understanding of the Earthways Shamanic Path, in multiple ways.  It’s amazing!  It’s magical!

Share Your Peace with Mother Earth and Father Sky and the Big Waters All Around You!

~Whale Maiden for the Earthways Shamanic Path

 

The Bug on my Doorknob

I was juggling a load of groceries on one arm, and controlling my purse with the other arm,  while unlocking the door with one hand, and pulling the door towards me with my other hand, when I realized:  I was not alone.

There was a bug on my doorknob.  It surprised me, and I stepped back, and, it jumped off.  It was over an inch long and leggy!

I am grateful for the full use of all my limbs, just like that bug!

Talking My Walk

Before you walk your talk, you have to talk your walk.  By that I mean, what is your path? And not just, Pagan, Shaman, Druid, Wiccan, but what shapes that path?  What do you do, when you are not in your meditation, or in some ceremony?

Listen to the Birds

Listen to the Birds, Honorable Shamans and Fellow Pagans.  Go out in the Wilds and be quiet and listen to their voices.

Or, sit by a window and listen…

Learn to identify them by their calls and songs, by where they live, their shapes and colors.

Birds stand at the gates of climate change.  The trees and shrubs and grasses and even the ice they nest in, are going away.  The berries and bugs they eat, are dying off.

Their eggs and their bodies are poisoned by trash, (oh the sorrow of watching birds try to eat cigarettes…) and by application of pesticides and herbicides in the places birds go.

Our airplanes and cars and cats and wind turbines pluck them out of the sky, midflight…

Listen to the birds now, while you still can.

#PushDorianOutToSea

It is time to

#PushDorianOutToSea

HONORABLE SHAMANS AND FELLOW PAGANS, if you believe in prayer, then join me and many other people, to ask that Hurricane Dorian, swing East out to Sea, and not hurt anybody: #PushDorianOutToSea.

#PushDorianOutToSea

If you are not into prayer, then, skip this. If you feel it is unethical to manipulate the weather, then don’t.

As far as, “to whom do we ask this of?” We can ask:

Mother Nature, The Earth, The Universe, The Oshun, My Ancestors, my Gods, Your Ancestors, Your Gods, The Elements, The Directions, and even, The Storm Itself.

We have given the storm a name. Let’s talk to it. Ask it to become a “fish storm.”

Let us share our Peace with Mother Earth and Father Sky and All The Big Waters all around (me,)

(c) 2019 to present, WhaleMaiden for the Earthways Shamanic Path.

Please feel free to share the image, it is a group effort, and I do thank NOAA.

When Change Calls Your Name

Honorable Shamans and Fellow Pagans, sometimes it may seem like Change calls your name.

It might nose its way through your door like your cat or dog, with a nudge-bump, and mosey up to you, like they are looking for a snack.

They’ll say,   “Hey, whatcha’ doing? That? No, I have something else in mind, come with me.”

And you follow this animal, this Being, along a path and you have an outing — an adventure and you’re home the same day you left, or maybe the next day, if your adventure was extra-special.  Life is much the same as when you left, but you may have some nice memories and perhaps a souvenir.

Then there are times when Change comes like a buffalo or a bear or a rhinoceros bursting through your door.   You don’t have time to pack anything and you know you have no choice but to get out of the way.  You  might climb to the roof, or a tall tree for safety.  It might even be a nice view up there.  You won’t realize how far you climbed until it is time to come back.  And when you do, if you ever do,  you will find your life will never be the same.  You may find your home has been blasted to smithereens.  You may rebuild your home, right where it was — this certainly couldn’t happen to you again, could it? Or, you may decide to move far, far away from there.

While you relocate, or rebuild, more changes happen.  These are log jams or roadblocks.  Things you have to accept, or, things you have to confront.  And you have to decide whether to thrive or perish.

I’ve been going through massive changes in my life for the past two years.  Some of it –a great deal of it, in fact– has felt like my cat saying, “come with me,” and those many  adventures have been wonderful!

But the rest of it has been like a herd of fast-moving wild boars running through,  picking me up with their tusks, throwing me and my parcels on their backs, as they plow through, and deposit me 100 miles away from where I started. At times it’s been terrifying or exhilarating.

It was absolutely time for the boars.  The massive changes haven’t been easy, but, they have been exactly what I needed, at this point in my life. I’m thriving.  I’m content.  I’m happy.  I am so happy I said Yes! to this Change.

Now, I am watching the horizon and I can see a cloud of dust headed my way! The wild animals are coming!  It’s time to get ready for the next ADVENTURE.

How do you answer, when Change calls your name?

Until next time, “Share your Peace with Mother Earth and Father Sky and the Big Waters All Around Us,”

(c) 2019 to present, -~Whale Maiden~ for the Earthways Shamanic Path.  All rights reserved.

Autumn Meet Schedule

http://phoenixfestivals.com/hfschedule.html

Hurricane Anxeity -never a named storm

HURRICANE ANXEITY IS NEVER A NAMED STORM.  Honorable Shamans and Fellow Pagans, I am taking steps this year to reduce my own anxiety about hurricanes, and offer these suggestions for you to try.

• Be prepared with supplies.  Gather and maintain these items for the next few months:
•   – a week of your normal medicines, including over-the-counter and Rx.
•  1 gallon of water per person & animal per day, 5 days worth. You can collect empty containers now, and fill them up when you need them. Remember you can fill your bathtub with water, too.
• – Food – 5 days worth of canned and packaged food, and, a manual can opener.  Non-perishable food, too.
• – Evacuation cash.  How much money do you need to travel 300 miles north to get out of Florida?  (Or, out of harm’s way,) And to return?
• Have a Plan.  Figure out where you live, and how vulnerable your property is to storms of different strengths.  Decide where you will go, if you need to evacuate.
• Accept forces of Nature.  The Gods/Nature, are in charge.  The Planet will survive this storm, it is a natural event.
• Storms are temporary, recovery takes time.  The recovery aspects can be difficult to work through, but it can be done.
• Imagine the worst, and walk through the what-if steps.  This sounds like it might make you feel more anxious, but it can be helpful to consider what you would have to do to get a new roof, or, to remove a fallen tree from your yard.  This gives you an opportunity to check your insurance policies, and practice calling contractors.  Be sure to only used licensed contractors for repairs.
• Stay in touch with loved ones, even if they are freaking out.  Let them know what you plan to do, and check in with them regularly.  But don’t let them harass you, or talk you into evacuating if you don’t need to.
• Continue your life already in progress.  This is the most important thing.
• Do meditation, or practice deep breathing,
• Do movement like yoga, or stretching.  Remember to warm up before you put up shutters, and do counter-stretches after shutter work.
• Stay well hydrated.  Be sure to drink water, regularly.
• Have Faith. Do rituals.  This time of year, we call upon our Gods more than other times.  Engage your gods in your preparations.
• Some people work with the forces of Nature, to pray or other wise work with the energies to reduce the strength of the storm, or to turn the storm out to sea.
• Stay informed about news, but don’t obsess.  Decide to watch the weather a set number of times, like maybe 4 times per day, when a named storm is projected.  Try  to avoid houry updates.  If you must watch the weather news, turn the sound down, so their “emergency dance beat music” does not agitate you.  <I wish TWC would stop that.>>
• Above all, don’t isolate yourself.  Reach out to your neighbors, help each other.

Remember, Share your Peace, (your caring, calm, compassion) with Mother Earth, Father Sky, and the Big Waters All Around Us.  Be Greatful, For We Are Love.

(c) 2018 to present by Whale Maiden for the Earthways Shamanic Path.  All rights reserved.

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

Journal About It

After we Journey, I always tell people to JOURNAL ABOUT IT.   Honorable Shamans and Fellow Pagans, I’ve been journaling since 1972, so, I have some suggestions about how to do this.

First, (after you decide what you will Journal in — see below,) document the when’s and where.  Record the full date of your Journey: month, date, year.  Make a note of the time of day when you took the Journey.  Also record the lunar phase — Full Moon or New Moon? What sign was moon in, etc.  Where were you? Indoors or out doors?  What was the weather?  This shouldn’t take too long to note, and, you may decide to do it after you record your Journey.

2.  Record your Journey, chronologically:  What did you do? Then what happened? And then what happened after that?  Aim for the “big picture” here.

3.  Who/what did you meet? Record the spirits you met.  This includes animals,  and humanoids (fairies, angels, ancestors), yes, and plants and rocks,  too.  But also note what objects you normally regard as inanimate, participated in your Journey.

3a.  What do these Animals mean to you?  Journal about this, before you ask someone to tell you what it means.

3b.  Have you met this Animal before?

4.  Then record what these helpers told you or showed you, or did.

5. Record your initial thoughts and impressions.

6.  Then…  Sit with all this…for a while… (whatever time it takes) and write about your additional impressions…

7.  Go back to this entry in a month, and see what else comes to you.  What have you experienced or learned, since this time.

Note one: you can Journal on any kind of paper.  You can journal in a blog.  You can make that blog private for your eyes only.  You can Journal with words, or you can draw pictures, or a combination.  It’s up to you.

Note two:  If you Journey frequently and Journal consistently, you will amass quite a pile of Journal pages over time.

I encourage you to not collect excess “Stuff” as you go forward in your spiritual life.

Make a habit of disposing of your paper Journals after a year or two.  This also  keeps it private.   You could make some sort of annual summary page of Animals and events /conversations /confirmations/ themes, if you want.

“Share your Peace with Mother Earth and Father Sky and the Big Waters all around us.” Whale Maiden.

(c) 2018 to present by Whale Maiden for the Earthways Shamanic Path.  All rights reserved.

Taking Action, sign petitions for Water Quality

PLEASE…

I urge you to sign this petition, and share it with your friends for them to sign.  We have serious problems in south Florida with algae and red tide and other pollutants.  Its killing manatees.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/clean-lake-okeechobee-cyanobacteria-and-prevent-future-blooms-while-moving-fl-amendment-1