Raptor

Dreaming the World

A stormy sky morning, following a night of sleet, snow, and freezing rain. Now the temperature has risen above freezing so the trip to the office should be passable.

Mornings come much earlier now. We’ve gained more than 90 minutes of morning daylight since the solstice. Soon sap will begin rising in the maple trees and sugaring season will be upon us.

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Times of Transition-2016

I wrote this last year, but it still feels relevant and so I publish it now. A little late, but better than never. Enjoy.

 

   The last few months have been one of many kinds of transitions for me and as well for the world. Letting go, shutting down. These are mantras I have been witness to and developing skill in myself. As a globe we are watching with horror as the newly elected president of our country dismantles and shuts down any aspect of environmental and socially oriented programs. I fear the worst is yet to come.

2016 was a intense year for transition for Michael and I as well personally. The college that my husband and I both worked at for many years, abruptly shuttered their doors after many months/years of drama, chaos and financial mismanagement in the administration two days after graduation, stunning everyone in our small community. Oddly, a few days before this happened, I was offered another adjunct position at another university. The summer was to be full of gardening, teaching and family.While I had good intentions to work on creative and artistic endeavors, such as refinish my altar table, the larger world had other plans for me/us.

My father who for many years had struggled with congestive heart failure and Parkinson’s Disease began a downward spiral in July- In the span of a month, he was hospitalized 4-5 times for pneumonia, from aspirating food and drink. By the end of July, he had stopped eating and was only drinking. From the outside looking in, it was clear that my fathers

My father performing at a fundraiser for Parkinson’s Disease. April 2016

 

 

body was shutting down. A brilliant and gifted person whose world revolved around  language, was a Shakespearean and Chaucer  scholar, loved culture and music, (playing multiple instruments throughout his life) he was at a place in which he couldn’t communicate,  couldn’t make music and was slowly mentally unable to not take in what he could before. I think his body had decided it was time, before he did, but eventually he decided it was time to go and in two days he went. Like at other times in his life in which he had made his way, my father left on his own terms.

 

Of course this meant we were to let go yet again. My husband and I were on vacation during this time with my mother. A balancing of many needs- our need for space and connection to nature, my mothers need to bear witness to her former husband and what life they had had(and still had through their children). As we traveled back to the city I was flooded with memory and experiences I had had with my dad. My relationship with my father was complex in nature, often very distant and uncertain,  and yet in many ways we were deeply connected and engaged, particularly in the last few years. He watched me grow from an uncertain, and awkward child into someone who strove for meaning and connection  as a global citizen. Something that he had direct influence on me as his love (and to be fair, my mothers love as well) of travel.  As I reflected upon our relationship after he passed away, I realized that my father always had my back even when I wasn’t sure where he was. It is this aspect of our relationship that I will hold most dear and close to my heart. In these uncertain times it is something that I cherish.

 

Advent

Michael reflects on the coming of Advent.

Dreaming the World

Today dawned cloudy and dank, and has proven to be one of those classic raw November days that grace northern New England. There is the hint of snow to come, although the weather service promises there will be none today.

Early this morning Jennie and I went out to The Parkway, one of our favorite diners, for breakfast. The diner is classic in style and menu, serving remarkably delicious food that is locally sourced whenever possible. Yum!

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Important Message from Keeper of Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe. – Chief Arvol Looking Horse

Make No Bones About It

I, Chief Arvol Looking Horse, of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Nations, ask you to understand an Indigenous perspective on what has happened in America, what we call “Turtle Island.” My words seek to unite the global community through a message from our sacred ceremonies to unite spiritually, each in our own ways of beliefs in the Creator.

We have been warned from ancient prophecies of these times we live in today, but have also been given a very important message about a solution to turn these terrible times.

To understand the depth of this message you must recognize the importance of Sacred Sites and realize the interconnectedness of what is happening today, in reflection of the continued massacres that are occurring on other lands and our own Americas.

I have been learning about these important issues since the age of 12 when I received the Sacred White Buffalo Calf…

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In This house Made of Dawn

Dreaming the World

A rainy morning following a wet night, the moisture most welcome in this dry summer. It rained much of yesterday as well, the soft female rain alternating with a pelting male rain, soaking deep into the thirsty ground. For the first time in a while we donned long sleeve shirts against the damp and chill.

In this misty, damp weather, the clouds have settled low over the lake, an almost fog in which I find myself thinking about M. Scott Momaday’s House Made of Dawn, the now seminal 1960’s  Native American novel about healing and war. Momaday’s work holds a special place in may heart, having in many ways led me home. He reminds us that we form a sense of self through connection with community, story, and nature, and that healing comes as we reconnect with them.

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Summer Solstice

Michael shares his thoughts about the complexities of clinical relationships and that of the Solstice.

Dreaming the World

Here in the Northern Hemisphere we’ve arrived at the summer solstice, the sun having traveled as far north as it will this year. The days are long and warm, and the nights brief; twilight seems to last forever. In the country, fireflies fill the air above the hay fields.

It’s a good time to gather with others and acknowledge our passage through the warm times. This evening we host a gathering of friends and others who wish to place themselves in community, both with other people and the natural world. Tomorrow we will participate in an interfaith celebration of the solstice, and life’s journeys, at the Unitarian church.

On the Medicine Wheel, as it is understood by many here in the Northeast, we have arrived in the South, the place of summer. The South is the place of noon, fire, and the plants and mammals. Often we just say that…

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A Complex Day in Monteal

Michael shares his experience in being faced by stairs (twice in two days) and the challenges that the arts communities face in finding easy inexpensive accessible spaces. As of late, I have realized how deeply this focus is for my/our work. We look forward to your comments.

Dreaming the World

Yesterday, we went to Montreal, a marvelous, if notoriously inaccessible, city for the day. We had planned to be in a workshop focused on using puppetry for working with businesses. Montreal is about two hours from here, so we were up early, aiming to leave by 6 o’clock. We finally made it out of the house about 6:30. The drive up was uneventful, and traffic in the city was delightfully negligible.

Usually we can find our way around Montreal with relative ease; yesterday, perhaps because we were already feeling a bit crunched for time, we were unable to find the workshop site. Even using a map, our destination proved illusive; we found ourselves driving around in circles, passing old haunts, and running into newly one-way streets and, this being the season, construction.

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Reflections

In February, 2o16 I traveled back to India, stopping over in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates  first, to be part of the First Arts Conference at the University of Sharjah, which is outside Dubai.  Organized by the Prasad Foundation of Oakton Virginia,(which sponsored my and others travel and participation), George Washington University, the University of Mississippi, and ATIC  (Art Therapy International Centre) and the University of Sharjah.  Presenters included art therapists from the UAE, USA, and music therapists from South Korea. I presented on the use of Playback Theatre and drama therapy to support communication in difficult times.  In the next few blogs I will post some pictures to try to convey some of the experience of being in these interestingly cultural diverse countries. While Ive been back a month now, I find that the trip still rolls deeply in me and I continue to process.  Below are a few pictures to describe my experience of being there.

 

 

 

Near the university there were many gardens- An oasis in the middle of the desert.    The flowers were beautiful. The university itself is beautiful, and  well kept.

 

 

 

 

 

Another view of gardens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over 200 people attended this first event. It was both wonderful and heartwarming as the need and desire is clear to have more of this kind of training made available. Fortunately the university appears to agree.

 

 

Dress varied from western style (long sleeve and skirt or pants) to Arabic and full Burqa for women.

Two men talking at the Medical School

 

 

I really love the architecture of the UAE.

 

 

Not the most elegant picture, but I saw an awful lot of sand.

 

On our tour to the Humanitarian Centre, A  playground using all recycled materials! Hyun Ju checked it out.

 

 

 

Evening time in Dubai.  Sunrises and sunsets were clear, and pure,  making great contrast between light and dark.

Getting ready to go

I’m preparing to travel and teach!

Looking Through The Picture Frame

I just received this in my inbox from the Psychology Network, an online forum for psychotherapists and thought it was interesting:

“We all think we know ourselves and are convinced that we know others just by reading body language, the way they speak, write, look.”

As I get ready to go back to Asia I am aware that this statement could potentially be rather dangerous for me to follow given where I am traveling to. In fact, I find it deeply insensitive for many reasons.

While I have traveled extensively now through out Asia,  there are a variety of social and cultural norms that go from the more liberal (western clothing acceptable in the cities men and women able to be together in one space and work together) to more

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Healing Ceremony for the Hurt in Our World

Whether you can be her in person doesn’t matter. Feel free to join us from where ever you are at 4pm est. Blessings

Looking Through The Picture Frame

Healing Ceremony This Sunday

The past few weeks have witnessed great upheaval and suffering around the world. Mother Earth, herself, is struggling as are many of her creatures. As the prophesies of many peoples have said, these are difficult times.

Please join us Sunday afternoon for a time of sharing and ceremony, as we join our hearts, minds, and spirit to offer healing. We will gather around the Medicine Wheel to share our hopes, visions, and concerns. Then we will perform a Despacho ceremony (we will create an artwork of beauty that will carry our prayers and intent to Mother Earth and the Spirits), drum, pray, and meditate, sending Reiki energy and  healing to Mother Earth and all beings who wish our aid. At the conclusion of the ceremony there will be an opportunity for anyone present to request a healing.

Date: Sunday, August 3rd

Time: 4:00 p.m.

For those…

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