Georgia Again

"Nobody sees a flower ,
really-it is so small-we haven't time,
and to see takes time,
like to have a good friend
takes time".Georgia O'Keeffe

Leaf Prints 7/26/09

I have been doing alot of leaf prints again lately. I just love the way they look after watercolors are added. Today I went with my Dad walking on a different part of the Olentangy River Trail.
A few weeks ago we had walked on the section between 3rd and 5th. Today we walked south from 3rd to what seemed like almost downtown. I found some chicory,purple loosestrife and teasel to scan with a big Catalpa leaf in the background. I also picked some Red Oak leaves and came back home and did some more leaf prints and watercolored them today.

Common Ground

Today I am feeling extra extra homesick for the Bay Area, Santa Cruz and the Pacific Ocean.
One of the things that I really miss about being around those parts in addition to my beautiful friend-the Pacific Ocean , farmers market paradise and my acupuncture/sound healing treatments (and Bay Area music in all its forms) is being able to pick up a copy of the most amazing, inspiring magazine ever,
Common Ground.
It's based in San Francisco and it's just plain cutting edge about everything I truly care about.
I had a stack of them at the Lighthouse that I had collected for over three years and had to leave them behind because they wouldn't fit (with alot of other stuff) into my pickup truck. CG is the only magazine I have ever collected like that besides my all time favorite "The Mother Earth News".
You can read it online at www.commongroundmag.com but I can't right now because I happen to be on a really old computer at my Mom's house (Thanks Mom!) and it just won't load the digital version. Hmm, I'm gonna hafta mosey over to the library...Check it out. Tres inspiring.

I was able to click on some of the archive articles in Common Ground and one froma few years ago that I somehow missed led me to an amazing website http://www.soundhealingcenter.com/ wow! Wow! is all I can say now, at this moment.

Now not only do I need to build a strawbale/cob sound healing chamber (see previous blog and Joseph Rael's book "Being and Vibration") but now I also want to go back to school (So Be It) to be a certified "Sound Healer". Thanks to Katie Briggs, countless groups that I have sang and chanted with and through my own playing of drums, rattles, bells and my harmonica....I have had it up front and personal...and it works.

More Inspiration from Lloyd Kahn's Blog

Click on this for some cool pictures of a Dome Building Company in Vancouver, B.C.
http://www.cwdg.ca

Sufi Wisdom

"Breath is a link through which one individual is connected with another individual, and space does not make a difference once connection of breath is established.
The communication will be sure and clear, if only the wire is tied to sympathetic hearts. There is much that is common to the science of electricity and the science of breath. The day is not very far off when science and mysticism both will meet on the same ground in the realization of the electricity which is hidden in the breath".
~Hazrat Inayat Khan~

Peace is in Every Step

Today I found a few words of wisdom that I had copied into my journal while I was at Blue Rock Station back on June 23rd.
Annie W. had a copy of Thich Nhat Hanh’s “Peace is in every step”. I have read many other of his books ( one of my favorite being, “Living Buddha, Living Christ”) over the past 20 years but every time I read them they bring me deep and real peace. I have also read many similar ideas from the Dalai Lama and both of these spiritual leaders are inspirational and guiding lights for me personally. Here is an exerpt from the forward for this book written by H.H. the Dalai Lama:

“Although attempting to bring about world peace through the internal transformation of individuals is difficult, it is the only way.
Wherever I go, I express this and am encouraged that people from many different walks of life receive it well. Peace must first be developed with an individual.
And I believe that love, compassion and altruism are the fundamental basis for peace. Once these qualities are developed within an individual, he or she is then able to create an atmosphere of Peace and Harmony. This atmosphere can be extended from the individual to his family, from the family to the community and eventually to the whole world.”

Here is a poem from “Peace is every step”:

"Peace is every step
The shining red sun is my heart.
Each flower smiles with me.
How green, how fresh all that grows
How cool the wind blows.
Peace is every step.
It turns the endless path to joy. "
Thich Nhat Hanh

This morning I spent a good deal of time just looking at all of the beauty of my little mini-farm here in my Mom’s backyard. There is an entire kaleidoscope of colors visible in the various blossoms: Deep purple and fuschia (blogger doesnt have this color choice!) Morning Glories; white,purple and fuschia Butterfly bushes; The bright golden colors of my pumpkin, zucchini, yellow squash and gourd blossoms; deep crimson and bright pink hollyhocks; soothing Blues of Borage and Bachelor button/cornflowers (close to the same color of this blog 's background), the violet and soft purples of Echinacia; Burgundy and bright golden sunflower petals; white, fuschia and purple Cosmos, the deep red and green veins of the Corn stalks; soft olive green Pumpkin leaves and vines winding their way down the contours and curves of my narrow, snakelike straw path; bright orange Day Lilies, white Sweet Pea flowers; deep wine colored Beet tops bulging out of the soil. All of these and the various hues of my Mom’s roses combine for a feast for my eyes a realization that This Beauty is What Feeds Me. Then I went inside and cooked and ate one of my larger just picked Zucchini's steamed with butter, garlic and some leftover corn...mmmmmmmm.
Today I am Thankful for the Blessing of this Garden. May I remain Present in Every Moment and Peaceful Within.
Thank You Great Spirit, Mother/Father/ Creator, for
ALL THAT IS.

Tiny Farm Lead from Lloyd

Here is yet another amazingly inspiring Organic Farm blog passed on from Lloyd Kahn.
When everyone is indeed growing their own food or buying food directly from farmer's such as these......... that will be a REVOLUTION. Slowly, slowly folks are catching on. It's all good.
http://www.tinyfarmblog.com/ Lots and lots of amazing articles and links. Thanks Lloyd.
Also inspiring is a quilt that Lloyd's wife Leslie created. I can't wait to see more. That is my kind of quilt. Check it out by clicking on my link to the right....
http://www.lloydkahn-ongoing.blogspot.com/

If You Wanna Build It, I will Come.....

Some much appreciated positive reinforcement in the form of the Blue Rock Statione-newsletter came through this week from Annie Warmke of BRS:
"Annie B., our June intern, returned to Columbus last week – a paying job is calling to her, she just hasn’t found it yet. She surely did an amazing job of earth plastering. We’ve never had anyone that had such a gift for it, except maybe a couple of early students. She left her mark everywhere with art and nature. We really appreciate her contributions".
With this experience combined with 15 years of hardcore research about Strawbale Buildings of all shapes and sizes and years of experiences building a plethora of decks, walls, fences and other assorted structures with my Carpenter Father, I am fairly certain I can design and build your shed, garage or small house. Send me an email and I'll grab my mud clothes.
Check out my other blog: www.mayapplestrawbale.blogspot.com

Thank You David Dye and World Cafe

One of the amazing redeeming qualities about being bounced back to my hometown of Columbus, Ohio is the most amazing public radio station I have ever encountered, (hands down) anywhere I have lived.... for musical inspiration. In addition to the local djs such as Maggie Brennan( yes, I have blogged about this before) they carry the national program out of Philadelphia , David Dye's "World Cafe" http://www.worldcafe.org/ . Both of these incredible dj's have introduced me to lots and lots of new music. Tonight David introduced me to
"Diana Jones" here is his description of her:
"Adopted at birth and raised in New York, Americana singer Diana Jones grew up possessing a love for the music of Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton that never quite fit in with her Yankee upbringing. Years later, with the discovery of her birth family in the Tennessee hills, Jones was able to find her true sound, drawing on the music of her native soil".
You can hear the entire interview from today ( and her beautiful melodic voice singing "Pony")by going to the website and looking up July 14th.
Oh we are so very lucky to be alive in this time of sooooooooo many amazing singer/songwriters.
Diana Jones is bound to be one of my new favorites. Now if I can only find the last name of another "Christine... sounds like Courtin(phoetic) who is also new to me. So much music, so little time. Thanks WCBE. You can stream it.... http://www.wcbe.org/

Wisdom from Eileen Caddy

I first encountered the thoughts, inspirations , mystical meanderings and profound truths of Eileen Caddy while reading “The Secret Life of Plants” by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird. That life/view changing book led me to find
“The Findhorn Garden” written largely by The Findhorn Community which is in a remote corner of Northern Scotland. Shortly thereafter, also in a Half Price Books
(where I have found many ,many book treasures at just the right moments in my life ) I came across and purchased “ A Guide for the Advanced Soul: A Book of Insight”.
Yeah, yeah, why would I need all of these books to remind me of important truths?
Because I am Human.

I have always had a love of inspirational quotes…
Here are a few of Eileen’s wisdoms that I read over and over, forget and then find again..to re-member….all seem to be from her writing, Footprints on the Path

“When you feel that you have reached the end
and cannot go one step further,
when life seems to be drained of all purpose:
what a wonderful opportunity to
start all over again, to turn over a new page”.

"LEARN to act spontaneously, to act by intuition, and to do what your heart prompts you to do, not just what your mind tells you is reasonable or sensible. Some acts of pure love may appear to be very unreasonable, even foolish, in the eyes of others but it matters not. When you are prompted to act, do so and do not stop to weigh it up or even wonder why you are doing it. That small act of love may have some very far-reaching effect. It may not even reveal itself to begin with. Do not waste time looking for results; simply do what you know you must do, and then leave the rest to Me. Sometimes it may take a long time for that seed of love to germinate in a hard, cold heart, but once it has been planted, sooner or later it will show itself. AN you have to do is to do your part in faith, and know that all is very, very well".

“Stride forward with a firm steady step
knowing with a deep certain inner knowing
that you will reach every goal you set yourselves,
that you will achieve every aim”

“Never be afraid to tread the path alone.
Know which is your path
and follow it wherever it may lead you;
Do not feel you have to follow in someone
else’s footsteps”.

“Dwell not on the past. Use it to illustrate a point,
then leave it behind. Nothing really matters
except what you do now in this instant of time.
From this moment onward you can be an
entirely different person,
filled with love and understanding,
ready with an outstretched hand,
uplifted and positive in every thought and deed”.

“Life is full and overflowing with the new.
But it is necessary to empty out the old to make room
For the new to enter”.

“Expect your every need to be met,
expect the answer to every problem,
expect abundance on every level,
expect to grow spiritually”.

“Stop sitting there with your hands folded
looking on, doing nothing;
Get into action and live this full and glorious life.
Now.
You have to do it”.

On my blog of June 17th, 2007 you will find my favorite of Eileen's insights.

http://www.eileen-caddy.net/ Remember there is wisdom in ALL forms of faith.

http://www.earthsongpeace.com/

Yesterday was the first time that (after reading his book for over 6 months) I finally went online to search and learn more about Joseph Rael. This morning I started clicking on some of the pictures of the Peace Chambers and I just about fell off my chair to see my version of my strawbale Octagon dream house in this one in Michigan.http://www.earthsongpeace.com/

7/8/9 http://www.peacechamber.com/PeaceChambersAroundTheWorld.html

I have been trying to put my latest collage into this blog since yesterday but this old computer won't let me this time for some reason. I always get into the numerology of a day like today which is Seventh Month/ Eighth Day/Ninth Year (of this century)...just because I think it's cool somehow.
I have been reading more of Joseph Rael's "Being and Vibration" and it feels like I have been carrying this around since January when I bought it (reading and re-reading) and I have. Here's some writing from this amazing writer-visionary-healer.
Note: He has spent a good deal of his life travelling around the world from his Ute/Tiwa homeland to put sound vibrational chambers in various places. He was guided to do this work through a vision, one of many of his healing visions.
"I asked for a vision which might show me how best to serve the earth and honor all life to honor walking on the earth at this time...I had this vision partly because I was trying, through prayer, to keep a connection with the reality that everything is sacred and alive...In the vision I was shown people praying(directing our faith) and singing(bonding our faith with the present) together in a sacred sound chamber resonating with light. The chamber was an oval structure
of mud (matter carrying direction) and straw (ancient knowledge), partly underground (underworld) and partly above ground( middle world). It was a house of the sound of presentness, a structure built to reverberate sound. The melodious chanting of men (essence of expanding light) and women (essence of descending light) were a reflection of people whose spirits and voices resonated in absolute harmony to balance the present, the future and the memory of how the cosmos is oriented through the use of sound".
I imagine myself inside one of these, surrounded by all of the musicians and sound healers I have known, drummers, flute players, chanters, folk musicians, singers, humming grandmothers.... and all is well with the world. These vibrations of music are surely leading the way to planetary healing.
Check out http://www.peacechamber.com/joseph.htm and http://www.peacechamber.com/Retreat.htm
from the second website:
Ceremonial Chambers
Ceremonial Chambers have been used for thousands of years by many cultures to provide a unifying force to help bond man together in spirit, values, and attitudes. The rituals and ceremonies varied, but the basic principles and goals of developing inner awareness and understanding of the Universe were similar.
All living things move, and all movement creates sound. Earth's root language grew out of early man's re-creation of these sounds of life. By understanding the meaning of these sounds and by chanting them, Earth people of today can revive a connection with the natural world that has been lost for centuries. These sounds will help raise the veil that separates us from the natural world that we are so close to destroying.
The vision calls for people trained in the use of sacred sound evolving from Earth's root language, to utilize the oval shaped chambers, creating and maintaining a continuous sound wave of Peace and Light. Sound is what puts us back in touch with our origin.
Joseph Rael, Beautiful Painted Arrow, is the visionary father of the Peace Sound Chambers. The Chambers are scattered around the world. To date there are over 70 chambers either built or in the process of being built. Each chamber is unique to the individual or organization who built them.


Joseph Rael, Beautiful Painted Arrow


For information about Peace Chambers around the world contact world coordinator.
Brenda Sue Whitmire Taylor: bwhitmiretaylor@hotmail.com

Brian Cutean (QTN)

The first time I ever heard Brian Cutean's melodic voice , I was stocking produce at the Wheatsville Food Coop in Austin, Texas where I worked at the time back in 1985.

Somehow I got into a conversation with him and he told me that he was a musician doing a gig coming up at an amazing little club called Chameleons (sp?)just off Sixth Street that I had been to alot because two amazing dykes owned it and I was way into the Women's music scene back then( still am but have expanded my horizons). Moving there to Austin right after college was a God/dess send anyway in so many ways but most of all it exposed me to the amazing kaleidoscope that is the world of folk and acoustic music. Let's just say I was spoiled there in the "Live Music Capital of the World". I saw him many more times in different locations before I left Austin to start my Environmental Education/Naturalist career in Vermont in 1987.

So the first thing I remember about seeing Brian play for the first time was the incredible light emanating from his eyes. It was hard to tell from my vantage point whether they were brown or blue, I could really only see "Light". Then he started singing. I can't really explain in this blog. You really have to hear this stuff for yerselves. I would recommend "Lubricating the Species" as a first dessert for yer ears.

I serendipitously have run into Brian over the years at the Ruch Barter Faire in Oregon, Kerrville and back in Austin when I tried (unsuccessfully... too many people) to move back to Austin in 1998. Today I got a surprise email from him and I could only smile (permagrin the whole way through) to read the newest from him, this Bright Spot in the Universe.

He still roams playing music between Eugene , Oregon and Austin....and everyone STILL
should hear his music. He has a load of concerts up and down the West coast this summer. Check out the Master of Puns and his blog at
http://www.qtnrg.org/ You truly will not be sorry.

Peace, Annie B.

Borrowed Quotes

Corn illustration also borrowed : www.botanical.com

I "borrowed " these two quotes from one of my new favorite blogs (that I think I may have mentioned previously) www.salmoncabin.com
They are both from Rilke, but I always love new quotes and these are timely for my recent state of mind:
"if there is nothing you can share with other people, try to be close to Things; they will not abandon you" and "Being an artist means: not numbering and counting, but ripening like a tree, which doesn't force its sap, and stands confidently in the storms of spring, not afraid that afterward summer may not come. It does come." Words to live by.
Salmon cabin also talked today about the old saying about corn (that I learned from both of my parents)
"Knee high by the fourth of July". My Dad and I have a Sunday morning ritual of walking in a different Columbus City or Metro Park each week. Today we drove back out to the" Ponds at Prairie Creek" aka Prairie Oaks Darby Bend Lakes. This little gem of a park was made by reclaiming an old (Olen) quarry that is on The Darby River (or Big Darby Creek as the locals call it). To me it will always be "a river".
Anyhoo, we were driving back to the Westside and passed by many a corn field that was indeed "knee high" and some even taller.
What alot of folks don't realize about all of this corn though, is that more than 80% of it goes to feed livestock or processed to be some variety of corn syrup or corn filler. Science sez that humans are now being born with corn in our DNA. Watch "King Corn" (the documentary) for more on that.
I am hoping that the corn that I planted at Blue Rock Station a few weeks ago has not yet been found by the chickens. The small plot in my Mom's backyard isn't "knee high" yet...but it is growing fast. I planted it just a few weeks ago, knowing it would be ripe in time for my October birthday. Open-pollinated , the way all corn should be. Read: This is not Frankenstein corn. I dream and hope for big ears to sink my teeth into in the fall.
Time will tell.

Freedom

Picture taken by Alicia Dragonfly in front of the newly scratch coated

Mayapple Strawbale Shack

Happy Fourth with Albert

"Peace cannot be kept by force.
It can only be achieved by
understanding."Albert Einstein

more from www.botanical.com

Mullein
Jewelweed or Touch-Me-Not
www.botanical.com

www.botanical.com

I had some mighty powerful dreams last night. Which brings me to this plant (illustration also found on www.botanical.com ). This is Mugwort. It is widely used throughout the world: in Chinese Traditional Medicine as moxa; Native American tribes on the west coast used it to cure poison oak and pieces of it were reportedly placed beneath the head for enhancing their spiritual dream life; it has also been used in herbal tobacco substitute mixtures. Checkout this website for more beautiful illustrations and medicinal uses.

www.botanical.com

www.botanical.com
I just love the illustrations on this web site. Old fashioned, printable and frame-able.
Here is a Sassafras (my favorite Ohio tree besides Tulip Poplar)...someone had the wisdom to put this entire book ( "A Modern Herbal" by Maud Grieves) online years ago. I still refer to it whenever I am looking up the medicinal uses of any plant.