Daily Gratitude

Swan Song

April 2015 Oneida Lake cmk

Thank-FULL Magnificence

November. The anniversary of my circle around the sun. The Gregorian calendar year is coming to a close. I reflect on my life and refine my vision of days to come...

...following my heart, listening to my inner wisdom, honoring the Earth and all she provides, loving my family, connecting to Spirit, feeling Joy, offering gratitude...

...and a prayer that I might continue to see through the eyes of a child, in awe and wonder, marvel at the magnificence of the trees, the mountains, or a soaring eagle,

and experience the joy of loving myself so my cup overflows and uplifts others.

In the U.S.A., we are reminded each year to give thanks at this time. My query is consistent. Does anyone remember why we celebrate Thanksgiving? What are we giving thanks for? Who came before us that we are following? The traditional First Grader's story of course comes to mind, Native Indians and Pilgrims sitting around a long wooden table adorned with colorful corn  potatoes, and a roasted turkey (not). I am more inspired by the women who embarked on long journeys across oceans or Midwest plains with their families, providing food, shelter, and comfort while enduring what we consider now to be unimaginable living conditions and hardships. I am reminded that our current "freedoms" in this country did not come without the sacrifice of many native peoples and European settlers alike. 

This Thanksgiving, take the time to recognize all that you have in your life. Keep it simple. Consume only what you need. Be kind to yourself. Honor your body temple. Appreciate family and friends who gather around your table, without having to overindulge, compensate, or bargain. Consider eating lighter, juicing, or even fasting to balance these energies and to acknowledge our ancestors who surely did not have the “super-size” feast we have grown into. Bountiful does not mean “more than enough”. 

Healthier Thanksgiving Recipes here

For both the colonists and the Algonquin tribes, the November Full Moon was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Native peoples revered beavers as a Great Spirit animal and they held big medicine. They were the builders of their own life. Something we all strive to be.

This is a time to prepare for the calm and quiet of the impending winter, to bring all things to a point of rest. Finish up on the projects of the summer and fall. This is the last moon of action for the year. Join the Thank-FULL Moon Celebration Wednesday, November 25, 2015 at 6 pm EST.

A family favorite done to video by peoplepassion:

Thanks a Lot

Words and Music by Raffi

© 1980 Homeland Publishing

Thanks a lot

Thanks for the sun in the sky

Thanks a lot

Thanks for the clouds so high

Thanks a lot

Thanks for the whispering wind

Thanks a lot

Thanks for the birds in spring

Thanks a lot

Thanks for the moonlit night

Thanks a lot

Thanks for the stars so bright

Thanks a lot

Thanks for the wonder in me

Thanks a lot

Thanks for the way I feel

Thanks for the animals, thanks for the land

Thanks for the people everywhere

Thanks a lot

Thanks for all I’ve got

Thanks for all I’ve got

Blessed Be, all!

C

Primal Power

There is something primal, raw, and powerful about standing in the mouth of the 3rd largest navigable river on earth that puts “all that is” in perspective.

One small human in the broad riverscape, I felt diminutive, and found it difficult to comprehend this place where the Southern Indian Ocean tides feed the mouth of Millewa “Big Water”.

I stood on the salt-water soaked sand, realizing she had just been there lapping against the dunes. Looking out toward where she had retreated and marveling at her strength and beauty, I felt trepidation growing inside me. There was nothing between me and her spare a narrow sand bar with a pod of playful Australian sea lions and a sand-dredger. Though I knew the tide was out, I did not know for how long and the only exit behind me was the sluice of land that funneled her mighty, salty fluid into the river.

Taking all this in, I stood mesmerized, thrilled to explore the mix of sensations: danger, fear, awe, vastness, smallness. I was giddy with the sheer joy of being witness, no, being in the raw energy of untamed creation!

Surrounded by black swans, grey teal ducks, two Red-necked avocets, an Eastern reef egret, Australian white Ibis, a pair of Red-capped plovers, a sooty oystercatcher, Pacific black ducks, and silver gulls so at ease in their element, I took comfort in their lead.

 My camera clicked and buzzed, attempting to record the moment. I wanted to memorize her sound and the feel of her vibration in my limbs as she pounded against the shoreline.

My feet began to sink deeper into the sand, getting wetter with each step and I recognized it was time to bid farewell. I thanked her for allowing me to be part of her

…and for bestowing her gifts upon me.

Once home in the U.S., the intensity of my Millewa experience lingered and urged me to learn more about this sacred place. I quickly realized that some of what I was feeling was the energies of an ancient Aboriginal culture dating back 40,000 years! More than 3000 of the Ngarrindjeri people ("the people who belong to this land") had lived at the mouth of the river, gathering fish and working the land.

In the 1990’s, a huge controversy erupted over the building of the bridge from Goolwa to the island.

Hindmarsh Island, on which I stood, was regarded by the Ngarrindjeri as a fertility site, as its shape and that of the surrounding wetlands resembled female reproductive anatomy when viewed from the air. Their name for the island, Kumarangk, was similar to the word for pregnancy, or woman and was used for sacred rituals.

They also believed that the waters of the Goolwa channel required uninterrupted views of the sky, particularly the Seven Sisters constellation, which features in several aboriginal dreaming stories.

Wow! Yes, the red dot is where I stood!!! No wonder…

More on the bridge controversy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindmarsh_Island_bridge_controversy

How the Murray River was Made- Dreamtime Bangarang story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgjY27Sy48g

Aboriginals and the river

http://www.murrayriver.com.au/about-the-murray/

S.O.S.!

"Save Our Souls!" went the old cry. S.O.S! Enough, already! Its' here somewhere. I know it is. So why cant I see it? Yes, its that time of year again when, especially for "northern New Englanders", we've had our fill of single digits, icy windshields, and shoveling. Truth is, the pretty white stuff is not so pretty anymore, having been doused with dirt, sand, and salt on our roadways. The roads themselves are narrower and have plenty of new potholes, and our driveways, well...just imagine 4-5 foot tunnel-like walls of white to greet you when you get home each night for, say, 90 nights!

I'm shouting "Signs Of Spring!" from here on out. Let's begin our watch of the natural world... 'cuz nature knows before we do! And its very darn cute, too.

It's melting!!

 Chickadees are busy on the sunflower seed feeder.

 I love that the Nuthatches hang upside down, daring to be different!

A pair of Tufted Titmice.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

An unexpected visitor...a porcupine leaving the yard after munching on some bird seed at the feeder! He/she was quite entertaining whilst having to lift each paw up high to walk through the four-plus feet of snow in the yard, hind end waddling and tail dragging. I guess porcupines aren't equipped with snowshoe feet.

Trumpeter Swans frolicking and honking in Oneida Lake!

Post your S.O.S. here. Give a shout out for Spring!