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29 Oct 99 - 09:16 PM (#129686) Subject: Thought for the day- October 30th From: katlaughing Sorry this is early. I am going to try to go to bed early and like to have these up for those ahead in time.:-) Last weekend, Rog and I cleaned out my car. It was a mess. Under my dashboard, jutting out from the instrument panel is a little ledge (it's a Subaru, for those of you who know them, you'll know what I mean). On that ledge, I have small stones of rose quartz, carnelian, and smokey quartz. Immediately in front of the stones, I had a braid of sweetgrass which I had bought at a Powwow several years ago. Two years ago, while getting ready to go to a friend's funeral, I drove home to quickly get something. When I pulled into the driveway, I saw a pheasant feather sticking straight up in my grass, being blown about by what had been an all-day fairly stiff wind. The friend was part Native American and Pagan and we shared a lot of the same spiritual beliefs and practises. We had only had one or two really indepth conversations,the kind where you bare your soul, usually through the impetus of some crisis. I had not felt particularly close to her, until she did that one day over tea in my kitchen. Her death was unexpected. She'd been recovering well from cancer and one day while alone at home had a severe ashma attack and died on the way to the hospital in the ambulance. Her time to go. I took the feather as a sign from her spirit to me. She had many, many feathers found and given, in her house, esp. on her altar. Plucking it from the grass I tucked it into the tied end of the sweetgrass, so they both lay supine, in front of the stones; a sort of travelling altar for protection, focus, and remembrance. So, last Saturday, whilst cleaning my dashboard, I took the sweetgrass out. It was old, dried and brittle, still faintly tinged with that wonderfully clean scent it gives off. I carried it and the feather into the house; placed the feather in a wall sconce with some others and burnt part of the sweetgrass in a small ritual of letting go and cleansing. Didn't knwo why I was prompted to do this. The thought was just there. I acted upon it. The next day, a mutual friend called. In the course of our talking, she mentioned that *Cookie* had died two years ago this last weekend. I knew it was in the fall, but had not paid any atention to the date. It was then, I gave thanks to the Great Spirit for the guidance I believe I received in letting go and moving on, by removing the sweetgrass and *retiring* the feather. It seemed such a simple, yet very poignant and fitting way to be reminded of her; a gentle reminder for the GS that she left then and it was time to let go, also, of those mementos I carried. I do give thanks for the simple little inspirations such as this, for when counted and appreciated, they add up and strengthen one's faith in themelves and whatever higher power they may believe in. Thanks for listening. katlaughing |
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30 Oct 99 - 08:24 AM (#129783) Subject: RE: Thought for the day- October 30th From: Little Neophyte Your story is so important Mama Kat. What you experienced reminds me of those rocks they pile up so you know where you are on a mountain trail that is covered with snow (can't remember what the stack of rocks is called?) It's the same as beacons, boys and lighthouses. All these markers are helping us know we are on the right path The wonderful pearls that occur in our lifetime can be strung together to create a valuable necklace of knowledge and awareness that life is a precious gem Little Neo |
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30 Oct 99 - 11:34 AM (#129814) Subject: RE: Thought for the day- October 30th From: katlaughing nice imagery, 'Phyte. Thank you. Don't know what they call those piles of rocks in Canada, here it's just a pile of rocks:-) (In fact, I don't recall seeing any piled up for that purpose.) UNLESS they are piled high on top of a small hill in the middle of a wide and lonesome prairie. Then they are called Sheepherder's Gods. We used to love spotting them when children. Never really had them explained, as sheepherder was a dirty word in our house, but the impression I got was they usually smacked of some sort of papacy, which was also anathema, and while fun to point, they were also greeted with some derision of contempt. False altar and all that. I think some of the contemp may have come from the vulnerablity they represented....prime targets for the magnificent lightening and thunderstorms which abound here in some seasons. kat |
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30 Oct 99 - 11:51 AM (#129815) Subject: RE: Thought for the day- October 30th From: Little Neophyte Mama Kat, I found out. They are called a carin. If a mountain terrain is completely rock , it can be difficult to keep on trail because there is no foot path. These carins are stacked high so that in the winter no matter how much snow falls, hopefully you will see enough of them to guide your way. |
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30 Oct 99 - 11:53 AM (#129818) Subject: RE: Thought for the day- October 30th From: katlaughing Ah, yes, I just never thought of cairns as being for that purpose. They've always seemed more funereal to me; some poor soul's final marker and all, ya know? Intersting word; I like the looks and sound of it. |
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30 Oct 99 - 12:18 PM (#129827) Subject: RE: Thought for the day- October 30th From: catspaw49 Seems like a lot of trouble to go to for amrking a trail.........Why not just take a Yak along with you? Spaw |
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30 Oct 99 - 02:18 PM (#129866) Subject: RE: Thought for the day- October 30th From: katlaughing Out here they use llamas; but I think they leave little ones like rabbits, don't they? Then where woulda be? |
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30 Oct 99 - 02:35 PM (#129872) Subject: RE: Thought for the day- October 30th From: catspaw49 Maybe this is the explanation for crossing the Alps with elephants. Spaw |
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30 Oct 99 - 02:50 PM (#129879) Subject: RE: Thought for the day- October 30th From: Liz the Squeak Nice line in animal dung there, I've found rabbit to be very untrustworthy, as some other rabbit will come along adn eat it - not nice, but that is one of the things about rabbits. On your earlier comments about closure, especially today, the day before All Hallows, New Year, Samhain, what ever you want to call it. I was troubled by very strong feelings of being watched, earlier this year. I would be walking down the road, and suddenly I'd be slammed back into a conversation with my father who died in Jan '98. This happened in the oddest of places, in the bath, at work (not good, as I usually ended up in tears...) and at church (yes, I'm known as the token Christian, by my Pagan friends, and the token Pagan by my Christian friends....) which again, would have me in tears, usually in the middle of a hymn or the sermon. In the end, I just sat down in a particular place and told the people who were trying to talk to me (there felt more than one, like one had opened the door and the others were looking over their shoulder) that they were welcome to come and see me, but would they please just visit when I was in that special place. I placed pictures of them around, those taken with other family members, and since then, that watched feeling has gone. If you are being troubled, or if you want to open a doorway, why don't you try it - it has made closure on quite a few issues for me.... Liz the Squeak |
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30 Oct 99 - 05:45 PM (#129901) Subject: RE: Thought for the day- October 30th From: Jeri My Dad died when I was 17. I couldn't understand, in the days that followed, how my Mom had the strength to sort through his things. When my Mom died when I was 38, I did the same for her, and I came to understand what she felt. It pushes the recent pain and horror of loss a bit farther into the past, and brings the older happpy memories closer. I took that photo of her when she came to visit and stayed on the seacoast, and made friends with the cabin owner's dog. She wore that dress to a seminar I graduated from and surprised her by winning three out of five awards. When my Dad proposed, she asked that silly little nodding ceramic owl if she should accept. She saved every single letter I'd ever written to her. These are my cairns, my feathers and sweetgrass. |
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30 Oct 99 - 09:31 PM (#129946) Subject: RE: Thought for the day- October 30th From: Lonesome EJ Catspaw, the elephant comment was a classic. Thanks! I really needed a good laugh. LEJ |
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31 Oct 99 - 12:50 AM (#129968) Subject: RE: Thought for the day- October 30th From: katlaughing Liz and Jeri, thank you. So poignant and touching. Jeri, esp. your last line about cairns. kat |