AM I WORTHY?

I have been aware of the importance of the crow (or raven) in my life since the time of my daughter's open-heart surgery in 1998. I used to hear the crow "talking" to me from the trees but never really saw him there. But, I was aware of his message and what he was trying to say. Since then, crow has made himself much more apparent in my life and whenever I am worried or upset he makes himself present to me in the most unusual places. Today, he was in the tree and on the fence of the softball field. He waited just long enough for me to take his picture and receive his message then flew off.

According to this, "Native American Indian lore describes the raven as a creature of metamorphosis and symbolizes change/transformation. Often honored among medicine and holy men of tribes for its shape-shifting qualities, the Raven was called upon in ritual so that visions could be clarified. Native holy men understood that what the physical eye sees, is not necessarily the truth, and they would call upon the Raven for clarity in these matters.

Foremost, the Raven is the North American bearer of magic, and a harbinger of messages from the cosmos. Messages that are beyond space and time are nestled in the midnight wings of the Raven and come to only those within the tribe who are worthy of the knowledge.

The Raven is also called upon in Native ritual for healing purposes. Specifically, the Raven is thought to provide long-distance healing.

The Raven is also a keeper of secrets, and can assist us in determining answers to our own "hidden" thoughts. Areas in our lives that we are unwilling to face, or secrets we keep that harm us--the Raven can help us expose the truth behind these (often distorted) secrets and wing us back to health and harmony.

Dr. Carl Jung deemed raven symbolism to represent the shadow self, or the dark side of the psyche...by acknowledging this dark side we can effectively communicate with both halves of ourselves. This offers liberating balance, and facilitates tremendous wisdom".

CROW

I can hear you talking

In the tree

Above me

But I cannot

See you.

What are you trying

To tell me?

Beware

Relax

Open your eyes.

I look up.

Straining,

I see your yellow stare.

You fly away

To another tree.

I

Am

Listening.

copyright Teri Mahl 1998

THE NEW YEAR AND LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

"Franz Liszt, Hungarian composer and piano virtuoso said it best to Marie d' Agoult...Heaven, Hell, everything, all is with you, redoubled...Oh! Leave me free to rave in my delirium. Drab, tame, constricting reality is no longer enough for me. We must live our lives to the full, loving and suffering to extremes!"

(from www.lulu.com)

Today, while walking 4 miles with my daughter through million dollar homes and a golf course designed by Trent Jones Sr. (and possibly Jr. also), I saw this carcass on the side of a hill, stripped and laid barren. It reminded me that no amount of money can change what is to be in a life. Death comes to us all in our own time, a reminder to "live our lives to the full, loving and suffering to extremes."

"Knowing and understanding the laws of life, also called Truth, is not enough. We must also live the truth that we know."

This is the beginning of a new year, full of possibilities and chances to think and live differently. There has been much talk on many blogs about not doing resolutions but rather picking a word for the year and focusing on it and trying to "live" the word through actions, art, reflection. I have been thinking about this...a choice for a word...and one word has popped up more than once in things that I have watched on TV, things I have read, things I have listened to on the radio. That word is "GRACE". I think that it is important to learn to listen and recognize when the universe is sending you a message. There must be a reason why the word "grace" has been making its presence known to me. So, I got out my dictionary and read the definition of the word. Always, as with any word, there are multiple meanings. The following are words that apply for me:

• favor, charm, thanks
• pleasing, grateful
• the quality or state of being considerate or thoughtful
• three sister goddesses in Greek mythology who are the givers of charm and beauty
• to confer dignity or honor on: adorn, embellish
• unmerited divine assistance given man for his regeneration or sanctification
• approval, favor
• a charming trait or accomplishment
• a pleasingly graceful appearance or effect : CHARM
• ease and suppleness of movement or bearing

I read all of these definitions and see something in all of them that I would like to complement my life in the coming year. There are qualities that I would like to make more a part of my inner self: being grateful, thankful, considerate or thoughtful. I have really been trying to be truthful with myself and with others. As stated above, we must also live the truth we know. I would love to attain approval and favor from those whom I look up to and admire. I would even love to attain suppleness and ease in my body. I know that I can do better with my diet and exercise program. The words "adorn" and "embellish" speak to me of my art. I have been feeling like I need to explore more and make more time for what I feel is important to me in regards to my art. So much of last year was devoted to healing myself and art got put on the back burner. Regeneration and sanctification seem to apply to this area of my life. Divine assistance would be the icing on the cake; a bonus of sorts.

So Grace: glad to meet you. We will be sharing the year, learning about each other. I will learn more about you and derivations of you (graceful, gracious, graced,)

BRIDGES TO THE NEW DECADE

This is a photo of the Auburn-Foresthill bridge. It is said to be the third highest in the United States and is the highest in the state of California. It rises above the north fork of the American River and the confluence of the north and middle forks. In this photo the foreground is the middle fork and it is running into the north fork in the middle of the photo. I drive past this bridge every time I go to Auburn. My husband drove past this bridge every day on his way to and from work for over 30 years. This is one type of bridge...a physical bridge.

Another type of bridge is what you see below. This small group of people (including myself) met in Auburn today for the Peace Pole rededication near the Auburn Library Amphitheater. This was a brief service reaffirming our vision of peace for the world. We read the Jewish prayer for peace, the Lakotah prayer for peace, Christian as well and Muslim and also Buddhist, etc.

"...And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares,

and our spears into pruning hooks.

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation-

Neither shall they learn war any more..."

(an excerpt from the Jewish Prayer for Peace)

NO MAN IS AN ISLAND, ENTIRE OF ITSELF; EVERY MAN IS A PIECE OF THE CONTINENT, A PART OF THE MAIN.

John Donne