You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star
Friedrich Nietzsche
It would probably take less space to list what doesn't interest me!
I used to feel I was somewhat of a dilettante because I have had a vast range of interests and experiences over the years. But then I realised that whilst society may encourage us to find one thing that works for us and stick to and perfect that, my inquisitive and passionate nature does not lend itself to that approach - what I have done with life is to sample as much of it as I can, and I have come to realise that all those experiences and interests link together holistically to form a view of the world as a place of wonder and triumph, tragedy and loss, growth and learning. Surely what this whole experience of incarnation as part of Gaia is about.
I have enjoyed riding and working with horses. Learning how dogs think. Mythology. Flying aeroplanes. Driving race cars. Travelling with rock bands. Living the Summer of Love. Hitchhiking everywhere. Living on the streets of London. Shamanic training. Being part of Barnsdale Gardens. Making my own clothes and jewellery. Lots of crafts. Riding motorbikes. Living with a vast assortment of reptiles and insects. Dancing for fun and professionally. Cycling everywhere. Learning calligraphy. Art. Learning a huge range of self sufficiency skills. Learning to cut hair, paint faces and bodies and give massage. Driving a fork lift truck. Hiking. Rock climbing. Body building. Off road driving. Learning to play keyboard, piano, dulcimer and drums. Etc. etc.
I'm no expert in any of them. Maybe in thinking dog and travelling with rock bands! But I had a lot of fun and can turn my hand to lots of things enough to get by.
These days I like reading, Aura Soma, shamanism, sacred sound, crystals, earth magic, gardening and growing things, horses and dogs, all inhabitants of the earth in fact, painting, music of all kinds, drumming, dancing, singing, cooking, internet, following my path, sunshine and moonlight, watching the seasons, and just being...
Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
-Lao Tzu
Dreamers and lovers, sisters and brothers, teachers, seekers, soulmates, starchildren,
horsemen, hue-mans, healers, makers of music, pictures, words,
those with lessons and those with Love,
Alchemists, Magicians, Atlanteans, Lemurians, Avalonians, Sirians,
angels and masters, those who can own their shadow and walk in the light
Click to zoom in on my visitor map!
There is only
I love it and have very eclectic taste. I haven't yet found a genre that I don't enjoy at least some of. It moves me emotionally and physically and the whole of my life has a soundtrack...
I grew up immersed in classical music, my grandmother who lived with us was an extremely accomplished classical pianist, and my mother played music all day. Still does! I remember being able to sing along with the whole of Handel's Messiah aged around 8 years old..
I fell in love with the new pop music as a teenager and spent those years living and travelling with various bands just to be close to the music and that whole scene. I was lucky to know most of the great iconic bands of the era.
Have a look at some of the musicians on my friend list, especially:
DIZZI DULCIMER who is very talented, a good friend and lovely genuine person (she is also teaching me to play dulcimer and has formed Somerset Dulcimer Orchestra which is great fun),
PHIL THORNTON who is also hugely talented and expressive and one of the nicest men I know
LENA - just an amazing woman
RANDY GEORGE - if you haven't heard a Theramin!
SCOTT WILLIAMS - very accomplished hammered dulcimer player, especially his version of Nothing Else Matters.
Fantasy, Sci-fi, animated films...The Matrix series, Princess Mononoke,Studio Ghibli, Fifth Element, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, Vertical Limit, Thelma and Louise, Monster, The Fast &the Furious, Mad Max, Bridget Jones, Three Weddings and a Funeral, Joan of Arc, A Knights Tale, Legend, Jurassic Park, Blade, Pitch Black, Aliens, Fantasia, Dark Crystal, Gandhi, Seven Years in Tibet, Interview with a Vampire, Underworld, Madagascar, Two Brothers, Final Fantasy, Ice Age, Willy Wonka, Edward Scissorhands, X-Men..no particular order and many more
Rarely...
I still have most of the books I have ever owned..well into four figures. And I have read them all! Too many to list and no clear favourites..lately have enjoyed Christopher Paolini's Eragon and Eldest, Garth Nix especially Abhorsen, Philip Pullman, Michelle Paver..I tend to read children's fantasy for fiction. Edwin Courtenay, Sandra Ingerman, especially A Fall to Grace, Fool's Crow, Tom Cowan, Simon Buxton, Eckhart Tolle, Ted Andrews,Michael Meade, Joseph Campbell,Marion Woodman,Samuel Sagan,Gareth Knight,Dion Fortune,Herbie Brennan, Stuart Hill, TH White, Terry Pratchett, Leslie Kenton, China Mieville, Kate Thompson, Kelly Armstrong, CS Lewis, Jean M Auel, myths legends and fairy tales from all cultures..I read about 6 books per week from the local library too..
Wild Wisdom
Animals As Teachers
Since prehistoric times, animals have acted as companions to humans on their journey toward enlightenment. Animals as disparate in character as house pets, birds, sea creatures, and insects have been our mentors, teachers, and guides. There is much we can learn from animals, as they offer us the unique opportunity to transcend the human perspective. Unlike human teachers, animals can only impart their wisdom by example, and we learn from them by observation. An animal teacher can be a beloved pet or an animal in the wild. You may even find yourself noticing the animals in your backyard. Even robins and bumblebees have lessons to share with you.
Animals teach us in a variety of ways about behavior, habit, and instinct. House pets embody an unconditional love that remains unchanged in the face of our shape, size, age, race, or gender. They care little for the differences between us and them and simply enjoy loving and being loved. Our pets encourage us to let our guards down, have fun, and take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy life.
You can also learn lessons from the animals you encounter in the wild if you take the time to observe their habits.
Cold-blooded animals show us adaptability and sensitivity to one's environment.
Mammals serve as examples of nurturing and playfulness.
Animals that live in oceans, lakes, and rivers demonstrate the value of movement and grace.
It is even possible to learn from insects that live in highly structured communities that everyone plays a vital role.
Animals teach us about life, death, survival, sacrifice, and responsibility. If you find yourself drawn to a particular animal, ask yourself which of its traits you find most intriguing and think about how you might mimic those traits. Think of what you might learn from observing the little bird on your windowsill or the mosquito buzzing around a picnic table.
Animals express themselves with abandon, freedom, and integrity. It's natural to be drawn to the wisdom offered by our animal teachers, and in doing so, discover what is natural and true within you.
Daily Om
Alexander Nevzorov
Cernunnos
and
Selene
CURRENT MOON moon info
This is The Hour...
"You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour.
And there are things to be considered:
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships? Are you in right relation?
Where is your water? Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community. Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.
This could be a good time!
There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore.
They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river
Keep our eyes open and our heads above the water.
See who is in there with you
And celebrate.
At this time in history we are to take nothing personally.
Least of all, ourselves.
For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!
Banish the word "struggle" from your attitude and your vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we've been waiting for."
The Elders / Oraibi, Arizona / Hopi Nation
The beauty of this being that we are is breathtaking...I am awestruck, humbled and proud beyond reckoning to be manifest within this
let your heart soar and your spirit take wing
Become the angel that you are...In yearning for nothing, you will be free to enjoy what you do, free to see the patterns, free to hear the music in all things.
-Barbara Ann Kipfer
Peace is not a passive attitude; it is an active state. It requires having constant attention in order to live and to respond as a peaceful being to any upset in life.
Be At Peace
You spend most of your life running after things, doing things. You forget that being comes before doing. Those who remember this secret make an effort to "be" and discover that when they stop and observe, life helps and brings whatever is needed. Learning to be is learning to be at peace. It is our most fundamental nature.What do you have to fear? Nothing. Whom do you have to fear? No one. Why? Because whoever has joined forces with God obtains three great privileges: omnipotence without power, intoxication without wine, and life without death.
--Saint Francis of AssisiBe grateful for these three privileges.Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, --and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of --Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
~ High Flight ~
John Gillespie Magee, Jr I love to fly. As the earth falls away beneath you there is a sense of freedom and exhilaration and almost of being invincible, unbounded, heroic. So close to the sun. I love horses. Their enchanting beauty and grace, their gentleness and dignity. Despite centuries of abuse from mankind they still offer us love and healing, seeing clear through to our souls and humbling and uplifting us.