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Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water
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Shape Shirfting
January 24, 2013
— 1 Comment
The archetype of shapeshifter is known as an element to build characters for plots in novels. It is also well known in mythology. Shape shifting involves skill navigating between levels of consciousness. It is related to the trickster Coyote in legend, but has less specific goals. In dreams this character can be a savvy guide. Flexibility is the theme and the great talent of the shapeshifter. In therapy or self realization the archetypes can be used to enlighten the eternal aspects of the human story. Another name for this character is spell caster.
My own direct experience with this energy came through a very funny Yaqui friend of mine in Mexico. First he effortlessly got me to wear a medicine bag made of deerskin. I am a very prissy vegetarian and asked him for one with no animal parts. He dangled it and told me it was my medicine but if I didn’t want it…I grabbed it and put it over my head faster than you could say Cachora is your shaman. It was, indeed, my medicine. A few months later he made me turn in my medicine. He freaked me out by attaching a buffalo tooth. When he gave it back with the tooth I was laughing so hard. I remember joking that next I would be wearing an entire coyote head around my neck. He announced that he would be able to be with me at night while I wore the tooth. I do still wear my medicine sometimes, although I have not seen Cachora in years. The medicine fell on the floor, breaking the tooth in two pieces, revealing the center of itself while I was at a hot spring on a personal vision quest. I thought about that buffalo. I thought it was significant, then promptly super glued it back together. My medicine still works and I still think it is funny. It reminds me to check all levels of consciousness before making moves.
Mood Magic-Forgiveness
January 23, 2013
— 10 Comments
To alter your mood is to change your world. When you are happy and you know it you attract and notice joyful people and events around you. When other emotions dominate your mental landscape you notice others in the same boat, whatever the boat happens to be. One way to describe the mutual misery bonding is woundology. This term was coined by Carolyn Myss to explain how and why people retain rather than heal from their wounds. Contentment is not always possible, but clear intentions can be.
Pity and compassion are not the same. Solicitation of pity requires that you also pity others and the outrageous fortune they encounter. Pity is a currency of pain, highest value being placed on the heaviest suffering. The journey to well being involves mind, body and spirit. The distinction between seeking power through pity and creating well being through compassion is key to living a full life. If information and data were the source of good health we would all be very healthy. The element of forgiveness unlocks the possibility of a happy and healthy future.
Where is My Shadow?
January 22, 2013
— 6 Comments
“You don’t just integrate your “shadow.” It’s not an aspect of personality but a mysterious element in the human condition.” – Thomas Moore’s tweet of the day today. @thomasmooreSoul is on twitter, like @Pontifex. They both know Latin, liturgy, and the Holy Ghost. Their twitter streams could not possibly be more different. Thomas Moore tweets a dab of darshan daily to his small following. Nobody tweets crass insulting things to him, like they do to the Pope. It is a quiet, one way stream, like the Tao itself..bringing us closer to the truth every day. The truth is always downhill, and flow always involves removal of obstructions. Today he is tweeting about the much misunderstood Jungian theory of the shadow. Shadow can very well be the prime obstruction to living a happy full life. So, where is this mighty shadow, anyhow?
The shadow is the part of your self, or your society, of which you are unaware. It is hidden by your extreme belief in what you are fed by your ego. The ego is the weakest link to reality, in a way, because it only wants to confirm and uphold status quo as it prefers it. Meditation, contemplation, or artistic endeavors bring perspective needed to see this shadow. It is the reason you are in whatever rut you occupy. The rut is like a bunker maintained by your self image. Like a city with big buildings, no shadow is cast down in the bunker, except maybe at noon for a while. In the “reality bunker” the ego rules and keeps other aspects in the belief system you know as your rut.
With Groundhog Day fast approaching, consider celebration this year by leaving your thought bunker to risk seeing your shadow. How might a gentle reader do such a thing? Silence is the threshold. Meditation is the key. Mandala is the map. Wisdom is the reward. Walking a labyrinth is a wonderful way to begin.
Providence, the Best Travel Agent
January 21, 2013
— 5 Comments
Providence RI
Making travel plans is a study in availability. As a seasoned professional I like planning trips almost as much as taking them. I can enjoy a spontaneous jaunt as well as the next person, but planning can make the difference between a mediocre and a memorable travel experience. It is good to have purpose, even if it is simply to change the scenery. It is also very smart to have all the essentials covered so you can virtually do whatever strikes your fancy while you are at your destination. I enjoy studying maps more than almost anything, so all kinds of maps inform my decisions. I like the freedom of a car but not the hassle of parking and driving in heavy traffic. Details of transportation and accommodation need to match the budget and the preferences of the traveler. Providence is foresight. Providence involves taking care of the details in advance. When you do your part, the divine Providence takes over and creates magic.
Details contain not only the devil, but also a great deal of delight if handled correctly. There are some basic outlines to create good vacations, but the key is to make the details cater to the taste of the traveler. That is where I excel. I have many years of experience in travel of all kinds. More importantly, I am specific, particular, and discriminating in my personal preferences. I do know what I like, and know how to procure it at the price I want to pay. I also know that many people would be uncomfortable in a museum all day, or in a hot spring all night, so I am happy to travel sometimes alone. This means I am free to linger or to cancel plans on my own whims. I have hit the road with various groups in the past. I believe I have done my penance in that regard, and can travel for my own purposes now. Often groups isolate themselves from the local culture, not intentionally, but because they are involved with each other all the time. It can be a huge turn off to find yourself anywhere with a large tourist group you had not planned to encounter.
Find great value by shopping for exactly what you want instead of seeking the cheapest trip. Using a credit card to pay for travel you can’t afford to take will almost inevitably end in heartache. Buyer’s remorse is debtor’s remorse when your holiday fun is digging a hole in your credit rating and peace of mind. Prepay for the hotel. You can get fabulous discounts for a non refundable prepayment. Better yet, when you take the trip it feels like the lodging is free. It is very liberating.
- Travel off peak. Go when others do not go to that location. The first two weeks of December is always the best for all destinations.
- Study the details of the area, including special events. Tourism boards are just waiting to tell you everything there is to know about their areas
- Consider alternative lodging, like Air BnB, for a more local contact
- Weigh the cost against the time consumed when thinking of doing something cheap that takes up a big chunk of your time on holiday. Your free time should be valuable to you.
- Be particular. If you do not feel excited about the destination, keep studying. Choose a place that perfectly suits your needs and desires.
I am planning a trip to Plymouth Colony and the vicinity in April. I am finding so much to do in a very small area, that the research is really a blast for me. It looks like the right trip to discover Providence, RI. My ancestors are all over the place, and I have never been there. This is my kind of adventure.
Richard Earl Sefton Molyneux, 15th Great Grandfather
January 20, 2013
— 3 Comments
Battle of Blore Heath
My 15th great grandfather was a knight involved with Brit royalty. He lost his life defending it in a battle called Blore Heath. They were fighting about roses (red and white, although I am still not sure what the symbols meant) and the right to the throne. They were royals. They were angry. Things got bloody nasty:
The Battle of Blore Heath
September 23, 1459
After four years of uneasy peace the King presided over a wasting realm. No parliament had been summoned for three years, the country was sadly divided and distressed. The Yorkists were armed, armies were marching across all England. Lord Audley had recently raised a Lancastrian army centered round Market Drayton, and the Queen -through whom the King ruled- sent him orders to intercept Lord Salisbury, who was marching from Yorkshire to join the Duke of York at Ludlow. The two armies met head on two and a half miles east of Market Drayton at a place called Blore Heath. Salisbury, with 3,000 troops, was outnumbered by more than two to one, but could not avoid giving battle.
Audley took up a position just west of a little stream that crossed the Market Drayton-Newcastle-under-Lyme road, and Salisbury’s men were drawn up about 150 yards east of the present Audley Cross, which marks the spot where Lord Audley fell. The Yorkist left rested upon the boggy edge of a wood, but their right was in the air, and Salisbury made a laager of his wagons to protect this flank. Whether Salisbury feigned retreat in order to draw Audley on is not certain, but the Lancastrian commander was definitely the one to attack. Two cavalry charges were repulsed, the first with heavy loss to the Lancastrians, and then they mounted an infantry attack up the hill to the Yorkist position. But this too failed; there was no support from the cavalry, Lord Audley had already fallen and 500 Lancastrians chose this moment to desert to the enemy. Salisbury’s victory was complete and in the pursuit, which continued for two miles, the slaughter was very heavy. Possibly 2,000 Lancastrians perished in this battle, but fewer than 200 Yorkists fell.
For more information on the Battle of Blore Heath, contact Blore Heath 1459 online at http://www.bloreheath.org
YORKISTS LANCASTRIANS
Sir Christopher Conyers of Sokebourne, Durham
Sir Henry Bromflete, Wymington, Bedford
Sir John Conyers of Hornby, Yorkshire
Sir Robert del Booth of Wilmslow, Cheshire (killed in battle)
Sir Walter Devereux of Weobley, Herefordshire (killed in battle)
Sir John Bourchier of West Horsley, Surrey
Sir Richard Grey of Powis, Powis
Sir Hugh Calveley of the Lea, Cheshire (killed in battle)
Sir Richard Hamerton of Hamerton, Yorkshire
Sir William Catesby (Sr.) of Ashby St. Legers, Northamptonshire
Sir Thomas Harrington, Lancashire
Sir John Dawne of Cheshire
Sir Roger Kynaston of Hordley, Shropshire
Sir Jerkin Done of Wickington, Cheshire (killed in battle)
Sir Thomas Lumley of Lumley, Durham
Sir Robert Downes of Shrigley, (killed in battle)
Thomas Meering of Tong
Sir Thomas Dutton of Dutton, Cheshire (killed in battle)
Sir James Metcalfe of Nappa, Yorkshire
Sir John Dwnn of Cheshire, killed in battle
Sir John Middleton of Belsay Castle, Northumberland
Sir John Egerton of Egerton, Cheshire (killed in battle)
Sir Thomas Mountford of Hackforth, Yorkshire
Sir Nicholas of Eyton of Eyton, Shropshire
Sir Richard Neville (Earl of Salisbury) of Middleham, Yorkshire (fled to Calais)
Sir Richard Fitton of Gawsforth, Cheshire
Sir Richard Neville (Earl of Warwick) of Middleham, Yorkshire (fled to Calais)
Thomas Fitton, fate unknown
Sir Thomas Neville of Thornton Bridge, Durham
Sir John Haigh, killed in battle
Sir Robert Ogle of Ogle, Northumberland
Sir Edmund Hampden of Hampden, Buckinghamshire
Sir Thomas Parr of Kendal, Westmoreland
Sir Thomas Hesketh of Rufford, Lancashire
Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, fled to Ireland
Sir Henry Holland of Darlington, Devon
Sir William Pudsey of Selaby, Durham
Sir John Legh of Booths, Cheshire (killed in battle)
Sir James Strangeways of Whorlton, Yorkshire
Sir Philip Maunsell of Scrurlage, Glamorgan
Sir Walter Strickland of Sizergh, Westmoreland
Sir Richard Molyneux of Sefton, Lancashire (killed in battle)
Sir John Wandesford of Kirklington, Yorkshire
Sir John Neville of Raby, Durham
Sir John Wenlock of Wenlock, Shropshire
Sir Ralph Shirley of Shirley, Sussex
Sir Walter Wrottesley of Wrottesley, Shropshire
Sir John Skidmore of Mochas, Herefordshire
Sir John Stanley of Pipe, Staffordshire
Sir Edmund Sutton of Dudley, Westmoreland
Sir John Sutton of Dudley, Westmoreland
Sir William Troutbeck of Dunham-on-the-Hill, killed in battle
James Touchet (Lord Audley) of Markeaton, Derbyshire (killed in battle)
Sir Hugh Venables of Kinderton (killed in battle)
©The Richard III Foundation, Inc.
Sir Richard Earl Sefton Molyneux (1422 – 1459)
is my 15th great grandfather
Thomas Sir 8th Earl of Sefton Molyneux (1445 – 1483)
Son of Sir Richard Earl Sefton
Lawrence Castellan of Liverpool Mollenaux (1490 – 1550)
Son of Thomas Sir 8th Earl of Sefton
John Mollenax (1542 – 1583)
Son of Lawrence Castellan of Liverpool
Mary Mollenax (1559 – 1575)
Daughter of John
Francis Gabriell Holland (1596 – 1660)
Son of Mary
John Holland (1628 – 1710)
Son of Francis Gabriell
Elizabeth Holland (1652 – 1737)
Daughter of John
Richard Dearden (1645 – 1747)
Son of Elizabeth
George Dearden (1705 – 1749)
Son of Richard
George Darden (1734 – 1807)
Son of George
David Darden (1770 – 1820)
Son of George
Minerva Truly Darden (1806 – )
Daughter of David
Sarah E Hughes (1829 – 1911)
Daughter of Minerva Truly
Lucinda Jane Armer (1847 – 1939)
Daughter of Sarah E
George Harvey Taylor (1884 – 1941)
Son of Lucinda Jane
Ruby Lee Taylor (1922 – 2008)
Daughter of George Harvey
Pamela Morse
I am the daughter of Ruby Lee
Feminine Archetypes
January 20, 2013
— 4 Comments
Hekate at the Crossraods
Toni Wolfe, colleague and lover of Carl Jung, identified 4 feminine archetypes. These cardinal qualities divide feminine characters into power centers, or capabilities. Toni understood when she created this foursome as a guide that no individual is purely one archetype on the stage of life. These are ways of looking at personality and talent, not so different from fairy tales and mythological tales.
Life is circular and the core, or center of the circle, is essentially a seed from which the rest of the circle sprouts. Our DNA, birthplace and time, our circumstances at birth are at the center. We contain unique combinations of archetypal power and symbology, both in waking life and in dreams. We begin in the middle of a complex mandala, and work our way out to the edges of consciousness. Limitations are imposed for our education and edification. Dream images give us hints to our own potential as well as to danger. Fairy, Wise Woman, Lover and Queen existed in most cultures before Toni Wolfe mapped out her quadruple qualities. These can be divided, in turn, into variations on a theme.
All people have both male and female archetypes, anima and animus. These might be thought of as north and south, visible and invisible, cardinal points that must also be balanced in the fully realized being. No individual is completely masculine or feminine, good or evil, right or wrong. Tyrants represent an imbalance, a shadow or hidden quality of power, a failure to employ wisdom. Wisdom was historically embodied in the Titan goddess Hekate, guardian of the crossroads. She has three faces, looking in three directions. She carries, along with three torches, a key, a rope, and a knife. She meets you at the crossroads of life and has the power to both assist and punish humans. If she didn’t have three heads, a polecat and a pack of hounds she would resemble the Virgin of Guadalupe, and have similar intercessional powers. Her ancient symbol is a wheel with three parts.
Hekate’s Wheel
Space, Time, Alchemy
January 19, 2013
— 3 Comments
Alchemy Symbols
Alchemy is the act of transformation. Throughout history the alchemists have studied nature and mystery. We participate in alchemy when we focus our spiritual talents on the elements of the earth. Inventors and those who are especially creative tap into alchemy to turn imagination into reality. It has been associated with medicine, but all science is the realm of the alchemist. Carl Jung brought alchemy and archetypes into psychiatry. The collective consciousness communicates through symbols and dreams. The alchemists, like wizards and magicians, use mythical power to transform or create.
Our time and space are literally created and projected by us. We are active participants in our entire experience of reality. My favorite alchemist in history is the Swiss Paracelsus, who practiced medicine and magic at the same time. He was searching for the Christian version of pagan natural magic. He promoted Jacob Boehme’s Doctrine of Signatures, a spiritual belief that plants are designed to communicate their healing properties to man. His work was both controversial and respected during his lifetime. What distinguishes the alchemist from a wizard or magician is a constant experiment. The science of chemistry was developed from the never ending experiments of the alchemists.
If you could focus your spiritual energy on nature to transform your life, what would you transform? If you were to focus do you think you could change the quality of your experience?
Cultural Delusion
January 19, 2013
— 4 Comments
Cultural mendacity is a flawed belief system taught and accepted by groups. Plato and Tennessee Williams were very concerned about this subject. Folklore and folk medicine, like belief in the chupacabra, is brought over from the past. Political and commercial propaganda is created daily to influence cultural habits. Pavlov trained his dog to be delusional, consistently. You are trained to think buying Fruit Loops on credit is a fine practice for your budget and your health. The political parties are training you to donate money to feed the status quo without even knowing what the status quo is.
Lance, the psycho bully, Armstrong needs to stand tall as a role model for all of history. Protesting too much is a classic sign of dishonesty. Willful blindness extends to all layers of our society. Most of it is not as harmless (not to indicate that these crimes were petty) as doping cyclists. Mortgage fraud and investment banking fraud, as yet to explained to the victims in clear terms, are examples of cultural delusion. Sick work ethics that ignore misdeeds and reward anti social behavior fall into this category as well. Systems are mendacious, but cultures are easily duped. Like Pavlov’s dog, groupthink salivates at the sound of the bell because it has been taught to associate the bell with food. Pavlov in this experiment plays the part of the government. The bell is congress. The dog is the tax paying citizen. The dog food cupboard is full of imaginary dog food, known as the budget. Mendacity is the system in which we live.
Mintha, Green Goddess
January 18, 2013
— 2 Comments
Persephone stomps on Mintha
Mintha, Greek goddess of the mint plant is a fertile herbal mother. Stewing, growing, and drinking mint can cause euphoric uplift. Soothing, aiding digestion of food and intuition, mint tea opens the senses and the mind. Bathing or washing with mint stimulates the skin and the circulation. The high notes of these aromas evaporate quickly. The use of mint in aromatherapy is widespread and well accepted. Peppermint oil is used for everything from headache cure to memory tonic. In the middle east, especially Morocco, mint tea is the beverage of choice for all occasions.
Growing mint is easy. I grow several varieties, with the most dominant ones winning out and taking over the space. A source of moisture is all they need to spread like crazy underground. To harvest it, cut it and hang your bundles in a dry dark place until dry. I store mine in brown paper bags once dry because I have too much to use jars. I harvest mass amounts throughout the year. In the summer we drink it every day for the cooling qualities. Mints mix very well with other herbs and fruits to create flavor layers in tea.
Mintha, the water nymph of myth, had an affair with Haides, god of the underworld, pissing off Persephone, his wife. In an all too common scenario in Greek mythology, angry wife takes revenge on the nymph, in this case by by stomping on her. She turns into the mint plant so that every time Persephone steps on her the aroma of mint wafts all over the angry queen. So whether you want to uplift your spirits or annoy an angry queen, the goddess Mintha is the tool for the job.
All Flesh is Grass
January 18, 2013
The idea that all flesh is grass comes from the book of Isaiah. It is meant to signify that life is short. It has another connotation that applies to Lance Armstrong and all who create level playing fields for themselves. It means that when it all comes down you’ve got to get back to Mother Earth.
You are leaving a legacy, now, this minute. Your life’s work and your charism can take any form. Your talents and gifts can be lavish or downright undiscovered. Your soul is here to learn how to use power. Your ancestors have used power in a myriad of ways that incarnate in you without your awareness or consent. Your ethical will is a choice you make by either accepting blindly or seeking new wisdom in new ways. If you are easily angered, chances a very good that you are easily duped..by none other than yourself.
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