A Spark of Bright Fire

May, clad in cloth of gold,/Cometh this way;/The fluting of the blackbirds/Heralds the day.

Raven Grimassi, Beltane

          On the eve of May Day sits the old Celtic celebration of Beltane (“bright fire”).  Its origins in the distant past have to do with the start of the summer breeding and crop-growing seasons, as well as marking the cross-quarter point between the vernal equinox and summer solstice.

          At the back end of the Celts’ year came Samhain, which has become our Halloween.  On both occasions bonfires were (and sometimes still are) lit on hillsides across Scotland and Ireland, and both occasions were believed to be times when the veil between worlds was especially thin.  Not only that, but in those Northern climes the late-April weather was finally becoming favorable to everyone getting outside and romping around.

          Events such as these, from every age and people, have imprinted something powerful, life-affirming and obviously long-lasting onto the collective consciousness of all humankind.  Even in their heyday they were regarded as containing many layers of meaning and metaphor.  So instead of this just being another day at the midpoint of another week for you or me, we might choose to consecrate it into a celebration of long light and greater warmth, imagining ourselves emerging from a lengthy hibernation into the welcoming green of deep spring.

Today on April 30th, let the ancient fire be rekindled in you.  Draw upon this feeling and fan it into something tangible and continual in your life today.

Friends And Family

This was sent to me from a friend.  Now you can send it to your friends & family.

One day a woman's husband died, and on that clear, cold morning, in the warmth of their bedroom, the wife was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't "anymore". 
No more hugs, no more special moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat, no more "just one minute." 

Sometimes, what we care about the most gets all used up and goes away, never to return before we can say good-bye, say,..."I love you." 
 
So while we have it, it's best we love it, care for it, fix it when it's broken and heal it when it's sick. 

This is true for marriage.....old cars(sometimes)... children with bad report cards, dogs with bad hips, and aging parents and grandparents..(especially since I am one of those!).

We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. 
 
Some things we keep -- like a best friend who moved away or a sister-in-law after divorce. There are just some things that make us happy, no matter what. 
 
Life is important.....like people we know who are special.. and so, we keep them close! 
 
I received this from someone who thought I was a 'keeper'! (imagine that!?)

Now it's your turn to send this to all those people who are "keepers" in your life,  if you feel that way.

Suppose tomorrow should be the morning you or I never wake up,.....do all your friends know you love them? 
 
Let every one of your friends know you love them. 

 
Live today because today is the only 'present'  that we get,....and tomorrow is not promised. 

Law of Logical Sequence

I am not sorry when sun and rain make April/my life is the life of the reaper and sower…

E.E. Cummings, “Religious Leanings”

          It is Spring in our hemisphere, and we are surrounded by nature’s profusion.  The earth is producing that which was planted deliberately by man or by default nature; existing plants were free to reseed the ground and yield up pretty much what they had before.  In our lives, it’s all seasons happening at once, and in consciousness we are always planting something.

          I have read about the law of attraction, by which we cultivate certain attitudes and expectancies and then draw into our lives corresponding conditions and circumstances.  Lesser known, but just as powerful, is the law of repulsion, by which things undesired do not show up.

          In my gardening metaphor the creative process is planting (the setting out to attract), and there is reaping (or gathering in what was attracted), but there is also weeding, fertilizing and alongside the determination of which crops to plant, the decision of which not to.  The selection of one seed over another is an intellectual exercise, but the actual planning is emotional.  Therefore we want to place more of our heart-energy around what we do desire than around what we don’t.  Thus our “repulsion” is free of rancor:   what we don’t select is fine and beautiful, and it’s just not for us today.

Today select your attitudes, desires and opinions and plant them securely in the fertile soil of your mind.  Be free to uproot and set aside those state of mind you believe no longer serve you.

The Feast of Fools

Mix a little foolishness with your prudence, it’s good to be silly at the right moment.

Horace, Odes

  TODAY is April Fool’s Day, which makes it a good day to ponder foolishness in a positive way.  Long ago a fool/jester often worked for the monarchy, and was not thought to be a dupe or stooge.  In his duties as a court jester, he may have told stories and done some acrobatics.  He may have also provided sage counsel to the king, offering the monarch a fresh perspective on policies and strategies.

 
The job description for a jester in modern times might be similar to that of a “political creatively consultant,” or someone who thinks outside the box.  In a deck of Tarot cards, The Fool appears in a stronger position that the Emperor or Empress or any other apparent authority.  It is numbered zero and can be used much like an ace in modern card games.

Tarot cards are a late-medieval delivery system of metaphysical principles.  The Fool’s distinctive place therein suggests ageless lessons in spiritual psychology:  lighten up, and listen to more than just the accumulated information of the intellect.  Circumscribe what you think you know with the perspective of the never-ending intelligence that is expressing through you, and answers will emerge pertinent to the here and now that are stunning in their clarity.

Today, I hope you smiled at the passing parade of people, place and things in and through your life.  I did.  This will lift your spirits and broadens your outlook.  Fresh ideals for achieving your goals unfurl in your mind.