Solstice Sweetness in the Thunder Moon

The clouds hung around all day. And just as I threw up my hands and said that’s all the preparation I’m going to do for the vigil tonight and I’m going to at least slip into the pool, it started to rain.

I listened carefully, it wasn’t rumbling, just raining. So off I trundled to the pool, and slipped in. It really is magical this swimming in the rain thing… It was still hot and the pool was still cool. The guard watched from under the overhang and i mostly floated. ahhhhhhhh.

Then back for the vigil with the two hundred. You’ve heard me on that.

And then out to the local ice-creamery to watch the end of the glorious sunset, a moon hanging in the sky with some planets to chat with and the rising of the fireflies.

I don’t know how much we accomplished on real Peace last night (although I have my suspicions…) but it was lovely to finish the evening in the company of a like-hearted friend rejoicing in the beauty of the earth and the blessings of the Solstice… claiming the sabbath for rejoicing in and being present to Mother Earth and her abundance.

Maybe we’ll do better on big P Peace today…

A Thunder Moon Sabbath to Remember

The Thunder Moon is really rattling. Every day it seems, we have a thunder boomer.

And last night the sweetest rain to sleep by. zzzzzzzzzzzz.

Today is Father’s Day… may your memories be sweet and may you make new ones as sweet and juicy as this season’s berries.

Today’s the solstice, giving us a whole sweep of bright and shiny days with long hours of sun (over 15!) well, sun behind the clouds, because that’s what’s going on here! May we be illuminated… May we use the light to look clearly at what is going on in our world. May the beauty we see empower us and keep us strong in the face of the work to be done.

And there’s a lot of work to be done.

Today in my valley we will commemorate the nine who died in Charleston. We will pause and weep. We will decide what if anything we’re going to do to make a difference here. Or at least have a start at it. Let us remember those who died for no reason other than hatred. Our family has lost children. It’s awful. I can’t imagine losing children — or anyone — simply because they existed. To have them targeted and executed. Assassinated. May we be moved to act against the hate — and act in ways that make a difference.

Peace was never more urgent; never more confusing. Let us Peace.

Am I Complicit with Peace — or Not?

I hope that this is one of the questions that we can begin to ask ourselves… where do we stray from the Path of Peace?

How easy is it to think that a loving heart will dissipate the structures of racism that are embedded in the foundation of our country?

What is the specific work I must do?

Can I allow myself to acknowledge my failings… my sin… to live with that discomfort long enough to allow it to transform me, to allow myself to feel the urgency of this sacred, terrible moment… that I will make a place for the Other. That I will become a person of Justice.

Can I refrain from refuge in a prayer that the Divine will welcome these Martyrs home, as if The Lady did not snatch these souls to her bosom to comfort their terror and their loss, as if The Lord needed to be reminded to welcome and to love.

Why have we not heard the word Martyrs? are we unwilling to see these beloved dead as Martyrs to a system that must be abolished?

Can I hold silence long enough to see how far I have wandered from Peace? The Solstice is upon us, shedding full light upon the day’s realities. The Thunder Moon is increasing, rattling our complacencies. Let us look for the Path to Peace…

Thunder Moon Peace!

It’s a new month… and there were choices to make about names. Thunder Moon seemed a fairly clear winner given the storms of the last couple days.

This could be a month of seeing what’s true. It’s soon the longest day with the brightest sun for a slow and steady reveal. And there will be slashes of light casting a different look at things… We’ll be waking up early, because the Sun’s insistent. Shall we use the time to step up?

And things can be, should we choose, be shaken up in the time of the Thunder Moon — or we could begin to see that in fact things are already different from what they’ve been, or we’ve thought they’ve been…

It’s time. Are we ready? People, the Earth, All God’s critters really shouldn’t have to wait any longer on us, should they? All in for Peace?

Ah, The Peace of the First Swim!

At last! I finally got it together to get to the pool and buy my membership. It’s cheeeeep when you’re over 55. Set up my locker. Settled in for the long haul! Sooooo happy.

And the water was delicious. It’s a great pool. It was about 6:30 and there were lots of parents there with their toddlers for a postprandial swim to get them tired out for bed.

Only sore point? The music. It has a great beat for water zumba which is mostly what i was doing, but the language was all about sex and oooh pretty explicit… and also demeaning of women. So I’ll have to pull on my curmudgeon outfit and talk to the very young staff about why a) babies don’t need to listen to any of that shit and b) it’s really sort of anti-feminist if you listen to it, and that they might not want to give those messages either… gagh.

But really, it was heavenly… There is nothing sweeter for me. There are so many memories. love, love, love it. Peace of a whole summer’s swimming to you. But oh, i’ll miss my swimming buddies…

Peace, Sabbath, Berry Moon

Is a Peace volcano a metaphor completely in conflict with itself? But if all those languages, all those Peace words have gone underground, don’t they need to find a way to surface?

What would that mean?

All of which is a lot of thought for a sweet early summer Sabbath morning in the Berry Moon. Mother Earth is at her beautiful, abundant best this morning.

This is a day packed full of community and beauty. It’s already started with my morning walk. Both Sarajane and I were moving slowly, so we wound up sitting on some neighbor’s chairs down by the river. There were ducks and eagles and herons and fish… and a beautiful deer at the water’s edge across the river. And silence. there was a lot of silence. Ah….

And today there is a Good Neighbor gathering in a local park in celebration of two wonderful community leaders. This is the first ever celebration as Doug and Margie Sturm died last year. There will be food and music and lots of laughter.

What could be sweeter?

and as for the volcano… i don’t think the world will go on as it has… and maybe reclaiming language and difference can oddly be a thing which draws us together. We’ll keep thinking about Peace, shall we? and the notion however silly or mystical that there’s a huge bunch of molten Peace at the center of the Earth? Peace be with you on this sweet Sabbath morning. Enjoy your day…

More Peace in the Full Berry Moon?

Oh, it’s an amazing time of year. Or rather it’s the start to an amazing time of year.

So much fresh food at the peak of freshness and nutrition.

It’s a wonderful balance of good for you and just plain good.

And it’s the kind of bounty you can over indulge with few side effects!

I remember sitting at dinner at my Swedish Mama’s house with my parents. Mama came out with a big, big bowl of strawberries and an equally gigantic one of whipped cream.

Indulgence in Summer! Indulgence in Bounty! and sharing it out among the friends. There is no greater delight. Sweet Peace in the Berry Moon to you, my dears!

Flower Moon Rainbows of Peace

Is it a bad thing that I love thinking up goofy titles? I figure if I’m writing at 8:30 in the morning, you’ll just have to put up with my giggling.

But really, the changing seasons make differences we don’t expect… and in my case don’t remember from year to year… I know the Flower Moon doesn’t bring the flowers, it’s called that because the changing Sun makes it warm and bountiful and spring rains delight.

It was such a lovely thing to have rainbows appear on my Mother’s paintings. Around Mother’s Day, we might add. It was crazy making, because at first i couldn’t understand whether or not it was something I’d missed and how was that possible? And then, it moved to another painting… and another rainbow. wow. (I can only blame the allergens for my slow understanding.)

But then I realized, right it’s summer. The sun is higher and it’s pouring through my pretty crystal hanging in my window. It happens every year. And every year I am surprised by Joy.

And that? is a good thing. Joy is out there. Peace is out there. I believe that. I try to live that. And I’m thrilled when I’m surprised by it.

Right. Trust the Peace of the Flower Moon.

We’ve had gorgeous nights outside in this Flower Moon. Warm and relaxed and beautiful. Windows are open… or at least occasionally, because of course the trees are also enjoying the Flower Moon which means I’m still doing that hunker down inside thing.

We’re looking for rain today, so maybe it will wash all the pollen away. We can live in hope, right?

But the open window thing? It let’s in noises. So there I was on Saturday night and i started hearing this annoying beeping, sounding like a car unlocking. but it continued. I looked outside, didn’t see anything and went to bed, only to be awakened in the middle of the night crying.

All I could imagine is that my sweet neighborhood had been invaded by Not. In. My. Back. Yarders… devastating. How has it come to this? Seem unlikely? My friend Sarajane just informed me that a Catholic church in SF, in an effort to deter people with no homes from sleeping on the relative safety of their porch have installed an intermittent sprinkler system.

Why welcome people when you can let them know what your church really thinks. And what the heck, why not waste water in a state where people don’t have enough to drink and the people you’re watering have no access to public showers. What a nice thing, eh?

But when I woke up yesterday, I realized: Smoke detectors and batteries gone bad. I changed a couple and now I realize. oh, right, they all go bad at this time of year. And when I say I realize, I mean I stumbled to the basement to pull the battery out in the middle of the night last night. I changed that battery this morning! And I’ve run out of 9 volts. Drug store, here I come. (and thank goodness for the local socialist book store that recycles those batteries.)

It’s the little things, but it would be nice if my first thought wasn’t about people who can’t seem to care about humanity. Mistrust is not particularly Peace-building. Being present to your life is a good thing.

I’d better work on those things AND change the batteries. Peaceful morning, everyone. and check your smoke detectors and your battery supply. And if a church in your neighborhood is not being church, write to them and say “Fie, for shame.”

Sweet Festival Flower Moon Peace

The Flower Moon is doing her job. Gardens are just quivering with delight. Trees are loaded. Peepers are peeping. It’s Spring, dadgummit!

It’s cool today, but the sun is shining.

A half a block away from my house two large metal sculptures are for sale. One is an almost full sized elephant head. The other is a saucy dragon. oh yeah.

It’s my party. which the whole town threw just for me, or that’s how I’m looking at it.

In villages all across the Susquehanna Valley, indeed our country, maybe even our world, people are celebrating Spring. They’re strolling in small towns, eating festival foods, greeting their neighbors, hanging out with their friends and having a good old time.

My husband’s playing in the park from 11:30-12:30. Go bang a drum with him.

(I’ll be at the food court, meeting my buds!

And coughing, yes, and coughing. But I just visited my favorite pharmacist, so I can at least mask the symptoms! Because I certainly don’t want to stop the flowers!

Bright wonderful Festival Peace be with you. Happy Birthday to my 3 birthday buddies and blessings to Ro and Arlyne who at long last are getting married! Celebrate! Create Community. and just flat out enjoy!

Sacred Village

Building a World of Peace, Village by Sacred Village.

Tag Archives: seasons