Katrina 5 years later

The question was asked to me, How did Katrina change me. This was my replay.

"I came to Louisiana to start a new life just 30 days before "she" hit. I was in a motel room west of the city and looking for an apartment. The storm was bad but our motel suffered no real damage that I could see.

The aftermath was the worst thing I have ever endured. I listened to people on the radio begging anyone to help other people stuck in their attics or stranded on roofs who were dying of dehydration. Everyone in the motel I was in was left crying and trying to find lost loved ones for weeks. Then weeks turned to months. I saw violence from people who were supposed to be helping. I saw people taking advantage of the stranded and helpless. I saw the worst in people that I never knew could happen.

I saw some good though. Local stores donating food that would have otherwise rotted. Motel owners doing everything they could to accommodate anyone looking for a place to rest a weary head.

How it all affected me is rather odd. High winds panic me. I now have several different friends in several different states that I can use for evacuation destinations. I dont trust any insurance company. But I have also made a more positive turn in behavior too. I try to understand people instead of blowing them off. I take the non-expressway roads to where I want to go hoping I will see something I can cherish. I take better care of the people I love and make sure they know I love them no matter what. I have learned that things can be replaced and not to sweat the small stuff. My heart is still breaking for those who lost and are still in turmoil over the trauma and drama the storm caused. May I never forget it either. I never want to be numb or indifferent to it. I want to remember what it is like to see a mothers face the day she found her child searching the shelters out of state, using my laptop . Her gratitude was over whelming. I never want to forget letting the children, who were staying at the motel, help me put up Christmas lights, and I was gently reminded about Kwanzaa and then Hanukkah and Yule. By the time my window was decorated it was so beautiful I cried. It made me realize "this is how its supposed to be".

I suppose I can say it changed me for the better."

epiphany

I was just sitting here looking at things I have collected over time. Little things that seem to have noting in common with each other. An arrowhead I found while gardening in Alabama, a basket made of birch, a little plaque that says "I am not African because I was born in Africa, I am African because Africa was born in me", a brass replica of a Viking ship, candles, an acorn, a poetry book and so many other little things like that.

I began to wonder why I have them, other than the simple reason I love them. What could they all mean? How do all these things speak as a whole conversation in a single topic other than "Val loves us". Munching on my bowl of barley cereal it came to me.
They all speak of things past. The beloved sense of old being made new in my life. They all connect to a time when nature was or is God and of wonder and growth. They speak of life and death and life again. They sound of poetry and meaning in all that is basic instinct and tribal. Not one piece says "I am modern and cold"

Could this be the story of me and my path? A loving connection to all that is old all that is of earth, of sky, of water and fire? What a cycle to learn rom only to find its been in my soul from the beginning.

for Isaac Bonewits R.I.P.

Blessed was your life on earth
Many of us felt your insights worth
Forgetting never the works you've done
With the Oaks you are now as one

Journey well teacher and friend
To you a message Id like to send
For all of those on the other side
Teach from beyond and do not hide

Roar like a lion for all to hear
Let us know that you are near
For when you do some will learn
What it means to adjourn.

WOW

I joined a new group hoping to learn more about what it is I do and why its happening to me of all people. I have been blessed with somewhat of a kindred.

how do I tell someone that every word they put on screen resonates with me to the core. I feel like a star struck fool and yet thirst for more every day.

In the past I have been bitter, a bit cynical, and down right frustrated with complicated definitions of what it is that I do and who I am. Now I just want more. More art, More poetry, More spells, More song, more everything.

There is such a freedom with this feeling. All I can say is thank you to the one I feel connected to and star struck by and I will remain constant with my learning.

I promise.

Peace in the Morning

I woke up this morning and there was peace. No buzzing in my head, nobody bothering me for this or that. It was nice for a change. Crow was telling me it was time to get up but what else is new? LOL. I sat down and wrote some in my blog on another forum hoping maybe some of my friends might "get it" I doubt if any of them will but hey, life is fun because we are all different right?
After getting the library and the art studio done, My friend called with a proposition.
I have much to do with my time now. I have been commissioned to sew...HA! this is going to be interesting I assure you. I would rather extract alligator teeth for a living but at least this task wont cost me more in health and life insurance.

My time in the spirit world has taken a back seat to the mundane of getting a life the world wont see as "out there". I still have Mr Man and who I now know as Sophie the playful one around to remind me of my duties. I could use a little advice on a new one who has shown up and likes to be noisy. So if any of you know how to handle a pesky one let me know. I have tried to tell it to hush and be polite and even said if it cant be quiet then it has to go. That didnt work. I have told it out-right to leave and it hasnt gone. Ugh! the only reason I want it gone is because my dog is getting jumpy when its around. The fact I cant get a feel on this one bothers me.

Its not my fault

Its not my fault my voice heals those who listen.
Its not my fault I see visions from the past and future.
Its not may fault spirits talk to me.
Its not my fault. Its not my fault.

Its not my fault deer trust me.
Its not my fault dog obeys me.
Its not my fault Raven comes to me.
Its not my fault cat loves me.
Its not my fault its not my fault.

Its not my fault my people left Europe.
Its not my fault they took your land.
Its not my fault they did what they did.
And its not my fault I am what I am.

I choose to listen to that unheard
I choose to pay forward what I have learned
I choose to be what was meant to be
I choose to be nothing other than me

I choose kindness over hatred
I choose truth over lie
I choose education of all things
I choose heart over mind

I choose life over death
but if death does come
I choose what is beyond it
where the ancestors are from.

knowing what you practice

I was reading today. something about Voodoo and Shamanism and herbal healing all in one. I am one of those people who says, look, as long as it works who cares. But to give repect where respect is due. Voodoo is very specific. Shamanism also has specific roots. herbal healing can be a part of many cultures and not all cultures have the same herbs used for the same healing.

I understand that using a title gets notoriety and people might pay more attention to it or you but lets be fare and respectful. Eclectic magic and healing does work, it just isnt looked at with much respect. The reason it doesnt get respect is because people tend to call it something its not.

If you are eclectic and have borrowed from other traditions...thats ok, just say you are eclectic and know what you are doing and know that it works. People will respect you more and your reputation will be better for it.