My Own Wrinkled Reflection

 Oracle of the Dreamtime ~ Brush Turkey

False ideology, wrinkled introspection. Brush Turkey didn't like herself or anyone else particularly. She scorned the other forest birds based on her own bent reflections, and when chance gave  her fire she burnt the verdant forest to the ground forming the central red desert of Australia. 

And that effort gave her dull soot colored feathers and red wrinkled face and neck. I wonder how often I've given myself that reward for prejudging someone else's inner spirit. We've come in contact with a number of seemingly rabid dog rescue groups in the past month, wondering why they are bussing dogs in from other states and countries, when there are so many going hungry here. Reminds me of the rabid anti-abortionists, who offer nothing to orphanages, better inspections of foster homes, no open door of their own. But maybe that is just my wrinkled reflection I'm seeing. 

In The Line

 Oracle of the Dreamtime ~ Sun

Perpetual motion, journey. Today we are on the road, unusual for us, but it may result in the new family member we are ready to welcome into our life. 

Many animals have been given up because of Covid, either their owner has died from it or jobs and consequently, homes have been lost. 

Still debating even getting the vaccine? See where you stand in line in this article...after the rich and famous get theirs of course. We are low on the trickle down path, but the good news is there are all those crash test dummies in front of us. 

Free Meat

 Oracle of the Dreamtime ~ Seal

Like our American buffalo herds, the Australian fur seals at Seal Rock are slaughtered and gone. Sometimes  the environmentalists go too far but if humans don't have some kind of check, they also go too far. 

Rob is licensed to carry, as are many members of my family. We don't hunt anymore, the nothing matters blood lust of Rob's war years passed, and we figured out shouting "free meat" was just an excuse to kill. Nothing free about all the licensing and equipment and time off work associated with that little bit of free meat. 

I guess this is one of my sub-soapboxes, if I raise a spear or pistol it will be to protect my personal body, I'll be no ones free meat or fur coat.

Making A Keet

 Oracle of the Dreamtime ~ Rainbow Lorikeet

Disabilities. This is the story of a little girl with twisted limbs and constant pain, who was transformed into a beautiful shining bird who could fly away, leave it all behind. Lovely story. Not life. 

I don't even know if I'm allowed to say disability now. I know a lot of us are the d word that doesn't show. Most of us probably if truth be told. Humans are fragile on the outside and inside, when we aren't being tough. 

A teacher identified herself to me a few days ago as she/her and I didn't have a clue what she was talking about. When she explained I laughed and said I didn't have a clue what all the other self-identifiers meant either and was afraid to look them up for fear of what the searches would inverdently bring back and I'd need to boil my eyes. 

All I know for sure is humans have Always been born different, maybe 2020 is when they get to say so. And honestly? I don't want or need to know their sexual persuasion. Because it doesn't matter, only love and we all need that. I hope we all find it and sometimes that love is disabled too. It takes work to make a Rainbow Lorikeet.

The Boy Formerly Known As B

 Oracle of the Dreamtime ~ Moon

Cycles and changes. We are working the process for making a big one, adopting a new family member. 

We've been here a good number of times before, it is always scary and exciting. Hard work and big fun. 

Hats off to the many and myriad dog rescue groups who give so much and work so hard to save the ones who can't save themselves. 

Reward and Punishment

 Oracle of the Dreamtime ~ Kangaroo

Marsupials were gifted their baby carrying pouch from Spirit in return for the kindness shown to a aged wombat by a mother kangaroo. 

Not all good deeds go rewarded, and sometimes they are punished as the saying goes, but it shouldn't stop us from thoughtful actions, everyday kindness, generosity of spirit. These cost nothing and gain much. One on one we haven't forgotten, but as a world, I'm not so sure. 

Makes Me Laugh

 Oracle of the Dreamtime ~ Echidna

If I can't have it neither can anyone else. Echidna wanted all the honey but he couldn't get to it and no one would give him the tools to do so, so in spite he drank up all their water. The ill thought out plan ended poorly. 

Didn't have to, he could have shared with the community. His nature wouldn't allow it, mine all mine ruled his life. The lesson in this, his life ended, early and painfully. 

I'm thinking about sending sizable checks to my five nieces and nephews, just because. There is a string...I want them to let me know eventually what they spent it on. One of the favorite what if conversations of our early broke days was what if someone gave me X dollars. I've thought of that often as I've moved through my life generations. Each generation the focus changed.  The memories make me laugh. And I'd like not to be remembered as the selfish Echidna who could have shared and didn't. 

Tipping Point

 I Ching Tarot ~ Hexagram 23

Mountain over Earth. Splitting apart.            

Inferior influences hold sway, evil feeds on evil and misfortune is reaching for its peak. The challenge is holding true while Mountain over Earth works to split apart all that is whole and good. Will the tipping point be reached? It is very close. 

Image credit: Nikki Wyss, Raw Footage Photography

If Anyone Cared

 I Ching Oracle ~ Hexagram 59

Wind over Water. White caps. We say 'the river is full of chop' here. If in a boat your teeth hit your skull with every chop. Whap. Whap. Whap. Your options are ride it out white knuckling the gunwale or the tiller and hope it doesn't get worse, or offload to land. 

Life chop, well, sometimes there isn't any resolving, only finding personal release. Today is the big fire day. Torching the huge pile of limbs and debris cleanup from downing two forest giants for firewood this spring. I'm respectfully adding two packages. Releasing, resolving only way left to me. 

I'm crying, and will cry again later. But maybe some of that dreadful chop will resolve to calm water. It's been nine years after all...if anyone cared but me I'd have heard about it by now. 

Lost Lakes

 I Ching Tarot ~ Hexagram 61

Wind over Lake. There are ancient lakes wind has through time, completely depleted. Now sand. Ringed by bones of dinosaurs coming for their last drink, sucked down in mud that remained.

If this strange year has changed nothing we are a hopeless breed indeed, deserving of the mud fate that awaits us. The bog created by history books, white man history, framed in glory. Mired in lies and manipulation and sleight of hand. 

We've been force fed history books that show today as fat pilgrims around well built tables, laden with corn on the cob and beautifully baked whole turkeys. Do a search for the real first thanksgiving and read awhile. Start a new tradition with truth. And teach it to your children. Then spend some time with the reality of Cortez, Columbus, Custer...our history is the mud of lost lakes, glossed over photoshopped fairy tales. Today's children deserve better, I'll do Thanksgiving when I see that wisdom a reality. 

Brittle

 I Ching Tarot ~ Hexagram 57

Wind over Wind. This hexagram suggests small puffs for quick change. Sustained winds require bigger rearrangements. And in Tao manner, always with gentle thought, truth forefront. 

Life changes, just like wind direction. I believe the very basis of Tao is bend, don't snap. I've made a number of changes this year, tiny and long term both. Mostly driven to it because I felt I was at the breaking point. That brittleness is hard to live with, harder to sustain. Better that I bent. It is a shame humans hate change so much...it isn't bad once you get off your (Y) and start. Little bites at a time. Baby steps. 

Giving In To Thunder

 I Ching Tarot ~ Hexagram 51

Thunder over Thunder! Sounds exciting. What it means is we've been guided by ego, and honor has dwindled to nothing. The heart has faded; whipped and encouraged by invective the mind runs on autopilot, thinking only of yesterday. 

I speak for myself, knowing it can take years to clean up that kind of life mess. Enlightenment can be painful. Especially when I was right and they were wrong still lingers. And the world rolls on by and we willingly bathe in the thunder until one day we realize we are the only ones suffocating in the lava. The world doesn't care, and we only have one individual life, and wasting it on thunder which produces nothing is sad beyond sad. 

Carpola happens. Get over it. I wonder just how many times I've murmured Let It Go. Millions. Because I know it works. Eventually. 

Weirdest Year

 I Ching Tarot ~Hexagram 19  

Lake over Earth. Approaching powerful beneficial influences. Good news on any level. Apparently effective vaccines are on the way. And they will be double vetted because the rich and famous will get them first, long before they trickle down to real people. The same way testing works. Still can't get tests on demand here. 

2020 will probably go down as the weirdest year those of us alive now will ever live through. It has encouraged me to make some serious changes...might as well, can't change the world or anyone else. 

Yesterday? The things I've sorted into bins and boxes over the last three years for donation, but seem to cling to regardless, went into the Jeep. The pile has been rising on two sides of the living room, just sitting there, shouting 'you can't let go you can't let go'. Well they are outta here the next trip down the hill. And as part of the national hive mind apparently, I put up a little lighted tree. Haven't bothered with a tree in at least 15 years. Two changes in one day. Wow.

A Spoon And A Ship

I Ching Tarot ~ Hexagram 53

Wind over Mountain, no pressure, just steady breeze at our back. One bite at a time, a dragon can be devoured with a spoon. Not that I would, I love dragons. But the concept, it is a good one, tried and true. 

I changed my life 20 years ago, 15 minutes a day, over the course of 9 months. My environment, which turned into a mental wake-up call, which turned into good stewardship as opposed to no ship at all. 

I'm an all or nothing person which can be both blessing and curse. If I join something I take part, not lurk. The drawback to that commitment gene is I also avoid a lot of things other people enjoy just because I can't or won't make that personal commitment. I guess our personality is our Wind, the Mountain is our life. We can hang about the shoulders dabbling, or we can edge around ever higher, or we can shoot for straight up, get it over with, and enjoy the slide down the other side. I think life is all three, I'm paddling my ship with my trusty spoon. 

A New Tradition

 I Ching Tarot ~ Hexagram 18

Mountain above Wind. Spoiled through neglect, rejuvenated via effort. 

Unless we are dead, our lives aren't spoiled. I can hardly believe the fuss people are kicking up because they've been asked, politely, to not haul their dirty-ass germs to the Thanksgiving table. Not surprising though, Americans put the capital A in Arrogant and are reaping that wind. 

The thing about traditions, is it only takes once to make one. The next year it is a tradition. So next year we'll have new ones. This year we get to make one. A special one we can laugh and cry over and share next year. If we are still alive. A bunch of us won't be.