Back from Vision Quest

Beloveds,

I am back from being On The Hill.  wow.

It was of course an intense experience, being out under the sun & moon & stars for 4 days and 4 nights.  I thought this time would be easy - I mean I have done it 3 times now! - but it was actually the hardest.  Literally too, as I was encamped on a beautiful, beautiful spot which had secretly submerged rocks which I had not realized were there just under the dirt and grasses until I was trying to get comfortable some place in my circle.  LOL. Suffice it to say I got to know rock energy pretty well by the time I was done.

It was however an idyllic spot - wildflowers, a creek, beautiful trees - every color of the rainbow, every symphonic sound of nature - water, bees, wind rustling the leaves, amazing numbers of birds singing, frogs chorusing, owls hooting, crickets chirping.  I saw many creatures: ladybugs, bumblebees, colorful beetles and ants, grasshoppers, a million (or so it seemed) butterflies, hummingbirds, doves, jays (both scrub and stellar), hawks, vultures, eagles, woodpeckers, little brown jobs, blackbirds, a mud turtle, a small snake, heard a mouse rustling the grass, and a doe, with a couple of dogs thrown in for comedic relief.  There were challenges, but so much Beauty overall.  The full moon was exquisite, large and so bright and when the moon set there were many dazzling stars and one night the Milky Way was clearly visible.  I saw shooting stars nightly was well.

I offered prayers per all the requests I received, and I offered hundreds of prayers for earth restoration, the world's waters, all the taxonomies of plants, animals, beings, places, peoples, languages and wisdom that I could think of.  I offered many prayers for peace in general and in specific conflicts as well.  I prayed for all my loved ones, my friends, my clients and many more besides.  I prayed for a number of people who just recently departed, including Mark's favorite Aunt Bet, who died the day before I left.  I prayed for our collective health, wealth, happiness and wisdom.  It was a lot of prayers and pondering.

Many special things happened, but Vision Quest is by its nature a private event and I have already said a lot - so I will share one detail which seemed to be a message not only for me but for the community as whole:  I was watching one particular swallowtail dance around its world tour of the flowers when it took a turn and lingered in front of a No Trespassing sign I could see obliquely from my spot.  I burst into laughter at this sincere looking effort by the butterfly to apparently read this stern warning about breaking the rules. Then I burst into tears because I knew that I was the butterfly and that all those stern rules were just as absurd when applied to me as well.  And I realized we are all the butterfly, trying to please heaven knows whose idea of rules that have no bearing on our condition as free beautiful creatures.

So I say to you: be the butterfly, and forget the rule book.  It's not written in a language that speaks to you at all.


xoxoxoxo,

Tobey

Wild elephants mourn author's death

Here is an amazingly touching story, a tribute to the interrelationship between all of us here on the planet.

Get out your hankies!

Wild elephants mourn author's death - Beliefnet.com

We Who Are Horses

Enjoy this wonderful short film which shares the world from a particular horse's point of view.  Ross lives on the Navajo reservation and has a unique perspective.  So lovely.  You can learn his song!

 

see an article in the Huffington Post and like this page on Facebook! 

We Share This Planet With Amazing People

I have friends who are traveling around the world with their four children. It is so wonderful to read their various blogs.  But it also expands our mind's eye as to the other people with whom we live on this blue ball.

So I was very happy to see this slide show from BBC photographer Timothy Allen.  This is a joy and also very poignant.  And it reminds me of my friends' adventures which I am enjoying vicariously as well.

 

Vincent, the dad of my friends' family, is also an internationally acclaimed photographer, and he has taken some spectacular shots as well.  I hope he publishes a book.  From his pictures, I now know that this angelic girl has sandalwood paste on her face - a cosmetic, sunscreen, bug spray and so much more.

Happy planet!!

 

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the New Paradigm... LOL

Too funny!!  I love that my most groovy-oovy grilfriends shared this little film clip about the silly things that you hear new age folks say. I have heard (and seen) virtually every moment of this - and just sayin' - sometimes it's all too much.

And on the very very plus side, this was put together by a very interesting group who is starting their own YouTube channel called Elevate.  They apparently live in a beautiful intentional community in Ojai where they are dedicated to crafting creative solutions that unleash human potential.  This nice video uses more humor to explain it.

Meditation Increases Brain Size

This may or may not be of assistance to those who wish to fend off dementia, but there are significantly measurable changes that occur in the brain with repeated meditation practice.  I know it made a significant difference for me in graduate school, especially at the doctoral level.

This recent article from Harvard explores the meaning of one intriguing study.

Abandoned Gothic-Style School Building in East Harlem to be Converted Into Affordable Artist Housing

I have known a number of people who have converted huge old buildings like this.  Just the hardware alone is exciting in these old piles - they truly don't make anything like they used to any more.  My ex-husband Cary and I had some adventures among ruins along these sort of lines, many many years ago.  Anyway - I find this very inspiring that this huge place is going to get a new life sustaining creative people and their creative families, allowing them the basic necessities (and then some!) for contributing culture and fresh ideas to the world.  We need much more of this kind of thinking.  There is so much abandoned and yet useful real estate that could be re-purposed.

A Couple Who Collect Plastic Trash from the Beach and Turn It Into Art

I find this couple very inspiring.  One thing I really like is the very clear limits they have set on what they are and are not doing. They know they are not cleaning the beach.  And yet they do, at the same time.  See for yourself how much clarity in practice can bring about substantial results, one day at a time.

Video of Richard Lang and Judith Selby Lang

Wonderful Whispery Guided Visualization

This YouTube video has the most luscious voice and imagery.  I love how she emphasizes the importance of actually being in our physical body while still reaching for ultimate peace and fulfillment for everyone.  It gives me goosebumps!  I actually like her voice even more than the visuals, but the visuals are very nice too.

Give this a whirl if you are having difficulty falling asleep or if you are feeling very stressed.  It will definitely move you into a better energetic state.

new moon in Capricorn on Xmas eve & day

This very nice note arrived in my inbox and I wanted to share with my near & dears.  This is such a potent time for transformation and planting intentions - I have been doing this in various forms of ceremony these past ten days or so, which is marked in the Mayan calendar as an auspicious time as well.  Please read below for some inspirations for your own personal ritual making over the weekend...

xoxoxo, Love Tobey

 

 

Dear friends,

Capricorn New Moon is on the horizon-- this beautiful energy which grounds the spirit into tangible form arrives 1:06 PM Eastern time on December 24th Christmas Eve.  It is positioned beautifully right between the Winter Solstice, which serves as the beginning of the New Year from the point of view of ancient sun cycle- based calendars (exact tomorrow morning 12/22) and the New Year of January first.  Given that this is a Capricorn New Moon, it favors new seeds of intention which are linked with goals, discipline and step- by- step dedication.

A new moon teaches gradualness

and deliberation, and how one gives birth

to oneself slowly. Patience with small details

makes perfect a large work, like the universe.

What nine months of attention does for an embryo

forty early mornings alone will do

for your gradually growing wholeness

--Rumi trans. Coleman Barks

Since the Solstice is falling within the dark of the moon (right before the New Moon), the next few days are an excellent time to clear space for new beginnings.  Even as your home may have all kinds of holiday piles gathered-- take some time to do the vital clearing- out which is going to be essential for the new beginnings en route.  It is like any other kind of seed planting:  first, one clears the land, tills the soil.  Enjoy the loveliness of the dark soil, this dark moment of the year which gives birth to light.

Jupiter stations on Sunday: this is a beautiful generous presence within our lives.  If you've seen a Christmas Carol, Jupiter stationing is exactly like the arrival of the Ghost of Christmas Present. Wherever we may have been, we can come back to the here and now-- and accept the gifts of the present moment.  In the words of Fra Giovanni, "No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present little instant." So, let's uncover that together.

Mars will go retrograde late in January but within this cycle,  Jupiter and Saturn are both trining the New Moon-- which is to say the situation is basically good-- we can move forward and build our dreams.  The best time to plant seeds of intention are December 24th at 1:06 PM Eastern time through the 25th.  Just as the wise men saw a star-- look for your star in the sky, and keep it in your heart.

Beautiful Sounds Abound if you know How to Listen

I loved this so much I wanted to share it far and wide.  There are two tracks here - a regular recording of crickets singing and one that is slowed down so that we can hear the true nature of their composition.  So beautiful!  Because of my last name, and perhaps for other reasons too, I am sometimes called Cricket by friends, so crickets mean a lot to me.  Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/uFguHRdUlk8

A Hopi Prayer for Peace

Thanks to Eileen for sharing this:

Great Spirit and all unseen, this day we pray and ask you for guidance, humbly we ask you to help us and fellow men to have recourse to peaceful ways of life, because of uncontrolled deceitfulness by humankind.

Help us all to love, not hate one another. We ask You to be seen in an image of Love and Peace. Let us be seen in beauty, the colors of the rainbows. We respect our Mother, the planet & our corn fields, with our loving care, from Her breast we receive our nourishment.

Let us not listen to the voices of the two-hearted, the destroyers of mind, the haters of self-made leaders, whose lusts for power and wealth will lead us into confusion and darkness. Seek visions always of world beauty, not violence not battlefields.

It is our duty to pray always for harmony between man and earth, so that the earth will bloom once more. Let us show our emblem of love and goodwill for all life and land.

Pray for the House of Glass, (United Nations) Pray for within it are minds clear and pure as ice and mountain streams. Pray for the great leaders of nations in the House of Mica who in their own quiet ways help the earth in balance.

We pray the Great Sprit that one day our Mother Earth will be purified into a healthy peaceful one. Let us Sing for strength of wisdom with all nations for the good of all people.

Our hope is not yet lost, purification must be to restore the health of our Mother Earth for lasting peace and happiness, Techqua Ikachi -- for Land and Life!



"Together with All Nations We Hold this World in Balance"
Hopi Elders
Hotevilla USA

The Ecstasy of Chocolate

I have been getting a message all week - the message is C H O C O L A T E

what could it mean? I turn to the Internet and find this:

“Chocolate causes certain endocrine glands to secrete hormones that affect your feelings and behavior by making you happy. Therefore, it counteracts depression, in turn reducing the stress of depression. Your stress-free life helps you maintain a youthful disposition, both physically and mentally. So, eat lots of chocolate!”

Elaine Sherman, Book of Divine Indulgences

Inspiration for the Heart

This video is so hypnotic and beautiful.  I fact checked some of the more astonishing claims, and while some of the dates are (perhaps) overstated in the archeological sections, the main ideas are strong.  This video offers a great message about the pervasive, distributed nature of consciousness and how we are an integral, inseparable piece of all that is.  That it does so with beautiful production vales and scientific information makes a palpable difference. I strongly recommend finding 25 minutes to watch this film.