New Stuffs

Good grief it has been a while. So many things....

I am planning a book.

I am in a very stable and loving relationship with a man who was worth waiting for, and there are days I wish I had waited.

New city, new job, new house....

Fewer but better friends than some I used to know.

Still haunted by the thoughts of some of the old friends and family from darker days, but thats ok.

A week

It has been a long strange week. The pain and loss of a person I had never met has colored so much of my life this week.

The near loss of a dear friend has shaken me in ways I did not think possible.

I need sleep.

I need knowledge that I do not, nor likely ever will have.

I need to be ... just be for a little while.

Near Miss

So last night a dear friend, whom I also love greatly, had a near miss.

His girl went to talk to her ex. To get things squared away before she and my friend continued their talks of marriage. They had already moved in together and were building a life.

I guess the ex didnt like that. So he shot her in the head and set his house on fire. Then, from her phone he starting txting break up messages to my friend.

He and I talked on the phone as he was packing a few things to go stay at his old place for the night. He got back to his place safe and sound and while he was upset with her ... he planned on having a talk with her today after work.

That of course didnt happen. In fact, the crazy ex went looking for my friend and burned her house down too. I thank the gods that he was not home but safely in his bed at the old place.

The light in this is that the crazy ex is also dead. He took his own life after calling the police.

I got the call this morning from him that she was dead ... that he had lost nearly everything. I hope though that he can hold on to the fact that he is alive. That he has friends and that he is loved.

"Love and light and hope for thee,
Now and ever my wish shall be."

New Things

Well alot has happened over the last few months which is why I have been so quiet.

First off I am single. Alan/Reaz and I ended our relationship at the first of the year. This happened for several reasons and was a long time coming.

I am now studying with a Druid Grove here in Columbus. I must say I really enjoy the people and the seriousness with which they take their commitment to their path. I am also grateful for the humor they bring with them. It is a very nice balance. I could have a home here in the Grove, and that is very attractive to me right now.

I am also living with my heart sister and her husband, who is slowly working his way toward becoming a heart brother in earnest. I have not had friends with the kind of faith in me that these two show in a very long time. I have missed it.

Slowly but surely I am finding myself again. I am finding my passion for life and the love for myself that I had misplaced. I have to say the year really is off to a great start.

Love and Light, Stand and Fight

Kuan Yin and Mael Duin Part One

I was loaned a book on Kuan Yin by a friend of mine. The author listed the 33 aspects of this Goddess. I immediately saw parallels with Mael Duin's journey through the Celtic underworld and the 33 islands that make up that plane.

What I propose to do over the course of the next few posts is to show the correlations between these two sets of mythology. I also hope to bring to light how to use these aspects of Kuan Yin to help learn and incorporate the lessons of Mael Duin's Underworld journey in daily life and spirituality.

I also made another discovery in researching these correlations, that being the list of 33 can be broken down into 11 sets of three aspects and islands. Each of these triplets holds an aspect from each of the Three Cauldrons from Celtic Spirituality. I hope to give a list of these later on.

At any rate, here is the first of the 11 triplets of correspondences.

• The first of Kuan Yin's aspects is Power. Mael Duin's first stop on his journey is an island inhabited by enormous ants. Ants are a perfect symbol for power, power in numbers as well as personal power. The ant can lift over 40 times it's own weight and when you get great numbers of them working toward the same goal they can do amazing things.

• Kuan Yin also has Clarification as one of her aspects. Clarification is reflected in the second island Mael Duin visits on his journey. The island's only inhabitants are Great Birds. One of the best ways to get clarification is to get a better perspective on a situation. The birds on this island fly to greater heights than any birds any of the crew have ever seen. Imagine the truly amazing perspective you could get if you could pull back to “a great height” to see your problems. Imagine the clarification that could bring.

• Kuan Yin's third aspect is Harmony. Part of harmony is having the power to do damage but choosing not to use it. This is shown on the third island which Mael Duin visits. There are great, meaning giant, horses here with claws sharp enough to flay a man alive. These creatures though, secure in their strength and living in harmony choose to let the sailors pass through their lands unscathed.

I hope you have enjoyed this first installment. If you liked it leave a comment and I will continue to post them every couple of days until we are through the list.

Love and Light

All Comes Home to Roost

Shadows fill the corners
of my world
Deep and dark
cool and calm
Alone too much
gentle tears
streaming and steaming
against hot cheeks
whispered questions
unheard
unanswered
but understood
varied thoughts
too many to name
slowly running
and rewinding
I remember sleep
and dreams
the playtime
of the soul
but now it is dark
time to come home
and the shadows
are deep and full
in my mind

The Dragon Witch (For Ris)

Once upon a time there was a witch. Not just any witch, but a good and kind witch. She was beautiful to behold. The towns folks however, did not know how to tell a good witch from a bad witch. One night they attacked her. She turned herself invisible and escaped!

She got really angry. But, being a good witch would not curse the towns folk. Instead she set off in search of a dragon to serve who would protect her. Now she knew that normally dragons prefer princesses but she figured she had a few assets she could bring to the table. For instance, it didn't take her an hour to do her hair in the morning, and she really didn't care if she broke a nail. The big bonus was that she could read and use magic.

She had heard that there was a dragon that lived in the mountain to the north. She decided that this might be the best place to start. So, off she went in search of her dragon.

There were many skirmishes with nasty little creatures off all sorts along the way. She was pleased that she could dispatch them so easily. A few she blew up just because that was always fun. A couple she turned to stone. They looked very nice in the morning sunlight. One she turned into a crow.

He followed her after that, thinking she must be a goddess to have had such power over his body. She decided to let the little goblin crow come along. She did need a familiar after all, the dragon might not take her seriously without one. He was also very smart! He understood her tongue and showed her where things were and which were the best paths to take. In return, she made sure he was safe from the other creatures of the world.

After three days of the two traveling together they finally reached the mountain. The witch looked up the side of it and realized just how big it was. She asked the little goblin crow to fly up and see if he could find a cave that might be big enough for a dragon. He was glad to do so. He was a goblin and loved mountains after
all.

He flew up the side searching for an opening big enough for a dragon. While he did not find a door that seemed the right size, he did see runes marking the stones that said one lived there. So, back down he flew to tell the witch. She was very pleased at what the goblin crow had found and gave him some berries from her pouch, which he gobbled right up.

They found a cave entrance big enough for her to walk through with him sitting on her shoulder. He was not used to flying after all and it still made him tired. Down the winding passages they trod looking and listening for signs of a dragon.

After a few hours, they began to hear all manner of strange sounds. Squawking and snapping, thumping and crashing. If there was a dragon here, he might not be in the mood to receive visitors, but the witch was determined.

They walked on and the sounds became louder and louder. They finally rounded a corner and to both their surprise they found not one dragon, but three. Three baby dragons ran about fighting and brawling with each other. Both the witch and the goblin crow cocked their heads to the side and then looked at each other. This was not what either had expected. Then at the same moment they realized that it had grown very quiet.

The three little dragons had stopped playing to stare at the strangers. They took turns looking from the strangers to one another. Finally one asked who they were. The witch smiled and introduced herself and her little friend. She also told them the story of how she came searching for a great dragon that she could serve, while he protected her.

The little dragons hung their heads and shook them sadly. There were no big dragons here. A knight had come. They were all alone. The witch shook her head too and the goblin crow thought the whole matter sounded about right. That is what knights did after all.

So after much talking together and thinking on the matter, the five came up with an idea. It was a wonderful idea as far as any of them were concerned. The witch knew magic, so she could cast all manner of spells. The little goblin knew the mountain and all the pathways on it. He also has really good eyes now. The little dragons could make all manner of noise and would very soon be rather larger than they were at the moment.

So they decided to pull all their talents together and live there and protect each other. So what if there was no a big dragon around, between them all they could make sure the world believed there was.

So they lived for many years in the safety and comfort of their mountain home.

The End