Blog ~ Ruffled Feathers

Thoughts, ideas, perspectives, ruminations. If we make it through life without ruffling a few feathers, have we really lived?

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Take Shelter – Day 1025

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Before the tornado warnings – Photo: L. Weikel

Take Shelter

Well. I’m not sure where to start this evening. At the moment, the small, barely noticeable creek across the road from my house sounds like a roiling cataract. Sirens plaintively called out a couple of times tonight – a worrisome sound any time (especially when one lives out in the country). But they sounded especially lonely and dire as our cell phones simultaneously bleated out tornado warnings – entreating us to take shelter below ground, if possible.

I’m sorry. Where do we live? Last I looked, it was amidst the farms, fields, and woodlands of Pennsylvania. Not Kansas or Oklahoma. Yet here we are. From what I can tell, it sounds like there may have been two or three tornadoes touching down in our area earlier tonight.

Here’s a snippet of an astonishing video of a tornado winding its way up the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River just tonight. Is it because we usually see videos of tornadoes touching down and moving along vast acres of flat land that we have a distorted sense of how fast these beasts actually move? Watching that video feels unnatural.

Quite honestly, it feels like everything – not just the weather – is totally askew and out of balance.

Photo: L. Weikel

Speaking of Catastrophic Events

In addition to my profound concern over everyone who is impacted by the torrential rains, the terrifying and devastating tornadic activity, and the current and impending flooding that will only get worse over the next few days, there’s…Texas.

Honest to goodness, the complete disregard of the Constitutional rights of women in Texas makes me want to throw up. Inelegant, I’m the first to admit. But the unbelievable cruelty of empowering vigilante-citizens to essentially hunt women for a $10,000 bounty is insane. Add to that the American Taliban’s* determination that anyone aiding any woman who may be seeking an abortion beyond six weeks gestation can also be sued?

It is no wonder we needed to withdraw from Afghanistan. Good grief. We have our very own American brand of dehumanizing and debasing women, thank you very much. Perhaps we should mind our own ability to treat women as sovereign citizens with equal rights before we preach it anywhere else.

Not a creek, not a stream – Photo: L. Weikel

Crumbling Foundations

Remember how I’ve commented a number of times in the blogs of 2021 that this year is all about navigating the astrological phenomenon of ‘Saturn squaring Uranus?’ The old paradigms being shattered by sudden blows to their foundations? Unexpected transformations of traditional ways of being and ‘the way things have always been done?’

Well here we are. We are receiving absolute clarity on two major issues facing our country and the world:

Climate change is real.  And oppression and subjugation of women is an agenda paramount to the (not my father’s) Republican party.

The time is now to save ourselves. And it’s stunningly clear (if not a sad commentary on what we all knew if we’ve been paying attention) – we cannot rely on the Supreme Court of the United States to enforce the rights of women.

Think about the ramifications of that statement.

If we don’t take action now to defend what we know is right and true, more than the foundations of our homes will be swept away.

*affiliate link

(T-86)

A Sports Metaphor – Day 1024

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Falcon on my walk today – Photo: L. Weikel

A Sports Metaphor

Happy 1st day of September! I find it a bit unsettling to realize that 2021 is in the last inning of the third quarter. (How’s that for a mixed sports metaphor!?) It’s almost sort-of accurate – and besides, you know what I mean.

I did in fact get a chance to take a walk this evening, while simultaneously getting in some last-day-of-the-compliance-period CLE credits. I have to admit, this was one of the more enjoyable legal seminars I’ve ever attended, at least with respect to the milieu.

Last night I was concerned that the remnants of Hurricane Ida might arrive here early enough to preclude me from walking this evening. Luckily for me, ‘she’ held off. But her torrential rains are expected to arrive within the next several hours.

Obviously, there’s no chance our area will sustain anywhere near an impact even remotely as catastrophic as parts of Louisiana and Mississippi are experiencing. And I’m not trying to draw an analogy to that devastation. But our area is already saturated, so the forecast of possibly 6” of rain falling in a short period of time is not insignificant.

Biodiversity Process

Just thinking about the flooding that will inevitably occur in our area tomorrow, as well as the plight of millions of households and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi (and elsewhere) due to Hurricane Ida, and the most recent wildfire threat to the Lake Tahoe area (the Caldor fire), I’m reminded of one simple thing we all can do.

I’ve written about it before – lots of times, in fact. It’s the Perelandra EoP Biodiversity Process. I first described the Process here, just over two years ago. Hopefully a few of you are joining me in spending five minutes on the first day of each month engaging in this very simple process. The experience of working directly with the nature spirits of your land with the explicit intention of countering the effects of climate change and restoring balance is remarkable. (And by ‘land’ I mean the land for which you are responsible – either owning or renting – which can even be an apartment in the middle of a city.)

The best and most sincere endorsement I can give is from my own experience. I can feel the response of the Beings with whom we share this land. Not only can I sense a greater overall harmony since beginning this process two years ago, I also see it in the abundant fertility and coherence of the trees, grasses, wildflowers, birds of all sorts, insects of many persuasions, and animals that either live here or pass through routinely.

Giving Back

I’d like to think that my five minutes of devoted attention and intention contribute to the overall strengthening of the biodiversity on our planet. And even better? I love the opportunity it gives me to give back to Mother Earth for the cherished gifts she gives me – and all of us – every day.

If you don’t have your Essence of Perelandra (EoP) to engage in the process this month, I urge you to buy a bottle today so you’re ready on October 1st. Stay safe everyone. And balanced.

(T-87)

Monday Evening Sightings – Day 1023

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Look right along the edge of the tall grass – Photo: L. Weikel

Monday Evening Sightings

Our walk this evening began a little bit later than usual. While I yearned to move my body, I had zero interest in perambulating through air so hot and thick it felt like I was stepping into a steam room. So I waited until the sun was nearly set, hovering just above the horizon, which cooled things off just enough to make the atmosphere breathable and bearable. We still managed to get in some Monday evening sightings.

Lately, when taking our longer route, we’ve not only been encountering the Hounds of the Baskervilles (always a hair-raising treat for Spartacus – literally), we’ve also been treated to the hilarious sight of one of another neighbor’s ducks running home. It doesn’t seem to matter when we’ve walked over the past week or so, though. I’m starting to wonder if we’re their makeshift alarm clock to return home for the night.

The ducks always know we’re coming, no matter what time we happen to be walking by; we can hardly sneak up on them. Heck, the Hounds either bay eerily from their kennels across the field (sensing our passage along their property line) or barrel toward us with bared teeth and snarling invectives. Either way, they trigger the pups that live with the ducks (a few homes down the road) to pick up the greeting and yap at us furiously. (Yes, one’s definitely a Chihuahua and qualifies as a yapper; he’s an incessant – if adorable – yapper, as a matter of fact.)

Tonight, though, I noticed they were not alone as they scampered in their hilarious duck-waddles across the field to the safety of their home. Look closely; you’ll see.

Baby something… – Photo: L. Weikel

Weird Clouds

The clouds tonight were whimsical and evocative. When they billow and fold, reflect tangerine hues among slate gray shadows, and morph before my eyes, it’s hard for me (and my imagination) to simply look upon them and think, “Meh.”

Here’s one that reminded me of a massive stuffed animal sitting in the western sky. It looked like a stuffed Shar-Pei to me, but now that I’ve uploaded the photo I’m thinking it may look more like a baby hippo.

Close beside the stuffed animal cloud, rising up from behind the trees and shifting shape before my eyes was what I’m calling a Menagerie Cloud. The longer I look at this billowing mass of water vapor the more animals I see.

Menagerie Cloud – Photo: L. Weikel

Saving a Few

I’m saving a few of the photos I took today because I suspect the arrival of the remnants of Hurricane Ida may impinge upon my ability to get out and about over the next few days. While I’ll try to squeeze in a quick walk between the raindrops, we’re just going to have to wait and see.

(T-88)

Opportunity – Day 1022

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Shark – Opportunity – The Ocean Oracle by Susan Marte

Opportunity

The cards I drew last night for us as a collective yielded Jellyfish – Hidden Gifts as the primary with Shark – Opportunity as the foundation card.

I’m still pondering the perfection of the Jellyfish card’s message in light of the swirling miasma of events we’re witnessing in the world around us. And yeah…lucky are we if we are, in fact, only ‘witnessing’ any or all of it. Because to be experiencing any of the horror firsthand must feel like your entire world is being ripped out from under you.

It doesn’t matter where we look, in what direction, toward which catastrophe, or in which country, there just seems to be a cascade of awfulness. So the fact that the cards that presented themselves were Hidden Gifts and Opportunity begs reflection.

Conundrum

The whole little vignette relayed by Shark in The Ocean Oracle (set out below) has a vaguely familiar feel to it. Perhaps you’ll recognize in it another story that’s often mentioned when people feel forsaken. And it’s probably safe to say that there are thousands (if not millions) of people who feel forsaken right about now.

And just like last night’s message about Hidden Gifts, neither the Opportunity nor the Hidden Gifts are necessarily obvious as such. In fact, it’s likely they’re not. Who could possibly think that any of the extreme circumstances we’re facing in our country and world today could be considered either gifts or opportunities? And yet…

Shark’s Message

“Shark – OPPORTUNITY

The Story

Once upon a time in the watery depths of a great ocean long ago forgotten, there lived a community of sea creatures. They lived together in peaceful harmony. Their community was abundant and prosperous and provided for all of their needs. One day a neighboring shark came by, telling them of an opportunity that would enhance their lives even more. Since the community could not fathom what else they may need, they let the opportunity pass them by. The shark swam away. Time passed and the community started to hear about other communities, who had taken a chance with the opportunities the shark offered them, and how their communities had become even more abundant and prosperous.

The shark came again to the community, and again offered them an opportunity to enhance their lives. They were hesitant. They knew what they had and they were happy. Could there really be more out there? When the shark came for the third time the community decided to take the opportunity presented to them, this time not letting their fear stop them. Although at first it was scary and there was some hesitation, when the community whole-heartedly embraced the opportunity, they found their community grew and expanded in ways they never dreamed possible.

The Messages

Is opportunity knocking? Be aware it does not knock forever. If you do not take the opportunity it could pass you by. Is this an acceptable option? This card could be a reminder that there are opportunities and you need to grab hold and shape what comes your way and make it yours and make what you will of it. Opportunities may or may not be straight forward. They may be in the murky depths. They may come at dawn or dusk or be just out of vision or tangible reach. Opportunities abound. Take the fullness of the possibility and open up to the potential it holds.”

My Take

While some of us may be lucky enough at this moment in time to be witnessing as opposed to directly experiencing the ravages of Covid or Hurricane Ida or the terror of trying to escape Afghanistan or wildfires or earthquakes, it’s only a matter of time before we all get a taste of direct experience. If nothing else, we all live on and share Mother Earth. Climate change, like a virus, is blind to any of the superficial reasons we may tell ourselves that ‘it can’t happen to us.’

But there are hidden gifts in these tragedies. There are immediate lessons we can learn in each moment. And there are opportunities that demand to be explored and embraced if we – the community of humanity – are to thrive. But we must open our eyes without delay.

(T-89)

Hidden Gifts – Day 1021

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Jellyfish – Hidden Gifts – The Ocean Oracle by Susan Marte

Hidden Gifts

At least tonight drawing a few cards for wisdom and watchwords didn’t feel completely alien. The atmosphere surrounding life itself continues to feel out of sync to me. Things are off. Even the weather seems confused and ill-tempered. The temperature here dropped twenty degrees yesterday, but the humidity seemed to have increased, which seems impossible as everything’s sopping wet already. But could our inclination to withdraw into ourselves to escape lead to the discovery of hidden gifts?

That’s what a quick consultation with The Ocean Oracle would seem to suggest.

Instead of getting fancy, I asked the age-old cop-out question I use when I’m not sure what else to ask: “What do we need to know right now?”

Jellyfish – Hidden Gifts

“The Story

The florescence of the object drew her towards it. It was a jellyfish, washed up on the shore, its whole being spread upside down before her. She realized with some clarity the luck at the jellyfish being reversed. Upright and she would have risked stepping on it, not being able to distinguish its translucent shape with the beach around it. She bent down to study the still creature, noticed how out of its natural environment it instilled awe in her, and not fear. She thought how often we give more power to things through fear, things that out of context are diminished; safe; unalarming. She saw the intricate beauty as the jellyfish was laid bare before her. She was able to study the hidden side of this perceived danger with a sort of reverence – she never realized the beauty which resided in this creature, because she never had the opportunity, or took the time, to look. There were so many hidden gifts to be thankful for.

The Messages

Are you in a situation where you have to look deeper, or beneath, in order to see the hidden gifts before you? Even if you cannot physically remove yourself from the presence of what you perceive to be threatening or harmful, in your mind or heart remove yourself to equal ground. Turn the situation around to see the gifts being offered to you. There is huge fear around how things can hurt you, but do not let this distract from the gifts they offer. Edit the voice which tells us that what appears dangerous and poisonous and harmful we must stay away from or watch out for because it will hurt us. There are gifts in every situation.”

At the Foundation

Underneath the startlingly relevant card described above was the Shark card – Opportunity. The simple fact of Opportunity laying at the foundation of the Hidden Gifts speaks volumes.

For now, however, I leave us all to the ‘opportunity’ to contemplate what hidden gifts might be presenting themselves to each of us right now. Hidden gifts that we might otherwise be afraid of, but which are precisely what we require in the moment.

(T-90)

In For a Landing – Day 1020

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Snowy Owl Coming In For a Landing – Photo: L. Weikel

In For a Landing

A line of thunderstorms came through our area just as the sun was contemplating setting. Besides billowing harbingers of potential mayhem and torrential downpours, one scenario depicted in the sky was a snowy owl coming in for a landing.

I’d actually just completed closing Sacred Space following a session with a client when a deep and prolonged rumble of thunder rippled out across the sky. Stepping outside, I got goosebumps when I took in the scenario unfolding above my head.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter whether anyone else can see what you see. Not if the magic of a moment infuses with you awe. Or hope. Or maybe even the tiniest sliver of a sense of being part of something much greater than the superficial illusions that we normally chase and often cherish.

Besides these clouds, there were a few rainbow moments that, oddly, appeared to be less a rainbow and more a multicolored bar. I couldn’t manage to get a photo of it fast enough, but the traditional colors of a rainbow made a brief appearance in the sky sporting the sharp, clean, rectangular edges of…a flag. Or a banner. It seemed more a statement than a wish.

I was so frustrated that I missed the shot.

Speaking the Truth – Photo: L. Weikel

An Evening Chorus

The last several nights have been deathly silent as I wrote my posts. Those moments when the rain wasn’t falling and tink, tink, tinking on the metal casing of our window air conditioner, the air was still and close. The atmosphere was super-saturated (my skin’s assessment, not a meteorologically defined status statement) and no self-respecting insect, plant, or animal wanted to exert an ounce of unnecessary energy in pursuit of movement or song.

But tonight is different. Perhaps this shift will last and the weight of fearing to embrace change will lift from our psyches. It’s up to us to give our true selves permission to sing, just as the voices of the katydids, crickets, and annual cicadas are nearly deafening this evening.

We’re being pushed to question the way we’ve been doing a lot in our lives. What beliefs do we hold onto until our fingers bleed? Where do we place our faith? How do we know what’s true? What approaches to life are we so sure about that we’re willing to build our reputations on them?

What principles do we believe in so passionately that we’re finally going to risk finding our voice and speaking out?

Conversations – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-91)

Gilded With Sadness – Day 1019

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So much potential – Photo: L. Weikel

Gilded With Sadness

I’ve been sitting here feeling a similar sense of that ‘stuck in waiting’ I mentioned last night, only tonight’s is gilded with sadness. I’m speaking, of course, of the suicide bombings at Kabul Airport targeting our evacuation efforts. It was only a matter of time before awful people made a desperate situation exponentially worse. And speaking of worse, the reactions of those in the insurrectionist party back here in the U.S. are simply disgusting.

But I don’t want to go down this road, especially since there’s nothing I can do to make the situation better. I guess I bring this latest tragedy up at all because it’s part of our shared reality and it’s impacting each and every one of us, whether we want to admit it or not.

I’d rather focus my (and hence our) attention on higher vibrational subjects – things that make us lean toward smiling rather than scowling (or weeping) (or collapsing in a rage).

Glissando of Life and Color – Photo: L.Weikel

Sense of Humor

I’m sharing some photos of a lovely pink wildflower that caught my attention the other day. I couldn’t shake the feeling that these blossoms (and the buds so tantalizingly close to bursting forth all along the stem like some quivering glissando of potential) were a symbol of the potential still available all around us.

I’m sure I’ve seen these flowers before but for the life of me I had no idea what they were called.

But sure enough, Mr. Google came through yet again and I believe – saucily enough, Universe! – this is called an Obedient Plant.

Hmm. Yeah. That’s not what I was expecting. But it did make me laugh.

And boy did it feel good to at least feel a chuckle.

Am I the last person to hear of an Obedient Plant? Probably. And I suspect Karl will be clamoring to plant them in abundance around our property. He can dream all he wants – and plant them, too! I find them to be absolutely lovely.

Obedient Plant buds closeup, with an ant making a cameo – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-92)

Stuck in Waiting – Day 1018

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Cletus – Right foreleg backwards – Photo: L. Weikel

Stuck in Waiting

I’ve been feeling a weird vibe over the past few days. It’s been most noticeable when I sit down to write my nightly post. The best way I can describe it is that I feel like I’m stuck in waiting.

I can’t even begin to describe what I’m waiting for, which in some sense makes this feeling even weirder. If you were a fly on the wall in my living room (I’d probably go after you with a swatter) – but besides that lamentable aggression, you’d see me on the prowl. I’m looking for something that feels worthy of sharing with you and I keep coming up empty-handed.

Current Events

Let’s face it; aren’t most of us just fed up to here with the world? It’s a mess on so many levels. And for the most part, unless we’re health care professionals or active-duty military people, we probably can’t actually do a lot to pro-actively tackle the problems. Of course I’m exaggerating. There are actually lots of other people doing ‘front-line’ work addressing the societal woes that go beyond ‘just’ the delta variant or Afghanistan. Firefighters. Teachers.

Pretty much everywhere we are, we’re doing our best to keep ourselves together and life progressing. I’m reminded by circumstances I see in friends and family how nearly impossible it is to secure mental health support. How tragic in these monumentally stressful times.

Neither Oracles Nor Astrology

Nothing I read or look at right now feels like it lends itself to a post. To be honest, I feel like this is the calm before the storm. But I’m also not wanting to try to pin anything down right now. It’s hard to describe, but the best I can say is that nothing feels like it wants to be defined or addressed in this moment. Everything’s in flux. Another word might be chaos, but that feels a little too strong. Chaos could be coming; but right now, we’re just sort of stewing.

Most of us are hoping for the best. Whatever that may be…

Cletus – left foreleg backwards – Photo: L. Weikel

A Cletus Puzzle

So I’ll leave you with these two photos of Cletus. They were taken within five minutes or so of each other. In one, his right foreleg and paw are splayed out backwards, behind him, in what appears to be an extremely unnatural position. In the other, his left foreleg and paw are extended in a similar extremely vulnerable position.

I may have written about this before as it freaks me out when he does it. I suspect he slept like this in the womb, shifting and tucking his little legs to make room for his kitten siblings.

Nevertheless, he’s such a weird cat. And that’s the thing I find most pleasing to write about tonight.

(T-93)

Timing – Day 1017

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Fallen Limb – Photo: L. Weikel

Timing

Timing – and the little choices we make from moment to moment – often has a profound influence on our life. Every day we have opportunities to make choices that have the potential to make a huge impact upon us. Sometimes we don’t even make a choice, one way or another. (Which is its own brand of choice.) And what’s even weirder is that most of the time we don’t even realize we’re making choices that could alter our destiny.

I was thinking about this as I took a walk earlier this evening. I’d come across an extremely thick and heavy chunk of a tree limb that had fallen onto the dirt and gravel roadway in the state park. I was grateful that I’d not been walking with Spartacus at the moment that chunk fell down.

Obviously the branch fell directly on the road, so neither other cars nor bicyclists were harmed. But it does make a person wonder – how close did I – or any of us frequenting this road at this time come to potential injury or death?

Bumblebee Exiting Peony Tree Blossom – Photo: L. Weikel

Another Perspective

Another way to appreciate the vagaries (or perhaps they’re hidden blessings?) of timing is the photo above. What are the chances that I could catch that bumblebee exiting the tree peony blossom at such an auspicious moment?

Of course, truth be told, they’re higher now than they ever were before (at least in my case) because of my iPhone. This exact frame of the photo I took of the bumblebee is the one that showed up in my photo feed. But even if it hadn’t, I technically would’ve been able to ‘freeze’ this single frame of the ‘live’ photo.

I find that to be amazing. In a sense, we don’t even have to be as talented or lucky as we used to be. This technology actually stretches time, giving us the opportunity to point to the concept of ‘timing’ with a knowing nod, but an ace up our sleeve.

Nevertheless, I’m still delighted by the fact that I can post a photo I took of a bumblebee literally midflight as it hauls ass out of a flower.

All of This to Say…

Don’t sweat any of it. The big stuff we worry about probably has less likelihood of messing up our lives than the little decisions we make every single minute of the day.

(T-94)

Fire-Breathing Dragons – Day 1016

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Kind of looks like a Teenage Ninja Turtle – Photo: L. Weikel

Fire-Breathing Dragons

There was a lot of cloud action going on today during my walk, from portals to Beings to fire-breathing dragons. When I first started out, I saw a distinctively rectangular shaped ‘hole’ in a massive cloud bank immediately in front of me. I stopped to photograph it because it sort of defied the look of most cloud portals (doorways into other realms). While portals are definitely not limited to simply round holes in the sky, it could be argued that classic portals are often either round holes or rectangles that resemble doorways.

Thus, the sideways rectangle that initially caught my attention felt odd. It was, one could argue, a doorway on its side. But it looked and felt different. Unique. Perhaps it was the clearly defined right angles that, for whatever reason, felt distinctive and a bit out of place.

So I decided to take a photograph of this oblong hole in the clouds. Once I did, though, I couldn’t unsee the huge face of a Cloud Being that revealed itself to me. How could I have missed the mirth-filled face smiling down upon me?

Dragon Rising! – Photo: L. Weikel

An Hour Later

Nearly an hour later, I encountered more clouds that refused to be ignored.

Hardest to ignore was a dragon with upward extended bat-like wings that caught my eye. It was clear this dragon was scorching the air with its fiery breath as it rose to gain a better vantage point over the countryside.

But when I zoomed in to take a closer photo of the head of this fire-breathing dragon, I noticed that it, too (like the giant cloud being, above), appeared to be…happy.

Laughter and smiles from the two most prominent cloud beings appearing in the sky today. With all the ominous and threatening, billowing and dangerous storm clouds and thunderheads that have been frequenting us lately, I have to admit these harbingers of happiness were an unexpected and most welcome surprise, especially given my cranky attitude at the outset of my journey.

Their smiles were contagious, both then and now. I’m grateful for the laughter I see in both.

Close-up of (laughing) fire-breathing dragon – Photo: L.Weikel

(T-95)