Flower Reflections

In my field of specialty, the financial payout equals nothing. Seldom, there is any recognition for good deeds or experience. More often then not, I watch others advance even though I know that I have more expertise and wisdom. Sometimes I ask, "Lord, when will my day come?"

As I look out over the garden and admire the spring flowers, I notice the clumps of bulbs gathered in big groups creating a dramatic backdrop of color. Other flowers amass on a single plant extending the beauty of the entire bush. A thought comes to me, and I am humbled by nature's lesson.

How often do I walk up to each flower and give recognition to each individual bloom? Mostly, I look at the flowers as a whole and admire the entire grouping, "Oh, look at the daffodils. Aren't they amazing! The tulips are gorgeous this year. Yay! The columbine is in bloom. I love columbine. It's so pretty." I feel a great sense of peace and happiness as the plants give their energy and light.



Aquilegia formosa (aka columbine)

I guess we humans are like the flowers in the eyes of the Divine who loves all the flowers (us). Like the garden flowers, we may not be recognized individually or stand out prominently in this world. But as a group, we are stronger and more vibrant as we perform good deeds from the heart giving light to all around us. Sometimes, we may stand alone, but like the lone flower, which is still beautiful and loved, it's not as likely to attract attention from as the large grouping does. Together, we make a beautiful show and shine in the eyes of the Divine.

Yes, we may begin as one lone flower with a thought or idea, and like the flower that must survive the odds to multiply by spreading seed (or rhizomes), so must the individual. If the plant successfully multiplies, in years to come, a spectacular mass may grow where only one stood. As in nature, nothing happens overnight, but in time, a strong support system may be established.


Hellebores orientalis (aka Lenten Rose)

And, since I am here to do God's will as I try to shed this human ego, that'll be fine by me.

The Agrarian Urbanite March 2010

YAY!!! It's March and that means that Spring is right around the corner. It's already apparent with all the bulbs spiking out of the Earth and the lengthening days...

Warmer weather is near, but until then, on a wet spring day, curl up with The Agrarian Urbanite. All new March issue...

Hang in there and thanks for reading.

Message Revealed

I know what the message means. After years of the same thematic dream, today, I understand the simplicity of the message.

The basis of the dream contends with separation. In these reoccurring dreams, I am alone after a long relationship. My partner is gone without any forwarding information, yet the relationship was not officially ended. I feel a mixture of emotions usually abandonment ranking high on the list. Sometimes, I feel alone. There is usually a tinge of great sadness.

In other dreams, I am reunited with this person. The feeling is sometimes euphoric and usually very comfortable and secure. In most of these types of dreams I ask myself, “Why did we ever separate?”

The person is shown to me as someone I know on this Earthly realm. He may be my husband or a past endearing friend. At first, I felt confused by this, especially when the partner in the dream was my husband (though not married in the dream…always a boyfriend). I couldn’t understand why he left or why he didn’t call. I wonder why he didn’t end the relationship. It was as though a lapse of time passed, like a couple months, and suddenly I realize that I am without this partner. It’s just like waking up, after a long spell, to ask myself, “Where is he?”

There is at least one school of thought that when God creates us on the other side, we are born with a soul mate, a yin to our yang, a twin. I’ve seen it called twin flames. When we choose to come into this realm and live a life on Earth to evolve our own souls and to learn for God, rarely does our twin come to this realm at the same time. The twin souls evolve at different rates and choose different paths. Soul mates don’t stick together like glue. They are actually independent of each other, yet completely connected.

his Earthly existence can be very difficult, challenging and damaging while on this plane. And since we are here primarily for God, learning like one does in a classroom, we don’t need distractions. I think that we do deeply feel separated from the love of the other side, and we find familiar souls from the other side here to help us recall that love.

Chances are if you feel a kindredship or connection to someone, it is because you know each other from a past life or from the other side. The Mormons believe that when we marry and have children, that this family unit is together forever in the heavenly realm. The Mormons marry for eternity, and to a point this is true. My opinion is that when you cross over, you are not “married” to your family, but you definitely have a closer bond with them. Like soldiers, who bond during wars, life on Earth is sometimes like a warzone, and people who experience hardships together, and get through it, often bond. It’s a bond that only people who have been through extraordinary events together can understand.

Do we have deeper bonds with or love for some over others while here? My opinion is yes. The reason that we feel more connected to certain folks on Earth is most likely that we are probably closely interconnected on the other side. This includes deep and long lasting friendships and relationships that we experience here.

Some people we meet may come and go, and this is usually because we have something to learn from each other or there is a reason for having contact with each other. These are not our closest relationships, and may even be someone we don’t like or who gets under our skin for some unknown reason. This is not limited to just everyday people. They can be family members, friends, coworkers or that person you just encountered at the market.

The bottom line is that we are all here, on Earth, together, to either help each other learn, evolve or support each other.

With that said, back to the message.

Anyone who studies dreams realizes that dreams are rarely literal translations. We usually pull symbolic yet familiar images that help us feel more comfortable in the dream. Dreams are mostly symbolic not literal. At times, these familiar images may cause great discomfort and confusion, too, but this is because you are giving literal translation to the dream instead of trying to interpret the symbols.

In the aforementioned dreams, the feelings of separation, loneliness and abandonment are specifically dealing with my soul mate on the other side. My little Earthly brain translates this into something recognizable for me by using real people in my life, “Why would my beloved boyfriend just vanish without any word how to reach him?” I feel alone and sad.

What I am really experiencing is the separation from the heavenly plane. No has left me, and I haven’t left anyone. I am here merely to do a job…a job for God, the Creator, the Divine, the Goddess…or whoever you like to think of as your personal higher power.

I miss the other side, the love, my soul mate, and everyone else watching out for me and guiding me. Those hazy periods when I think that I am alone are simply those moments here on Earth when I forget about that link to the other side and my soul mate.

Friday's Funny Stuff

Wow. Since I'm not on Facebook for the Lenten season, I will actually have to return to blogging to post quirky things I read during the day.

This came from our downtown liquor store whose e-mail list, yes, I'm on.

First, in regards to giving up drinking for lent, they want you to know the following:

A Short Statement About Lent and Alcohol
Every year proceeding Lent I talk with customers about their desire to quit drinking during the forty days that proceed Easter. I think it's neat that they engage in self-denial in order to prepare for the holiday, but they are misguided in giving up booze. Western culture has been sustained in part through the cultivation of alcohol. For instance, beer from monasteries was safer to drink than water and was an important source for nutrients and calories. Trappist beers sustained monks when fasting. And they were necessary to drink when the plague infected rat made its way into the village watering hole. Authentic Trappist beers are brewed within the walls of a monastery, and the revenue is used to sustain the grounds and the monks. So by choosing to abstain from alcohol during Lent, you're really doing a disservice to the Christian tradition.

God forbid anyone try to instill (no intended pun) some discipline into their lives. Lent is a great time to work on will power and build personal strength. Of course, it doesn't have to be all about giving things up; you can also incorporate something positive into your daily life like exercise or meditation for all those non-Catholics/Christians. Nice history lesson though.

The other funny thing the liquor store shared this week:

1. Take one drink every time a NBC announcer invites you to "share a moment with the world.”
2. Take one drink every time snowboarding highlights are backed up by rock-and-roll guitar/heavy metal music.
3. Take one drink every time a female athlete is described as "America's _____ing sweetheart."
4. Clap your hands and take one drink every time reference is made to "the revolutionary new clap skate" being used in speed skating.
5. Take one drink every time figure skating commentator Scott Hamilton shouts that a skater "NAILED!!" a jump.
6. Take one drink every time you hear a hockey announcer shout, "He shoots...he scores!" Take two drinks if you're watching women's hockey and you hear, "She shoots...she scores!"
7. Take one drink every time NBC promises to get "up close and personal" with an athlete.
8. Take one drink every time a skater is presented with a bouquet of flowers.
9. Take one drink every time America's quest for its first medal in luge is mentioned. Take an extra drink if America actually happens to win a medal in luge.
10. Take one drink every time a worthwhile event is cut short to get back to the excited world of Figure Skating.
11. Take one drink every time Lindsey Vonn's leg injury is mentioned. Take two if they mention her alternative remedies.
12. Finish the bottle if the only coverage in the next twenty minutes of viewing is curling or figure skating.

In looking to see if this was a liquor store original, I found this funny slide show on the NBC website in regards to Olympic Drinking Games.

Well, it's good to be back. I'll be writing more soon. Cheers!

The Agrarian Urbanite Febraury 2010

Whew. Got it done. The new Agrarian Urbanite issue is available.

Due to some technical difficulties, I wasn't as stern at editing this month. Please forgive any major flaws! And that's the beauty of being my own writer, publisher and editor. Sometimes, I get to say, "Whatever."

Now, go read. It's good for you!

Avatar Blues or Avatar Awakening?

Chad sent me this from CNN Entertainment, "Audiences Experience 'Avatar' Blues"

It's all about how some audience members have felt very depressed after seeing Avatar. Some have even contemplated suicide.

But why? Why would a movie that is supposed to be so fantastic cause such grief?

Because the visual effects are so surreal and spectacular that people long to live on the planet Pandora.

Is this what we have become as a culture? So completely shut off that no one goes outside or visits a city, state or national park? What, are people JUST noticing how fucking ugly most of this world is due to the destruction of humans? What, are they suddenly sick of their beautiful strip malls and parking lots?

Yes, it's depressing out there. And those of you know me, know my Earth beliefs. You know how I know that if we are to survive as a human species that we must reconnect with Earth. It is detrimental that we save Her sacred and pristine places that we, humans, not fucking trample on every square inch.

There is a reason that the term "rape" is used when referring to Earth and Her resources. There seems to be a mentality that wants to destroy everything pure...like a sex offender having to penetrate the most scared parts of a person's being.

"Avatar depression" doesn't surprise me. I often feel crappy after taking a look around at the relationship between humans and Nature. For the past few years, I have really trying to keep my eyes open to signs that Nature is returning. I see it in abundance in many places, but I won't talk about what or where because I want it to take over.

What folks are truly feeling is a deep sense of loss and regret that Earth, in her pristine states, is/was like Pandora of the movie. The feelings of sadness are natural, but you know what? Don't go put your head in a hole or get mixed up with some online support group (which exist for Avatar Depression). Get outside, and do something about it! Begin by fighting for our National Parks, Wilderness Areas and Forests...to stop mining and foresting of these national treasures. Go out and picket for more green spaces in your community. Fight mountain top removal. Don't whimper. DO SOMETHING!

And do I care that a movie (ironically a BIG RESOURCE HOG) is having this effect on people?
All I care about is that that the human race wakes up.

More Windows

A few days ago, I told you about a dream involving windows. I insisted that the dream had nothing to do with Windows the operating system.

I may have been wrong.

I unexpectedly received a new computer for Christmas, and before I got a chance to really use it, it blue screened. Now, mind you, my old computer, as worn out as it was with all its little nuances, never blue screened on me. I didn't even know what "blue screen of death" meant till BB was all like, "OH! THE BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH!"

I didn't even have a chance to write anything except snippets on Facebook before the whole thing crashed. I completely forgot that I had a new computer.

Yesterday, my new computer, with the help of Gary the Dell Technician, my computer made a full recovery. And now I remember...it's running Windows 7.

And it is so BRIGHT! It's almost hard to type with this big fancy screen and all these new buttons.

But I think I'll get used to it.

Inspired by Windows

I don't mean Windows as in computer.

Dreams are tricky and challenging to write about without getting bogged down in detail that bores the reader. Last night I visited a house that often reoccurs in my dreams.

Last night's dream gave me some perspective. The home in the dream is mine (not in this physical world, but in my sleeping state). The home morphs, but essentially, it is the same place. As it continues to resurface, I am able to explore it more.

In the past, I spent a lot of time on the main level, and rarely went to the second floor. When I did venture to the second floor, it scared me and I felt a haunting presence. In dream interpretation, the second floor (in this case the attic) often symbolizes the mind, spirituality and higher self. That I felt a haunting presence may have symbolized that I held repressed feelings, but last night, the dream was different.

It felt that Chad and I had sold the home, but I still felt ownership. I ventured upstairs with the new folks, a young woman and man (my guides?). It was very sunny and beautiful. The stairs opened to a large landing and open space where they had their bed prettily made with a floral bedspread. Off the landing, were several bedrooms and one bathroom.

I asked them why they chose the landing thinking that we had not considered the upstairs because their was only one bathroom which the three of us would have to share (Chad, Blue and I). Chad and I slept on the main level because the "master suite" was downstairs. I explained to them that the prior folks had also chosen to live upstairs. (Chad and I lived in the house, then another set of people lived in the house, then we moved back to the house, and now these two people lived in the house...told you it has been reoccurring.)

The couple smiled and retorted happily, "We like the windows up here. It's so sunny." I looked around and saw, for the first time, that indeed, there were many natural wooden, historic and pristine windows with light flooding the space. I felt a deep sense of regret that I had not noticed this before and that we had not chosen to live in the attic.

But knowing that this home reoccurs in my sleep state, I'm sure the story will continue and be a more happy undaunted one. I just hope that we really didn't sell it.

The Agrarian Urbanite (January 2010)

It's January 2010 and The Agrarian Urbanite helps you to get ready for spring gardening in this new issue ready to read now at The Agrarian Urbanite.

Get to reading. It's good for you!