A beautiful September to you all! While it may be sad to see the Summer go early Autumn holds it's own treasures 
  As I write this it is a sunny Sunday afternoon in Vermont. The leaves are just starting to show some changes and some creatures are making their way to warmer climes or burrows to wait out the cold months. 
 Noting small changes in a pandemic world is vital to our sense of being. For some these changes are bigger as families, children and teachers prepare for the school year with hopes and mixed feelings. If you are living in an area that has been hit hard by the virus and all it encompasses you may be considering or setting up home schooling. Growing up in Queens New York in the 70s like many my only option was to attend public school. The alternative options were unknown to my family. In times such as these we must consider the value of alternatives as never before. The world we have known seems stripped from us but when the dust settles what can we build in it's place? Living and growing in this strange new world takes effort. As someone challenged by chronic health issues I can easily empathize with the feelings of being overwhelmed by having so much to do and so many ways to have to adapt. My advice? Pace yourself, however and whenever you can. The work you are doing now will have good and lasting results. Whether you work alone or with others all that you do has meaning and substance.

  This month for me holds great meaning as I returned to this state and this town three years ago on the 28th and two years later my husband Malcolm and I were married on that same date! Marriage like any life long commitment is a labour of love for which the rewards are great and sustaining. Maybe you are preparing for some kind of renewal yourselves. Some involve loved ones returning or businesses reopening. Farmers begin to harvest for the Fall. Maybe for some there will be a revival of spirit or a creative drive. The Jewish New Year  Rosh Hashanah falls on the 18th and the Autumnal Equinox arrives on the 20th. As one door closes another opens. Let us work together for the good of all in this new time.

  Do you keep a dream journal? In these times where we find ourselves restricted in the outside world our inner worlds may be opening like never before! I have heard and read of many people experiencing increased activity in this area. Now is a good time to record and explore these realms if you haven't already. Perhaps like me you have more so in the past and have come to neglect this important practice over time. Dreams are our link to the spiritual mind. They can be a doorway to divine messages, prophetic visions, inspirational, transformative, illuminating, a window to the soul. 
  Tribal cultures understood the sacred value of these journeys and shared them either around the fire or with perhaps a elder or shaman. They were an important part of daily life. Many spiritual teachings see this world as part of a great dream. Sufism the mystical branch of Islam places high importance on dreams, as did the peoples of many ancient civilizations. From The Veddas to the Bible they held a special place with those who were able to interpret them They were held in high regard and in some cases greatly feared for the power of such knowing. Yet we in the modern world with rare exceptions of those whose traditions continue to teach the inclusion of dreams have become so caught up in the doings of our outer world that our inner worlds have been shelved and largely forgotten. How often do we when asked if we remembered what we saw in our dreams reply "I don't remember" How often do we fail to see a recurring dream as a wake up call? How often do we recall and place importance on nightmares and think little of the metaphorical meanings they reveal that might help us in our struggles. How often do we have a beautiful dream yet let it dissolve in the dawn without even so much as a thank you to our creator for this gift? For dreams are indeed a gift and how would we treat the giver? 
  Here is our chance to return to this place. When the inner is appreciated the outer will follow. 

  It's another day on planet Earth! I am sitting in my living room in the little capitol city of Vermont. It's a sunny day, another hot one here! I hope wherever you are you having a good day. My heart goes out to all who are suffering and grieving in these days.
   We humans are experiencing a crisis like no other in our lifetimes! 
  The planet is in turmoil thanks to a corrupt cabal of world powers. Yes the lunatics have taken over the asylum! 
   As I have stated so many many times before here our treatment of the environment has led to a place of emergency! Nonetheless a tiny thing like this virus has caused even the war machine to grind it's terrible wheels to a halt. Factories are closed, fewer carbon emitting machines pollute the air and water. Without these factors we see nature returning! The skies are blue in places where they have been shrouded in a thick haze for decades! Even the Himalayas are clear on the horizon! There are so many stories like this. So what can we do as humans? Here we are holed up in our homes. Some are relieved finding themselves with more time away from demanding work schedules and with more time for family and the things they could not fit in before. For others it is a period marked by fear and isolation. For all there are challenges beyond that of which we are accustomed to. As it has been said we are an adaptable species and we must remember this! Still we wonder how can life continue to grow and sustain us in this so-called New Normal? 
  What have you done today to feel alive? Did you greet the sun? Did you dance? Did you sing? Did you play with your kids or pets? Did you make art? Did you make love? Did you take a walk if you were able to? Did you discover anything new in or around you? Did you reach out to someone who needed just a friendly voice? Did you dream? Did you pray? 
   Remember we are still here as a human family. We are seeing both great division in political and social circles. At the same time while being united in the global effort to eradicate this plague we are overturning history. Nothing will be as we have known. What kind of world can we create if we learn to overcome our prejudices and embrace our differences? We can no longer ignore the harm these attitudes of apathy and violence have done to our lives and our world. We must change all this! Even if the virus were to be gone soon returning to business as usual is only inviting more danger. This we know. We must see beyond our own fences. Let us take this time of quarantine to slow down, listen and learn with heart and spirit 
Amen! , Aho! , Make it So! 

  The leaves are turning brown and tumble to the Earth
  We celebrate the last harvests and prepare for Winter
 Time to make plans for the months ahead
and pies lots of pies ;)
 

   Autumn a time of death and rebirth!
   My time in Athens Georgia drew to a close last month. In this time of deep changes I chose to open a new door on an old place, to revisit and renew
   Montpelier VT is now once again my home
  In the days to come I will share more of this journey
  Right now I will say that I grateful to be back in these mountains with friends and family. I bow to the memories here and welcome new ones
 
  Have you ended one part of your life and started another in this time?
 Are the elements of your journey new or familiar or a bit of both?

 It's been hard for me to process all the changes of these often overwhelming days. I know it is for many
 
  As we approach the time of ancestors and dancing with the shadow realms I ask you all to be aware that light and shadow are one
  Each may serve the other as we quest for understanding
  All this though gets a bit heavy so remember to have fun!
  Celebrate the colors of Fall, delight your senses with fine food, good folks, music and laughter.
Share the gifts of this harvest!

I wish all a wonderful season!