Sunrise


There is a certain unique beauty to be found in the sunrise. A new day filled with hope and excitement. Well for some people. I must confess I am a night person. The night owl is one of my companions. I will often sit on my porch on summer nights and just meld with the stars and the sounds of the night. There is a sweetness and calm to the night for me anyway.

I was in Watertown, NY with friends many years ago. My friend Rick was a musician doing a gig up there. It was a fun night filled with music and laughter. People began to finally wonder off and my friend Rick and I decided to go for a ride and ended up at a Revolutionary fort and battleground. We sat and talked and talked and did solve the world’s problems. I remember the exact moment the sun began to rise. We sat there and watched it grow and glow. It became breathtakingly beautiful.

It’s beauty haunted me for a long time. It did not, however, change me into a morning person. But those moments, sitting watching the fabulous sun greet us with its pure beauty touched my heart and mind. It is one of those moments you store away to remember another time. These moments are important for us to have. We all need to record the important and impressive moments on our hearts and souls. They are able to help you through the hard times. They can make you smile when no one else is. They remind you of what is important in your life.

“Let every dawn of the morning be to you as the beginning of life. And let every setting of the sun be to you as its close. Then let every one of these short lives leave its sure record of some kindly thing done for others; some good strength or knowledge gained for yourself.”  —John Ruskin

No matter how your biorhythms work, make each day count. May we all extend a helping hand, a kind word or an unselfish act. May we all live each day with the goal of creating our highest good.

A starry, starry night

A starry, starry night

The new day begins with the sunrise

The new day begins with the sunrise

We Share Our Planet


We share this planet with the wild things!!

We share this planet with the wild things!!

While we are trying to work on getting governments to save our planet and to promote green spaces, there are people and wild animals who are still suffering. We often think we need to worry only for humans and cats and dogs.We need to protect and encourage the lives of our wild animals. Most of us haven’t been to africa or Japan or South America. So our experience is at resorts and zoos. These creatures that share the Divinity of our souls need to have space to walk this earth and to eat their fill as it is meant to be.It is a wonderful gift that we share this living breathing planet with them…in love. In Divine love and concern for their well-being.

The male Cardinal

The male Cardinal

Thank you for posing

Thank you for posing

Polar Bears are losing their environment

Polar Bears are losing their environment

Lions, Tigers and Bears Oh My!

Lions, Tigers and Bears Oh My!

Three giraffes make a partyThree giraffes

Proof God has a sense of humorProof God has a sense of humor

Shh, animal sleeping

Shh, animal sleeping

” May the blessings of God rest upon you.
May God’s peace abide with you.
May God’s presence illuminate your heart.
Now and forever more.

May your life be filled with the beauty we share with the wild ones. May you share in a communion of voices and hearts with those you love.
May your soul draw nourishment from the bond that connects each sentient being one to another.
May you soul soar on wings of love for all.”

All Photography copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2013

The Vibrations of our Heart


AncientMotherWithin our hearts and souls, we vibrate with the life we are living on this planet. We vibrate on our journey. Our lives are like a song, the secret to the beauty of music is the notes…and the spaces between the notes, while we walk our path, or play a violin, or piano. The voice of God/Goddess/It is found within the vibrations. This is the essential sound, it is the vibration of the Universe and the sound of creation.

“But few will hear the secrets hidden within the notes.”  –Rumi

Chanting brings audible sound into a refined state. It is as if there were a hidden peephole into the inner landscape. The sound moves us, but it is the silence of the inner landscape that truly moves us.

“Listen far beyond hearing, and call the unheard.”  –Loa Tzu

When we turn to the music within us, we enter through the peephole into another reality. This one is filled with the loving presence of the souls of our ancestors and the souls of our offspring not yet born.

“If you want the truth, I’ll tell you the truth,

Listen to the secret sound, the real sound, which is inside you…

The music from the strings no one touches.”  –Kabir

According to Jewish, Kabbalistic tradition, in the act of Creation the numinous light of God poured forth into vessels that were meant to receive His creative force. But the vessels couldn’t contain the awesomeness of God’s light and shattered, and the world is made up of their shards. Our job as evolving souls is to find and reclaim the hidden light.  –Excerpted from the Khaballah

” Shout unto the Lord, all the earth,

Break forth and sing for joy, yea sing praises.

Sing praises unto the Lord with the harp…Hallelujah!

O Lord my God, Thou art very great…Hallelujah!

I will sing praise to my Lord while I  have any being…Hallelujah! ”   —King David

Chant and sacred sound are gifts of Spirit. To join with a community of others on many different paths is the rising of ecstasy of the inner landscape.

Namaste, Himdu path

Namaste, Himdu path


This very timely article is important for all men and women to read.

emilylhauser's avatarEmily L. Hauser - In My Head

This past week saw up-and-coming political pundit and progressive activist Zerlina Maxwell talking about rape, her own status as a rape survivor, and the fact that women shouldn’t have to carry guns in order to not be raped — because boys and men should be taught not to rape in the first place. This is not a new topic for Zerlina (see her excellent “Stop Telling Women How Not to Get Raped”), and she’s not a stranger to backlash.

However, last week the discussion was on television, which gives it much greater kick, and any conversation about guns adds an entire new layer of intensity to the process, and pretty much immediately after she was off the air, Zerlina began to be inundated with rape threats, death threats, racist slurs, and often a combination of all three, across all the various social media platforms. (You can read more about how it’s…

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The Art of Chanting


The secret of chant

The secret of chant

The tree and sun connect us with Mother Earth and with the Divine

The tree and sun connect us with Mother Earth and with the Divine

Joseph Campbell brought to light many years ago, the importance of ritual in the life of human beings. In his opinion, we all need rituals and I agree. Rituals may not be extremely structured and they may be performed every day at a certain time for many years. It has been an important aspect in my life to practice meditation, chanting and prayer.

From the Native American Indians to the Jews to the Buddhists, and Sufis and Muslims, there are practices which when done daily with ritual can keep us connected to our spiritual center and the path we choose to follow. There are some days you are centered and the praise, and the knowing flow between you and The One. My eyes are closed right now as I type and I can feel my center flowing words from my hands to this monitor. Watching the breath is another important practice as it keeps us balanced and within the perfect order.

The beauty of chanting is that it is very easy to reach a state of absorption. Your mind follows you into the chant and you become the chant. Chant evokes the living, vibrational reality of these core truths: devotion, stillness, praise, and oneness.

Radiating energy and light as you meditate or chant

Radiating energy and light as you meditate or chant

” You’ve been walking the ocean’s edge,
holding up your robes to keep them dry.
You must dive naked under, and deeper,
a thousand times deeper…” ——Rumi

” This is how I would dive into the love I have for you: as pieces of cloud dissolve in sunlight.” —Rumi

Mirabi was a Hindu saint, who gave up her privileged life of wealth and ease to wander in search of the Hindu god, Krishna. She wandered from village to village barefoot singing, dancing nand chanting. When a seeker’s longing is pure, the Divine is always there.

” My friend, the stain of the Great Dancer has penetrated my body.
I drank the cup of music and I am hopelessly drunk.”
” And having tasted the nectar of God’s love, Mirabai is His forever:
Like a bee trapped for life in the closing of the sweet flower,
Mira has offered herself to her Lord.” —Mirabai

Cleveland skyland from Huntington Beach, west of the city.

Cleveland skyline from Huntington Beach, west of the city.                     Photography copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2013

Beautiful Image


Botanical gardens

Botanical gardens Photography copyrighted by Barbara Mattio

The Romans had a ritual of lifting nieces and nephews to the rising sun. This image bonded the sisters into the circle of family. These women shared in the fruitfulness of their sisters’ lives and symbolically took responsibility for all the children of the community.

Today, we are not bonded in our communities. There is freedom that few experienced in earlier times. But the price is the loneliness that comes from severed connections. We have lost the responsibility for ourselves and the other people around us.

Celtic woman

Celtic woman

“This is the day when dawn
receives our saffron cakes
in her sacred temple.
This is the day which honors
the bond between sisters
and the freedom of all women.
There is no slavery today at the threshold of the temple. Today all women
are joined in the joys of motherhood:
for we hold up, not our own, but our sisters’ children to the sun.” –Ovid, Fasti

One Woman, One World, One Family, unending love.

One Woman, One World, One Family, unending love.


This building is in Istanbul and has been a Jewish Temple, a Catherdral, a mosque and is now a Catherdral. From what I have studied it is most breath taking. I thought everyone should have this glimpse!

Dmitrii's avatarPlaces Unknown and Everything Else

Hagia Sophia is beautiful place to visit, and by the way you don’t have to wear pants or cover your shoulders to visit it. We thought that we had to and went back to hotel to get the right attire before going to see it. Wearing pants in the middle of July in Istanbul is not the most pleasant experience. Imagine my surprise when I learned that Hagia Sophia is not active mosque anymore and it is tourist attraction, you have to buy a ticket to get in (not cheap one either), so you can pretty much wear whatever you feel comfortable in.

This photo is better viewed in higher resolution, all those details are pretty cool, just click on it…

Click me!!!

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Winter is Losing the Battle


It was 54 degrees today and tomorrow it will be 60 degrees. I am so excited. You can almost feel Ole Man Winter losing his grip on the Earth and on our souls. We are tired of the cold and the gray days. We are tired of the ache in our bones. So we look, we look for every sign that spring in nearing. The geese have returned and I heard birds singing today. I though I would show you some photos of the beginning of Winter losing its grip.

Vermillion lighthouse

Vermillion lighthouse

Vermillion beach. The lake is beginning to thaw farther out.

Vermillion beach. The lake is beginning to thaw farther out.

Sunset at the beach

Sunset at the beach

Since Vermillion sits on Lake Erie, there are many streets but some people have waterways which freeze in winter.

Since Vermillion sits on Lake Erie, there are many streets but some people have waterways which freeze in winter.

In spring and summer local travel is done by boat.

All Photography copyrighted by Barbara Mattio 2013


Thank you, Carolyn Hughes – The Hurt Healer for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award! I so appreciate your blog and the nomination. I recommend that everyone take a look at her blog. You will find a loving, healing message there that never fails to uplift me.

The rules for the Versatile Blogger Award are as follows:

  1. Thank the person who gave you this award and include a link to their blog.
  2.  Select 13 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.
  3. Nominate those 13 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.
  4. Tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

So, the 7 things about me are:

1. My blog is called IdealistRebel because that is an accurate description of me

2. I have been a rebel my whole life

3.  My favourite flowers are Irises and Roses

4. My favourite colour is red

5. Immersing myself in Art fills my spirit with love and beauty

6. I love all forms of music, except Country and Rap. (No offense)

7. My greatest experience has been dancing on a mountaintop with women from around the country, dancing and chanting in the light of the full moon.

My Nominations:

Willowdot21

Ganesh

Carol Carlisle

Alex Jones

Paprika Furstenburg

Nina Tryggvason

Jueseppi B

Hasty Words

Valentine Logar 

AdvocateMMMohan

JimColv

Sevilleestatesflyer

EuropasiceWolf

The Truth


The face of truth is open,
The eyes of truth are bright,
The lips of truth are never closed,
The head of truth is upgright,
The breat of truth stands forward,
The gaze of truth is straight,

If you are a child of the Universe

If you are a child of the Universe

Truth has neither fear nor doubt,
Truth has patience to wait,
The words of truth are touching,
The voice of truth is deep,
The law of truth is simple:
All that you sow you reap.
The soul of truth is flaming,
The heart of truth is warm,
The mind of truth is clear,
And firm through rain or storm.
Facts are but its shadows,
Truth stands above all sin;
Great be the bettle in life,
Truth in the end shall win.
Soul of truth is God.
Life of truth is eternal,
Immortal is its past,
Power of truth will endure,
Truth shall hold to the last.
–Hazarat Inayat Khan

Towards the One

Towards the One