December 30, 2012 by IdealisticRebel

The End of 2012

I picked this version of Auld Lang Syne for today because it has always been a favorite tune. My favorite lyric is “We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to now.” We are standing on the line–the line between the old and the new. The old, oft remembered song of innocence and yet one foot starting to move into now.

There are interesting centuries old traditions from the British Isles that we don’t necessarily follow here in America now. They are worth a look, however.

In England, any gifts brought into the house on New Year’s Eve should be welcomed with ceremony, as they will bring good fortune to the house. The cleaning of the house before New Year’s Eve is a way of clearing out unfinished business, of any kind; clearing out the dust and cobwebs of the old year, so you can start out fresh and new.

In Scotland, people burned Juniper branches and carried them throughout the house to clear it of negative energy. This dates back to the time when Juniper branches were burned in the fireplace to ensure the gifts of the New Year. By 1893, toward evening the thoroughfares become thronged with the youth of the city.

Another tradition — today, championed by “pagans” — is to make a list of what you need and really want. This was also the time to give yourself one of the items on your list; traditionally, you wrapped it up and made a true gift of it to yourself, perhaps accompanied by this Blessing:

Blessing on Giving a Gift

Take, and welcome joy within you;

Showers, flowers, powers,

Hatfuls, capfuls, lapfuls,

Treasures, measures, pleasures,

All be yours to enjoy!

—-Caitlin Matthews: A Celtic Devotional

Solitary watch

The Celtic traditions energize Gaia, Mother Earth.

December 29, 2012 by IdealisticRebel

Tying up Loose Ends

Positive thinking and owning our actions

Well, here we are at the end of the year. As expected, we did not witness the end of the world. We are at the top of the fiscal cliff. We have survived another holiday season. I, for one, have enjoyed the time with family and with myself. Meditation to see where I stand at the end of this eventful year has brought me new insights.

I don’t believe in regrets. At every moment, I do the very best I can at that moment. Not all do, but that is their work if they choose to tackle the issue. I do believe in looking forward to issues that I want to change. Nothing ever stays stagnant. I realize some people don’t like change. It is not my favorite thing, however, it is a constant in every human life.

Change takes work, determination and courage. Deciding to change requires action; the first step. News media often takes a look back at the year. I like to do the same with the vision of hindsight. I can look at the small things and then pull back to see the big picture. Was I perfect, no. Were there times I could have made different choices, possibly. Would I do things the same way, I believe I would. Not that I did anything perfect. I didn’t, but I am today, who I am because of the love, time, kindness, prayer that I gave to others. Could I have done more? Yes. Will I change. Yeah! Why, because I believe we are on this journey because the Divine experiences life through us.

I believe in magic and harmony and peace. It is magic that I am here in this life, walking the path of my journey. The magic continues every morning I awaken and see the birds, the trees, my friends, and remember my annoyances. These are the items that make up each of our lives. The good, the bad, and the miraculous.

The magic in life

I realize that this past year wasn’t perfect for any of us, but we were blessed. How much depends upon your outlook really. An event could happen to me and I will find it awkward. The same event can happen to someone else and they will be thrilled. It is the way of our life.

We are also at a point in time where we can choose how to live with what has happened in the year. For me, I need only to look around me and if I missed blessings during the year, I am reminded of them now. If my heart wasn’t in the right place, and it isn’t always, I have to look that in the eye and own it. Often, we do not accept responsibility for our actions. We have to own them. Good or bad. We are responsible. So I suggest you take a few minutes and look inside. Own what is there and change what you don’t like to see. The year is ending but there is still time to tie up those loose ends. Then you won’t need to make New Year’s resolutions. You will have already begun the changes and will happily embrace what the New Year is bringing.

Year end inventory

December 27, 2012 by IdealisticRebel

The Conection of a Promise

All children need to know their place in the world and to trust the people in it.

I have nine grandchildren. I am as surprised as anyone could be. One of my nine is a grandchild by marriage. I love him as much as any of the others and I quite fell in love with him when he entered our family at five. He was distrustful and a drama queen. He was nervous around people and unsure how to act in different social situations. I decided that had to change.

I have watched him a lot as time passed. I could see his strengths and weaknesses.We had some really great days together and some that left me feeling like I needed a week in bed. What he had was a good loving heart and a huge amount of kindness for someone so young.

What he lacked was self-confidence, trust and an understanding of why things happened and how to do the things he wanted to do. He could be an angel or the most tiring experience I have ever had.

I was determined that he would find his balance in life and his security. We were talking one day and I said I would do something. He looked at me with disgust and said with pure attitude, “No you won’t.” I looked at him and decided I needed to gamble on this child. I said sure I would and he asked if I would promise. I agreed to a promise and he asked for a pinky promise. We made a solemn pinky promise and I kept my promise.

The next promise was easier. Our talks about how to handle situations grew longer and less adversarial. Not only have we formed a strong bond. Pinky promises are the utmost sacred pact. He will even ask me if something someone else has told him is true and if I answer in the affirmative, he asks for a pinky promise.

So slowly but surely, he is finding out who he is and where he fits into this world. He is learning what he likes and doesn’t like. His talents are coming out like popcorn and he makes me laugh like I have never laughed.

Now, I am not sharing this story because of anything I did. I am sharing it to make the point that often we make promises without thinking about them. Promises to children, parents, friends, co-workers. Sometimes we don’t call it a promise, we agree on something. The other person is counting on us.

If we make a promise, we need to keep it and we should not make promises without thinking them through..No matter who we give our word to, it is important to keep it. It needs to be part of our character to keep our word. People notice that about others and know which people they can trust. That is an important thing in this twenty first century we live in.

Happy children at play without worries

Security helps children feel free

December 26, 2012 by IdealisticRebel

The Blessings of This Year

Celebration of blessings

No matter where you live, or whatever your culture, it is a great time of year to look at your blessings. I am having my first snow this year and I am very unhappy about it. Then I realized that it isn’t so bad after all because of what really matters in my life.

This year has gone by very quickly. Amazingly quickly. It seems like yesterday that I was visiting my best friend in North Carolina. And today is a week until New Years. This year, for me personally has brought love, tears, joy, excitement, silence, music, friends, family, health issues and some healing.

This year has brought surprises and a wedding. It has brought sadness and loss of people who carry parts of my heart. The year brought some financial blessing and the ability to share.

This year I worked on developing a side of myself I had never experienced before. I am excited to see this blossoming in my life. It is quite amazing to me to see this new side of me. And, of course, as I change the world and people around me change. I hope that I am able to add some positive and loving energy to all the people in my world and I hope it will radiate out to others.

I am grateful for the laughter as well as tears. I am grateful for days of brilliant sunshine and gentle breezes. I am grateful for the Divine within me and the reality that brings to my life! I am love, I am loving, and I am the Beloved. I am grateful for each person I have met here. Our virtual home that gives us the ability to meet, to share, and to understand this journey we are all experiencing together. It is a privilege to have gotten to know you and and to experience this together.

I can see a web of loving, giving, sharing, and good people forming the threads of caring and positive thoughs that circles our planet and helps to counteract the bad things that happen. Our prayers, positive thoughts, and our ability to love others is helping to heal Mother Earth and we are slowly replacing suffering with peace.

Thanks to all of you for your dedication and good hearts.

Bob Marley said it so well. One World, One God, One life. Do what you can do to add positive energy to our world.

December 25, 2012 by IdealisticRebel

A Quick Message

The bridge from grandma’s house

I would like to take a moment to say I am home and before going to bed, I want to wish you all a wonderful holiday and a joyous day with your families and friends. It has been a real pleasure to “meet” all of you and you. Your blogs and comments brighten my days.

Home for the Holidays

December 19, 2012 by IdealisticRebel

Most Influential Blogs of 2012

I got this idea from ObamaCrat. He has a post on his amazing blog entitled “The Most Influential Blogs of 2012“.

I was thinking, it would be cool if I chose the blogs I thought were The Most Influential Blogs Of 2012…so here goes:

The Rules:
There are no rules for this award except you MUST pay it forward, and that means, sometime in the next 6 months, you “should” chose the blogs you deem worthy of your label of The Most Influential Blog Of 2012, to you.
That’s it. Only rule.

Now For MY Most Influential Blogs Of 2012:
Each blog chosen by me, has in some small or huge way influenced me in some way, be it by inspiration or by information.

Since this is NOT an award, there is no guilt associated with accepting. Just enjoy.

Spice of Life

December 19, 2012 by IdealisticRebel

Time to Begin Healing

He is my brother

The town of Newton and the country need to begin the long process of healing. There has been a frightening amount of negative energy released into the world this year. Yes, it does happen every year, but somehow this one felt worse. So what to do? What is the response of rational, thinking, feeling, caring citizens?.

There is a lot of negative energy right now and the numbers of people who have died due to violence is escalating. How should we react in the face of all of this negativity? We use love and light. We walk our spiritual paths and we surround our country with white protective light.

I am talking about working on the spiritual plane right now. The government can and I hope, will handle the issues of violence and gun control facing us now. When we face people with negativity, hatred, greed or power seeking, we need to use compassion, love, and light to carry the message of love and peaceful living into the world.

The idea of meeting violence with violence is not good because it escalates the issues. Caring about other beings is vital for us as children of the Universe. Meeting violence with love is the place I think we need to begin. We need to use forgiveness, compassion as well as light and love to heal our own hearts and to prevent hearts from filling with hatred and violence.

There are a lot of people who are working very hard to doom our beautiful world into darkness. We need to be more positive, show more kindness, act with more compassion and find more of the beauty that is in our lives. We need to give more, stand up and speak the truth more and deal with our anger. We need to go to anger management or therapy. We need to realize our anger does not give us the right to react violently when we disagree with someone.

We need to praise good work and honest effort. We need to listen to the wisdom, gained through years of living, of those who have earned their wisdom from facing and dealing with the many issues that come up in the journey of a lifetime.

The Wild Rose of Praise

“Those unable to grieve,

Or to speak their love,

Or to be grateful, those

Who can’t remember God

As the source of everything,

Might be described as vacant wind,

Or a cold anvil, or a group

Of frightened old people.

Say the Name. Moisten your tongue

With praise, and be the spring ground,

Waking. Let your mouth be given

Its gold-yellow stamen like the wild rose’s.

As you fill with wisdom,

And your heart with love,

There’s no more thirst.

There’s only an unselfed patience

Waiting on the doorsill, a silence

Which doesn’t listen to advise

From people passing in the street.”

————Sanai

The poet Sanai lived in the twelfth century. Children laughing once again

Let Peace Happen

December 15, 2012 by IdealisticRebel

America, we have had enough shooting

Prayer brings healing and love to people

There is a source of comfort in times of unbearable grief

We must end the anger and violence. We must look to helping each other to heal.

People of all faiths are praying together for healing and peace and an end to violence.

December 15, 2012 by IdealisticRebel

At the End of the Day

The language of the eyes is tears.

This day has left many in pain, shock, disbelief, horror, and anger. I know I have felt each of these emotions through the course of the day. I have been praying, sending light and strength to the families of the survivors and the families of the victims.

This has been a week that reminds me of the 9-11 attacks. A time where your brain just can’t quite wrap around the truth–the awful truth that little ones have died. There really aren’t any words that can comfort a parent at a time like this, but it is important to put the sacred and pure energy out there to heal and lift up those whose hearts have been broken.

It doesn’t matter who these children were, they were all unique gifts from God and their time here was too short. I think about what they would have wanted their parents to feel and the entire nation. I think they would tell us they are in no pain and they are well. I think this because life is a cycle, it begins with birth and ends in death but that does not end the journey. I believe they would want us all to live in love, peace and harmony. I believe they would want to be remembered in our hearts.

Photo by Barbara Mattio

May all of the people who have been murdered this week Rest in the Peace of God now and always.

December 12, 2012 by IdealisticRebel

Another Shooting in America

The human being radiates energy. If you are aware you can feel people’s energy. It forms an aura around people and its strength can be felt. Some are positive and some are negative.

Last night, a young man with very negative energy committed murder and suicide at a mall in Oregon. The first question is, of course, why? Because he is now dead and we will never know. We did know that he must have had overwhelming mental health problems and he was able to obtain guns and ammunition.

I think there is a blanket which is floating over our beautiful country. So many people are angry.and that anger spills out to influence others. There are times to be angry. Injustice, oppression, hunger and illness are reasons. But people seem to be angry all the time and about the smallest things.

This amount of anger is dangerous. The shootings we have experienced in our country tells us that the anger is growing and spilling over. This is why, I believe that a smile, listening with your entire self, caring about what others are going through are the types of things that can help a person to release the anger.

The Buddha says that anger is like a hot coal held in your hand. The only person that really is hurt is you. The coal burns you and causes you pain.

The anger starts with a sense of failure, injustice, a feeling of being unlovable, and a sense that you will never achieve your goals. These are serious emotions for many people to control. Therapy is a possible resource to help people handle their emotions in a less violent way. To see that they have not been singled out to suffer.

So today, despite all of the news and politics which are taking up much of the discussion on the cable news shows, I feel that the biggest story is this young man, his life, his experiences, and why he felt he needed to go to that mall and kill perfect strangers. What was wrong in his life? Why did he end up feeling that this was his only option

Ten thousand people were in that mall shopping for the holidays. I pray for each and every one of them. This was a horrific experience to survive. I pray for the families and friends of the people who did not survive including the shooter. I ask for an easy transition for those who died. I am sure the angels were ready to hold them as they passed on to the next phase of their lives.

There is also the question of the gun and the ability of the shooter to have access to guns and ammunition. I will leave this aspect to the politicians. I just have a question. When will we have killed enough people that the government will say” Enough is Enough.”