Posted in Archives #4 Pagan Thoughts and Writings, Art & Literature, Earth Day, Nature, Paganism, Photography, Spirituality on Tuesday April 23 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Together, in peace…
Let us promise
To care for all her lands and seas
To nurture every creature
To love, to live in harmony
with Mother Earth, our teacher
To learn more about this post and its photography and prose, please click here to continue on to Robin and Ocean’s notes on this collaborative project…
Posted in Archives #4 Pagan Thoughts and Writings, Art & Literature, Earth Day, Nature, Paganism, Photography, Spirituality on Tuesday April 23 2013 | 1 Comment »
I want to thank Osh for asking me to collaborate with her once again. I always enjoy our combined efforts to put something together in both words and photographs. Although we haven’t openly discussed our beliefs, I suspect they’re very similar which is why we work so well together. Plus Osh is just plain fun to collaborate with and I enjoy her poetry and prose.
Thanks Robin. You’re just plain fun to collaborate with as well, and I do enjoy your photography. I think it really adds something special to the posts. I also enjoy it because it’s such a nice way to demonstrate that whole sense of what the Crossroads is all about – people meeting each other, working together, and learning something about one another. In the end, I think we all come out better for the experience.
A little about the photographs from Robin:
The first one was taken in Muir Woods in California. I am a big fan of John Muir and quote his writings quite frequently on my own blogs. I didn’t get to spend nearly as much time exploring Muir Woods as I would’ve liked (it was a whirlwind tour of the area, trying to fit as much in as possible). I hope to go back. The redwood trees are awe-inspiring and walking into a redwood forest is, to me, like walking into a cathedral or other sacred ground. The amount of time some of the trees have experienced being on Mother Earth boggles my mind. I’m originally from the east coast of the U.S. and have spent the majority of my life and times east of the Mississippi River. Sights such as the redwoods and Yosemite are beyond anything we have on this side of the country. Not that we don’t have some great stuff. We do. But the redwoods! Wow. I think I spent most of our time in Muir Woods with my eyes wide in wonder and my mouth hanging open in awe.
The second photo was taken from Point Reyes, California. It rained and rained and rained for almost the entire trip (a few sunny spells here and there, including the day we went to Muir Woods). It was raining on our way out to Point Reyes. But by the time we got there the rain stopped. The clouds were doing some amazing things as they cleared out, and every now and again the sun would peek out from behind them, turning the Pacific Ocean shades of blue, silver, and even gold at times. I liked this view of the sea as seen through the V of Mother Earth.
The third photo is of a green frog, one of the many that hang out near our pond. I know that my hostess is Deaf and there are many deaf readers here so please pardon me as I describe the frogs a bit through their sound. They make a sort of “ponging” sound that’s similar to someone twanging on a banjo. At the height of their mating season, the sound is overwhelming at night, making it difficult to sleep. The bullfrogs generally join in the clamor and it’s like there’s a party going on out there. Once the pond is covered with frog eggs, the sounds start to die down a bit. The green frog is known for having a prominent tympanum (that big round thing you see just to the right and under its eye), and they are not always green. They lay 1000-7000 eggs. The great thing about having them around is that the tadpoles eat algae and water plants, keeping the pond relatively clean. In fact, we’ve found that most of the wildlife in and around the pond keep the pond in great shape, everyone doing their part so to speak. Green frogs are not particularly shy so photographing them is easy except that they do blend in quite well with their surroundings making it difficult to spot them at times. They’ll also eat anything they can fit in their mouths including smaller frogs, small birds, small snakes, and even their own cast off skin.
The next photo is of Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright house located just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Honestly, this photo looks like just about every other photo you find of Fallingwater. There’s a reason for that. There’s a spot set aside with this view of the house and it’s the best outside view you can find on the property where the public is permitted to go. Osh and I thought this fit in well with the idea of living in harmony with the land. It’s worth touring as it’s quite interesting to see how Mr. Wright positioned it over the waterfall and incorporated the land around it (including large rock structures) into the house. Ceilings in the rooms were intentionally built low so as to direct the eye towards the outside to look at the beautiful surroundings.
The last photo was taken from the top of Mount Tamalpais in California and the curvaceousness of it seemed appropriate for this spot as representing Mother Earth. One of the great things about all that rain that fell while we were in the San Francisco area of California was that the land was very green. The green, the curves, and the hill and mountains reminded me of the Highlands of Scotland. On an even more personal note, I couldn’t resist doing a Sound of Music twirl (“the hills are alive…”) once we reached the top of Mount Tamalpais. The view was simply amazing.
A little about the words from Osh:
The words that I chose for this prayer actually come from a greeting card I found at Hallmark a couple of years ago when I was out looking for cards I could send to my friends for Yuletide. I thought it was just perfect to reflect my own thoughts and feelings about Mother Earth and my spirituality. I saved one of the cards and framed it and keep it in my home office as a reminder that EVERY day is Earth Day, and we should always keep that promise close to our hearts.
Posted in Archives #4 Pagan Thoughts and Writings, Earth Day, Nature, Photography, Poetry/Prose, Spirituality, Universal Issues on Monday April 22 2013 | Leave a Comment »
The below prayer, which has been attributed to the Native American Ute Tribe, perhaps best expresses my own sentiments about what we can learn from the Earth – today, tomorrow, and always.
Blessings,
Ocean
Earth teach me stillness…as the grasses are stilled with light
Earth teach me suffering…as old stones suffer with memory
Earth teach me humility…as blossoms are humble with beginning
Earth teach me caring…as the mother who secures her young
Earth teach me courage…as the tree which stands alone
Earth teach me limitation…as the ant which crawls on the ground
Earth teach me freedom…as the eagle which soars in the sky
Earth teach me resignation…as the leaves which die in the fall
Earth teach me regeneration…as the seed which rises in the spring
Earth teach me to forget myself…
as melted snow forgets its life
Earth teach me to remember kindness…
as dry fields weep in the rain
Note: This is a Native American prayer which was originally found in the Unitarian Universalist prayer book. It has been posted on a number of different websites around the internet, including that of Cheryl Davis, an artist who specializes in portraying the beauty and heritage of Native American people. Cheryl’s site can be found at http://www.cheryldavisnativeamericanart.com/
Posted in Archives #3 A Deaf Pagan Shares, Archives #4 Pagan Thoughts and Writings, Art & Literature, Earth Day, Eco-Psychology, Food, Herbs, Nature, Paganism, Ritual, Spirituality, witchcraft, Women, Women's Spirituality on Saturday January 12 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Back at the beginning of 2011, I wrote a post here at the Crossroads about creating a new Year Word.
This is a concept I learned from Quinn McDonald, who blogs over at QuinnCreative. Like myself, Quinn is not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions – easy to make, and far too easy to break. I don’t think I have ever had a resolution that I’ve successfully maintained throughout the year.
Instead, Quinn advocates the use of “Year Words” – a word that will symbolize the year for you…set the intention, or create a verbal amulet. A word that will give the year a sense of purpose.
For 2011 I chose the word “roots.” It was a word rich in meaning for me that year…with its many definitions and the many images that it conjured up for me. It just seemed like the appropriate word for where I was at during that year of my life.
I didn’t choose a new Year Word for 2012. I’m not sure if that was intentional, or if I simply forgot. I think on a subconscious level I wanted to continue the theme of roots, especially since I bought my first house in the fall of 2011, and thus was ready to begin putting down roots.
Well…
2012 turned out to be pretty crappy. It was a time fraught with a lot of difficulties. What started off as a year filled with excitement and optimism quickly gave way to various struggles – personal, professional, financial, younameit. As days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, it became harder and harder to maintain a positive attitude in the midst of a challenging year.
In talking with others, it becomes obvious that 2012 was a not-so-great year for many of us. The economy took its toll on everyone, and there were lots of people (including myself) dealing with the harsh realities of trying to survive in the midst of limited employment opportunities and rising costs of living. With it being an election year, we were bombarded with quotes and promises from the various candidates, and soon folks were taking pot shots with one another as they lined up in support of one political party or the other, each with their own agendas. And for all that it was just erroneous hype, the “doom and gloom” of the Mayan Calendar predictions didn’t make things any easier to cope with.
I for one am certainly happy 2012 is over. I’ve survived my own personal “Tower Time” and can now take a deep breath and look forward to what 2013 has to offer. I cannot say that my life has necessarily improved any in the past week or two, but I do feel a greater sense of calmness, and a stronger ability to deal with life’s trials and tribulations. Somehow, I think this year is going to be better…it certainly cannot get much worse. It’s just a matter of approaching it with the right attitude.
So when it came time to begin thinking about my Year Word, I thought back to all the shit I’d been through in 2012, and how I would like to change that for this year. And that’s when my word came to mind…
COMPOST.
It’s time to gather up all that seemingly icky stuff from the past and recycle it into fertilizer for the future. Shovel up the manure of 2012, add the food scraps of hard knocks, throw in the leaves of all my trials and the grass clippings of all my tribulations, include the coffee grounds from all those mocha lattes at Sunergos Coffee Shop. Give it a couple of good turns with a pitchfork, and Voila! I’ll have what some gardeners call “Black Gold” – that dark, rich, growing medium that provides support and nutrients in which plants can grow and flourish. And by creating my own compost of life, hopefully by the end of the year I will have a rich growing medium to mix into the soil of my knowledge and experience, thus creating the perfect garden bed for planting my own seeds of creativity and imagination, that they might sprout and grow into the plants of success.
I like the word compost. It’s earthy. It’s organic. It conjures up positive images and pleasant childhood memories. I grew up out in the country, and my family had a garden…and yes, we did use some early forms of composting back then. Over the years, I have used compost on my own gardens – growing my flowers, herbs, and vegetables…and I could swear it worked magick on the heirloom tomatoes!
Pagan leader and author Starhawk – who was one of my earliest teachers – talks a lot about compost in her books and her workshops. In fact, one of her first covens was called Compost:
We met tonight in the rented storefront. For a long time, we just talked…about our fears and doubts about magic and ourselves: that it isn’t real, that it is real, that it will stop, that it’s an ego trip, that we’re crazy, that what we really want is power, that we’ll lose our sense of humor and become pompous about it, that we won’t be able to take it seriously, that it won’t work, that it will work…
At one point, we all took hands , and started breathing together. Suddenly, we realized that a circle had been cast. We passed around the oil, for anointing, and kissed. Someone began a low humming, and Pat started tapping out a rhythm on the drum. And we were all chanting, interweaving voices and melodies, as if different words were coming through each of us:
Isis…Astarte…Ishtar
Dawn and darkness…dawn and darkness…
Moo-oo-oon, Crescent Moo-oo-oon…
Pour out your light and your radiance upon us…
Shine! Shine! Shine! Shine! Shine!
and through it and behind it all, Beth was wailing on her kazoo, and it sounded like some strange Arabian oud, or a sobbing jazz saxophone, but we were smiling at the humor of it…
At the same moment, we all fell silent. Then we shared fruit, laughed, and talked about humor. We were thinking about a coven name, and someone suggested Compost. It was perfect! Earthy, organic, nurturing – and discouraging to self-inflation.
We are now the Compost coven!
The ritual worked. Whatever magic brings, it will not take away our ability to laugh at ourselves. And those fears grow less and less all the time.
~ Starhawk’s Book of Shadows, reprinted from The Spiral Dance by Starhawk
I may not be a member of the Compost coven, but much like its membership I also have my fears and doubts. I too worry that it isn’t real, that it’s all just an ego trip, that all I really want is power, that I’m crazy…that I will wake up one day and discover that it won’t work, and it will stop. But I stand in the darkness and draw upon the radiance of the moon, and I work my magic and find those fears growing smaller by the day.
So this year will be the year of making compost. I won’t make a resolution, but I will make an effort – an effort to take all that “shit happens” and turn it into some “happening shit” – fantastic fertilizer, awesome humus. And then I will plant my own garden and feed my own soul…and remember to always laugh at myself and take time to stop and smell the flowers.
COMPOST.
It’s my word for 2013.
Ocean is the creator & manager of this blog. Born deaf into an all-hearing family, she was raised oral and attended hearing schools. Ocean began learning sign language at the ripe old age of 16, and after meeting a Deaf man began her own journey through Deafhood. She graduated from Gallaudet College (now University), and has held positions both within & outside of the field of Deaf Services.
Ocean has been a practicing Pagan for 30 years, and considers herself "an eclectic witch," with a primary focus on Celtic Spirituality, but an interest in many different areas. A skilled tarot reader, she once donated her services to help raise funds for a Domestic Violence agency. She has also done workshops on aromatherapy, herbalism, & Paganism for the Deaf Community.
As a passionate advocate, Ocean often speaks out on the need for greater access for Deaf people (Pagan or otherwise) - interpreters, captioned videos, CART, etc...and works to build bridges between the Deaf & Hearing communities.
She lives not far from her hometown on the banks of the Ohio River with her two cats, Karma & Gandalf.
To contact Ocean,
you may email her at oshginva@gmail.com
This sculpture shows the sign for "connect"...and that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads is all about - making connections. Connections between Deafhood and Paganism, connections between the Deaf Community and the Hearing Community, connections between myself as the writer and you as the reader. I hope you will take the time to read my various posts, some of which are listed below. Welcome to the Crossroads, and I hope you make some connections here!
