Making Pancakes

 

 

     

 

 

I got this email this morning ... Good timing! 

 

Yesterday was a tough day for me.  I volunteer with teenagers who have been abused and most days with the kids are interesting.  Yesterday was down right awful.  One of the cases came to court and because of a loop hole in the law, the children were returned to the people who abused and neglected them ...

 

I think the judge was disgusted with the way the case had been handled by the Department of Social Services (Child Protective Services) so he sent the kids back to "punish" DSS ... He sure showed them, didn't he?

 

I don't always agree with the system.  It's not a perfect system by any means, but it's the only system we have.  There is no alternative.  The lawyers want to "take down" DSS, accusing them and any of us "do-gooders" (as one of the lawyers called us) as having an "agenda".  Some lawyers will say anything.  I believe the child molesters are the ones with an "agenda" ...

I cautioned the attorneys yesterday not to burn down a house (the current child protective system) until and unless we have another one to house the many children who really need the system.  

 

People tell me that I am wonderful to take time to help kids but it's not me that is wonderful ... It's the kids I meet.  They might learn from me but I learn so much more from them!

 

The kids taught me about courage.  The kids taught me about healing and bouncing back.  Sure they are angry.  Of course they are hurt ... but kids have an almost magical way of not staying anywhere for very long ... They have had rotten things happen in their young lives and yet, they find a way to move on.  Some of them are almost philosophical about what they have been through. 

I suppose an expert could give me a psychological explanation for why some kids do better than others ... I haven't discovered a pattern, rhyme or a reason to what happens or what happens next ... but each one of these kids are like precious jewels that have been dragged through the mud.  Some are more covered than others, but every one of them has a part of them that still shines! 

I am not privy to the inner workings of every child's heart and don't have to be to know that there is a gem in there.  There might be a lot of mud ... but mud is just mud.  It can't diminish the gem.

 

When it comes to our kids in court, I am not good at losing, and I hope I never am.  The kids need as many wins as the Judges will dish out.

 

This story reminded me of the messes we all make ... and the wonderful hope that all messes can be cleaned up with a little love ... the messes the parents make ... the messes the kids might make ... the messes the system might make ... the messes the lawyers make ... the messes the Judges make ... and the messes I make! 

Real love goes a long way ... and some of us have love that will go the distance ...

 

 

Making pancakes 

Six -year-old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents pancakes.  He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter, opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour  canister, spilling it on the floor. 

He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten. 

Brandon was covered with flour and getting frustrated.  He wanted this to be something very good for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad. 

He didn't know what to do next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove and he didn't know how the stove worked!  Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor.  Frantically he tried to clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas white and sticky. 

And just then he saw Dad standing at the door.  Big crocodile tears welled up in Brandon's eyes.  All he'd wanted to do was something good, but he'd made a terrible mess.  He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking.  But his father just watched him. 

Then, walking through the mess, he picked up his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and sticky in the process! 

That's how God deals with us!  We try to do something good in life, but it turns into a mess.  Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend, or we can't stand our job, or our health goes sour.  Sometimes we just stand there in tears because we can't think of anything else to do.  That's when God picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets all over Him. 

But just because we might mess up, we can't stop trying to "make pancakes" for God or for others.  Sooner or later we'll get it right, and then they'll be glad we tried... 

I was thinking. and I wondered if I had any wounds needing to be healed, friendships that need rekindling or three words needing to be said, sometimes, "I love you" can heal & bless! Remind every one of your friends that you love them. Even if you think they don't love back, you would be amazed at what those three little words, a smile, and a reminder like this can do. 

Just in case I haven't told you lately ... I LOVE YOU!!!

 

 

I can say that again for me!  I LOVE YOU!!!

Tags: Making Pancakes, The Legal System, Child Protective Services, CPS, Department of Social Services, DSS, losing in court, lawyers

SIMPLICITY ... The FIRST defense

 

Yesterday, Joey and I drove to the mountains ... a play day ... stopping wherever the mood struck us.  We had a few things we had to do ... buy more corn for the deer, stop at two of the stores that were having spring sales ... the rest was to go wherever the wind blew ...

 

I like unstructured days ... no plan ... no deadline ... no schedule ... just letting life unfold as it will ... I found some cool treasures ... I watched some interesting people ... Joey told me some neat things about what we were looking at that I wouldn't have known and he might not have shared if he hadn't been reminded by something he had seen ...

 

Living in the now.  I like it!  I like the easy way Joey and I talk about things ... good things ... bad things ... happy news ... disturbing news ... NO TOPIC is off-limits but all opinions are safe.  I don't judge him and he doesn't judge me.  It's okay if he has to explain it twice for me to understand ... It's okay if I have to repeat something because he might not have heard me the first time ... We see things and tell each other little memories that we are reminded of ... It's like looking at each other's photo albums ...

 

In the middle of exploring, I heard the sweetest sound yesterday ... I heard children giggling and playing in the garden center ... I smiled ... I thought about PolarB and her bear that giggles ... She would have loved to hear those children ...

 

I looked around the shop and every one else was smiling too ... which almost made me chuckle at how easily laughter can spread cheer ...

 

Today was a reading day ... I am reading several books at once (again) but the overwhelming theme is simplicity ...

 

Simplicity.

 

You know we grown-ups make things much more complicated than they have to be!  I heard a man say once that any idea that's worth anything should be able to be explained in a way that a six year old child can understand it ... and if you can't do that ... then, go back and study some more because you don't know the topic well enough to understand it yourself!

 

At the time, I thought there would be very little for me to contribute for the rest of the seminar!  LOL!!!  Short-sighted of me and I missed the point ... If I am describing a car accident someone else had, I will miss some of the main points ... but if I am describing a car accident that I had ... I can tell you every moment in the same slow-motion clarity that I saw it in the first time!

 

Simplicity.

 

He was just saying we have to LIVE IT to truly KNOW IT.

 

Simplicity.

 

Most of the answers we need are already right here inside us.  Our life's experiences were the training ground for where we are now ... but why do things get so mixed up if we already know the answers?  Well, that's simple too.  Some of the information we have come to accept as GOSPEL isn't GOSPEL but our personal experience and some of us let past hurts and disappointments color the way we react to things that happen to us now!

 

I heard a story on tv today as I was walking through the living room ... An elderly blind lady was being moved to a new old folks home ... On the way there, they were describing her room, the bed covers, the curtains ... and she said, "I love it!"  They said, "Are you sure?  You haven'teven seen it yet!" and she said ... "I don't have to see it to know that I love it.  I have to decide to love it sothat when I see it, I really will love it.!"

 

Simplicity.

 

I liked that story ... It was more than positive thinking ... It said to me that most of the things we fear ... even the things that hurt us ... happen inside us, and often with very little input from anyone else!  Other people don't hurt us.  WE HURT US!

 

Did you ever see the movie, The Karate Kid, or any other martial art movie where the Grasshopper Character says don't fight force with force ... ABSORB force ... Go in the same direction and let the force move past you ... It's only when we fight it or try to avoid it that it knocks us down!

 

Simplicity.

 

Things we learn in the physical world can also apply to the spiritual and the emotional world ... In fact, some of the things we learn in one area will help us in several others ... if we let them!

 

Simplicity.

 

I saw a quote today ... "Patience is a gesture of profound kindness.  We all have moments when we stumble and lose ourselves in our stories, fears and fantasies.  And we can all begin again in the next moment, recovering a sense of balance and openness.  Patience teaches us to seek an inner refuge of simplicity, balance, and sensitivity in even the most turbulent moments.  It is about learning to be good friends to ourselves.  Blame, judgement, and avoidance only divorce us from ourselves and exile us from the moment.  Impatience always leads us away from where we are; wanting to jump into a better, more perfect moment.  Impatience is the manifestation of resistance and aversion, it is the face of non-acceptance.  Impatience never leads to the calm, simple contentment of being,but to perpetual restlessness and frustration.  Patience is one of life's great arts, a lesson we learn not just once, but over and over.  In the moments we find ourselves leaning into a future that has not arrived, we can PAUSE and learn to stand calmly in the moment.  When we find ourselves frustrated with ourselves or another, we can remember that THIS is the very moment we are invited to soften our resistance and open our hearts ..."

 

Simplicity.

 

When bad things happen ... Don't fight it.  Don't run away.  Stand calm, move slightly to the side and let it pass you by ... just like in those martial art movies!

 

Simplicity.

 

If you forget to be calm and it knocks you flat ... learn ... Center yourself, face the attack and calm yourself.  Move slightly to the side and let it pass you by ...

 

Simplicity!

Tags: Play Day, Simplicity, Laughter, Recovery, Healing

Worries Today ... Gone Tomorrow ...

To everything there is a season,

a time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to weep,

 

 

a time to laugh,

 

 

time to mourn,

and a time to dance ...



                                         - Ecclesiastes 3:1,4.

Tags: to everything there is a season, Ecclesiastes 3:1-4

In Loving Memory ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In loving memory of Uncle Bud (Dad's youngest brother), Bob (the father of a good friend) and Tillie (My mentor and friend) ... All three lived the kind of lives and possessed the kind of hearts that reassure me that they are in a much better place ... But I will miss them ... (each of them) ... in ways I cannot possibly express ... I am fortunate to have lived so long with so few lost to death but losing even one doesn't make loss any easier ... These men were all the kind of men that made a difference.  They treated every one the same which made all of us who knew them love and respect them even more.  There will never be another Uncle Bud, another Bob or another Tillie ... Heaven is blessed to have received them all so close together!  Blessings to Bud, Bob and Tillie and loving condolences to the ones you gentlemen have left behind.  You may be gone from us, but you will never be forgotten ...

 

 

 

IN MY LIFE

 

There are places I’ll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends Istill can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I’ve loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more

Lyrics by Lennon/McCartney.

Earlier, this month, I featured beautiful photographs by a gifted artist named Kathy Fornal.
I gave my word that I would only publish them once, and never without permission.
If you would like a copy of those beautiful pictures, you can go to:

http://k.fornal.home.att.net and purchase cards or prints.

More From Kids ...

Letters To God

 

Dear God,

Are you really invisible or is that just a trick?

Lucy

 

Dear God,

I want to be just like my Daddy when I get older except not with so much hair.

Sam

 

Dear God,

Did you mean for giraffes to look like that or was it an accident?

Mandi

 

Dear God,

I keep waiting for Spring but it hasn't come yet.  Don't forget.

Hunter

 

Dear God,

You don't have to worry about me.  I look both ways.

Brandon

 

Dear God,

Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why not just keep the ones you have now?

Jane

 

Dear God,

I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church.  Is that okay?

Justin

 

Dear God,

I think the staple is one of your greatest inventions.

Angel

 

Dear God,

In Bible times, did they really talk that fancy?

Elle

 

Dear God,

I think about you sometimes even when I'm not praying.

Cara

 

Dear God,

I'm an American.  What are you?

Tyler

 

Dear God,

Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy.

Emma

 

Dear God,

I bet it is very hard for you to love every body in the whole world.  There are only four people in our family and I could never do it.

Haley

 

Dear God,

If you watch in church on Sunday, I will show you my new shoes.

Tori

 

Dear God,

I would like to live 900 years like the guy in the Bible.

Alex

 

Dear God,

We read in school that Edison made light, but Sunday School they say you did it.  I bet he stoled your idea.

Sincerly,

Paige

 

Dear God,

If you let the dinosor not be exstinct, we would not have a country.  I think you did the right thing.

Jacob

 

Dear God,

I don't think any body could be a better God.  Well, I just want you to know but I am not just saying that because you are God.

Charles

 

Dear God,

Maybe Cain and Abel would not have killed each other if they had each had their own rooms.  It works for me and my brother.

Bobby 

 

 

 

Kids Say The Darndest Things!

 

Sometimes it's good to take a break from "all things serious" ... I do that by spending time around kids.  They have a way of bringing out the kid in me.  I am always amused by the last cute thing they have said ... and occasionally, I am awed by the profound wisdom that their wide open view of the world sometimes provides!

 

 

Why God made MOMS?

 

Why God made MOMS answers given by elementary school aged children to the following questions:

 

Why did God make Mothers?

1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean up the house.
3. To help us out of there when we are getting born.

How did God make Mothers?

1. Magic plus super powers plus A LOT of stirring.
2. God made my Mom just the same like He made me.  He just got bigger parts.
3. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of MEAN.

Why did God give you your Mother and not some other Mom?

1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's Moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mom?

1. My Mom has always been a Mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess is that she was pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

Why did your Mom marry your Dad?

1. My Dad makes the best spaghetti in the world ... And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My Grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such a goofball.
2. Mom.  You can tell by room inspection.  She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What's the difference between Moms and Dads?

1. Moms work at work & work at home, and Dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but Moms have the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your Mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don't do spare time.

What would it take to make your Mom perfect?

1. On the inside she is already perfect.  Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about keeping my room clean.  I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter.  Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her toget rid of those invisible eyes in the back of her head.

COLLECTING Back Child Support

 

I hadn't collected child support in years from the father of my four children.  He had made the statement to friends and family that it was his right NOT to pay and that God would never make him pay child support ... Well, God might not have forced him to support his children but SupportKids and the glorious state of Texas sure did!

 

I hear that SupportKids are rough, or that's what my Ex told my kids ... "with tears in his voice".  The kids say that they call him weekly to ask for money and they call him a deadbeat and it hurts his feelings ... I had to laugh ... I'd have paid to listen in on those phone calls!  I don't know if it's true or if the Ex just soups it up for sympathy. 

 

I smile when I think of the stories my kids have told me ... I laugh every time I get a check in the mail ... If you are sick of fighting with bureaucrats ... You might want to call SupportKids at 1-800-691-KIDS or go to SupportKids.Com.

 

It might be the best thing you ever did.  Here is some information from the SupportKids Site:  

 

 

Living our Mission, Purpose and Vision

Our mission, purpose and vision are fundamental to our success. They are the foundation of the company. They inspire our vision of the future, business strategies, decisions, actions and behaviors. To reflect our role as an industry leader and to focus our efforts on the opportunities ahead, we have embraced the following:

Our mission is to make a difference for families.

Our purpose is to collect child support.

Our vision is to be part of the solution to the national
problem of unpaid child support.

 

 

Why Supportkids for child support payments?

 

The way it ought to be...

As soon as your court order is established, you begin to receive child support payments from your ex. And, if payments are missed once in awhile, state laws for child support direct you to speak with your caseworker who immediately gets on the case to make sure that payments resume.

 

The way it often is ...

 

You have a court order for support.  You've waited for years to get the child support payments you are legally entitled to.  You don't get any help or answers from your caseworker at the state, even though it is mandated by state laws for child support.  It feels like dead beat parents have more rights than you or your child.

 

The definition of a deadbeat dad or deadbeat mom: Not fulfilling one's obligations or paying one's debts.  We can help!

 

That's why our clients choose SupportKids.

 

Tired of the runaround and serious about getting results - our clients turn to Supportkids to get what they are owed.

 

We focus only on child support collection.  We put money in households that were receiving little, if any, support.  Unlike the government, we don't have to exhaust our resources on establishing paternity or court orders.  The government just can't keep up with the millions of child support cases they are assigned.  That's one of the reasons why so many parents spend years without child support.

 

How do we work with state laws for child support to achieve success?  We are:

 

Determined

 

When it comes to enforcement, we fight to get you the child support payments that you are owed.

As a private company, we are determined to be successful for you.  We are not given federal funding like government agencies, so we are strictly dependent on getting results.  We aren't intimidated by or overly sympathetic to deadbeat parents.

If we don't succeed, we don't stay in business.  It's that simple.

 

Involved

 

We often have clients tell us that one of the best things about coming to Supportkids is that they feel like a human being, not just a number.  We are highly involved with every aspect of your case, so that we can always provide answers to your questions.

Updates are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week online or by telephone.  You know what's happening with your case and you're informed of our progress.

 

Experts

 

In 1991, our founder, Casey Hoffman, established what would become the leading private child support company in the country.  Prior to this important milestone, Casey led the largest state program in the country, which gave him an insider's perspective on state laws for child support.  He saw government offices across the country overwhelmed by a backlog of cases and personnel shortages.  Ultimately, he knew that the government could not solve his problem alone.  There needed to be another solution.

Supportkids was founded on the premise that parents need options for effective enforcement of their court order.  We pioneered the private collection of child support payments and continue to be the leader in the industry today.

Our level of expertise does make a difference.

 

Support

 

Many of the people working on your case are former clients who understand the difference reliable child support payments can make for a family.

We take our jobs personally because we know firsthand the struggle and hardship that millions of families endure and the havoc not receiving support can cause.  We listen.  We communicate.  We take action.

If you have a court order for child support payments, contact us.  You'll get answers.

 

This excerpt is from the website:

Child Support Payments, State Laws For Child Support, Deadbeat Parents, Deadbeat Dads, Deadbeat Moms: Supportkids

Tags: Deadbeat Dads, Collecting Child Support, SupportKids.Com

For Single Moms & Dads ...

I'm not a single parent now, but I was for a long time and I remember how hard it was to be both parents ... This prayer reminded me of those days and I wanted to post it today in honor of all the single moms and dads who don't hear enough what a good job they are doing!

 
A Single Parent's Prayer

      

Lord, grant me ...

   
  

Time enough ...
To do all the chores, join in the games,
Help with the lessons,
And say the night prayers,
And still have a few moments
Left over for me.

     

Energy enough ...
To be bread-baker and breadwinner,
Knee-patcher and peacemaker,
Ballplayer and bill juggler.

     

Hands enough ...
To wipe away the tears,
To reach out when I'm needed,
To hug and to hold,
To tickle and touch ...

         

Heart enough ...
To share and to care,
To listen and to understand,
And
To make a loving home for my family.

 

      

Author Unknown

 

Tags: single parent's prayer

In Search Of Alchemy

 

         

  

Alchemy and the Collective Consciousness

Alchemy was mysterious at one time, only because it was born in a time when only the rich and elite were educated ... But that is not 2006!  Anyone with a computer and a fairly good search engine can learn anything they would like to know!

I went looking for ALCHEMY when more than one person referred to my recovery and the transformation of a person's life as ALCHEMY.  My only context was something I heard in church about how we are all turned into the finest gold when our sins and flaws are burned away ... I understood the concept of TRIAL BY FIRE ... of the old being transformed into something new ...

So what is ALCHEMY?  Let's see ... 

Alchemy 

Alchemy is an ancient path of spiritual purification and transformation; the expansion of consciousness and the development of insight and intuition through images. Alchemy is steeped in mysticism and mystery. It presents a system of dreamlike, esoteric symbols that have the power to alter consciousness and connect the human soul to the Divine.

Alchemy is part of the mystical and mystery traditions of both East and West. In the West, it dates to ancient Egypt, where it was developed it as an early form of chemistry and metallurgy. Egyptians alchemists used their art to make alloys, dyes, perfumes and cosmetic jewelry, and to embalm the dead.

The early Arabs made significant contributions to alchemy, such as by emphasizing the mysticism of numbers (quantities and lengths of time for processes). The Arabs also gave us the term 'alchemy', from the Arabic term 'alchimia', which loosely translated means 'the Egyptian art'.

During medieval and Renaissance times, alchemy spread through the Western world, and was further developed by Kabbalists, Rosicrucians and astrologers. It functioned on two levels: mundane and spiritual. On a mundane level, alchemists sought to find a physical process to convert base metals such as lead into gold. On a spiritual level, alchemists worked to purify themselves by eliminating the "base" material of the self and achieving the "gold" of enlightenment.

By Renaissance times, many alchemists believed that the spiritual purification was necessary in order to achieve the mundane transformations of metals. The alchemists relied heavily upon their dreams, inspirations and visions for guidance in perfecting their art. In order to protect their secrets, they recorded diaries filled with mysterious symbols rather than text. These symbols remain exceptionally potent (even today) for changing states of consciousness.

The Chemistry of Alchemy

Superficially, the chemistry involved in alchemy appears a hopelessly complicated succession of heatings of multiple mixtures of obscurely named materials, but it seems likely that a relative simplicity underlies this complexity.

Goals

"Transmutation" is the key word characterizing alchemy, and it may be understood in several ways: in the changes that are called chemical, in physiological changes such as passing from sickness to health,in a hoped-for transformation from old age to youth, or even in passing from an earthly to a supernatural existence.Alchemical changes seem always to have been positive, never involving degradation except as an intermediate stage in a process having a "happy ending." Alchemy aimed at the great human "goods": wealth, longevity, and immortality.

Alchemy was not original in seeking these goals, for it had been preceded by religion, medicine, and metallurgy. The first chemists were metallurgists, who were perhaps the most successful practitioners of the arts in antiquity. Their theories seem to have come not from science but from folklore and religion.

But the first ventures into natural philosophy, the beginnings of what is called the scientific view, also preceded alchemy. Systems of five almost identical basic elements were postulated in China, India, and Greece, according to a view in which nature comprised antagonistic, opposite forces--hot and cold, positive and negative, and male and female; i.e., primitive versions of the modern conception of energy. Drawing on a similar astrological heritage, philosophers found correspondences among the elements, planets, and metals. In short, both the chemical arts and the theories of the philosophers of nature had become complex before alchemy appeared.

Modern Alchemy

The possibility of chemical gold-making was not conclusively disproved by scientific evidence until the 19th century. The official attitude toward alchemy in the 16th to 18th century was ambivalent.

Conventional attempts at gold making were not dead, but by the 18th century alchemy had turned conclusively to religious aims. The rise of modern chemistry engendered not only general skepticism as to the possibility of making gold but also widespread dissatisfaction with the objectives of modern science ... in a way that amounted to a renunciation of what many had considered the most important question of science, the relation of man to the cosmos.  In modern times alchemy has become a focal point for various kinds of mysticism.

Alchemy's Accomplishments

The most persistent goals of alchemy have been the prolongation of life and the transmutation of base metals into gold. It appears that neither was accomplished.

Alchemy's Interpretations

Charlatanism was a prominent feature of European alchemy during the 16th century.  Some of good the discovery of new substances and processes and the invention of new apparatus was certainly accomplished by alchemists, but most of it is more justifiably ascribed to early pharmacists.  

Finally, a new interpretation was offered in the 1920s by the Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung, who, judged alchemical literature to be explicable in psychological terms. Noticing the similarities between alchemical literature, particularly in its reliance on bizarre symbolic illustrations, and the dreams and fantasies of his patients, Jung viewed them as manifestations of a "collective unconscious" (inherited disposition).

(  This information, in it's complete text is offered on: Alchemy - Philosopher's Stone and  Alchemy - 2 , a part of Crystalinks Metaphysical and Science Website  )

Dreams?

• Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
                                          - William Butler Yeats
  
• They tease me now, telling me it was only a dream.  But does it matter whether it was a dream or reality, if the dream made known to me the truth?    - Dostoevsky
  
• I do not know how to distinguish between our waking life and a dream. Are we not always living the life that we imagine?
                                           - Thoreau
  
• I cannot be awake
  for nothing looks to me
  as it did before,
  Or else I am awake for the first time,
  and all before has been a mean sleep.
                                            - Walt Whitman
  
• Our mind has its history, just as our body has its history.  Our unconscious mind, like our body, is a storehouse of relics and memories of the past.        
                                            - Carl Jung

(From www.healingdreams.com)

I gave myself a headache with the full description of alchemy and it's ancient references.  Alchemy went in search of a way to "make" gold, and in the process, it found it's soul ... in the exploration of the elements and the practice of mixing those elements to what end ... they did not know ... but they bent the rules and stretched their minds and guarded those explorations and recipes (formulas) in ancient symbolism and the study of their symbols have proven more interesting than their actual scientific discoveries, which for the most part, were just wrong ...

Would any of us drink mercury or lead today?  Of course not!  But emperors in China did, in the hopes that they would achieve immortality ... Which makes mewonder if China's famous wisdom came from making mistakes and learning from those mistakes before most civilizations had evencome into being ... Possible?

If Alchemy'sonly purpose had been to create gold, it failed, but if it had been to stimulate discovery, it succeeded.  The vague and smokey images of a man over a boiling pot of vitriolic, sulfuric minerals in search of gold, immortality or a specific remedy ... and the same man who would record his progress in images that made sense to him at the time ... is a source of discovery, in itself ...

Alchemy did not create gold but those alchemists produced gold, if you measure riches in thoughts and recorded images.

Those images are interesting to me, but I don't find them fascinating enough to call myself an alchemist or even an initiate.  Ancient images that contributed to the collective consciousness are the business of the same archeologists that study Egyptian hieroglyphics or any other ancient manuscript. 

It is enough for me to understand the compliment of my friends:

On a spiritual level ... to purify themselves by eliminating the "base" material of the self and achieving the 'gold' of enlightenment.

I understand that in those smokey, dark places, where we abandon the ideas and agreements and beliefs that never really worked for us, we discover our authentic selves which is the REAL GOLD in each of us! 

Tags: alchemy, collective consciousness, recovery, universal healing

Experience

 

 

     

 

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience ~
we are spiritual beings having a human experience.

 

  

 

 

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Irish Blessings

 

May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.



Here's to me, and here's to you, And here's to love and laughter- I'll be true as long as you, And not one moment after.



Here's a toast to your enemies' enemies!



Here's to a long life and a merryone.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one.
A cold beer - and another one!



Here's to our wives and girlfriends:
May they never meet!



May the grass grow long on the road to hell for want of use.



May you live to be a hundred years,
With one extra year to repent.



I like holidays!
I'm not even Irish,
But the house is decorated with shamrocks
And little leprechauns
(I always say I do it for the kids
But I have always celebrated holidays)



Tonight, we'll have
Irish Stew and Soda Bread!

IRISH STEW

Printed from COOKS.COM

1 lb. lamb, cubed
1 lb. beef, cubed
1 med. onion, chopped
2 tbsp. oil
8 c. boiling water
1 lg. can tomato sauce
2-3 Stalks of celery, sliced
5 med. carrots, cut in half
6 med. potatoes, quartered
1 bay leaf
Salt & pepper to taste

Brown lamb, beef and onions in oil in a large saucepan. Add the boiling water and tomato sauce to meat; simmer 1 hour.
Add celery, carrots, potatoes, bay leaf, salt and pepper; cook until carrots and potatoes are done. Serves 4.

Optional: Add can of corn niblets.

IRISH SODA BREAD

Printed from COOKS.COM

2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) chilled butter, cut in slices
1 c. raisins, optional
2 tbsp. caraway seeds, optional
2/3 c. buttermilk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Put butter slices on top of flour mixture. Using a pastry blender "cut in" butter until mixture is crumbly.
You can add raisins and caraway seeds to mixture, but both are optional.
Measure 2/3 cup buttermilk. Add egg to buttermilk; beat together. Add liquid to dry ingredients. Stir well.

Place a small amount of flour on the counter. Turn dough out. Knead briefly. Form the dough into a ball and place in a greased round pan (or form into a rectangle and place in a greased loaf pan). Press down gently on dough so it will fill the pan.

Use sharp knife to cut a cross over the top of the bread (supposed to prevent cracking). Coat the top of the loaf with 1 tablespoon milk for color and shine (may also use egg white). Bake 35 to 40 minutes.

To make buttermilk: Place 2 tablespoons white vinegar in a measuring cup. Add enough milk for 2/3 cup. Stir. Let stand 10 minutes or until thickened.



And after dinner,
A BETTER alternative to Green Beer!

1 C hot, freshly brewed coffee
1/4 C. Bailey's Irish Creme
With
Whipped Cream for garnish 

Tags: Irish Blessing, Irish Stew, Irish Soda Bread, Irish Coffee