07.26.06

Iraqi PM Heckler is Medea Benjamin from Code Pink

Posted in Hero's Journey, War at 5:09 pm by Administrator

I was watching the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki give his speech on CNN.  When a woman begins chanting, ““Troops Home Now” and ”Listen to the Iraqis”  I turned to my Mom, who I was visiting, and said, “That’s Medea Benjamin!”  Sure enough CNN flashed her picture later and it was Medea dressed up in Code Pink pink.  You can read all about the event on the Internet.  

I am also posting some links to pictures of Medea.  Here is another person who is making a difference.  Medea is a good example of someone speaking Truth to Power.  I am amazed that she was able to get into the galley.  That being said the Force is with her.  People are helping Medea so she can confront the Power Elite. 

It is small moments like this that give me hope.

Shalom,
Swan

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07.21.06

Urge Yes Vote on H. Con. Res 450 — For PEACE

Posted in War at 7:42 pm by Administrator

Synchronicity struck today.  The Goddess is afoot.

I received this email from a friend just a few minutes ago.  Please click on the link below and urge your congress person to vote for keeping the Peace in the Middle East.  Ask them to vote Yes on H. Con. Res 450.

http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/jvfp/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=4691

The bill which was introduced by Representative Dennis Kucinich, calls for an immediate cease-fire and for immediate, multi-party negotiations.  To read the bill follow this link : http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.CON.RES.450

Please.  Take this action.  We can change the world if we act together.

Shalom,
Swan

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War in the Middle East

Posted in War at 1:15 am by Administrator

What is happening?!  I have not been able to post anything because the world has gone crazy.  It appears to me that we are on the brink of disaster. 

What has and is happening in Iraq is criminal.  The whole world knows the U.S. was wrong to invade Iraq.  But now the madness that is going on in Lebanon is unbelievable and there is no one to stop it from spreading to the rest of the Middle East.  I am stunned, shocked, and dismayed by the events that are unfolding as I write this posting.

Here are some of today’s headlines from the Democracy Now! website:

• 72 Die In Lebanon In Deadliest Day of Israeli Attack
• U.S. Rejects Lebanese PM’s Appeal For Immediate Ceasefire
• Report: Israel Weighing Ground Invasion
• Israel Drops 23 Tons Of Bombs On Suspected Hezbollah Bunker
• Death Toll in Lebanon Reaches 330; 500,000 Displaced
• UN: Children Account for One-Third of Casualties
• Questions Raised Over U.S. Evacuation Efforts

Haven’t we learned that war is not a game with winners and losers?  EVERYONE loses when there is armed conflict in the world.  Everyone, that means you and me and the rest of the planet. 

This MUST STOP!  A ceasefire must be put in place IMMEDIATELY!  Shame on the U.S. for rejecting the Lebanese PM’s appeal for immediate ceasefire.  Shame on Israel for attacking and killing innocent civilians, women and children.  And shame again on all of us for letting this situation escalate.

I don’t have the words to describe the gravity of this situation.

If we love this world.  If we believe in the sanctity of all life.  Then we have a moral obligation to stop this madness. 

Please contact your congressional representatives immediately.  Let them know this aggression must stop now.

With much sorrow,
Swan

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07.05.06

On Being Spiritually and Politically Active

Posted in Hero's Journey at 4:49 pm by Administrator

As July 4th came and went I pondered the question, “What does it mean to be spiritually and politically active?”

A well-known saying states that “the personal is political and the political is personal.”  How we live our lives, whether we are aware of it or not, is a political as well as a spiritual choice.   Every choice we make, every action we take reverberates across the cosmos.  Nonaction is also a choice.  Every time we act we pluck the cosmic web. Our life’s song is played out on the choices we make or choose not to make.  I believe as people following a spiritual path we need to strive to walk lightly on this earth.  And that we also need to be politically active so that we can influence our political leaders to do the same.

As a person striving to walk their talk, I have made conscious choices in my life to reflect my values.  For example choosing:

*  To buy organic produce whenever possible.
*  To support small businesses and artists by purchasing products through them or from them.
*  A career as a librarian.
*  To monetarily supporting organizations like Truthout.org and Common Ground.
*  To foster homeless cats.
*  Not to have children.
*  To work in the town where I live.
*  To replace conventional light bulbs with energy saving light bulbs.

These choices both big and small are political.  Together they add up to be significant.  The way I live my life does makes a difference in the world.  

But the difficult part comes as being a citizen of the Empire. If you are like me, you probably feel like you are not doing enough, because the strength and the influence of the False Gods in the world are so dominate, and the light we shine into the world is so small.  We are like butterflies beating our wings against the bulldozers of the Market Place, Reckless Science, Greed and Power Lust.

“Am I doing enough?” is a question I ask myself from time after time.  And the answer is always, “No.”  This is a depressing observation, but again in order to change and grow first one must become aware; aware of both the positive and the negative factors.

As a spiritual person and a priestess of the Mother Goddess, I believe the response to overcoming the feelings of hopelessness is to stay in contact with the Divine Source.  Again it is important to listen to her voice.  She will let us know how to act, how to grow, and how to change. We need to keep doing our best and be aware that there is always more we can do.

For example, cars are one the most destructive forces in the world for our climate and the planet.  That being the case, I posed the question to myself, “Can I give up my car?”  And to be honest I am not ready to make that commitment.  I think I am ready to start walking to work one day a week. This smaller step takes me forward on my path, but there is always more that I can do.  And one day I believe I will be able to give up my car.

As another step forward on my path, I am trying to learn how to garden.  My efforts currently won’t sustain me, but each time I plant my garden I learn a little more and I get a little better.  This year I was able to start and transfer some wonderful organic yellow pear tomatoes.  I also learned that growing a garden plot at the edge of a shade tree’s canopy can protect the plot from being burned up by the sun. 

Everything we do if we live consciously can be spiritual. And everything we do is also political.  We can live as if each day really mattered.  Or we can escape into fantasy.  We can zone out on television, sports, mood altering drugs, the internet, sex, shopping, and over-eating, to name just a few of America’s favorite activities.

Open your eyes to the moment.  Live as if each step you take today brings you one step closer to the God(dess).  What would your life look like?  How would your life make you feel?

Walking towards the Goddess makes me feel alive.

Blessings on your path,
Swan

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07.03.06

The Role of Fear on the Creative Path

Posted in Hero's Journey, Screenplay at 7:47 pm by Administrator

As I posted earlier I am at the 60 page mark in my screenplay.  This morning in meditation I acknowledged to myself that I am now terrified.  I wrote down the two main items I was afraid of.  First, that the screenplay is not any good.  And second, that I won’t finish it.

As I named my fears this morning I felt a release within my body.  By not saying anything previously, I had been holding tight to those beliefs.  Speaking them aloud allowed them to diminish.

What is one of the worse things a person can be?  A coward.  Especially a yellow coward.  As Americans we are taught to keep a stiff upper lip when it comes to fear.  We are taught to ignore our fear by whistling in the dark. We are also taught to be self-sufficient, to be the rugged individual who doesn’t need anyone’s help.   Is it a coincidence that the emotion of fear is typically felt in the body in the area of the solar plexus and that the color associated with our solar plexus is yellow?

As I acknowledged and listened to my fear, it told me that I would not finish my screenplay.  Well how does my fear know that?  What makes this cranky little emotion think it is an expert on what I will and will not do?  If I keep going forward step-by-step I will finish my screenplay.  All I have to do is not give up and baby step my way to completion.

It also told me that even if I did finish my screenplay it won’t be any good.  Don’t you just love the rationale of the guardian at the gate?  If it can’t get you to stop one way it tries another extreme argument.  My fear tells me it won’t be any good so why bother.  Just give up and go back to watching television.  Why even try when you know you are only going to be a failure.

Well this is a first draft.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  Would I expect anyone else’s first draft of a screenplay to be perfect?  No.  I am not expecting Shakespearian quality.  What I hope to have when I am done is good structure, well developed characters, believable dialogue, and an interesting story.  And I believe those things are already there, at least in part.  I can rework the screenplay after I finish the first draft if I need to add more highs and lows to the story.

After examining and working with my fear this morning I finished my meditation by praying to the Goddess to help me with my screenplay.  I asked her to help it grow and develop, because I felt I was running on empty.  That I was relying too much on myself instead of being open to the Divine Source.   Afterwards I felt I had opened myself to the creative flow.

I see now that fear is part of the cycle of creation.  Fear is the inner critic, trying to keep me safe, trying to maintain the status quo.  Fear is the Tower card in the Tarot.  Walking through fear allows us to break down and destroy old beliefs, patterns, habits, and attitudes.  When I am feeling fear I am at the bottom of the cycle.  I am at the bottom of the wheel.  This means I have no where to go but up.

Earlier this morning I felt unworthy of the task I had set for myself.  But that is an old belief.  And like the lighting in the Tower card we should burn those old beliefs down.  Burn them away so that new beliefs can grow, can arise from the ashes like a phoenix.   From the ashes of destruction comes fertility.   And from the releasing of old fears comes radiant energy.

At the end of my meditation I felt again the releasing of energy from my solar plexus.  The fear had diminished. And I now instead of fear I felt a glowing inside me.  I felt a radiant light, like a yellow sun, shining out of my core.  So the shedding of fear is a process of letting go of the old.  Like a snake sheds it skin, we shed our fears, because those beliefs no longer fit in our life.  We shed our fears so that we may grow.

Many blessings on your path,
Swan

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07.02.06

Another Screenplay Update

Posted in Musings..., Screenplay at 7:35 pm by Administrator

The screenplay is coming along.  I have completed 60 pages, which means I have reached the half way point. Yeah!

I believe all of my characters have been introduced.  Rose is now traveling with the Caravan.  My two Villians are tracking her, one with more success than the other.  I have introduced the character of the drunk ex-girlfriend, Jezzy.  I love the character of Jezzy.  There is nothing more dramatic than a drunken ex-girlfriend.  I look forward to Jezzy causing a lot of conflict in my story.

More later.
Swan

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