Message from The Doves
“The Dove, on silver pinions, winged her peaceful way.”
James Montgomery
On December 26th, 2011 I observed something very much out of the ordinary. I have a bird feeder in my backyard, and on that morning my friend and I were watching a small flock of Inca Doves sitting on the ground eating seeds that had fallen from the feeder. My friend walked away and I continued watching the birds. I love watching doves---while not colorful, there is a sweetness about them that I find very appealing. As I watched, they suddenly stopped moving. They all had their heads bowed, and they did not move at all. They appeared frozen. They sat there for so long that I called my friend to come quickly. For about a minute we observed this odd behavior before the birds began moving again. To quote my friend, "It was like something out of the 'Twilight Zone'!".
My logical mind decided that the doves must have been aware of a hawk or other raptor overhead and froze as a survival mechanism, but in all my years of watching all kinds of birds, I have never seen this happen before. Doves usually just scatter when they sense danger.
The next day an acquaintance in Brooklyn, NY mentioned on her website that the city seemed eerily quiet for the day after Christmas, almost as if in "suspended animation".
Quite strange...
More to the point, strange glitches in my own reality have become more common, and I have a sense that something major is coming, and that some of us are in training for the big event, whatever it may be. I do not have a feeling of foreboding, or even a feeling of an aerie-faerie Utopian future...just that profound changes are on the way and that we must keep our minds, and hearts, wide open for what is to come.
December 26th happens to be my birthday. It is the anniversary date of eerie events in Rendlesham Forest 31 years ago, Whitley Srieber's first extraordinary events with other-worldly beings at a cabin in upstate New York, as well as one of the first great destructive, natural events of our century, the earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004. My birthday is not particularly important, but it does give me pause when I notice events on that date and their impact on humanity and my sense of reality...even doves peacefully eating away at seeds and grain and freezing in the moment.
These are exciting times, and I am so glad to be here! A very happy, and blessed New Year to one and all!
Suggested Links and Resources
www.crystalinks.com/pyramidofthedove.html
www.shamanicjourney.com/article/6022/dove-pigeon-power-animal-symbol-of-peace-love-maternity-gentleness-spirit-messenger
'Communion' by Whitley Strieber
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake_and_tsunami
MdMesssMessMessssp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxdNsSwMeDQ
Truth
Albert Einstein
It has been quite a while since I posted my last essay, and in that time I have been busy with my personal and professional life. I have, somehow, managed to stay connected, questioning of this thing that we call life, often taking myself outside the box in an attempt to figure IT ALL out. I find myself feeling more and more like an observer of IT ALL, while also experiencing IT ALL.
So, just what have I been up to, and what the heck is IT ALL anyway?
In my home office is a twelve-inch high statue of the iconic superhero, Wonder Woman. I have had a professional life for many years, while also raising a family and taking care of our home. I never set out to “do IT ALL”, but somehow I came pretty darn close during the last 30 years or so (At least it felt that way, especially after putting in over 8 hours a day at work, then rushing home to prepare dinner and wrangle a toddler before collapsing into bed and dreaming of sleeping late the next morning!). I guess my family may have paid me the ultimate compliment by gifting me with my own little award in the guise of Wonder Woman.
I’m pretty sure that I am no Wonder Woman, but I do covet one thing that she possessed, and I mean more than the glossy, black mane of hair, spectacular figure, and friendships with Superman and other members of The Justice League, and the gifts of the Gods bestowed upon her at birth. No, I’m talking about that Golden Lasso of hers. The Golden Lasso was not only indestructible and strong enough to hold even the likes of Superman, it could restore lost memories, renew the body, protect those encircled by it, and compel those within its confines to tell the truth.
Several months ago, with all of the commotion surrounding the presidential race, I happened to think of Wonder Woman and her Golden Lasso. How would any of the presidential or vice-presidential candidates fare within the Golden Lasso? If you have observed as many political races as I have in my 50-plus years, you begin to know the drill. Quite simply, politicians will say or do just about anything to get elected. It doesn’t matter if the politician is male or female, black or white, liberal or conservative. It is never about Truth.
What is Truth? Does anyone know for sure, and if it hit us in the face would we recognize it? Philosophers have pondered Truth for centuries, and all have come up with their own take on Truth.
In Egyptian mythology, truth, justice, and universal order are exemplified by the goddess, Maat. Maat translates as “that which is straight”, and her symbol was a feather. In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, she played an important role, and it was in the Hall of Maat, or Duat, where the judgment of the dead took place. An important part of this judgment was the weighing of the heart, where the heart of the deceased was placed upon one side a scale, and the feather of Maat on the other. The deceased was judged good or “pure of heart” if the heart’s weight was less than that of a feather, resulting in the deceased passing into the equivalent of heaven, a place beside the god Osiris for eternity.
This concept of Maat as Truth, and “that which is straight”, appears to have little to do with lying or telling the “truth”, but a lot to do with lightness, balance and order, a lack of chaos, and possibly a lot of what we call love. Were the Ancient Egyptians onto something that most of the modern world has lost sight of?
For me, I have come to realize that through my whole life I have searched and searched for Truth. It has taken me down many strange paths, involved encounters with every kind of person, philosophy, science, creed, and spirituality. I have had glimpses of it while gazing up at the stars at night, in the face of my children, and in the last great sigh of my father has he passed from this world. I have felt it while listening to beautiful music, and in the song of the mockingbird echoing down the chimney in my bedroom on an early spring morning.
I cannot define Truth, because to me it is not about what you say or even what you do. It appears to me to be a state of being, and either you are there or you or not. IT ALL would seem to be about Truth and the pursuit of Truth.
Einstein may be on to something in regards to Truth in the quote at the beginning of this essay:
“The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.”
In Luke 18:15-17 of the New Testament, we also find the following:
“…But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
So, what are we to make of these two quotes in terms of Truth? I cannot speak for anyone else, but for me they mean keeping a sense of awe and wonder, and a sense of play in regards to exploration of our world and the Universe, as well as taking the time to see and appreciate the beauty that enfolds us all. Life may not be perfect and without pain, but I have seen Truth growing as a dandelion through a crack in a sidewalk. It seems to find its way into the world no matter what we do.
...And a Happy New Year
—Mark Twain
Every year in the weeks after the Christmas holiday season, our local municipal utility district encourages recycling of Christmas trees by setting aside a collection point within our neighborhood for the trees. Weeks later, they haul out the shredder and create mulch from the trees, which is then reserved and spread out throughout the year at the hiking trails through out our neighborhood park.
The last couple of years for me have been somewhat stressful, and without going into too much detail, suffice to say that they have been rough and challenging, as well as an opportunity to test my mettle and learn a lot of valuable lessons. Boy, have I learned some lessons!
This morning I was strolling through the trails in the woods of our park, enjoying the songs of birds, and watching the squirrels scamper about, when I came to a familiar clearing under a canopy of live oak and cedar. The sun dappled down through the leaves, and I was astounded to see the ground sparkling like diamonds!
“Wow! What is that?”
Upon closer inspection, I realized that all that glitters is not gold, but possibly also tinsel from the limbs of hundreds of shredded Christmas trees. I laughed to myself, as I heard these words in my head:
“Everyday is Christmas, and today is your gift.”
And so it is…
