Month: August 2012

Quote of the Day – August 8 2012

“They have not forgotten the Mysteries,’ she said, ‘they have found them too difficult. They want a God who will care for them, who will not demand that they struggle for enlightenment, but who will accept them just as they are, with all their sins, and take away their sins with repentance. It is not so, it will never be so, but perhaps it is the only way the unenlightened can bear to think of their Gods.’

Lancelot smiled bitterly. ‘Perhaps a religion which demands that every man must work though lifetime after lifetime for his own salvation is too much for mankind. They want not to wait for God’s justice but to see it now. And that is the lure which this new breed of priests has promised them.’

Morgaine knew that he spoke truth, and bowed her head in anguish. ‘And since their view of a God is what shapes their reality, so it shall be–the Goddess was real while mankind still paid homage to her, and created her form for themselves. Now they will make for themselves the kind of God they think they want–the kind of God they deserve, perhaps.’

Well, so it must be, for as man saw reality, so it became.”
― Marion Zimmer Bradley

 

I love it when art and study comes together. As I was working on this picture I was deep in a conversation with a friend of mine about different aspects of the triple goddess figure that shows up among other places in Wiccan lore, in Greek and Roman mythology (The Three Graces, the three Fates and the three Furies (or Kindly Ones), in hebraic mythology (the three wives of Adam), Arthurian legend, Celtic mythology and countless others we find examples of the Crone, the Maiden and the Mother) representing three different forms of wisdom, giving and understanding. The picture was kind of synching with the conversation first in terms of three layers of form and fire in the centre, three layers of the face that blended into the triple figure and then the trees and the centre forming its own triplicity in one. It was a nice synching of art and conversation.
Blessings, G

 

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Spirit by G A Rosenberg

Rabbit Hole Musing and Purpose

Rabbit Hole Musing

From October 2010:

Joseph Campbell referred to it as the Hero’s Journey. The major arcana of the tarot shows similar cycle. Every time we step through a doorway or start something new, we perform a version of it. Sometimes I feel that most of my life is spent going from rabbit hole to rabbit hole or at crossroads deciding which way to go. It’s one of the reasons why I feel a kinship to crossroad deities such as Thoth in Egyptian mythology, Hermes in the Greek, Eshu and Elegua in various Orisha cosmologies or Ganesh in the Hindu among many others.. They tend to be the tricksters, the ones who teach you life’s lessons by exposing you to possibilities.
There is a history of musicians and crossroad deities especially blues musicians tho they usually see him as being old nick

I have to be careful tho. Every time I start writing about the rabbit hole I hear a whisper “c’mere kid…take the ride” which I guess is nominally better than “Oh my stars and whiskers, I’m late”

 

Present Day:
The rabbit Holes never stop appearing do they? At least not as long as we’re open to them. I think I’ve figured at least part of it. When looked at in a certain way, each person becomes a rabbit hole. When approached with empathy and a true desire to understand, everyone we meet can take us to a new reality or at least a new take on it. Some realities can be more dangerous to us than others. I’ve met people before and alarms have gone off in my head screaming “HERE THERE BE DRAGONS”. Others I’ve met who have shown me such beauty that I’ve wept to find that I must leave but reconciled that if careful I could take some of that beauty back with me. Neither are the two above mutually exclusive. Journeys never end and each circumstance or person who’s land we visit teaches me about my own.
Blessings G

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Purpose by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – August 7 2012

 “We become slaves the moment we hand the keys to the definition of reality entirely over to someone else, whether it is a business, an economic theory, a political party, the White House, Newsworld or CNN.”
― B.W. Powe, Towards A Canada Of Light

 

Life pressures build up quicker and quicker these days. We become encouraged by the media and by our peers to do more and more fit more and more into the day (usually while eating food that is more and more unhealthy but after all who has time to cook?). So how do we keep informed? Whom do we trust to keep us up to date on what is going on in the world outside of our lives and gods help us if its reality shows.
It all starts to feel pretty convenient. Luckily we have the internet available to us where we can find almost any viewpoint on reality that we want at any moment. We can balance out our world view and not get locked into another’s reality. We may have to take a few minutes to exercise discernment and judgement and critical thinking but what’s the alternative? Either we choose our story or it gets chosen for us. We can have fast reality to go along with our fast food if that’s what we wish and do to our brains what many of us have done to our bodies… It’s good to have choices.
Blessings, G

 

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Quote of the Day – August 6 2012

“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.”
― Robert A. Heinlein

 

I believe I’ll break one of those rules now. Does a rule exist that when you have a quote, some writing and a picture on a blog entry that they should relate to each other? Is it even customary? It seems difficult when my brain tends to go all over the place so I might have to ask you to bear with me.
A few months ago I read a post on FaceBook about how wonderful life was and someone else commented indicating it was selfish to feel that way when so many suffered, were homeless and others mistreated and tormented. Reading this hit me hard because I felt truth in it and yet…
It’s way too easy to give in to despair, to feel life is too hard too unpleasant and not worth living. Many people seem intent on ruining this life for the rest of us to make it even better for them its true and yet…
In every given day even when shit storms are happening there are countless moments of beauty, a flower, the smile of a baby, the full moon, someone doing a random act of kindness for someone else.
I would not and don’t ever advocate closing our eyes, ears, hearts or minds to the plights of others. I believe compassion to be one of the most important qualities to develop along with love yet if we get so wrapped up in the horrors of the world that we can’t appreciate awesomeness than what’s any of it for? What keeps us going?
So I will admit that all too many of us have really rough lives and help in anyway I can at the moment but I will also say appreciate and love the beauty, the kindness, the love, maybe even just a bit more. It gives us the strength to make life better for everyone.
Blessings, G

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Essence by G A Rosenberg

More From American Gods

“People believe, thought Shadow. It’s what people do. They believe, and then they do not take responsibility for their beliefs; they conjure things, and do not trust the conjuration. People populate the darkness; with ghost, with gods, with electrons, with tales. People imagine, and people believe; and it is that rock solid belief, that makes things happen.”
― Neil Gaiman, American Gods

…and like Maulder from X-Files, we so want to believe, even atheists, maybe especially atheists want to believe there is nothing there so badly that their reality becomes void of meaning that they then fill in like a paint by numbers painting. We conjure things into our lives all the time through our beliefs, new relationships and far more often the endings of old ones and still we believe. Alice believed in six impossible things before breakfast and her life became if not impossible extremely unlikely. I believe in human potential and that could bite me in the rear end because that potential can express in all kinds of unexpected ways. I believe in my potential (a voice cries not enough) and it becomes my tar baby. I like to say I believe in everything and really mean it. Sincerity and intent becomes important here. That way anything can happen and probably will. =)
Blessings, G

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Space Observation by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – August 5 2012

“you do your own time in prison. You don’t do anyone else’s time for them.”
― Neil Gaiman, American Gods

I decided on this quote tonight because I believe it has wider applications than just prison. By this I don’t mean that I see life as a prison tho I know several who do. However in both our lives on this planet as in a convict’s in prison, no one can do it for you. We can feel compassion. We can and probably should make life as easy for other people (and ourselves) as possible but we can’t live it for them. We see our brothers or sisters about to repeat a mistake we’ve seen them make several times before, We can’t do it for them or stop them. We see our kids about to learn a hard lesson. Our hearts may break but we can’t do it for them. Understanding them does not mean taking on their karma. We all have our own time and no one can do it for us. Prayer and well wishes can help however
Blessings, G

 

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Mind Storm by G A Rosenberg

Quote of the Day – August 4 2012

“YOU ARE AN ARTIST OF THE SPIRIT
Find yourself and express yourself in your own particular way. Express your love openly. Life is nothing but a dream, and if you create your life with love, your dream becomes a masterpiece of art.”
― Miguel Ruiz

 

Can you see beauty in ugliness? Can you spot ugliness in beauty? How do you decide? Or perhaps it’s when.
Deciding is not wrong even if it means leaving objectivity behind. As a matter of fact, you’ve always had preferences, always decided. Only now perhaps you acknowledge that that is what you do. Creation is choice.And good things result when we create with love.

 

Time to leave crossroads
New balances made daily
My road has no end

Blessings, G

 

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Quote of the Day – August 3 2012

“Wolf is the grand teacher
wolf is the sage, who after many winters upon the sacred path
and seeking the ways of wisdom, returns to share new knowledge with the tribe.
Wolf is both the radical and the traditional in one breath.
When the wolf walks by you–you will remember.”
–Robert Ghost Wolf

 

I’ve always loved wolves. More and more in the last fifteen years I have related to them. This one quote gives me more insight into why than almost anything  I’ve read of them before. In many ways it describes many of the qualities I aspire to . I don’t claim I’ve gotten there yet but it definitely echoes what I believe is my path or part of my path. Will I reach it or will it take on new shape along the way? Not sure…but a friend bringing up wolves tonight resulted in the picture below and in me finding this quote.
Blessings, G

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Spirit Brothers Meet by G A Rosenberg

Ten of Wands – Redux

Feeling Life’s Burdens?
Remove Problems from the Top
Avoid the collapse

Life in 2012 can feel pretty stressful pretty often. We’re all encouraged to place more and more on our shoulders in more and more different areas. Rest and leisure seem reserved for holidays which all too often get taken up by pressure to do as much leisurely holiday activities as possible.  It feels like time accelerates and we end up with more and more of our time occupied.

Maybe its time to let a few things go. The choices often feel like it is between letting things go by choice or collapsing under the burden. In the long run tho we are the only ones who can decide how much we can handle.

Blessings, G

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Ten of Wands by G A Rosenberg