A full moon and rain

I awoke this morning to a nearly full moon shining in my window.  Then the day was one of blue sky and puffy white clouds.  This afternoon the rain is pouring down from those assembled puffy clouds, cooling the 90 plus temperature, greening the grass and making the air smell sweet.

Sounds great.  I love the smell after a shower/rain.

Sometimes, we just need to sit back and be still to know that all is well in the universe, that it is unfolding as it is supposed to in spite of our concerns.

Yeah, thanks for the reminder.

I imagine that the real beauty of living far from any city or town is that you are far from any city or town.  There are no noises that come with city or town life, there are no people that come with that, either. 
Every time I read Ann Joiner's quotes at the bottom of her post that come from her great work, Redstone Valley. I am reminded of the beauty of the country side, no matter where you live, that is devoid of people. It is not that I am anti-social, but the truth is that I am a little bit.  I like the quietude of my existing. 
I am never bored because the great and wonderful wonder of life is so huge.  There is not an end to the the mystery, the unraveling, the beauty and awesomeness of just looking out of eyes. 
I wish I was a child again so I could start over and see with the eyes of the child I could have been.
Love,
Betty

Dear Betty,

In your heart, deep inside, there is a pristine child who was loved unconditionally by her Mother Earth, the same Great Mother who taught you the beauty and perfection of her natural world - the one that we homo sapiens never tainted - and its innocent creatures, so that your great work could be to share them all with the rest of us.

Annie

Dear Annie,
You make me feel brand new!
Love,
Betty

The more years that pass, the more I manage to live in the moment and let the past slip by except for those memories that bring me joy.  I guess that's why I pay so much attention to the changing weather - weather is always in the moment, mostly unpredictable.

I am presently sorting bins of papers and photographs.  That's a challenge.  I just can't seem to throw away photographs, even the picture of a cloud from my first airplane ride totally without meaning to anyone else.

The ghosts of memories past float through in spite of myself.

Dear Dk,
I sort things in my dreams, sometimes.  I imagine that is a way of letting go of some of the less joyous of the past.  I am always cooking for multitudes or caring for many babies.  Somehow, there is always water involved.  I begin to believe that in a past life I may have drowned.
 
I cannot get rid of photographs, either.  They crop up in my mind, sometimes, as if the subject was still frozen in that spot of long ago.  It is worth the saving of old photographs because of all that flows between the eyes and the brain when you look at them.  Even if you can remember something not so pleasant while looking at the picture, you can also remember something wonderful ...or you would not have the picture. 
I am sorry that during the growing up years of my children that photography, (at least the pictures I took myself, if I had a camera, were in black and white and faded with time) was not like having an iphone and a computer. 

Long ago, I gave up living in any past moment.  I can still remember them, but why?  Unless the moment was especially wonderful. 
....

I read today that some country declared by law that Mother Earth had rights.  I read that in a flash moment and will have to go back and find what county it was.  Someone must know on this forum.  I found that to be a wonderful moment for Earth.  There are times when I think that someone in the human race has some common sense...
Love,
Betty

For sure!  There's a wonderful place near me that I just discovered, Happehatchee Center.  Do go to their web site Happehatchee Center .  It is five acres that a woman bought from the Girl Scouts to preserve for future generations by turning it into a non-profit for that purpose.  They are only open on Friday and Saturday and certain special days so the land can rest.  They are only open to as many people can park in the lot or walk in, no fee for either.  No fee to walk on the marked paths.  It's on the Estero River with an old, wood suspension bridge that crosses to a house on the other side.  It has a peace pole planted by some Japanese Peace Commission that planted poles in peaceful places around the world.  They have Mayan celebrations and drum circles and yoga and meditation and growing herbs and no class is more than $12 and a set of classes for less. 

I think they are honoring rights of Mother Earth.  They call it a spiritual eco-center.

I was reading an article the other day, written by a mother with a teen-age son.  she was saying that today's boys and young men are far more respectful of their mothers than in past generations.  It is a sign, she said, that we are beginning to honor our Great Mother Earth more than we have for some time.  I don't know if she is correct in her initial observation.  I have always gotten respect from my son.  That was especially true after the divorce, when he sensed, somehow, that he was the "man of the house."  It is still true, and was especially so during my recent visit. His attitude contains a bit of deference, like I actually deserve his respect. 

My brother treated our mom with respect, but not in the same way, especially as he got older.  The deference part was not there.  He was considerate, but there was a hint of superiority that went along with his formal politeness.  He just didn't think of her, me, or even his wife, as equals.  Even my dad had a tendency to figuratively pat me on the head.

During the Industrial Era, that respect for Mother Earth got completely lost, and we see the repercussions today - as we have discussed on other threads,  but it is good to see that signs of respect for the Divine Feminine are returning.

In my mind, women and mother earth are basically one entity. 
I wish I could elaborate, but I cannot.  I feel it deeply within me that it is just so.

Love,
Betty

Ann, I think you would like my Happehatchee center.  The word means happy river.  I am writing about it in the September 1 Southwest Spotlight.  I'll post it here when it comes out. 

I attended a class on circular communication.  It's not new, but was practiced in a formal way by passing the baton to the person speaking and no one else talks, all actively listen.  Everyone is equal even if they are not.  A program called The Rose in Oregon is teaching it to teen girls, but I think it needs to be directed more to men or men/women groups.  Women form circles without even thinking.
Sewing circle.  Quilting bee. La Leche circle. Book circle.  Circle of friends.

DK, I have a little book sitting on the shelf next to me right now.  It is called Circle of Stones: Woman's Journey to Herself by Judith Duerk.

It is a collection of writings, loosely poetic, about the Archetypal Feminine, and how she exists in all women.

Your group sounds much like it.

Our world today seems to be moving back in Her direction.  Let's hope so.  We need to see that Sacred Marriage archetype which honors both elements as being necessary to our survival and advancement.

Here's the Southwest Spotlight article, A River Runs Through It, about the Happehatchee Center in Estero, Florida (between Ft. Myers and Naples on Tamiami Trail at the Estero River). Click on the title of the article above.

Anyone else who wants to read my articles, you have to find them these days as the archives aren't in the new format yet. Southwest Spotlight

Fantastic - love the circle element where all participants are equal - no hierarchy.