After Hurricane Irma......

   I'm still in a state of mild shock. Whenever I go out into the yard and observe the trees it creates a strange 'shift' inside of me. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that the damage is a minimal as it is!  Things could have been sooooo much worse.   Now is the time to start coming to terms with all that needs to be done..... and actually starting to DO IT. But you see, it hurts my heart to look at all the branches that need to be cut off and trimmed out. Necessary, yes! But it still causes me to grieve. I guess that's because I have had so much to grieve over the last few years and I never had, or took, the time to do it.   
   Perhaps the storm damage feels personal because it mirrors the one I've been living in for so long.  I tried to prepare but when the feeder bands and squall lines came in again and again, they wore me down. The occasional tornadic activity didn't help any! I never knew when those were going to hit. And eventually the wind gusts took their toll, snapping limbs and scattering bits of my life all around. I lucked out though. In both cases, literal and figurative, the expected storm surge didn't come anywhere near me!  So I'll count my Blessings and get back to living my life.
    But something has changed.

Rough Draft #1

So I'm writing this here instead of the Grove page because my computer still doesn't approve of facebook!  I had the whole thing almost complete when it "blipped out" and was gone.  Needless to say, my patience was tried. And remember, this is August in Florida. Most of my patience has melted away into a puddle on the floor!    So let me begin again.......

This emerged after using some petrified wood  as a 'connector' to the earth energies and of course, the ancient trees themselves. Their energy and Spirits are still here. Strong and steady. A prayer or invocation like this one isn't necessary, but hey, I felt like getting a bit creative!
Feel free to critique, comment, question or offer more suitable language.

Rough draft #1

I call upon the Ancient Standing People
who once rose tall from the forest floors
with strong limbs stretching towards the primordial skies
Roots growing deep into the untainted Earth.

I call upon the  Ancient Trees
whose physical remnants have long since turned to stone and dust.
Come! Awaken from your seeming slumber.
Arise! May your spirits come to the aid of your descendants in this time of great need.
Gather together your Clans!
Gather together your timeless wisdom and power
Provide strength to all of the ones who must weather the coming storms,
both of Nature and of man.
Help all those who must Hold the Earth.

I call upon the Ancient Trees,
Reach up to the heavens and ask the Cloud People for the rain that is needed.
That the aquifers of earth be filled
Reach down and help to purify the waters
Help the forests and woodlands to grow and sustain ecosystems across this planet
So our world may be robed in green once again.

I call upon the Ancient Standing People
Ensure the survival of those that came after
Help the Clans and Families to grow strong and increase in their numbers.
Provide habitat and sustenance to those in need of it
Teach all earthly beings how to reconnect and thrive
Help all those who must Hold the Earth
Bless all of us who Hold the Earth.


                                                                                    with Blessings and Gratitude.............

Ancestors.

     Update: Originally wrote this in April but became distracted and didn't finish. My mother passed away on the 11th of May. Her Spirit woke me up out of a sound sleep as she left. (The ladies at the funeral home were a bit shocked that her actual time of death was exactly when I said she came by! chuckle)
    
     As I try to rest and regrow into myself I keep going back to the word "ancestor". Is it because my mother is on the last part of her life journey and I will find myself "parentless"? (is that even a word?) Are my ancestors trying to aid and assist me in my healing so that I may walk with strength and grace till the end of my days?  I really don't know. And I feel so tired its almost too much to think about. I need to just let it flow..... like a quiet stream.
    But I don't "just let things flow" easily. hahaha  One action I did take was to go ahead and do one of those Ancestry.com DNA kits. Sent it out in the mail this morning. This ought to be interesting because I don't really know that much about my background. We've had family on mom's side do some of the genealogy, but who knows how much is actually correct. They go back quite a few generations, but once you go back across the Atlantic... it starts getting questionable.  Dad's side is pretty much a mystery after three generations. Would love to look into it!   At least with the DNA results I would have a connection to land areas on the planet. That's important to me.   Soooo.... here I sit waiting for these next six to eight weeks to pass.
    In the meantime I've also redeveloped my fascination with petrified wood! Tree ancestors!!!!   At least my sycamore connection is complete with some of what I've learned.  And three small specimens that I've acquired. It will be interesting to see what grows from all of this.

Found the note!

    Digging around in my notebooks and scrap papers, I finally found the note I had scribbled down when I received an answer to my question of "Why is the lioness roaring?"
    It is Her call.... a Summoning. 
    In a pride of lions, it is the females that hunt. They cooperate with each other so they can hunt together to feed the Family. They trust and rely on each other for survival. While the male guards and protects the whole pride, it is the females in particular that protect the young. Individually and as a group that is what they know to do. Keep the young safe and provide for them.
    The Roar of the Lioness is a Summoning, a clarion call from the Divine Feminine, to take action now... to PROTECT ALL!   Protect the young. Protect the Earth, the Water, the Air and Everything which lives on, below, above and within this Creation.
    The Roar of the Lioness resonates through this physical being named Mother Earth. Surrounding her, encompassing her, permeating her until that deep rumbling cosmic voice raises the vibrational rate of the planet to the point where evil can exist no more. 

The CALL. Do you hear it?

Yes. Same photo, different post. You have an observant eye! 

   After listening to Uplift's conversation with Grandmother Flordemayo the other evening, some things have coalesced in my tired mind. And I feel a desire to share. Grandmother was discussing I'x.... and when she related this Spirit of Feminine energy to the big cats, I immediately switched into "high attention" mode. And I'd like to share WHY..... it has to do with a couple of visions that I've had in the last few months.
    Guess I'll have to go back a little further than that to start. Bear with me, I can be long-winded at times!  chuckle   Lets go back to 2005. It was either three or six months after Pope John Paul II had passed from the physical that I had a dream. No, not a regular type dream. I have those too and then I have a very "special" kind. Anyway, I was in a woodland and Pope JPII comes walking up to me and we sit and talk for quite a while. And no, I don't remember what he said! He really is such an amazing Soul! At the end of our visit he tells me that there is a lady that wants to talk with me. He didn't say what about or anything, he just made it clear that agreeing to this had some serious implications. I asked if he thought it was a good idea? His reply was a very definite "Oh yes!". So, of course, I said yes. He told me to wait there for her. As I sat there in the woods, things began to change around me... a "veil" of some sort formed a circle around the area. I could see the animals gathering in great numbers outside of this circle, but they appeared as if clouded in a fine mist. It glowed ever so softly. 
    Then the Lady in question arrived.        All I can say is that I have never felt SO LOVED and so SAFE. Never. I mean, I have memories of being an infant and knowing how much my parents loved me as they held me in their arms...... but this was so much more. She motioned for me to sit down next to her and she held my hands and talked to me for what seemed like hours! And no, I don't remember what she said! I know she was reassuring me that life would be just fine. That things would get done in the proper time... so don't fret over that! She encouraged me to do the angel drawings.... but not to pressure myself. She let me know that things were going to be ok. And I was so grateful for that! I woke up the next morning feeling like my Life was perfect in every way and that I needn't worry..... about anything. SO LOVED! SO PROTECTED!    When things get rough, I revisit the memory of that meeting. It has pulled me through a lot!
    When I told my friend about the dream, she was thrilled! She had to explain to me who the lady was.  hahaha   I never even thought of Mother Mary! I was too wrapped up in Her energy to care about who She was!  After that night, I did a rough sketch using a photo of Pope JPII that I had saved from the newspaper. In it, his robes are practically flying in the wind and his head is down as he grasps a staff. It really is an awesome shot! In my sketch the garment flows upward and becomes the garment of Mother Mary... her right hand raised in blessing, her left hand is touching the head of this huge male lion in back of the late Pope's figure.   I then tucked it away in a notebook and forgot about it....... until about three months ago.
    Upon rediscovering the sketch, I laid it down and asked Spirit if the concept was complete? It was then that the scars appeared on the lion's face. He had seen many battles! While I was looking and studying the placement of those scars I realized that there was the face of a lioness peering out from behind Mother Mary's left upper arm. She turned her head to the side so she was in perfect profile. And then she ROARED! The sound shook my mobile home! I was absolutely speechless!
     The next week as I was driving home from work Spirit decided to explain what that meant. (Why can't they wait until I'm safe and sound at home and sitting down for crying out loud?) I have since lost the notes I jotted down, but it is the Call. The call for the Feminine to rise and protect and heal the Earth. To protect the children of all species and bring about Balance. Balance and Healing for the future generations. The time is NOW. The Call has been sent out. HEAR IT!
      Then a few weeks later I was sitting in my kitchen and I heard strange noises. Low, soft, rumbling vocalizations.... and what? Muffled footsteps? Upon looking up I saw Mother Mary walking forward. Her right hand raised in Blessing... Her left hand holding a wooden staff with a lantern hanging from it somehow. There was a huge lioness on either side of Her, and more behind those! They were all alert and constantly scanning their surroundings. I watched as they walked. Where their paws would touch the ground, a vaporous dust arose. The front pair made certain that they were just a step or so ahead of Mother Mary. The pair immediately behind them were watching off to the sides and I could sense three lioness' that were in charge of guarding the  back of the group. In total there were at least twelve or fifteen.  Maybe more....
     So there you have it. Those are the visions that I so wanted to share with all of you this evening. Thank you so much for letting me do so.
    We are all being called to awaken this innate power within and help bring the Return of Balance to our beautiful world. Your Love and Feminine Power is needed to help Heal Mother Earth and all who are part of Her.
     Blessings to All.
    
  

Time to return.......

   Well, its been over three years since I've posted here. Have been through a lot in that period. My mother's Parkinson's and dementia progressed to the point of having to place her in long term care. Its been a long strange journey that has left me exhausted in all respects. "Tired to the depths of my Soul" is the phrase that best describes where I'm at. And I'm really not certain how to proceed with my healing and recovery.
    "Time to return to the temple" I said to myself. But I still didn't make the effort. "Create!" I told myself. But I was unable to begin. "Then simply rest for now", which turned out to be much more difficult than I thought it would be! So I've just been going along and doing the best I can while learning not to be too hard on myself. Its a learning experience. chuckle
    Then came the day that Tree Sisters asked if any of the sisters wanted to start Groves. For some reason that really perked my interest. Went ahead and named it The Grove of the Ancient Mothers...... what else would it be?  chuckle Right now its just me and a friend or two. Coordinating our prayers for Mother Earth and all who are a part of Her.  Over time I will see how my recovery goes and then perhaps I'll reach out and create a women's group here.... or perhaps things will stay small (but powerful). Time will tell.

   Hmmm, have decided to share some of my ideas that I thought of for the Grove in this space.  That lets me create and then its here to share with anyone who is interested.   Good medicine!  Blessings to All