Look to your inner fire and call it up before you. Carefully burn away all that does not serve you – the anger, resentment, hatred, and fear. Allow the ashes to nurture and free you. Remember that some seeds can only break open when they are met with great heat and force, initiating a change you never thought was possible.
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The Magick of the Season
When the air turns a little cooler and the sun sets a little earlier, a feeling arises within each of us. It is an enchanting time, the autumn season, especially here in New England. As the October chill begins to nip at our fingers and nose, we reach out to the warming teas and ciders to comfort us from within. Sweaters and scarves begin their migration from the depths of our closets and back to our bodies. Giggles of excitement can be heard throughout the orchards. The silvery morning mists rise from the earth as the blades of grass cling to their last days of green, preparing for their own descent into the depths of the earth.
Read MoreLayers Through Time
This blog completes the recent series I have been posting for you. While the first two pieces, “Giving Voice”, and “For Those Who Have Gone Before Us”, offered the history of the Brattleboro Retreat Tower, this article documents my hike up to the top of the hill. It may seem out of sequence, but it felt right this way. I hope it inspires you to explore your local history. Hopefully, we can dispel the fiction from reality to heal the scars that stretch across our communities together.
Read MoreFor Those Who Have Gone Before Us
I recently visited the Brattleboro Retreat Tower. It is a place that holds a long history and such a presence. While it was intended to be a groundbreaking facility, and it certainly was in many respects, there are chapters in its past that range from disturbing to heartbreaking, just like all psychiatric facilities of their time. I wanted to take a moment and offer the history of the location for a few reasons. First, this hospital continues to treat patients today. There is a stigma with mental illness and I do not want to sully the good work and compassionate care that The Retreat offers today. Secondly, to overcome the horrors of the past, we must look at what was true and weed out what is false. Rumors run rampant in places like these.
Read MoreGiving Voice
I have been trying to finish a blog about a particular location in Vermont that we went to recently. It is a place that holds a certain kind of history that quickly conjures images and emotions long before you arrive and captivates you once you enter its grounds. As I was writing, I realized it was becoming quite long, and I have been trying to figure out how to fix it for about a week now. I am not sure what can be cut. It is a place with many layers and stories to tell. This location deserves respect and I don’t want to just give it a few paragraphs and move on. Quick blurbs and soundbites flood our media. As a result, much of the story is lost or shrugged away, reduced to broad stroke summaries and assumptions charged with fear.
Read MoreLayers of Lifetimes
There are moments when we dream of far-off places and of a time that has been long forgotten. Hazy pictures within our minds are painted. They create landscapes, uncover memories, and perhaps even pieces of ourselves are revealed as the mist dissipates. The fuzzy images become clearer as we emerge from the shadows, gathering strength through understanding. For some, this is the work of our journey. This is the work of our soul. This is the work of connecting the dots between our longing and with our unexpected de-ja-vu experiences. When we take the time to listen to what our body is telling us, what our soul is craving, we can give ourselves permission to take the step forward to feed ourselves with what we need. However, this can only happen if we choose to walk into the unknown and into that strange place of liminality between today, yesterday, and tomorrow. Like frosted breath on a window pane, we touch the boundaries between ourselves and what is calling to us.
Read MoreLife Always Finds A Way
The darkness covers like a blanket as the small stirrings of light begin to make their way towards the horizon. Lulled by the falling rain, we walk the borderlands between night and day, drifting in and out of sleep. Something calls out of the mist and shadow. A voice faintly familiar whispers on the edge of a dream. “In a maze where we cannot always see where we are going, nothing is guaranteed. Life however, will always find a way even if it is not what you expect. How then, will you find yours?”
Read MoreA Need For Rest
There is a lot of noise in the world today. From the pressure to be part of the latest trend to the constant roar of buzz words on social media to the vilification of communities, books, and desire for equality and change, it seems like we are swimming against the tide. Some days it can feel like we are being swallowed by a churning mass of opposition that will not think twice about knocking us down. Other days we are bombarded with déjà vu because we have experienced the same struggles. This allows us to maneuver through the obstacles with grace.
Read MoreThe Growing Sun and the Energy of Rebirth
As we continue to slough off our confining shells, what are you experiencing? What do you need? What are you ready to let go of? Sometimes we are so excited to break free from the bitter cold and seclusion of winter, we can lose track of what we wish to see in the world. With the anticipation to shed our winter layers, we forget that we are still tender and sensitive beneath them. It is important to offer ourselves gentleness and care as we rebirth ourselves into this big, wild world.
Read MoreThrough Cracks In the Ice
There is something about the early spring snowstorms that I love. Yes, there is snow. It is cold. Ferocious winds blow. The trees bend and branches whip around. The accumulation gathers, layering upon the tiny snowdrops and crocus flowers while the tulips and daffodils question if it is time to breach the surface. Yet, as the last flakes of the storm fall silently, there is something else that moves through the storm. It empowers the birds to continue to sing. It moves the cold, grey sky to give way to a warm pink and hopeful blue. The energy is different with a spring snow. Although the winter wails and shakes with its last breaths and clutching claws, grasping tightly to its waning power, there is a cracking that takes place. Through it, something emerges. It roars and demands our attention. It is the energy that helps to crack winter’s ice. It is the gurgling of the waters breaking free from beneath it. Tiny bubbles of air dance behind the glossy glass-like surface. Moving, they seek each other out. One by one they gather, growing in size. Gently, they are reminding us to take that deep breath to allow ourselves the energy to break free and feel the possibilities of what can be when we allow the cycles and rhythms to move as they must.
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The Whispering Crow 