Trees Can Be Our Gateways
Posted by: justjera on: December 9, 2009
Life involves change. Nature is one of our biggest reminders of this.
Over the course of my life I’ve been greatly drawn to nature, especially trees. I spent a good part of my young life in the woods making teepees out of branches, pretending to be an Indian, respecting every bit of nature. Perhaps it was a past life.
I had no particular tree in the woods, but loved how they all worked together in a permaculture, which is something I knew intuitively. I’m only now learning intellectually the term permaculture, but returning back to the intuitive aspect of it. I do much better with intuition than intellectualism. At any rate, the woods was my comfort zone.
When I wasn’t in the woods I might be in the yard. I was usually under a tree or a clump of trees. I had a particular tree, an oak in the front yard, which I spread out a blanket under and played with Barbie’s or paper dolls. That oak is still there. It actually had poison oak climbing its trunk. Somehow I escaped the consequences. There were two different clusters of trees under which I played cars and trucks in the dirt. There was a weeping willow I loved. It was there during my teenage years. A dogwood stood the test of time until several years ago. A hickory was on one side of the driveway. I could barely reach my arms up to the first limb to swing on. I had a pet cemetery under this tree. I climbed the cherry trees in my neighbor’s yard to pick cherries, which I ate while sitting on the limbs. I had special trees for everything. I didn’t really have childhood friends. I had nature.
In adulthood I got away from nature, until the second phase of my life – remarriage, change of lifestyle in general. I got back into the woods. We are fortunate enough to live on a farm with lots of wooded land. In retirement I started spending my days out in the woods making walking trails. I went back to my childhood in a sense. I loved every tree. Although I have no special tree I have one I wonder about. It has a unique arch like shape, and I made the path go under it. At this point I slightly duck when going under it. There is something about the metaphor of bending and flexibility with this tree as I compare it to the lessons of life. It stands by a creek, and acts as sort of a gateway. I often wonder about its growth in future years – if the path my husband and I made will still be walked by others and what this tree will say to them.
A Vegetarian Feast
Posted by: justjera on: December 8, 2009
- In: Vegetarian
- 1 Comment
We had this on Sunday. Tofu (stuffed with dressing), Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Asparagus, Whole Wheat Bread, and Mushroom Gravy
A Pleasant Day Out
Posted by: justjera on: December 7, 2009
Yesterday my husband and I went on a fact-finding mission to ascertain whether Shakertown would be a good location for a retreat – a silent yoga/meditation retreat with room enough to accommodate 150 people. There is no question that Shakertown or Pleasant Hill, Kentucky is one of the most spiritual, serene, and peaceful of places for such a retreat. However, the question was whether or not certain aspects of the facility would be suitable for the programs of this particular retreat.
Hallway between lodging rooms - Trustee's Building
We awoke to a thin layer of snow and twenty degree weather and got a later start than intended. That was a good thing after seeing three or four wrecks along the interstate on the way down. We ate a very light breakfast at home, thought about stopping in Lexington for lunch, but opted going straight to Shakertown to take care of business first. Lunch there was fully booked. We talked to some of the staff and walked around the premises for a couple of hours, as well as drove to some of the outer buildings.
Spiral Staircase in Trustee's Building
Everything seemed to work in a synchronistic order. We were given a key to one of the rooms above the dining area in the Trustee’s Building. This particular room didn’t have trundle beds, which a lot of the rooms do. We were told the meeting rooms were in use. Still we ventured on foot to the main meeting room where we found people we knew, or people I knew. The meeting going on was that of Friendship Spinners. We were invited in and offered food. I talked to people I had previously done arts/crafts shows with and introduced them to Chris. This was a pleasant surprise. They urged me up to the second floor, which maybe I should have said no to. There were plenty of yarns and handmade items for sale. I bought a shawl type wrap, hand woven. The lady said something about the amount of work that went into it, to which I replied that I was a weaver. She said then you know, to which I said yes. This morning I awoke with the idea of knitting something similar or perhaps even weaving my own version.
East Family Dwelling with East Family Wash House in background
Side View of Centre Family Dwelling
Long Horn Steer
There is plenty of walking and fresh air to take in at Shakertown. We walked to Meadowview Barn, another alternative meeting area. This was an old tobacco barn renovated for this purpose. Still it is rustic to say the least. I was told over the phone that the floor was dirt. I personally kind of liked this idea; however, we found in actuality that the floor had a small gravel covering. The barn had electricity but we didn’t see lights. Also, where were restroom facilities? We walked at least a fourth of a mile from the main village of Shakertown to this barn. Not having restrooms there was a definite con.
There was still another meeting room to check out. As with the first, this was also too small and too far away from the main village. Walking to it would be out of the question for most. My guess is that it was a full mile away from the village proper.
Another Goat
Sheep
Me Walking to Meadowview Barn
Inside the Barn
Our last check was the summer kitchen, which was locked up. It was also too small and perhaps too dark. It would probably only seat fifty at one time.
Pond
So, as much as I hoped Shakertown would work, for such a large group it probably won’t. It would still be an excellent choice for a small group of people.
Ducks by the Pond
There was one last stop to make – the craft shop. I had been thinking of a particular craftsman a few days before making this trip. I don’t know if it was the thought of Shakertown that brought him to mind or intuition, or both. When we entered the shop, Mr. Kramer was present giving a demonstration on making Shaker boxes. Many years ago probably the same time of year I was also there with my loom along with him and one other craftsperson doing a demonstration. Perhaps this was some memory triggered inside of me, which caused me to think of him prior to going. It also turned out that he had gone to Scotland on a group trip with someone from my hometown and wanted me to say hi. I will be sure to do that.
After two hours walking the premises we left for Lexington. By this time we were starving. The traffic and parking situation was horrific. Chris had Mexican in mind, which I actually did too, only we were thinking different restaurants. We drove up to one he was thinking about. This particular restaurant was about the only place there was parking. My intuition, which Chris always trusts, said no, so we moved on to the mall. We ate at the one I was thinking of that we had never tried before. At first it looked like vegetarian was going to be hard, but the waitress started naming off all these things. I had told Chris I wanted the very thin tortilla chips. That’s what they had. The food was excellent. I had spinach and avocado enchiladas with cheesy mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli, different for a Mexican restaurant. I could have eaten a whole plate of the broccoli for lunch. The mashed potatoes inspired me. Therefore I’m going to try them today with asparagus and roasted tofu and vegan mushroom gravy.
The next stop was the Comfort Zone. On a previous trip I had one of those twelve-minute acupressure massages, and it greatly relieved the sciatica I have. I talked Chris into going for it too. It greatly helped both of us. While waiting in line I overheard one girl say this was the best twelve dollars she had every spent. I would have to say it certainly is at the top of the list.
We can’t make a trip to Lexington without going to Whole Foods. After that it was a stop at Starbucks and onwards towards home. At Starbucks they had an espresso machine greatly reduced. This is something Chris has wanted for at least a year. I brought his attention to it. The lady working there said at a nearby Starbucks there was a much better one also on sale. While the manager was telling Chris about it I was telepathically thinking throw in a free bag of coffee. Chris ended up buying it and the guy said I’ll give you a free bag of coffee. As we drove away, Chris said he was also thinking the same thing while he was talking.
It ended up a nice venture out, a little expensive, but then we don’t exchange gifts at Christmas. So, this with my hand woven item, Chris’s espresso machine, and our trip to Whole Foods we had our gifts.
Buggies
Me in Meadowview Barn
Shakertown Cemetery
Shakertown Walkway
No Trick or Treaters, But Still Festive
Posted by: justjera on: November 1, 2009
I’ve lived most of my life without vampires, ghouls or witches coming to my door. We’ve always lived to far out to make the trek for candy worthwhile. Still my husband is always in a festive holiday mood. He carved a pumpkin on Halloween night.
The Meaning of Animals in Your Life
Posted by: justjera on: October 25, 2009
Grasshopper
Lately we’ve had a multitude of crickets in our house. Don’t worry. We don’t kill them. We just scoop them up when we see them and deliver them outside.
The grasshopper, similar to the cricket, was found outside. The crickets have been coming inside.
I always forget the significance of seeing animals. So, I looked up the meaning of crickets and found:
Cricket: On a warm, calm night cricket song is lulling, and augers a sense of comfort and companionship. The Chinese recognized this kind of harmony in the cricket and considered it a good luck symbol along with many other cultures. Its luck comes into play in matters of protection. Crickets are as good as guard dogs. When company comes, cricket song stops – thus alerting attention to potential intruders. Cricket amulets are found in ancient cultures of Europe and the Middle East as good luck symbols, protective icons and also representations of rebirth (presumably from the crickets metamorphosis process). From: http://www.whats-your-sign.com/good-luck-symbols-animals.html
The other night as we were going to bed there was a commotion on the windowsill on my husband’s side of the bed. We at first just thought it was the cat, as it often hangs out on the windowsill of whatever room we’re in. My husband looked and said, “What the heck?” It was a possum.
So, I also looked up possum:
Possum / Opossum: Proper use of deception; sensibility; guidance to uncovering talent, psychic or physical; gains wisdom; recovery. From: http://www.support-native-american-art.com/Native-American-Animal-Symbols.html
We have a heard of deer on our land. We see them daily. It’s hunting season and we don’t hunt. I’m sure they sense this is a protected area.
Deer: Known for its endurance, grace, and long life, the deer is another Chinese symbol for luck and longevity. The word for deer in Chinese is lu a homonym of the word income. Consequently, the deer represents a prosperous, long life. In Chinese art the deer is depicted with court officials; it is said that this signifies a wish for fame, recognition and a long, successful career. Also From: http://www.whats-your-sign.com/good-luck-symbols-animals.html
The animal symbolism of the deer carries attributes of: * Love * Grace * Peace * Beauty * Fertility * Humility * Swiftness * Re-growth * Creativity * Spirituality * Abundance * Benevolence * Watchfulness
Deer Spied While Out Hiking
A Moment of Clarity
Posted by: justjera on: October 21, 2009
My pre-teenage daughter and I were walking back from the beach mid-afternoon through the over commercialized touristy section of Virginia Beach. She wanted to go into one of the many t-shirt, beach towel shops along the way. So we went in.
There was a lady pushing a wheel chair. The body of the lady in the chair was twisted and mangled, and it was doubtful if her voice capacity was any more than a few singular syllable primal grunts. It was obvious that she was totally dependent on the caregiver that pushed her around.
It was one of those moments when you silently cried out to God or the universe with a repetition of whys. My plea must have been heard. Time seemed to come to a stop as the room seemed to separate into everyone else and myself and the lady in the wheelchair. Other than our two souls the remainder of the room overcrowded with shoppers and so much noise became a low whining buzz, as if barely audible around us. At that moment our eyes met, but more than our eyes, our souls met. There was a communication deeper than any words could ever convey. The woman in the chair in that horrible shell of a body spoke volumes in her message to me. She was an advanced soul volunteering her own self in this manner to teach compassion to her caregiver and all that encountered her. This revelation came with such a knowing. It was not a situation I broke down by any means of thought. So, there was a reason to atrocities such as this, at least in this case. The lady’s soul smiled on my own soul. All was a smile and compassion in that soulful world.
Suddenly, time began again, and the room returned to the state of reality we are accustomed to, or at least the dream we have conditioned ourselves to be in. There was again a high volume of noise and people pushing past each other, and the caregiver pushed the lady on.
Born To Lead
Posted by: justjera on: October 21, 2009
~Patanjali
We are all leaders. How we lead is the question. As I write this something from A Course in Miracles comes to mind. We teach what we need to learn. That is where I’m at in anything I write. I’m attempting to learn. We are all leaders. We are all teachers. We are all always learning.
We are the force or energy that makes up our world, whether our force is positive or negative. We often look to someone else to lead such as politicians. Sometimes we think of it as hopeless. Or we think of ourselves as powerless. This in itself is negative. We are all one. It’s not them or us. We can all win. We can all individually make a difference for the whole by focusing, taking a stand or acting on the positive. It begins with the simplest of acts – how we act in traffic, in line before we get to the counter, reusing a bag instead of taking plastic, paying a compliment, being a solution rather than a problem.
Have you ever noticed how a thought expands? Even resistance to the thought gives it momentum. Once Mother Teresa was asked to participate in an anti-war rally. She replied she would be glad to participate in a peace rally. What we focus on expands. As one who has had cancer, myself, as well as experienced my mother’s death from it, I choose to be aware of good health and not aware of breast cancer or colon cancer or whatever the case may be. I choose to focus on exercise for the sake of feeling good or accomplishment. I choose to focus on food in a positive manner. If I’m always thinking it’s going to make me fat, or always focusing on my weight or resisting the idea of being fat…well you get the picture.
I’m dreaming about the kind of world I want to live in. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see.” Be a positive force. It’s about achieving inner peace to create outer peace. It all starts from within.
Are we spending our time with people who inspire? Are we radiating energy or sucking energy? Birds of a feather flock together. When we start raising our own vibration we will meet people of our own vibration – law of attraction in action. We are all practicing this law. The question is are we practicing it consciously or unconsciously. The same rule applies to what we are reading, what we are viewing on television, or listening to on the radio. Does it enrich us or depress us? Are we letting life lead us around in circles or are we leading our life on a path towards our objectives.
Now I raise the question, “What are our objectives?” For many it’s materialistic. In my own mind using the law of attraction for this can be self-defeating. Thinking back to a happier time usually involves a feeling. What type of feeling do we want to possess? We can live joyfully as we wish for others to live joyfully. I believe one facet of the law of attraction is to bless the joy we see in others. Possibly it’s their abundance or their laughter. Or maybe it’s what you deem to be the absurdity in their life that brings humor to yours. I often think God’s chosen profession is that of a comedian. What goes around comes around.
We all have our own sphere of influence. This has a way of expanding as well. I personally believe that a positive force is much more expansive than a negative force. So, be the positive force you want to see.
This is my inspirational speech to myself today and anyone else it may inspire.
The Comfort of Color
Posted by: justjera on: October 19, 2009
- In: Color
- Leave a Comment
By Jerri Schlenker
In the last several years’ colors have been taking on a different meaning for me. I started out early as an artist; therefore, naturally, color played a key role in my life. I was drawn to tubes of paint like some women are drawn to the shoe department. A little later I was drawn to balls of yarn and the displays of brilliant and subtle hues arranged like an artist’s color wheel. Fiber and color were my calling. In between bouts of dabbling in oils, acrylics and colored pencils I picked up knitting needles and later moved a loom into the living room. Weaving took over.
For the longest time my favorite color was red. My entire closet seemed to consist of reds, naturals, and blacks. I even laid out my closet like a color wheel. I have a habit of organizing by color. Although red was my favorite color I still only used off whites on my walls. Gradually as I went through various life changes, the colors began changing. I found myself single at the beginning of the new millennium. Besides ice cream, one of my comfort zones was color. I boldly repainted every room. I needed warmth and turned to reds, oranges, and yellows.
A new husband came along and green came into the picture. Suddenly I was outside much more. I was learning to develop a green thumb. With enough practice in this life, perhaps I’ll have one of those natural green thumbs in the next life. I began hiking. The greens of summer were my favorite. I have always been drawn to water. Blues were coming into the mix. We were moving the green of nature more on the inside. I was thinking organically. I was thinking green and conservation. We painted a soothing sage over the yellow in the bedroom.
My color palette was expanding in all areas. The reds greatly diminished in my closet. It took on the expanse of colors that I was experiencing in my life. My trips to the grocery and now to the local organic farmer as well as what we were growing in our own garden were adding a variety of pigmentation previously absent in my diet.
I was beginning to practice yoga asanas and meditation. I was seeing beautiful indigos and purples when I closed my eyes and could manage to get rid of the monkey thoughts. Suddenly I found myself drawn to wearing shades of purple. I’ve always heard that purple was a spiritual color.
I now see my life taking on a full palette.
________________________________________________________________________
You might want to take a look at the colors in your life. Here are some meanings given to specific colors:
Purple/Violet – Spirituality or Mysticism
Indigo – Inspiration, Wisdom, Devotion, Sensitivity
Blue – Intellectual, Logical, Intuition
Turquoise – Energetic, Organization, Communication, Influence
Green – Restful, Healing, Balance Peace
Yellow – Fun, Happy, Cheerful, Loving, Vitality, Compassion, Optimism
Orange – Vitality, Warmth, Generosity, Power, Inspiration
Gold – Well-Balanced, Kind, Generous
Red – Physical, Vitality, Ambition, Sexual
Pink – Romance, Modesty, Shyness, Gentleness
Creating Something
Posted by: justjera on: October 19, 2009
I’m following a pattern, but still creating something from scratch puts me in a good mood. Also, the fact that that little voice told me to stop at a shop where I found great deals on cotton yarn – so perhaps a sweater is next. It also helped that a Starbucks was in the same strip mall.
Basketweave Scarf design by Ann Budd
So, knitting some more while sitting here with my husband as we listen to the latest podcast of “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.”
Giving is Living
Posted by: justjera on: October 17, 2009
According to Swami Rajarshi Muniji, “Giving is living.”
Over the past weeks I experienced this in more than a couple of circumstances, one of which I will relate here.
My husband and I volunteer for an organization, which is doing several community projects. One of these projects involves the building of a facsimile of Abraham Lincoln’s birth home as depicted in Hodgenville, Kentucky. This project has been going on very slowly as most construction projects do. We only have weekends to work and volunteers for the actual erection of the cabin has been sparse. One of the goals is to celebrate the Lincoln Bi-centennial in a unique way, and our organization’s way is truly unique considering we were the only one in the nation to honor Lincoln in this manner. Another goal was to involve all age groups just for the educational aspects of the project.
Last weekend we had all age categories. A family from Oklahoma, The Blazers, who are homeschooling their children and traveling across the country have helped on a couple of occasions. Last weekend they brought some reinforcements, one being a seventeen-year-old male. While notching logs in the primitive surroundings his cell phone rang. You can’t deny technology in this day and age, or at his age. It was his girlfriend asking him if he had spent his day thus far productively, adding, “Have you been on My Space?” He answered with pride and a sense of accomplishment, “I’ve built a log cabin.” This was one of the things that is making the project worthwhile and what it was intended to accomplish.
To see pictures of the log cabin in progress please visit: Olive Hill Historical Society
Dakotah Blazer drilling hole in doorway for wooden peg
Memories
Posted by: justjera on: October 16, 2009
- In: good mood
- 2 Comments
About a year ago while standing at the stove fixing breakfast, a pleasant natural whiff of something, not the eggs, lingered in the air momentarily. Suddenly I thought of my friend, Jewell. I looked up to see a bird sitting in the window right beside me. I thought this odd considering this is our cat’s window, and he habitually sits there every morning waiting for his own breakfast. I was immediately thinking of Jewell and feeling that she was visiting.
Jewell had departed the earth realm approximately a year prior. She was a neighbor, on one of the farms next to ours, in her early eighties, my dad’s age, and had always been my dad’s friend. We had always invited her to family gatherings; however, I didn’t really get to know her until about two years before her passing. I had been doing some genealogy work and started asking her things she remembered.
Jewell, even in her eighties, was very outdoorsy. I had been hiking and walking around our farm and the area for years. I could never find anyone to hike with me until Jewell. I’ll never forget one day, which was quite magical. She took me into old paths and showed me where people had lived and told what she knew of their lives. You could barely make out where the foundations had been with most of these places. Everyone always built his or her home as close to a spring as possible. We followed creeks, walked through their wet and dry beds, climbed steep hills, all those things you would think impossible for someone in their eighties, but Jewell was tough and gentle at the same time. When I remember her tears of blessings come to my eyes.
She had never gone to a doctor until the last few months of her life. She had sprayed insecticide to get rid of ants. It had gotten in her lungs. While nature was her friend, the unnaturalness of chemicals was her demise. She moved from Kentucky to Vancouver to spend her last days with her son. I called but she was unable to even talk at that point. But at one moment she told her son that I was her best friend.
Her son recently returned to Kentucky to check on Jewel’s farm. He took my husband into her barn, and gave us several years of stacked, seasoned wood. All year my husband has had every weekend tied up and had not been able to cut firewood. He kept saying I have got to get time to cut firewood. I knew Jewell was still showering us with her blessings.
You may think what does this have to do with being in a good mood. Just think of someone who has truly blessed your life. Surely you will find a reason to be in a good mood after thinking about such a person.
