There is petrified grief the size of a black walnut. It resides in the chest.

It can rob you of your joy.

Petrified grief can steal your words, that express your truth.

As you struggle to liquefy your grief, it will reach out and grab to pull that grief back in.

We all grieve and that is not a bad thing. 

We must take it out and look at it, and send it away. 

Most of the time it leaves, sometimes to be replaced by new grief.

But the petrified grief remains, not wanting to be there but remains all the same.

With hope we all can find a way to disintegrate the stone, turning it to dust.

Particles that can be washed away by tears, flushed clean leaving a shiny heart.

A honey filled heart.

A heart that is open and can receive the sweetness of life.

A heart that can give that sweetness back to life.

We all live in love and hope.

I have made many plans and decisions around the "smudge pot". I study the fire and the smoke. When just burning wood and paper a smoke really comes. But when I just use the sage the smoke is so different. It swirls and curls, a gentle design. I see the energy swirling out. There is an invitation to release so much of the pain guilt and loneliness. None of this is meant to be sad or depressing, just a realization that this is a process that we all need to go through to move on. In this place I know there is joy, life and satisfaction to be experienced. So many things to do to get there.

One thing that has helped greatly is the camera, and the sweet spirit that lives here. They remind me there is a purpose for us all. When the changing energy of the world, there is a place for all things. I am coming to realize that it is the purpose of this place to show that change.

The feminine is here as well as the masculine. The one is not to overwhelm the other. There must be balance. The linear is needed for the body to survive. But, a balance is needed for the Soul to make it too. It is sometimes hard to leave this place, because this is where I feel safe. But, it is out in the world where we can make a difference, and we should "do something scary everyday". The push is to make "everyone understand" but that doesn't come quickly. So I keep searching, listening, reading and smudging for the answers. In the end I go within to sort it all out. With hope that everyone keeps "honey in the heart".

Good Ceremony last night, on the back porch.

I guess we should realize that what we do does not have to grandiose or flamboyant to have an impact.

These ceremonies I do are about intent and fulfilling that intent.

One thing that has come to pass is improvement with using the camera and the cooperation of those that I share this land with. 

A little story, so enjoy.

The Dharma bell is ringing, moved only by the breeze.

It calls us to pay attention to the stories that it brings.

The cedar stands as sentinel, as water slowly rises.

The fox squirrel roams and rambles, as the rain comes softly down.

He trys to find a dry place to clean and dry his fur.

Seems there is none to be found.

He seemed to say "just screw it" and headed to higher ground.

These words that come to me, I give to you as a gift to take or discard; but with hope that you will ponder before disallowing them as nonsense.

The Wind kisses the embers and fans the flame to remove the refuse of this modern world.

The wind and fire understands the need to cleanse the Earth of that which man has wrought.

The flame to make us human.

The flame and the wind understands that man must be cleansed of this "modern" mind.

A mind that must first "see" so the Heart can be open to be filled with "honey".

That sweetness that comes to allow the grief to feed that part of us that is dead.

The sweetness of Praise that we must give to feed our Soul.

See the openness of Now that our Soul can live to feed the Sacred part of us.

This so the World can live again.

That which will bring us all to a new life, a new world, so our children can be free.

By the beauty of our thoughts to dream the world alive again.

Feed the Spirit with these gifts

Allowing them to disintegrate back to Spirit, to feed that Spirit so it can live, so we can live.

Little things I learn from the fire... I burn papers and boxes in the chimenia on my porch-haven't burned the house down yet. It also make a wonderful smudge pot. I put in a lot of cedar this morning to attract good energy. I smudge the land and beyond. The fire was just paper this morning but I have notice the fire sometimes leaves small black pieces, not completely consuming the paper. When I place a small log or two on the fire everything is burned down to a fine ash. The wood from the land burns patiently and consistently removing what man has made and too many times back on the earth as trash.

I observe people with causes asking for money, creating more paper and asking for money to "make things right". I realize I can not contribute to all and wonder if they really are "making things right"? With this February New Moon here on the land we will "patiently and consistently" move forward to do what we can to hopefully "make things right".

Each night a fire is lit, so the Spirit may speak. The message is not always that which we want to hear but need to understand. Last night was a particularly good fire. Warm, strong and very expressive. You can see the Keeper and Guides dance. Tonight will be New Moon. The Intents are being set. Some are new and others are older but are becoming clearer. The Words are read now, but by the end of the year they are to be said "from the heart". Whew! I can be so bad at learning things. To all those I bring into the Circle, may you be well of mind and heart. We all do that small thing that we can do and hold no expectations. So in the words of my favorite "amen" ... Long Life, keep Honey in the Heart, no Evil, Thirteen Thank-Yous.

I have a new camera, been practicing on the bees. I have a couple of nice "cloud" pictures also. Bees are beautiful to me. The stories though, short are beginning to come. Also they send guidance and Goddess knows I need some.

This was a warm sunny day and they were coming for a drink of water. It looks a little grungy but they don't seem to mind. It is a chicken waterer that I put stones in so they will have something to crawl on and not drown.

One more bee story. The post man couldn't get an order I had received in the mail box. So he was bringing it back. I happened to be out at the hive and he pulled up close to the fence to give me the package. Now this is a grumpy South Georgia kind of guy. But, he was smiling saying how glad that I had bees, that he used to have them till his wife became allergic. He knew of other people who had hives in the county, some I didn't know of. But he got how important bees can be for all of us. Made my day. Gotta love the bees.