“Thunder on my right hand, lightning in my left hand”
says Tiffany Achen in Terry Pratchett’s “Wintersmith.”
May 24, 2010
6pm PDT, 9pm EDT
“Strength enough to build a home,
Time enough to hold a child. Love enough to break a heart,”
are the last lines of a poem she recites on what it is to be truly human.
Then she kissed the Wintersmith and drew down the Sun.
Fire to Frost, restoring nature’s dynamically beautiful balance.
Let’s join with her!
as we integrate the mythological opportunity of Pentecost Sunday (May 23rd)
while Jupiter/Uranus oppose Saturn – reminding us that the gifts more than make up for the fears, if we each step back into balance.
Love is stronger than death.
We step forward with our Saturn goats, to assume collaborative responsibility for dreaming Eden back into being,
to animate the desirable story and send it spiralling forth into the memosphere.
Waxing Full Moon, the tide is rising,, the sacrilegious oil breach haunts this whole country, on out to the whole world.
Saturn stationing, Neptune stationing…our focus on the Oceanic realm. Blue is Green and back to Blue;
so we dive into the crystalline turquoise waters of the dream world.
The Mythic News speaks to us in the dream world of metaphor, with increasing clarity, even unto micro human befoiblements magnified in what passes for “news”.
(Ayn) Rand (St.) Paul.
Ayn Rand the murderously irreverent icon for the sociopathic part of our species, that like the Wintersmith, thought that a rusted iron nail would suffice for a heart. Ditto St. Paul, the early Karl Rove, on the take from the Roman government (new research reveals), enslaving liberating teachings of Jesus in false service to the state. The Republican convention, Sarah Palin/Jezebel-fest was in St. Paul.
The Sun at the Holly and Mistletoe degree, “evoking life force, attuning to nature,” is inconjunct- 150 degrees from Pluto in Capricorn (doom de doom-doom.) Let us play with thunder and lightning when dealing with the black death at this gnarly time.
Underworld solutions to Underworld problems. Oyster mushroom mycelia, the underworld roots, break down and metabolize hydrocarbons through release of enzymes as it digests marsh grass. And according to ally Paul Stamets, we could create floating islands of oyster mushrooms to save oysters, (and others) – one witty poignant example of the doctrine of signatures. And lightning strikes increase mushroom growth.
Spartina is the marsh grass now besieged by oily death. Its genius is to be able to filter salt water to make it sweet. (Used as a primary metaphor in my brother John Casey’s national book award novel, “Spartina,” about a man of the sea becoming less bitter.) As the plant dies, we must adapt its function metaphorically, that we may metabolize the bitter into the sweet for all life.
The nesting Pelicans in the Gulf are now taking the hit for our sins; their love for their babies, their eggs, now coated in oil is not sufficient to protect them from this horror. As they die, they hand to us the responsibility to metabolize grief into dedicated love, for there is no greater grief than the death of one’s babies.
“Strength enough to build a home,
Time enough to hold a child. Love enough to break a heart,”
Inviting us all to look up the words “sacrilege,” “sacrilegious,” “sacrifice,” as crucially pertinent to inform our vocabulary now.
“I Ching” chimes in: 13 Harmonizing People
“The basis of Harmonizing People is words: oracular pronouncements on the time, ritual announcements at the Earth Altar…after sacrifice, humans and spirits unite to restore paradise.”.
(no tele*coyote on May 31st (Memorial Day, I will be in wilds of Maine teaching at Robert Bly’s Gt. Mother Conference
Don’t forget!
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*7 Will unmute your line.
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Tricksters call 05_24_10
The Wintersmith Mudra therefore is the opening of both palms to each side of the body — the right hand holding our thunder/Saturn;the left hand holding our lightning/Uranus.
Having done this, my inclination (as I was sitting) was to spread my knees and plant both foot soles firmly flat on the ground. My pelvis widened, my stomach was let loose, allowed to breath freely and the images that floated through my mind were that of tarot major arcana figures; first, the High Priestess (balanced by the black & white pillars on each side of her) but then it moved into the Emperor image… woosh, the power channelled is papable!
I would add the last part of the magical Wintersmith mudra is the doffing of the animal mask. When I am asked to don my animal mask, I am always reminded of Tom Robbins perfumier/”nose” who dons a whale mask in his Seattle office(from “Jitterbug Perfume”). I don an orca mask, myself–in NW Native cultures, it is told that orcas come onto land in the winter months and transform into wolves, then return to the sea for the summer months. So it must be time that the spirit-wolves are heading back into the sea to become orcas again. (and perhaps kick some more human ass…)
Anyone else experimenting with the Tiffany Aching mudra?
hay- regarding the conversation about the desire for the phone sessions to be more participatory. i am very pleased with the current style where caroline talks for the majority of the time. i cannot get enough of what she has to say!
Bless You Wickies. Point well taken, honored, embraced – many are in accord with you and I am nourished by your enthusiasm…onward!
Scouting Report:
O, Great Dreamer Redeemer Rebecca – Yes! catalyzed by your experimental dedication. Stella Coyote and I just returned from walking under the nearly Full Moon, by the River with the Bull frogs. Periodically stopping to adapt the Tiffany Achen mudra, Thunder, Saturn, in Right hand, Lightning- Uranus in Left…and yes, palpable power, just as you say. Dynamic sizzling balance.
And I remember that Tiffany kissed the scary poignant force that was lethal to life, because boundaries had been breached and all was out of balance.
So I did that too, and that felt very strong. Apt for tomorrow night’s Full Moon, where the Moon’s degree is Cupid, and the Sun’s “the oasis.” We kiss that which is out of balance.
Then, as Tiffany drew down the Sun, we draw down that which will seal the Underworld breach.
Experiment, experiment, experiment, team, Co-Operators are truly standing by.
Tomorrow night I will do this while wearing the wolf mask, to your Orca’s, Rebecca.
Hi everyone,
I had a dream that I thought you all might enjoy.
I am sitting in a friends house surrounded by people from all over the world gathering to form a group called hearts around the earth.The room is filled with healers and activists. We all go through a series of excercises designed to build trust within ourselves and each other. There is an older woman from South Africa wearing a bone necklace with a whale on it- and 3 older Inuit grandmothers notice the necklace and say that thier people made it and that they must all be related. I then ask to hold it and when I touch the whale- I am trasported to the Bering Strait where I am flying above a tiny village where I see animals, people, small huts and sea ice melting. I dive down deep into a dark sea and instantly surrounded by beautiful creatures of all sizes and shapes from the tiniest sea slugs to seals, dolphin and otters they all sing at once a song of healing for the seas and all her creatures then a huge red grouper joins in says “keep the sea free, and he repeats it over and over and then adds “free of polution, poison and greed” A dark shadow rises up and it is Sedna and she is so sad- so I brush her hair and feed her medicine herbs. Then from below the whales come in all sizes and all kinds- Grey, Blue, Minke, Norwhal and Beluga and join in the singing, Then the sea turtles in the thousands come from below followed by a huge Ancient Leatherback grandmotherthat no human has ever seen except for in dreams. She is battered and bruised and torn, hanging from her are 100s of old rusty hooks. She says “It has been a long way -all is not lost- Don’t give up hope” remember you are pure love as we are. Remember us here in the sea, send us love and be the love that you are, You are pure love it doesn’t matter how beaten or torn your shell is- you are love. Then she swam away singing “love I am Love I am love”…..
Victoria, how beautiful, my orca-heart sings and I raise my tail in your honor. And for dear Sedna and all her children.
Wearing my Orca mask last night I convened my Women’s Council and we discussed the Uranus dance into Aries coming later last evening. About 8pm west coast time we got a call from the US Forestry Service. Our hostess is a retired forest service worker, who continues to volunteer at the Interagency Incident Management Team. (Her specific team is called ORCA and she gave me a pin with their image on it–an orca against a wall fo flames). Anyhow, she is on a plane today to fight 3-4 fires in Alaska, caused by lightning strikes. She’ll be gone for the next 2-4 weeks.
It was a powerful night for us ladies all around. We didn’t check the time until it was 11pm–there was so much to share and dedicate to, we fully invoked our Saturns as Oya whipped her horsetail whip around us. I used the spell in Caroline’s book in the Saturn chapter–we hoisted our sails for the most enlivining winds to blow out our sails~Rebecca