Dreams Won't Pay the Bills

Blessings, Gentle Readers...

You will notice the title of this writing: "Dreams Won't Pay the Bills." How many of us have heard this in our lifetime? I would bet many of us. I certainly have.

As a kid, I was a dreamer. I dreamed of being a great athlete. I dreamed of being a musician. I dreamed of sprites and spirits. I had dreams. And I can remember hearing that dreaded phrase over and over again.

It was sensible to go to college, get a degree, learn a skill. My father wanted me to be a nurse so I would always have a career. As he said, people are always sick and dying. It just wasn't for me. Something in me wanted to teach, to reach, to share. I yearned for Spirit.

For me, life was a spiritual thing. Life had so many facets that connected with Spirit. And as a teenager, I investigated that part of me in the simple way I knew how. I visited churches and synagogues. I spoke with clergy. And yet, the constraints of liturgy always pushed me away. In my mind there had to be a better way. And no matter how I tried to find that way, the sound reverberated in my head: Dreams don't pay the bills.

So, I went to school. I worked every day at my retail jobs. Why? Because dreams don't pay the bills. And I continued to be dissatisfied with life.

But a wonderful thing would happen when I would break away from the bill-paying job. Just a simple walk in the woods would bring such peace! It was as if the trees had a voice. The moss would speak to me. The plants waving in the breeze had wisdom to offer. By the water, I would hear the waves speak and the sand tell its story. I started to understand why my ancestors listened to the land.

There is a depth of Spirit in the land. So many trees are centuries old. The rocks have seen so much. And they speak to us. They speak to our dreams. And in communing with them, I began to realize my own dreams. I want to speak to animals. I want to know them and understand them. I want to help people find that place, the energy that exists between us and our companion animals. Every day now that I go to work, and I talk to folks about their dogs and cats, I have an opportunity to share with them Spirit.

We all, human and animal-kind, share Spirit - share energy. It is the energy of our Mother; the energy She exerted in creating us all. It is the residual energy in the things around us. It is the energy inside ourselves. It truly is man and beast together as one.

Be thankful this day that our dreams, when offered through Spirit, not only pay the bills but bring us closer to Goddess and closer to our own co-creative selves. That is simply amazing, don't you agree?

Find your dream; the one that speaks to your heart...and pays the bills.

Blessed Be!

Autumn

Blessings Gentle Readers...

I awoke this morning to the realization that autumn is upon us. Then I laughed thinking about how hot it continues to be and how much rain we've received! When I think of autumn, I think of crisp leaves underfoot, cool evenings, misty mornings and the lovely smell of Fall.

But when one considers the change of seasons and the celebration of the Autumnal Equinox, somehow the internal senses take over and one can feel and smell easily what is missing in the physical. I close my eyes and I can see the wandering paths in my native Massachusetts. I can feel the maple leaves and enjoy the beautiful reds, yellows and oranges of the leaves. I breathe in and smell the moist air thick with the mossy smell of Fall. What joy it brings!

As a Celtic Pagan, I celebrate this time of year. It is a time of finding balance, celebrating the abundance of our Earth Mother, and the lives of those who have passed ahead of us.

Why balance? Because without balance our lives become futile expressions of angst and negativity. We struggle with the every day and fail to move forward. Balance brings us the joy of this life and the faith that the circle of life continues for us all.

Why our Mother's abundance? Because without Her provision, we perish. She provides us with our basics of food, shelter and clothing. But She also provides us with family, friends, and fellowship. The harvest is great and not necessarily material. Our Mother shows us the way of Spirit and that, in itself, is great abundance.

And why of the passing of the dead? Because during this time, the veil between the two worlds of the living and the dead is at its thinnest. It is an opportunity for us to commune with our ancestors, asking for guidance. Our Elders who pass before peer over the veil and offer us great wisdom. Now is the time to receive it.

So, for me, this is a time of great celebration. I receive balance in the balance of night and day. I receive abundance from Mother Earth, the great Goddess. And I receive wisdom from the Elders who have passed before me.

Dear friends, open your minds and hearts to receive all that Spirit has for you. And open yourself to give back to Goddess for all She has provided.

Blessed Be!

Rainbows

Greetings, Gentle Readers...

I have to share with you a wonderful experience I had today. It was an average Monday. After work we needed to do a Wal-Mart run to get a few odds and ends. Now it's been very rainy for quite some time. (My grass is now more like a pasture.) While driving home, we saw the most amazing rainbow. It had every color imaginable and all the colors ran into each other! Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Purple. Beautiful, bright colors. And we never ran out of it! It was right in front of us for miles.

As I watched it (and tried to pay attention to my driving), it made me think about all the different "colors" of our world.

We are black, white, yellow and red...and every blend of each. We are spiritual, Christian, Muslim, pagan...and every blend of each. We are gay, straight, bisexual, intersexed and transexual...and every blend of each. We are conservative, liberal, republican, democrat and independent...and every blend of each.

Do you see where I'm going here? That rainbow was every color and they blended as they met. All in one. One in all. And so are our lives. We are a wonderful blend, created by Goddess and watched over by our Mother to be a rainbow. We are to blend, not be opposed. We are to join our hands and hearts, not fight with sword and shield. We are to love each other for our differences and celebrate our similarity.

We were put on this earth to be a shining example of our Mother! So as you go through this week, just take a look at what is around you. See things, people, with an eye like a rainbow and celebrate. Let's not let the separate colors drown out the blends. It is all One. We are all One.

Blessed Be!