Do Unto Others

As you would have them do unto you. This exhortation from the Bible was beautifully demonstrated by a story told to me by a woman who had read my latest letter to the editor in The BI Times. Once, while rushing to get to the ferry in Pt. Judith, she noticed a large snapping turtle ahead of her. Oh no! she cried to herself. She only had 8 minutes left to catch the boat. There were four lanes of traffic the turtle would have to cross to make it to the other side. She pulled her car over to the shoulder and walked out into the road, stopping traffic. Cars cheered her as she walked behind the turtle until it was safely across. The dockhands held the boat and let her on, completing the cycle and giving and receiving when she pulled her car over and stood before those cars to say stop. I thank her for this story. I thank the turtle for letting us build a home on its back.

Abundance Is Our Natural State of Being

Last night I saw so clearly how off track I was again and knew that if I continued on at this frantic pace I would crack again. Although I am relieved to have found a way of earning a living that I don't hate, I know that gardening is not the reason I came to earth. I am here to communicate, to weave a new reality with words, and while I can do this wherever I go, with whomever I meet, I am not fully expressing all that I have to share by the work I am doing to earn money, and my soul will not tolerate this any more from me, whoever I am--so I am not taking on any more jobs. The ones I have are enough. Yes, I could earn a few hundred more a week if I "hustled" but I will pay the price with my sanity. My friend Roark, a fellow writer, put it in perspective last week when someone asked him what his job was--"writing." When asked what he did for money he said he'd live on almonds and water if that was all he could afford. The REAL WORK has to come first for everybody. The jobs we take to keep ourselves safe are a distraction to keep us from the truth. Don't ask me who is keeping us from seeing the truth or why they would want to do this because I haven't figured this out yet. All I know is my own path, my own truth, and I can recognize when someone else is living their truth. To everyone dancing, singing, playing, biking, swimming, growing, all over the world, to everyone living with integrity, I say thanks, and promise I will honor my commitment to myself over the commitments I make out of fear from now on. Starhawk defines the sacred as that which is not commodifiable, the earth, air, fire, and water which give us life--all of thse things are for sale in the present day world, and our leaders are meeting right now in Scotland at the G-8 to decide who gets to make the most profit from the sacred elements. Today I read the police ringed my friends in the eco-camp in so they couldn't protest--but that public outrage turned against the police and they were allowed to leave the camp to speak up for the earth, for those of us who want to share resources instead of control them. No more lies. To myself. To others. Please join me. The fifth sacred thing is not yet for sale--our spirit--undefinable yet with us every moment, even when we sleep. We've been asleep collectively for a long time on earth, but more and more of us are waking up. There is nothing to be afraid of! The earth has everything we need, enough for everybody--please tell everyone you know there is enough for everybody. Blessed be.