Ozark Encyclopedia – D – Dirt Dauber’s Nest
Category: Odds & Ends
Taking up the Path of the Bard, Part II
Creativity is the singing of the soul. When we create, we draw from the deepest parts of who we are and express ourselves to the world. The act of creation, the drawing forth and connecting to our inner selves, is the joy involved in creativity. Having something nice in the end, to me, seems like a bonus! I believe this act of channeling the awen is not only inherently spiritual, it is also part of what it means to be human. But to allow our souls to really sing, we have to grow comfortable with what we create, we have to set aside our judgement, and and to grow our skills as bards.
Last week, I explored what the bardic arts are, the cultural challenges associated with the bardic arts, and some ways community groups circumvent said challenges. We looked at the creative spirit of children, and how that spirit…
View original post 3,596 more words
TECHNIQUES FOR WORKING WITH POWER ANIMALS
Throughout our lives, we may encounter animals of a special nature that bring to us certain gifts of the Spirit. These are power animals… and they visit us for the purpose of sharing knowledge, giving us necessary abilities, or teaching us wisdom that it is important for us to know. These may be called familiars by some (a common European term), allies (a more common North American Indian term), totems, guides, or power animals. Different cultures and different faiths have different views on exactly what constitutes a power animal. I won’t address those distinctions here. I’m not the end-all expert in every culture’s traditional correctness! But more importantly, there are certain features of power animals and how we can relate and work with them that are true and effective regardless of what they are called.
First and of greatest importance, always understand that power animal is gifts of the Spirit…
View original post 2,485 more words
Ozark Encyclopedia – D – Dirt
Animal Spirit and Medicine: Animal Spirits
Animal Spirits work with us in many capacities and on a variety of levels. As Totems, they reflect aspects of our personalities teaching us to know ourselves better and understand our interrelationships. Power Animals are much the same; they are the dominant Totem and merge in a sacred spiritual manner with our inner spirit. Guides are not always animals but they can be; these creatures guide us through spiritual realms and to our teachers showing the way to enlightenment. Some Animal Spirits act as messengers coming once or twice in a lifetime while others are frequent visitors. All these capacities reflect their abilities to impart a wide variety of messages on many different levels. All Animal Spirits are our teachers in one way or another. They can act as protectors giving us warnings, or defending us in other ways. While they teach us about ourselves and our lives, their highest…
View original post 796 more words
Ozark Encyclopedia – D – Dandelion
The High Cost of Cheap Grazing on Public Land
By Andy Kerr as published on his Public Lands Blog
“Bovine bulldozers have caused more harm to the public lands than mining or logging…”
Private “Welfare Cattle” being herded onto BLM Antelope Complex in Nevada, while Wild Horse roundup was being conducted ~ photo by Terry Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation
It costs more to feed a domestic house cat than to graze domestic livestock on federal public lands.
This has generally been the case since the early 1900s, when the federal government first required ranchers to pay a fee for grazing their livestock on millions of acres of federal land, primarily in western states.
Each January the USDA Forest Service and the USDI Bureau of Land Management calculate what the federal grazing fee will be for that year. For 2017, it’s $1.87/animal unit month (AUM), down from $2.11/AUM in 2016. An AUM is the amount of forage…
View original post 768 more words
Feel Good ‘Father’s Day’ Sunday: Wild Burro Dads of the Black Mountains
By Carl Mrozek
“In honor of Dads everywhere, CBS Sunday Morning will feature wild burro jacks shepherding their family bands in the Black Mountains of Arizona, where I filmed them this spring. The nature segment is the last one of this magazine-style program.
Enjoy the burro clip and the wild world around you !”
Click Image to view video
“Also, I would like to include the Mom’s Day video: Mustangs of the Music Mountains featured on on CBS Sunday Morning on Mom’s Day: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/ nature-horses/
for a belated Happy Mom’s Day to all moms !”
Taking up the Path of the Bard, Part I
Bardic Artistic Expression through Clay, Sand, and Straw (cob)! (This is part of a tree piece I collaborated on at Strawbale Studio in Michigan)
A group of people sharing stories and songs by the fire. A fine pair of leather shoes. A beautiful woven garment. A tale full of twists and mystery. Finely wrought iron doors. An amazing wood carving on a stump. A marble sculpture. A wildly painted mural on a wall. A cob structure with whimsical trees and forms. A song that reaches deep within you when you hear it. A rousing speech. Each of these, and so many others, represent the natural creative expressions of humanity. Taking up the path of the bard is one of three paths in the druid tradition (along with the work of the Ovate and the Druid). Yet, many people aren’t sure how to take up the path of the bard because…
View original post 2,441 more words
THE POWER OF LITHOMANCY
Lithomancy is the psychic art known by terms such as “reading stones, divination by stone, divination by gems, divination by crystals, etc.” Lithomancy is similar to reading runes, tarot cards or tea leaves. It involves casting or picking stones to interpret an omen, foretell the future, or to seek insight on a specific subject.
Lithomancy, the casting of stones is an ancient art. This type of divination is usually associated with both Witchcraft & Shamanism, world-wide.
In France, the French word for witch, ” sorcier ” is used for a male witch & ” sociere” is used for a female witch. The witch or sorcier / sorciere is one who practices Sortilege, literally one who casts lots for the purpose of divination. Sortery is when certain objects have been assigned a meaning or characteristic. Tarot cards are a form of sortery. Each card is assigned a title and meaning, like
View original post 3,110 more words
Paths I Walk 
You must be logged in to post a comment.