For 'The Pheasant'

A green iguana taps the restaurant window
Summer sun hidden
Exposes itself in its own reflection

--Royce--

GOT EGGS!?!

Art by Bill Binger

We are the egg.
The egg is the container of our influence.
Cracking it…
Opens us up to the questions.
It exposes
Our passions, creativity and imagination.
Living a life focused on authentic expression
Is the elixir for metamorphosis.
Butterfly or petrified glob?
The choice is ours.
--Royce Addington--

A GOOD DAY

Lance Armstrong by Artist Malcolm Farley
Tour de France Champion (7 times)
Cancer Survivor (2 times)

I TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED.
I NOW HAVE ONLY
GOOD DAYS
OR
GREAT DAYS!

--Lance Armstrong--

IN THE JULY SUNSHINE

Photo by Nicole Duplaix

In the July sunshine
The glimpse of an iridescent dragonfly wing
Palm fans waving in the breeze
Deep within the blooming hibiscus
A sleeping frog jumps from my unexpected touch
To the water’s edge we go
For a refreshing dip in the shaded mangrove pond
The giant lily pad gently rocks
In the July Sunshine
--Royce Addington--

CEHCK IT OUT!

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny ipomretnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

NOW…

Try typing (at your normal typing speed) the above paragraph exactly as it is written. How many of the wrods did you sepll correctly!?!

THE OPTIMIST'S CREED

www.thesecret.tv/optimists-creed
By Christian D. Larson
Modified by The Secret 2007

I promise myself…

To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person I meet.

To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet.

To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds.

To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

UNDER A KEY WEST MOON

Photograph by Brianna Stello

One of the little techniques I’ve learned to get the creative energies moving into my body, heart and brain is to read a passage, quote or poem by someone I love and admire. Then I daydream and play; morphing it with my words to reflect ideas floating by at any given moment. Here is today’s example, borrowing the structure from Walt Whitman:

As for me
I am a student
Learning to 'see' nothing else but miracles.

Whether I walk the streets of San Francisco,
Or climb out onto the tiny metal roof from my bathroom window and look through the mangroves toward the sky,
Or skip with naked feet along the warm sand just at the edge of an undiscovered beach,
Or sleep under the ancient trees in Glacier Park,
Or talk and drink coffee all morning with someone I love,
Or sleep in bed each night with someone I love, two dogs and two cats,
Or watch butterflies busy around the delicate orchid blooming this sultry afternoon,
Or the magnificent Maxfield Parrish palette of sunset,
Or a thousand stars dancing in a velvet night,
Or the hypnotic full moon in June…
Could any greater mysteries or miracles await?

TRUTH...

Think not to settle down forever in any truth. Make use of it as a tent in which to pass a summer’s night but build no house of it, or it will be your tomb. When you first have an inkling of its insufficiency and begin to see a dim counter-truth looming up beyond, then weep not, but give thanks. It is time to ‘take-up your bed and walk’.

--A.J. Balfour--

A few days ago, I discovered this quote by A.J. Balfour.
To be honest, I really didn’t understand its profound depths the first time I read the passage. So, I read it again…and again…and again and I’m still not sure I ‘get it’ entirely. But these words have prompted me to really think about our perceptions of reality, historical perspective and truth.

Most of us have heard the adage ‘Truth is stranger than fiction.’
The older I get; the more I find this axiom to be absolutely TRUE.

Recently, I’ve been buried in a great deal of fascinating and exciting historical research that substantiates this concept in spades. I have read so many contradictory ‘facts’ and ‘truths’ about the same events or groups (for example…the Templars, the Vikings, Native American Indians, the Freemasons and America’s Founding Fathers) that I’ve come to the point, once again, of redefining my perception and definition of what TRUTH really means. I’ve also become magnetized by the term ‘revisionist history’. As my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. McBride, taught us as a first step in any investigation,

“When in doubt about a word or meaning, go to the Dictionary!”

TRUTH: Conformity to fact or reality; veracity (agreement with actual fact) or honesty; a true statement; fidelity (careful and exact observance; exactness in reproduction); constancy; a spiritual or philosophical verity (the quality of being real).

REVISIONIST: To revise; as in to examine or reexamine and make changes, corrections or to amend. A preference and encouragement of deviation from other theories or accounts of fact or truth.

HISTORY: From the Greek Historia: Learning by inquiry. That branch of knowledge that deals with events that have already taken place; the study or investigation of the past; a narrative of past events; a drama dealing with past events; a story or tale.

As a child growing up and as an over-zealous student with huge pre-programmed blinders firmly in place; I viewed TRUTH as a one-dimensional, black or white sacred stone. If I had been asked to put an image with the word in lower school; inevitably it would have been a towering column or pillar from the Parthenon that could withstand the test of time. In high school, I might have seen truth as the Great Pyramid. At university, it would have looked more like Mt. Everest… I was the intrepid climber; asking myself, “Will I ever reach the summit and really understand what TRUTH is all about!” (Ah, the joys of budding intellectual and philosophical angst).

Then I joined what many referred to as ‘the real world’ and went to ‘work’. I no longer took the time to fully explore the narrowing and treacherous trail that led to TRUTH but I was becoming increasingly bombarded by confusing definitions of what truth actually represented. My sacred stone was morphing into a vaporous, transparent almost invisible mirage; wavering in the explosive contradictions of other people’s truth.

Of course, over the last thirty years, the Great Teacher we call ‘Experience’ gave me a series of seemingly on-going crash courses in survival that might have been named…TRUTH: Does It Really Exist?

For better or worse; I had the privilege of surviving unimaginable treachery; lies in all their slippery guises, deceit, manipulations and betrayals beyond even my wildest imagination. Yes, I call this a PRIVILEGE because I survived the most vicious enemies of my personal TRUTH without being conquered or destroyed.

I have come to appreciate that one of the greatest gifts of this horrific experience was to break through the imposed barriers and once again, as in my youth, question everything. There is a potentially catastrophic downside to this awareness. Age and experience can beget cynicism, rigidity, futility, jealousy, bitterness, an inability to DREAM, loss of HOPE, absence of JOY and deep wells of UNHAPPINESS… which invite DIS-EASE and death; both physical and spiritual. Unfortunately, we seem to allow so much fear to dance around the circle of TRUTH! The wonder of human intelligence is that our free will allows us to make choices and adjust our attitudes.

At this point, I realize how ridiculous it is to try and capture TRUTH in only a few words. It simply isn’t possible. Allow me to reel myself back in to A.J. Balfour’s quote.

TRUTH as a tent.
Somehow this image feels right.
Imagination carries me away…

I see William Shakespeare, on a midsummer night, sitting alone under a beautiful green tent at the beach. The flaps have been tied back, allowing the unseasonably warm sea breezes to touch his face. The ocean roars in his ears. As he looks up at the stars, all is revealed…To thine own self be TRUE.

TRUTH just doesn’t get any better than that.

IMAGINE

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN A FEW MOMENTS OF HOPE!
Don't forget to click on the 'Full Screen' icon for a powerful view...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdHV8O6VoQ0

DOLPHIN MEDICINE

This week, we are in the Florida Keys where Dolphins dwell in abundance.

Native Americans believe that Dolphins are the keepers of the sacred breath of life. If you have ever watched a Dolphin swim, you will observe a beautiful rhythm as they move through the water and breath before submerging; then hold their breath for the duration while underwater. When Dolphins resurface, they will blow out their breath in a manner which sounds like the popping of a cork. Humans can learn much from this technique; as a ‘popping’ forceful exhale is a terrific remedy for releasing stress and tension.

Dolphin is a messenger of Manna or the life force which exists in every material particle of energy. Some relate this to the Great Spirit’s essence. Dolphin teaches us to use Manna or energy through breath; revitalizing and healing each organ and cell.

There is a Native American story describing the power of Dolphin. In Jamie Sams and David Carson’s book Medicine Cards they share their interpretation,

“Dolphin was traveling the oceans one day as Grandmother Moon was weaving the patterns of the tides. Grandmother Moon asked Dolphin to learn her rhythms so that he could open his female side to her silvery light. Dolphin began to swim to the rhythm of her tide weaving, and learned to breathe in a new way. As Dolphin continued to use this new rhythm, he entered the Dreamtime. This reality was a new and different place from the seas he had known.

Dolphin came to discover underwater cities in the Dreamtime and was given the gift of the primordial tongue. This new language was the sound-language…Dolphin learned that all communication was pattern and rhythm and that the new aspect of communication was sound; he carries this original pattern to this day.

Dolphin returned to the ocean of the Great Mother and was very sad until Whale came by and told Dolphin that he could return to be a messenger to the Dreamtime dwellers anytime he felt the rhythm and used his breath. Dolphin was given a new job. He became the carrier of messages of our progress. The Dreamtime dwellers were curious about the children of Earth and wanted us to grow to be at one with Great Spirit. Dolphin was to be the link.”

Next time you see a Dolphin, remember he is a symbol; representing the gift of AIR and your ability to BREATHE! Now…close your eyes…and take three, slow belly-deep breathes before clicking off.
Breathe in slowly through your nose. “POP” a forceful breath out through your mouth.
ONE MORE TIME!

Dolphin Humour

"Man has always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much…the wheel, New York, wars and so on…while all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time.

But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man…for precisely the same reason."

--Douglas Noel Adams—
Author of Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy

500 YEARS OF WOMEN IN ART

ENJOY THIS ARTISTIC FEAST!

Click on the link below. Go 'full screen' for a WOW experience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUDIoN-_Hxs

Another Woman Who Dared

Sarah Winnemucca
1844-1891
Photo courtesy of Nevada Historical Society

Sarah Winnemucca was a woman from the future.

An intelligent and respected translator-negotiator; she gained fame and amazing recognition during her short forty-seven year lifetime. Sarah came to be considered a powerful Native American rights activist. She traveled extensively, lecturing on behalf of her People. Passionate about education, she established a school for Native American children in Nevada.

The next time you find yourself in the town of Winnemucca, Nevada…take a moment to remember this petite but powerful woman.

Faye's Monet - Panel # 2

Original Oil by Faye Tyler
1910-1990

A tulip doesn’t strive to impress anyone.
It doesn’t struggle to be different than a rose.
It doesn’t have to.
It is different.
And there’s room in the garden for every flower.

--Marianne Williamson--

Faye's Monet - Panel # 1

Panel # 1

Original Oil by Faye Tyler
1910-1990

FAYE TYLER – A WOMAN WHO DARED
Excerpt from a Chapter – 1st Draft
By Royce Addington

Awake, just after sunrise, Faye removed the plastic tubing apparatus from her nose that kept a steady stream of oxygen breathing into her body as she tried to sleep through the nights of pain and discomfort. The floor to ceiling sliding glass panels beside her bed allowed the early morning light to wash through the elegantly decorated room. She could hear the incoming tide of the San Francisco Bay just below her little balcony.

It took an incredible amount of energy and effort to get out of bed but she knew it would be worth the exertion. Faye reached for her shell pink cameo coloured bathrobe draped across the back of her favorite antique Louis XVI chair. Slowly she put it on, tying the cognac coloured ribbon at the neck in a loose flowing bow down the front of her cherished chiffon layered sheath. Faye loved how the satin ribbon felt as it slid through her artistic hands.

Every morning, her routine was the same. She padded the few short steps into the tiny galley kitchen to make a first cup of strong instant Yuban coffee. She waited impatiently for the water to boil. The day was going to be glorious and she was bursting with the desire to throw open the glass doors and wander among the profusion of her beloved flowers.

At 79, Faye had transformed her twenty by eight foot deck into a veritable wonderland of artistic beauty and serenity. Over the years, she had acquired an incredible eye for designing spaces, combining shapes, colours and fragrances. For the last few years, this unassuming weathered wooden deck had become her world and her canvas. Huge verdigris pots and flower boxes filled with masses of blooming old roses the colours of sunset danced with enormous hydrangeas and lilies of the Nile. There were pansies and marigolds. Japanese poppies and lilac. Nasturtiums and a morning glory vine gone mad. In the corner, she had the gardener place a five foot tall Myers Lemon tree which filled the sea air with a delicious tangy fragrance. Her naughty orange tabby named Thomas claimed this pot as his very own. Every afternoon he could be found languishing there; swishing his tail to warn anyone who might be contemplating an interruption of his nap.

On this fresh morning of new beginnings, Faye sipped from her favorite English china mug painted with a bouquet of roses with an opalescent glaze. It sparkled like a bubble in the sunlight. A fleeting sense of human mortality landed lightly on her stiff and aching shoulder. Faye chuckled to herself,

“I’m most definitely an eccentric old woman who, of course, does NOT see herself as old. I still have great legs! Getting old is the shits! It’s really quite funny! Here I am cheerfully conversing with the Angel of Death disguised as a butterfly…and it’s all OK. Who was it that said,

“All is well. All is well. And…all will be well.”

Damn! I’m going to chew on that bit all day today until I remember.”

“Yes, I know…” Faye said out loud to no one but herself.

She knew this was the last chapter of her life. How perfectly appropriate that Monet was on her mind this morning as she admired her little paradise. It still took her breath away each and every time she saw one of his masterpieces. The artistic expression and passion had spoken directly to her heart. Faye mused,

“Claude, my friend, you are the one who taught me to paint from my soul! What would Oprah call it? Ah, yes…My AHhhh HhAaaa Moment! I hope you give painting lessons in the Great Beyond?”

Faye set her coffee mug on the small ornate iron table that faced the impressive bridge connecting Marin to the East Bay. This was not Giverny but it would do just fine. In her thirties, Faye had dreamed of one day seeing Giverny; wandering through the magnificent gardens in Monet’s footsteps and even perhaps painting there for an afternoon. The Fates had other plans.

Unconsciously, she took a long deep breath and recognized a twinge of regret mixed with angina pain; her heart muscle contracting as if to say,

“Hey, remember me? I am the emotion and passionate well of all you have done. I allowed your imagination and creativity to play along, but the soul of your work is my gig! I demand attention be paid! Can you feel me now?”

Faye smiled. Today would be a good day. Like no other. As if to confirm these thoughts, a majestic pair of Canadian geese gently landed on the calm water just off shore. They drifted along the incoming tidal current craning their elegant necks, looking up to her balcony with expectancy.

Dave, Faye’s handsome grandson, had told her that Canadian geese mate for life. Dave was so like what she remembered about her Cherokee father. They both shared a deep love, respect and psychic understanding of nature, animals and the earth. Both men had chosen a life of adventure and danger. Faye realized that, at this very moment, Dave too might be gazing out across a vast sea as he left the port of Homer, Alaska. Tears of pride and nostalgia filled her eyes. As she wiped a tear that had slipped down her high-boned cheek, she motioned for the geese to come closer,

“Oh…all right then! Wait here! I‘ll be back with the most delicious crusts you have ever tasted.”

BLACK ELK'S VISION

"I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being.

And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all children of one mother and one father. And I saw that it was holy."

Postscript: For a short bio on Black Elk visit www.MUSEologies.blogspot.com

TORO NAGASHI

This coming Monday – 28 May 2007 – (Memorial Day in the United States) along the shores at Ala Moana Beach Park on the island of Oahu; 1000 illuminated floating lanterns will be released simultaneously as “lantern offerings on the water” or Toro Nagashi.

The Japanese ‘Toro Nagashi’ is a time-honoured Buddhist ritual. It respects and pays tribute to our ancestors while comforting the spirits of the deceased and their survivors. During the ceremony, candle-lit lanterns are individually set afloat on the ocean. It is believed that these illuminated lanterns ferry spirits “from the shore of delusion to the shore of salvation.” As they float out to sea, these lanterns carry heartfelt prayers for victims of natural disasters, water-related accidents, war, famine, disease as well as for personal loved ones who have died. Many participants fill out individual slips of paper which they attach to the lantern frames.

This ceremony unites all who participate, without regard to nationality, culture, politics or religion. It is an act of becoming “one human family” and the desire for a future in which harmony exists among all people regardless of their differences. Given Tokunaga, Executive Director of Na Lei Aloha, one of the groups that sponsor the festival explains it this way, “This is not a Hawaiian event. It’s not a Japanese event. It’s not an American event. It’s a human event.”

One of last year’s participants, writer Sarah Brueggemann, describes her experience,

“Though surrounded by masses of people, I feel a sense of calm. Some watch in silence. Others snap photos of the visual feast. All linger on the beach to witness the glowing orange as they drift out to sea. Standing aside, one woman wipes tears from her eyes, which shine brighter than any luminary…

As I walk among the crowd, strangers share their stories. A traveler who lost her husband to cancer tells me how he loved surfing in Hawaii. She sprinkled his ashes here and hopes that by returning, she can reconnect with him. Despite such poignant accounts, the mood isn’t melancholy. The feeling is one of shared contentment…

Everyone waits with anticipation for the ceremony to begin. Buddhist monks in crimson and gold robes walk solemnly to a hibiscus-ringed stage. Powerful drumming and chanting resonates through the assembly. As the sun sets, outrigger canoes paddle into position. A double-hull craft transports six large “parent” lanterns which sit on delicately carved bases that resemble canoes. Some have masts with gossamer sails. People line the banks with lanterns, forming a radiant arc. Once released, the flames move toward the horizon, seeming to disappear over the earth’s edge.”


Next year I hope to be standing on the shores of Ala Moana Beach.
I will light my lanterns for Faye, Jan, Paula & John, Walt, Harry, Max and Thomas. On slips of paper attached to each lantern, I will end my private tribute with a quote by Og Mandino,

“I will love the light for it shows me the way,
yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.”

--Royce--

THE WARRIOR WITHIN THE CIRCLE

I am the one who protects you unconditionally and fearlessly from threats to your personal and creative freedom. I am the one who allows you to feel safe. I am the one who protects you from the Dark Side of yourself. I possess the power and the might to conquer your inner critics and crush them with a single blow. I am the one that listens to the council and wise wisdom of your Spirit Guides. Together we direct you and formulate strategies to win the battles you create for yourself both inside the spirit world and outside in the physical world. With my protection, ALL things are possible. With my strength and power you move forward into the unknown with boundless passion. I am the one who guards the portals of light that illuminate the Great Mysteries of Life and Spirit. I am the one who will stand by your side into a very old age. I am the one who will take your hand and guide you into the timeless time when you join with the Ancient Ones in celebration.

--Royce’s SoulCollage Vision--

WHAT GIVES THEM BEAUTY?

I wonder whether the stars are set alight in heaven

So that one day each one of us may find his own again....

The stars, the desert --

What gives them their beauty is something that is invisible....

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly;

What is essential is invisible to the eye.
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery--

Forget Today's Blunders and Absurdities

“FINISH EVERY DAY AND BE DONE WITH IT.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities no doubt have crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.

TOMORROW IS A NEW DAY.
Begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit
to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

THIS DAY IS ALL THAT IS GOOD AND FAIR.
It is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays.”

Thank you Ralph Waldo Emerson!