Register for our summer retreat on Cape Cod!

Boston Area A.R.E. 2010 Summer Retreat
September 10-12, 2010

Are you interested in the work of Edgar Cayce? We invite you to register for our annual weekend retreat at the Craigville Conference Center on Cape Cod, MA. Each year we make new friends and visit with old, so come join us for this uplifting joy-filled weekend. Please bring a treasure or two for our fundraiser auction and we hope you'll join in the "No-talent Show".

Fee: $189 pp, includes lodging, six meals. Limited financial assistance available. For details and to sign up, please click here for the 2-page invite and sign-up form (PDF format).

If... ??

If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be.

- Yogi Berra

Seriously Holy dude.

"Chanting for Women" class starting June 23rd.

[This is from Freeana, the woman who gave us the wonderful chanting at our last drumming get-together...]

Dear All:

I am excited to be teaching a three week class through Newton Community ED called, "Chanting for Women". That class will be held on Tuesday 6-7:30 PM at Newton South High School starting June 23.

The tuition for the three classes is $55.00 which includes a free CD of drum rhythms to practice to.

I am very excited to teach something I really love and have been doing much of my adult life. The purpose of this class is to bring out what you already have inside and to learn to sing and chant in a fun and personalized manner. Free up your personal vocal expressions and tap into your inner chant. We will do vocal warm-ups and various syllables and you do not have to have singing experience so beginners are welcome!

We will draw upon various influences including Native American, Middle-Eastern and other genres.

For more information about this class and to sign up just click the link below which will take you to the Newton Community Education Site.

You may register online or call 617-559-6999. I hope to see some of you there!

https://newtoncommunityed.org/viewDesc.php?CourseNumber=M1531

Also I wanted to remind you of my new CD, " A Child's Trust" available at

http://cdbaby.com/cd/freeana2. It is full of affirming positive messages with wonderful arrangements and beautiful melodies. It features vocals, recorder, keyboard, bass, guitar, percussion and some saxophone. Take a listen.

Have a wonderful summer!

Best wishes,

Freeana

http://www.freeana.com/

Pathwalk and drumming event in Plainville --Sat, June 20th

Spirit in Nature Pathways & Drums for One and All

Invite you to Crystal Spring

for our

7^th Annual Summer Solstice Earth Festival

Saturday, June 20, 2009… 1-5+ PM

Crystal Spring Center for Earth Learning-Plainville, MA

76 Everett Skinner Road

www.crystalspring.org

Tel 508-699-7167

Sponsored by Srs. Barbara, Carole, Chris

Program (Rain or Shine)

• Buddhist Chanting in the Oratory 1:00 to 1:45
  
• Introductions 2:00 to 2:10
  
• Silent Path Walk Begins 2:10 to 3:00
  
• Circle up/Introductions 3:00 to 3:15
• Musical Entertainment by Freeana 3:15 to 3:45
• Pot Luck (bring your favorite summer dish) 3:45 to 4:15
• Drum Circle hosted by David Curry 4:15 to 5:30+

Bring a percussion instrument and a chair.

Free will donations accepted to offset expenses.

Directions:

Take 1-95S to (exit 6B) onto I-495N to exit (14B), Route 1S.

When you exit onto rte.1S, you are in Plainville. Travel 1.5 miles to

George St. on right side of highway (just before Duncan Donuts).

George St. becomes Everett Skinner Road.

See Crystal Spring on left side about1 mile from highway.

Please park where indicated so avoid a ticket. Questions call Dan’s cell 781-439-8891

RSVP to Dan dshea2003@earthlink.net Bring a percussion instrument and a chair.

Dave Curry will be bringing an assortment of drums.

New SpIN Website: http://spiritinnaturepathways2009.shutterfly.com/ password "spin"

Folks: the Oratory has the most amazing acoustics! You'll want to check out the chanting!!! - A

We Are One

Declaration of Principles, Interstellar Alliance (Opening):

The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice. The language is not Narn or Human or Centauri or Gaim or Minbari. It speaks in the language of hope. It speaks in the language of trust. It speaks in the language of strength, and the language of compassion. It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul. But always it is the same voice. It is the voice of our ancestors speaking through us, and the voice of our inheritors waiting to be born. It is the small, still voice that says: ‘We are One. No matter the blood, no matter the skin, no matter the world, no matter the star. We are One. No matter the pain, no matter the darkness, no matter the loss, no matter the fear. We are One.’ Here, gathered together in common cause, we agree to recognize this singular truth and this singular rule: that we must be kind to one another. Because each voice enriches us and ennobles us and each voice lost diminishes us. We are the voice of the Universe, the Soul of Creation, the fire that will light the way to a better future. We are One.

– Citizen G’Kar of Narn, for the Interstellar Alliance (Babylon 5, The Paragon of Animals, 1998, written by J. Michael Straczynski)

[Who says there's nothing good on television?]

A SPIRITUAL CONSPIRACY - [Found on the internet]

A SPIRITUAL CONSPIRACY

On the surface of the world right now there is
war and violence and things seem dark.
But calmly and quietly, at the same time,
something else is happening underground
An inner revolution is taking place
and certain individuals are being called to a higher light.
It is a silent revolution.
From the inside out. From the ground up.
This is a Global operation.
A Spiritual Conspiracy.
There are sleeper cells in every nation on the planet.
You won't see us on the T.V.
You won't read about us in the newspaper
You won't hear about us on the radio
We don't seek any glory
We don't wear any uniform
We come in all shapes and sizes, colors and styles
Most of us work anonymously
We are quietly working behind the scenes
in every country and culture of the world
Cities big and small, mountains and valleys,
in farms and villages, tribes and remote islands
You could pass by one of us on the street
and not even notice
We go undercover
We remain behind the scenes
It is of no concern to us who takes the final credit
But simply that the work gets done
Occasionally we spot each other in the street
We give a quiet nod and continue on our way
During the day many of us pretend we have normal jobs
But behind the false storefront at night
is where the real work takes a place
Some call us the Conscious Army
We are slowly creating a new world
with the power of our minds and hearts
We follow, with passion and joy
Our orders come from the Central Spiritual Intelligence
We are dropping soft, secret love bombs when no one is looking
Poems ~ Hugs ~ Music ~ Photography ~ Movies ~ Kind words ~
Smiles ~ Meditation and prayer ~ Dance ~ Social activism ~ Websites
Blogs ~ Random acts of kindness...
We each express ourselves in our own unique ways
with our own unique gifts and talents
Be the change you want to see in the world
That is the motto that fills our hearts
We know it is the only way real transformation takes place
We know that quietly and humbly we have the
power of all the oceans combined
Our work is slow and meticulous
Like the formation of mountains
It is not even visible at first glance
And yet with it entire tectonic plates
shall be moved in the centuries to come
Love is the new religion of the 21st century
You don't have to be a highly educated person
Or have any exceptional knowledge to understand it
It comes from the intelligence of the heart
Embedded in the timeless evolutionary pulse of all human beings
Be the change you want to see in the world
Nobody else can do it for you
We are now recruiting
Perhaps you will join us
Or already have.
All are welcome
The door is open
~ author unknown.....hehehehehe....

Conversations with Mr. Jenkins - Part 1

Conversations with Mr. Jenkins

An Ongoing Dialogue with an errant Body Part

∞∞∞∞

Part 1

In Which Poor Alan is Led Down a Fragrant Country Path Where There be Demons and Vampires

I’ve been having some trouble with my hands lately. For some reason, the tendons seem to be contracting on their own. Sometimes, one finger in particular will get so tight that it will curl down close to my palm and lock in that position, and will not straighten without help.

Last evening, before the discussion group meeting, one of the group members graciously gave me a brief healing session. (No “instantaneous cure” was effected.) Afterwoods, we spoke about the issue. She made the interesting suggestion that I attempt to “talk to it”, and see what I get in response. She suggested that I give the little guy a name – say, “Mr. Jenkins”, and just converse with “him”.

I’ve heard of such things, and done even stranger ones, so what the heck.

So, as I went off to dreamland last night, I suggested to that deeper part of the mind (the one that causes all the trouble), that I might have some intercourse with said entity during the night, and remember it upon awakening. Though I roused during the night a couple times, enough to remember my mission, I got nothing of note.

When morning came, and my dear Georgie (Felix Lovabilicus) was curled up next to my head and letting out his “time for breakfast!” comments every 30 seconds or so, my mind returned to Mr. Jenkins.

Aha! This time, there was something clearly bouncing in my mind, a response to my request: What did I get? “Frangipani.”

Yep.

Up until just now, I only vaguely recognized the name. I had thought it was some kind of snooty European candy or some such. Wikipedia tells me it’s actually another name for plumeria, the lovely flower that you get lei-ed with, when you visit Hawaii. I’ve never actually gotten lei-ed (and it’s also been a bit of a spell for the other spelling, though that’s another matter) but it seems like it would be a nice thing. Especially since it seems typically accompanied by a friendly kiss on the cheek by one of those lovely island lassies…

I actually have one – the plant that is, not the lass -- though it has never shown a whole lot of enthusiasm for my company. At the moment, it has just a few tiny sprouts for leaves, it being naturally leafless, or nearly so, in the winter. It usually leafs out well in the summer, though it will drop them readily if it gets too dry.

So what the heck does this have to do arthritis/tendonitis/whatever? If we are to follow this mad method to its logical conclusion, it only makes sense to see what this odd little reference could mean.

So, hmm. What do we know about “Frangipani”, now that we have the Wikipedia entry in front of us? There’s quite a lot here, now that we look:

1- The genus…[is] native to Mexico, Central America, Southern India and Venezuela… [Relevant? Not so much…]

2- From Mexico and Central America, Plumeria has spread to all tropical areas of the world, especially Hawaii, where it grows so abundantly that many people think that it is indigenous to that island system. [Well, there’s a metaphor here, at least.]

3- ....[possesses] poisonous, milky sap… [OK, now we’re getting somewhere… But no, unless I’m poisoning myself? No. Nothing new being ingested lately.]

4- Frangipani can also be found in Eastern Africa, where they are sometimes referred to in Swahili love poems. [!!? My DEAR Mr. Jenkins! Note to self: Be alert for odd sounds in dreams. May be Swahili. Check town library for Swahili/English dictionary.]

5- Plumeria flowers are most fragrant at night in order to lure sphinx moths to pollinate them. The flowers have no nectar, and simply dupe their pollinators. The moths inadvertently pollinate them by transferring pollen from flower to flower in their fruitless search for nectar. [! Now THAT is interesting. Am I being “duped”? A hopeless search? “Flowers with no nectar”?? I like that one. Hmmm… ]

6- [They are ] easily propagated by taking a cutting of leafless stem tips in Spring… [Maybe I could grow a whole new hand!]

7- In Mexico, the Nahuatl (Aztec language) name for this plant is "cacalloxochitl", which means "crow flower." [“Nahuatl”. Just love to say that. “Nahuatl”. “Nahuatl”. Fun for the tongue. Also fun is that these are the guys that invented “Xocoatl” – cocoa mixed up with chili pepper and God-knows what else. OK, and they liked to cut out the hearts of their enemies while they were still beating. – and you thought a coffee buzz was bad? Would it be a Bad Thing to have chocolate ice cream for dessert after Mexican food? Surely the government would have made it illegal by now. But I digress…]

8- … in southern and southeastern Asia, … in local folk beliefs [the plants] provide shelter to ghosts and demons. [? Oh???!!]

9- The scent of the Plumeria has been associated with a vampire in Malay folklore, the pontianak. [Maybe it’s OK if I don’t smell like one? Never did smell much like a flower. Never was big on Pontiacs, either.]

10- They are associated with temples in both Hindu and Buddhist cultures… [“My body is a temple…”]

11- In modern Polynesian culture, it can be worn by women to indicate their relationship status - over the right ear if seeking a relationship, and over the left if taken. [Always had trouble with that Right/Left thing. – And irate husbands are notoriously bad at understanding that dyslexia is an actual malady.]

12- In Bangladeshi culture most white flowers, and particularly plumeria … are associated with funerals and death. [“I’m not dead yet!” -- Whack.]

So how about my own, private experience with the plant?

13- Well, like I said, they were never real happy growers for me. I started with three. Now only one left. They need to dry out sufficiently, or they rot. [Symbolic meaning for that?? Been a while since I did any serious drinking. Should have stopped rotting by now.]

14- I got them originally at the flower show as “sticks”. Fat green cigars. Stick it in the dirt, water, pray, and go. [Maybe I’m not doing one of these properly?]

15- And they will drop their leaves readily if too dry. [That Balance Thing again. Always a challenge, that one.]

Thoughts, anyone?