Hello, Wednesday Meditators!
This new site page will be the landing zone for me to share things with you that spring from the richness of our Wednesday morning gatherings.
Enjoy!
Love, Cassie
POEM (7/17/24)
Grounded
In the cradle of nature,
a sanctuary lies,
an open canvas under the sprawling skies;
Here, between soil and soul,
is where grounded growth quietly ties.
Each seed I sow,
each root that takes hold,
Is a mindful whisper,
a story told,
of loss and of love,
of growth and decay,
in the garden’s embrace,
I lose my way.
Breathe in, breathe out,
kneel in the dirt,
planting my hopes,
healing the hurt,
with each caress of the gentle wind,
the boundaries blur,
the self is thinned.
Look!
A sprout breaks free,
reaching for the light,
a testament to resilience,
bursting through the night,
in its silent growth, a mirror I see,
of my way, my growth,
the essence of me.
With the rhythm of nature,
my heart aligns,
in its comforting embrace, my spirit shines,
Grounded growth is an intimate dance,
a meditation,
a chance for a silent romance.
From the garden’s heart,
lessons unfold,
in each leaf, in each root, wisdom is told.
To be present, to nurture, to just be,
In this dance with the soil,
I find me.
(2018 © Julia Delaney)
From our friend, Irv (7/17/24)
(Susan and Irv mentioned the marvelous grounding bed topper they are enjoying. We can confirm the brand they bought soon. For now, here’s a link I found to Terra Therapy).
Below the video, is the clinical paper on earthing (grounding) from the NIH archives and National Library of Medicine. It was published in the Journal of Inflammatory Research in 2015.
This is the link to the Earthing documentary on YouTube.
NOTE: Today 7/19/24, I watched The Earthing Movie. It’s inspiring and amazing! I’m starting today. Thanks Susan and Irv! xo Cassie
Warning to the squeamish – the paper below contains images of body wounds
A note from Mike to Karagan and All (7/17/24):
This past weekend we were in the Hill Country, west of San Antonio. I’ve spent time in West Texas, the back stretches of the Big Bend, Taos, and Santa Fe. For me, the desert holds a special charm. In a recent Reddit post, someone was wondering what the hoopla was about The Hill Country. Part of my response was the following:
I think you acclimate to Texas’ beauty. I remember having driven all night from Dallas to Terlingua, turning off our vehicle at the end of our trek with no lights around. When my eyes finally opened the next morning, we were surrounded by desert mountains at sunrise. I’ll not soon forget that.
My comment points to something that under-rides the nature of the desert. Maybe it doesn’t happen to everyone. But, there’s a reason the inhabitants of those far places choose to live there. There is a subtle beauty and spirituality to the places and people of the desert. It isn’t readily evident. It sneaks up on you if you’re willing to see it. I love the desert. It feels like it cleanses the spirit and through it’s spare nature, forces a focus on survival. There are flowers and plants and animals that live and thrive there while unable to live anywhere else in the world.
As to the people, I think the person who offered Karagan the job may have recognized something in her that revealed itself as being good for the reservation’s residents. Through the Native American rituals and traditions, I suspect they may help Karagan thrive in surprising ways. I also suspect she will find – in time – her presence, warmth and spirit will draw them to her, opening them up to their own healing. I feel kinship, though I don’t know why, with Native Americans. I love mysteries and the Longmire series – especially the most recent ones – explores the beauty of the Native American way of life and how a White unbeliever comes to terms with that way of life. This may help Karagan in particular. Early in my work as a chaplain I read this document. It was written for counselors working in Native American Communities. However, I found it’s recommendations to be essential to my work as a chaplain to a predominantly WASP community. It is a beautifully written guide about how we help people with kindness and respect. Its focus on Native American communities is utterly beautiful and endearing while also pointing us all forward toward the growth mindset you set out to talk about this morning.
All to say, I wish Karagan well. For the right person, the desert is desperate but also beautiful. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if she was the completely perfect (and needed) person. In fact, in the minuscule encounters I’ve had with her over Zoom, I suspect her interview/s recognized this.
Feel free to share any or all of this as you see fit. I do encourage her to go to that link. It was formative in my work and I think it addresses precisely what she will encounter.
Mind Your Moments 