Welcome to a World of Spiritual Harmony

I watched the 60 Minutes conversation with Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, the day after his declaration of his candidacy for the presidency.

Michelle said that she was not thinking of assassination when they were discussing the decision - she believes we cannot let fear of what might happen cloud our judgment. Instead, what she chose to do was request that Barack give up smoking, since the family would be giving up so much with him running.

They were both smiling as they talked about it with the interviewer - and then Michelle turned directly to the camera and said, “America, I want you to let me know if you see Barack smoking. Just call me.”

Still smiling - and yet serious. A real working relationship live on TV. I thought it was easily one of the funniest and most real scenes I had ever witnessed on television.

Technically a very well done movie, this is the true story of Edie Sedgewick, one of the people closest to and most supportive of Andy Warhol in the 70s, and the glamorous lifestyle they and the others connected with The Factory (Andy’s film studio / home / clan gathering place) lived.

An extraordinarily ugly movie in many ways - full of soul death and finally pitiful sadness. The beginning is fun, shocking, entertaining by turns - all good things for a movie to be. Then the degeneration sets in - or maybe we just didn’t see it before.

The bright spot in the middle is Edie’s timeout with Bob Dylan - not called that here. For a few scenes and a short time, she is real, knows something of who she is, has boundaries and edges that make her a real human being.

Then she slips back into being whatever the nearest person wants her to be, and finally has no shape at all.

The movie shows us in many ways the perfect path to disintegration - a great ‘don’t do this’ film.

Creative, funny, maddening - squirrels are certainly all that! They and I have discussions from time to time. Such as the current discussion in regard to the suet feeder. It is for the birds, I tell them. They are getting pleny of oils from the peanuts and sunflower seeds. For the flicker and woodpecker family, suet is essential, I say, trying to get the squirrels to leave the feeder alone. No go.

I tried to use a baffle, but couldn’t get it over the bottom of the double pronged pole. So I put lard all over the pole - that worked for nearly a year, since the squirrels didn’t like getting so messy. The snow over the past couple of weeks gave them a higher level to run and leap from, shortening the gap. And I found lots of squirrel fur stuck in the lard this morning. So they’ve clearly gotten over their dislike of a messy coat.

I also think they enjoy the chance to show off their acrobatics, hanging by one paw on to the pole and swinging down to the feeder. They also enjoy harrassing each other, almost playing tag to see who gets up there first.

Think I’ll do a little googling this afternoon, to see if anyone on the planet has ideas I haven’t tried yet. Thus the game goes on.

The backyard - or perhaps garden and back woods is more appropriate - is teeming on this cold and bright February day. There is still ice up close to the house, making the exit to fill the birdfeeders tricky. But on the patio and in the garden, an abundance of food has brought an abundance of partakers.

Many kinds of finches cover the finch feeder, as though it were a drawing to demonstrate just how many kinds of finches there are. And the goldfinches are re-emerging, going from their drab winter feathers to the green-gold of spring and summer. Black capped chickadees go from the finch food to the regular food, depending on where the crowd is. And they are the quickest of those around right now. Cardinals and mourning doves hang out in separate groups, the cardinals looking around, the slow moving doves with eyes on the ground.

Downy woodpeckers and their larger kin the flickers spend much time on the suet feeder. The squirrels are everywhere, trying for everything, but mostly going after the sunflower seed, and contesting with the blue jays over the peanuts.

The deer have learned to use those long tongues to get food from one feeder, and are disappointed that the salt block on the upper patio is all used up.

And a squirrel has found a way to climb the suet feeder yet again, though I covered the pole with suet to make it slippery for him just a few minutes ago.

So I’ll go bang on the back stormdoor - he’ll disappear for at least a while after that! Talk to you later!

We had no winter to speak of until mid-January. I was walking around on my patio in barefeet on Christmas eve. A short term benefit of global warming - wonderful on the one hand, scary on the other.

Then Winter decided to make up for it all at once - setting records for most days below freezing, etc, etc, etc. Now we’re into the snow and ice phase.

Looking ahead, it’s clear winter will be basically over on Tuesday or Wednesday this week, and we’ll have started into an extended spring. A blessing, no doubt.

But I find myself this evening, with snow covering the woods, grieving that it will all soon be gone.

The Year of the Pig, or of the Iron Pig, or of the Boar, depending on which Eastern astrologer we read, begins today.

Their predictions have a fair amount in common with our Western astrologers. “It will not be very peaceful”, says one, with epidemics and violence, including fire disasters and bombings. More gun battles, says another, while a third sees power struggles. There are definite warnings about bird flue.

The economy may be stable, but we should remain cautious and careful.

Babies born under the pig are polite, hardworking, honest and loyal - as well as lucky! Always a good thing.

It’s interesting how much in common these two systems of divination have. And both, it seems to me, pointing at major world shifts coming in the next few years.

Let’s picture those changes moving toward us peacefully and easily. The outcome of the changes is good, I feel - it’s the ride to the future that we need to smooth out.

Ed Kluska, a longtime and outstanding astrologer in Cincinnati, gave a lecture on January 27 about the outlook for 2007.

This year, Ed feels, will see the beginning of shifts which will manifest huge changes in the next several years - 2007 itself will be relatively calm. Many things that have gotten too big will begin to contract. For instance, our obsession with sports and celebrities will begin to diminish.

Real estate will stabilize. A mysterious illness could manifest this spring and summer.

No question in my mind after listening to Ed that we’re in the middle of the paradigm shift. How it will happen - peacefully or torrentially - is my question. I’m pulling for peace, but the reading leans more toward potential revolution, tricksters, possible shortages.

The good news is that our government, and all of us, will become more practical - what works, rather than battle cries.

I took away from the lecture: hold tight, stay steady, move at an even pace, don’t be fooled by every change to be seen. Move toward my own goals in my own way. Stay Awake and Aware.

Went to see A Winter’s Tale at the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company with a friend of mine who turns out to be very much a Shakespeare scholar. The play is astonishing and should be on your must list - but the 2 acts are almost like two different plays. King Leontes becomes insane in Act I, doing many things he will regret deeply.

Act II is in many ways a Shakespeare comedy - people in disguise, barriers to true love being thrown up all over the place, a sly and hysterically funny cutpurse in the person of Giles Davies - my favorite actor in the company. This is a perfect role for him.

Luckily, as in all good comedies, almost everything comes right in the end. It’s one of my friend’s favorites because of its extensive use of astrology, oracles, signs and omens.

I love Shakespeare, but I just wanted to do Reiki on King Leontes and bring him back into balance. Of course, I always want to re-write Romeo and Juliet, too!

Go see this play - since now you know everything comes ’round right….

Or at any rate, my favorite of the stories in Barack Obama’s second book, The Audacity of Hope - the story of his first meeting alone with Senator Robert Byrd, the elder statesmen of the U. S. Senate when Barack arrived - and a former member of the Klu Klux Klan.

Barack said to the Senator that it was remarkable that he had found time to write the Senate histories he had produced over his long lifetime. “Oh, I have been very fortunate….Much to be thankful for. There’s not much I wouldn’t do over.” Then Senator Byrd looked squarely into Barack’s eyes, “I only have one regret, you know. The foolishness of youth….”

“We sat there for a moment,” Barack says, “considering the gap of years and experience between us.”

” “We all have regrets, Senator,” I said finally. “We just ask that in the end, God’s grace shines upon us.” ….(Senator Byrd) studied my face for a moment, then nodded with the slightest of smiles….”God’s grace. Yes, indeed…” ”

A perfect story of forgiveness asked for and generously given. A beautiful story of a private moment. A window into Barack Obama’s heart.

What is it about this movie that has so captured my imagination? I’ve seen it twice and could see it again this very afternoon. It portrays a horrific world where guns rule and fear on every level dominates — from a boy’s fear of his father to a Mexican’s fear of border agents to a trumped-up media’s fear of “terrorism” — yet a world that can also be unexpectedly kind — the hospitality of dirt-poor Moroccans, the gentleness of a Japanese detective. I was enraptured by this film, found it to be very true to life, and amidst all the fear and pain, found some hope. I highly recommend it!
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By my friend Carole Dahlquist, after reading my review of the film.