The great expanse
that spreads before me
is more than I comprehend
and so I picture it and
look back at that moment
seeing once again
those little things that
come together that
makes the whole
into the holiness that
is the pinnacle of Nature...
She is the feminine beauty
the conceiver and producer
of matter that enhances
the senses igniting emotions
into bonfires burning freely
spreading light and warmth
to hearts that have gone cold...
Reconnect to Her
and once again discover
all that lives beyond
our ego lives
and humility will unveil
the vistas of vita victorious...
Nature's message will massage
the worn and tired muscles
given in to resistance
and the flow will once again
nourish the Spirit of Life
to grow in full abundance
flowering in the gardens
whose essence is the divine.</b>
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This was a piece that I had written some time back. I couldn't tell you when it was because I didn't date it. But the reason I'm posting it now is because of what happened with Hurricane Katrina and the possibility of even more hurricanes approaching as I write.
I had posted on Studio Eight some days ago in a reply that the U.S. is a country that has experienced many forces of Nature - hurricanes, of course are but one. Add to that floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, forest fires, droughts, extreme snow falls, and even volcanos.
It seems whatever Nature has in her purse, she has flung them at the U.S. in multiples thoughout our short history as a Nation. Within our continental borders, (not including Alaska or Hawaii), Nature has displayed both her generosity and her destructive forces. From our fertile fields we have grown crops that have fed not only our citizens but people throughout the world. From the original promise to our people we have guaranteed liberty for all. Our Bill of Rights of given assurance that we live in a Nation that will defend our freedoms. The abundance that we have lived with have given the religious the idea that God is on our side. Those that believe that our freedom to learn and apply our ideas have provided many of our material gains that we take for granted today - electricity, telephones, t.v.s, air travel... the list is long.
Yet when we are faced with the magnitude of Nature's force that Katrina doled out, all our endeavors and efforts pale in comparison to that same Nature that so well provided our Nation.
Up and down, up and down... the duality of Nature. One time we are in awe and thanks for the same Nature that destroys so evenly across our social divisions, whether we are wealthy or live in poverty, "She" doesn't discriminate... and neither should we. The sun shines for all, the rains aren't just for a few, waters run for everyone and the air is breathed by all life.
Katrina has opened the U.S. up to the rest of the world. We are now seen as what we have become - a Nation of haves and have nots. We have discriminated against poverty. We have discriminated against ignorance. We have discriminated against cultures and religions, we have discriminated against those things that somehow just 'shouldn't be' by wrapping ourselves in denials. Our pockets of extreme wealth continue to discriminate against the very people that aid in their wealth by buying our government through lobbyists... the very government that was given to us all, not just the rich and powerful... not just the discriminators.
Nature provides for all of life. That is the gift, that is the message. When it comes to safe and healthy food, fresh water, livable shelter and warmth there is nobody more deserving than anyone else. If our present day economic systems cannot provide the basic necessities to people in need, those economic systems are in need of repair. Our economic systems need to be intune to Nature and not in tune simply to profits that remain in the hands of a few.
Globalization is the buzz word for the world's economic powers, but that is illusional. Globalization does not bring the world closer together but further spreads poverty as people get drawn into the economic net that benefits not the poor and ignorant, but makes more wealth for the few. How much of the earned money paid out to the workers today remain in the workers pockets? Debt is at an all time high. How many people need health care? How many children need healthy diets to maintain health?
From Merrill-Lych comes this latest stat -
There should be no jealousy or envy when viewing these statistics on world wealth. I don't believe there are many of us that wouldn't like to have a 'slice of their pie', or indeed would even refuse to have that kind of wealth. The real problem here is the way our economic systems are created - they favor the very people that play the 'accumulative wealth game.' World economics is not for all people. There are few winners and billions of losers in the accumulation of all those zeroes after 1 thru 9. An economic system that does not parallel Nature, i.e. provides food and water for all of life, or a more equitable distribution of wealth for the welfare of humanity, is working against Nature. A foolish proposition! Nobody, no matter what power they have at their disposal, can defeat Nature. Nature, as I said, does not discriminate at what "Her" forces destroy... the wealthy die as do the poor, gasping for the last breath before they leave the body.<b>The total global wealth of (the) high net worth individuals (HNWIs) climbed 7.7% to $28.8 trillion, according to the survey. HNWIs are people with financial assets of at least US$1million, <u>excluding home real estate</u>. The trend for continued increases in worldwide wealth should stay intact with the World Wealth Report predicting HNWI financial wealth to grow by 7% per annum and to exceed $40 trillion by 2008.
The ranks of HNWIs in the United States stood at 2,270,000 at the end of 2003, up 14% or a net 272,000 compared with the previous year. China , at 12%, and India , at 22%, also scored solid gains in HNWIs last year, while Europe , the Middle East and Latin America posted more modest increases.</b>
We have unearthed the wealth of Kings and dynasties - their treasures that were buried with them for the next life were still there, leaving those left behind without. Have we not learned from the mistakes of our history yet? Can we continue to afford to ignore the message of Nature? Nature has sustained life for billions of years and will continue to do so, with our without we humans. It is up to humanity to honor that which has given us life. We progressed from our early primitivism to today in listening to Nature, but I feel that the industrialization of our world has clouded our communion with Nature. 'She" waits for us to listen to the message. I hope we are mature enough to do so... for our children's future.
Cecil
18 September 2005
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Last week I took a day off from the Sunday Stream. SooZen and I had a busy weekend beginning with a show in Phar Lepht that ended at noon, packed up and drove about 3.5 hours or so to Lincoln, New Mexico where we set up the tent again and got ready for another show the next day (Sunday).
It was a very nice event billed as "Art in the Orchard", although we weren't in an orchard due to some heavy rains a couple of days before the event, so another place was chosen.
The first picture shows our tent with some customers... always a good sign! After the show we were surprised to learn that we had won second place among the other vendors for a nicely done tent and our offerings of many different things.
The event was well publicized and drew customers from many areas around the town. We were very happy with the turnout and the way the event was handled.
I took some time off at the tent and did some walking through the small town of Lincoln... a town I learned the night before has a population of 68 people - sixty of them over the age of 60!
This final picture was taken between 2 buildings and shows the general terrain of where we were... an area in the mountains and known for the berries... raspberries seemed to be the most popular.
Peace.
always good to see 
