RESOLUTIONS

Making a New Years resolution is like broadcasting your intentions to the Devil.".......Alan Watts, British Philosopher

That is a pretty heavy quote. Actually, my mother, a wise old soul put it differently. "Kathleen, the minute you want something, the universe puts up roadblocks, so it's best not to "want" anything." Or in another case, my dear friend, Johnny B said in reply to me stating that I "wanted" to practice acceptance, said, "Why do you want anything, just learn to be." Ah, the perils of being human! I have to say that my experience in the spiritual realm tells me there seems to be forces at work trying to keep me from becoming my best, that try to keep me from progressing on my spiritual journey. Whatever these forces are they don't have my best interest in mind which means that the progression of a spiritual path stalls and I end up staying right where I am at. And to not want anything? Of course, that is pretty impossible as a human being - over the years I seemed to always be in a state of "wanting" something or the other. Even with my Taoist leanings of "everything you need is in the moment", it seems that I get popped out of Taoist serenity all too often.

But it is getting better. My list shortens and has more purpose. This last year, so much was accomplished that I can't believe it. Losing weight, working out, finding spiritual teachers, meditating, gardening, organizing my lifeto be more efficient, getting rid of clutter, the garden, the produce stand, finishing a book of poetry, getting two websites up, setting up a fund for families in need, moving into working spaces that are conducive for what I want to do and training in the etheric, spiritual and physical so that it can be applied to the voice and all that goes with it. The list continues for the new year; find time to write/read/study, going vegetarian, recording my next CD & a children's record both with original songs, opening up my own Voice Institute, go camping more often this summer and step up the physical activity. And of course the little cross hairs that get in the way - balancing and working within a budget and improving communications in business affairs. It's not a big list nor are these insurmountable - however, some of them get brushed under a rug, sidetracked, bamboozled and skewered - because I don't really want to do it (budget) or just get lost in the shuffle.

Oh, this just doesn't work anymore because as long as my thinking and/or headspace is taken up with all the internal chatter of life's clutter and whether my checkbook is balanced, it steals all the energy away from what may have more purpose for duties that ring through to a higher level. So stinking thinking takes over and leaves little room for loftier thoughts. Because of this realization, resolutions have now become something more important - however, they are no longer, what I "want". Instead I place my "needs" into right now and manifest as if it has already happened. I no longer get into the "I want" or even "I need" but rather state it as "I Am". Then I seem to become a co-creator, if you will, as opposed to a victim - someone waiting for something to happen to them. It seems to be working as now, I sometimes move almost too quickly towards my goals.

We live in a society of wanting - wanting something other than what we have. This is tricky ground to walk, filled with ego-driven landmines. The tightrope for me has been turning wanting into what my actual needs are and then living as if they are already in place. It takes some meditation, guidance and thought - but keeping the heart pure and my eye on the goal of what I am here to accomplish - seems to keep the journey honorable.

Years ago, while working with women who were ex-addicts and trying to put together clean pregnancies - would come to me worrying about every little thing. My standard reply was, "What are you worried about? It's already happened, you just haven't gotten there yet." (Believe me, there was a lot of eye rolling after that statement). How many times have I looked back and thought, how the hell did that all happen? Between the experience of living life and of course, the garden, have taught me to just "be" - the Water Course or the Way of the Tao. When in the garden, I compost, plant, water and then lower my expectations. Because of this the Taoist lessons of try without trying to act without acting come into play.

By doing so, maybe I won't attract the attention of those who want me to fail.

Or am I the culprit of the failure.....hmmm.........

With the beginning of the New Year I want to take a minute and thank those of you who take time out of your busy lives to read this newsletter. You have no idea, how much it means to me when you drop a note to tell me how you look forward to reading it. It means a lot because it confirms my belief that all of us are on the same journey - different modes of operandi, but the journeys are the same. My purpose of writing this newsletter is to share some of what I move through, hoping that it will strike a chord with some of you. Afterall, we are all part of the same cosmos and need each other to grow, love and share.

May your New Years be as loving and rewarding as we all deserve.

From my garden to yours......

Songs of Peace

"We sang all night and everybody went home early in the morning. It was emotionally so strong that the next day there were even more people. The day after, there were even more people. People took out their hidden flags. They had these flags hidden for 50 years and now they took these out and started to wave them."...Estonian "They listened to the sounds of the wind, the mountains, the creeks, the rustling grass and imagined the many spirits surrounding them. The Tibetan monks, used this as part of the preparation for prayer as a way to cleanse themselves to pray to their deities"...Humming Your Way to Happiness Sound is a healer because sound is who we are - a mass of beautiful vibrations as a result of connected harmonic strings informing us of all of that we are made of, beyond and etheric. We along with every living thing has a "cosmic hum" - which of course includes our planets (The Murmers of Earth, Carl Sagan). If we are so lucky as to be sensitive enough to hear the sound (Ah the ears of our furry critters), it is these hums, sounds, harmonics that I think prove that everything is humming along with everything - until there is a discord, putting us out of sync with the universal flow. And as we look around, there is much discord. What we have forgotten is that most ancient cultures and indigenous peoples, regarded sound as a creative generative force associated with the creation of the Universe, and capable of being harnessed to produce impossible physical and spiritual feats. I reiiterate "physical and spiritual feats", which brings me to something that I wanted to write about. Most people don't think about singing when thinking about revolutions and/or troubled times. But in Estonia song was the weapon of choice when, between 1987 and 1991, Estonians wanted to end decades of Soviet occupation. The Singing Revolution was the name given to the step-by-step process that led to the reestablishment of Estonian Indepedence in 1991. This was a non-violent revolution that overthrew a very violent occupation. It was called the Singing Revolution because of the role singing played in the protests of the mid-1980's. The movement started in 1987 with 10,000 people at a national music festival and by 1991 two million people joined hands while singing, making a human chain across 400 miles. In late December the Soviet regime was over. Let's face it - it is just getting weird out there or should I say here. Afterall, it is happening on the same planet I live on. So what do I do about it? Do I ignore it - the answer is no. Do I feed into the power of the negative as every newscaster and heandliner cast an eye on an atrocity that happened in Tucson or anywhere else. - the answer is no. The more we feed into the "paying attention" of how horrible it all is and then having knee jerk reactions which will take away even more rights, enslaving pepole that have nothing to do with these atrocities, we have to come up with a solution. Or do we find a way to "counter" the darkness of all this by bringing light and prayer? And frankly, I just don't think that we have given these incredbily powerful tools their due. It is really easy to point fingers and guns. But really, what can we do to change it? To change us? To change our world? And not to just change it, but to evolve - to have vision. Isn't it love? Isn't it compassion? Isn't it light? And since music is the most powerful thing I have ever come across and more importantly the human voice - is that something we can utilize for change. I think so. As a singer and more importantly as a voice teacher, I see people change every day as they and their voice connect. They are happier, more relaxed, more confident, their creative juices begin to flow, problem solving becomes easier and they and I have the most beautiful connection. They and I are changing, one cell at a time. Human to human, voice to voice, heart to heart. So why can't we inform change one person at a time? That is just what I am going to do. I have been inspired by sound all of my life. It has taken me to heights that sadly, most people don't get to experience. I am going to take this and do something with it. But let's not call it revolution. Let's call it peace. Let's call it Peacesong. From my sound filled, peaceful garden to yours.........

Unity In Action

If in the seeking of such goals, a soul uses behaviors of separation; greed, theft, lies, betrayal etc., then such souls though creators, do not understand the Universal principle of Unity from which everything is birthed or created. Such souls then create chaos and havoc that each of you witnesses in your world. If other souls seek their dreams with behavioral actions that signify unity consciousness, then such are true masters and co-creators of not just the world, but of the Universe and they function in alignment with the natural order of the Universe...Unknown

Let's face it, the Cricket Garden Newsletter has morphed and most of the time, has little to do with gardening...or is that really true? If I follow the path that I have been guided to, then all things are inclusive and it seems through gardening, has driven this statement about inclusiveness to the core of who I am. I don't think it's just gardening that has brought me to this awareness. It is, most probable, the culmination of a very busy and varied life, which included the arts - once again bringing my awareness to the point of realizing that all information comes from somewhere above my hair.

There is practically no field of human endeavor that does not relate to gardening in some way. Seen from whatever perspective I might choose, nature touches on every single aspect of human life. Therefore, gardening becomes the metaphor for life or the other way around. But it doesn't matter as life and growing food are symbiotic with each other which has to be considered, as we improve on, reinvent and are inspired by, to move forward on an ever-changing planet. I might not immediately see the connection between everything, but I do act on faith that more information will come so that I can continue to be enlightened to the connectedness of all things.

So what's the point of all of this? I guess it's that I now know that science can no longer operate without the etheric/spiritual/cosmology of the universe as much as the other way around. Each modality, science and spiritual cosmology need each other. Quantum Physics takes on some of these issues as does Rupert Sheldrake, Carl Jung and Rudolf Steiner. And I say, more of this!

I don't even know where to begin as my head swims with all kinds of new information i.e. sound therapy, eurythmy, essential oils (when I have time), organic gardening, becoming a vegetarian, studying different modalities for seed propagation and on and on and on.......but the more I open up to new information, the more it seems to me that everything seems to mimic everything else. I have to commit myself to a much broader way of looking at all of my interests while considering the life of the Earth itself. I must widen my outlook to include the cosmos.

Unfortunately, many of the cosmological influences have been diminished in their importance in this world of "only science is truth". It seems to me that some of the biggest revelations that have come through science, came through in dreams, intuition and mistakes. I have to ask that if you don't have the equipment to measure the unknown then how can you dismiss it? I would think, if I were in a position of doing scientific studies, than I would get busy discovering the instrumentation to disprove what I automatically was not believing. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not true. We have been fed the opposite for many many years, and I think are less of a visionary populous than ever before. Where is the magic in our lives? Where is our belief in the effects of the outer planets and how they affect us? Why don't we support our artists as we do politicians? And while I am on the subject, let's not forget the arts in all of this - is it no mistake that when we look at plants growing, trees blowing in the wind, birds chirping, dogs wagging their tails and cats purring that life is an intricate multi-dimensional quilt that lives with sound, texture, color and smell. Is this not a beautiful work of art? An all-encompassing involved tapestry created by something a little bigger than us? God if you will - or light or love or higher beings or universal design - but if I have something to do with adding to the beauty of this planet, I had a small part and got my marching orders from higher up. And even with this belief system, I plead guilty in forgetting this at times, while in pursuit of paying my rent or in my old life where I spent a lifetime of trying to be famous.

Certain truths are basic, universal, and transcend all man-made religions. For example, all cultures have believed in a sun god of their imagination since each day begins with a sunrise and ends with the a sunset. The rising and setting of the sun represented the resurrection and death of their sun god. The point here is that all cultures understood that the entire universe is a whole and living unity, which means that all things are connected. Nothing is separate as it appears to human perception, but everything is interlinked.

When the garden thaws and I am face to face with the growing of things, I hope to carry new knowledge so that I am adding to - not taking from - my precious loving Mother Earth. And with this new information, I can hold in my heart a basic truth; All things in our universe (including us) that appear to exist independently are actually parts of an all-compassing organic pattern, and that no parts of that pattern are ever really separate from it or from each other. With this, I can keep my heart open to all living things allowing a loving intimacy that can only enlighten spirit.

From my garden to yours............

The Way of Love

The way of love is not a subtle argument. The door there is devastation. Birds make great sky-circles of their freedom. How do they learn it? They fall, and falling, they're given wings. - Rumi

Joe the critters and I, are snuggled up in front of the fire - well, I took a break to write this - watching a winter wonderland form in our front yard. Friends, Gerry and Lisa and fellow lake dwellers, gave us the idea to turn out our lights and watch freighters float by. A spectacular sight as they are lit up like floating holiday ships so that all can be seen from a distance. Last night while watching the lake - two 1,000 foot freighters passed each other in the narrow South Channel - our front yard. I heard myself say out loud - "Oh my, this is so beautiful".

You'd think it'd be obvious to be moved by all things beautiful, but for a long time, I sat in a very dark place wanting and/or needing things to be some other way than the way they were. I found fault with everything and everyone. A lot of this was a silent dialogue between me, myself and I...however negative thoughts leaked out over and over creating a dark cloud that persistently hovered over-head. It's a horrible way to live. Finding fault with others, which you later learn are just huge disappointments in oneself, the culprit always being fear. But through nature, gardening, love of animals, my husband and eventually some cosmic guidance, my heart began to open. With this came faith in something bigger than me which led to replacing the fear that kept me blindsided.

We are meant to be happy

The answer, the key, is the heart. I have been told throughout my life to "follow my heart." But how? I wanted to, you know, as long as it was on my terms. Which of course, isn't the point. There are no terms. You love all and everything for what it is - but I constantly fell back into negative thoughts. And honestly, I just think, that through pure exhaustion of not feeling spiritually right is what finally brought me to my senses. Not only that, but I live in my head, where it a dangerous place to go alone - like a bad neighbourhood. Why is the heart the main connection to True Source? Why is the heart the centre of beautiful feelings? Why is the heart, not our brain or other parts of us, the key?

Maybe it's because our true self is within our heart and will continue to live on even after this lifetime has been completed. While our physical body is only a temporary "shell"-flesh and blood that will one day turn into dust-our relationship with the heart, our soul, is True Source eternal, forever and always.

Sitting still, watching snow fall, holding my husband's hand are tiny clues that tell me the heart, not the mind, is the true instrument of perception. When I am able to live in heart, the world becomes magical, full of beauty, abundance and joy. As I open to my Source, not only do I draw the reflection of love into every area of my life but my heart becomes a magnetic field for entraining the hearts of all humanity. The heart becomes a pure conduit for the light and love of God.

Cultivating Life and Garden

It has frequently been emphasized that humanity's greatest riddle is itself. Both natural and spiritual science ultimately try to solve this riddleR12;the former by understanding the natural laws that govern our outer being, the latter by seeking the essence and purpose inherent in our existence...Rudolf Steiner

January is closing in, which seems to bring in waves of reflection not only about what I have accomplished but how I have accomplished it. Along with these thoughts, is added the responsibility to my higher self in how I have acted through this last year of social, physical and spiritual minefields. My internal work has been about building a stronger foundation. Which includes most things. Working out, losing weight, discipline (used to be an evil word for me) meditation time, budgeting and healthcare, to name some of my loose ends. While all the time doing this, manage in keeping an open heart. I continue to climb up the heavenly tree, one branch at a time.

About two years ago and by coincidence when I started the garden, it was clear to me, that there was a lot in my life that was still sloppy. The way I was communicating, paying my bills, leaving time for myself; I wasn't doing it well, it was bugging me. With this awareness, the universe began to line things up and soon I found myself on an accelerated path of...everything. As various realizations were made, it became clear that if I kept my mind cluttered with all the things that weren't working i.e. how much money is in my bank account, then I really couldn't move my thinking forward in any real way. With that, I began to step up the pace. Even with all of the work I have done, believe me, there are plenty of frayed loose ends left. For instance, I have to improve my communication skills when I have a problem with someone (I tend to just walk away) and on top of that, because things have been so accelerated, it has been hard for me to honor my word in all that I have promised to do, causing me to have to go back and apologize while pulling out with broken commitments. I try not to be too hard on myself and focus on the improvements that have been made, which I must say, have been achieved with the help of incredible teachers (cosmic and in the flesh), loving friends and an incredible husband. It takes a universe to raise a human.

And it takes a universe to grow a garden. The foundation of building a healthy environment is how it all begins. The minute you try and skip a step - plant too many seeds in one area, not pick the right spot or time to plant; forget to water or water too much; not have the proper nutrients; all leads to the fact that you will not achieve the end result you were hoping for. But not only what you do see, what about what you don't see. When working with this magical process of Sun, Moon, Earth (heck, all of the cosmos) and elements to grow something for you to eat, you begin to ask yourself some pretty big questions. What about the spiritual well-being of the garden? Isn't the garden connected to all that surrounds it? Can we afford to dispense with the mystery and magic of the awesome enigma of living existence? What breathes the breath of life into the substances of this world? How does a plant rise above gravity and lift matter up from the earth? Can we work with these forces of levity? Can we grow food that will truly nourish the life forces of our bodies? Can we grow food that will fuel the fires of the human heart, mind and spirit? Is the garden any different than us?

Rudolf Steiner asks many of these same questions. (Mr. Steiner is the creator of Biodynamic agriculture as a practical application of the spiritual science known as anthroposophy, anthropo (human) + sophia (wisdom). Anthroposophy is a comprehensive study that tries to seek, understand and nurture the truly human which lies at the heart of all anthroposophical pursuits). He believes the need to consider the cosmic as well as the earthly environment includes many elements; being in rhythm with the cosmos - the seven planets and their influence on plants; restrained and enhanced by water and warmth; and the relation of planetary rhythms to the life span and quality in growing plants.

Rudolf looks at the farm as an individual "standing on its head;" the soil as a diaphragm and the planetary forces active in the "head" (below ground) and in the "belly" (above ground.) The interchange between below and above; the difference in the four elements below and above; form and chaos in plant development; the morphology of the plant and the role of the planetary forces; how these forces are affected by different soils; significance of having the right animals on the farm; the influence of the planets on animal form and development. Along with this holistic view he adds cosmic and earthly forces working through substances of the Earth, along with the spiritual nature of the elements and the interaction of these substances. This is an involved and declared process, which we can be an integral part of allowing what we do to become what we are. or is that the other way around?

There is also a declaration with the habitation of the body that we inherit. We build up our body, over the years, from our inherited DNA and from our self. (I am I). We meet ourselves, each other and the world inwardly and outwardly. We have an inner life of meditation, reflection, imagination and learning. We also have an outer life of social, expression, growth and responsibility. We find our humanity consciously standing with heart and mindfulness in the middle of these two realms of being. Which, I find incredibly challenging at the best of times. We are beings of will, feeling and thought. To be a person of balance I know I must strengthen and integrate each sphere. For instance, my thinking needs to be guided by my heart; my heart must lead me forward with wisdom; and I must have the will to stay the course of self-knowledge, growth and doing. This is more than conceptual. Our nervous, rhythmic and metabolic systems are superbly developed and severely stretched and challenged in our modern times.

Challenged in modern times, is understating it. Most people are just trying to keep their head above water let alone finding the time to improve oneself. Heck, how can you care about your neighbor or the country on the other side of the world or the health of the people in worldwide catastrophes? I'm just trying to pay my rent. I keep these issues/questions in mind while I pick away at each problematic gopher when they stick their heads out of holes as I run around trying to plug them up. "Fixed this behavior, whoops, what is that over there? - another gopher?" But in this race against hole-plugging, it has caused me to realize the fact that I am the hub of the wheel. There's an old farm saying: the most important fertilizer is the farmer's footsteps. In other words, the farmer is responsible for helping the farm with its "I am I." I am the solution. I am the problem. I am the garden. The garden is me.

We are all farmers of this beautiful planet. Farming healthy ideas, compassion, love, improving ourselves, being kind and loving because it is the right thing to do and keeping our eye on the prize. Adding fertilizer to the need of recognizing the subtle interactions with nature and ourselves. If I can bring the shovel, hoe and spade of the universal consciousness and seek the purpose of my existence, I could consider the work of being human a pilgrimage. The pilgrimage between inhaling my first breath and exhaling my last. Between these two breaths I live and breathe and have my being. It is during this journey, becoming an "I", morally developing and contributing that can take up questions of the mysterious. It seems being human is as solid as the Earth and magical as a breath. With these actions I can then cultivate the most important of all ideas - the cultivation of the connectedness of all things.

From my garden to yours...

How To Find Your Path?

Winter is knocking at my door but with it, it is bringing thick fog, not unlike the John Carpenter film with the same name. I love fog (unless I have to drive in it), especially living on the shipping channel of Lake Saint Clair. The deep rumblings of the foghorns call out to possible passersby, creating some sort of a longing for all who hear them. The resonant sounds of those horns, stir something inside me, making me think that I am supposed to be somewhere other than here. Which is silly, of course. If life has taught me anything, it has taught me that I am always right where I am supposed to be.

In the 80's up to present day there was an onslaught of self-help books, telling us how to do just about everything. How to be less co-dependent, how to manage marriages, how women are different than men, how to eat, how to diet, how to walk, how to run, how to make friends, how to attract the opposite sex and so on and so on and so on. I'm not saying that all self-help books were/are silly, but very few of them had something useful that we couldn't really figure out with some good ol' mythology or stories from our ancestors - which in most part are the same thing. But when I came across a book with the title "How to Find Your Path", that is when I thought, "Oh no, it's time for the shortest book ever written". Because when I take the time to reflect, I realize that I had very little to do with "my path" - how I got where I am. Maybe there was some co-creating going on before I ever entered this body, but really, I felt and still feel like a puppet on cosmic strings.

Of course, there may be a bit more to it than that. When it is time for life to take a turn, I begin to hear voices (some of us call it ideas) that I need to make a change. Before we moved from Seattle to Michigan, for an entire year, I began to say to my husband, "We have to move". Being a good Cancerian man -this is never a great idea in their book. He would say "Move where?" I didn't know but almost daily, I would tell him, "We have to move, we have to move, we have to move." Over and over again. Finally, Joe accepted that we did need to get the hell out of Seattle, and for both of us it changed our lives in ways we couldn't imagine. Who would think that Michigan is the preferred place to a gorgeous city like Seattle? But we found two slices of heaven where we have lived in this beautiful State, not to mention, the soulful people that live in this area. I toured all over the country and overseas - but the people in this State are the salt of the earth and can't do enough to help you if you need it. My point being, did I sit and worry about where I should live, or what I should do to be happy, or if I will ever meet my soul mate. Information came at a time it was supposed to, so worries, concerns, nervousness - only ended up making me feel bad. I am here for the experience. The experience. The experience. That is my religion, my gift from God - my experience. Is there a purpose in worrying about what might and might not happen? As a matter of fact, when I took this philosophy to heart in relation to finding a soul mate, Joe showed up almost instantly. Following that law of physics "The harder you push the more resistance you get."

I believe that my inspiration to hear the next message for my journey is always right where it should be allowing my readiness to hear the single factor that I can be concerned with-not where and when the message will be. Since I believe that "all" is right here and now, then the ultimate message is available in the present moment because all that is meaningful is "right now". Living in the now, not five minutes from now or ten minutes ago - but right now - that is where the seed of awakening seems to be planted. And once I began to entertain this idea there was no turning back. I became part of "us" and less about "me". When living in the present, the details of the moment (where all the magic is) became an inspiration. Every sound on the street, every person I met (whether I liked them or not), every seed I planted, every critter I held, every moment I spent in nature and every night I spent next to my husband all made me realize that love and life really was here and now.

So back to what I would have written in response to the book I saw in the mid-80's. "How to Find Your Path". Readers would open up the book to read a single page, "Live in the Now. Follow Your Feet." Then all could close that short little book and get on with their lives. Which, if it is meant to be, will lead them to the present moment. I know when I came upon that realization, like my garden, a seed had been planted allowing me to see that all happens lawfully and on time.

I continue to practice what I preach to some of you that are kind enough to read this newsletter. Each day needing more integrity than the one before. Cleaning up half-truths, negative thoughts and basic human foibles. With all the purification and stripping away of layers I realize that I and suspect most, have not lost one single neurosis. If we are lucky, we just make them user friendly. If I strive for satisfaction I live in ego so why not just observe and enjoy the moment no matter what it brings, respecting and paying attention to my experiences. I don't think I need to read the latest self-help book to realize that life has brought me to a place where I can live with an open loving heart as the world changes, bumps, grinds, shifts, rocks, rolls, accelerates and vibrates. When there is dark before there is light, when hatred feels like it is taking over before love conquers all, I will hold the thought in my heart that everything in the universe is subject to change and everything is on schedule.

I love you all.

Harvesting the Heart

It's the end of November and if you are as lucky as Joe and I have been, over the holiday, you had plenty to give thanks for. For me, giving thanks, means that I am in a state of grace, taking an inventory of all that is in my eventful life. Our thanks include so many; Judy for helping us with the garden; Harsens Island residents for embracing us; my students for allowing me to learn as much from them as I hope, they learn from me; Joe and I for each other's love and company, our wonderful family members; our critters; the spiritual teachers who have shown us what is worth focusing on; beautiful Mother Earth for producing, replenishing and giving; and of course the Universal Consciousness for teaching us that the most important thing in the world is love. But where did Thanksgiving come from? Who was smart enough to designate a day to give thanks?

We would have to go back to the Pokanokut Indians and Pilgrims in 1621 at Plymouth Rock. The Pokanokut Indians were the tribe that welcomed the Pilgrims to America in 1620. One year later, the Pokanokuts joined the Pilgrims to celebrate the first American Thanksgiving. (The first Indian inducted into the Continental Army was a Pokanokut, whose job it was to watch over Washington while he slept). To the Indians, the meaning of Thanksgiving was the gathering of the harvest as the Indians had 13 harvests per year, each celebrated during the full moon. Their November harvest became known as what we Americans now celebrate, Thanksgiving.

After the Pilgrims landed in 1620, their health deteriorated rapidly during their first winter on American soil. Squanto, a Pokanokut Indian, approached the settlers to offer his assistance. The settlers were startled to find out that Squanto spoke perfect English. In 1605, Squanto had traveled to England with a friendly English explorer, John Weymouth. Squanto returned to his native land in 1620. Squanto taught the settlers how to grow and harvest corn. He taught the Pilgrims how to erect wigwams, which protected the settlers from the harsh, cold New England winters. After the first year, Captain Miles Standish, who was head of the Plymouth colony, invited Squanto and the main leaders of the Pokanocut Indians, along with their immediate families, to join the settlers in a Thanksgiving celebration. Standish sat on one end of the table while Massasolt Ousamequin, the leader of the Pokanokut nation, sat on the other end. The meal consisted of pumpkins, corn, acorn squash, venison, lobsters, clams and wild game. Standish, however, was not prepared for the 90 Indians who attended the celebration. The Indians then provided five deer, wild turkey, corn soup, corn bread, cranberries and shared in the feast's celebration. The pilgrims and the Indians lived in peace and harmony for the next 54 years.

In 1675, war between the Indians, Pilgrims and Puritans broke out over land disputes. As more and more settlers arrived in America, more and more Indian tribes were being displaced from their lands. By 1676 the war was over; the Indians had lost and were banished to reservations in Connecticut. Throughout the decades, however, many of the Indian tribes returned to their native lands as American citizens.

Recently, Pokanokut spiritual leader, Clifford Guy (who's great great great grandfather was the one that watched over the sleeping Washington), returned to Jamestown after discovering that many of his previous ancestors from the tribe lived there. Long before the Pilgrims settled in Plymouth, the Indians believed in the Great Spirit, the Creator, God. "The Indians had no bible and even if they did, they couldn't read one" Guy said. The Indians believed that everything comes from the Great Spirit and that the Creator hears and sees everything. The Indians Creator's Creed was passed down orally from one generation to the next. The creed included such proclamations as "treat all men as they treat us, never break a bargain, it is a disgrace to tell a lie, never take a life and never take property without paying for it". Hmm...sound familiar?

Today, Native Americans observe five Thanksgivings per year. The first Thanksgiving is in March, to celebrate maple syrup. The second is in June, to celebrate the strawberry, which symbolizes the renewal of friendship. The third is the Thanksgiving of the green bean, which is celebrated in July. Its message is to never refuse anything offered to you because it's too small or too little. The fourth is November's Harvest Thanksgiving, which is the one that most celebrate today. And the fifth is the Indian summer, which the Indians claim is a gift from their Creator. Warm winds ascend after a great frost, which allowed the Indians to pick their harvest in October and prepare for the long, cold winter.

As I reviewed our history, so much comes to mind. Will we ever understand that identifying our dates with the cycles of nature will return us to a natural flow of time? Are we always going to fight with each other even though our basic belief systems are the same? Don't we understand that if one man is in chains that none of us are free? Can't we remind ourselves and each other that our Great Creator loves every one of us no matter what color, religion or creed? I have come to believe that if I don't contend with negative thoughts, feelings and forget to give thanks, then it will be a very easy road to a world of misplayed hostility, conflict and disruptive efforts. I have also realized that if I can approach these patterns with responsible consciousness and care, along with invoking the best with my fellow humans in resolving "situations", then patterns presented on my personal path can only lead to insight. And no doubt, through creative consciousness, I can be inspired while gleaning from all situations, instead of forging ahead without attention to personal awareness and insight. As days unfold before me and troubling times of conflict prevail, I have to look to the Pokankuts who faced conflict with an aspired consciousness. If I could bring this to my Thanksgiving table, it may just yield a harvest of creative solutions to lingering problems allowing me to tap into Clifford Guy's bestowed Indian name...the name of Lion Heart.