Some good Beatles tunes, with a nifty message. Will make you laugh, tap your toes, and perhaps even provoke some deep thinking.
The truth about Santa and Satan.
Hope this makes you smile!
As a young girl in catholic school, I was often overcome with an such unease that I would literally become sick. Fevers, stomaches, headaches, there was always something wrong.
Amazingly, it all disappeared when I entered public school. Children are tapped into their emotional guidance systems so well, that I find it hard to reason lying to a child. What do you think?
Lawns and Humor
GOD AND ST. FRANCIS DISCUSSING LAWNS
GOD: Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles.
ST. FRANCIS: It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers “weeds” and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.
GOD: Grass? But it’s so boring. It’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It’s temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?
ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.
GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.
ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week.
GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?
ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.
GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
ST. FRANCIS: No Sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.
GOD: Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?
ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir.
GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.
ST. FRANCIS: You aren’t going to believe this Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It’s a natural circle of life.
ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.
GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?
ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.
GOD: And where do they get this mulch?
ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.
GOD: Enough. I don’t want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you’re in charge of the arts. What movie have they scheduled for us tonight?”
ST. CATHERINE: “Dumb and Dumber”, Lord. It’s a really stupid movie about…..
GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.
Supporting humanity, artisans, and a cure for diabetes.
As some of you may know, I donated a few of my creations to Brenda Novak’s online auction. Each year she constructs an auction to benefit diabetes research. This years auction brought in a whopping $269,111.00! Congradulations to Brenda on all her success in helping humanity.
Here are some pictures of the creations I sent in, and what they were bought for. Mark it on your calendar, because next year there will be lots more handmade goodies. Support a good cause, local artisans, and your own personal well-being. Can it get any better then that?
Wheel of Life Necklace – Feldspar wrapped in copper to heal diabetes holistically. Sold for $22.00. A STEAL considering it took me over 18 hours to make this! I was sure this would be the highest bid of all my items.
Dripping Sodalite Pendant – Sold for $53.00
Dressy Dreamcatcher Earrings – Sold for $47.00.
Infinity Necklace – Sold for $42.00
Blooming Feldspar Necklace – Reminds me of seedling growing out of our mother earth. 
Sold for $32.00.
Keep in mind I am always happy to do custom orders, I love working one on one with someone in thier healing.
All creations are infused with the Creator’s healing energy. To learn more about healing using natures gems and metals visit my shop.
Healing Diabetes
Brenda Novak is an acclaimed best selling author by the New York Times. Every year she donates her time and effort to putting together an on line auction for the benefit of diabetes research.
This year, I was approached by her wonderful assistant Lauren Hawkeye, who found me through Etsy. Lauren is a fan of handmade items, and asked me if I’d be interested in donating some items to the auction. I am delighted to be able to help a cause that is affecting Americans and Native Americans in shocking numbers. I told her not only would I donate some items, but I would make some items geared specifically towards healing diabetes.
While I firmly believe that holistic cures are better then “band aid fixes”, I pray that divine guidance will inspire our medical association to a direction for the greater good of all.
If you are curious about my creations, you can visit my donations here:
http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=1357647
http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=1357643
http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=1357645
http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=1357646
http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=1357641
The auctions start out at incredibly low prices, and among some of the goodies listed are vacations, literature, handmade jewelry, and much more! Be sure to browse around her site and take comfort in the fact that you are helping a great deal of people as you indulge yourself. Does it get any better then that?!
If you are interested in a custom healing adornment which is infused with Creators love, stop by my shop and drop me a note. I will be happy to aid you in any way I can.
www.EsotericEnchantments.etsy.com
Many miraculous blessings and tons of love to you, Kat
Update: Tollway through Tara
Below this article you will find links to previous blog posts as I have been following the progress over the years.
If you feel compelled to speak up for Tara, among them you will find a list of contacts.
May the Creator bless us with the strength of heart and will to stand up for the sacred places of our ancestors. Many blessings to you, Kat
IRELAND’S ENDANGERED CULTURAL SITE
A new tollway threatens the archaeologically Hill of Tara that is the spiritual heart of the country
by Amanda Bensen
Smithsonian magazine
March 2009
http://www.smithsonianmag..com/travel/Endangered-Cultural-Treasures-The-Hill-of-Tara-Ireland.html
The Hill of Tara is threatened by a seemingly unstoppable four-lane highway.
The Irish Image Collection / Corbis
“The harp that once through Tara’s halls
The soul of music shed
Now hangs as mute on Tara’s walls
As if that soul were fled.”
The words of 19th-century Irish poet Thomas Moore still ring true, and the only music you’re likely to hear around Tara nowadays is the clang of construction equipment. Several hundred acres of gentle green fields, marked by some lumps and bumps, cover this patch of County Meath in northeast Ireland. A nice place to lie down and watch the clouds scud by, perhaps, but is it any more remarkable than the rest of Ireland’s lovely landscape?
Cinnte, to use an Irish expression of certitude. The archaeologically rich complex on and around the Hill of Tara is seen by many as the spiritual and historic heart of Ireland. It was the venue for rituals, battles and burials dating back to 4000 B.C. More than 100 kings were crowned at Tara, and St. Patrick is said to have stopped there to seek royal permission before spreading his message of Christianity.
In more recent history, the hill was the site of Daniel “the Liberator” O’Connell’s 1843 “monster meeting,” a massive political demonstration that rallied some 750,000 people to the cause of repudiating the country’s union with Britain. Thousands of people still gather on its crest on midsummer’s eve, both for the panoramic view and what one visitor calls “the sense you get there of being close to something holy.”
“Tara is a part of the Irish psyche,” says George Eogan, a retired Dublin archaeologist who led excavations near the hill in the 1960s. “Irish people, they know of Tara from their very early days. It’s in schoolbooks and stories, even in primary school.”
But Irish history now risks being consumed by the Celtic Tiger—the nickname given to Ireland’s phenomenal economic expansion for more than a decade. Inevitably, a thriving economy brought demands for an expanded infrastructure. And so, in 2003, the Irish government approved construction of a new four-lane tollway, the M3, to cut through the Tara complex. Construction began in 2005, and despite a storm of public protest, the project appears unstoppable.
“When it was proposed in 2000, most people nationally had no idea what was happening. And I think everyone trusted the government not to pick a route that was so damaging,” says Vincent Salafia, a lawyer from nearby County Wicklow who founded the anti-M3 group TaraWatch in 2005. “There’s fat land all around. We still can’t quite figure out why they insisted on going so close to Tara.”
Proponents of the M3 argue that the highway will improve life for tens of thousands of commuters who live northwest of Dublin and often spend hours each day creeping along traffic-clogged, two-lane roads into the capital city, about 30 miles away from Tara. Other proposed routes for that section of the M3 would have disturbed a greater number of private homes and farms. Proponents also note that the new road will be almost a mile away from the actual Hill of Tara, a 510-foot-high knoll.
“If it doesn’t go through the hill, then it’s not damaging the site? That is the greatest bit of nonsense that I’ve ever heard,” counters Eogan. “The Hill of Tara is only the core area of a much larger archaeological and cultural landscape.”
Preservationists particularly worry that the M3 will slice between the Hill of Tara and Rath Lugh, an ancient earthen fort about two miles northeast thought to have been used to defend the hill. A smaller road already divides the two sites, but the M3 will run much closer to Rath Lugh, even removing part of the promontory it sits on. “If this development goes ahead, Rath Lugh will merely overlook, from a distance of 100 meters, a motorway—which would be a rather ignominious end for a once proud and important monument,” a trio of archaeologists warned in a 2004 publication.
Much of the recent controversy has focused on the 38 new archaeological sites that construction teams have unearthed along the section of motorway closest to Tara since the project began. The discoveries represent centuries of human activity, including prehistoric settlements, Bronze Age burial mounds, a possible medieval charcoal manufacturing kiln and the remains of a 19th-century post office. At the time, the discoveries barely caused a hiccup—the artifacts were removed, and once the sites had been “preserved by record” in notes and photographs, they were destroyed. Ireland’s National Roads Authority has pledged that any artifacts will eventually be deposited in the National Museum of Ireland.
While that approach may be legally permissible, that doesn’t make it right, says Salafia, who examined one of the exposed trenches at a site just north of Tara. “You could see a child’s body where [construction teams] had actually cut off the nose and toes, and also shaved off the top of a cremation urn, leaving the ashes exposed,” he says. Eogan calls it “an act of sheer vandalism.”
The M3 is scheduled for completion in 2010, though the global recession may delay it. In the meantime, Tara is attracting increased international attention, and is under consideration to become a Unesco World Heritage Site.
“Most of the endangered sites around the world are suffering due to neglect and climate change,” Salafia says. “But this is an act of assault—premeditated assault, if you will—by the very people who are given the job of taking care of it.”
More about Tara:
http://esoterickat.wordpress.com/2007/12/04/sacred-lands-o…ing-desecrated/
http://esoterickat.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/update-on-taras-sacred-lands/
The soul of music shed
Now hangs as mute on Tara’s walls
As if that soul were fled.”
Becoming Aware
Becoming Aware of Becoming Aware by Jim Self
A shift is occurring within the hearts of humanity. We are finding a new passion within and recognizing that who we are counts. “I Am valuable, important and significant. I matter and I have a contribution to make!” This passion is igniting within each of us. This shift is taking place across the world in every town and village and in the hearts of each child, woman and man. A connection is being made one heart to another. In this connection of caring, sharing, giving and receiving, a spark within the heart ignites and grows.
This awakening consciousness has no limits. It is a shift that is taking us all into a higher dimensional awareness; a higher, more aligned way of life. We are “becoming aware of becoming aware.” We are beginning to remember who we are. We are recognizing imbalances in our lives and asking ourselves, “What’s really important to me? What truly makes me happy?”
The answer isn’t found by gaining more of the world outside but in gaining more of the “me” within. In our rush to the top we have left a part of ourselves behind. We have traded respect for competition, kindness for advantage, and giving for taking. We’ve lost touch with our “Inner Guidance,” which always directs us to a higher, more vibrant place. This higher place is a place where cooperation, support and understanding create deeper trust, friendship and compassion. From one way of life toward another.
This transition is not only altering our consciousness, it is changing the world around us. A shift, by definition, is the “movement from one position to another” or a “change in direction.” The third-dimensional world as we have known it is crumbling around us. The old ways were designed by governments and corporations to support and provide well-being to its citizens. These outmoded ways no longer work. All of these systems are deteriorating: governmental, legal, health, social services, education, food quality, political, monetary, protection of the environment, and more. All are broken. But now, when we look a little deeper, we find there is a new passion growing. Individuals, groups, and companies offer new ideas that clean the Earth, recycle waste and create new power sources. More companies offer employee ownership, day care, equal pay and much more.
The creation of Heaven on Earth is unfolding before us. We are at the beginning of this new way of life, not the end. But each of us must awaken now. Each must make the shift within. Many are awake while countless numbers are still fast asleep — but not for long. We will each experience becoming aware in our own unique ways. For some it will be powerful and alive; for others it will be slower and more cautious, but we will all walk a common path. A tool to expand your choices.
Allow me to offer you an exercise that will rapidly take you down this path. This exercise will interrupt your third-dimensional habits and assist you to remember who you are. First, create a list of words. Pick words that make you feel good. Select words that you would like to be known by in your world. For example: insightful, kind, respectful, purposeful, gracious, gratitude, integrity, dignified, caring or helpful. Make it a long list, choosing words that will help you remember your “Self.” It is within the words that you will awaken. Next, choose four or five of those words that make you feel especially good as you experience them. Try each of them on and see how they feel.
Then, take one word each day for a week and BE that word. Demonstrate this word in every situation and notice how it makes you feel. You will notice that when you become intentional about being the word, you feel more alert, aware, present in the “Now” moment and in charge of yourself on your own terms. If you find you have slipped out of the word, simply smile and become the word once again.
One note of caution however: This exercise produces side-effects that generally lead to feelings of certainty, well-being, command and happiness. Yes, there is a shift occurring and the shift is within you! Jim Self is an international teacher, speaker and author.
Copyright © 2009 Jim Self. All Rights Reserved.
Black Friday & Cyber Monday Specials
Specials and deals made just for you, from the CTEtsyTeam.
Enjoy your thanksgiving weekend with easy christmas shopping! Happy holidays! : )
Cute, Cuddly, and Cannibalistic
http://www.fenrislorsrai.etsy.com
Anthropomorphic animal illustration and art dolls
SPECIAL: In note to seller, name an animal. You’ll get a original charcoal ACEO portrait of the named animal, signed and dated by artist. (ACEOs are 2.5X3.5 inches)
LOCAL PICKUP: Bethel, CT at Rainy Day Paperback (Greenwood Ave, rte 302)
Redding Roasters Coffee Company
http://www.TheRoaster.etsy.com
SPECIAL: Free shipping to US and Canada on orders of $25 or more
LOCAL PICKUP: Bethel, CT at Redding Roasters Greenwood Ave, rte 302)
Walk in the Woods, LLC
http://walkinthewoodsllc.etsy.com
WHAT YOU SELL: Nature inspired gifts and art
SPECIAL: Free Shipping on all ACEO work and Artful Cards (many
On Sale)
LOCAL PICKUP: Winsted, CT only, by appointment
Ladybug Soapworks
http://ladybugsoapworks.etsy.com
Cold-process soap & bath and body products.
SPECIAL: Free shipping on all orders over $25.00 (within continental USA)
LOCAL PICKUP: Wesleyan University campus-by appointment
Heart of the fire
http://heartofthefire.etsy.com
One of a kind Fused glass and fine silver jewelry
SPECIAL: free shipping on jewelry and all purchases will be entered into a drawing for a necklace worth over $100 from Nov. 28 to Dec. 24
LOCAL PICKUP: Windsor, CT only at Art & Soul
Doublemuse
http://www.doublemuse.etsy.com
Hand made pottery and Jewelry
SPECIAL: 20% of all Sales from Black Friday to Cyber Monday
will be donated to Toys for Tots.
Bonhomie Jewelry
http://bonhomiejewelry.etsy.com
Handcrafted Artisan Jewelry in Fine Silver, Sterling Silver & Copper
SPECIAL: 20% off all items and Free Shipping
Styren Designs
http://www.styrendesigns.etsy.com
Handmade pens, wine stoppers, key chains, ornaments
SPECIAL: 10% discount on everything in my shop
DesignsByGalina
http://www.designsbygalina.etsy.com
Handcrafted jewelry: gemstones and silver wire-work
SPECIAL: 10% discount off everything in shop
McGuinness Photography
http://jmcguinness.etsy.com
Photography, Photo Pendants, Crystal Sun Catchers
SPECIAL: Buy One Get One Free -Free item must be of equal or lesser value. When checking out, please indicate in “Message to Seller” what your free item is.
Carrie W designs
http://carrieWdesigns.etsy.com
Handcrafted Boutique Jewelry – (semi-precious gemstones, pearls,
copper and sterling silver)
Sale: 10% off until the New Year! Free shipping in US
Esoteric Enchantments
http://www.EsotericEnchantments.etsy.com
Wearable Art (jewelry), Photography, and Home Decor.
SPECIAL: 20% off
Silver Dragon Creations by Patricia C Vener
http://SilverDragon.etsy.com/
One of a kind and very limited edition fine art jewelry
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Lilly Queen
Http://LillyQueen.etsy.com
Handmade unique jewelry.
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Howard Avenue
http://www.howardavenue.org
Designer Auto Litter Bags “Carbage Bags”
SPECIAL: Free shipping on all litter bags
Archeress Arts
http://archeress.etsy.com
Renaissance, Victorian, and Fantasy Jewelry and Adornments.
SPECIAL: Free First Class shipping (anywhere), OR $3.00 off Priority Shipping (anywhere).
Candy’s Trinkets
http://candystrinkets.etsy.com
Handcrafted jewelry, bookmarks, cellphone charms, keychains, suncatchers, ornaments.
SPECIAL Free US shipping
Lefties
A little odd and a tad overbearing in delivery; but humorous and strangely comforting to us lefties.
