Category Archives: Poetry

Today is a Day

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“I’m letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep today.”

I looked up to see a resting-for-just-a-minute hummingbird as he perched in the bottlebrush tree. This time I was able to quickly snap a photo before he took off. At some point, we all need stillness.

Credit to Enchanted Seashells

Today I’m flying low and I’m
not saying a word.
I’m letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep.

The world goes on as it must,
the bees in the garden rumbling a little,
the fish leaping, the gnats getting eaten.
And so forth.

But I’m taking the day off.
Quiet as a feather.
I hardly move though really I’m traveling
a terrific distance.

Stillness. One of the doors
into the temple.

Today by Mary Oliver

Little Monday Thoughts

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Some of the times
There are no words, 
so let us just sit here in the silence. 
Together in the silence we shall be.

Little thoughts by Athey Thompson
Art by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite

The Dragonfly

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Art + Poetry, two of my faves to join together.

Ida Rentoul Outhwaite 
The Dragon-Fly 

Today I saw the dragon-fly
Come from the wells where he did lie.
An inner impulse rent the veil
Of his old husk: from head to tail
Came out clear plates of sapphire mail.
He dried his wings: like gauze they grew;
Thro’ crofts and pastures wet with dew
A living flash of light he flew. 
--- Alfred Lord Tennyson

Before bats, before birds, before pterosaurs, a dragonfly-like insect was probably the first thing to fly on Earth. Dragonflies are the strongest flyers in the insect world—reaching speeds of up to 30 mph and among the few animals that can hover. (PBS)

Dragonflies undergo “incomplete metamorphosis” which means that they don’t go through a pupal phase like a butterfly. A dragonfly nymph hatches from an egg looking somewhat like a tiny adult, but without wings. The nymphs go through a series of molts, shedding their skin. Each of these molts is called an instar. The nymph comes “from the wells where he did lie” in the final instar before becoming an adult, or imago.

The nymph must shed its exoskeleton to reveal a new, winged body. A split forms dorsally on the thorax just above the wing pads and somehow the imago must pump fluid into the wings so they will expand and harden.

Nature is AMAZING.

May’s Full Flower Moon

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The Flower Moon reminds us that the most beautiful blossoms have deep roots — as this lunation is receiving a motivating push from subterranean planet Pluto, which could catalyze some deep emotional excavation. 

To honor this beautiful full moon, which the Lakota call “Moon Of The Green Leaves”, here are some of my favorite flower photos…

All photos by Enchanted Seashells

(Some content curated from Bustle)

Dogwood and Lilac

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“Come spring, in the shaded forests near my home
Blooms the elegant and lovely dogwood tree…” — Shakespeare

“In another world and another day.
Moonlight turns the purple lilacs blue...” — Conrad Aiken

These are two of my favorite flowers. I really wish they thrived in Southern California, but sadly, they don’t. I have to see them in photos from the Pacific Northwest and try to recollect the alluring fragrance.

The Lilac Fairy, Cicely Mary Barker

Do You Wonder, Too?

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I wonder
What would we do
If upon the flicker of a light
Our dreams did come true

A Little Poem by Athey Thompson / Art curated from Pinterest

May Day is Ah-MAY-Zing!

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Gather all the little children
With May flowers in their hair
For they shall dance
Around the maypole
For they shall dance
The day away

May Day blessings to all – A little May Day poem by Athey Thompson

For me, the month of May is the BEST not only because of Mother’s Day but it’s also my birthday month.

Last year Mother’s Day and my birthday fell on the same day. It’s an extra special treat for my two favorite days to be combined into one celebration.

The best known modern May Day traditions include dancing around the maypole and crowning the May Queen. Fading in popularity is the tradition of giving of “May baskets”, small baskets of candy or flowers. I think we should revive that adorable custom, don’t you?

Just in time for May Day, I found an adorable porcelain flower basket at Goodwill for about three dollars and I HAD to bring it home with me.

So far, this month started off in an ah-MAY-zing way.

Since it wasn’t a great video, I won’t post it, but THREE coyotes came to visit last night– THREE! — all together, and early this morning at first light, another coyote visit was captured on my wildlife camera. That’s NEVER happened before and I am soso excited.

The weather is warming up; all the fruit trees are flowering, the roses and ceanothus and lavender are in bloom, and baby birds are hatching.

Beltane, which takes also takes place on May 1st, is a celebration of the abundance of Earth and the forces of Nature. Bonfires are traditionally set to engender a sense of connection with ourselves and all living beings, but that wouldn’t be a smart thing to do in our wildfire ravaged state, so the flame from a safe candle must suffice.

Happy May Day and Happy Beltane!

Miracles and Magic

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Let’s go
To where the magic waits for us
Where our hopes, our dreams
Our wishes. Come true.
Athey Thompson

Yesterday was a magical day full of miracles.

In the garden, I looked up in a tree and saw two hawks mating! (I didn’t take any photos to protect their privacy.) Last night one of the wild baby bunnies was on the deck and scratched at the screen door like it wanted to come in the house (I didn’t open the door, but I was tempted), and the third miracle is that my adorable little vireos are once again nesting in a brand new bird house!

Vireo

“And as to me, I know nothing else but miracles” — Walt Whitman

Reflections: In The Garden of Thoughts

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That’s one of the messages that emerged about being unplugged for almost a week…it’s important to make time to see and feel what’s in our hearts.

In solitude, there is healing. 
Speak to your soul. 
Listen to your heart. 
Sometimes in the absence of noise we find the answers.

Mirrored on the lagoon.

Photo credit Enchanted Seashells

Another one of my secret spots to take a break, breathe, and reflect.

Looking west toward the ocean; peaceful, not a ripple.

Photo credit Enchanted Seashells

**Quote from a lovely little inspirational book by Dodinsky.

Bizarre Eclipse DREAMS | Snakes and Cats

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All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
— Edgar Allen Poe

So far, the world seems to have survived the solar eclipse, but on a personal level, my dream state have gone on a path of complete totality — into the BIZARRE.

First, as I was drifting off to sleep in that precarious and precious few moments called hypnagogia, the transitional state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep, I felt my kitty daughter Bandit jump on the bed right next to me. I mean, I literally and truly FELT her body. This has happened during several lucid dreams, but NEVER as I’m stuck in limbo between two worlds. I know I’ve said it before…my Bandit died many years ago, so whatever/whoever jumped on my bed wasn’t actually Bandit, but her spirit.

Just like before, it totally freaked me out because it felt so REAL. Anyway, to rule out it wasn’t some other sort of creature (ick), I turned on the lamp next to my bed and there was nothing.

The light broke the spell of reconnection, but as Bandit jumped on me, I remember she asked a question, the same one she asked the last time I had a nocturnal visit. I responded exactly the same way I had during the lucid dream, “I don’t know, baby girl. I don’t know.”

I went to sleep after that –no more dreams about Bandit — BUT the last dream I recall is pretty unsettling. I dreamed that my nose was stuffed up. When I found a tissue to blow my nose, a bunch of snakes emerged, but only from the left side. (Gross, right?) They were quite small, mostly black with a white line running down the length of their bodies. Details, yuck! I continued to blow my nose and more snakes emerged, until I forced myself to wake up because OMG, I couldn’t let my subconscious continue on this strange path (of reptile totality).

My heart was RACING and you can be sure I doublechecked the comforter and sheets to make sure that I wasn’t lying in a nest of snakes. EWWW.

After a cup of coffee, I started researching snakes coming out of nose and to my complete surprise, it’s not at all uncommon. EWWW again.

There are way too many interpretations of snakes coming out one’s nose to determine whether my dream was good or bad, so I choose to believe the more positive explanations:

“Sometimes it can symbolize transformation, rebirth, and renewal. Dreaming about a snake crawling out of your body could be a sign that something hidden, or something that has been repressed, is coming out into the open. It could also be a sign of a transformation or a new beginning.”

“It might symbolize personal empowerment. You are striving for goals that seem beyond your reach. You are receptive to change. It also points at the moon, intuition, and the feminine aspects of yourself. You will play an integral role in an important upcoming project. Your dream is a metaphor for great harmony and heightened awareness toward some situation.”

Thank you very much, SOLAR ECLIPSE, for the strange ramblings of my subconscious. As much as I love to feel the poignant presence of my kitty daughter, it breaks my heart that she’s no longer alive. With regard to the snakes dream, I’m shaking my head. I have no earthly idea where that scenario came from. I’m not afraid of snakes (except rattlers) so it’s not like I have an ingrained snake phobia or anything like that.

Oh well…it’s a bright new day, and much too beautiful to dwell in the shadowy recesses of my submerged mind.

Dream info curated from Dreams Directory and Dreamopedia.