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Archive for the ‘Lessons of the Drum’ Category

Alberta is dry.

A heat dome has settled over our province. 

The prairie has been an arid desert.

Dust hangs in the air and silt blows through any cracks and crevices of the house to rest indoors on my furniture.

Our northern forests are ablaze.

In the news, no one reports on the arson which caused this fiery tragedy up north, on any charges laid or on the perpetrator(s) set free until their court date arrives. In the midst political campaigns, they’d rather call it global warming than tell the truth.  It’s just more of the same political rhetoric.

Meanwhile, fire fighters are busy trying to fight fires and farmers are busy trying to seed their crops.  Cattlemen and women are busy tending to their cow/calf operations. People are busy living their lives both in rural and urban areas.  At this point, most Albertans have probably already decided on which candidate they will vote for and don’t care about two women fighting over who will reign as Premier in our province. But, the political force with their mudslinging and bluster has left a foul odor in the air.

Today, a barbarous cold wind blew in from the north.  They call the wind, Tramontane.

With flying hooves, Tramontane carried smoke from the north, across central Alberta and delivered it south.

The smell of smoke and fire troll mingles with dust to smudge our province of negativity. Once the foul political odor is removed from the air, I’m sure it will rain.

Tramontane, the north wind, promises a change in weather. 

Around here, all of the crops are in the ground.  They would definitely benefit from some moisture as would the rest of our province.

Alberta needs rain.

And, when it does, I’m going to dance like nobody’s watching!

Hang on a second, let me correct that, why wait?

I’m going to go out in that smudgy, windy air and do a rain dance with Tramontane like no one is watching right now!

I hope you’ll join with me in the dance where ever you reside.  The more the merrier! Let’s make it rain, just dance!

The North winds moral lesson is that kind and gentle persuasion always wins over force and bluster.

(May whomever aspires to reign over our province in the future consider the above lesson.)

 

Thank-you for following, reading, sharing and commenting – The Trefoil Muse

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tramontane (/trəˈmɒnteɪn/ trə-MON-tayn)[a] is a classical name for a northern wind. The exact form of the name and precise direction varies from country to country. The word came to English from Italian tramontana, which developed from Latin trānsmontānus (trāns- + montānus), “beyond/across the mountains”,[1][2][3] referring to the Alps in the North of Italy. The word has other non-wind-related senses: it can refer to anything that comes from, or anyone who lives on, the other side of mountains, or even more generally, anything seen as foreign, strange, or even barbarous.
The journey of “tramontane” into English starts in Latin and begins with the coming together of the prefix trans-, meaning “across” or “beyond,” and montanus, meaning “of a mountain.”

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Three weeks ago, a foggy mist of milk white hid the horizon. It was still cold. Spring was here but the tendrils of winter were loath to release their taunting grip on the prairie.

Many migrating birds were overhead.  I knew this because I could hear them.

I always tend to marvel at the ability of migratory birds especially, their instinctual ability to navigate blindly through inclement weather and unseen territory while they fly toward their new destinations.

I heard familiar honking in the distance. The recognizable sound was that of the Canadian Geese as they arrived in droves while fog shrouded the land. Other flocks of migratory birds were also flying in. Their types were harder to discern with listening ears because the opaque wall inhibited any clear view of the arriving birds and muffled the sounds of their songs.

The misty cold weather was surreal. Unending fog can be depressing to some but I enjoy the damp, cool weather and find the wall of cloudy white strangely comforting, even safe. I like the idea of disappearing behind a veil of white.  It’s private. I especially like walking in the fog, mainly because I am obliged to use my other senses and am forced to pay closer attention to what’s in my immediate circle during the hours before the fog relents to the rays of the mid-day sun.

But, that day, I was imagining what it would be like to spread open the white wall of fog with my hands as if it were curtains and step through it.  I was wondering if it would it be a clear day or magical world on the other side of the curtains when a knock interrupted my whimsy.

Knock, knock.

Knock.

“What’s knocking at my front door, it’s not like a knocking that I’ve heard before,” I wondered. (more…)

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“Sometimes, it’s hard to do the right thing.”

I’ve heard this comment several times in the recent past but it always surprises me! 

Is our society falling short on integrity?

Integrity helps us to do the right thing.

 

Integrity

Choosing courage over comfort;

Choosing what is right over what is fun, or easy;

And choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.

                                                                                                       Brene Brown

 

Integrity requires self-awareness, self-control and commitment to upholding one’s values and principles when in the face of temptation or pressure – even when no one is watching.

It is choosing your thoughts and actions based on your principled values rather than personal gain.  People of integrity do not hide their reactions or opinions.  They do not manipulate others through deception, peer pressure, guilt or shame, and they do not pretend.

Integrity is not about being popular.  It may mean extreme unpopularity because, you did the ‘right thing,’ regardless of popular opinion – integrity does take courage.  Doing the right thing regardless of popular opinion can cost you family, friends, your livelihood or worse case scenario, your life. 

Having integrity does not mean that you will never make mistakes.  It does however mean that you have learned valuable life lessons from your mistakes and taken honest measures to correct them.  In other words, you have gained some wisdom from your mistakes and evolved into a better person.

Integrity happens when inner-wisdom matches the decisions we make and act upon.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to do the right thing.”

Is it?  Or, have we just become too afraid to do the right thing? If so, what does this say about the society we live in? Corruption lacks integrity.

Using integrity is about being able to live with your own conscience.

When you are true to yourself,  it’s easy to do the right thing. 

Have courage.

 

Remember:  Using integrity is a reward! 

 

Thank-you for following, reading, sharing and commenting – The Trefoil Muse

 

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I am chasing the winter blues.

It’s hard to create a work of art when you are feeling under the weather.  Fever and delirium make sentences nonsensical. Your spirit seems to float away from your body – out of this world.  You feel completely disconnected. The most talented of artists use the dark times in their lives to create beauty.  It takes fortitude and resilience to recover from illness let alone create art. 

I haven’t been feeling well – not at all. 

I am not a good patient.  I do not like being under the weather, I’d rather be in it, outside in nature.

The blues are pulling at me like a magnet.  I can see them from my window. They taunt me as they dance and skip along the snow drifts daring me to catch them.

The day is early.  The sun is only beginning to rise.  I slog into my winter gear surprised that I am not collapsing under its weight and head out the door.

The air hangs softly in the distance a paler color of white than the snow lying on the ground. ‘Angel’s breath,’ I smile at the thought of it as some blue disappears with the sun’s first rays.

‘Most people chase rainbows in order to discover magic and I’m out chasing the blues. But, why limit one’s self,’ I think bemused. (more…)

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There is a warm autumn breeze; I sit beneath the trees and watch as colored leaves fall earthward.

The trunk of the tree I am sitting under is strong; its roots are spread wide and deep.  Yet, the tree is flexible and is able to bend when times get turbulent. That is why this tree has survived its many years on earth.

The tree’s large branches reach heavenward.  Some of the branches are barren having lost their leaves. Still, other branches are alive with color. The leaves on those branches are preparing to make their descent but for the moment, they are full of life and enhance the world with their beauty.

I notice the leaves of this tree do not fight their ending – they have lived their life to the fullest – so, they simply let go and float gently earthward as if they are two stepping in time to a slow waltz. They dance, twirl and float earthward where they join other leaves, those that fell before them.  The fallen leaves cushion the new arrivals.  Their landing is soft, gentle. Each leaf is reunited happily with those that fell before them – these are their fallen family and friends.

Those leaves that remain high in the branches shiver with excitement and celebrate the life of the leaves that fell before them.  They whisper to the fallen in the soft breeze, “We are in death, even as we live.”

Realization dawns on me, I am sitting beneath the family tree. The tree has been softening my sadness – my grief.  It has not only been comforting me with beauty and dance but sharing ancestral wisdom as it welcomes another extremely important leaf home. 

Celebrate life with every breath you take,

We both live and die in every moment,

Life is colorful,

Enjoy it,

Take comfort in the dance of the falling leaves,

Remember those who went before you,

They are never truly gone,

The circle of life is never-ending.

 

Gone but not forgotten…

“Falling Leaves,” is in memory of my Dad: 

Franklin J. AndrusMay 28, 1938 – October 10, 2022

 

 

Thank-you for following, reading, sharing and commenting – The Trefoil Muse

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Let’s be real. 

Life is a puzzle. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The world can be confusing, chaotic and merciless.

Reality in the real world means that life doesn’t always supply us with positive experiences.

There are times in life when the world seems to have a destructive strangle hold on your psyche.  The foulness around you contains a sour stench and negative energy saps at every fibre of your being until you are completely devoid of inspiration.  Puzzled, you become subconsciously stuck in a mire of difficulties, bogged down at every turn. If you allow yourself to stay stuck in this destructive mire, eventually, that is all that you experience – negativity, and the difficulties which come with a depressed mindset.  Essentially, this means you have become blocked. (more…)

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When clouds of dissension swirl about you, rise above like an eagle.

Don’t let someone else’s thunder rain on your parade.

Realize; there are cracks in everything, that’s how the light gets in.

Let the power of lightning inspire you towards a brighter future.

Remember; some of the best things that happen are the one’s you never thought could.

Be grateful, a storm can deliver many gifts.

Welcome them with open arms.

 

Thank-you for following, reading, sharing and commenting – The Trefoil Muse

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Never stop dreaming of the possibilities…,

Lilacs are the earth’s way of rewarding us for surviving the winter.

They bring us hope with their warmth and light. 

And, revive us with their dreamy scent.

The possibilities in life are endless.

Dream.

 

Thank-you for following, reading, sharing and commenting – The Trefoil Muse

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“…find out where joy resides,

and give it a voice far beyond

singing.

For to miss the joy is to miss all.”

Robert Louis Stevenson

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I have reached a plateau. It has been an uphill battle to get to this spot.  The journey has been fraught with chaos and malicious energy.  I am exhausted and need rest. I survey my surroundings and notice that this is not actually a resting spot.  It is a cross road.  I can choose from four directions.  I can veer left or right, go back the direction I came from or continue uphill.  Surely, the path upward looks to be more work.  Both paths which veer left or right seem to be level.  But neither of those paths interests me. I know from experience those paths are diversions. Personal success takes longer to achieve when you walk along the path of others. I am independent. I want to discover my own path.  My path is always harder.  I prefer to travel unknown, uncharted paths – those seldom traveled. So, I know that from the four directions my choice path is the one which continues uphill. 

Energy swirls about me pulling to and fro.  Malicious. Chaotic.  Instinct tells me that this is the energy one faces when they are about to self-sabotage or are being set up to fail but strive forward in order succeed instead.

I sway first left, then right but the frantic, hostile energy that wants me falter and tumble backwards is vehement.  The resistance from the heinous darkness pushes back and forth against me causing friction. 

It is unwanted energy and it is rubbing me the wrong way.

Sparks are beginning to erupt.  Patiently, I smother them but really, time is not on my side.  I have limited resources; constraints prevent me from effectively battling the unwanted friction and the continual onslaught of unwelcomed energy is beginning to mess with my mind. This maliciousness is presenting as a head game. I want to explode.  My sanity is waning. I can feel the heat within me building.  The sparks are beginning to smoulder into a fire – the fire is rage. 

I decide to stand quietly at the plateau of the crossroad and breathe.

Breath work is a subtle technique that can be used to bring abhorrent friction into a more malleable static energy. Static energy is still charged.  It isn’t energy I like; but, static energy can be endured and will remain unchanged or even dissipate as long as no extra friction is introduced.  Subtle techniques to quiet friction are not always successful.

I am being battered. This heinous, dark energy seems to be taking advantage of the subtle energy – it’s growing harsher – biting at my psyche.  It is affecting my ability to think clearly.

 

No matter, I am a Master there are other methods I can employ to quiet the friction.  But, my methods are all subtle and rather than quieting the chaotic energy, extra friction charges the atmosphere around and within me.  The harassing energy has entered my very core – goading, irritating and threatening to infect me with its disease like qualities. An inner war has been declared and I struggle against this dark force which wants me to cause harm or even drive me to kill. Lesser adversaries have succumbed to these malicious energy sources. They’ve gone mad, driven to insanity by the barrage of negativity that infects their mind.

I summon my inner strength in preparation for the fight. I must maintain my clarity of thought.

The malevolent taunting, jeering energy pokes dirty fingers into my brain as it stirs and beats at my sanity twisting rational thoughts into mayhem.  I am being attached from three different directions.  My patience is spent.  I am wearing down, becoming exhausted.  My mental and emotional stability continues until completely fatigued, my resolution of peace dissolves.

Frustration and anxiety are wholly apparent. I am now realizing my inability to control that, which cannot be controlled – every action is begging for a reaction. 

True, I am undergoing an inner battle. I have an acute awareness of this. However, inner-battles will grow until they burst outward. 

It’s, fight or flight time. My nerves are raw.  My jaws are clenched.  Tension runs up my backbone.  My hands are clenched into fists.  I have settled into a battle stance and ready to move if one more irritant attacks.

I know what I want and, it’s not this!

I cannot take being rubbed the wrong way any longer; the friction attacking my inner boundary is unbearable. Fiery rage leaps upward as I burst into heated flames.  I manage to control the fire.  It was merely a short burst of intense heat meant to cremate noxious emotional energy. Nothing has been severely damaged although there is a blackened mark where I once stood at the crossroads. The outburst left but a small blister on the face of the earth, a scar which would heal by encouraging new growth. And, by undertaking the difficult task of expelling negative energy, I have now been propelled forward on my path uphill.  The action was necessary for positive development to occur.

Still, I am shaky and exhausted.  I did not want to erupt into fire. The war against malicious energy drained me mentally, physically and emotionally.  But, I gained ground as a result and successfully stepped onto my own path. This is a path of the unknown. It is uncharted territory, this path that proceeds at a steady, gentle, uphill grade and is one where if the traveler is mindful, they will meet success by taking positive strides forward. 

I survey the path ahead with tired eyes.  I can see the first marker to my success is only a few feet away.  I move my feet forward slowly, one by one, it is a methodical shuffling movement – no need to hurray now.  I give myself permission to move slowly and conserve my energy until I reach the marker.  My reward is a well deserved rest.  I need to unplug for a time before continuing on.

Change takes time. 

Healing takes time.

I arrive at the marker and take a seat.  This is the most comfortable spot I have discovered in a very long time.  I feel protected here.  As I sit relaxed, I notice how as the world rolls by, I am no longer affected by its friction.   I am grateful for this time to rest; even the most masterful of Guru’s need a brain-break to recuperate from mental chaos.

Stress is exhausting.

Give yourself permission to take a rest.

Unplug.

Chaos and friction in life will always be present. 

There will be times in life when you are rubbed the wrong way and will need to address friction.  Remember, subtly does not always successfully diffuse friction.  In those cases, be tactful; use control; take the higher road – you will save someone from heartache by doing so, even if that someone is you.

Take small steps forward.

If all else fails, simply take a brain-break!

 

Thank-you for following, reading, sharing and commenting – The Trefoil Muse

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