“…Hector the Collector
Loved these things with all his soul–
Loved them more then shining diamonds,
Loved them more then glistenin’ gold….” 

I’ve been watching the changing landscape of winter – both the night sky and what can be seen of earth from where I stand.  The lake is full to overflowing.  Only the Oak trees are dressed with leaves now, the rusty-brown color of their death.  Waterfowl are on the move, some landing for a bit of respite, others with somewhere else to go.  Geese left their unwanted feathers in the yard this morning.  Songbirds are plenty.  And the Moon, differing with each day/night – she’s not particular when she’s seen – she just goes on shining, pulling the tides as they rise.  There is snow in the mountains this winter, quite a lot – I’m hopeful for a slow melt – life-giving water.  Uranus has moved direct, Mercury has gone retrograde again.  I feel so small.  Humbled.

Life is precious.

I’m not a Tolkien fan.  In his writings though, he created Golem and I have always found the fervor with which Golem seeks and cherishes his “precious” to be oddly heart warming.   And I’ll admit to feeling a little like Golem before medicine work came into my life.  My precious was how I felt about the random feathers or bit of bone, and stones and driftwood that I had amassed.  Precious, all of them.

Ever since medicine work revealed itself to me, it is clear why I am Hector the Collector.   And since then too, much of the natural bits, gifts from Maka, have long since been incorporated into some sacred object that has gone home with someone else.  These things were never meant for me.  I was only the custodian.  They were not my precious.  Mind you, I still have a collection of miscellaneous and random bits.  I am no longer attached.  They are not mine either.  Mine is an illusion.

What’s precious though is an infinitely long list.  Life is filled with what is precious – every second, every breath, the New Ones, our Elders, those who are on the front lines for Peace and caretaking Mother Earth, those who are making certain the children are fed and animals are cared for, family, friends, communities and Circles, the medicine work and the Seekers, et al, and on and on.

In this changing landscape of winter, as the sun drops beneath the clouds and a gentle rain falls, light is cast is across the water.  A duck quacks.  Life is precious.  Life is good and so very precious.

Mitakuye Oyasin  ~  All My Relations

Save the Date!  February 16, noon until 6pm.

Mark your calendars and join in to raise abundance for the Cocoon House, because every child deserves a home.

I know this is Valentine’s Day and what a perfect day for a ♥LOVE♥ offering!  Savor a leisurely morning in self-love.  Arrive at noon. Create a LOVE stitched rattle offering.  Complete early enough for more of the same self-love, shared-love kind of evening.

Let me explain myself… Whilst listening in prayer many months ago, they said make rattles with the homeless.  Hah? What? Excuse me?  A little clarification here please, because a rattle isn’t what I would think a homeless person might need.  This is me, arguing with Spirit, trying to make sense of it in my head.  Of course I cannot.  Each time I applied my mind, no obvious answers arose.  Never forgetting yet sort of putting it out of my head time passed.  After a while it comes up again.  No clear way forward. Then again.  And yet again.  Finally (I’m slow sometimes), I realized I’m in my head. Get out of my head for a solution and into my heart.

More than 34% of the total homeless population is under the age of 24. Cocoon House is a non-profit that conducts outreach to, and provides short and long -term housing for homeless and at-risk young people, including their children. Parents of teens can also find support for themselves and their families at Cocoon House so that young people do not become homeless.

The more I settled into my heart about this project, the more possibilities have come up as potential ways of following through on this request to serve.  And the challenges remain.  I am fully ready.  I have extended an offering to make rattles with homeless and been politely declined, “…our population isn’t interested…”.  I have been forward, offered as in-depth an explanation as possible.  Yet, every time, my request, regardless of how imaginative I’ve been in delivering the idea of crafting rattles with the homeless at drop-in and extended stay shelters, the offering has been rejected.

Undaunted, the idea of a gathering, of inviting people to come together to make a Love Offering flew out of my heart.

What I am suggesting and asking is that we come together in a Circle of loving support to sew rattles.  I am offering to hold space and host, teach the crafting as needed, I will offer all the materials. I’ll offer my prayers.  I am asking that you make an offering of your time, your hearts in crafting, your prayers and any monetary amount you can make.  All of the abundance collected, 100%,  will be gifted to the Cocoon House.  I encouraged you to feel free to take the rattle home with you, gift it to another or gift it to the Cocoon House.

In all my thinking about this, it is quite clear why a homeless person could benefit enormously for the medicine of a rattle, in a multitude of ways.  One step at a time though. I am hoping there will be so many of us coming together in Love and Compassion that we raise the vibration to help put an end homelessness.  All are welcome.

Thank you for your consideration.  Thank you for joining in community, to be in Love and make an offering with me, with Spirit, with the medicine of healing.  Please invite your family and friends.

Pilamaya! Pilamaya! Pilamaya!

Mitakuye Oyasin  ~  All My Relations