Athena Grey

Solstice greetings, my dear ones!

I have been wrapped in stillness so deep and beautiful that words seem distant and primitive. This season, I did not have the luxury of a gentle winding inward to the still place of the heart. I stumbled deep into it from the completely opposite space that I occupy in the protests. I am fortunate that wherever I am, no matter how burned out and exhausted, i can find my way home to solitude.

It has been blissful these past few days. No striving, no holding ground against opposing values, no one yelling at me, and no ominous police-soldiers.

All is gentle in the stillness. Dearest Amber cat purrs and sleeps. She is approaching her seventeenth birthday and each day with her is a gift and a blessing.

Indigo cat arrived three weeks ago, though I feel like I have known her forever. She is curious and active, all things a kitten should be.  She lived for two months with a friend of mine, but it was not the right home for her and I was so glad to welcome her into mine..  She and Amber are both gentle spirits and they nurture and comfort each other. 

They nurture and comfort me, too. A duet of purrs is magical and filled with bliss.

But, let me tell you about something else that was ever so magical and prepared me for the tumble into stillness. 

What has nurtured and comforted me was a day spent in the company of Starhawk and Lisa Fithian. They taught a workshop on Deconstructing Empire, where we developed strategies for a long campaign of resistance that would crumble the pillars and foundations of the greed-fueled economic and political structure. 

Then, at the close of the day we went out to Liberty Square for a ritual of community and healing.  This is the park that we occupied for nearly two months, now restored by force to the empty granite wasteland that it once was. 

In the process of healing, and releasing attachment to the park, I could feel the stress leaking out of every fiber of my being.  This is when I realized how burned out I was. It took nearly a week to de-stress, leaving me empty and ready to receive bliss.

May your time in the stillness of midwinter be filled with love, bliss, and especially stillness.

the autumnal equinox,
this time of harvest and introspection
shares themes with Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot.
I will bake my apples,
while you dip yours in honey.
we will both take stock of our lives
and realize than endings
are preludes to beginnings.
we are drawn to be outdoors;
well, I always am.
my holiday is enriched by knowing
that you walk a similar path.
why must people see their differences
more brightly than their commonalities?
why have the leaders of israel and palestine
never considered the sacrifices
of both the peoples,
torn in turn from their homelands
by the blind vision
of righting ancient wrongs?
we are not so different after all.
day is night is day.
i am you.

Blessings!

The last train eastbound will be passing through in a few minutes.

Even in the worst winter storm, we always have the occasional train.

This time, the governor ordered the trains to stop running at noon.

It's prudent. I keep using that word a lot. I can't bring myself to say that it's necessary.

The forecast still says 6-10 inches of rain. It still says a hurricane warning.

Working today, in my snug Aerie, mostly waiting for others' work to finish so that I can begin.

Hoping that prudence becomes an overabundance of caution.

It's strange that I have never had the quirky user experience on LJ that so many friends have experienced. I wonder why?

Nonetheless, I am on Dreamwidth and think that it's a good idea to have more than one option. I will read and reply to comments on both sites, because I'll always have an LJ account as long as there is an LJ, and I will post on DW as long as I have friends posting here. It's all good to me.

I am trying to wring every juicy drop of summer out of the season. It has been so enjoyable, despite all the rain. I've spent more time than usual at the beach, and managed to squeeze in a couple of delightful R&R visits to Omega Institute. I've made honey lavender ice cream.

I still want to spend some time in the hills (misted, of course), and go kayaking on a mirror-still lake. It's on my list. I want to spend time in my previous hometown and in my next hometown. That's also on my list. I want to see a moose. Alas, moose don't keep lists.

What precious bits of summer are you still savoring?

 blackcurrent tea
sip and smile
listen to purring

sigh with contentment

studio awaits
burnout fading to stillness
then speaking the heart's song

I left us all in the midst of the iPad story.  In all fairness to Apple and Verizon, let me tell you the happy ending.  

The Fifth Ave. Apple store has always been my favorite; it's just not convenient to go all the way uptown to shop when most of my NYC destinations are downtown.

I made a special trip uptown because I've always had a good customer experience at that store.  It's  a big and busy store, but the focus is on sales and service.  I've bought a few laptops there. This is where we go when we need serious repairs.

They had the right iPad in stock, and in fifteen minutes, it was set up and working fine.  That's the way the story ends.

And she lived happily ever after.

 tomorrow, by the river
there will be music
and celebration of the water.

years ago, I pledged myself
to this majestic river
promising to amplify her song
and promising to bring healing
to these waters

I am a riverkeeper

once, this glorious river
was clean and clear, 
her banks lined with old forests

first came the sewers
then came the tanneries
then came the paper mills and the dioxins
they took freely the upstream waters
and sent their filth downstream

then came the factories
who left behind PCBs

we are all upstream of someone
and downstream of something

this is the river's truth

Tomorrow, we all gather to sing her song



Clearwater's Great Hudson River Revival
a weekend of music and riverkeeping
June 18-19

 My dears, it's not for lack of trying. You do know that any transaction that deals with a cell phone carrier is fraught with the possibility of failure.

The first failure happened last week when I bought a whiz-bang iPad2 with all the frills.  It worked beautifully in the Aerie, and poorly in other critical locations, just like my iPhone.  Always an excuse from the wireless network.  It drops out and I get no data. So, after a week, I returned the iPad, with the intent of buying one that uses the other carrier.

But they wouldn't sell me one.  The carrier said they couldn't sell them at that moment. FTF?

I searched the internet, but could find no recall stories.  Odd, eh?

So, tonight I tried again.  Bought iPad #2 and we couldn't properly register it with the carrier.  Returned it (without ever having left the Apple Store) and bought iPad #3.   Three hours, 5 store employees and one manager later, it was the same failure, ending with another return.  So, now that I'm home from that ordeal and poking around online, I see breaking stories that Apple is 'quietly' recalling said iPads.

Maybe I'll wait another few weeks and try again.

Hail, Lady Moon

your daughters circle and dance
pale skin glowing in near dark
and dark skin radiant in dim light
we dance wildly with your praise
we sing and chant your song
and fall silent to gaze upon
a face veiled tonight, unseen
but never unfelt or unknown
for we are your daughters

blessings showered upon all witches who honor the Goddess tonight

Blessed be!