I am sitting in my favorite coffee shop in Lincoln, NE following a two-day blizzard. I think I am done posting items about our construction project–the straw bale house. We still have lots to do but will probably table it now until spring. Mudding in the winter does not quite work. There is a woman singing here in the coffee shop. A woman on an accordion is accompanying her as she sings and plays the cello. Her music is much like a chant–droning lyrics and harmonic sounds. I like it and it kicks me into an interior space. She just invited the audience to join her in an improve–give her the subject. Somebody said flowers and another said orchids–and whiskey.
On the way down to Lincoln Milt and I had a lot of time to explore our lives. We both realized that there is a theme to most of the work that we do. We care about whatever it takes to build a strong inner core of strength (and humanity). I know for me that it doesn’t matter whether I am writing, teaching, doing constellation work, doing Bead People project or, or, or, I’m always working toward building that core in myself and others.
Lately I’ve been noticing that the advertising, the programs on television, the internet–everywhere I turn adults are being portrayed as selfish children. They whine, act stupid, and disrespect one another. I keep trying to figure out what is going on in our world. Why has it become fashionable to be a brat? And if our world is full of children and brats, who will take care of the important matters that need tending to? We should be fighting against the dumbing down of our society, and we should be fighting harder now more than ever. I don’t know if anybody has seen that silly woman on the Target ads but I, for one, will do no shopping at Target this year. It may be a small action but it makes me feel better.
When I wrote Albert’s Manuscript, I was struck by the vision it contained of the gigantic, spiraling movements of humankind on earth. First Man told Albert in his vision that there would be four great movements in the human spiral. Interestingly,they all begin with a ‘W’. The Walkers, The Watchers, The Weavers–and the Weepers (or Whiners). Albert learned that in this time, at the end of “The Wind of a Thousand Years,” we must be careful to nurture the children because they will be the weavers of the new world. I think this is much more than just a story. I just posted this book as an ebook at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/6758 This was also the story that came before the shorter “Bead People” version, so I hope you will take a look.
I can’t seem to decide what course my own life should take right now. Part of me wants to retreat from the good fight (against creating a nation of selfish children) and another part of me wants to push ahead and do workshops and offer alternatives for parents, partners, and individuals. It feels like most of my adult life has been focused on helping others to achieve their own creative potential. Am I achieving my own? Am I standing strong and solidifying my own inner core? That will be the question on my mind over the next months.
On a lighter note, I made a mountain of lefse with my grandchildren today. They had a snow day and we had a lot of fun. I guess that is part of my mission–watching those little weavers grow and gain strength. They have wonderful, brilliant minds and I love to be around them.
Jamie