Butterfly

May our walking on earth be gentle as the union of the butterfly and the flower.

Traditional Buddhist Blessing

Wow, it's September already, and it has dawned on me that I have not seen a butterfly this summer, not a one.  How sad that is!  In previous years, even here in the city,  we have always been blessed sightings of this remarkable little creature, but this year they have chosen to stay away.  I wonder why. 

The butterfly symbolizes freedom, new beginnings, rebirth, and resurrection transition as well as peace. It is a symbol of change, joy, and color, and people around the world have different stories and beliefs about butterflies. Some cultures believe that they can predict the weather by watching how butterflies behave, and during the middle ages, it was believed that seeing a large group of butterflies was an indication that war was about to begin.  Among some tribes, there is a common belief that if a butterfly enters the wigwam, good luck is sure to follow.    Butterflies were thought by some American Indian tribes to carry our prayers to the Great Spirit. 

According to an old American Indian legend ...If anyone desires a wish to come true they must first capture a butterfly and whisper that wish to it. Since the butterfly can make no sound, the butterfly cannot reveal the wish to anyone but the Great Spirit who hears and sees all. In gratitude for giving the beautiful butterfly its freedom, the Great Spirit always grants the wish. So, according to legend, by making a wish and giving the butterfly it's freedom, the wish will be taken to the heavens and be granted.

The butterfly as a symbol of immortality or the deathlessness of the human soul emerged in the neolithic or late Stone Age.   The image of a butterfly emerging from a cocoon is a powerful symbol of death and rebirth. For example, according to the ancient Greeks, the transformation of butterfly from larvae pupae to butterfly was a metaphor of the soul's resurrection and immortality. In addition, the ancient Greek word for butterfly is a word which means soul.  In certain areas of Ireland, people believe a white butterfly is a soul on its way to paradise. If the wings are spotted, the soul must pay for its sins in purgatory but a pure soul will be all white. 

Another old legend says butterflies are the souls of little children who die on the day of their birth.

Souls of new-born babies, so they call you,
Soft-winged spirits poised above our earth,
In your transit, may no ill befall you,

Wending Heavenwards straightway from your birth.
Fair butterflies, sweet butterflies,
Who fly we know not where, when day is done,
Who pass, we know not how, at set of sun.

Souls of little children, well they named you,

Hov'ring o'er a world you have not known, 

One brief instant, ere the seraphs claimed you, 

Ere you sought a kingdom all your own.

Fair butterflies, sweet butterflies, 

Who fly, we know not where, when day is done, 

Who pass, we know not how, at set of sun.

Souls of mortal infants, let us hold you,

Lighting on our sphere for one short span; 

Breathe one prayer for us when His arms fold you, 

Angel heralds sent by God to man. 

Fair butterflies, sweet butterflies, 

Who fly, we know not where, when day is done,

Who pass, we know not how, at set of sun.

--Unknown--

Healers Day, September 7th

Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn't you - all of the expectations, all of the beliefs - and becoming who you are. -- Rachel Naomi Remen

This day is dedicated to all those men and women who possess the  gift of healing and  use it unselfishly to help others...those doctors, nurses, therapists, midwives, energy healers, ministers, spiritualists, herbalists, mothers, etc.  I could go on for ever because, the truth is ,  we are all natural-born healers.  Each one of us has the power to heal. All we need is some knowledge and personal development  and dedication to be able to use that skill.  The first step is to begin thinking of yourself as a healer.   The more you think of yourself as a healer, the more effective you  will be come in dealing with the give and take of life.  

 Healing yourself is connected with healing others.-- Yoko Ono

Unfortunately, though, healers were not always thought of with such high regard.  In fact, there was a time when healers were to be feared.  During the Burning Times of the witch hunts in Europe, village midwives, healers, and dowsers were termed witches and executed by the church, and sadly, as a result,  we lost  a lot  priceless knowledge about plants, healing, and folk medicine with the thousands of women and men who were murdered.  And, not only were those people who were believed to cause illness in others prosecuted, but also those who healed and cured were also prosecuted.   In fact, many traditional healers were accused of causing illness just so they would then be hired for the purpose of healing it.

So today, let us not only pay homage to our modern-day healers, but also to those who were persecuted for practicing benevolent magic.  Let us all light a candle in their honor.

The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician. Therefore the physician must start from nature, with an open mind.
-- Philipus Aureolus Paracelsus--

Read A Book Day, September 6th

 
The stories of childhood leave an indelible impression, and their author always has a niche in the temple of memory from which the image is never cast out to be thrown on the rubbish heap of things that are outgrown and outlived.-- Howard Pyle

Today is Read a Book Day.  On this day be sure to take some timeout of your busy life to kick off your shoes and  relax with a good book.  It doesn't matter where you read your book just  as long as you do so in a comfortable manner.   Allow your troubles to drift away as you lose yourself in the world of fantasy.  Travel to the other side of the world, or take a trip to the Moon.  One of the greatest joys of reading a good book comes largely from the great joy of discovery.   Personally, I will always love my fairy tales.

I've always loved to read.  It's so relaxing and therapeutic...as well as  educational. Its entertaining.   If you have young children, or elderly people in your home, take the time to read a book to them today. It is a wonderful time to bond with them and it creates pleasant, lasting memories. Sharing the joy of reading  a book aloud to your child or to an elderly person who can no longer enjoy a good book is just one way you can help them experience the joy of reading. 

And, with all this rain that is on its way, what better way to spend your day.

Books support us in our solitude and keep us from being a burden to ourselves. -- Jeremy Collier

Labor Day

No man is born into the world whose work Is not born with him; There is always work, — and tools to work withal, For those who will; and blessed be the horny hands of toil. — JR Lowell

Labor Day, the first Monday of September, is a federal holiday created to honor the working class.  To many of us, Labor Day is the symbolic end of the summer, and we plan celebrations in the form of picnics, barbecues, pool parties, getaway weekend travel, and other entertainments. Some of us shop since Labor Day is also a day of sales; hence, it is one of the busiest shopping days of the year.  Ironically, though, while today's stores will be mobbed, in days  of old, when Labor Day still retained its original meaning, that of a day to honor the working person, all businesses would be closed.  Amazing how times change.  How many of you can remember those days?  I can. 

The first Labor Day celebration was on September 5th, 1882, in New York city as a means to show respect for the American worker; it was adopted by the Central Labor Union. The working mans holiday was celebrated by a picnic and a parade. A year later on September the 5th the second labor day was held, thus starting a tradition.  Times have changed, although there are not a lot of parades as there once was or a lot of community celebrations, we still have our own celebrations.  We can still remember.

  

Wishing you all a wonderful day.

Is it Friday Already? Hip Hip Hooray!

Sometimes the most
important thing in a whole
day is the rest we take
between two deep breaths,
or the turning inwards in
prayer for five
short minutes.

Etty Hillesum

TGIF, my friends...and better yet, the Friday of a long weekend.  I survived this long, tiring, stressful week am badly in need of some rest.  Of course, tomorrow is my cooking day so I can't look for it there, but I still will have two days to call my own.  It's been maddening at the new place.  I am trying; I really am.  The noise never seems to stop.  Our clients may all clear out by 1 pm, but we still have the mental health program that shares our floor...and they are LOUD.  Seven hours in that place is like doing 14 hours in the old building.  I sometimes find myself wanting to cry.  I know anything new calls for some adjustment, and I do hope it gets better soon.

On the plus side, I discovered late in the day, even though I cannot get my Real Player to work, I can still get Pandora, and I found the most relaxing station--Native American Dreams.  The sounds on it are wonderful--flutes, drumming--meditative, a much-needed respite from the surround sound which has been driving me up a wall.  And, also on the plus side, I found a place that offers 30 different kinds of fresh fruit and vegetable smoothies, and he is not expensive at all.  I've been trying a different one every day as I make my way through his menu. 

I am still feeling quite a bit of anxiety about this  freight elevator from hell.  I've a fear of elevators to begin with, so when I find myself expected to ride up and down ten floors in something you can look at and see it falling apart, I panic.  Fortunately, most of the other staff members feel the same way about it so we have all been taking  the other elevators, but,  from what I heard this morning, those are not much better.  This morning, I happened to ride up with one of the girls works the freight elevator, and when I told her I was frightened of it, she said, 'Oh, I prefer that one to these.  They always getting, and you can't get out.  At least with the freight elevator, you have a way out.'  Yeah, right, like at 64 years old, I am going to jump up and climb out of the roof of the elevator car and and then climb up a ladder in the elevator shaft to the next floor.   Can you just picture that?  The thought of it sends shivers up my spine.

Oh, did I mention that last night was my late night, and the mice were racing each other up and down the aisles?

Labor Day...the unofficial end to summer is upon us, and I sit back and wonder where did the summer go.  What do I have to remember this year?  And sadly, I have to say nothing.  I think back to spring and all the wonderful plans I had, but none of them really panned out.  Weekends were usually days of unbearable heat or days of rain and stormy weather.  Only two trips to my beloved ocean are what I can remember.  


But, autumn is one of my favorite seasons, so all is not lost.  There is something special to be said about walking along the beach with the cool breeze that accompanies that first nip in the air, the waves thrashing against the shoreline.  The throngs of summer beach goers have retreated into their other lives and aside from a few others, the oceanfront will be mine.  Yes, summer may be gone, but the best is yet to come.  May you all have a wonderful weekend filled with joy, peace, and love.

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterward.

Spanish Proverb

September

"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer."

- Helen Hunt Jackson-

September, the ninth month of the current Gregorian calendar and the first month of Autumn derives its name from setpem, a Latin word meaning seven as September was the seventh month in the old Roman calendar. September is shared by the astrological signs of Virgo, the Virgin and Libra, the Scales.  

The month is sacred to Persephone and Thor.  The sun is lower in the sky than it was in August, and the evenings are cooler.  The Big Dipper hangs low in the Northern sky.  During the month we celebrate the Autumnal Equinox, and the first chill touches the air as the wheel turns closer to the months of darkness.  For the ancient Romans, September 1st was a time of celebration as they paid homage to the god, Jupiter, the sky god who controlled the weather; hence, he ruled over the harvests, as well. 


The birthstone for September is the gorgeous blue sapphire, although they can also be different colors, a stone often thought to possess magical powers.  The ancient Greeks believed that this gem belonged to the god, Apollo, and could help to foretell the future.  Throughout history, the sapphire has symbolized truth, sincerity, and faithfulness in relationships and brought peace, joy and wisdom to the wearer and owner.  According to an old superstition...

A maiden born when autumn leaves

Are rustling in September's breeze 

A sapphire on her brow should bind —

'Twill cure diseases of the mind."

The flower for September is the aster; it's name means star in Latin.  According to an old Greek myth, Astraea, the star maiden, was a goddess who represented purity and innocence during the time that the gods lived here on the earth.  Then, when people became greedy and fought against each other, the gods abandoned the earth, one by one.  The last to leave was Astraea who became the constellation Virgo, the Virgin.  When she gazed down upon the earth, she wept because she saw no stars there.  And as her tears fell to the ground, they turned into asters. 

"The birds laugh loud and long together
When Fashion's followers speed away
At the first cool breath of autumn weather.
Why, this is the time, cry the birds, to stay!
When the deep calm sea and the deep sky over
Both look their passion through sun-kissed space,
As a blue-eyed maid and her blue-eyed lover
Might each gaze into the other's face."

- Ella Wheeler Wilcox, The End of Summer-

Thursday Quote

Each person comes into this world with a specific destiny--he has something to fulfill, some message has to be delivered, some work has to be completed. You are not here accidentally--you are here meaningfully. There is a purpose behind you. The whole intends to do something through you.

-Osho- 

It is said that we will not take leave of this Earth until we accomplish what we came here to do.  The soul chooses the lessons we have to learn, the things we have to do, things we have to achieve, and talents we have to develop.