How One Finds Herself in Water.

Potomac River, Washington DC by Gail Dickert 2016 August.

I went to the river to find some solace and observed how the driftwood and trees/roots take a beating from the water and debris. The amount of glass in the Potomac is shameful. We live on a planet that is ravaged by carelessness literally but also emotionally.

I found myself first as the littered sands, the cluttered shore - the sadness of feeling taken advantage of came over me in small waves of tears...

Until I saw how butterflies still visit, smaller trees and plants still... press through... and turtles still pop up to say hello.

This planet is full of emotional litter and garbage energy, yet we can be the smoother stumps and the eager butterflies. We can be the curious turtle or the watchful Osprey.

We don't have to let the energy of others turn our hearts to glass shreds and plastic pieces.

I will never let this world make a stone wall out of my soul.
I still fall apart in the face of carelessness because I am whole.
I still smile in the face of hate because I have no reason to fear.
I breathe because the river still flows...
In all seasons and in all storms, I will only get smoother...

Namaste, Potomac.
Aho!

Gail Dickert
8/4/16

Potomac River, Washington DC by Gail Dickert (August 2016)

Riddle Me This.

Celebrating Beauty

May 2, 2014 

"Setting limits doesn't mean you can't do it... it doesn't mean you don't want to... it means you value yourself and know that you are not superhuman. As my body continues to heal, I see now that all things are possible, but not all things are probable. The magic comes not from believing in the possible, but having the wisdom to choose what is more probable. Riddle me that, yo." - Gail Dickert 5.21.14

Lisa Venn

January 6, 2011 

The Joy of Playing

Milwaukee musicians, Elias Holman (piano), Russell Rossetto(trombone), Carlos Adames (congas), Tony Ayala and an acoustic bassist and drummer. The commitment on their faces must make for a tremendous sound. I would guess the overriding emotion would be joy? - Gregory E. Woods (Jan. 24, 2016)

1974

Wesley Boyd in Czech Republic playing his berimbao (2015) is an Ogan of the tradition.

Gregory E. Woods and Gail Dickert playing drums at Frog Pond Early Learning School.
That's Pam Tinker, the founder of the school standing beside Gail. (10.24.15)

 

INTERCONNECTED WORLDS

a Labyrinth Wheel
from gallery of Jennifer Hines
5.4.13

"Every once in awhile, I get this very strong sense that everything is happening exactly as it is supposed to... the only thing I don't like about it is knowing that it doesn't seem to have the staying power that a beautiful feeling should have. Nonetheless, in the midst of all the plates I have spinning, it's a precious hour or two, when I see them and imagine them moving like galaxies with other life forms rather than imagine them crashing down all around me. 

There's beauty, not in over-extending, but in imagining that all that is, is. Ya know? The word "is." Love. Light. Family. Hope. Soul mates. All of it. IS. — feeling enlightened-ish."

Gail Dickert
Turtle Whisperer
5.4.13

What WE Say. . .

"Sometimes, I kindly ask mountains to move... and sometimes they kindly do so without question. Other times, they turn my thoughts into rivers which carve a valley into previously untouched and somewhat risky terrain. Today was a mix... to this mix, I say, 'You win every time, Mother Earth.'" ~ Turtle Whisperer (Gail Dickert) 7.22.14

HOME LIFE

Room With A View

"When you find a place that feels like home, honor it - be it in someone's arms, under the shade of a mighty tree, in the eyes of a pet, or in a chair at a coffee shop that plays the best music, serves fantastic coffee and reminds you of a simpler time in your life... Home is where your heart beats easier... at home, in this moment with this sound and this flavor..." - Gail Dickert (Turtle Whisperer) 4.1.13

beautiful thighs of a Black Woman, Max

Grief, you must...

...a compelling myth about grief swept to the side by your comments and observation, Gail.

Julia Gabrielov, illustrator

"... all the logic in the world doesn't stop grief. My companion is missed... my new life and new freedoms will just have to be on deck while I work this out. That is humanity... I've never felt more human than when I've faced grief. And yet, nothing is more sacred, than this brand of unraveling..." - Gail Dickert

a work in progress in March 2013
by Julia Gabrielov
www.juliagabrielov.com

Julia Gabrielov . Fashion Art . Illustration

TRUST or THINK

Garcelle  Beauvais, actress

Ginger

Protesting on Wall Street

"Women spark inspiration, innovation, and propel introspection into men's lives. It is their elemental Medicine. Each woman is potential. 

It is hard to draw contrasts, as I age. My eyes moisten, at times, with a compilation of thoughts, and recollections of the nuances of change. Is it fair to judge? Yes, and no. Judgment of a potential friend, lover, or wife is part of the assessments a man needs to make. Saying there is no judgment simply isn't true. It is pretentious to affirm that one isn't judging situations, and people. We do, and have to judge. The central focus of judgment is to determine accountability, depth, intelligence, compatibility, trust, and capacity to love.  It isn't a religious tool. It is a warriors' evaluation of the field, the scope of things to come because every choice has things people, and events to follow his decisions. Will you be ready for them? Will you be fair? Will you be yourself in this relationship? These are fundamental questions to ask, and expect answers from because relationships determine life and define the nature of one's death." - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 4.24.13

"The Moon says. . ."

"I asked the night sky what it wanted of me, as clouds rolled in and the scent of rain turned a cold Spring dusk into a shamanic dream. It spoke clearly and softly, 'I never ask anything of you, nor should you ask what I need of you. Rather, let me simply be and I will do the same. In this way, all will understand that where there is shadow, there is light; to see clear light, a moon will always be best visible at night. For us to examine or reflect Source, a willingness to embrace it all is key. I embrace you... will you embrace me?' I kept on my walk until finally I could see an April moon staring down at me, through a thick cloud. I felt two tears come down my face. One for Grief and one for Loneliness. Each fell to the ground and immediately I could sense it would water Joy and Companionship. It is as Rumi said and his words match my soul's journey tonight. May this find you at peace, with the darkest nights or brightest moments of the day. All is Love. Let those who say otherwise face the shadows. It is time. Aho!" ~ author of Enlightened-ish by Gail Dickert and Coming Out without Coming Apart (4.22.13)


Love  this, Gail! If one tear is loneliness and one tear grief, what are the other hundreds I cry named? So I can name them, then I know them personally and can look them in the eye. And know that what looks back at me isn't "out there" but a reflection of what's "inside" of me, that forms a pool to quench the aching thirst of my own Soul for Love, True Love! Will anyone ever drink from the pool in my Soul again? Ah, I must first tear down the barriers that surround the pool, then... and only then... will someone come to the pool to quench their thirst! jlpirtle "GoldDragon" - Jan Pirtle April 22, 2013

SPRING INTO LIFE!

Gail Dickert, published author who manages Frog Pond Early Learning Center on
March 30, 2013

"Kid therapy. It's hard to cry around them." - Gail Dickert

"Gail, this is a marvelous capture of the spring of your life!" - Gregory

Yup!

LIFE BASED ON DECISIONS

"Oh how the spiritualist fails herself when she focuses on the outward behaviors rather than the state of the heart... everything that has value happens within our thoughts, feelings, impressions and perceptions. That is the highest vessel for the Divine. Our behaviors align because our hearts are kept pure. It's when we divorce ourselves, from ourselves, that negative energy can take hold of our spirituality. There is freedom in trusting that the Sacred exists within and any other belief system creates captivity to external authorities. There is nothing more toxic than the belief that we have a need for an intercessor to access what is actually our birthright. Release the external authorities and gain greater access to what is yours to receive. 

This is a sacred marriage." 

Turtle Whisperer, Gail Dickert 6.19.13
(words that resulted from a ceremony for cleansing toxic spirituality.) 

Thunder Cats
how many times I watched this with my kids!

MOON TALK

"The hunger teaches us to conserve our energy and prepare for the kind of hunt that requires special tenacity and dedication. February's full moon is my favorite because there is a sense that nothing is farther from its goal than it is in that moment - still it shines, knowing who it is, how to tell its story and how to mirror that Light and Fire we crave as Spring takes root in our hearts. So, in a sense, this moon says, 'Empty is receptive and only when we starve for warmth can we see how important the Source really is...' This moon shows us how the hunger is the teacher." - Turtle Whisperer (Gail Dickert) 2.26.13

Moon full in the darkening sky
by Santee Featherarms

I left my favorite cigar store last night with a borrowed cell phone and $10 cigar. I was on the phone in a conference call about matters of life and death. As I stood still on the street I felt a pull I couldn't feel inside of the store. I stepped back in listening to my brother's deliberations. The feel lessened.


Later outside in a park my head and body felt ascension, and I looked up from the conversation into the full head of the Moon. As you, or anyone knows the Moon doesn't give you many words, but she says something to you. If receptive she can add to the conversations about life and death with assurances a human touch cannot convey. Between the strength of the smoke, the listening ears of my brothers, the stillness of the night in DC, and the quiet assurances the ground gave I feel I was able to peer deeply into the issues at hand. I was open to possibilities and receptive to truths. - Dawn Wolf,  Keeper of Stories

PATHS in Life

"you know I'm discovering that each person is going to follow the path they think is right in order to find value and worth in their own search for significance. how much easier it would be if we would stop seeking a path and realize we are in this together, thus, there is no path... there is only... significance." - Gail Dickert

INTEGRITY of soul

"Once trust is gone, there is void. This is why integrity matters. Not because we are in eternal relationship with one another but because "feelings" are fluid but trust is a shield in any storm... it is the foundation for All Our Relations. When we are trustworthy, we are telling the Universe that our foundation is strong and the Universe can then build upon us. Are we not just taking up space if there is no ability to build based on our behavior? Integrity. Or evaporate." - The Turtle Whisperer, a.k.a. Gail Dickert