So, Brad Meltzer or History.com: hire me to be your Symbologist -- and you'll get a whole different story!!!

Over the holidays, I've had a chance to catch some of the programming on the History channel. What is up with the latest trend in all their programming? Their theory is that all the wisdom from ancient mystery schools was given to humanity by "extra terrestrials or aliens." I hear this, and think: maybe they mean "multidimensional beings" -- which are not really the same as "aliens." And when they show Viking burial sites that have rocks surrounding the mound in the shape of a "boat," I don't see a "boat." I see the symbol for the Vesica Piscis. The Vesica can be found in in doors and windows in Churches, Mosques, Pagodas, Tabernacle's and Temples world wide. Check it out. They should pepper their programming with experts on Sacred Geometry.
Also,on Brad Meltzer's Decoded, they discussed Da Vinci and made a (brief) reference to a drawing, or invention, of his that is a tetrahedron, and as I watched I thought: "oh, the Merkaba." But they didn't discuss that. I first learned of the Merkaba through Drunvalo Melchizedek (on You Tube). Now, THAT is some interesting programming!

There was a lot of speculation about the Mona Lisa and the water in his painting, and they postulated that the painting was possibly a self-portrait. So, while they were thinking that Da Vinci was a cross-dresser, I'm thinking that yes, he was leading us to his "feminine side," or what we commonly refer to as Intuitive, receptive ways of knowing, or the Feminine Divine. Their interpretation was that Da Vinci was warning us of a cataclysmic flood, end of the world type stuff. Using my Intutive faculties, my interpretation is even more esoteric: Da Vinci is possibly warning us about the consequences of not being able to tame our emotions and our more base desires. Water = emotions (and the subconscious) in the world of symbolism. Water, the seas, etc. can be dark and mysterious. If we are UNAWARE of what is lurking in the waters of our unconscious selves, these primal forces can cause great storms in our lives, individually and collectively, or if we choose to "see" what is down there in the murky depths (instead of denying it), we can work with it, deal with it, face it, and have something nurturing and sustainable come from what may have once seemed impending doom or calamity. The world (starting with myself) needs to start looking more at its own Shadow side, rather than projecting our worst fears and anger (and other bullcocky) onto others. The roots of environmental devastation are a result of the fact that collectively, humanity is afraid to look at its Shadow side. Changing the INDIVIDUAL Self is changing the world ... one by one. Ghandi knew what he was talking about: "Be the Change." (But, that's just my opinion.)

So, Brad Meltzer or History.com: hire me to be your Symbologist -- and you'll get a WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY!!!

Third Eye Virgin

Yesterday, I sat by the edge of the Boardman River and allowed myself to bask in the sun's rays ... we hadn't seen the sun for several days and I was "jones-ing" for it's light and warmth. (Similarly, I feel I am "jones-ing" on the inside, as well, for love, warmth, and affection.) Sometimes this inner transformation work is very lonely.
Closing my eyes, I thought I was seeing some kind of reflection of the light moving on the water (inside my closed lids). But I realized I was looking in the area of my third eye, seeing something I've never seen there before: at first it looked like a white mist, or even soft clouds swirling. I thought they were moving randomly, but as I focused, I realized the "clouds," or mist, was disappearing into a hole, a tunnel, a vortex? The mist wasn't just swirling in a circular motion, it (the mist) was literally being sucked into the hole/tunnel. I kept thinking: "I wish I could send my consciousness down that tunnel (how do I DO that?) and see where it would take me. Where would I end up? What would I see - other realms? other beings? Would I know how to come back once I stepped into the vortex? Constructive comments from the "initiated" among you are welcome!

Kathryn Preston singing Janis Ian's Lovers Lullabye A Capella

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1761831719435&set=t.1048342148&type=3&theater

Druidry, Merlin, Pendragon

Another interesting synchronicity is starting to happen surrounding the name 'Pendragon.' Now, this may be nothing new to some of you , but it's all new to me, so bear with 'the novice' for amoment.

Last winter I was in a quaint little town that time forgot in the Adirondacks, a town where there was a local theater called "Pengragon."

I had no idea at all, at that time, what the name meant or that it connected in any way with Druidry, Merlin, Arthur, etc.

This past summer and fall, as I pursued my research regarding Druids, I find that Arthur's father was named Uther Pendragon, and the word 'Pen' literally means "head" (of the dragon). Whenever I watch a movie about "Arthur," I cry -- with a longing, and an inexplicable yearning (not 'romantic' ... I don't have the hots for Clive Owen,... well, alright maybe a wee bit of a crush ("King Arthur" 2004.) ... the sense of loyalty and commitment to a higher cause, the nobility of principles, willingness to risk EVERYTHING for something larger than ourselves ... it awakens something in me.)

Merlin has been a huge symbol for me for years, and the more I read different interpretations re Merlin and Druids, the deeper and more rounded they are becoming -- he is less and less an archetype, and more and more REAL with each passing day. In fact, I just met a real live Druid who graduated from the order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids in Britain. (A sort of real-life hogwarts).

Perhaps -- now is the time to go deeper, to stop dancing around the perimeter of Druidry, and "enter the circle," so to speak.

Fractal Time

kathrynshakti@yahoo.com

I love author Gregg Braden! I just checked out his book “Fractal Time.” He talks about something I’m interested in: Patterns. He says nature uses repeating patterns to build energy. Nature builds itself in fragments. Each fragment is made up of patterns that are similar, yet not identical. He says Nature is a program that drives the universe. He goes on to say that patterns identified for an earlier time in history tend to repeat with greater intensity at later dates. He gave many historical examples, and I thought, this must apply to the microcosm (my little life) as well as the macrocosm. And lo and behold, the next chapter described a formula that can be used to look at traumatic events (or ecstatic ones) in our personal lives to predict when such events might happen again in our lives. Let’s say at age 11 I lost my father (which I did, and so did Gregg Braden). Take the number phi: .618 and multiply it by that age: 11 x .618 = 6.798. Add that number (6.798) to age 11 to get the next age in the sequence. In this case, age 17.798 will be the next time an event of loss will occur. The goal is to map out the pattern in your life and become conscious of it, then attempt to change the pattern so that something new occurs! (And I have to report that I AM DUE FOR SOME ECSTACY real soon!) I Love this guy! I love the Quantum Physics. I’m no scientist (really, more of a mystic) but I find it fascinating! HOPE YOU WILL TOO.

Quantum Angels

kathrynshakti@yahoo.com

Ok, so riding on the back of a touring bike for 900 miles, one has a lot of time to think. Here's what I was thinking about while riding from New York to Michigan: I believe in angels. I KNOW without a doubt (due to personal life experience) that they exist, and I don't care whether anyone agrees with this, or thinks I'm insane for believing this, so let's get on with this treatise.

Never having ridden on the back of a motorcycle before, I was seriously concerned with my mortality as I found myself flying past rigs at 75 mph on the highway while winds from all directions were acting as a battering ram on my body. Praying to my angels for protection, my mind drifted, and I wondered how it was possible that angels could hear the prayers or ministrations of everyone on the planet at the same time.

I believe in the idea of parallel realities: that I exist in an infinity of realities simultaneously. But, as far as I know, I am only able to be aware of one reality at a time. Or, is that true? I tried to break it down: how many realities can I be aware of at one time? I was aware of the physical reality whizzing past me: the cold wind, the smells, the sights, but I was also aware of my internal reality which was attempting to get inside the experience of the angels - a first for me. Usually, I ask them for help or guidance, but this was the first time I contemplated THEIR consciousness. (If I am contemplating their consciousness, does this bring me closer to them? Does this musing about them make me more like them? Am I possibly an "earth angel? Are there different "genres" of angels living on earth disguised as humans?


How is it that angels are able to be aware of all of us at the same time? And why do I assume that's true? Modern physics (quantum mechanics) says that if we were able to be conscious of all realities at the same time, we would know all there is to know. I have concluded that the angels must have this ability - to be conscious of all the possible realities simultaneously. HOW do they do it? And WHY are THEY able to do it, while I am unable to? What did they DO to RATE, to be 'worthy' of this superpower? Fred Alan Wolf says in "Taking the Quantum Leap," that to get to any other branch of the multiple-branching reality one just has to "become aware of what you want to do. From any branch there is a pathway leading to any other branch. Time is all you need, and time is all you really have to work with." Is this what the angels do? Do they make a conscious decision to tune into one frequency of light over the other frequencies in order to answer prayers? Do they have to specifically choose to give attention to my particular vibration in order to help me, or are they able to receive and respond to all frequencies at one time? Do they give general injections, or infusions, of light to humanity and make this available to the whole world at once? And if so, is it then up to each one of us to tune into that available energy individually? Or do they only become actively involved when they are actually called upon? I wonder how many people on this planet regularly call on the angels as often as I do? Do they find my pleas for assistance annoying, or is it their purpose to be of service? Do the angels make decisions on who to help by determining who actually has the greatest need in the moment? -- My thoughts are just ... spiraling ... like DNA ... like the fibonacci spiral ...like spirit.
Do you think that it's a coincidence or synchronicity that a song called "Too Many Angels" by Jackson Browne just started playing while I am writing this? (smile)
Kathryn can be reached at kathrynshakti@yahoo.com

Fairy Dancer: A Flight of Fancy inspired by the music of Steve Gorn

Tonight I was a fairy-dancer, flying, dancing, and spiraling to the Indian classical music of Steve Gorn.

Initially on the ground, high-stepping and kicking, I decided to leap,
somersaulting and tumbling in mid-air. Then, to the treetops, quick as a sprite, as the spider-fingered drummer weaved chaos, I danced on glossy sunkissed leaves at the top of an enchanted tree-line.

While the flute and drum were dancing a coquettish tango,
I surrendered and spiraled in slow-motion. Unseen hands supported me as I stretched my arms out and floated, spinning like a dervish, slowly, softly … merging with a dusky mist.

As the flute soared, I flew over lush green treetops for miles until I saw a lake. Descending, I danced on the beach, sprinkling fairy dust with flourishes that mimicked the djembe-drum percussion. Waterfalls of pixie dust showered flowers, and I hopped along the surface of the water on sun-sparkles. Each note of the music became a new dance-step as I jumped from sparkle to sparkle. And where the sunlight shimmered on the water, I shimmied with it, hop-scotching across the lake.

Lo and behold, out of the blue, my twin-flame fairy showed up. I took his hands in mine and we mirrored each other, then danced counterpoint. To a casual observer, we might have looked like dragonflies doing a courtly dance. We took off in flight and skimmed the side of a cliff, flying right through the middle of a waterfall into a cave that tunneled through the mountain and out the other side. We climbed higher in to the sky, wrapped our arms around each other, and spiraled, faster and faster, higher and higher, until we left the stratosphere and found ourselves in deep-space. I chose a star for him, and one for me, the way you would pick a wildflower for someone. We glowed like fireflies, tumbling and somersaulting, rolling and spiraling, laughing and giggling, until we spun so fast that together we became a single beam of light, soaring through space as a shooting star.

Then, we decided to disappear beyond the veil, to explore another galaxy … but don’t worry, we’re never really far away, and we’ll come back to Earth to play, another day.

Ears that Hear

From now on I pay much more attention to my own cycles and aligning with those of Mother Earth. There is a whole natural world out there that I was intimate with as a child, mountain-born and bred. Every seed in the milkweed knew my name.

My relationship to my own inner depths is reflected in my deep connection to the beauty and mysteries of Mother Earth. From now on, I'm not conforming to socialization standards that others try to impose on me. If I don't want to go to a party where people are boozing and getting high ... I'm not going. I would much rather hang out at dusk observing the sounds, sights, and scents of Mother Nature.

The cricket song; the graceful, glowing dance of fireflies; the gently lapping waves of an intimate inland lake:
these soulful sounds are much more pleasing to my ears than ever before. This is one of the benefits of saying "so long" to youthful, external, commercial pleasures. I don't desire the "party-life" anymore, and am deeply content with this inner shift. Nature is a contemplative playground for me and I receive messages from her all the time now.

Every animal, bird, tree, flower, plant, body of water ... is a revelation, and they all speak to me metaphorically. I wonder, if someday, the communication will cease to be metaphorical and become DIRECT -- from their consciousness to mine? I believe this is possible. I'll start by choosing a flower, tree, or plant, and just sit quietly with it while listening closely. If I practice this, I wonder: will I develop "ears that hear" -- as Jesus spoke of?

Spirit Cave - a monologue

I believe in Magic -- not the Hogwarts kind -- but the kind that sees a tree spring from a seed, a fetus emerge from a womb, OR -- Spirit ENTER a womb.

I am Spirit and I am spiraling, flying through crystalline tunnels in the Earth, heading toward the Cave of Creation -- to the place where we are all born and Re-born.

The most magical of places is the Cave, Kiva, the Womb of Mother Earth, the Womb of Woman.

It is a place of entering in, a portal for Spirit, a Sanctuary, a place of inner transformation -- where I gestate and incubate my destiny, deep within the mystery, and DREAM a life in to being.

My womb is a Gnostic Mystic, like Mary Magdalene, a Priestess of deepest knowing, a CHALICE for radical shifts in transformation. My womb is a Universe unto itself, and navigating the cavernous places of my being is like journeying in deep space.

My womb is ALIVE, FERTILE, ABUNDANT!!! and it vibrates like a Tibetan Singing Bowl, harmonizing itself into the Mystery of Me.

Darkness Redefined

Darkness needs to be redefined, not as a state of non-light or something negative, undesirable, or frightening -- but as a state of non-being, formlessness prior to creation; to be or not to be; light/dark is not so much about an either/or (duality) mentality as it is about the Merging, Uniting of energies. The idea or potential of anything already exists within the warm, gestating waters of darkness, the primordial chaos, the state that must be returned to before a new order can emerge. Light contains the information that the seed/idea needs in order to become “form” - and the dark is the 'home' where things simmer, stew, brew, gestate, and are nurtured so they can grow, heal or expand. The dark is a good, benevolent place like a warm, wonderful, welcoming Womb. :)

Victorian Love Poem

She prepares her wild soul,
with lilacs and lack of fear.
Her heart yearns for a home,
she feels it coming near.

“Come softly, beloved,” she beckons,
“lay your burden upon my breast
scented with lavender
for your weary head to rest.”


Heaven on earth,
her body worships thee,
with kisses sweeter than wine,
God of her idolatry.

Thy soul she will tend
til death and beyond.
Take this poem
as pledge of her love-bond.

Piper Methysticum (Mystical Poetry)

Piper Methysticum
by Kathryn Preston





Archetypal lovers
come and go
ebb and flow
like lava on the move
glowing crimson
volcanic
voluptuous
dark and daring,
inviting
Concubitia
to propitiate the gods
in ritual passion,
activating the mystical umbilical,
a secret passageway
connecting past and present,
uniting opposites,
in ecstatic eruptions
and solar distortions
in a 3-D world
simultaneously
going global
and collapsing,
unmasking
economics and
plate tectonics,
paradigm shifts breeding
chaotic dynamics,
jazzy fusions of duality:
Nietzschean and Anarchist
Ubermalcontents and Bolshevists,
dandies and dykes,
poets and propagandists.
Where do I fit?
How to be
fundamentally me
and put my love into action -
that is the question.

Freedom to choose

when our world has gone beyond the current turmoil and chaos of change, I want to see the whole world existing in a reality where each person has the freedom to choose exactly what his/her own version of paradise would be, and to have ...the means/resources to follow that bliss. AND IF SOMEONE TRIES that reality and finds it not to his liking, then by all means, he should be able to experiment, improvise, and tweak reality until he/she finds her true bliss.
Amen brothas and sistas!

A Celtic Solstice

The Celts are my ancestors, but I have known precious little of this heritage as all my familial bonds were severed in childhood. I know I was named for my paternal grandmother, Kate O’Shaughnessy, who moved to Canada from Ireland to escape genocide via famine induced by the British government. There she met and married Carl Preston. Preston means “priest town.” Apparently, in twelfth century Scotland, there was and still is a town named Preston, run by a group of Catholic priests. Eventually the pair moved to the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York where I was born.

My life seemed to be in a state of chaotic-limbo, so I took the opportunity to do some digging into the history and mythology of “my people.” I use quotes around the phrase “my people” because I have never really felt the fervor of a nationalistic identity. I grew up in a foster home where African-American, Native American, Irish-American, you name it - were all my brothers and sisters. I didn’t realize it then, but I see now that there was hidden treasure in the hardships of life as an orphan. Considering people from all walks of life to be my kith and kin has led to a world- view that is inclusive of all human beings and all life.

For much of my life, however, I felt like an outsider in my own culture: a culture that takes many of its ideas of civilization from a Greco-Roman world view. Interestingly, the name “Celt” comes from the Greek word “Celtoi” meaning “stranger” or “outsider.” For many years I found a “home” in the theater. Migrating across America, performing plays, writing poetry, and maintaining an ancient oral tradition that I had no idea I was part of. Today I am a writer, poet, actor, singer, and somewhat of a mystic. Since I was not in a position to learn this behavior from my parents, I have surmised that these gifts can only have been passed down through the ages from the original Bard by means of genetics or Jung’s collective unconscious.

When I speak of the “original Bard,” I don’t mean Shakespeare (though I love his work dearly.) Contrary to popular belief, the term “Bard” is of Celtic origin. In ancient times, the Bard would perform his poetry during feasts, satirizing or glorifying his warrior tribesmen, while the Chieftain looked on. What appeals to me most about this character, the Bard, is that although he had a formidable intellect, and was an exquisite performer and public speaker, the real magic of his “critiques” lay within the intimate connection he had with each member of his tribe. That kind of kinship and connection steeped in history and tradition is what I have envied Europeans for all my life. Now, I realize that my ancestors were the fathers of Europe, and I am more connected than I ever realized. A simple flick of the switch inside my head has produced a connectivity heretofore unknown to me. This connection illuminates “ways of thinking” that I thought were unique to me, but is actually unique to the Celts.

It is a non-classical, Celtic mind that believes opposing facts can be equally right, and that a conclusion can be arrived at from a number of different directions. In contrast, it is the Greco-Roman mind that thinks in terms of strict order, hierarchies, beauracracies, squares, rectangles, and boxes. My thinking has always been much freer, more fluid, more abstract. Celtic art forms were inspired by the land and sea they loved so well. Their art, like their lifestyle, was about freedom of movement: open-ended curves and beautiful swells. Celtic art and music reflects a philosophy of freedom. I realize that what I am about to write is a rather romantic notion, and probably every orphan’s deepest desire, but I wish I could live with a tribe of people who love the land they live on as fiercely as they love one another. I met a native Irishman who describes a rural man as knowing and loving the land he lives on the same way he knows his lady-love. An Irishman feels the soil the same way he runs his hands through his true love’s hair. He is as familiar with the contours of the land as he is with every nook and cranny of his beloved’s body. If everyone honored the spirit of the land and the spirit of the feminine in this manner, there might be more “peace on earth.”

My research on Celtic Solstice rituals has provided me with illumination and guidance as to why my life seemed in limbo. Ancient Winter Solstice festivals consisted of four rituals:

1. Rites of mortification, austerity. This is the natural cycle we are in at this time of the year. The sun is in stasis. Sol = “sun,” and stice = “still.” There is a suspended animation that happens at the end of one cycle (death of the old), before the New Year (birth of the new sun/son) begins. This explains my feeling of limbo, but what is its purpose?

2. Rites of purgation: expelling bad moral or physical habits. Fasts, abstinence; getting rid of the old so the new can flow in. Then, having surrendered to austerity for the purpose of purification (preparing for the new ) we move on to:

3. The rites of invigoration, rejuvenation of energies. Ancients did this through ritual combat (much like stage combat of today); battles between death and life, old and new, winter and spring. And last but not least:

4. The rites of jubilation: comes from an overwhelming sense of relief that death has been beaten and the continuance of life has begun.

I believe that my world was turned upside down recently because it is only within the fertile ground of chaos that creation, renewal, and transformation can happen. I feel that I am on the verge of letting go of old ways that no longer serve me so that I may loose the chains that have held my heart in bondage. I am on the precipice, about to cross the threshold into that portal which is my own heart. I am about to discover a new world, abundant with possibility, as generations of fathers and mothers before me had done. Their journey was physical. Mine is spiritual.

As I shed my old skin and reinvent myself and my life, I also have a sense of advancing my ancestors’ legacy: to bring freedom of thought and new ways of being into the present moment; to create my life as the highest form of art, and to share all of this with others in the interest of Unity.

Re Spring Issue of Parabola 2011

Reading the Spring issue of Parabola Magazine has given me new inspiration and understanding.
Jonathan Omer-Man describes my personal relationship with suffering via a hasidic interpretation of
the Jews' slavery and Moses' role in the scenario. He says : in the initial stages of their slavery, the Jews' coping mechanism (and mine) was to buffer themselves against pain, they suffered a loss of identity (as I did) and fell intoa melancholic non-action. They accepted slavery as their fate. Omer-Man says they felt wretched and alone, hopeless. (Been there,done that, too.) Then, Moses was the deus ex machinae. In order to provoke a shift inside them, Moses provoked the Pharoah into worsening their condition so that they would not be static anymore. The pain became so excruciating that they were forced to make a choice: "We don't want to live this way any more." Thus began the Exodus! I don't know about you, but I LOVE Parabola Magazine - it just clarified things for me. I had never heard this interpretation before. All I have to do is make the "shift," get off my duff and move -- no more hiding, no more buffering--make the change! Thank you, Jonathan Omer-Man, for sharing this wisdom. I love you!

Quest

I have changed so radically - in the way I think and see life - as a result of this journey. It’s not right for me to try to squash myself back into a box that I no longer fit into. My intention is to expand as far as I can in this life, SPIRITUALLY. Now it is clear that I need to seek out people who are likeminded in a soulful way: interested in ancient wisdom-teachings from all backgrounds, who love Creativity and Nature. These are the folks who are my true tribe. I am forced to re-define “family” and what that will look like for me from here on out. I am not content to merely engage in spiritual dialogue on the internet whilst eking out a living in “drudgeryville.” I need to move on to find out where I belong. I need to find a new direction to move in. I need to find a group with common values that is committed to something larger than myself and my small concerns. Right now, I need what the ancient Druids would call a “soul-friend” (Anam Chara)who can help me narrow my focus so that I can begin to map out the next steps on my path; someone who understands the process of true transformation and transition, a support person who can help me keep moving along the path and not get stuck (as I know will happen if I continue to walk the path of the “lone-wolf.”) This is where all of my Friends come in. Is there an apprenticeship where I can learn how to take my intuitive, compassionate, and creative gifts and put them into some kind of practical, meaningful, and fulfilling use? I am praying with all my heart that I can achieve more intensity in the realm of bliss. It has been a long and dificult journey, but now I think I’m finally “coming home” to Myself. Thank you all for your kindness and generosity toward me. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!!
Kathryn Preston
1/12/11