Morning Thoughts: A Brief Overview ~The Morning Storm~ I woke up a little earlier this morning with the sound of thunder rumbling across the Delta Sky and made my way into the kitchen to make a pot coffee. The booming thunder was so loud I thought thought it might wake the dead. "Wake the dead?" I asked out loud to no one, "What funny expressions we have in our American language." The thought of Zombies crawling out of their graves and staring up at the ominous sky that awoke them made me laugh and shake my head at such silly thoughts I was having as I yawned and waited for the coffee finish brewing. While sipping my coffee and staring out the window at the beautiful display Mother Nature was putting on, my mind began to wonder into thoughts of death and life. I started reflecting on my own life and had many age old questions flood my mind. I began questioning myself "Who and what am I?" "What happens when we die?' "Is there a God? If so, what or who is God?" "What are these spiritual feelings I have?' On and on my mind filled with the questions that has plagued conscious humans from their humblest beginnings... thoughts and questions I have had since I was a kid. My mind began searching, once again, for the answers and it took me back to my childhood. ~The Flower Years~ I guess I was about 6 or 7 years of age when I began to become hooked on flowers and started fashioning jewelry made from wildflowers to wear proudly. I adorned myself and my parents with crowns, necklaces, ankle bracelets, wrist bracelets, belts and rings of these fragrant and delicate crafts. I began teaching other children how to make these natural gifts; the practice became a favorite pastime for several girls and a few brave boys during school recess. I remember holding flowers in my hand and gazing at it's natural beauty. Void of thoughts, I would meditate and become One with the florets as I created the adornments for others to wear. When the break was over we would head back to our classroom draped in wildflowers where our teacher was waiting to educate us in our next lesson. We were never asked to remove our jewels from the classroom but was encouraged to continue our creativity. Another flower practice I had as a child was eating edible flowers. White Clover, Violets, Roses, Buttercups and Black-eyed Susans, to name a few of the tasty treats. Honeysuckle was my favorite floral in fragrance and taste. I spent time with the Honeysuckle vine: groomed it, pondered it, enjoyed the taste of the flowers, the smell, and began wearing the vine as well. Fields of wildflowers became a favorite playground - one of the advantages of living in the country over the city. My parents were worried of snakes, old equipment, holes and other things that were hidden in the tall grassy play area and told me several times to stay away for safety reasons - but I was drawn to the beauty as if possessed by the flowers. This recreation area is where I started talking to plants, listening to what they had to say and decided that plants will be an important part of my life. I would come home with beautiful bouquets to decorate around the house, for my parents and myself - knowing good and well my parents would know where I've been, I proudly walked home with a rainbow of delightful nature to bring into the home. During the flower wearing years of my life I began to examine insects, animals and rocks more closely. My imagination ran free to create images of myself combined with a particular creature or thing. For instance, I could see myself as a butterfly, stone or earthworm. I could almost feel how fast I was flying as a darting Dragonfly or the coldness of the ground as my belly slithered across it in snake form. I became One with everything I came in contact with or my mind could imagine. ~Rolling Stones~ A common after school activity was to collect rocks. I did not understand why I wanted to decorate my dresser and build rock gardens with the stone treasures; I only knew I wanted them and felt close to them. Sometimes I would silence my mind and meditate on a particular rock or a group of them. Other times I would try to imagine living my whole life as a rock; trying to understand a deeper meaning to them besides some of the facts I understood during my childhood: rocks are here on Earth and elsewhere in the Universe, they can be shelter for some creatures, make a great display in nature and in the home and make fairly good driveways. When my parents took me to the mountains I saw for the first time the largest rocks I had ever seen. A few of the boulders was 3 or 4 times my height! It was explained to me that the boulders have broken off an even bigger rock - the mountain itself. I recall attuning My Being to the over-sized pebble that I was standing on, aligning my Spirit with it. I felt grandeur, power, majesty and a sense of duty to watch over the world. I felt my Ka soaring above landscape below. This was one of the greatest experiences of my young life - and I learned that I was afraid of heights during this trip, but If I stayed away from the edge of the cliff I was just fine and at One with the ancient stone. The first time I dug for crystals was with my parents just outside of Hot Springs, Arkansas. I felt as if I was on a hunt for ancient buried treasure as I searched for larger pieces. In the end, we found small to medium size pieces of quartz and had the time of our lives. We decided to go in one of the shops where I could see large quartz that was found in the area. Though a bit huffy I did not find such a big crystal on my own, I was pleased that my parents bought me one of the larger crystal clear minerals that I hand picked myself. That crystal became my most prized room decoration and the center piece of of several meditations. During other special treasure hunts with my family we have found fossil rocks. I don't remember my first fossil find but I do remember my parents explaining they are basically impressions or imprints of animals, insects and plants left in the rocks; that fossil rocks are special because the image/impression in the rock I am seeing is extinct; that the fossils are thousands of years old - some millions of years old. This sparked a new curiosity and wonder within me, now I can see some of the extinct things I was told about at home and in school. I become One with them - I became One with the fossil rock and the extinct creature or plant. I was now another step closer to ancient Earth. ~Animal Instinct~ From wild animals to pets, a profound part of me during the flower years became a kindred spirit with all things, providing the foundation that explains some experiences during the physical life time is occurring. I've had too many experiences with animals during my flower years to write about here but is a topic that is necessary to briefly cover. At home, we had cats and dogs that provided hours of entertainment and unconditional love. Having pets provided me with the beginning skills of how to care for others in the way of food, water, shelter and other needs. Other skills I was taught is as follows: The cats trained me in physical balance, basic gymnastics, night vision, quiet footsteps, stalking, curiosity and caution. The dogs taught me acute listening, loyalty, friendliness, protection, playfulness and physical strength. I recall spending time with these pets, and acting just like them to communicate with them in their language. I must have looked silly panting like a dog, scratching imaginary fleas and chasing a ball of yarn with the cat but, for me, a way to learn their ways; to learn how they view the world. Today, I know this to be a form of Shape-Shifting; to become the desired animal. In the wild, birds became a favorite to meditate on. I would soar into the clouds with the Crows, dive-bomb for food with the Hawks, sing with the Blue-Jays and hop with the Robins. Birds became the best teacher of Spirit Soaring and music. Squirrels taught me to climb trees and save for future. I spent many hours during the flower years hanging out in the trees, watching the birds and squirrels. This was also the best time to show off my abilities at 'swinging in the trees' as the monkeys on TV taught me to do. The zoo was a good place to see and learn about animals around the world, though I am not happy with many zoos today, I still have fond memories of seeing amazing creatures with my own eyes. My parents wanted me to have a better understanding of the world we live in, to see for myself just how tall a giraffe really is, how grand the sound of the elephants roar is and human-like the apes are. This may have been the most profound experience of my life, to experience many animals from around the world first hand, and a way to become in Unity with them. The aquarium was another place that sparked my young mind. I recall watching the octopus and waiting for him to move so we could see his spender. The various sharks were almost scary and yet they were one of the most thrilling to see. The dolphins and seals provided the crowd with much needed laughs and smiles. The colours and patterns on the varieties of fish sparked some drawings after the visit. I remember the visit to the aquarium as a surreal and peaceful feeling and helped me to attune to the water worlds. ~The Darkness~ One of the highlights of my childhood was being outside after dark watching the lightening bugs dance and trying to chase them in hopes to catch one of the most fascinating creatures on the planet. I recall catching few, putting them in a jar and closing it with the lid my dad drilled holes so the bugs would have air. I sat the jar next to the bed and realized they created a natural nightlight. I became One with the insects in the jar before I drifted off to sleep. The next day I released the bugs that made it through the night. The practice of putting the bugs into a jar overnight ended quickly because most of them perished in the jar and I my intentions were never to harm them but I did however continue to watch and chase them after nightfall. A favorite nighttime activity was to sit outdoors with my family and search the sky for passing comets, planets, UFOs, falling stars, and constellations while sipping lemonade or a soda. I was amazed at how much we can see with the naked eye while the Sun hid its face from our view. I don't recall all the dialogs that went on between us but I do remember my parents teaching me all they know about the Universe we live in. They told me of ancient myths, historical facts, religious and spiritual beliefs, scientific facts and theories - concerning all we can see in the night sky. I could see that the Darkness reveals more than the Light; that in Darkness we can see clearly the Universe we live in. I began to ponder the night sky and became the stars, planets, comets - all things I could see in the grand heavens above. Ghost hunting is an activity that is laughable to some and scorned or condemned by other people. Some people have made a hobby or a career out of searching for entities on Earth while others spend their lives preaching against the taboo practice. It became a childhood hobby of mine - usually in the Darkness. My mom on occasions would take me to old graveyards or areas that were known to be (supposedly) haunted. Other times we would take an evening walk in hopes to encounter a spirit - knowing they are not always 'chained' to a location. We did have unexplainable events to occur, but this was very rare and most likely a product of our collective imagination, although I cannot say that positively. This hobby was mainly a fun activity that most kids only dreamed of doing [especially with a parent] and it opened my heart, mind and senses to the possibilities of the spiritual realms - the possibilities of more after the physical body is dead. I began to feel Oneness with the Spirit World. ~The Answer: Child's Play~ After briefly examining the flower years of my life I realized that I knew the answers all along to the age old questions of life - I knew the answers since childhood. As a child, I was simply connecting to my Higher Self and everything; I was consciously realizing the connection between myself and everything. The answers to the age old questions are child's play [so easy to answer]. As a child, adults considered my actions playing - that is what children do right? Today, I feel that to say a child is playing games may not always be the correct answer - they may simply be recognizing their connectedness to everything - to the All/God/One/Higher Self - as I did as a child. Who and what am I? I am a of the One. I am every star, every tree, every animal, every human - I am All. This reminds me of a bible passage: 'God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM (hayah) has sent me to you.'" Ex 3.14' God is I AM. God is All. All is God. I am God. I am All. I am One. Is there a God? If so, what or who is God? All is God, God is All. God is Nature, Nature is God. I am God, God is me. God is One, One is God. We are One. Everything is One. Is there a God? Yes. If all exists then God exists. If all does not exist then God does not exist. What happens when we die? We continue to exist in our true or pure form. Our energy [spirit] will continue to 'live' minus the physical body [humans, birds, lizards, flowers, trees, etc - all will shed the illusion of the physical form]. We go back to the first principle or the One that caused all to exist. That is, we are no longer in the human condition that everything is separate - that is an illusion - we are forever 'alive' with the One, for we are not separate from it. What are these spiritual feelings I have? A connection to the All. It is a knowing that I am in direct link to my Higher Self or God. It is unity with everything. It is being in tune with my very nature - the nature that is in All. It is knowing that I AM is in fact me and everything - therefore I AM. In short, separateness is an illusion, everything and everyone is One. The physical world we live in creates the illusion of separation but if one looks away from the physical outside world and concentrates attention to the Higher Self/God then Oneness with All is realized. When adults see a child playing games, they should stop the child and ask what it is doing and listen to answers to the 'hard questions in life'. Some children may answer "I am pretending to be a tree" or "I am flying like the birds" - a clue that the child is connecting with the All. I find I am satisfied with the answers I have known all along. I think it is time to make myself another cup of coffee and watch the rain fall before this brief overview becomes a book.

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