FULL CIRCLE

Earth Day 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:21:00 +0000

Happy Earth Day!

This is a photo of a River Kingfisher taken by John&Fish. I happen to think he is one of the best bird photographers at Flickr. I am posting this in honor of Earth Day. We are going to hear both sad and happy news about Mamma Gaia today, and I offer these photos as something to inspire you to formulate your own plans on how to best protect the future of our planet.

Happy Spring to you and yours,

Sia

小翠騰展

翠鳥．攝於台灣台北外雙溪
River Kingfisher, taken at Waishuanghsi, Taipei, TAIWAN

Yule Blessing

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:47:00 +0000

Origionally posted 12/09. Posted again in 12/11 with gratitude and thanks for loved ones, health and hope. My thoughts today are with those less fortunate who could use our help this season. Do what you can. Sia.

This Yule blessing comes to us courtesy of the good folks at the Portland Revels. It is a poem for the New Year by Irish poet and spiritual teacher John O'Donohue. I would encourage everyone who reads this to make a donation to a charity of your choice - the need this year is very great.

A Blessing for the New Year

BEANNACHT

On the day when
The weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble
May the clay dance
To balance you

And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The gray window
And the ghost of loss
Gets into you,
May a flock of colors,
Indigo, red, green
And azure blue,
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
In the curragh of thought
And a stain of ocean
Blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And may a slow
Wind work these words
Of love around you,
An invisible cloak
To mind your life.

from To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings, Doubleday, 2008 by John O'Donohue

If you would like to hear the words of this blessing spoken with a lovely Irish accent by the poet himself, here is a link to a youtube recording: Beannacht

Wishing the blessings and peace of the Winter Solstice to you and yours,

Sia

Welcome Yule!

Hogswatch Stocking from the Discworld Emporium

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:13:00 +0000

Our friends at the Discworld Emporium have a nifty new offering for Hogswatch.

Links to this page have been flying around the net, often with the word "WANT" in the subject line.

Sia

Terry Pratchett in Seattle, New York and D.C. for new book, Snuff

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:02:00 +0000

Road Trip!

I leave soon on a road trip to Seattle where I'll be meeting old and new friends who are gathering to attend Terry Pratchett's event at the Town Hall. We'll be picking up our copies of his new book, Snuff, at this event, enjoying the great clam chowder and then reading, reading, reading after that.

Dates and notes on his American Tour can be found at the NADWCon 2013 Facebook page.

You might also like the page for the North American Seamstress Guild.

Notes on the next North American Discworld convention can be found at It Bodes.

I'm traveling next week, as well, and I'll be in a city with some well organized protests. I'm tempted to attend and to bring a sign that says,

Truth! Justice! Freedom! Reasonably priced Love and a hard boiled egg

or how about this?

There Is No Justice. There's Just Us

In the meantime, I'll leave you with this marching song from Nightwatch.

...All the little angels rise up, rise up.
All the little angels rise up high!
How do they rise up, rise up, rise up?
How do they rise up, rise up high?
They rise heads up, heads up, heads up, they rise heads up, heads up high!

Be careful out there,

Sia

Nobody, But Nobody, Can Make It Out Here Alone

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:10:00 +0000

"A witch speaks for those who cannot speak for themselves." - Terry Pratchett

Beth Owl's Daughter and Maya Angelou's poem said it all today.

We are the 99% and nobody makes it alone.

Sia

Update: A man named Derek Batchelor wrote this on his Facebook page today:

No one has been able to explain to me why young men... and women serve in the U.S. Military for 20 years, risking their lives protecting freedom, and only get 50% of their pay. While Politicians hold their political positions in the safe confines of the capital, protected by these same men and women, and receive full pay retirement after serving one term. It just does not make any sense.

... the staffers of Congress family members are exempt from having to pay back student loans...

35 States file lawsuit against the Federal Government

Governors of 35 states have filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon them. It only takes 38 (of the 50) States to convene a Constitutional Convention.

...For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens (have) no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the 6ylaws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform... in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop.

Related Links:

Untying Injustice: A review of Thich Nhat Hanh's story, The Novice

Amplifying this resonance of folk story with the author’s own story, his long-time friend along the Path, Ven. Sister Chan Khong brings to light how he’s dealt with incredible adversity, much probably unknown to most readers. This ranges from lethal violence leveled at his grassroots, nonpartisan social work during America’s war in his native land (aka the Vietnamese war), to the recent brutal repression of his disciples there, after he’d weathered out his 40-some-year exile. The volume is capped with his own summing up.

Art: She Who Watches

Thank you, Steve Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:12:00 +0000

As I write this tribute on my MacBook Pro, I am reminded of what I tell everyone I know who is thinking about buying an Apple product: "Remember how hard it is to date and how wonderful, easy and simple it feels when you finally meet the right person? Well, that's the difference between a PC and a MAC. PC's are the ones who gave you so much grief and trouble and wasted so much of your time. Once you've worked on a MAC you feel like you've found your true match; you are finally with someone who respects you and thinks like you do. Trust me, you'll never go back.".

Today, while the world is considering the life of this man and mourners are creating impromptu memorials, my 85 year old mother (who hated her old "smart phone" and would rarely use it) is rocking her iPhone, and sending me texts and photos on a daily basis. There again is the genius of Apple; it resides in the realm of connection. Other companies made phones for 20 years and they were never, ever as user - and elder - friendly as the iPhone. The ease of this enhanced communion, through words, pictures and sound, is a grace note for both my mother and me. Multiply that intimate effect by millions and we are closer to groking the enduring, world-changing legacy of this remarkable and very driven man.

As we consider the impact that Steve Job's life and work has had upon our own lives, it is useful to consider the metaphysical, cultural and literary thinking that influenced him. As Susan Donaldson James notes, his mantra, "Focus and Simplicity", was rooted in Buddhism. She writes:

Jobs used Dalai Lama in one of Apple's most famous ad campaigns: "Think Different."

... Jobs could have just as easily taken his philosophy from the hippie movement of the 1960s. The Whole Earth Catalogue was his bible, with founder Stewart Brand's cry, "We are as gods."

The catalogue offered an integrated and complex world view with a leftist political calling. Jobs later adopted the catalogue's mantra: "Stay hungry. Stay foolish."

The catalogue also delved into spirituality. In one 1974 article, author Rick Fields wrote that Buddhism is "a tool, like an alarm-clock for waking up."

That may have been the case for Jobs. He said in his now-famous 2005 Commencement speech at Stanford that he lived each day as if it were his last, admonishing graduates not to "live someone else's life."

"Don't be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people's thinking," Jobs said. "Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice."

There are many reasons why Apple users loved him. I think Chris Taylor said it best: Steve Jobs saved technology from itself. I recommend his article; it gives us a vivid picture of the tech world if he had not existed.

Steve Jobs wasn't a perfect man by any means. His verbal abuse of Apple employees is legendary and one hears very mixed reviews of what it's like to work there. (1) As a eco-feminist, I have often wished - and said publicly - that his products could and should have been more green in their design, especially when it came to recycling. Thanks to a Greenpeace campaign and thousands of Apple fans, Apple's environmental record has improved.

There was, as Bryan Walsh notes in Time, a very dark side to Steve Job's dream. Let us not forget that his innovative designs were affordable for us because they were made by poor people working low hours in terrible conditions for obscenely low wages in China. A rash of suicides in one Apple factory there finally pushed both Apple and China to address the conditions of their workers but their record, their awareness and their response to such issues remains mixed, at best. The company says it is working to improve conditions and become truly green. Those who care for Mamma Gaia and her creatures are keeping their eye on their progress

Stories emerged this year that Apple's child labor issues in China had worsened. Apple fans and the company Jobs founded would do well to remember that the tech revolution and a global economy means that we are all, now, citizens of the world. What hurts one of us, hurts us all. The linked article notes that Apple investigated these allegations and has since terminated it's contract with that company.

On the plus side, Apple is doing a great deal to make their products available - and useable by - people with disabilities. They have been at the forefront of accessible design for decades and this includes the new version of the iPad.

Tonight, while Apple users and newspapers react to the the death of Steve Jobs, I will light a candle for his spirit and will remember with gratitude that an Apple II allowed a humanities major entry into the male dominated, math wizard world of computers in the 80's. The skills I learned on this cranky and amazing machine have allowed me to make a living ever since. Today his products enrich my life in ways that only a mind like his could have imagined. Thank you, Steve. Enjoy your next adventure.

Sia

Updated 10/7, 10/8

Recommended Reading:

What Steve Jobs Understood That Our Politicians Don't

Steve Jobs: The Power of Taking the Big Chance

What It's Like To Work At Apple

Endnotes:

(1) There is another way. It is called a servant leadership culture.

Job's Profile on Apple Logo: Image Credit: Jonathan Mak
Hat Tip to this website for the links to tributes

The Evolution of Beauty

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:20:00 +0000

This is one of my favorite TED Talks. Enjoy

Dr. Dutton's book, The Art Instinct, is now in paperback

Sia

Endnotes:

Here are some more videos illustrated by Andrew Park

Writing To My Younger Self

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 22:55:00 +0000

A friend's daughter just started college and I wrote her a letter to congratulate her on taking this great leap. I later realized that I was writing to my young self as much as to her:

*************

Dear -----

I am writing to send my best wishes for your highest good and to wish you many great adventures at college. One thing I learned that helped me back then was that the best and brightest minds learned by falling down and getting up again. Those who never, ever risk, rework and try again never learn how to learn. May you be a Learner and a Doer like your amazing Mom, and may you find joy, both in your own unique path and in working with other good minds and hearts.

I hope that the your process is as rewarding as reaching the goals you've set for yourself. Don't be surprised if your road takes a few, unexpected turns. Over the years, I've found that the the most interesting and creative people make left turns when they least expect it, so now, when I hit a wall, I turn left. ( I used to dig a rut, furnish it and move in, but I got better.) I could wish that the universe spoke a bit more clearly at times (a freeway sign? a ticket to Europe?) but that's the way it works for me. I've found that offerings of creativity, attention, dedication and a willingness to question everything we think we know, and to tell our truth to power, can be made on the altar of learning at any time of life. When I listen, and I'm brave enough to make the difficult and compassionate choices, I find that my life and my work are made richer and deeper as a result. I was lucky enough to learn from my mistakes and, better still, I learned not to fear making them. Because of this, I enjoyed my 20's a great deal, and I now revel in my 50's even more. May it be so for you.

All good things,

Sia

****************

School - and learning in a wide variety of ways - has always been the best commitment I've ever made. As she starts down this road, I wish her, and all that young ones out there with her, the strength to ask the questions they need to ask, the courage to deal with the answers and joy throughout.

SV

Caregiving and Truth Telling

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 19:09:00 +0000

How are you? I am fine.

Oh, we're telling the truth, are we?

Well then, I am truly, madly, deeply fine for varying values of fine which on some days means I've survived the day intact and not done any of the hundred and one uncivil, unhealthy, or violent things that occur to my tired, angry lizard brain when I'm under a lot of stress.

I've been working on a large and complex project this year and wearing a lot of hats. I am trying to use my best skills and not work from my negative sides, which as a child of an alcoholic, the survivor of a dysfunctional family, religion and culture, and a recovering addict and alcoholic myself (1), I have in spades.

The project in question calls for discernment, not judgement; tact and truth telling, not harsh blaming and resentment; hard work and wise delegation, not being a door mat or a martyr. Most of all, I need to lead by example. I need to exhibit creativity and flexibility, not control. In dealing with people of all types, I am working to present my best self, the one with a wicked sense of humor, who shows a calm presence under pressure and who knows how to best use the skills of my team and how to support, appreciate and reward their great work.

I keep my Inner Eye out for the lessons here, knowing that life never lets us focus on just one thing, that Her timing is not the same as mine, and that spiritual wisdom is most often (for me at least) to be found in paradox.

My mother has been ill again, unexpectedly (although it is never really unexpected these days, which is why I keep a bag packed). When I got The Call We Dread I jumped in the car with dog and drive snack, and headed out on a half-day road drive to see her. As I pulled out of drive I thought of that old joke: "What's the secret of comed-TIMING!": I was leaving home just as my husband was coming back from a long business trip.

I adore my Mom. She is strong, funny, smart, creative and kind. She also makes me crazy. I make her, crazy, too, so we're even. I was at Mom's place for a week. We were both glad I was there.

I was blessed with sunny weather on the drive, and took joy in seeing the varied beauty of my state in spring time. I've learned to look for joy amid the worry (survival tactic #3) and the sight of clean, sparkling rivers, the profusion of color from spring blossoms, and a drive that took me past small family farms filled with lambs, calves and playful colts showed me the joyful life force I needed to get through that day. Madame the dog approved of the unusual sniffs at all the rest stops and made some new friends. I had a great book on tape, and so by all these things the drive was blessed.

When I got there Mom was out of the hospital having refused an overnight stay. She was breathing better than she had all week and was glad to be back in her home.

We spent a week doing tests, talking to doctors and getting her what she needed, including a nebulizer for her COPD, which she hates. She hates having that machine in her home just as she hates taking all those pills; to her they are a sign of weakness. To this we have added a blood test kit to her medicine cabinet as we are told she now has diabetes. Happily, she only has to use the breathing machine on really bad days. She can still be active and mobile, which is vital to her.

Whoever said that "getting old is not for sissies" had it right.

I updated her friends and my husband on her status, and did whatever was needed, sneaky or otherwise, to deal with this new state of affairs and keep her cheerful. She has six major things wrong with her, any one of which could kill her. The doctor says that she could be with us another five months or another five years. My meditations now are around acceptance and I take it this roller coaster ride day by day.

I am not alone in this, and I take great comfort in talking to friends. I need the perspective I gain by sharing the joys of people I love, cherishing my own joys and in knowing that there are many, many people in this world who are hurting and a great many, too, who are healing and helping. The people I admire most are doing all three: helping others while healing their inner selves even as they're hurting.

Sick people are grumpy and often angry. Wise Elders can turn bratty and difficult when they feel less able and under threat. I knew that going in. The trick was not to match these moods with more of the same, which, by and large, I avoided.

I bought her an iPhone while I was there (the 3g on sale for $49) and taught her how to use it. She now has a lot of fun texting me photos and messages and getting them from us. If you have an elder, I recommend it. They are so user friendly that lots of older people have them now.

Despite all the stress of dealing with her when she was upset and ill and the constant tongue biting, tooth grinding frustration I encounter whenever I deal with the American medical establishment, I stayed on my food plan. I cooked for us both - or took us out to places where both of us could eat - and (I'm learning) I brought my own food from home. Like a lot of older people, she stocks her house full of cookies and junk food so eating healthy there is a challenge. My mother is a size 2, always has been. I ... am not. It wasn't an issue when I smoked cigarettes and used drugs but those days are far behind me and midlife hit my waistline like, well, like a ton of cupcakes. Like many people from dysfunctional families I've used food to stuff down anxiety and anger for most of my life. I gave up sugar and flour this year and it's been the best thing I've ever done in terms of my mood, my energy and my mental clarity so it was important to me that not to let the stress of caring for my mother make me care for myself any less.

I found other, simple ways to cope. I took our dogs to the dog park and we enjoyed long morning walks by the river. I spent spent time in my mother's wonderful garden, wrote in my journal, and made sure that I saw every sunset I could. I meditated for brief periods, which helped me listen to my mother with my heart and not my head. I listened to myself, as well. So often my own form prayer is to go outside and say "Thank you" and for me, that is enough.

I do not need "martyr points" for this. (We collect and trade them in my family). I gave all that up long ago. Nor do I need the anger I used to feel when I'd look for support from people I'd helped in the past only to be disappointed. In other words, I no longer go to a hardware store for a loaf of bread. That fact in itself is freeing in the best possible way. When I look for support now I go to the right places and I get what I need.

Again and again I went back to my Gratitude List. My husband is at the top of this list. He loves her as I do, and is as involved equally in her care. He has taken time off work to be with her as often as I have. Because he's not her daughter, she actually listens to him so he sometimes has to be the one to give her the respectful but firm reality check she does not wish to hear. He does that willingly with great love and grace. How lucky am I?

I am lucky in so many ways. I am lucky to be loved, befriended and have choices. I have my own health and enough personal freedom and abundance to allow me to do this. As frustrated, overworked and powerless as I sometimes feel, my life contains, if I would but see it, beauty, creativity, laughter, love, joy, connection and meaning, as does my mother's. The older I get the more I see these things as some of the greatest gifts this life has to offer.

Go well, stay well

Sia

(1) Clean and sober since 1987

Art: Brian Froud's Lady of the Waters

Thoughts on Pagan Coming Out Day

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Mon, 02 May 2011 19:02:00 +0000

I am going to say something that I know will not be popular:

While I support the idea behind of Pagan Coming Out Day, I do not support the many examples of self-righteous prose I read around it. Do not brag to me about coming out in public as a Pagan person if you cannot loose your job or your children or face real harm or harassment as a result. Do not brag so to me if you are a Professional Pagan as this only leads to more PR for you. Do not presume to tell your brothers and sisters that they are "not good Pagans" when they quietly do hard work for good causes by being "Stealth Pagans". (1) Their effectiveness will be harmed if their practice became an issue. They choose to put the work, first, and for that I honor them.

Mature beings understand that not everyone is, can be or should be out of the Pagan Closet. Please respect the fact that Stealth Pagans have very good reasons for their choice.

To those who can celebrate in public with great pride and joy, I hope you can do so with dignity and grace. Make us proud.

As for me, I am blessed to live in the U.S. in a Western state, where, for the most part, I am safe being Pagan. My family know, as do close friends, as do some of my colleagues. Yet I am not out in all ways or in all places nor can I be. When I do choose to come out of the closet with someone I've come to trust it has a larger and more positive impact because that colleague knows me as an honorable person, first, and a Pagan woman, second. This is how we change hearts and minds; not by waging arguments or shouting but through communion and connection.

Go well, stay well,

Sia

Links:

Earthwise Ethics

There is a nicely balanced piece on this over at the Wild Hunt site. Enjoy.

Endnotes:

(1) For some, who merely want play the rebel card, you bore me to tears but go ahead.

Art: Goddess Poster - You can buy this poster at the Suppressed History website

Rescuing Pets Matters: Notes from the Disaster in Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:40:00 +0000

*****

UPDATE 3/17: Welfare groups race to rescue Japan's abandoned animals.
It is hard to believe that things could get worse but they have. Foreign evacuations have left many pets stranded.

World Vets is working with local groups - please give them what help you can.

*******

This photo appeared in a Japanese newspaper on Sunday. It shows a Japanese fireman returning a little dog just rescued from the mud and rubble to it's owner. It reminds me how important it is to consider the animals caught up in this disaster. Rescuing beloved pets offers tremendous comfort to their owners who are suffering from trauma, grief and shock. It is well known that pets help their owners recover from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) the pain of which now haunts those who survived.

Let us not forget that the first responders are dealing with death and pain on a level that few of us can imagine. For them, seeing a survivor reunited with a loved one, whether that loved one has two legs or four, can offer a life-affirming moment of joy. For many of these volunteers it is the only reward they will ever have - or want - for doing this work.

UPDATE 3/15: Japanese Rescuers Pull Together To Save Pets

The USDA Emergency Preparedness page notes that:

One of the many important lessons learned after Hurricane Katrina is that making sure pets are safe and well-cared-for during a disaster can make it easier to evacuate their owners - a practice proven to save many human lives.

As Natlie Angier noted in today's New York Times, the Creature Connection is a part of our ancient past and runs very deep. She writes:

Researchers trace the roots of our animal love to our distinctly human capacity to infer the mental states of others, a talent that archaeological evidence suggests emerged anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 years ago.

Ms. Algier states a fact well known to most pet owners:

People are passionate about their companion animals ... (and) may even be willing to die for their pets. “In studies done on why people refused to evacuate New Orleans during Katrina,” said Dr. Herzog, “a surprising number said they could not leave their pets behind."

Japan has approximately 23 million pets and 17 million children under the age of 16. Please give them what help you can. (1)

If you would like to aid the animals and people in Japan I recommend donating to World Vets and/or Doctors Without Borders.

UPDATE 3/15: World Vets Deploy To Japan

Search and Rescue Teams

The Los Angeles Search and Rescue Team, and their 12 dogs, have just landed in Tokyo (having returned only a week ago from their mission in Christchurch, New Zealand) .

Let us hope that the Japanese bureaucrats who held up the work of search team and rescue teams from all of the world yesterday, keeping them caught in a mass of useless paperwork, are now a bit more cooperative.

Pearl's Story

Perl, a black lab rescued from a shelter in California, now works as a search and rescue dog. Her story has been turned into a book with illustrations from local school children. Sales from A New Job For Pearl will go to go help the search and rescue efforts in Japan.

Cat Island (AKA Tashirojima)

Cat lovers world-wide have been worried about Cat's Island. This tiny island is known for it's population of elderly fishing folks, it's cat shrine and it's many cats. (2) Cat Island is located off the coast of Japn, right near the epicenter, close to the mainland city of Sendai which was hit so hard by the tsunami. Word from a contact of mine in Japan and recent notes at the website Conscious Cats, seems to indicate that many inhabitants did indeed survive, although the dock is destroyed and the 70 elderly residents and the 100+ cats that live there are greatly in need of food, shelter and medical help.

UPDATE 3/20: Latest updates on Cat Island

UPDATE 3/15: CONFIRMED: CAT'S ISLAND SURVIVED QUAKE

Now, excuse me while I go hug my fur beasts. I will be offering more updates as news comes in on my Twitter page @birdgarden

Go well, stay well,

Sia

Endnotes:

(1) Japanese census, 2009

(2) Wikipedia notes:

In the past, the islanders raised silkworms for silk, and cats were kept in order to keep the mouse population down (because mice are a natural predator of silkworms). Fixed-net fishing was popular on the island after the Edo Period and fishermen from other areas would come and stay on the island overnight. The cats would go to the inns where the fishermen were staying and beg for scraps. Over time, the fishermen developed a fondness for the cats and would observe the cats closely, interpreting their actions as predictions of the weather and fish patterns. One day, when the fishermen were collecting rocks to use with the fixed-nets, a stray rock fell and killed one of the cats. The fishermen, feeling sorry for the loss of the cat, buried it and enshrined it at this location on the island.

Photo:

from Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support (Facebook Page)

Related Stories:

Two Dogs Defy The Wave

Easing The Way With The Aid of An Animal

Time to Return the Favor to Japan: One of the World's First Responders.

My Pagan Rolodex

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 17:25:00 +0000

I care not much for a man's religion
whose dog and cat are not the better for it
- Abe Lincoln

I cherish the Pagan Doers I've met and worked with over the years. I define these as people who walk their talk every day and who strive for an active, meaningful, useful practice while working on their own "stuff". That last part is crucial. My practice doesn't allow much room for denial or self delusion (try as I might). This is a rough but beautiful hike we're on and I can only carry the things I need. I can't carry your baggage, as well as my own, so I'm going to ask you to decide what's important and useful to you and I will do the same. In my early years among Pagans I was surprised how many people found that shocking. The Pagans I value most use their sense of humor as a walking stick and just keep going.

I spent more than a decade working in the trenches of the Pagan community out on the Left Coast. Back then I lived in a tolerant, prosperous, multicultural, well educated area near one of the greatest cities of the world. It was a landscape ripe with Pagans of all ages and every kind of Pagan practice. Some sort of modern, feminist, Pagan presence had been in that place since the 50's (at least) and our community should have grown and thrived in such fertile, supportive conditions. Instead the various groups and their leaders seemed only to devolve as they focused more and more on arguments and imagined hurts. Jealously, disdain for organization, and immature thinking meant that most groups never worked well together. Few groups were very effective on their own and many well meaning organizers were overwhelmed by feckless, irresponsible and often abusive behavior among their members, including, I might add, some Big Name Pagans. This behavior was the subject for constant, ill-natured gossip but was rarely addressed in any useful way.

Any student of history will tell us that this is par for the course among abused peoples and dysfunctional families but that same student will point out that every oppressed group has had to work to raise themselves up from learned helplessness and "victim think". So why not us? I believe it is because we do not insist on high standards, good manners and clearly stated ethics in our groups. By our actions - or lack of same - we show that we do not value healthy adult behavior and emotional growth, let alone teach an awareness of dysfunctional behavior or model healthy ways on how to deal with it. My friends and I have done what we can and I do see that changing. It is a slow process.

So, yes, the Pagan Doers in my Rolodex were very hard to find but what lovely, hard working, gifted, compassionate, joyful and giving people they are. They light my way every single day and I cherish each one.

Recently a very good woman posted on her Facebook page that she was tired and saddened by the childish behavior she saw in the Pagan community. Her friends (people who know her well as I do not) gathered together at her page as if around a campfire, sharing stories, hope, encouragement and warmth. It was humbling to read so much honesty and hard-won wisdom in one place and I thought, "She knows people like this because like attracts like."

I value this woman. Her writing is gut centered and honest. Her pragmatism is based in rock solid ethics and an evergreen compassion. It makes me a better person and a better Pagan to read her work and share her journey, even in this small way. I added my two cents to their discussion, some of which you're reading now. She will take what she needs and leave the rest.

I know what it is to be tired and sad and discouraged by arguments that hold us back. While being a Pagan alone or in a small group is both rewarding and worthwhile it doesn't prepare one for what they will encounter when they leave a small, safe haven and try to get more than three Pagans to work together on a project, no matter how worthy that project might be. I've always believed in leading by example and if I wanted something done in the Pagan community, I organized a few good people and we got it done. The key to our success was that we had fun and did good at the same time. We had real world skills, which we put to good use on behalf of our brothers and sisters and (this is important) causes greater than ourselves. That happens among us all the time, we just don't hear about it very much because the yelling and the whining drowns out the shared stories from the group who are gathered around that small campfire up on the hill. If you want to find these folks you'll have to hike a long way. Anyone too attached to their baggage will find it easier to stay near well traveled roads in the flat lands and complain about the journey.

I loved the work I did back then. I wouldn't change very much about those years but doing community work is wearing in a way that only someone who has done it knows. To be honest, I have no patience with people who only write books or blog theories telling me what Pagan communities "should" be like but who have never helped anyone cross a deep river or built a shelter, themselves. If they want the reality they've envisioned let them get out there and make it so.

As I said before, I got tired and downhearted and burnt out after so many years of pushing that Pagan Community rock uphill, and when I lost some loved ones to illness in those years, I discovered I just didn't have the energy to do as much as I had done before. I didn't loose hope, I just needed to grieve and take some rest. I also needed to give deep thought to where my energy was going.

My motto has always been to ask "What Matters? What Works? What's Next?" When I moved to a new state I stopped working with Pagans, as Pagans but I never stopped doing work I cared about. I simply stopped trying, as this woman put it (and as I have often said here) "to get other Pagans to care about more than themselves". Happily, my Pagan Rolodex is full of people who do just that.

There is profound truth to be found in paradox and here is one of my favorites: These days I find it easier to find Earthwise colleagues if I don't look for them. Rather than search for "doers" among those who identify as Pagans, I've chosen to do work that matters to me and then do the Happy Dance when I find Pagan Doers among the committed, like-minded, hard working, damned funny, trust worthy souls I find out walking in the wider world. Some of these folks are stealthy, some are out as Pagans in a quiet sort of way and some would be well known to you. What a great feeling it is to find them, alive and thriving out in the wild when we thought they were extinct. Here is my favorite part of that paradox: As much as these people love ritual and deep play in their practice, I doubt I would have met them at a Pagan festival, group or meet. So it goes. (1)

Here is another odd but obvious-when-you-think-about-it fact: If you are pretentious or silly or ill behaved, Pagan Doers won't play with you. I've seen very "out" Pagans arrive in high style, claiming they want to help a good cause but acting very entitled and grand. Seeing this attitude, the other Pagans keep to themselves, not waiting to be lumped in with such people, knowing that the Show Offs won't last very long doing work that requires commitment, sacrifice and putting one's ego on the shelf. A wise woman once said, "If I can't dance, it's not my revolution." So dance away, my friends, but please bring a bit of food to share, and help clean up after. (And don't expect the rest of us to pay the fiddler for your entertainment). If you contribute in some way, no matter how small, you'll be most welcome.

These days, I work with those who put the work, first, and we learn a great deal from each other. Each one of these people is a blessing and a teaching for me, as many of you reading this have been.

Go well, stay well,

Sia

Endnotes:

(1) I will make one, notable exception when it comes this: You will find some excellent Pagan Doers at Pantheacon.

You'll know them when you meet them. Please give them my best.

Of The Stone of the Place: A Poem for the Brigid Poetry Slam

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:58:00 +0000

Of The Stone of the Place by Robert Frost
(with slight variations by Sia)
Posted in honor of the annual Brigid Cyberspace Poetry Slam

I farm a pasture where the boulders lie
As touching as a basketful of eggs,
And though they're nothing anybody begs,
I wonder if it wouldn't signify

For me to send you one out where you live
In wind-soil to a depth of thirty feet,
And every acre good enough to eat,
As fine as flour put through a baker's sieve.

I'd ship a smooth one you could slap and chafe,
And set up like a statue in your yard,
An eolith palladium to guard
The West and keep the old tradition safe.

Carve nothing on it. You can simply say
In self-defense to quizzical inquiry:
"The portrait of the soul of Grandmother Iris.
It came from where she came from anyway."

Wishing a Happy Lunar New Year (Year of the Metal Rabbit) and a Joyful Imbolc to all here.

Don't forget to feed the birds.

Sia

My thoughts today are with the people of Egypt and all those longing and working to have their voices heard.

Invitation to Brigid Cyberspace Poetry Slam

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:43:00 +0000

A reminder to our friends that tomorrow, February 2nd, is the annual Brigid Cyberspace Poetry Slam

Sia

Art: The Visitor by Arthur Hopkins

American Woman: Civil Liberties and the TSA Pat Down

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 01:47:00 +0000

Our government thinks you don't care about the new TSA scans and pat down rules. They think you will allow any intrusion on your civil rights as long as the authorities tell you that it is necessary to "fight terror".

Is it?

Will you?

As a Pagan woman whose tradition has no problem with nudity, per se, I can stand to have this done to me when I travel but I completely reject the idea that my "choices" should be intrusion and radiation or being groped by strangers; all done on the orders of my government when I have done nothing wrong. Nor do I believe that TSA's newest attempt at security theater will make me one wit safer. So I plan to use my voice to protest this obscene violation of my civil rights.

All this makes me wonder: If a socially liberal, nudist beach loving eco-feminist like me feels that way, how must other, more socially conservative (or, if you prefer, modest) women feel about this intrusion? In one of the worst bits of irony to date in the "war on terror" we find our government "defending our freedom" against men who are infamous for the subjugation and abuse of women in every country where they have influence by subjecting women (and men) to sexual abuse here at home.

I keep thinking about these modest women, women who, however different their lives or world views might be from my own, I respect as human beings and might well enjoy knowing. So, here we are today: All women are now told by TSA that that if they don't like it, they don't have to fly. And why? Because patriarchal-minded extremists (both foreign and domestic) gain power from our fear. Really, TSA? Really?

Perhaps you are one of those people who believe that such measures (measures even security conscious Israel does not impose on travelers) are necessary, especially when dealing with foreigners and non-citizens. If you believe that anything goes in this fight, please imagine for a moment that it is you working as an hourly-wage TSA employee, performing sexually intrusive acts on American-born women like these:

* A Catholic lay worker flying out to serve families living in the dangerous and disease-infested camps of Haiti

* A Quaker nurse who chooses to wear modest dress, traveling to her work with AIDS patients in Africa

* A elderly Buddhist nun bringing books and toys to orphans in Nepal

* A Hindu academic traveling to a woman's conference in Switzerland who is traveling with her 12 year old daughter.

* A Muslim pediatrician whose skills are urgently needed to help child refugees after the recent earthquakes, floods and famine in Pakistan.

* A Baptist social worker using her vacation time to bring vital burn medications to the hundreds hurt in the volcanic eruptions in Indonesia.

What have such women ever done to us that we would hurt them so?

These women are fictional, if plausible, examples of people traveling right now and they are offered here to make a point which is that good people are being hurt by this rule. Already one rape survivor has been traumatized by this treatment. As reported in Newsweek:

For women and men who have already been sexually assaulted, the new screening rules—or just the threat of these rules—present a very real danger. They can be triggering events, setting off a post traumatic-stress reaction...“After a sexual assault, it seems that many survivors have difficulty having their bodies touched by other people,” says Shannon Lambert, founder of the Pandora Project, a nonprofit organization that provides support and information to survivors of rape and sexual abuse. This fear of contact even extends to partners and, often, medical professionals. “A lot of survivors do not want to be in positions where they’re vulnerable. They put up defenses so that they can be in control of their body. In cases like this, it seems like some of that control is going away.”

I, for one, agree with those who argue that full frontal nudity does not make us safer and I have to wonder how parents feel about having their children subjected to either unnecessary radiation and/or intrusive handling.

Let me end with two questions:

* Are we as a nation, willing to hand over our dignity and our civil rights to the incompetent and untrustworthy officials at TSA?

* Will you trust that your own naked-as-a-jaybird scans won't end up on the net?

Somewhere the terrorists are laughing.

Sia

Art found here

P.S. This isn't just about women, of course. Noted Humorist Dave Barry didn't find his own patdown very amusing.

Related Articles:

Nudity at Events: Our top 13 reasons why you can't always bear all

Update:

Former Bush Homeland Chief Got Sweetheart Deal Selling Scanners to TSA

Thanks, Dad: Celebrating Veterans Day

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:55:00 +0000

Today we celebrate Veterans Day, "a chance for Americans to remember those who have fought for their country. It's also a chance for veterans to recall their service — the sacrifices, the dangers — and how it changed their lives." (1)

Check out this site today: 5 Ways To Help A Veteran

My father joined the US Navy during WWII at 16, right after Pearl Harbor was bombed, by lying about his age. He served proudly and well, working as a navigator on balao class submarines. (2) He lost many friends in the war, was wounded in action, and was decorated for bravery under fire. One of the subs he served on was hit and in danger of being captured. Dad, acting under orders, managed to deliberately maneuver the ship on to a reef, adding enough damage to the hull so it sank, thus keeping it out of enemy hands. He and the ship's captain were the last to leave ship. The survivors were captured and spent a horrific time in a Japanese prison camp. They later escaped with the help of Australian commandos and Filipino resistance fighters and Dad went on to serve on four more subs, serving his country until the end of war in the pacific. Despite what he and his friends endured, he never carried any hate in his heart and later went on to work with and make friends among Japanese engineers during his long career in aerospace.

Thanks, Dad

Thanks also to my Mom, who served in the USO.

My thoughts today are with all those who served and with their loved ones. I also keep in my heart the many gay men and women in the armed forces who cannot serve their country openly, but who still serve it nonetheless with honor and courage.

If you know a military family, please give them your support. (3)

Sia

(1) Some of these stories can be heard at the NPR link above.

(2) You can tour one of these subs, the famous Bowfin, at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii

(3) from Military.com

The following charitable organizations help send gifts, cards, and care packages to our troops:

The Billy Blanks Foundation - The Billy Blanks Foundation was founded by the creator of Tae Bo. One of the foundations many projects is sending care packages to U.S. Servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Adopt a Platoon - Support the troops through gifts and sponsored mail.
Any Soldier - Sponsor care packages to servicemembers in Iraq.
Army and Air Force Exchange Services - Purchase gift certificates for active and hospitalized servicemembers.
Blue Star Mothers - Organizes postcards to troops and care packages, and is currently petitioning Congress for reduced air fares for servicemembers.
Books for Soldiers - Donate books, movies, and more.
Cell Phones for Soldiers - Donate your old cell phones, which pay for calling cards for our troops.
Commissary Gift Certificates - Give the gift of groceries -- buy or donate gift certificates.
DefendAmerica - Send a virtual thank-you card.
GI-Bracelet.org - Buy a bracelet to support the troops, and contribute to a fund of your choice.
A Million Thanks - Collects emails and letters of appreciation for our armed forces.
Operation Air Conditioner - Help pay for air conditioners and heaters for the troops.
Operaton Dear Abbey - Send greetings and messages of support.
Operation Give - Donate toys to be given to the children of Iraq.
Operation Gratitude - Contribute to care packages sent to our servicemembers.
Operation Homefront Hugs - Contribute to care packages, or adopt a servicemember.
Operation Troop Aid - Provide care packages for our deployed U.S. Servicemembers.
Operation Uplink - Donate a calling card to help keep servicemembers in touch with their families.
Operation USO Care Package - Sponsor a care package for $25.
Treats for Troops - Purchase care packages for Soldiers.

Help with Mailing Packages
Instructions on Sending Mail to Servicemembers - Straight from the U.S. Postal Service, instructions and recommendations on sending individual mail to servicemembers.

Health Care, Hospice, and Recovery Organizations

The following charitable organizations offer programs that provide comfort and support to our wounded veterans and their families:

American Red Cross Armed Forces - Offers medical services to active duty, veterans, reservists and families nationwide.
Angels of Mercy / No Soldier Left in Need - Donate clothes to wounded soldiers returning stateside, or donate to long-term rehabilitation programs
Armed Services Blood Program - Donate blood that will be sent to areas of need around the world.
Blinded Veterans Association - Volunteer and scholarship organization provides care and support for blind veterans and their families.
CAUSE: Comfort for America's Uniformed Services Elite - Provides comfort items for troops recuperating in military hospitals and rehabilitation centers from wounds and injuries.
Fisher House - Support families whose loved ones are being treated at military and VA hospitals.
VA Voluntary Service - Volunteer to help care for wounded veterans.
The Walter Reed Society - Walter Reed Society helps provide for the needs of many returning injured servicemembers and their families.
USO - Donations to the USO pay for hospital support for recuperating soldiers, USO entertainment tours and other important services.

Transition, Scholarships and Vocation Rehabilitation

These organizations provide transitions services, scholarships and vocational programs to help servicemembers and their families re-integrate in to the civilian world.

The Billy Blanks Foundation - The Billy Blanks Foundation was founded by the creator of Tae Bo. The foundation offers scholarships and support for after school programs.
The Freedom Alliance - Organizes donations and contributions for our servicemembers, and also awards scholarships.
Operation One Family - Helps provide life skills, education and continuing support for the families of our fallen military heroes.
Operation Purple - National Military Family Association (NMFA) volunteer program provides educational camps for military children.
Sacred Heart Lodge - Provides a cost free hassle free vacation to those Soldier's who are returning from War to reconnect to their Families.
Soldiers' Angels - Support group aids wounded Soldiers with transitional backpacks, personal visits, and phone calls, etc., and also sends thanks via letters and email to the U.S. military and its allies.

Endnotes:

Cartoon Art by Cox & Forkum

Need a laugh? Some Excellent Political Satire on the US Oil Spill

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 18:32:00 +0000

Brilliant

- by Clarke & Dawe (more videos at this link)

John Clarke & Bryan Dawe are two of the funnier, sharpest, wittiest guys around.

The Games, my favorite mockumentary, which was written by John Clarke and stars both men, is now on DVD.

Enjoy,

Sia

Hat tip to US Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill News website for the link to this video

Practicing Joy at Mabon

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:28:00 +0000

The topic this week at the on-line Spiral Steps meeting this week is Step 7, and the moderator has asked us to focus on the latter part of that step: "We let go of dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors and we consciously welcome joy, love and peace into our lives."

Here in our home, we are getting ready to celebrate the return of the autumnal equinox and the harvest moon. I haven't written much since the oil spill began as the terrible threat posed to wildlife in the gulf took up so much of my time. Like so many others, I'm feeling tired and worn as the wheel turns but I am also full of gratitude for those first responders and wildlife rescue volunteers who did so much against such great odds, who faced (ongoing) deceit on the part of BP and such (ongoing) ineptitude on the part our government. The threat to residents and wildlife in the gulf is still very great (1) and there is still much work to do, but the well is capped, at last, and for that, I'm grateful.

I can't speak for any of the gulf residents or volunteers, or indeed, any of you, but I think that, like the wetlands, we all need restoration. I know that I, who have only served on the sidelines and then only in very small ways, need joy. So I am grateful for this topic at Spiral Steps and I'm giving it some thought. Here is where I find myself at Mabon:

I am working today to welcome creativity and peace into my life. For me, peace means time and silence, gifts I must give to myself. As I said, I need joy. Not delirious, short-lived, over-the-top joy, just the simply, daily, ongoing, quiet joy I used to have, joy I created for myself over time. Small threads make a tapestry and small actions make for a life filled with joy. I can have that joy again if I am willing to claim it.

I take joy in walking my dog. She's a pound puppy but it's anyone guess who really rescued who. I take joy in living in the glorious Pacific Northwest, near a town so unique and charming that the bumper stickers read "Keep Portland Weird". I take joy in working with animals, in making new friends and cherishing old ones and in making a difference where and how I can. I take joy in good books, in music, and good meals. I take joy in listening to my heart, in speaking my truth with kindness and in making connections to people and to this green-minded, tolerant, polite place that supports my path in healthy ways. I take joy in what I've learned and in knowing that I'm brave enough and strong enough to learn more, and that the learning doesn't always have to be done the hard way. I take joy in laughing with my loved ones every day. I take joy in the foster kittens currently turning our guest room into a circus tent.

I also take joy in the fact that my mother is still with us and that she is glad to be so. She has suffered a year full of accidents, health problems, surgeries and visits to the ER; a year we all now refer to as the Annus Horribilis, but she is once again independent and active. (2)

I am reminded by those who love me, that I have my own health to think of, now, and I have promised to move my body more, spend less time on the computer and more time out in the woods. I will be quiet more often and let the silence speak to me. I have promised myself that I will write every day and take better care of myself physically. Tomorrow, I get a massage. I can't wait. I have an more of a reason to get one now since I read how much it can support my physical and mental health. (3)

I'm also using this time to get in touch with some joys I have lost. I don't know why I let these wonderful (and often simple, inexpensive) joys slip away but it is time now to reclaim them.

When I listen and look, ask for help, and remain open to the teaching that comes my way, I get what I need. This season, this year, I believe we are all asked to love ourselves a bit better, and to love Mamma Gaia much, much better than we've been doing. There exists for me, for others, and for unique, natural places like the gulf wetlands, an urgent need for conscious care, support and renewal. This is the wisdom I encounter more and more as I get older, and my practice makes that possible - what a joy that is.

Wishing the blessings of the season for you and yours,

Sia

Art is from a t-shirt offered by the International Bird Rescue Research Center. Please support the work they do rescuing wildlife in the gulf and elsewhere.

Photo: Gulf Oil Spill: Spoonbill release courtesy of IBRRC

Endnotes:

(1) While the well is finally capped, most of the oil is still on the bottom of the ocean, the wetlands are still a mess and millions of migrating birds are on their way to the gulf while many people in that area still face horrific job losses as well as health problems from breathing oil fumes and from the dangerous (and in many places, banned) chemicals used to disperse the oil.

(2) Recently we spoke about the fact that when she was my age, both her parents and her in-laws had all passed on. My generation is perhaps the first to care, en mass, for their elderly parents living into their 70's, 80's and 90's, while our parents struggle to keep their cherished independence and to navigate our dysfunctional health care system as they watch their retirement savings melt away. Legally speaking, I am her primary caregiver, but really, I'm a member of Team Mom and she's the captain. This is a respectful and sometimes difficult dance we do, and I could not do it alone. I have my spouse and my friends (many of whom share the same experiences) as well as her friends, and some very good doctors and nurses to help us all through this. My thoughts today are with all those who acting as caregivers to young and old alike, and with elders like my mother who face the challenges of aging with grace, humor and courage.

(3) I also have two doctors appointments next week for routine tests. I will get my mammogram on time this year and take joy in the fact that I have access to health care and that I get to live a healthier, enriched life if I'm willing to do the work. My sister who died of breast cancer at 47 did not get that choice. I owe it to her to take care of myself and to cherish the gift of health.

You Say "Witch" Like It's A Bad Thing?

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:42:00 +0000

Stephen King tried to warn us....

I find it ironic that many folks on both sides of the aisle now think that Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell is crazy because "she's a witch". I think O'Donnell is foolish for many reasons including the fact that she doesn't know what a witch really is, let alone what one is for. (1)

From what I've seen of her, she does not have enough intelligence, courage, compassion, honesty, learning, critical thinking skills or personal wisdom to be one.

Sia

Further Reading:

How It's Done by Hecate

(I agree with H. The young woman was lying)

Training as a Green Witch

The Christians and the Pagans

Endnotes:

(1) Pratchett and the Pagans

"Certainly witchcraft for Tiffany has very little to do with magic as people generally understand it. It has an awful lot to do with taking responsibility for yourself and taking responsibility also for the less able people and, up to a certain point, guarding your society. This is based on how witchcraft really was, I suspect. The witch was the village herbalist, the midwife, the person who knew things. She would sit up with the dying, lay out the corpses, deliver the newborn. Witches tended to be needed when human beings were meeting the dangerous edges of their lives, the places where there is no map. They don't mess around with tinkly spells; they get their hands dirty."

Terry Pratchett's next book, I Shall Wear Midnight, features his young witch-in-training, Tiffany Aching, and hits US bookstores on Sept. 28th.

Hat Tip: To the reason.com blog for the poster art. Their notes on Ms. O'Donnell are worth reading.

Update 9/22

Starhawk has responded in the Washington Post and she speaks not just for Wiccans but for many Pagans when she says this:

...had O'Donnell really 'dabbled' in Witchcraft, she might have learned that ....Witches do not worship Satan--we consider the Devil to be a purely Christian construct. We see nature as sacred, and human beings as part of nature. Our spirituality does not require belief in things we can't see--but rather an attitude of respect, awe and wonder at the everyday miracles we can see, the great and common mysteries of birth, growth, death and regeneration in the fall of a leaf or the phases of the moon, in the cycles of our lives and the turning of the seasons.

O'Donnell might have learned that Witches see all of life as interconnected, that we are taught to respect other people, to treat one another with compassion, generosity and honor, to protect the earth and to live in balance with nature. We can only imagine how her life, her crusades and her politics might have been shaped by an early encounter with the Goddess, for whom the body is a temple, sexuality is a path of deep and sacred communion...

Saving Oiled Wildlife in the Gulf: Groups on The Ground

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Fri, 21 May 2010 18:19:00 +0000

Here is an interesting video from the International Bird Rescue Research Center called Oiled Bird Gets A Bath.

Wildlife rescue folks are working in tough conditions out there and it's just going to get worse. Please give them your support.

Recommended Reading:

How You Can Help Birds After the Spill

Oceans 9/11 by Julie Packard, Executive Director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Go well, stay well,

Sia

Related Articles:

Details on the baby sea turtle rescue (with photos)

Links:

Tri State Bird Rescue and Research has been rescuing and treating oiled, injured, and orphaned wildlife since 1976. Specializing in oil spill response, Tri-State staff is on call 24-hours-a-day to address the wildlife impact of these environmental threats. They also provide training to other emergency response professionals.

Website

International Bird Rescue Research Center The International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) has been helping birds around the world since 1971. Its mission is to mitigate human impact on aquatic birds and other wildlife. This is achieved through rehabilitation, emergency response, education, research, planning and training.

With an oil spill response team of more than 25 wildlife experts, IBRRC has managed the oiled bird rehabilitation efforts in over 200 oil spills in 11 states, including the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Our international work has taken us to seven different countries and two U.S. territories.

Website

Facebook page

IBRRC photo stream on Flickr

Oiled Care Network The OWCN is the world's only oiled wildlife response organization boasting more than 25 different members comprised of world-class aquaria, universities, scientific organizations and rehabilitation groups. Established in 1994 by the Department of Fish and Game’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) as a result of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, it is currently administered by the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center in the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Blog

Facebook page

Photo: Courtesy of International Bird Research & Rescue gulf oil spill photo page on flickr.

To Those Who Love the Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Tue, 18 May 2010 18:11:00 +0000

To those who love the sea: A New Rigged Ship on cello, harp and violin.

Lorraine Margeson: Gulf Coast Activist

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Mon, 17 May 2010 22:28:00 +0000

This someone you should know: Lorraine Margeson, Tampa Bay's best known environment activist; a woman working on the forefront of the gulf oil spill. Her story is compelling because she is not wailing or wringing her hands, she is not standing around feeling depressed or helpless about all this nor is she ranting on net about how bad it all is without doing a thing herself. Instead, she does what I think any one of us can do; she does the good that's in front of her:

She and her husband built a three-story house with a bird-watching deck on the roof. They replaced plants from foreign lands with native vegetation. They joined Audubon, they joined Sierra, they became friends of whatever park needed them. On her block, she persuaded neighbors to stop killing rattlesnakes.
She and her husband have a computer hardware business. They would rather watch birds. They count robins. They see hummingbirds and cedar waxwings and the occasional rose-breasted grosbeak. They drive over to Fort De Soto to look at the warblers in the mulberry tree. Then they head for the beach, where Lorraine picks up trash and snarls at "idiots" who get too close to the endangered least terns that nest on the sand. She watches black skimmers. She never tires of watching the pelicans.
And now there's oil in her gulf. And it may end up here, on Lorraine's beach, where it might hurt Lorraine's birds.
So that's why she's on the phone today. That's why she is on the computer. She is networking with other people, leading their next move.

You can read the rest of her story here at Tampabay.com

Brava!

Sia

More oil spill & environmental news can be found at BirdGarden

The Yes Men Fix The World: Comic Vigilante Justice

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Fri, 14 May 2010 20:07:00 +0000

Oh, yes! Comic vigilante justice; I love it.

The Yes Men Fix the World (trailer)

You can read a review, here. This comes to us from Green Life : Ideas for Living Well and Doing Good, the excellent and uplifting Sierra Club blog.

The comedic documentary The Yes Men Fix the World opens with liberal-minded Bichlbaum posing as a spokesperson for Dow Chemical Co., announcing that the company will take full responsibility for the toxic pollution in Bhopal, India, and fully compensate the victims of the 1984 pesticide plant catastrophe. The bogus interview, aired live on BBC, reached 30 million viewers and caused Dow's stock to plummet by more than $2 billion in 23 minutes

...The Yes Men take on Halliburton, Exxon, and HUD, attending a string of business conferences to deliver outrageous presentations of increasing hilarity, Bichlbaum and Bonanno prove that wearing a suit has never been more radical.

It is now available on DVD.

We either laugh or we cry. Right now, I could use a laugh.

Enjoy,

Sia

Updates: Wildlife Rescue at the Gulf Oil Spill

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Sat, 08 May 2010 17:10:00 +0000

Folks, I've been working behind the scenes for the last two weeks, doing my small bit to get volunteers, tech and supplies out to various bird and wildlife rescue groups out in the gulf and getting networking and other info out there. As tragic as this is, it is also a teachable moment and could well change how we think about offshore drilling, clean energy and climate change. Fingers crossed.

Blogging takes a backseat for now, but you can go to my newsfeed at BirdGarden for updates on the efforts to help the wild birds, marine life and people caught up in this disaster. I'll keep updating info on who needs what. Meanwhile: Here is a list of 10 Things You Can Do To Help

Many of you know that I'm involved with wildlife and companion animal rescue. I'm on standby via Audubon as are 11,000 other volunteers. I will fly out to the gulf if called and if our elder's health allows for my absence. The volunteers at International Bird Rescue Research Center are on the scene, rescuing birds as we speak, along with other great groups. I'm following all of these and posting updates, photos and videos as they come in.

600 species are affected by this, including 445 species of fish, 134 birds, 45 mammals, and 32 reptiles and amphibians. Many, like the brown pelican and the loggerhead turtle, are endangered already.

I think that Rachael Maddow said it for a lot of us the other night when she described how the BP oil spill is "an environmental, economic and human catastrophy".

Go well, stay well,

Sia

P.S. For you Pet Lovers: The Nashville Humane Society desperately needs funds and supplies to help dogs, cats and other animals caught in the Tennessee floods.

It's kitten season and every shelter in the U.S. needs foster homes, food, and basic supplies like paper towels and kitten food. Please help where and how you can.

Related Articles:

Scientific American: Extinction Countdown: Oil Spill Threatens Endangered Species at a Critical Time.

Oil Spill Update: Volunteers Needed & Animal Hotline

noreply@blogger.com (Dj Connell) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:04:00 +0000

Right now, 42,000 gallons of oil is leaking into the gulf every day. Update: It has tripled in size and the protective booms are failing.

Help is needed.

ANIMAL HOTLINE: an emergency phone number (866-557-1401) has been established where people can report animals affected by the oil spill. The public is encouraged to have ready the number and type of animals, the date and time they were seen, their location and any observations about the animals' behavior.

CNN reports that these groups need volunteers.

Efforts to minimize the damage from the huge oil spill from last week's rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico are under way, but wildlife conservation groups say the oil could pose a disaster for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida coastal areas.
How can you help? A number of organizations are recruiting volunteers.

The Audubon Society, which is affiliated with the Louisiana Coastal Initiative, is making its Center for Birds of Prey in Florida available for bird cleansing and rehabilitation. Elsewhere, Audubon said it was gearing up to mobilize volunteers and provide assistance as the oil reaches land in Louisiana and elsewhere.

The Deep Water Horizon response team is looking for help in identifying shoreline and animals affected. Oiled wildlife should not be captured but instead reported at 1-866-557-1401. To report areas with oil ashore or to leave contact information to volunteer in the affected areas, call 1-866-448-5816.

These local organizations also are gathering volunteers' information as they prepare for the environmental damage this oil can cause:

The Alabama Coastal Foundation is collecting contact information from volunteers for cleanup efforts along the Alabama coast should the oil spill reach the state's shores. Call 251-990-6002

The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is looking for volunteers to help reduce the potential impact of the oil spill in Mobile Bay. Call 251-431-6409.

The Mobile Baykeeper is asking for contact details of volunteers is collecting contact information for volunteers to respond anywhere along the Gulf Coast, if needed. Call 251-433-4229.

Save Our Seabirds is a Florida bird rescue group that is looking for volunteers and support as its response team prepares to help oiled wildlife. Call 941-388-3010.

To that I would also suggest that donations be sent to:

International Bird Rescue & Research Center. These wildlife rescue experts are on the ground as we speak. You can also donate to those organizations listed above.

Discovery notes that

...wildlife experts from across the country are traveling to Louisiana and other states to handle cleanup of Gulf oil spill animal victims, frustration and fear remain over the organization and predicted cost of the rescue efforts, as well as the projected long-term scope of the damage.
..."the actual cost of collecting and caring for oiled sea otters is about $4,000-$5,000 and marine birds $600-$750 each

Again, members of the public cannot and should not go out and try and rescue animals on their own. Wildlife rescue volunteers undergo hazardous waste operations training before they can work with oil-affected animals. This is for their own safety as well as that of the wildlife effected.

There are lots of other ways you can help - check out the links listed above.

Oil & Gas magazine says this about the environmental impact:

The Gulf region contains about five million acres of wetlands, which are an essential habitat for three quarters of all of the migrating waterfowl that cross the US.

There are more than 3300 marine species in the Gulf, including six endangered species of whale. Its shores include the only known nesting beach of Kemp’s Ridley, the world’s most endangered sea turtle. There are also populations of protected Hawksbill, Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles, which are about to begin their nesting season and would be particularly vulnerable to oil washed up on beaches.

There are several shark species declared to be "of concern" because of declining populations. The Gulf is also home to one of the world’s largest populations of bottlenose dolphins, with an estimated 45,000 in its waters.

I recommend going to these groups directly as BP is slow in training and using volunteers, nevertheless:

BP and the federal government have established a hotline for volunteers. Please call 1-866-448-5816. We anticipate that there will an ongoing need for volunteers in the environmental cleanup effort. If you want to register your desire to help and receive updates click here.

For up to date information go here: http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com

Animal Groups will be using the lessons learned from The Exon Valdeze Oil Spill in Alaska.

Discovery News reminds us that rescuing, handling and cleaning animals covered in oil is a difficult and dangerous process and should only be done by those trained in this work.

There are lots of ways you can help: Get the word out, donate funds (no matter how small), and supplies (check websites to see what these groups need), sign petitions for clean energy and let your voice be heard at the local and federal level.

I will continue to post updates several times a day on Twitter at Birdgarden. (You don't need to be signed in on Twitter to read these, just click on the link or read them from the Twitter feed in the right column at the Full Circle blog)

Sia

Related Articles:

from BIRDERS MAGAZINE: Gulf Coast Oil Spill: What You Can Do To Help

Updated 5/3/2010