This morning we were getting ready to post our daily Feline Dreamers Twitter/Facebook update, when Starcat experienced a really cool visual image. Usually we post a snippet of insight that inspires us and is a good reminder on how to live consciously. When pondering what to write about today, Starcat suddenly saw a swirling whirl of energy all around, just beyond the illusion of “normal reality.” It was like there was universal wisdom everywhere, surrounding the world on all sides. All she had to do was reach up with an imaginary arm of intuition and pluck a morsel of wisdom, like a ripe fruit from a willing tree.

The wisdom of the universe is always available, always loving, always open, free for the sharing. All we need to do is reach out and grab some. We can explore it or simply acknowledge it and move on. We can do what we want with it. We might mold it into a short quote, make a blog post or article from it, or even, when we get a really juicy “aha!” epiphany, write a whole book.

Many artists say that they are a conduit, and although their creations are offered through the lens of their own experiences, they come from somewhere beyond. Yes, it takes talent, skill, and practice (along with a healthy dose of patience) to bring forth a new creation. And it’s done in partnership with the Divine.

How do you manifest creations in your life? Art is not the only way that one creates. We also create our relationships, our careers, and our joys. In what ways do you feel empowered to create? What tools do you use? What medium do you most enjoy using? How do you envision Divine wisdom and inspiration?

A big thank you and hello to everyone who attended the Lammas workshop and ritual on Saturday! It was wonderful to have you there! If you couldn’t make it, here are some thoughts on the Lammas holiday and how it may touch on the work you’re doing this season.

Lammas Blessings
by BlackLion and Starcat

Lammas is about first harvests, getting our first taste of the things we have planted and tended, the first flavors of a new crop of experiences. Sometimes we tend to overlook the first harvest because we can see how much work is yet to be done. But it’s important to savor the fruits of our efforts, to refresh ourselves and renew our trust in the process, so we know what we’re working towards and recognize when it manifests.

We may look at a project or goal as being successful when it is completed, yet in most things there are stages of growth and achievement. When we take the time to acknowledge and celebrate each new level of accomplishment, we are welcoming those energies, becoming familiar with them, and encouraging them to flourish.

The first step of every achievement is to set our intention, to plant our seeds of knowledge, growth and possibility. As we move forward, we take the actions necessary to tend them, giving them the attention they need to grow. The next stage, which is where we are at now, at Lammas, is to let those intentions go and trust that the Universe will take care of them. We can provide seeds, water, soil, sunlight and attention, but we can’t make plants grow. We have to trust that they will grow and thrive. It’s the same with any of our creative projects.

It may be tempting to micromanage or overanalyze the process of creation. However, there is a point at which, no matter what we do, we may only be hindering progress. So how do we deal with impatience? How do we really trust the Universe? Use creative energies in a different way; a writer could instead paint a picture or build a stone wall. Know that our projects will still be there when we get back. Relax and spend time out in the summer sun with friends. Let go of expectations – really. Recall other times when everything worked out just right. This will, too!

While we are still waiting with trust and hope to find out how the crops will fare, remember that Lammas is also the first harvest. We reap the fruits of our labors, and experience the initial results of our projects and goals. Lammas is a time of gratitude. We allow the feelings of thankfulness to build up within us, shining outward like bright rays of sunshine. Although the outcome may remain uncertain, we give thanks for the blessings that surround us in the present.

There are many ways to recognize and express our gratitude. Try keeping a daily list of blessings. Each morning as the day begins, or each night before sleep, write down at least three things for which we are grateful. In our household, we say blessing at the evening meal by having each person speak out loud one thing that they are thankful for in that moment. Leave offerings of food, drink, or small tokens such as stones or beads outdoors to say thank you to the faeries and nature beings. Or simply offer prayers and incense to the Divine.

Be sure to be sincere in giving thanks, and don’t do it by rote, or in order to get direct results. Sometimes, especially if we are depressed, ill or upset, it’s difficult to feel grateful for what we have. Think of very simple things: the food we ate today, the bed we slept in, the sunshine. As these feelings of gratitude find natural expression, our mood and energy levels will improve, perhaps gradually, or perhaps even as a dramatic shift in attitude.

This season is like a pause in the turning wheel of the year. It’s a time for releasing, relaxing and being thankful. Know that the harvest will be bountiful. Sample what has been created so far, and enjoy its flavors. Give thanks and offerings for the abundance. Open up and realize the amazing connection we have with the Universe, as co-creators of everything! Blessed Be!

“The heart is always right — if there’s a question of choosing between the mind and the heart — because mind is a creation of the society. It has been educated. You have been given it by the society, not by existence. The heart is unpolluted.” – Osho

“What you do every day should contribute to giving your life meaning. If it doesn’t, why are you doing it?” – Don Hutcheson

“When you are connected to your source energy and the whole of you is flowing through, you are liquid love…when you are allowing who you really are to flow through you, you are like a breath of fresh air.” – Abraham-Hicks

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The very purpose of our life is happiness, the very motion of our lives is toward happiness.” – The Dalai Lama

“Self-development is a higher duty than self-sacrifice.” – Elizabeth Cady Stanton

“The universe is made up of stories, not atoms.” – Muriel Rukeyser

“Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self.” – May Sarton

“The universe if full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” – Eden Phillpotts

“Seriousness is a sickness; your sense of humor makes you more human, more humble. The sense of humor — according to me — is one of the most essential parts of religiousness.” – Osho

“Hee hee, who who who ha.” – BlackLion

“The purpose of life is to grow in wisdom and to learn how to love better.” – Dr. Rachel Remen

“I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.” – Vincent van Gogh

“You are Beauty and Wonder and Joy and Love!” – BlackLion and Starcat

“The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while Nature cures the disease.” – Voltaire

“Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking together in the same direction.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

“All know the way; few actually walk it.” – Bodhidharma

“The key to change…is to let go of fear.” – Rosanne Cash

“All is well because of Love.” – Starcat

“Falling in love you remain a child; rising in love you mature. By and by love becomes not a relationship, it becomes a state of your being. Not that you are in love – now you are love” – Osho

“I really feel that if more people could pay less attention to other people’s opinions of them, they would be so much happier.” – Alice Walker

“I kept looking for a logic that would explain life. It never occurred to me that instead love is the vital synthesis.” – Jane Roberts

“A type of madness, like falling in love.” – Starhawk

“She had stumbled upon a group of people who were aging backwards.” – Starcat

“The creative abilities do not just help you write books, paint pictures, play the piano, compose. The creative abilities are largely responsible for keeping you alive. Your cells are creative. You are alive because you wanted to create. Every act you perform is creative.” – Seth/Jane Roberts

“The highest function of love is that it makes the loved one a unique and irreplaceable being.” – Tom Robbins

“Conscious relationships are not easy, but they are simple, for they are guided from moment to moment by simple loving kindness.” – Vimala McClure

“A comfort zone is just another word for a casket.” – Quester

“Every passive mollusk demonstrates the hidden vigor of introversion, the power that is contained in peace.” – Tom Robbins

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mohandas K. Gandhi

For a couple of years, we’ve been writing Pagan fiction for the EarthTides Pagan Network’s newsletter. Our column is called Faerie Tidings. We’re now working on a book based on the characters in these stories.

Here’s a taste of Faerie Tidings, written for the Samhain (Fall) 2008 issue:

The wind tugs at our cloaks as we kneel to plant another bed of bulbs – this time red tulips and yellow crocuses. We have just finished with our biggest garden task: planting lots and lots of garlic! The day is overcast and it’s a bit chilly, but we feel sure the rain will hold off for our Samhain observances.

As we crouch down to dig more cool earth, we remember the hot cocoa we had this morning in our slippers and we look forward to the spicy squash soup that will soon be bubbling over the hearth-fire. The two black cats wander over idly, rubbing their tails against us and sniffing the dark loam. Soon, they murr their farewells as they meander off towards the compost pile, which is now full of layers of stalks from the garden and fallen leaves after our morning’s labors.

With satisfied sighs, we return all our tools to the barn, feed the donkey, and head inside for a hot bath. As we simmer merrily in the tub, the cauldron merrily simmers our soup. The scent of it wafts toward us, mingling with the smells of our lavender soap and sage incense. Wrapped in the warm aromas, our consciousness drifts in and out across the veils.

The shining strands of the web spread out infinitely, connecting all beings who are, have been and will be. An evocative resonance leads us back to our ancestors, and connects us forward to future generations. Interwoven are the ancient energies of the dreaming Green Man and the wise Crone, their melody guiding us through the intricate dance. We glimpse Autumn Faeries as they mischief their way through the brush; Elder Tree Spirits yawning and preparing for their winter slumber; and deer making their way daintily to the orchard where the fallen apples beckon.

Some time later, we wrap ourselves in fluffy bathrobes and fuzzy slippers, and complete the ensemble with bright purple aprons. It’s time to head to the kitchen and create our Samhain treats. Along the way, the popping and crackling of the fire reminds us to stir the soup. We clang the lid open and rolling steam envelops us. We give it a stir and a taste, adding a pinch of this and that to accent the savory squash.

In the kitchen, our cakes have cooled since mid-morning, and we cut them into tiny squares. Soon, a pot of dark dipping chocolate is melting on the stovetop. We gather the fillings for our petit-fours: almond paste, maple sugar, strawberry jam, apple butter, dried blueberries, lavender honey, and hot pepper jelly. The messy process of assembling them inspires many giggles and lots of finger-licking. By the time they’re ready, the pumpernickel dough has risen and is longing for the heat of the oven.

As the sun sinks lower in the sky, others begin to arrive. They bring offerings and their contributions to the feast: jars of pickles, pots of butter, a big bowl of beans and rice, and jugs of cold apple cider. The musicians are laden with drums and instruments snug in their cases. The food is packed into traveling baskets and our soup is carefully ladled into a plump pumpkin, its slimy orange innards hollowed out. The bread has cooled enough to add to the top of the traveling feast.

Amongst the mists of dusk, the group rustles its way slowly up the mountainside path towards the ancestors’ grove. Our voices raise in a lilting chant as we process toward our ritual. We can feel the cool whispers of the spirits, and the distant sound of a flute reminds us of our kin beyond the veil. We anticipate the ancestral feast that will soon be laid out among the stone cairns, and the satisfied sighs of those to whom we pay tribute. Tonight, we celebrate our departed kin with food and song.