The Gift of Crochet

Learning Crochet was a big gift for me, one that enabled me to create many more gifts both for myself and others. It also taught me important lessons about gifts, love, and true connection.

The other day I got the urge to crochet something new. It's been a while, typically now I only crochet in the cooler months. So I found myself a new project. Looking at the pattern and yarn possibilities, I thought about how I learned crochet in the first place.

When I was about 9 or 10 years old, my grandpa and step grandma were watching me one evening. I was restless and bored, nothing was interesting me. My step grandma, in an effort to entertain me, decided to teach me to crochet. She taught me chain stitch, single crochet, and how to end off the yarn. I was fascinated.

I took that and taught my mom. Together we made countless afghans, using only those stitches. We bought loads of inexpensive yarn of all different colors and made our afghans in rainbows. All single crochet stitch, fringes at each end. We started off with a chain stitch, making it however long looked good to us in the moment. Then we added row by row until the size looked good. The only pattern was created by the colors we used. It was something fun for us to do together, and we usually worked as we watched tv.

Soon we had them in every room of the house, and then began making them as gifts and giving them away. As we made a gift, we would use colors that the person who was to receive the finished afghan would like, and make the size to fit them. People loved them because we put our heart, thought, and effort into them, and because they were soft and warm.

We did get bored with that eventually. I set my hook aside for years.

Then, my mom had my first little sister. I wanted to make her a baby blanket, and I wanted to make it nicer than the ones we'd made before. I asked my step grandma to teach me how to read a pattern. Her response was "Just do exactly what the pattern says." So I tried that, and it didn't go very well. Mostly because I didn't actually know how to do many of the stitches, or the basics like "turn". That first baby blanket came out very crooked, and I couldn't figure out the border. But I did figure many other things out, which I went on to use in many more projects. And my sister LOVED the blanket! She loved it so much, that she wouldn't drink her bottle without it. As she grew, she carried it everywhere. My mother was much annoyed by that, because she had to keep track of it.

My second sister was born 2 years later, and the baby blanket I made her turned out much better. It was quite pretty. I had figured out the basics and how to read a pattern by then. My littlest sister loved it, too. And then, as my sisters grew, they outgrew their baby blankets. They asked me for new ones, big enough to fit them. So I made them new ones, which they loved.

The next year, they asked for another new blanket each, because they've grown more. Again, I made them. Repeat the next year. Each blanket was a new pattern, new colors. Something that I thought they would like, that would be fun to make.

Then one day I was visiting my mom (I lived 8 hours away now) and we decided spur of the moment to visit my grandpa and step grandma. As soon as we walked in, I saw it there on the back of her couch. The blanket I'd made last year for my littlest sister. It wasn't put there for my benefit, she didn't know we were coming. It was obviously there because she liked ti. But that wasn't my first thought.

I was hurt. I put so much heart into that blanket for my sister, and then my mother just gave it away like it meant nothing. She hadn't even told me. My sisters were asking for new blankets again, but mom was saying "they have enough, they don't need any more" and then I found not only that, but she'd given at least one away.

After we left, my mom said she hoped I didn't mind that she'd given it to step grandma. She said that step grandma was always gushing over my work, saying how beautiful it was, how even my stitches, etc. and that she hoped one day I would make something for her. But so far, I had not. Mom thought my sisters have plenty, they won't even notice, but step grandma would love it and appreciate it. She was right.

I had never given step grandma anything because I thought since she taught me, she can make anything she wants. What could I make that she would want more?

That day I realized several things. First, don't give your time, effort, and skill to those who don't appreciate it. It's a waste of time and energy.

Also, those who do appreciate you, and your skill, will treasure your gifts, even if they have, or seem to have, the same skill. They treasure your effort, the thought and the heart you put into it for them. They feel the love in it, and that is everything!

After this, I went on to make other things for my grandpa and my step grandma. She treasured them all. I made a cross stitch picture, she hung it on the living room wall. I made my grandpa slippers, they were his favorite.

The best gifts come from the heart. Sometimes, they are gifts of skills, like when my step grandma taught me crochet. Sometimes the gift is the connections and relationships made and nourished.

As the holidays are coming up, I want to encourage you to give gifts thoughtfully. Consider what would be more meaningful, and what is going to nourish connections and relationships more. Somtimes this makes for unusual, but treasured and cherished gifts.

And don't forget yourself! You deserve gifts too. Maybe consider giving yourself the gift of learning a new skill, or making a new connection.

Sacred Rhythms: A Year of Nature's Wisdom is now available as a gift option, for one idea if you'd like to give a gift of deeper connection.

I hope this has sparked some ideas for you, and helps you navigate the holidays with more connection and joy.

Building a Better World

We know we're not happy with the world we have. So, how can we build one we DO want to live in?

What does our society look like in your dreams? What do you wish for?

Last Saturday I held my first Monthly Shamanic Journey Circle. Spirit has been telling me to build community, to create a place for people to come together in community and support. A place people are accepted for who they are, where they can be themselves. Where we can grow and empower each other.

I have created the Rock'n'Reiki Shamanic Journey Circle to fill that need. Each month we'll gather and take a question of interest to the whole community to Spirit for guidance. We will also journey for guidance for personal issues for each other and provide general community and support for each other.

At this first Circle, the thing on everyone's mind through the whole week has been gun violence. Nobody should have to die that way, or lose family members to gun violence. That's the world we find ourselves living in, but none of us wants that. The question everyone has been asking is "how can we make it stop?"

But that's not the right question. In shamanism, we understand that energy flows where attention goes. So whatever you give your attention to, you feed. The universe does not differentiate between what we want and what we don't want. If you give attention there, you will give energy there.

So, we chose to put our attention and energy into a different question. First we talked about what it is we DO want. We want to live in a world where everyone is free and accepted to be who they are. Love who you love. We want to live in a world where we're all safe to go to work, school, shopping and just live our lives in general in safety. A world where we support each other, where we uplift our friends and neighbors.

We chose to journey to our Spirit guides and ask "How can I build the world I want to live in?" We all received practical guidance we could put into use immediately. We all received guidance that love is the answer. We all were told to start being the change we want to see. We were told, in different ways, to let our heart lead us, to keep an open heart with people. We all received specific and individual things we could do as well, based on our own skills and life circumstances. I was told to continue to build this community as well as a Reiki community for my current and past students, and so I will.

Some of the guidance we received seems very simple. But it isn't always easy. It is more important than every though. And, Spirit said that these things, leading with your heart, keeping an open heart, and love for others are contagious in the same way a smile is contagious. Spread the love!

What does the world YOU want to live in look like? Ask your guides how you can begin building that world. They'll have practical guidance you can put to use today. Things only you can do.

If you'd like to join our community, you are welcome! You can join us in person or over Zoom, you'll be part of the community either way. We meet the second Wednesday of the month at 7pm Eastern Time. Contact me for the zoom if you're interested!

Sweet Land of Liberty

Waking and honoring the Spirit of the Land of the United States

As a shamanic practitioner, part of my job is to work with the Spirit of the Land. Recently I was called to expand that work in a big, but beautiful and fun way.

dandelion wishes

Recently I received a call from my shamanic friend Rose De Dan, who said her Spirit Guides had just asked her to do something completely new to her. They asked her to gather a couple of shamanic friends and sing to the Land. She replied to this by asking "Let me get this straight, you want me to create a shamanic choir?!" and they said yes!

They said that the purpose of this was to be a ceremony to awaken the Land and All Our Relations which was needed to help in the fight for democracy and freedom. When Rose told me that, I had chills which told me this was true and important. I also immediately thought of the Invasion Cycle of Irish mythology, in which many myths tell us that whichever side in a battle can convince the Land to join their side, that's the side who wins. Every time.

So, although I'm not a singer, I was in! We quickly decided our third would be fellow shaman Patrick Corrigan. Rose called and he was an enthusiastic yes as well.

The Song

Rose's guides gave her the song we were to sing - "My Country Tis of Thee". This is a beautiful, patriotic song that was used as one of our national anthems before the adoption of "The Star Spangled Banner" as the official U.S. national anthem in 1931.

The melody of "My Country Tis of Thee" is adapted from the national anthem of the United Kingdom, "God Save the King". This melody was deliberately repurposed in resistance to the idea of rulership by a king. That felt very significant considering our purpose for this ceremony.

Shamanic Choir

We met for our ceremony over the phone, each in our own place in this beuatiful Land. I chose to go outside to my back yard, but others of our group stayed in their homes. We called in our Spirit Guides, and invited the plants and animals living around us to join in our ceremony. Then we began to sing.

I am not a great singer, but that wasn't the purpose here. Still, I tried to harmonize with my fellow shamans. And failed. The more I tried, the worse I got! Our singing was out of synch, and I tried very hard to sync up, and could not. Finally, I just let go. I abandoned the attempt at control and just "went with the flow." And when I did, I felt the power of the ceremony flow through! I felt my connections with this land where I live, the plants and animals who live here.

I felt the shamanic Power of the ceremony flow out, filling the land around me with Light and Love. I felt the response of the Land. A lizard came over close to me, looking directly at me, and sat with me. I felt my connections with the Land around me deepen, open.

When we finished singing, we sat in silence for a moment. Just being in the energy. My lizard friend sat with me.

Then we began to share our experiences. Each of us had tried to harmonize, had tried to sync our voices together, and had failed. The more we tried, the more "off" we were. Until we gave up and just let go. Then, we each felt the power of our ceremony expand once we let go. We felt the beauty, the connection.

We would have won no singing awards that day. But it was profoundly beautiful. What we did do is create a beginning, a portal which still stands open, to connect with and awaken this beautiful Land of ours. This Land that has been abused and mistreated, neglected and forgotten. We have forgotten to acknowledge the Spirit of our Land for far too long. This ceremony was a beginning, the start of building relationship with our Land and All Our Relations again as a country.

We began this ceremony, but it was never intended for it to stay with just us. It was not a "once and done" thing. It was a beginning.

You Can Join the Ceremony

You, yes YOU can join in the ceremony. From wherever you are. Whenever. We created the container, the vessel, to carry the energy. You can contribute any time and your energy will add to the Power of the ceremony. The more people adding in their energy, the better. The more places around the country, or world, people add from, the better!

You can join in your home, or go outside, whichever is most comfortable for you to do. Connect with Spirit in whatever way works for you, and set your intentions to join this ceremony. Then sing the song! Focus on your love for this Land, your connections with All Our Relations who live near you as you sing. The song will help, as it's all about the beauty of the Land of this nation.

We used the lyrics found here for the words to sing the song. I hope that you join us! I would love to hear your experiences about it if you do.