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Jar of Jems

Dearest Jems,

So how has the first half of the year transpired for you, My Friend?

I’ve experienced lots of changes metaphorically speaking as well as literally. The first six months of 2010 have been power packed with lots of moving and shaking.

And what about that Full Moon Lunar eclipse in June? How did that slide into your life?

I was very proactive in letting go of some of my painful past experiences with a wonderful healing ritual. It feels so blissful and I felt so much lighter and brighter. I was buzzing for days after.

July looks like it is shaping up to be a boomer of a month too with another eclipse – this time on the New Moon in Cancer. I am looking forward to this eclipse as I feel that it will bare some positive repercussions (that sounds a little strange, doesn’t it?). Although, I feel ready for some new experiences and I think that July 2010 is the time to allow new experiences into my life.

Today for example, hubby and I tried an entirely different shopping experience. I walked around the shops with my eyes wide and my heart beating very loudly. I had not realised that I had fallen into a rut with my shopping experiences. I said to hubby that in the future we need to come here at least once a season. I joined a couple of the retail outlets email notification lists to make sure that I am reminded to move out of my area.

I guess it is a lot like life, isn’t it Jems? We get comfortable and we do the same things over and over. Life seems to chug along with the choke out and we become familiar and feel safe in our surroundings.

I think that the eclipse season is a great motivator to move our focus in a different direction, don’t you?

I can’t wait to hear about your vision quest on your return home. Until I hear from you, I am beaming loads of love and light your way.

Love and Magic,

Jar

Dear JAR,

Hello my Friend! It is pretty amazing to be sitting here in Vermont writing a letter in my familiar seat in front of my computer, when just yesterday morning I woke up in Phoenix, Arizona! The temperature there had been 115 degrees F, with warnings for folks to stay indoors. Being thirsty at the hotel, I ran the water for a minute to allow it to get cold, and the best it could do was a shade warmer than luke! It made me gag. What was interesting though, was that I am usually melted by extremes of heat, yet I wore long jeans and a jacket and did not suffer any ill effects. I was actually comfortable!

The parts of Arizona that I witnessed were very beautiful and very wealthy. In Scottsdale, the attention to detail was incredible, such as fountains with life-size bronze statues of galloping horses, and outdoor restaurants that had mist spraying in the air to keep people from drying out as they ate in the arid heat. The people were beautiful too – it seemed to me that the folks who lived in that town had incredibly straight and tall spines, and walked like dancers. The general tone was geared toward consumerism, so you knew it was a tourist town.

We drove to the Grand Canyon, which totally blew my mind. The road through the National Park is flat and straight, and the brush that grows alongside the road is similar to what you might find in a beach area – low growing, with driftwood-like logs scattered here and there. Suddenly, there is a place for your car to pull into an overlook, and there it is: Hundreds of miles of the deepest, most colourful, mind-blowing shapes and crags and gullies and hills, sprinkled with vegetation- and if you look carefully, you can see the Colorado River, looking like a narrow piece of ribbon undulating through the canyon so many hundreds of feet below.

I cried! The magnitude of this spectacular wonder made me feel like kneeling to the Higher Power whose presence could be deeply felt and not denied when observing this phenomenon. I had to make a huge effort to remember exactly what it was that could possibly be so important to worry about in my short little life, when these gargantuan structures have witnessed eons of cycles and still they beautifully stand. My mind drifted back to a time when courageous people rode across this country in covered wagons to find a better life, and what a shock to have your team of horses suddenly ride over the edge with the wagon tumbling down behind it. The gaping hole really does appear so suddenly! Of course, there are trees and bushes and thigh high stone walls situated so that you can sit on them and take photos without losing your life, but before those things were in place I can only imagine how many bodies fed the vultures that hungrily circled above.

After a couple of days we continued on to New Mexico, and our destination was Santa Fe. New Mexico is also incredibly beautiful, but the tone is distinctively different. It has a rawer, more primitive, in-your-face energy, with reality overshadowing fantasy. Yet – the stark images are so incredibly inspiring, that artists from all over come here to explore their souls. Art is everywhere! From the bridges and overpasses to mailboxes and museums.

But also here is more poverty, and I chose to buy small items directly from the native people who had blankets spread with their wares, as opposed to going into an ostentatious store whose owners pay little to the folks who laboured over the crafts they make a huge profit on. I had been to Santa Fe once before, and it was even more lovely this time around. Musicians played their hearts out in the town square; everyone felt compelled to give them well-deserved cash in their hats. The weather is perfect, the people friendly, and again, art is everywhere.
I would like to say that it is heaven, but I am also aware that there is much racial strife – there are three main factions that dominate the scene: the Native Americans, the Mexicans and the Whites. There is violence; some of it is racial, and some of it is like anywhere else: in families and relationships. The buses are painted with messages to love your children and praise them everyday, and telephone numbers to report domestic violence. It is a fascinating mix of the Wild West, hippie-town, art snobs, and talented but homeless artists looking for a better life. Georgia O’Keefe is one person I admire, and the museum there dedicated to her art is a testimony to how this area affects the creative soul.

We travelled back to Phoenix/Scottsdale in two segments, since it was too much to do in one fell swoop – the 88 year old lady who was the focus of this trip would not have endured it too well. The country that we drove through was so incredible – it was as if nature was on stage and performing for us. We came upon an area where the prairie dogs live – thousands of them popping out of holes, chirping warnings to each other – we were delighted to be a witness to them in this preserved area. They were a bit wary of us – for good reason – humans are dangerous parasites on this planet, and I feel joy when a town or city works to preserve what is natural to the area.

We flew back to Vermont on Friday, and it was good to get home. I am still processing and digesting all the experiences that transpired during this life changing trip, and I will probably have more to tell later on. Stay tuned!
I am glad to be back and able to re-connect to you, Jar, and I look forward to hearing more about your life changes during this eclipse season!
I send you much love and many blessings, now and always!

JEM