Altar to Freya
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| Freya |
In this troubled world, where there is so much fear and pain and destruction and injustice and imbalance I will build a small altar in my new garden to Freya. It will be dedicated to bees and all endangered creatures. Freya is my mentor and my muse. She is the goddess of love, beauty, sexuality (life) and war (in this case against the planet's oppressors). She is for me the rising Feminine Principle that humanity so desperately needs. The Masculine Principles has been around too long and has become toxic. I will add a photo of it here after I build it.
Shift Your Perspective
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.
His bed was next to the room’s only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed. It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, ‘Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.’
Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy. ‘Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .’
{found on Global 1 TV}
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed. It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, ‘Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.’
Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy. ‘Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .’
{found on Global 1 TV}
Thanks, Andy
Here is a story I found some time ago online. It's called The Egg, by Andy Weir. I've always loved it and wanted to share it here on my blog without taking any credit. Apologies that I did not ask him for permission to reprint it, but I get nothing from doing so and I defer to him and his storytelling skill. Please visit the page at Galactanet with this and more of his writings.
You were on your way home when you
died.
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| The Cosmic Egg by Isaac Abrams |
It was a car accident. Nothing
particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two
children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried
their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you
were better off, trust me.
And that’s when you met me.
“What… what happened?” You asked.
“Where am I?”
“You died,” I said,
matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.
“There was a… a truck and it was
skidding…”
“Yup,” I said.
“I… I died?”
“Yup. But don’t feel bad about it.
Everyone dies,” I said.
You looked around. There was
nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the
afterlife?”
“More or less,” I said.
“Are you god?” You asked.
“Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.”
“My kids… my wife,” you said.
“What about them?”
“Will they be all right?”
“That’s what I like to see,” I
said. “You just died and your main concern is for your family. That’s good
stuff right there.”
You looked at me with fascination.
To you, I didn’t look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a
woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher
than the almighty.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “They’ll be
fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn’t have
time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be
secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it’s any
consolation, she’ll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.”
“Oh,” you said. “So what happens
now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?”
“Neither,” I said. “You’ll be
reincarnated.”
“Ah,” you said. “So the Hindus
were right,”
“All religions are right in their
own way,” I said. “Walk with me.”
You followed along as we strode
through the void. “Where are we going?”
“Nowhere in particular,” I said.
“It’s just nice to walk while we talk.”
“So what’s the point, then?” You
asked. “When I get reborn, I’ll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my
experiences and everything I did in this life won’t matter.”
“Not so!” I said. “You have within
you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don’t
remember them right now.”
I stopped walking and took you by
the shoulders. “Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you
can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you
are. It’s like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it’s hot or
cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it
back out, you’ve gained all the experiences it had.
“You’ve been in a human for the
last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your
immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you’d start
remembering everything. But there’s no point to doing that between each life.”
“How many times have I been
reincarnated, then?”
“Oh lots. Lots and lots. An in to
lots of different lives.” I said. “This time around, you’ll be a Chinese
peasant girl in 540 AD.”
“Wait, what?” You stammered.
“You’re sending me back in time?”
“Well, I guess technically. Time,
as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come
from.”
“Where you come from?” You said.
“Oh sure,” I explained “I come
from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you’ll
want to know what it’s like there, but honestly you wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh,” you said, a little let down.
“But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have
interacted with myself at some point.”
“Sure. Happens all the time. And
with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don’t even know it’s
happening.”
“So what’s the point of it all?”
“Seriously?” I asked. “Seriously?
You’re asking me for the meaning of life? Isn’t that a little stereotypical?”
“Well it’s a reasonable question,”
you persisted.
I looked you in the eye. “The
meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.”
“You mean mankind? You want us to
mature?”
“No, just you. I made this whole
universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger
and greater intellect.”
“Just me? What about everyone else?”
“There is no one else,” I said.
“In this universe, there’s just you and me.”
You stared blankly at me. “But all
the people on earth…”
“All you. Different incarnations
of you.”
“Wait. I’m everyone!?”
“Now you’re getting it,” I said,
with a congratulatory slap on the back.
“I’m every human being who ever
lived?”
“Or who will ever live, yes.”
“I’m Abraham Lincoln?”
“And you’re John Wilkes Booth,
too,” I added.
“I’m Hitler?” You said, appalled.
“And you’re the millions he
killed.”
“I’m Jesus?”
“And you’re everyone who followed
him.”
You fell silent.
“Every time you victimized
someone,” I said, “you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve
done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by
any human was, or will be, experienced by you.”
You thought for a long time.
“Why?” You asked me. “Why do all
this?”
“Because someday, you will become
like me. Because that’s what you are. You’re one of my kind. You’re my child.”
“Whoa,” you said, incredulous.
“You mean I’m a god?”
“No. Not yet. You’re a fetus.
You’re still growing. Once you’ve lived every human life throughout all time,
you will have grown enough to be born.”
“So the whole universe,” you said,
“it’s just…”
“An egg.” I answered. “Now it’s
time for you to move on to your next life.”
And I sent you on your way.
15 Ways to Bring More Peace into Your Life
{adapted from Cortesia Sanctuary's website}
- Sit in meditation and give thanks to Mother Life
- Read inspiring literature each day, even if just a quote or paragraph
- Find a reason to praise someone instead of criticize them
- Spend time alone with Nature
- Avoid using chemicals on yourself or other things
- Grow an organic garden
- Eat a more plant-based diet
- Minimize watching television or exposure to the mass media
- Donate 1% of your earnings to organizations helping with the environment, animals, social issues, or health
- Stop whining and complaining; turn away from an argument; don't worry so much
- Hold someone special for a while
- Listen to beautiful music
- Write loving thoughts and observations in a journal
- Develop a reverential code of ethics that you follow
- Create a place of sanctuary in or around your home
Manuka Honey
Last week I burned my knuckle on the edge of the oven as I tested to see if a cake was ready to take out. I didn't cleanse or dress the wound and forgot about it. Then earlier this week I noticed redness around the wound and, as my grandparents always did, I doused it with hydrogen peroxide. It bubbled furiously as I repeated the application and finally put a bandage on it. The next day showed no healing, so I repeated the course, and again for the next several days.
The red ring began to subside, but the center still looked whitish green and continued to fizz under the peroxide.
Peroxide has never let me down before. But apparently it's the wrong thing to apply to burns (or other wounds) according to the latest theories. I bought a small tube of Neosporin and applied it with a bandage yesterday, and this morning nothing had changed. As I poured more peroxide onto the wound I got into panic mode thinking about cancer or MRSA. So I jumped online and read (again) never to apply peroxide to burns. I also followed links to manuka honey, which apparently heals better than antibiotics, which are failing because of their over-use.
I don't have any manuka honey, so I re-applied Neosporin until I can find a source for the honey. This time I didn't apply a bandage. The truth is, I may have to see a doctor if I can't find manuka honey, and maybe even if I can.
The red ring began to subside, but the center still looked whitish green and continued to fizz under the peroxide.
Peroxide has never let me down before. But apparently it's the wrong thing to apply to burns (or other wounds) according to the latest theories. I bought a small tube of Neosporin and applied it with a bandage yesterday, and this morning nothing had changed. As I poured more peroxide onto the wound I got into panic mode thinking about cancer or MRSA. So I jumped online and read (again) never to apply peroxide to burns. I also followed links to manuka honey, which apparently heals better than antibiotics, which are failing because of their over-use.
I don't have any manuka honey, so I re-applied Neosporin until I can find a source for the honey. This time I didn't apply a bandage. The truth is, I may have to see a doctor if I can't find manuka honey, and maybe even if I can.
Moving Into Old Age
How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were? ~Satchel Paige
When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this but we all have to do it. ~Mark Twain
The carbon burns hottest the moment before the ash. ~ amaria
Don’t let others define you. Be who you are.
My 62nd birthday is in a week. Sixty-two isn't exactly elderly, but it's no longer middle-aged, either. It's like being a 'tween, but at the other end of life. Here I write out some of my own thoughts about this phase of existence.
Ageism is right up there with sexism, racism, and homophobia. It's a quiet killer in that in Western societies, particularly America, it strips a person of dignity. We lose our mobility, our supple body and use of body parts, become forgetful, and our senses diminish and/or extinguish. Hair and other things grow where they never were and go away from where they once were. Spots, wrinkles, and sags replace clear, smooth, and tight.
In addition, the majority of us elders are either poor or living in borderline poverty. We are swept into the periphery, the corners, the dustbin of life. Yet decades of technology-driven prosperity have removed the remnants of the respect that more traditional cultures paid to those who earned wisdom over a long lifetime.
When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this but we all have to do it. ~Mark Twain
The carbon burns hottest the moment before the ash. ~ amaria
Don’t let others define you. Be who you are.
My 62nd birthday is in a week. Sixty-two isn't exactly elderly, but it's no longer middle-aged, either. It's like being a 'tween, but at the other end of life. Here I write out some of my own thoughts about this phase of existence.
Ageism is right up there with sexism, racism, and homophobia. It's a quiet killer in that in Western societies, particularly America, it strips a person of dignity. We lose our mobility, our supple body and use of body parts, become forgetful, and our senses diminish and/or extinguish. Hair and other things grow where they never were and go away from where they once were. Spots, wrinkles, and sags replace clear, smooth, and tight.
In addition, the majority of us elders are either poor or living in borderline poverty. We are swept into the periphery, the corners, the dustbin of life. Yet decades of technology-driven prosperity have removed the remnants of the respect that more traditional cultures paid to those who earned wisdom over a long lifetime.
Resilience Circles
Our unemployment is about to run out. Came across this article about a strategy for coping with unemployment.
Resilience Circles are springing up across the United States.
Here's an older article that focuses on Portland, Oregon
But now that I think of it, with unemployment at just over 9 percent at this writing, I just don't see Americans are desperate enough yet to get into this mode of social networking. And by the time things are at 25 percent unemployment, we've surpassed recession and moved into depression (the number for the Great Depression). I wonder if people will have anything left to barter. I just learned that America has been more than one depression in America. You can read about all of them here.
Resilience Circles are springing up across the United States.
Here's an older article that focuses on Portland, Oregon
But now that I think of it, with unemployment at just over 9 percent at this writing, I just don't see Americans are desperate enough yet to get into this mode of social networking. And by the time things are at 25 percent unemployment, we've surpassed recession and moved into depression (the number for the Great Depression). I wonder if people will have anything left to barter. I just learned that America has been more than one depression in America. You can read about all of them here.
Shame on NPR
Okay, I try to keep my posts upbeat, but sometimes I just can't hold in my sorrow.
Right now I'm sitting in front of my computer (duh-oh!) with the window open. Somewhere nearby a bird is singing its heart out. I don't know what kind of bird it is -- maybe a warbler of some kind -- but it sounds like paradise to me. And my heart is breaking.
The bird is no longer singing. It may have flown away. I just feel extremely lucky that the air isn't totally silent here. But we all hear stories about massive bird deaths caused by electronic towers. For example, this one from NPR:
Not only am I sitting here whining about the death of nearly a thousand migratory birds, but I own a cell phone and ride in cars and do a million other human things. Every year I see fewer and fewer pollinating insects. Every year I hear fewer birds. I never hear frogs or crickets any more. I wonder how much longer it will be until the first absolutely Silent Spring.
I heard someone say on the radio that humanity has just now begun to wake up. I wonder.
Right now I'm sitting in front of my computer (duh-oh!) with the window open. Somewhere nearby a bird is singing its heart out. I don't know what kind of bird it is -- maybe a warbler of some kind -- but it sounds like paradise to me. And my heart is breaking.
The bird is no longer singing. It may have flown away. I just feel extremely lucky that the air isn't totally silent here. But we all hear stories about massive bird deaths caused by electronic towers. For example, this one from NPR:
Baudette Minnesota sits on the US-Canadian border, about as far north in the continental U.S. as you can get, and is famous for snowy winters and a giant concrete walleye that sits downtown. It's also home to a massive Coast Guard tower, built to guide people across and around the Great Lakes. The tower has long been decommissioned, but it remains an imposing presence — especially for the birds who pass through the area on the way to their northern breeding grounds.The story isn't complete as written on the link. The real story is about how nearly a thousand birds of many different species fell dead as they struck the tower there in a fog. That's bad enough, but the whole story seemed to exist only to promote a group of women who sing. I think this promotional story at the expense of losing so much wildlife is a disgrace.
Not only am I sitting here whining about the death of nearly a thousand migratory birds, but I own a cell phone and ride in cars and do a million other human things. Every year I see fewer and fewer pollinating insects. Every year I hear fewer birds. I never hear frogs or crickets any more. I wonder how much longer it will be until the first absolutely Silent Spring.
I heard someone say on the radio that humanity has just now begun to wake up. I wonder.
From Death Comes Life
Life is incredibly complex and mysterious and its potential to heal is infinite. Click on this Radiolab link to listen to an amazing story that illustrates this.
Soren Wheeler takes us to Butte Montana--where an open pit copper mine’s demise leads to a toxic lake filled with corrosive runoff. Reporter Barret Golding goes to visit the pit lake, and writer Edwin Dobb tells Soren the story of a pile of dead snow geese who made an ill-fated landing on the water. Soren also talks to husband-and-wife chemists Andrea Stierle and Don Stierle, whose startling discovery reveals the secret life inside a death trap.(I blogged about this story earlier, too).
Gratitude
Found this in my inbox today:
A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.
When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she was thanking them.
Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.
May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude.
I pass this on to you, my friends, in the same spirit.
Life is good.
Dog Lessons For People
Enjoy the simple pleasures of a walk.
Follow your instincts.
Never underestimate the value of a belly rub.
Be loyal and faithful.
Always drink plenty of water.
Sometimes it is best to just sit close and listen.
Be quick to forgive.
Avoid biting when a growl will do.
Keep digging until you find what you want.
Run and play daily.
Accept all of life's treats with gratitude.
Life is short, pet often.
Love unconditionally
Uranus Enters Aries: Volatile and Sudden Disasters All Over the Place
I've been devouring news on Japan, especially since I discovered a more reliable source (than any US commercial hype junk) on NHK from Japan.
Now Astrology isn't a science in these "modern" times, but it once guided the decisions and actions of human endeavor, and it did so with amazing and uncanny accuracy. As they say, the metaphysics of today are the physics of tomorrow. Or something like that. Anyway, since I'm feeling extremely emotional and anxious about the situation in Japan right now, I set out to search online to find out the astrological connection between Uranus and nuclear power. I came across this page, which has some stunning insights.
Those who honor and appreciate such things may already know that Uranus moved out of Pisces and into Aries on Friday, March 11, 2011, the very day of one of the world's worst natural disasters and the beginning of one of the world's worst man-made disasters: The triple-whammy of Japan's earthquake, tsunami, and multiple nuclear reactor meltdown.
Anne Ortelee writes:
Now Astrology isn't a science in these "modern" times, but it once guided the decisions and actions of human endeavor, and it did so with amazing and uncanny accuracy. As they say, the metaphysics of today are the physics of tomorrow. Or something like that. Anyway, since I'm feeling extremely emotional and anxious about the situation in Japan right now, I set out to search online to find out the astrological connection between Uranus and nuclear power. I came across this page, which has some stunning insights.
Those who honor and appreciate such things may already know that Uranus moved out of Pisces and into Aries on Friday, March 11, 2011, the very day of one of the world's worst natural disasters and the beginning of one of the world's worst man-made disasters: The triple-whammy of Japan's earthquake, tsunami, and multiple nuclear reactor meltdown.
Anne Ortelee writes:
We just saw Uranus exit 29 Pisces in a wave of whooshing slam and crash of explosive energy. As Uranus entered Aries to begin a new 84 year journey, the explosive fire of melting down nuclear power plants appeared in our world.Did you notice that? The phrase "a new 84 year journey"? That means we're in for this for 84 years, folks. But we can take comfort in the fact that,
The good and bad part about Uranus is it is unpredictable. So while we can apply key words, we don’t always know HOW the events will appear. And Uranus always throws a twist in EVEN if you THINK you CAN predict it. Uranus likes the unpredictable! We were able to see with his entry into fire, that we could expect an explosion of fire. And right on cue, Uranus brought a partial meltdown and explosion of nuclear power plants affected by the tsunami and earthquake. Uranus rules earthquakes. Here in New York, 14 people were decapitated on I-95 in a bus crash ~ Uranus rules severing and Aries rules the head ~ where the bus tipped over and slid sideways into a sign pole that sliced through the bus at “head” level, slicing off the passenger heads and top of the bus. Uranus has a crooked rotation, rotating sideways through the heavens and the bus slid sideways. You can’t make this stuff up! And if you did, no one would believe you! At times like this, I am totally in awe of astrology and its symbolic representation of what we are experiencing here on earth. As above, so below, as without, so within.Well of course. Uranus (explosions, nuclear power, earthquakes, unpredictability) enters Aries (the Martian fire sign of war, stunning violence, and beginnings...beginnings). I live on the "ring of fire" in the Pacific Northwest, a hive of earthquake activity and a magnet for tsunamis, quite overdue for our own "big one."
Freedom in Prison
A recent NPR segment highlighted what, of all places, a maximum security prison outside Birmingham in Bible-Belt Alabama is doing to transform its lifer inmates and the prison itself. A program dedicated to the practice of Vipassana meditation is changing the lives of those who made mistakes and are paying for them behind bars.
The William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility's Vipassana teacher Carl Franz says, "Everyone's mind is kind of Pandora's box, and when you have 33 rather serious convicts facing their past and their own minds, their memories, their regrets, rough childhood, whatever, their crimes, lots of stuff comes up."
You don't have to be in a physical prison to experience that Pandora's box, either. A lot of "stuff" comes up at first, no matter who you are or what you've done.
Click on the icon for the full story which includes a 7min 15 second audio file.
The William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility's Vipassana teacher Carl Franz says, "Everyone's mind is kind of Pandora's box, and when you have 33 rather serious convicts facing their past and their own minds, their memories, their regrets, rough childhood, whatever, their crimes, lots of stuff comes up."
You don't have to be in a physical prison to experience that Pandora's box, either. A lot of "stuff" comes up at first, no matter who you are or what you've done.
Click on the icon for the full story which includes a 7min 15 second audio file.
Life: An Eternal Return
The word gift means n. present in English; it means n. poison in German. There is much to be said about such opposites. The cliche that one man's poison is another man's cure carries an important lesson. This double-sided dynamic operates deep in the vortex that spins new life. A member of Congress shot and on life support in a hospital opens an opportunity for the President to deliver what is arguably the defining speech of his career.
There are countless historic as well as current examples of this dynamic. Another is from the December 2000 issue of Discover magazine:
Now listen to how the deaths of these unfortunate snow geese by poison sparked evolution and its gifts. (The editing of this audio is questionable, but the information is truly astounding).
What can we learn from this? Maybe that death itself is only another word for life.
So with every disaster, every tragedy, every death, something new emerges. If we could only learn to see this clearly we would begin to understand how life is truly eternal.
For all things change, making way for each other.-- Euripides, Heracles
There are countless historic as well as current examples of this dynamic. Another is from the December 2000 issue of Discover magazine:
Pity the snow geese that settled on Lake Berkeley as a stopover one stormy night in November 1995. The vast lake, covering almost 700 acres of a former open-pit copper mine in Butte, Montana, holds some 30 billion gallons of highly acidic, metal-laden water— scarcely a suitable refuge for migrating birds stalled by harsh weather. So when the flock rose up and turned southward the following morning, almost 350 carcasses were left behind. Autopsies showed their insides were lined with burns and festering sores from exposure to high concentrations of copper, cadmium, and arsenic.
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| Snow Goose |
What can we learn from this? Maybe that death itself is only another word for life.
So with every disaster, every tragedy, every death, something new emerges. If we could only learn to see this clearly we would begin to understand how life is truly eternal.
For all things change, making way for each other.-- Euripides, Heracles
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