Meet Jackson – ND #97

Posted on March 15, 2022 by Lisa Weikel 6 Comments

Jackson – Hero Hound – Photo: L. Weikel

Meet Jackson

Meet Jackson. Jackson is a Rat Terrier who loses his mind every single time we walk past his house. He’s so ‘on alert’ that he begins talking smack at us before we’re even near his family’s property line. As we walk by, he chases us from one end of his house to the other, through the side door, out along the family’s fence and back again. He tears back into the house and jumps onto the back of a couch threatening us with imminent shredding as he glares and bares his teeth and stamps his feet at us through the home’s picture window. (Over and over again. Relentlessly.)

Naturally, we’re friendly with Jackson’s mommy and daddy, and we’ve often commiserated on the relentless cacophony of yipping and yapping he hurls at anyone who even thinks about approaching within a quarter mile perimeter of his home. And yes, I mean ‘his’ home. He hurls abuse at and wards off everyone from his home and his mommy – even his daddy gets the Jackson treatment.

Jackson – Ever Vigilant – Photo: L. Weikel

Heroic Hound

Jackson’s parents assure us that they can almost – sometimes – block out the constant stream of verbal doggie outrage. I believe it; I’m sure it’s true, because sometimes I am so fascinated by his antics that I barely hear the smack talk. Indeed, the predictability of his outrage makes me smile. I would miss him if he didn’t zoom back and forth issuing threats of our imminent demise – every single time he sees us.

He’s a protector.

And over the weekend, he earned his place as Hero Hound in the Annals of Canine Hearth and Home Defense.

As his mommy relayed to me this evening, yesterday afternoon yet another of the usual background noises of her home unexpectedly took on a different tenor. All of a sudden, she realized that the usual clucking of her chickens sounded peculiar. Through the window of her back door, she saw a hawk circling above her brood and then swoop down and land on one of her chickens. She opened the door with the intention of yelling at the hawk when Jackson-the-Wildman tore out the door. Before she could even set one foot outside, he pounced on the hawk and tore it off ‘his’ chicken. Nothing but the hawk’s self-esteem was wounded in the process.

Jackson, meanwhile, stood proudly beside his rattled charge, his tiny tan chest swelling with the heart of a lion on the savannah who’s just defended his pride from the threat of jackals.

Probably Doing Recon – Photo: L. Weikel

Reward

Jackson feasted on a dinner of scrambled eggs last night. His hen gratefully offered them as tribute to her protector. Her hero.

I think we can all agree, Jackson is without a doubt a really Good Boy. And his home is safer because of him.

Jackson – Always Ready to Take You On – Photo: L. Weikel

(T+97)

Luxury – ND #81

Posted on February 27, 2022February 27, 2022 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Cloud Owl in Flight – Photo: L. Weikel

Luxury

While taking a walk early this evening, the tranquility of our lives, in this moment, was squarely in Karl’s and my awareness. Our greatest discomfort was how much colder it was tonight than it was a few days ago. We had the luxury of walking in silence, feeling awe as a hawk flew right across our path seemingly to get a better view of us, and delighting in a flock of over two dozen robins hopping around on the neighbor’s lawn.

Of course, we were thinking about the upheaval of the lives of Ukrainians who, quite possibly, may have taken a walk similar to ours less than a week ago. But now they’re refugees. Or quite possibly guerilla soldiers, dedicated to defending their country and willing to lose it all rather than succumb to Putin’s regime.

Even though we were, indeed, walking in silence (at least initially), I know our thoughts turned toward Ukraine at the same time without us having to exchange a single word. We just stopped, looked into each other’s eyes, and sighed.

Hawk on our left – Photo: L. Weikel

Target Practice

We sighed because all of a sudden the sounds and silence of nature were shredded by the rat-a-tat-tat of a rapid-fire weapon. I don’t know enough about firearms to know whether what we heard was an automatic or a semi-automatic – but I do know it’s not the type of gun that hunters use to shoot deer. Ah, there it was again. Across the hills from us, another burst of staccato gunfire. And then more. At least another six to ten bursts of bullets echoed through the countryside as we made our way up the hill.

Other than being used for target practice, we all know, deep down, what those types of guns are designed to ‘hunt.’ And the images of Ukrainian grandmothers arming themselves with Kalishnakovs and AK-47s springs to mind unbidden. What were they doing last week at this time?

Hawk taking flight and crossing before us – Photo: L. Weikel

Looking Up

At the same time that we hear those gunshots slashing at our peace, we look up and toward the west, only to find a massive cloud owl taking wing across the sky.

It could, of course, be a harbinger of death on the wind. Or it could be a symbol of protection. My first reaction when I saw the Cloud Owl was a sense of gratitude and familiarity, the appearance of a cherished friend and ally. To me, the Cloud Owl looks like it’s speeding off, intent upon fulfilling a mission. So I thanked it for appearing to us and asked it to bring protection and comfort to whomever needs it.

Cloud Owl in context – Photo: L. Weikel

(T+81)

Solstice Is Upon Us – ND #13

Posted on December 21, 2021December 21, 2021 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Solstice Eve Sunset – Photo: L. Weikel

Solstice Is Upon Us

Late this afternoon, I managed to capture a glimpse of the sun just before it descended below the horizon. Yet another raptor darted from the bushes to my left – a falcon this time – crossing my path and weaving effortlessly amongst the saplings and grapevines. Hawks had accompanied me the entire length of my extended walk; I’d seen at least four, not counting this smaller, dark brown falcon. “The Solstice is upon us!” the falcon cried. “Time to fluff our feathers and hunker down. You need to get home,” it added.

And so the longest night of the year began with a messenger swooping before my eyes. This must have been Spirit’s last ditch effort to gain my attention, since a Red-tailed Hawk had literally executed a combination swoop/jump from tree branch to tree branch in front of me, spanning a quarter of a mile, its massive wings cupped forward, beckoning me to follow.

No photos of those quick hops from branch to branch. The best I could do was snag one of it facing the setting sun, turning its back to me, facing the wild unknown most bravely.

Hawk Facing West – Photo: L. Weikel

Pensive

I’m feeling decidedly pensive this evening. I was keenly aware of the impending darkness this evening, especially the fact that tonight the darkness would last the greatest amount of time. Our fire is burning gently, reminding us of just how cold it became tonight – all of a sudden, too. I know I’d looked at the Weather Channel app several times over the past 24 hours and not once did I see the call for such frigid temperatures as those we awakened to this morning.

The cold only drives us deeper within.

Contemplating the dreams we wish to manifest over the next three months is our focus at the moment. What changes are we seeking? What messages will we be delivering? What is the coming year going to teach us about ourselves? How can we best honor the our heart’s desire?

So many questions. Such freezing temperatures driving us inside, making sure we hunker down.

Tomorrow we’ll awaken and the days will begin lengthening ever so slowly.

Enjoy the night. Revel in the silence. Or is that the call of a Great Horned Owl I hear?

(T+13)

Early Autumn Perfection – Day 1048

Posted on September 25, 2021September 25, 2021 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

A Rainbow at Tohickon Creek – Photo: L. Weikel

Early Autumn Perfection

It sounds like the weather this weekend is going to be classic early autumn perfection. I’m sooo excited. I intend to spend as much of my time outdoors, immersed in Mother Nature’s embrace, as possible.

Sometimes we all need to just unplug from everything. The call to disconnect is strong at the moment. Given that I’m mostly water and electrical impulses myself, perhaps I’m as desperate for a ‘reboot’ as are my iPhone and laptops on occasion.

Where better than my go-to source of replenishment? Ah yes, my Tohickon Creek.

As I approached her today, the roar of her voice drowned out everything else, including my thoughts. I wish you could hear the sound that accompanies the photograph above. The rushing flow coursing down the argillite bed of this ancient waterway is almost intimidating.

Photo: L. Weikel

Not For Some, Though

Multicolored kayakers took advantage of the cascading water whirling and swirling over and around the boulders scattered along the bed of the creek. I’m not the type of person who usually takes vicarious pleasure from watching others do something adventurous or fun. Nah. I’d much rather be doing it myself.

But I have to say, I felt exhausted simply watching these athletes paddle furiously simply to keep themselves from being flipped by the coursing water. And even though I knew (or hoped) they knew what they were doing when their kayaks did flip them upside down, I caught my breath every single time it happened.

Photo: L. Weikel

Balm For My Soul

A hawk screeched relentlessly in the woods just behind me as I took the photo, above, with the rainbow arcing overhead. A few minutes later, I saw it (truth be told I’m not sure it was the same one) circling overhead.

The message I discerned in the cry of that hawk was, “Come home. Sit a piece. Let yourself just be.”

(T-63)

Setting of Tone – Day 859

Posted on March 20, 2021September 16, 2021 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Hawk – 19 March 2021 – Photo: L. Weikel

Setting of Tone

Today turned out to be a much more delightful day, weather-wise, than what I was expecting. While it was still chillier than last week, I was grateful that yesterday’s dreary pall of rain didn’t carry over into today. As we took a walk late this afternoon the lingering breath of winter felt exhilarating. And encountering this messenger, surely one of our horny hawks from last week’s extravaganza of mid-sky mating rituals and raucous attention-getting, felt like a seasonal setting of tone.

What tone might this hawk be setting?

First and foremost, Hawk (as an archetype, hence the capitalization) is a messenger. And this one perched not on a pole or at the apex of a tree, as is their usual preferred observatory, but rather smack in the middle of a telephone wire, perfectly balanced above the center of a roadway. And s/he watched us approach for a good quarter of a mile before taking flight again.

It strikes me that for a bird as hefty as a hawk, balancing on a wire takes more skill and focus than might be demanded of a sparrow or bluebird. This fact gave more credence to the deliberate intention of the act itself. This hawk was not trying to hide itself from us or observe us from afar. In fact, I swear it maintained eye contact with me the entire time I walked toward it with the hope of getting as clear a photo as possible.

I’m not suggesting that it showed up just for us, but surely a higher and more stable point would have been preferable as a hunting perch. And part of its message could therefore be that we need to bring an extra dose of skill and focus to achieve our goals this spring.

Communication, Creativity, New Life

Sitting on a telephone wire above the middle of a road. Being obvious and direct in its work as a messenger, possibly using new means of communication. Patiently awaiting the arrival of the new growth/life that so much effort was put into creating last week during the very public and unmistakable mid-air mating dances and rituals.

The energy I felt from this hawk was that it almost wanted to whack me upside the head with its wing. Perching there on a wire overhead it just felt like it was deliberately making itself obvious to us. It was pretty much demanding that we pay attention to it and heed its message – which at least partially was conveyed last week when she and her suitors made such a ruckus as they created new life.

Confirmation

Just as I started writing this post, I decided to choose a card from the Naked Heart Tarot deck, asking for a message on setting of tone for the spring season. I chose the Three of Wands.

To me, this card says yes, create a sacred space in which to focus your creative energy. Allow the rising sun that signifies the burgeoning energy of springtime to fill and illuminate your life. Give yourself a protected space in which to give this new life, this nascent creativity, room and space to grow.

Three of Wands – Naked Heart Tarot deck

(T-252)

Unmoored – Day 786

Posted on January 6, 2021January 6, 2021 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Eagle on the Tohickon – Photo: L. Weikel

Unmoored

I’ll admit it: I was on edge all day. It wasn’t even truly conscious. I just felt a vague unease, an inability to settle down and focus on anything. I tried taking a break and visiting my refuge: the Tohickon Creek. Even there, I felt a bit unmoored. I even noticed and commented to myself that everything was shades of brown – and not a bird or an animal in sight.

Today, of course, is the Senate run off in Georgia. The stakes in that election are monumental. They literally stand to change the course of our country’s trajectory, and possibly even our future as a country as way we know it. That’s a huge responsibility.

And then, even just sitting at the creek, I became aware of the shenanigans afoot in Pennsylvania’s Senate. Occurring prior to tomorrow’s meeting of both chambers of Congress, I can see that this is just setting the stage for more outrageous behavior that will rip at the core of our democracy. As a Pennsylvanian, I am incensed with the behavior of our Republican led Senate.

Bereft

As I sat writing in my journal at the creek late this afternoon, I felt bereft. I want to have hope, but sometimes I just feel overwhelmed by the cynicism and disinformation being spewed into our discourse. It’s overwhelming and threatens to drown us all.

After expressing myself on my journal’s pages, I decided I needed to get back to the house and take affirmative steps to make things better in my little corner of the world. It felt like the only way forward in that moment.

As I turned my car around to return home, I groused that I felt I alone and definitely unheard. It felt strange that not even a woodpecker or duck, not even a sparrow had crossed my path as I sat beside the Tohickon, listening to her voice.

That’s when the white caught my eye. I stopped the car in the middle of the road, grabbed my phone and got out.

Yes.

The Eagle was sitting on a branch poking out of the water streaming by in a cocoa colored flow. I took a few photos, and switched to video. S/he turned, looked straight at me, and took off, extending its gigantic wings to skim upstream about four feet above the surface of the water. About four ducks freaked out and joined it in flight, acting as startled wingmen.

I felt heard.

Just In Case

I jumped back in the car and resumed my trek home. Not 1,000 feet later, just as I started to cross the bridge that spans my Tohickon, a Red-Tailed Hawk caught my attention, staring at me from a towering sycamore.

Yeah. Just in case I felt unheard – Spirit reached out to reassure me.

“Have faith,” Hawk whispered.

I do.

Red-Tailed Hawk – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-325)

Back in the Saddle – Day 463

Posted on February 18, 2020February 18, 2020 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

February Flowers – Photo: L. Weikel

Back in the Saddle

It’s been six days since I managed to get any serious walking in. Between the weather and work and other obligations, I’ve simply not logged the mileage. And I have to admit: I yearn to get back in the saddle and return to Mother Nature.

Last week was a bust. And the most frustrating thing about it, to me, is that last week I probably could’ve most used the exposure to nature and the physical connection to the earth.

I just checked the tracker on my phone and see that from last Monday to Saturday, I averaged less than half a mile per day. My top day I managed to walk 0.51 miles and my worst I only walked 0.29 miles. Not good.

A Re-New(ed) Leaf

I’ve at least managed to start this week out on a much better foot. I averaged 4.3 yesterday and 4.1 today.

I have to admit, I was both excited and delighted by the mild weather today. Simply having sunshine brightening my windows made a difference in my mood. And that’s double-edged warmth and sunshine, since they’re coaxing dramatic spring growth to not only sprout but now blossom here and there.

Cloud Raptor – Photo: L. Weikel

Bits of Magic

But the best part about getting back out on my walking circuit is the opportunity to stumble across random messengers in the sky and discover assorted bits of magic on blankets of moss simply awaiting my gaze.

For instance, I was given a timely reminder to rise up and shift my perspective on recent events in my life when I looked up and saw what appeared, to me at least, to be an obvious cloud raptor hovering above me. “Get up, Lisa! Rise above the shock and sadness,” I could hear it admonishing me. “See what’s playing out, where it originated, and where it’s headed.”

No small task, but absolutely do-able; at least the first two suggestions anyway. Hard to tell where anything’s headed in the world right now.

What’s the Lesson?

Funny you should ask. Only several hundred yards from where I first discovered the cloud raptor, I started taking photos of little yellow flowers blossoming in a cluster on hillock of moss surrounding a maple tree.

There it was, plain as day (to my nature-starved eyes, anyway). A piece of bark in the shape of a wolf’s head. Hmm. According to the Medicine Cards®*, Wolf might represent the teacher, the pathfinder, or the forerunner of new ideas that need to be shared with the clan.

Maybe. Maybe not.

At the very least, I feel I’m being told to ‘look for teachings’ no matter what is happening – and trust my intuition. Nothing is random; and I can only imagine (and trust) my eyes needed to be opened.

One thing is for certain: it feels great to be back in the saddle, seeing the signs, listening to Mother Nature, and feeling her love and support.

Bark Wolf – Photo: L. Weikel

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(T-648)

Because Right Matters – Day 438

Posted on January 24, 2020January 24, 2020 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Another Hawk – today – Photo: L. Weikel

Because Right Matters

Watching Rep. Adam Schiff and the other House Managers present their case before the Senate over the past few days has been, at least for this legal and political nerd, riveting.

Their preparation’s been impeccable; their presentation masterful. I could only wish to be even half as persuasive and compelling an orator as Mr. Schiff.

I’m feeling that sense of yearning to be more than I am particularly this evening. As a citizen of the United States, listening to Schiff’s final entreaty to the Senate earlier tonight, I felt a tidal wave of patriotism welling up in my heart. YES. These are the ideals on which our country was founded. These are the fundamental values that I was raised on – and that I believed I would be upholding when I began my legal studies 40 years ago.

I doubt there are many people who listened to that closing argument this evening who could deny feeling a stirring within their hearts for a time when we felt it was our right to demand a higher standard of behavior from ourselves and our leaders.

How many of us yearn, right this very moment, for behavior from our leaders that renews our faith in the fundamental truth that what we do – how we behave when no one is watching – matters? That there are people who aspire to represent us in our government who actually do have a sense of serving a greater good than their own selfish, personal motives?

I’m Idealistic

Yes, I know. I’m idealistic. It’s true: in spite of everything I see unfolding before our eyes, I do not want to lose faith in our form of government. I do not want to lose faith in our elected representatives to do whatever they must to prevent our country from becoming a shell of its former self.

I want to believe that Mr. Schiff’s appeal to the idealist in all of us will compel those who’ve chosen a life of public service to put the fundamental values our country represents to our selves and to the world ahead of all other concerns.

Because right matters. If it doesn’t, we are lost.

If only we lived in Mr. Smith’s Washington*.

Maybe – just maybe – we do. Call your Senators.

*affiliate link

(T-673)

Hawk’s Message (cont) – Day 436

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Sitting Hawk – Photo: L.Weikel

Hawk’s Message (Part 2)

Yesterday I chose Hawk reversed with Dog underneath, and as I wrote in my post, my usual ease in interpretation just wasn’t cutting it. And I grant you: there are definitely days that I remain in the dark on why I chose the Medicine Card I did for that day. But after decades of practice, I’m fairly decent at discerning the messages conveyed by the wide variety of creatures represented in the Medicine Cards^®*.

Which makes my difficult yesterday all the more amusing – since Hawk is traditionally the ‘message carrier.’

And as I stated toward the end of last night’s post, with Dog underneath my Hawk reversed yesterday, I felt I could not escape the fact that somehow, in some way, loyalty – either in delivering a message for others or in being loyal to myself enough to receive a message I need to hear – was underlying this message from Hawk.

As the Day Unfolds

As I’ve mentioned before, sometimes we’re quite sure what our ‘pick’ on the day means – we know exactly the issue it relates to and how we should best address it. Other times we have an inkling, but have found it best to keep an open mind. And then there are the days when we have no clue. Those are the days when we reflect on our pick throughout the day, to see what is revealed as the day unfolds.

Yesterday was such a day.

Before I’d even picked yesterday morning, I’d remarked to Karl that my post on Silence seemed to erupt from deep within. The words came to me sort of like slow moving magma – they may not have erupted from me in an explosive torrent of hastily scribbled words, but they did feel as though they were originating from a very pensive place deep within – and their flow was not easily stanched.

The post had a different feel to it, and I wondered how – or if – it landed with anyone.

Unexpected Appreciation

Imagine my surprise, then, when a neighbor (who I didn’t even realize reads my posts) approached me from across her yard to specifically thank me for writing my Silence Abounds post. She said it was “just what she needed to read this morning.”

I was delighted. But I have to admit: if Karl hadn’t pointed it out, I probably wouldn’t have recognized my neighbor as the messenger she was, and in particular, one bearing a message to be loyal to the posts (and not second guess their value).

Yet Another Messenger

Finally, later last night, I received an email from a person I worked beside nearly twenty years ago. (Is it possible it’s really been that long?! I kept trying to make it only ten years ago, but alas…). Receiving this email was a wonderful surprise, for as relationships are wont to come and go when people’s paths no longer cross, we rarely correspond anymore.

But the best part about receiving this email was my friend’s relaying of two brief stories that interconnect in their shared power to provide inspiration and hope to others – and his specific and pointed message to me that these stories matter. Our stories matter.

The light went on.

In spite of all the exhortations I make to others about the value of our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and especially the value of writing them down, I’m not always loyal to the value of my own writing, my own stories.

It just might behoove me to bring loyalty to both the messages and the act (and privilege) of being a messenger.

I’m listening.

You listening? I’m lookin’ at you. – Photo: L. Weikel

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(T-675)

Hawk’s Message Today – Day 435

Posted on January 21, 2020January 21, 2020 by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment

Hawk Stink Eye – Photo: L. Weikel

Hawk’s Message Today

I chose Hawk reversed on my day today – with Dog underneath.

As you may be aware, the so-called* Weikel Way of choosing Medicine Cards** interprets that as Dog adding color or somehow guiding or laying a foundation for interpreting the meaning of the primary card, in this case, Hawk reversed.

Hawk is a messenger, and of course, choosing Hawk could indicate that either I was going to act as a messenger in some way today, or I would receive a message. At least, those would be the two scenarios I would expect to arise as primary interpretation possibilities.

Perhaps at least partially due to my post last night on Silence, I’ve had a rather extraordinarily quiet day today.

Didn’t Really See It

I read out loud the text of both upright and reversed Hawk this morning, as recommended by the authors, Jamie Sams and David Carson, in the instructions. (When a card is chosen upright, however, it’s customary to read only the upright narrative.) As we not all that infrequently have happen, Karl and I both chose the same card, in this case, Hawk reversed as our primary today – so we listened and contemplated Hawk’s message twice. (Karl had Elk underneath.)

A few salient lines are as follows:

“If you have drawn Hawk reversed, it may be because you have shut down your powers of observation on some level. If something in your life has become too painful to feel, too unbelievable to hear, or too dark to see, it is time to examine the point at which you chose to let yourself become emotionally involved, and to no longer be the observer.”

I’ll admit, there have been a couple of recent instances in my world in which each of these descriptions of circumstances could reasonably have applied. While I’ve done my best to exercise vigilance and remain the observer, that detachment is not always easy to maintain.

Nevertheless, I didn’t really see it. What was I being told to look at and, possibly, remediate?

Another clue might have been these lines:

“Freedom of flight is a privilege, and being a messenger is an honor. The responsibility for delivery of the message is up to you. Take your flight and forget about interpreting the omen your own way. Let the receiver decide what the message means. After all, unless it was sent specifically for you, you would be tampering.”

I could see how this might apply to some of the more difficult challenges I’ve encountered recently, but I still couldn’t really see it. Maybe…but it was a stretch.

So I let it go and hoped the meaning and its application to my life might reveal itself to me as the day wore on.

Regarding Dog underneath (at least in my case), I couldn’t help but imagine I was being asked to examine whether I was being loyal to either my role as a messenger or loyal to a message I was receiving (and perhaps not taking in).