Tag Archives: Water

Oceanic Poem

Posted on by under Original Poetry, Uncategorized

When I gaze out onto the sea of love . . .

I can picture dolphins, whales, and other creatures of the deep
coming about, and swimming peacefully . . .

My pineal gland’s third eye releases righteous DMT!

Within the depths of my own
oceanic consciousness . . .

In these changing tides, may we
scuba dive into mysterious whirlpools of femininity.

Rocky coastal edges of old school masculinity are washing
away by softening chi of feminine tidal waves.

Intrinsic soulful caverns
awaken their soft, yin-ward watery dimensions.

But not at the expense of breathing in the present moment by exploring
the wondrous watery caverns of under-explored darkness.

The winds of Climate Change are raining a dirge
onto crashing waves of shadowy human-centric doubts.

Walk with Spider in the center of the Web of Life
with your head and your heart scripting a balanced dance-step.

May communication with Dolphin bring lighthouses of curiosity and empathy
into the gales of our inner tapestry.

Let us give birth to a New Earth,
and let the dead ways of the old one go with forgiveness.

Like moths, and seasons,
the one constant in life is change!

May we gently, gradually, and gracefully allow the
bountiful ocean to clear away all salty toxicity on these hard lands.

In the meantime, may a whale of a heartbeat spring forth empathic
connections to your own soul power
that aligns with the mystical vibrations of Universal Consciousness

 

 

Ari is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, ReikiMaster, Published Author, and Educator. He has over 20 years of social work experience, and has been working in Public Schools in Gardiner, Maine, for over 14 years. More importantly, he has been a husband for decades, and is a dad, and animal lover too. Ari is also the MSAD 11 School District Wellness Committee Chair, Facilitator of the Mental Health Awareness Team (MHAT), and Middle School Civil Rights Team Co-Advisor. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in the Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania, and Master of Social Work degree in Miami Florida. Ari’s office is located at the Gardiner Regional Middle School, where he spends most of his school days. Ari also works at the High School, and visits the Elementary Schools periodically. He was born in Alaska, grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan during his formative years, graduated from High School in the Hartford area of Connecticut, and lived in Australia while studying abroad in College. Ari has hiked in the Andean mountain range in Venezuela, and also all of the 48/4000 footers in the old White Mountains of New Hampshire. Ari’s name means lion in Hebrew, he was born in the Chinese year of the tiger, has lineage connections to a band of gypsies that fled Spain to Italy during the Inquisition, Judy Garland, the mighty Cherokee, and more. Also, he’s been meditating consistently for over 20 years, has been in a lot of therapy himself, and still goes regularly to unpack his backpack. Here is his new school website: https://abouse22.weebly.com/

The Tides of March, and A Full Worm Moon

Posted on by under Consciousness, Shamanism, Uncategorized

I remember when Hawk flew-over
the trails on the last New Moon.

This reminded me about them being symbolic of new beginnings,
and sacred connections with New Moons, Hawk and Mercury.

Mercury in Retrograde springs forth relationships from our past
that often circle back to the present.

Sometimes, these reunions revisit us in a variety of forms of phone calls,
post cards, letters, emails, or other virtual social media platforms.

Or they might come in the form of dreams, visions, or memories of
someone you might not have known back in the day, or even in the flesh.

The point is we are given opportunities to revisit, and rework old
patterns so that we can release old ways, and rewrite new scripts.

But pretty soon, a Full Worm Moon will be in effect on
Monday, March 9th, and then Mercury goes Direct again.

On the day before that, Daylight Saving Time begins,
signals the call to the light.

As the fog lifts, and the skies clear,
may red breasted robins remind us that the early bird gets the worm.

Can you feel the winds of change whistling to you in the air?

Our days are getting longer, which tends to
spring forth an outgrowth in spirits, and budding energies.

And then, Yin and Yang will be equal again on
the Vernal Equinox on the first day of Spring on March 19th.

This is a time when Nature shows us equality
between masculine and feminine energies.

The Yin and Yang are always in flux,
as the one constant in Life is change.

We are in a Pisces time of year, which is a good
time to meditate on the water element,
and the fishes of the sea.

Have you ever noticed that fighting against the current leaves
you feeling more submerged underwater, than going with the flow?

Meditation on Whale is good medicine to tap into
the heartbeat of the planet, remember our history,
and know where we are going.

These great creatures have a living memory, and crystalized wisdom
that we might as well heed, and respect.

Like it or not, we are swimming into the waters of different pods,
and new ways of defining family constellations.

Do you ever wonder why an elderly, Jewish, card carrying Socialist that
hasn’t forgotten about the Civil Rights movement of the 60s,
continues to be written off as an “electable candidate” by
the corporate media, and even liberally-minded voters?

Where does that voice come from that says we can’t afford to
subsidize quality health care, or free college education
for those who want to access higher learning?

Or why the two major political parties
are so against Rank Choice Voting?

Consider that Donald Trump, and his friends in the Billionaire Class
that control the resources want nothing to do with a civically
engaged public because it seemingly threatens their way of life.

This way of life says that your ability to make money makes you better
than those that are not, and it is predicated on property rights, and privilege.

But really, it’s just that they want to control where the
“general welfare” goes, and who benefits from it.

Everything about that kind of thinking is wrong, because what we
are talking about is what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

It is impressive how in the dark people are about where
the money comes from, and where it goes.

That’s why the bulk of the money in the Military-Industrial (Economic) Complex
hides in shadowy “black hole” accounts.

By and large, the Billionaire Class prefers to go unexamined,
and wants to keep it that way.

Like when the white slaves, and black slaves were manipulated
by the slavemaster to believe one was more of an underclass
than the other, and therefore inferior.

Today, the ego of the habituated mind is addicted to
segregated, us and them kind of thinking.

There are those that are entitled to preferential treatment,
and those that are not, says the voice in the head.

But where does that come from?

Perhaps it’s about time that the age old social democratic values that
have been muzzled in this country come out into the sunlight.

Opening up to abundance means that there is enough, and everyone can win.

And if you are sick of getting sucked into March Madness,
and election year politics . . .

Think about the frogs and salamadars finding their way
to vernal pools on Big Night. See them arriving to their breedings grounds,
safe and sound so that we can all carry on our merry way in peaceful coexistence.

Till we tweet again peeps,

Ari

Revisiting Our Cardinal Virtues

Posted on by under Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Do you hear Cardinal whistling a prequel
to the intensities of Summery breezes blowing in the wind?

When I think about suicide, and reflections of some of Anthony’s Bourdain’s
comments about his own arrested development, tasting desperate, privilege,
and the tension of opposites he felt about his
personal wrestling with the interplay between order and chaos . . .

I can understand how he would have had enough of
the pain and suffering in this world, and felt like it was time to check out

Truth is, it can be hard to suck it up, get up,
and keep moving forward in the natural school of Hard Knox . . .

The trick is to learn how to make friends with your inner angels and demons,
and integrate your past selves with the new beginnings of your rebirth . . .

Can you hear Cardinal’s virtuous voice singing
songs about the winds of change blowing in?

Her chorus echoes a callback about empowering us to transition
into the vibration of an innate feminine power!

Perhaps you see yourself as a generalized, intense masculine charged,
get things done, taskmaster doer!

That’s OK, so long as you don’t get identified with that role
Otherwise, you can bet your bottom dollar on a slippery slope ahead . . .

Connect with your heart, let her light your way with your head held high,
with a wide angled gaze in your field of vision . . .

It can be challenging to tune into Nature’s mixed messages that blow in
different directions around our Planet

On one perch, Cardinal reminds us to nurture our own life force –
But too much fire from the sun’s rays can burn you at the stake

Might as well remember to wax on our creative energies
and wash our feminine selves with the watery tides of our intuitive faculties

Time to come out of hiding behind the shadows,
and let your inner light shine like the sun

Meditation on Cardinal’s energy awakens
exploration of traditional, old school values . . .

These re-discoveries are divergent planetary systems of thought
from unconventional beliefs that are worth remembering

Masculine yang gains ground,
while Summer Solstice reveals peak sunlight later this month,

Follow the moonlight toward the Monty of a Full Strawberry Moon
when it bears its fruit at the tail end of the June . . .

See you next time along the trails,

Ari

Frogs Hop In

Posted on by under Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

It has been said that Frog hears thunderclouds,
and call in the rains to give our souls a spring cleaning

And here we are living in times of purification

Giving ourselves permission to grieve and experience sadness
is part of learning how to be an authentic human being

The light may be rising, but the whispering
dark nights of Winter have left their mark

Attachments to our friends, relations, and peers is part of being human

And yet it is good medicine to meditate on
letting go, releasing, and relaxing these attachments

When racing thoughts, and the anxieties of the chattering monkey mind
are weighing you down . . .

Picture a Frog with a mantra to “stop it!”

Remember when we are feeling lost and alone,
we should honor those feelings with gentle examination

At the same time, we can trust that the sunshine and rainbows are on their way

Like the Phoenix Rising, it is always darkest before dawn

Try not to get sucked into the murky quick sand of societal’s swamp

Keep your wits about you, and remember to explore
the playground of your inner tapestry with empathy and curiosity

Even if someone gives you a superficial compliment about the way you look,
just say “thank you.”

Meditation on gratitude is always an attitude adjustment
in allowing your heart to take in the love that you deserve

It’s harder to have an icy heart, when you shine the light of compassion on it

May the arriving Wesak Full Moon in later April
shower the Buddha’s light onto your soul!

See you up the trails,

Ari

Deep Sight Beneath Herrings of Habituated Mind

Posted on by under Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Herring soars into soulful skies again –
echoing Sea Gull sounds of symbolic subtleties in communication . . .

A Pisces New Moon breathes in
incoming energies of Mercury in Retrograde, and Spring Equinox

In a few days, light/dark/masculine/feminine/yin/yang energies
will be together again in natural equality . . .

Yet it also feels like an endless
Winter replay during this seasonal transition

Hard to believe spring fever will be in the air again,
whilst fragrant flowers are blossoming as we speak . . .

Old networks of friendships and other relationships are coming back to visit

Part of mindfulness is noticing body language,
and other non-verbal ways of communicating with each other

Inner peace and happiness are not without remembering
the depth of deep soul wounds that bring back hurt feelings

Forgiveness starts with your own healing . . .
It doesn’t have anything to do with someone else really

But anger is a natural emotion offering
opportunities for deeper examination

When you choose to not take the happenings around us personally,
you end up feeling more empowered and less swayed by the ways of the world

Beneath life’s herrings, Nature reveals to us opposites are everywhere . . .

Sometimes, silence is a higher spiritual form of communication
But paradoxically, so is speaking your truth, and standing up for what is right

Meditation on opening our mouths to releasing spirit,
while closing our mouths to holding spirit in . . .

This is a conversational exchange between order and chaos!

See you up the trails,

Ari

Good tidings with Whale

Posted on by under Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Whale brings good tidings that we have come
to this planet to fulfill our soul’s purpose

People who are mathematically attentive
celebrate “pie day” on March 14th

I see this math symbol as a sign of infinity
and a spiritual birthday gift that keeps on giving

With a new moon coming, and a New Age on its way
we are in the letting go process of an old mechanistic world order

It’s hard not to get seduced into “turning the blinders on” from your
deeper and higher values . . .

But with daylight savings time, the light is rising
while darkness is waning

And then somewhere during that process, you might find yourself
becoming a robot, hitting the mute button,
and parroting a “business as usual” price tag of selling your soul

But the time is now to “get up, stand up”
speak your truth, and “fight for your right.”

Time to man up, dawg!

But with Whale as your spirit guide, you can always come back
to empathy, and swim in the wake of a new sea of consciousness
to the heartbeat of universal energetic equality

Spring Equinox is a good natural reminder of that
A time when masculine and feminine energies will be in equal alignment again

And from that point, the light will be rising till it peaks
on the Summer Solstice in June

Moving into the New Aquarian Age waters means that we should
focus on swimming in pods of like-minded coming attractions

Focusing on those that hide in the dark of an old dog eat dog
herd mentality are not worth you giving your power away to

Those attached to ways of the hellish nightmare
are just going to pull you down, rather than look for a leg up

Your primary focus and responsibility is to take charge of your own
spiritual development as an expanding soul having a human experience

Like the transition between Winter to Spring,
we are in transitional tides that are ebbing and flowing
between ages, and the sands of time

May we swim in these changing tides together
into the new seas of this school called Earth

Till we meet again up the trail,

Ari

Swimming in New Waters with Dolphin

Posted on by under Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Dolphin guides our souls through the wake of a waning Full Worm Moon . . .

The early bird might get the worm, but the madness of March
won’t be without schools of opportunities for sound production

This Pisces time of year inspires dreamy meditation –
while at the same time, we need to sit with grounded mental clarity

We’ll need our feet on the ground during the changing directional winds,
and cloudy days that fog our perceptions

Swimming through life’s waters with sonar precision,
gives us mindful and balanced agility between our heads and hearts . . .

May Dolphin spray spiritual tonic into rational-emotive waterways
How do you feel about how you think about your actions, or the actions of others?

Picture a Dolphin to help you communicate effectively
Knowing when to speak and when to listen are part of spiritual watching

What are you doing to express yourself with
sensuality, creativity, and passion?

A gentle and soft approach to communication is a mystical vibration

Borrow Dolphin’s superpowers of sonar to hear truth versus illusion,
because your uniqueness has its place in group consciousness!

Outer directed projections are suffocated by the undertow of judgements . . .

Dolphin is a friendly reminder to become deep belly breathing to relax
fixed states of mind that suffocate you from being sprung into deeper truths!

Spring Equinox is flowing downstream,
and arriving around the river bend in a couple of weeks . . .

See you along the trails,

Ari

Spiritual Swimming with Otter in the Week Ahead

Posted on by under Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Otter can facilitate a sweet sense of surrender,
and relax control issues between tension of energetic opposites . . .

A Full Worm Moon arrives on Thursday
Daylight Savings Time is coming soon down the pike

Spring Equinox is also arriving in the coming Pisces tides of March

Masculine and Feminine energies will dance together in equanimity . . .
Shouldn’t that be a good role model enacted by humanity?

Freeing our minds from our likes and dislikes helps heal our
natural human tendency to move away from what we
don’t want versus moving toward what we want more of

Just empathize for a moment that the gaining popularity of
the GLBTQ modern label is nothing new from the perspective of our
collective consciousness, sentient being history!

It’s just outside the box from a cookie cutter, Americancentric perspective

Consider meeting both opposite sides of the same coin with
an aware/soft mind, let it be, and let it go . . .

Cultivating sound mental health is a process of letting go of our
preferred/non-preferred experiences, yet responding to awareness instead of
reacting to our reality-based judgements

If only we meet our challenges with an aware opportunity of a soft mind,
a puncture-proof spirit of letting go, and be open to whatever
it is we are experiencing with love, and compassionate kindness . . .

But seasons don’t come and go in concrete steps in Nature
Her feminine power isn’t always cut and dry like that

The universal Law of Impermanence merely reflects Nature’s Way
that the only constant is change

An old meditative mantra of let it be and this too shall pass is good medicine
to remember always, but especially during energetic seasonal transitions

Otter, like Dolphins know how to be playful,
even when minding their daily business affairs

Our pleasures, aches, pains and injuries
will die just like we will someday . . .

May we all do the best that we can

Otters reflect relaxation as a balanced approach to work and play
Are you able to whistle while you work?

We suffer because we tend to forget living in harmony with the
changing seasons of life, which often results in fights . . .

But Otter reminds us it’s about how we flow with the fluid sensational waters of life

The gravitational pull of our world is heavy and serious enough . . .
But don’t let that take away your right to experience enjoyment

Goliath is a metaphor in our old testament consciousness that is
even more proliferated and pronounced in our world today

Just look at the NRA as part of the big business strangulation
of our sovereignty by the miserly ways of the Powers that Be

Mental illness is about doing the same thing over and over,
and expecting different results

But genuflection to the better devil you know mind-set is comforting,
even if toxic and against your own self-interest . . .

At the end of the day, nobody really benefits from a maximum economic
profit off of sickness, and death,
albeit under the guise of protection and security . . .

Is American ready to become an embodiment of showing a moral responsibility
to provide equal pay/livable wages, universal health care, and
a built-in emphasises on vacation/leisure/free choice time
to create your own self-determined experiences?

Or is that perspective only reserved for those that work hard within the
entitled, privileged inner circles of the minority of the opulent?

Till the next trailhead,

Ari

In this Chinese New Year, May Dog Show Secure Tracks

Posted on by under Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

In this waning New Moon and Chinese-Lunar Year . . .

May we allow Dog to guide us with faithful loyalty . . .
Serving as protection us in this 2018 year ahead

Winter is here, but Spring’s beauty is just around the corner

What is real, and what is normal?

Is normality a manic stock market, bloated military-industrail complex,
coupled with a profiling notion that there is winner/losers,
and you get what you deserve?

Does that kind of status quo, business as usual mind-set sound nuts to you?

Can you imagine what our planet would look like without big monied peddled
corporate products, and weaponry that are intellectually
designed with the intent to kill capacity crowds of Earth’s creatures at large?

Talk about wrestling our planetary consciousness into
a body slam that puts global politics in a systemic sleeper hold!

That being said, I can appreciate Dog’s unconditional
patient, and kind understanding of human shortcomings . . .

Regardless of past abuses, dogs don’t stop coming back or
quit teaching us about meditation on trust

It almost makes you think we are descendants of their kind,
and that we have their traits encoded in our DNA

Are we barking up similar trees?

May the energies of an early Spring astrological eclipse season
help you move into the change you want to see in the world!

Won’t be long before masculine/feminine/yin/yang/light/dark
energies are equal again in both hemispheres . . .

Our friends in the South understand Autumn energies are kicking in –
where they will be moving further into the dark

But in the North, we’ll be moving toward the light,
where an action-oriented catalyst provides incentive for crocuses to spring up!

See you further along the trails,

Ari

Sealing The Deal in a New Year Ahead

Posted on by under Native American, Shamanism, Uncategorized

Take the plunge with Seal into the darker depths of the ocean . . .
Welcome a vortex of primal creative waters pouring into our souls

A New Moon arrives on January 16th –
Let these energies be a catalyst for the waves of new year energies in Nature

A Chinese-Lunar New Year of the Dog rolls in about a month after that . . .
Time to build empathy in our heads and hearts for human shortcomings

Rising above the surface of a world of madness,
breathes in fresh air into suffocating old life support systems

Something new and different is waiting to be born into our collective consciousness

Analysis paralysis is like Groundhog Day revisited –
you get what you are, albeit aggravated by
recurring disappointments and let downs

Sometimes, you just got to flip the script and let the chips fall where they may
Tomorrow never knows where the winds of change might blow

So, if global markets tank, and sure thing predictions
were to fade away into dark nights . . .

What good would it do for you to stress out and worry about it?

We have been programmed to fear the unknown and what is uncertain
We have all been subject to systemic propagandizing
about the better the devil you know kind of memes . . .

Is that so?

Letting go of control issues is good for personal empowerment!
Surrendering to the will of the Universe reawaken a renewed sense of choice

What creative new envisioning to you have in your mirror of your mind?

See you further up the trails,

Ari