Fallen Heros

If you haven't herd, Lance Armstrong has been ban for life from professional cycling and his seven Tour de France tiles vacated.  Although I was never a fan of Lance or cycling, it makes me think of all of our sports heroes that have fallen from grace. Sports heroes are the most exposed, respected, admired, immortalized and etched into our lives from childhood. So when they fall from grace, it takes a part  a of us with them.
Drugs, battery, murder, or scandal, for a lot of us its emotionally disappointing and destructing to our sport psyche.

 In earlier times, names like DiMaggio and Gehrig stood for goodness and  honesty, a standard of American sportsmanship. Today, names like Canseco, Manley, Henderson and now Armstrong are forever linked to cheating, dishonesty and a dark spot that will never be erased. Yes, there are still good sports heroes today that will be forever left on our pedestals, but the tragic ending to our most beloved heroes leaves us devastated with little hope, for we tend look to our sports heroes in bad times within our complex world.

I have written the following  poem about our fallen heroes.

    Tainted Heroes
    by Wayne Adam

Where have all the heroes gone?
Like those within our youth
The ones we admired,
From which we sought the truth,

Righteous deeds,
Compassion,
We praised in ink and song
Erected on the pedestal—
Gods that walked alone

Were they all illusions?
Just some fantasy
Or does youth wane to wisdom—
Thus reality

Tarnish stains the purity,
Deceit destroys the soul
One by one they’ve fallen—
Bloody pieces on the floor

Immortality reverts to sin,
Veracity yields to lies,
Heroes of our making—
Human traits survive

Are they just reflections of what we want to be?
We bear their cross of failure—
Mass liability

Men are men
Who sweat and toil with human frailty,
They live and die with dignity—
Not immortality

From innocence to worldliness,
The measure we have gained,
Today there are no heroes—
We are what remain

A Word About Chick-Fil-A

What a all time low. Chicago politicians in an uproar over the CEO stating that he's against same sex marriages and the company donating to anti-gay organizations. Big Deal. Now everyone is jumping on the bandwagon, waving their flags, protesting and boycotting on both sides of the issue.  I personally think it's ridiculous, Chick-Fil-A hasn't broken any laws and hasn't discriminated in their hiring practices or serving customers.

Chicago politicians should put their efforts toward solving  crime, gangs and daily shootings that are rampant in the city than trying to make the Chick-Fil-A cow a homophobic. All business has affiliations with some organization or group and you could boycott and protest everyone of them for some reason. I don't see anyone boycotting and protesting against Apple. Steve Jobs loved taking LSD and didn't trust anyone who didn't try it. So then, he donated to drug lords and affiliated with drug trade, discriminated against non-drug users and corrupted our youth since he became a role model for many. But the politicians don't care for all they want are votes and that's all they care about.

As for me, I like Chick-Fil-A and I stand by the cow--Eat Mor Chicken!!!                  

Litha 2012

Hail the Summer Solstice (Litha)! Under the branches of the Hazel we give gratitude to Mother Earth and all she provides for our existence. We honor love, compassion, fertility, abundance, protection and power of the sun on this holiday to invoke good fortune, good health and harvest for the rest of the year.

Like on the eve, bonfires to strenghten the sun and celebrations set the tone for a glorious day.

Litha is one of my favorite holidays. Embracing Mother Earth, waking up to sunrise, listing to the birds morning homage, the messages of the wind and the chatter of the trees.
My fire is set, my herbs are collected, and my spirit is one with nature. I will bask in the glow of the sun and pay homage to  Mother Earth for all that she provides me.

Wishing you a happy Litha.

May Day

Happy May Day ( aka Beltane or Beltain)!

This moon holiday falls in the Oak month, it signifies the beginning of the light half of the year (the beginning of summer) and is a time of magic, fairies,  joyous festivities, sex and sensuality. A day of honoring fertility in the form of Green Man, of the Goddess in her maiden form seeking her first sexual experience, and of eroticism, pleasures and sensual delights all within the celebration of life without embarrassment or repercussions.

This was the time of the Maypole Dance, usually with red (representing the menstrual cycle) and white (representing semen) ribbons that signified the sexual act of intercourse. Of course in today's society, we don't honor fertility, sensuality or sexuality. People don't have sex in fields, or jump over bonfires to ensure fertile energy, or drive cattle between bonfires to ensure their fertility, nor do we give away May baskets of flowers honoring the the maiden aspect of the Goddess seeking her first sexual experience. No, today we're more prudish, unfeeling and tend not celebrate the pleasures of life--but wouldn't it be great if we did.

Earth Day 2012

Today is Earth Day, a day we have set aside to honor Mother Earth and the enrichment's she gives us, animals, plants, air and water. A day we should  become one with nature, treating her with gentleness and sensitivity that she deserves. But we seem  to take it lightly or dis-regard the notion all together. Our acts on Mother Earth are brutal and unrelenting, slaughter and extinction of  beloved animals, destruction of forests, poisoning of water and air all in the name of  progress and humanity. Do we fail to look at the damage-- barren land, dead seas, stagnant air and rancid water or  are we just uncaring and believe we are far superior and above reproach. And what of  Mother Nature? We call it global warming, the cause of more intensified natural occurrences, storms, volcanoes, tornadoes,etc. I believe it's Mother Nature in her wrath  trying to reclaim what is hers. Maybe we should stide for harmony and balance before its too late.

My poem Thoughts in the Wind is very appropriate for today. I wrote this poem in a park on a very windy day, as I walked, I listened to the wind and constructed this poem. Every time I read it I can feel and hear the wind and rain.  Happy Earth Day.

Thoughts in the Wind

by Wayne Adam

I stand amidst strong winds—

Feel its power

How small man is among nature,

Frail against her elements

Yet, we defile her essence

Air, earth, water,

In progressive plunder

Selfish is our existence,

Slaughtering her children

In incremented extinction

No wonder she lashes back

In unyielding fury,

Reclaiming her possessions

Have we no morals

In raping such beauty.

No stone unturned by

Our iron hands

No water pure from

Our venom

No creature free from

Our stalking

I stand in gentle rain—

Feel its sorrow

Yggdrasil

Here's an except from my new article on Yggdrasil in Renaissance Magazine
that is now in bookstores and on newsstands. If your into Norse mythology or just curious about Yggdrasil, you will want to read my article.

"Yggdrasil was the great Tree of Life of the Norse people. A gigantic, eternally green Ash tree in the middle of Asgard that covered the entire universe binding the nine worlds, its branches rose above the heavens and its roots buried far into the depths. Yggdrasil had three enormous main roots that ended near an enchanted water source giving it perpetual life. The first rooted to Asgard, the home of the gods and ended near the well of Urd. The second rooted to Jotunhiem, the land of the Giants and ended near the well of Mimir. And the third to Niflhiem, domain of the dead ending near the spring of Hevergelmir..."

                                                                                                                                        

Myths, legends and folk lore of ancient cultures helped shaped today's world, they should not be discarded, but remembered for their meaning and connection to the present.

 The past yields to the future, thus the future dissolves into the past.

Vernal Equinox

Today we welcome the Vernal Exquinox, aka Eiler, Easter, Alban, and Ostara. As a sun holiday, we honor the east (which symbolizes beginnings) and the beginning of spring. It signifies the end of the  the dark half of the year, a time of equal day and equal night and the return of light over darkness. It is the time of rebirth and fertility, the wakening of nature as new shoots, early flowers and budding trees come forth while birds begin to build nests and animals emerge from  their winter hibernation.We also honor the Goddess in her maiden form, the renewal and rebirth of mother earth,  human growth and sexuality along with with rituals of cleansing and purification in preparation for Beltane (May Day). Thus, today we are urged to awaken our sensuality, sexuality, and creativity. To reconnect with ourselves, nature and our inner spaces. At this time, we need to perform rituals to purify our minds, change our habits and prepare for the light of Beltane.

On this holiday I have a sense of my own renewal and rebirth due to my connection with nature and its children. From  them  I seek their messages and meanings, I feed off of their energy and they provide the catalyse for my inspiration and creativity. It is a day I visit my inner place, to purify and ensure that it is clean of any impurities. So today I'll sit in the sun, honor the trees, flowers and animals. I will clear my mind and welcome the beginnings of light, renewal and rebirth. I will embrace the  light, myself and mother earth. And tomorrow I will emerge with a new inspiration, creativity and sense of self.

I wish the same for you.

Nieghbors

Have you ever received a letter in your mailbox from  a neighbor.  With the exception of   Lost Pet notices, they are very annoying. They're meaningless disputes with another neighbor(s) over some minor matter . Besides being against the law (a federal offense under USC Title 18), they are a nuisance, especially if you get more than one over a short period of time as I did. Actually, I received letters and rebuttals about issues that occurred a couple blocks away. Although I did not confront the authors it did inspire me to write the following poem  about this experience. Read and enjoy.


Letters in My Mailbox

Letters in my mailbox from neighbors I don’t know.

They live down a block or two--places I don’t go.

Their letters speak of squabbles with neighbors of their own.

They need to keep it to themselves—and just leave me alone.


One letter wants to know why her house burned to ash.

When will she rebuild—and pick up all the trash.


Another says her neighbors are cowardly and crude.

Her dogs ran through neighbors yards, one time that is true.

But yelling out profanities is not right to do.

Instead of meeting face to face, cops come to her door.

They plaster notes upon her car—she said she wants no more.


Their letters vent the anger of these atrocities.

But why I’m involved in their trivialities.


Now I get rebuttals from the letters of before.

I’ve received three or four of them; I hope there are no more.

Maybe I should call the cops, or send letters of my own.

Or meet with them face to face to tell them send no more.


More letters in my mailbox, it’s become a daily thing.

Accusations go back and forth, they pick on everything.

My trash cans overflowing, I’m drowning in their ink.

At least they could spell check, or one would think.


I took my mailbox off the post, but to no avail.

Now they place them at my door—it’s a living hell.


Bowing to their letters—tomorrow I will sell.

Halloween

It is "The Day," the end and beginning of the Celtic New Year. The time for mediation in groves of sacred trees,  of self-initiation, of  reconnecting with spirit, appreciating and communicating  with the dead and a recommitment to your spiritual path. It is the holiday of Samhain, also known as, Calan Gaeaf, Hallowmass, All Hallow's Eve, and Halloween. A time of creating sacred space, a circle, within the magic of sacred trees, allowing us to part the thin veil and enter the Otherworld to communicate with the spirits of departed ancestors, friends, family, and animals.

In ancient times, Samhain lasted three days and was considered a celebration of death and rebirth. It encouraged people to do crazy things--cross dressing of men and women, children would knock on neighbor's doors for food or treats, Farmers' gates would be unhinged and left in ditches, and horses were moved to different fields. It is the root of our modern day Halloween. But for those who are more into the deeper meaning, 'The Day" is a source of guidance and inspiration rather than fear, gloom and doom, and all focused on death and rebirth. A shaman's journey to the Otherworld to communicated with departed spirits with the help and guidance of  your own totems, guides or deities (animals, trees, faeries, gods, etc). A self-initiation of the process of death, afterlife and rebirth, in that, death is a step to the afterlife and ultimately rebirth.

Today there are no sacred groves and if no trees are available to conduct your sacred space, you can use candles. Lite them  in the darkness, call the spirit world  and remember your dearly departed and their teachings and legacies. Add an extra setting at your table to invite the spirits to join you and enter the Otherworld in silence.

For me, today I will be scrying for enlightenment, inspiration and messages on my spiritual path.

Happy Halloween for all who read.                                    

A Day at ORF 2011

With the weather gods smiling, the Lovely Lady D and I traveled to the scenic valley and rolling hills of the Ohio Renaissance Festival (ORF). It was an awesome day,  sunny, warm temps, clear blue skies and beautiful fall colors adorning the trees. This perfect setting enhanced the jovial mood of  rennies, attendees, casts, and vendors alike. The smell of the faire food made your mouth water and the sounds of the entertainment from various stages invigorated your spirit into a festive frenzy.

We strolled through the various vendors and bought trinkets of  jewelry, cups and statues. I met a beautiful Lady in white who allowed me to take her picture for this blog and we just enjoyed each others company, the day and festivities. Our highlight, besides our newly acquired trinkets, was our reunion with Lady Megan who read our stones and enlightened us with her stories.

After a day of feast, turkey legs, pretzels and drink, we bid farewell to ORF. As winter approaches, we look upon our festival treasures in fond memories and expectations of  our return next year.