Voice of The Divine

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Standing in the door.
Considering the choices.
I feel your cool breeze.
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The Divine can speak to us through nature. Do we hear and heed her voice? Sometimes the gentle wafting of breeze is just a breeze. Sometimes it is something else. Sometimes it contains information specifically just for us. Sometimes this information has traveled across time and space to caress our face, our arms, our heart. 

The voice of the Divine

sometimes travels to you

on the voice of breeze. 

Listen.

  
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the image is of a photo I took yesterday at the Presidio

El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park.

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Love 101

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Lesson from Lola:
A doggie only wants love.
So: be – do – have – LOVE.
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My doggie girls Lola and Wincicila are having a doggie sleepover at our house this weekend. Nico and Pickles are staying the weekend while the human members of their family are out of town. The usual pecking order is setting itself up as we are 12 hours into the sleep over weekend.
Nico thinks he is the boss and will give a sharp yelp now and again when he thinks someone has entered his space. Even though he has lost many of his teeth (old age and poor dental hygiene) at about 20 some odd pounds he is in charge. Except, when it comes to Wincicila. Lola and Pickles defer to nico. Wini, however, defers to no man or beast.
Nico is madly in love with Wini. He defers to Wini in almost everything, almost all the time. He will forlornly follow her around feeling fortunate to sniff the air around’ her. She pretends to be oblivious but does take advantage of the situation and places herself as the ‘power behind the throne. Wincicila sees herself as quietly asserting herself as the supreme monarch of her world.
Pickles growls quite a bit. The good news is: he is a growl without a bite, at least related to humans and this quartet of doggies. We all feel safe around him. I have seen him on the beach get into real scuffles where his human dad has had to intervene but that is with four leggeds who are not a part of his pack. The truth about Mr. Pickles; we feel he has had a sad history that we can only guess at. He has a burn mark and slightly damaged ear on one side of his face. His human parents got him from the pound some years back as a young adult. He has always been skittish and fast to jump into defending himself mode. He is often fearful there is not enough food and is on a continuous hunt for something to eat. Just this morning he was out on the land gobbling up blackberries from the bush not caring if berries were ripe or green. Of all the doggie companions, he is the one who most desperately seeks to be loved. When he gets attention … even a little … he goes wild with joy. He breaks your heart as his growling scares many away, when with observation all he really wants is affection.
Lola is joyfully oblivious to the undercurrent and powerplays for the most part. When Nico yelps she swerves right. When Pickles growls she swerves left. When Wincicila does her thing wherein she thinks she is queen of the world Lola wags her tail and continues in her Lola-ness.
When Lola is in the snow all you see is her little tail like a flag as she bounces through the snow. When Lola is on the beach she runs along the shore breathing in the moist ocean air with rejoicing. Whenever she meets someone she always begins with, “Hello friend!”.
Sometimes I call Lola by her full name which is “Lola Magic Dog”. I have never really thought about why she has this title. However, now as I ruminate I am thinking it may be related to the way she transforms her world through her perception of the world.
Nico does not stop being bossy when around Lola, however Lola continues in the direction of joy. She does not fight Nico’s perception of himself but wags her tail and continues on her joyful way.
Pickles growls and Lola continues in the direction of joy.
Wincicila puts on her queen crown expecting obeisance and Lola moves into the joy of the moment calling her … with a doggie giggle.. “my queen.” Then, when Wini feels honored, Wini-girl lays on her back belly up in the safe place where warm feelings abide.
Whereas, on the surface Lola appears to be ‘low dog’ in the hierarchy of the tribe, she is actually, the true bonding power for the pack. She is the love glue that holds it all together.
Here is what I see, each puppy-companion here in my home this weekend is offering love to the best of his or her ability. Each is seeking safe-haven and responds to his or her world to maintain safety. As Lola runs with her pack her tail swishes and splatters love droplets like stars on all her pack – indeed on any and all who come onto the path she travels. 

 
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photos taken this morning on the land.  i tried to get all 4 puppies together - the photo below is the closest i came to achieving that goal. 

*upper left is WINCICILA...

*upper right is LOLA...

*middle row is NICO and...

*at the bottom of the photo heading out is PICKLES

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4 27 2018 Traveling with dogs

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Traveling with dogs,
Through them I see the wonder -
And learn about trust.
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This photo was taken in August of 2013 when I was traveling from RoseBud reservation (my home for some years) to return to the ‘most of my life home’ along the coast of Southern California. My car kept overheating and in the hottest part of summer traveling through the desert and across mountain ranges in a car that I felt at any moment may ‘give up the ghost’ was a big concern for me. I remember in the middle of the day traveling barren desert mountain roads, watching the heat indicator rise well into to the red and praying to reach the top and start the downward descent where the car could cool for a bit... and then doing it over and over and over again as the road rose and fell. I was concerned that doggies and I would end up finding ourselves walking in the heat of summer.
How would i keep doggie paws from getting burned walking the hot dirt, stone and asphalt?
The doggie girls of course did not have the least concern. They trusted me 100% to take care of them and so - with abandon they just enjoyed the travels.
My doggie girls have traveled oh so many miles with me. Across desert, across mountain, through city streets and along shore lines. Through their eyes I see the wonder as they call out, “Look at this mom” or “Mom stop here, stop here, we want to adventure on foot for a bit now.” We took 3 good walks a day and maybe one or two shorter ones as we traveled across the South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and into California.
I kept water and food for the girls in the car and on smooth roads I would put a bit of food and water in their dishes, so they could munch along the way. I would share with them a carrot or two … and okay a potato chip or two also.
We would stop for the night and get a room at whatever motel happened to show up along the way as night drew near. Fingers crossed and even though it was summer season we always found room at the inn. Of course, I was the ones with fingers crossed as doggie girls left all the details to ‘mom’.
As I write this, sitting on my couch with sunlight burning light into the day, my doggie girls Wincicila and Lola lay respectfully on my left and right side. They snuggle close (under the light blanket I have on my lap). As always, trusting me to make the call as to when it is time to step outside and greet the sun and the abundant life waking in the hills here above the canyon. Thinking – it is about time to greet the sun – walk a bit – then come back and post this written meander.
If I were today, to choose to pack the car and head out across America, they would again be joyful and ready. They would leave behind their comfy home and open spaces without concern. They trust and open to each day joyously.
With gratitude for the lessons in surrender, trust and joy I witness daily as I travel through my days with doggie companions.
Beloved Creator, thank you for sending four legged companions who are both joyful and wise.
Learning to be a bit more like a doggie. 

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