Chicken Growth at the Kin Domain

My Rhode Island Red chicks hatched April 23, 2009. They are nine weeks old and growing. They will eat four cups of chick starter food a day. With the warm weather, I change the water twice a day and spray off the chicken tractor hut so flies don't accumulate. They look like they are almost adult but from research still adolescent. I don't expect them to start laying eggs until September at the earliest. I enjoy the sounds they make and the way they study me when I interact with them. I watched a great YouTube the other day on how chicken's are sexed. Very fun and educational. Have a look if you are brave--just kidding. It is fun to watch.

Portal to Peace Excerpt Part III

He masked his facial features. “Who is Zeta? What does she know about my task?”

“I am Doctor Wanda Dove and Zeta is my ancestor guide. And the task? She will tell me what she knows when the time is right. Are you going to let me look at your leg?”

Again, her voice sent a soothing sensation rippling down his spine. He coiled his remaining energy. The SAS recruiters used mysterious, drop-dead gorgeous women like her for interrogation training exercises.

He stared.

She blinked.

He swallowed.

She smiled.

He inhaled sharply. Now what?

Though he wanted to, he didn’t flinch when she stood, reached down, and removed his hat. Guarded and unable to trust his voice, he watched her study his head. The morning breeze lifted and dried the thick strands. Hadn’t she ever seen blond hair? Her eyes sparkled at him. Uneasy, he shifted and pointed to his leg, then tugged his hat away from her limp hand and tossed it behind him.

She knelt to remove the make-shift splint bindings, her backside facing him. He reached for her mantle of black hair, which had pooled on the ground and brushed off the dirt. Her movements stilled. He’d only meant to hold her hair out of the dirt, but the sensuous heavy strands were now wound rope-like around his hand.

She pivoted and eyed his fist. “You do not need to trap me. I will not run away. I have promised not to harm you.”

Lars looked beyond her shoulder for a moment then back at her eyes. Her face remained expressionless, and yet her eyes spoke of shock and wariness. Releasing the black tresses, he held up his palms.

“I…so sorry. The dirt…I lifted the hair from the dirt.”

Had he said that?

She made several quick hand gestures around her head while mouthing words. Was touching her hair some kind of sacrilege? She removed a cloth band from her bag and swiftly formed the hair into a long sleek braid all the while murmuring foreign words. Without further comment, she returned to unbinding the splint.

Ignoring the pain, Lars replayed the previous few minutes and her unusual psychic abilities. He itched to take some measurements, but his pack was just out of reach.

Finished with the unbinding, she slid his pant leg past his knee. At her quick intake of breath, he darted a look, assessed the damage, then studied her face. Her gaze focused on some distant point; her head cocked as if she were listening.

“Stephan Lars, this is serious. The village clinic cannot provide the care you need. With your permission I would like to use alternative treatment.”

Wary of her request, he leaned away and lifted his chin. “I have not told you my name and yet you know it. You gaze beyond this place, listening to someone--”

Again, her eyes sparkled like a child bursting with secrets. She gave a deliberate nod of her head and he witnessed a barely perceptible change in her facial muscles. Fascinating.

“I am Zeta. I am kachina. Wanda is a seer and healer. You are also a seer, a spakona, but of course, you deny this. You would not be able to see me if you did not have this gift. You and Wanda must work together, and this injured leg must not impair the progress. Wanda and I will heal the wound using ancient medicine. I would offer to remove you to a safe place beyond the human pain, but I sense your curiosity and knowledge would not allow this. The pain may seem to extend forever, but I guarantee in your time, only mere minutes.”

After a subtle facial change, he recognized the woman, Wanda, was back. He hadn’t seen her speak, yet he’d heard a voice. Pain forgotten, his fingers twitched in anticipation of recording this encounter. He realized she was waiting for his response. With his choices limited and his curiosity piqued, he resigned himself to the alternative route and nodded. (Click here for the download.)

Portal to Peace Excerpt Part II

Lars heard slow hesitant footsteps, and shifted his head. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, not sure he was seeing clearly through the narrow opening between the rocks. Yes, definitely a woman. A woman with extraordinarily long, thick black hair, walking directly towards him. Each step she took caused the curtain of hair to sway, adding allure to her graceful curves, and honey-colored skin. She leveled a medical bag in front of her like a shield of honor.

Did she see him behind the rock? Impossible. The distance and obstruction between them required startling visual ability. Certainly not a local villager searching for a lost sheep. Out of habit, he slowly removed his knife. She paused twenty-five yards below him and stood in silence.

“Sir, I mean you no harm. Please put your weapon down. I have come here to help you.”

The gentle voice coaxed him into a false security. Why couldn’t he place the accent and meter in her words? Surely, not Spanish. He took shallow breaths and held his partially-rolled strike position. Who sent her? Who but the general knew his location? He loosened his grip on the smooth metal. How did she know about the knife? He sheathed the weapon while she approached.

“Zeta sent me. You are hurt and unable to complete your task. Please allow me to examine your leg.”

Zeta? Helvete, who was Zeta?

All pretenses gone, Lars sat up. He studied her progress until she stopped in front of him, asking silent permission to examine his leg. As she crouched in front of him, her black hair flowed over her shoulders and brushed the ground.

His gaze met hers and he lost himself in the unexpected blue of her eyes. Too late, he remembered his own skills at blocking such an invasion. His mental door slammed and he gathered his remaining strength and control. In that brief unguarded moment, she had gained access to his mind. (Click here to download.)

Portal to Peace Excerpt Part I

Pre-dawn light blanketed the horizon when Lars spotted his Land Rover. Fatigued and blurry-eyed, he rested before continuing the last two hundred yards. The lone sheep had paralleled his descent down the mountain, keeping him company through the night. He watched while the injured animal succumbed to exhaustion. Determined to finish the crawl before resting, he pulled forward. Beneath him, the ground vibrated. He heard the high-pitched whine of an approaching vehicle.

How to get to the car before someone spotted him in his current condition? Without a passport, sporting military tags, and carrying a wealth of classified information presented untold problems. The door locks would not deter someone from gaining admittance and removing electronics.

After several yards, Lars inhaled sharply and gauged the distance. No way could he close the gap before the unidentified visitor arrived. He rolled behind a boulder. A battered jeep pulled up behind the Land Rover. Who would be out driving this rough terrain? Maybe the owner of a lost sheep?

Given the distance, dim light, and his position, he couldn’t make out the driver. He glanced down. His sweat-drenched skin, coated in brown dirt and his black clothing, created perfect camouflage. With head low and body tucked, he waited.

The vehicle stopped. The sun crested the horizon. Waves of apprehension and wariness surrounded him. The door on the vehicle slammed. (Click to get the download.)

Space of Love Art

I wanted to share this beautiful card sent to me from a child raised in a Space of Love. She is age seven. Notice that in her creation she shares her gentle spirit and vibrant understanding of energy and connectivity. I smile and revel in deep satisfaction and peace every time I look at it. Without being told, she feels the divine love and perfection present in all life. Kin Domains are now and they are the future.

Solstice Prayer for Fathers

To the father's of the world:
Be at peace.
Receive love.
Know you co-create.
Accept the perfection that you are.
Enter the space of love.
Dream Big.
Blessings!!

Awaiting Rabbit Dominion

Several days ago I shared my need to stalk rabbits then was side tracked for a few days exploring ideas about the cultural obsession with sex. Maybe I can blame the detour on the rabbits. Anyway, I'm back with the rabbit stalking. The above live animal trap is what I've using. So far two squirrels but no rabbits. The garden feasting continues. I've tied my apple bait in the very back and sprayed the trap with apple juice. Mine are just too clever. I did look further into the meaning of rabbits using Ted Andrews, Animal Speak. The section on rabbits is lengthy. The very last few sentences stick with me though.

"Rabbit can show you how to recognize the signs around you. It can help you to attune to the lunar cycle and recognize the tides of movement within your life. This in turn will enable you to become even more fertile in your life...Rabbit movement occurs in leaps and hops. It won't be a steady step-by-step movement. The leaps and hops do not usually take more than the cycle of one moon (28 days)to occur." (p. 304)

For me this message applies to Kin Domain life. My work with Kin Domains can be found in this Animal Speak understanding of the rabbit totem. Can you relate a part of your life to rabbit energy? I'm wondering what this will mean if I cannot capture the critters in the trap. Makes me continue to work on the idea of dominion over the animals. Are they listening to me? Perhaps an in depth examination of dominion is in order. I'm willing to take ideas.

Sex or Nurturing?

From my years of married life, I can say I’ve grown in sexual wisdom. I truly could care less about the act and action it takes to derive pleasure from the sexual experience. What I want, what I truly want from sex, isn’t sex at all but nurturing. Twenty years ago, I wanted to co-create. Children were the desired outcome of sex. After children, what I wanted was the nurturing that happens through basic touch.

Let me define what I mean. Touch is hands caressing hands, feet caressing feet. Lips grazing, resting upon hair, cheek, eyes, lips, hands. Arms embracing arms. Shoulders brushing. Hugging. The soothing gesture of the hand rubbing circles on the back. The holding of another human in a solid warmth without expectation or reciprocity but with infinite transference of love knowing that with my beloved I am in the presence of divine perfection.

Our medical market is making a huge profit from our aging population. If you cannot stay “beautiful and keep the body functions necessary for meaningful sex than you become part of that disposable human population labeled elderly. Who wouldn’t want to succumb to Alziemers when according to media, the outcome for living becomes meaningless after the sexual functions shut down? What would happen if we took the very best part of every religious and secular teaching on sex and dissected them to come up with one universal truth? Would the outcome be respect for life?

LIFE.

ALL LIFE.

Sex, an animalistic hunger

Everyday I witness that we are accepting our sexual make up as the force which drives us. There have been endless books on the topics. Perhaps some of these books struck a nerve for a few brave readers but so far nothing powerful enough has been presented to the current culture to stop the distressing momentum. I can well imagine the character of Spock in Star Trek raising a brow and saying “interesting”.

It is an interesting phenomenon that the human brain can become so self-absorbed by sex that nothing else is vital. Who figured out—which dark controller of destiny-- figured out that we could be controlled by an animalistic hunger. Who figured out that given time and a certain combination of events that we would believe today's sexual behavior a perfectly normal, natural, and acceptable outcome of being human? Most difficult to fathom is that we mistakenly label this hunger passion.

Let us say this like it is--the sexual prompt is a small part of our human self which enables us to co-create ourselves—which is another human. For those who demand scientific reasoning to support this premise you can find it in several scholarly works but my favorites are by Marnia Robinson and by Regina Jenson

Sex and the City--NOT!

What would happen if our need for, and focus on, sex shifted? If Sex in the City became Nurturing in the City? One of the awesome precepts in the Anastasia, Ringing Cedar series is the refreshing look at sexual relationship and sexuality. She helps dispel the myths which have driven developed societies into an animalistic frenzy—societies where women have become disposable and children an inconvenient by-product. I’m not dismissing the astute and elite from this frenzy. How many women from wealth try to capture their youth by carving and cutting away the reminders of age because they fear rejection from their affluent partner? How many men of wealth seek out the latest in Viagra technology so they can still feed their ego on the youthful prowess that defines their masculinity?

I like to speculate that the way out of some downward spiraling behavior is simply to step out into the void of unknowing to glimpse the reality of what is then make a new choice. The month of birthday’s and graduations has passed but I’m left with unsavory reminders. I’m disgusted by greeting cards which deride the human body. I've noticed that most of the cards are directed at women. I question the values and beliefs of those who pass these cards. As for the artist, I wonder what he/she is eating. After all we are what we eat. Disgusted by this train of thought? According to sales of sex related products, many are not. Where do you stand? See any problems? I have more to say but feel the need to stew for a bit. I think it was the rabbit stalking from the previous few days that stirred up my thinking along these lines. Rabbit totems are about fertility and new life.

Stalking Fear

Rabbits and gardens are not a good combination. In many urban areas, where the predators are out of balance, there are problems between the humans and animals. Truly, I am not planting a garden as a delicious buffet for the rabbits and squirrels. If they'd share, I wouldn't mind their presence in the least, but the gluttony is a disaster. Hence, I've moved to stalking the rabbits.

However before I set my first trap, I'll be checking my copies of Animal Speak, by Ted Andrews, and Medicine Card book by Jamie Sams. I'll start by asking myself why rabbits are taking over my life. After all, I view my garden as a life giving force. Each seed was planted according to the needs of my body using the methods outlined by Anastasia in the Ringing Cedar series. So why are these rabbits sucking up my life force?

I'm opening my copy of the Medicine Cards. Hmmm. My brows have raised a bit. I'd like to hold back from you but I'm sure the suspense is overwhelming. Here is what Jamie Sims has to say in her last paragraph about rabbit totems.

"The story about Rabbit illustrates that Rabbit medicine people are so afraid of tragedy, illness, disaster, and being taken, that they call those very fears to them to teach them lessons...here is the lesson...stop talking about horrible things happening and get rid of 'what if' in your vocabulary. This card may signal a time of worry about the future or of trying to exercise your control over that which is not yet in form-the future. Stop now! Write your fears down and be willing to feel them. Breathe into them, and feel them running through your body into Mother Earth as a give-away." (p.159)

Well then, all righty...I'll mull this over. I think I'll wait and and check in with Ted Andrews and Animal Speak tomorrow since Ms. Sims gave me a pretty hefty thought to ponder. Stay tuned...

Education or Life?

A model school for the future has been established in Russia under the guidance of Academician Mikhail Petrovich Shchetinin.

Call it education or call it life but in a small city in southern Russia there is a remarkable Lyceum school. Its students come from more than 40 different nationalities. New approaches to moral and intellectual education allow students to cover the full school curriculum in the space of a few years, and to earn one or more academic degrees by the time they are 15-17. The preservation and interfusion of ethnic traditions through folklore, song and dances of various nationalities affords the opportunity for children of different backgrounds, cultures and faiths to gain a deeper understanding of each other. The noble ideas of service to one's Motherland and highest moral standards, along with mutual assistance and support, unite children and adults of various nationalities in building a bright future together.

If you are interested in more information visit the following website Love for Life. You will find out more information about the school as well as the DVD titled Bright Tidings.

Sunflowers, Kin Domains, Books, and Eager Supporters!

According to Anastasia, the Siberian recluse in the Ringing Cedar series, every garden must have sunflowers. They transfer an energetic important to all other plants. Naturally, they are also a beautiful co-creative reminder for us to turn toward the rays of light. The one captured in this photo is a mammoth variety. I started it in my make-shift green house in March. It is now five feet tall and forming a nice bud. I placed them between my raspberry plants.

Stop by my website. You can download a free pdf. book, Portal to Peace. Enjoy a 100,000 word, paranormal story filled with adventure, metaphysics, and love. If you like, you can leave a donation to support Kin Domains.

Check my March archives for a short story, entitled, The Musician in Me.

Share my artistic endeavors with others, too. Hope you stop by. Blessings today!

Dagara Mineral Ritual with Sobonfu Some

If you haven't had a chance to visit Sobonfu's site here is another link. 2009 is the year of Mineral element in the Dagara Medicine tradition. Find the stories deep in your bones. Sobonfu is a precious gift to all. I highly recommend attending her rituals. It will be a weekend of empowerment, wisdom, and blessed clarity.

CHANGE YOUR STORY CHANGE YOUR LIFE WITH A Mineral Ritual

Join Sobonfu Some, gifted teacher and author for a powerful weekend of discovery!

In the West African tradition of Burkina Faso, each calendar year aligns with an element of the medicine wheel. 2009 is a mineral year, a year to release past patterns and stories that no longer serve you. By opening yourself to explore what no longer works for you, you open yourself to new possibility, new growth and new happiness.You create the opportunity for your life to become more fully aligned with your true journey. You discover ways to bring forth your most meaningful gifts to the world and be supported and celebrated in this.

By honoring the spirit of Mineral in community and through drumming, dance and ritual, Sobonfu Some will take us on a journey to create and celebrate a new foundation for our lives, our careers, our communities and our families.

Destined from birth to teach the ancient wisdom, ritual and practices of her ancestors, Sobonfu brings the transformative light from her native land so that we might connect with something bigger .... to connect with community and spirit, and to more fully align with our deep, most authentic selves.

Please join us and help bring together a community weekend of true connection and spirit!

Rain Barrel for a Kin Domain

During the winter I researched rain barrels and discovered how easy they were to make once you knew where to find the materials. I purchased an empty barrel from our local soft drink bottling company for ten or fifteen dollars. The other parts were obtained from the local chain hardware store. The only tools necessary were a drill, a scroll saw, and a wrench. I chose to seal the run off drain with a clear acrylic caulk. My parts are well sealed, but not being a master with the caulk tube, I made a smeary mess.

There was a considerable amount of problem solving involved in the final layout. Not every corner and downspout is conducive to the alignment of a rain barrel. I had to consider the distance to the garden and the height of the barrel so that I'd get maximum gravity for proper drainage. I've discovered that my fifty-five gallon barrel provides thirty minutes of controlled soaker hose watering for my whole garden. To fill the barrel I need a half inch rainfall.

I like the idea of capturing run off. I can also see how easy it would be to create a line of barrels and in one rainfall capture enough water for an entire week. If I were to connect into a drip line instead of soaker hose there would be even less water waste. I must admit that I'm enjoying the thinking process from this simple project. I have created a heighten awareness regarding my water usage.

Spring Beauty

A close up of my flowering clemantis. I have six feet by three feet of these spectacular flowers. In another two weeks they'll be done for the season so I pause and breathe in their beauty. Enjoy.

Kin Domain Garden

For those of you following the lasagna garden technique I introduced in March, you'll appreciate the final outcome. Under this rabbit and insect proof float cloth are thriving plants bound for the table. Peas, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, beets, beans, onions, lettuce, zucchini, cucumbers, basil, cilantro, thyme, and sunflowers. Beyond this enclosed garden I also have an area planted with cabbages, raspberries, blueberries, and giant sunflowers. Many of these were started in my make shift-greenhouse using the planting technique introduced by Anastasia (The Ringing Cedar Series). The rest were planted using cosmic gardening.

The float can stay on although that will mean hand pollination which isn't the best. Until I can trap and move a few rabbits, I dare not leave this off. In my small backyard, I'm currently hosting seven rabbits of various sizes. Left unattended, in an hour, the garden would be mowed flat by their voracious appetites. If I cannot capture them, I'll be forced to install a mesh fence around the gardens.

Use some of the repellents for them you say--I have with repeated applications after rain. They don't seem to mind these repellents in the least. One day, when I am in full understanding of what it means to have dominion over animals, I'm going to be able to give up the cloth, fence, and traps and have these creatures clipping back the weeds on my behalf. Soon...soon...

Thought into Action

I wish I'd been of the generation when shop class was an elective for girls just like home economics. I made this chicken tractor myself using half discarded wood and half discounted wood from a local hardware store. My tools were an electric drill, scroll saw, level, staple gun, and hammer.

One problem with discarded wood is that nothing is true. Lots of bowed sections make matching up corners really difficult. The door went on with a lot of shaving and measuring.

My four "ladies" have been very happy and flock to see me in the morning when I move the coop across the yard, add feed, and give them fresh water. Still some things to solve, like when to remove the Rubbermaid house and add a nesting box.

One of the things Anastasia, from the Ringing Cedar Series, repeatedly says is "people think it through". I do love to sit and ponder a good solution. I really love to sit on the grass near the hens and think. They make lovely sounds which tune my ears to other lovely sounds of nature all around me. I'm in agreement that we need to clean up where we are in order to make the world a better place. Co-create a Space of Love out of your Kin Domain.

Urban Chickens

Six weeks ago I introduced one of my Rhode Island Red chicks on the blog. Look how they've grown. They love the green grass and their new home. After studying numerous chicken tractor designs, I designed and built one which holds my four. Somebody asked me why four? When I picked up my one day old chicks, I wasn't completely sure I'd be able to meet all their needs so I calculated the potential for a fatality among them--little did I know what an excellent mother hen I'd be! All have survived and appear to be thriving. I'm told they are sexed as females but I'm not convinced. Unfortunately any roosters among them must be sent to a nearby farm as we're not allowed to keep them in the city. If you are interested in finding some of the best chicken tractor designs anywhere check out this site The City Chicken. Also watch my blog this next week as I'll be posting photos of my design.