Imprints

Dear Y'all,

Here we are, in the season to be jolly, and I find myself thinking
Deep Thoughts (well, maybe not so deep) about something that came up
in my clearing group a few weeks ago: imprints. What was
gratuitously offered was the information that Earth is now releasing
imprints good and bad and that we humans need to do the same. I
wrote about this at some point --- though whether or not it is in
AWAKENING I don't remember --- and can still picture the visual that
came into my mind: rays of "stuff" shooting out of the planet while
new energies were beaming in.

To imprint is defined as "to mark by or as by pressing or stamping"
and "to implant firmly in the mind or fix in the memory." As a noun,
it is "a mark made by imprinting" and "a lasting effect or
characteristic result." Conscious and unconscious, we all have
imprints, those ideas and assumptions we make about how the world
works. Last week I sat down to think about my parents and the
worldviews I perceived they had and passed on to me. (I say "I
perceived" because my brothers would probably come up with a different list.)
I was surprised not only by what I came up with but with the length
of the list. Intellectually there is much I no longer agree with,
but because an imprint is more emotional than mental, I have to look
at it anyway. Imprints are not something that can simply be thought
away. Because they are impressed on us like a Good Housekeeping
seal, they become part of who we think we are and how we go about the
world.

So what do we do about those imprints we decide are no longer useful to us? I asked about that at our last clearing and the
answer I got was: First off, you can ask for help, whether from your
guides, guardian angels, Higher Power or mentor. Then you must
acknowledge and honor the imprint; it served you to hold it at some
time in your life. Then, bless it and release it. "They" said it
would always be with you at some level, but it need not define you or
run your life. While visiting a friend, I remembered a technique I
used many years ago that worked very well for me. I would lie down
and visualize little wavelets of lavender light washing up onto my
feet, bringing whatever it was I was looking for, carrying away what
was no longer needed as they ebbed away. Each wave would come up a
little higher on my body until I was finally being washed in waves of
lavender light. I haven't yet tried this to wash away the imprints
I choose not to keep but I suspect it would work for this too.

As we approach our two New Years, that of the natural world on
December 22 and of the human world on January 1, it seems like a
perfect time to look at imprints. Raymon Grace has sent out his
reminder that people around the world will be visualizing the kind of
Earth they want at 8 PM on Saturday (the 22nd) and suggests spending
some time in nature, then sending out an energy of balance, wholeness
and peace. Because the energy sent is only as good as the person
sending it, he suggests you clear yourself before thinking about what
you want to create. Good idea.

And then I hope you will go out and really be jolly and celebrate the
beauty of this Mother Earth, the honor of being alive in these
challenging times and all the gifts of life on our planet. (You can
think about societal and global imprints later.)

A thousand thousand blessings to each of you, with laughter and love
all along the road,

Fran.

Fran Gatins
www.satolahsingularities.com
www.polkadotbanner.com
http://awakemotherearth.blogspot.com/

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.

Mary Oliver

Dear Y'all

Dear Y'all,

It hardly seems possible that a month has gone by since I last
wrote. It's been a remarkably busy time, taken up mostly with
completing the ceremonial staffs for the show October 26th. I'm
happy to report that the opening was a great success. Photos of the
staffs have been sent to my webmaster and should appear on my website
sometime soon (I have the feeling he is out of the country right now).

I've been asked to describe how it feels to communicate with a
planet, a question that is not as simple to answer as you might
think. I often have trouble answering, "What's it about?" when
asked about AWAKENING WITH MOTHER EARTH. If I say something like,
"It's about what's happening with the planet," too many people assume
it's about climate change and put the book, me and the planet into a
neat little pigeonhole of what they already know about the subject.
Like the communication question, there's a lot more to it than that.

Here are some adjectives I could truthfully use to describe the
experience of communication with Gaia: overwhelming, frightening,
exhilarating, frustrating, heart-opening, uplifting, saddening,
enraging, energizing, beautiful, fun, awe-inspiring, humbling and
life-changing.

In the early days, I was horrified by what I was hearing, even as I
doubted my perceptions, and I was right to suspect myself. Later on
I was told that my penchant for seeing the gloomy side of things (I
love disaster movies) was a flaw in my perception. If all I can see
is the negative, I am not seeing truly; it is never so one-sided. I
had to adjust.

Looking back, I think I was gently shepherded along, allowed to ask
the same question again and again, hoping for a different answer (The
Tribe occasionally lost patience), being taught to listen and be
listened to. There were questions I never asked because I was
afraid of the answer. Even when I put the book together, there were
parts I was tempted to leave out as too hopeless or depressing.

As my ability to listen improved and I reacted less emotionally, what
I think of as the true voice of Our Mother emerged and I found that
very exciting. Her voice was direct and no-nonsense, loving even
communicating things that were hard for me to hear. That there was
more hope in it and I got a glimmer of her vision for herself and
for us made it exciting at the same time. At the end of our
communications, I was again frustrated. Information was being thrown
at me at a furious pace and it was often hard to decipher. I suspect
there were things I missed and questions I should have asked.

Nonetheless, when Gaia said we were done for now, I had a hard time
letting go. It took me a week or so to accept that it was time to
get on with the actual writing of the book. I felt like I had lost
my best friend.

Since then, communication has been sporadic. No doubt you've
noticed that Gaia has been very busy, as has everyone I know, myself
included. It takes time and a quiet mind for real communication to
take place and both have been in short supply in my life lately. It
is unthinkable that I would let something so wonderful slip away so I
make an effort from time to time to stay in touch. Sometimes there
is something, sometimes not. I believe that if I am faithful and
consistent in seeking to communicate, Our Mother will again let me
know when the time is NOW.

Love to you all,

Fran Gatins
www.satolahsingularities.com
www.polkadotbanner.com

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.

Mary Oliver

Dear Y'all

With this new blog site, I begin a new phase of communication. From now on, all Dear Y'all postings will emanate from here. My goal is to update you with more frequent -- and shorter! -- entries, which will be archived. So----

Many people now are reporting physical goings-on that they have not experienced before or not to this extent. These seem to mostly involve the eyes, feet and hips. Beyond seeking practical solutions for aches and pains --- and the first two are often associated with the liver --- remember that Our Mother Earth said in AWAKENING WITH MOTHER EARTH that as she is changing we must too. In this instance, you could read it as, we must see with new eyes and walk a more conscious path on the Earth with the feet and hips that propel us forward. In other words, consider the metaphorical implications of what you are feeling, the habit patterns of thought and action, as well as the physical ones. Maybe you will take a cloth bag to carry your groceries, maybe dance more, maybe join a neighborhood cleanup, maybe change your diet as you lose interest in some foods. We are not body AND mind AND spirit but bodymindspirit so things happen with all aspects of the self at once.

As you pay closer attention to what your body is telling you, you may find that other messages come floating in. Please, please pay attention. The predictions for this period (September through November) are many and widespread. In my own area, north Georgia/western North Carolina, for example, many people are picking up that we will have an earthquake in the near future and that they should prepare for it. Predictions do not apply to everyone everywhere. What you get may apply only to you. The cosmic joke is that often you can only trust that you got it right because something did NOT happen. My personal experience, when I do see the reason for a "do this" or "don't do that," is that I have been kept out of a difficult or dangerous situation.

I have begun work on a new book, a combination of what I hear from Gaia and other sources (White Bear and The Tribe have recently checked in) and the off-the wall-ness of THE DRAGON LADY'S HANDBOOK. Sounds strange, I know, but ours is a culture that hears serious news better if there's some humor in it. Earth changes lite, if you will.

Meanwhile, I am also working on a series of ceremonial staffs for an art show on October 26th. I like them very much and will post them on my website when they are finished. My guide for these, The Siberian, is emphatic that I must not work on them if I am not spiritually centered. I must also curb a tendency to enthusiastic excess. He says we are in a time of re-use, re-imagine, create more with less and generally be spare with resources. I find it challenging and interesting.

Gaia reminds me constantly that all water is one and all water is to be honored. In these times of drought, floods, water wars and ocean acidification, it is a good thing to remember.

With deep gratitude and many blessings,

Fran