Rattling the Bones

For Better or For Worst is written by Lisa F. Tardiff Montreal, P.Quebec I recently wrote a blog entry, on August 3rd, 2010, entitled “Walk your Talk”. Yesterday, a friend who’s pen name is Rockstar and who manages our workshops, our community site, our web page and other activities brought to my attention a blog entry written by one of the participants in CF. JP thought it was important to bring this entry to my attention because not only is it defamation of character but it also confirms my complaint of plagiarism. I don’t do defensive mode but I do – do Warrior mode. I think it is important to stand and accept the burden of truth. I certainly don’t pretend to take ownership of the Senecca language or the Senecca traditions as I am not Senecca. Yet, I repeat – I will take ownership of what is self-originated within the teachings that I have shared with others in the last 20 years. The Medicine Wheel is a self-originated ceremony which means that it is partly self-created and...

I love to bead and I love aboriginal art. I appreciate the notion that my creativity can be the expression of nature and the stars moving through me. In aboriginal culture the idea behind creativity is to be able to touch the experience of Creation and Creator. It encompasses the awareness that we have of ourselves, our environment whether it be nature, the stars or our human world. When I create I fall into an introspective trance; which allows me to float in a state of pure potential. Time seems to move at a quicker pace when I’m in this reality and it suddenly feels like everything is possible. I have this strong impression of being in tuned when I’m in creative mode. I can honestly say that my journey of creativity brought me to understand what God/Goddess medicine means and offered me the experience of omniscience and omnipotence. Creativity from my perspective is actually a process and can also be a journey. At first when I started doing crafts, I remember disliking the sil...

My daughter has been dating a young man who is Italian. In the last year she’s been learning about the importance of culture and religion in people’s lives. I was brought up Catholic. Religion was an important part of my life. My parents were devout and practicing Catholics and sent us (my siblings and I) to the convent for our schooling. Until I met my husband who was Protestant I truly believed that everyone had the same kind of religious upbringing that I had. Religion has always been crucial in my life and at the bottom of lots of my life choices. It’s only after literally scrutinizing the details of my life through my early 20’s that I discovered that there was more than Religion for me, there was Spirit. When we had children my husband and I decided that we wouldn’t push any kind of Religion on them. We would educate them about Religion and would encourage a certain Spirituality but we wouldn’t choose for them any kind of religious path. We believed that the less indoc...

DEB showed me a link of a web page and blog where 80% of the writings were actually copied from my stuff. At first it hurt. I couldn’t understand why someone would want to profit off of someone else’s words and journey. On the other hand, KT said: “It’s a huge compliment and it shows that these people see abundance and beauty through what you’re offering.” She seemed to say that despite their deception I still managed to stay true to my objectives and my vision. I realize that it always boils down to how you reason things out in the end. Isn’t that the medicine or the wisdom of the 11th Moon of our Sacred Circle? I could look at this situation as a compliment or I could be angry, upset, sad, discouraged or thrown completely in doubt. All perspectives share a dimension of this particular story and all are valid within their own right. What I often see in people is that they dive into an emotion and they personalize it. It becomes them rather than just being a perspective. I al...

I certainly don’t suggest that any of you attempt to write a blog entry on the Moon of Inter-Relations while the Bachelorette plays in the back ground. I’m telling you between the Bachelor Pad, the Bachelorette and Big Brother we certainly don’t have too many good examples on how to inter-relate in a functional way. What is sad about these reality shows is that they actually, accurately describes the way young people relate to each other. I’ve seen lots of the issues that are shown on TV in my own living room. Don’t forget I’m the mother of two young adults (19 and 20 years old) and they have lots of friends and / or acquaintances… When we learn about the Moons on the Medicine Wheel, we learn about our ego development. For lots of people ego simply implies that part of us that is arrogant, selfish, ambitious and competitive. Yet, according to Carl Jung and many shamanic traditions ego is crucial to human survival and is one of three parts that constitutes the soul. It’s absurd...

It was one of those days where I could feel spirit in all things. A summer wind was tenderly caressing the trees and the sun was playing with the clouds. Every now and again, thunder would rumble in the horizon and drops of rain would teasingly touch the ground. Wild flowers were swaying in the breeze and my rose bushes were laboring to give a second generation of buds. No matter where I glanced a feature of creation was manifesting around me. I closed my eyes and for a moment my spirit drifted through the branches of the poplars. With the tail of my thoughts I touched the edge of a nest and synchronically heard the cry of the blue Jay. Soon I was back in my chair on the porch laughing at the Jay who reproached me for my slight intrusion. It actually perched on the side of the pool barely twelve feet away from me and bickered. “I’m sorry,” I giggled and it flew away still squabbling one last insult. “Why is it,” I wondered “that I don’t mind the boundaries of nature and yet re...

I was reading a book this week which is set in the early 1920’s. What I liked about the story is that after a while I could see the men tip their hats to the women as they crossed their path; or give their seats; or open doors etc… Chivalry was practically stepping off the page. I noticed that the women in the book were appreciative, polite and somewhat flirtatious. They kept their heads down and spoke with their eyes. The way they hide behind their hats and tucked their hair close to the nape translated timidity, femininity, and prudishness. I found myself almost feeling great loss when I realized that men and women didn’t play these games anymore of bowing, dancing, and seeking each other out. “Where did it all go and why?” I found myself asking my husband one evening before bed. “Women wanted to be equal to men,” he replied as if the answer was so obvious. Still after a few moments of silence even my husband started to speak as if he also missed these old customs. “I alway...