Final Dying Breath

'Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.' -Buddha     In the Navajo belief system, there resides a special type of spirit known as the Chindi. The Chindi originates as a byproduct of violence, whether accidental or during warfare. It is made up of everything that was bad about the...

Healed by Nature

 'Drop by drop is the water pot filled. Likewise, the wise man, gathering it little by little, fills himself with good.' - Buddha   This week my writing group gathered at the home of one of our members. She has a beautiful Victorian-era home that she has decorated to fit the time period. We gather...

Stone Protectors

'Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.' - Buddha   Gargoyles are typically depicted as a winged, human-looking creature with demonic features including horns, a tail, talons, or a beak. Gargoyles can generally use their wings (if they have them) to fly or glide. They are often depicted as having...

Elemental Spirits to Guide Us

'If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.' - Buddha   Since before humans existed, our planet has been home to the Elementals. Even if we cannot see them, we can feel their existence. Paracelsus, the great Swiss alchemist, classified Elemental Beings in accordance with each Element...

Mind, Body, and Soul

'Just as the great ocean has one taste, the taste of salt, so also this teaching and discipline has one taste, the taste of liberation.' - Buddha   The history of the Shaolin Temples with its fighting monks is a long and honored tradition. Through the ages, the Shaolin Temples (north and south) have been...

Guides in the Shadows

'No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.' - Buddha Last week, my writers' group gathered at the home of one of our members. We had a great time discussing our writing, talking about our day, and nibbling on food. Wow, the buffet that...

Lord of Death

'We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.' - Buddha In my writing class, we have a fellow writer Kat. She is an amazing poet! She has Synesthete, which makes her art all the more interesting. Synesthete is when someone may see sounds,...

Life on Fire

'Sometimes things that hurt you most, teach you the greatest lesson in life.' - Buddha   The story of the Phoenix is one of the most well-known ancient myths in modern day. The legend is famous for the many elements it contains– life and death, creation and destruction, even time itself is tied to the...

Lilith: Garden to Goddess

'The root of suffering is attachment.' - Buddha   Lilith has wandered Earth for thousands of years, igniting the mythic imaginations of writers, poets, and artists. Her dark origins lie in ancient Babylonian, where amulets and incantations were used to counter the sinister powers of this winged spirit who preyed on pregnant women and infants....

Witches of the South

'Long is the night to him who is awake; long is a mile to him who is tired; long is life to the foolish who do not know the true law.' - Buddha   In the Navajo culture, a Skinwalker is a type of harmful witch who has the ability to turn into, possess, or disguise himself or herself...