Feature Articles July 2018
Small Pleasures
Wispy Words
by Ann Ulrich Miller
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What keeps you from indulging in the blues? with my first husband and our son, Ryan, who was only a year and a half old at the time. Until then, I had only known of springtimes in Wisconsin and Michigan.
We are bombarded every minute of every day with information. The Internet changed everything a couple of decades ago. Within just the last few years, “smart” phones have addicted many of us. Not all of us. But most of us, and I am as guilty as anyone. My “smart” phone is my constant companion wherever I go, and I’ve learned to rely on it for things I never dreamed before. I really prefer to call it the “smart aleck phone” because it thinks it knows more than I do.
As far as data goes, yes, the iPhone can dredge up all kinds of information and all I have to do is say, “Hey, Siri...” But there are many things that I don’t need a computer or a phone for. There are a lot of things in life that bring me pleasure and satisfaction without having to be enslaved by machines, as convenient as they can be at times.
For instance, I love the comfort of my small home here in western Colorado. It is quiet and peaceful. The climate is the best kept secret of Delta County. There are no noisy neighbors, no heavy traffic going past on my street, and I feel relatively safe. This is my sanctuary and I like it best when the iPhone is in its room, getting charged up (away from me!) and I am not glued to my computer, which I use to make a living. I do not cruise Facebook, nor do I waste time reading “junk.”
Small pleasures in my life include having flocks of birds come to my backyard, where I’ve put up feeders and a bird bath so that I can view them from my windows. Robins come regularly to splash around in the water, which I replenish once, twice or three times a day. The small garden I planted, and the earth boxes built by my son Marty, so I can grow tomatoes, bring satisfaction as I tend to the plants and water modestly during allowed hours.
Even weeding brings me pleasure. I don’t know what it is, but there is something therapeutic about going out early in the mornings, before it gets too hot, and pulling up the rock vine, the goatheads, and any other nasty plant presence that, if allowed to stay, would create a chaotic environment ... and in the case of the goatheads, dangerous as well (you’ll know what I mean if you happen to step on one).
I love the bird songs. It reminds me of my time 10 years ago, back in southeastern Ohio, when I lived on Jackson Run and we had the most prolific Eastern songbirds. I miss the pewee, the musical wood thrushes and the many varieties of warblers, plus the call of the barred owl at night. Frog songs were also my favorites. I’m so happy that I made recordings of some of these sounds, to play while I’m working.
Here in Orchard City, doves have overpopulated the area. A lot of people consider them a nuisance, but these gentle birds are actually not a problem. Most of them are turtle doves or a mixture of mourning doves and their cousins. I get a kick out of the “phrases” they come up with.
Each dove seems to have its own “talking points.” For a while, I would hear one of the male doves calling over and over again, “A Police State! A Police State!” It was so clear ... and then, a couple of weeks ago, some other dove started calling, “Go Ballistic!” As I write this, there is a non-partisan turtle dove outside my office window, delivering the usual “coo-COO-coo”... The other day I heard a young dove trying to sing, and its voice was hoarse and loud, and I had to laugh.
Hummingbirds are another source of summertime pleasure. Because it is such a dry summer, fewer hummingbirds are here. I have two syrup feeders up on my patio. From past experience, I know that in mid-July or earlier, Rufous Hummingbird will show up and dominate the feeders, driving the black-chinned and broad-taileded hummers off. Once the baby hummers start flying around, things get very interesting. Usually the babies are not that situationally aware and you can watch them without them getting scared and flying away. They seem to be more interested in filling their hungry bellies than worrying about being caught.
If you’re feeling in the doldrums over the constant explosion of bad news out of Washington, D.C., or the last tragic killing, or are just sick to death of people in the news lying to you... turn off the set, turn off your phone, walk out of the computer room and go outside.
Just go outside! Observe the sky, soak in the sunshine, look at the flowers growing, enjoy your view ... go for a walk, even if it’s just around the block. And if you have an animal, a dog perhaps, take him or her along. And don’t forget, a little “weed therapy” might change your mood.
But don’t tell anyone you’re “doing weed” therapy or they might think you’re into that other kind of weed (which I am not, thank goodness)!
Ann Ulrich Miller, publisher of Wisp, is a novelist and loves bird watching. Visit AnnUlrichMiller.com.
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Spiritual Power Animals
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by Marty Ulrich
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There are times when I am not sure I am still here in a human body. Everything is so beautiful here in the mountains. My home is Zen with the 432 Hz tones playing nearly 24/7. Things are placed a feng shui way that is felt throughout the home.
As I gaze out my window at my desk, I see majestic Grand Mesa towering up to the horizon above me. Out my kitchen window is a field of tall grass and a vast meadow in the distance where the local animals graze.
I am blessed with the presence of all kinds of animals that provide a reflection to my higher vibration. There are horses, donkeys and cattle that graze the fields, and when I walk by, they always greet me. I’m particularly fond of the white horse that comes to me each time I walk by.
When people spend any amount of time at my house, they start to notice how relaxed my cats and dogs are, that is ... if my guests are able to relax.
Animals are more sensitive than most humans to energy fields, and when you raise your vibration and become awakened, animals will come to you.
A few weeks ago, I was in the forest, walking my dogs, when we were just standing, meditating in a particular spot—when a rabbit just ran right up to us. The small cottontail was completely calm; I’d never seen a completely calm rabbit before, even if it was short lived. Once my dogs noticed it, fear once again took over and it took off like a bullet in response, but I got that glimpse and it was amazing.
In my home, I watch my cats live such relaxed lives. What is it to be a cat? They are truly amazing creatures and I believe they are more intelligent and sentient than most give credit. Cats are so sensitive to energy, and the energy here is so Zen and chill, that they can pick up the energy of others approaching before they arrive, as many animals can.
When strange outside energy approaches, their response is fear, and they run and hide until the strange energy is analyzed and slowly trusted. The reality they live in must be very different than ours, as they are sensitive to these other fields of energy.
Have you ever wondered why cats eat house plants and grass? Same reason shamans eat DMT, Salvia, and Peyote; cats are shamans. I believe cats are remarkable creatures when they are allowed to raise in vibration. We humans often only think of ourselves raising in frequency, but it is the whole world, I tell you.
When cats are not in fear mode, they spend a lot of time in deep trance or meditation, often with the help of psychoactive, and often somewhat poisonous, plants that cats eat that are found in common outdoor vegetation and house plants. In addition, cats produce a natural psychoactive substance in their brains. Much of their existence is in a reality we do not perceive.
When you touch a cat, your energy flows like electricity and, in fact, so much prana that it produces great amounts of static ethericity. Ethericity is like electricity, but it is the energy of a much higher frequency. As you raise your vibration, you might notice you generate more static discharge—be careful around sensitive electronics!
Cats also emanate energy. They are part of the Zen energy in my home. They provide such a loving
lifeforce energy. Cats have a unique ability to absorb and transform negative energy into positive or neutral energy. There have been times when I have been sick, or even depressed, and the cat would come in and rub against me. The symptoms would always get better and the cat would never seem to be adversely affected.
They truly are one of my power animals. I am very grateful for my cats and the energy they bring to this tiny slice of the world.
Marty Ulrich lives in Cedaredge, Colorado. He is a columnist for The Star Beacon and his writing can be found on steemit.com/@martico
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