@dannyboy I have been a Penzey's customer for years... from days way back when Bill would post passionate missives during the orange stain's first time running. I support and encourage all to support this wonderful company and family.
My personal fave's? Ruth Ann's Muskogee Ave fish and chicken seasoning , Sandwich Sprinkle ( your sandwiches and salads elevated with the kiss of this one!!!). Sunny Spain (salt free lemon pepper seasoning) Smoked Spanish Paprika, the whole nutmeg, Ceylon cinnamon, Ginger and their pepper blend.Their Pie spice blend? I love in my coffee instead of Plain old pumpkin spice LOL
I have their Hug blanket, stickers and pins and love them...and their making a stand and a difference ..and their products!
If you love to cook and love good spices and herbs? Please consider supporting them!!! They have never in all these years disappointed me! P.S. They make great gifts for Christmas or any other time too!
I logged in, just to give the review on Penzey’s spices a thumbs up. online or in store. The themed boxes make especially nice gifts!
Today while doing my normal pre-work but post-workout rituals the book Hope for Cynics introduced me to something that those of us looking to abandon our diet of crap news might want to weave in to their daily dives. It’s called Solutions Journalism.
https://storytracker.solutionsjournalism.org
At its heart, it tracks stories and people who are making differences and solving problems (imagine that!) you won’t find a lot of Baron VonShitsinpants here! From their own “About” page (since I’m still learning of them I don’t want to misrepresent anything)
The Solutions Story Tracker® is a curated, searchable database of solutions journalism stories — rigorous reporting about responses to social problems. We vet and tag every story in the Story Tracker, which offers an inspiring and useful collection of the thousands of ways people are working to solve problems around the world.
Check it out and search the database for things that move you!
New term for something I have noticed:
https://suzannechurchill.com/all-posts/language/fecturing-the-female-equivalent-of-mansplaining/#:~:text=Her e's%20a%20provisional%20definition%20of,because%20she%20is%20a%20woman.
I am thankful for the recent and continuing updates to the predictions page. For the past month, as the election did not go as many of us had hoped, I felt like I had lost my compass in the woods and was wondering about. The expert visions that have recently been posted are like a new compass based on the current reality . . . not an absolute, but a guidance system of sorts as to what lies ahead.
My plan for the next 1-2 years is to be in my 'happy place' and look for signs of hope.
https://www.npr.org/2024/12/18/nx-s1-5224086/churches-holiday-grief-loss-christmas
My husband and I are participating in a Blue Christmas service this evening. If you can find one where you live, whether you are religious or not, attending might be a comfort to you. We all need to be in the presence of people who are struggling, grieving and seeking along with us. A burden shared is a burden halved. And we need to gather our strength for what is coming. ❤️
@lowtide I went to a Blue Christmas service last year on the 21st, which is the BD of my son who died that October. Quite a powerful event. This year I went to a service that was called a Blue Christmas, but didn't have the same vibe. There are still a few services at local churches that I can attend. Thanks for posting.
Sharing an inspiring letter one of our community members sent me and said I could post: It came a month ago, but I was too raw to do much at the time. I am so glad I still have it to share with you. What a gift! @dannyboy @tesseract @lovendures @bluebelle @deetoo @cc21 @seaholly @dana @raincloud @luminous @Caroline
Hello Jeanne,I wanted to share this message of thanks with you for you to share with your forum if you'd like.With gratitude,---------------As a long time observer/reader of your forum and predictions, I wanted to offer a note of deepest thanks to you and your community for the focused insight and cultivation of intuition and community that you all have offered. You've all had many hits, and more importantly, have offered much inspiration and rays of hope to so many viewers. A huge thank you to Jeanne for devoting such care in building the community and in leading the way and supporting all the work behind it. I believe in the gifts and talents you all have, and am grateful to receive it.I know many of us were deeply taken aback by the election results, to put it mildly. I can imagine how unmooring it may have felt to many who saw it unfolding quite differently, clear as day. I've been trying to make sense of it all, gathering lessons through it all, hoping and praying that as a collective we learn the lessons and integrate them swiftly and that the mass karma is lifted, so we can progress forward in greater harmony.I still hold hope that the results may ultimately be different — radical change is possible through prayer!-- and there are many logical and intuitive reasons to support proceedings that could change the course of the outcome (in addition to this site and the letters posted, I've been intrigued by the pop up posts from Sterling, postings from Dave Johnson and Cash Peters, and the underlying astrology of this time; to say nothing of the rash of cybersecurity hacks that have become quite commonplace and the underlying incentives of different actors). And yet I love the post someone made earlier about the importance of nonattachment and also think of the lessons that Pam Gregory and others have been reinforcing on taking the eagle's perch, grounding, having deep true compassion for all, and not giving our power away to external events or entities. Now, more than ever, rising up and shining our light and sending healing vibrations of love and harmony to all the world is so powerful.I wonder if people may want to share with each other some of the daily practices they find helpful in uplifting their spirits, their energy, and their vibration to help themselves and help others. I'm happy to share a sampling of some of my practices to get the ball rolling: twice daily meditation and prayer, doing a daily worldwide prayer circle meditation with friends by phone, guided meditations on peace (visualizing expanding as a sphere of peace, light and love from myself to ultimately getting bigger and bigger to spread from my family, to my neighborhood, the country, the world, the cosmos — Self Realization Fellowship has some beautiful free guided meditations on youtube that are 12-15 minutes long each), hiking in the woods and forest bathing, chanting, trying to spend less time reading the news in detail, petting my pets and visualizing that love going out to the universe, taking time to do one thing at a time with more mindfulness etc.).I felt the energy of this forum shift post election and I wanted to share my heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation. What ultimately nudged me to message you was that a handful of days ago I had a dream in the early morning (when they say dreams can have more significance if they are supernatural), with the statement "If you all pray hard enough, you can break T's spell." It was an interesting choice of words, and I thought of this group right away. And then of course delayed writing for a variety of reasons. But I felt compelled to share it, as I'm getting the sense that a deep surge of prayer, sending of light to all with great constant intensity may be very helpful. And even it doesn't produce an external miracle come January, it is still of great benefit to the collective and to ourselves as we evolve. So we may do it anyway, even if immediate proof and validation is not apparent.Huge thanks to each of you.
@jeanne-mayell What a beautiful letter this is, poignant and inspiring. When it comes to looking at the future, the first thing I notice is that I am at peace. I’m not fearful. That doesn’t mean I don’t see the threatening reality of this new administration, it means that I see a path forward. In the past weeks since the election, my personal practices remain the same: daily yoga, daily walks, forest bathing. Yoga centers the body and mind and spirit. Walking in nature connects us to the earth in all its dimensions. Both of these practices bring us inner harmony and if we are to focus on light and a higher vibration, we need to start within ourselves. I practice meditation and centering prayer.
Another impression I have about the future is the importance of connection with my community, the people within my circle of light, and looking outward towards the healing of our country and our planet. I am very interested in quantum entanglement and our interconnectedness with one another as well as the potential role of interdimensional life on our planet.
If we are going to help each other through tumultuous times, we must first be grounded ourselves. And like Michelle Obama said, “do something!”
Jeanne, I know you are thinking about the possibility of another Intuitive Way online seminar and hope we can look again at channeling and remote viewing. Spirit tells me that is important.
Thank you again for sharing this letter. I will read it over and over.
In considering the Path Forward, it is usually a good idea to review mistakes of the past.
I subscribe to a newsletter from The Atlantic and find they have very good, thoughtful articles.
I got one a few days ago that I thought really hit the nail on the head concerning mistakes by the left, specifically what the author terms the "illiberal left". (The direct opposite of the "illiberal right.) And how these mistakes led to the election fiasco. I hesitated to share it considering what blowback I might get but I finally decided it would be useful food for thought. (FYI the author, Jonathan Chait, is a left-wing figure.)
Here's the link:
@ana I read the article. It is painful to blame ourselves, and there are many perspectives on what happened. But I agree there was an overreaction among liberals towards liberals who didn't use the right terminology (I have feared being canceled for not being up-to-date on the latest acronyms or terminology. I empathize with those who want us to be fully up-to-date, but sometimes people are not up-to-date innocently, so we don't want to slap our allies.
I have young college educated 20-something friends who did not vote because Biden had not pulled back enough from Netanyahu. I reminded them that not voting was a vote for fascism, and they looked at me straight-faced and angry and said, "too bad." On the one hand, I loved their passion. On the other, I feared for what it would create.
I remembered that in 1968, we college kids got Lyndon Johnson to self-oust from office (he did not run again), in spite of the unmatched positive legacy he left with his Great Society initiatives. No one in my lifetime had done as much for the poor and working class as Johnson. When we got him out because of the Vietnam War, a war he had inherited and did not know how to exit, he was succeeded by none other than Richard Nixon! It took years to realize we'd thrown the baby out with the bath water.
As the author said in your Atlantic article, in our fervor, we've ended out canceling good people on our own side. The Right has had a heyday with it. But there is almost always an overreaction in the human psyche, once new directions get traction. Then there is a crash. People who trade the markets know how the human overkill works there too. When they see the markets suddenly move up, then higher, then very high, they are aware that it may then do a serious correction. We are now in a political correction phase.
I remembered that in 1968, we college kids got Lyndon Johnson to self-oust from office (he did not run again), in spite of the unmatched legacy he left with hisGreat Society initiatives. No one has done as much since for the poor and working class as Johnson. When we got him out because of the Vietnam War, he was succeeded by Richard Nixon. It didn't occur to us that we'd thrown the baby out with the bath water.
Sigh. I too was there in college in 1968, knocking on doors. We really did throw the baby out with the bathwater, and have been searching for that lost baby ever since.
Your 20-somethings have now done the same thing.
Sadly, youth tends to be impetuous and stubborn while feeling passionate. Unfortunately for everyone, wisdom comes less with passion and more with experience and pain. I feel for those 20-somethings, for they are about to learn one of the most painful lessons in life, i.e., doing nothing -- e.g., Not voting, as a protest-- amplifies rather than corrects the often valid negative.
Two year olds throw tantrums. Angry, stubborn, idealists of any age, cut off their noses to spite their faces. It will take longer now, to achieve what was ready to manifest-- a more balanced humanity-- yet manifest it will, for the Light supercedes even stubborn youth, old white men, war, and meglomaniacs. Light, even when it is seems to be but a thread of itself always leads us out of darkness.
As Amanda Gorman told us four years ago:
For there is always light, if only we are brave enough to see it. If only we are brave enough to BE IT.
🌻 ❤️ 🌻
Today while out shopping two very clear things resonated into me.
For New Years Eve every year, it's the one holiday we stay in and home for and I always cook a huge meal (Basically Thanksgiving but on NYE). I got my mason jars ready for the turkey bone broth which will, for the third year in a row, be my primary sustinance for the first few days of the new year. While shopping for a couple of last minute things I had forgotten, I reached for mustard of all things while thinking about the possibility of weathering yet another recession. As I lifted the mustard up to put it in my cart, I was hit with an overwhelming "know" that we'd be okay over the next year. It was a great feeling and that in combination with the sun and nearly 50 degree weather (NOT normal for us) set me off to Home Depot to pick up a couple of things I needed there.
The euphoria (and the thing that makes this a "the path forward" post) came when I wandered down an aisle I don't ever go down. Fresh from reading up on and reporting out on the beach clean up, the first thing I saw in this new aisle was recycling bins. I have always returned cans and bottles because Michigan has a 10 cent deposit fee on each can. About 5 years ago we were getting so many packages delivered I started saving cardboard. We have a recycling center but it keeps really dumb hours which is why I've always lamented that I should recycle, but haven't. It's always a pain getting just the cardboard alone out there, so I wait until I have a pile big enough to build a barge out of before I go.
I picked up four of the bins without even thinking. "I'm going to create space in my house to recycle more to save the earth, and I'm not going to use the dumb hours of the recycling center as an exuse" washed over me. It was words, feelings, and another "knowing". I brought the bins home and used a chalk marker on each one to label them "tin cans", "Plastic", "Paper", "Milk Cartons" - all things in addition to the cardboard our recycling center takes. (We don't have glass ever since I gave up wine)
Once a month I'll schedule in a recycling center day. I'll throw the cardboard in the back of my car, and the four bins in the backseat. Either during my lunch hour, or on my way to another school (if I can time the day right) I'll take all my recycling back.
I know one person recycling in their house isn't going to tip the scales toward fixing the climate issue but this morning's article dive made me feel like I can set a better example for the twins and Greatest Wife Ever, and it will create the experiences for me to be able to share with others who may want to get on this journey themselves.
Happy Blessed New Year’s Eve to All ❤️ Let’s continue to ride this rollercoaster called Life and add all the hope and joy we can muster for ourselves and each other.
The Year by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
What can be said in New Year rhymes,
That’s not been said a thousand times?
The new years come, the old years go,
We know we dream, we dream we know.
We rise up laughing with the light,
We lie down weeping with the night.
We hug the world until it stings,
We curse it then and sigh for wings.
We live, we love, we woo, we wed,
We wreathe our prides, we sheet our
dead.
We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,
And that’s the burden of a year.
Over here in Australia our councils give us 3 bins and they are trialing a new service which my council hasn’t gotten yet.
We have a smallish red bin for general rubbish which is collected weekly, a green bin for green waste like grass clippings, garden waste then a yellow bin which you put your recycling in like cardboard, bottles, recyclable plastic etc. the green and yellow bins are collected alternate weeks. The new bin that is being trialled is for vegetable scraps etc food items that can be composted. Don’t know when we will get that one.
The services are part of our council’s normal services and the cost is in our council rates.
I thought that was normal everywhere?
Regards
Matildagirl
I thought that was normal everywhere?
Regrettably - no.
my in laws down the road get recycling picked up. We have to take it to the center and pay per use. Our recycling center does the best it can but it was started by a retiree and it used to just be open a few hours twice a week. Now they do some pickup but not in my area even though I live closer than my in-laws do. It’s very spotty all over the U.S. I imagine it’s ubiquitous in bigger cities but the more rural you get the less you have as an option.
@matildagirl That's the standard where I live in California as well, although the green waste bin is for all organic matter, i.e., leaves, grass, food scraps, etc. with the exception of lumber or tree/bush cuttings. The green waste goes to a city-run composting facility and residents can get up to five 50-lb bags of compost annually for free. The lumber and tree/bush stuff goes to the same facility but is chipped up and handed out as garden or yard mulch in the same amount.