The View from The Raven Lodge
The View from Raven Lodge
She's Back: The Divine Mother
As I write this, large flakes of snow are softly falling at the Raven Lodge. Though I lived for many years in both Alaska and the Colorado Rockies, snow has never ceased to amaze this Florida girl. (In my hometown of Vero Beach, Santa rode around prom queen-style in a convertible sweating his butt off in that suit, and people put Christmas lights on palm trees!) The snow creates such a peaceful blanket- ever notice how quiet it is when it’s snowing heavily? It feels as if it’s sealing in the energy of the Divine Mother brought to us this past weekend by Antera and Omaran from Mt. Shasta (www.soulevolution.org or us@twinsong.org ). We hosted a lovely group of people, with participants coming from as far as Alberta, Canada! We had a wonderful experience gathered in the great room in front of the crackling fire, and Antera and Omaran were lovingly clear channels as they taught us about the Great Mother’s desire to heal the imbalances on our planet by reinstating her female power to balance male and female energies and create a new paradigm. I was greatly inspired by their dedication and devotion! Antera and Omaran used a variety of techniques including guided meditation and EFT to teach us to use Divine Mother’s blue flame for self-healing, clearing old patterns and negativity, removing obstacles in life, world healing, and to prepare us for the powerful initiation ceremony in which we (men and women) had personal activations of Divine Mother’s female power. Antera and Omaran then opened a portal for the Divine Mother of the Order of the Blue Snake here on the land at the Raven Lodge. It is truly an honor to have been chosen to help bring this energy to the Northwest, and the portal will remain as a permanent installation. Today I had the opportunity to meditate by the portal and bask in the energy, allowing it to really sink in. The Raven Lodge has always been a peaceful, healing place, and yet the subtle shift the Divine Mother’s energy created has made it even more so. I feel greatly blessed to be living in this healing sanctuary!
On Retreat in the Snow
When the power went off, it was still daylight. I had spoken briefly with Margaret before I lost power to the phone. We had talked about getting an old fashioned phone to avoid any interruption of service, but had never gotten that done. When we heard I-84 was closed, she realized she would be in town for a day or two and decided to pick up some more shifts. Meanwhile, I built a fire in the massive fireplace in the great room. The large windows in the room are not double-paned and I could feel the cold seep through, thwarting my efforts to keep the space heated. I decided to hang blankets over the thin curtains that did nothing to block the chill. I brought down two quilts my mom had made for me. They fit the windows perfectly, and I could feel they made a difference. The light filtering through the patterns added a beautiful touch to the room.
I raided the candle drawer and set several up on the coffee table in front of the fireplace. Although it was still light, I wanted to be prepared if the power didn't return before nightfall. I also dug out my headlamp. When I read, I use a book light, and had that available on the book I was currently reading. I fixed a cold sandwich to eat, then I added layers of long underwear, leggings, and polar fleece, grabbed the camera and went outside to take some pictures of the snow. At that point, we had about 6 inches of accumulated snow. When I returned, I kept the layers on and huddled up to the fire.
I had resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to be able to do any work on the computer, but was still feeling frustrated that I had this time and couldn't be "productive." The book I was reading was a part of a trilogy and I had been engrossed in the story. So, I decided to read. About an hour later, it occurred to me that I had asked for what I was now lucky to have: quiet time in a retreat center to write, read, and relax! When I changed that perspective, the loss of power suddenly became a blessing. I had no where to go, no phone ringing, no visitors expected, no responsibilities. I laughed when I thought to myself that I had paid a lot of money to have this opportunity when I went on my Vision Quests. And here I was in my own home with the same possibility and I was frustrated I couldn't work on my computer!
At that point, I relaxed into my situation. What good would it do me to be in that space?
Hours later, when I knew it might be a while before I had power again, I started the charcoal on the grill, and fixed dinner. This was an adventure! I had briefly thought of cooking in the fireplace, but decided that might be more of a hassle.
On a normal day, the upstairs does not get very warm without space heaters on. Without heat, it was freezing (almost literally). I knew that as soon as I was able to get into bed, I'd be warm with the comforter. It was the getting into the bed part that was daunting. I could see my breath as I entered the bedroom. It was cooooold.
I raided the candle drawer and set several up on the coffee table in front of the fireplace. Although it was still light, I wanted to be prepared if the power didn't return before nightfall. I also dug out my headlamp. When I read, I use a book light, and had that available on the book I was currently reading. I fixed a cold sandwich to eat, then I added layers of long underwear, leggings, and polar fleece, grabbed the camera and went outside to take some pictures of the snow. At that point, we had about 6 inches of accumulated snow. When I returned, I kept the layers on and huddled up to the fire.
I had resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to be able to do any work on the computer, but was still feeling frustrated that I had this time and couldn't be "productive." The book I was reading was a part of a trilogy and I had been engrossed in the story. So, I decided to read. About an hour later, it occurred to me that I had asked for what I was now lucky to have: quiet time in a retreat center to write, read, and relax! When I changed that perspective, the loss of power suddenly became a blessing. I had no where to go, no phone ringing, no visitors expected, no responsibilities. I laughed when I thought to myself that I had paid a lot of money to have this opportunity when I went on my Vision Quests. And here I was in my own home with the same possibility and I was frustrated I couldn't work on my computer!
At that point, I relaxed into my situation. What good would it do me to be in that space?
Hours later, when I knew it might be a while before I had power again, I started the charcoal on the grill, and fixed dinner. This was an adventure! I had briefly thought of cooking in the fireplace, but decided that might be more of a hassle.
On a normal day, the upstairs does not get very warm without space heaters on. Without heat, it was freezing (almost literally). I knew that as soon as I was able to get into bed, I'd be warm with the comforter. It was the getting into the bed part that was daunting. I could see my breath as I entered the bedroom. It was cooooold.
What a Week it Was!
Saturday morning before Christmas, Margaret received a call from her work asking if she would risk the weather and work extra shifts. A storm was brewing and several nurses weren't able to drive. By the time she left, a light dusting of snow covered the ground. I hunkered down at the computer to do some work. A few hours later, I decided to drive to Corbett to look for a Christmas tree. The snow had continued to fall gently, creating an idyllic, fantasy land blanketed in white.
I drive a four-wheel drive pickup, so wasn't concerned about the 3-4 inches that had accumulated. Gordon Creek Road is a major artery in these parts and it had been cleared. I had a set of chains and lots of experience driving in adverse conditions. I headed up the canyon, marveling at the view of the Sandy River shrouded in snow. As I reached the rim of the canyon two miles above the lodge and rounded the curve, the truck was suddenly buffeted by 45 mile per hour winds. The weather was completely different, with the Columbia Gorge winds ripping across the fields, creating snow drifts like I haven't seen since growing up in South Dakota 30 years ago! What a difference in weather within feet!
The normally 5 minute drive to Corbett took 10 minutes with icy, blowing conditions keeping me at a slow pace. I stopped at the store and drove up and down the scenic highway a few miles each way, then headed back toward the lodge. It was getting worse by the minute. The 6 inch drifts on the way to town were now high enough that I had to plow the truck through them, some as high as a foot and a half. This was going to be quite a storm.
When I got back to the canyon, the wind disappeared and I was back in the fantasy world of our lodge. I loaded up some wood from the shed to restock my fireplace supply. I had a feeling I was going to need to be prepared for the worst.
Back at my desktop computer, I was able to get a few things done before the power went off. Aaaaagh! A few minutes later, the power came back on, but my desktop computer wouldn't restart. Panic set in. Here I was with what looked to be at least a day or so without having to go anywhere or do anything but focus on work, and no computer! Worse, I had no way of getting it somewhere to fix it, as I had learned I-84 had been closed. Frustration set in. I frantically searched for my system disks, hoping to be able to reboot it. No luck. I sat down at the laptop and was able to access the Apple site. They suggested that I unplug my external hard drive and try again. Woo Hoo, it worked! Back to work. Ten minutes later, the power went down again. This time, it didn't come on for the next 24 hours. That was the beginning of interesting week at the Raven Lodge!
I drive a four-wheel drive pickup, so wasn't concerned about the 3-4 inches that had accumulated. Gordon Creek Road is a major artery in these parts and it had been cleared. I had a set of chains and lots of experience driving in adverse conditions. I headed up the canyon, marveling at the view of the Sandy River shrouded in snow. As I reached the rim of the canyon two miles above the lodge and rounded the curve, the truck was suddenly buffeted by 45 mile per hour winds. The weather was completely different, with the Columbia Gorge winds ripping across the fields, creating snow drifts like I haven't seen since growing up in South Dakota 30 years ago! What a difference in weather within feet!
The normally 5 minute drive to Corbett took 10 minutes with icy, blowing conditions keeping me at a slow pace. I stopped at the store and drove up and down the scenic highway a few miles each way, then headed back toward the lodge. It was getting worse by the minute. The 6 inch drifts on the way to town were now high enough that I had to plow the truck through them, some as high as a foot and a half. This was going to be quite a storm.
When I got back to the canyon, the wind disappeared and I was back in the fantasy world of our lodge. I loaded up some wood from the shed to restock my fireplace supply. I had a feeling I was going to need to be prepared for the worst.
Back at my desktop computer, I was able to get a few things done before the power went off. Aaaaagh! A few minutes later, the power came back on, but my desktop computer wouldn't restart. Panic set in. Here I was with what looked to be at least a day or so without having to go anywhere or do anything but focus on work, and no computer! Worse, I had no way of getting it somewhere to fix it, as I had learned I-84 had been closed. Frustration set in. I frantically searched for my system disks, hoping to be able to reboot it. No luck. I sat down at the laptop and was able to access the Apple site. They suggested that I unplug my external hard drive and try again. Woo Hoo, it worked! Back to work. Ten minutes later, the power went down again. This time, it didn't come on for the next 24 hours. That was the beginning of interesting week at the Raven Lodge!