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West Meets East© By Caroline Patrick BorNei
The Past and Future Hold Hands
There comes a time when the past and future began to form this strange circle. Twenty years into the game, I could see where I thought I was headed. The path seemed secure and bright with small detours, but nothing I couldn't handle. This phase could be labeled "Thank God for Innocence." Soon the straight path took a quick left at twenty-something, I picked myself up, brushed the dirt off my skinned knees, regrouped and began down a different path called "Put a Smile on Your Face, This is Life." I began to question everything my tribe had taught me, and while I was just beginning to break loose of my childhood teachings, a pinpoint of light stirred behind the mask of suppressed personality. I was terrified to explore what lay beyond this untraditional ray of thought. The light stayed fixed and dormant with only a few flickers of the future. Days turned into years as my life became a slide-show of events which zipped by inside my head, from childhood to dating to falling in love, and then marriage, my children, gardens, jobs, teaching, taking classes, friends and relatives joys and traumas.
Science has proved human beings are mostly Water. As spiritual beings we have earthly duties to perform, such as loving others, being of service and doing good deeds. At forty, my Water began to slosh around a lot. I didn't experience "the empty nest syndrome" as much as some of my friends. I was too busy moving more Water. Water flooded our land and home just as the children left for college. There was no clutter to clear, as most everything was beyond saving. Possessions were bulldozed into a ditch 40 feet long and 10 feet wide. Furniture, pictures, carpets, food and clothes filled the huge hole. Smoke filled the valley as neighbors set fire to past dreams. Wooden tables were used as torches to fuel the fires. As Fire turned into Earth, the cycle of the Elements provided soil to plant new life. Fifty miles in all directions, smoke circled into the heavens taking our prayers of new beginnings upward. There was no bed or couch to move, and I became grateful. My bones ached with the continuous work. I have labeled this phase of my life as, "Noah Knew Best"! The cleanup took a year. The nearby city gave us a bed and couch. The pinpoint of light in my mind's eye opened a little, as I threw away moldy canvases that took a million hours to create. Oh well. A note of interest: this experience took place in the desert of Arizona!
Nature took care of our excess. We felt strangely free. Life became better. We literally left the farm and traveled with my husband's work. There was rest, work and creative possibilities. I moonlighted by cutting hair and giving perms to women. At night I painted pictures of people's pets to earn extra money for the kids' college expenses. We traveled the next fourteen years throughout the western states and Hawaii with his company. I had no support system in place, and learned to stay busy to keep the "poor me" at bay. Our immediate families were far away during this time, and sometimes tears were shed. There were no cell phones, just phone booths, and Sundays found me in the local phone booth for over an hour calling loved ones. I gave classes in RV Parks, Senior Centers and Extension Centers, earning money to pay tuition for classes of interest. California was the Mecca of "new thought" and I was in the "backyard" of Louise Hay, Wayne Dwyer, Caroline Myss, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Marianne Williamson, Sonia Choquette, Sylvia Brown, Karen Kingston, Roger Green and many more wonderful teachers. I was honored to learn from the best herbalists in the nation such as Rosemary Gladstar, Lois Johnson MD., Candice Candin, Michael Tierra, Krista Ti, Shatoya and others. Art workshops were available in San Francisco, New Mexico, Oregon and more. I had a date with the future while learning my next trade! As time progressed, more was offered and more was revealed about the future. (to be continued)
Caroline lives in the Northwest Region of the US, called The Puget Sound in Washington State. She is a Feng Shui Practitioner, writer, author and artist. She gives workshops in Feng Shui, Elements of Art; private mentoring for serious students lectures and writes for newspapers. She combines teaching and traveling to other locations, here and abroad. Her 2008 schedule includes workshops and classes in Washington State, Oregon, Northern California, Arizona, New Mexico and North Carolina. She is available speaking, teaching and consultations. Currently her illustrations for a children’s book entitled “The Six Paramitas” have been delivered to the client for publication. “It is based on characters designed on the universal prayer OM, MA, NE, PAD, ME, HUM and is the most delightful and precious assignment I have ever done.” If you want to know more about the book or the creations, please contact Caroline.
Please visit www.fengshuiartistry.com and click on www.moongateschool.com for current local and out-of-state class schedules in Feng Shui, Art and Medicine making with Herbs. Caroline is available for teaching, speaking engagements, art illustration and Chi-Enhancing Artwork.
Please consult your physician for physical problems as this article only gives ideas and suggestions. Caroline is not responsible for anyone using these suggested plants or advice for cures or healing any problem either medical or Feng Shui claims. This column and article is for entertainment only. Please seek help from a qualified physician, naturopath, herbalist or other certified person for treatment. Caroline Patrick BorNei
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