“The journey simultaneously holds the contraries of solitary longing and relatedness to community, as Shaw tells us: “It’s an extraordinary, indigenous idea that to find an authentic center we have to wander lonely beaches and sleep under hedges, longing for something we know is lost. To make a place in us for a small, cultivated altar to the bird that flew away.” And, “This intensely mysterious experience is solitary in nature—a conscious break from society—but requires the warmth and subtlety of a return to community to help grow the seeds that can flower from such an experience.” ~ Dr. Martin Shaw
Red Thread Letter #769
Greetings to you!
Sending New Moon Greetings. I am writing you from a hotel room in Sonoma, California. Our homes in Novato and Anderson Valley are out of power, but we are safe. Our county is on fire about an hour North and the winds are like no one has ever seen. Most news reports make the mistake of saying Sonoma, CA when they should say Sonoma County which includes tons of other towns. Anyway I wanted you to know we are safe, thank you for those of you writing, calling, messaging. Thank you for loving me beyond the known, whether you have ever met me or not – the pouring of love is so beautiful.
We moved our film equipment yesterday to Sonoma to start our Anthropas class, as the Novato studio is out of power. But my heart said I cannot film, my mind was like – are you kidding, and my body too. Just stop. I have been guarding this weekend for months as the space for codexing the Anthropas templates. I fell into a two hour nap. (Granted the lemon pancakes with too much butter might have also been culprit for the nap.) Business is not as usual.
As things got more and more real, as hour by hour alerts flooded our phones. As more and more villages were evacuated, Geyserville, Healdsburg, Windsor, part of Santa Rosa. We opened Musea to our community and this morning finds special guests who are evacuated staying at our school – families that are part of the IC community.
Since my class starting today is an adventure story, I can’t help but think of this as the real start of it. A perilous voyage to begin. My mom Caron McCloud taught me to include EVERYTHING that happens as if it is on purpose. Not that it HAD to happen, but since it DID happen, how do you include it? Especially the challenges. So I am well aware that THIS is the start of my 13 moon vigil with my community. This is how it begins. I have an altar of fire and water and a journal started for making marks. I spent the morning preparing my students in Anthropas for the reality that I could not give them film today and instead, wrote out the way to make your canvas sacred space…with songs to listen to and suggestions for blessing your surfaces.
My work in the world is to wake the sleepers to the degree that they are ready to wake. Period. The way I do that is through Intentional Creativity. Full Stop. Full start. My art is not separate from my real life, my art is my real life. The vigil has begun and we are off to a big bang. Speaking of big bang, that is what I was going to start the painting with….
Although I am not in danger, many are and my heart goes out to them, loving beyond the known, and the known (see writing below) If you are already a part of our online women’s community, you can check out my post from last night about the long dark night here – in the Red Thread Cafe here.
The truth is, after the fires two years ago my imagination became very unsettled. I was seeing more than I had ever seen in the imaginal realms, too much at times. Yet I put it to good use through the Intentional Creativity process, which allowed me to use a fuller range of access and input to bring through the teachings.
The teachings are rich in all of this and the mythic metaphors are rarely lost on me!! Thinking of you and moving onward with courage, resiliency and deep thoughts for all impacted right now, in our county and beyond. Prayers for those serving in any capacity.
On this new moon in October my heart is open with loving, with prayer, with peace, and with overcoming fear moment by moment. Knowing everything that is happening can and will, be brought into my art. Into my relationships. Into my community. Into the healing that comes after these kinds of tragedies.
As my husband Jonathan and I shared extra cuddles last night listening to the wild wild wind, I gave thanks for what I had, while holding prayer for all that is happening. It is hard to know how to hold it all in the proper context, so I just hold it the way I can, through writing, making art, and connecting with loved ones in my community. Right now, that is you.
Blessings upon your path. I am sending my love to you – beyond the known – right now. Feel it? Even if I don’t know you, the quality of the loving is real and present. Those who survive the disaster often reflect on how it felt to know they were held in such love.
I am not sure how to say this, that right now, the best place to send prayers is to those you don’t know….some you may…but most you don’t….right to where they are. Join me in adding your prayers. It not only strengthens them, but you too. Will it stop a fire? Not likely. Will it teach us to be better human beings? I am counting on it.
I am safe. I hope you are too.
With great heart,
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I am sorry this is a little disjointed, doing the best I can to communicate – sending it without editing so the typos make it real in real time.
If you want to track the fire yourself, you can see it here from a map perspective, and for now, we are impacted by electricity outages but we are not on evacuation notice at this time. Go Here
Here is our ELEMENTS: 7 Step Process for Recovery when involved in a Natural Disaster – share wherever you want. I made it during the 2017 fires.
Loving Beyond the Known
When someone you know and love is in danger,
right there is the access point to feeling real love.
To feel it where you are, even if they are far from you.
To feel even greater love in our being,
beyond those we know,
we stretch beyond the known connection.
We can see our love for those we know
as an almost prismatic portal through which –
the love between the two of you goes beyond
into the greater expanse of human beings.
Learning to love beyond the known,
is part of being a human being.
We practice this kind of loving beyond the known.
Accesing the love we know as the way.
This is good practice to feel
for those we do not know – to let it be real.
We practice not letting it take us out
or make us sick or incapable,
but rather to let the love we feel occur for us
and them as a kind of medicine.
Holding it gently in the field
instead of letting it overtake us.
I think doing this, helps with our own anxiety
and potential ptsd in times of disaster.
When I am present with my love
for the creatures, those on the front lines,
the trees, homes, those in fear,
I feel my panic turn to peace.
Even for those moments,
I have peace in my soul connection and I am sharing it.
Does it help? Science and mytics agree, it does.
To begin,
use your imagination to connect
with the person you love,
both in the field and in their physical location.
Let that love flow, steady and pure
from you to them.
Science says that biophotons
WILL reach them where they are.
If they know you are sending the love,
their capacity to feel it will be even greater.
Then when you feel ready,
let that love expand beyond the love you know…..
feel into that space.
This is the great mystery we are hanging out in.
Let’s explore it together.
~ Shiloh Sophia
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A beautiful song shared today by my friend Trish – one of my favorites.
Comfort yourself as you can…
