1/26/2018 I saw a photo of Baudelaire. He looks evil. I had to go to the bathroom so badly on the train, I almost peed myself. I said sorry twice while I was in Chicago. The moments I experienced are like the ones I saw in paintings at the Art Institute. Timeless moments captured, like … Continue reading Journals

The beginning of my connection to rivers As a child my father took my brothers and I canoeing down the Namekagon River. The Namekagon runs 101 miles in Northeastern Wisconsin eventually dumping into the St. Croix River.  The route we took was a day trip. 8 hours of paddling, never knowing what would be around … Continue reading Nudity and the River

Initially the ceremony was supposed to be a sweat lodge. In the end it was at the shaman’s house. The sweat lodge was no longer an option, but I do not remember why. The shaman is part of the Ojibwa tribe in Wisconsin Rapids. I travelled to the ceremony from Chicago with Mona, my roommate … Continue reading Part IV of the Shaman Series: Ojibwa Healing Ceremony

Thanks again to guest writer Gertrude Gingerly for this enriching piece on her experience with a Lakota Shaman. On the days prior to the ceremony, I remember feeling insatiably hungry. My stomach was an endless pit that could not be filled. The temperature in Chicago was hot to an unbearable degree and the air conditioning … Continue reading Part III of the Shaman Series: The gift of a name

Guest writer Gertrude Gingerly is back with another story in her search for spiritual truth. I was staying in Quepos, Costa Rica. It is a small town located on the west coast of the country. I  was trying to catch a taxi into town from the place I was staying.  To get a cab you … Continue reading Part II of the Shaman Series: A journey to the jungle with ayahuasca

This is special guest writer Gertrude Gingerly. She has traveled to corners of the world seeking spiritual refuge in search of finding something she does not know, but knows exists. Gertrude is going to write a four-part series on Shamanism. From the jungle of Costa Rica to the mountains of Santa Barbara, Gertrude’s series is … Continue reading Part I of the Shaman Series: The Vortex on Mountain Drive

  #TRUMPsays Bring dark underground areas where people can barely breathe and perform back-breaking work in hot smoke filled stench pipe laden trip-wired environments due to explode at any moment back. Come dance with me A tree, young in age but not in wisdom stands outside a place where books and      heads rest … Continue reading Signs from the Seine

A special thank you to guest writer Dr. Lucenta.   This morning I woke up not wanting to wake up. That feeling used to happen to me every day, but not so often anymore. I laid in bed watching the sun slowly rising. My dog suddenly jumped out of bed, which is unusual. Usually, I … Continue reading The Morning Fall

First You must be a human that lives on the planet Earth. Second An American who is able to vote in an American election. Third Be white (otherwise, you probably will not be having this conversation). You did not vote for Trump, have an upper-middle-class family member who owns a yacht, has a hot tub … Continue reading 14 or 15 steps in how to facilitate communication between relatives that voted for Clinton or Trump