A Pause for Station Identification

 

Hey, gang! Welcome to my life - where anything is possible and nothing is as it seems. I'm The Rev. Matt, and I'll be your host - coming at you from within The Depths of Geistopia.

Welcome to my Life is a project, an experiment in Life and ART. A living storyboard, if you will. Its premise is that life is experiential and that you can (and do) experience the life you choose. It is based on the use of The Wheel of Life and The ARTs for The New Millennium as life building tools.

Welcome to my Life is an I TV Studios/Geist...House production, in association with The Center for Creative Inspirationalism. Justus Productions, the parent company, would like to give a 'Shout-Out' to the following for their ongoing, and oft-times unknowing, inspiration and support:

Princess Cuddlebug

Princess Sunshine

Craze & Co.

The Shaman

The Pillar

The Entire Putt-Putt-Putter Clan

FaeriePrincess

Andy Pandy

The Baker of the Cornbread

The White Rose

Professor Siggy Chong

Bert-On

Redds

Hoagie

The Van Man & General Ralph Glossop (May they R.I.P.)

Jojo Dancer

The Looch

Saint Diane…and You

The Piz-Niffer

Dancing Queen

Downtown Encyclopedia Brown

Mama Rabbit

And, of course, a very generous sponsor who (not so much) wishes to remain anonymous.

It is Sunday, June 12, 2016. Time…Cloudy

Theme of the Week

Slow & Steady Wins the Race

Lesson of the Week

Reality is an Illusion (and, the Illusion is Real)

Observation of the Week

Life…by Virtue of Death

ART of the Week

Discernment of Spirit

And

The Language ARTs

Totems -

Horse [Mustang] - (Movement) Continue forward in your efforts with discipline. New journeys are ahead. Stretch your freedom and your power.

Hawk - (Guiding Vision) Spirit vision and guardianship surround you. Be patient and observe. You will see the opportunities. Signs are clear. 

Black Vulture -  (Fulfillment) Time of transformation is approaching. Do not resist it. It will ultimately be to your benefit in spite of contrary appearances.

Fox - (Magic Afoot) Situations are shifting; Magic is afoot. Do not reveal too much of your plans. Look to what might be camouflaged around you.

Raccoon - (Disguise) Transformation comes through putting on a proper mask. Masking is going on – for good or bad. Disguising intentions may be necessary.

  

Opossum - (Appearances) Be careful of appearances. Divert attention away from important endeavors. Pose as you must to succeed.

  

Ant - (Industriousness) Pursue your work for the common good. If your efforts are true, the rewards will follow. Build from the ground up – no short cuts.

Skunk - (Boundaries) Now is the time to assert your boundaries. Others may be taking advantage. Demand respect and move forward at your speed.

Osprey [w/fish] - (Assertive Hunting) Assert new efforts. Check your commitments to others and theirs to you. Now is time for active and fearless hunting.

Deer - (Lure to Adventures) Move gently into new areas. Follow the lure to new studies. Practical pursuits bring surprising rewards.   

From Animal Speak Pocket Guide, Ted Andrews, Dragonhawk Publishing, 2009

Also this week:

Lavender – Love, Protection, Sleep, Chastity, Longevity, Purification, Happiness, Peace

According to Scott Cunningham in a book with which I will have to get back to you.

From here in Geistopia, this is your beloved Rev wishing you Love, Light, Peace...and Freakishness, baby.

I would love to hear from you. Tell me what you think. Tell me what your experience of this is. Ask me the questions you ponder. You can email me. You can comment here. You can comment on any of the Facebook pages on which this gets posted. Feel free to reach out and communicate with me.

Rev. Matt can be found on Facebook on his pages - Rev. Matt or WTML. To schedule, or inquire about, a Reiki session, Tarot Reading, House Cleansing or Wedding services you can contact Rev. Matt at RevGeist@gmail.com

Life is shifting this week…but our journey is not. This week we will continue the frolic through last year.

This week is something a little different. We are going to take a break in the video. We are going to step back into the present and touch base with where we are. This week is a summary of sorts. This week we are going to step back from the action and look deeper into the experience.

Back in the day, I would have referred to this as ‘Director’s Notes.’

As a #Throwback to that, this post will be ‘spoken’ through my ‘Researcher Self.’ He who first conceived of the project we are undertaking, the experiment in which we are engaged. Thus, it will be done (mostly) in this font.

I want to begin this week with some Feedback.

Once again this week, Redds has reached out.In fact, she reached out three times. (You really do rock, Redds!!) I am going to take each of these on individually.

First she writes:

         

So part2 a. You were hilarious! I was totally cracking up. Those voices, which you explained, are they spirit talking thru you or are you just messing with? I'm sure you noticed this already, but when I first glanced at the license plate I thought it said GOD 2015. You know how your mind plays tricks when only part of the letters are correct. That's all for now. On to watch the others....

Well, thank you, Redds. I do try to have a good time and I am glad it carries over to you, the viewer. As you said, I did explain the voices a bit – some of them have been with me for a long time and for different reasons, some come and go at their whim. But, to look more directly at what you are asking – I suppose it all depends on how you define those things.

As Artists and creatives we always say, “I was just inspired…”

We can’t really explain it, but something sweeps over us and we create – a painting, a craft, a character, a song, a dance…a something. (In more layman’s terms – in dealing with the mundane routine of day to day life – we might say, “Hey I had a thought [or idea.]”) We don’t always understand how it works, or when it will strike. It just does. It is refreshing and invigorating. Be it thought, action, or creative endeavor it is inspired.

Let’s take a look at the etymology of the word ‘inspiration,’ according to The Online Etymology Dictionary:

inspiration (n.)

c. 1300, "immediate influence of God or a god," especially that under which the holy books were written, from Old French inspiracion "inhaling, breathing in; inspiration" (13c.), from Late Latin inspirationem (nominative inspiratio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin inspirare "blow into, breathe upon," figuratively "inspire, excite, inflame," from in- "in" (see in- (2)) + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit (n.)).

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. [Gen. ii.7]

The sense evolution seems to be from "breathe into" to "infuse animation or influence," thus "affect, rouse, guide or control," especially by divine influence. Inspire (v.) in Middle English also was used to mean "breath or put life or spirit into the human body; impart reason to a human soul." Literal sense "act of inhaling" attested in English from 1560s. Meaning "one who inspires others" is attested by 1867.

So, are the voices something I just do and play around with or are they Spirit working through me? The answer, for me, is – both. All of life – every experience, every creation – is an expression of The One True Spirit (or T.OT.S.) Sometimes it is just for fun and recreation (as is the case with some of the voices.) Sometimes it has purpose – a missing piece or a problem’s solution. Sometimes it lifts us up. Sometimes it moves us.

Sometimes we move it.

And, actually, no. I had not taken notice to the license plate. I am going to have to look for that. It is funny what the mind can show you, or make you think you saw.

Next up:

Oh and it's funny how you mentioned you had pussy willows growing in your she'd. I bought some right before you filmed this but they died. So I just bought more to plant in the yard and I have the branches in the house too.

I always enjoy when something I say or do at random resonates within someone else’s week. The timing is always so…well…inspiring.

And, finally:

Part 2b - again, you mentioned something I was just discussing last week with Steve. Pioneers. How did Pioneers know when to stop moving West? I'm with you. I wouldn't have made it to CA!!! Did they keep thinking the grass was greener on the other side? Too funny. 2nd) I noticed you had the cap on but then you had it off when you did it again. 3rd) what happened with The Girl that it ended? I suppose it ended so you could have your two beautiful girls. Life's plan.

Yeah. I cannot guess at the logic of the whole pioneer movement. I really do not know what they were thinking or what motivated them. But, God bless them for being them. Like I said, if it had been left to me, America probably wouldn’t be very large at all.

As for the girl….sigh. The simple answer is, “It was cursed from the start.” The more complex answer is it had its challenges – things that really worked against it at the time. Anything that could have happened needed to be put on hold for a time. In that time I cracked under pressure. I was having trouble waiting for things to settle themselves. The need for patience left me time to review and to think. I’m not sure if the idea of the doomed relationship itself freaked me out or if the intensity of her did it. In either case, I panicked and worried myself to the point of chasing her away. (Along with many other areas of my life at the time.)

However, to be fair and accurate, The Girl was well after the Princesses were born. In fact, they knew The Girl. In passing, anyway.

As always, thanks for your comments, Redds.

I want to continue this week by taking a look at the Totems. Very often, the Totems are no different than the Voices. They are there, they come and go. Likewise, occasionally they really stick with me for some reason. Such is the case with this week’s Totems.

The list started last Sunday night at work and, in its own way, grew throughout the week. They strike me because they very much relate to exactly where I find my life at the moment. They tell the story.

It’s not just in their individual meanings that they do so either. It is the order in which they came. It is little things about how they came. Truthfully, these are things one should look at anyway when working with totems. But this week, for me, it all really resonates.

The first Totem to find me was the horse – specifically Mustang. It was painted on the side of a truck. It was a logo. But, it caught my attention and it sent my Spirit senses into a frenzy.

Shortly afterwards I spotted a hawk. The hawk is a messenger and also one of my own personal Totems. I then remembered having spotted a hawk just before the Mustang. Now my senses were really whirling. Throughout the night, I was alert for anymore. They did find me, ending with the Raccoon/Opossum combination.

My co-worker and I had spotted a critter passing through the shadows. We actually saw two of them pass by in about 15 minutes time. We couldn’t get a good look at them. All we could see was the form moving between shadows and only silhouetted in the light in between for the blink of an eye. My first thought was a raccoon. He thought perhaps a opossum. Since there is no way to be certain, both made the list. I find it interesting that they carry similar energies and messages.

As the week progressed, the list grew some more until it came to a conclusion tonight at work.

In the original Animal Speak, Ted Andrews says, in regards to horses, that one should look at the type of horse and what it does. Some horses are work horses, some are for travel and riding. Some, like the mustang, are free-spirited runners.

I find this intriguing. The animal seems to be telling me to run wild and free – to just cut myself loose and be. Yet, the life that is forming right now demands that I move slowly and precisely.

When combined with some of the other totems, perhaps the message comes more as an affirmation that things are moving in a direction that will allow me that freedom and feeling of Spirit, but to get there I must don a few different hats along the way.

The Osprey with the fish fascinates (and escapes) me. I was on patrol the other night with a different co-worker. I saw it swoop out of the sky. I could tell as it sped by that it appeared to have something else with it. It landed on a pole nearby and that is when I noticed it was a fish. The hunter had hunted. (And, returned.)

Is this another indication that, in the end, I will be victorious?

The lavender was of particular interest to me this week as well. I decided that since I did have some money it was time for new incense. I have been dry for way too long. The lavender really spoke o me in the store and when I burned it later I realized that it was not the first time that lavender had impacted me this week.

Life really has been shifting lately. It seems to be taking form all its own…and I am just along for the ride. Despite being unemployed and completely broke, I was on a very good roll there for a bit. It didn’t matter what was happening (or not happening) around me. I felt good. It seemed as though I was getting things under control. I was setting routines and goals and making progress in many areas of my life. But, that would not last.

Life would take a few more turns. I found that all of my work/income sources ceased at the same time. I was completely cut off from making money. Life is shifting again, and the money thing seems to have found at least a temporary reprieve. This has changed so much about my life and everything I had just created. Very often it appears to moving me away from what I want for my life. At times I have contemplated just giving it all up and forgetting I ever had those dreams or inspirations.

I’m not sure it has to go that far, but I certainly have realized that I must give up a lot of my past and my experiences – I must release them and move beyond them. I can carry no attachment to what has been.

Earlier this week I made a status post on Facebook that caused at least one friend to comment with concern.

“To die would be an excellent adventure.”

My friend was concerned because many of my posts have been darker of late. It is no secret that I  had a bout with some depression for a moment. So, I understand his concern. Ironically though, this particular post marked the moment I started to bounce back and come around.

I remember it as being a line from a production of Peter Pan. I believe Peter says earlier – either in the dialogue or in the show altogether – that, “to live would be an excellent adventure.”  Later, he says the line I posted.

The point is still the same with both of them. For Peter, life and death are just different adventures. But, they are adventures all the same. He is too innocent to realize the darker implications of death – the things that cause adults to tremble and fear. To him it is just another adventure to be had.

My depression came on as I struggled to put my current life into its place. I looked at how I had come to completely nothing. I have been stripped down to the raw basics. It will take soe time to rebuild myself. But, I have such a yearning for an adventure…a quest.

I want to get on the road and live and experience. I want to see and to do and to remember. (Just as I have so many times before.) Sadly, I cannot do this at the moment. Not in the way I want anyway.

This frustrated me.

But then I realized I can do something else. I can adventure in a way I have not in quite some time. I can return to my roots – to a mindset that saw it all as an adventure. I can use the same basic concepts and principles I have learned on the road to guide me through these next several months. Without packing up and disrupting my life I can turn myself over to Spirit and just live the life that is righ before me.

I can know where I would like to go, what I would like to accomplish, without knowing how I get there. I can allow myself to be guided. I can utilize my Vision Quest mentality.

The Goal is to move forward. I wish to get to a place in my life where I am comfortable on different levels – work/family/friends/health and so on. I wish to move beyond my past.

The first thing that has been asked of me is to put the past where it belongs – behind me. All of it. I must let go of all that I have been, done, experienced. Not just the mistakes, and the regrets, but the triumphs as well. I must put old habits and routines to rest. I must release both the hopes and the fears.

Let the Daemon Slay You.

This was a message several weeks ago. I have accepted this fate. I just have not yet allowed it to happen. I must not define or limit myself to what has been – good or bad. I must be willing to ‘die’ and this is a struggle for me. I didn’t like dying the first time. In fact, the more I look back on things, I am beginning to believe that I fought the death so much that I have yet to fully come back to life. Essentially, I must lay down and die…and (from what I can tell) to die would be an excellent adventure.

An interesting note on all of this, for me, is that everything that is going on at the moment somehow correlates with the presence of the Daemon. This is something that has been mentioned but you will learn more about him when WTML returns to the video posting. The Daemon showed up a few months ago and my time with him has been very trying to say the least.

The depression was further enhanced by my constant desire to ‘have it now.’ This has always been a challenge for me. I see what I want and run right into it. Usually with very little forethought. Though I have gained and learned a lot going about things this way, I have also been set back on more than one occasion.

So, the next thing that was established was a time frame with which to gauge my progress. This way I will not only keep from running headstrong into things I will also be able to see where/when I need to step things up a bit. It is a lengthy time frame. Perhaps one of the longest that has ever been handed to me.

I cannot be too attached to anything until next Labor Day. (Not this one in 2016 but the next one in 2017.) 

This seems like such a long time to me. But, I do not believe I will be able to even begin to understand the current path until then. So I am using that as my marker for everything. I want to see how far I can get with things until then. I’m not just talking about turning my life around financially. I am also shifting my current goals list into that time frame.

For instance, The Garden. I had so much work I wanted to get done on it this season but the outlook is not so good for that. So, I will get done what I can, when I can. Then I will see just how far I get with it by the end of next season. My hope is that it will be complete. (At least for now.)

The Garden is just one thing. There are many aspects and areas of my life in which I am striving towards things. As much as I must let go of all of them (in order to see what I am truly left with) I must also keep them in my sights. There really is a lot on my plate at the moment and the time frame I’ve been given makes it all seem not so bad. I can settle into things and let them develop and grow at their own pace.

What does this mean for WTML?

It will continue. But it has a format, a pattern to it now. This post is the season conclusion. Everything that has been posted since I started up again back in April is Season 1. We will now take a brief pause while I gather myself together. It comes naturally at this point because I may not be able to post for the next two weeks anyway.

I find the timing interesting because this is where I stopped last year when I began posting this series of videos. This is where the creative well ran dry and the flow abruptly stopped.

Season 1 has set the standard for the length of a season – 11 weeks. The pattern will be 11 weeks of posts followed by a brief break in which I will regroup. There will be at least two, possibly 3, seasons between now and Labor Day, the Next. They will cover the time frame from the series last year through this most recent run of events which just recently concluded.

I do not know exactly how I will handle it all. I do not know what way I will format it and structure it. I only know what the overall plan is at this point. I do hope for some growth. There have been some discussions and I hope to bring some newness to WTML. If not for the next Season then definitely by the 3^rd Season.

So, until then…