The Very Great Lakes --

Lake = Water =  Emotion (this equation/definition offered by me from a combined mystical, shamanic, spiritual, and psychological perspective).  I woke up this morning thinking about the Great Lakes -- Superior, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Erie, located along the border of the United States and Canada.  I hadn't thought much about them since I was in 4th or 5th grade geography class. But today I felt compelled to relearn about them and found, on a website by Live Science (www.livescience.com), that they are the "largest body of fresh water on Earth" comprise (a tad more than) "1/5 of freshwater surface on the planet", contain "six quadrillion gallons of water" and cover "95,160 square miles".  Info in parentheses I added because the coverage is actually 21% according to Wikipedia (so the tad is a tiny tad).

A lake, then, would be the deepest end of the emotional pool.  I'm thinking that it would speak to several general and "great" categories (listed here in random order) in which we tend to store our strongest feelings, urges, memories, inclinations:  1) Profound Experiences, 2) Love and Caring, 3) Fields of Study and Knowledge,  4) The Life Cycle and Agelessness, 5) Wonderment.  I invite you to let me know of any other "lakes" that should be on this list.

My own most Profound Experiences include my prison concert which was a wonderful epiphany, the injury and trauma associated with the church shooting, the cell-by-cell ingress and walloping sensation of pure love, the amazing rescues of me by my guardian angel, my satisfying joy of saving lives of animals juxtaposed with the sorrow I carry for those I failed to help.  

The category of Love and Caring is in the deepest part of the lake and is perhaps at its very best when at unfathomable, immeasurable depths.

Regarding Fields of Study and Knowledge, my own pursuits and natural inclinations are
MUSIC -- the power of creating and expressing feelings via lyrics and intonations and rhythms (and so much more); the relationship between tones as they rub against each other, create effective spaces in-between, play games, harmonize, all those wonderful things; and the camaraderie when musicians play together.
SCIENCE -- How things work, Nature, the Cosmos, Health, Numbers, Intonations, Horticulture.
SPIRITUALITY -- Science and spirituality are totally compatible and cohesive.  Once we humans get past the confines of dogma and confining walls, we become receptors of peace, love, and blessings ... and then altruism "unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others" (merriam-webster) can naturally occur.  

The Life Cycle -- Personal evolution, not  just academically; also spiritually and altruistically. Acceptance of the Cycle as a continuing, interconnected process.  The line "We are all (all beings) in the same cosmic canoe" is part of my e-mail signature.

Wonderment  (awe, admiration, respect) -- Where would we be without the thrill of wonderment?  I find it when walking among energies of trees (anywhere), in the forest and mountains, along the shore as the ocean's waves roar in and ebb out, looking up at the night sky.

And so, Great Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Erie, thank you and I hope I haven't wandered too far from your majestic presence.  I don't know what made you cross the threshold into my waking mind this morning, but I'm glad you did :)

A Novel Thought And Suggestion on Peace & Good Will --

(The following post is re-printed here from my Classic Clara Blog; dated August 20, 2010).

A (seemingly) comedic, yet profound thought regarding the attainability of world peace recently occurred to me.  It would involve the combination of a worldwide, simultaneous internet and television airing (with loud speakers in every public location) of a dance video such as the one done a year or so ago at the Liverpool station, London ... see/hear/enjoy it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM ... coupled with a blanketing, global aerial spraying of a concentrated essence of cannabis, dropping and shooting down from thousands of planes onto warring people.  Just picture it!  All at once, the music and sweet smell would take over and carnage would grind to a halt!  Everybody would enjoy and benefit from the uniting energy of music and dance and mellowing out in a friendly manner.  Soldiers would lay down their artillery and begin dancing together ... or just sit under a tree (or half-destroyed building) and smile sweetly.  Military people, civilian people, crooks, police, robbers, scammers, presidents, dictators, misers, terrorists, politicians, overly competitive sports rivals, tabloid publishers, lawyers, abusers, pimps, warmongers, and people who cannot act in a civil manner ... all would, at least temporarily, feel too good to fight.  Animals would come out of hiding and new vegetation would begin to sprout, as the animal and plant life that takes such an undeserved beating during our stupid human wars and "no tree left standing" (indeed nothing vertical left standing) campaigns could, at last, have a respite.  Of course, this peaceful "cure" would need to be re-applied, as needed.

Well, it's been said that we can't bomb the world to peace even if we bomb the world to pieces (and that is true), but, aside from medical supplies and food, no one has tried bombing with something that has the intrinsic value of promoting peace for its very own sake.  Yes, yes ... it's a radical idea :)  Actually, isn't peace itself a radical idea in this world?  But I'm ever hopeful :)