Friday, March 31, 2017

Trump's EPA Allows Use of Pesticide it had Banned After Studies Showed Its Toxic

More bad news for our Mother from the Trump administration. Unfortunately I expect that I will be posting more bad news like this.

Even though the EPA found that chlorpyrifos (trade name, Lorsban) harmful to people and banned it the new EPA has allowed its use. From NPR

EPA Decides Not To Ban A Pesticide, Despite Its Own Evidence Of Risk

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Trumps Rollback of Climate Reg.'s Socks it to Mother Earth

Stinging from bruising defeats on Trumpcare, the repeal of us his  travel ban...and facing investigations over Russian ties and its aid in helping  win the election Donald Trump has decided to change the narrative and rollback Obama passed Climate Change regs. This is outrageous and will serve to accelerate our demise. 

Take time today and pray for our Mother.

As environmentalist and activist Bill McKibben said:
"Today, Trump orders an end to all federal action on climate change. Just think about that for a moment, and imagine what history will say..."

Associated Press
Trump takes aim at Obama's efforts to curb global warming


Monday, March 27, 2017

Technology Kills--Social Media Use Increases Feelings of Isolation

A new study  Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the U.S. finds that the high use of social media increases feelings of social isolation among young adults. As I noted in The Way Home technology disconnects us from others and Mother Earth, distracts us, looks to take control of and dominant us, and reduces our intake of Mother Earth's precious essences/energy/consciousness. TECHNOLOGY KILLS!

Friday, March 24, 2017

Tornadoes on a Torrid Pace in 2017

Tornadoes are forming at a record clip at the start of the tornado season. As I noted in Vortices and Spirals violent/selfish behavior disrupts the flow of prana (energy) and scars the land, which makes it vulnerable to tornadoes. Human activity is not only behind climate change, but severe weather overall, which includes tornadoes.

Weather Channel: With More Than 300 Tornadoes, It's the Most Active Start to a Year Since 2008




Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Celebrate Worldwide Water Day

Today is worldwide Water Day. Give thanks today for  our Mother's precious gift of water. Perform a water ceremony. Donate to an organization looking to bring potable water to those lacking clean water. Here are a few to consider:

Water,org: Founded by Gary White and Matt Damon it has brought water to millions around the world.

Water for Humanity:Part of the American Society of Dowsers it has been helping people around the world for 23 years find and get clean water.

Earth Water Alliance: Formed by former members of the ASD and its Water For Humanity group. Most notably Steve Herbert, a former Peace Corp Volunteer who founded Water for Humanity.

Here is a clip from and interview Water.org founders Gary White and Matt Damon did with CBS this morning:
Matt Damon and Gary White on worldwide initiative for clean water

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Upcoming Talks



Madis Senner's Upcoming Events

DateCity, StateVenueEvent
Mar 22, 2017
7:00 PM
Oneida, New YorkMadison CouNty Historical SocietyTalk--Spirituality and Reform in the Burned-over District
See details
Mar 26, 2017
1:00 PM
Ithaca, New YorkBuffalo Street Books, DeWitt Mall Author Talk Madis Senner will talk about his new book Sacred Sites in North Star Country, Places in...
See details
Mar 29, 2017
7:00 PM
Vestal, NYVestal Public LibraryAuthor TalkY’s Sacred Sites and Their Rich Influence on The World Upstate NY has been a well spring...
See details
Apr 1, 2017
1:00 PM
Utica, New YorkOneida County History CenterSacred Places and Their Dramatic Influence on Reform and Spirituality in NYS
See details
Apr 29, 2017
11:00 AM
Cooperstown, New YorkCooperstown Village LibraryAuthor Talk
See details
Apr 29, 2017
3:00 PM
Oneonta, new YorkShift Spiritual Arts and Psychic FairLocal Pilgrimages, An overview of nearby sacred sites to raise your consciousness, connect with our ...
See details
May 16, 2017
12:00 PM
Syracuse, NYNaturtymeLocal Pilgrimages With summer coming learn about places close by that can spirituality revive you...
See details
May 16, 2017
5:30 PM
Syracuse, NYNaturtymeLocal Pilgrimages With summer coming learn about places close by that can spirituality revive you...
See details
Jun 10, 2017
10:00 AM
Peterboro/Smithfiled, New YorkPeterboro Civil War WeekendBook Signing
See details
Jun 11, 2017
10:00 AM
Peterboro/Smithfiled, New YorkPeterboro Civil War WeekendBook signing
See details
Jun 18, 2017
10:00 AM
Saratoga Springs, New YorkAmerican Society of Dowsers Annual ConferenceSpace the Final Frontier The Starship Enterprise took us to the farthest corners of the universe....
See details
Oct 4, 2017
7:00 PM
Fairport, New YorkFairport Public LibrarySacred Sites in Upstate New York That Changed The World Author Madis Senner, Sacred Sites in Nort...
See details
Jan 20, 2018
7:00 PM
Syracuse, New YorkSyracuse Transpersonal Assoc., Network Healing Art...Sacred Sites in UPSTATE for TRANSFORMATION http://www.drsteveradio.com/about.htm
See details

Monday, March 20, 2017

Spring--The Start of Outdoor Exploration--the BUSY SEASON Begins

The Spring Equinox has arrived. Daytime is now longer than night time. If there had not have been a blizzard last week there would have been almost no snow left on the ground. Now we have to wait awhile to go out in the woods. It won't be long before Mother Earth's circadian rhythms of wakefulness kick in.

For those interested in exploring sacred sites, or the woods in general, this is the time of the year for it,  and of course late Fall. Between now and the first and second weeks of May in the Northeast the trees will not have leaves giving you an unobstructed view of things. Late Fall does as well, but then much of the ground and stone structures are covered over with leaves. I remember a few years ago walking past a large stone mound in the Keepers Area of HI Tor and not noticing it because it was caked over with leaves.

This would be an excellent time to explore many of the places listed in Sacred Sites in North Star Country such as Hi Tor, Muller Hill, Zoar Valley... Take your compass and go and explore... A time to take pictures. Enjoy.

This is also an excellent time for Earth Healers and Keepers to do their work; particularly if you are looking to clear or put in trails. Keepers can get a good perspective of the area that they are watching over and see what needs to cleared, picked up, etc.

I am hoping to get out soon and explore some new places that I have heard about. My next book will be on the Life Force and how ancients worked with it in their stone structures.

Hopefully your gear is in order. Make sure your boots are waterproofed as the land will be wet. I use Sno-seal--I actually like that it leaves a greasy coating on your boots. I was once told old-timers would put grease on their boots. Also were gaiters, I like the low-rise ones--to keep the ticks at bay and reduce the mud on your pants. Because the winter has not been harsh put a Suresto Collar on your dog. I put them on mine  in late February. Ticks are already out in force and will be wicked this summer.

Get out and Enjoy Yourself. The BUSY SEASON OF EXPLORATION IS UPON US!!!

Microfibers are choking Mother Earth and the little ones

Several organizations and news agencies of late have been reporting about the damaging effects of microfibers from artificial clothing such as yoga pants and fleece on Mother Earth and Her little ones. Tiny plastic fibers break off during washing and are leaking into the water system. Evidently water purification methods are not totally able to capture the microfibers during water treatment. Consequently  they are finding their way into the water system and ending up in the intestines of fish and shellfish.

Here are a few articles about the damaging affects of microfibers.


Greenpeace: What are microfibers and why are our clothes polluting the oceans?

Mother Nature Network:  Are your yoga pants polluting the oceans?
It isn't just bottles and microbeads that should worry you.

EcoWatch: Microfibers: The New Plastic Pollution That Threatens Our Waters

CBS YouTube Video:How microfibers in clothes are polluting our oceans

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Events at the ASD Conference

Friends,

We will be holding several events at the American Society of Dowsers Conference at Saratoga Springs June 16-18th 2017.  We may have some special gatherings for Earth Healers., as well.

madis


Experience the spiritual bliss of charging a Ley Line

There will be group meditations around lunchtime and dinnertime on a Ley Line (Fri/Sat/Sun-Lunch only.) Meditating on a Ley Line amplifies the spiritual experience of meditation, which can bliss you out. Because of this please join us before you eat, thereby the food can help ground you if necessary. Meditating on a Ley Line charges it, imbuing it with positive intention; in the process healing Mother Earth and raising the vibe of an area. Once charged, a Ley Line can have a palpable feel to it. To learn more see “Charged Ley Lines” in the Spring Edition of the Digest. 


Experience a Field of Consciousness

We are hoping to cordon off an area north of the North Broadway entrance next to a pond that contains a Field of Consciousness (FOC.) People that have lived on, or close, to a FOC have been leaders in reform and spirituality: Susan B. Anthony, Fredrick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Chris Hedges... It is believed meditating in, or spending time in a FOC raises your consciousness. Ley lines originate from FOC. To learn more, see the review of Sacred Sites in North Star Country, in the Winter Issue of the Digest.


Book Signing

Madis Senner will do a book signing of Sacred Sites in North Star Country (reviewed in Winter Issue of the Digest) at…. This has not been finalized, so it might not happen due to space constraints.
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My workshop will be Sunday (6/18) morning.


Space the Final Frontier

Starship Enterprise took us to the farthest corners of the universe. But is outer space the final frontier? Or is it that which is immediately around and within us?

Ultimate reality, a place few have explored, is all around us. It is a place of alternative realities, Planes of Existence and other dimensions. The aliens Captain Kirk encountered are all around us.

Space exerts a tremendous influence upon us. It is made up of our ancestral totems, Jungian archetypes and powerful imprints that manipulate our unconscious mind. It contains Mother Earth’s essences and energies, charged Ley Lines, Chakras and more. Space affects our well being and health and connects us to each other.

The goal of this thought provoking workshop is to educate you about the space around you and provide an overview of the frontier you live in. 

Join us for the Exploration and bring your L-rods.


Madis is a former money manager turned seeker. He is a Keeper (watches over, maintains and spiritually enhances) for several sacred sites. He has authored numerous articles for the ASD Digest, Wisdom Magazine and others. His fourth book, Sacred Sites in North Star Country, Places in Greater NYS That Changed the World, is available for purchase at the ASD bookstore. You can read his musings at: www. motherearthprayers.blogspot. com

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Dowsing Rods, L-Rods

At my talks I have mentioned dowsing rods and even given demonstrations using them. If you are going to become an Earth Healer, or wish to learn geomancy you will need to buy a pair of dowsing rods, or L-Rods. They are called L-Rods because they are in the shape of an "L."

Pendulums will not cut it. You need L-rods because they can guide you to locations, or aspects of Mother Earth by pointing in a specific direction; and when you get to the location of your query they will  indicate that you have arrived by opening up (or crossing, or swinging.) This is invaluable. Imagine how many questions you would have to ask with a pendulum to find a location of something like a Ley Line. Secondly, they can trace a formation of Mother Earth such as an Earth Chakra, or show you the directional angle of a Ley Line. For example, an accomplished Geomancer can hold an L-Rod in one hand over the intersection of several Ley Lines and have it rotate slowly and stop each time it gets to a Ley Line, thereby showing you its direction. They can also indicate the directional flow of an energy line. 

Most importantly once you get good at using L-Rods you will develop a bond with them and they will begin to alert you things. For example, I may  be looking for a Ley Line and my rods will suddenly point in another direction, alerting me to something that might be of interest to me. Or they begin to move in a very distinct pattern notifying me that something particular is there. This might be something as simple as spinning around to tell me--"Hey There's A Vortex There." These are all movements unique to me and my rods that we have developed over the years. Call it something additional to a sixth sense, or your intuitive sense. 

L-Rods can perform all the functions of a pendulum such as answering your questions. YES--they open up; NO.-- they cross. If you are interested in using them like a pendulum I suggest buying an expensive sensitive pair that will move freely in its sleeve and be sensitive to the slightest movement. 

If you can afford it, I would buy two sets of L-Rods and keep one set in your car for when you run into things, or misplace your other pair. When I first started to dowse I was constantly searching for Ley Lines, or what I call Spirit Lines. Wherever I went I would search for them. If you want to become a good geomancer you need to dedicate yourself, at least initially, to developing your craft. MAKE IT YOUR FOCUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would not let anyone else use your dowsing rods. I used to think it was okay to let others use my rods, but came to realize a bit of whomever touches your rods, stays on your rods. So treat them like your toothbrush.

When buying L-rods make sure that they have a sleeve around the portion you hold in your hands so that they can spin about freely. L-Rods look like a Right Angle (what  carpenters call a framing square)  when you hold the shorter part in your hands. Also make sure that the wire is not too flimsy or light, because they will bend. When they become misshaped they loose their balance. Although some folks have told me they like the light ones and don't mind that they get bent. Conversely super thick ones will be heavy to hold for long periods. You want something that will respond to your intention. Ultimately, if you become a good geomancer it won't matter as much; but it is always nice to have a sensitive pair of rods.

The Key is to buy one with a sleeve so it moves easily. The ability for such movement is critical for geomancy techniques such as finding vortex, or gauging Imprints (Land Imprints/Memories, Geographic Samskaras.)

Where to Buy L-Rods

The American Society of Dowsers has plenty to choose from: ASD Bookstore

Fisher Creek has a selection of higher end more expensive http://www.dowsingsite.com
(Note since post appeared Fisher Creek is no longer selling L-rods.)

Both Amazon and Ebay list sellers of L-Rods.

You may also wish to check a metaphysical store or Psychic Fair for rods.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Upcoming Talks

Madis Senner's Upcoming Events


Mar 12, 2017 
2:00 PM Norwich, New York Guernsey Library Author Talk--Sacred Sites in North Star Country 

Mar 22, 2017 
7:00 PM Oneida, New York Madison CouNty Historical Society Talk--Spirituality and Reform in the Burned-over District 

Mar 26, 2017 
1:00 PM Ithaca, New York Buffalo Street Books, DeWitt Mall Author Talk Madis Senner will talk about his new book Sacred Sites in North Star Country, Places in... 

Mar 29, 2017 
7:00 PM Vestal, NY Vestal Public Library Author TalkY’s Sacred Sites and Their Rich Influence on The World Upstate NY has been a well spring... 

Apr 1, 2017
1:00 PM Utica, New York Oneida County History Center Sacred Places and Their Dramatic Influence on Reform and Spirituality in NYS 

Apr 29, 2017 
11:00 AM Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown Village Library Author Talk 

Apr 29, 2017 
3:00 PM Oneonta, new York Shift Spiritual Arts and Psychic Fair Local Pilgrimages, An overview of nearby sacred sites to raise your consciousness, connect with our ... 

May 16, 2017 
12:00 PM Syracuse, NY Naturtyme Local Pilgrimages With summer coming learn about places close by that can spirituality revive you... 

May 16, 2017 
5:30 PM Syracuse, NY Naturtyme Local Pilgrimages With summer coming learn about places close by that can spirituality revive you... 

Jun 10, 2017 
10:00 AM Peterboro/Smithfiled, New York Peterboro Civil War Weekend Book Signing 

Jun 11, 2017 
10:00 AM Peterboro/Smithfiled, New York Peterboro Civil War Weekend Book signing 

Jun 18, 2017 
10:00 AM Saratoga Springs, New York American Society of Dowsers Annual Conference Charged Ley Lines, Ancient Knowledge that is Consciousness Raising When John Michell wrote his Ne... 

Oct 4, 2017
7:00 PM Fairport, New York Fairport Public Library Sacred Sites in Upstate New York That Changed The World Author Madis Senner, Sacred Sites in Nort... 


Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Spirit House Update, My talk to Madison County Historical

Some of you may be interested in an update, with pictures, of Spirit House in Georgetown, NY. I led an effort (2010-2011) to save and restore this once grand Spiritualist Mecca and architectural marvel. Unfortunately one of our members decided to buy it for herself. And sadly nothing has been done in 5 1/2 years since to save, or restore it. I mention this because I got some flak for using a picture of Spirit House to promote my upcoming talk on Spirituality and Reform in the Burned-over District to Madison County Historical Society on the 22nd.

You can read about it and see recent and not so recent pictures at:

Spirit House Continues to Decline, Rexie in a Huff Over the Public Use of Spirit House Pictures

Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Pollution Kills 1.7 Million Children Each Year--WHO

The cost of a polluted environment: 1.7 million child deaths a year, says WHO

MARCH 2017 | GENEVA - More than 1 in 4 deaths of children under 5 years of age are attributable to unhealthy environments. Every year, environmental risks – such as indoor and outdoor air pollution, second-hand smoke, unsafe water, lack of sanitation, and inadequate hygiene – take the lives of 1.7 million children under 5 years, say two new WHO reports......

Click header above to read the rest

Monday, March 6, 2017

Technology Kills--Social Media Isolates us,making us lonely and decreasing our lifespan

Technology Kills: I have said it dozens of time on this blog before. A recent report noted how Social Media isolates us. In The Way Home, Making Heaven on Earth I went into detail describing how pernicious technology is. We live in a sea of consciousness and are ruled by our individual and collective thoughts. Technology's guiding principle is based upon exploitation, control and destruction--it does not follow the Golden Rule of do unto others,  but is devoted to selfish(Adam's Smith self-interest) and violence. As Viktor Schauberger noted our technology is based upon explosion and not implosion and will bring about our demise.In Vortices and Spirals I explained the importance of implosion versus explosion.

PS: If you have never heard of Viktor Schauberger, or read any of his works I strongly encourage you to do so. Incredible.


Click to read:
Social media users more likely to feel isolated, study finds

Saturday, March 4, 2017

Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier and More Creative

Another new book came out recently extolling the benefits of spending time with and communing with Mother Earth, The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams.

For years I have been harping about the health benefits of Mother Earth. In Sacred Sites in North Star Country: Places in Greater New York State (PA,OH,NJ,CT,MA,VT,ONT) That Changed the World I noted how Carl Jung said that "Whenever we go out in Nature we cleanse ourself."

There are many, many articles and books out there prescribing Nature as a health benefit. Here are a few:
Does Nature Make us Happier, Psychology today
Why Spending Time Outdoors Make US Happier, 
How Nature is Good for Our Health and Happiness, BBC
10 Reasons Why We Feel Good in Nature, Ecowatch
How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier and More Creative, Greater Good, Berkeley
Immerse Yourself in Nature to Improve Your Health, NYS DEC
much, much more.....

I have put a reserve request with the Onondaga County Library. I imagine your local library has a copy as well. 

GET OUT THERE AND GIVE YOUR MOTHER A BIG HUG, SHE WILL MORE THAN RECIPROCATE.

Here is the NY Times review of The Nature Fix;








Photo
Coast redwoods in Muir Woods National Park.CreditThor Swift for The New York Times 

THE NATURE FIX 
Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative
By Florence Williams
Illustrated. 280 pp. W.W. Norton & Company. $26.95.
Imagine a miracle drug that could ease many of the stresses of modern life — a combination mood enhancer and smart pill that might even encourage the remission of cancer. Now imagine that this cure-all was an old-fashioned folk remedy: Just take a hike in the woods or a walk in the park. No prescription necessary.
That’s the proposition of Florence Williams’s fascinating “The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative.” We suffer from an “epidemic dislocation from the outdoors,” Williams writes, and it’s destructive to our mental and physical health. The therapy is straightforward. “The more nature, the better you feel.”
You’ve probably heard a version of this before. Two centuries ago, the Romantics trumpeted the virtues of nature as the antidote to the viciousness of industrialization. In 1984, the biologist Edward O. Wilson put a scientific spin on the idea with his book “Biophilia,” which posited that humans possess an innate love of nature.



Photo

Wilson’s argument was persuasive, yet it was mostly an aspiration dressed up as a hypothesis. In the generation since, scientists have sought to confirm the biophilia hypothesis — and they’re starting to get results. As little as 15 minutes in the woods has been shown to reduce test subjects’ levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. Increase nature exposure to 45 minutes, and most individuals experience improvements in cognitive performance. There are society-scale benefits as well. Researchers in England have shown that access to green spaces reduces income-related mental health disparities.
It’s all very encouraging, but how exactly does nature have such an effect on people? To answer that question, Williams shadows researchers on three continents who are working on the frontiers of nature neuroscience.
Maybe it’s the forest smells that turn us on; aerosols present in evergreen forests act as mild sedatives while also stimulating respiration. Perhaps it’s the soundscape, since water and, especially, birdsong have been proven to improve mood and alertness. Nature’s benefits might be due to something as simple as the fact that natural landscapes are, literally, easy on the eyes. Many of nature’s patterns — raindrops hitting a pool of water or the arrangement of leaves — are organized as fractals, and the human retina moves in a fractal pattern while taking in a view. Such congruence creates alpha waves in the brains — the neural resonance of relaxation.
Williams, a contributing editor at Outside magazine, presents all of this with the zip of a trail runner covering a lot of ground sure-footedly. She’s got the pop-sci presentation down pat — breezy enough to draw in the lay reader, thorough enough to satisfy the expert. She gamely volunteers to be researchers’ human guinea pig, including wearing a portable EEG unit in the woods and looking like a “shriveled sea urchin.” (At times, though, Williams’s writing pops a little too much for my taste; describing Frederick Law Olmsted as a “badass nature guru” is pushing it.)
Fortunately, getting a dose of nature doesn’t have to be hard. Most people get a lot of benefit from city parks and as little as five hours a month does the trick.
Awe, which many people experience in nature, is, according to one study, associated with increased generosity toward other people. Maybe what we get out of nature is a sense of connection to the larger community of life. I know how that sounds: at best like an aspiration dressed up as a hypothesis, at worst like woolly-headed romanticism. But here’s the thing — science is on its way to proving it.



Friday, March 3, 2017

Millennials haven’t forgotten spirituality, they’re just looking for new venues

In the Conclusion of my book Sacred Sites in North Star Country: Places in Greater New York State (PA,OH,NJ,CT,MA,VT, ONT) That Changed the World I noted on how,  what we call the "New Age" Movement, was born in North Star Country in the nineteenth century. The New Age Movement traces its roots back to Spiritualism and Theosophy, both of which were born in North Star Country. Many of you are part of the New Age Movement if you consider yourself as being  "spiritual" and not "religious."

As I noted the New Age Movement has major issues, one of which is that many see it as a business opportunity and not as a path to Enlightenment; very similarly early Spiritualists were divided between those that saw it as a vehicle to make a better world (Braude, Radical Spirits; Bushier, The Other Side of Salvation) and mediums that played on grief-stricken people looking to communicate with deceased family members.

A Pew Research Report  (If the U.S. had 100 people: Charting Americans’ religious affiliations) found rapid and continued growth of the New Age, or Spirituality, and how traditional religions are fading on a relative basis. I also noted that the New Age Movement is still exploring itself and encompasses a broad spectrum of practices and beliefs. I mention this because NPR had a segment this evening on the Millenials and a New Spirituality. 

The NPR segment is an interesting look at how technology and the quest for community is creating a new form of  Spirituality among millennials. While I believe technology is a negative force in the world (see my Technology Kills posts), it interesting to see how what we call the New Age, or Spiritual, is exploring and going in various directions. A QUEST.

Click to hear the audio of the NPR segment:


Millennials haven’t forgotten spirituality, they’re just looking for new venues

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Winter's Solace

Friends,

I wrote this back in December for the American Society of Dowsers's Digest and it just came out a few days ago in their Winter Issue. Next time I should plan better and write something before the season is over.

madis

Winter’s Solace

While many see winter as a time of bitter cold, being housebound, limited activity, snow shoveling and other dreads, I see it otherwise. To me it is a time of reflection, inner growth and spiritual development. It is time to look within, at the journey of the past year and prepare for the time ahead. Winter is a refuge for our soul that brings a quiet beauty and serenity. 

We have become so disconnected from Mother Earth, at so many levels. One of which is the diminishing of  the  powerful impact that Her seasons have upon us. We have heated and air conditioned houses, trips to different climes whenever we wish, or we can eat foods out of season. We are increasingly less and less at the mercy of seasonal changes.

Winter brings shorter days and colder weather. It is a time of hibernation, of drawing in and solitude; which unfortunately many see as loneliness. So instead we turn to our savior of technology and surf the net, or call friends. But are we really connected and what does this bring us—little good. Technology disconnects us. Punch up  “technology disconnects us” on the Internet and you will get a slew of articles and books.

It is that solitude that winter forces upon us, if we let it, that I so much appreciate. I long for wintry days that make me housebound and force me to meditate more, disconnect from technology and explore and reflect. It is a gift from our Mother and Great Spirit.

Have you ever spent a day not talking, or using technology?

The Hindu mystic Meher Baba spent the last 44 years of his life in silence. He often fasted and took long secluded retreats. He achieved the meditative state of Samadhi and was considered by his devotees, to be an avatar, or incarnation of God.

Ask yourself, “Am I afraid to be alone and in silence?... Am I afraid to give into to the direction our Mother wishes to lead me?”

I have spent many winter days in solitude, days when I would spend all day in my pajamas in front of my altar meditating and contemplating and asking God for direction. Only taking time out to read sacred texts. I imagine everyone else complained about those bitter cold days; to me they were a joy, as I vacationed from everyday life with God and great souls.

Take a day, a weekend and see how long you can remain silent, not use technology and put yourself in a contemplative mind.

Years ago I read a quote from a Transcendentalist, Thoreau or Emerson, I forgot which one. It was a quote about the fellow who got 12 to 13 letters consistently with each post office delivery, many more times than anyone else. But the author questioned whether the person knew themselves, because they spent so much time writing and had little time for solitude and reflection. Change letter to technology.

Even before I began my spiritual quest I subconsciously knew the benefits of solitude. I would annually take solo canoe trips to Canada’s Algonquin Park that would last a week, or longer. I would often go in the spring to reduce the chances of seeing others; it even snowed one spring when I was there. I would run around with my backpack and canoe on my shoulders like a mad man and push myself on the water. But I always dawdled and spent hours for breakfast and after supper reflecting upon my current state and life in general. I would always be healed on those sojourns, no matter what my travails were. I look back at those trips with great joy.

While many great mystics and teachers who lived in warmer climes did not have the Master of winter to guide them, they understood the transformative power of solitude. Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness before he began his ministry. Buddha roamed as vagabond, often in solitude and meditated for long periods.  It is said he mediated underneath the Bodhi Tree for seven days before he reached enlightenment. Native American’s would go into the Wilderness and Cry for a Vision. Great Buddhist and Hindu sages would spend years in solitude meditating in caves and achieved the highest states of Samadhi and enormous spiritual gifs. The cave where the Tibetan Buddhist Milarepa meditated for years in solitude still contains the imprint of his hand where he plunged his fist into the wall of the cave.

Winter is trying to guide you, to nudge you toward that solitude that will transform you and elevate your consciousness. The great sages have shown you the fruits of solitude. Say thank you to your Mother. A great gift has been provided to you. Embrace it.

Madis Senner is former money manager turned Seeker. He is a Keeper, watches over/maintains, several sacred sites. His fourth book. SacredSites in North Star Country, Places in Greater New York State (PA, OH, NJ, CT,MA, VT, ONT) That Changed the World is available for sale at the ASD bookstore. It catalogues sacred sites in the northeast, teaches about the transformative power of place and how we can heal our Mother. You can read his musings at http://motherearthprayers.blogspot.com.