Bridget

“Woman by the Well”

by Toni Truesdale

Grottos, springs, wells and water,

Were all innate realms of  ancient female deities;

For all tribal European cultures.

Brigit of the ancient Irish evolved from the original Dana.

Christianized, she remains associated with fire and water.

Arthurian Lady of the Lake predates the mythic cycle

Wherein she reaches through time.

Mama Wata, who melds the European with the West African,

Protects woman and children;

She echoes the Medusa of Mediterranean Sea

Who was transformed by patriarchy into a fierce monster

But who came from the original Mother Earth religions

That listened to speech of snakes in sacred houses.

And in the sea, Silkie and Mesuline still hint

At the power of women and water

Giving birth to all...

Wells were used all over the world as channels to the spirit world.

And still today, many indigenous cultures

Hear the woman in the sea, by the well and in the water.

Truesdale copyright 1994

ToniTruesdale.com

We are Witness

What we see and know right now is the white male minority privileged patriarchy shoving their will on the people, all people. Sacrificing any or all in pursuit of their desire, egos and greed; imposing power on innocents: the vulnerable, those in despair and those fleeing from danger. Each decision a new and horrific low on our beloved lands, waters, species and environment, world..

We witness the slaughter of journalists, Kurds and their families, the imprisonment of children on our border, separation of young families of color, a new genocide on our Indigenous women,

 increased hunger among the poor, homelessness of our ill and veterans.

 We see the blaming, insulting and condemning of our free press;

 as well as those courageous enough to stand up.

We see disregarding the rights and principles guaranteed by our U.S. Constitution, the denial of voting to our own citizens; the dismissal of our allies that keep us safe.

And the poisonous embrace of those that seek to divide, control and silence the majority

 I bear witness. 

The constant lies inflicted on us the world does also witness.

Identify those who seek to continue in plain sight this culture of rape where hate and violence that  finds a home.

You are witness.

  

Community and ourselves

“Village Canto”

By Toni Truesdale

A little joy, reflection and perhaps sorrow;

Each day is measured in the seeds of tomorrow.

Light is lived within the hum of others,

Darkness, we return to the home of our mothers.

The canto of the village begins again each dawn;

Encompassing each individual all day long,

All activity embracing the song

Of everyday life…

Copyright T.Truesdale 2013

Truesdaleart.com

If not us than who?

Red Rain

 “It is prophesied in our instructions that the end of the world will be near when the trees start dying from the top down. That is what the maples are doing now. Our instructions say the time will come when there will be no corn,

when nothing will grow in the garden, when water will be unfit to drink.

In our ways, spiritual consciousness is the highest form of politics. We must live in harmony with the natural world and recognize the excessive exploitation can only lead to our destruction. We cannot trade the welfare of our future generations for profit now…

We are instructed to carry love for one another, and to show great respect for all beings of the earth. We must stand together, the four colors of man,

as the one family we are. In the interest of peace.

We must abolish nuclear and conventional weapons of war.

We must raise leaders of peace.

We must unite the religions of the world as a spiritual force

strong enough to prevail in peace.

We (Human Beings) are a positive energy that is a thousand times

 stronger than nuclear energy.

Our energy is the combined will of all people with the spirit of the natural world, to be of one body, one heart, and one mind for peace”

- The late Leon Shenandoah, Onondaga

“We are now living in the fourth and final world of the Hopi. We are now at a most critical time in Human history. It is a crossroads at which the outcome of our actions will decide the fate of all life on earth”

- Martin Gashweseoma, Hopi

Quotes thanks to Akwesasne Notes

Painting by T. Truesdale

Deep Peace to you this holiday

Deep peace I breathe into you,
O weariness, here:
O ache, here!
Deep peace, a soft white dove to You;
Deep peace, a quiet rain to you;
Deep peace, an ebbing wave to you!
Deep peace, red wind of the east from you;
Deep peace, grey wind of the west to You;
Deep peace, dark wind of the north from you;
Deep peace, blue wind of the south to you!
Deep peace, pure red of the flame to you;
Deep peace, pure white of the moon to you;
Deep peace, pure green of the grass to you;
Deep peace, pure brown of the earth to you;
Deep peace, pure grey of the dew to you,
Deep peace, pure blue of the sky to you!
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the sleeping stones to you!
Deep peace of the Yellow Shepherd to you,
Deep peace of the Wandering Shepherdess to you,
Deep peace of the Flock of Stars to you,
Deep peace from the Son of Peace to you,
Deep peace from the heart of Mary to you,
And from Briget of the Mantle
Deep peace, deep peace! 

1895 variation of traditional Celtic Prayer

Image copyright Toni Truesdale

Grandmother Agnes be at peace and surrounded by love

Grandmother’s Prayer

“I am a voice for the voiceless. We are speaking to an unseen world.

Speaking for Mother Earth, trying to stop our spiritual blindness.

We speak for the animal kingdom, for those in the waters, for the ‘four leggeds’ and the one leggeds(trees), the Bengal tiger, the elephant, the creepy crawlers.

I pray that the creator hears us. The creatures have a right to be. The creator gave us instructions about this and how to be a long time ago. He told us ways to take care of ourselves, what to eat and where to live. But now we are unbalanced.

We cut the green off our Mother’s face. We pollute the water, Her blood.

We do clearcut logging on the tops of mountains, when the trees they are the ones that call the wind and rain. Without the ancient trees at the top of our mountains, we are in trouble. The little trees can’t do the same work as the old trees that have been destroyed”... Grandmother Agnes Baker Pilgrim

Celtic traditiomal Prayer

May your day be filled with blessings

Like the sun that lights the sky,

And may you have the courage

To spread your wings and fly!

Celtic traditional prayer