Halloween Time, Tricks, Treats and the Times In between

Seated at one of my favorite chairs looking out to see the Cascade Range through the window, my sense of being right here is one of those treats or a trick of illusion depending on my attitude. This morning I have a sense of balance between thinking I could have made other choices, and been better off ... somewhere else. (It's that Jupiter thing stirring up restlessness). Or, maybe it's the time of year, the season of pranks and the thinning of the veil between the living in bodies and the living in spirit. For me, the spirits, the Ancestors, are always so very close. The prankster of long-standing makes himself so here, so often. That would be, and is, my bruddah, David.

Earlier in the week we were treated to company and a day in the International District of Seattle. One of my longest-time friends was on the Bunny Campground for a very quick visit.

Between us we attempted technological facility, but even that is tricky ... and fun inspite of the difficulty.

We had a precious couple of hours to pack in the goings on in our busy lives, and learned a few things that are intimate and necessary connections to keep knowing how lucky we are to have long-sustaining friendship. Thank you Elaine!!

The Golden Wagon/Vardo for Two is dressed for the season of winds and cold with a new aluminum skirt screwed in place to help keep us warm. With sheets of roofing left over from friends' roofing project, Pete is doing what he can do best: make do! The temperature is falling especially in the early morning, and our first freeze has brought on a mild freeze to water leading to our rv toilet ... a big upgrade for us, the toilet ... adding different jobs to our manual life, but adding a treat of convenience because Bunny Camp 'rent' includes a place to empty the waste.

You gotta think differently when life and the infrastructure of being in 'civilized society' is something one does for ourselves. Slowly, but steadily, Pete puts the skirt and creative patches into place ... noting where the wind blows through, where he can put a wedge or a makeshift rubber 'chinking' here and there.

Inside the Golden Wagon, we spent time making small adjustments and unexpected additions to make our nest cozier. To Jt and Lana, you will be amazed at the versatility of Big Red (the storm coat) who now doubles as the powerful wall covering at night to insulate us from the chill of the North Wind. Thank you, again!!

Short road trips and adventures into the city like we did this week give us an appreciation for how large the world is,what is different about living on an island separated by a ferry ride, and a culture so very different from most of the rest of the world.

We were in Seattle for two very special reasons: to be with my healer and health practitioner, Chulan to check in on the condition of my liver; and to explore the potential for Pete to be a vendor of the newspaper Real Change on Whidbey. Both experiences have given us things to mull over, processes are underway and when you are a life-time Radical, on the tail end of the journey, it does indeed require checking the contents of your 'tool bag.'

One of my favorite Radicals, Aurora Levins Morales, has updated her collection of essays Medicine Stories Essays for Radicals, and I carry the book around with me to remember how to manage the times of tricks and treats and the times in between. The pictures above were taken as I sat on the simple and sturdy wooden bench outside the front entrance to Uwajimawa in downtown Seattle. The sun was warming the city, it was nearing noon. I did not have Medicine Stories with me, but what I did have was a copy of my Hawaiian-in-Paris friend's essay "Hi'iaka in Paris: Transplanting the Divine Act." Mahalo nui e Maile!

Maile asks among other things , "Traditionally, rituals are age-old formulas for renewing ties with the ancestors, the divinities and the myths of the past.Nowadays, however, in our increasingly mobile, “rootless” times, rituals are migrating. What happens to a ritual when it is uprooted and transplanted halfway across the globe? How do people who have no cultural ties to the mythic events it re-enacts relate to it? And when rituals are transplanted from their native soil to a faraway land, what happens to the ancestors and divinities that are attached to them?

These questions, are precisely the sort of querying I was doing as I sat on that sun warmed bench, on a late October morning dressed in Big Red the storm coat.  By the time I was seated, with essay in hand, I had joined the many other Seattle-based (mostly Asian seniors) and made my purchases. I was treated to an unexpected 10% discount, so yes, I was well pleased. A two pound bag of Honoka'a Hawaii poi, a foot-long root of Gobo (Burdock), a plumb head of Chinese (Napa) cabbage, two beautiful Bok Choy, and a bag of Mung Bean noodles and half a Kabocha squash would travel with us when we returned to Whidbey.

While I sat, noticed where I was, and settled into the moment waiting for Pete to walk the seven blocks from the Real Change office on Main Street. His orientation meeting and my morning with the food and culture that is more East than West answered Maile's questions about "renewing ties with the ancestors, the divinities and the myths of the past." So much of my daily life is one of internal navigation: how to live in the mobile and transplanted reality of being an elder, and a Radical is invisible to most people who observe me. This blog gives readers this much information, but not that much information. So true. What I piece together in a blog post milks a jug of creative milk, enough to share with friends and family and those I have not yet met. My need to communicate cradles my heart for she needs community.

Blogging as a venue of communication is a morphing and unique expression. Terri Windling has a wonderful post here, if you are curious about why she blogs. I can relate to much of what she writes, though not all of it. Between the reading of Terri Windling's post about blogging, the road trip to Seattle and our visit with our old friend, I am processing what next steps I will take to keep writing.

I have questions about how to manage the changeable energy I have due to health issues and the everyday adventures of living an unconventionally sheltered life. I have more questions than answers, and that's okay with me. I thought I'd leave you with today's post and mention these two women: Aurora Levins Morales and Terri Windling. Why? Because these two women are two members of the broader, collective community who we support on a monthly basis -- reciprocity, supporting with a small and regular contribution via Patreon; personally aiding artists and activists to keep on with their kuleana (rights and responsibilities). The varied ways in which artists ask are valuable to me; and I think valuable to all of us who wish to give and take 'real change.'

During the next several weeks (while the planet Mercury is retrograde) I will be mulling and investigating how best to use my creative energy and physical strength to express what's in my heart, and soul as a migrating Ancestor. Pete will also be doing the same process, in his fashion, as it relates to selling the Real Change newspaper. Your support, in terms of readership, comments, emails, and the monetary contributions and gifts since Myth For My Tale Bone was born is so very much appreciated. Using old-school methods of reciprocity, we are making our way and learning so much about navigating the swiftly turning planet.

"The combination of celestial navigation and a good working knowledge of mud gives us the flexibility we need to respond in powerful and creative ways to even the most harrowing circumstances." - Aurora Levins Morales, 'Bigger is Better' Medicine Stories

Mahalo to Pushkara for sharing the wonderful song "You look up!"

Mahalo to Sarah for the delicious email and feedback about my writing with the promise of getting to read some of her freshly written novel.

Mahalo to Joan for the concern about us during the winter; yes, we are tucking in well enough dear. And, like I said in the post here, Big Red is a versatile and important garment and tool for cold weather.

Mahalo to Elaine for the visit and the generous cash makana.

Mahalo to Linda G. for the apples, and other goodies. I still have to learn what to do with Quince. And, the surplus roofing is being used so wonderfully!

Mahalo to Ron for the conversations, openness to share his home and his space.

Mahalo to Ben, our camp host, for his geniality, down-home attitude, and willingness to work with all who live on the Bunny Campground.

Mahalo to Nita for the weekly check-in chats that keep us laughing!

If this post is a treat for you, please consider sending me a tip to keep paying the rent, which is always due on Monday evening. For those new to Myth For My Tale Bone, go here to read why these are posts-for-pay.

And last, but not least. A final treat for you ... the Halloween Medicine Story I wrote years ago ... is here. Pine Needle Dancers for those who might love a bit of myth with your pumpkin.

Happy Halloween! Let us hear from you, it is always a treat for us!!
Mokihana and Pete