The Different Drummer

Sunday, August 21, 2022 In the midst of soaring August gas prices and heat, we decided to take a road trip up the coast and down 395 from Mammoth Lakes, Ca. We began our journey at the historic Santa Maria Inn in Santa Maria, Ca. This was the vacation spot for many old Hollywood movie ….  Read More

THE BLACK MADONNA IN POPULAR LITERATURE “DANCING IN THE FLAMES: THE DARK GODDESS IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS” by Marion Woodman and Elinor Dickson ORIGIN OF THE DARK GODDESS In previous accounts, I have traced the origins of the Black Madonna/Dark Goddess from pre-historic times to 12th Century Europe. In her book, “Dancing in the ….  Read More

The earliest known reference to the dark goddess/Black Madonna was Lilith. From Lilith, we can trace the influence of the Black Madonna through the ages to Sumeria (3rd Millenium BC). Inanna, the Sumerian Goddess, was “the universal goddess of fertility, war, and healing, whose throne was the world tree. When the hero, Gilgamish, cut down ….  Read More

THE BLACK MADONNA IS A FEMALE DEITY. SHE SYMBOLIZES EARTH AND MOTHER, DARKNESS, THE UNKNOWN, DEATH, HEALING OF DUALITIES, THE MOON AND THE OWL. GODDESS WORSHIP PRE-DATES VENERATION OF THE MALE DEITIES. PERHAPS THE OLDEST KNOWN GODDESS, OR BLACK MADONNA DUE TO HER SYMBOLISM OF THE UNKNOWN AND DARKNESS, IS LILITH (2300 BC). SHE WAS ….  Read More

Introduction When I was still an infant in my mother’s arms, I was dedicated to the Blessed Mother. My mother was a devout Catholic of Polish American ethnicity and the Blessed Mother was especially venerated in this culture. According to my mother, in 1955 we traveled to Coraopolis, Pa where the “Mother House” was located ….  Read More

A. THE SHAMANIC JOURNEY B. RITUAL AND CEREMONY C. THE TAROT D. SACRED ART AND OBJECTS OVERVIEW The Urban Shaman returns to her indigenous roots while also connecting to community in her immediate environment. She decides upon a path which is often a blending of the traditional with the contemporary. Years ago, I began my ….  Read More

Sunday, May 2, 2021 “It was the spirit of poetry that reached out and found me as I stood there at the doorway of panic and love.”(Joy Harjo) Everyone must find their path in this world. In “Crazy Brave”, Joy Harjo (1952-Present), the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate, leads us on a spiritual journey ….  Read More

“I love the Unknown” (Eef Barzzelay from the movie Rocket Science) Sunday, March 28, 2021 Indigenous people have been the beacons of light toward guiding us to an appreciation of the Oral Tradition. They are the main arteries in the quest for understanding the nature religions, the most ancient spiritual traditions on earth. Zora Neale ….  Read More

CAN CANCEL CULTURE LEAD TO STALINISM? Definition of Cancel Culture: “Some people who are “special” have power to shut down certain voices that don’t choose the right path.” (Tulsi Gabbard) Sunday, March 14, 2021 Writing is a way to connect with the soul. Writers have always been natural Shamans. Last year, I received The Literary ….  Read More

Sunday, February 14, 2021 WHERE’S THE LOVE FOR OLDER ADULTS? In the Kabbalistic spiritual tradition, we are taught to go beneath the surface of what is presented to us by “Revealing the Concealed.” “I gather the ability to bring forth the powers of observation to see the truth and the courage to handle it.” (1) ….  Read More