Chattanooga, Tennessee by Tricia Baehr

Having lived in Knoxville, Tennessee before we became a “Family on the Road” the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee wasn’t much more than a city that we passed through on our way to somewhere else. Yesterday we had on our agenda to attend an event hosted by our dear friends from The Sequatchie Valley Institute www.svionline.org . So a stop in Chattanooga was in our plans. We arrived a little after 2pm and headed down Market Street, we found a great place to park our rig on Main St. just around the corner from where the event was to take place later that evening.

We set off on foot to discover this newly revitalized section of town, the kids were hungry and wondering what we were going to be doing. Of course the best part about being us is sometime we don’t know what we’re going to be doing…sometimes it’s just all about the adventure!

As we went down the block one of the first things we noticed was some incredible art installations right out on the street. We always enjoy outdoor sculpture because it allows our imaginations to soar. We even found a gate made from scrap metal that was an amazing piece of art--see pic. Another sculpture looked like a piece of a large colorful boomerang.

The next gem we found was the historic, Chattanooga Choo Choo. I remembered being there as a child in the mid 70’s, it seemed just as grand yesterday as it did to me then.
The kids loved climbing on the choo-choo itself and we wandered around the gardens outside admiring the dozens of varieties roses many still blooming even with it being mid November.

“We’re hungry!” the kids cried, and since it was pass two o'clock in the afternoon the restaurant appeared closed. So it was back to the streets of Chattanooga we roamed. As we wandered down the street, I noticed a small sign in the shape of a teapot across the street. I wondered out loud if it was a gift shop or possibly a tea room. Much to our delight it was both! It didn’t take much convincing to get the boys, John or Bailey to venture in and partake in a proper English tea.

What a treat it was! The English Rose Authentic British Tea Room & Shop located at 1401 Market St. in Chattanooga www.theenglishroseonline.com and it is a warm and inviting place. We were lucky enough to have the place to ourselves and were surrounded by hundreds of beautiful china teacups, tea pots, tea accessories, lacy table clothes, roses and the like. Our server started us out with pot of tea, surrounded by what, I explained to the kids, was a tea cozy. At each place setting was a lovely tea cup with a tiny tea spoon. On the table was a bowl of sugar and a container of cream. Bailey put on her proper, tea party voice as she politely asked for the cream and sugar to be passed. We ordered the Victorian Tea which came with assorted finger sandwiches, scones, strawberry jam, lemon curd, English biscuits, English Cheeses, crackers and a dessert. John had a banger (sausage) on a crusty roll smothered with onions and Birke added a half cup (a bowl really) of delicious homemade tomato basil soup which came with a crusty roll. I jokingly suggested to the boys that an afternoon date to a place like this with a girl when they are older would make any girl's heart melt.

We all enjoyed it so much, it was fun watching the kids “put on” their best manners as they asked politely for “more tea. please” or “to pass the cream or sugar, please”. The proprietress shared with us pictures of the old building that they renovated to become this amazing little jewel that we just happened upon because we were open to adventure that afternoon and had no plans. She also shared with us a story of her childhood in Zimbabwe and boarding school and how her love for “knickerbockers” got her in a pinch more than once (if you want to know the whole story, you’ll just have to visit and find out for yourself!) It was evident that much love had gone into The English Rose and our server let us know that it was listed as one of the top 25 tea rooms in America. We were all delighted and grateful for our afternoon tea time experience!

Afterwards, we continued to explore the area, poking our heads into little art galleries, antique shops, and such just wandering around just enjoying the experience. Sometimes people look at us a little funny with three kids on a school day looking like we’re on vacation or something. Sometimes it opens up a dialog about what we are doing on the road and other times not. I suppose the folks we do end up having conversations with or a connection to, are those that we are suppose to meet out on the road and our grand adventure!

Around 6pm we wandered back to Green Spaces where we could all become informed, enlightened and amazed by the collaborative artwork and message of The Bee Hive Collective http://www.beehivecollective.org/ a non-profit, donation funded only, group of worker “Bees” who research, dialogue and investigate political, environmental and social injustices then put them into a form of storytelling artwork. The project that was shared with us is about mountaintop removal and “The True Cost of Coal”. The images, metaphors, stories that are told through their art is an incredibly moving form of media and art. All of the 5 Baehrs would highly recommend anyone reading this blog to take note of the impact mountain top removal has upon this planet. This issue isn’t just about what is happening locally where our beautiful mountains are being destroyed but about how the process is effecting the entire planet in more ways than I personally could have ever imagined. I am grateful to have become more aware of this process and will be asking Spirit to guide me to ways in how we personally as a family can help to heal this and assist in some small way to make it better. Go to http://www.stopmountaintopremoval.org/ and sign the petition--especially if you love the beauty of mountains and nature, but even more so if you enjoy clean water and air to breath!

Native Nurturing Weekend by Tricia Baehr

We just returned from an incredible weekend at a beautiful place in Seymour, Tennessee called The Center for Peace http://www.centerforpeace.us/ . The name itself reflects so much of what we feel in our hearts as a family so it was inspiring to have been there. John, the children and I attended a special weekend gathering for children and their parents called, Native Nurturing. This was mine and the children’s gift to John for his birthday on November 1st. The gathering was all about sharing with the young people some of the old ways of the indigenous and native peoples. Wonderful customs, ceremony and traditions that are about honoring God, Spirit, Earth and all that walk upon Her.

Together, along with other parents and their children, we learned about the drum, and the heartbeat of the earth, Our Mother . We also spent some time learning about the four directions. We all made special banners that were hung around the circular building called the Peace Sound Chamber www.peacechamber.com/PeaceChambersAroundTheWorld.html where we would dancing in and then sleeping in later that evening.

Before supper on Saturday, we were taught about the spirit plate which is a small plate that is an offering of the different foods from the meal, that is left outside for the spirits, our guides, the angels and our ancestors. We gathered in a circle, held hands and blessed our meal. The children all bonded and made friends with one another easily. The group consisted of 4 nine year olds, 2 six year olds and 3 five year olds. There were mothers, fathers and grandparents there. Many to learn and many to teach.

After supper we returned to the Sound Chamber where we learned about noises and the sound of the rattle and how it helps to move the energy around and assists in welcoming Spirit. Then the children had the opportunity to make their own rattles. We learned about the dance and the intention that we have when we dance. All of the kids were excited about using their newly made rattles. We danced around the two elders who played the drum beat for us, around in a circle in the Sound Chamber. We shook our rattles and sent prayers to each persons banner that hung on the walls.

Then when the dancing was over and we prepared to rest on Saturday night we were told the beautiful story about Rainbow Crow by Steve Citty. All of the dancing and drumming took place in a beautiful round building called , The Sound Chamber that is filled with such beautiful energy and love.

Upon waking on Sunday, we walked through the beautiful meadow past the dance arbor up to the main house where we all had breakfast together. This time the children prepared the spirit plate and placed it outside. Afterwards, the children ran through the meadow full of love and light racing with one another time after time.

We returned to the Sound Chamber and learned about making prayer ties. We learned more about the four directions and the up above and the down below. The prayer ties were made with colored cloth, where each color had a significant meaning. Yellow for the East, white for the South, black for the West and red for the North, blue for the Up Above and green for the Down Below. In each square of cloth we place a small amount of sacred tobacco and tied them with a string. Then we placed the prayer tie to our hearts and/or heads and gave it a prayer; then we smudged it with sacred white sage smoke. As we were doing this activity we discovered that our prayers could be for ourselves, our family, our community or the world. It was shared with us that we would wear them into the sweat lodge later and after the sweat we would send our prayers up by putting the ties into the sacred fire that was being built and tended to by the Fire Keeper working down by the sweat lodge.

We had a beautiful burial ceremony for Goose that had come to us on Friday (from my previous blog) and each adult and child which was at the gathering participated by placing a handful of soil on top of Goose. We were all happy that we had brought Goose to such a special place to go back to Mother Earth.

Later, we all gathered around the ceremonial fire and the Fire Keeper shared with us the energy of ceremonial tobacco and cornmeal as he placed it in a large circle around the lodge and the fire area. When it was time to enter the sweat lodge, we all crawled inside what seemed like the womb of Mother Earth. Then we learned about the sweat lodge, the ceremonial fire that heats the stones, that they call “The Old Ones“ or the “Grandmothers” and “Grandfathers”. There were four rounds of prayer, one for each direction, each time the door would open and we would welcome the “Grandparents” into the pit in the center of the lodge. The Earth was cool beneath us and the steam coming from the water poured on the stones made the air hot and steamy. Sage, cedar, sweetgrass and spearmint were placed on the stones and the smell was heavenly. We all sat there in the moist darkness and we shared our prayers with the others in the sweat lodge, we shared our prayers with God, with the four directions, with our guides and the spirits.
I could feel such a beautiful healing, cleansing energy within me and outside of myself. Afterwards, we all put our prayer ties into the fire and as they burned our prayers went up to heaven through the smoke.

Then we all went and had a big feast together!

Wow! What an amazing experience! I feel so blessed and grateful to have a family that is so open to learning and experiencing new things. I am grateful to Nan Citty and her vision to have started this Native Nurturing tradition 11 years ago at The Center for Peace.
I am also hopeful for the future of the earth because I continue to meet inspirational people, children and their parents who are consciously working towards peace on earth and raising the vibrations of our world. Thoughts and words CAN become things! And with these teachings that we received this weekend I can see how thoughts, prayers and words in the context of sacred ceremony can have even more power. I’m impressed with how much love there really can be in this world. It touches me when I find those that honor all paths to God, those that choose to coexist with all belief systems. I am able to see how teaching our children these old ways can only benefit us all.

So, it is with much appreciation and love to those who organized, planned, assisted, taught and attended this special gathering that I say thank you with all my heart for each part that you played. I would also like to send my gratitude to the unseen who were there with us in spirit this weekend as well. And last but not least I urge all parents who might happen to read this to consider finding some way in which to share some of these beautiful and special lessons with your own children regardless of your belief system. Thank you Great Spirit, God, Father Sky, Mother Earth for allowing this experience!

The light that shines within me salutes the light within you.
Namaste’

What Nature Has to Teach Us by Tricia Baehr

I believe in synchronicity. The Divine has an orchestrated way of delivering to us exactly what we need when we need it.

Just the other day while driving along the interstate I saw a large bird with beautiful feathers on the side of the road. Something inside of me "knew" I should stop.
After safely pulling onto the shoulder and putting on my flashers. I hopped out and walked quickly to where I had seen the bird. It was a Bard Owl. He was so beautiful and unfortunately already dead. He just looked like he was sleeping. I had taken a couple grocery sacks with me and I scooped him up. I don't know if he was warm from the sun or if he had recently died. I had never seen an owl so close up. It was amazing how his body was shaped. The owl's legs and the feathers on his legs were large, almost like a rabbit's. The feathers looked more like fur.
I had to hold back my tears as the children and I drove back to our campsite, but somehow deep inside I knew this owl had come to me for a reason. Later that evening the children and I found a beautiful place in the middle of a triangle of trees. I made a circle in the dirt and drew a cross in the circle to represent the four directions and the four elements. We dug a hole in the center and carried the owl to the clearing in the woods. We prayed for Owl and asked that Owl's qualities be gifted to us. We wished him a safe and peaceful journey to the Other World and to be at peace as Owl traveled on his journey to God.

So... reflecting on Owl. I have learned what it is that Owl has to teach us: Owl is the mystery of silent wisdom, heightened vision and hearing and the ability to pinpoint subtleties of motives, actions and people. Owl teaches the power of silence and contemplation and the balance of waiting and acting. When action is taken it is swift and exacting. Owl teaches us the ability of extracting secrets within, so we must listen carefully. Owl aids in clearing deceptions, within and without. Owl has much wisdom on how to see and sense the world around you along with patience and determination in waiting for the opportune moment.

I can sense how these lessons are still to be absorbed into me from Owl and how all of them are needed at this particular point in our life. I ask to continue to receive these teachings from Owl and show appreciation and gratitude for the gifts.

Today the owner of our campground came by and asked if we wanted the feathers from his Egyptian Goose. Apparently someone had carelessly hit the goose with their vehicle and it was on the side of the road. Again, I felt as if this was another gift from the Universe. Synchronicity at it's best, working to serve and inspire us. Upon some research I discovered the Egyptian Geese native to Africa, were thought to be sacred by ancient Egyptians, domesticated them and used them frequently in their artwork. http://www.thekeep.org/~kunoichi/kunoichi/themestream/geb.html

I also found through research of native peoples traditions and power animals that Goose has this to share: The questing call, travels, and imagination, communication, imagination stirred. Goose teaches us how to move along our spiritual path and the power and strength of community efforts. Goose aids in our finding happiness and joy.

I feel blessed by these creatures, their lessons and the purpose of them showing up in our lives at this time. I know we will prepare and plan a proper burial for our friend the Egyptian Goose whom my children had named, "Hatcher" prior to it's earthly demise. We will ask Goose to gift us with more travels, imagination, communication and movement along our spiritual paths. We will ask for the power and strength of our community on all levels, local to global as we ask Goose to aid all of us
-the entire world, animal, vegetable and mineral to assist us all in finding happiness and joy!

We bless their animal souls and thank them for their wisdom and lessons. And praise be to our Creator for allowing them to come to us in these ways!