"Cycle of Life"  ©  2005  ~ colored pencil by Carol E. Fairbanks

                                           "There is a river flowing now very fast.

It is so great and swift, that there are those who will be afraid.

They will try to hold on to the shore.  

They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly.

Know the river has its destination.

The elders say we must let go of the shore, 

push off into the middle of the river,

keep our eyes open, and our heads about the water.

And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate.

                                

                                ~ Oraibi, Arizona Hopi, Nation

                                        Your Oneida brother

                                      Water Wisdom

"The Wave of Change" ©  2003  ~ crayon by Carol E Fairbanks

Are we running out of water?  How is that even possible on a planet that is mostly water?  Yet there are shocking statements in the news that water scarcity is a paramount issue in many countries, like Pakistan, and other smaller countries.  With the ever rising water demand of increasing populations and the climate change  reducing the snow-melt, this effect is predicted to eventually be felt by everyone on the planet to some degree.  Christian Holmes, global water coordinator for USAID, says, "The magnitude of it is extraordinary."  Indeed, the consequences could be dire, if we continue to use our resources, especially water, at the rate we have been.  A State Department report said that by 2030, the demand for fresh water in the U.S. will exceed our needed supply by 40%.  U.S. Representative, Jim Wright, in his book, The Coming of the Water Famine, says, "The crisis of our diminishing water resources is just as severe as any wartime crisis we have ever faced. Our survival is just as much at stake as it was the time of Pearl Harbor, or the Argonne, or Gettysburg or Saratoga."

A report made by Accenture for this year's Clinton Global Initiative for Global Resources on how well we are dealing with these issues said, "Despite wider awareness of the need to adopt sustainable practices, business efforts on sustainability may have plateaued." However, global businesses may feel less urgency to advance sustainable practices at a time when economic growth is sluggish.  Are governmental leaders doing all they can do to work cooperatively with corporate businesses encouraging them in adopting sustainable policies,  and are we, as responsible citizens, demanding that they do so?  And are all of us willing to make the efforts and sacrifices to protect our threatened water supply?


Oceanographer, Jacques Cousteau, said. "We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one."  If we believe that to be true, we are certainly going to do whatever it takes to conserve our water resources and avoid the realization of these frightening predictions of water shortage.  Tina Palmer, author of The Wild and Scenic Rivers of America, writes, " When we save a river, we save a major part of an ecosystem, and we save ourselves as well, because of our dependence  - physical, economic, and spiritual  - on the water and its community of life."  So how could we not let go of our greed and do everything that we can...spend whatever amount of money that it takes..... and work together tirelessly on a common goal of conserving our water to to ensure the quality of life on this planet for many years to come?

Okay, that's not exactly happening...at least not to the extent that is needed to make a significant difference.  Why? Where have we lost this understanding that we don't control and dominate nature?   We live as if we can do anything we want without compromising our desires.  So is there another underlying issue at stake?  I think that G. Soucie, who wrote an article in the Smithsonian, identified it.  "The real conflict of the beach is not between the sea and the shore, for theirs is only a lover's quarrel, but it is rather between man and nature.  On the beach, nature has achieved a dynamic equilibrium that is alien to man and his static sense of equilibrium.  Once a line has been established, whether it be a shoreline or a property line, man unreasonably expects it to stay put."

Unlike all of nature, man's lifestyle choices are usually not made in harmony with the flow of natural change.  Yielding to the forces of nature is something that humans seldom do except when there is a catastrophe,  and then that is usually only temporary.  I read that after terrible waves swept away beachfront homes recently, the owners, disregarding any possible conclusions about the wisdom of living there, were immediately making plans with insurance money to rebuilt in the exact same spots as their previous homes.

Water, in one form or another, has taught us many life lessons, from Noah's flood in the Bible to Katrina's devastation in New Orleans.  And the opportunities to learn and become wiser keep coming.  How hard do the lessons have to become, before we pay attention and listen?  How long will be it before we learn that we have an ever evolving place within the scheme of nature, and that we have to be responsible to all forms of life...both in the present and in the future to come?  And most importantly, will we learn that wisdom soon enough?
  

   Illumination

I stand at the shore watching the sea of ideas,

As they beckon me to follow an unknown path.

The waves of thought penetrate my will

Asking only for trust and promising ever freedom.

I gaze at the horizon seeking my destination,

But perceive instead the promise of infinity.

I anxiously search for a vessel of security

To carry me through these waters of uncertainty,

But there is none anywhere to be found.

There is only me, shaking and alone with my fear,

As the storm clouds shadow turbulent waves,

Shimmering rays of Truth break through the darkness,

And I am illumined by the dawn that pierces the night.

"Follow me",  the Light says "And do not be afraid."

You are that vessel of safety which you seek.

Have courage and faith and believe in your destiny.

Slowly, the winds of doubt struggle to become still,

And the stormy sea begins to release its violent rage.

 An omniscient light brightens the blues of the water,

And I am filled with that brilliance I see on the sea.

At one with the wisdom of water, I follow my path,

In the serene, peaceful flow in that cycle of life. 

~ © 2013    by Carol E. Fairbanks

"Harmony" © 2006  ~pencil by Carol E. Fairbanks

         The Origin of my White Pelican Totem...

"A White Pelican Swims Alone" ~ 2003 in Colorado - Carol E  Fairbanks

When I was struggling to make sense of my choices about whether to stay in Colorado or not, I decided to go on a long walk and reflect upon my many options.  I drove north from Longmont to the city of Loveland to do a 10 km walk, that took me through a beautiful sculpture park. With the sun shining (pretty usual for Colorado!), I was inspired to take a number of photos.  As I circled the lake in the park, I spotted a white figure moving slowly in the water.  As I got closer, I was amazed to see a bird, that clearly loves lots of water, had touched down in very dry Colorado. With the "worst drought in 500 years" going on, I would think that Colorado would be the last place a bird like that would visit!  Another unusual phenomenon was that white pelicans are seldom alone...yet this one was!  This just had to be a message from Mother Nature that was a support for me in the midst of my pleas for help! Later, when I got home, I checked in my bird identification book about its normal habit range, and I read about the breeding areas of the white pelicans in the Northwest.  I was especially drawn to the breeding areas in southern Oregon in the Klamath Basin area.  At that time in Colorado, it was so hot and dry, that just thinking about that lush, green and well-watered area made me feel more peaceful.  It was because of sighting this solitary white pelican that I began thinking of the possibility of moving to the verdant northwest.

Up to that point, I had been planning to move back to Ohio when my lease for my apartment was up, but after this little white bird gave me a new vision, I seriously started to consider moving to Oregon.  Most people have much more practical and down-to-earth reasons for moving so far away, but at that time, Colorado had challenged me into radical new ways of thinking and decision making.  During my seven months living in Colorado, I had grown much closer to the messages from the natural world rather than those of the economic world of people.  I spent long amounts of time hiking the trails through the foothills and mountains, as well as exploring the sparkling streams that meandered through the mountain rocks. At that time, Mother Earth was more real to me than people were. I was a lot like that solitary white pelican....alone and perhaps in the "wrong" environment!

As I have read, when one finally opens to the guidance that is freely offered, the whole universe conspires to support your journey forward.  And that was just how it happened for me.  I applied and was accepted to the teacher training program at the Waldorf School in Eugene, and was on my way to make a home in Oregon before I could let  my fear stop me.  After living in Eugene for a short while, I knew that teaching elementary school was not meant for me any more, and I began to once again explore my passion for art.

After some creative experiences at a local community college and a struggle with a romantic relationship, I once again found myself at another difficult choicepoint.  I had broken my ankle and, being immobilized, my spiritual guides finally had me as a "captive audience".  So I opened to my inner feelings and started to draw with my white pencil...... and the white pelican appeared once again...this time coming into my vision through my heart onto my black paper.  While I was feeling, sadness and pain in my present situation, that familiar "white pelican" was beckoning me toward a truer vision of wholeness.  The energy of this totem was again moving me into a new way of perceiving my life...a vision that had been there all along, but that I had blocked with my limited thinking.  As the "white pelican" swam in and dominated the mountains, streams and lush evergreen trees of my deeply loved Oregon home, there was a finally a shift in me in how I "saw" myself there. Pelican medicine was guiding me to not be "weighed down" and overcome by my emotions (symbolized by the water) and to "fly above" those feelings to see a grander perspective of my life in the great northwest.

Later, when I have been asked, "What brought you to live in Oregon?"  I reply with a smile, "The white pelican."   And I don't usually explain when I am confronted with a puzzled look.  I feel more like a true Eugenian when I let others think I am a little "weird"! It's all a part of "Oregonizing" my life in better alignment to my true self!

"Cycle of Life"  © 2005  ~ colored pencil mandala by Carol E Fairbanks