 |
 |
| |
| Departments |
Home
Columns, Special
Topics & Features:
The Columns:
Angels, Guides, &
Loving Spirits:
Angel Blessings:
with Dr. Doreen Virtue
Ask Valerie Morrison,
Internationally
Acclaimed Psychic
Trust Your Vibes
By Dr. Sonia Choquette, PhD.
Internationally Acclaimed Psychic Healer & Author
Astrologer's Notes:
Carin Martin,
Astrologer
Donna Cunningham, MSW, Astrologer
Basil Fearrington,
Astrologer
Diana Stone,
Astrologer &
Huna Shaman
Jeff Jawer
Astrologer
Glenn Perry,
Astrologer
Ray Merriman,
Financial Astrology:
MMA Market Week
Noel Tyl,
Astrologer
Daily Aspect Calendar
by Care
MoonWatching with Dana Gerhardt and Friends
Creating Bridges:
The Spiritual &
Philosophical
Act of Power
Discovering the Key to Living Your Sacred Dream
by Lynn Andrews
Avant-Gardening:
Insights
by Frank & Vicky
Giannangelo
From The Heart:
Alan Cohen
Teachings from the Western Mystery Traditions: The Esoteric "Paths of Return"
by Jacquelyn Small, Eupsychia
Spirituality in Daily Life: by Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron
The Conscious Column
by David Ault
Spiritual Mastery
for the 21st Century
Dr. Gwen MacGregor
Pearls of Wisdom:
with Care & Aeon
Encounters on the
Shaman's Path with
Dr. Hank Wesselman, PhD.
Anthropologist, Zoologist, Author, Shamanic Healer & Teacher
The Divine Human
by Ornesha De Paoli
Awakenings
by Karen Johnson
Worshipping by Wondering with
Sankara Saranam, MA Founder of the Pranayama Institute
A Woman's Beauty
by Robin Rice,
Shaman & Author
Wisdom Walks
In Circles
Margaret Lewis,
Shamanic Practitioner
The Awakening Generation
by Ann Marie Judge
Water For The Dry Sponge: Chronicles and Essays
by Shaun Brown,
Be Well Publications
Crystals, Minerals
& Gemstones
My Love of Crystals, Minerals & Gemstones
by Raven,
Raven Crystals
Divination Systems:
Be Your Own Oracle
By James Wanless, Ph.D.
Creator of the Voyager Tarot Deck
In Practice:
Juliet's Marketing Wisdom
by Juliet Austin, MA Marketing Coach, Author & Consultant
Kabbalah:
Kabbalah Revealed:
Rav Michael Laitman, PhD, Kabbalalist
"Letters from Heaven:" Spiritual Guidance from
the Hebrew Alphabet
by Avigayil Landsman
Numberscope Forecast
by Vincent J. Barra
Pet Care:
Dr. Carson's Holistic Animal Care
by Dr. Kathleen Carson, D.V.M.
Tarot:
Moment to Moment
by Gigi Miner
Author, Tarot Consultant, & Teacher
Reviews:
Tarot, Cartomancy,
Oracle Decks,
Books, & Software.
by Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Master
Humor:
Wake Up Laughing.Com:
Swami Beyondananda
Features:
Blessings & Messages
Event Calendar
Historical Notes & Data
The MetaPersonals
Opinion-Editorial
News Briefs
Symbols, Seals,
Amulets & Talismans
The What in the
World Department
Trivia & Life's Other
Novel Moments
Interviews:
Watch for Upcoming Announcements
Healing & Alternative
Health:
"Spirit and Practice
of the Wise Woman
Tradition"
By Susun Weed
Tai Chi & Qigong
by Bill Douglas
The Holistic Mystic,
by Lonny Brown
Medical Intuition: Tune
in to Your Body and Improve Your Health
by Caroline Sutherland, Sutherland Communications
Transformational Healing through the Violet Flame!
by Eva Kettles
Herbs for Health
with Kami McBride
Lose Weight Permanently: Stop the Endless Cycle of Dieting
Rena Greenberg,
Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming & Hypnotherapist
The Directory
The Book Nook
Archives:
Past Issues
|
|
|
|
|
|
Creating Bridges: Spirituality & Philosophy:
Blending Human and Divine Love
Energetic Travel
|
|
|
by Ornesha De Paoli |
|
|
The three of us, Sarah, Kara and I left Santa Fe, at around noon on Tuesday, the 19th and headed east without too much of an organized route to our destination of Georgia. The 4-runner was packed completely to the top, but that didn’t keep us from buzzing straight through New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and on into Arkansas.
We continued driving into the early morning hours and made it to Pine Bluff, Arkansas around 4:30 that next morning. We’d driven nearly 1000 miles by the time we realized it was almost the next morning so pulled off. (I think we were anxious to see New Orleans and wanted to play with the possibility of driving straight through.)
The pace of the south is much different that it is on the west coast or even the southwest. It seems to me that the land spoke of the dreams of the past, and held the energy that it was indeed somewhat different than other parts of the country. All throughout Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana there was the deep feeling of “roots” that were strong and unwavering in many ways.
Driving through Baton Rouge (founded in 1699 and named by a French explorer), is a decently sized city that rises up above the marshy land in the south. It’s also an interesting and amazing place to spend some time, if only for the restful feel of it.
The first place we stopped was exactly what we were looking for. It was right outside of Baton Rouge amongst plantations, and is where we found our wonderful guide for that day.
I regretfully do not know his name, but loved, loved his accent. It was a mixture between French, Indian, African, and English. This is what I now know as “Cajun”.
This beautiful new friend happily offered to show us his land, little Cajun/Bayou shops and, yes, alligators! He kept two of them on hand in the back yard. We earnestly followed him over the raised walkway to the back, he began calling them. He would clap his hands loudly and say, “Come ere big boy!” over and over until they showed themselves to us. As I was taking pictures, I realized that I now knew how to call alligators…but not something I’d probably do very often, though. His wife’s job, as he was explaining to us, was to feed them live chickens once a week, until they went into hibernation for the winter.
He then ran into his restaurant and came out with a box of freshly baked beignets, pronounced “bin yea” (French donuts) and handed them to Sarah. Kara had happened to be craving these since we left Santa Fe, so we had to say “good creation” to that too. It was quite effortless.
Then he sent us to this amazing local restaurant called “The Cabin”, which served us fresh, authentic Cajun food like gumbo, red beans and rice, sweet tea, and everything yummy that is Cajun.
After stuffing ourselves beyond what was comfortable, we continued on to New Orleans, drove through the downtown business district and on to the French Quarter where Mardi Gras takes place every year.
What amazed me was that we went from 2006 United States, through some kind of time portal, and immediately into the past upon driving through Canal Street on to Bourbon Street.
The French Quarter was established in 1718 and is obviously the oldest part of the (now) New Orleans city. And talk about a party after dark there every night! It felt crazy for me but fun.
We stayed at a Super 8 Motel on Canal Street and were given such a warm welcome from the security guard. He talked to us very openly and informatively about Katrina and the 9th ward. He told us where to park and how to find the 9th ward the next day.
The man at the check-in counter talked to me about Katrina also very openly. We were directed to a few of the “hard hit” areas while being respectively advised not to go down there unless it was daylight. The city had, at one time, decided to offer tours to this area, but had since discontinued them due to the anger that arose from those still living there not wanting to be viewed as a “side show”.
His mother was a victim to the floods on the other side of town, he said, and still hasn’t had any assistance in rebuilding her home. He mentioned that there were many people without homes and to be careful where we parked. (We have, though, now officially learned and understood not to fear or worry…remember?) He gave us great directions and seemed almost pleased that we’d want to go there the next day.
There were 5 people sleeping outside the hotel under the underpass that night.
We woke up Thursday morning and set out walking down canal to Bourbon Street. We walked down Bourbon Street and zigzagged throughout a great amount of the French quarter, ending up at Café Du Monde. Kara was craving this place also, and with good reason.
There we sat sipping café au lat and munching on beignets smothered in powdered sugar while listening to this amazing local softly playing the horn and singing jazz/gospel. Openly, he talked with us about the disarray of things. He told us of his church that was destroyed during the flooding and winds from Katrina. He said that he is donating his proceeds back to the re-building, as he was the minister and was very concerned about the youth programs that have not taken place since the storm.
It was a little warm and damp, so we slowly made our way down the little French/Spanish streets to Voodoo Authentica. All of us were excited to see this place. Voodoo dolls, spells, candles, incense, poison oils, and gris gris bags were showing themselves in every corner.
The lady behind the counter looked to be in her late 20's and was ready to talk. (Keep in mind that the people we talked to brought up the subject of Katrina to us, and seemed as though they needed to share their story).
She said that she’s lived there for 4 years and ended up “passing through” but never left, because she fell in love with it.
Since Katrina, shops have been closing up by the week. She looked sad as she talked about merchants having to charge double their normal price just to stay in business, and how tourists haven’t vacationed there because it may too painful to see. There were many doors that were closed and locked on these beautiful balcony and plant lined streets.
Flames were burning in lanterns hanging from balcony ceilings and it took me back somewhere wonderful.
We stopped into a gallery and sat down with the artist and owner of the gallery. He said that his business has done wonderfully since Katrina. Many people lost everything including artwork. And those with disposable incomes could easily afford to buy new art.
We hopped on a cable car, and by accident, gave the driver a couple extra bucks for our ride. He mentioned it, but we asked him to keep it and he smiled. We rode the cable car to the end of the line and were the only ones left on the car.
As he was getting up to go to the other end of the car to drive it the other way, (They do that!) he stopped to talk. This fine man has worked for the transit line for some years now. And he began talking.
He said that around 3000 people lost their lives in the storm. Many families have yet to be united, and also many of these same families have yet to find where the government has moved their kin.
There were many, many still missing, but he was sure that most of the dead that were left in the water were sent through the pumps as the city was pumped out into Lake Ponchatrain. He described the size of the tubes coming out of the pump stations around town, and after seeing them, there was definitely more than enough room for that to happen.
Most of the city’s transit buses were looted and stolen, and only one or two (I forget) of the cable car tracks were now operable. He talked about the lack of planning in the city’s levees, and the amount of people that were displaced. He talked about a man he knew who had to climb a tree with his infant daughter to escape the rising water. While the man was hanging on to the tree, he slipped and dropped his daughter into the water and lost her.
He talked about graves in New Orleans being 4 ft. deep instead of 6 ft. deep because of the high water levels in the soil. Otherwise, the dead were placed in mausoleums above ground.
He took us all the way down Canal Street to the end of the line at the cemetery. Looking at the buildings going down the street, I could see where the water level had been. It was literally above my head in most places. The water line had remained this high for about 2 months.
There was LOTS of signs on the buildings of lawyers, doctors, beauty parlors, gas stations, hotels, houses, etc. that said many things. They said, “We’ll be back”, or “kiss my ass, Katrina”, or “don’t forget about us”, or “condemned”. 80% of the city experienced this.
As we got back into our car and drove through the 9th ward, life changed. It’s that smell of “death” that can’t be denied that was flowing through our noses and reminding us to stay neutral and remain observers. There was no house that was unaffected.
This area of New Orleans went on forever. It went on for house after house, street after street, block after block, and neighborhood after neighborhood. It all looked them same, really. There was a soup kitchen opened on one of the many cris-crossing streets that was manned by volunteers looking very weary for their love that they gave.
All houses throughout that area and the entire city, for the most part, had “official” writing on the outside walls. We were just guessing, but it looked as though it had something to do with whether the house was going to be demolished or not, the date it was checked, and the damage done. There were also similar messages that looked like dead bodies were found in them.
We all felt odd at times looking at the devastation and really had to remind ourselves that we were simply looking at different aspects of ourselves. We were not there to fix or change anything. We were there to observe, accept, and let go of. We were there to breathe in and breathe out.
For the most part, we had no harsh looks from people. It was almost like they were in some kind of a trance that kept them moving but yet very unaware of what they were doing.
There were many, many people just sitting on their front porches, in front of a house that had writing on it, was mostly gutted at times, probably had no electricity, and surrounded by mess. Yet they just sat there. I got a visual of these same people just sitting there 20 years from now all old and grey.
I saw that they couldn’t move. They couldn’t move and were literally stuck in that same position because they didn’t know what to do. There was much fear of change, but please don’t see me saying this with judgment. It’s just true and not good or bad.
There was also much rebuilding taking place. There were hundreds of trailers, probably from FEMA, parked in front of many houses in different parts of the city, as people were busy with hammers, and such.
I heard people talking about the government trying to clean up this area. This area had been busy with people who deeply believed in lack, and created it. The city didn’t want to rebuild the way it was, so the poor were slowly being driven out. (This is what many people believe.)
As we gently maneuvered our way out of New Orleans city limits and drove around the wider city limits, we saw that the devastation was indeed unending. We agreed that a hotel outside of the inner city would be a nice “break”, so we went looking for another hotel a little farther from “all the action” and wound up going up I-10 toward our journey to Atlanta.
We stopped at a motel 6 about 15 minutes from the city center. (I LOVE Motel 6’s. They are always very canine friendly and are, for the most part, quite clean.) We accidentally took ourselves down the wrong frontage road and witnessed more mind-blowing sights that, once again had us all in awe.
The shell gas station on the corner was completely boarded up with all gas pumps dismantled. As we continued down the frontage road with the freeway to the right of us, the left side had new apartments, condominiums, and neighborhood galore. They all, however, looked as if the residents had left in a hurry and never went back. Security guards had their cars parked at the entrances of these commons.
Large pieces of roofs were non-existent. Cement, brick, and wood walls and fences were heavily marred, and most had either almost completely fallen, or were completely covered in holes.
Whole shopping centers were closed and boarded up. Brand new ones looked like ghost towns. What surprised me was the large, uprooted tree in the median of the freeway just sitting there. Oh yes, and the overturned boat along side the freeway was also interesting.
We found the “proper” road to the Motel 6 and turned into it to rest for the evening. Upon entering, two policemen approached our truck and asked that I roll down the window…So I did…
These two men turned out to be quite lovely and even a bit fun as they told their version of the area. They laughed and said nothing as we mentioned any assistance from the government happening anytime soon. Their eyes looked heavy.
This particular motel was the first to open in this area, and had just done so this month as we arrived. It was easy to see that the lobby was very new and beautifully refurbished. The two policemen, however, did advise us to not stay at this motel or in this area if we didn’t “need” to.
I then, quickly realized that the main cars and people we’d seen in this whole area had been security guards, policemen, or such. Glancing over at the fence by the parking lot we were standing in, I saw a large police dog tied to it, ready to kick some serious butt.
Our new friends, however, ran over and quieted this big beautiful dog and allowed me and Snickers to proceed on our mission.
As we thanked these men and had a last laugh with them, we got in our car and headed away from the Big Easy.
The land that we drove and walked over while in New Orleans had been welcoming. The consciousness of the area we moved through had been more than hospitable. The confusion, however, would lie in the fears that were felt by so many who didn’t understand why the land had to clear itself.
And from that confusion, many would remain “trapped” in a past that had no reason to be there, except for the memories of suffering, the beliefs in separation, and the inability to move forward.
Yes, there is much needed assistance in this beautiful place, and yes, much of it has to do with re-building. But there’s more. How do you rebuild something new on an old foundation of anguish? Wouldn’t it be wiser to re-build on a new foundation of clarity and understanding?
This is what I tell my daughter when she gets a scrape, “Band aids are nice, but find and clear the reason you chose to cut yourself in the first place, then the band aids are no longer necessary.”
Much love,
Ornesha |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ornesha De Paoli,
Author, Clairvoyant/Audiovoyant
Co-Founder of the O.A.R. Method
|
 |
Author
Clairvoyant/Audiovoyant
Co-Founder of the O.A.R. Method
Reiki Master
Energy Balancer
Ascension Coach
Conflict Resolution Intermediary
Nuclear Weapons Safety Procedures Auditor
Every moment for the past twenty years has been a spiritual practice for me. The practice, however, has taken me into the world of the living, breathing human. Without ever (in this lifetime) having a group or affiliation to look to for answers, it became apparent a long time ago, that the answers would come from me.
My life has been artistically constructed to observe, without judgment, the dual nature of humanity’s existence, and in that, locate the steps to move beyond it. Thus, I have become a “poster child” of navigating through the web of the human belief systems.
In 2004, I consciously set out to unravel each system while at the same time, considering how rapidly a human body could endure the balancing and neutralizing of all beliefs and controls we’ve placed upon ourselves.
Working in conjunction with, and through the assistance of many Guides and Ascended Masters, it has become apparent that the opportunity of living in Ascension while living as a Human has come. The result comes in creating from a new heart center that is found in Divine Neutrality.
Divine Neutrality is where the concept of Ascension lies. It is in the complete understanding of Self without the safety net of fears, judgments, or doubts. It is where the human body no longer holds the limitations of the human condition and becomes free to blend with Divinity. It is where all pieces of self are brought back in, honored, and freed to form The One.
The O.A.R. Method has been developed to take us through these belief systems in a very systematic way in order to neutralize and balance them. In the neutralization of the human experience, the body will no longer hold or attach itself to being "just" human, and in the process, move beyond duality itself into enlightenment.
Ornesha resides in a quiet town north of Santa Fe, New Mexico where she devotes her time to being an example of love to her two children and a guide to those who seek.
For more information on personal assistance, workshops, or retreats please see our website:
Newsletter:
Welcome to "The Journey Newsletter" by unfoldintoONE.
This free newsletter is packed with timely, simple, and clear understandings of what is taking place on earth right now. You'll find a safe haven for your own, individual spiritual growth, and a way to discuss the challenges around humanity's enlightenment.
To subscribe to Newsletter: news@unfoldintoONE.com
Web Site:
http://www.unfoldintoone.
com
Phone: 505-913-1535
Email: ornesha1@yahoo.com
info@unfoldintoone.com
|
 |
You'll find it in
The
Directory! |
|
|
|
|
