INTEGRATE

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Winter - Ice, Snow, Fire - can be nice. My mother always said: “everything in moderation”. Winter nature is a good example. Too cold, too much snow, uncontrolled fires are problematic. Just the right amount of nature elements is wonderful. I am grateful when that IS. I wish to Integrate and know I am just another element of nature. Go with the flow Mike. I am not in control, but I am one with all - interconnected. I wish to be grateful for all. Progress to BE.

Integrate

The Source

444

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It was 3 years ago, the 25th of January, at 4:44pm that Patty moved on. I have moved on too, but differently. Both are good. Heaven on earth, and peace and felicity. It is intended and innate.

I miss Patty but know that she is in a blissful place. Body gone - All Spirit - Uncertain. Patty’s passing prompted my Skyward Photo project, which I finished in 2024. She was influential with the philosophy of ADVOCATE PLANNING, To Do What You Love to Do, and the supplement Live LOVE, completed in 2024. (All viewable at MikeSipe.com).

I will not forget Patty. However, I do not fixate on the past. I do not worry about the future. My quest is to BE in the present. I am making progress as I learn about body brain, chakras, energy, mindfulness, left-brain/right-brain, body plasticity. It is unbelievable how beneficial The Course in Miracles, A Course of LOVE, and many other books of the same nature, have been for me. Thank you Patty for leaving your mark on me.

Felicity

Patty close up

Costco

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Imagine, paying for the privilege to shop there! I finally became a member at Costco - a gift from Miss Mary Lou. I like the Costco model. I bought stock in Costco, because I herd the president limits his/her yearly compensation to only $400,000 (it’s relatively low, you know). The CEO’s of large public companies are disgraceful in accepting humongous salaries, as struggling loyal workers among us get diddly shit.

Anyway, my first experience was interesting - maybe a bit bizarre. The place is humongous, like the CEO compensations I spoke of - everything big. Of course you know this because, everyone is a member. There is a zillion people shopping with car size carts, overflowing - buying minimum size stuff that will last an eternity. I needed a tube of Crest. The buying unit was five, family size. It will be interesting to see how long the supply lasts, for this singe set of pealies. I predict a year, maybe two. Maybe it will out last me! I was impressed with beef and pork tenderloins, fish as well. I bought the minimum size. I filled the freezer, after I bagged single servings. I am good for a month or two. And the cost from Costco makes my meals under $10 a piece. If I do this often enough, I may cover the membership cost! Buying incentive - it seems like a good business strategy to me.

I didn’t see a lot of organic signs, but they will get there. They are too smart merchandisers to not be there when the world realizes that what we put in our bodies needs to be nutritious, not just added sugar grams.

Blue Falls Up close

My 2024

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I found 2024 to pass fast. When I look back, I wonder how I fit it all in - Six trips to Minnesota to BE with family, friends, former clients and associates - A month in the Sacred Valley, Peru, with Bridget - A week in Palm Springs with family - A few shorts trips with my new love, Miss Mary Lou - Time with new friends at All Souls Interfaith Gathering, and Northern Exposure Photo Group - Self-publishing five photo books, and capturing a record number of favorite images. (See MESipe.com/MyFavoritesof2024). And, of course, my joy with connecting with my nuclear family: Bridget, Michael, Jessica, Avi, Emmett and Olive.

The most noteworthy mention about 2024, is my personal growth in my pursuit to know the significance of LOVE in my life. This is a wonderful time of my life, recognizing and reflecting on brother Richard’s comment, “The greatest task in life is to love, everything else melts away”. I have learned and felt much LOVE during 2024, while ‘taking in’, to my pursuit of enlightenment, A Course in Miracles, A Course of Love and a dozen other inspiring input. I find myself frequently saying, “unf!@#$%^believable, when I feel an immense sense of awe, while in Nature and within myself. I am learning about Spirit, Energy, and feeling the LOVE.

There is significance in LIGHT as a symbol and as life energy. My last photos of the year were at a wonderful light show at Shelburne Museum. I most frequently look for light significance in my photos.

Blue light

tree of light

Petrified

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Last Christmas I bought a small Christmas tree-like decorative plant for the bathroom. Patty used to have tree-like decorations around the house. I counted seven one Christmas. I am getting into plants and flowers around - quite nice having the extra natural beauty close - indoors. Last year’s bathroom plant died in about three months, but the leaves never dropped. I actually think it is more beautiful now, dead… and, I don’t have to water. This petrified state happened to one of the twelve roses my sister Bernadette gave me when Patty died, three years ago. It stands on the self, next to Patty’s vase, along with my covid period ponytail. Weird… maybe a message, probably around forever. Signs of Eternal.

Petrified

Connection

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After a dozen years of mentally playing and practicing SCG, the LOVE principles, I have realized that Connecting, and specifically, relating, with born-with natural essence, is the ultimate human activity. Ego, get out of my way. I want LOVE. This season, call it what you want, is time to step back from daily duties and love one another. Notice the children. Revert to unspoiled delight in wonderment of the beauty we are born with. We are LOVE, at the core. May you recognize your beauty, and all the beauty in your world. I love you.

connected

Black and White Friday

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Friday after Thanksgiving is a big deal. Shoppers and Sellers look to sales; sales at a major discount. The deals are not only Friday, but Monday now - Monday touts to the people shopping online - that’s me. Why bother going to the store! I poo pooed the deals in the past, but Blurb had a 50% discount, which they started a few days before Black Friday! I have used their service over forty times. I often wait for a 30% or 40% special before ordering. I have never used a 50% offering before. Black day specials are real for me now. Maybe it is because I am presently on a fixed and limited income and paying attention to deals. Maybe it is because most of retailer sales come between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so the big push is on. It is all about volume. Why they call it Black, I can only speculate… and not curious enough to ask Siri.

While many were indoors looking for Christmas present deals for loved ones on the Friday after, I delighted with the snow covered trees nearby. What a nice transition from colorful leaves on mountain and river sides, to snow covered branches - branches in galore; nice to see so many decorated branches, usually hidden by the leaves. I have a series of Black and White Friday images at MESipe.com. recent work… and hundreds of tree images, under the tree tab. You are welcome to them. I wish to share what I love.

first stick

Fenced in-out

FELICITY

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FELICITY - Intense happiness - that is what comes to me with the feeling of gratitude. Only exhilaration and love can match gratitude. Gratitude is one of the big emotions. The Thanksgiving holiday is not every day, but how great it would be if it were.

This year, I am particularly grateful having met a loving lady, Miss Mary Lou. I feel like a teenager in love. I published and posted the second edition of LIVE LOVE. I published and posted SKYWARD, which brought much satisfaction. I spent the month of March with my daughter Bridget, and published and posted my capturing 200 images and 50 reflections of Peruvian paradise. I placed over thirty images on people’s walls. Time with family was especially intimate this year. I am grateful for growing connections with both family and friends. I am learning more about the significance of LOVE, SPIRIT, ENERGY. Can life get any better?

felicity


Perfectly Imperfect

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I just finished a good listen to Casey Means, MD with her Good Energy book, talking about caring for our metabolism. The list of do’s and don’ts goes on and on - Sunlight first thing each day; in fact, a lot of out door time, exposure to extreme heat and cold, avoiding toxins in so many things, avoiding addicting products promoted by large companies, and of course the standards - no sugar, but lots of organic, natural fruits and vegetables. It is overwhelming. One could get stressed worrying about complying, and keeping up the suggested journals. Stress is a big thing to avoid, according to Dr. Means. It is an increasingly occurrence in Americans. I swear not to obsess over my metabolism.

Her book is worth a second listen to get this stuff in my subconscious, but my thought is, not to stress out about all the do’s and don’ts. I am a big believer in not obsessing over getting anything perfect. We are perfectly imperfect beings. I am meant to feel good, not stress, and enjoy life. I am working on listening to my body, inner wisdom. I believe I can self heal if I can only hear what my being says about what I expose it to. I am learning about energy. I am starting to understand I am energy, and it reaches out to my world. I love it.

tranlucent

ALL IS ONE

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Ubuntu - seeing our essence in other people. This idea, espoused by Desmond Tutu, and others, helps me feel connected, loving to all. I know we are all connected. I struggle though with absorbing the idea that ALL IS ONE - that we are all interdependent - the same goodness, at the core. I am conditioned with dualism - right/wrong, good/bad, competition - winner/loser. A dualistic attitude strains my ability to be ubuntu. I wish to see my essence in others. I believe that the Goodness at my core is not unique to me - why would it be? It rests in the core of all. I look to my brain’s reticular activator to further this important love notion. The image below inspires me to the concept that ALL IS ONE. I view the rare eclipse connection interpretation with awe

all is one

Community

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My community - my people - what people - all people - I wish to feel one with all!

I reflect on the geese I photographed at Dead Creek Preserve yesterday - the eve of elections. They are flying every which direction, preparing for a united flight to more seasonable weather, for a while, not four years, maybe four months. They will come together, and make the journey - it’s predictable - it is in their nature - as is to come together is our nature.

Can there be unity in the UNITED STATES? My present skepticism says it is shaky. My optimism says it will happen - the many good people will guide the way.

I am reminded of the words of my good friend Francis: “Make me an instrument of Peace. Where there is Hatred, sow Love. Where there is Injury - Pardon. Doubt - Faith. Despair - Hope. Darkness - Light. Sadness - Joy. Grant that I don’t seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love…” LOVE is the answer. When will we all realize that? So many do. So many will. Listen for the whisper. Learn from the geese. Come together - from ego to essence!

Community

Flying White Angels

Good Intentions

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The saying goes - “The path to hell is paved with good intentions”. The point is, action is the step that gets plans done! Well, there is no eternal hell. I suspect some live hell on earth, but that is beside the point of this blog. I want to talk about my good intentions with planting Black Walnut trees.

My intention in 2018 when we moved to the 17 acres of rolling hills in the foothills of the Green Mountains in Richmond, Vermont, was to start a business of growing 100 Black Walnut trees that would be harvested in forty years for the benefit of my three grandkids.

Good thought, and who knows, maybe my good intentions will amount to benefit someone, someday. In the meantime - the present, which is all there is - I find it a treat to see them grow. I am attached to my Black Walnut trees. Two of the sixty trees I planted produced walnuts this year. They say each tree will produce 30 bushels of nuts - what? I didn’t think about the nuts when I started! When I found out about the fruit bearing, I thought, well, that’s not mine to worry about. But here we are with mandarin size fruit, and struggling how to get to the walnut. I suspect nuts will pop like popcorn in my 80”s, which I plan to live through. I am experiencing more fun than I expected. Maybe I’ll still plant the forty more I intended. Things change. Sometimes you have to pivot.

Survival

My Golden Moment

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It was less than the Golden Hour, maybe a half hour til sun over the Adirondack. Me and My Person sauntered toward the water at Meach Cove, knowing our return would be dark. Pass around my neck, monopod in my hand, I stopped once, twice, three times to capture the confluence of light, color and design. How perfect the moment. I love it.

golden pathway

Golden globe

Natural Order