The Fringe

"THE FRINGE" 

We always recognize each other right away 

Kindred

Beloveds from many lifetimes 

Come around again

Committed to the journey 

To experience, grow and love 

We're wired differently 

And when we plug ourselves in 

To their carefully crafted grid 

With it's rules for survival and success 

We wither 

And so we weave in and out 

Sampling their soup when we must 

But always finding it comes up short 

Leaving us cold and hungry 

And so we make our own way 

Creating a place of love, and warmth 

From what they discard without thought 

They call us flighty, dreamers

Irresponsible, lazy

Unrealistic 

I'm okay with that 

Oh my beautiful tribe 

Here on the fringe 

Here where the ancient wisdom is still honored 

Where the truth of the heart and spirit 

Wins over dollar and duty 

Where nature speaks and we hear

Where the body is sacred

And body, mind and spirit flow as one

Oh yes my dear ones 

I don't miss the grid at all 

And every day on the fringe with all of you 

Is a gift beyond the telling 

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Discovery

There is new territory to discover 

Both within and without 

I do not need 

I am simply 

In this glorious YES

Today

Today

I will groove with what my spirit and my body naturally wants to dance with 

I release what insults my soul

I drop the baggage of obligation 

I stop carrying the past 

I move in the direction of what makes my heart beat faster

I soar 

I dance 

I am rhythm 

I am flow

My heartbeat is one with the music of the earth 

I join in ecstatic embrace, making love with being 

Today 

Sisters

You can't point to the exact moment 

But at some point, you realize 

That somewhere along the way

You decided to be small, compliant 

Embracing a self defined by those around you

Always keeping your own desires 

Carefully buried, deep down inside 

So strong was your need to not rock the boat 

And be the good girl 

And when you begin to unravel 

All of that conditioning 

The training of a lifetime 

It can seem overwhelming indeed 

And exquisitely painful to change 

It is a great act of courage 

Even to begin! 

But sweet, dear sisters 

Each day that we stand in our own truth 

And show up authentically 

Is a victory 

Every conversation we were afraid to have

But, we do

All of the elephants,  no longer ignored in the middle of the room 

Every time we move in the direction of our heart's deepest call 

We begin to discover 

That the world does NOT actually end 

When we uncover our light 

In fact, the world is better for it

And, miraculously, having people disagree or disapprove doesn't kill us

Sisters 

We do this work together 

Never alone as we journey 

We are a powerful force of joy, pleasure, and truth 

We are creation, and sometimes necessary destruction

Let us keep going then 

Even on the days when we want to hide 

We've got this 

Together 

Disqualified

A open letter to the Presidential Candidates:

As we continue to move closer to Election Day, we continue to see vicious disparaging, belittling remarks and outright lies and contempt on the part of candidates, toward each other and toward Americans who disagree with them. 

I'm just one person, but I for one have had it. 

This is about strength of character, self control and a passion to hold sacred the rights of ALL Americans, not just the ones who agree with you.

Passion in a candidate is great, and so is a cut through the crap, get it done attitude.

But if the job you're applying for is LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD as we often say of POTUS, you get held to a much higher standard. 

That means you feel the rights of all Americans are important, not only the ones who look, act and believe like you. 

It means you're expected to have the ability to funnel that passion into actions that benefit the American people, and do the most good. 

It's about knowing The Constitution is a living thing, and honoring that. 

It's not about tantrums and being triggered emotionally every time someone disagrees with you. This reveals a character flaw that disqualifies you from this job.

If you can't control yourself under pressure, you simply are not qualified for this job. If you think you're stressed out now, how would you cope with the pressures of this job?

If you can't reach across the aisle to get things done for the good of all, then you are already a failure. 

If power, money and being right mean more to you than the common good - go home.  You don't belong in the Oval Office. You're not made of the right stuff.

The President is held to a higher standard. If you can't hold that, you shouldn't be running.

Sincerely, 

Elizabeth Carrignant

Angel Witch's New Day

I'm calling in a gentleness 

A sweet and natural flow 

Where body, mind and spirit 

Move in rhythm as we go 

I choose to end the compromise 

I'm leaving guilt behind 

I'm falling for those tricks no more 

Be silent, monkey mind 

If you can only love me watered down 

Its best you move away 

I honor the truth of who I am 

Today and everyday 

Love, life and energy 

So much more than we can see 

I'll keep listening and learning 

And dance each day with mystery 

With these words and my intent

Today the line is drawn 

Inner compass guides my action 

I'm the queen, and not a pawn 

I continue on this crooked path 

And send you blessings on your way 

This angel witch has spoken truth 

Now begins a brand new day 

Crucible

I woke up with this and felt compelled to share. 

There is such an energy of change, of clearing and cleaning to 2016 so far. So many in the crucible at present. So much time, effort and passion given to dreams, dreams that on the surface day to day events seemingly pull us away from. 

I don't think that it is a coincidence that this happens to so many of us on a personal level when our world seems to be going through much of the same thing.

When I see us all, so many in the crucible of the unexpected, of seemingly unwanted change, of healing, of sorrow, or trial, I do see the other side. I know, despite appearances that what we go through now truly IS a part of it all. We truly are exactly where we need to be today. That's a tough one some days, isn't it? 

I feel a strong pull that says take care of business, attend to the details that today presents to you. Show up authentically as YOU while you do what you do. Navigate this YOUR way, not the same old way. That's key. Your inner compass will guide you. This isn't a delay or a side trip, it's not a denial. This is life, this is your precious and beautiful life and if you could see the love you are surrounded with in every single moment, you would be in awe. 

How we walk today is our choice. Life is a journey, not a destination. So let's go, we've got this. What we walk through today and HOW we choose to walk it, that affects our bodies, our minds, our hearts and our tomorrows.

Woven through joy and struggle, difficult times and breakthroughs, there is magick, there is trust, and there is Love. And if we are open the Universe has so much help and sweet wisdom for us. 

I can see that we are changing ways of being , and thinking. We are forging new pathways, in our own lives, hearts and minds, and in our world. By doing so we heal ourselves, and our past and future. We set ancestral patterns free. This is much bigger than we realize. Attending to the business that the day today is presenting to us now has far-reaching ramifications  that we may not realize.

Yes. So many of us in the crucible right now. 

And it isn't always easy. But I know that we can trust. I can see the other side. And we have each other, as help along the journey. I know this is so very good. 2016 may not look for all of us the way we had anticipated. But this time of clearing, cleaning in change presents us with a unique opportunity. In some ways it feels like chaos for many. How we are present to that chaos and what we choose to do in it is up to us. It does present an opportunity. This is alchemy my loves. And we are both the alchemist and the gold.

Pretty?

A woman owes no one "pretty"

Who she is

And what she does 

Is beautiful

Her heart informs her journey 

And her spirit walks this life

Her appearance? 

That belongs to her alone

And should she choose to adorn it 

Or to be raw and wild 

Is no concern of yours 

Be she 3, 13, 30 or 73

She is radiant, complete 

Whole unto herself 

If you approach, speak first to her heart 

And watch her eyes 

Let her see yours

Yes, it's a bit scary at times 

But it's the only way

Wisdom of the Wild Child

I have always been one who loved losing myself in what made my heart sing. Immersion in what truly gave me joy, this was my natural inclination. 

Being out in nature, the woods, the sunshine, and in the company of my best friend; there was no better feeling. I was always outside! I still love wandering the woods, soaking up the sun or playing in the rain.  I'm also still blessed with beautiful friends. 

At some point, well-meaning adults in my life told me that shouldn't be wandering around in the woods, that I needed to be a young lady, and that I shouldn't be getting dirty every day. They meant well, but that wasn't good advice for me.

Later, music became a part of me. I loved listening to Paul McCartney & Wings, The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, John Denver and many others.

The music program at David Prouty was huge for me. I was no major star but that was my happy place. Music touched my heart deeply, as it still does, and regardless of anything else, we all had that in common. Being in the musicals all four years is a cherished memory of mine.  Thanks Mr. K.

I know that my ongoing love affair with music will be lifelong.

Youth Ministry, Search and TEC were another beautiful heart space in their time, and I definitely immersed myself.  Faith, friends, music and exploring that awkward transition into adulthood....I still have some cherished friendships from that time. 

Things you happily get lost in....marriage and family is one. I remember every single triumph, tragedy, laugh, kiss, embrace, tear and sweet moment.  We have never been adults in this world without each other, Rob!  This is amazing to think of. It has been both a beautiful and a difficult immersion, and I am amazed by everything that has happened when I look back. I think now I can see we really were much stronger than I realized back then.  I think the silly, goofy moments are among my favorites.  You always make me laugh.  

The gift of motherhood created a song in my heart from the very first moment, it changes absolutely everything. Those years as a young mother leaving my babies and going to work every day, when I knew in my heart it was not right for us, were so hard. That pain was deep, and it changed me profoundly.  

Now I look at the men those babies have grown into and I am so incredibly awed by who they are, and grateful for the blessings of being their mother. And my heart will happily sing that song always. 

I'm coming to understand that pull - the natural gravitation toward what gives me joy is a Divine message. It's the call of the Goddess within me, its Creation saying "Yes. This is what you came for." Dive in deep!

I instinctively felt and followed that pull as a little girl. As an adult, I have followed it at times, but at other times I have allowed other influences to cloud my judgment.

When I follow it, through times of joy and difficulty, there is a beautiful underlying flow, a Oneness, Energy, a trust, the sweetest rightness about life. 

When I ignore it, I begin to dry up, it's painful. There's no synchronicity, and everything feels terrible. It's hard to even breathe, and get up every day and do my thing. 

I follow the path of the Witch, the crooked path. I am blessed with so many stunningly beautiful souls on this journey. Not all are witches, but they are all kindred. My soul tribe, we know one another well, and we could not help but find one another again now as we continue this journey. Immersion in life, in living from our hearts, in a love and a truth that carries nothing but what is needed, in learning, growing and serving, in showing up authentically, in pleasure, in power.....each of us has our own path yet we are One. I could have no better companions on the road. 

And so, I'm going to continue what I just instinctively knew as a little girl. I'm going to keep following what makes my heart sing. I'll change what needs changing. I'll say yes and no with bald truth, so they don't lose their meaning. I'll spend time on things that feel good. I'll let go when it's time.  I'll cherish what speaks to my heart, I'll honor memory and learning, and I'll show up as my real, authentic, truthful self, every day. I'll be messy, and wild. I'll play in the dirt. It's the only way I know how to do this. 

As it turns out, I really had  a good idea of how to do this as a little girl. It's time to scrape off this disgusting civilized veneer, and drop all the shoulds. This woman is still a wild child, and that's how I choose to live.