That Cat Tarot

02/02/2026

Sometimes I feel like I am stuck in the middle of the second stanza of T.S. Eliot’s great poem, “The Waste Land”, where it speaks to me of how I am experiencing masculinity in our society today. The poet wrote:

“What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
Out of this stoney rubbish? Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats.”

Images of manly energy that include intelligence, integrity, compassionate authority, goodwill, leadership and the use of power to be of service to the community, to foster life, to create a culture that protects women and children and fosters true education, art and culture–masculine images that great societies lived with in the past–now lie in broken pieces on the stoney rubbish heaps of our time in history.

I want to return to the deeper origin of archetypal patterns, that is, the fundamental patterns for potentials to be lived, both positive and negative, that are inherited structures common to everyone's personality. The archetype represents a pattern that channels our instinctual flow of energy. When this pattern is activated it releases a charge of emotional energy. For example, when the negative aspect of the masculine archetype is activated within us we feel weak, scared, distrustful of life and others, and seek to compensate these feelings with a drive for power. I want to re-member the positive aspects of the masculine archetype, the positive potentials that have been scattered, suppressed and lost. I want to invite you to join me in re-vitalizing the life force behind them. Then through the awareness that is at the core of our personal development re-claim our capacities for strength, love and wholeness. In these kind of journeys we quickly learn that knowing ourselves on these deep levels becomes the foundation for being able to know others. Self-knowledge activates and substantiates our knowledge of the world and opens us to the family of humanity.
— Excerpt from Dr. Bud Harris' recent lecture "Reclaiming the Heart of Masculinity: A Depth Psychology Approach".

art credit: The Triumph of Death, Pieter Bruegel the Elder

02/01/2026

In November 2025 my position on staff of Mindfully Well, PMA in Hendersonville, NC was eliminated. My intention is to rebuild my health and business as soon as I am able.At 81, moving forward asks a different pace than it once did. From the bottom of my heart I thank those of you who have extended their Well Wishes. These are not easy times for a Hippie from the 60's who loves People, Animals, Music and our Democracy. I will return. In the meantime my daughter's orange Cat rests his paw upon the Spirit Keeper's Tarot card, The Journeyman. Stay well. Stay warm and never bow to Vulgar Gold.

01/20/2026

01/09/2026

Res Ipsa ✨️💛✨️

01/09/2026

An apocalypse occurs when a realization or an event causes the abrupt end or destruction of one’s own world or of an entire civilization. An apocalypse is also an unveiling of a reality, or a potential reality, that has been there all the time but that we had not seen clearly before. It is also an unveiling of our own lives’ darkness, which we have avoided acknowledging. In addition, an apocalypse makes it clear that there is no “normal” we can return to. We must recreate ourselves based on a new psycho-spiritual value structure and a new openness to the future. If we have the courage to look into the causes of the apocalypse and the meaning of the darkness it unveils, we will begin to see a path for change.
—from Facing the Apocalypse: A Call for Outrageous Courage, Love, and Compassion by Bud Harris PhD

art credit: An Eruption of Vesuvius, seen from Portici, Joseph Wright

01/02/2026

It will all be OK...¡Arriba y Adelante!
✨️💛✨️

10/19/2025

I have seen more than one person sacrifice his or her life to an illness rather than give up the persona of a positive attitude and take the perilous journey into grief, rage, and history. It is no easy matter to consider that our melancholy, despair, rage, and fear may be the gateways to new life, creativity, love, and awe.
—from Aging Strong by Bud Harris, PhD

art credit: Pandora, by Odilon Redon

10/18/2025

NO LONGER AVAILABLE!

🖤😼 Introducing: Count Snugglestein the Third 😼🖤
(Yes, he insists on the title. He said he earned it.)

This distinguished floof was not born — he manifested out of candle smoke and bad decisions. With a face that says “I know where the bodies are buried” and fur that looks like he was hand-woven from midnight clouds, Count Snugglestein rules the kitten room with an iron paw and a dramatic flair for the gothic.

He stares directly into your soul, not because he loves you, but because he’s assessing your worth as a minion. 🕯️
He accepts head pats only between the hours of 2 a.m. and 2:07 a.m.
He bites softly — but emotionally.

We’ve tried to tell him he’s 1 lb of fluff and nonsense.
He said, “I prefer 1 lb of darkness and deceit.”

Soon available (assuming he doesn’t ascend to a higher plane of existence first) at Animal Protective Services of Whiteville.

Bring treats. And maybe a priest. 🐾💀

10/16/2025

We are all seeking more energy in order to deal with the complexities of modern life. We can remember times when our energy levels were high and we felt “on top of the world.” The question arises: what is stealing our natural vitality and how do we get it back? Connecting to nature always nets us a way back to ourselves. Here are some of the reasons why…

When we are fortunate enough to have trees in our environment--whether they are just a few favorite ones around our homes--or whether we have a forest to visit, we can derive great benefit from sharing their space.

Did you know…
Trees can actually see, hear, taste, smell and touch? They do not have a brain, neurons or nerve cells that would allow them to experience the world as we do. However, they do have mechanisms for sending electrical signals and even produce signal molecules like dopamine, serotonin, melatonin, glutamate and other chemicals. This explains, in part, why we feel an expansion of our spirits and even a sense of deep peace and relaxation when we are in their presence. The ability to share this peace with other human beings is an important gift to cultivate, so that our natural vitality is not dissipated by stress.

While trees and plants stimulate our senses constantly, most of us never consider them as sensory beings too. To grow and survive in unpredictable conditions, trees need to sense their environment and react accordingly. Certainly, our modern life presents many unpredictable situations that we need to react to. Often, these reactions are stress inducing and result in taking us from our natural state of being. Learning to stand strong amidst the most challenging of circumstances is one of many great lesson to receive from the trees.

Botanical research has shown that trees are capable of reacting to a broad range of stimuli to include: light, smell, taste, sound, touch, moisture, temperature, gravity, oxygen and carbon dioxide. They process information, just much more slowly. What can we learn from this? Perhaps, taking more time to respond to and reduce the broad range of stimuli we humans encounter each day would help us in developing our powers of discernment. It would assist us in remembering the importance of being sensitive to each other and increasing our communication skills with both subtle and visual techniques. Becoming aware of and cultivating the wondrous gifts that we as human beings possess, makes our existence on earth truly magnificent. Our vital energy is at a peak, when we operate from this level of consciousness.

We need to remember all the ways that we as humans can commune with the guardians who are our trees. When we choose natural ways of healing and tune in to the sinusoidal waves of the AMI 850, (also found in nature), we begin to see the possibilities of greatness with the healing power of sound.

Access your vital wellness with Channel Four—Vitality. Connect to the resonance of your subtle bodies with Channel Fourteen—Energy Body Nutrition and keep your energy flowing with Vibrant Body Nutrition—Channel Eighteen. Be the most vibrant tree in your forest!

10/12/2025

In this pragmatic world we live in, the wisdom of our emotions is usually discounted, and we are instructed to avoid our emotions whenever we are making important decisions. Repressing our emotions then causes us to develop an inauthentic persona as well as a distorted value system. Being determined to control our emotions and our bodies also diminishes the connection to our heart and isolates us in our heads.
—from Aging Strong, by Bud Harris, PhD

art credit: Age Of Wisdom by Alphonse Mucha