AODA Curriculum draft.

 Before all my time and energy is taken up by a new job next week... let's make progress towards what I made sacred vows to complete, yeah?

1. Apply for mentorship. I carefully filled out the survey and sent it in - I could definitely use some support, and am glad this program exists.

2. Earth Path Knowledge - I'm going to list the books below (I chose 12, just in case a few are rejected) so that I can more effectively enter them into the form. 

Title: Ice Age Floods - Driving Guides for the Willamette Valley, Clackamas County and the Tualatin, Sherwood area. 
Author: 3 guides in a 3-ring binder (maps)

Title: Water-efficient Plants for the Willamette Valley
Author: Oregon State University

Title: Wild in the Willamette - Exploring the Mid-Valley's Parks, Trails and Natural Areas
Authors: Lorraine Anderson, Abby P. Metzger (Oregon State University)

Title: The Climate of Oregon: from rainforest to desert
Author: Taylor, George H (Oregon State University)

Title: Bugs of Washington and Oregon
Author: Acorn, John. 

Title: Geology of Portland, OR and adjacent areas. 
Author: Trimble, Donald E.

Title: Plants and Animals of the Pacific Northwest: An illustrated guide to the natural history of Western Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. 
Author: Kozloff, Eugene N. 

Title: Trees to know in Oregon
Author: Jenson, Edward C. 

Title: Northwest Foraging: The classic guide to edible plants of the Pacific Northwest
Author: Benoliel, Doug

Title: Common Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest: British Columbia, Washington and Oregon
Author: Sept, J. Duane

Title: Amphibians of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia: A field identification guide
Author: Corkran, Charlotte C. 

Title: Beavers
Author: Gish, Melissa

Title: The Willamette River Guide: 200 Miles of Adventure from the Cascades to the Columbia
Author: Williams, Travis

Title: Birds of the Willamette Valley Region
Authors: Harry Nehls, Tom Aversa, Hal Opperman

Title: Lewis and Clark meet Oregon's forests - A lesson in dynamic nature
Authors: Gail Wells, Dawn Anzinger (Oregon State University)

3. Lifestyle Changes - listing 3 here, in order to give back to the Earth. 

a. Making sure that all of our family's food waste is properly composted. 
b. No longer buying any single-serve beverages in plastic bottles - replaced with stainless steel refillable water bottles in car, and in emergency, buying water in glass bottles. 
c. Buying at least 50% of the family's food from a farmer's market, with the majority of the rest of our food organic. 
d. STRETCH GOAL - No longer using disposable to-go cups from local coffee shops. Planning on offering own cup to vendors where possible, hoping that for-here cups return soon. 

4. Tree planting. My mother-in-law offered me the chance to plant one or two trees on her property - you know what, I will write an email to her now and see if that is still on offer, and if we could do it in a few week's time. I've been thinking on it and I believe I am ready to go up and visit again. If nothing else... I'd like to spend time with the people I care about as much as is possible. OK, the email is sent. I'll write on this form that I will be planting an evergreen tree on my mother-in-law's property, which I visit regularly (thankfully, this is almost certainly going to remain true). 

5. Bardic Curriculum - brief description of what I will pursue in the culinary arts

a. Every week, purchase local produce that is in season at the local farmer's market and prepare it for the family. Farmer's market food, locally produced and organic, will make up 50%+ of the family's diet. 
b. Learn and demonstrate basic competency in "elemental" cooking: Air (bread baking, due to yeast rising), Fire (cooking dishes over an open flame), Water (creating soups and stews from scratch), and Earth (fermentation). 
c. Work as hard as possible to put to good use everything that comes out of the garden/off of our fruit trees. This includes making jam and applesauce, canning, and drying fruit into leather, as well as making connections with local food donation organizations for anything that supersedes what our family can use/preserve. 
d. Complete 75% of the recipes in the cookbook "More-With-Less Cookbook" by Doris Janzen Longacre, which focuses on how to eat well but consume less of the world's food resources.

Hopefully that will be enough. 

OK... I'll head out in the backyard to do a ritual, then go ahead and submit this. Fingers crossed no major changes will be requested. 

Daily div.

I'm going to preface this by saying that I do not think today's divination was particularly accurate at all. And, honestly, that doesn't surprise me. I sorted the cards for nearly 5 minutes yesterday and jumped on the faintest possible "signal". Usually, the cards let me know which to pick within a minute, and quite strongly too. I suspect it was because I was so emotionally and spiritually disrupted yesterday, after reading JMG's hypothesis on ADE, that I literally could not access the sensitivity necessary to "read the cards". 

I'm doing much, much better today. I kept to my vow of not checking Ecosophia for a bit. (Other news sites focus on such pointless shit, don't they? It was actually a relief...) I decided that I was going to pour my emotions about the post into two directions: first, continuing to do whatever preparations I can for difficult times ahead, and second, in making sure that I spend as much time as possible with everyone I love who is willing to see me. After all, what's really changed? Who's to say that anyone and everyone I know won't just be hit by a bus, or contract cancer? None shall know the hour. I reached out to my mother-in-law and asked if she would be OK with me planting a tree on her property, for my Druid curriculum. She enthusiastically said yes! Given how much we have repaired our relationship, and learned to respect each other's boundaries, I think I can be comfortable with returning to usual visits. Thank the gods. 

Also, I wrapped up unemployment and all my job hunt activities (may I not need to do that again for a while), and completed and submitted my Druid curriculum. I think I can properly move forward now with both my new job and my spiritual path. 

In summary, I'm not entirely clear what the drastic problem was I solved (The Tower), what decision fell upon me that cut off one of the other path (Justice) or what pyrrhic victory I won (5 of Spades reversed). I think I'm gonna call that a bust. 

And... here's to hoping that I have returned to form!

Me: 8 of Spades (Justice) - Reason, Fairness "bringing a fair-minded attitude will be most auspicious"

Situation: Ace of Spades REVERSED - NO focus, clarity "avoid provoking a fight"

Outcome: Queen of Hearts (The Empress) - Fertility, Responsibility to Nature "love will bring the best outcome in this matter"

OK... this seems like a better divination, tomorrow will of course tell. Interesting that I have pulled the Justice card so many times lately... well, here's a narrative. I think that I will manage to be fair-minded tomorrow in all my dealings, but that may not mean that I complete all that many tasks. I should/will conduct my actions with love and a motherly role in mind. Might have something to do with nature, too? We will see!