meet me in the garden

on august 12 2009
HOPE community garden
rocked us and cradled us
as we let the stories fly
the drums beat
the paint brushes blend
and the hearts meet




at four o'clock the circle began to form
the drums were the first to arrive
the alter in the center
by the fire was second
the food was third
the technical staff were fourth
the dogs and children were fifth
home sweet home
people in parks
this is were we do business
community building
learning teaching eating meeting weaving threading listening caring sharing hearing playing swinging gardening and being heard
gentle and sweet
roaring and celebrating what is
precious in this world
supported by the plant beings
called together by the ancestors
we were 50 people strong
at least and growing
people joining us
the movement of a park
the safety of a circle
the call of the drum



downtown toronto
the rainbow of faces
the union of ages
the four colours represented
shades and tones in every colour
the four directions represented
how many languages
the universal languages of art and music
the universal language of the circle and stone





woven together by stories
supported in the web of spider
the medicine of a park
has the power to heal a city
trees plants people animals united in green and free to sit on a bench and dream
blue sky over head and clouds telling about the things they have seen







This was the first time I felt the confidence to smudge!
Can you believe it?
The circle was so large and here I was smudging the entire bunch!
Never before had I smudged at a circle.
In this I was supported by ancestors and spirits.
They suggested I do it.
and I did it.
and it was good.
what a wonderful idea.
I was safe and it made us safe.
bound us together and cleared the space for magic.
Everyone had the floor.
All voices were heard.
I was impressed.
We went around the entire circle
and we were all present.
we listened to each other.
we played together.
we told each other our secrets.







this took a year.
We have been weaving a web
and building a community and making a safe space for stories to blossom.
and a place for people to meet.
The question we ask is,
"What is your connection land?"
This circle in the park answers this question in a bold and clear way.
this is our home.




We are a intricate part in all ecosystems. This is our sacred family.
We are trees. We are plants.
We are soil. We are bugs.
We are land.
We are reflected in all.
Our bones are the land.
our water is pulled on by the moon. our breath sounds like the crashing waves and whispering wind in leaves.
that's why we like to sit in parks
and garden together.


that's why we long for the great outdoors.
That's why we want to share stories about the lands we come from.
we are the land
we are the stars
this makes us cosmic beings.
this makes us nature.
this means we are NOT money making wage slaves tax paying
planet stomping suit wearing zombies
we are life
we are 14 billion years of evolution
we are the awakened universe
we are self reflective consciousness
web at dawn
came upon a web that was made during the drumming and the painting
signs of spider are alive everywhere
she calls to me
loud are clear
building her web on my bike
sliding down the wall behind me
making her webs in the corners I sweep. I leave her home and feel safe.




thank you hope garden
thank you friends
the feeling in the morning was one of new clear energy
love warmth creativity
the best the two legged beings have to offer
go to the parks
bring a drum
bring a blanket
make the parks safe for creation and fun
this is our home
this is our place of business
hold a circle
pass a stone
and have some fun
thank you for tolerating my erratic period and punctuation!

weaving webs on wednesdays

i love this process!
may I share a secret?
my heart is a flutter.
I absolutely love this project.
I want to make art with the community.
all our voices will be heard.
all of our ideas will have an integral part in the finished project.
spider allowed us a glimpse of the web on Wednesday Sept 23rd.
Five of us watched, listened, shared, and worked.
we woven and we woven.
and it is going to work!
I am so excited for web that we are weaving.
We came up with wonderful ideas for the installation, for the film and for the process.
spider medicine is alive and well.
her web holds us up and supports our stories.
layer upon layer
each thread woven fine and intricate
the year has been a wild woven ride
and this next one predicts to be all about the detail and gentle stitches.
Thank you in the ancestors that support us and guide us.

the eye of the storm

....meet me in the garden

where spirit walks softly....
-drew dellinger
from the poem angels and ancestors

we are in crisis
whether the sun is shining or the rain is falling
the planet
is in drought
the oceans are rising
species are going extinct
at a crazy fast rate
people are kept busy and broke
time and money dictate our lives
we are out of touch with our own quiet voice
that's why we meet in the garden
and sit face to face in a circle
and we listen
on July 22 2009 we sat in HOPE garden and listened
we were the quiet in an ocean of noise
people were in motion
in and out of the circle
i call this our haywire circle
a tablesaw to the west
a tablesaw to the east
fire engines and sirens screaming hell fire a block away
helicopters sending in the distractions
i have been warned about you
dogs yelling
the circle was situated too close to the picnic table
mini burgers and carrot sticks were a hot commodity
Brianna told a story about finding the quiet in the midst of chaos
just as she spoke those words
the sirens were screaming
i started to compare this circle to the last
but this circle spoke of miracles
you and me
a grandmother's dreams about fish
that predict the birth of her grandchildren
miracles
this circle was the reminder that we are the anchor
in this time of fracture
in this time of disconnection
we are the quiet
be the quiet
in the storm that is raging around us
be the peace

arm in arm
shoulder to shoulder
knee to knee
in a circle we find peace
in a circle we find relief
join us in august to celebrate this shape
and celebrate art
and celebrate our stories
and celebrate the drum
quiet in numbers

paradigm shift

this was a moment of alignment
shawn setting audio and mics up at 4 pm
kai'enne and I arrived with food at 4:30pm
circle starts at five pm
i have no idea how many people are coming to the first circle in the garden
12, 15, 18, 20
people begin arriving
norman perrin storyteller extraordinaire arrives first
the sketch crowd shows up like a parade
bikes, dogs, pasta salad, voices, and spirit
we mix and mingle
snack on food
sue cohen and the gardeners from the sketch garden project
honour the circle with their first head of broccoli!
we all ate a piece and shared in the bounty of HOPE community garden
people are still arriving
we begin to form our circle at 5:30
there are about 18 of us filling out the circle
just as we begin to introduce the project and structure of the circle
POR AMOR with their youth from East Scarborough
march across the park towards
coming from the south 14 people strong
beautiful faces lit up with expectations, stories, poems, and fun
they traveled a long ways on the TTC to join the circle
a journey from the east and the north to the south and west
feet, bus, train, bus, feet
and back again.
braved it to the city
we make our circle bigger
30 people strong
spider medicine
microphones
new faces
old faces
we pass the spider stone and we introduce ourselves
we then stand up and play a game of passing a stone and clapping our hands
connecting ourselves and creating the circle
norman then graces us with his magical storytelling talents
he takes us around the world and back again
thailand, africa, canada, armenia, spiral garden, africa, thailand, india, canada
norman charmed us and filled us with the power to tell stories of our own
with his flutes and his spiralling way with words
he let stories tap him on the shoulder and demand that they be told
our circle was a feast
rich like dark chocolate and mountains of gold
but better and more life sustaining
like a heaping bowl of brown rice and steamed greens
kai'enne sang us a song of epic proportions
she tamed us and made wild with her harmonies and poetics
stories came to us from somalia through the centuries
stories about feathers and dreams, yellow birds and dancing lions, gurus and wise children
the drum was introduced
ten djembes from the back of tanika's car
women leading the circle and singing about community love
two gentlemen couldn't wrap their minds around this
their egos fighting the female heartbeat
claiming there was a power struggle in the circle
woman can't teach the drum
you need a drum chief one of them claimed....I'm a drum chief...get yourself a drum chief
the shifting paradigm
welcome to the new world order
Community Love
growing gardens, growing community
nourishing and nurturing
don't get me wrong the circle was supported and strong with quiet male energy
but we did witness full on the anger and fear of the male ego
because he wasn't in the driver's seat
both of these people stumbled upon the circle and joined in and tried to control the flow
but we were there to listen and to share
not to be dictated too or preached too
the paradigm shift is happening in your parks and out your front door
we are sitting in circle and we are linking arms and tales and tails
and we are growing strong through spider medicine
through community love
with food
with stories
with song
with drums
with flutes
with you
with me

a walk in the park with Andrew McMartin from the PINE project

on june 29 eight of us walked in high park
spending time with our beloved
the earth
we braved the thunder and the rain
and we found ourselves in a fragrant green alive sanctuary
we thanked ourselves for taking ourselves from the couch to garden
We made music with Japanese knotweed
wind pipes
we stung ourselves with stinging nettle and cured the sting with burdock
they grow side by side
nature is so smart
sting nettle has a bad rap
it is delicious in omelets...be sure to blanch it before eating
drop the leaves in boiling water to take away the stingers
it makes a great tea
it can sooth your aching arthritis
it can do more
i am still learning
we tasted burdock
too bitter for most
but the baby loved it
she hasn't been spoiled by sugar
we counted ten baby wood ducks
so small and light they could sit on lily pads
a swan wanted bread
a swan on her nest
we hope her eggs are still incubating
we were shown a secret redwood tree growing by the pond
brought here from the west
watch out!
loads of poison ivy in the park
but growing right next door is jewel weed
the antidote
nature is so smart
evolved
before eating anything in the park make sure you can identify the plant in three ways
by the leaves
the shape of the stock
the way the leaves grow out of the stock
the veins in the leaves
the flowers! this can be the best way to identify a plant
be aware many plants have a twin that often aren't edible
there are walks like these happening in the park
take advantage of the fun
and take yourself for a walk
spend time with your beloved
fall in love
you are a genius at falling in love
for more nature love check out
http://www.pineproject.org/
http://www.highpark.org/nature.htm

time space foam

this past weekend was pride in toronto
queer pride
I was at a conference
a man named Brian Swimme was giving a talk
friday night and saturday until 6 pm
I was a little disappointed that I had agreed to go
I was missing out on the beer garden and roller derby halftime show
my girl was wearing short shorts, tall socks and getting sweaty
I was the av girl in a dark auditorium at u of t
but I agreed to go
Ed O'Sullivan thought it was a good idea that I be there
and if Ed or Eimear or Jeannette or Leslie
think it is a good idea
I tend to listen
I have been blessed with mentors
abundant
mentors awakened
and in this dark auditorium in downtown toronto
I was once again in the right spot at the right time
pride
evolution
i was given the language to the knowledge that I already possess in my bones and blood
i have always known the truth
i just didn't know the words in english
i wasn't taught in grade 8 that science is our entry point into the divine
i dropped biology as soon as possible
memory games and facts left me bored and depressed
we really are made of star dust
the hydrogen that was created during the first star that exploded to make our universe is in us
cosmology
we are 15 billion years of knowledge in the making
we are the evolution of a being in process
on monday i woke to the words
"frothing forth" running through my mind
this is a scientific term to describe life becoming in our universe
life is constantly frothing forth
frothing forth frothing forth frothing forth
on tuesday i woke up with clear insight into the depth of this process
in all of our backyards and all of our composts life is frothing forth
in each second life evolves and multiples
my head was filled with the balance of a rainbow burst forth from a garden and the darkness that is our universe....the void...the quiet...the abundant
this is who we are
on wednesday i woke up with the words
"planetize the movement" running through my head
this is a quote from Martin Luther King
brought to me through the poetry of drew dellinger
this morning
July 9th I woke up sobbing
I was weeping for the mass extinction of species
the holocaust
the genocide
20,000 species go extinct each year
this is our doing
humans have become a geological force
this will still be big news in 5 million years
waking up is hard to do
be the change
it won't be easy
you will have to stick to the hard road
but at least if your grand kids asked you what you did
you can say
you ran in the streets and yelled fire
you changed your way of speaking
from resource to relative
from resource to source
from animal to friend to brother to sister
from plant to grandmother
from sun to grandfather
from moon to grandmother
we are all related
give thanks have gratitude
thank yourself
love yourself
have patience

High Park Discovery walk with Andrew McMartin

Next Spoonful Gathering
High Park Discovery Walk
Monday June 29th
6 pm until dark
meet at the High Park Subway Stop
High Park Ave Exit

find out secrets of the park
natural dyes
edibles
medicines
tools
animal tracks
life in the city

there is a lot more to the story

stories and art
reconnecting with land and each other
this is how we will find our way through the pain
stories and art saved my life
stories and art taught me how to be
stories and art changed me
this is what the fourteenth circle was all about
we also touched on death, being indigenous, ancestors, connection to place,
memory, the guilt that we carry through our ancestors, the longing for connection to land,
patterns in history and cultures.....you will find the truth in the patterns.
patterns don't lie
it is wonderful to sit in circle and have the space to discuss these kinds of things.
it is inspiring and invigorating to make a film with people
this is what I love....collaboration, teamwork, and brainstorming
fitting our stories together
finding the thread that weaves our stories side by side
this is how we are going to make it through the next few years
through the awakening
through the crisis

together

with compassion in one hand and insight into our radical interdependence with all phenomena in the other hand
these are our tools
I would also like laughter, creativity, innovation, and courage in my toolbox
we are in training
body mind and spirit
hear the call
begin to exit and open your eyes
join the movement for life
for change
for love
for light
you are powerful
you are divine
hear the call
answer the call

finding the threads

we are hanging by a frail thread
all life is threatened
we are here in the future
where we drink water full of pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and jet fuel
our food is engineered and we are distracted to the point of exhaustion
we have created hell on earth.
it is our creation
and we can unmake it.
this is good news
the other good news is that we are here together
with each circle that we hold I become aware of the importance of sharing our stories
sharing our dreams
facing our pain together
creating art and beauty together
speaking from our hearts
loving ourselves
finding joy and success in the simplest actions
taking action
it is time to share our dreams and sounds
we are in the beginning
and in the beginning there was darkness
the first creation was sound
make some noise
and listen
this is scary for me
my voice is scary to me
will it crack, will it go off key, will they laugh at my tone and tonelessness?
i know that I will feel stronger if I start to use my voice
this comes at the same time that I am learning to be a more attentive listener
funny how that happens
two sides of the same coin
listening and sounding
both are hard and both are calling
a spoonful of honey grows with each week.
the film and installation are finding their shape
we are finding the thread that weaves through all our stories
we share
we will begin in darkness and end in darkness
the power of art to make change and give voice to the people
is empowering and exciting
join the circle
listen to your elders
listen to yourself

the truth about youth

Thank you all who joined us last night in the park and at Charles Street Video.
It was an evening of spinning webs.
grounded and supported by water and earth.
We sat in circle in Trinity Bellwoods park with Garrison creek rushing underneath.
Hidden in a concrete pipe but still flowing with life and light.
We were a group of young people joined for a quick 20 minutes by Ron Cook.
He was on his way to laughtercize. He is in a class with seven women.
In his words....
"I guess men don't know how to cry and men don't know how to laugh!" He is the change.
He spoke about the strength and creativity of the young people today.
The ones who have returned and are returning to the planet to help human life elevate and enlighten at this crucial hour.

The wisdom that was in the circle last night was humbling and courageous.
It was strength and creativity in action.
The circle of youth was a circle of love and respect for all our relations.

The youth are awake.
we are awake. we are living the change. being change.

It you have a question ask a young person.
They will have an answer.
the younger you go the more honest your answer.

after this calming and invigorating circle in the park we moved to Charles street video,
where we watched ourselves clown around and embrace the structure of clowning.
I have to say that it is awesome to sit with people and watch footage together.
To pick out great moments and begin to build the film.
My great fear is that it is boring...perhaps it is a bit boring but it mainly it is fun.
It is action. It is the process.
and this is what I love.
the snacks are good too!
our film is taking shape.
It's just a baby.
we have a year and more to nurture it, build it, weave it, and blow life into it.
in art and love
we are rich and wild
chi meegwitch
a spoonful of honey

pollination for the nation hat weekend

garden hat with leslie, justyna, and hazel
butterflies, hands, and hat
bat hat with amiee
kai'enne, hairdryer, and hat
bat

detail of spoonful of collage

next circle june third

circle number 13
June 3, 2009
6 pm to 9 pm
meet in Trinity Bellwoods at the front gates
790 Queen Street West at 6 pm
map:

http://maps.google.ca/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=790+Queen+St+W,+Toronto,+ON&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=ca&ei=6zQMSvTjLJC6M-nN9MUG&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1

6 to 7 in the park to open the circle with spider rock
7 to 9 at Charles Street Video 65 Bellwoods ave ( we will walk there together)

open lines of communication

the twelfth spoonful of honey was an incredible circle
We welcomed seven new participants to this twelfth circle
it has taken me a while to write about it
I have been basking in it
I was off my game on the day
I forgot a few things
Minidv tapes, codes for doors, and fire for the candle
It was a gorgeous summer day
One of our first and I suspected that people would want to stay in the park
or maybe i wanted to stay in the park?
We passed the spider stone around the circle
it went around real quick
We were all in quiet moods
words were in high demand
We all spoke about our bikes!
I thought to myself…. “what will we do if we stay in the park? No one is talking.”

I ended up asking many questions.
What are the symbols of the film?
What form will the film take?
What is this project about?
How will we represent truth, respect, love, humour, play, community, all our relations in a film, on a gallery wall, on a street corner, in our circle, or in our lives?
How do I smudge?
The answers came for my elder sisters.
The answers brought more questions.

How do you smudge?
How do you want to bring it to the circle and how do we want to smudge together?
We will do it in our own way.
It is not about how it in done out there in the world or in other cultures and ceremonies.
This is how we do it…to cleanse and support our circle and our light.

Watch the footage!
This is how we will find the film and the symbols.
in the footage.
The magic moments will appear to us all as we watch and discuss.

So we had a snack and we packed up our stuff and we made our way to
Charles Street Video where we watched 20 minutes of footage together.
At Charles street our group grew from 8 to 11.
We watched footage from January 26 2009
We heard a story about a cruel and sad father and a story called
Little me the mouse....About dreams coming true through hard work, faith, and selflessness.
Both stories featured relationships with parents.
The discussion that followed was alive and fecund.
The project felt like a spring garden after heavy rains.
The growth was wild and abundant.
Magic was in the air.

This project is based on the medicine wheel.
We are making a circular film and installation.
The timeline is a circle and our movement is a figure 8.
Inhale exhale
Masculine feminine
Individual community
Life death
Sun moon
The cross from right brain to left brain
right side to left side
East south west north
Red yellow black white
Earth air water fire
Spring summer fall winter
Morning noon evening night
Spiritual emotional physical mental
Protection nourishment growth wholeness
child youth adult elder
Seed sprout tree pine cone
Planets rotating
Bicycle wheels

We are blessed with showing up at the same time to share these ideas
The circle was blessed to receive The One Page Bible by Alexander Braun
www.theuniverse.name
This bible outlined all of these ideas
Synchronicity is beautiful
Thank you for the great discussion
And the beautiful symbols and drawings that were added to our living circle timeline.
Laughter before all
Play is the goal

next circle may 20

A Spoonful of Honey is Brought to you by the number 12, spider magic, water, circles, and rogue bees

circle number 12
may 20, 2009
6 pm to 9 pm
meet in Trinity Bellwoods at the front gates
790 Queen Street West at 6 pm
map:

http://maps.google.ca/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=790+Queen+St+W,+Toronto,+ON&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=ca&ei=6zQMSvTjLJC6M-nN9MUG&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1

6 to 7 in the park to open the circle with spider rock
7 to 9 at Charles Street Video ( we will walk there together)

• watch footage

• watch the stop motion film we made last week

• talk structure and story line

• circle time line fun time exercise

• eat cookies and drink tea

I am looking forward to sitting in circle with you in the park
These days are good days when the rain brings the green
the green brings oxygen
and the rogue bees are our mentors
loving us up
see you may 20 th in the park

pollination for the nation

calling all visual artist
we will be making stop motion painted and any medium foam baseball caps
theme is pollination
may 22, 23, and 24
from 9 am to 7 pm
we are looking for artists to decorate caps and camera operators
email me to sign up or call 416-885-7934
attached is a sample of what the hats will look like
this is a fundraiser for a spoonful of honey
and it is a celebration of pollination
be a pollinator

next circle

next circle is on may 20th at Charles Street Video
we will watch footage together and continue this process
bring you brains and bring your storms
you are the movement towards peaceful and creative living
you are the light and you are the energy

all doors open 11 11 spider medicine

at eleven eleven on may sixth in my kitchen a spider came to say hello
we had just wrapped up the eleventh circle
eleven being spider's number
the number of mastery....on our way
the number eleven says all doors are open
we made a stop motion film together
eight of us were present in human form
one in feline
and i am not sure how many in spirit
the room was full and all the doors and windows were wide open
we talked about the making of the film and what land means to each of us
what does land mean to you?
what is your connection to land?
the youthful humans said they were land.
they come from it and they will return.
I feel the same. yet I am still processing.
we listened to Mandaza an elder from Zimbabwe
he took us on a journey and we listened and brainstormed about how to animate his words.
perhaps we will open the film with his words on peace and love.
Ron Cook suggested this....open it like star trek....to go where no one has gone before...

this is a new process for me
we are embarking on a community made film....to go where no one has gone before...
I wonder what the process is
what is this project about?
where is it taking us?
why?
and then I remember that we are part of the movement towards peaceful living.
we are one of the points in the web.
from that point of light we spiral out and form many more points in the web
we have joined the movement of humans working towards peaceful living
we are optimistic, enthusiastic, we say yes, we will participate
we garden, we make art, we make music, we make food, we grow food, we listen, we play, we work, we sleep, we love, we are, we drink water, we laugh, we try our best

the truth is real

Presence.
Truth.
Humour.
Honesty.
Art.
History.
a spoonful of honey
with Stanley G Grizzle
on April 6, 2009
Thank you Eimear and Ed for the lovely hospitality and support.
15 in the south west corner is a haven in the downtown core.
This circle was blessed with four elders from three of the four directions and a ten month old baby girl.
Intergenerational storytelling from ten months to 91.
Stanley graced us with his honesty and humour.
Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters.
He spoke about truth and truth in the story.
He took us back to a time when black people, Jewish people and anyone of coloured skin lived south of Bloor Street. You wouldn't find a coloured church or Synagogue north of Bloor.
At the age of eight Stanley witnessed the violence of racism when his father came home with a knife wound from his temple to his jaw. His father had fallen asleep in his taxi cab and someone had opened the door and cut his face with a knife while he was sleeping.
The white taxi cab drivers wanted to run him out of a job. It didn't work. Stanley's daddy was the first black taxi cab driver and he had the nicest Packard on the road. No knife could scare him from a job. This horrific incident awoke the activist and the social justice organizer in Stanley. At eight he embarked on a life of change, movement, gathering people together in the labour movement, passing bills in Parliament so that black people could eat in restaurants along side their white brothers and sisters, searching for equity and justice.
Stanley is Canadian history in action. He has the jokes, accents, and songs to go along with the story.
Jazz singing kept him sane when he was drafted into the second world war.
He couldn't say enough about the wonderful parents he was blessed with.
He shared his regrets at his long periods away from his own family in the twenty years that he worked as a sleeping car porter for CPR. And how these long periods effected his wife and his children.
The presence of the circle was powerful. All who were there were there to learn, share and face each other. We were there to hear the truth and spread the truth.
Please go out and talk to your elders. Talk to the teenagers on the corner. Talk to the woman next to you on the bus. Get the stories of the people. Share your stories. Hunger for the truth. Ask the questions that are on your lips and in your chest. Demand the truth. We are not getting the truth from our TV screens, our news papers, our radios, or our history books. The truth is on the streets, on the buses, at the libraries, in the laundromats, at the corner store, in the park, on the bikes, and at the bingo halls. Ask for stories and if that doesn't work ask for memories.
We want the People's History of the World. Stories unite around the fire and over cookies.
May the truth be told.

Next circle is April 20, 2009 at Extempore Studio and Gallery in Kensington
A Spoonful of Honey presents
Benjamin Santamaria

Benjamin is a writer, journalist, poet, actor, and activist for the human rights of children. In 1997, he was appointed the first ombudsman for the children in Durango, Mexico. However, in 2002, after his life was threatened due to his activism. Benjamin fled his homeland and came to Canada as a Convention refugee. He has since been Writer-in Residence at Trent University's Champlain College, and writer-in-Exile in residence at both George Brown College and Acadia University. Through his writing, Benjamin is committed to building a bridge of understanding and support between Canadian and Latin American children.

words over action

Eimear O'Neill on the 9th Spoonful of Honey Circle:

"We had an extraordinary Youth Elder circle here Monday night with 91 year old Stanley Grizzle, author of "My Name's Not George", black labour organiser and history buff, citizenship judge, jazz singer and charmer! We got wonderful footage that will probably end up in Ottawa's archives with the rest of Stan's papers and artifacts. And we gave him the attached painting (Words Over Action) of Obama done by my son, artist Jeremy Bennison. The multi-media project will be itself an archive of elders filmed in environments that bring out what is soulful instead of just academic or staged. A Spoonful of Honey attracts a diversity of youths, elders and artists. Can't wait for the film! Editing will be done as a group project over the next two months."

a spoonful of honey

a stencil in work. the sun is shining. I have been in a heavy mood lately. I don't even listen to the radio or watch tv. It must be rubbing off on me. or is the moon? or the pressure on this poor sweet planet that we call home? how do we create relief? how do we apply a bandage or some ointment?
Are we the anchor? Am I the ointment? In my calm manner do I create a balm? Am I milk on a burn? If I quiet my mind and mediate on the pleasures and presence of life am I the ice pack? Questions for the gurus. Questions for myself. I have been a bee hive of hectic and worried energy. Stormy tummy and dark of the night furrowed brow. night terrors over money. cold sweats over gentle paces. questioning. questioning. what brings me back to calmness? meditation. exercise. community. the circle. art. action. action. action.
this is a time to act. action buddha. thank you for remembering. in the act of writing this out. I remembered. action. gentleness. surrender. tenderness. simplicity. love.
I am going to get on my bike and participate in an action. end the tar sands. RBC has invested 50 BILLION $$$$ in the tar sands. system access fees. pay us to keep your money safe.

A return to innocence

The eight spoonful of honey was a sweet affair.

Eleven of us gathered in Extempore Studio and Gallery at 60 Kensington Ave.
We gathered around the hummingbird candle like a fire pit and we listened to some sweet sweet folk music. Bob Snider graced us with his singing voice and strumming fingers. We traveled from his childhood haunts to adult views. From one side of the country to the other. Protest songs and love letters, goofy ditties and serious meditations, fall songs and spring songs, end of love and personal confessions. It was an evening of storytelling in tune to the magical sounds of guitar strings. Bob Snider is most certainly a national treasure. Thank you for blessing us with your melodies and true confessions. We giggled and we cried.

The lovely and fabulous Becky Johnson gifted us with six of her very own paper mache masks. This was a wonderful follow up to Erin Bouvey's clown circle. Becky and Erin are old clown buddies. Two weeks prior Erin told us about the six masks she made as she created her own mythology. They made their masks with their eyes closed.
Becky has a lot of stuff. Being in mood to purge and having courage to let go Becky came to the circle and gave away her masks. Good work Becky! The masks now have six new homes.

We also celebrated Ron Cooks' Birth Day! Cake and candles too! Happy Birth day circle supporter!

Upon reflection I feel that this circle is about the return to innocence. Perhaps every circle is about the return to innocence. I felt it and when Terrence said "Your songs make me feel like a child again." I had to agree. Bob Snider's songs do have the power to bring you back to the good days of grass stains and rosy cheeks. Outside until the sun goes down. "hazel bedtime!"...as my mother calls me in after an evening of bike riding and tag. Toys in the yard and chalk on the street. The small pleasures add up. A warm spring breeze, a sunny spot protected from the wind, cookies, a trip to the corner store, lying under a cherry blossom tree, honey on a spoon, a good story, a good laugh, a long and loud stretch, a nap on the beach, and the list goes on. Can you remember a simple pleasure? add it to the list and watch them add up. To have pleasure is to have presence. To have presence is to have life. This is the moment. You are beautiful. And life is sweet.
Thank you for joining us.

A Spoonful of Honey Storytelling circle April 6, 2009
Presents our oldest Elder
Stanley Grizzle
“No ordinary man,” profile of Judge Stanley Grizzle for Via Rail Magazine

A glance at Judge Stanley G. Grizzle’s shoes reveals an impressive shine. This pair happens to be smooth patent leather, but every pair he owns looks almost as glossy. It’s a habit; as a sleeping car porter back in the days of steam trains and gentlemen in soft fedoras, he guesses he shined thousands of shoes.

Now 93 years old and a judge—he was appointed to the Court of Canadian Citizenship in 1978—His Honour admits that he still owns the shoeshine kit he bought when he joined Canadian Pacific Railroad in 1940, at the age of 22. Jobs were scarce, and in those days railroads were among the few places hiring blacks. “Porters were well respected and looked up to by many in the community because they had steady employment,” Grizzle recalls in his book, My Name’s Not George: The Story of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in Canada.

For 20 years, Grizzle made up and put away the berths that typically lined either side of the sleeping-car passageway (usually 12 upper and 12 lower), and also looked after up to three more pampered passengers secluded in a private compartment. While passengers slept, he shined the shoes left under the lower berth, kept the washrooms clean and stocked with towels, mopped floors and emptied spittoons in the men’s smoking room at the end of the car.

“We needed a strong back, a sense of humour and the ability to get by with little or no sleep,” Grizzle remembers. “But the wages were steady, albeit low, and we had a chance to travel. We were busy, no question, but there was always time to ooh and aah over beautiful scenery!”

don't miss the next circle!

a taste of honey

first edit

Kai'enne and I just finished our first session of watching and editing some of the circles together! The session ended but the short film will be pulled together on Sunday.
It is wonderful to return to the circles and be reminded of what has been shared.
Have I mentioned how much I like circles?
So much truth, heart, emotion, vulnerability, openness, similarities.
I am reminded that we are a collective.
Our dreams, our thoughts, our feelings are shared.
We are constantly moving towards oneness.

To paraphrase Wahu Kaara
To begin our soul search we must exit.
We must exit to begin.
Exit the noise and go within.

into your cave.
into your dreamtime.
the void is welcoming.
my dreamtime is calling.
morning is too close.
grant writing is the task at hand.
tie me to my chair.
limit my trips to the kitchen.
snack time?

winter love

you don't have to be sagittarius to read this.

dream time, darkness, winter, meditation, gestation, slow boat, turtle's pace, sitting in circle, quiet soft steps, zoning out, playtime, deep tunnels and burrows under the earth, cozy caves and flannel sheets....bring them on and let nap time begin. We still have some time before the crocus pokes it head out of the earth. Embrace these darker days, honour your hibernation, and continue to recharge your spirit in the quiet of your cave.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "Everything is gestation and then
bringing forth," wrote poet Rainer Maria Rilke in his book
*Letters to a young Poet.*

"To let each impression and each germ of feeling come to
completion wholly in itself, in the dark, in the inexpressible, the
unconscious, beyond the reach of one's own intelligence, and await with
deep humility and patience the birth-hour of a new clarity: that alone is
living the artist's life."

I think it's also the approach you should take in the
coming weeks, Sagittarius, even if you're not an artist. As smart as you
are, there's an even greater intelligence working discreetly within you that
is more slyly brilliant and lushly visionary than your conscious mind. You
owe it to your future to let it do its work.
-free will astrology Rob Brezsny http://FreeWillAstrology.com

Thank you rob for your weekly love letters. They see me through and hold me up.

if you are patient this is what is coming....

mama d in the house

Seeing yourself in Others - The Heart of Love
the sixth circle
a spoonful of honey

We had a jam session song sharing circle.
Awesome is a word that comes to mind.
Wow! is another.

I had a crisis today.
I was worried that no one would show up for the circle.
I was worried that I needed more structure in the circle.
I was worried that we hadn't made art and I was letting people down.
I was worried that I wasn't moving fast enough.

How fast do I have to move?
Earth pace? Turtle pace? race car?
When I move faster than I am comfortable....Nothing good comes of it.

We spoke about being in the now.
The only place you are suppose to be.
I have to remind myself of this every day.
I am here and it is the right place for me in this moment.
I am not late. I'm right on time.
I am aligning myself with cosmic time so that I may run in to you by chance
by the oranges at food 4 life.
I will see you then and we will call it a coincidence.
It's synchronicity and we are on time no matter how late we are running.

We spoke about love
we spoke about being present
we sang
we smudged
We had a beautiful circle of eight joined by a ninth half way through.

I am guessing we spanned the ages of 10 to 75.
Many bloodlines came to meet in the middle of the circle.
We had endless stories and similar experiences to swap and share.
Learning that we all wag fingers at ourselves.
And bully ourselves into moving faster and ignoring our intuitions.
We are more similar than different.

refreshing and invigorating
circles are the best
drums are the heartbeat
and we are light

ShoutOuts:

Thank you Mama D for joining the circle and sharing your thoughts on ands and buts.
Thank you for your poetry of resistance.
Your wisdom, grace, and powerful voice!

wow!
the drums came out
Larry's box of rattles, tambourines, wooden fish, bananas, eggs, hand drums, flutes, and more
instruments of mass percussion ....to quote Larry
Thank you for sharing your toys and your heartbeat.

Thank you Biljana for the music, the dancing and the smudging.

Justin thank you for your patience, your amazing drumming, and for making this a truly intergenetrational storytelling circle.

Kai'enne mind blowing, consciousness raising, astounding soul music poetry.
Thank You!

Justyna thank you for your presence, drumming, energy at the end of a long day.
Thank you for meeting the youth who didn't show.
We missed your presence. We will see you next time.

Ronnie thank you for holding the circle and supporting intergenerational storytelling.
You and the fish made beautiful music.

Thank Morris for wandering in off the street, taking photos and broadening and growing this circle in a very intergenerational, multimedia, multicultural way! Wahoo!
Beautiful photos were taken.

Thank you to Gabi and Andy for sharing the Red Pepper Spectacle Arts Community Centre!
This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
Perhaps we have found a home for the circle.
We were blessed with the presence of all our spirit animals.
All our relations surrounded us and held the circle for us.

Thank you hazel for filming, being brave, and showing up. Trusting in the love of others.

i went to the so wrong church

hazel!!!!!!!!!!

so broken hearted...

i just got home and its 8

i went to the so wrong church

thot it was at trinity........behind the eaton centre

sorry- someone ffrom sketch needed directions too , so i gave him my copy and got lost

can I come to the next one?-hoping so

aand ive a story for you...

at the church-trinity- st.pauls thot it was...

there is a homeless memorial there, for those who passed away on the streets to be remembered...and people gather there monthly to commemorate..

there was a small woman all folded up in front of it sitting on blankets with a cup but she didnt seem to be panning...so i asked her if she smoked and if she wanted one, she took it and asked for a light and we made the joke of "now you gonna smoke it for me?" and then she cried a bit saying she'd been celebrating Julian's birthday, he had died in the spring two years ago...and how it felt shorter than that...

she talked about how he said he'd never leave and said she'd like to go too...and talked about how she missed him, and how she still hears his voice and feels like he's right here...i said you never know...

and we hugged and she showed me the bracelets she makes, her sparkly Jewels and even gave me two....which i tried to refuse cause i had no money...tho somehow i found a dollar to give her..but told her they were worth way more, then she said she liked my scarf...a pashmina from my sister in law from India...which i gave to her...the green was a great color on her too...we hugged a bunch more and i said i hope id get to see her again someday so i could make a better trade for the bracelets and that i hoped she kept making sparkly jewellery...

we introduced ourselves...cecelia and me, i dont know if im spelling it right, but i bet thats ok...she said she was gonna stay there all night and celebrate Julian's birthday...and i think she did

sparkly Jules...thats what i think she was saying...

her friend Brad finally came and i went away...being disappointed i missed your circle but so in awe of the beauty within us...

cecelia is beautiful

be well hazel....

sue

wash your hands after riding

I was riding the bus yesterday and I was surrounded by the insane, the sick, and the smelly. It was the smell of neglect and hospitals. I wanted to get off the bus but I didn't. I stayed and I listened. And this is what I heard....
"If only they listened to our story then things would be different. We might get the funding."
"I feel like I am on a tread mill, I get no where because I am always scurrying after money."
"I am busy and broke. It's a vicious cycle."
"I am not being heard. Pay attention to me. I'm being stalked."

...this woman was wearing black patent stiletto knee high boots and holding a massive teddy bear...she was young and attractive...she told me to keep my hands to myself after I brushed her with my mittens. She then proceed to fall on me three times as the street car stopped and started. I think she may have wanted our attention. She happened to get off at the same stop at bay and queen. We were then both waiting for the Bay street bus. She gave off a very unbalanced energy...I kept my distance. We got on the bus and rode north. I heard her talking to herself at the back of the bus. She moved to the front telling the bus and the bus driver that she was being stalked by three people on the bus. She announced that she would be getting off at 777 college street. That was my stop too! Was I one of her stalkers? I hoped she didn't notice. I could imagine her taking it the wrong way.

"I can't keep up with the pace"

"I'm burning up."
"I don't feel like me."
"There are so many untold stories."

I was not only affected by the words and voices of the people on the bus.
Blank stares, wide eyed despair, and the smell of human sweat overpowered my senses and filled my dreams.

I woke up to voices in my dreams saying over and over again, "My needs aren't being met."
It wasn't my voice. It was our collective voices. A sound track to a movie on a loop.
And I was reminded that we are one.
Those people on the bus are me and I am them.
True love is seeing myself in others.

We are all hungry to be heard, acknowledged, accepted, and gently touched.
I exist and I have needs.

This reinforces the importance of sitting in circle together.
A Spoonful of Honey Storytelling Art Project.
Is a breath of fresh air.
I am constantly being impressed and inspired by the simplicity and power of sitting in a circle.
Next comes the drum.
Next come the stories.
Next come the connections between people with vastly different origins.
Next comes the art, the action, the energy, the solidarity, the creative human energy, the community.

My tone is serious because I am serious about humour, self expression, and the acknowledgment of my brothers and sisters and our story.

at work in knowth

dustie boots and seamus at work in knowth.
learning about the megalithic mounds of ireland.
newgrange, knowth, loughcrew, dowth, tara, fourknocks.
triple spirals, burial mounds, life, death, birth, rebirth, solstice, wombs, cycles, seasons, moons, tidal pulls, menstrual periods, stars, lay lines, magnetic earth-current, sacred fires, psychic healing, rekindling indigenous spirit.

we convince by our presence - walt whitman leaves of grass

my given name

dusty boots is my given name. I am four years old. Three plus one is 31.

I wear boots. I like to walk this earth.

I am blessed to have had the clarity of vision to have joined a group of elders, medicine people, educators, artists, storytellers, and visionaries from around the world on a journey to Ireland in May 2008.
This gathering was the beginning of a movement called, Rekindling Indigenous Spirit.

Rekindling Indigenous Spirit is a movement of humans from diverse places coming together to reconnect with the land, to sit in circle, to connect with each other and to unveil the patterns of colonization that have repeated themselves through out history and around the globe.

At the time I decided to go on this trip to Ireland I was unknown to these people, I had four bucks to my name, I had just moved back home with my mother (which was wonderful but played with my ego), and I was unemployed… but I was going to Ireland. My faith and trust were strong.
Faith moves mountains and trust creates the space for magic to happen.
Spirit was with me.
I got an amazing job planting eelgrass in the ocean with marine biologist Cynthia Durance, Eimear O’Neill the coordinator of the trip and affiliate of the Transformative Learning Centre at OISE, University of Toronto, agreed to provide mentorship for me on this trip and for the project, A Spoonful of Honey. My role on the journey was to document the gathering and spend time in dialogue with the elders and educators who were in attendance. I was one of the youngest to be participating in the gathering putting intergenerational multimedia storytelling into practice. Blaze was the youngest! Thank goodness....putting intergenerational storytelling really into practice!

A Spoonful of Honey, is an intergenerational multimedia storytelling documentary film. We are in the research and development stage of the project. We have received development funding from the Interarts department of the Canada Council for the Arts.
The project brings youth and elders into storytelling and sharing circles.... but really people from all ages and places. From these circles the youth will use the art of storytelling and their chosen art form to tell their story and re-tell the stories of the elders within the structure of a film. The core question of the project is, “What is your connection to land?”

I am interested in the art of storytelling as a way to the truth.
If I am going to face the truth then I need a little honey.
“A Spoonful of Honey”
Humour is the honey and truth is the healing.
We have been meeting in circle.
Youth, elders, forty year olds, thirty year olds, twenty year olds, historians, musicians, poets, artists, filmmakers, carpenters, students, teenagers, people from all nations and cultures have been meeting in circle.
The circle is profound. Every time I sit in circle I am amazed by the simplicity of the action … people sitting in a circle together … and the profound energy and healing that is the result of sharing a sacred space like that with others.

To learn more about A Spoonful of Honey and the Rekindling Indigenous Spirit journeys please visit: www.rekindlingindigenousspirit.org