Feeding the Soul With Fire

Good and loveable Big Kittens, All... it has come to the Kougar’s attention that there is a huge need for soul recognition in our beloved world, this current life on Mother Earth ~ despite the *Chicken Soup for the Soul* series of books.
This is a deep, deep subject... one that this Big Cat will probably handle awkwardly... so she is asking for your understanding and forbearance.
Yep, baby paw steps are needed here... in this process of recognizing and tending to the soul. To the best of her ability, as *part* of her upcoming bloggies, the Kougaress will offer her own experiences, the seeing of her soul through her eyes, through all of her senses, actually... her sixth sense included.
Much, of course, has written about the soul throughout the ages... what it is, what it isn’t... does or doesn’t it exist?
This Big Cat has always known the Soul existed. One of those sacred knowings she was born with. Understanding the soul, and her soul in this world and this culture... is a whole other matter... that’s taken a long lifetime and is an ongoing work-in-progress, a never-ending novel of life.
For example ~ Feeding the Soul With Fire ~ in one of those ah-ha moments, brought about by several convergent ideas, moi realized her soul is nurtured, actually fed by fire... watching candle flames, feeling the heat of a fire in a fireplace, smelling the fragrant smoke of different woods, hearing the whispering rush of the sinuous flames as they live, consuming oxygen.
No, not surprising, given she’s an Aries. However, a fireplace with a roaring dancing blaze is not only an enjoyment, but is something much more profound... it is a sublime and fierce energy that feeds her soul. As Whitley Strieber ~ unknowncountry.com ~ put it, to paraphrase... the soul is actually another organ, one, we as a culture haven’t recognized and certainly don’t tend to.
This may be a radical thought for some, though, for this Big Cat, it rings true inside, as if every beautiful church bell is ringing, in fact. It also makes sense, given what moi has experienced in life, the result of her journey, thus far.
What else brought about this ah-ha moment? The Kougar’s author friend, Lindsay Townsend, posted a blog at HAPPILY EVER AFTER, titled ~ Time for a roaring fire ~ Here’s the opening...

“After a rainy and recession-dampened Bonfire Night in my neck of the woods, I began to think wistfully of enormous medieval fireplaces, logs cut from the woods by peasants in grubby tunics, the warm glow of a winter fire.”

Lindsay’s wonderful thoughtful blog triggered in moi something this Big Cat hadn’t known about herself, not at a *here I am* conscious level... just how much the Kougaress’ soul needs to be taken care of with fire. She needs a fireplace or maybe lots of candles. Yes, having a fireplace would mean, not merely lighting the logs and watching them crackle to life... but understanding and taking care of the hearth itself, a time-consuming chore that could become a ritual, one that also feeds the soul.
How much have we lost in our *rush here, rush there* lives where we often forego these kinds of rituals, the ones that nourish us and our soul?
It appears to the Kougar that we have lost an awareness of our soul, and that most of us are running on empty because we didn’t fill up our souls. Succinctly, we don’t know how. In fact, most of us were never taught. Instinctually, we will try to care for our sublime organ, the Soul, and many individuals are naturally good at it... yet, what do we need to know and learn about caring for our precious souls?

Here’s a poem, mentioned in Lindsay’s blog, that captivated the Kougaress, in part, because it speaks simplistically to the soul ~

The Firewood Poem

Beechwood fires are bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year,
Chestnut's only good they say,
If for logs 'tis laid away.
Make a fire of Elder tree,
Death within your house will be;
But ash new or ash old,
Is fit for a queen with crown of gold

Birch and fir logs burn too fast
Blaze up bright and do not last,
it is by the Irish said
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
Elm wood burns like churchyard mould,
E'en the very flames are cold
But ash green or ash brown
Is fit for a queen with golden crown

Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your eyes and makes you choke,
Apple wood will scent your room
Pear wood smells like flowers in bloom
Oaken logs, if dry and old
keep away the winter's cold
But ash wet or ash dry
a king shall warm his slippers by.
Notes

The firewood poem was written by Celia Congreve, is believed to be first published in THE TIMES newspaper on March 2nd 1930. ~
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/98565-Lady-Celia-Congreve-The-Firewood-Poem ~
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Authoress news and mews ~

At the Liquid Silver SEx blog ~ Finding your muse… by Gem Sivad ~ Intriguing Musings about the Muse and meet Lozen, Gem’s Apache muse.
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Now ~ FIRST! just for the big cool cats ~

Happy Courtship on another Earth

X-Serial Flash in Two Hundred ~ Sylva and Zeke’s story continues...

Part 315 ~

Sylva trembled again at the memory of her nightmare. “Hypnotic? What happened, Sylva?” Comforted by the loving hug of her cowboy, she continued, “I concentrated on blocking out the sound, and somehow it worked. You know how dreams are, you don’t always know how things work or why they work. They just do.” She paused, trying to remember more details. “Did they have stingers?” Zeke asked. “I didn’t see any. It was the sound, their eyes. Finally, I imagined being inside a huge whirlwind... being able to blow them away from me, or kill them with the force of the winds.”

Zeke mentally scowled at his own ‘sense’ of what had occurred. “Is that when you woke up, darlin’?” She shook her head ‘no’. “I escaped that area, those bee men. But then, I was flying above this enormous dry riverbed. There were cliff caves and suddenly these four bee men streaked toward me. They were bigger, stronger and looked a whole lot meaner. I don’t know where this came from, but I imagined a rainstorm pouring down on them... maybe because it’s been raining. Anyway, they couldn’t fly and dropped out of the sky.” She drew in a shaky breath.
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TO BE CONTINUED...
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Part 1 - 15 ~ see blog ~ January 15th Cometh, then Part 15... and before...
Part 16 ~ 314 ~ see the Kougar’s prior bloggies... or the Passionate Ink forum, the FREE READS page ~ http://passionateink.org/forum ~ OR! Now available on The Romance Studio Forum, January through September 2009 flashes ~ http://theromancestudio.com ~ Click on the FORUMS
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HAPPILY EVER AFTER blog ~ GRATITUDE BLOGS COMING SOON!
Saturday ~ Lindsay blogs ~Time for a roaring fire ~ “After a rainy and recession-dampened Bonfire Night in my neck of the woods, I began to think wistfully of enormous medieval fireplaces, logs cut from the woods by peasants in grubby tunics, the warm glow of a winter fire.”
Monday ~ the Kougar blogs ~ A bit of romance for the devil...
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THE PINK BLOG ~
Thursday ~ A Horse with a heart: from Francesca Prescott
He was coming down the long side of the arena the first time I saw him.
Tuesday ~ Linda Acaster: Torc of Moonlight ~ “Do we ignore the history so close beneath our feet because it is dead, or because we fear it might rise again?”
Monday ~ Chelle blogs ~ People do scary things... ~ “By scary things, I mean not nice things, dangerous things - evil even. And we writers capitalize on those nasty doings.”
Sunday ~ Keta and Tara: Joaquin's Realm
Saturday ~ HALLOWEEN FLASH FICTION
Friday ~ the Kougar blogs ~ Halloween Inspires My Wilder Nature
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SHAPESHIFTER SEDUCTIONS blog ~
Saturday ~ Paris blogs ~ Pay it Forward! ` “This has been an exciting, rewarding and crazy year!”
Friday ~ Serena blogs ~ I Only Talk To Them Out Loud When I'm By Myself... ~
“Wow, it's Friday again, time is flying by faster than I can keep up. October seems to have flown by on its multicolored broomstick.”
Thursday ~ Welcome Eva Gordon! ~ “Please welcome teacher, author and animal sanctuary volunteer, Eva Gordon.”
Wednesday ~ Crystal blogs ~ I Will Never Kill My Hero. Unless... ~ “If you saw my last post about Primeval, let me just say I’VE CHANGED MY MIND!”
Tuesday ~ the Kougar blogs ~ Are ShapeShifters Grateful? ... and Darius Speaks
Monday ~ Francesca blogs ~ Selling Myself ~ “So on Saturday (after working my shift at the library) I drove to a nearby city to visit an upscale adult store to make a purchase.”
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For the next part of the Never-Ending Story by the Kougar ~ When you see it, say ‘Rachel’ ~ “Kallyn flew faster, yet saw nothing ahead of her, except the driving sheets of rain.” ~ RomanticSynonymous ~
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Volcano’s Angelic Forecast for this week ~ Siren-BookStrand blog ~

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No! Internet Two... Resistance is victory...
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PLEASE! Darling KitKats, if you have any thought about taking the flu shot/swine flu shot, please! Read the insert first, not just the info sheet.
ALSO! *Private* contracts with the vaccine suppliers require that any deaths or injuries not be reported. Plus, all the vaccine companies are immune from being sued for injuries and death due to their vaccines.
Yes, please! Let the privileged have the Kougar’s designated flu shot.
And! DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING THE FDA TELLS YOU!
Dr. Sherri Tenpenny ~ http://drtenpenny.com/the_truth_about_the_flu_Shot.aspx ~
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Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving...
May your most romantic dreams come true...

Soul with fire kisses from the Kougar...