Tuesday, 27 May 2025

TREE HOUSE NEWS 🏡

Land of Whispering Pines 🌲

Good morning! I pray The Great Spirit be with you 🙏 🌅

"Well, it is sunny for the time being, shhhh, better not say that too loud, might scare it away, my goodness, that wouldn't be too gracious. Even the toads are looking for raincoats!" Don't worry about me, I just go through these phases, you know? You got anything against toads? 🐸 Take it up with Trump, the orange cockroach. 🪳 Too bad, I like toads; I think they're cute and adorable little buggers. That's why I would never call Trump a toad; that would be an insult to my toad friends. 🐸 🐸 🐸 Thars a toad on a lily pad holding the mic in his-her hand and a singin' "Hit The Road Jack!" And the goat in the boat, whilst playing the guitar, shouts, "Don't You Come Back No More."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSiHqxgE2d0

Not much else exciting is going on here at the moment, and up until now, which is still so relatively silent out there except for the sound of garbage truck backup beepers and the odd car going by, reminds me of the homestead. It was a small tourist establishment. Dad ran it, and it was all forest for miles all around us, and the lake. When I was sitting out there in my green space, I felt like I was back on the homestead. It is so wonderful to be able to sit out there again, in the cool but not cold morning air, watch the sun come up, and listen to the birds coming to life. 🦜 That is about all there is to report from the Newsroom this morning.

TODAY'S DISCUSSION:

~THE GREAT SPIRIT~

- Google Search -

The "Great Spirit" is a concept found in many indigenous belief systems, representing a divine or unifying force that guides and connects all things. Guidance from the Great Spirit is sought through various practices, including prayer, meditation, and nature immersion, and can be felt as a sense of direction, wisdom, or understanding.

Concept:

The Great Spirit is often viewed as the Creator, the source of all life, or the all-encompassing divine force. It's a unifying principle that connects the natural world, humans, and the spiritual realm.

Seeking guidance:
How Guidance Manifests:
Connecting with the Great Spirit:
Respect and Gratitude:

Native Americans believed that there was a force that ruled nature. Using the pipe as a means of connecting with the great spirit, they would seek guidance from Mother Earth, the Four directions, and the Great Spirit above, to direct their course to a proper resolution of their problems.

In Indigenous culture, sweetgrass symbolizes, healing, peace, and connection to Mother Earth. It is often referred to as the "hair of Mother Earth" and is used in smudging and other ceremonies to purify, cleanse, and bring a sense of well-being.

*In many Native American cultures, ceremonial tobacco use* is a deeply spiritual practice, used for prayer, healing, and communication with the spirit world. Tobacco is often considered a sacred gift and is used in various ceremonies, rituals, and offerings to the Creator, Earth, and ancestors.

Note: There is as broad a concept of spirituality as the world of Quanta, which I posted about in the May 26, 2025, Discussion in the TREE HOUSE NEWS 🏡(Thought in a Quantum System)

When I did my amends Step 9 in the AA Program, I chose the Native American cultures, ceremonial tobacco use ritual, except I wrote my amends and/or apology on a piece of paper, to those I would never see again. I would fold the paper, put it in an envelope, ✉️ like I would to mail a letter, and then burn it in a fireproof container. That was my way of sending a prayer to whichever departed spirit or to those who've simply got lost in the fog of time.

When I left my hometown, I didn't owe anyone anything, in the physical or spiritual world. I went in peace and built another life for myself, I look back, and I see a living rainbow. 🌈 Retaining only those memories, the precious, happy, and simple ones, like those with the flowers 🌸 and bees 🐝 in the field. That's what's important, because the other stuff was just a bucket of sh-t, 🪣 💩 much of which was brought on by our own choices. The good part is that, personally, I learned from it. I learned what not to do after a few bruised shinbones. Otherwise, none of it is worth saving any more than trying to contain a fart in a woolen mitt.

Except for the lessons learned, that was all that was worth remembering; after that, it wasn't worth a pot of beans, and I simply changed into new jeans and went to New Orleans. 😆

BREAKING NEWS:

Trump administration moves to cancel all remaining federal contracts with Harvard

The White House is directing federal agencies to cancel all remaining contracts with Harvard University – about $100 million in all, two senior Trump administration officials told CNN – the latest barb against the school as it refuses to bend to the White House’s barrage of policy demands amid a broader politically charged assault on US colleges.

“We recommend that your agency terminate for convenience each contract that it determines has failed to meet its standards,” reads a Tuesday letter to procurement executives from General Services Administration official Josh Gruenbaum, who also signed an April letter to Harvard with a series of demands on governance and curriculum the school rejected.

The New York Times first reported the latest planned cuts, which come on top of $2.65 billion in recent federal cuts to Harvard. The White House announced nearly two months ago it was reviewing about $9 billion in contracts and grant commitments the government had pledged to pay to Harvard over several years.

Updated May 27, 2025, 10:16 AM ET

PUBLISHED May 27, 2025, 7:48 AM ET - CNN -

Just too much happening to fit it all in, I will post the headlines and the source only.

Five dead and six missing after huge blast rocks Chinese chemical plant

Updated 10:07 AM EDT, Tue May 27, 2025 - CNN -

Canadians are boycotting the US. Are American travelers still welcome in Canada?

Published 6:00 AM EDT, Tue May 27, 2025 - CNN -

2 killed, 9 injured in mass shooting at a Philadelphia park

Two people were killed and nine others injured in a mass shooting Monday night in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, authorities said.

The gunfire erupted around 10:27 p.m., Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said during a news conference. The victims killed were an adult man and an adult woman, Bethel said. Three teenagers, ages 15, 16 and 17, are among the injured...

Updated May 27, 2025, 2:47 AM ET

PUBLISHED May 27, 2025, 2:22 AM ET - CNN -

CANADIAN NEWS:

King Charles about to deliver throne speech at Senate after horse-drawn carriage ride through Ottawa

Today marks the 3rd time the monarch reads the throne speech

The Latest:

King Charles will soon read the speech from the throne, making it the third time the monarch does so. His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, delivered the speech in Parliament in 1957 and 1977.
The King inspected the guard after receiving a royal salute and a guard of honour from the Royal Canadian Regiment; he is the unit’s commander-in-chief.
The King and Queen Camilla travelled through downtown Ottawa in a horse-drawn carriage on their way to the Senate.
Prime Minister Mark Carney invited Charles to visit Canada to give the speech amid sovereignty threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Read More:

May 27, 2025 Updated19 minutes ago: - CBC -

**Separatists say Alberta's culture is rooted in traditional values. Many say those values don't define them**

Not all Albertans feel included by separatist attempt to define a culture distinct from the rest of Canada

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said earlier this month that if Alberta were to separate from Canada, it would first have to define itself as a nation with a distinct culture.

"I am not certain that oil and gas qualifies to define a culture," Blanchet quipped at a media conference.

Alberta separatists are trying to make the case that Alberta, like Quebec, does have a culture that's distinct from the rest of Canada — one rooted in traditional conservative values. But recent polling, and many people living in Alberta, paint a more complicated picture.

Read More:

Posted: May 27, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 21 minutes ago

- CBC -

NATURE'S SOUNDS AND MUSIC TO SOOTH THE SOUL