Do we not see the sadness that engulfs that manifests in the dark brooding clouds? Do we not feel the trembling that vibrates from deep within the earth? Are we blind to the pain that dwells deep in the heart of our mother?

The birds no longer sing and the sun tries in vain to cast its warmth yet we are oblivious to our mother’s pain. We do not hear her anguished sobbing because we are too busy seeking wealth through the loss of our compassion. We only seek our personal survival at the cost of life.

Today I noticed dark clouds constantly blanking out the sun. Today I saw the eternal battle that is taking place around me and I remembered the mother of life. Through claps of thunder and violent strikes of lightening I felt the tears of Mother Earth streaming down from the skies beating against misted windows. She was crying at the hopelessness that fogs all sense of reality. She was crying because we have given up. But, today I felt her profound sadness as I looked into the heavens.

All we care about is the now at the expense of the future. Do not let her tears be in vain – do not let ourselves be drowned in her tears. Make tomorrow the day of sunshine and open our windows with renewed hope. Allow her tears to wash away the greed and selfishness that we have become so complacent too.

The earth is our true Mother and she has suffered long enough. Give her the respect and love she deserves and celebrate our birth. We were born from her sacred womb and now we must allow her tears to be of joy as she regains her fertility. Let the compassion of humanity overcome the darkness of our hearts as we strive to correct our wrongs.

The next time you feel the wetness of her tears on your cheeks remember who and what we are. Recognise our destiny for the rain is just our mother crying…shedding tears for her children.

Unfettered and alone the samurai journey’s - seeking his destiny to serve, the samurai comes upon an isolated stream deep in an unknown forest. For here he finds the alluring sound of water cascading in a relentless flow. After bathing in its cool refreshing waters the enemy that stalks his soul manifests in the questions of the heart. It is the enemy that constantly tugs at his conscience, the enemy that lives deep within.

In mokuso he hears the forest talks through its denizens of nature. He gains strength as countless sounds of nature echo through the trees carried on the breeze of the earth’s breath. They reassure and feed the hunger that drives him on his eternal journey of life. It is a time to reflect and relive the glorious battles of life.

His battles have intertwined with many. Some have been good and others have left their scars. These are the battles that fire the heart and forge friendships and lasting memories. With every battle, even those that have been victorious they have taken another little piece of him. This is the burden that he will constantly bear on his never-ending journey on the twisting road of life.

But today he will rest, relax and finish the way of misogi. For, within the spray of the waterfall he will draw his sword to complete the trial of spiritual cleansing. He becomes one with himself and makes a cut – a cut with absolute precision that separates the air. With each cut a demon from within falls. Each demon is a manifestation of his inner self that can only be banished through regular cuts of the sword made with perfection, commitment and from the heart. The cut demons disperse in a shower of swirling light as the sword cuts the air.

Tonight he will sleep under the stars knowing he has performed the ritual of cleansing to grant him peace for another day. Tomorrow the lone samurai will continue on his journey, leaving behind the legacy of peace and harmony for others to experience. He has an even stronger understanding of his destiny to serve with honour and compassion.

Awaken the “samurai” that dwells within us as we too each have a destiny to follow. It is a destiny to serve, to protect and to achieve enlightenment. Do not be afraid of the path that has been created by those who have travelled before us. Walk with a humbleness and face the encounters with our inner enemies with a profound courage to provide an even safer path for those that follow. This is the way of the samurai…

How many times have we retired for the night, tired and sleepy when an unexplainable feeling of dread suddenly overcomes us? Perhaps, half asleep we are awoken by unidentifiable sounds emanating from deep in our subconscious. We may dismiss it as a bad dream or our wild imagination but something just doesn’t feel right.

Eventually drifting into a deep sleep which actually doesn’t last long that eerie sensation returns. Feeling a bit disturbed we open our eyes, unsure of what they may witness, they close again as we will ourselves to sleep again.

The nest day a kind of determination drives us to find an answer to the strange feeling experienced during the previous nights. A search is made of the dwelling, from the top to the bottom and nothing is found! In fact the day seems to conclude that we indeed, had a bad dream which now makes us feel foolish. Soon the events of the past nights are “forgotten”, buried deep – so deep that we have no desire for them to resurface.

Then, this particular night your up late for some reason – perhaps deeply engrossed in a book, oblivious to your surroundings when suddenly your startled by yet again that familiar scratching but this time accompanied by movement. You glance at the ceiling, recovering quickly from the initial fear but now overwhelmed by an instinctive drive to discover the mystery sound. With the hairs on back raised and an unaccustomed shiver you grab a chair and place it under the attic door. A short but frantic search finds a flashlight and then you gingerly open the “trap-door”. Ones imagination is running wild as you peer gingerly into crack of the door which is followed by a shuffling sound. “What the heck is hiding up there” you ask yourself. The ray of light from the flashlight searches the dark recesses for the elusive “being”. On the verge of giving up you glance a shadow dive into a dark corner, with pounding heart your eyes focus as you come face to face with your mysterious guest in the attic. What you see is a denizen from hell as two glowing red orbs glare at you….

As the beam of light catches the elusive creature it make a dash, startled by its reaction you loose you footing and slip of the chair. Now angry with yourself you regain your composure and slam opens the attic door to be confronted by one of nature’s most dangerous creatures. An animal so vicious that one is advised to avoid it at all costs! Its teeth bared and with a demonic cry it moves with great bounds into shadows. Driven by your own anger and self-preservation you follow the animal in the glare of your torch but this only serves to drive it more insane.

Suddenly, you realize your adrenalin has expired and you retire downstairs for a drop of liquid courage and to call in the professionals. Swallowing with huge gulps directly from the bottle you finally have the courage to dial the emergency number. Seconds later you hear the reassuring voice of the emergency services and gasping for breath you stutter the words that you have a giant man-eating hairy squirrel lurking in the recesses of the loft. A squirrel, so vicious and trained in the deadly arts of killing, that you are forced to call in the professionals.

You wait for what seems like long torturous hours until finally a SWAT team of Squirrel hunters screech to a half in your drive. Their eerie black uniforms veiling their faces so the creature will not recognise individuals in the event of its escape, they silently take up positions. You open the door with great relief and beckon them to the stairs and point gingerly to the attic door. The leader whispers for you to return downstairs as he guides his team.

The sullen silence is suddenly shattered by flashing lights and automatic gunfire. Soon the yelling and noise stops and the SWAT team hurry past you with a black sack secured by titanium steel chains. The bag itself seems to be alive as members of the team prod it with 50k voltage poles which seem to have no effect.

Just as silently the Team quickly disappear into the night and with an inner peace you lock up behind and tread briskly upstairs. Tonight you realize that you will be able to sleep in relative comfort. No more nightmares!

Beware of the scratching in the attic!!!!

Due to the climate changes the jungle in the backyard has become extinct of its natural life forms. The creatures that once habited the once lush primeval landscape of my yard seem to have disappeared into annals of time and perhaps will never be seen again. However a strange phenomenon has been witnessed – strange mystical designs have appeared which I believe are know as crop circles. Neighbours have reported seeing luminescence glowing orbs of light hovering just above the ground in the middle of the night but for some reason are refusing to testify to the facts. It could also be a coincidence that the neighbours’ cats have been vanishing at an alarming rate. I regret to say that I have been unable to maintain a regular report of the condition of my backyard due to a local government clampdown on all unnatural activities that have so far taken place...

Upon research over the internet I have discovered that this is a world wide phenomenon affecting the backyards of every suburbia of every city, town and village. In many cases there have been tentacle like creatures which have invaded many yards, enticing the unwary to stray into their midst never to be seen again. These living organisms show no mercy and this has also led to a multitude of conspiracy theories. Some say that these are a more of alien life with intentions to invade the earth. Others say that it is the alter ego of our “Mother Earth”, stripped of her natural resources now gaining vengeance by devouring anything that inadvertently steps to close. Some even believe that this is all part of the natural evolution of the eco-system that we are part off.

What ever the reasons, it goes without saying that it is vitally important that we maintain the condition of our yards and be aware of even the minuscule of change. Ensure that unusual looking growth is quickly suppressed. For those with spiritual inclinations you may find it beneficial to strip naked and sit cross-legged in deep meditation for 90 minutes every other night in the middle of your yard. Apparently this allows for a balance of nature to be reached without ill-effects. Dedicated followers of this method are welcomed to post snap-shots of themselves on their blog sites to encourage others to join them.

The mysteries that surround the backyards of the world will never be clear but as long as we have backyards we must be prepared to face the unexpected. If anyone has more insight into this weird phenomena then please share your views and thoughts.