The Rumor Mill....

Gossip.  Gossip is a really ugly bi-product of usually, over-zealous, often erroneous and completely fallible human beings.  The habit of gossiping is seen in Eastern philosophies as a point of personal weakness and something to be actively worked upon to negate from a life that is moving toward becoming Enlightened.  It is a truly abhorrent practice that, though its been a problem since man learned to speak, gained particularly popular status during the 50's & 60's soap opera generations and gained even more fuel in the social networking, Facebook/Twitter era.  However, it is really something that should actually be nipped in the bud whenever possible.  It is a petty, small-minded practice that is usually fueled by envy, jealousy, anger or other strong, negative emotions and is rarely more than partially true.

There is a game children play called "Operator" that is often used in corporate training fields to teach the lesson of how stories get warped by consecutive tellings of said story and how, the further away from the original source the information gets, the more "facts" change. You can start out with a one-paragraph story about a little brown dog that lives outside of a big, blue house with a white picket fence who had dinner at the same time his owner did, then ran away after dinner through a hole in the fence and by the time this one little story has gone through only four tellings from person to person, the house has turned small and white, the fence is chain link, the dog is big and blue, the dinner the dog ate was his owner's dinner and the owner is the one running away from home. The fact of the matter is that people simply do not pass the exact fullness of what they hear on in the next telling of a story, ever.  Even the sharpest of memories simply doesn't retain details well enough to be the spokesperson for another's life events, if they even heard the original topic matter in full to begin with. 

For instance, when a marriage is breaking up and the husband is called a "cheating ba___" or the wife is called an "unreactive ice queen" or worse, the truth of the matter is that both people - for whatever their collective reasons - have come to a truly painful place in their lives and need someone to blame and lash out at to make themselves feel better and/or justify leaving that relationship.  In any argument, the truth is never on one side or the other, but somewhere firmly in the middle of the viewpoints of the "injured" parties.  So, for one party or the other to get the entire family, town or state riled up in their own defense by villifying the other party is simply untruthful, inappropriate and unnecessarily harmful.  Even if you've fallen out of love with someone or they've done something that hurt you, that doesn't give you the right to turn around and gossip their personal reputation into the ground - especially about matters in life that should remain private.  On a path that touts, "An It Harm None!" as one of their highest guidelines for personal behavior, striking gossip off your list of things to do in life should be at the top of the list!

Private matters in life are exactly that - PRIVATE!  They aren't designed to be shared, told to others, given out to people that either aren't involved in the situation directly or have no field of understanding for the topic matter anyway.  That isn't to say that we don't deserve to get counseling or help if we need it to help us cope with difficult circumstances in life, but even counseling is supposed to be confidential.  So, honor yourself and others by allowing private matters to stay so and to have the guts and personal ethics to simply tell someone if they are stepping into a zone that is a breach of privacy.  If you know you don't need to hear something about their lives, for instance those things that some might call "TMI" or Too Much Information, say something!  Stop the one speaking and be kind enough to save them from themselves as gently as you can in their highly emotional state. 

Wisdom can tell us that rumors - especially after the third or fourth telling of the story being gossiped about - is never the truth of the matter. So rather than pass along "something you heard came from Sally that Anita told Becky from down the street about that awful guy, Phil...." either be brave enough to go to the source and ask for the truth of the matter, or better yet - have the wisdom to realize its really none of your business!

There is a teaching axim used in traditional Craft that is called the Rule of the Sphinx.  It goes like this:

"To KNOW, to DARE, to WILL, to keep SILENT,
Are the Words of the Magus,

In Order to Dare, you must Know. 

Ye must Will to possess the Empire

To Reign, ye must keep SILENT!"

That is to say, if you wish to truly Know the mysteries of the Universe, you must Dare to truly Know your whole Self without artifice or ego, first.  To Dare to Know one's own Truth, one most Will their own tongue and perceptions under control first and foremost and keep SILENT in the face of gossip, malice or confidential information.  In other words, until you're perfect and make no mistakes of your own, shut your mouth about other people's mistakes or personal, private business. 

Every path has guidelines of this sort.  The Christian faith says Jesus taught, "Let you who is without sin cast the first stone."  The Golden Rule states, "Treat others as you would be treated."  Do you wish your private business to be the fodder for the rumor mill?  No?!  Well then, refuse to be a cog in that mill for others.  Teach by example.  Learn the discipline of closing your mouth and opening your ears, mind and heart to the full truth of any matter shown to you instead of falling easy prey to falsehoods - even partial ones.  Further, extend those qualities to all concerned and if you must hear their "venting," do not judge them or the others involved without personal proof of all that you hear - and even then, determine before you go for those facts if there is truly a reason for you to know, other than your own morbid curiosity.  If there isn't a reason other than your own curiosity, gift them with their privacy and simply stay out of it!  To do otherwise only makes a fool out of you and those you harm with by fueling the rumor mill.

When new Friends come to town...

It has come to my attention that young, untrained shamans are shamans none the less.  Even the untrained can occasionally facilitate some of the finest learning experiences in life, if we're only open to that learning.  I think every person that has had gifts most or all of their lives knows the feeling of being young, strong in your abilities - sometimes to the point of being overwhelmed by them - and the Gods simply speak through these vessels at full volume for the soul with the ears to hear. 

Not that I hadn't realized it before, but the potency of it settled onto my shoulders in full about an hour ago on the gossemer wings of a golden, flower-faced barn owl.  This isn't even the first time... but try six separate "moments" with this messanger...and the help of a voice with echos of teachers of my past in her harmonies ... and voila' - I am given a new Friend.  Far more than a friend, but an answer to prayers so many I won't bother to reiterate them.  I love cosmic birthday presents!!! They ROCK!!! :D  Thanks, Mother/Father/All!!! 

It began with a walk about three months ago.  It was a full moon and an old friend of mine.  Both of us being night time people, we'd taken up the habit of taking a 1-3 mile hike on the various trails near our home town for exercise and a chance to get out in nature.  Most of them lead along the river and have many beautiful vistas to keep the walk interesting.  We had had a very deep conversation and his spiritual experiences up to that point in his life and we both agreed he would never be Wiccan.  For him, that's best both to his personal beliefs and his spiritual calling.  He had studied some, not very successfully because the path and the people and the timing weren't right.  But, he needed to express it.  So I listened.  After reassuring him that his calling was *his* to Know and his path was his to walk and that I still cared about him and his well-being, we were walking back to the car when there was a single, sharp, absolutely ringingly clear owl's cry off my right shoulder.  It was so pointed "at me" that I stopped dead in my tracks and said, "Yes, Sir?!"  A rustle of wings on wind was my only answer, but it stuck with me in dreams for weeks.

Next, Wite Rayvn Metaphysical Church of the Ozarks - ATC rolls into my life like a great big beautiful steam roller of learning, community, family and overlapping paths and bring Welsh traditions back around (for the multiple time in my life - can you say "theme"?) ... and I start reading the Mabinogi again for the many-eth time with whole new eyes, in which Blodeuwydd is a major theme, as are herbs (a love), magick, mythos, misunderstanding, rumors and everything all attached in significant places for my growth at the time they arrived.  They, in turn, got me started with Woolston-Steen Theological Seminary where the first major job I'm given is to get the Library filled and running and its symbol, this lovely library... is an Owl.  

So being a student at the school as well as the Librarian and helping with open discussions, etc., as I said at first, I'm also a student.  I wear a first year uniform and will be climbing the entire ladder of their training system.  To that end, I am in the midst of a potent class on medicine animals, so I admit being recently "attuned" in more than one manner.  I have been in Reiki training for some months now, have received several layers of blessings and attunements, along with the messages I've read in nature around me all my life.  Tuned up and blasted along my nerves with that stamp of Cosmic TRUTH that won't be denied, I can only go along for the ride and ...soar.... stunned, renewed, gratitfied and grateful beyond belief... relieved even, when others might dread what I've seen and felt, because the one that brought the message has "rumors" about them in the spiritual realms of this plane that leave humans to doubt what she really means.

In every rebirth, there is the waiting, a void-of-course time when guidance seems so far away.  It is these moments just prior to the rush of change so quick we can barely comprehend it all that can be maddening.  There is the grief, the pain of delivery and the ungodly stretch and newly trapped feeling flesh can give to a spirit as it finds itself moving that spirit into a new form... and then there is rejoicing, loving and an embrace you simply can't deny the comfort of all around you!  Its the same one that has always been there, your Mother, The Mother and your Father, The Father... and your Family - your larger spiritual Family... those holy being that nourish you, take pride in you even when you struggle, protect you with all Their collective and  fierce might and shows you how to grow with every breathe you all share.  It is the instant eyes meet eyes and souls entwine in recognition...in ultimate forgiveness...in honor, pride and wisdom...in mutual ecstatic, shocking zen of it all... when all is truly right with the world and one's vision snaps into the clarity of Vision from Above the human experience... and suddenly, I can breathe! 

Further, and with joy, I can open my heart to its fullest, even to those that call themselves my enemies... and simply love what they are, who they are, their whole experience - even when I can't "get with their program" because my path is simply so much different than theirs it would like trying to play an set of bagpipes in the middle of their french ballet.  To them I can only hope that when the proper wings settle around their shoulders, they will have the same peaceful joy my soul hums with tonight.  To know, one day, that all the actions - even the misunderstood ones - were all worth it... because a bird - or something - told them so!  The phrase "a little birdie told me..." has taken on a whole new meaning.

Learning from other than people....

I was blessed enough to have some of my best lessons on life, the meaning of true strength, fairness, instincts and unconditional love.... from Horses. In my case, they were American Saddlebred horses. I was honored to learn from one of the finest breeders and trainers of horses and people on the planet, Mrs. Alice Neihardt Thompson of Skyrim Stables. Now, in her twilight years, Alice is still one of the building blocks of my life's foundations and I will be forever grateful for her facilitating my lessons with and about my equine relatives.  One thing this process taught me was that Nature and Her beings of all shapes and sizes can often teach us better than people do.  I'm grateful for these particular lessons, so I'll share a litte piece of my experiences here.

My learning about the head conformation of a horse, I learned some things about how people learn too. Long space between the burr of the ear and the eye socket indicates, in a balanced head, the ability to learn the highest functions of thought on a horse level. Too much space and the horse tends to be spacey, inattentive, easily distracted and sometimes easily frightened. Too little space for the brainpan and they simply don't learn as easily as other horses and are sometimes, the equivelent of "learning disabled." A broad space between the eye sockets, or being "wall-eyed" shows a horse that can't focus well on tasks or training and is often easily frightened. These were the types of horses that blinders were originally created for, because -- like glasses for people -- they focus the horse's attention ahead of them rather than on all the things at their sides. Too narrow a space between the eyes and the horse - or person - is narrow sighted, inwardly focused, often selfish and greedy, especially if combined with a small eye socket. It is what horse folk call a "pinched" face. Eyes too large for the head or face denote an easily excitable horse, often a bit flightly and high strung and eyes too small gets back into the pinched look and perceptions on the world around them. A "good head" consists of balanced proportions, plenty of room to grow and think but not so much they fly off the Universe. You want eyes that see the world, can look properly in all directions, but aren't so large they take in too much information to throw the concentration/focus. Can you have a good horse with odd features? Sure... just like people, horse personalities come in all shapes, sizes, types and "colors." But are these guidelines helpful to show you approximately what you're getting in the baselines of the horse's ability to think and learn? Yes, reliably so and repeatedly proven.

One horse I had the privledge to work with was a "special needs" horse. He was born a rarity in the horse world, an RH factor baby (see google for what RH factor does in humans if you're not aware -- does the same thing in horses, its deadly for most) and so he was carefully hand raised from the moment of his birth and was, therefore, attuned to humans as "family." As he grew, Tornado Night was a gangly kid. All legs, big gates and high flying tail fanning out behind him with joy in the pastures, but if he'd been a human, he'd have looked like that carrot-topped kid with freckles and bare feet that was a bit of a klutz, easily embarrassed to a bright red face and always kind of "Doo doo DEE do!" in the mannerisms. Simple, but so sweet you couldn't resist him. As a 2 yr old, he got into some blooming jimpson weed and was partially blinded by the pollen (this is why most horse owners mow weeds down in their pastures and spray against this particular one in alot of places). He could see shadows and large movements, but his direct sight was gone. We were heart broken, but like most people in this circumstance, he overcame. However, his depth perception wasn't good, so if he stayed in the stall while a human was working, the human often got stepped on by mistake for which Tornado Night felt horrible, always, but being painful for humans, we worked out a team system. One of us would take him out for exercise on a lunge line while another cleaned his stall. Without fail, every single time he was brought back into his stall after a cleaning, he would sniff about to see who had done the work for him and the next time they came into his stall, he would wrap his big head over their body and pull them to his chest, hugging them in gratitude for his home being clean, so it wouldn't hurt his feet. This same horse adored having his tongue wagged for him. He would stick his velvet nose out of his stall's grain feeding opening and loll his tongue out to the side, just relaxing it and looking "silly/stupid." He would flip it until a nearby person grabbed hold gently, but firmly and wagged it for him. He thought, for some odd reason, this was a GREAT sensation! You could almost hear him chuckle when you did it and *you* most certainly did by the time you were done.

I was also honored to know a pair of equine soul mates. I'll tell their story another time. But, suffice to say, I learned what love was at the age of 10 by watching a pair of horses in a relationship so unique, I've never known its like before or since, even in stories. Thank you Alice and all my horse friends from Skyrim, that to this day, remind me how to treat my fellow beings with compassionate, strong and loving touch whenever possible.

Learning through Corresponding

When we are first students in the Craft, we learn about the multi-layered symbolism held within the Pentagram.  But one thing we often forget is how to place ourselves within that pentagram to learn from that symbol as a tool for our own self-assessment and personal balance.  Let me share how I teach my beginning students to do just that in order to assist their own best learning process and how to assess the problem areas of their life for better solutions. 

First, let's look at the beginning layer of correspondences for the various points on the pentagram  We already know that each aspect of Self and therefore, each direction, as a "light" side (positives) and a "dark" side (challenges).  So, for each direction or point on the pentagram, they too will have both light and dark halves to understanding them.  Here are examples.  These are, by no means, the be-all and end-all of "total" information.  They are simply places to begin.  You will add to these tables of understanding as you go along in your learning process. 

Positive East is: Color- Yellow, Time of Day - Dawn, Time in Processes - Beginnings, Part of Self - Thoughts and Thought Patterns, Time in Life - Birth through Childhood (Pre-adolescence).  Negative East is:  Tendencies for repeating negative thought patterns, hanging on to childish behavior patterns, getting stuck in childhood trauma even as adults, injuries in the birthing process, being a great "starter" but not finishing well or at all.

Positive South is:  Color - Red, Time of Day - High Noon, Time in Processes - Active movement forward, Part of Self - Acts of Will, Time in Life - Adolescence (teen hormones).  Negative South is:  Willfulness rather than acts of Will, temper tantrums caused by hormonal imbalances or lack of control over our Will, getting stuck in assumptions of ego rather than a clear sense of self-examination.

Positive West is:  Color - Blue, Time of Day - Twilight, Time in Processes - The waiting period just prior to full manifestation, Part of Self - Emotions, Time of Life - Adulthood (Pre-Menopause or Andropause).  Negative West is:  Over-emotionalism, Getting "carried away" by wounds, scars and outdated patterns of thought and behavior, becoming "unfeeling" instead of compassionate, going numb as a reaction to strong emotional content in others, blame instead of personal responsibility.

Positive North is:  Color-Green or White, Time of Day - Midnight, Time in Processes - Manifestation, Part of Self - Getting things done, finishing, Time of Life - Old Age (Sage-dom or Croning -- *not* completely hormonally related!).  Negative North is:  Never finishing projects, emotions or thought processes, "buying into" ageism or feeling old before your time,  lack of value to the wisdom of those older or more experienced than ourselves, refusing to complete patterns for fear of them or "credit" for them being taken away from us.

Positive Spirit is: Color - Purple, Indigo or Iridescent, Time of Day - "between" spaces, Dream Time, Part of Self - the Spiritual self, the ongoing soul, Time in Life - that which exists outside of time, space and the Wheel of Life, Time in Processes - The fullness of Knowing a project is complete and correct.  Negative Spirit is:  Lack of realization or connection to the Higher Self & Deity as we know It/Them, Disbelief in the existence of the Soul, lack of recognition of the importance of the spiritual realm, an overwhelming sense of emptiness within our lives and accomplishments, a sense of "disconnection" from the Universal Plan/Source.

Positive Center is:  Color - Black or White (depends on system of learning), Time of Day - ALL times!, Part of Self - the ALL in a balanced state, Time in Life - ALL times awareness and balance are achieved, Time in Processes - this point exists and needs balancing at all times in life, self or process.  Negative Center is:  Feeling weak or unbalanced all the time, over-abundance or lack in one or more other points on the pentagram or in the Self, distrust of Self & Deity, a tendency to "blame" others or God/Goddess or scars or situations or any number of other things for imbalances rather than looking for the answers within the Self first and always.

Balance is both an active and resting state.  It is achieved by continual inventory and re-balancing in areas of need and active "pruning" in those areas in which we have over abundance.  Therefore, when we have certain patterns we are trying to break, we can realize yet another tool within the pentagram.  Each directional point as TWO points of counter-balance.  East has West and North to balance it.  South has North and Spirit to balance it.  West has Spirit and East to balance it.  North has East and South to balance it and Spirit has West and South to balance it.  So, whenever you're feeling either a lack or over abundance in any given area that is impacting your overall balance, seeking to add or subtract amounts therein by using the two counter balancing points is usually a good place to start looking for a solution. 

If you are constantly hindered by negative thought patterns (Negative East), then figure out what emotional attachments are at work there (West) and actively WORK to manifest change through meditation, gaining more teaching, learning new patterns or simply going for a walk to get out of your head for awhile!  If you're overly emotional about one or more topics (West), then think about them in detail and without emotional attachments to find the roots of this pattern so you can then ask Deity and Higher Self to help you rise above the emotions or delve more deeply into them -- whichever is required -- to help balance become the overall result.  If you find you are never finishing projects or patterns in life, but leave a trail of unfinished issues behind you (Negative North), then think carefully about this process and what it has served for you in the past (East) and then add some good, old-fashioned willpower to clean up your messes as much as possible and move on (South)!  And so on around the pentagram, depending on the issue being dealt with, as you go.

Always remember, we are active creatures.  If we're too stayed in any one way, we're not balanced.  If we're over the top in one area or another, we're not balanced.  So, try this set of exercises the next time you feel unbalanced and see if you can learn something valuable about yourself as you walk yourself through the correspondences of the pentagram! 

Blessed Be!

Knowing People

It takes alot to truly know a person.  Even the oldest of friends doesn't know everything there is to know about us.  We have so many things we've done in life, so many other lives we've touched in so many other places that it is nearly impossible to truly know someone totally unless we actually live with them every single day of their lives.  Six months, nine months, fifteen or twenty years isn't even enough to know someone through and through.  And if we only know part of someone's life and think we really KNOW them, we're falling prey to pure human ego.

So, I have to wonder why it is the habit of many people to make decisions about a person before they really know the fullness of their experiences.  Especially for those of us that serve the community in one form or another, we often end up meeting people at times of crisis in their lives and it is most certainly not this time frame in which we should assume we know every portion of what drives their thoughts, actions or deeds nor how much we think we know about all their reasons for being where they are in life when they find us.  Times of crisis are exactly that - a crisis.  Therefore, judging a whole human being by what we see of them at times of crisis is, at best, only a partial criteria on which to make decisions about how we see them as a person.

As well, when many of us have either A) really keen instincts or B) happen to be what some might term "psychic" or "gifted," it is all too common to feel we've got a corner on the market of human understanding and personal judgment.  If we move from a humble place about what our abilities teach us, we realize that even with the extra "gifts" involved, we probably don't really know them or their situations in life wholey at all.  So how can we gain true wisdom in situations where we are trying to know people better without making undue assumptions?  That's easy... two things.  Ask questions and truly listen to the answers.  It won't help us know the whole person immediately, but its a darn fine start!

Likewise, if something happens that we don't fully understand and we take that to heart as the be-all and end-all of our knowledge of a person, we often miss out on their deeper gifts, their sweeter tendancies and some of their most delightful personal stories among other facts that might otherwise help us truly know them for all they are in life.  I find it is always easier, wiser and more fulfilling to spend time-hours, days, weeks, months and years, when possible, in the joy of getting to know someone.  Always allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised, even by their worst habits.  In this way, we gain a far fuller picture of both them and ourselves and learn from the entire process far more fully than we might otherwise do.  Never judge in haste, never decide anything in anger and always listen when given the chance.  You'll be glad you did!

Being taught...

Perceptions and filters.  Every person has 'em!  They are brought about by the type of life our mother lived while we were growing inside her, influenced by family connections - if those existed or not when we were finally born, by the dogmatic and social structures we grew up in, experiences - both positive and negative - as we've grow, finally, to adulthood. Add to this mix, our own adult personal learning, beliefs, choices and education level, we grow up into "grown ups" with our own sets of these things that can either give us great clarity or blind us utterly called filters and perceptions.  So, isn't it interesting in those moments when it is the youth, children and those less educated than we are who end up teaching us the most about how we really should relate to others or to act, in general?
I have found, as I've gone through life and become a teacher myself that it is most often my students I learn from the most.  Alot of teachers find this to be true.  Their fresh perspectives, their struggle for their own sense of strength and individuality, even their mistakes all remind me of lessons long forgotten or teach me entirely new ones on almost a daily basis. 

My own youngest daughter was a prime example of this sort of teaching when, at the ripe old age of 7 or 8, in first grade, she had a disagreement with a fellow school mate about her spirituality.  My daughter was raised 100% pagan, but was also taught to be educated about and respectful of other people's religious views and not to cast aspersions on those that didn't believe or practice as her family did.  Another child in the class, upon hearing she didn't believe in the Christian doctrine, said, "You're going to HELL because you don't believe in Jesus Christ!"  My daughter cooly turned to her classmate and said, in a very calm but firm voice, "I'd rather go to Hell than have someone else tell me what to believe!"  This was the end of the "argument" for her.  No back biting, no judgment, no personal vindictive statements to cast aspersions on her classmate's intelligence, faith or beliefs.  What a beautiful example of a child teaching the idea that it is not any one person's right to stand in judgment of us, our path, nor do their opinions of our choices become that which makes our path valid - for us!

I find that my best encouragement comes from those who, upon first glance, would appear less learned than myself or are somehow hard for us to learn from because of our own engrained prejudices.  Young people are awesome!  When their questions are insightful, their statements to me often sound like they came straight from the Goddess (yes, I do believe She speaks to us through our fellow people, animals, plants and other signs so this isn't unusual), and their ability to see past my own personal perceptions into the heart of the matter as they're observing it is truly a phenomenal experience to behold.  They don't have my jaded personal filters to get in their way.  They don't have my personal pains to make things appear as negatives where there are really positive lessons to be learned.  They simply state, without artifice or ego attachments, what they see and voila', in alot of cases, the Truth emerges!  Thus, I turn around and bow to their innate wisdom and the Universal Knowledge that flows through them and return myself to a far more humble, grateful place from which to live.

As a teacher, I also have experienced the students in life who simply refuse to learn a given lesson.  Whether it is because they simply think they are right and I'm wrong, whether they have been taught they are "stupid" because they simply learn differently and thus, have a negative slant on all learning because of it, or they have a direct personality conflict with myself or other classmates, the result is the same - no learning.   Whether they hate the subject we're talking about or are having a hard time following or absorbing the lesson, or simply because they are having a really bad day on a personal level and are finding it hard to pay attention, the result is the same - no understanding is gained.  Instead, anger, resentment, stomping around, yelling (sometimes) that they aren't being treated fairly, aspersions cast upon my own person, my knowledge, or my ability to teach or even, sometimes, my manner of address - all these things come out of their mouths without a thought to what they are truly saying.   However, at the end of the day, neither the student or myself are truly at "fault."  These times are simply opportunities for both teacher and student to Learn that go unseen or unappreciated until after the fact or they fail to teach at all, if we refuse to see the lesson.  Upon review of situations like this, I often find that some negative perceptions of mine change, if I simply apply a bit of balanced thinking and adjust my own perceptions and see what I can learn from the experience, instead of just resenting that it happened in the first place.  Balance, afterall, is a state found upon the midline - not on any polar extreme.

Negatives are rarely total negatives.  That is not to say that horrible things don't happen in this world -- of course, they do.  But, what we learn from them is the key.  If we are, ourselves, abused as children and then turn around and either become abusers ourselves or go to the other polarity of that equation and become fanatics about the topic of abuse in defense of the victims, we still remain unbalanced in what we could learn from those experiences.  Afterall, does not the original abuser deserve the same compassion that those they abused are receiving?  Most of them did start out having these experiences themselves and, like every other person on the planet, deserve to heal, if they can.  This is the difference between hating the person and hating their actions, reacting appropriately to the person and assisting them to correct their actions.  There is a HUGE difference, there, folks!  Does this mean they shouldn't go to jail if they broke the law?  No.  The journey to prison may even be part of their healing process - a way to gain the help they've never had under a structure they can't buck or run away from.  Is jail pleasant?  Oh heavens no.  Is it necessary in some cases?  Yes.  Like all painful, uncomfortable experiences, they can lead to great things - even if the initial face is distasteful on some level.

What is right for us is not necessarily the right for others -- even if our own experience is exactly what theirs has been.  What is "correct" for one person's perspective is not "right" (or wrong) for everyone on the planet.  We cannot allow ourselves to become totally enslaved to one view or the other and expect to grow from our experiences to be able to one day offer others a spectrum of solutions from which to choose that is truly best for them.  Balanced living lies on the middle road. 

The point here is this.  The next time you see a person or lesson or experience as a negative, look a little closer.  See the lesson, not the person.  See all that is being shown, not just what your human filters and perceptions want to place on the situation.  Look past the immediate reaction to what you're being taught and you may find, in the end, the lesson was well worth the teacher the Universe chose to use to teach you that particular lesson.