Metaphysical Monday Welcome

Hello and welcome all to Metaphysical Monday! This week, I’d like to start us off slow by introducing the “Column”. I call it a column because it seems to fit the slot of a newspaper or magazine’s regular column. In a way, bogs are a lot like the online independent newspapers of today. Many of them bring you the newest news from around the net, and some are more specialized like this one. This blog column seeks to understand the differences people seem to be experiencing in what is supposed to be our combined reality.
It would be easy to call someone who sees reality differently crazy, but I feel there are other explanations. Metaphysics itself tries to determine the existence and/or defining qualities of reality. The people who study it explore areas of the unknown, little-understood, and the other seemingly strange stuff that goes on all around people in their life experience. Areas called “para”normal and “super”natural may really be very natural phenomena which are just ill-defined by our current perceptions.
What this blog column will do is present a variety of subjects for further discussion of the phenomena that are experienced and let you – the readers run with it! Anything posted in the Metaphysical Mondays posts, where the rights are mine, is free to use, quote or repost as you desire with credits. I would appreciate a link back. Any other things such as pictures (unless free use) must be credited to their creators.
The Metaphysical Madness blog that this column replaces paced a heavy reliance on the 2012 phenomenon. Now that 2012 is over, it is my hope to move on to an exploration of other phenomena. The strange hasn’t stopped just because it is 2013. One thing we may not touch on much, however is ghosts. Those phenomena will continue to be covered on the Ghost Trackers Of Oklahoma blog and website.
It will track:
 Earth Changes
 Mass animal deaths
 Strange creature sightings
 UFO phenomena
 Strange animal/human behavior trends
 Anything else bizarre that catches my fancy
 Oh, and editorials…Q&A…Interviews and more.

I look forward to exploring the word of weird with you, and invite any and all comments, questions and suggestions. Please keep it clean, though, as I would like this to be a family-friendly (or at least PG-13) site. That said, there may be (probably will) material or opinions posted here that some could construe as being offensive. If you are one of the aforementioned construers…this is not the blog you’re looking for — move along. Rants are cool, as long as those posting them keep them that way.

Conference and Blog Consolidation!

SORRY ABOUT THE BLURRY PHOTOS… WHO KNEW WRITERS WERE SO ANIMATED?

I attended the 45th annual Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Conference in Norman, Oklahoma this past weekend. It was a blast, and all of the Authors, Editors, Agents and Publishers I met were absolutely wonderful. Though it was my first year, I was greeted with open arms and made to feel very at home. The classes were fantastic and I did come away with some swag and some books. Tom’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, though honestly five of them were in the basket I won at Basket Wars. I wasn’t ready to pitch this year, but I will try to be ready for next year.

This is one investment well worth the cost. All totaled, there were eight classes that I personally attended, 46 all together, Agent and editor appointments, a poetry slam competition, two banquets and an autograph party! Not to mention Basket Wars, buzz sessions, readings, and THAT BOOKSTORE! I’m still coming down out of the clouds, and I only won the basket. Even though my foot was the size of a grapefruit by the time I got home, I am very glad I went. The scholarship paid for the actual tuition and the banquets, which just left me with the hotel and lunches (there were complimentary breakfasts and evening managers’ receptions). Big thank yous to everyone from OWFI! You all rock!

Also on advice from blogger/writer/actress August McLaughlin who gave an awesome talk on blogging at the conference this weekend, I am consolidating all of my blogs right here, to narrow down the number of different sites I have to work on. Now you will be able to find a of the great content from Metaphysical Madness and Real Green Living right here on D.E. Chandler. Metaphysical Madness will become Metaphysical Madness Mondays. While I haven’t quite figured out the rest of the schedule yet, just know that the overhaul is beginning…THIS WEEK(cue dramatic music)! Finals are over. Now it’s time to get the writing taken care of.

Writing Outside the Lines

The Writing Oustide the Lines Awards reception was today, at the Tulsa Community College Metro Campus. Two of my classmates placed, and yours truly took honorable mention in both categories, but that’s not the real story, I think.

The real win today was the awards reception itself, and getting to meet and listen to all the wonderful professors and writers. The winners (1st 2nd and 3rd place) got up and read their works aloud. There were some truly awesome talents represented, both college and high school, student and faculty. Tulsa Community College hosts the competition, event and anthology, but submissions are also taken from area high school students.

This year was the fifteenth annual competition and it looks favorable for next year as well. I would encourage all emerging writers in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area to submit for next year’s competition. It’s a great way to get to know local writers and professors, and to get used to the whole submission thing. I’ve had a blast, and the people at TCC are wonderful! Here is a link to the website they used this year, but if it changes for next year, writers may need to contact Editor Josh Parish at: josh.parish@tulsacc.edu .

This year’s deadline was in March, the next probably will be too. If you know a student in the Tulsa, OK area who writes, this is an amazing opportunity and not to be missed. I look forward to meeting everyone at next year’s reception.

Devils at the Door

There are monsters in the dark
There are heroes in the park
There are killers in the street
There are princes at your feet

There are devils at the door
There are priests to help the poor
When these things are all the same
What fresh Hell have we to gain?

The Stormtree: Part One

“There’s never going to be another tree!” The girl child Daenera looked from one grown up to the other, her blue eyes drowning.

“Of course there will,” her father said, placing one enormous-seeming hand gently over her platinum pixie cut hair, “We have a seed.”

“But it can’t grow! It won’t have anyone to talk to!”

“Our neighbors have seeds too,” Mommy said, trailing one perfumed hand under her daughter’s chin, “We will each plant one tree, and they can grow up together and have each other to talk to. Everyone was just waiting for grandfather’s passing.”

“I don’t want Grandfather tree to die!” she wailed.

“No one does, darling, it’s just a fact of life,” Daddy said.

Mommy said, “It’s the way things are.”

“Things are wrong,” Daenera said, “I’ve seen pictures of whole forests of grandfather trees. There should be gobs of them!”

Daddy looked at the neighbors standing in their yard, looking at him. Then he looked up and down the block at all the other families, standing on their empty squares of dirt. They had all saved all of their kitchen scraps for a year, building a community compost pile so that they would have nutrients to put in the bottom of the holes they would dig when grandfather tree died. Everyone had saved seeds from something. His tree would be a pecan tree. He smiled a sorry smile, and asked Daenera, “Would you like to plant the seed?”

Daenera’s eyes got big, she snuffled a couple more times and then held out her hand. Daddy placed the pecan in her tiny hand. It took up most of her palm. She sucked in her bottom lip, clenching it between her tiny teeth. Stepping up to the hole they’d dug, she looked around for Daddy. He came behind her, carrying a bucket full of rich black stuff that looked a lot like the stuff from the coffee pot. Now Daenera looked up and down the street.

Other families had gone to the holes they’d dug for their seeds too. Maybe Daddy was right. Maybe the trees could all grow up together. Maybe they would have somebody to talk to after all. Somebody better than one little girl, who wasn’t even enough company to keep grandfather tree alive. She tipped her little hand and watched the seed land in the soft dark stuff at the bottom of the hole. All of the others dropped in their seeds too, and a big cheer went up from all around the neighborhood.

That afternoon, there were hot dogs and games. Lots of families kept digging holes and even rows and planting seeds all day long. Daenera had a picture from her picture book stuck in her head. There were rolling hills that were green, and there were bushes and even – yes- even trees. She hoped one day to even hear birds singing that didn’t have to live at the zoo.

There was a roll of thunder on the horizon. For once, it even looked like rain.

A Steel Sky Morning

The night has left me frozen
My blankets fled the dark.
No body here to warm me
The raw wind stills the spark.

He’s gone and took the hearth-fire
He’s gone and took the flame.
Now cold sheets only secret
Repugnant galling shame.

In the East

There’s a shadow in the east,
It rises with the sun.
We may call it what it is,
The west under the gun.