Everything Under the Moon

Not even sure where to go with tihs, my emotions are so raw.
What the hell is going on with the world today? It was a rare incident when someone got shot in the world when I was growing up. No one heard of mass shootings. Yet there was war. Vietnam raged on throughout my whole childhood. One may have signed on to go fight or the bigger fear...the draft. You heard about the casualties, and occasionally it hit close to home.
Now it is in our homes.
One needn't go off to war to worry about an untimely end. .. it is in our own backyard. From one mass shooting to the next. Started out it seems by a postal worker out for revenge. Is revenge really so sweet? Has society become so unglued that this now has become nearly a daily occurrence? Now our children must concern themselves with safety tactics?
I had fear growing up, that the cold war would become hot, monthly drills and siren tests, it was unnerving.
When Vietnam ended there was a moment of hope and peace then the Berlin wall came down, (we kids even had a limerick about the iron crurtain) A view of world harmony sung out in only fleeting glimpses, why?
They say guns don't kill people, people kill people, but WTF I'm certain our forefathers did not for see automatic weapons in the future when they drew up the 2nd amendment. And this would not be happening to this kind of degree if weaponry hadn't got to this stage of crazy.
My heart goes out yet again to a mass shooting that this time is way too close to home. My prayers and tears have been this day with the city of Thousand Oaks and the Borderline Bar and Grill. I say close to home not only literally in distance, but figuratively as my daughter's best friend was there last night and managed to get out with his life, yet is still awaiting confirmation as to the whereabouts of the people he was with. This establishment is also blocks away from my friends home and she has a roommate whose stepdaughter works there.
My head is scrambling with whys, why does there have to be this much discontent and hate?
Why wasn't the young man who was the shooter getting help if his PTSD was overwhelming him? He has been decorated by our service yet where was his country when he was troubled? Perhaps this tragedy will spur mandatory reform for military persons released from duty who had been in combat. I'm sick of our government using good men and women for their own benefit and then cutting them loose with little or no help. HELP NEEDS TO BE PART OF DISCHARGE. Period, no choice Way too many (esp. men) will not say they have a mental condition. It's an ego thing. We're working to get beyond that.
THERE IS NO SHAME IN SEEKING HELP. That would be the BRAVEST thing one could do.
Bless the fallen
Firebird

Just met daughter over at her best friend's parents house. They took him here after he was released from the hospital. This is our old neighborhood. They've been friends since they were 7, they are 35 now.
Unfortunately it's confirmed, 2 of the people he was with perished in this senseless shooting. His room mate and his friend he was in the military service with.
He broke a window with his arm to help others escape.
Today is his birthday.
My heart is breaking, he looked so devastated.

Now I just found out the man who has been helping put moms house back together has had his son's best friend die in the mass shooting also, the son and the friend were going to be working on the house this weekend.

There are no words, this is all so wrong.

My deepest sympathies to your daughter, her friend's & their families, & you.

Your sweet Spirit, thank you.
To add insult to injury we broke out in 2 fires yesterday afternoon. One burning through Thousand Oaks towards Ventura and one closer, which has caused my right hand Priestess and her family to evacuate.

WOOLSEY FIRE

It's going to burn straight through to the beach. This has happened a couple other times. When the wind whips up like it has, it's like a crazy freight train with no rhyme nor reason and it doesn't stop until it hits the ocean.
My friend that lives a few blocks from the Borderline had to evacuate too. That town didn't need this on top of their grief.
Our lovely ritual site I speak of us hiking to frequently, has burned up, along with the Paramount western town. It's ironic the very last ritual we did upon the "hill" was Samhain 2018, 8 days later a firestrain was heading that way https://www.nps.gov/samo/planyourvisit/ ... tranch.htm which is just adjacent.
Really quite bummed about the history that burned up here, but sadder than that is many of the oak trees did perish. One very large valley oak in the western town and scores more out on the ranch. One we called the grandmother oak, and a couple that were near Main stage (at Ren Faire years 1963-1988) plus the whole witches wood, just gone (and area at the back of the ranch where gypsies and tarot readers were during faire) At the time it looked as though the oak at the top of our ritual hill would survive, more of our horrible drought saw it split down the middle and fall to the north and to the south some time in 2020.
I'm about five miles from the edge of this fire, am considering packing my car tonight, it can go any where. The wind is crazy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolsey_Fire

I took some pictures that night, and I have some after shots. Think wet and humid and still air thoughts, these fires are currently out of control.
Bird

Nature' s run amok in this cycle for sure. Keeping you in my thoughts.