Mythic Month of July 2026

THE MYTHIC MONTH OF JULY 2026

In the Year of the Fire Horse,
July was predicted to be a time of personal growth.
And so it was …

FINDING PERSONAL AGENCY

The public bus passed a huge gap in construction,
the hospital where Eugene babies were born,
where I received a prescription for a life-saving pacemaker, 
was a mostly vacant lot with piles of debris.
Gone because a supposedly religious organization
had carried out extensive federal corruption.

Further on, huge private student housing structures
had replaced charming eateries and coffee shops.
The former UO Bookstore was now a commercial 
outlet for green and yellow clothing - Duck paraphernalia.

The formerly vivacious Apple computer store 
was now four racks of accessories 
available by ringing a bell for service. 
Occasional students rattled around like lost souls
seemingly without direction, guidance, or purpose.

In a daze of disorientation, I found my way 
to a bus station for returning to downtown Eugene.
The friendly academic community where I invested
fourteen years of my life was unrecognizable and 
probably now long forgotten.

Reaching the newly developed 5^th Street Market area,
I scrambled around for half an hour, up and down stairs, through areas that were once familiar - in what I had known as the Market. 

Even with the address for Eugene Yoga, I could not fathom that it was not where I assumed it must be. Finally, someone took me outside and pointed me to a building a block away and on a different street.

Stumbling late into my first Restorative Yoga class,
I removed my coat, hat, phone, shoes and socks,
Spotting an open area - I rolled out my mat.
I was practically sobbing by the time the instructor
cloistered me with bolsters, blankets, and blocks.
Lying as a pitiful heap on the mat,

it dawned that ...
Entities of my own creation are now irrelevant.
I am carrying old baggage from the past 
that is a hindrance to being an effective person
in today’s world. I must identify and let it go.

Little by little …
I am breaking free of what is no longer relevant.

At first, I was clumsy, awkward, and unintelligible
to my friends. It was body workers who helped me
focus on my imbalances. Try these TMJ exercises
to relax the pressure in your jaws and teeth. Try
toe-to-heel balancing while standing at the counter 
as a step toward better balance when walking.
Try this homeopathic remedy to open to the present.
Maybe this masseuse can get your energy flowing.
Take your time … 

Little by little …
I am breaking free of what is irrelevant.

One day I realized ... 
I do not want to carry forward the 20-year home where

-  I mourned my deceased daughter, 
-  wrote three books few persons have read,
-  created rarely viewed bodies of visual art,
-  struggled with mistreatment for my hip pain,
-  had to find my own reliable bone biopsy doctor,
-  underwent weeks of exhaustion from radiation,
-  suffered months of passing out due to medications,
-  finally receiving a pacemaker, all while
-  unsupported in confronting a MAGA tormentor.

Little by little …
I am breaking free.

The signs were there in 2016 when

my once democratic country of origin

was captured by Russian disinformation.

Only now that the destruction caused by

an out-of-control oil-based global economy 

is obvious to even head-in-the-sanders

facing high gas and grocery prices,

NOW there is an opening for innovation.

May I be a source and a supporter of innovation.

THE MYTHIC MONTH OF JULY 2026

In the Year of the Fire Horse,
July was depicted as a change of power.
And so it was …

Collapse of World Order
A once benevolent United States 
left the global stage 
like an unwelcome stray dog
its drooping tail between hind legs.

The nation’s well-meaning citizens, 
having ignored the commons
in pursuit of personal security and comfort,
were surprised to discover that 
those who upkeep the lawns, 
harvest veggies from the farms,
and care for the sick and aging,
had listened on their precious cell phones
to the enticing siren call of 
a supposedly successful real estate broker
promising lower food and gasoline prices -
on Day One of his presidency.

When the reality of a corrupt, cruel, deranged idiot,
bereft of common sense registered, it dawned
that climbing out of shattered norms and
structures would be steep and perilous.
Nevertheless, small groups of concerned citizens,
fired government servants, and not-for-profit organizations
spoke up, overcame lethargy, and undertook 
the task of rebuilding the once-neglected commons.

No Kings marches morphed into people rejecting
Energy-hoarding data centers and federal overreach.
Resistance to ICE raids led to supportive bonds between 
cultural groups committed to being good neighbors.

And just in time, as Gaia released fire everywhere. 
By the time the reality of global warming hit home
Solar energy had become cheaper than coal, oil, or gas.
Growing food and grazing animals under solar arrays
Introduced Agrivoltaics, a win for small and large farmers.
Beyond fantasy, Don Quixote windmills became powerful.