Single Tree Safari

It all began at my great-grandmother's feet, she being a Cherokee beyond a 100 years of age.  At this stage in her life her day consisted of upbraiding her long silver hair, brushing it out, braiding it again...all while entertaining us with her stories.

Through her I found out that her Anglicised name of Singletary was rooted in a more ancient Cherokee name of Single Tree.  Many visits to the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, where my family roots held firm for many centuries, to the plains of Oklahoma and New Mexico, where some of the family dispersed through the Trail of Tears, I began to explore what it meant to be Cherokee.

I've always been drawn to the image of a single tree standing out among its surroundings.  Perhaps it's my ancient ancestral call, our my identity to clinging to life and standing firm amongst the storms that surround it, or better yet, the majestic sculpture of nature reaching towards the heavens while being firmly grounded in the earth.

To this day on Highway 45 as you drive towards my home town of Fairfield, Illinois, there's a single tree on a bend that greets my warrior cry every time I pass it.  Like me, its a bit older, but fuller with life.  Unlike me, and with a little luck, it will continue to stand after the last time I pass it in this life.

Live oaks are one of my most special trees.  The drive from Charleston, South Carolina to Kiawah Island is like driving through natures cathedral at high mass.  The ancient oaks of England also stir my soul.  Perhaps that comes from the other side of my family heritage, rooted in the rolling plains and woods of Somerset in England?  The Celtic British call is also powerful in my soul, like a Druid reading the entrails to see what the future holds.

This rambling all brings me to a Single Tree Safari.  A rediscovery of my ancient past and a reformation of my future.  This will be the title of my next CD, as well as a book to help others discover their true path in life.

The single tree has many branches, as does our life.  The trick is to honor the branches as you remain rooted in your soul.  Then you have the strength, courage, and ability to reach towards the heavens, regardless of what others might think or say to the contrary.  That's why my Facebook Profile stats as my religion that I'm a:  Zen, Cherokee, Catholic, Christian.  I think I might have to add Druid now!

So, what are you roots?  What are the branches in your life that you must honor?

Sir Hook the Single Tree of Warrick

Where Is The Love?

Where is the love?  What is love?  REALLY?!


Love is a word that's easy to say, easy to blame, but hard to embrace...REALLY!


In this case, God is Love, because both get praised casually and blamed thoroughly...REALLY!


The Sports world, as of late American Football, is a supreme laboratory in studying the casual toss of Love and God within the human equation, especially when we cannot define ourselves without someone else, or accept blame and find a scapegoat...the human sacrificial lamb.

Flash back to Steve Johnson of the Buffalo Bills, who drops the game winning pass and blames God. Johnson was reluctant to accept responsibility for the gaffe, posting on his Twitter account post-game that it was in fact God's fault:
"I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO...," Johnson tweeted.

REALLY?  Steve, you dropped the ball, not God.  Of course you would easily praise him if you caught it.  Still, you would have caught it, not God.  Stop praising God for your success and failures and accept your roll in your own outcome.

Fast forward to today when the Tennessee Titans announce that they will either trade or release Vince Young.  Vince goes on to state that "he never felt the love and respect from the coach to motivate him to play better."  Love becomes the scapegoat for him, which makes it ok to walk out of a game twice, throw his pads into the stands and threaten suicide a few years back.  

REALLY?  Grow up Vince!  You can only love those who love themselves.

Today, ask yourself, where is your love?  Is it given to someone else before you love yourself?  Is it sought from someone else before you find it within yourself?

Today, ask yourself, what is your love?  Is it a person, a thing, a god, a dream, or is it the divine energy within yourself to motivate you to be the best you can be and to share that gift with others?

One thing is for certain, if you blame God or Love for your misery today, you're not looking at yourself in the mirror...REALLY!

Sir Hook the Lover of Warrick  

Hunter's Moon

This weekend we have been graced with the Hunter's Moon, also known as the Blood Moon, which is the next full moon after the Harvest Moon, the full moon closest to the Autumn Equinox.

Before our sedate way of live, it was the perfect time to continue to track prey and hunt during the night, thus its name.

Hunter's Moon inspires me to meditate on the basics of life:  1) What am I hunting?  2)  Who, or what, is my prey?  3)  Is my life full and equally balanced during this Autumn season?

I invite you to join me in this quest of self-discovery and answer these three questions as only you can answer them for yourself.

Sir Hook the Hunter of Warrick