“A Dream Girl” was an early poem written by Carl Sandburg, and published later in his book : “Chicago Poems” (1916); a longing expressed to find his dream girl. “The Poet and the Dream Girl, The Love Letters of Lilian Steichen and Carl Sandburg”, edited by their eldest daughter, Margaret Sandburg, is a compilation of the letters and poetry that were written between the two, in the first six months of 1908, during their budding, long-distance courtship; they married in June of that year. They met in Wisconsin, 1907, while Lilian was on Christmas break from her teaching job in Princeton, Illinois. Carl, going by Charles then, arrived in Milwaukee, straight from his lecture circuit, for a meeting with Carl D. Thompson, the state organizer for the Social-Democratic Party. Sandburg was there to become a member and an organizer for the party, having been intrigued & seduced by the Social-Democratic movement. He wrote, “I had never made a socialist speech, though I had read classics of socialism by Marx, Engels, Liebknecht, and had read for six months ‘The Worker’, the leading journal of the socialist party of New York, and the Social Democratic Herald, weekly organ of the Wisconsin socialists”. In addition to organizing in the Lake Shore and Fox River Valley district, he wrote a weekly report on activities, printed in the Social Democratic Herald. On his second visit to Brisbane Hall in December 1907, he met Lilian Steichen, who had stopped to visit with her dear friends on her way back to Illinois. Carl asked if he might write to her, and she, knowing how badly they needed organizers wanted to encourage “a comrade in the movement”, and so the letters began. Though working long hours, Carl continued writing poetry & prose, and wrote “Labor and Politics”, an article published by the Social-Democratic Press, and distributed at meetings. Carl wrote to Lilian, and she responded on 1/7/1908. (Some beginning letters were lost, but most of the original letters resided in the Rare Book Room of The University of Illinois, at Champaign-Urbana.)
The correspondence in “The Poet and the Dream Girl”, trace the poetic and passionate sentiments, ideals, and growing commitment to their shared zeal for socialism, art and literature. The letters demonstrate the mutual admiration of two sound, growing minds, embracing their shared world. Carl wrote Lilian, “The coincidences of our ideas and plans and whims is something I would not have believed till — Wonder Woman came”. Lilian had attended an academy in Chatham, Ontario, and a year at University of Illinois, transferring in fall of 1901, to the University of Chicago, graduating December 1903, with a bachelor of philosophy (Phi Beta Kappa), and with honors in Latin and English. In 1904, she had various jobs of translating from Latin and German. In September 1904, she took a teaching position in Valley City, North Dakota, for two years, before moving to Princeton, IL, in 1906, to teach high school, ‘Literature and Expression’. Lilian and Carl each had “a mind at work”, and the letters show their growing esteem for each other. Their second meeting was on March 27, 1908, when Carl visited the Steichen farm in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, the weekend of Lilian’s brother, Edward Jean Steichen’s birthday; Edward already becoming a famed photographer. Carl and Lilian’s second meeting sealed their bond, he proposed, she accepted. They met, for only the third time in Chicago, in May 1908, before their June wedding; then they moved to Milwaukee. Lilian encouraged him to continue writing poetry, and to go by his given name, Carl, and he nicknamed her Paula.
Carl August Sandburg, born 1/6/1878, in Galesburg, IL, the second of 7 children, born to Swedish immigrants, his family called him, Charlie; he delivered papers, then milk, worked as a janitor, bricklayer, porter, shined shoes in Galesburg’s Union Hotel. He threshed wheat in Kansas, before traveling briefly as a hobo. He volunteered in 1898 for service during the Spanish-American war, was stationed in Puerto Rico. He returned to ‘the Burg’, attended Lombard College, joined the Poor Writers club. Lombard professor, Phillip Green Wright, a scholar & political liberal encouraged the talented young Sandburg to continue writing. Sandburg saw first-hand the contrasts between the rich and the poor, instilling in him a distrust of capitalism; his writing and political views were greatly impacted by his experiences working & traveling. He was influenced by the muckrakers, reform-minded journalists of his day, and the hard living conditions of the masses, in the days before child labor laws, when young children worked in unsafe factories for ten hours daily, seven days a week. He worked in Chicago, as an editor and lecturer, before joining the Socialist movement. He was a prolific-author, poet laureate, journalist, historian, biographer, folklorist, folk-singer, wrote children’s stories; he won two Pulitzer prizes for his poetry and another Pulitzer for his five-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln. Carl was invited to the White House under four different presidents, beginning with FDR. Sandburg was a statesman, but foremost he was a Thinker, a Dreamer, and a Lover of humanity.
Carl, Lilian and their three daughters, Margaret, Janet and Helga (also an author) moved to Flat Rock, North Carolina, in 1945, with their small herd of prize-winning goats; that delightful residence open for tours. Lilian, being the intellect she was, later gained world-renown as a leading expert in goat-breeding. Carl died 7/22/1967, in Flat Rock, NC, but he and Lilian’s ashes lie beneath Remembrance Rock, at East 3rd St, Galesburg, IL. Lilian, born 5/1/1883, in Hancock, MI, of Luxembourgian descent, passed 2/18/1977. They were born into a much different time than today; social standards have risen dramatically, much has changed in our world. Two beautiful souls found each other, and the world was made better by their love, their ideas, their work, and their offspring. They made their mark upon this world, which was vastly improved because they, and others like them, lived and worked and dreamed it into manifestation. How might we do the same? A parting line from Carl Sandburg poem: “You”: “We will rest in the hearts of remembering men, who saw us as we passed.”
Trish Forsyth Voss
Mar 31 2021
April 2021 Predictions
We all set off on the Hero’s journey, our life’s journey, where we gather experiences, learn lessons, escape perils, fight dragons, possibly even rescuing others along the way. Our journeys this year might seem hard, or at least not always buoyantly happy. Better times are coming, but not without some hard lessons and introspection. To prepare for the journey we must pack our courage & resolve to be clear-headed; we must practice patience & draw on our inner strength & wisdom. “April is the month of Aries, and Aries people know all about courage, boldness, strength, and keeping cool in crises. Aries is the hero and the warrior — the one who rushes in where angels fear to tread. We all need a bit of Aries energy now, and we can begin by looking at where in our lives we are allowing fear to dictate our actions.” We all have areas & situations in our lives where we fear to act or stand up for ourselves, possibly at work, home or elsewhere; there are things we wish to change, but might lack confidence to act. We are being collectively called toward new horizons, and individually called to face our fears and go forth. “We can use the new moon in Aries around April 10 & 11 to confront those fears and do something about them. These fears likely relate to wounds we experienced at some points in our lives.” Chiron, the wounded warrior, is in close proximity to the new moon, and urges “the time is ripe to heal those wounds, to grasp our courage” and face the circumstances of our lives. “This is how heroes are forged, and we can’t transition into the New Age if we’re held back by fear”. We will find ourselves drawn to the places we need to be. Don’t resist. “A plan is unfolding — collectively and individually — and we need to have faith in that higher plan. Wherever we are, whatever we are experiencing is exactly right for us. If we’re not happy with where we are and what we’re experiencing, the only way to lift ourselves out is by lifting our vibrations. And the quickest way to do that is through love & gratitude. We need to find things in our lives that we’re thankful for and then find someone or something to love.”
“When the planets move into Taurus on April 20, followed by the full moon on April 26, we face the need to embrace some sort of change and let go of attachment”, which could be physical, such as property, “or it could be an attachment to a rigid belief or way of thinking . It could be an attachment to a way of life or a person, a place, a job, status, money, security, or the need to be seen a certain way that boosts our egos. It might also be an attachment to something that temporarily makes us feel good, such as social media, YouTube videos, wine, cigarettes, food, or too much exercise. We each know what is keeping us enslaved, and the last week of April is likely to highlight what that is. It might also bring us the courage and opportunities to liberate us. Being true to our authentic selves is key now, and external props and addictions only get in the way.” Setting our intentions to strengthen our own mind, body, spirit can engage our sense of courage & determination to go forth to do what we need to care for ourselves.
The above information was quoted or paraphrased from Donna Taylor’s PREDICTION magazine article, April 2021 issue, Sedona Journal of Emergence, with added commentary by Trish Forsyth Voss. ***** The information below was quoted or paraphrased from Mary Elizabeth Hoffman’s magazine article: “Be in the flow of Cosmic Shifts”, April 2021 issue, Sedona Journal of Emergence, with added comments by Trish Forsyth Voss.
The April 2021 energies active “signify 3 of the 4 points of avatar: Taurus, Scorpio, and Aquarius. The Taurus point of avatar will be activated by Uranus, bringer of guidance for changes necessary for smooth cosmic, planetary & personal shifts. Those open, receptive and flexible will discover a variety of flows, within which they can discover more of their soul’s passion, purpose, pleasure, and joy on their soul-heart journeys on Earth. Those resistant to discovering alternative ways of being within the flow of cosmic shifts will experience sudden and disruptive changes in their energies. These might act as traumatic triggers that, when fed with fear, deepen the intensity of reactivity within the body and especially the nervous system. The Aquarian point of avatar energies are activated by Saturn, signaling a destiny time of harmonization; those resistant to discovering this, will find their nervous systems cease to function properly, short-circuiting plans, schemes, and rigidity.”
“The alignment of Mars in Gemini conjunct the north node of the Moon supports the ability to make conscious choices and move in directions that offer greater options, possibilities & opportunities. Its trine to Saturn in Aquarius gives huge support to discovering many more ways of being, living, and loving that encourage, empower and facilitate greater & more harmonious choices.” There’s a potential for “discovering new healing modalities based on sound, vibration, electromagnetic energies, and the nervous system, as well as the brain-body partnership will become prominent …. considering feelings, beliefs & thoughts in addition to diet, exercise & stress-reduction.”
“On April 11 there is a new moon in Aries conjunct Venus with Mercury and Chiron all adding to the energies. With Mars in Gemini trine Jupiter in Aquarius. It will feel as if a corner is being turned expanding into new directions with multitudes of opportunities for personal empowerment and expression of the soul-heart’s destiny in harmony with Earth and the cosmos. Those able to align with these energies as Saturn conjuncts the Aquarian point of avatar will see, sense, feel and know they are moving in harmony with the deep-call of their soul-hearts in fulfillment of their soul’s destiny. Those still struggling with confusion from the old Age of Pisces restrictions through control, dominance, and manipulation might attempt to prevent these expansions and freedoms from becoming real. However, the other kingdoms of Earth will act from a place of neutrality and pull the plug energetically on all fear-based operations in the world. This is an excellent time to be open, receptive, and accepting of the abundance, prosperity and love available to all beings.”
“On April 26 at 5 pm PST there is a cosmic equinox in Taurus. This 48-hour cosmic window, activating the Scorpio, Taurus, and Aquarian point of avatar, is truth-or-consequences time for everyone. It is important now to be honest with yourself, and to harmonize the soul-heart’s destiny with all unconscious deep desires and bring them into 3D manifestation in this space-time continuum. This is an opportunity to reach into other time-lines, dimensions, halls of records and aspects of who you have been and what is required in this time-space continuum to manifest the soul-heart’s destiny. This can be done through meditation, sound, or hiking/walking trance meditation. With Mars having moved into Cancer, there is much yang energy supporting everyone.”
“There is also a full moon in Scorpio on April 26 at 7:33 pm PST, signaling a time of tremendous shifts ethereally as the portals between realms open and close rapidly. All the kingdoms of the cosmos fine-tune in the orchestra of planet Earth and the rest of the cosmos. Today sets in motion the potential for strong 3D shifts in coming years. Guidance as to what is possible, what you might do to better harmonize with these shifts, and the most nurturing & supportive directions to take in following your soul-heart destiny in new ways will be shared by guides, guardian angels, and way-showers. You only need to take the time to attune and listen.” Be careful in sharing the messages you receive, as the guidance is individual, personal, and “not necessarily meant for groups or the masses”. We are encouraged to go within, seek that higher-self inner wisdom and to act on the guidance we receive. Spring is here & rejuvenation is available for all to receive!
By spiritspeak • Uncategorized 0