Monday, February 26, 2007

Gardening


Complaining about anything, holds you in the place of refusing to
receive the things you've been asking for. Justifying about anything
holds you in the place of refusing to let in the very things that
you've been asking for. Blaming someone, holds you in the place of
refusing to let in the things that you've been asking for. Feeling
guilty, feeling angry, it doesn't matter what you call it, it is a
refusal, not a conscious one. You're asking; you can't help but ask.
The Universe is yielding; it must yield. It's a big question, folks:
why aren't you letting it in?

Jerry Hicks
Excerpted from the workshop in Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, March 10th,
2001


By any of the actions above you are pushing out a negative energy that will return to you in like form. In the Tao Te Ching - verse 42, "as you sow, so shall you reap," and 3000 years later Jesus says "As you sow, so shall you reap" are both the Law of Attraction. When you dwell and live in negative energy you are seeing a world of negativity; feeling angry, guilty, resentful or whatever name you put to it - that is the stuff you are growing in your garden and your life. That is the stuff you will see and lock onto.

What are your planting in your garden? What do you want to see show up in your life?

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Locked on



You can't take a subject and just because it's
important get Law of Attraction to respond to you
differently. If you feel bad, you're locked off
of your signal, which means everything you want
is now being jeopardized because you are choosing
a topic - and you say, "Well, it's really, really
an important topic!"

And we say, well, it surely must be because you're
giving up life force, you're giving up clarity,
you're giving up health now and in the future,
you're giving up your bodily conditions functioning
properly, you're giving up the mate that you're
wanting to attract, you're giving up the dollars.
You're giving up every single thing - for this moment
in time (not forever). But for as long as you're
choosing this "important topic," you are holding
yourself apart from what you want.

And it's not any one moment that is so important,
it's that you develop such habits and patterns of
doing that. You get whole philosophies built around it
- you call it "the sacrificing servant." You call it
"the willingness to be there for a friend." You call it
"tough love." You call it all kinds of virtuous,
good-sounding things, and we call it 'locked off'.


-Abraham Hicks
Detroit, MI, 6/30/01

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Happiness

There is no path to happiness
Happiness itself is the path.

Wisconsin Pictures

Wisconsin Woods
Wisconsin Early Morning
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan Sunset

Law of Attraction


by Terryll Nemeth

The Law of Attraction can be described as the construction or procedure of an energy force acting mutually between particles of matter, between people, and between circumstances, tending to draw them together, and resisting their separation. Attraction is the magnetic relationship existing between things or persons that are drawn together. We will explore the essence of the Universal Law of Attraction.

In this study, we will explore the fact that the Law of Attraction is set into motion by a need or that which an individual, a community or a country needs to learn to be fulfilled. We will explore the fact that the Law of Attraction is based upon the mind of man, which is a vehicle that the soul uses like the body to aid us toward compatibility with our Creator. The magnetism of the Law of Attraction is displayed throughout creation. When man thinks of himself as only a physical being, identifying with only with the physical level of consciousness, he will experience the effects of magnetism in his life without understanding the cause.

Note the Law of Attraction at work in this experience as told by Mother Teresa.

"One day in Calcutta a man came with a prescription and said, 'My only child is dying and this medicine can be brought only from outside of India.' Just at that time, while we were still talking, a man came with a basket of medicine. Right on the top of that basket, there was this medicine. If it had been inside, I would not have seen it. If he had come before, or if he had come afterward, I could not have seen it. But just at the time, out of millions and millions of children in the world, God in his tenderness was concerned with this little child of the slums of Calcutta enough to send, just at that time, that amount of medicine to save that child. I praise the tenderness and the love of God, because every little one, in a poor family or a rich family, is a child of God, created by the Creator of all things."

The challenge for all of mankind is to identify with the true Self, the I Am, our inner divinity. As this is achieved, we are to consciously use the magnetic force in all of our creations, based upon our understanding of cause and effect and the Law of Believing and Knowing. Creation itself is produced and made up of the aggressive and receptive principles. This principle is also called the Yin and Yang in many cultures of the Far East.

In order for any creation to occur, there always has to be an aggressive act such as the producing of a thought in the form of a goal for example, followed by the receptive act of receiving the image within the subconscious mind where it can begin to mature. Because creation itself and everything made in the universe is based upon the attractive force between opposites in polarity, we can begin to understand our interconnectedness with all of creation, humanity, and the Creator. We can also understand the true meaning of love through understanding the Creator and our own divinity. When we have awareness of how the mind works and we are identifying as the creators we are truly are at the core of our being, our creative energy can be consciously used in the creation of thoughts that attract those of like as well as opposite polarity. This occurs because in the end with expanded consciousness, we come to understand that the polarities of creation are transcended.

As we come to understand our divine nature that is like our creators, we perceive that opposites of polarity are only degrees of the one creation. So giving and receiving, for example, which are expressions of love are one and the same quality of creative energy. Therefore, we draw to us that which is needed for our learning, which may be perceived by those around us as good or bad. The truth of the matter is that with the Universal Law of Attraction, everything is significant and good or just because we as soul and spirit can use the experience to build permanent understandings which will ultimately lead us to compatibility with our creator. As we continue to develop our understanding and awareness of our attributes as a creator and our origin, we come to an awareness of interconnectedness with our creator and all of our creator's creations.

All of humanity is connected. Humanity is comprised of the animals, the plants and trees, man, and all aspects of creation. The word man is derived from the Sanskrit word manu, which means thinker. So when referring to man, we are talking about the thinker, us as creative intelligence and spirit. At present, the modern view points and lifestyles of many in our physical world are oblivious to the connectedness of all beings in the universe. At the inner core of man's being, we are all joined by our true essence, light and love.

Many of our world's religions' holy books and many cultures' creation myths describe how humanity was created. In fact, all of the world's holy books are indeed, books that describe creation at its essence and instruct us in our quest to harmonize with Mother Nature and the Universal Laws.

The Law of Attraction is a primary tool that enables us to use our physical experiences to build permanent soul understandings that will always be with us. The Law of Attraction guarantees that all of the conditions, situations and circumstances we need for our learning and growth will be drawn to us by virtue of the oneness of creation and universal energy. When coincidence occurs as our western society seems to define it, such as two or more seemingly miraculous events taking place simultaneously, you can bet it is the Law of Attraction at work.

The Law of Attraction is the principle of an energy force acting mutually between particles of matter, between people, between circumstances, and between thoughts, tending to draw them together, and resisting their separation. Attraction itself is the magnetic relationship existing between things or persons that are drawn together. How does it work? First of all, a seed idea must be created by using the aggressive action of the mind, creating a clear, complete and detailed thought form. With the continued use of undivided attention and concentration, the clear and detailed thought form is then given to subconscious mind to nurture and develop. The transfer of the seed idea from the conscious to the subconscious mind is completed when the conscious attention is removed from it.

Now the seed idea can begin to grow within subconscious mind. We help the idea to blossom by combining it with physical activity that is in alignment with our desired outcome. We then love our seed idea into maturity by giving it our mental attention by seeing it growing through the influence of every endeavor and experience in our daily lives. As the thought form from our seed idea grows, it attracts to it other thoughts and minds with compatible ideals.

All minds are connected through a part of mind called Universal Mind. Therefore, our thought wave energy reaches throughout the universe. The Law of Attraction is sometimes called the Law of Compatibility because the attraction is based upon compatible desires and needs. When we create a visualized thought form, which reaches out into universal mind, other people are also forming similar thought forms, which are compatible to ours. Through the magnetic principle of attraction of the subconscious mind, these compatible desires and needs meet. We are drawn into each other's creations through compatible (like) desires and needs. This "like attracts like" action is an expression of the Law of Attraction.

The creator of the Win-Win Forum, a business networking and educational group for professionals and business owners in Denver, understands the value of the Law of Attraction. She was concerned about how some people in business had a misunderstanding of how the universal energies work. She knew that some business people engaged in unethical practices, high-handed tactics, or carried great anxiety because they held the fear belief that there is only so much abundance to go around in the world. She knew this was not true, and decided to do what she could to educate business people so they would learn how to work in harmony with the Universal Laws of Creation, rather than running their business dealings with fear and a false sense of being separate from other people.

The truth is that the abundance of the universe is unlimited. There is enough to go around, and this is evidenced in how the Law of Attraction works. The group's name reflects the fact that the Law of Attraction works with compatible ideals and goals. For example, what happens when a businessman decides he is going to sell 15 computers in a week, and he sets a goal to do so? Because we are all connected and have an energy field that influences other energy fields, the business manĂ­s mind begins to reach out with his mental broadcast to other individuals with compatible ideals. In the case of our chosen example, the compatible ideal is that these other individuals are looking for, have a need, and they are ready to purchase a computer. If the businessman's thought form image of his goal is strong and complete, these individuals will be drawn to his store. The point is that through the attraction of compatible ideals, everyone wins. The action of the Law of Attraction generates a win-win situation. Hence, the name of the group embodies the educational legacy of its founder's understanding of Universal Law.

The business world in Denver, Colorado is now in closer harmony with all of creation, the universe, and the Creator because many individuals through the vehicle of the Win-Win Forum have been educated in regards to many aspects of the Law of Attraction. One of my teachers, Dr. Laurel Fuller Clark has often given the following story as an example of the Law of Attraction. This rendition of the story is from her book, Shaping Your Life: The Power of Creative Imagery.

"I heard a minister named John relate a story describing his faith in divine providence, a true tale which illustrates the action of universal law. John had recently moved from a city to a rural area with his family. A hardworking man, he had not yet obtained a full time job to support his family although he willingly accepted any work which was available.
One evening as dinnertime approached, John knew that there was no food to feed his family, but he instructed his daughter to set the table nonetheless. John believed that his efforts would pay off in some way at some time, he knew that he was a good person, and he knew that his family was worthy of being fed. He had had seemingly miraculous events occur at other times in his life and he trusted that the universe would not let his family go hungry. The family gathered together around the table and John led them in prayer. As they sat holding hands, there was a knock at the door. John finished the prayer and answered the door. There stood his landlord with two grocery sacks in his arms. The landlord was a gruff man who usually said very little and rarely smiled.
John greeted him, and the landlord said, 'Our garden is producing so many vegetables, my wife and I can't keep up. I hate waste, so I was wondering if you would use any of these things. Oh, and we just butchered a steer and there are certain cuts my kids won't eat, so if you think yours would eat them, you can have these, too.'
John smiled gratefully and thanked his landlord, assuring him that the food would be put to good use."

As Dr. Clark indicates in her book, this story demonstrates the action of compatible desires. It illustrates John's desire to feed his family, and his landlord's desire for the food to be used productively. The true meaning of coincidence is just that co-incidence: two or more events that happen at relatively the same moment in time, two events that coincide. This stated, Dr. Clark points out an important point that can be easily overlooked. She states that in order for the Law of Attraction to work, both of the coinciding thought forms must be clear and concise. If either of the gentlemen in the above example would have given in to doubt or become passive in acting on their believe and desire, the compatible thought forms would not have been strong enough to manifest in physical action. And without physical activity directed toward manifesting the goal, there is no physical movement of energy which is needed for the attraction of compatible desires to come together in manifested physical form.

Mental doubt is like a poison to us when it comes to activating the Universal Law of Attraction in our lives. In other words, the desire we create in our minds must be strong and clear enough for us to then create a strong expectation that our desire will happen. Then the strong expectation will stimulate us to respond with the needed physical activity to manifest the goal, activating the Law of Attraction.

The Law of Attraction is fun to use consciously. Its conscious use fosters the thrill of discovery and learning within each of us. In order to activate the Law of Attraction, we must build an expectation within us and then expectantly look to receive its action within our lives. As a teacher, I use it every time the phone rings by thinking, "This is a student calling who will be attending our next class".

I have found that you can stimulate the Law of Attraction by creating "What if" thoughts. This can be the beginning of creating what has been termed by some as Possibility Thinking. The important point here is to train your thinking so that instead of wondering if your desire will happen, look for when and where the signs of your desire manifesting are occurring. Realize that 'Possibility Thinking' is opening your mind to receive the bounty of the universe in the manifestation of your desire, it is causing your mind to be receptive. And receptivity is key in activating the Law of Attraction as you can see by the above examples. Once the mind is receptive, it expects to receive its desires or manifested thought forms; it is expectant. Thus, as demonstrated in our story above, expectation within the mind is a powerful fertilizer in order for the mind to cultivate its thought forms into manifestation using the Law of Attraction.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Just Passing Thru


I am part of the load
Not rightly balanced
I drop off in the grass,
like the old Cave-sleepers, to browse
wherever I fall.

For hundreds of thousands of years I have been dust-grains
floating and flying in the will of the air,
often forgetting ever being
in that state, but in sleep
I migrate back. I spring loose
from the four-branched, time -and-space cross,
this waiting room.

I walk into a huge pasture
I nurse the milk of millennia

Everyone does this in different ways.
Knowing that conscious decisions
and personal memory
are much too small a place to live,
every human being streams at night
into the loving nowhere, or during the day,
in some absorbing work.
Rumi

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Dancing with the Past

Learn to forgive yourself. No matter what you have said or done, you do not deserve to suffer. Your suffering will not feed the hungry or heal the sick.
Forgive and come back into your life with a clear vision and a strong heart. Your freedom from guilt serves not just you, but also those who need your kind deeds and your compassionate understanding.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Saturday, February 10, 2007

A "Late" Sammy Friday

Hi, Sammy here,
Meowooooowowoo, My old master’s husband and his daughters were over last weekend and it was nice to see them. Though I would rather have seen mommy. One of the daughters said I was getting “fat” and that hurt my feelings a lot. Yes, it is the man’s fault you know, he puts the food out and I eat it. Isn’t that what I am supposed to do? Bobo, who is the other cat around here, just eats and eats, and eats, and is skinny as a rail. It is just not fair. But, I am not alone, one of the man’s friend said he was getting fat also.

Bobo is one of the grandsons’ of the man, whose mommy found he is allergic to cats and dogs. So the family asked if Bobo could live here with me. The man is a nice man, but he does have one fault or two, and one of them is not saying “No” Sometimes, I wonder if it is even in his vocabulary.

The weather has been cold, and I have been snuggling in blankets to stay warm. Last night it was -16 below, and right now it is -14. The man was at an all day board meeting yesterday to plan things out for the next month or two and got home late. He is the reason I am late in posting my Sammy Friday.

I saw on the early news that Obama is going to make a run for the White House. Why not walk? It sounds like it is almost 2 years away, and from my kitty sense it would be smarter to walk than run the whole time. But, I like Obama, he is candid, thinks fast, and appears clean and has character.

I went for a ride with the man, and saw a billboard about “fighting global warming” Now, while I do think that global warming is a problem, why do you fight it. Wouldn’t you work together to solve the problem. Mom nature is more powerful than you humans are, and any fight will yield mom as the winner. Maybe, you folks need to think about aligning yourselves with mom nature and you both would win.

Here is my affirmation for the week:

I am gentle and kind with myself as I grow and change.

meoweeeooooo - have fine day...............

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Swimming Lessons

Menominee Sunrise
North Pier Light House
A secluded Swimming Beach
It was a bright sunny windy day with the winds blowing off of Lake Michigan and it was time for my swimming lessons. This was the summer that my parents decided I needed to learn how to swim. I would go down to Red Arrow Beach, each day around noon for swimming lessons. Being the month of June, the lake water was cold. It really had not had time to warm up, but instructors were here to show all of us how to swim.

I had made it thru the 1st week, and really did not like the cold water especially on windy days. This particular day, my older sister walked me down to the beach for my swimming lessons, and since we were early, she gave me my instructions and said she would return in a couple of hours. I wandered up and down the beach and then hiked up onto the grassy areas, and spotted a nice place to sit in the tall grass out of the wind. The sun was beating down, and it was warm there, so I laid down on my to watch the clouds go floating by. Then I fell asleep.

Several hours later, some noises and people talking along the water created enough commotion to rouse me from my slumber. I peaked over the reeds and grasses and noticed that people were stretched out in a line walking in the water parallel to shore. Being kind of curious, I got up and walked over and wondered what was going on. Seeing my sister by the water, I strolled over and stood next to her. She was intensely watching the people in the water and scanning the lake with a nervous darting glance as she wrung her hands. Reaching up, I asked what was going on, and she responded that the people were looking for her brother as they could not find him and they are thinking he had drowned. The Coast Guard had been called and should be here shortly to help in the search. My next comment, “ But sis, I am right here” hung in the air for a moment or two as she looked down at me, then back towards the lake. Then she jumped with a scream, “I found my brother!” The next words, echoed in my ears, as she yelled, “Boy, are you in trouble now, wait ‘til mom gets a hold of you!”

She talked to the life guards, thanked them and apologized to them for my bad behavior and said mom would give me reasons to remember this day, as she grabbed my arm and marched me home. It was a long walk and a very silent boding time, and when we reached the yard, mom came running out of the house, looking meaner than a junk yard dog. I knew I was in a for a whipping and decided to make a break for it, but mom also had a broom and that broom caught the back of my legs as I bolted and flipped me face down in the dirt as she proceeded to use the broom to meet my backside. In the midst of the swings, I was also informed that my swimming lessons were now over, as I was confined to the yard for the rest of the summer.

I packed a lunch the next day and thought about running away, but never stepped a foot out of that yard. For the rest of that summer my friends would always show up in the afternoon and we would play, laugh, and have fun while mom was at work. We would even bend the rules and play baseball on the vacant lot next door.

Whenever, I go to visit family on the Lake Michigan, I always stop by North Pier Lighthouse and watch the lake and waves as it is one of my favorite things to do and remember the things that have shaped me into being me. For each little story propelled me forward to be where I am at today. Without the stories that happened, be they good or not so good, I would not be where I am at today. Life is GOOD!



Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Cat Story


We were dressed and ready to go out for the New Years Eve Party. We
turned on a night light, turned the answering machine on, covered our
pet parakeet and put the cat in the backyard. We phoned the local cab
company and requested a taxi.

The taxi arrived and we opened the front door to leave the house. The
cat we had put out in the yard, scoots back into the house. We didn't
want the cat shut in the house because she always tries to eat the bird.
My wife goes out to the taxi, while I went inside to get the cat. The
cat runs upstairs, with me in hot pursuit.

Waiting in the cab, my wife doesn't want the driver to know that the
house will be empty for the night. Therefore, she explains to the taxi
driver that I will be out soon, saying, "He's just going upstairs to say
goodbye to my mother."

A few minutes later, I get into the cab. "Sorry I took so long," I said,
as we drove away. "That stupid bitch was hiding under the bed. Had to
poke her with a coat hanger to get her to come out! She tried to take
off, so I grabbed her by the neck. Then, I had to wrap her in a blanket
to keep her from scratching me. But it worked! I hauled her fat ass
downstairs and threw her out into the back yard!"

The cab driver hit a parked car...

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Glue

Jason over at Clarity of Night posted an article about “Glue” and how stories we experienced have affected our lives.
I grew up in northeastern Wisconsin attending 1st a one room school named Homestead, and then from 5-7 grade another one named Harmony before moving over to the high school in the small town of Peshtigo, Ws. The High School I attended had our class ring emblems of the date 1871 and carried a fire emblem in remembrance of the Peshtigo Fire.
This forest fire occurred on the same days as the Chicago Fire and while the Chicago Fire was smaller, it was also a hub of the Midwest, and as a hub, the firestorm in the northeastern Wisconsin did not gain any publicity and notoriety as the lines of communication had been severed by the Chicago Fire.
There were many reminders about the Peshtigo Fire in my day to day living in “God’s Country” as it was nicknamed by the local folks. Huge burned out stumps stood as silent sentinels in deep forests as a reminder of the firestorm from an earlier era that laid waste to the virgin growth of timber. While hiking, exploring, fishing the remote streams, collecting insects, and studying beaver dams, I saw the charred, hollowed out stumps to remind me of destruction and life in the ecosystem.

Most of the folks had parents and kin that had been caught up in the event and aftermath of the fire. One of our neighbors would tell me stories of seeing the glow on the horizon and watching fireballs landing ahead of the raging fire. Since this was the fall of the year, many fields had been harvested and one of the few places that families could retreat to for protection as the woods, bogs, and buildings erupted into an inferno.
Many people died in this fire and stories started emerging of families being spared, while neighbors were consumed by the flames, heat, or suffocation. Out of this disaster, stories grew of folks beating the odds, surviving hardships unimaginable, communities bonding and working together to rebuild. Just like the legendary Phoenix rising from the ashes, the indomitable spirit of these folks pulled together to build a new town, new farms, and a sense of civic pride of “can do” and anything is possible. They built an industry in the town of Peshtigo and this spirit held together thru the Great Depression again. While other communities and areas were in a depression with no work, the paper mill kept churning and refused to shut down, but chose rather to keep the folks working so they could provide food for the families.



This is the spirit of the area I grew up with that merged into my character and some of my core strengths. I do not give up easily, even against seemingly insurmountable odds. One of my traits is a “can do” attitude and then I find a way of making my goals and dream my reality. I have seen seemingly “bad” events lead to many blessings, gifts, and opportunities for folks that choose instead to make the best of what they have and help others in need.
Following is an excepted article about the Peshtigo Fire.


Firestorms of 1871
"The woods and heavens were all on fire," the smoke blocked the sun, and the rising moon turned red. For witnesses of the worst fire in American history, it was a sure sign of the apocalypse. On October 8, 1871, a fire with hurricane force winds consumed more than 1,000,000 acres of farms, forests, sawmills, and small towns of Wisconsin and upper Michigan. In its path of destruction an estimated 1,500 people lost their lives. The Peshtigo fire, as it was dubbed, represents the greatest tragedy of its kind in North America. The conflagration occurred the same day as the great Chicago fire and has relegated to a lesser place in annals of north America disasters. Yet, the natural forces unleashed that day would for evermore be known as a "firestorm."
Only a trace of precipitation fell on the area surrounding the Green Bay of Wisconsin between July and October. Drought in the vast timberland dried up the ponds, bogs, and creeks causing normal swampy areas to be dry beds of clay. The abnormally dry forest provided some benefits for the settlers. The opportunity to clear more land and step up the lumber harvest did not go to waste. With the lumbering practices of the time wasting 1/4 of the tree during its harvest, large piles of sawdust and waste, called slash, built up through the forest. Small debris fires set by loggers and settlers burned unchecked. These fires were commonplace to the people living and working in the towns and saw mills. One resident recalled that fall that "the red on the distant hillsides was created by flames rather than the glow of frosted oaks." The fires combined with the tinderbox conditions of the forest laid a foundation for disaster.
The night of October 8 seemed like everyone previous with the glow of fires in the distance and black smoke in the air. Hot blasts of wind blew through time to time causing minor concern. A wind storm came that evening providing the last element needed for a huge fire. Warmer temperatures fueled the patch fires cutting the telegraph wires and isolating towns from each other. As the fires picked up they began to rage and burn together, all while moving rapidly. The heat of the blaze allowed it to move through some partially burned areas. Isolation of the farms and the speed of the fire caught many inhabitants unprepared.
A sound resembling a thousand stampeding cows or the "heavy discharge of artillery" preceded the horrors that followed. The thick smoke made it difficult to see even a few feet ahead. Out of the darkness leapt large firewhirls that twisted off tree tops while they burst into flame. Flames shot into the sky like lightning as the wind showered the landscape with fire brands, cinders and hot sand. One man recalled how "great volumes of fire would rise up, fifty feet from the top of the trees, leap over thirty acres of clearing and, in an instant, flame up in the forests beyond." As the fire continued it grew exponentially. Exploding marsh gases hovered over the ground like black balloons until they exploded above the ground throwing fire like shrapnel. Houses and people literally burst into flame. "The fire arrived . . . not as a wave or a surge of flame but as though [it] suddenly dropped from the sky."
Describing the Peshtigo holocaust as a "tornado of fire" is not an exaggeration. Firewhirls, small fire tornados, traveled ahead of the blaze at 6 miles per/hour. Surface winds only blew 15 40 miles/hour but the firestorm fed itself creating internal winds of up to 80 miles/hour. The fire became a great convection feeding itself and drawing in oxygen and fuel. Hurricane force winds ripped the roofs of houses, blew over barns, uprooted trees, and tossed a 1,000 lb. wagon like it was a tumbleweed. A family fleeing from the flames found themselves picked up and tossed about by the wind. Papers and wood caught in the updraft traveled as far north as Canada. "The peculiar physics of mass fire had multiplied its fury into a maelstrom of energy equivalent to the chain reaction of a thermonuclear bomb. There was no defense for the populace but flight."
Panic quickly settled on the fleeing settlers. With the flames moving so rapidly, people found themselves surrounded with no apparent escape. As families fled amid a barrage of falling embers and hot ash their clothes and hair would catch on fire. The heat burned many, causing large blisters on their backs arms and faces. Attempting to find refuge, families fled into sellers where they died from asphyxiation. Others seeking safety jumped into wells and shallow marshes where they were boiled alive. In Peshtigo terrified cattle stampeded over a group laying in a stream. Others losing all sense of reason tried to escape by running into large buildings, which burst into flame and collapsed. Settlers surrounded by flames in the forest laid down face first in the middle of clearings. For some it saved their lives. The majority of the survivors spent the night in rivers, ponds and the Green Bay. Those in the water could only have their heads above the water for a few seconds due to the intense heat, which caused debris to burn on the surface. For the victims consumed by fire on land, most were burned beyond recognition some even being reduced to ashes.
The Peshtigo fire pressed a heavy mark on the lives of the victims in 1871. In Peshtigo, all that stands as a reminder to the disaster is a small memorial. Although the fire is not well known, it is a disaster in every description. The destructive force of the Peshtigo fire ended hundreds of human lives and destroyed an ecosystem. Twenty six years after the fire the area remained void of any valuable forest growth.