Living Our Dreams

Happy New Year!

Thanks to all of you who have supported me through this challenging past year.

I feel your ♥'s and it means the world to me.

I am deeply grateful....

May 2012 bring you peace, joy and abundance.

Cherish every moment.

Live INTENTIONALLY!

EnVision your LIFE!

 

A gift for you...

Today's Awakening: 

If it didn’t Bring you Joy,
Just Leave it Behind.

Let’s Ring in the New Year
With Good Things in Mind.

Let Every Bad Memory Go
That Brought Heartache and Pain.

And let’s Turn a New Leaf
With the Smell of New Rain.

Let’s Forget Past Mistakes
Making Amends for This Year.

Sending You These Greetings
To Bring you Hope and Cheer

Happy New Year!

~ Author Unknown

 

 What are you grateful for?

 

I'll be creating my intentions today.

Will you join me? 

A Week of bliss-FULL Moments

Thank you to my guest bloggers. You're writings were inspiring and well received. What a treat for all of us. 

Here's a view of my bliss-FULL moments...9-12. 

BIG SNOW BLISS!

 

Blue Bliss
  

 

Sancho Bliss

Jerry the Snowpiller Bliss

Birth Class Bliss

 

Belly Bliss and Birth Symbol's

I can't remember when I have felt so grounded during a Holiday season. When I begin to get impatient standing in a long line or driving behind a cautious driver, I take a deep breathe, look out around me and count my BLISS and Blessings!

 

She Rises-Weekend Bliss....

As I get older, I find that truly profound experiences leave me literally speechless. Words cannot express the feelings and emotions.  This was my experience today, as I tried to understand the experiences of this past weekend attending the XI Encuentro Indigena de las Americas-XI Native Gathering of the Americas.

I have incredible gratitude to the Delegates, Elders and Tribal Members, who shared their rituals, stories, dances, and hopes and dreams with those of us non-indigenous people in attendance. To allow us to be a part of your conference, was an incredible honor, and one I will always hold sacred. 

Kiauhi de Mexico, and her Mother dress for the evening dance 

 

What is truly amazing is how complete strangers can form deep bonds, even when there is a struggle to speak one another's languages. Perhaps it is just this part, the willingness to try and understand and learn from one another, that creates the intense connection.  

My heart was heavy, as I said goodbye early to the Delegates we hosted-Humberto de Puerto Rico and Alejandro de Costa Rica-due to a winter storm warning. I have so much gratitude to both of them for letting me practice my broken Spanish and to Humberto and my friend Anne (who also hosted Delegates), for helping me to communicate, when needed. If you look at the smiles on both these GENTLE-men's faces, you will know their hearts. Both of them are fabulous story tellers, with a wonderful sense of humor. 

Alejandro Y Humberto. We woke to snow yesterday, which was a treat for both of them! 

This morning, I felt as if I was in a fog. I was not completely grounded and knew that I needed to head into the studio to work through my emotions. I was grateful to have the time, as I had not booked clients, expecting to still be hosting. The familiar internal tension was present, an urgency of sorts, letting me know that the simmering had begun. So many feelings were stirring inside, I tried to write about the experience, but nothing came; only single words. I knew it was about trusting the images to help me integrate. 

The time spent preparing the paper and the studio, is almost a ritual. The act of preparation allows the images to stew, eventually surfacing, revealing the images. As I put things in order, I know if I relax and trust, I the images will appear. Once the canvas is ready, I reach for the first color, pick up a brush and...LISTEN. 

This is what appeared today. It is the beginning of a story...

  

 

Bliss 4-XI Native Gathering of the Americas

A cloud of Eagle Wings over the pasture at 6:30 am this morning, as we gathered for an opening ceremony. I have posted the full album on my FB page, as I have to get back to help at the conference. 

What a blessing to be a part of this amazing experience. 

 A Native American Elder and Medicine Woman from Argentina, light a sacred candle in honor of the sun rising over the mountains. 

In a spontaneous moment, I ran to the studio to get a roll of paper and crayons, to create a mural of the stories we heard this morning. We worked in the back of the room as the elders shared their prayers, songs and stories.

Art knows no boundaries....I am BLISSED!  
 
 

  

Remembrance

 
This week I remembered how important it is to remember to tell those who have made a difference in our lives, how much we appreciate them. I lost the chance to do that and have been feeling a deep sense of sadness knowing the opportunity has passed. 

Take some time this weekend to call someone you care about, or someone who has truly made a difference in your life and let them know exactly how they have impacted your life. 

This is for you Jesse...thank you for everything you gave me during your time here with us. You were an extraordinary person, who went above and beyond for those of us who were your friends. 

A Touching Gift

I received a touching gift yesterday from one of my clients, a painted ballet shoe bearing the inscription, "To dance is to LIVE."  

My client could never have know this, but the gift of the ballet slipper was incredibly symbolic, as I feel like I am dancing as fast as I can! Leaping, twirling and spinning to keep up with it all and now I can imagine myself wearing this lovely pink toed slipper as I continue to spring forth into this new wild territory.

So much GRATITUDE!

Warning.....it's a VENT session...but it has a happy ending.

Some of you may remember that my Art of Intention™ for June was to RECIVE! This has not always been an easy place to go for me, but I am staying with the idea and opening my heart to the possibilities. 

June Art of Intention™: Receive

Yesterday I was given a true gift. I had reached the end of my thread about finding a home to teach my classes, in this absurdly expensive Valley. I was tearful at lunch with a dear friend, talking about this issue and the changing state and values of my beloved community. We love to talk about COMMUNITY here, but really, I see yet another town, going down the glutenous path. Landlords would rather sit with empty storefronts, then reduce their monthly rents. What is the point in that? A tax write off? 

I can share with you that when I have this discussion with "business people," their response to me is, "Raise your rates." This doesn't work for me. I already charge what I consider to be a large fee, but work on a sliding scale for clients in need and each year I chose a pro-bono when a client-generally a woman who is living with cancer. Okay, so maybe that IS my problem, but it's also an inherent value that I have to SERVE not just an elite few, but to SERVE people in need. 

Don't get me wrong, I am VERY lucky, I have a beautiful home, a wonderful studio to work in and share with clients, but it's tough enough financially living in this Valley, and it's not large enough to do my classes and workshops. I gave up my reasonable space, when the building sold and they went to 30-day leases, and the pressure from the landlord that the building could be torn down in the "next six months."  Well, due to the economic meltdown, the building still stands-albeit with the requisite 30 day lease. I am not a gambler, so I left and moved home...shame on me. There are days I feel as if my hands have been shackled behind my back, as my desire to share the work is so strong. I have crammed women into my small space and we have crawled over one another in the spirit of creativity.

I called one place on Monday, but the reception was cool-to say the least-and since my second intention this month is to "GO WHERE THE RIVER FLOWS," -I decided to open a new door, to a new possibility. I called a man who owns a fine art studio on Main St. It's a YUMMY working studio! A big brick space, with a paint splattered floor  studio and huge paintings by the artist hanging everywhere. I took a risk...I reached out and asked..."Would you be willing to let me host some classes here?" His wife was so warm and open..."I think that sounds great, let me talk to Magid." 

Magid, called the next day and said, "Here is the schedule, we would love to have you. You can use the studio any of the times we are not here and we can work out the one night a month." I began crying immediately and told him I could not believe how open and generous he was. Truthfully, I had been thinking of calling him for months, but didn't. I don't know what the resistance was about...fear, possible rejection, lack of "readiness?"  Before we hung us Magid said, "I read your book, it's very good. I like the ideas you have expressed about creativity."  This blew me away again and meant a lot from someone I consider a Fine Artist.  Magid knows color theory! And what's perfect is that he's an artist NIGHT OWL, and I'm and ARTIST EARLY BIRD! Are schedules synched in real time!

And so the VERY HAPPY ending to this story is that Magid and Ruth have allowed me to BELIEVE again. To believe there are others out there looking to make a quick buck off someone else. People who "get" the TRUE meaning of community and what that means at the deepest level. People who understand the concept of SUSTAINABILITY and that things aren't always what they appear when we simply look at things from the OUTSIDE. 

SO for those of you who are in the Valley, Painting Your Heart Out, Soul Sessions and Sunday Morning, Painting Your Prayers begins again in July. If you're in Carbondale, stop by Magid and Ruth's and thank them for their BIG HEARTS, COMMUNITY SPIRIT and LOVING GENEROSITY!

Let's Paint Our Hearts Out, Paint Our Prayers, dance, move and make a HOLY MESS! 

Magid and Ruth...this Soul Session's for you. xxoo

Title: My Cup Runneth Over