SACRED SPACES

A walk among the crows-

I take you with me as I walk along roads, and cut through soybean fields
 -       in my back yard-

I take you with me and we smell the newly blooming clover-

We find a cobbled path toward the river and hear the blackbirds calling
         kwap, kwap, kwap, kwap-

Yet when get too close to them they fly away-

We see rooftops: mansard and hip-

My favorite part was the bright red bougainvillea on the wrought iron balcony-

Thank you for the walk.

FOLLOWING SPIRIT

I am still working on a series of Mind, Body, Spirit art,  and this morning I am taking care of my body.

As I lay here listening to the gentle rain falling outside my open door, I got a bit chilled and wrapped a crocheted throw around my shoulders. Just that action made me recall my mother speaking of  bed jackets.  Although they seem obsolete now days, it must have been nice for the Victorian lady, sitting in bed and healing from childbirth or illness. I believe one of it's main purposes was modesty.

I remember once reading the instructions my mother was given after my birth: "On the second day you may hang your feet off the side of the bed!"  Oh my darlings, what are we missing?

This sketch is what I vaguely remember them looking like.  Sort of like a little lacy blouse made of soft batiste, similar to gowns today, but short.

Humm, we have come a long way, babies!

Namaste.

ART

"Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how....The artist never entirely knows.  We guess.  We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in  the dark.  Agnes de Mille

Take a risk each day.

My risk for today is to ask for what I need.
It's sad that it feels like such a risk.
But ok.

HEARTS

"To find love, you must first find it in yourself.  Then the whole universe will mirror it back." Journey to the Heart-Melody Beattie

When I began studying The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, I was entranced at her description of our believing mirrors, as the friends who mirror back our creativity and our light. 

At the time I was blessed to be in a group of Colorado artist friends, who shared these powerful words.  We met once a week, on Mondays, because they were good enough to choose art instead of one's usual Monday tasks, and that was my only day off.

We met for three summers and grew closer and wiser than we could have ever been, studying those beautiful words alone.

Together we found mountain streams to sit beside, Ponderosa pines to smell, and understanding beyond all I had ever found before.  We made spirit dolls and created Yaya masks. We proclaimed ourselves goddesses. We laughed, we danced and we loved.

Today I can open my Artist's Way book on almost any page and find wise words written in the margins, words that we were able to share with each other and our own hearts.

The above art is by Marie Miller.

Namaste.

FOLLOWING SPIRIT

"Any idea of God that is less than loving, merciful, forgiving, tolerant,and nurturing is a reflection of small mind and its fears." Pocketful of Miracles-Joan Borysenko

I have had a copy of this book since the nineties.  I recently found I had a second copy from last summers estate sales.  I  put one copy away, feeling I must start to learn the rituals at the beginning of the year, because the learning seems cumulative, but I didn't start, again, on January first of this year.  Last week I put the tiny book back on the shelf, and yesterday the other shows up again!

I have to know that this book and it's small daily lessons is meant to be read by me.  Now.

I have decided to follow spirit wherever he or she leads me.  I will follow Archangel Michael's spirit of love and wisdom.  Throughout my day I will try to remember to "stop, breath and pray."

Namaste.

HEARTS & CROSSES

I need to say that I was rooting for San Francisco in yesterday's game because I left my heart there many years ago.  That seemed like a good enough reason.

I must admit when the field goal kicker (I believe) for Baltimore, made the sign of the cross and then thanked heaven, I almost switched sides.  I'm a sucker for that stuff!

But watching such a well played and exciting game, and two beautiful coaches, in the end, my heart still remains on our be-u-ti-ful west coast.