Inspired

Reflections on September

Just jumping in to say hello…I know things have been fairly quiet from me for the past month, but it’s all good.

My life feels smoother, my heart feels fuller and my brain is alternating between spinning with inspiration and yet stalled by wonderment….like one foot is on the brake and the other is on the gas...and both are full on!

I've had so many ideas for projects, that I bought a tiny little...bright pink...notebook to jot down all my ideas before they run on ahead of me and leave me behind…yet so many of them still remain just idea’s.

 

The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.

Lee Iacocca 

But…I have started preparing a background on a new canvas, adding multiple layers of paper for texture.  I’ve added at least 8 different layers and colours of paint and rubbed each one with ink…wiping it off to bring out the texture.  Lots of fun, but I still haven’t decided what to paint on it!

I’ve also designed a quote to be printed on a canvas wrap (to go on my turquoise wall) but haven’t sent it off yet to the printer. (tomorrow…I vow to take my foot off the brake with this one and step on the gas)

Having painted the wall in the hallway, turquoise, I'm not quite as shocked by it any more and decided to continue on and paint a wall in the dining room the same colour…but that’s on hold until the rains drive us indoors again (brake).

I started or rather re-started my digital book project…The A to Z’s of me.  I was at least half way through the alphabet when I stopped over three years ago.  Several weeks back I looked at it again…and was somewhat surprised at how much I was enjoying it, so I’ve decided I’m too far into it, to not finish it! Each "letter" has a digital design on one page as well as a written page or two. (gas pedal)

I’ve designed another website, but haven’t decided yet if I’ll use it. (foot definitely on the brake).

I DID finish another Blurb book…all 114 pages of it…last years blog posts and photographs in print and it’s been sent off to Blurb for printing. (gas pedal, gas pedal! I’m doing the happy dance over this!)

And there’s more, so many more ideas, but I need to finish up the old before I dive into any more new projects

As I was writing all of this down, it dawned on me just what September has been about for me.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve felt all month like I was in a “holding pattern” and I can now see quite clearly that it’s been a time of wrapping things up...ideas and generally just a lot of old energy.  I needed to bring closure to so many things, not just projects but even remenents of old thought patterns and parts of me that I’m well and truly finished with. They’ve been good and have supported me while I needed them but it was time to clear up the old, so that I can step into the new.

 

Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.

Benjamin Disraeli

Do you feel a quickening of energy?  An underlying current of excitement beyond the fear?  Are you seeing glimpses out in the world (and in your own world) of people reclaiming their power?  Taking a new step?  Uttering a new word?

Oh my friends, stay in wonderment…we live in exciting times.

 

addendum:  just a few hours after I published this post, I received this in my inbox...I like to think that it's angelic confirmation that I'm on the right track!

(the photo’s above were taken at Elk Lake park, about half way between our home and Victoria.  The path winds around the lake (10 k’s/6.5 miles) and as always with nature, every changing season brings something new to see and delight me).

A Season of Balance

Profound Balance is Needed in our World

The September 23rd (Friday) equinox (a time of equal light and dark) is a powerful time to bring balance into your life and into our world. Today we tend to think of balance as equal and competing opposite sides. Our world is one of polarity. But in the natural world balance is more like the ancient Yin Yang symbol. Each side includes the other in a dynamic, not dominating, flow.

Fill yourself with light, while honouring the darkness. Accept what is (even if you don't agree with it) AND ALSO hold the vision of what you want. Strengthen your vision, then send it out on the rays of light to illuminate the world.

Jonette Crowley

The Center for Creative Conciousness

 

Yes, the world does seem completely out of balance right now but often it's necessary to rock the foundations before solid rebuilding is possible. We can each do our own part to bring balance back to the world, by staying in balance ourselves.

(I was balancing rocks the other day at a beach near my home…a medatative and calming activity!)

Blessings to all, dear friends.

 

Inside Myself

Living in a place of quiet stillness,

and sidestepping small, whirling eddy’s of chaos,

I tune to an inner song

of peace,

love,

and contentment.

Words fail me

while my heart

learns to speak this new language

of joy.

 

Stay in wonderment dear friends,

(photo of cape gooseberries received from a local gardener. The outer, papery covering shelters a sweet, yellow berry)

The Cure For Ennui

.

 

I read these words by Nancy Leilah Ward a few days ago in her September “energy vibe” report and thought to myself… “thank goodness, it’s not just me!”

I’ve noticed in myself – and heard reports from other people – that there’s a feeling of ennui that many are experiencing. Feeling unmotivated, as if we’re swirling around in an eddy of energy, not going anywhere, just spinning in the same spot. To move out of this, I am receiving messages to do what is fun, what makes me feel good.

September has always felt like a time of doing and newness for me…the result of many years of both being a student myself and then working in the elementary and post secondary educational systems. It’s a time to sign up for courses and think about what activities I want to focus on for the coming winter months. It’s a time to shed summer flip flops and start pulling out the knits, a time to put some structure back into my life.

But this month I’ve been feeling like I’m walking in circles and can’t get quite get a grasp on anything to pull myself out and into a new direction. It feels like I’m in a holding pattern, circling the airport and waiting for a slot, to land.

So…the remedy seems to be, to do something fun! OK, I’m up for that! For me, so much of my fun centers around being creative and today I’m playing with script…as in writing. I’ve joined Kal Barteski in her Script School which started yesterday. I love the easy flow of her script and think it will be fun to add it to my own projects…or just use it as a meditative practice.

And yesterday I had fun with a friend teaching me the basics of jewellery making…which was lots of fun and something I’ve always wanted to do.

"If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good".

Dr. Seuss

As always dear friends, thank you for stopping by…you are a each a beautiful blessing. Stay in wonderment.

(The photograph is of a new variety of coneflower (echinacea) "Hot Papaya", that I planted in my garden this summer)

Magic and Alchemy

Love’s Glow

acrylic paint and water soluble crayons on canvas (24” x12”)

"In love's glow, there is great magic"

 

I finally finished the painting that I’ve been working on (more off really, than on) all summer. I wanted to create something that felt magical to me and was inspired by Stephanie Lee’s sweet lanterns and yes, I’m still obsessed hooked on turquoise.

Magic and alchemy happen when we live from a place of love. Alchemy isn’t just about turning lead into gold…it’s the transformation of one thing into another. Love transforms life. Oh, I know that’s the simplistic version but truly, when we bring love into the equation, it transforms us, it transforms situations, it transforms relationships and it transforms the world.

This painting is, for me, about seeing the ordinary with new eyes…with the eyes of love. It’s transformative. A whole new world can appear that never before seemed possible, especially when we perceive ourselves with loving eyes.

 

One way can be learned by starting to see the magic in everything. Sometimes it seems to be hiding but it is always there. The more we can see the magic in one thing, a tiny flower, a mango, someone we love, then the more we are able to see the magic in everything and in everyone. Where does the mango stop and the sky begin?

Joshua Kadison

 

Where indeed does the mango stop and the sky begin? Blessing of love, magic (and the blurring of lines), to each of you.

 

Light

This lovely chandelier is hanging in what seems at first to be the unlikeliest of places…a pub! It’s just one of many hanging in Victoria’s old City of Lights Building which was originally built in 1894 to house the coal fired electric generators that powered Victoria's streetlights. It seems quite fitting that these beautiful chandeliers are now hanging in the old City of Lights building!

 

So much is said about becoming enlightened these days. With 2012 bearing down creeping up on us, and all the information and mis-information around that, there almost seems to be an urgency about it. I’m not sure how others define enlightenment but I’ve come to understand what it means for me.

Enlightenment is not about bunnies and rainbows, nor is it about the “woo woo, airy, fairy”. It's not about retreating to a mountain top or meditating in a cave. Enlightenment is about personal growth and using that growth to live a balanced life...in the world, not hiding away from it.

It's about releasing fear and it's about trusting. It's also about loving myself and emanating my truth. It’s about being disciplined and becoming the spiritual warrior (the heart needs to keep the ego in check!). It’s about drawing a line in the sand and calling on courage from the very depths of my being because I know that's what I deserve. It’s about ending struggle, letting go of drama and realizing that I’m never a victim…never, ever, ever. Enlightenment is about knowing gratitude and it's about asking myself what Einstein considered to be the most important question...Is the universe a friendly place?...and listening to my answer. If our thoughts become our reality, then the answer to this question is crucial.

Perhaps enlightenment means something different to you or maybe it’s not something that’s ever been on your radar. (You’re probably not a naval gazer like me!) but as long as we have the intent and determination to live to our greatest potential, to live in peace and joy with kindness as our north star, then we’re seeking enlightenment.

It’s time to power up…turn our lights up brightly…and be the very best we can be. We deserve that and so does the world.

Knowing others is wisdom;

Knowing the self is enlightenment;

Mastering others requires force;

Mastering the self needs strength.

Lao Tzu

Have a lovely weekend dear friends and if you're considering a movie, I saw The Help earlier this week. I loved it! The acting is great and although I didn't read the book, I've been told it's not a disapointment.

I'm so glad you came to visit!

Shovels and Ladders

This is an art journal page that I did last summer. At the time I was asking myself this question a lot…is my hand on a shovel or is it on a ladder?  In other words, if I’m in a “hole” somewhere in my life, am I digging a deeper hole or am I climbing out of it?

This is one of Eloheim’s many “tools” to help us transform what isn’t working in our life (or as they call it…the pit of pain!.  This week Victoria Torres features this particular tool on her website feature “Tool Tuesday”.  It was such a valuable reminder for me when I was deep in the process of changing my thoughts and habitual patterns, that I really wanted to share it here…but I’m going to let Eloheim explain it…

 

Shovel or Ladder

The choice for consciousness is challenging, but habitual response is a pit of pain.

You get a shovel or a ladder, it’s your choice to dig yourself in deeper or to climb up the ladder and out of the pit. The shovel is repeating habit, it’s you not being willing to say, “What the hell is going on here in me?  Not with him, not with her, not with the boss, not with the kids, not with the bank, not with the credit card statement but within me. What is going on in me?”

“Am I going to dig myself in deeper out of fear, guilt, lack, victim hood, or am I going to put my hand on the ladder and say something has to change? And am I going to keep climbing the ladder even when my pit partners look at me and say, ‘What are you doing? Where are you going? Who do you think you are? You’re getting too big for your britches!’” and all those other lines that they might give you. The ladder isn’t just a hop. You’re so far down in these pits of habitual response that you need one of those tall ladders, but the beauty is, your ladder is tall enough.

 

 

You figure it out by putting one foot in front of the other and continuing to make the choices that say, “Habit is not who I am.” Because when habit gets to tell you who you are, the scenery doesn’t change. Do you want a shovel or a ladder? We will not give you shovels. But we have loads of ladders of all different sizes, shapes, and lengths and we even know how to make them taller. So if you get dug down in there, don’t think you’re ever lost. You’re not ever lost in the pit of habit. You simply have to keep making the choice.

We’re standing there cheering you on. Just lift your foot. We know it’s challenging to break habits, but it will get easier. If you want your life to change, you need to choose and choose again to climb the ladder of consciousness.

***

Veronica writes:
When Eloheim first came up with this one, I was blown away. It is classic Eloheim, funny and practical. I picture them standing at the top of the hole saying, “We have ladders for you!” There is something so comforting about the image of them standing in the light looking at us down in the dark just waiting for us to reach up for the ladder they are lowering.

 

Have a wonderful day my friends, climbing ladders to where you really want to be…and enjoy the change of scenery!

Revisiting Grateful

Beautiful parking lot roses at the local grocery store…taken with my phone camera.

I know I’ve written many times about how important the practice of gratitude has been for me but I’ve recently been having a lot of light bulb moments and one of them has been about gratitude and what it's really all about. (I feel so excited about gratitude that I want to shout it out in caps but I’ll refrain!  I’ll just use lots of exclamation points and italics…lol)

In the past, I’ve understood gratitude from the perspective of appreciating the positives in my life; the things that make me happy…almost as though by counting up the positives, I cancelled out the negatives.  If I focused enough on what was positive, then I wouldn’t obsess think about the negative.  And that’s true…to a point.

I’ve recently begun to understand that feeling gratitude includes being grateful for everything….everything…even those things that are unpleasant and not what I want in my life. 

My life is my creation and it’s all here “for” me (rather than being done to me) and with my awareness of this, everything is leading me to where I want to be.  Every aha, every understanding, shifts me…either slightly or profoundly…with a new course direction. If I can be grateful for it all, there’s no resistance…and we’ve probably all heard that “what we resist, persists”. 

These thoughts have been swirling around in my head for the past several weeks, and I love how the universe lets me know I’m on the right track…

• Yesterday I listened to an interview with Lilou Mace (of Lilou’s Juicy Living Tour) where she said exactly the same thing.  At a time in her life when she was out of work and her fridge was empty, she learned to be truly grateful for her empty fridge.  She found out then, who she really was at her core and what was important to her. 

• Today when I checked in at Roxanne’s blog In the Transition (you might know her from her Vlog Beach Walks With Rox) I found more of the same in her most recent post…Grateful for everything....yes, everything.

My understanding of gratitude; what it really means and what it requires of me, has shifted profoundly and in that shifting, my life is also shifting...away from the good/bad, better/worse, right/wrong mindset to appreciating and loving all of it. 

Of course, the moment I think I’ve finally “got” something, I’m immediately tested with all kinds of buttons being pushed and yes, there are times when I simply forget all of this and “react”, but…as soon as we’re aware of something, it’s easier to pull back and remember there’s another way. 

It’s a new paradigm…and it’s our choice.  The rewards for choosing gratitude-for-all-of-it, are pretty amazing.

 

All that we behold is full of blessings. 

William Wordsworth

 

(we’ve been away this week with our oldest grandson…who at nine has brought us up to date with Angry Birds and electronic gaming…who knew that the Nintendo ds has a built in camera with the capability of manipulating photos!  We’ve been visiting my dad (and grandson’s great-grandpa) and heading back to the coast tomorrow.  Thanks to everyone who stops by…I am truly grateful for you all…blowing kisses!) 

Field of Abundant Potential

 

It’s July!  We’re half way through the year (already!)…and summer is here for those of us in the northern half of the world.

With the earth bursting in a riot of new growth, it’s a time of abundant potential.  When I think about it, I realize that there are so many possiblities, so much potential, so many flowers in life that we don’t pick.  That’s not necesarily a negative thing…we can’t pick every flower that blooms…but the potential is still there.  There's so much potential and for most of it, we either don’t see it, ignore it or we choose to pick others blossoms.

 

And I’m asking myself at this mid point of the year, what blossoms am I choosing?  Is my bouquet small…a single bloom…and am I looking in just one corner of the field?  Can I open my arms wider and embrace a bigger bouquet?  I must admit, I’m feeling drawn to choosing new blossoms, new varieties…and wandering out a little farther out in the field to see what’s there.  What potentials have I been ignoring?

 

The poppies and daisies are in full bloom now and their cheerfulness brings me so much joy…and joy must certainly be where potential blooms! I'm reminded of this digital piece that I created several years ago.

 

 

So we meet you on the edge of this field (of potential) and we ask,

“Shall we go into the past and remember

or shall we be in the moment and explore?”

…as received through Veronica Torres

 

I’ve been featured this week as a guest author on Veronica Torres website…Eloheim and the Council…talking about the impact that working with Eloheim has had on my life. Hop over here if you’d care to check it out.

Thank you dear friends for stopping by and if you’re new here…take a moment to say hi…I’d love to meet you!

Solstice

Yesterday was the 2nd annual Solstice celebration at a friends boathouse just down the street.  You couldn’t get any closer to the water without being in a boat.

 

We ate sumptuously and still the sunlight lingered.

 

At 9:30, the sun finally slipped behind the mountains,

 

and we were joined by a heron fishing for his own dinner.

 

As darkness closed in, we lit candles while setting our intentions for the next six months…

and released them to float away in the darkness of night.

A beautiful, beautiful solstice gathering once again at the boathouse.