....monday night stuff

 becoming
 it wasn't that she was growing and changing, was it?
t was that she was finally allowing herself to become.

 ~terri st. cloud
 Oh! Do not attack me with your watch. A watch is always too fast or too slow.
 I cannot be dictated to by a watch. 
Jane Austen

I'm really busy getting ready for San Francisco....the show is in 12 days...oh my.  My muse has stayed with me this whole creative time....bless her. ...even came back when I told her to leave one night because she had a little to much input... 
I've discovered she really likes to work with trance music, the more primal the better...and she likes it loud....lol....like I do.
I'm almost done creating and now it's time to turn to display,transporting, bags and boxes and receipt books, business cards and how many tables and stands, lights....so much stuff to think about. ...and what to wear....I am a country girl, going to the city,
 what to wear is a consideration... 
 Peace Seeds....one of my favorites...
 Faces in Waiting
I believe, and I've read, that what we wanted to become when we were 8, 9, 10, 11, is our hearts calling.....
 Unity...

Life wants us to know so much more light....em claire


And this...a goal...xoxo

"she laced up her dancing shoes every day,
opening her heart as she did so.
stepping into the all,
she kicked up her feet,
touched the stars,
and danced with life."   

......blessed for sure

For so many Thanksgiving is going to be harsh...

It is so cold here in California...It will drop to the 20's tonight. 

I ran into a friend at the market and 

we talked about how cold it is...

and together we said something about the homeless..

.homeless in this bone chilling cold...

...homelessness is growing in America.

I'm so blessed with all I have.

Wishing you blessings everyday too....... 

....a request of my kindreds

I know that some of you already know about this....but not all of you...and it's something we can do something about....easily..

There were many more brutal video's I could have put here....there are the ones where you could see the dolphins being dragged through the water...tied by their tails fighting for the last breath...there are ones where you can hear them cry out trying to find the rest of their pod....crying out as the they are slaughtered in the most brutal of ways....crying while they see members of their pod slaughtered...And then their are the ones not taken for food but to entertain us....trainers come and choose....the pretty ones head for a life in captivity...after they've known the taste of the vast freedom of the ocean......something is wrong here....and the people doing it, know it's wrong...there is a secrecy....a lot of secrecy....and it isn't just dolphins it is whales...

The Japanese government is sensitive to this situation that goes on from September to May...every year...year after year...The more we speak out, the more chance it will end....A quick email from you, my caring readers, can make a difference. 

We are their only hope...

.their only hope

I've added the email for the Japanese Embassy...A quick email will make a difference...Please....Next year my daughter wants to join the witnesses on the shore and in the water who let the fisherman and trainers know the world is watching...I don't want her to experience that heartbreak...maybe enough emails and I she won't...xoxoxo

this is the place to write....
https://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment_ssl.html 

....hats off to my soul mates!!

Do you believe in Kindred Spirits...Soul Mates?

I do.

To a lot of people a Soul Mate is a romantic figure...Someone who you might see across a room...your eyes meet and you feel a call, a recognition.  When you're close you might actually feel a mingling of your energies as they dance together....It's a giddy, heady, experience...You've felt it....I know you have.

I believe in that romantic meeting of spirits...but I also believe we had many Kidnreds who ar not of the romantic kind...

Looking at people who have come into my life I realize so many people have come  to move me along my karmic journey and maybe me them.

Some times it's really clear why a Kindred shows up, we easily know why they've come.  My Circle Sisters found each other in the most synchronistic  ways....We came together to create a space to explore being women on spiritual journeys...We are Kindreds.

Seven, or so years ago I met a woman I was instantly drawn to...We were like magnets.  The thing we had in common was the desire to get our art out from under the bed and into the world.  We weren't brave enough to approach galleries So we held hands and rented a RUSTIC 10 x10 Kiosk in our local Village and opened our own ...Feather Moon ...she was Josie Two Feathers and I was 13 Moon...We opened on a shoe string...$200 per month...no utilities, no air, no heat...an adventure. And we'd only known each other a month.

We had the support of our spiritual family and people bought what we offered....

But Josie and I quickly discovered that we only shared to vision of having a place to show our art....not how to run a business..  and there was another little glitch that turned big...She was Native American...I'm white.

Our journey in the world was so very different.  Yet we came together on a mission.  I learned a lot from Josie and how profoundly our experiences can color who we see in front of us.  There were many tears, as she said, 'we can't mix medicine'...and so we couldn't.,,,Josie moved away and I kept Feather Moon for a couple of years...I consider Josie on of my most influential Kindreds...We met and ignited a dream...She gave me confidence...and she taught me some big lessons about relationships.  I hope she took something from me when our soul business together was complete.

And that's something else...Time together....my romantic side says once you meet a kindred or soul mate they should be with us forever in human form...but of course that isn't true...they come and go...

A year ago our twins were born, my tiny little grandsons...not much bigger than my hand.....Monday was the one year anniversary of the passing of our Phoenix....3 days old...Three weeks later Haiven passed...They were here for such a short time yet had such a huge impact...I know they were Kindreds ..They opened all of us involved in loving them so much...taught us things about ourselves, our family ties, our spiritual family, our friends...all good stuff, mixed with incredible pain.  And surely some karmic debt was paid with that pain,,,Pain that can still instantly rise to the surface.

My daughters are Kindreds, Soul Mates....I learn so much from their beautiful spirits...

So my question is...Do you believe that somewhere in time...in the Universe....our souls gather and make agreements to find each other in this lifetime to move us along on our journey?  That they come as teachers, lovers, friends, children, even those difficult folks......that they have that special something we need to wake us up if  we might be sleeping...They bring us experiences to help us become more compassionate, wiser, softer, tougher, braver, more loving...?  
And if we are open enough will we recognize them and why they've come?
 Will we cherish them? Welcome them? Or will we miss the connection this time around?  Maybe you and me are Kindreds?? xoxo

...miracles

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child -- our own two eyes. All is a miracle.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

....a moment and a positive pause

I arrived at my grandson's football game a few Sundays ago and sat down next to my daughter...her husband...she had friends on their way.  My ex and his wife coming too...Lot's of support for Grandson.  

Erin looked down and said, "MOM! Your shoes don't match...!!!"

And omg, she was right....not even close....LOL...

This is what happens when I get overwhelmed with stuff I guess...or is my head just in the clouds..?  

Too much multi-tasking...maybe?

All the above.

So I realize that I need to take more time to focus...

I love the video below...Hope you have the time to watch it...might spare you an OMG MOM! Moment...

a week later we went to vote together and I saw Erin check my feet...oh my...to her, mis-matched shoes are a sure sign it's downhill from here..Is it???

xoxox

.http://www.positivepause.com/

......imagine

I love this poem, anthem, song, proclamation....

It serves me on so many occasions...it's a reminder of who I want to be, 
and who I sometimes am....

There are days I feel overwhelmed, or feel my needs aren't being met, or I spot a new wrinkle, note that my figure isn't what I would like it to be, or I feel like I'm not all I could, should, would be, if only I would get it right.....
Days I wonder if anyone really sees ME...hears ME...
or if  anyone is even looking or listening.
yes, I do know I'm blessed and loved...but....


So I read this and see....it helps me see myself...recognize that I am a complex woman...a proud woman, powerful, a survivor, beautiful...one with some wisdom...
a woman with passion and desire, a creator, a spiritual being, a traveler exploring, 
One with the Universe
a mysterious celebration..a dancer.
good enough!
and you are too!
, ....and I thought maybe you would like to read it again too..xoxo




Imagine a Woman

Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is a woman.

A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories.
Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.

Imagine a woman who trusts and respects herself.
A woman who listens to her needs and desires.
Who meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who acknowledges the past’s influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life.
A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf.
Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs a personal spirituality to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman who honors the body of the Goddess in her changing body.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use her life-energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Imagine yourself as this woman.

“Imagine a Woman” © Patricia Lynn Reilly, 1995
www.imagineAwoman.com

The poem is copyrighted and may not be used without permission.

...water, water, water and Grandma Aggie

Water Source of Life

will open on November 6th

With the reception on Saturday November 13 at Stellar Gallery 

Gallery Row, Oakhurst...

I didn't enter a Spirit Figure...too many other things going on but Jon Bock, owner of Stellar let me take a few photos of some of the entries before the show was hung...these are some that caught my eye...

This lovely by judy DeRose

This is also a judy DeRosa...acrylic...I love it..even has a Turtle, my totem...but it I'm not sure tis one is entered in the water show...

It was hanging at Williams when I took the photo...

This is Bonnie Bisbee's water goddess...love everything she does!

This by Vivian Capone

  And this just worth watching...some thoughts on  water from one of the 13 Grandmoters....we can't live without it, yet it would appear from all that is going on in the world, that we think we can....
xoxo

Dia de los Muetos is a holiday for remembering the dead...Day of the Dead.

It's celebrated on November 2...Today

One of the ways it's celebrated is through the creation of an altar to honor the deceased...

This beautiful altar is at Williams Gallery West @ Gallery Row in Oakhurst, CA...

It will be up for a few more days and you can still bring things to add...

Bad girls?  or Hot Mamas? 

The large skull is wonderful..

the altar is  amazing....

Check it out if you can...and then go next door to Timberline and see our new show...

...sweet encounter

I like this a lot and want to share it...makes me happy

it's best viewed with the sound on...

hug, hug...enjoy this day...

I borrowed it from Running 'Cause I Can't Fly

....for my sisters

About seven or eight months ago...my friend Alicia and I started a Sacred Circle...

we invited women we knew well, and women we barely knew but whose energy we enjoyed, to join us for our first gathering....

an amazing number of them showed up to see what we had in mind.

What we had in mind was to create a

safe place for women to gather and explore our spiritual journeys.

We decided to meet every other Sunday afternoon and follow the basic guidelines from the book, "Sacred Circles" by Robin Deen Carnes & Sally Craig....there are 8 circle basics...Council Sharing, Listening without an Agenda, Rotating Leadership/Shared Ownership, Confidentiality, Taking Responsibility for One's Own Needs, Self-Reflection,

Focus on spiritual Development, and Commitment.

We lost some of the women a long the way..

they may come back later....

the women who kept coming back are the ones meant to take a journey together....

it's pretty cool...new sisters!

This is a poem written for the Commitment Gathering we had on Sunday...

I really want to share it with you...

Sisters, we weep with grief

Shout with anger

Tremble in fear
Stand tall in joy.

We grow strong as the biggest tree
Deep as the deepest well
Wise as the elders.

We echo and call
and call
and call.

We dream our circle to life.
Within, we cradle the newest
being – the babe we feed
with the nectar
of the goddesses and gods
the whatever is.
All of that.

We are spread about with sunshine
We are covered in rain
We soar with the wind
push up the green shoots.
Our legs are roots
Our bodies living wood
Our arms move in worship
We dance between the stars.

I’ve heard we are made of stars.
We are old as the oldest
We are the blackest night
And the newest light.

Formed from the dust of the galaxies
Conjured from lust and need
the moans of pleasure
slick seed
and yes.

We birth the mountains from our wombs,
Bring forth the seas.
From between our thighs,
the scent of ancient sands.
The old queens whose hands
hold the scepters
bestow the mysteries.

All that is.
All that is.

Megan Ralph

http://prayinghorse.blogspot.com/2010/10/for-my-sisters.html

..on my journey

Hi...feels like it's been forever since I put a new post up....way behind in some things I wanted to share...so I'm just going to give a quick snapshot of the past month....

My camp mates during the Liquid Matrix 3 day dance event...so much fun...

Daughters Erin, Jillian and friend, and beautiful spirit, Bettina...we had just finished putting up our altar..

We had a copy of The Upanishads...Goddess statues, a couple of Dia de los Muertos Spirit Figures..and this framed...

"Look to this day..for yesterday is already a dream

and tomorrow is only a vision;

but today, well loved makes every yesterday a dream of happiness

And every tomorrow a vision of hope

Look well, therefore to this day."

Such is the Salutation of the Dawn

We decided to move Camp Cute as we were dubbed...

.not so hard to move two tents without breaking down.

jilly giving us a little hoop demo...and staying warm at the same time...

It was sooo cold at night and in the early morning hours...had to dance or get into my sleeping bag. Jillian will be giving a hoop workshop...creative hooping..dancing....

beautiful and fun and make a waistline happen...yes!

A beautiful spirit spending a little time at our altar...

Ok, I admit it...I'm crazy for fiber...and so when I saw this young man in his amazing floor length vest of many colors, I had to ask him where he got it...and to my surprise he said he made it...

We chatted a bit. I told him about my Spirit Figures and he shared his fabric sources in Los Angeles...

I gave him some mom advice to create, create, create...honor his creativity..

Thanked him...we hugged and that was that...

Until about 3 hours later. I was dancing...hanging out with Bettina all of a sudden this young man is standing in front of me with an offering of cloth from his vest...a 10" x 8" piece!!!

What a joy! What a beautiful gesture!

It might have been cold at Liquid Matrix at night but it was HOT during the day!

Our goal on the ride home was to find a swimming hole along the Feather River...

My babies at play!!

and this? this was my studio 2 days before Sierra Art Trails open studio event...

I have no idea how I got it ready for company but I did....and it was helpful that at the Opening Reception I heard a collector of mine tell a woman she need to go to my studio just to see it...not the art...but the studio and how I have boxes and baskets and piles of bones, feathers,, skulls, twigs, fabric, etc. everywhere...and I thought I'd hid all the messy stuff in the past....some of it never to be found again.

But after hearing him say what he said I felt pretty good about not cleaning up all my little messes.....

so I didn't!

This Spirit Figure, "In Your Dreams", found a home the Monday after Art Trails...

This photo doesn't show you how big the plastic tub is but it's big, and it's filled with feathers my friend Bettina has gathered for me over the last several month from her chickens, and from her neighbors exotic birds, and from going out on walks with finding feathers in mind...

They make me feel rich...feathers for figures..

and gifts....friends brought me gifts...beautiful fabric, flicker feathers, buttons, a paw and a bit of of a racoon's tail, beads and ribbon...all for my Spirit Figures..

These girls are still on the wall...waiting for homes.,,they are part of my 'dancing' series...

Dancing in the Garden at Midnite & Dancing for Change...

This is Peace Seeds

Unity 'Shared Dreams"

Dream Weaver

Lakshmi

We are Lightbabies. Golden Grace.
Wings, meant to fly.
We are delicate and pregnant
with goodness.
We are each made of such a quiet
that the entire Universe
can hear us. ...Em Claire

My baby, Maia....getting grey...

a sitting place near my studio

A home for this gorgeous lady...