New Year

This is a time to reflect on the new cycle that has been set in motion with the Winter Solstice and continues with the New Year celebrations the Earth commemorates. I began a practice 15 years ago of formulating a "theme" each year that I wanted to focus on rather than a new years' resolution. This past year (2011) my theme was "Live Art-fully". I enjoyed creating this blog and posting my own pictures and accompanying thoughts in hopes of inspiring others to create an art-filled life. I created cards with my own art work for the Fall and Spring Equinox and the Summer and Winter Solstice, which I gave out to friends. The theme helped me to see the world around me in a new way. I've had some great themes over the years. Some of my favorite themes were: Living by the Moon; Embracing the Medicine Woman Within; and Living Your Authentic Self. All brought powerful teachings.

With the coming year of 2012 many people are aware of a new world which is about to be birthed. Let us dream a beautiful dream together of the world we want to experience and then take action to make it manifest.

Create

May we create a world filled with love and joy.

May peace prevail in each heart.

May peace prevail on Earth.

The Still Point

Winter Solstice

The Still Point

Quiet

Patient

Peaceful

The Waking Dream

Sacred Space

Creating an altar, a Sacred Place, is an act of personal power. This is where you honor yourself by tapping into your inner wisdom and life energy. Make you altar a place of beauty. Let it reflect the Sacredness of You. Your altar is a place of balance and wholeness. A place where you come home to yourself in peace.
Getting ready for the Winter Solstice I cleaned my altar this morning, offered prayers, and made some changes which reflect my consciousness and my journey.
I wish you well on your journey.

The days grow short

As we move toward the Winter Solstice the days grow short and the Dreamtime beckons us.
It is time to enter the Dreamlodge and bring attention to the truth and wisdom beneath the surface of the conscious mind.

Cats and Dogs

FYI

Dogs have masters.

Cats have staff.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving One and All

Saguaro

Renaming what we think of as"things", like this magnificent saguaro cactus, but rather to see Her as a living being is a more wholistic way to view the Creation we share.
Giving thanks to these "standing people" helps us to honor their place in the circle of life on this planet.

Raven Medicine

The Native American culture has many stories about Raven. There are very few animals that are "bad" or "evil". All seem to have their own gifts or medicine to offer us two leggeds. Raven is magical. Her dark black color reminds us of the Great Mystery, the Void.
I've gotten into this habit: When I see Raven I thank Her for coming, then I ask Her to bring a healing prayer to a friend in need.
Ravens' call says: "Embrace the mystery of life!"

Mountains and Women

Go to a place like this and you can feel, see, smell and touch the Creative Feminine Spirit.
In the silence you can hear women singing songs that contain Her forgotten names.
If you sit long enough you can hear the whispers of your own heart song.
The Mountains have been holding all these songs for us.
Patiently waiting for us to return and remember.

The Storyteller

Everything human is story
We share stories
We listen to stories
We store stories
We perform stories
We create stories
We rewrite stories

As the nights grow longer
moving toward the Winter Solstice
humans gather round the fire that light up the night
to tell their stories
to bring myth and meaning to life
to share their humaness
to share where we came up short
or maybe where we soared like an eagle

The beauty of the Full Moon

Enjoy the beauty of the Full Moon tonight. Light a candle on your altar to thank Her. The Goddess is always doing Her duty and we are grateful.

Day of the Dead

Celebrating with some old friends in Mexico.

We love getting dressed up in our finest clothes and dancing round the fire.

Join us.

FYI

How do we define what it is to be "poor"?

$22,314.00 per year for a family of 4.
$11,139.00 per year for an individual.

In 2010 15% of Americans or 46.2 million people (that we know of) were considered poor.

1 in 6 Americans are living in poverty.

Bodhisattva Avalokita'sGreat Mantra

"Gate gate paragate parasamgate

bodhi svaha"

This is the a great mantra, the destroyer of all suffering at the heart of the Prajnaparamita.
Gate means gone. Gone from suffering to liberation of suffering. Paragate means gone all the way to the other shore. Parasamgate means everyone, the entire community of beings. Everyone gone over to the other shore. Bodhi is the light inside, awakening, liberation from fear. And svaha is joy, welcome, hurray!
Gone, gone, gone all the way over, everyone gone to the other shore, enlightenment, svaha!
from the book by Thcih Nhat Hanh The Heart of Understanding.

Storytelling Rock

Storytelling is what we humans do to explain life to bring meaning and purpose to our experiences. When I meditated upon this rock with hundreds of images I thought it must be a storytelling rock. I could picture a Wise Woman with children gathered around as she told the stories of The People over thousands of years. Healing stories, hunting stories, how to bring the rain stories, love stories, stories that comfort us and remind us of our connection to all of creation and the Creator.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

May I become at all times, both now and forever
A protector for those without protection
A guide for those who have lost their way
A ship for those with oceans to cross
A bridge for those with rivers to cross
A sanctuary for those in danger
A lamp for those without light
A place for refuge for those who lack shelter
And a servant to all in need

Words of His Holiness

Wabi Sabi

Life weathers us.

"The Japanese culture recognizes and appreciates "wabi sabi". Wabi refers to rustic simplicity, freshness, quietness, and understated elegance. Sabi is the gloom of time, the natural progression of tarnish, rust and weathering. It accepts and embraces the patina that comes with age. Wabi sabi acknowledges that nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect. To accept these realities is to accept contentment as the maturation of happiness." Quoted from the book To Buy or Not to Buy by April Lane Benson

The visitor

I thanked her for coming and asked her for a message or story.
She asked me a question in return.
Do you feel you are part of the Great Earth?
Or do you feel outside of nature, separate, like an observer?
I sat quietly and listened.
Be humble, she said, you are just a small and beautiful part of this Great Mystery.
She flew away.
I thanked her for coming.

Friends

"To have friends is sweet

And to share happiness."

The Buddha

Fall Equinox

Wishing you all a great new cycle. The Fall Equinox (September 23rd) is here. May your harvest be plentiful. May your gratitude be overflowing. And may peace prevail on Earth.

Brahman time

"To meet the day before it begins means that you are present when it is born. Because there are not yet any events, the infant day is open, fresh, and new." The Master Yogis knew this was the perfect time to meditate and pray; Brahma time. The practice of arising early and lending your own awareness with "open mind and open heart. To let life unfold as it will." Opening to the possibility of a day "filled with peace, harmony, creativity, love and wholeness." (Quotes from The Book of Secrets by Deepak Chopra)




You can begin today. Join your goodness with the Universe as the day dawns.

Wisdom

There was a time

when the Wise One

lived among us.

She lies within each of us now and if you look around you will see Her. As Marion Woodman writes: "She who is dead is alive. All we have to do is open our eyes an extra sixteenth of an inch, and there she is, dancing in every apple blossom, in the song of every purple finch, as well as in the flames of passion that we call life." (from Dancing in the Flames)

Kachina

Encountering an image of the Goddess in one of Her many forms is a reminder of Her presence. She may be repressed in these times but She is still present.

Happy Full Moon

However young,
The seeker who sets out upon the way
Shines bright over the world.

Like the moon,
Come out from behind the clouds!
Shine.

The Dhammapada

Between Earth and Sky

The Old Man Born of Dreams by Nancy Wood
You must not be afraid to travel
where there are no roads
You must not give into darkness
when there is no sign of light
You must not be afraid to grow wings
when you are tired of the ground
You must not be afraid to swim
when you are nothing but a stone
If experience is the child of risk, then
acceptance is the old man born of dreams

Book: Spirit Walker

Eagle blessings

My joy is like a spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom in all walks of life.

My pain is like a river of tears, so full it fills the four oceans.

Please call me by my true names,

so I can hear all my cries and laughs at once, so I can see that my joy and pain are one.

Please call me by my true names,

so I can wake up, and so the door of my heart can be left open, the door of compassion.

From a poem by Thich Nhat Hanh

May all hearts be healed

Wholeness

Medicine Wheel and Prayer flags

Created to remind us of our connection as human beings to one another, to all of life, and to the Creator.

Can you see Wholeness?

Good medicine

Breathing in, I calm my body

Breathing out, I smile

Dwelling in the present moment

I know this is a wonderful moment

A simple practice offered by Thich Nhat Hanh to help us find peace, happiness, joy, and serenity in the present moment. You can breathe anywhere and say these four lines to yourself. It's good medicine.

Balance

Balance and Harmony

How do we attain balance and harmony in a world out of balance? Some simple words from The Sayings of The Buddha:

Sit (meditate).

Rest.

Work.

Alone with yourself

Never weary

On the edge of the forest

Live joyfully

Without desire.

The Goddess

The Goddess has returned.
If you watch for Her you will see. She is everywhere and in everything.
She has many names.
Her purpose is self-transformation.
Transformation of consciousness.
"Continually, She prepares a banquet that is food for the soul."
She offers us Oneness.
Enthrone Her in your being and wisdom will flourish.

Alive-ness

Many cultures hold the belief that every person, every place, every plant, animal, rock --everything you can name is ALIVE. When we shift our belief to this view then everything becomes a "who" instead of a "what". Addressing the rocks and mountains, trees and birds as a form of life filled with chi (vital energy) brings a new level of awareness that calls us to be in relationship to the fullness of life around us. We develop a good heart, a quiet mind. To treat everyone and everything in our environment with dignity and respect, including the Earth beneath our feet directs us to walk firmly on the "Good Red Road"

After the storm

There are many stories about rainbows in cultures around the world. The stories help us to bring meaning to our experience here on our Earth walk. What about our own personal storms and the hope we may have discovered after the crisis had passed? These are powerful human stories that we may tell others in order to bring the gift of the rainbow when they to encounter a difficult experience.
What is your rainbow story?

Enlightened Goddess

Delve into the Mystery
Uncover deeper Truths
The Dark Goddess
is your Guide
Her name is Wisdom


"The beauty and the horror of the whole of life are held together in Her love." (Quote from Dancing in the Flames by Woodman and Dickson)

Living Medicine Wheel

There are builders and co-creators all over the Earth. Creating wholeness and beauty. Healing and awakening sacred places.

Here is a "Living Medicine Wheel" in Ridgewood, Queens, NY.

"Everything is painted with the brush of the Invisible One. Let us follow the hidden signs and find the Painter." Rumi

reducing worry

The Dalai Lama talks about coping with anxiety and fear in his book The Art of Happiness.

pg. 288. "If the situation or problem is such that it can be remedied, then there is no need to worry about it. The appropriate action is to seek its solution...Alternately if there is no way out, no solution, no possibility of resolution, then there is also no point in being worried about it, because you can't do anything about it anyway."

Dream boat

Row, row, row your boat

Gently down the dream

merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily

life is but a stream

Or is it the other way around?

Artist: Chahully

Installation at the Desert Botanical Gardens

How can I help?

May you be well
May you be happy
May you be free from
suffering and its causes
May you be free from danger
May you have mental happiness
May you have physical happiness
May you have all that you
want and need
May you have ease of
well being
May you have peace When we are confronted with suffering in the world we ask: How can I help? Whether it is a friend going through a difficult time, seeing a global event such as the famine in Africa, or the awareness of people in the community who don't have enough to eat or a place to live, we may feel overwhelmed and insignificant. What can I (little ole me, one person) do to help alleviate the suffering? You can begin on your meditation cushion and from that place choose the action you wish to take. Meditation on loving-kindness (Metta) opens our hearts to the suffering and then directs our wish for the relief of suffering toward ourselves first then toward others in ever widening circles. The examples above give you an idea of Metta Meditation. We wish these things for ourselves, then we open our hearts to others and wish they may benefit too.
After we do this meditation we are able to take action with a peaceful heart knowing we are doing our best to bring comfort and compassion to whatever circumstances that have touched our hearts. (Check out the book Loving-kindness by Sharon Salzberg)

Relax

Most of the time when sitting and meditating the mind races here and there. Instead of being hard on yourself for wandering off, allow the mind to "graze" in a large green, open, field like this black and white cow. When the mind gets its' fill of running about, it will relax, contented. Like the crow sitting on the fence watch it all; be a witness to the process.

Artwork by Joyce

Metta (loving kindness) Meditation

May all beings everywhere have happiness and the causes of happiness

May all beings everywhere remain free from suffering and the causes of suffering

May all beings everywhere have true happiness

May all beings everywhere dwell in equanimity

free from discrimination and attachment

And may all beings everywhere dwell in the realm of perfect peace.

Go with the flow

The Tao moves

in every direction at once

its essence is fluid and yielding

It is the maker of everything under the sun

And everything comes

out of nothing

Bells of Mindfulness

Bringing mindfulness and awareness through the day can be a challenge. We all get caught up in the hustle and bustle; the drama; and all that needs to get done.
When we are relaxed and feeling centered we wonder how can I bring this peace to my everyday life? How did I loose it during may day and get so sucked in?
The great teachers, like Thich Nhat Hanh, suggest "anything can help us to wake up and relax into the present moment."
In temples, churches and retreats the bell is often used to bring people to prayer, to remind us to stop what we are doing and connect with our own happiness.
You may not have a bell chiming in your work place every hour, but you can use other cues. I work in a hospital and there are bells and chimes going off all the time. I use these to stop, breathe a little, and remind myself of the peace that lies within. You may have a bell or beep on your phone when you get a message that you could use as a Bell of Mindfulness. Thich Nhat Hanh suggests saying silently to yourself while taking a few deep breathes: "Listen, listen, this wonderful sound brings me back to my true self."
Hey, it's worth a try.
(Quotes from The Heart of Understanding by Thich Nhat Hanh)

Lighten up!

Watch how your day unfolds when you are feeling "light hearted".

I've noticed what a difference it makes when I choose to be light hearted. It seems so simple. But it takes a bit of discipline to remain centered and aware throughout the day. Allowing the Sun to shine on all experiences, pleasant and unpleasant, is a useful exercise.

Wishing you peace throughout your day.

Full Moon

Use the moons' reflective power to help others see what they might miss.

Since ancient times women have followed the cycles of the Moon. Gathering in Moon Lodges to create; to solve everyday problems; and to vision for future generations. Women are fearless when it comes to delving into the depths of the collective unconscious and birthing their dreams for the benefit of All Our Relatives.

Full Moon days and nights are a good time to reflect on our own life spiral, our own cycles. Honoring our inner wisdom as reflected by the Moons' light. We thank Her for continuing to light our path, showing us the beauty of the shadow as well as the light.

Painting: Fire snake. August 2010. Artist: Joyce

Zen Musicians from Mexico

What are these Master's singing?

"We are all going to end up this way.

So sing, dance and enjoy this day."

In Buddhism it is said that taking on a human body is a very rare occurence. Contemplating this motivates us to meditate, do our work with joy, help others, cherish family and friends, and enjoy each day.

Take time to stop for ice cream

You know the saying "take time to smell the roses"? Well I prefer: "Take time to stop for ice cream". Pets remind us to live in the present moment, play, and enjoy life each day. Oh and don't forget a good nap!
Thanks four legged friends (Ozzie Bear and Buster)!

Honoring the Tao

Things are the way they are

because we think they're that way

Good or bad,

acceptable or unacceptable,

they conform to the way we see them.

Originally, in themselves,

all things are good and acceptable.

From The Second Book of the Tao by Stephen Mitchell

Guardian Deva

Sprite: Artist Frank Lloyd Wright. Taliesin West, Arizona

Seek the wisdom that will untie your knot
seek the path that demands your whole being
Leave that which is not, but appears to be
see that which is, but is not apparent.
Rumi

Rose

Everyone is in the process of unfolding