Winter Solstice...Time of reflection

Sweet Darkness

When your eyes are tired
the world is tired also.

When your vision has gone
no part of the world can find you.

Time to go into the dark
where the night has eyes
to recognize its own.

There you can be sure
you are not beyond love.

The dark will be your womb
tonight.

The night will give you a horizon
further than you can see.

You must learn one thing:
the world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn

anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive

is too small for you.

~ David Whyte ~

Honoring the beauty of the shadow!

It was finally our turn, here in the west to witness an eclipse. They always appear in the pre-dawn hours, when I am finally falling into that deep restful sleep. But this time, I was determined to witness the event that I have slept through in years past. It was 20 degrees outside, I was worried that my camera would retaliate giving a foggy image. When I stepped outside of my garage, and looked up, I gasped. I sped away in my car to a higher elevation where I had full view of this glorious moon.  I love seeing the world through the lens of my camera. The large zoom gives me a closer look, and the excitement of capturing an image makes me giddy. Once the tripod was set and the cameras timer was clicking away, I took a moment for reflection. The shadow cast on this otherwise glowing orb of light, was so beautiful. I reflected on my own shadow's that have been a constant companion throughout my life. My shadows, have been my greatest teachers. The light of the moon does not cease to exist, it merely accepts the dark, and makes it desirable to look at. Thousands of people gather around the world to witness these events. As I have looked at my own shadows, they have become equally beautiful companions that co-exist within me. I have deepest gratitude for the difficult lessons that shadow has taught me. We are all luminous beings. When we allow that light to shine through the darkest times of our life, we are eclipsing the demons, and creating allies that we can then carry into the world in beauty. This process of transformation, is as grand as the events that draw thousands out of their beds, to see with their own eyes, what the heavens are teaching us. I bow in honor to my demons and shadows. I offer gratitude

for the insight and transformation that has replaced the dark. May you all find the beauty within your soul!

“Our shadows hold the essence of who we are.  They hold our most treasured gifts.  By facing these aspects of ourselves, we become free to experience our glorious totality:  the good and the bad, the dark and the light.  It is by embracing all of who we are that we earn the freedom to choose what we do in this world.  As long as we keep hiding, masqerading, and projecting [the negative messages we hide] inside us, we have no freedom to be and no freedom to choose.”

Debbie Ford~

Loving Trees...

Words, like nature, half reveal and half conceal the soul within.

- Alfred Tennyson

Sharing my love of Trees, through my lens...

Breathe, Nature is an elixir, no prescription required and free!

If you want to breathe life into your tired old bones, I have the remedy. Go outside! I am so blessed to have the most exquisite mountains in my back yard. I had many thoughts today as I observed the mountains as they are preparing for slumber. Nature can be such a brilliant teacher. When I look at the exquisite beauty of Fall, I can't help but realize that this vibrance is actually death. If I can look upon death and all of it's beauty, realizing that the earth mulches and fertilizes the ground, and in the spring gives birth again to the slumbering. If I can sit with death, then I can enjoy the beauty of life. If I enjoy the beauty of life, then all of that enjoyment and love will go with me in my own Fall, when my soul in all of its beauty makes a grand transformation. I have had to live with death, and the sadness of loss. In reflection of that loss I see the beauty and honor the teacher. May I LIVE each day and be the beauty that wraps my soul in the tincture of nature. Fall is my elixir. Death is my ally. 

Maples trees glow fire red as the sun glistens through. Breathe... 

Snow Sage and quaky aspens mix and mingle with the green pine as if they are showing off their splendor. Breathe.....

The blue sky is like paint on the wall, a masterpiece. Breathe....

Sage, flowering, not always noticed but when we offer attention look at the beauty!! Breathe....

Layers, from sage, to trees on fire. Rocky knolls, then sky. Awww.. Breathe...

And the grasses. They dance and create a desert ocean wave. Wow!! Breathe....

Carpe Diem, Seize the day, live consciously and Breathe!!

Where is your power?

"Our real power is not derived from our positions in life, a hefty bank account, or an impressive career. Instead, it is the expression of that authenticity inside of us, our strength, integrity, an grace externalized. We don't realize that each of us has the power of the universe within us. We look around and we see others as powerful, we see nature as powerful, we can witness a seed turning into a flower or the sun crossing the sky every day. We even see life created in us, from us. Yet we see ourselves as disconnected from all of this power. God did not make nature powerful and man weak. Our power comes from the knowledge that we are unique, and from our understanding that we have the same innate power as all other creations. Our power lies deep within us. It is the power with which we were born. If it has been forgotten, it needs only to be recognized again." ~Elisabeth Kubler Ross~

This picture depicts this very concept of knowing your own power, and standing firmly in it. This precious little one, stated firmly that she wanted to be a "Bearpaller" (pallbearer) and with determination despite the status quo, jumped in and created a moment! In this crazy time, stop... slowdown, get quiet and remember the source that is deep within you.

Carpe Diem, seize the day, live consciously!

A tribute to my Mother and all those who have gone before me

Who am I behind my eyes?

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” ~Steve Jobs




In memory of a friend who had the courage to become and soar.. Brent, you will be missed. 

PETRICHOR. The fluid that flows in the veins of the Gods of Greek Mythology

Petrichor

petrichor {PET-ri-kuhr} noun

The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.

[From petro {rock}, from Greek petros {stone} + ichor {the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology}. 

Petrichor, is woven into the fabric of my DNA. There is not a smell on this earth, that catapults me towards it more than petrichor, the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods. 

When I was pregnant, it was not pickles and peanut butter, or ice cream with catsup that called for consumption, but this smell....I need a rock. A fresh rock from a field or garden would make its way to my mouth. The taste and smell took me into a realm of bliss that helped me forget about my host body, and the uncomfortable stretching and growing taking place in my womb. It was a basket full of rocks that was the centerpiece of my table. I was sure that I had gone mad. I announced this craving to my doctor and was very clear that I enjoyed it so much that I didn't want it fixed, just wanted to make sure it was safe for me and my unborn child. His explanation was something like "Ive heard of aboriginal and tribal women who have this craving, it's most likely a mineral deficiency. I wouldn't make a habit of eating dirt, but the licking of rocks is most likely fine."  I was proud to have a craving considered tribal and full of pure giddiness knowing that my rock licking and smelling was a craving that wouldn't hurt me. During a rain storm, I would throw my pregnant body on the wet ground, and breath. I would take in that smell as if it were the fuel charging my body until the next storm. Petrichor is the  fuel flowing through my veins, sustaining my sanity and comforting a craving so powerful! This craving did not ever go away. I have never met a rock I didn't love, or a rainstorm that has been ignored! I know its strange, but It has a name, and a freaking awesome description. 

Petrichor...Petrichor....Petrichor.

Next time your are blessed with rain, go outside and breathe in to your body the beautiful smell that only comes when the moisture of heaven kisses the earth and releases a fragrance shared with the Gods. It's a blending and marriage of ingredients that can only be created in the natural lab of earth and her miracles. 

Carpe Diem, live consciously, seize the day!

When Heaven kisses the Earth.

“To be a warrior is not a simple matter of wishing to be one. It is rather an endless struggle that will go on to the very last moment of our lives. Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man. We make ourselves into one or the other.””
Carlos Castaneda 

Timeless Art In Terminal 2...

I've traveled to San Diego for over 15 years. I have only entered and exited that airport from terminal 1. Last week, as I was leaving the airplane down the jet way and into the terminal, my balance was thrown off when I didn't recognize my familiar surroundings? Where am I? My husband said, "we are in terminal 2. Thats odd, I haven't been in this terminal for years." Walking down the hallway, I noticed an artistic exhibit that commanded my attention. In a rush to get to the car rental bus, I couldn't help but stop and look and take a couple of photo's. John was anxious to get to the curb as the clock was 2 minutes to 11, the last shuttle to our car rental would leave in aprox. 2 min. The exhibit was clocks, and inscribed on the walls, poetry. I was so torn to rush forward in linear time to the shuttle, and at the same time wanting time to stand still so that I could absorb this art and poetry. John enticed me out of my trance with a flyer describing the art work and a sampling of the poetry. Thinking that I could now go to a web site, I changed my focus and ran with my husband to the curb. Just in the nick of time, we jumped on the last shuttle of the evening and made it to our rental car.

The Artist: Jeff Steorts his website  www.jeffsteorts.com

His Work:  "A San Diego artist whose work is inspired by ancient concepts found in mechanical, poetical, horological and spiritual studies. Through the use of sculpture, symbols and poetry, Steorts seeks to convey timeless notions of spiritual transformation and the search for inner divinity within the heart of humanity."

Within the Heart of Time and Space....

There is within the very heart of everyone and everything an eternal timekeeper; a divine mechanism that governs the world and all creation. When the divine hour strikes we begin to wake up to our innermost spiritual glory and our outermost potential. It is through this grand illusion and intersection of time and space that we evolve and grow:

From darkness to light

From the finite to the infinite

from a state of separation to complete oneness

From the temporal to the eternal.

I have been fascinated with the concept that time can be viewed as circular, rather than linear, realizing that the present moment is influenced by the past, and in the same moment, we can also influence the future by our conscious choices in the here and now. It's easy to be caught up in the locomotion of forward movement paying little attention to our ties to the past, and our visions for the future. I believe that as we awaken and become conscious in our present, we are able to heal past wounds, and dream a bigger vision not only for ourselves but for our children and the future that is yet to come. As I have learned to step outside of time, I am able to reflect on the genetic gifts that have been handed down through the DNA strands of the past, and in the same moment, set free those shackles of days gone by. I believe that we change our future when we make changes in our todays and tomorrows. I love the messages and art work provided in the East/West corridor of terminal 2 in the San Diego airport. If you have a chance to see this timeless work, I highly recommend it! 

Thank you Jeff Steorts, for your captivating art, that allowed me to step outside of time for just a moment 

as I took in the magic of your work. In that moment, I stepped outside of time, and still made the shuttle. It should have been impossible, but I have come to realize that miracles happen in that mysterious place of the in-between!

Carpe Diem...Live Consciously...Seize the day!

Imagine a Woman...

Inspirational Poems - Imagine a Woman

What Patricia Lynn Reilly has to say...

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.

----------------------------------------------------

© Patricia Lynn Reilly, 1995

All rights reserved. Presented with permission of the author.

www.imagineawoman.com

Be wild today!

Though this universe I own, I possess not a thing.

For I cannot know the unknown, If to the known I cling....

Jump out of the hamster wheel and try something new today. Go on a hike, gaze at the sky, turn off your phone, computer, ipad, itouch. Get "in-touch" with your soul. How can you feed yourself today. Dance, be wild, laugh, discover joy? What will you do? 

"Insanity?"

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same results."

~Albert Einsten~

Carpe Diem...Seize the day!