Rocky Energy

sedona is special in many ways….. no doubt about that!  i’m having so much fun reliving the experience of being there as i go through my photos.

one of the highlights of our trip was visiting crescent moon ranch.  it’s one of sedona’s main vortex areas (defined as “swirling centers of energy that are conducive to spiritual healing, meditation and self-exploration”), directly in the shadow of the spires of cathedral rock.

i have a ton of pics from this beautiful area, but the thing that really blew me away were the rock cairns.  they were everywhere!  the more we walked the more we saw.  different sizes, shapes and configurations.  what a fabulous outpouring of human energy!

we tried our hand at making a few….  it’s not as easy as it may look!  finding rocks that perfectly balance on each other can be a bit of a challenge.  they say that the special energy here holds the rocks in place.  i don’t doubt it.

grateful for this opportunity to experience not only the spiritual energy but the energy of human endeavor and creativity!

Free

i go to a place that’s free

free of worry, stress and chaos

it’s calm and peaceful there

always

like an endless stretch of sand

white and welcoming

but sometimes there are roadblocks

detours and barriers

and it’s impossible to find

i get lost, sidetracked

temporarily detained

or held hostage

the way is obscure

just out of reach….

forward, stepping,

moving, inching….

with time

patience and persistence…

the veil is lifted

and i always find my way back

ahhhh…….

REACHing

so i seem to have a lot of pics of me in recent years “reaching”….. who knew that they would turn out to be illustrations of my word of the year for 2014: “REACH”?  as i mentioned before, the word did not come to me easily – i had to go in search of it and eliminate several others that were competing for attention, but now it feels just right.

i like my words to cover a lot of ground.  after all, we have a whole year to work with here.  i always start by writing about it and see what comes up, so here goes:

REACHing

IN

by delving for those parts of me that are hiding and unwilling to come into the light

by developing the  inner resources that will increase my capacity for gratitude, amazement and compassion

UP

to silence and stillness….. spend more time there

by expanding my openness to spirit, the universe and all that is mysterious and unknown.  practice it.  regularly.

OUT

to those who are hurting or in need of encouragement or inspiration

by sharing through classes/workshops

to friends I want to reconnect with (regardless of which of us has dropped the ball)

to new ideas, friendships, projects, art techniques, classes, recipes and areas

by entertaining in my home

i like to start a practice around my new word.  keep track in writing of ideas related to it and ways i have implemented it.

my words from the last 4 years (justbe, imagine, venture and intention) are not going away.  after spending a year with each of them, they have become friends and have integrated themselves into my being.  they are part of me.  each new word adds to the mix and provides a gentle guidance in moving forward on this journey.  if you haven’t yet selected a word, there’s still time.  you’ll be surprised at how powerful it can be!

Update

i’m easing in to the new year….slowly…. it really does feel like a fresh start and i am embracing that, with all of its possibilities and potential.  no, i haven’t exactly been the blogging queen over here.  i’m giving myself permission to let things happen as i feel ready. but i do feel that an update is in order, so here goes!

after 7 weeks of intense therapy, pain and frustration, stu has had a little bit of a break-through with his right knee (the left one has been progressing well).  although he has been becoming much more independent - driving, hiking, etc. the flexion in that knee just seemed at a standstill until yesterday.  so we are hopeful that he won’t need the forced manipulation procedure after all. 

working in the house - it's not pretty!

finally, the studio is coming along and is almost finished!  another frustrating situation as we couldn’t figure out why it was leaking, but it looks like we finally solved the problem and have been steadily re-building for the last couple of weeks.  soon i should be able to move back in and get my living room and bedroom back to normal.  Yippee!

 my one year of working with the girls through the grant for the “inside out” project has concluded.  it has been a learning experience for all of us in a big way.  i am more convinced than ever that anyone can do and benefit from art journaling.  and since i am short on my hours toward the grant, i will have another chance to put that into practice.  i will soon be teaching a free art journaling class at Artbeat on Main Street. 

i’ve been able to put together some new mixed media pieces and have sold quite a few as well.  that will all get a lot easier once i’m back in the studio!

 i do have a new word for the year…. but saving that for the next post.  thanks for hanging with me through this time and for stopping by!