Where would your flying carpet take you?

With friends Carol and Paula and Carol's dog, Rain on the flying carpet

Birds & Incense

Under the sapodilla tree yesterday morning.

Follow Your Heart

Standing in the river

This morning I was up early as usual and headed out to buy some fruits and vegetables. However, instead of just going to the fruit stall around the corner, something told me to go further. It was a lovely clear morning and because it was early, heat was not a deterrent.

The roads were quiet. I found myself heading into more rural distructs, enjoying the breezy quality time with myself.

I ended up at Salybia (at least one hour from home, for those who don't know it), where the river meets the sea. There were enough people on the beach for it to not be 'deserted' - a small family of what looked like three tourists, an elderly man bathing in the river, two men at the fishing depot, a woman in the refurbished building with toilets and changing rooms, a man selling fruit at the corner of the road. (I bought a coconut, watermelon and paw paw from him after).

I got out and walked along the beach. I have a knack for seeing rainbows before they appear and knowing when there are heart shapes in the area. My heart radar was strongly telling me that I would find a special one, so I kept my eyes to the ground. I saw nothing in the sand. But when I got to the river, I found this (see below video). As I saw it, I couldn't help but say "Thank You!" aloud. It made my day.

Loving the rain

I took this shot last year when I was film facilitator at the youth camp in Grande Riviere

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I am alive today with the grey skies, cooler weather and rain! Some people thrive on heat and sun, but for me the last few days have been so parched and scorching, almost unbearable. I felt sluggish and unable/unwilling to leave the house unless absolutely necessary. I'm more of a cool weather girl.

Melanie the Miraculous Yoga Melon must be feeling quite like I am today. I transplanted her yesterday because she was rapidly outgrowing her pot. She is now in the earth with the other melons. When it's dry, they wither terribly and look as if they're beyond rescuing. But soon after I water them, they spring back up. Very responsive to water (no wonder they're watermelons) ... so I know they too are loving the rain.

I'll end off with today's soundtrack. A fantastic acoustic rendition by Annie and Dave ...

Sacred Journey photos and captions

As promised, here are a few of the photos from Sacred Journey, my piece for the interactive art event, Mystic Intervention - a part of Red Earth Eco-Arts Festival 2009.

Click here to read a short synopsis of Sacred Journey ... what it was about.

Through the natural curtain (curtain made by my friend Rosanna), enter the room in which the raw clay finger labyrinth and other elements of the Sacred Journey were contained.

The clay finger labyrinth is inside, zen style on the floor, with two cushions: one for the person using the labyrinth and one for me when I'm talking to them and explaining before leaving them to have their experience alone.
I made the labyrinth with ridges along the pathway to facilitate closed eyes. Three heart shaped rocks at cardinal points surround the traveler with Love. The 'heart' in the fourth cardinal point is the Traveler/the person sitting before the labyrinth. Rose Quartz crystal (The Love Stone) at centre. Surrounded by Love, with Love in self and Love at the centre on the Sacred Journey.

The feathers emanating from each heart shaped rock are from the Miracle Bird ... Wings of Love, Taking Flight, Miracle.

I liked the shadow of these leaves falling on the paper.
Rose Quartz removed from centre, but energy still present.
Flower Powers.
These wire flowers were hanging all over the wooden walls of the room. Each contains a piece of paper with a special message (most of them being a message I've written down after my morning yoga/meditation). After 'walking' the finger labyrinth, the person chooses either a Flower Power or a Nature's Wisdom Card to receive a message that supports, confirms, gives them further insight about their experience.
One of the Flower Powers by the window.
Nature's Wisdom Cards.
A series of mystical cards, made from a selection of my nature photographs. For each one, I translated the symbols from the image and wrote down key words and phrases - messages for whoever selects a specific card after 'walking' the finger labyrinth. 'Nature Tarot', so to speak. Nature speaks to us through symbolic messages that guide us along our path in life when we take the time to tune in and listen.
Throughout the day, various people entered and embarked upon the Sacred Journey to the centre of themselves (afterwards, choosing their message in either a random Nature's Wisdom Card or Flower Power).
For some it was an individual journey ... a moment alone.
Some did it together. The circuit of the labyrinth is wide enough for one finger, so this couple rested one on the finger of the other and moved along the path.
Mothers and children also did it together.
(Mother and son - J & J).
Mother and daughter.
Some little children played on the pathways.
Eyes closed, feeling her way to the centre and back out again.

Quite moment of stillness and connection.

Sacred moments

The Journey of a Lifetime

Journeying to her centre

Bon appetit
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There were many other travelers, but these photos will give you an overall view. Tomorrow I'll share photos of some of the pieces by the other artists who were involved.

Are You Me? (My last post until ...)

These days I am tired. Not physically tired, but deeply and internally tired. It feels like a tiredness that has built up over some time and has caught up with me. I need a special recharge and refueling. My deep well of energy wants replenishing. I don't know from what, where or whom this will come ... but I want and need it to come.

I was awakened this morning by the feeling of intense warmth swirling around my left hand. I thought it was heat emanating from Jasper's body, but then I realised he was lying at my feet. I lay there in the dark for a while, dead still, in case movement would cause the warm feeling to go away. It swirled around my hand for a while, increasing in heat. I felt that someone or something was there, gently and intently making contact. I'm not conscious of it having gone away, even when the intense swirling feeling eventually stopped.

Eventually I got out of bed, lit a candle, rolled out my yoga mat, tuned in, did some spinal flexes, some breathing, a short meditation. I payed attention to how I felt on a deeper level as I did each thing. I felt myself reviving slightly.

I drank some water and went into the garden to collect more flowers for a little box I had started filling a few days ago. Jasper (who follows me everywhere) came out with me. The dogs ran to greet me. I started to collect the blooms (dried Petria flowers). Being in the garden, I felt more energy returning.
Lower in the garden I noticed many bird feathers strewn all over the grass. From the kind of feathers I could tell that something had killed (and consumed) a mocking bird and a dove, mere feet away from each other. It wasn't Jasper because (a) he wouldn't go into the back garden with the dogs unless I was there and (b) had he caught birds he would have brought them for me. And I don't think it was the dogs either. I collected some of the feathers and added them to the box.

A while later I came to the front of the house and lay on the driveway, looking up at the clouds. They were similar to the way they were all of yesterday. When I used to fish, we would call those clouds 'fishing clouds' (also known as 'mackerel clouds' or altocumulus). They are said to indicate a good time for fishing. I lay on the ground with Jasper flopped next to me, feeling the earth sending something into my body. Above, the mackerel clouds (on the upper layer) were unmoving. Little wisps drifted by quickly, closer to earth.

It's been a while since I closely examined the other forms of life around me. I got up, went to a patch of plants and was looking at the shapes of the stones between them, expecting to find a heart or a quartz crystal, as I normally do. Instead, I saw a caterpillar, moving slowly and purposefully through the dry leaves. It occurred to me that the garden was its Universe and it was bravely exploring and going somewhere. I suddenly felt as though I was not taking advantage of the fact that I too live in a huge world - inner and outer.

Where are you going? was the first question that came into my head upon seeing it.

Are you me? was the next question in our silent conversation.
It seemed to be drawn to me. I deliberately kept shifting my position to see if it would turn and head my way ... and it did. Eventually it was on the driveway with me. I ran inside to get my camera and, when I returned, it was there, stationary and waiting.

I put my hand out and it started to move towards it. Wow. Now as I write this, I realise it was my left hand! The one that was getting the warm swirling energy early this morning ...

It climbed up. I enjoyed the feeling of its moist, cool little feet against my skin.

"Are you me?" I asked it again.


"How does one become a butterfly?" she asked pensively.
"You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar."

- Trina Paulus -

This (notably special) morning

One of these tall candles always keeps me company as I do my yoga/meditation early in the morning (anywhere between 3:00 - 5:30 a.m.).

Looking out of my bedroom window around minutes to six
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Since I automatically wake up so early, I always experience the day as it emerges. The first bird calls, the first light ...

Something about this particular morning - today - feels notably special. Even the light in the sky and something in the colour of the clouds struck me as being 'different' when I first looked out.

I'm not sure what it is and I don't think I am seeing it or touching it yet ... but energetically I know something has shifted, something is happening, something has been/is being given to me and I am ready to receive it. I've been feeling this building up ... and I felt it very strongly yesterday in particular. This morning I felt so thankful for 'it' in advance, that I started to cry after yoga ... and found myself saying (silently, in my head): "Please help me to really see it and know when it comes, to be really open to receive it, to embrace it fully and make the most of it."

Wow!! ... as I wrote that I looked down and there's a Praying Mantis praying under my fan! So of course I had to look it up as a power animal to see what message it has for me. Fitting, as always!

The Praying Mantis under my fan

Where is my head today?

1. I dressed and headed out early for a nine o'clock meeting. Reached on time, hoping the meeting wouldn't be longer than an hour as I had lots of other things to do. Sat waiting for the person I was to meet with, somewhat irritated that she hadn't even reached the office yet, it was after nine and the receptionist couldn't reach her on her cell phone or home phone. Looked in my diary to bide time by checking what else I had to do for the day ... and realised today is Monday and not Tuesday! The meeting is tomorrow.

Last week I did the same thing. Bright and early on Monday packed up my camera gear and everything needed for the video project with the girls ... only to realise (thankfully before leaving the house) that it was Monday ... and I was to meet them on Tuesday.

2. After this morning's 'meeting' I went to the paint store to buy white paint (primer) for tomorrow - painting my bedroom. Paid for the paint, started talking to a customer in the store, then told her bye and started heading out the door. The owner of the paint store called after me: "Wait! You're leaving without your paint!"

Lead us not into that maxi

Unfortunately the name of the maxi isn't too clear in this photo which I snapped quickly when I realised what was happening.
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Yesterday, in pursuit of information and vibes for an article I have to write for a magazine, I ended up in Tortuga, where I experienced a pilgrimage and service in celebration of The Feast of Our Lady of Montserrat (officially today), the black Madonna with child to whom the old church in Tortuga is dedicated.

I walked amidst the pilgrims as they followed the statue of Our Lady of Montserrat who was being driven through the streets on top of a 4 wheel drive vehicle. There was a car driving in front of it with a woman on a microphone talking, praying and singing hymns. At one point, she said the Lord's prayer ... and soon after she had said "and lead us not into temptation ..." what should come driving along in the other direction but a maxi called TEMPTATION!

I called because ...

Yesterday afternoon ( and maybe even night) it rained. This morning, it is grey, cool and wet. I guess we can safely and hopefully say that rainy season is here. I've always preferred rainy season to dry season: the lush greens, the nourishment of nature, the cooler weather, the slowing down of life ... perhaps similar (in a tropical way) to how people slow down and go within for winter.

Yesterday evening my cellular phone rang. It was a recently made friend. I had been meaning to call her for a few days, to ask her to sing for an upcoming concert, but kept forgetting. When I realised who it was, I said: "Good thing you called. I was supposed to call you and I forgot." We briefly discussed the performance, then spoke about a few other things in life.

The topic of rainy vs dry season came up. When I said that I preferred rainy season, she said: "I love dry season." She described the starkness of the brown, like a desert ... yet, in contrast, everywhere, the many different kinds and colours of flowers in bloom. Whereas, in rainy season, everything was "just green".

Even though I do notice the many flowers, I had never really looked at dry season in the way she described it - as being so beautiful. Usually I mainly see the dry earth, brown grass and brown, burning hills, think it all looks somewhat painful and can't wait for everything to be green and cool again. But her description gave me a whole new appreciation of the dryness.

As our conversation came to a close, she said: "But anyway ... that's not why I called. I called because it's such a lovely rainy afternoon and I can see a thick mist rolling over the hills." She proceeded to describe the beautiful rainy afternoon scene she was seeing and said: "I couldn't think of anyone else to call and share this with who would appreciate it as much."

What a great reason to call. So simple, meaningful and insightful. I felt like I had been given a gift.