Mojo Monday ~ Love Letters

Love letters.  I have written my fair share.  As a long time lover of snail mail and years of living long distance from a few of my beaus I have spritzed letters with perfume and imprinted them with ruby red lipstick.  Yet not all love letters need be of the traditional romantic genre. Throughout the years I have also sent hundreds (maybe thousands) of letters and cards to family and friends that were infused with my love.  While living overseas in France for a year and a half, prior to having access to email and phone calls being prohibitively expensive, I wrote many long letters to family members and college friends back home.  I would even find amusing images in magazines and tear them out and make my own envelopes.  Right now just thinking about it makes me want to make some again.  I have not forsaken snail mail as I still adore it as much as I always have, but I do know that the long letters I used to write are more abbreviated notes added to sweet cards I buy from local stores or artists I admire.  

How long has it been since you sent a "love letter" to a family member or friend?  

Learning about a project called More Love Letters that was created by Hannah Brencher has me contemplating again the power of a longer letter to connect, express thoughts and feelings, tell a story, inspire and spread loving energy around the world.  I first learned about Hannah Brencher through her TED talk.  Here is the video where she shares how already being a huge fan of love letters, as this was her own mother's way of communicating with her long distance, that upon bottoming into depression after college she began writing love letters and leaving them around the city for strangers to find.  

After watching Hannah's introduction to More Love Letters in her own words I encourage you to visit the web page for this movement.  It has been beautifully created and executed.  

The world doesn’t need another website. It doesn’t need another app or a network.

What it needs is really basic. Simple. Bare-boned.& often forgotten in the race to get followers, likes & status.

LOVE. Pure, old-fashioned, never goes out of style Love. Ridiculous, oozing, cannot pack this thang into 140-characters kind of love. Fearless, bold, unstoppable love.

And that’s where we come in… We’re going to tell you that we leave love letters all over the world for others to be blessed by. We’re going to ask you to write letters for Love Letter Bundles for people you’ll probably never meet.  We’re going to invite you to nominate someone you know for a Love Letter Bundle. You are going to think we are a bit crazy. A tad loopy… But let’s be honest,  you’ve been looking for a website that leaks love all this time.

Fair warning, we could really care less about love letters.

We’re only interested in you. The cracked parts of your own story & how you can use them to lift someone else. It’s about how each of us can morph our lives into love letters… lamps… lanterns… to light the paths of others who needs kindness and love today.

It’s official. Now, more than ever, the world needs more love letters. So get involved. Check out the current letter requests. Join our subscriber list to never miss a beat.

Your cursive means the world to us.

I read through some of the Requests for Letters.  One in particular moved me deeply.  Here is the description taken from the site:

R E N E E

please mail all love letters by July 15, 2014

A loving daughter wrote into us requesting letters for her mother. She wrote “My mother is undergoing an enormous transition period. At the age of 32 and happily married, her husband and my father, passed away in a tragic car accident on Valentine’s day that year. She was left with 5 kids under the age of 7 to raise on her own. My twin brother and I were just 8 months old. My mom just turned 60 and finally retired after 28 years of bouncing around jobs to provide for her family. The first time in her life she has no kids to take care of, no job to report to, and she is finally free. And she is scared. No one needs her, which is what most of her identity has been defined by. My mom needs a love letter that will inspire her to live again and finally, learn to take care of and love herself.” Join us in writing a letter of love & encouragement to this awesome mother.

PLEASE MAIL ALL LOVE LETTERS TO:

Renee’s bundle

c/ o Hilary C.

4505 Avenue A

Austin, TX 78751

Whether or not you feel inclined or inspired to join the More Love Letters official movement, consider right now making a commitment to send some love letters.  How about you send one today or this week?  How about a commitment to sending one or more a month?  Will you send it to someone you know or will you leave it on a chair in a cafe, on a shelf at a store, in a dressing room, or on a park bench?  The ripple effects of sending out love on a physical piece of paper can have more impact and power than you can fully grasp.  

If you do send out a letter (or two or three or four...) consider sharing about how taking such action impacted you.  What feelings did it invoke?  What stories unfolded?  What did you find yourself sharing?  Where did you leave it or send it?  Did you send it to someone you know or did you prefer to leave it for a stranger?

Naked Vulnerability

Come read my latest article called
Naked Vulnerabilityin Cosmic Cowgirls Magazine.

I sat in the creek, sweet water gurgling and caressing my naked body.  I gazed at the greenery, the light reflecting off the water, and felt the very chilly water pour over my thighs, while the gentle breath of warm air on my face and shoulders offered a stark contrast.  Under the canopy of tall trees and dappled sunlight it was easy to feel small, but in a good way, in the way you feel awe struck and full of wonder about the breathtaking beauty of our planet.  Nature often has that effect on me, but to experience being completely naked and so remarkably peaceful as I listened to the natural sounds of birds and the water, was spiritually soothing and uplifting. Harmonizing with the rustling of leaves and the babbling water flowed the spoken word of a sacred water dedication,

“Water Spirits know this child as your sister…
Give her the ability to flow in life’s stream…
Great Spirit, this child is of the people…
guide her to always walk in beauty.”

Come read the entire article over at Cosmic Cowgirls Magazine.

Dos Aguas photo by Michelle Fairchild

Mojo Monday ~ The Summer Day

"Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

The summer solstice took place this weekend and the above reading of the poem The Summer Day by Mary Oliver seemed so fitting for this weeks Mojo Monday.  Ahhh summer.  It may not be just like it was when we were children and had summers off from school.  Except for the school teachers out there, most of us work through the summer, taking vacations here and there.  Maybe we go tent camping or travel to lakes, oceans and rivers and stay in cabins or resorts.

Did you celebrate the Summer Solstice?  Did you do happen to do anything special that day?  

My first day of summer was partially spent at nearby Whiskeytown Lake, a favorite place to relax, swim and play with the family and friends.

Brandy Creek beach at Whiskeytown Lake

In the early evening we headed over to partake of some of the Sundial Bridges' 10th Anniversary celebration.  On the solstice there was a flash mob dance to the song Happy right on the bridge at 6:45 pm.  That was then followed a couple of hours later by an astounding performance by Bandaloop on the Sundial Bridge.  They performed their aerial dances to the accompaniment of a local orchestra.  

Last night watching these amazing athletic sky dancers perform, while local musicians played skillfully I felt in awe, of not only where I get to live, but the ingenuity and creativity of us humans. It was a perfect evening and I felt inspired and happy that it is summer.  While I don't get the summer off, there will be regular lake trips, outdoor water aerobics at the local aquatic center, growing veggies in our garden, the wedding of a dear friend, a trip to Ashland with my hubby to see a play and a family camp trip to the coast.  I find myself wanting to soak up all the goodness around me and simply marinate in it.

What summertime happenings bring you happiness? Do you have any special summer plans?

Here are a few videos from the Bandaloop performance.  I wanted to share as it truly was a beautiful thing to witness.

Here is a video showing the first performance by three Bandaloop dancers. This video captured the whole performance.

This next video is the second performance with four Bandaloop dancers who dropped from the top of the dial.  This video capture a portion of the performance.

 

This final video was the grand finale featuring the woman in white and the dramatic long white scarf that floated and danced against the darkened sky so very beautifully.

Wishes for a summer of love.

In closing, consider this 
rephrased question taken from Mary Oliver:

Tell me what is it you plan to do 
with your one wild and precious summer?

 

Visionary Dreaming

Crystal Charlotte Easton is a Metis Artist born and raised 
in Fort St James BC, in Carrier Territory-Northern BC (Canada) 
and she is currently living & raising her family (6 children) 
on a farm on Vancouver Island.

She has the opportunity to attend a month long course in Italy 
in July at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art.

She is very close to achieving her fundraising goal
and has 11 days remaining.
Charlotte is offering beautiful gifts in return for 
every single donation.

Come visit her fundraising site by clicking here.

Crystal painting

We All Have A Role to Play by Crystal Charlotte Easton

Mojo Monday ~ A Blessing for One Who Is Exhausted

A Blessing For One Who Is Exhausted

--by John O'Donohue, syndicated from awakin.org, Jun 02, 2014

When the rhythm of the heart becomes hectic,
Time takes on the strain until it breaks;
Then all the unattended stress falls in
On the mind like an endless, increasing weight,

The light in the mind becomes dim.
Things you could take in your stride before
Now become laborsome events of will.

Weariness invades your spirit.
Gravity begins falling inside you,
Dragging down every bone.

The tide you never valued has gone out.
And you are marooned on unsure ground.
Something within you has closed down;
And you cannot push yourself back to life.

You have been forced to enter empty time.
The desire that drove you has relinquished.
There is nothing else to do now but rest
And patiently learn to receive the self
You have forsaken for the race of days.

At first your thinking will darken
And sadness take over like listless weather.
The flow of unwept tears will frighten you.

You have traveled too fast over false ground;
Now your soul has come to take you back.

Take refuge in your senses, open up
To all the small miracles you rushed through.

Become inclined to watch the way of rain
When it falls slow and free.

Imitate the habit of twilight,
Taking time to open the well of color
That fostered the brightness of day.

Draw alongside the silence of stone
Until its calmness can claim you.
Be excessively gentle with yourself.

Stay clear of those vexed in spirit.
Learn to linger around someone of ease
Who feels they have all the time in the world.

Gradually, you will return to yourself,
Having learned a new respect for your heart
And the joy that dwells far within slow time.

Have you ever felt completely exhausted?

Was it a phase or a short lived experience?

Did something in particular spark the exhaustion?

Did you wade through it until the feeling passed
or did you take concerted steps to regain your vitality?

When times of malaise come to pass do you sit with it
or takes steps to transform the feelings?

Mojo Monday ~ Pursuing Our Passions

Following quote from
acclaimed artist Aaron Paquette

You think you don't have enough knowledge yet,
or training or time.

You think all these things and so your
mind listens and makes it so.

Isn't time to believe all things are possible?

Isn't it time to let go of that great evil, perfectionism,
and let your work be imperfect without fear of judgement?

Isn't it time to cast worry aside and grab hold
of your purpose, your reason, your destiny?

I will tell you what you already know:

This is the time.

This is your day.

This is the moment you feel a flame in your heart
growing, spreading, filling you with Life!

Nurture it!

Protect it!

Help it grow.

It's the true expression of your very own
soul longing to breathe free.

Longing to fly.

Are you ready? It may not feel like it, but you are.

Will you fall? Absolutely!

And will you rise?

Absolutely.

Do what you have to do to make it happen right now.

Change everything. Now.

You are fierce and beautiful and strong.

Show it to the world.

Hiy hiy

Returning Home by Aaron Paquette

Artist Aaron Paquette is one of Canadaʼs premiere First Nations artists. He is a painter, writer, keynote speaker and workshop facilitator. He is also a political commentator, illustrator, goldsmith and cathedral stained glass artist.  Please visit his web site here.

His recent projects include a major reconciliation mural for Edmonton’s LRT Grandin Station, a series of four paintings depicting the challenges faced by Canada’s indigenous people entitled, “Four Directions”, and he is curating a traveling exhibit for the Art Gallery of Alberta.

Image from mural at Gradin Station

Lastly Aaron just released a debut young adult novel entitled Lightfinder, through Kegedonce Press. Here is a synopsis of the book:

Lightfinder book cover

Aisling is a young Cree woman who sets out into the wilderness with her Kokum (grandmother), Aunty and two young men she barely knows. They have to find and rescue her runaway younger brother, Eric. Along the way she learns that the legends of her people might be real and that she has a growing power of her own.

The story follows the paths of Aisling and Eric, siblings unwittingly thrust into a millennia old struggle for the future of life on earth. It deals with growing up, love and loss, and the choices life puts in our path. Love and confusion are in store, as are loss and pain. Things are not always what they seem and danger surrounds them at every turn.

Will Raven''s mysterious purposes prevail? With darkness closing in how will they find the light to guide them? Will Aisling find Eric in time?

Here is a beautiful three part series of videos with Aaron Paquette by Bravo!  The first video provides some background on Aaron and the second and third videos delve deeper into his art and spirituality.  I was very moved and inspired by what he shared and think you will be too.  It is well worth the time to watch all three.

From the Spirit Part 1

From the Spirit Part 2

From the Spirit Part 3

Abundance by Aaron Paquette

Lay Down Your Burdens by Aaron Paquette

Aaron Paquette's story was inspirational to me because it is an example of a person living his vision and acting upon his passion.  I will share another example from an article by Dr. Margaret Paul called "Are You Playing Too Small?"

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." ~Nelson Mandela

"Do you feel passionate about your life? If not, you are likely playing too small – opting for safety rather than for the aliveness that comes from fully manifesting your gifts and talents.

We have all been given unique gifts and talents. Some indigenous people know this and choose not to name their children until their unique talents emerge. For example, they might name their child "Basketweaver" or "Listener" or "Healer" when these talents emerge. They fully believe in encouraging the child's natural gifts and talents.

For some strange reason, many of my clients believe that if something comes easily to them – if it is a natural talent – then it's not what they should pursue. They believe that for something to be worthwhile, it has to be hard. Yet this is exactly the opposite of the truth! That which comes easy to you is your natural gift or talent, and it is likely what brings you the most joy.

My client, Skip, started working with me due to depression. He was a successful dentist with a lovely wife and three children whom he adored, but still, he was depressed.

As we explored what was going on in his life, he told me that he became a dentist because his father was a dentist and his father wanted him to take over his very lucrative practice. But Skip did not enjoy dentistry like his father did. He never felt passionate about his work. It soon became evident that his depression was related to not doing what he really wanted to do.

Skip knew early in his life that he had two passions: psychology and writing poetry. He had been writing poetry since he was child and had even published a small poetry book, which had received some acclaim and which brought him great joy.

He had always been interested in psychology, and had read extensively in this field. But his father had convinced him that he could not earn enough as a psychologist and a poet to support a family, and that he had to think of others rather than himself.

Now, with a wife and three children, he felt trapped doing something for the rest of his life that brought him no joy. He dragged himself to work each day, and lived for the few hours when he had time to write poetry, as well as to spend time with his family.

When Skip realized that he couldn't be a good husband and father being so depressed, he decided to make a huge life change. With the support of his wife, he cut his dental practice in half and went back to school to become a psychologist. And he started making more time for writing – both poetry and fiction.

As it turned out, Skip is an amazing writer and storyteller. His first book of fiction was published and did well. He is currently working on his second novel and finishing his PhD is psychology. With the income from his book, he is able to continue to support his family with his half-time dental practice. Because he is doing what brings him joy and manifesting his gifts and talents, he is also enjoying dentistry much more. He plans to continue his half-time dental practice, establish a small psychology practice, and continue writing. Somehow, he has also found more time to be with his family.

Skip is being as big as he really is and is no longer depressed! By following his passions, he has renewed energy and aliveness for his life and finds that he has time to do all that brings him joy."

A Fearless Heart by Aaron Paquette

Aaron shared about being in connection with spirit and creating his art and how this led him to a more stable, centered and spiritual life.  Dr. Margaret Paul then shared about her former client who finally dared to pursue the passions he had suppressed and in turn found freedom from the depression that had plagued him.

Where are you at with pursuing your passions?  Do you know what they are or are you still figuring it out?

Sometimes our responsibilities regarding caring for others and jobs that pay our bills make it more difficult to pursue our passions.  Do you make the time to do the things you love?  If not how could you change that?  If you do make the time, do have any words of wisdom for those who struggle to do so?

Do you find that there is a connection between your passions and your spirituality?  If yes, how does that influence you?