The Juicy World Of Trees

Majestic creatures, guarding secrets, looking down on mere mortals, honest to the core.
Their houses magical dens, fortresses to protect, cosy time warps, separate from compromises, from conventions.
To the sun each individual confidently stretches, to pluck the energy it craves, reaching deep into the earth with crooked fingers, to grasp earthly nourishment with elegant force.
Generous bestowers of gifts to passers by as the servants of the Goddess, most glorious of all the breath of life.
Equality rules despite such a multitude of variety, simply yet powerfully they entrust their own unique magick:
A weeping willow’s graceful, drooping frame infuses with tranquility;
A tiny acer, at the beginning of its journey, whispers such possibilities gently into welcoming ears;
A mighty oak inspires with staying power, the wisdom of the years it has survived evident in every crease of bark;
A wispy silver birch immediately cheering with its wiry beauty.
Survivors, often in the face of adversity, braving the seasons in turn with ancient cycles,
From stark wooden structures they transform into bouquets of dazzling pure colour, as intricate artists they paint each landscape into an original.
Observers of the constantly changing environment, silent witnesses of history in the making,

Each spirit a part of an unfathomably vast story.
Listen.
“When the details become too much, step back, think of me. Visit me, breathe my air deeply. What do I see? What do I hear? What do I say?”

An authentic life

Whilst reading a friend's latest blog post, I stumbled upon her link to the thought provoking website of Brene Brown. I love her definition of leading an authentic life very much:

http://www.brenebrown.com/

Intentions

Having recently purchased the rather fabulous 2010 Goddess Year Planner by the lovely and most wise Goddess Leonie ( see the link on the left of this page) I have been hard at work today, pondering upon one of the tasks, namely to pick a word, which symbolises the intentions I set for myself this year. There were so many wondrous words to choose from, yet I couldn’t settle on a particular one until I stumbled across an old soapstone heart I had picked up in a local Buddhist store years ago, feeling drawn to it at the time yet not quite knowing what significance it held for me. Sometimes messages simply take time to be heard and understood!


The longer I held the stone in my hand the stronger the connection to this coming year became. I had previously completed another part of the Goddess Planner, reflecting on the year gone by; it was all going swimmingly until I came to the section asking me what dreams I had achieved. Although I could list so many things to be grateful for,and a significant list of achievements, very few were honestly the fulfillment of my personal dreams for myself. I realised I had taken the first tentative steps to realising my creative self at last ( a huge dream!) but struggled to come up with more than this. I put others before myself so much of the time, which I know is not a negative, and become so wrapped up in the routines of every day life that I feel I had forgotten to reach for those stars. Therefore, this year is the year of precious dreams for me, as by reaching high I will be a richer me and in turn will enrich the lives of others to a much greater extent than before. It means putting my whole self into my writing and my artwork, putting my work out there into the universe. It means exploring photography, growing my own vegetable patch and creating a garden sanctuary, learning to sew, giving my home the flare,the sparkle to reflect my creativity...I hope that as the year progresses I will continue to add a multitude of dreams as my self-belief is nourished and grows. In connection with this I have been busy creating a Magical To Do List Book as suggested by Leonie, stating my intentions but also working out the steps to release them into reality. It has been such a positive, energising experience for me already and the year has only just begun!

What is your word for the year?

Dream Patrol

A flower lamp shines softy.
Omniscient stars glitter, winking, keeping watch.
The mellow honeyed bouquet of sunset warms my weary mind to its core.
Nocturnal followers in their finery whisper their chants to the moon goddess.
The blanket of moss I nap beneath a second skin, I purr contently in my natural refuge.
Gently, with such grace, the dream patrol fairy cradles my head,
Protectress of the glistening treasures of my dreams, she banishes The Darkness.
Shielded, I dare to dream.

Milena

Travelling Dream Chair

Safely floating in the warm enveloping arms of my chair of dreams:
Adorned with glittering sequins, precious stones exuding strength,
A plethora of fabrics, each telling their own magical story,
A whispering treasure chest of possibilities, ever changing yet still familiar.
Dizzying heights of adventure as I allow my spirit to roar,
Saying farewell to that white rabbit in Wonderland, clutching its timepiece so possessively.

I drink in my dream, every colour, every sound, every touch,
A pioneer of my own truth, free I laugh out loud.

Meandering safely to the ground, I this time hold on tightly to my chair,
Must I push it back into its hidden place, away from critical eyes?
No, it will today take pride of place, an inspiration, a lesson to be learned,
A connection between the two halves of myself.

Milena

Feeling Christmassy

Looking out of the window I can see the first snow flurry of the season :) I sit here admiring my lovely Christmas tree, sipping a cup of Baileys coffee, snaffling a most delicious mince pie, listening to my mischievous Shadow cat purring by my side. I am feeling most Christmassy; what a precious moment.

Gift From The Sea

Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s book ‘Gift From The Sea’ is the most inspirational book I have read in recent times. Although the book was first published over half a century ago, the wisdom contained within its pages still holds such powerful truths for women today.

The book is a reflection of the stages of a woman’s life, comparing each chapter to a different type of shell she discovers on the isolated island beach of her daring holiday alone, away from husband, family and friends. She asks herself and her reader many poignant questions through which a multitude of lessons are learned. I have taken away with me a large handful of ideas I wish to translate into my life:

1. The simplification of life both outwardly and innerly. Anne Morrow Lindbergh speaks of the hectic and often chaotic lifestyle, which moves so fast that there is hardly enough time to breathe. By stripping our lifestyle down to its elements, by asking ourselves what we do in fact need to feel fully alive, by mindfully evaluating our material world and social spheres, she argues that it is possible to live life much more fully, much more deeply. I suppose we would call this decluttering both in a material as well as spiritual sense.

2. Taking time out to nourish our spirit and soul. Here the idea is that we should not feel guilty for taking time out from our obligations and many roles we play, we should not apologise because this time is vital to replenish and feed our inner selves. Only if we listen to the needs of our spirit and soul are we able to speak and live our truth.

3. The fabric of love changes over time but each chapter of our love is valid and precious. Anne Morrow Lindbergh ponders on the first blossoming of love, the time when we cannot bare to be parted, followed by the creation of a life together with its many journeys as a family emerges. She argues that these times are so precious yet also part of a journey as we develop; we shouldn’t try to keep replicating these feelings as we develop together as human beings. Instead we weave a web of connection between us, part of this is comfort and predicability, part of this is also spending time by ourselves and not needing to be in close proximity to each other each every minute of the day and night. For love, she argues, is that web of connection, that trust and knowledge of each other, not just the romance and brilliant sunrise of blossoming love.

4. Living for the moment and not only the future, taking time to appreciate the beauty of what we have. It is so easy she comments, to keep racing on for future gains, for having dominating goals which swallow up any notion to immerse ourselves in the gifts of our present. By only seeing the bigger picture we are denying the solid foundations of our being.

5. A connection with nature. For Anne Morrow Lindbergh the ebb and flow of the sea, the spreading warmth of the sand and therefore the sheer fundamental beauty of mother nature is an incredible healer and teacher.

At the end of her reflection Anne Morrow Lindbergh leaves her island with a new set of values symbolized by a bag full of shells she will place on her desk at home to act as guides for the values she has discovered within herself. She states that these shells are her island eyes with which she will view her life. I was given this book as a present by my wonderful aunt together with a shell, which I have placed on my desk as my own reminder of this island way of thinking.