Wonderings of a Wandering Mind

The Stirring of the Seeds

2012-01-29T13:09:00.000-05:00

Last night, I joined my Womenspirit sistah Tarleton Brooks in one of her monthly Sacred Circle Dances, this one to honor and celebrate Imbolc. Tarleton offered for me to write and read a meditation for the dancers. I did, and here it is for anyone else interested in using this meditation to celebrate this ancient holyday of "in the belly".

Imbolc, which in Celtic means “in the belly” is a holyday representing Hope. This is the celebration of the stirring of the seeds underground. Day by day, darkness gives way to light at morning and evening. There is a sense of the eventual coming of spring, but we feel a restlessness or cabin fever also. This can be the bleakest time of the year when we can wonder if spring will ever come. We long to spend more time outdoors instead of hidden inside.

What seeds are stirring in you? What is restless to emerge? What of yourself do you wish to bring to light instead of to keep in darkness?

Imbolc is a solar holyday, based on the position of the earth to the sun. It has traditionally been celebrated as a fire festival, and also honors Brigid (or Bride), the ancient Celtic goddess of poetry, healing and smithing. It is a celebration of fertility of the coming spring, both with livestock as well as crops.

What do you want to fertilize in yourself? What do you want fire to activate or purify in your life? What do you hope to heal?

Smithing is about hammering and forging metals into a desired shape for a desired function. What are you needing to forge in your life?

The Christianized holiday placed on Imbolc is Candlemas, when there are candle ceremonies throughout the world, welcoming the return of the light of the sun. So strong a figure was Brigid in the Irish culture that she was made into a saint in the early Christian church, and Candlemas is her day.

Candles represent light and life and enlightenment. What do you choose to shed light upon?

Groundhog day is also celebrated on Imbolc. Legend has it that if the groundhog sees his shadow, we will have six more weeks of winter; if he doesn’t see his shadow, we will enjoy an early spring.

What would you like to see as you emerge from the dark into the light? What do you want to birth into the spring? As we are still in the season of hibernation, now is the time to incubate and gestate these desires.

Imbolc celebrates the early birthing of the lambs and the production of ewe’s milk. Birthing is a powerful process, followed by careful tending of the fragile newborns. The lambs must be kept warm and nourished in order for them to grow and thrive.

What do you hope to birth? How can you nurture this desire and prepare it for labor? How can you continue to sustain it so it can grow into its strength and thrive?

Now is the time of the new moon, the waxing crescent, a time of the young Maiden, of Artemis aiming her bow and arrow high into the skies. It is a time of the growth of the lunar light. Let the lunar energy help you to connect with the growth within you as we celebrate this rich holyday.

Blessed Be.

I hope you find peace and joy today in Nature and her wonders.

Kate

(For more info on UU Womenspirit, visit www.uuwomenspirit.org)

October 10 - Dolphin Dreams

2010-10-10T20:21:00.000-04:00

Today is 10/10/10, a date that I knew must be an auspicious one. I find numbers and their relationships pretty fascinating (although it is a fancy, not a study), and I can never resist triple repeats of a number.

I received an email from a friend stating that today is an auspicious date for us to accept the transmission of the "Crystalline Portals of the Oceans". I watched a You-tube video on this which focuses on dolphins and whales as transmitters of love and light and how their energy work flows to all peoples through all the oceans. Well, I don't know anything about the Crystalline Portals of the Oceans, but I do know a little about dolphins.

I have been drawn to dolphins and whales ever since I can remember. When I was in elementary school, our family traveled to Marineland in Florida and one of the dolphins there decided to play catch with my Mom. It surprised my Mom, and the beach ball the dolphin tossed to her soaked her entire shirt! The dolphin started laughing, and so did my Mom! I wished that dolphin had picked ME to play with...

Often, my Mom would give me gifts that had a theme of dolphins: glass sculptures, small statues, jewelry, etc. For herself, she loved hummingbirds and images of them were all through and around her home (including live ones she would feed just outside her kitchen window).

When I originally entered college, I majored in Biology Education with the thought that if I wanted to continue school after I earned my B.S. degree, I would study Marine Biology at the College of Charleston. They had a large research center on James Island in Charleston, and I knew I would enjoy studying there. For various reasons, I switched my major to English Education, so I never followed through on studying Marine Biology even though it still fascinates me.

Dolphins even graced our wedding weekend. A friend gave us their front-beach house at Seabrook Island to use for the weekend and we invited friends from out of town to spend the weekend there with us. Sunday morning -- after our Saturday wedding -- we were all enjoying a walk on the beach when a pod of dolphins began playing just offshore. It felt like a blessing to have their joy so close to us.

But it wasn't until my 40s that I realized how closely connected I am to dolphins. (After all, doesn't everyone love dolphins? What's not to love?) In 1998 I went on my first retreat to swim with dolphins in the Florida Keys. The retreat, led by Barbara Lange, was an opening for me in many ways. We stayed at a beautiful location on Islamorada Key, visited dolphins and other saltwater creatures at Theater of the Sea, and created art of all kinds. It was a great time!

Being with the dolphins is absolutely magical. One can feel the joy and wisdom the dolphins hold, both physically and emotionally. Being in the water with them, I really wanted to play with them, but the "trainers" were very strict. (I put "trainers" in quotes because some of them just don't know what they are doing OR don't appreciate the animals they are working with. An example: At Theater of the Sea, one of the female dolphins that we were swimming with was in heat and was not paying attention to us as much as to the males in the area next to ours. They were separated by an underwater cyclone fence that extended a few inches above the surface of the water. I asked one of the young trainers why the dolphins don't jump over the fencing, and he said, "Because we teach them to jump, they don't do it naturally." Hmmmm... they why all those joyful, playful jumps and rolls we see in all footage of wild dolphins...? It is baffling that anyone could be that glib about such magnificent, intelligent creatures! By the way, dolphins are the only species in addition to humans that engage in sex for the fun of it. All other creatures do it for procreation. At least that's what I've read; who knows how one discerns the reasons animals have sex...)

Another time that left me scratching my head was on that same trip when we swam with another group of dolphins. Their regular trainer wasn't there that day, but the head trainer, a German man who didn't seem to like working with dolphins (!) was there instead (we dubbed him "The Teutonic Plague"). And I can tell you, the dolphins certainly didn't seem to like him! They pretty much ignored him... but when we absconded with the fish bucket, the dolphins were all ABOUT paying attention to us! Again, we had a blast with them. At one point, two dolphins used their beaks against the soles of my feet to push me around the enclosure while I was floating on my back. I laughed and laughed and laughed! I felt full of joy and humor... and I attribute it all to dolphins.

Right after that first swim at Theater of the Sea, I left with a terrible headache. We were all to meet later that afternoon to discuss our experiences. I took a short nap after returning, then wrote about my experience. The phrase that kept nudging me in my mind was, "Light, Love, and Laughter," but as I wrote, I ignored it because I didn't know where the thought came from. But when we all circled together later that afternoon, another woman on the retreat read that she had received, "Light, Love, and Laughter" from the dolphins! I was shocked that she had understood the very same words that I had from our swim. I now know better to trust those intuitive nudges.

Two years later, Andrew and I took our three kids to the Keys for a New Years holiday and we went swimming with the dolphins as a special way to welcome 2000. While Allen and Paige were too young, Paul was just old enough to join the group. When he was in the water with the dolphins, his countenance was literally transformed into pure bliss! What a memory that is! I remember a young dolphin nudging up to me as I stood in the water waiting for my turn. His name was Eclipse, a perfect name for a dolphin. And while we were warned not to touch the dolphins, I regret not petting him since he had sought me out. I need to learn to follow my inner instructions as well as I follow external directions.

A year or two later, I went with Barbara on a retreat to Bimini to swim with wild dolphins. We only were able to swim one time with them (there is, of course, no guarantee in the wild), and they seemed interested that we were there. At one point, the boat we were on was creating a large wake, and the dolphins, like chariot horses of Neptune, leapt and played in the wake! What a sight. What a blessing.

I've never seen a whale in person, only on TV and in photographs. I can't imagine how powerful they must be in real life! I have a CD with humpback whale songs that I sometimes listen to when I am creating art. I swear one of them sounds like Curly (of the Three Stooges) with its "Nyuck, Nyuck, Nyuck" sounds. They make me smile... and wonder. Their song can be heard all up and down the Pacific Ocean. Imagine the power in that!

One of these days, I hope Andrew and I can follow the whales as they migrate up the west coast on the coastal highway from Baja to Alaska. Maybe we could even start off in Hawaii, then fly back and rejoin them in the States. Then spend a month or so camping and exploring Alaska and watching them feed and dance off the coast.

I hope you have an auspicious day today, 10-10-10.

Peace,
Kate

October 7 - Autumn Memories

2010-10-07T15:50:00.000-04:00

Autumn is my very favorite time of year. I love everything about it: the true blue sky, the warm sunlight golden on trees blazing with color, the crisp, cool air, the smell of the first stove fires of the season, hot apple cider (with butterscotch schnapps!), the harvest of fruits and veggies, the layers of clothes with nubby textures wrapping us like cocoons, the energetic excitement of Nature's dance before resting.

Fall of 1984 was an especially important time for me. I had just started getting to know Andrew as a friend; we had stayed up all night on his screened in porch, talking as we rocked in wooden rocking chairs, and I had learned of his love of camping. I relished camping also. I also cherished hot air balloons. So when I learned of a Hot Air Balloon Rally on the weekend of Sept. 21, I knew I wanted to go and see all the beautiful balloons lifting off and peacefully floating away. And I knew I wanted to invite Andrew, but wasn't ready for a trip with just the two of us, so I asked my friend Martha if she would go with us. Always up for an adventure, Martha said yes, and Andrew agreed to go (why not? Traveling with TWO women! What's not to love?). So the three of us (plus Katie, of course) took off in my Oldsmobile Cutlass from Charleston headed for Statesville, North Carolina, packed to the gills for our camping adventure.

Andrew drove some and I drove some. And Martha asked Andrew the questions that I was less comfortable asking (like, are you involved with anyone?), while I listened. The first night we stayed at Andrew's parents' cabin in Saluda, NC; Martha and I slept in the king bed with Andrew across the hall in the double bed. The next morning, we drove through Hendersonville on our way to breakfast (my first visit here, which is where we live now) and the interstate to head for Statesville. We had a flat tire along the way, and while Andrew replaced the flat, Martha and I stood on the side of the highway ready to help. Martha had beautiful long black hair down below her hips, and with her cowgirl hat and jeans on, she attracted a lot of interest from the truckers! We finally arrived at the rally site outside of Statesville (there was no MapQuest back then!) and learned that the lift-off wouldn't occur again until the cooler temperatures of dusk. So we hung out under any shade we could find, listen to music, and watched people. I especially remember a beautiful woman in a form-fitting red dress who wandered through the crowd... and Andrew's eyes following her as long as she was in sight. Otherwise, I only remember the heat. Whew, it was hot!

Finally, the balloons were ready to lift off into the late afternoon sky. I tried to take pictures of all the colors rising into the sky, but finally just put my camera down to see the panorama of color and designs. It was breath taking! Slow majestic beauty languidly rising into the blue sky in the autumn sun. What a cornucopia of beauty!

We left the rally and camped that night, sitting around the campfire talking and laughing and telling stories (and asking questions). The next afternoon, we headed back to Charleston, stopping at a truck stop for a shower before the long ride. We headed home after dark, and unfortunately, we rolled over some metal sheeting in the road which punched a hole in the sidewall of another tire. Thankfullly, we were able to drive on it, but it was a slower, longer drive home than we'd planned. When we drove into Martha's grassy driveway, the tire just gave up the ghost with a loud, long hisssssssss. We borrowed her VW bug to get to my house.

But Andrew said he'd never laughed so much as he did over that weekend with Martha and me. We DID have a great time! And it was the beginning of a lovely courtship.

Five years later, Andrew and I had been married for 3 years by the Autumn Equinox, Sept. 21, 1989: the date that Hurricane Hugo smashed into the South Carolina coast and tore up into North Carolina and Virginia. We were living south of Charleston in the country, but since Hugo was larger than the entire state of SC, with 12-foot storm surges predicted (and we lived on the intracoastal waterway in a cement slab house about 2 feet above mean sea level), we decided to escape to a different area code. My Mom and brother Fred were also living in Charleston; Andrew's Dad was in the hospital -- safe but not able to leave -- and his Mom stayed with him. So we packed up all our animals (including 2 cats and 5 dogs -- two of ours, one each of my Mom and brother, and one elder dog we were keeping for a friend) with the wedding album and other important items and headed to the mountains: us in our car and my Mom and Fred in her car. We avoided the interstate, which was bumper to bumper, and headed up the secondary highways which was a great idea because when we crossed over the interstate we saw cars sitting in what looked like a parking lot as far as the eyes could see. We finally reached Saluda that evening, and the rain from the perimeter of Hugo caught up with us not long after that.

While we had electricity and phones in Saluda, our friends in Charleston didn't, so watching the news was the only way to stay connected (this was before cell phones). We stayed in Saluda two days, then headed back to Charleston loaded with gallons of fresh water to use and to share.

When Andrew and I turned into Hollywood (the little town we lived near), we saw a long line of Florida Light and Power trucks parked in a row on a vacant lot, ready to start returning order to the chaos. And when we turned into our driveway, our home was intact and undamaged! While we lost 2 pine trees, they didn't hit the house, and the roses growing on the east side of our home were still blooming! It was as if Spirit had put a protective hand over our home and kept it safe from harm. We were indescribably thankful.

Within 3 days, we had electricity restored, which was wonderful because our water was pumped from a well. Not having running water helped me to better appreciate our ancestors who spent so much of their energy surviving: carrying water, planting crops, harvesting and preserving foods in order to feed their families during the winters. Life drifts down to the basics where there are no modern conveniences, and running water is certainly convenient!

Tragedy brings out the true meat of people. Over the next few weeks, I saw strangers helping each other out, saw community efforts to rebuild, and saw humor in the face of overwhelming destruction: "Landscaping by Hugo" signs in front yards, "Hugo Stew" where families combined what was thawing in the freezer to feed their neighborhoods, folks helping clear each other's fallen trees, others offering someone a safe place to rest. Friends of ours who lived at Folly Beach in a small cinder-block home still had their home, but the flat roof had been lifted off, the curtains and blinds sucked out, and the roof replaced so that the curtains and blinds flowed through the top of the wall to the outside. We got stuck in the sand where the road used to be when leaving their home when friends had gathered to help with clean-up and repair... and everyone behind us got out of their cars to push our van onto the remaining pavement. We all waited to be sure everyone made it through.

One family I knew from work had decided to stay in Charleston for the storm. They had originally chosen their home because of all the pine trees in their yard. During Hugo's wrath, the seven of them found themselves huddled in the central hall downstairs. Trees were falling onto their second story roof; with the difference in air pressure, as the trees would hit the roof, the higher air pressure inside would cause the roof to explode. Their house was destroyed, but thankfully all of them were uninjured. Another couple lived on Sullivan's Island; again, their pine trees destroyed the upstairs of their brick home while flooding ruined the first floor. They finally packed it up and left town.

While homes and buildings were destroyed, the saddest part (other than the minimal loss of life, thanks to people paying attention to the need to evacuate) was the loss of the Low Country's beautiful, majestic trees. Trees are what gave Charleston its lovely graceful silhouette and profile. My old neighborhood didn't even look like where I had grown up. You can reconstruct a building, but you can't rebuild a tree.

Reassembling a sense of normalcy was difficult that fall. But on the Winter Solstice, December 21, 1989, Nature decided to blanket the Low Country with a beautiful pristine covering of magical white snow. It was as if she was saying, "Now it is time for peace." Blessed Be.

I hope you have a time for peace today.

Peace,
Kate

October 6 - Katie

2010-10-06T14:32:00.000-04:00

I had a best friend for 10 years who was part-shepherd, part-lab, and part-human: Katie.

Some folks think she was named after me, but in fact I was named after her. Up until I was about 25, I went by Kathy (hard to believe; she is a different person than I am now), but loved the name Kate (after one of my heroines, Kate Hepburn). So when Katie was (literally) dropped in my lap, I decided to name her my favorite name. It wasn't until 5 years later that I made the shift myself into a Kate.

She was a CRAZY pup... all ears and legs and a strong, independent will... and as we grew together over the next 10 years she was my companion and protector. I was able to live by myself as a single woman, go where I wanted to go, and do what I wanted to do because of Katie. She was always game for anything. And she was always watching me: ears perked, eyes alert, her head resting on her front paws as she rested relaxed but ready for whatever I was going to do, the way dogs do.

There are lots and lots of stories about Katie, some of which I will tell during this month. But for now, I have my most recent story of Katie to share.

Katie contracted cancer in her mouth, and after two surgeries we had to let her go. She is buried in the backyard of my former country home south of Charleston, SC. It was Jan. 26, less than a month after the love of my life Andrew moved in (on New Years Day 1984). I am blessed that occasionally she visits me in my dreams. This is such a tale.

In 2000, on the Spring Equinox after my mom's passing in February, I committed to a Vision Quest. With my fellow questers, I prepared for six months in order to enter the woods for three days and nights when we would seek our visions. It was a powerful process that springboarded me into my current spirituality.

As is true of other questers, the closer we came to our Quest date, the more nervous I became about going into the woods: not from a safety concern but from a fear of not receiving a Vision. I'd worked so hard and it all pointed to this special weekend (Labor Day... in every sense of the word!)! Two nights before the Quest weekend began, I had a vivid dream:

I was walking in a forest of beautiful, lush green pine trees along a soft path thick with fallen russet pine needles. All was silent. I looked down to my left, and there was Katie walking beside me! It was so like old times when we would walk together. My heart leapt for joy at being with her again! I was so excited that I started running along the path, and she ran alongside me. Then she changed into a black bear, also running along the path with me. This excited me so much that I lifted off my feet and started flying alongside her.

I woke up, jubilant that I had spent time with Katie/Black Bear, and knew my Quest would be a safe and successful one.

Two days later I went into the woods, early on a Saturday morning, in silence. My teacher had selected my spot under a huge, beautiful old pine tree where the ground was blanketed in layers and layers of soft pine needles. There were small pines scattered along the perimeter of my circle as well as some fallen pines peeking through the carpet of pine needles.

I spent 3 days in the woods, just me and Nature. Each morning, my teacher would bring me fresh water for the day and to check to make sure I was ok. That weekend, it rained 4 inches... and I stayed snug and dry under my tarp in my sleeping bag. I felt Andrew and our kids sending me love and strength all weekend. It was as if Andrew was there beside me saying, "OK, first put up the tarp, now set out..." guiding me in his wise woodsmanship way.

Katie,
always curious and alert

On Sunday, I was writing in my journal, recounting the dream I had had the few nights before. I am thankful to have had the journal as I wouldn't have remembered most of my Quest experiences since I was in an altered state (which I didn't think about happening...). As I looked up from my writing, my eyes rested on a small pine that had fallen over years and years and years before. The base of the tree was all that was showing; the roots had been elemented away over the years, and the remaining base poked up in two soft peaks from the pine straw. As I looked at it, I realized that it looked just like Katie did when she would watch me to see what I was going to do next. And as I looked at it more, I realized it WAS Katie, still there companioning and protecting me. I was -- and am -- so grateful for her presence.

I miss Katie so much. I miss how she would howl with excitement when I would drive into the driveway; my very own one-dog chorus of joy. Her salutations would literally lift her front feet off the ground! Now THAT's love! I miss her smell, the feel of her coat as I would pet her, her talking to me, the look in her eyes when she was having fun, her joie de vivre, her humor, and her undying love.

Well, I still feel her undying love.

There have been other puppies, but there will never be another Katie.

I hope that a memory of a loyal and loving animal will fill your day today.

Peace,
Kate

A Month of Story

2010-10-05T12:40:00.000-04:00

I just returned from a full weekend at the SE Womens Herbal Conference at Camp Rockmont in Swannanoa, in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Swannanoa... what a beautiful word! It conjures peace and light to me.

I met Ramona Moore Big Eagle there, and she offered a session entitled Finding Your Story. While I am a writer with lots of stories, I love to listen to and learn from others. Ramona is a tall, graceful, powerful Legend Keeper, a storyteller of the Tuscarora Tribe, with dancing eyes and a welcoming, open countenance. Everyone in our group of at least 60 ended up telling two stories about ourselves to someone in the group we didn't know. We were all energized and excited about our adept ability to tell stories, even though that's what women do... we are all storytellers. It's our legacy, and our universal way of teaching and leading.

After returning home, I read an article in Waverly Fitzgerald's October Living in Season e-zine where she writes about Curating Her Life. There's a lot in that issue. Waverly points out that October is a month of memories, stories, and ancestors. So I have decided to do one of the things I love best (but seem to let slip to the end of my "to do" list) and write one story a day this month about memories and ancestors to honor this time of year. All Hallow's Eve (or Samhain) is traditionally the time of honoring the dead, being thankful for our harvests, and slowing down in the cold and darkness, returning to the cave and the fire, and telling our stories. So I will honor that ancient tradition.

Memories abound with my participating in a recent Small Book Exchange through Asheville BookWorks. Memory Palaces was the theme, and each of the 15 participating artists interpreted that in her/his own way to create a rich cornucopia of miniature book art. My book, entitled Rooms with a Clue, traced my connection to and passion for art and creative expression throughout my life (so far).

It all started with my Gaga's button box, and continues through many wonderful memories of art created with my hands and heart. One of my very favorite memories as a very little girl was sitting at our kid's card table (just the right height for littles) in our pine-paneled den with my Mama. She and I drew and traced pencil marks all over a page from the newspaper, making swirls and circles and intersecting curved lines over that generous expanse of newsprint. Once we were finished drawing, we found shapes that reminded us of fruits and vegetables and colored them as such with our crayons. I remember watching her color a green pear, wishing I could color as beautifully and regularly as she did, and also relishing the time we were spending together. It was so lovely, nurturing, and just plain FUN!

My Mama was a fun lady who loved to laugh and put others at ease. She was a Libra, and it showed; everything was about balance to her: relationships, bank accounts, give and take. People were the most important thing to her; she was the essential extrovert. And she loved creating, too. A needleworker (I still sleep under afghans she crocheted and have sweaters she knitted) she taught me to embroidery, knit, and sew as a girl. I grew up surrounded by lace tablecloths, bedspreads, and handmade baby clothes which adorn my home today. Holidays brought out major efforts in decorating: the tabletop decorative Christmas tree she created with hundreds of hand-wound roses made of dark red crepe paper strips and attached to a cardboard cone that fit over a small table lamp so you could see a little bit of light every now and then through the roses. And then there was the time that she created two huge (well, probably 3 feet tall) styrofoam bells shapes that she covered with hand-cut green felt leaves for props for one of our annual Christmas cards that showed how much my brother Fred (11 months older than I) and I were growing. It was the 50s; the debut of the picture Christmas card.

She had a beautiful handwriting and always tried to write in green (she had a fountain pen she used all the time that only held green ink) because it was her favorite color. Today, it is also mine. Whenever I would ask her for her autograph in one of my autograph books (another 50s fad) or school annual, she would pen, "To my understudy." And while I understand that now, it didn't satisfy my youthful daughter's need for superlatives about who I was... at least I didn't think so at the time. Today, I am proud to be her understudy, to continue the creative self-expression that she nurtured in me, and to quote her wonderful, unique sayings. Of course, we've all heard "This too shall pass" which was NEVER comforting when you heard it, but which I have said to my children as well. My favorite saying of my wise mama is, "The sun don't shine on the same dog's ass all the time." Now we call it Karma, but we didn't know that term back then. Course, with her Charleston Geechee accent, it sounded more like "De sun don' shine on de same dog's ass all de time." I can enunciate it exactly as she did.

I hope you take the time to savor a great story today.

Peace,
Kate

Reaping What We Sow

2010-08-16T11:33:00.000-04:00

Lugnasad, or Lammas, is the cross-quarterholyday in early August which celebrates the first harvest of the grain. The first harvest is always the greatest,and grain is important to us physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

I held a Peace Feast at my home a few yearsago, and invited sisters to join me in focusing on Peace. I invited everyone to bring something thatrepresented Peace to add to the altar. One friend brought grains of rice; she said if everyone were fed therewould be peace. How simple, and howtrue. Conflict has always broken outbeen between the have’s and the have not’s.

The collecting of grains and the making ofbread to share with family and community has long been an important seasonalritual. The age-old myth ofPersephone’s return accounted for the reflection of Demeter’s joy in thefertility and bounty of the Earth. Bread has been an important character in our stories, whether theunleavened bread of Passover or the sacred bread of Communion to more mundanerituals of sharing abundance and breaking bread together.

Grain tookon a whole new dimension to me two years ago when I visited crop circles inEnglish barley fields. I’d never beenin a field of grain – other than corn – and as I walked the tramlines throughthe acres and acres of barley plants, I truly understood the term “the staff oflife”. The barley was alive – like theocean – responsive to the wind, the sun, the clouds. I recalled the scene from The Gladiator symbolizing hispassage to paradise as I brushed my hands along the tickling tips of the barleyplants. I heard Eva Cassidy’s versionof Fields of Gold in my head. Ideeply felt the joy that the plants had in growing towards the sky. As they brushed against each other, it wasas if in applause of their being.

I could feel the energyof the grain that was bent (not broken) to the earth in magical patterns as Iwalked in the crop circles. Cropcircles are mysterious occurrences, and I know that the Circle Makers mean onlyto give us wisdom, healing, and peace with their exquisite sacred geometricart. During the growing season, thegrain rises to stand straight and be harvested with the rest of the field. The following year, however, there may be a“shadow circle” created by the seeds that were shaken off the heads of the grainby those walking the circle.

I’d never eaten barley before thatvisit. Now I cook with it to celebrateany ritual of gratitude for the abundance with which we are gifted. Barley soup, barley casserole. I even use raw barley in some of myart. The crop circles affected everyaspect of my being.

While Lammas is the holyday that celebratesthe harvest of the seeds we have planted, I also like to use this time toconsider what seeds I want to plant now. These are seeds of actions to come based on dreams and hopes.

Blessingsof an abundant harvest!

Peace,
Kate

(These are photos I took while in the crop circle shown (the bottom one shows the circle's proximity to Silbury Hill, an ancient sacred site) in the summer of 2008.)

Multitudes and Abundance

2010-07-09T11:44:00.002-04:00

It is the peak of summer.

It is the time of Nature's growth and multitudes. Of Her ecstatic abundance of creation. Brilliant days of Nature's laughter and joy. Of Her seductive enticements. Multiplicity to the point of overwhelm.

Hear the cacophony of the birds, some of whom are on their second clutch of eggs for the season. Hear the incessant buzz of insects, vibrating either mating calls or "back off" warnings. The frogs will be peeping in the evenings soon. Tadpoles will be wriggling next to the edge of water, waiting on their legs.

See the vibrant blossoms burst open, hardy volunteers sprout, luscious fruits and vegetables swell into sweetness.

Feel the heat that causes the frenzy. Relish the thunder and rain that cools the chaos and nurtures and quiets the creatures for a short time.

Nature's multitudes are coming forth while they can. Life's cycle is short for many of these creatures: they birth, they reproduce, they pass on. Another generation carries forward in the great circle of life.

Well tended in the spring, they are now springing forth into raucous and chaotic adolescence in the summer.

I think it's time for a cool swim or a refreshing nap.

Peace,
Kate

Rob Lived a Hand Crafted Life

2010-03-22T10:04:00.000-04:00

This is one in a series for a column, Living a Hand Crafted Life, that I am writing for our local newspaper, The Hendersonville Times-News. This article was run on March 21, 2010.

There's a general tendency to presume people just act forshort-term profit. But anyone who knows about small-town businesses and howpeople in a community relate to one another realizes that many of thosedecisions are not just for profit and that humans do try to organize and solveproblems. -- Elinor Ostrom, first woman recipient of the Nobel Prize inEconomics (2009)

This columnis about encouraging readers to live a hand crafted life: a life of choice based and following ourheart and our core values.

Rob Cranfordwas one such person. I knew Rob fromRotary. Just seeing him in a room wouldmake me smile. His open and honestenergy and integrity was palpable; you could feel it. He loved life, and he followed his heart in living a fulllife.

Rob was ahumble and yet impressive person. Heused his head and his heart. He was anastute businessman as well as a deeply caring family man, friend, and communitymember. I have heard him laugh so hardthat he almost choked, and I have seen his eyes fill with tears at a touchingstory. Rob’s emotions and abilities ranthe gamut.

Rob was adevout man who practiced what he believed. He didn’t preach, he acted. Andbecause of his many acts, this community is a better place. There is no corner of our community that hedidn’t touch in some way or another. Under Rob’s leadership (and thanks to other great employees there),Morrow Insurance was a profitable company, and they shared those profits withorganizations in Henderson County.

In this dayand age, when focus on the bottom line leads companies and corporations to makeself-serving decisions, it is affirming to know that Morrow’s decisions wereled by the philosophy that people and community matter. Non-profits knew they could count onMorrow’s support. Andcharacteristically, when Rob would make a commitment or pledge, he would say,“I’m sorry it can’t be more.”

I would teaseRob that I was the Founding President of the Rob Cranford International FanClub. I really feel that way aboutRob. He had a halo while he was here onearth, and now he has sprouted wings.

But from theSRO crowd at his funeral, I have plenty of competition for that title. Friends told tales (poignant and hysterical)about Rob, and most impressive were his sons’ eulogies to their Dad. The courage it took for them to stand infront of a huge crowd at a terribly emotional time for them was fueled by theirobvious love and admiration of their father. What a tribute to their Dad. Iknow he was proud as punch. We all were.

There’s a bighole in many hearts because of our loss of Rob Cranford living among us. I’m thankful that I knew him. I am a better person for having known Rob. We all are.

Toooften we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listeningear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have thepotential to turn a life around. -- Leo Buscaglia

Blessed Spring!

2010-03-22T09:52:00.005-04:00

It's finally spring (officially, that is)! Saturday, Spring Equinox, was magnificent; a true first-of-spring-day: sunny, warm, enticing one outdoors for the sights, smells, sounds, and sensations of spring. Mother Nature brings out her brightest and best paints for this season!

All of a sudden, over the past week, birdsong and serenade is everywhere, all during the day from dawn until dusk. It's a lyrical way of staking territory and attracting a mate. Wouldn't it be great if that was how humans staked their claim, through song instead of fighting? Or males sang love songs to attract their mates?

In my walk around the yard, a small plant (some would call it a weed) growing -- and blooming -- in a crack in our sidewalk caught my eye and my imagination. Our home was built in 1927, and the sidewalks are that old... and full of character. There are a few "wrinkles" that have occurred over the past 80 or so years, and I love seeing what grows in these spare spaces. We have lots of beautiful mosses, too. It's amazing how many types of mosses there are!

And speaking of "wrinkles in the sidewalk", there is a place where the front sidewalk and the side front walkways meet where a tree feel years and years ago and cracked the sidewalk. I've been intending to pull up the old concrete and create a mosaic in its stead. So I'll be posting process photos as this project progresses this season. Here is the end-of-winter-before-spring-cleaning pics of this section of our walkways. (No, I'm not proud of the shape of the sidewalks, although I am proud of the trellis that Andrew built a couple of years ago with salvaged stone and my dad's old fir extension ladder! We have wisteria vines -- one of my favorite flowers -- growing over it.)

Andrew and I spent part of Equinox Saturday afternoon planning some spring planting projects. We'll plant a garden in the north side yard (yes, it does get sun) in a medicine wheel configuration. First, we need to move the grass and mosses growing on the ground there to other areas of the yard that need green growth. Then we'll till and amend and create walkways and rows. Then we'll plant and cultivate our own veggies. YUM! We both want this Spring Equinox to be a gateway for us to bring growth and balance into our lives. Getting grounded is a great way to do that for both of us... plus it's great exercise after winter's sedentary habits. So I'll be posting these advances, too.

Sunday was a day of indoor play. It rained all day (yet didn't smell like spring rain...), which was disappointing after the lovely warm sunshine of Saturday. But the truth is, we need both the sun and the rain in order to grow: taller, broader, deeper, more beautiful. So it gave me the excuse to create a vision board of what I hope to bring into my life this year, starting with this Spring Equinox. What fun to mix color and image! I love collage and went on to create an Abundance Vision Book, because Abundance is one thing I want to bring into my life (we already benefit from abundance, but I want to be more trusting of it and aware of it in order to celebrate it instead of wonder about it...). It was great fun to blend papers and images into a large "book" that will stand on its own and remind me of the Law of Attraction and that faith and trust is what's needed. I can flip the pages as I want to different visions of abundance and bounty...

I hope today brings you an abundance of all good things!

Peace,
Kate

Spring At Last!

2010-03-13T11:37:00.000-05:00

While the calendar doesn't show spring's equinox yet, Nature does.

What a joy to wake this morning to clear skies with the sun shining golden on our home!

I saw daffodils waking from under their leafy blankets.

I saw other daffodils lining up, attentive to Grandmama Oak, now a naturally-deteriorating stump who was once the largest, most majestic tree in our yard. She still has wisdom to share, and the daffodil buds are paying attention.

And we have waves of daffodils swimming around our dolphins.

But the most amazing gift I was given today in my view of the morning was another oak on the south side of our home breathing. Yes, breathing.

I know the scientific explanation of her breathing: the sun was warming her bark, which was damp from yesterday's long, soft rain and the night's dew. As she warmed, the moisture turned into steam and gently lifted offer her skin and up into the air. But to my eyes, she was breathing. Thank you, Nature!

(Can you see the soft delicate mist between the trunk and the bush behind? That's her breath.)

So I had a great time snapping pictures of these lovely rituals that Nature and her creatures repeat endlessly.

I hope you have a delightful day full of bright awakenings!

Peace,

Kate

Weather Affects Us All; How Does It Change You?

2010-03-13T08:52:00.012-05:00

This is one in a series for a column, Living a Hand Crafted Life, that I am writing for our local newspaper, The Hendersonville Times-News. This article was run on March 7, 2010.

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered. ~ Nelson Mandela

Things in Henderson County aren’t back to normal yet. Snow still mounts, welcoming the next flurry. Residents have lost electricity, heat and water; some can’t get out of their driveways. We realize we are all vulnerable to the weather. The frigid weather has steamed many about changes in schedules and plans.

During these times, we move closer to the ways that our forbearers lived: the settlers who came before us to carve a life in these forests and mountains. I’ve often thought it took mighty strong stock to settle the Appalachians. Men, women and children worked together cutting trees which would become their homes and the fires to warm them. They carried water. They planted and tended and harvested and cooked as well as hunted and traded. These were truly hand crafted lives: everything they did was by hand!

There were no home improvement stores that sold and delivered lumber by the board. There were no grocery stores where one could stock up for impending weather. Everything was made by hand – one’s own or someone else’s.

The kind of weather conditions we’ve experienced recently reminds me of how much our ancestors had to focus on survival. Much of their energy and focus went into taking care of the most basic of life’s needs – just as many of us have had to do without power or water.

I love canning tomatoes. It’s hot, hard work: picking the tomatoes, splitting the skins in boiling water, lifting large pots of hot water or cooked fruit, pouring the sauce into sterilized jars, sealing them in a water bath, and listening for the “pop” of the lids to signal a perfect seal. At the end of a long day of canning, my reward is rows of red jars with gold caps standing in line on my shelves. It feels like wealth to me. And the exercise – while a labor of love for me – helps me to better appreciate the strength and endurance of those who came before us. Of the mothers who had to properly can and preserve the harvest, or her family wouldn’t eat. Of them having to clean, wash, sew, nuture, and birth – all by hand and at home.

Several years ago during an extended ice storm here, our home lost power for 10 days. And while having central heat, light, and cooking reinstated was wonderful, we were all a little sad to lose those evenings of togetherness around our wood stove. We resolved to turn off all the lights (and TV) at least one night a week and play games, singing songs. I think that resolution lasted about a week. We were solidly back into our routines.

How have you changed with this most recent experience of being entirely at the mercy of the weather? When your electricity returned, how long did it take for you to take it for granted? Part of a hand crafted life is appreciating what we have. Another part of it is not letting our modern conveniences get in the way of recognizing all that we truly have.

I hope you have a day filled with a vision of living your own life.

Peace,

Kate

For the New Year, Live Your Own Life

2010-01-25T17:05:00.016-05:00

This is one in a series for a column I am writing for our local newspaper, the Hendersonville Times-News.

“Every human being is unique and special unlike any who has ever existed before or will ever exist again. But when we become captives of culturally defined roles and behaviors – stereotypes – we interfere with becoming all that we can be. We must learn to draw on our inner resources, to define ourselves in terms of our own internal valuing system, rather than trying to fit into some stereotyped role.” – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Death: The Final Stage of Growth

Kubler-Ross was a pioneer in death and dying, yet here she is advocating living our lives: an authentic life, one in tune with “our own internal valuing system”.

That’s a large part of our individuality, our discovering how to create and live a hand-crafted life.

I’ve been thinking a lot about core values recently. The first time I was aware of focusing on defining my core values was in my mid-20s when a business acquaintance told me I’d need to clarify my personal values before I could determine my professional goals. At the time I thought he was nuts. How could I know what I wanted until I knew what I could afford? Today, I am amazed at that naiveté. How consumer driven I was! Our culture encourages that mentality: earn and spend, borrow and spend, desire and spend. While chasing the money trail, we really forget to walk our own path.

Since then, I’ve passed that advice along to others. And I’ve noticed that when I am happy with my life, I seem to choose to buy less. It is as though when I’m unhappy or frustrated with life, I buy more things, as if I am trying to fill some kind of hole inside. When I’m content with my life, I am filling my inner well on my own through my choices and actions.

One of my favorite books (and movies) is Out of Africa. Karen Blixen (author Isak Dinesen) was a courageous woman who, when asked on which side of World War I Denmark would stand, she responded, “On our own, I think. We have a history of that.” Blixen was Danish through and through and stood on her own for her lifetime. While she dearly longed for a happy marriage, someone she could “call my own”, she never attained that. This was in direct contrast to the independence that her lover, Englishman Denys Finch-Hatton, desired just as fervently. Their insecurities clashed against each other, and were cause for many conflicts. Finch-Hatton once said to Blixen, “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and realize I’ve lived someone else’s.”

Isn’t that true of all of us? When we get to the end of our lives, no one regrets that they didn’t work more weekends. They regret not following their heart, spending more time with loved ones, listening to their Muse, or slowing down to smell the flowers along the way.

It is a new year, a new decade. How about celebrating it by taking the time to think about what part of yourself you would like to express, explore, or create. That’s what a hand-crafted life is: something we make of ourselves, for ourselves.

What might your hand-crafted life look like?

I hope you have a day filled with a vision of living your own life.

Peace,

Kate

A New View

2010-01-01T13:37:00.012-05:00

I, a universe of atoms, an atom in the universe.

-- Richard P. Feynman

Happy New Year!

Happy New Decade. It's hard to believe we're 10 years past Y2K.

One of my intentions for the new year is to write more, both for myself as well as thoughts to be read by others. I am proud to have a new column running in the local newspaper entitled Living a Hand-Crafted Life which revolves around how important it is to each of us to rediscover our passions and to follow our hearts. I will publish these columns in this blog after it is printed in the paper. Living a Hand-Crafted Life expresses how important each person's unique self-expression is in the scheme of things.

Martha Graham wrote:

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one you in all time, this expression is unique. If you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how it compares with expression. It is your business to keep the channel open.

So this year, I am challenging myself to keep that channel open.

This past fall, I took a class called Foundations of Business through a local non-profit Mountain Bizworks whose mission it is to support entrepreneurs starting their own small businesses. The first 4 weeks were all about financial info and planning. The second 4 weeks were about marketing. I thought I knew a bit about running a business and about marketing, but I really learned a lot! Not only about "break even point" and "gross profit" and business planning but also about marketing and what's underneath it all.

The marketing discussion began with "what emotion are you appealing to with your business?" and then proceeded to creating a mission statement for our businesses. I've created and worked with mission statements for non-profits for years... but for my business? Of course! (Imagine me slapping my forehead as if I coulda hada V-8...) But how would I create a mission statement for my business, which has several different components? Jewelry, journals and books and cards, writing and design, teaching, and facilitating... they all seemed so different!

It took me a few days... and some serendipitous conversations and readings... for me to realize that my business mission revolved around the importance of self-expression -- for anyone, not just me. So here it is (after much word-smithing):

The mission of The Cre8tive Flow is two-fold: to pursue my own passions for creating, and to encourage others to comfortably and self-confidently express themselves and their uniqueness. I aspire to provide high quality services and products that honor and respect the integrity of each individual and which offer opportunity for sincere connection within oneself and/or with others.

I also receive a daily message from Daily Good (also check Karma Tube and Charity Focus) and today's message was a video called The Known Universe. It is all about mathematical equations translated into images depicting what we know about the universe. It is absolutely mind blowing. BAM!

But what is even more phenomenal than The Known Universe is the internal knowing that in all of creation there will be no one else exactly like each of us, creating the same energy, holding the same passions, offering the same connections as we do. And -- and this is really IT -- Spirit (however you define It), knows and permeates each of us... EACH OF US... and imbues us with blessings and grace.

So, here is a new year's suggestion: Watch the video. Feel small. Then think about how Spirit knows YOU and connects individually with YOU. And how important you are.

Now THAT's a Big Bang! BAM!

Wishing all of us a new year of honored self-expression.

Peace AND Prosperity,

Kate

Living a Hand Crafted Life

2009-12-21T09:22:00.010-05:00

This is the first of a monthly series of a column entitled "Living a Hand Crafted Life" published in our local newspaper, the Hendersonville Times-News.

“Don't ask what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Harold Thurman Whitman

This is a powerful passage, one you may have read before. I’ve seen it often and I believe it’s because the desire to do what we truly love resonates with each of us.

This is a new column to explore and encourage what it might mean to create a life of one’s dreams. I think a lot about how important it is for each of us to express who we are. The act of self-expression occurs in myriad ways: in our work, our families, our art, our volunteer efforts, our community. Our strongest form of expression is related to our passions.

Take a moment to consider the question, “What are you passionate about?”

Studies have shown that the amount of control we have over our lives directly corresponds with our mental health: the more control, the better our mental health; the less control, the poorer our mental health.

These times are difficult and many find their lives out of control. Their passion then focuses on survival. This is completely appropriate. So how can we enrich our lives even though we are not in control of our surroundings?

Unemployment is high. I know: I was laid off from my full-time job less than a year ago. And while my logical side repeated, “Get a job! Make a paycheck!”, there was a constant small voice saying, “It will be ok. Do what you love.” And while I loved the work I had been doing, it was time for a change. I wanted to create a “crazy quilt” livelihood of all the things I love most. And unemployment was a blessing in disguise that gave me the opportunity to explore my passions.

The thought kept drifting through my head, “When a door closes, a window opens.”

I found that with time for myself, I reconnected with one of my greatest passions: creating art. We are all creative. Our main hindrance is that we don’t give ourselves the time and space to explore our creativity, our unique form of self-expression. With my new schedule, I was able to dive into the art that had been pushed to the back burner, and it was a wondrous and prolific time.

In the spring, I was invited to submit entries in a Recycled Art exhibit at Hand in Hand Gallery. Within days of receiving the invitation, I found a box of old brass window escutcheons (you know, where you put your fingers to open old, wooden, weighted windows) my dad had purchased in the 1960s from an old hardware store going out of business. (Being a child of a Depression-era parent, I could not get rid of these.) Intuitively, the recycled art idea came together, and I joyfully created a mixed media necklace using the escutcheon as a pendant holding words I’d cut from a vintage book “When a door closes a window opens” and adding brass chain, charms of pictures of closed doors and open windows encased in mica, glass lampwork beads, and a small key.

Oh, I don’t deny it: times are tough. But today’s challenges demand that we live our lives differently – more creatively – than we have in the past. A hand crafted life is when one follows one’s inner voice – that inner compass – in order to create a more self-satisfying and fulfilling life.

What hopes and dreams do you hold dear? What are you passionate about?

Serendipity of Three

2009-08-12T10:54:00.012-04:00

Three Rules of Work:

Out of clutter find simplicity;

From discord find harmony;

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

-- Albert Einstein

I really admire Einstein. I know that's an understatement... and that I'm certainly not a maverick in this. I barely understand even the simplest of his theories. We all learned E=mc2 in grammar school (Imagine, the generation before mine didn't even study that!) Energy = mass x the constant speed of life squared. I was a good student and learned those phrases, even if I couldn't wrap my head around them. Well, I'm not alone in that, either. I have a wonderfully thick book on Einstein's life waiting by my bed to be read... where it has been for at least a year. (I promise I'll return it, Roy!) The first photo of the genius in the book is of him riding a bicycle! Einstein... while he spoke with the Universe, never let go of his inner child.

So this morning I received a daily message from CharityFocus which began with his Three Rules of Work. While I've been distracted from writing in my blog, I've also been waiting to have something worth actually writing about. This morning gave me that serendipity of three. Thanks, Albert!

Also, one of the newest crop circles in England is three circles connected and flowing one into the other with a smaller circle in each center. A beautiful graphic, but what's most interesting is that each of the center circles has a different lay of the grain, a different weaving, each as beautiful as the next. I've been fascinated by this intentional difference, wondering what the Energies were symbolizing in this variation of designs. (Or were they just having fun and showing off?) So, in honor of three's, I'm connecting each message to the other.

1. Out of clutter find simplicity

For a few months now, I have been distressed by the clutter in my life. I know that when my physical surroundings are in chaos, my mental state is disorganized. I've also been reminded time and again in various ways about the importance of Feng Shui and how our physical surroundings affect our own energy. I know that this physical clutter represents internal clutter. The greater the external chaos, the greater the internal chaos. So, with Andrew and Allen's help and a pull-myself-up-by-the-bootstrap effort on my part, I have started slowly nibbling away at all the clutter. (How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time...) It is all so overwhelming! I have written before what a packrat I am. But enough is enough! It IS time to lighten up. (Connie, thanks for your "electronic cow-prod" nudge!) My feelings are reflected in this quote from DailyGood: Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. -- William James. Boy, ain't that the truth!

I have been focusing on creating my jewelry over the past couple of months in order to meet some goals and timelines (shows, requests, etc.). This is an abundance of blessings for sure, but I have ignored other parts of my work in doing so.

One of those neglected areas is my bookbinding. I love binding books and creating journals, but there is no way to create jewelry and books in the same space: they require totally different tools and materials. So I haven't had the fortitude to put away all my jewelry work to indulge in my journals only to bring all the jewelry work back out once I've finished a couple of journals. So we have turned an adjacent room in our home into my book studio (talk about an abundance of blessings!). I'm very thankful for this space so I can indulge in both of my passions! Andrew and Allen have both helped me to start that shift. But, of course, that creates more clutter (it gets worse before it gets better). Further, I've been wanting the room arrangement to be comfortable from a practical and an energetic standpoint, and it has taken some time for the Muse to whisper what that set-up might be. But I know how I need the room arranged now... and now I need to go through all the accumulation to make that happen! (I'm not going to post a photo of THAT challenge!)

Yesterday morning, I woke up early with the Muse whispering "Get up and straighten up!" So I spent some time organizing my jewelry studio so that it would be conducive to finding what I am looking for. Whew! What a difference! I feel so much better now when I'm in here now! Cleared desktops, files in order, leg room, notes where I need them. Ahhhh! Now I feel pride and relief when I walk into my jewelry studio, which encourages free-flowing energy and creativity. Next is my book studio (as soon as I finish this post)!

2. From discord find harmony

One of the mental wrestlings I've been having is about attaining balance in my new business: balancing creating (jewelry and books) with marketing (blog, website -- still to be completed -- writing, etc.) with R&D (yes, even small businesses need to develop new ideas and learn new skills!) with inventory (purchasing materials for my art) with general paperwork (accounting, correspondence, etc.). No wonder I have felt overwhelmed!

So I arranged an hour phone call with life coach Adair Cates , author of Living with Intention which covers 6 areas of life and 10 steps to feeling fulfilled by them. Adair sent me a form to complete prior to our phone call so we'd have somewhere to start our dialog. Being a good student, I completed it... but wasn't really pleased with what I came up with. During that conversation with Adair, she suggested I consider using the term "harmony" instead of "balance". And what a difference that makes!

In some ways, I know balance is a moving target: one needs strong sea legs to maintain balance, shifting with the currents of life. And balancing the numerous roles we women play in life has been a focus of mine for a while now. What a challenge! It's like forgiveness: a one-shot effort doesn't do the trick, it's an on-going process. And on-going, and on-going. And I'm pretty rigid when it comes to how I'm approaching balance. (I know, that sounds like an oxymoron, but there you are.)

And while harmony is a challenge, too, it doesn't seem (to me) to be quite so structured, so demanding as the idea of balance. I like that; it gives me a break, a little wiggle-room. I don't know why there's a difference in my connotation of the words, but there is. It's as though harmony is inside and outside and flowing, while balance (as in scales) is more structured, more leveled. Maybe Justice is blind because she prefers harmony over those equally balanced scales she's holding....

So, now I am seeking to find harmony in what I do in my business. And the most recent way I have found balance was to rearrange my studios. And what harmony I find in my jewelry studio now (and my book studio very soon)! Ahhhhh....

3. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

This has been a difficult few months. Husband Andrew being away from home with his work, me becoming unemployed, son Allen leaving home (then returning after being arrested), and daughter Paige leaving home (that chapter is still unfinished).

However, there has been great opportunity for growth and learning in these times.

Andrew is looking for a job that will allow him to be home full-time. It's not easy, but it will come: the perfect work at the perfect time.

I have started my own "crazy quilt" business where I am incorporating the things I am most passionate about into what I offer to others: my artwork, my writing, my teaching, and my facilitation. I have been very blessed by the response to The Cre8tive Flow, and I am very thankful. And I am fulfilled with what I am doing (and learning how to be harmonious with it, too).

Allen had 180 degree turn-around after his return home from his 3-week adventure in March. He is accepting responsibility for his choices, and continues to grow. He has completed high school by earning his GED. He is driving now and looking for full-time work. He is compassionate for others (I could learn from him), respectful, kind, and thoughtful. He is strong physically and mentally. He is looking before he leaps. I'm proud of him and enjoy being around him.

Paige chose to go live elsewhere in May, and is making choices based on the most fun she can have right now. I send her prayers of safety and clarity whenever I think of her. Obviously, this is the path she needs to walk right now in order to learn the lessons she needs to learn, whatever they may be.

The main lesson I've learned over these past several months is to let go of control, and trust Spirit. This is The Big One for me. I certainly don't know or understand all the dynamics at work in my family of souls. I do believe that we are all together in this lifetime to help each other learn the lessons we -- at a soul level -- agreed we needed in order to grow closer to the Divine, and our own Divine Selves. A la Caroline Myss's Sacred Contracts. And the mystery and miracle is that learning my lesson somehow coincides perfectly with my loved ones learning their lessons; the lessons complement each other. Now THAT is mind-boggling. Wonder what Einstein would have to say about that?

Another lesson I've learned is that everything happens in perfect timing. I don't see the big picture, but Spirit does. And while I don't believe in predestination, there is a Divine Plan where Divine Timing works. That's another part of the mystery: we have free will, and it is in miraculous harmony with the Divine.

My mind is starting to feel fireworks and go "boomboomboom" as I start to try to comprehend what I've written, so I'm going to stop here so I can be practical and move into my book studio.

I hope you find simplicity, harmony, and opportunity in your day today.

Peace,

Kate

Dragonflies in the Summer

2009-07-01T10:35:00.031-04:00

This amazing crop circle appeared in England a couple of weeks ago.

The circles this season seem to be quite different than in past years. This dragonfly (as well as the jellyfish which appeared around the same time) and other recent circles have amazing details that I've not seen in previous circles. Notice the wings of the dragonfly. While the wings are symmetrical and geometric, the lines within the wings are delicately different. So are the tentacles of the jellyfish.

And the body from this "tadpole", (for lack of a better descriptor).

And then there's this circle image of an egg being sought after by 8 sperm (again, my own label).

Now check out this latest circle: while swallows have been the design for other beautiful circles, this newest one is unique with what looks like code floating behind the swallow! I wonder what secrets those glyphs hold? And why are they associated with the swallow/bird? It looks like a kite taking flight. Bewildering and exquisitely mysterious!

For more crop circle info, check out Crop Circle Connector and/or Temporary Temples.

Summer is not my favorite time of the year. Heat and I are not good friends (and hormonal shifts don't help that relationship, either!). Andrew and I moved to the NC mountains from Charleston, SC, because we wanted to live in these green mountains as well as where there were four seasons. In Charleston, there were only 2 seasons: hot and hotter!

Even this recent crop circle seems to recognize the hot weather with a fan designed with crescents! Or maybe it's referring to our upcoming 3 summer eclipses.

A few years ago, I decided to create an altered book depicting the things I love about summer: the ripeness, the abundance of scents and flowers, the birds and the bees. An "altered book" is a book on one topic that you alter the pages/cover/etc. to make it about another topic. I found a wonderful book on the sun at a thrift store entitled The Fire of Life, published by the Smithsonian and re-titled it "Summer Solstice". Some of the pages I left alone because they were about the summer solstice (astronomy, legends and myths about the sun, etc.). Other pages, I altered by covering with decorative papers, rubber stamp impressions, photos, postcards, calendar art, etc. I even took multi-page articles from magazines (such as on the Monarch butterfly from an old National Geographic) and made them into booklets so that I included books within the books. It was a labor of love, and made the heat more tolerable.

Dragonflies played a role in that book, and they hold special images for me that associate them with summertime and warm weather. I remember as a young girl going with my mom once a month on a Saturday morning to the cemetary where her mother was buried. While she trimmed around the gravestone (and I'm sure "talked" with her beloved mother), I walked, skipped, and ran along the sidewalks criss-crossing the large, open land, reading the grave markers and stopping at the statues overlooking the grassy blanket of ground. I remember always seeing dragonflies hovering and flying around a large statue of an open bible. They were so beautiful and irridescent in the richest colors imaginable! They could hover, zip forward, glisten in the sun, and dart wherever they wanted... they were magical. Nature gifted the dragonfly with very special paint colors!

As an adult, I remember being led by dragonflies down a country road in Tennessee. Andrew and I were looking for mountain land to buy to retire to; this was outside of Nashville and dragonflies literally led us down the road to the entrance to the property. While we didn't buy that property, it was a procession to remember!

A few years ago, I was swimming in a nearby small, man-made lake. Dragonflies and damselflies of all colors were darting just above the surface of the water. After my swim, I sat on the dock and spent some quiet time looking into the water just below. There were fish languidly suspended below the water while dragonflies were flitting above the water; and then there was my reflection on the water's surface. It was appropriate that my reflection was between the languid, relaxed and the active, darting images.

In Native American medicine, Dragonfly symbolizes "Illusion". According to "Medicine Cards" by Jamie Sams and David Carson, "some legends say that Dragonfly was once Dragon, and that Dragon had scales like Dragonfly's wings." Can you imagine how beautiful Dragons must have been?

Also, "Dragonfly is the essence of the winds of change and the illusory facade we accept as physical reality.... messages of wisdom and enlightenment, and connection with the elemental world and nature.... If you feel the need for change, call on Dragonfly to guide you through the mists of illusion to the pathway of transformation."

I've been talking with a lot of different folks about the need for change and flexibility in these times. Yesterday, I heard some shocking statistics: worldwide, extreme poverty means that a family lives on less than $2 per day; moderate poverty means that a family lives on $3 per day. In the US, poverty levels are those where a family lives on $40 per day. Also, in underdeveloped countries, a person uses 20 liters of water per day on average. In the US, each person uses 600 liters of water per day! Indeed, these are times for change and for breaking through the illusion that we haveunlimited natural resources as well as the entitlement to use them all up! Dragonfly seems to be a suitable symbol for the changes we all need to make, and the illusions we all need to release.

One more dragonfly story: on Monday of this week, my son Allen was driving us somewhere and a dragonfly bounced into our car windshield and slid down into the windshield wipers. Allen asked if he should turn on the wipers to help set it free. I said I thought that might injure it more. So we pulled into a parking lot and Allen got out and gently helped untangle the dragonfly from the wiper. We were thinking it was already injured, so Allen had intended to place the dragonfly on the ground in the shade of a bush. But as Allen lifted the dragonfly from its entrapment, it lifted up out of his hands, hovered a bit, then flew off. The look of wonder and joy on Allen's face was a beautiful sight. I'm so thankful for dragonflies!

I hope today brings you positive change full of beauty.

Peace,

Kate

Blessed Summer Solstice!

2009-06-21T13:42:00.027-04:00

Today is the Summer Solstice, the day of the year which has the longest daylight. Imagine how the ancients celebrated having so much light! The Dark Time of the Year was Winter Solstice, the day which was "the birth of the Sun", when the Sun began increasing in the number of hours it appeared to warm the cold places. Nowadays, our Sun heats our places and summer weather seems longer while winter season seems milder than when I was younger. Even living in the mountains.

To me, the solstices represent extremes: the most or least number of hours of daylight. This certainly seems appropriate this year. Often life in general seems to be on the edge... of disaster or breakthrough. While I'm very thankful for all of our blessings and abundance, I am also aware of the fragility of every aspect of our lives.

I have quoted Donna Henes' book Celestially Auspicious Occasions before, and I will do so again, because I think she says it so well:

The seasonal ascent of light and temperature is not -- despite popular belief -- due to our distance from the sun, but to the degree of directness of its rays. It would be logical... to assume that in the summer the earth approaches closest to the sun, and that we are farthest away in the cold dark of winter. Wrong! The earth reaches its perihelion, the point on our orbit that brings us closest to the sum, in winter (usually around Jan 2 or 3); and conversely, during summer (July 5 or so) we attain our aphelion, the farthest reach of our range from the sun.

Though the distance from the sun is greatest in the summer, it is at the Summer Solstice that the sun sits highest in the sky. The steep path of its rays is angled vertically overhead. Its energy is aimed arrowlike straight down on us.

The Summer Solstice is the height of the glory of the season of the sun. It is at this point that the dark must begin to creep back.... For several days before beginning its descent, the sun stands sentinel at dawn. It seems to stand stark still in the sky, which is what solstice means: "sun stands still". (Just) As we celebrate the birth of the brand-new sun at the Winter Solstice, we
salute its vibrant maturity at the solstice in the summer.

In megalithic times, people began to create structures that would enable them to track the course of the sun, the source of life. These solar observatories were specifically designed to give precise determination of the days of the solstices... that are the times of greatest extreme. It was necessary to calculate the longest summer day, since it serves as a signal light, a warning sign for changes in light and weather to come.

Indigenous Europeans... built many such sun shrines. Stonehenge, the most famous standing stone circle, has its main axis in perfect alignment with the Summer Solstice sunrise. Strikingly similar monuments to the movements of the heavens were built by the ancestors of the tribes of the Great Plains of the northern US and Canada... positioned in exact orientation to the solstice sunrise. There are more than 50 knowing medicine wheels, some dating back 2,500 years.

Summer Solstice is a holyday celebrated with fire and flame. Bonfires are lit in honor of the sun, perhaps the most universal of the celebrations. It is the ultimate act of flattery by imitation.... And at the same time, the light and heat of the fire serve to soothe and affirm that, though departing, the sun will surely return.

In ancient Egypt, the Summer Solstice was celebrated by the Burning of the Lamps in honor of Isis, Queen of Heaven. In Rome, the day was dedicated to Vesta, known as Hestia in Greece... guardians of the public hearth and altar. The Norse goddess Sol, Sul, or Sulis drove the chariot of the sun. Ancient Buddhist texts speak of the sun chariot as the Great Vehicle or the Chariot of Fire. The ancient Greeks pictured the Sun carried across the daytime sky in a golden chariot steered by Apollo (Artemis' twin brother; she was goddess of the Moon and the hunt).

The Hopi Summer Solstice ceremony perfectly describes this seasonal shift in terms of a transferal of our spiritual reliance on divine illumination to the realization of our own personal response-ability.

In the Dakota tribe, the Sun Dance was the most powerful observance of the year. According to Russell Means, a leader of the American Indian Movement and a survivor of the armed occupation at Wounded Knee in 1973 on the site of the Pine Ridge Reservation massacre of 1890, during the Sun Dance "we want to get in touch with the female, so we create purification ceremonies for boys and men to bring us to an understanding of what it is like to give birth.... During those four days and nights we do not eat or drink water so we can try to begin to understand the suffering of pregnancy.... On the fourth day we pierce our chests, maybe even our backs, to understand the pain and the giving of flesh and blood the woman goes through.

(Russell Means is also an actor who has played in many movies, including The Last of the Mohicans as the Mohawk father Chingachgook.)

Summer Solstice is a time of fertility and abundance (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is). The green of the plant world around us is riotous, as are the sounds of insects, birds, chicks, and thunderstorms. The heat and the rain collaborate to encourage astounding growth. The plants grow, luxuriating in the hothouse created by the weather and the insects feed on the plants and the birds feed on the seeds and the insects. It is the circle of life: birth, growth, decline, and rebirth.

I have found for myself and with friends that our lives often feel overwhelming and overabundant at this time of year. I think this is a reflection of the natural cycle going on around us. I also think that right now, there is so much going on in the un-natural world (based upon man-made decisions, changes, cultural habits, etc.) that it creates a chaos that all of us (human, animal, etc.) feel energetically, at a subtle but powerful level. Just watch the news or read the headlines and feel how your body is responding. Conversely, light a candle and sit and breathe quietly and notice how your body feels. Fragmentation vs. focus.

I hope you have had a chance to enjoy the sun and the peak of the light today.

Peace,

Kate

Time for Celebrations... Commencement

2009-06-20T14:40:00.010-04:00

Last night, our 18-year-young son Allen participated in the graduation program for GED graduates at Blue Ridge Community College. While Allen didn't really want to participate because he was nervous about being on stage, he did participate (guess who suggested that he did?). After the commencement exercise was completed, he said he was glad he did.

That's what rituals are about: a physical manifestation of a rite of passage, a stage completed (or entered into), a tangible ceremony around an intangible process. Whether it's a wedding, a graduation, a baptism, or a funeral, ritual helps us acknowledge and better grasp what process has been entered into or what covenant has been made.

And commencement is so well named; it IS the beginning of the rest of these young people's lives. There were 46 graduates (out of over 200 for the past year) who walked the stage. While any form of academic graduation is important, I think this ceremony really was special. All the students who enroll in the GED program have been through some tough times in regular school, and their courage and tenacity to take this step is really something I admire. Allen enrolled and successfully earned his GED in 3 weeks! His instructors said that he was one of the fastest students they've had! And he was labeled a poor student in public school. While I was a public school teacher (decades ago) and I support public schools, the way school funders (government and public alike) consider the lack of value of the school system is obvious in the funding they allocate (or willingly pay via taxes) to the schools. And while throwing money at something doesn't always guarantee improvement or success, it will help. And when our schools have more funding, they can reduce the number of students in each classroom, and give the students the individual attention they need. *sigh* Don't get me started!

So we are really proud of Allen for deciding he was going to earn his GED in record time, and then doing it!

The most impressive part of the ceremony last night, however, wasn't the keynote speaker or the College speakers: it was when three of the class' graduates spoke about their experience and desire to enroll and complete the GED course of study and testing. Those stories brought tears to my eyes. All of them said how much they appreciated the encouragement and support they received from their parents and the course instructors. Two of the graduates are mothers (one of a 2 month old and one of a 5 year old) and being parents also spurred them on to accomplish this goal in order to be a better role model for their children. That's what responsible parents do: they try their best for their children.

I watched all the graduates who walked the stage last night, and felt pride for each of them. I'm sure some of them are the first in their family to graduate from high school. There are over 15,000 adults in our county who do not have their high school diploma. Hard to believe nowadays, but it's true.

I love the bumper sticker: "Think education is expensive? Try ignorance!"

Allen wants to go on to community college, and I hope he does. He has a couple of goals he has set for himself to complete before he enrolls in a program. And his parents will be encouraging and supporting him.

Here's a toast to all of us who have achieved a goal!

Peace,

Kate

Jellyfish and The Light of Forgiveness

2009-06-14T11:27:00.009-04:00

This phenomenal crop circle appeared recently in England. Spectacular, isn't it?

What makes it even more interesting to me is that I had just seen Seven Pounds with Will Smith a week before receiving notification of the appearance of this crop circle. I'd not seen Seven Pounds before, and I really respect the roles that Will chooses (no, we're not on first-name basis, but he seems like such a regular, family oriented guy... someone you could have a beer with off-screen, you know?), so I wanted to be sure to see it when it came on cable.

What a powerful movie! I knew that Seven Pounds had to do with paying debts, and when I looked up the reference to that, it was old "Willie the Shake" who made it famous: it comes from Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", where a wager is set and the debt to be paid if unfulfilled will result in '7 pounds of flesh' being taken. Its literal meaning these days is that no circumstances will prevent the debt from being repaid, whether it results in devastating circumstances, or even loss of life.

Will's character, Ben, has -- by a momentary, careless mistake -- lost what he loves most -- his wife -- as well as causes the death of six others. He has a "seven pounds of flesh" debt to repay, and does this by literally giving of himself to those who are in dire need of it. Ben is intense and urgent and driven by inner demons and flashbacks. One of these flashbacks is as a young boy when his father took him to the aquarium and the two of them watched ghostly and graceful jellyfish which his father told him are the most poisonous animals on earth. Ben gets one as a pet and keeps it in a cylindrical tank in his room. I took it as a reminder of happier times with his dad, before the gravity of adulthood took over. The jellyfish crop circle looks exactly like that jellyfish!

So the story (I won't tell the ending) is about mistakes made and debts paid. Underlying all of this heavy drama is the undercurrent of the need for forgiveness. Ben needs to forgive himself for a foolish yet fatal mistake. The movie haunted me for a few days (and still does, I guess) and I can't help but wonder how often each of us needs to practice that forgiveness... of ourselves and others. How often do those inner demons keep us from seeing clearly the need to forgive? Those dark demons are intent only on making us feel empty, worthless, evil. While the Light shows us that we are spiritual beings having a human experience, loved beyond measure by Spirit, and are constantly trying to do our best in any given moment to become closer to our Divine Self. While those demons torment, the Light nurtures. Why is forgiveness so hard for us? And while we may forgive others, why can't we forgive ourselves?

I am wading through the bitter disappointment of our 16 year old daughter Paige leaving home for the second time in a month. In our last exchange, she told me of wounds I had caused her when she was little. I apologized for my behavior... and now we both are tormented by those memories and wounds. Neither of us has forgiven me, not me nor her. Now her absence echoes like a drop of water in a hollow cave. Paige has had her own self-destructive behaviors over the past few years -- which have grown in magnitude -- which have made it hard to have her at home. So she needs to learn some lessons on her own, but I worry about her immaturity and lack of judgment and foresight in keeping herself safe. I pray for her safety. And for both of us to forgive, ourselves and each other.

I hope you find forgiveness in your day today.

Peace,
Kate

Planting and Nurturing a Garden

2009-06-05T18:56:00.021-04:00

I have been getting to know Sherry Rambin, a nurse administrator by day and a photographer by heart, in Asheville. What an adventure! Sherry loves life and photographing it, and her joy is contagious.

The other evening, she and I discussed the various roles of a Gardener, comparing them to the types of people one meets.

There's the Cultivator, the person who prepares the ground for planting. I've met several Cultivators over the past few years, especially in the non-profit area. Savie Underhill is in her upper 80s and now living in Boston near her daughter. During her career days, she lived around the world with her ambassadorial husband, Francis (she also worked with Eleanor Roosevelt, one of my "sheroes"!). Francis and Savie would move to a country, and when Francis would head for the embassy to do government work, Savie would head into the streets to see what the people needed. Then she tilled the soil to help make it grow into reality. When they first moved to the Hendersonville area, she -- with another Cultivator, Fran Schneider -- prepared the soil for the Dispute Settlement Center, the non-profit organization I proudly represented for 6 years which offers alternative dispute settlement processes and education to our community. Twenty-five years later, there have been lots of people who have experienced transformative mediation and how to have a respectful conversation with another around a contentious issue, thanks to these two women. (I want to be like them when I grow up!)

Then there is the Sower, the person who intentionally plants each seed in carefully prepared soil so that it will grow into a strong, beautiful, nourishing plant. I have had the privilege of knowing Seed Planters, too. Those people who are passionate about an idea and do what they can to make sure it is planted where it has the most potential for growth.

And there are the Waterers. These are the Nurturers of all things, delicate and strong. They are the ones who nurture newly planted seeds so that they can root deeply and leaf generously in order to successfully grow into strong plants. They also nurture old trees to ensure its continued health and strength.

Sherry first raised this whole series of roles by referring to me as a Fertilizer (no, not full of manure -- although some folks might say so! -- but instead one who fertilizes the plant). I love this analogy, because my heart's work is about building community (in addition to my art, which is my heART's work...). For someone to see me as a catalyst for positive growth and change is very exciting to me!

There are also the Weeders, those who lovingly go through the garden, thinning the seedlings and removing what is detrimental to the good of the whole. I once read that weeds are just plants that are growing where you don't want them to be. And in every community, we need Weeders, people who intentionally work to keep the garden healthy and thriving without unwanted weeds and pests causing damage to it. There are some non-profits in our area which are not receiving the funding that they previously have -- which is sad, indeed -- but they may not be as effective as others in providing the services that are needed now (more than ever). In this respect, funders (individuals and groups) are the Weeders, deciding who to support in their missions during these lean times. (That is all of us, folks!)

And then there are the Reapers, the ones who harvest the fruits of the garden to nurture others. This is true for edible fruits and veggies and herbs as well as non-edible (at least to us) flowers that feed our senses while providing sustenance and nectar to butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and others. I think of our local Council on Aging non-profit and their corps of volunteers who provide transportation for their Meals on Wheels program. Every day, nutritious food is prepared by the COA and volunteers pick up their clients' meals and deliver them to their door. Often, volunteers are the Reapers who offer the wealth of the harvest to clients. Most of our mediations at the DSC were provided by volunteers, who found great satisfaction in providing a safe place for folks to work through a conflict. Where would we be without Red Cross volunteers? Or Humane Society volunteers? Or Literacy tutors? Freely giving a part of yourself is a reward in and of itself.

And of course, none of these roles is exclusive of the others. Often, we find ourselves with a passionate project we want to create, plant, nuture, and harvest. Each of us -- whether it's as a parent, as an artist, in a professional role, or as a friend -- can fulfill each of these tasks. But I do believe that we each have a tendency to lean naturally to one particular role.

Which is your favorite role? Are you nurturing that in yourself?

Don't ask what the world needs.
Ask yourself what makes you come alive
And then go do that.
Because what the world needs
Is people who have come
alive.
-- Harold Thurman Whitman

I hope you have the opportunity to fulfill your most passionate gardening role today!

Peace,

Kate

Dirt Therapy

2009-05-31T13:47:00.009-04:00

Yesterday, I spent almost all day trimming potted plants on our back deck and planting herbs in pots and in our south-facing herb bed. Mmmmm... the delicious scents that swirled around me all day! The honeysuckle vines are rampant in our backyard (I am a gardener of the Romantic persuasion) and their rich, scents seduced me all day long. It's like music for your nose.

By the way, this crop circle just appeared this past week in England. It makes me think of music and how interconnected and intertwined all our spheres and links are. It is in a young field of barley and is the 15th one reported this season. To me, it holds the central symbol of the sun as well as sylized yin-yang symbols on either side connected by lines and circles to create a repeating loop of energy. Isn't it exquisitely beautiful?!?

(Back to North Carolina...)

We also have ligustrum shrubs blooming now, with their cone-shape clusters of small white blossoms that have a fresh scent much greater than the blooms promise. I remember as a little girl we had a hedge of ligustrum along one side of our yard and my dad had pruned them so that they looked like one big long bush. Well, inside those branches were cubbies between the trunks of the bushes, a perfect place for me to crawl in, curl up on the cool dirt, and watch the world from between the leaves. This was in summer when the blooms were burgeoning, so whenever I smell that fresh scent, I flash back to hiding from the world surrounded by green smells and the soft buzzing of busy bees.

(Sometimes I still want to do this, you understand. Instead, though, I just sit outside and sniff after days gone by.)

The butterflies were enraptured with the blossoms, too. One kept fluttering its wings as it sucked nectar from honeysuckle blossoms. I'm sure it was so she would stay where she needed to be, but it sure looked like she was trembling with excitement about all the sweetness around her!

The herbs I bought last weekend at the Garden Jubilee in downtown Hendersonville were great to play with, too! I bought several scented geraniums, and potting them was just a cornucopia of lovely smells! If you don't know scented geraniums, you need to check them out (scientific name, Pelargonium, but google scented geranium and you'll find plenty of resources). They are not as showy as the more common geraniums you see everywhere, but those don't smell good at all (in my opinion). The scented ones have a soft fuzz on the leaves which hold oils so that when you rub their leaves, you can smell rose or lemon or an assortment of other relaxing scents. Nature sure knows her purfumes.

I also bought a bay tree which needs to be potted here in the mountains since it gets too cold for them to winter outside (so I understand...). And I potted some basil for pesto (yum! Andrew calls pesto "husband repellent", so I eat it when he's not around...) My son Allen helped me plant a curry plant, two tarragons, a lemongrass, a thyme, and two big pots of sweet woodruff (check out the recipe for May wine in an earlier post). So now our deck steps are lined with lovely plants that when you brush against them they will send out welcoming scents! And we have new perennials in our herb bed for pickin' and cookin'. The sage planted a couple of springs ago is going nuts, as is the fennel and lavendar, and a couple of varieties of mints. Time for mint tea. Mmmmm...

The birds are ecstatic nowadays... there was song all around me yesterday. I laid in the hammock for a while, breathing in the smells, watching the sight of the sun shining through the feathers of outspread songbird wings flying above me from tree to tree; ppssttt-pppssttt-ppsssttt-ing so the birds would come closer to check me out so that I could check them out.

It's amazing what loud notes can come from such small bodies! If only humankind would sing to claim our territory instead of go to war... wouldn't it be a lovely world?

So now our back deck looks lovely and welcoming. (Isn't it wonderful when you accomplish something that's been on your mind?) And last night we ate on the deck, and were joined by a couple of friends so that we sat well into the darkness talking and catching up. The honeysuckle sent out its welcome the entire time. What abundance!

This weekend is, for me, about getting some of my to do list done: tasks that are constant reminders of what I haven't done yet... like planting herbs, trimming potted plants... and next is de-cluttering and organizing my studio so I can create without distraction (or wondering "Where did I put that....?") I'm halfway there!

I hope you are having lovely, sensual outdoor experiences with Nature, too!

Peace,

Kate

A Journal for the Journey

2009-05-29T15:56:00.025-04:00

It's been quite a while since I've posted. I've missed writing, but wanted to wait until I had something to say. So here I am, finally...

Yesterday, I attended the 5th Annual Conference for Women offered by Mountain Bizworks here in the WNC area. Over 150 women in one room! What a celebration of estrogen! What energy! I met some wonderful women, and ended up sitting at a table that boasted mostly artists (and we made a lot of joyful noise, too!). Jen Salar creates handmade invitations through her Soulstice Invitations. She also works at Random Arts (a 3-D artist's den of iniquity!) in Saluda. Abbie Doyle, owner of Garden of Beadin (a beader's cornucopia of delights!) here in Hendersonville joined us, as did Lori Garcia-Hernandez who owns Fitness SOULutions, a women's fitness center here focusing on the body-mind-spirit connection. Barbara Stock is a PMC artist and designer who owns Wren's Nest Precious Metal Designs. All of these women are community builders with amazingly generous spirits. I also met two Asheville artists: Sherry Rambin is a gifted photographer with a bright and joyous spirit; and Melissa Clonch, owner/designer of Gift Baskets by Melissa, has a quiet, sweet and open presence. And Hendersonville's own Angela Vaughan was recognized as the "Entrepreneur of the Year" for all the good work she's done since opening her business, Fitness Masters, to support people in "mastering a balanced, healthy lifestyle". You go, Angela!

There were so many other wonderful women there, including keynote speakers, BizWorks presenters, and BizWorks "staff/family" members who provide information, support, and encouragement to anyone in their own business (or considering a business of their own).

One of those "staff/family" members is Susanne Walker-Wilson, wife of Greg Walker-Wilson, who has been the Executive Director of Mountian Bizworks for over 13 years. He is leaving the non-profit so that he and his family (Susanne and their 2 boys) can assume a three-year volunteer assignment with the Mennonite Central Committee in Colombia, South America, a dream they've had for many years. Whew! What courage!

I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by Melinda Knies, gallery director of Mountain Made gallery, the retail shop connected with Mountain Bizworks and who carries my journals. She said the staff of Mountain BizWorks wanted to give Susanne a special thank you gift for all her years as a deeply connected volunteer and heart-centered supporter of the staff. Melinda asked me if I would create a journal for Susanne. What an honor! YES! (While I'd not met Susanne, I knew Greg and was sure he had great taste in women.) So Melinda sent me some info and gave me the freedom to create a journal for Susanne's journey.

At the conference yesterday, the staff presented Susanne with an award recognizing all her support through the past 13 years, and gave her the journal. I was so proud when I was asked to stand as the artist of the journal. Creating this journal for someone who is so community-oriented was an honor for me. Susanne and Greg are the folks who walk the talk... who promote positive change in their neighborhood and in the world.

The process of creating it was -- as always -- a magical one for me. I sat still and listened to the Muse and let my fingers do the walking over my various leathers, papers, and books. The process is one of listening and -- literally -- feeling my way through the creation. I'm thankful I have a stash of possibilities because the end result was nothing like I had originally thought it would be. That's the difference between "thinking" and "intuiting": one makes sense, the other touches deeply. Each signature I sewed was twice knotted, and each knot holds blessings for Susanne as she begins this new chapter of her life.

The green leather wrap cover is soft but strong. Green symbolizes growth to me, as do seeds which is why I chose the inside wrap paper for this journal. I gleaned the endpapers that line the leather from a 1963 oversized Reader's Digest World Atlas; the inside front cover focuses on Colombia. Four dividers throughout the pages are made from other maps from the same book and are folded to create pockets where Susanne can insert pictures, notes, etc. The clasp is an antique mother-of-pearl buckle, a circle that connects to the ocean as well as the mothering and nurturing that Susanne is committed to. The inside back cover holds a small booklet where Mountain Bizworks staff members could write their own notes for Susanne to keep with the journal.

After she received the journal, I had the opportunity to meet Susanne, and was so struck by her depth of spirit and positive intention that it brought tears to my eyes. Now I am even MORE honored than ever to have created something for her to take on this brave journey from the people that she has so intimately affected. I know this clear-eyed intention and integrity will bless the people she and her family come in contact with in their work in Colombia. What courage, to leave all that is familiar and certain and move their family to a culture in upheaval and uncertainty. I truly admire that kind of commitment and dedication to peacemaking and community-building!

Whether it is in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our work, or in our world, we all are on missions -- aware or unawares. I hope your days are filled with community and peace-building opportunities.

Peace,

Kate

"Treasures Recovered"

2009-05-06T14:43:00.013-04:00

I've been creating more recycled art for the show beginning this weekend at Hand in Hand. This groups are journals which are in my Treasures Recovered series, where I take evocative covers from old books which have been thrown away or tossed aside and reinvent them as journals.

Putting All the Pieces Together recycles a beautiful vintage photo album cover boasting a mosaic of intricate, colored wood inlay. I estimate this cover was created in the early 1900s.

Green leather reinforces the journal spine. The inside end papers remind me of the trees that form the basis of this book.

Writing pages are from another vintage photo album, cut to size. Eleven signatures of four pages each offer 88 pages (front and back) for writing. Scraps from the leaf end paper keep the signatures stable since there is no stitching used in the binding (the perforation of the pages is too delicate to sew through).

The Storyteller journal utilizes a cover from a book series written about the Old Testament. While it looks like a prophet on the cover, I have entitled this “The Storyteller”, because that’s what they were. And we have more storytellers today than prophets.

I added a new red leather spine to complement the old leather on the covers. To me, the red symbolizes the passion with which storytellers tell their tales. The end papers are wonderful, fibrous papers from around the world. Seven signatures of seven pages each create 196 pages (front and back).

The Secret of the Old Clock (originally published in 1959) was the first book written in the legendary Nancy Drew mystery series. How many of us young girls of the 60's dreamed of being Nancy Drew? Her bravery, her cleverness and intelligence… her perfect hair, her freedom!

Today, how many of us wonder about the secrets of time? Where did it go? What is the secret of time, and how do we best enjoy it?

I have embedded in the cover a vintage paper-covered pocket watch face with unusual “hands”, covered and protected by a misty vintage pocket watch crystal. The end papers inside are fabric scraps recycled into paper. Six signatures of six pages each offer 144 pages (front and back) for someone to tell of their life and times.

I'm on a roll! But I've got to get these to the gallery this afternoon, so I'll have to postpone making more Treasures Recovered until later (but all the ideas are just chattering at me in my head -- uh-oh... there go those voices again! -- I prefer to think of them as the Muses whispering...)

I hope you are having a creative day.

Peace,

Kate

Rainy Day and Green Leaves

2009-05-05T14:03:00.007-04:00

I love writing haiku. It forces one to be succinct (and since I love to use words, succinct is a good thing!). Today, the skies are a soft grey (making the new leaves that much greener) and the day reminded me of a haiku I wrote in 2000 while on a Vision Quest:

Ovation

The rain falls on leaves.
The leaves nod in agreement.
All applaud Nature.

It was a beautiful morning to take pictures. The green-grey leaves of hostas holding water and the amazing growth of our Colorado Blue Spruce. I love blue spruces; no matter what time of day or what weather, they look like they have silvery moonlight shining on them. They really are magical. This tree is about 8 years old; we planted it after Yule one year (instead of having a cut tree). It took a while to take root, but once it started growing, it has really shot up! (Maybe that's why new growth is called "shoots" because they really shoot up and out fast!) The volunteer pine tree shows growth, too.

I hope you enjoy your own new growth today.

Peace,

Kate

Recycled Art

2009-05-03T09:12:00.008-04:00

Hand in Hand, a local gallery owned by husband and wife team David Voorhees and Molly Sharp (he's a ceramicist, she's a silversmith and jeweler) is hosting an exhibit and sale called "Eco Art: Artists Respond -- Reclaim, Reuse, Recreate". I'm proud to be entering several pieces in it, both jewelry and journals.

I'm att. photos of the necklaces I made yesterday.

The first is entitled Dance of Words. I woke up Friday morning with the image in my head of the necklace (what a gift!). However, try as I might, I couldn't find the yellow metal "pencil-holder-thingy", which was very frustrating. Do you remember these? I don't know if they were pencil holders or pencil protectors, but I remember seeing one looooooong ago at my grandparents' home. They are metal with a design on them (probably souveniers from the 40s or so) and it held a pencil that you could slip into the bottom "barrel" part, and the top with an eraser built into the end slid on top to protect the point, much like a pen. I bought this yellow top depicting a "natural bridge in VA" in a pile of oddities from Smiley's Flea Market several years ago, but never quite knew what to do with it... until Friday morning... then I couldn't find it! *sigh* The Muse was laughing. Last night, I decided to ask Her to help me find it (and to sleep on it again), and within 5 minutes of looking after waking up Saturday morning, I found it! Hooray!

It is composed of old writing instruments. The "pencil-holder-thingy" has a page from a vintage dictionary inserted in it that is folded and rolled, upon which I have written:

I love words. I find irresistible their origins, their meanings, their similarities, and their differences, even their appearance. I relish reading and cherish crafting a well-written passage. I especially enjoy playing with words. I am passionate about puns. I want my epitaph to read, "She finally came to her wit's end."

There is also an OLD Parker fountain pen red ink cartridge (from my mom), vintage pen nibs, gold vintage faceted crystals from one of my great-aunt Weah's old necklaces (to symbolize the richness of language), red handmade glass beads (to represent passion), words from a vintage dictionary, gold hexagonal vintage chandeliers crystals (with "noun" and "verb" adhered to the back), paper beads rolled from the dictionary pages, glass beads, mother of pearl, amber, and miscellaneous copper chains. I am so pleased with it!

Next, I created another necklace that has been on my mind for a few months. When I was laid off from my job in January, I knew that "When a door closes, a window opens." I have a box full of old brass window sash escutcheons my dad bought from a hardware store that was closing back in the 60s or 70s, (see, I'm not the only pack-rat in the family! My mom and dad taught me well!) and I knew I wanted to use those with this idea in mind. So I searched through vintage books for the words "When a door closes, a window opens", set them in the escutcheon with resin, then drilled holes for the charms. I searched on Google Images for pics of doorways and open windows from all over the world and sandwiched them (front and back) with mica. The beads are handmade lampwork beads that I'm not going to use for my finer necklaces, but they're perfect for this!

Man, I love creating art! It just makes me so happy!

I hope you do something that makes you happy today.

Peace,

Kate

A Fun and Firey Fertility Frolic

2009-05-01T08:28:00.020-04:00

Blessed Beltane! (More commonly called May Day nowadays...) Beltane marks the transition from spring to summer, the mid-point between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. Beltane is one of eight Natural holydays that are points in the wheel of the year which remind us of the turning of the seasons. In honoring these holydays, we harmonize our lives with the rhythms and dances of Nature, the divinity that flows through all of creation.

Today is May Day, the first of May, when the ancients (as well as folks today) celebrate fertility -- of the land, of livestock, and of themselves. May Day is all about planting and planning the rich harvest and fertile animals that we count on to nourish us. It is also about celebrating fertility ourselves with flirtatious glances which lead to warm and firey relations.

The maypole anchors spring's spirited dance while a crackling Beltane fire promises deep transformation. We celebrate fertility and the coming of abundance individually, in pairs, and within community.

The tradition of maidens (supposedly virgins) dancing around the May Pole overtly represents the union of male and female. (I listed a recipe for May Wine earlier this month, which I'm sure the maidens and men enjoyed before their dance!) Beltane is certainly a favorite holyday of many folks, and with good reason!

Whenever I think of May Day, I remember the scene from Camelot that Guinevere and her maidens sang and danced to. Here are those joyous lyrics:

It's May! It's May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when everyone goes
Blissfully astray.

It's here! It's here!
That shocking time of year
When tons of wicked little thoughts
Merrily appear!

It's May! It's May!
That gorgeous holiday
When every maiden
prays that her lad
Will be a cad!
It's mad!

It's gay! It's gay!
A libelous display!
Those dreary vows that everyone takes,
Everyone breaks.
Everyone makes divine mistakes.
The lusty month of May!

Lyrics by Alan J Lerner
(When I was in college in the 70s I dated a guy who looked like Richard Harris as Arthur... and he rode a motorcycle. But that's another story...)

Fires of passion and purification burn bright at Beltane. Peasants, in their celebrations, would build small fires for their livestock to jump over to ensure fertility and plenty. Couples who hoped to conceive would hold hands and jump together over the fire. Dancing, singing, chanting, and drumming around the fire are traditional activities that help celebrate the abundance of blessings in our lives and to come.

A few years ago, I hosted a Peace Feast to celebrate Beltane with a community of women. We celebrated with writing our prayers for peace on long ribbons, which we then danced around a tree in our yard. The ribbons danced in the wind for many months after that. Once they finally came to rest on the ground, we burned them in a ceremonial fire and released the prayers again.

I like the idea of a May Tree in place of a May Pole. To me, it celebrates the Ma-tri-archy with a living being, not one cut from the ground and shaved of limbs. I also love honoring trees, which have been important to cultures around the world for eons.

In Celestially Auspicious Occasions: Seasons, Cycles & Celebrations author and urban shaman Donna Henes, introduces her writing about the connection of trees and spring with a poem from a sixth grader:

Spring is life.
Life is trees.
Trees are oxygen.
They all come together in one place.
Make us breathe and live...
Spring is the giving of life.

--Chieu Tran
Grade 6, I.S. 145

"Mama Donna" continues to write about Mid-Spring:

The tree of life, with its roots deep in the earth and its branches reaching upward toward heaven, out toward eternity, is the prime symbol of midspring celebrations in many cultures. Trees have long been worshipped as beneficent spirits of bounty. Trees shade and feed us, supply and sustain us. They breathe life into our lungs. Possessing potent powers of fertility, growth, and longevity, trees are the progenitors of the world family tree.
You can't see the forest for the trees in world mythology. The Masai people claim their descent to be rom an original parent tree. The Mayas of Central America understand themselves to be part of a great celestial ceiba tree. This silk-cotton tree, which stands for all life, is the pole at the center of the earth and serves to hold up the heavens. The Zapotec Tree of Life is 2,000 years old, 131 feet tall, and 138 feet in girth. It grows in Santa Maria del Tule in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. This majestic, stately being large enough to offer shade to five hundred adults, whic hsurvived Columbus and survived the conquistadors and survived the Mexican Revolution, is now suffering the consequences of air polution and a near-depleted groundwater table. The health and prognosis of the Great Tree of Life now hang in precarious balance.
The Koran refers to the cosmos as a tree. Yggdrasil, the World Ash, is the tree goddess of the Scandinavian underworld who overreaches the human abode, touching the sky with her branches. Her roots reach to the very center of the earth where they wind around the sacred wells that impart wisdom. The World Tree is the symbol of all relationship and, as such, is the central philosophical image for the Slavs. The Hebrew goddess Asherah was associated with a sacred tree. The Greek goddess Athena was symbolized by an eternally flourishing olive tree. Helen was worlshiped as a tree on the Greek isle of Rhodes into the 19th century. The Buddha was born under a tree at Lumbini, attained Enlightenment under a tree at Gaya, and enerted Nirvana under a tree at Kusinagara.
The Bodhi Tree. The Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. The Egyptian Tree of Life. The biblical Tree of Knowledge. The Persian Tree Opposed to Harm. The Navaho Tree. The Iroquois Tree of Peace. The Cedar Tree of the Ghost Dance. The Witch Tree of the Ojibwa. The Yoruban Universal Tree of Life. The Taoist Paradise Tree. The Celtic Tree of Paradise. The Germanic World Tree, the Heavenly Pillar. The Greek Sacred Pine of Attis. The Tree of Liberty of the French Revolution. The Oaxacan Tule Tree. The Kabbalah Tree. The Cedar of Lebanon. The Christmas Tree.

So now we celebrate the halfway mark between the Equinox and the Solstice. Everyone is dancing, not only the two-leggeds! This past week, I've seen birds courting, bees buzzing, butterflies fluttering, leaves bursting, and buds blooming in a frenzy of fertility. The colors and activity are inspiring and breathtaking. My red azaleas are so brilliant they seem to glow, as do the red maple leaves. There goes that tickle above my heart again. And this time, it's not about allergies!

I hope you join in with Nature's dance today!

Peace,

Kate

A Plethora of Pollen

2009-04-29T13:27:00.013-04:00

It's that time of year. I can feel it tickling my nose and throat at the most unexpected times, causing me to sneeze and then cough for at least 3 minutes, a dry, irritated cough that is a response to a scratchy, dry throat... which is in indirect proportion to my runny eyes and nose.

And the cause is hanging like beautiful, thick locks of tawny tendrils outside of our windows.

It's the oak pollen.

Golden, thick, and sticky, it bursts out of its incubation with the enthusiasm of fourth of July fireworks. It's a ticker-tape parade, a flaunting fanfare of fertility. Within days, everything outside is powdered with a coat of yellow. It's not something you can just wipe off the dashboard of the car: it is sticky so that the species can survive... Darwin's own darling.

A heavy spring rain is the only thing that will clear the air... and then only for a short time. The gilded tide lasts a couple of weeks, then subsides. From this, we will gain new acorns and then new oaks. Since I love acorns and trees so much, I have learned to abide this annual rite of flight and the seeds' search for a soft, nurturing landing spot.

And I carry tissues and water with me for those (sniff) unexpected tickles.

I hope you are tickled by something delightful today.

Peace,

Kate

A Circle of Trees

2009-04-28T09:08:00.022-04:00

This past winter I read Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd, an autobiographical book about Kidd's journey to the Feminine Divine. I love Kidd's writings, and this had been on my list -- and bookshelf -- for several years.

One of the sacred places that Kidd would retreat to was a circle of trees where she and her chosen sisters would learn to develop ritual to honor the Feminine Divine and the Divine in themselves. Since I love being among trees, I especially resonated with this pilgrimage of hers.

For the past several years, I have gone "into hibernation" at the Winter Solstice. All of Nature does except humankind, and to me the frenzy that is attached to the Christmas season is contradictory to our natural need to slow down and go within. So I "enter the cave" on Dec. 21 until Spring Equinox around March 21, which has meant that, while I still went to work each day, I came home (to the "cave") each evening and sat by the fire reading, writing, or creating art (at least, I tried to do that!). This past winter, during hibernation, I read Kidd's Dance and decided to create my own circle of trees I could wear. I have lots of pendants that represent trees, and never enough days to wear them all, so I created a necklace using all of them! It's heavy, but that's ok. I wear it for meditation purposes or for other sacred ritual. Because of all the pendants, when I move it sounds like the whisper of leaves talking with each other.

The central bead is a beautiful electroformed green jasper that shows the shape of a tree in copper on the stone. I added a goldstone above it to represent the sun and smoky topaz droplets below to represent moist, deep roots. On the reverse, I have selected words that read, "Broad trunks branches root form a circular temple". Other pendants include: a pocket watch face with leaf hands backed by a crop circle depicting a fruit-filled tree protected by a vintage watch crystal, and topped by a lucite egg and a Green Girl pewter pendant depicting a tree with the words "Grow Strong"; a rectangular jasper frame encasing a glass bead acorn and andalucite heart; a trio chain of roots, maple seed wings I made of polymer clay, and another acorn, this time of tiger eye and brass; a jasper donut with hangings of a glass leaf, an antique key (which resembles the shape of a tree), and a brass acorn; a green and gold stone rectangle that resembles a lightning strike with a piece of bark from a struck tree adhered to the reverse and the words "antennae reaching heights" on either edge; a tree agate heart and a moss agate disc that resembles the moon; a clay stamped pendant depicting a Mother Tree by my Wome nSpirit (a twice annual retreat honoring the Feminine) sister, Helen; and the inside of an antique pocket watch resembling a crescent moon surrounding a peaceful face with a petrified wood bead dangle, on the reverse is a photo of a bristlecone pine, the Earth's oldest living being. I've also included a wooden ring, prehnite, rhyolite, handmade lampwork glass beads, and amber chunks to the necklace. While all of these pendants are special and sacred to me, I later added an even more special hanging: a bodhi leaf a friend brought me back from India found under a legendary bodhi tree. I sandwiched it between copper and mica to protect it. What a gift! (I often ask friends who are traveling to places I've never been to bring me back a small bit of Mother Earth: a stone, a leaf, a shell, sand, a feather, etc. I keep these bits of Earth either in my office/studio or in a piece of jewelry to help me remember that it is about ALL of Mother Earth, not just the piece we stand on.) I brought back lots of rocks, etc. from England last summer, some from in the crop circles.

I love creating art that honors Mother Earth!

Lightning-struck trees are believed to hold extra power (understandably!). Andrew and our artist friend Heather and I were sitting on our front porch last fall when a thunderstorm was coming through the mountains. Protected from the storm, we were enjoying the sounds and smells and views of the wind and rain. Suddenly, lightning struck a tall pine tree about 200 yards south of our home. I saw the immense flash out of the corner of my eye, and felt the energy from the strike impact into me! The sound was intense. We all looked at each other, stunned (from amazement, not electrical shock...). What power! Now, that tree has died, although it is still standing tall.

They stand in strength and fall in grace.

I hope you have a day graced by trees.

Peace,

Kate

Trees

2009-04-24T11:03:00.025-04:00

I have long been a fan of trees. More recently, I have been a fanatic of trees.

As a matter of fact, my friend Heather Cramer, a wonderful artist and teacher, portrayed me as a protective tree with my three children in my rooted trunk. I love that portrait because I love trees.

I love their strength and their shelter; their reaching and their rooting; their bark and their beauty; their colors and their textures; their patience and their whispers; their fullness and their nakedness; their generosity and their growth; their majesty and their mystery.

I wonder how heavy all the leaves of a mature oak weigh. I wonder if the trees are tickled when the squirrels play chase around and around their trunks and limbs. I wonder if the trees hear the songs of the birds, and if the birds hear the songs of the trees. I wonder how trees can be so patient and generous even with all the assaults humankind imposes on them day in and day out.

One of the reasons we bought our home was because of the presence of all the beautiful old trees in the yard. Their beings were welcoming and protecting. They are members of our family.

Several years ago, I learned from the power company that one of our old oak trees in our yard bordering a city street was dying and needed to be cut down. I saw lots of beautiful green leaves growing from the tree and challenged the power company to tell me why they thought it was dying. From their tree expert, I learned that in a last-gasp effort to survive, oaks (and others, I suppose) will push out multitudes of new leaf growth; however he pointed out that most of the new leaves were growing directly out of the trunk and largest limbs, not smaller branches and twigs. The forester took out a rod and, at ground level, swiped it all the way across the diameter under the tree, proving to me that there were very few roots left. He said that the tree was most likely struck by lightening on the side without the roots, because oak trees have a direct system of circulation (nutrients) that goes in a straight line up the tree. Other species spread out their nutrients in more branching systems (parden the pun). He also told me that once the central branch if a tree is dead/dying, that means the tree is dying. It was very sad for me. We have many old trees, mostly oaks, and we love each one; they shelter us and provide shade and wildlife in our yard. They are one of the top reasons we chose to buy our home. They are an important part of our home.

We had a similar circumstance with another oak on the side of our driveway. I was concerned because it had started shedding some of its bark. I asked the forester to look at it, and -- sure enough -- it had the same problem: hardly any roots. So we schedule the power company to cut both trees down on Wednesday of the next week. Sad indeed.

This was in March following a very dry year. Blessedly, we had a full day of rain on the Tuesday before the scheduled felling. It was cool and moist that day, a harbinger of a lovely spring. The rain ended during the early evening.

That Tuesday night/Wednesday morning around 3 a.m., we woke to a loud sharp sound like a gunshot. It was much louder than a gunshot, however, then I heard a long, loud swoooooossshhhhhhhh, then silence. Andrew and I ran to our bedroom window, and there was the oak at the driveway, lying on the ground!

We called the power company because the tree had fallen on one of the lines. And while we never lost power from the tree falling (however, the power company turned off the power so we could remove the tree), the line ran parallel to the driveway and had been strong enough to aid the tree in a soft fall: it slid down the line to rest at a 60 degree angle from where it had stood. Just far enough over not to do damage to our neighbors home or our cars! That line was really stretched! What a weight!

Trees stand in strength and fall in grace.

We had to cut up the tree ourselves since it had fallen of its own accord. So Andrew and I got out there with his chain saw and started the long process of cutting the tree up. While we worked with the wood, as we worked with the smaller branches, we found that the bark literally slid off whole from the sections because there was so much water between the bark and the wood. I realized that the tree fell because the leaves were weighted down with all the rain water and the tree itself had pumped so much of the water into its dry system that the remaining roots just couldn't hold all the extra weight. So it fell. In its own good time, not ours. There is a lot of justice in that. I found myself patting the trunk and branches as we worked with it. And later that day when the power company came to cut down our other oak, I stood in the front yard sending it love and energy as the chain saws growled. I figured if it was brave enough to stand until it was cut down, I could be brave enough to watch it and be with it.

We have lost 4 large oaks from our yard since moving here 14 years ago. Each one has been a major loss for our family and our home and all the creatures who used their havens.

Later that summer, our neighbors, frightened by our fallen tree, cut down a pair of old oaks in their front yard. The pair of oaks were suffering, there was not doubt about that: new condo construction caused a lot of stress and trauma to all the trees in the next door lot. The developer also paved over all the ground, which smothers root systems.

It was very sad to see them go, too. They had grown up next to each other for at least 150 years. After the first tree was cut down (and gently laid on the ground with a crane instead of just toppled), I had to leave the house; I couldn't bear to see the other tree come down, too.

I wrote poems for two of these trees: "Grandmama Oak" (the first giant to die) and "Crone Oak". I wrote "Crone Oak" a week before the scheduled felling:

This majestic oak
Lifts embrittled arms to the sky

Full of laps moss-soft

that cradle nests

that protect babes

that lull animals to rest.

Her arms stretch skyward

to weather

to accept

to reach.

Even her head branches upwards

into mighty, flowing tendrils

as gentle as Medusa's own,

offering shelter and shade,

dancing with the breezes,
antennae between earth and sky.

This magnificent oak has stood sentry

for over 150 years.

Now, she is dying

from greed:

from roots choked with asphalt,

a black-top grave;

from butchering blade and saws,

wielded by blindness;
from being

too regal

too old

too generous.

Soon, this exquisite Crone

will be

cut apart

chopped down

split up.

Her limbs will whine

with the chain saw and chipper.

She will tremble

bleed

cry

collapse.

The earth will shudder

when she falls.

There will be a deep furrow

where she lies.

There will be a hole in the sky

where she reached.

There will be a soft mound in the earth

where she stood.

And she will be grievously missed.

Three years ago, a 72 foot oak that stood 6" from the back of our garage fell from the wind caused by a hurricane that blew through (an unusual occurence!). The storm came through at night and -- other than the wind and rain -- we didn't hear a thing. Imagine our surprise and sadness when we looked outside our window the next morning and saw that another oak had fallen! And again, it fell the only way it could in order to avoid hitting a structure.

They stand in strength and the fall in grace.

It took a week or so to cut the tree apart. We intend to do something special with some of the trunk: mill and plane it to make a table to honor the tree. I sat in the lowest fork in the tree (trees look SO MUCH BIGGER when they are horizontal than when they are vertical!) and just relaxed into her lap and nurturing (even fallen!). The wood from that tree warmed our home for a year. Even after they fall, they still nurture us. Just like mothers in many ways.

Two years ago, Andrew built a deck onto the back of our home. There is an old oak growing right outside our back door. Andrew intentionally cut the deck around the oak, honoring it and giving it room to continue growing. He was careful where he dug the 6x6 supports that he embedded in cement so as to do the least amount of damage to the root system. I watch the moon climb this oak tree when I relax in our hot tub at night, watching the stars and satellites and planes. Squirrels scamper all along its length and breadth, jumping from twig to twig taking household items to their nests. Doves nest in its top branches. Insects travel along its deeply ridged bark. It shades the hammock in the summer and offers us sky views in the winter.

Recently, this old oak has started shedding some of its bark, so I'm keeping a close eye on it. I'm sending prayers and energy to it. After all, the moon climbs this tree.

I hope your day is full of the blessings of trees!

Peace,
Kate

Travels Inside and Out

2009-04-19T16:09:00.023-04:00

I have been on retreat this past week or so. I traveled by myself to Ohio to visit a college friend (we've known each other since 1974!) Crinny and her husband Al on their family farm. What a wonderful retreat! I was out of touch from my cell phone and internet, but was better in touch with my Self. I read, slept, relaxed, and was treated like a queen: Crinny fed me delicious, nutritious food and we had lots of time to catch up. It had been 10 years since we'd gotten together, although we've spent plenty of time talking over the phone. (Thank goodness for cell phones!)

These are a few photos I took while at the White's farm in Ohio. You can see why it is so relaxing! It was sunny my first day there, and rained softly each remaining day I was there. It was lovely no matter what the weather!

I have been noticing the shapes of trees recently, since the limbs are visible before their leaves grow back. I've been enthralled with how trees that are allowed to grow naturally (unimpeded by anything nearby or by pruning) will grow in perfect symmetry... even though no two branches are the same. It's amazing. This photo of Crinny's Japanese Raisin Tree is just one example I saw on my travels.

Speaking of trees, the granary that was built on Crinny and Al's farm boasts beams from 1840. I don't know that I've ever seen wood that was harvested 150 years ago. There were some beautiful markings in the beam -- they look almost like starbursts coming from narrow knots. At first I thought they were metal stamped onto the wood by an artisan, but now I believe they were created by insects (very artistic insects!). I was watching Renovation Nation on the Planet Green channel last night where they said that these old, old beams were recycled from one building to another. (Since everything was harvested and sized/fitted by hand -- without power tools -- wood, etc. was recycled and reused instead of thrown away and dumped in a landfill.) You can see where square holes were chiseled into this beam for previous uses. It's still as strong as ever, and it is beautiful!

I also had a lovely trip driving to Crinny's and back and spent much of that time listening to Caroline Myss' Energy Anatomy. It was wonderful to be back in touch with her work. I have listened to this work several times, but each time I get more/something different out of it. Myss always gives me insights into ways to approach life's challenges.

Exciting news! Two new crop circles in England have been reported! The Crop Circle Connector has all the info. Both of the circles posted here are the new ones they have on their site. It is so exciting that there are a whole new "crop" of circles starting again!

There was a crop circle in Ohio, too, not far from the Great Serpent Mound. We didn't get a chance to get there, but it was very exciting that we had one here in the states!

And, joy of joys, when I returned home, I found that the amaryllis bloom had begun to open! What a bright welcome home. Two blooms are open with 2 more still buds. And, as is all reflective of the wheel of life, many of the camellias had fallen off the bush. It's compost in action. Isn't Nature's "litter" so much more beautiful than humankind's?

So now I'm home, catching up with family and email. There are two great things about traveling: one is getting away; the second is coming home.

Wishing you delightful homecomings!

Peace,

Kate

Sweet Woodruff and May Wine

2009-04-08T17:36:00.008-04:00

Yesterday, I forgot to include a topic I wanted to write about, so I'm posting it today.

I have been growing sweet woodruff in the north flower bed of our yard for a few years now. Sweet woodruff is a woodland herb, meaning it likes shade and moisture (which isn't typical of most herbs). Its cluster of leaves resembles a small umbrella, and its bloom is a miniature spray of creamy white blossoms on a stalk. I love herbs, and was really drawn to sweet woodruff. It held our powder of snow in its own shy way yesterday.

A few years ago, I learned a recipe for May wine using sweet woodruff. Ever since, I have looked forward to celebrating spring with this refreshing drink. Here's the easy-peasy recipe:

a large bottle of inexpensive white wine (the sweet woodruff changes the taste of the wine, so why pay for a taste you're going to change?)
a few sprigs of sweet woodruff

(yep, that's it!)

Open the bottle, push the sweet woodruff into the wine, close the bottle and let sit for at least 24 hours, chilling. The longer you let it sit, the stronger the taste.

I especially like to serve it to celebrate Beltane (or May Day) on May 1. Supposedly in Renaissance times, maidens would drink this May wine before flitting and flirting with the men on May Day (I don't know if this would be before or after them dancing around the May Pole). Anyway, it certainly adds joy to the day! It's a refreshing, unexpected, and indescribable taste. Try it and toast to the gifts and joys of spring!

Here's to all those joys!

Peace,
Kate

Balance and Cocooning

2009-04-08T16:12:00.018-04:00

I'm trying to learn how to regain and maintain balance. Sometimes -- especially with our high-maintenance, low-impulse-control teens -- I feel like one of those plastic blow-up clowns that have a round bottom and when you hit it, it rocks back and forth trying to regain their upright balance -- until the next knock. Part of my lesson in all this is that I can't control them; and when they mess up, it's not in my best interest for me to get messed up about it. ("It's not in my best interest" is a phrase a reader suggested to me to try using. Thank you!) Another lesson is to trust Spirit. Whenever I do that, things happen for the better. I just have to keep learning it!

Hence, the need for me to practice and learn how to regain and maintain balance. I felt this tension all the time when I was working outside of the home full-time: how to balance work, family, friends, and me. I'm working out of my home now, and still need to find a balance: between and within art (creating and promoting), my family, my friends, other commitments, myself.

I feel as though everyone I am interacting with right now has wisdom to share with me. This is probably always true; perhaps I am paying more attention to it now.

A couple of friends came over this morning who are Qigong teachers, and we talked about balance. They shared with me how helpful Qigong, Tai Chi, and meditation are in helping them to maintain balance.

A couple of weekends ago, I was a vendor in a Festival where all the vendors' tables had been placed in the room by Daniella, a feng shui practitioner, based on their facing their "wealth" direction (based on each person's birthdate). Daniella also helped me individually to better arrange my tables to encourage the flow of abundance. Sure enough, as soon as I followed her suggestions, I started selling more jewelry! It was pretty astounding.

Another feng shui practitioner, my friend Melody (who is so much more than a feng shui practitioner), has guided me with energy work both for my home and for my Self. And today, I received an invitation to attend a feng shui workshop on Thursday evening at a friend's home. Hmmmm... too coincidental to ignore! I've read a little on feng shui and found it fascinating; however, the Chinese belief of there being 5 elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) is a bit hard for me to adjust to since I typically honor the 4 elements of earth, air, fire, and water. The Chinese believe that everything has chi or energy, and so do I. So I expect I can accept another element into the mix when considering this practice.

I've been thinking about balance and change the last several days and realized this morning that it isn't a coincidence that I have been creating "Spring Babies" necklaces that honor new birth... depicted as a moth or butterfly emerging from her/his cocoon. This style of jewelry is quite a different one for me; and now I recognize that it reflects the metamorphosis going on within me presently. My friend Ouarda reminds me of the importance of visualizing light to our energetic benefit; not so much as a defense mechanism or protection (because neither one of us want to live life reacting in fear) but as a cocoon where it helps us develop on the inside and insulates us from harsh elements that would stunt our growth. That way, we can also send the light back out whenever we emerge (or even peek) from our cocoon.

Art is such a meditative process. For me, it's a magnificent use of intuition to connect with Spirit within and without... and find symbolism and guidance from the images and connections that are created from this explorative flow. I am so thankful to have the time to spend on this inner process! It is a blessing.

I hope your day is full of blessings, too.

Peace,
Kate

April Snow Showers...

2009-04-07T12:14:00.018-04:00

After having some wonderful, gently warm and sunny weather, I woke this morning to a beautiful dusting of snow: not enough to stick on the ground, but powder the roofs and some plants. Indiana, our 2-year-young mix pup, loves the white stuff and gets very excited whenever he can run in it. He's a hoot! Be that as it may, I had a nice, meditative walk around the yard taking pictures of the spring snow. So I thought I'd share them.

The camellias have outdone themselves this year! I think "Multitudes!" every time I walk by them. They reach above the rooftop of the garage, and every branch has numerous buds and blooms on them... it is a font of lipstick color! With the delicate veins on each petal, it looks as though Mother Nature has left her fingerprint there. They help me remember to breathe. Deeply. And they tickle my heart with joy.

The forsythia is looking a bit tired. I've been noticing the forsythias on my rounds of Henderson County, and by far I love it when gardeners let the forsythia bloom and branch like fireworks. The ones that are trimmed to "fit" a regular shape look so restricted and stunted and unhappy. Those that are left to grow explode with yellow joy! Independence Day for Forsythias!

Our rosemary (my favorite herb and scent... well, next to Patchouli) is vying with its neighboring camellias to show who can produce the most blossoms. And while the camellias are certainly more showy, the rosemary is beautiful and smells wonderfully! My favorite color is green (what a surprise, eh?) and I love the combination of green and purple (as well as green and pink). And when it smells great, what more could one ask for?

I hope your day is full of heady delights.

Peace,

Kate

Phases and Cycles

2009-04-02T10:59:00.021-04:00

It's still grey and rainy here. Yesterday afternoon we had a brief reprieve with sunny skies. It's not that I don't love the rain; I do. It just makes me feel like curling up with a good book (or a honey who's read one!). And I don't feel like I have time to do that.

Hmmm... is that a hidden "should" in there? Does that translate into "I SHOULD be doing something else"? Probably. Yes, I'm sure it is. I found myself "shoulding" about my teens yesterday. Next to myself, I'm probably most judgemental of them. Heavy burden for all of us!

So today is Day 6 in the 37Day challenge to change just one thing in your life. I thought I was doing well... (I'm not going to say I should be doing well...). But we sure have a lot of ways to disguise a word and the sentiment behind it.

A few times, I've wrestled with "should" and had to stop and wonder why I couldn't say, "I want to do this" or "I don't want to do this" instead of "I should...". This is usually when I need to run errands, run kids to appointments, etc. "Should" is really easy with kids: I should be a better mother, I should have more fun with my kids, I should be more patient with my kids. I've been reading Christiane Northrup's "Wisdom of Menopause", which is a great resource for both scientific and intuitive insights into "the change"... and change it is! Northrup states that when a woman enters menopause (I'm 55 and still -- occasionally -- having my cycle), her brain literally rewires itself from primarily nurturing others (the Mother mode) to focusing on herself and her desires. So even though I still have teens at home (I was 40 when we adopted our kids), my rewiring has shifted already.

Most of my artwork is about the Feminine. Mother Nature. The three stages of Woman (Maiden, Mother, Crone). The Goddess. The Moon.

From a cycle standpoint, I know I am on the cusp between Mother and Crone. If I look at the Moon Phases as a symbol, I am at the gibbous waning moon phase. Gibbous means convex on both sides. Full, but not completely full. The Full moon represents the Mother in all her pregnant and nurturing glory. This is typically during the 2os and 30s and 40s. And while we have many more women choosing to begin motherhood in their 40s, I have learned that when you have a daughter at 40, then she and you end up going through hormonal changes at the same time: her going into her menses, the mother finishing it. That can make for some intense times (especially when you're both Fire signs)!

I treasure the Feminine. I have learned how strong the Feminine is. I feel outraged whenever I hear anyone put down the strength of women. I read a great quote the other day: "We have a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong." (Laura Stavoe Harm). Whether it is observing women of courage, whether it's canning tomatoes, whether it's reading about women in history, I am a full-fledged fan of the Feminine.

And sometimes I want to celebrate the Feminine all by myself.

I just sneaked a peek at Patti's 37Day blog, and today is Day 7 (which day did I miss?!? What else am I missing?) and she writes about being selfish, doing things for ourselves. Interesting that I just flipped to that as I was going on about "shoulding" myself about the kids.

So now, I am going to curl up and read a good book. Maybe even take a nap. After I pick up Paige from school. Because I really want to.

I hope you indulge in some "self" time today of celebrating the Feminine!

Peace,

Kate

Stop "Should"-ing on Myself

2009-03-30T11:25:00.014-04:00

I subscribe to a blog I've mentioned here before: 37Days. All I can say is "Do it." Patti Digh (who lives and mothers and writes in Asheville) created this blog to honor many things, not the least of which are the stories we all hold and love to hear and tell. Patti is constantly telling her story... and asking her readers to tell theirs.

I'm Southern. We are born storytellers. I learned it from the best: my mother.

Today is Day 4 of Patti's 37 Day Challenge: What one thing can you change in your life for 37 days? Just one thing. Your choice. And stick with it. She offers a contract to make with yourself. She even offers a Bingo scorecard to keep for yourself (created by a reader. Other reasons I so appreciate what Patti does is because she is always encouraging art from the heart and she creates community wherever she is).

I have chosen to stop "should"-ing on myself for 37 days. You know "should"-ing: "I should do this" or "I should not do that" or "he shouldn't think that way" or "she shouldn't wear that sweater" or "I ought to be more forgiving" or "I ought not to eat that chocolate"... "should"-ing on ourselves. I have chosen, instead, to say "I want to..." or "I don't want to...". It's much more honest and less guilt-filled (another thing my beloved mom taught me... how to be a martyr.)

I started this on Day 1 and today is Day 4. I'm pleased to say that it's going well.

This past weekend, I participated in a "Festival of Healing and Awareness" in Greenville, SC, my first art show in over a year and my first time at this one. And while the traffic was low, I am very pleased with the reception my jewelry received! I not only sold many pieces of my jewelry but also received a lot of very positive feedback from folks who didn't purchase (I understand that we can't buy everything we love, although we want to... notice I didn't say "should"!). The timing of this is perfect (as always): I had begun to let my focus be distracted from my artwork and wander to other things such as volunteering, etc. So, instead of saying "I should stay on as a volunteer there", I have chosen to say, "I don't want to dilute my focus on my art" and have resigned from some of these responsibilities. Right now, my time and energy is better spent focusing on my artwork, on what I love... and on what I have had so much affirmation over the past couple of days.

My art has shifted since my pilgrimage to England last summer. Not surprisingly, the pieces that people most liked were my newest pieces (and higher priced because more time and costly materials went into them). I didn't expect these to sell as well as they did because of our economic times. So I was proven wrong by a number of people (and I appreciate the correction!). It reinforces "if you do what you love, the rest will follow". The Universe proves true again!

Thanks to Jan Posey (CEO of A Class Act! which has produced these festivals for 11 years!) who brings all these gifted and interesting people together. She pointed out that 5 is the number for freedom, so I am including crop circles in this post with 5 main parts.

We vendors also were assisted by Daniella, a feng shui practitioner, who positioned each of us according to our birthdates in the most advantageous locations and directions for "wealth". Additionally, Daniella helped me better arrange my table display and my seating so that I would have more "wealth" flow. Boy, did that help! Thank you, Daniella (who did this out of the generosity of her heart without knowing many of the vendors there) for helping encourage this flow abundance.

It was a great group of people, folks offering items for sale as well as services (energy work, massage, reiki, readings, etc.). There are two such festivals in Greenville annually and two in Columbia, SC, each year. I am applying for the Columbia show (in July).

Much of my newest jewelry has photos of crop circles or the Chalice Well in Glastonbury on the back of the pendants that add a little "secret" for the wearer. It was such a joy to talk with folks who have visited crop circles or Glastonbury or Stonehenge, etc. or who knew what special places those sacred sites are and plan to visit them some day.

So I'm going to close now, not because I should, but because I want to start working on another necklace.

I hope you fill your day with your own choices!

Peace,

Kate

Earth Bliss

2009-03-27T11:02:00.026-04:00

Have you ever noticed how green the plants appear in fog or under dark clouds? The greens seem to pop. I love the contrast of green and grey. Not only was it my first impression of England (back in 1981, when breaking through the clouds during our landing descent into Heathrow) but grey really does cause everything else to brighten. Like the soft pink sprinkles of a weeping cherry tree in our backyard. These trees are just breathtaking when they are big, old, and full! Ours, although older, has been shaded by other taller trees for years and years. Sadly, we lost a 72 foot white oak in a hurricane a couple of years ago (we're still warming our house with some of its wood!) and the Chinese chestnut is starting to decline with age and isn't shading it as much as in previous years. So the weeping cherry is getting more sunlight, and therefore is blooming more. Both sides of the coin: death and birth. The way of the Earth.

This is our fourth day of rain and/or mist. It's almost like Nature has formed a coccoon around the mountains in anticipation of spring's burst of blooms and flight. The weeping willows (another favorite) are feathering out. Frost was right: "Spring's first green is gold." I love how trees and bushes seem to tremble with color just before the new leaves/buds sprout. There's a subtle excitement in the air that I can feel and almost see. And the smell of that first spring rain is such a joy to me! It's as though the dirt is rising to catch those first drops, eager for reunion and interplay. One can smell the Earth's excitement!

As I think about Nature's excitement, my mind wanders back to this past summer when I visited crop circles in Wiltshire County, England. The circles we visited were in fields of barley. They are not always found in fields of grain; however most are reported in England, specifically the Wiltshire region.

Crop circles are created by electromagnetic energy that somehow form perfect, natural, and exquisite works of art. The energy causes great heat, but only lasts split seconds so that the crops are not burned. The crops are bent at growth nodes but not harmed; eventually, the stalks straighten and the grain finishes maturing for the harvest. That's one difference between naturally-occurring crop circles and the man-made hoax circles: the hoaxes damage the crops (they are also not perfectly created; even I can recognize a hoax with its irregular lines and faulty geometry when I see one and I'm no expert!)

I had never walked through a field of grain before. I've been in cornfields, but that is completely different from barley or wheat or oats. The day was overcast and windy, and as we were walking out of the field, the sun started peeking through the clouds. So I watched the fields come alive as it partnered with the winds and the sun. The grain danced with the wind and laughed as the sun shone between the clouds. I felt that I was observing a living being. It was like watching the ocean, always moving and changing and singing and sacred it in its place on the Earth. And then I was overcome by an exquisite sense of bliss from the grain: for the first time in my life I truly understood the term "staff of life". I was surrounded by life and the joy that the grain held.

Some farmers fear the circles because they don't understand what causes them and so consider them vandalism or -- worse yet -- works of evil. They mow them down as soon as they discover them. Some farmers, however, have small boxes at the gates to their fields so that people who visit the crop circles can leave a small donation. There is a specific etiquette to visiting crop circles: only walk in the tram lines, do not destroy any crops, and always close gates behind you are three of the most important.

Our guide, Francine Baker (an internationally-known authority on crop circles), maintains they are created by "higher intelligences". I'll leave that to your own interpretation, just as she left it to each of us to choose how to interpret her term. However, whoever or whatever creates these works of art is loving and peace-filled because when I was in the circles, I felt healing and peaceful energy coming from the phenomenon.

Francine has worked with the crop circles for 20 years. French Canadian, Francine traveled to England to study ancient symbols more than two decades ago and once she discovered crop circles, she never left. Circles incorporate ancient symbols and sacred geometry.

Not only has she studied the symbols, but Francine has also done scientific research on the circles, taking samples of grain and earth from the circles for independent scientific analysis. The effect of the energy literally changes the chemistry of the dirt that the circles are in. We all know that heat chemically changes whatever it affects. So it makes sense that the grain and the earth is chemically changed. And circles often occur in the same fields from season to season. That is because they are often located on "ley lines", or Earth energy lines.

As we left the circle we walked single file along the tram lines. I flashed on the scene from "The Gladiator" when the hero was dreaming of reuniting with his family, and he was walking through a beautiful field of grain, his fingertips brushing the bearded seed heads. The sun was golden and the grain was dancing in the breeze. It was a vivid and sensuous scene: watch it, one could almost feel the grain and hear its whispers. I asked Carla in front of me, "Did you see "The Gladiator"?" and she answered, "Yes. I know exactly which scene you're talking about."

As I was leaving the field, I felt absolute bliss from the grain and the earth. And I had another scene flash in my head. I "saw" the farmers planting their grain seeds in the early spring in rows of rich earth. I saw the seeds germinate in their dark earthy womb, sprouting delicate roots and the first stem that would push through to the surface and the sun. I saw these seeds growing and strengthening, deepening their roots in the rich soil that had been enriched by the previous crop circles created there and lengthening and lifting their first leaves into the air and to the sky. I saw them facing the sky and holding up their leaves and joyfully exclaiming, "Do me! Do me!" like a child begging to be tickled. The vision still makes me grin.

So these are some of the reasons I love crop circles and want to keep them in the forefront of my mind: they are benevolent and beautiful, amazing and awesome. We are surrounded by miracles all the time, and some of them are so outstanding and astounding that we just can't ignore them or write them off as coincidence. That is the magic and miracle of crop circles.

I hope you see the miracles around you today.

Peace,

Kate

Perfect Stillness

2009-03-23T10:22:00.019-04:00

I couldn't resist including this today, from Finding Beauty In A Broken World by Terry Tempest Williams, an environmentalist committed to showing human's impact on the land:

"I watched prairie dogs every day rise before the sun, stand with their paws pressed together facing the rising sun in total stillness for up to 30 minutes. And then I watched them at the end of the day take that same gesture 30 minutes before the sun goes down they would press their palms together in perfect stillness. I don't mean to anthropomorphize, but when you look at a creature that has survived over the millennium begin and end each day in that kind of stance, it causes one to think about one's own life and speed and rapidity in which we live."

And this picture reminded me of this poem by Pablo Neruda:

Now we will count to twelve

and we will all keep still.

This one time upon the earth,

let’s not speak any language,

let’s stop for one second,

and not move our arms so much

It would be a delicious moment,

without hurry, without locomotives,

all of us would be together

in a sudden uneasiness.

The fishermen in the cold sea

would do no harm to the whales

and the peasant gathering salt

would look at his torn hands.

Those who prepare green wars,

wars of gas, wars of fire,

victories without survivors,

would put on clean clothing

and would walk alongside their brothers

in the shade, without doing a thing.

What I want shouldn’t be confused

with final inactivity:

life alone is what matters,

I want nothing to do with death.

If we weren’t unanimous

about keeping our lives so much in motion,

we could do nothing for once,

perhaps a great silence would

interrupt this sadness,

this never understanding ourselves

and threatening ourselves with death,

perhaps the earth is teaching us

when everything seems to be dead

and then everything is alive.

Now I will count to twelve

and you keep quiet and I’ll go.

-from Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon

I guess these thoughts on stillness struck me today because I am still following a delicate, fragile inner strand that is telling me how to regain and maintain balance in my life. I know stillness is part of the process. Conversely (no pun intended), I also just started an intentional walking practice this morning. And while walking and stillness might sound like opposites, I think my walks help focus the inner stillness that feeds my creative spirit.

I've been thinking about doing this for years... and especially since becoming unemployed. Get up in the morning, take the kids to school, and go for a walk with the intention of finding and following my path. The operative word in that statement is "thinking". But this weekend, I read a post by Patti Digh on her 37 Days blog (check it out; it's wonderful! And if you haven't read/practiced the book, please do!). Patti, who lives in Asheville, has made a commitment to running a half-marathon in May in Cincinnatti. She is training for it with trepidation. A reader wrote her a beautiful message of encouragement. I was so inspired by Patti's courage to follow through on what she fears that I have made a commitment of support for her by intentionally walking every day. Literally "Walking the Talk".

I used to be a strong walker. I loved to walk and would do it just for the heck of it. I remember walking with someone decades ago who commented on what a good, strong walker I was (while I was just walking!). Now my steps are heavier and slower, my stride shorter and stiffer. I need to become more flexible and strong physically so that I can do the same mentally and emotionally, and walking is just the ticket. So while I can't physically cheer Patti on at the race and congratulate her as she crosses the finish line, I can add my energy and commitment to hers -- while increasing my own and finding my way at the same time. Win-win!

So today I went for a walk at Connemara, Carl Sandburg's home which is only a few miles from our own. Connemara is a National Historic Site and is beautifully and lovingly maintained. There is a small lake below the house and a trail circling it surrounded by trees and rhododendron thickets and birds and quiet, peaceful joy. It's no wonder Carl and his wife Lillian decided to settle there; it was the perfect spot for them and their family: enough space for him to "dirty paper" (as he called it) and her to raise her award-winning goats. Make a visit, take a walk and it is clear why a writer could be so prolific there.

Today, while the crows were cawing in the early morning chill, I walked around the lake. As the tree tops captured the sun, the mosses caught my eye and my imagination. I want to find some green velvet and wash it in the washing machine and see if it comes out resembling moss so I can use it on a journal or a book or a pendant or something.

I imagined being a wood sprite and how I would set up home deep in the forest. I would sleep on moss in a bark home with cicada wing windows on a foundation of an old oak stump. Spider silk would surround my soft green bed made of fragrant cedar wood and comforted with down-filled ginko pillows and spring green leaf quilts. A laughing stream would sing to me all day, and I would serve tea in acorn caps in the fall and winter and honeysuckle blossoms in the spring and summer. Birds would be regular, curious visitors. I would be friends with all the animals. There would be no fear in the forest, only wisdom, sharing, and laughter.

(These pictures are not from Connemara, although they share green. They are from St. Nectan's Glen in Cornwall, England. I took them this summer. But that's another story for another day.)

I'm looking forward to the visions tomorrow's walk will open for me! Thanks to Carl and Lillian and Patti for the inspiration.

I hope you find your joy-filled visions today.

Peace,

Kate

A Teasing Nature

2009-03-22T17:05:00.011-04:00

For 14 years, we have lived in a wonderful old Craftsman home with beautiful old plantings gracing our yard and standing sentry for our home. Among the old oaks and magnolias and camellias is a stunted white tulip tree. It is small; it may be declining, I can't quite tell (all our old dogwoods have been declining and dying because of the mountain blight that has held them hostage for many years). Our tulip tree blooms at the same time her pink sisters do, in early spring. Early enough so that there is often a biting frost between the blossoms peeking out of their brown blankets and the blooms opening fully to the sun.

I took these photographs of some of the white blossoms on Friday, amazed at the beauty of the blooms (which I had never seen because of those freezing night frosts). The blossoms are delicate, and in the morning light, they looked as though they were poised to take flight.

Sadly, Mother Nature is a tease this time of year: while our days have been lovely, sunny, and fairly warm, our past 2 nights have been at or below freezing. This morning's frost was too much for the brave tulip, and all but a handful of her blossoms were burned brown by the temperature. It makes the fact that I saw the pure white beauty -- albeit briefly -- that much more special. Another lesson in transience.

I hope you see the beauty around you today!

Peace,

Kate

Celebrating Spring Equinox

2009-03-20T17:16:00.012-04:00

Blessed Spring Equinox!

There are many ways to celebrate the Vernal Equinox, which is when daylight and night are exactly the same. Imagine how happy the ancients were for the lengthening days and warmer nights! Our plants and flowers continue those celebrations, even while we humans artificially expand daylight and warmth.

There are eight solar-oriented holydays each year, the major ones are the two solstices and two equinoxes: winter solstice and summer solstice and spring and fall equinox. The winter solstice brings us the longest night of the year while summer solstice brings us the longest day of the year. Spring and fall equinoxes are, of course, half-way between the solstices and offer an equal length of day and night. They are 16 weeks apart. Minor holydays fall in between these four to round out the turning of the wheel of the year. More on other holydays in future posts.

The Vernal Equinox is a perfect day to celebrate balance. As I wrote before, I am seeking to find balance within myself, my family, my work, my world. Tonight, my family will spend time talking about how we are going to try to establish balance in ourselves and within our family; we've gotten quite out of balance recently.

Spring is also a time of fertility and growth. While I've not tried it yet, I understand that if you place an egg on its end on the Vernal Equinox, it will stand up because of the balance of the earth's tilt. Try it. Another name for this holyday is Ostara, the derivative of Easter, in celebration of OEster, the goddess of fertility. That's why we celebrate Easter with eggs and chicks and bunnies: fertility.

So I am celebrating new growth with the equinox.

I wish you wondrous new growth within balance this season!

Peace,

Kate

Balance and chaos

2009-03-19T09:18:00.007-04:00

I am starting to feel a little more comfortable with blogging. My question is how do I keep up with this and leave enough time for creating art? My questions are always about balance. Whether it's working outside of the home or at home, the key is in balance. I have not created for a week or so, and I feel like a carbonated drink that has been shaken and is ready to blow! We had some chaos in our family that caused distractions from life's routines, but that has settled down some (teenagers! Need I say more?). Now I am acutely aware of the clutter and chaos surrounding me in my studio (repurposed from our living room!), so I am itching to sort and straighten so I can focus on art instead of everything trying to distract me. I also know that not only is the clutter visually distracting, but everything carries energy and too much of that can be very distracting!

I am remembering the self-defeating believe one who works in the home has to battle: that not working outside the home means I have all the time in the world to do everything (and I am a life junkie, so I want to do everything)! I am reading a wonderful book right now (ah, the time to read! What a luxury!) entitled The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin. McMeekin interviewed about 45 creative women to glean their thoughts on how to be creative. It's a fine book, informative and thought provoking as well as offering challenges to the reader to follow through on ideas.

I am pretty avid about using highlighters when I'm reading books, and this one is already marked on every page. I relish quotes and McMeekin does, too, because she has designed the book with wide margins where she inserts wonderful quotes. Such as:

"What you love is a sign from your higher self of what you are to do." -- Sanaya Roman, writer

"One exciting aspect of the current ferment by women is the fact that as they struggle for authenticity, they simultaneously illuminate their personal creativity." -- Jean Baker Miller, women's researcher and writer

"Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes I even have trouble doing it." -- Tallulah Bankhead, actress.

And a personal favorite that I am now incorporating into my morning ritual:

"In the sacred traditions, the first thing you do in the morning is ask for blessings from the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Because all that you are going to do that day will change the universe." --Laura Esquivel, writer.

Above all, McMeekin affirms the power of women. YES!

Anyway, one of the statements that struck me yesterday (as I was sitting on our deck in the warm sun of early spring... yum!) was that one needs to make time to create. Creating takes time. This sounds like stating the obvious, but so often we forget this important aspect of creating. I believe that each of us is creative; however most of us don't give ourselves the time to explore that creativity. One of the things I love most about teaching/facilitating "playshops" (we're not working, we're playing... so why call them workshops?) is seeing a light go off in someone's face who didn't believe she was at all creative and finds that she has created something beautiful and uniquely hers. What a teacher's reward!

So I need to set aside blocks of time (I did up until a couple of weeks ago since leaving my day job...) for my art. To show up.

About chaos and clutter on my worktable: sometimes it's a gift because pieces of art come together (by being unceremoniously shoved out of the way in a fervor of creating something else) and serendipitously present themselves as being perfect complements and connected to each other. That's how my "Light Catcher" Angels came to be. A couple of years ago I had been working with some vintage chandelier crystals. I had some mother of pearl "leaf" beads as well as some metal face beads shoved to the side of my work space on my desk (I have lots of space, but when I don't put things from previous projects away, it becomes a very small space!). When I again moved the chandelier prisms to the side in my hurry to start yet another project, the Muse gifted me with the realization that they all belonged together; I saw all those pieces miraculously arranged so that they made angels! So chaos isn't always a bad thing; but often it is really distracting!

I have decided to include a crop circle with each posting. I am so fascinated by their creation and their exquisite imagery. I hope you enjoy them, too. When I visited two crop circles this past summer, I felt peace, healing, and bliss from the grain and earth. More about that in another post.

I hope you feel peace, healing, and bliss today!

Peace,

Kate

Inside/Outside Book Arts

2009-03-17T18:20:00.020-04:00

I just learned this afternoon that two of the books I submitted to the juried "Inside/Outside Book Arts" exhibit at the Foundry Arts Center in St. Charles, MO, were accepted! Hooray! Even though I received the invitation to submit entries in early December, I didn't have the time/energy to do that until February after leaving the Center. Both of these are ideas that have been needing to "get out" for quite a while now.

As I was putting it together, I found myself feeling grateful to have the time to create "Time Flies", which is a delightful way to "repurpose" a vintage travel alarm clock. On the front is an old bottle containing a rolled definition of "time" as well as bits and pieces of clock movements inside, stoppered by a cork with more movements creating a "crown". Pocketwatch movements cut in half create the wings. A circular movement that displays the day of the month on wristwatches doubles as a necklace. What fun this was to create; the Muse was whispering to me the entire time! Inside the case, I have removed the clock movements and replaced a clock hand with a hand charm. On the back of the clock is an accordian book that holds quotes about time. My favorites are: "The sooner I put something off, the more time I have to catch up." and "Time is a great teacher; unfortunately, it kills all its students."

The second book that has been patiently waiting to be manifested is "Flags". The flag structure of a book utilizes an accordian spine upon which miniature pages are attached, creating a pattern of pages or "flags". I have wanted to create a book to honor all the red flags that have popped up in my intuition through my adult live (that I didn't pay attention to at the time). I also decided to include white flags. The red flags are those of warning or foreboding (interestingly, most of these had men's names on them...). The white flags are those of recognition or epiphany, surrendering to the inevitable (such as meeting someone for the first time and knowing him/her from another lifetime, feeling an immediate and deep and joyful connection with him/her). After completing my pages in the book, I also decided to include a pocket inside the back cover that holds blank white and red flags so that whoever purchased the book could honor their own flags.

The exhibit will open on Friday, April 24 and close on June 5. It would be great to attend! I did just receive a "fly anywhere in the US for free" for 2 certificate in the mail today... I need to read the fine print...

Here's hoping you have delightful surprises coming to you soon!

Peace,

Kate

Changes

2009-03-12T06:12:00.008-04:00

This has been the second night of this full moon. I woke at 4:44am (since I'd fallen asleep at 8:30pm!) and decided to get up and write. As I let Indiana (our 2 year young dog) outside, I looked up and saw the moon softly shining through a heavy misty sky... it was like she was gently reverberating through the atmosphere. Exquisite.

This is the first full moon in Aries; some say this marks the beginning of the astrological year. All I know is that the Moon is rising when spring is surprising and delighting us at every turn. And with spring comes growth and transformation of major proportions!

Many of my friends (not to mention many of everyone's friends) are experiencing major transformation nowadays. These shifts and changes are mostly brought on by our current bleak economic conditions and outlook.

For the past 6 years, I was the executive director of our local non-profit mediation center. I loved promoting peaceful conversations in our community. I loved telling people what mediation entails, whether individually or to groups or via a monthly newspaper column. I loved representing an organization that walked the talk (and helped me to learn and strive to be more peaceable) and who taught others (youth and adults; neighbors, businesses, and families) the skills of respectful conversation and dialogue.

At the beginning of our fiscal year (July 1), we had 4 full-time and 4 part-time employees as well as numerous contractors providing services. By October 1, the officers of the board of directors had eliminated 2 full-time positions vacated through attrition. And on January 29, my position was eliminated. While it was sad to leave, it wasn't really surprising; I'd been suffering in many ways through the last six months of doom and gloom.

I had also been longing for a way to have the time and energy to create art. I felt a tension inside of me between earning a living and expressing my creative self. This internal conflict felt physical to me -- like a taffy pull in my upper chest -- and had been growing for about a year.

It really rose to a conscious level in June when I took a 2-week tour of sacred sites in southern England. Next to marrying Andrew, this was the best thing I'd done for myself in decades! The group was small (6 other women) and we traveled through England in a 12-passenger van (driven by yours truly. Am I The Woman, or what? Not a nick or a scratch in 12 days and 1500 miles! And you should have seen the narrow brick gate we had to drive through at a 45 degree angle outside of Marlboro each night for a week! Sometimes, back in NC, I still want to drive on the left side of the road; but I refrain. Folks just wouldn't understand.). When I first learned of the trip, I knew I needed to go; that was in December 2007. I flew over a couple of days before the group was to meet at Gatwick airport so that I could visit Bath. Together, our group visited The Shell Temple in Margate on the east coast; Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, Avebury, Glastonbury, and crop circles (!) in the center of southern England; and Tintagel, St. Nectan's Glen, and The Eden Project in Cornwall. We stayed in lovely B&Bs throughout as well as at a beautiful thatched roof cottage (built in 1670!) outside of Marlboro. It was a lovely adventure.

When I first started thinking about this upcoming pilgrimage, a vision of Stonehenge would rise in my mind's eye and I would see the spaces between the sarcens (standing stones) as a doorway of some kind for me. And indeed they were. And while all the places we visited and saw had their effects on me, the crop circles had the greatest effect. More details about them another time. Suffice it to say that I purchased a 2008 crop circle calendar to bring home with me to remind me of the power of those natural works of art, and when I hung it in my office upon my return, I saw that the photograph for June was of a complex doorway. Perfect. I just had to smile. (This circle is at the top of this entry, like a moon.) If you are interested in crop circles, check out the Crop Circle Connector http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/.

I believe that doorway has led me to this spring's growth and transformation. Losing one's livelihood and job identity is a major shift. I have chosen to look at my change as a positive one, an opportunity to manifest what I have been desiring for so long: to create an art-filled life as a way to feed my soul as well as my family. So instead of looking for a full-time "blanket" job, I am planting seeds to create a "crazy quilt": creating and selling my art as well as teaching and writing. I am excited about this opportunity. Another lesson in "be careful what you wish for; you WILL get it"! And a lesson in the Universe provides in perfect timing.

Understand, please, that I wouldn't have been able to make this transition as easily without my husband Andrew's support (monetarily through his working as well as emotionally) as well as the support of my family and friends. Thank you all for your love and encouragement! Our son Allen (18 years young today!) immediately said, "Mom, you can have my paycheck to help make ends meet." And he and Paige both immediately came to me and gave me huge hugs of support. Kathryn came over to lend me a shoulder and important practical considerations. Even more comforting was Andrew's hugs that evening when he came home. There's nothing like family, eh? And I count my friends -- and sistahs -- in that group, too.

So planting the amaryllis bulb on Imbolc (Nature's holyday celebrating the first stirring of seeds underground) was an important symbolic ritual for me to perform. I have lots of seeds to plant in order to follow my desires. Perhaps that's one reason that I'm so wondrous of the growth of the bulb!

Wishing you and yours positive changes and powerful growth under this full moon.

Peace,

Kate

2009-03-10T11:21:00.011-04:00

Another beautiful morning!

Spring is literally springing up all around. Check out this amaryllis! I was given the kit for Yule by my friend Kathryn. (Isn't the wooden birch pot great?)

I waited until Feb. 2 (Imbolc, the mid-point of winter when the ancients celebrated the returning of the light and the first stirring of the seeds underground) to plant my amaryllis bulb (while planting my intentions at the same time. I also had some friends over for a "Peace Feast" to plant their own seeds of intention in pots of dirt that evening. I plan to begin hosting periodic "Peace Feasts" again; I stopped when my full-time job took over my time and energy. I was laid off the end of January, so now I am able to focus on what I want to bring into my life.).

My amaryllis stayed in our kitchen for the next four weeks -- through February's cold -- and in the beginning of March, I started putting "her" outside in the warm sun (or the quenching soft rain) for a couple of hours a day. Yesterday, I took the first photo of her. This second photo was taken this morning! She has grown at least 1 inch in one day! Isn't that absolutely amazing... imagine how quickly those cells we all diligently drew in 6th grade science of plants and the process of photosynthesis, etc.

I wonder if you had a sensitive enough microphone: could you hear the growth? It is so astoundingly fast, I can't imagine it is completely silent.

Our camellia bushes are covered with buds. Yesterday, not one was open; only a few had a thin lipstick line of pink or rose grinning with promise. Today, there is one bloom opened (just peeking out from behind the garbage can) and lots of lipstick smiles. My heart leaps when I see this. It feels like my joy reverberates with theirs; it feels like a giggle in my chest. How's that for cool?

The sun is blessedly warm; the shade is still chilly, as it should be. It won't be long before I'm griping about the heat. For now, I am thankful for these harbingers of spring.

I'm not used to getting up an hour earlier yet. (I hadn't used up the hour we gained back in the fall!) Paige and I had an early teachers' conference this morning at 7:30. We left the house at 7:15 and the sun hadn't even gotten up yet! Well, with the turning of the year, that will take care of itself. Paige is a junior in high school and now is the time for her to focus on doing her best so she will have a successful year's end. I must remember to be patient!

Have a lovely day.

Peace,

Kate

Warm Connections

2009-03-09T13:41:00.014-04:00

Good day! I am finally taking the leap into blogging. I've always thought blogging is the ultimate in egocentricity... thinking that "if I write it, they will come". Be that as it may, I do love to write, and I miss it. I have no idea who will read and/or enjoy my wonderings and wanderings, but here I am. Let me know if you're here, too, please.

I have just spent the last couple of days at an "Arts Business Boot Camp" sponsored by the Arts Business Institute and Handmade in America. It was held at Haywood Community College in Clyde, somewhere I've longed to attend to learn art techniques in metals, fibers, etc. for about 13 years now (family responsibilities have intervened). So not only was I on campus there (I love being on college campuses: they are so filled with inquisitive, exploring energy!), I was able to dialogue with and learn from three nationally known arts business people.

While I am not a metalsmith (yet), I am aware of a couple of things: metalsmiths connect pieces of metal through "cold connections" (rivets, etc) or soldering (heated method). Well, this weekend made me think of "warm connections". There were about 80 folks attending the ABI's Boot Camp, and there were lots of connections made in a warm and welcoming environment. Meghan, the executive director of ABI, set the pace for that: patient, attentive to detail, and friendly.

The speakers were all a wealth of wisdom that each of them shared generously. Wendy Rosen owns the Rosen Group which has provided artists with business services since 1981. Wendy has focused on supporting and encouraging quality American-made crafts over the past 25+ years. Check out her website at http://www.americancraft.com/ for lots of info.

Nancy Markoe owns her own gallery in St. Pete, FL. Coming to art with a varied and creative background (film and broadcast production, followed by publishing and graphic arts, and then 12 years as a potter before entering craft retailing). So Nancy, too, had a wide range of experiences to share with us. http://www.nancymarkoegallery.com/

Milon Townsend is a nationally-known glassmaker who is as down to earth as they come! He is a phenomenal glass artist (treat yourself: http://www.milontownsend.com/) and has written books on marketing guidelines and insights for artists (among others). My 16 year young daughter attended the conference with me and he took a shine to her, including her in group discussions (where she grinned and mostly giggled). Paige is taking a small business class in high school and said what she learned this weekend reinforced what she is learning at school. (I'm sure the presenters will be glad to read that!)

And there were the other attendees, men and women at all levels of art business development. Melinda Knies is the manager of Mountain Made Gallery (in the Grove Arcade in Asheville: http://www.mtnmade.com/ for a visual treat!) and was the first attendee I saw. What a pleasure to be around her all weekend! Melinda is truly a wise and generous person who is a fountain of information and encouragement for artists.

I'm starting this blog because I learned that one way to "get my work out there" is to have a blog for marketing. This blog is intended to share arts business info and also to be my own wanderings, wonderings, and musings... as well as my dances with the Muse and Nature. This morning, in taking a photographic walk around my yard, I found daffodils which had stood bravely through last week's surprising snowfall and frigid temps. I've cut a few for my desk and I can smell their spring scent right now. I also saw this group who were very excited about whatever was happening over in the side yard (can't you hear them whispering?).

I hope your day is full of enchanting excitement!

Wishing us all Peace AND Prosperity,

Kate