play

my son's hand covered in volcanic sands and salt waters

let us play with Her,

let us explore,

let us search,

let us discover,

She invites us...

let us bathe in Blessed Mother Earth

~~~~

juguemos con Ella

exploremos

esculquemos

descubramos

Ella nos invita

bañemonos en Madre Tierra Bendita

a dream with an ex-president

I had a very strange dream last night. My dreams are often strange, prophetic and layered with symbolism and meaning. This was a VERY strange dream, however.

An ex-president - I won't mention names or countries - was attempting to take off on a hot air balloon while eating a hamburger.

I was shopping in a supermarket and bumped into all kinds of interesting people from the past.

Before waking up, I received a fabulous design - just fabulous - many of my sculpture designs originate in dreams.

originally published in 2007

remembering Tia Hope

hope for today.

hope for tomorrow.

hope for peace.

hope for love.

hope for light.

hope for children.

hope for mothers.

hope for fathers.

hope for families.

hope for hope.

originally published in June 2007 in honor of beautiful Tia Hope on her birthday

wisdom

"Don't gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold...Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?"- Bob Marley (1945-1981)

blessed space of peace

Yoga and writing keep me balanced and rooted in patience, compassion, silence and strength. From this blessed space of peace I am able to carve out my sculptures, my dreams and passions.

excerpt from one of my journals
originally published in September 2007

the beauty of what you love

I love being a mother.  I love being a woman.  I love being with him.

I love writing.  I love dreaming.  I love playing...  What do you love?

"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do." - Rumi

moonlight dancing butterfly wings

2011 mixed media

hecha de luna,
con alas de mariposas bailando en mi frente...

from my journals

poems reach up...wanting

"This singing art is sea foam.
The graceful movements come from a pearl
somewhere on the ocean floor.

Poems reach up like spindrift and the edge
of driftwood along the beach, wanting!

They derive from a slow and powerful root
that we can't see.

Stop the words now.

Open the window in the centre of your chest,

and let the spirits fly in and out."

-RUMI

mujer

te pinto mi alma

en acuarelas de sueños


te cuento mis secretos

en murmullos celestes


te invento de recuerdos

en las paginas de mi ser


soy esa niña hecha mujer

my soul dance

I love how the grass grows tall and proud despite the concrete
"See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence...we need silence to be able to touch souls."

- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

yesterday afternoon, I lay upon the sweet grass, looked up at the rising moon and setting sun and felt my soul dance

summer solstice

I could not sleep. I meditated. I prayed. I practiced my asanas and pranayama. It was then that I realized that the SUN was calling me, asking me to greet him this morning of mornings, the Summer Solstice...

sun king and mother earth

FIRE

wedding of heaven and earth

dance around the fire

be cleansed and purified

sing with joy

remove unwanted things…unwanted obstacles

cleanse and purify with the rays of fire

manifest heart’s desire

sun and earth

male and female

fertility

primal creative forces

god and goddess

abundance

powers of union of god and goddess

celebrate

renew

sun-light

With praying hands I face the sun, feeling love and joy in my heart. I stretch up my hands and let the sun fill me with warmth. I bow before the sun’s radiance and place my face to the ground with humble respect. I lift my face to the sun and then remember, to achieve such heights, I must be as the dust of the earth. I stretch up towards its light trying to reach the greatest heights and again surrender.  I stand tall as I remember the true sun is within me...

fly

"The shell must break before the bird can fly" -Tennyson (1809-1892)

potentialities for growth lie within

"From the seed grows a root, then a sprout; from the sprout, the seedling leaves; from the leaves, the stem; around the stem, the branches; at the top, the flower...

We cannot say that the seed causes the growth, nor that the soil does. We can say that the potentialities for growth lie within the seed, in mysterious life forces, which when properly fostered, take on certain forms."

- M.C. Richards (1916-1999)

How do we properly foster our seeds?

father's day

my Dad and me on the beach, circa 1970s
The beach holds memories of sand castles and salty smiles. It is where I need to begin telling my story, telling her story...with Father Sun and Mother Moon...

excerpt from my journal

Happy Father's Day

mermaid tales

mixed media from a series
I dreamed I was a mermaid. My underwater world was encrusted with crystals, corals and precious stones. The moon was my Mother, the sun was my Father.

just be - don’t try to become

words of wisdom from my beloved Gurudev H. H. Swami Satchidananda:

"The flower doesn’t even know it is giving fragrance. Does it say, ‘Here is a nice person; I want to be extra nice and give her some fragrance?’ A candle doesn’t even know that it is giving light. It is just light. Does the candle say, ‘Hey, look. I’m here wasting my time; I’m melting away. Come, read or write something?’ No. The candle is just there. That is what a Karma Yogi is. Just by that yogi’s very presence, people enjoy the light, people enjoy the smell, people get the benefit. But, if you feel, ‘I wanted to give, but nobody wanted to receive; I’m wasting my time,’ then you are unhappy. Do you think that people are waiting around for you to give them something? Nobody is waiting for your gift. But, when they are hungry, they will take it. So, just be. Don’t try to become.

God bless you. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti."

- H. H. Swami Satchidananda (1914—2002)

know what sparks the light in you

“…Passion…that is what a calling is. It lights you up and it lets you know that you are exactly where you're supposed to be, doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing. And that is what I want for all of you and hope that you will take from this show. To live from the heart of yourself. You have to make a living; I understand that. But you also have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world." - OPRAH

work we love

"Life is too short to work so hard."

- Vivien Leigh (1913-1967)

If we are doing work we LOVE, then it does not seem very hard...

sweet simple things

The sweet simple things of life...

A child’s smile...

A firefly’s light...

A friend’s laughter...

A juicy peach...

A lover’s kiss...

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."

- Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957)

evolve

"There are many teachers who could ruin you. Before you know it you could be a pale copy of this teacher or that teacher. You have to evolve on your own."

- Berenice Abbott (1898 – 1991)

high-energy levels

"Expand your reality to the point where you pursue what you love doing and excel at it. Involve yourself in high-energy levels of trust, optimism, appreciation, reverence, joy, and love when you engage in every activity in your life." - Dr. Wayne Dyer

now is the time

...this book is about you and me...

We travel in the light, hand in hand, giggling all the way!

Let's create together...let us be guided by the Masters and manifest our Divine Destinies...NOW is the time!

excerpt from a book I gave him in July 2004

waves

my body moves in waves,
when I dance...even when I walk,
waves of laughter...waves of surrender...waves of waves

"I love waves; I wish I had some in my hair. My daddy did, but I guess I didn't dive into that end of the gene pool. Virginia Woolf wrote my favorite book, The Waves, and I have a son who surfs them. I danced a thousand dances to Patti Smith's song "Wave" and I've waved a thousand good-byes. I've seen waves come and take my house, flood the same bedroom where they accompanied countless nights of lovemaking. I have ridden the waves of labor, of sorrow, and of bliss."

- GABRIELLE ROTH

landscape of my soul

in my dreams

I am one with the wind

I merge with the mountains

I melt into the landscape of my soul

in my dreams I touch the face of Our Creator

and I awaken

explore dream discover

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

EXPLORE. DREAM. DISCOVER."

- Mark Twain (1835-1910)

transit of venus across the sun

She moves across his burning face of fire, whispering secret blessings and kissing...

Under last night's full moon I dreamed with my beloved grandmother.  I dreamed with the ocean.  I dreamed with crystals and blessing rituals...

from my journals

a king and a woman

“…but you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love…”
– Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor (1894-1972)

silence & strength

Yoga and writing keep me balanced and rooted in patience, compassion, silence and strength. From this blessed space of peace I am able to carve out my sculptures, my dreams and passions.

excerpt from one of my journals
originally published in September 2007

Future of Nicargua Foundation - Celebrating A Decade of Service

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."
- Picasso    

These seniors live in the most humble conditions yet are full of JOY, GRACE and GRATITUDE. Most of them have no family. I was introduced to these beloved "Abuelitos"/"Grandparents" through Future of Nicaragua Foundation, a small non-profit that works with local artists in bringing art, dance and poetry to the elders through its cultural programs.

This year, Future of Nicaragua Foundation celebrates a decade of service...

feathers and roses

plumas y rosas
yo me regalo plumas y rosas

bailo al ritmo de mi alma

y soy feliz...



I give myself feathers and roses

dancing at soul's rhythm

I am happy...