today

my eye, detail from a self-portrait
today I woke up laughing...
wishing you laughter all day and through the night's dreams...

yesterday

a new love, an old love
ayer me enamore locamente
de un árbol...

yesterday I fell madly in love
with a tree...

beauty & bread

he loves being outdoors, in contact with nature
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread - places to play and pray where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike." - John Muir (1838-1914)

beauty and bread
play and prayer
body and soul

do you have a special place in nature?

ephemeral fragile beauty

contemplating
bubbles & cherry blossoms
giggles & kisses
oh, the ephemeral, fragile beauty of life

security & freedom

what do you see? what is your first impression?
Like Pablo Picasso, I believe every child is an artist. This piece was created by my 20 month old son. He has absolute security and absolute freedom...

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.

dis-connect to truly connect

with my son
With today's technology, it seems we are super connected. Photographs are immediate. We text. We chat. We email. We tweet. We are on our fancy phones taking photos and video and posting them on social networks.

When do we dis-connect? When do we stop and TRULY connect with nature, with our souls?

blooming life

we sat under the tree showering us with pink petals
what is blooming in your life?

angel

my favorite angel

Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, "Grow, GROW.."

- The Talmud

who is an angel in your life?

to whom are you an angel?

waiting & howling at the moon

self-portrait
We sat by the window, waiting and howling at the moon.

no hesitation

self-portrait from a series
He does not hesitate. He shakes his head side to side. He puts his chubby pointer up in the air and simply says "NO. NO. NO." My baby boy knows more about setting boundaries than I do.

I am learning that saying "No Thanks" to others is a way of saying "YES" to myself...but why is "NO" such a difficult concept for me?

the priestess had become the island

2009 mixed media
volcanic eruptions formed an inexplicable land mass

brown sugar sands

teardrop rain forests

the priestess had become the island...

...a temple for all who dared to enter

excerpt from a 2009 dream which I am including in a story

wisdom whispers

"OM" mixed media on wood
...remember to give your SPIRIT time to whisper words of wisdom...

a little more

self-portrait
how can today be better than yesterday? what will change? what will stay the same? will you smile a little more? let us dance a little more in celebration of every breath...

take the risk & blossom into divine essence

spring blossoms

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
- Anaïs Nin (1907-1977)

what are we waiting for?

what do we fear?

let's take the risk together and BLOSSOM into our divine essence

energy follows thought

self-portrait from a series
Our thoughts hold power. Let us be more conscious of what we think, of what we focus on.

hijo de pachamama

2007 "SHAMAN" mixed media of my husband
through wisdom of ancients

with eagle’s majestic flight

PACHAMAMA

bore messenger of winds

SHAMAN

peaceful spirit of nature

warrior of light

originally published in 2007 in honor of my husband's birthday
Happy Birthday

she is waking up

a little flower a fairy gave me
She stirs.

She moans lightly with delight.

Her lips curve up into a smile.

Her eyes begin to open.

She is waking up.

Mother Nature is waking up and giving us Spring.

originally published in 2007

hola luna

craving the beach
We were walking back home when he looked up and in the sweetest voice greeted the smiling moon, "Hola Luna!"

Children are instinctively connected to Mother Nature.

her beauty

she is waking up after a long winter
let us contemplate Mother Earth's beauty today

Irish Blessing

peacock feathers

May your day be touched
by a bit of Irish luck,
brightened by a song in your heart,
and warmed by the smiles
of the people you love.

- Irish Blessing

wishing you a safe St. Patrick's Day

move

dancing through life
There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. - Martha Graham (1894-1991)

the sun shines on me

and I move to the rhythm of the soul

laughing, dancing through life

walk gently, know beauty

open your eyes today & find beauty anywhere
may the SUN
bring you new energy by day,

may the MOON
softly restore you by night,

may the RAIN
wash away your worries,

may the BREEZE
blow new strength into your being.

may you walk gently through the world
and know its beauty all the days of your life.

- APACHE BLESSING

may you sense BEAUTY all day

music, yoga & yogurt

my son is all joy
our mornings usually begin with
music, yoga and yogurt

"I am a tambourine. Don't put me aside till the fast dancing starts. Play me some all along. Help me with these little sounds." - RUMI

walk in sacred rain

crystal in the rain, detail from mixed media circa 2006
may you walk in sacred rain

washing away worry and pain

may you bathe yourself in nature

healing once again

20 years

detail from mixed media collage,
almost 20 years ago with my baby sister

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)

with each year, I become MORE

more adventurous

more daring

more authentic

more humble

more compassionate with myself and with others

sensual nature

study for CASIMIRA sculpture
nature is sensual

her messages are everywhere

what is she telling you today?

poetry heals

Casimira, my name in the sand

Si me quitaran totalmente todo
si, por ejemplo, me quitaran el saludo
de los pájaros, o los buenos días
del sol sobre la tierra,
me quedaría
aún una palabra.
Aún me quedaría una palabra
donde apoyar la voz.
Si me quitaran las palabras,
o la lengua,
hablaría con el corazón
en la mano,
o con las manos en el corazón.
Si me quitaran una pierna
bailaría en un pie.
Si me quitaran un ojo
lloraría en un ojo.
Si me quitaran un brazo
me quedaría el otro,
para saludar a mis hermanos,
para sembrar los surcos de la tierra,
para escribir todas las playas del mundo, con tu nombre, amor mío.

- Alejandro Romualdo (1926-2008)

one of my favorite poems...

wishing you poetry today
poetry heals

Salvador Cardenal

Salvador Cardenal mixed media, 2010
there is so much I wish to say...
there is so much I need to write...

whenever my son sees a beautiful bird, he calls your name
"Cardenal, Cardenal"

Salvador Cardenal (1960-2010)

woman, the time has come

awarded by LucyFurLeapsI was thrilled to see a WOMAN win the BEST Director Academy Award for the first time in more than eight decades.
To quote Barbra Streisand, "Well, the time has come..."

woman, the time has come
be the best you can be
and don't expect awards or acknowledgements
be the best for YOU

our temples, our bodies

self-portrait
"There is but one temple in the universe...and that is the human body."
- Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881)

how do we honor our temples, our bodies?
are we conscious of food and exercise?

our bodies support our minds, working together with spirit

yoga brings balance and harmony

yoga begins with the breath

all begins with the breath

pancakes in the park

sunshine kissed our eyes

inviting us to go outside

play, laugh and cry...LIVE LIFE

and remember to have pancakes in the park

the Sevilla-Sacasa brothers are in celestial celebrations today
beloved Grand Fathers
masters of the art of living

abandon

self-portrait
what do you leave behind?

When the Queen of Sheba came to Solomon,
she left behind her kingdom and her wealth
the same way lovers leave their reputations.

- RUMI

what do you abandon for love?

verdades inventadas

self-portrait
el cuello
pilar del templo
de donde salen verdades inventadas
voz de cuento
canción de amor

the neck
pillar of the temple
from where invented truths emerge
voice of story
song of love

musings from a collection in progress

she remembers

photograph from a series, 2010
she bathes herself
in tears
she cleanses her soul
through story
she remembers
she is here
to serve
to love

new

self-portrait
a new month

a new season about to birth

what will be different?

what shall remain the same?

believe

self-portrait

do you believe in prayer?

do you believe in miracles?

do you believe in love?

not just romantic love
not just physical chemistry
but unconditional love

do you believe in forgiveness?

do you believe?

I'll believe for you today...

dulzura & calor

2009 mixed media
Dame la dulzura de tus labios
El calor de tu cuerpo
El placer de tus manos
El milagro de tu amor
Llename de ti y así los dos revalsaremos de pasión.

------------------------------------------

Tu eres mi cielo siempre rodeandome de amor.
Tu eres mi sol siempre dandome calor.
Tu eres mi luna siempre mi luz en la oscuridad
Yo te prometo ser lo mismo y crear para los dos un paraíso hasta la eternidad.

- Edda M. Sevilla Somoza (b. 1949)

Happy Birthday Beloved God Mother Tilly!

share it

self-portrait
do you embrace your magnificence?

the light within - the power of spirit

it is in each of us

embrace it

share it

our planet needs your light

humanity needs your spirit, your contribution

let go

self-portrait from a series
she danced
for joy

she danced
for soul survival

she let go
surrendered to the dance
and found bliss

dreams

self-portrait from a series
the house
I dreamed with the house
again

my childhood summer home
from her bedroom window
one could see the blue waves and sand

a part of me is ready to live on the beach

what are your dreams telling you?

stay open

self-portrait from a series

Moments of guilt, moments of contrition, moments where we are lacking in self-esteem, moments when we are bearing the trial of being displeasing to ourselves, are essential to our growth.

- M. Scott Peck (1936-2005)

do you think you are perfect?

are you always right?

stay open...

healing begins

one of my crystals on top of hand-painted silk, circa 2004
from the depths of the mother earth

the healing begins

fire and light

believe you are whole

I woke up with these words in my mind, in my heart
and yet, I cannot remember my dreams

house of angels

my son with one of my journals
a house of angels
candle-illuminated temple

haunting chants

she danced in the glow
she swirled in the grace

from last night's dreams