CASIMIRA

CASIMIRA
HERstory through ART
With words and images, I am telling my story.

Through art, I am remembering HERstory...

I've been blogging daily since 2007.

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Updated Daily: January 2007 - February 2020

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Friday, April 30

surrender

and the flowers will find you
Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.

- Gilda Radner (1946-1989
)

surrender...and the flowers will find you...

Thursday, April 29

call back wasted energy

forgiveness is freedom
The act of forgiveness is the act of returning to present time. And that's why when one has become a forgiving person, and has managed to let go of the past, what they've really done is they've shifted their relationship with time. Forgive and call back the energy wasted on past events.

- Carolyn Myss

forgiveness keeps us young
forgiveness keeps us light
forgiveness keeps us in love with life

who do we need to forgive?
who needs to forgive us?

Wednesday, April 28

laughter


What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.

~ Yiddish Proverb


so laugh
make someone laugh
it feels so very good...

Tuesday, April 27

remember yesterday or live today?

I choose today, this moment
I found a box of old love letters, photographs and sentimental mementos from years ago. I could spend all day reading and sorting, but instead I plan to spend this sunny day exploring, dreaming and discovering...

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)

Monday, April 26

for all the phenomenal women in my life

I'm a woman, phenomenally...
"Phenomenal Woman" ©1978 Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
the swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
what they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
the need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

"Phenomenal Woman" ©1978 Maya Angelou

Sunday, April 25

live like a wild flower

study for sculpture
May your life be like a wild flower, growing freely in the beauty and joy of each day. - Native American Proverb

let us live like a wild flower
in the moment
rooted and drenched in life

Saturday, April 24

in this lifetime

totally free, totally me
What do you long for in this lifetime?

Friday, April 23

madre diosa

mother goddess energy surrounds us, guides and protects us
madre nuestra

madre diosa

madre majestuosa

madre tierra

madre naturaleza

Thursday, April 22

PACHA-MAMA

Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua
Gracias Pacha-Mama

Wednesday, April 21

a prayer for our living planet

she needs our prayers & we need her blessings
Great Spirit,
Give us hearts to understand;
Never to take from creation's beauty more than we give;
Never to destroy wantonly for the furtherance of greed;
Never to deny to give our hands for the building of earth's beauty;
Never to take from her what we cannot use.

Give us hearts to understand
That to destroy earth's music is to create confusion;
That to wreck her appearance is to blind us to beauty;
That to callously pollute her fragrance is to make a house of stench;
That as we care for her she will care for us.

We have forgotten who we are.
We have sought only our own security.
We have exploited simply for our own ends.
We have distorted our knowledge.
We have abused our power.

Great Spirit, whose dry lands thirst,
help us to find the way to refresh your lands.

Great Spirit, whose waters are choked with debris and pollution,
help us to find the way to cleanse your waters.

Great Spirit, whose beautiful earth grows ugly with mis-use,
help us to find the way to restore beauty to your handiwork.

Great Spirit, whose creatures are being destroyed,
help us to find a way to replenish them.

Great Spirit, whose gifts to us are being lost
in selfishness and corruption,
help us to find the way to restore our humanity.

- Native American Prayer

I found this prayer within one of my old journals...it is anonymous and universal, timeless and timely...

Tuesday, April 20

sacred simple stillness

2007 Untitled mixed media
i sit in silence
for those who don’t

i sit in silence
for those who can’t

i sit in silence
for those who won’t

i sit in silence
for My Self

i sit in peace
i sit in love
i sit in light



i sit in sacred simple stillness

originally published in January 2007

Monday, April 19

dreams

beauty is all around
I dreamed with flower petal jewels and fertility seeds...

Sunday, April 18

medicine man

if a tall, welcoming tree trunk could smile
His face appeared to have been carved from ancient stone. His voice was a faint whisper. The Native American Medicine Man passed on these commandments:

Treat the Earth and all that dwell thereon with respect.

Remain close to the Great Spirit.

Show great respect for your fellow beings.

Work together for the benefit of all mankind.

Give assistance and kindness wherever needed.

Do what you know to be right.

Look after the well being of mind and body.

Dedicate a share of your efforts to the greater good.

Be truthful and honest at all times.

Take full responsibility for your actions.

a true story originally published in 2007

Saturday, April 17

soul dancer

in midst of wild dance
what inspires you? who inspires you? when do you dance for your soul's pleasure? are you a soul dancer like me?

Friday, April 16

el mono y la tintorería

a lovely blue monkey with a lot of HERstory
"Casimira, hay que llevar el mono a la tintorería..." - he said.

Today we are taking the blue monkey for a spa treatment at our local dry cleaner. The monkey is over 7 years old. He belonged to Grand Mother and then to God Mother and now to us. I am in the process of documenting the wonderful tales of a blue monkey.

Thursday, April 15

instinctively in awe

a lover of nature, instinctively in awe of her majesty
Keep your love of nature, for that is the true way to understand art more and more.

- Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)


may you fall in love with nature today...

Wednesday, April 14

con alma de mar

self-portrait
amanecí con ganas de crear

amanecí con ganas de volar

vamos a bailar

vamos a soñar

amanecí con alma de mar

Tuesday, April 13

patience & wisdom

I thought of this photograph earlier today
Two women sat across from me, whispering and pointing in my direction...I gave them a severe, yet compassionate glance and smiled while I breathed in patience.

Patience is the companion of wisdom.

- Saint Augustine (354-430)

Monday, April 12

let us dance

a moment from Rivas, Nicaragua 2009
let us GET UP and DANCE, life is wild dance we must surrender to

Sunday, April 11

angel

this angel holds a Frida Kahlo handbag from my collection
Artistic temperament sometimes seems a battleground, a dark angel of destruction and a bright angel of creativity wrestling.

- Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007)


which angel wins?

Saturday, April 10

meditate regularly

assemblage recovered from under the bed
a ruler, a lion, a rooster, a star and a cellphone all brought the message to MEDITATE REGULARLY:

"Take some time to be silent, to repeat the sound of God as an inner mantra. Meditation allows you to make conscious contact with your Source and regain the power of intention." - Dr. Wayne Dyer

Messages are everywhere. Inspiration can be found in the most peculiar places. I am dreaming of a story about a lion and a rooster on an adventure taking them to a land of silence, the planet of Meditation.... What hides under your bed?

Friday, April 9

fire

will you step into the fire with me?
the fire of the volcanoes burned me

the heat of the sun baptized me

the tears of the rain bathed me

the light of the moon protected me

I have been initiated into the next chapter of my blessed life.

originally published in 2007

Thursday, April 8

short stories

a diamond inside a strawberry inside a mouth, study for sculpture
At the edge of the sea with my feet in the sand, fiery red treasures appeared.

The ancient coral traveled hundreds of meters from the depths of Mother's womb up to the surface to greet me. I gathered several large nuggets of the protective amulet, symbolic of rebirth, healing and wisdom.

excerpt from a 2007 dream, which is now part of a collection of short stories

Wednesday, April 7

haunted forest

look with your soul, what do you see?
I lived in the midst of a haunted forest and a 20-foot giant guarded my home. He spoke very slowly, echoing the waves of the ocean.

from last night's dreams

Tuesday, April 6

today

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

Monday, April 5

yesterday

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

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

Sunday, April 4

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?

Saturday, April 3

ephemeral fragile beauty

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

Friday, April 2

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...

Thursday, April 1

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.