time for self

2007 Untitled study
















"You have to CALENDAR time for yourself even if you have no idea what you're going to do with it." - Susie Bright

this is so important and so true

yoga lifestyle

2006-2007 Untitled mixed media detail




Yoga is so much more than stretching, strengthening and standing on one's head. Yoga is a lifestyle, a path towards enlightenment. Om, Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi...

“From here, what you see you become.”
- Patanjali

one year ago

2006-2007 "28-29" mixed media on canvas
Private Collection, Washington, D.C.
one year ago
canvas, spirit and paint
began the dance of color

it was his birthday
so this had to be special
something to proudly display

channeling rothko, pollock and picasso
more time was necessary

every day i prayed
every night i meditated

layer after layer
one year later, it manifested
the joyful dance of color

full moon

2007 mixed media

blue moon

rose moon

strawberry moon

full moon tonight


2007 mixed media

chakra balance

2006 mixed media detail




chakra balance


promotes


health and happiness

hope

2007 Untitled mixed media
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.

healing chant

one of my beloved buddhas wearing a mixed media sculpture
Just as the soft rains fill the streams,
pour into the rivers, and join together in the oceans,
so may the power of every moment of your goodness
flow forth to awaken and heal all beings--
those here now, those gone before, those yet to come.

By the power of every moment of your goodness,
may your heart's wishes be soon fulfilled
as completely shining as the bright full moon,
as magically as by a wish-fulfilling gem.

By the power of every moment of your goodness,
may all dangers be averted and all disease be gone.
May no obstacle come across your way.
May you enjoy fulfillment and long life.

For all in whose heart dwells respect,
who follow the wisdom and compassion, of the Way,
may your life prosper in the four blessings
of old age, beauty, happiness and strength.

- Traditional Buddhist Blessing & Healing Chant

dangerous beauty

She was beautiful and she knew it.


Her skin was alabaster with mother-of-pearl iridescence.


She dressed in layers of flowing, transparent chiffon veils that floated around her long and slender ethereal body.


She pouted thick, sensual, hungry lips resembling only those of Angelina.


Her enormous dark eyes bulged out just enough.


She chased after him.


Had she no pride?


She pursued him, kissing him desperately, almost biting him.


Was she ready to mate?


Do fish have sex...?


notes upon observing a fish tank in a waiting room2007 quick sketch of the dangerous beauty

why am i here?

Why was I born?


Why am I alive today?


Why do I exist?


What is my purpose in this life?


What am I going to do with the rest of my life?

LOOK WITHIN...!

blossoming

2007 UntitledEverything is ready. The time has arrived. He and I have jumped into our dreams and now just need to enjoy the journey, the flying adventure...

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anais Nin

emerald dream

2007 Untitled mixed media
Her world had become green...alive with mother’s bounty. As she reached for the earth, she discovered emeralds all around; she found hope. Her energies went from serpent to butterfly in cyclic dance and harmony, she was neither one nor the other, but both. She had merged with Mother Nature.

prayer for peace

2007 mixed media
Lord, make me a channel of your peace,

That where there is hatred,I may bring love:

Where there is wrong,I may bring the spirit of forgiveness:

Where there is discord,I may bring harmony:

Where there is error,I may bring truth:

Where there is doubt,I may bring faith:

Where there is despair,I may bring hope:

Where there are shadows,I may bring light:

Where there is sadness,I may bring joy:

Lord, grant I may seek rather

To comfort than to be comforted;

To understand than to be understood;

To love than to be loved;

For it is by forgetting self
That one finds,

It is by forgiving
That one is forgiven,

It is by dying
That one awakens to eternal life.
Amen.

- "Prayer for Peace" by Mother Teresa and The Sisters of Charity
adapted from the Prayer of St. Francis

one of my favorite prayers

summer solstice

2007 ideas coming together
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

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...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...

the dog model

Duchess, my Mom's adorable puppyDON’T MOVE -- she whispered in excitement.

As I flowed from COBRA into DOG, our guest yoga instructor asked me to hold my pose while the rest of the class watched. There I was, on all fours, facing down, with my J.Lo in the air, while she used me as a model:

Her body is an inverted V – she has achieved a straight line from hands to shoulders to hips with straight arms and legs...an ideal Adhomukha Svanasana. This pose stimulates energy levels and rejuvenates the entire body. It is meant to resemble the shape of a dog stretching itself out.

The demonstration seemed to last forever. After class, everyone thanked me for my Downward Facing Dog. I suspect Duchess would be proud...

no good in a bed

2007 Untitled
"I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall."
- Eleanor Roosevelt

this quote cracks me up...I am still laughing as I type...

our bodies

2007 Untitled self-portrait of mixed media
When you look in the mirror who do you see?

When you find a new little wrinkle what do you blame?

A gray hair? Is it really time to despair?

An extra pound or two? Is that important to you?

Our bodies are not eternal, our souls are.

Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi...

hero - king - father

He is my HERO.

He is my KING.

He is my FATHER.

honouring all fathers on this day

paris in june

...and so they decided that they would visit Paris every June for the rest of their lives. Paris was where they first met and became friends. Paris was where they flirted with child-like innocence and play. Paris had witnessed their first embrace and their very first French-kiss. Paris had baptized them with showers of passion and joy... (excerpt from a short story in progress)

Paris in June....I can visit Paris at any moment...

First, I put on my favorite French music and begin to sing along...and dance like Isadora Duncan...

Des yeux qui font baisser les miens
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche
Voilà le portrait sans retouche
De l'homme auquel j'appartiens

Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose
Il me dit des mots d'amour
Des mots de tous les jours
Et ça me fait quelque chose

While singing and dancing barefoot, I open a bottle of French red wine or champagne or Perrier depending on my mood and budget...include a fresh baguette with brie, oui, oui ...perhaps read some Anaïs Nin...nous sommes à Paris...

Although not necessary, it is fun to invite a friend to Paris...even better, take your lover...my lover also happens to be my husband who happens to be part French.

family of light

2007 Untitled mixed media study for sculpture
There was darkness all around her. She seemed to be the only light and this terrified her to tears. Where was her Spiritual Family? In fear, she almost gave in. Out of shame, she almost abandoned her flame. Then she remembered. She remembered she was once a star born from galaxies before time. Through breathing and praying, through stretching and meditating she remembered. She was light and light is what this planet earth needed most of all. In remembering, she began finding her family of light, one by one, light by light.

dancer of the future

Isadora dancing with diamond light above 2007 mixed media

"...The dancer of the future will be one whose body and soul have grown so harmoniously together that the natural language of that soul will have become the movement of the body. The dancer will not belong to a nation but to all humanity. She will dance not in the form of a nymph, nor fairy, nor coquette but in the form of a woman in its greatest and purest expression. She will realize the mission of woman's body and the holiness of all its parts. She will dance the changing life of nature, showing how each part is transformed into the other. From all parts of her body shall shine radiant intelligence, bringing to the world the message of the thoughts and aspirations of thousands of women. She shall dance the freedom of women ..."

excerpt from “The Dancer of The Future” by Isadora Duncan in 1903

sun salutation prayer

2007 Untitled mixed media
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.

-- Ancient Verse, author unknown

Mona de Seda

- detail from mixed media on paper, 2006 -

...The little monkey had accomplished everything she ever set out to do. She had traveled throughout various jungles and supposedly spoke several languages, including Elephant, Weasel and Worm.

She proudly displayed stacks of rings on all four paws, one for each lover. She was famous at last, or at the very least infamous. Still, she did not feel satisfied. Mona hungered for more...MORE...MORE... She had become addicted to power, or the idea of it. With time and bananas, Mona became First Monkey of her land...but would she ever learn to wear silk?

excerpt from a short story entitled "Mona de Seda" about an ambitious little monkey named Mona who dreams of wearing silk

learning mistake

2007 Untitled color study
"WE DON'T MAKE MISTAKES.

WE JUST HAVE LEARNINGS."

- Anne Wilson Schaef

circle of goddesses

2007 Untitled mixed media detail

As the music started, the sun began to blush while the wind continued to breathe. One by one, they slowly emerged from the depths of the earth. Moving with rhythms of nature, the goddesses created a sacred circle and danced in beauty and dreams.

definition: happiness

just some of my stones

"I heard a definition once: Happiness is health and a short memory! I wish I'd invented it, because it is very true." - AUDREY HEPBURN



I agree with Audrey...but must add that happiness is something I aspire to each day and each moment...I look for the happy-bubbles in life...they are everywhere...and yes, once I forgive I tend to forget...

flying in gold & diamonds

2007 Untitled mixed media study for brooch
...I had become a sunlit bird with claws of solid gold, eyes and beak of diamond...with a magnificent moon pearl between my wings I flew into my memories, into the past, into my imagination...in gold and diamonds I flew over the black-sandy beaches of my childhood...

excerpt from a recent dream

sacred vessel

2007 "VESSEL" mixed media sacred vessel of wisdom

sacred vessel of knowledge

I honour you

I venerate you

sacred vessel, human body

temple of my soul

holding my power

nurturing my dreams

sacred vessel, I am...

little bird & buddha

2007 Untitled mixed media
Little Bird hatched from Mother’s ancient crystals with a precious gem balanced upon its beak.

“Why am I here?” Little Bird asked Water Buddha.

Little Bird, you are here to live.
To breathe and to fly.
To laugh and to cry.
Little Bird, you are here to die.

“To die? But have I not just now begun to live? I do not understand.” Little Bird cried.

Little Bird, life would not exist without death.
And really, death is but re-birth.
Little Bird, you have always been and shall always be.

excerpt from short story

saving memories

2007 Untitled mixed media
"You never realize how much your mother loves you till you explore the attic - and find every letter you ever sent her, every finger painting, clay pot, bead necklace, Easter chicken, cardboard Santa Claus, paper-lace Mother's Day card and school report since day one."
- Pam Brown

I save letters, photos, ribbons...I suppose I save memories

pomegranate kiss

2007 "POMEGRANATE KISS" mixed media
Eve had the infamous apple

Persephone her pomegranate

...what is your fruit?

your temptation and pleasure?

goddess of the sea

2007 "GODDESS" mixed media
goddess of the sea

whispered

you belong to me

write of my lovers

sing of my pirates

dance with my waves

make gems of the soul

goddess of the sea

mother nature and me


excerpt from “The Goddess Speaks” a manuscript in progress

feeling inferior?

2007 Untitled mixed media
Have you ever felt as if all eyes were on you?
That others watched and studied every move you made?
Some even judged - your smile, your dress, your weight...

When this happens, I remind myself of these words of wisdom:

"Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission."
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Then I turn around, bless them silently and enjoy the attention as if I were on stage with an audience...

alone

she felt alone
and out of fear and lack of faith
wrapped in low self-esteem,
she went back to him
...he who had hurt her
he who had shown his true colors

did she not believe her sisters?
did she not trust her soul?

she was never as alone as when she was with him...

excerpt from a series of writings on women's fears

glorious adventure

2007 Untitled mixed media
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."
- Helen Keller

celebrating a glorious adventure of 57 years which continues...

Casimira Sacasa de Debayle

2007 "Great-Great-Grand-Mother & Muse" mixed media
30 de Mayo

Día de La Madre Nicaragüense

Felicidades Nicaragua

remembering and honouring every Nicaraguan mother

caged beauty

2007 Untitled mixed media on paper
"Taught from infancy that beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison." - Mary Wollstonecraft 1757-1797

after viewing part of a "beauty contest" last night

phenomenal Maya

2007 Untitled
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" ©1978-2007 Maya Angelou

one of my favorite poems by one of my favorite authors

Salvadora, Salvadorita

2007 "REGAL GREAT-GRAND-MOTHER" mixed media

Mama Yoya
I paint you in blue and sing you in red,
celebrating your roots in Nicaragua, France and Spain.

Abuelita Yoya
I dance with your wisdom and strength.

Salvadora
I honour you.

Salvadorita
I love you.

Yoyita
I understand and thank you....

excerpt from a series of poem-prayers in progress

a woman imagines herself

"Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is a woman.
A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories.
Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.

Imagine a woman who trusts and respects herself.
A woman who listens to her needs and desires.
Who meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who acknowledges the past's influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life.
A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf.
Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs a personal spirituality to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman who honors the body of the Goddess in her changing body.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use her life-energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Imagine yourself as this woman."

“Imagine a Woman” © Patricia Lynn Reilly, 1995

mayan treasure

2007 Untitled mixed media study for sculpture
His birthday was quickly approaching and she needed to complete the sculpture...the Mayan gods and goddesses sent their ideas to her in dreams...

writings for a CASIMIRA piece in progress

fashionable dress oppression

2007 Untitled mixed media
" Is fashionable dress part of the oppression of women, or is it a form of adult play? " - Elizabeth Wilson b.1936

I say it depends on the woman...

forbidden necklace

2007 Untitled self-portrait detail mixed media...it was all about the necklace. She wore it, knowing it did not belong to her - that it never would belong to her, knowing it was forbidden. Through her own temptation and curiosity, she sealed her fate the instant she closed the gem-encrusted clasp. Such disrespect and self-betrayal would haunt her the remainder of her mortal lives. The necklace had been created for a high priestess and possessed magic and mystery which only a high priestess would understand...

excerpt from a short story written years ago

dreaming reality

2007 Untitled pearl & crystal
She dreamt with art.
She dreamt with him.

In a sacred circle she sat and provided the fire.
The light came through her flame.

She dreamt with silk and pearls.
She dreamt with him.

Where was he? What had he become?
A husband, a father, an old tired man in a suit?
No, he was a partner, a friend, a sensual shaman in feathers.

She dreamt with music and woke up to the poetry of his kisses and caresses.

gems of the soul

2007 Untitled ideas
The soul is made of gems...gems which each one is capable of retrieving daily...in a smile, in a thank you, in a breath...

excerpt from meditation journal