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

curiosity

he holds the ring of the future
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.
- Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

what are you curious about today?

on the edges of time

one of my rings landed in the midst of flowers and continued dancing

Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.
- Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

let us surrender to the dance of life, let us dance, let us dance

sounds of life

let us sing louder, let us sing stronger
I have been watching the World Cup and I miss the human voices. I miss the songs. I miss the cheers. Plastic horns drown out all sounds of life, but people continue to sing.

of the soul

Rumi of my soul...
Oh soul,
you worry too much.
You have seen your own strength.
You have seen your own beauty.
You have seen your golden wings.
Of anything less,
why do you worry?
You are in truth
the soul, of the soul, of the soul.

- RUMI

only sacredness

Rumi speaks to me in dreams...

Something opens our wings. Something makes boredom and hurt disappear. Someone fills the cup in front of us: We taste only sacredness. - RUMI

Let us taste the sacredness in the ordinary.

time

craving complete solitude
Empty the cup.

- Zen Master Nan-in (1868-1912)

our lives are so busy, so full...how do we begin to empty the cup? meditation. time alone with our innermost self. even 5 minutes makes a difference.

new moon

tonight, let us dance barefoot under the new moon
new moon, new beginning
open up to universal energies
visualize your dreams become realities

enano de mariposas

an excerpt from a short story written in 2007
El enano era un galán. Entró al Salón de Escudos como un sultán. Dos tigres, una avestruz y seis jabalíes lo escoltaron a los aposentos de la Diosa Blanca. El enano le traía las mejores Mariposas Maravillas para adornar sus cabellos de plata.

pouring petals into words

from one of my 2007 journals


she dreams in roses

pouring petals

into words

angels up above

dancing round

full of love

originally published in January 2007

ayer me enamore

yesterday I fell in love...
ayer me enamore locamente

de un árbol...

another part

behind a leaf

behind a leaf
I see your soul

behind a leaf
I sense your struggle

behind a leaf
I sing your praise

behind a leaf
I discover another part of myself

she speaks

in the silence of the soul, she speaks
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

believe

what do you believe in?
she wears memories around her neck

she kisses dreams by moonlight

she believes, do you?

Déjame hablar contigo: A Julia Casimira Sacasa

la mano del "Poeta Carpintero" Raúl Xavier García
Déjame hablar contigo

-- Por Raúl Xavier García

-- A Julia Casimira Sacasa


Esa inquietud. Esta necesidad de saber

lo que no es tuyo ni mío,

es lo que te obliga a obedecer:

nos lleva desprotegido hacia el peligro.

Más tarde, con los golpes que te da la vida,

con ellos puedes empezar a comprender

y medir distancias, si caminar sobre el mar

o en las brasas del fuego.

Y en la serenidad te niegas a sí mismo,

sería como huir sin esperar, amar sin ser herida.

Y mañana correr la sangre en abundancia

no así, el asma.

writing

secrets, memories, dreams, detail from a recent beach altar
writing has been a central part of my existence for decades...

todo cambia

one of my tshirts, some of my turquoise
I have had this song about CHANGE on my mind all day...life is change...change is life. Change is part of our transformation.

Cambia lo superficial
Cambia también lo profundo
Cambia el modo de pensar
Cambia todo en este mundo

Cambia el clima con los años
Cambia el pastor su rebaño
Y así como todo cambia
Que yo cambie no es extraño

Cambia el más fino brillante
De mano en mano su brillo
Cambia el nido el pajarillo
Cambia el sentir un amante

Cambia el rumbo el caminante
Aunque esto le cause daño
Y así como todo cambia
Que yo cambie no es extraño

Cambia, todo cambia
Cambia, todo cambia

Cambia el sol en su carrera
Cuando la noche subsiste
Cambia la planta y se viste
De verde en la primavera

Cambia el pelaje la fiera
Cambia el cabello el anciano
Y así como todo cambia
Que yo cambie no es extraño

Pero no cambia mi amor
Por mas lejos que me encuentre
Ni el recuerdo ni el dolor
De mi tierra y de mi gente

Y lo que cambió ayer
Tendrá que cambiar mañana
Así como cambio yo
En esta tierra lejana.

- Julio Numhauser

studying the sky

amidst old lace & roses
"Once I was beset by anxiety but I pushed the fear away by studying the sky, determining when the moon would come out and where the sun would appear in the morning." - Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010)

wonder

joyfully discovering the sands of ancestors
every little thing is new and full of wonder for my 22 month old son

princesa guajira

I began this story years ago and am almost finished...
La princesa guajira quería venganza.

El indio malcriado la había traicionado con otra – otra quien no merecía nombre.
excerpt from fictional short story about machista infidelities

Madre Nicaragüense

Mercedes Espinoza, una Madre Nicaragüense
Ella siempre tiene una bella sonrisa de luz.
Sus abrazos sanan el alma.
Ella es madre de diez.

She always has a beautiful bright smile.
Her hugs heal the soul.
She is mother to ten.

Erica Vanesa
Daniel de Jesus
Denis Pedro
Donal de Jesus
Maria Jesus
Brenda Carolina
Alexander Javier
Escarleht Maria
Hassell Maria
Jimmy Orlando

30 de Mayo

Día de La Madre Nicaragüense

Felicidades Nicaragua

remembering and honouring every Nicaraguan mother

mother nature

Yemayá
she is calm

she is fearless

she is focused

she is grounded

she is ancient

she is nature - Mother Nature

luna llena

I dance under the full moon, bathing in her light
luna llena

lluvia fresca

noche sin estrellas

matriarch & muse

my truly great truly grand mother

she visits my dreams with messages, symbols and strength

regal warrior of mine

great grand mother

matriarch and muse

happy birthday on this full moon

luz de luna

I dreamed with a glorious moon goddess of fertility

vestida de agua

camina la diosa

sombras bailando en las paredes del alma

ella lleva olas del mar en sus caderas

ella lleva luz de luna en sus sonrisa



dressed in waters

goddess walks

shadows dance on soul’s walls

ocean waves at her hips

moonlight in her smile

spanish dreams

Picasso & me
un día de sol
Palo de Limón
se enamoro de Rosa Linda

con sus espinas ella le saco el jugo
con sus perfumes lo hipnotizó

después de mucho tiempo
con un poco de azúcar negra prestada
el finalmente la conquisto

una noche de luna
vestido de Toro-Cura
Picasso los caso con pluma, oro y luz

de esta unión
nació Pez-con-Alas-de-Mariposa

tu crees en estas cosas?
son maravillosas...son milagrosas



one sunny day
Lemon Tree
fell in love with Rosa Linda

and her thorns began to squeeze his juices dry
while her perfumes hypnotized him

after some time
with a bit of borrowed brown sugar
he finally won her over

on a moonlit night
dressed as Bull-Priest
Picasso married them with feather, gold and light

from this union
Fish-with-Butterfly-Wings was born

do you believe in such things?
marvelous and miraculous things...


excerpt from a series of writings featuring Pablo Picasso
the stories always come to me through Spanish dreams
this one was originally published in 2007

make a difference

thinking about how I can make a difference
While enjoying an afternoon refreshment at a lovely little cafe, I noticed the shirtless young boy climbing into a trash bin. By the time I had finished sipping my soda, he emerged, carrying two large plastic bags.

excerpt from my journal

dancing barefoot

do you have a favorite photograph of yourself?
she dedicates this song to him
dancing barefoot on the beach
singing to the moon and sun

el talismán de tu piel me ha dicho
que soy la reina de tus caprichos,
yo soy el as de los corazones,
que se pasean en tus tentaciones,
el talismán de tu piel me cuenta
que en tu montura caerán las riendas

cuando una noche de amor desesperados
caigamos juntos y enredados
la alfombra y el alrededor, acabaran
desordenados
cuando una noche de amor que yo no dudo
la eternidad venga seguro
tu y yo, el desnudo y el corazón...seremos uno

yo soy la tierra de tus raíces: el talismán de tu piel lo dice,
yo soy la tierra de tus raíces: lo dice el corazón y el fuego de tu piel,
yo soy la tierra de tus raíces: el talismán de tu piel lo dice,
yo soy la tierra de tus raíces: a ver que dices tu

el talismán de tu piel me chiva
que ando descalza de esquina a esquina,
por cada calle que hay en tus sueños,
que soy el mar de todos tus puertos,
el talismán de tu piel me cuenta
que tu destino caerá a mi puerta
song lyrics - © ROSANA ARBELO

acuarelas de sueños

mixed media self-portrait


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

from a series soon to be published in print

dare to wish & create

written in the stars




















She poured stars into my hands and asked me to WISH.

She explained the sacred beauty of stones and told me to DARE.

She blessed the pen and paper and begged me to CREATE.

messages from a dream three years ago

110 years of wisdom

I woke up remembering
Love everybody. Don't hate. Don't gossip. Take care of your own business. And take care of your body.

- Eddye Williams, 110 years young

signs

decisions
should I stay or should I go? how do you make decisions? I am asking the Universe to send me signs...

earth & stars

los santos de la Yoya en mi altar
Be humble for you are made of earth.

Be noble for you are made of stars.

- SERBIAN PROVERB

pulling

"LA-MUJER-JALA" an anonymous woman pulling hope, peace, love
se despertó antes del sol

se vistió con su mejor sonrisa

La-Mujer-Jala comenzó su día

jalando esperanza

jalando paz

jalando amor

...que jalas tu?...quien te jala?



she woke up before the sun

and dressing with her best smile

La-Mujer-Jala began her day

pulling hope

pulling peace

pulling love

...what do you pull?...who pulls you?


inspired by an anonymous woman I named "La-Mujer-Jala", "The-Woman-Pulls"

originally published in 2007

prayer for peace

Mother Teresa
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

letting our light shine

liberation

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

- Marianne Williamson (b. 1952)

This quote sits on my altar and is tucked in the pages of my journals...

remembering

dressed in deep oceans and skies, swimming between memory and dream

me visto de mares y cielos profundos

nado entre recuerdos y sueños

me pierdo y me encuentro en tu mirada


remembering Mimi

an important message

a group of Nicaraguan Elders
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know our garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

This could be a good time!

There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel like they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.

Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off toward the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.

See who is there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves! For the moment we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lonely wolf is over. Gather yourselves!

Banish the word struggle from your attitude and vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

The Elders,
Oraibi, Arizona
Hopi Nation

age-less

Doña Elida from Granada's nursing home

I'm not interested in age.
People who tell me their age are silly.
You're as old as you feel.

- Elizabeth Arden (1884 - 1966)

I believe we are all AGE-LESS.

At times I feel I am two thousand years old...wise and eternal, connected with both heaven and earth.

Other times, I feel I am a girl of four or five, wishing upon a star and skipping my way through life with laughter and careless joy.

How old do you feel today?

originally published in 2008

parte mar parte mujer

mujer celeste, Rivas, Nicaragua
madre del mar
madre de madres
reina del planeta
canto tu canto
bailo tu ritmo
escucho tu voz dentro de mi
soy parte mar
soy parte mujer
soy madre

from a series of writings

entre luna y estrellas

passage to another world
eran las 3 de la mañana

de repente despertó

una nube la encontró

entre luna y estrellas

con Ruben y Margarita

la historia quería ser escrita


originally published in 2007, excerpt from a dream


today, the dream continues to crystallize

I am being guided by light

by stars holding secret messages

by the cycle of the moon

and the rhythm of the ocean

Margarita, esta linda la mar...

ephemeral child eternal mother

ephemeral beauty of childhood, eternal beauty of motherhood
Happy Mother's Day

dreams to come

my bronze Venus wearing CASIMIRA
Today we venture out to the Colonial city of Granada...the sun is shining hot, the breeze is whispering of dreams to come...

messages

baby's secret messages
secret messages from beyond through the innoncence of today

nests

waiting for mother
where is your nest?

dance serenity dream

I love the ocean of my childhood dreams
what do you want out of life?
what makes you dance with delight?
what fills you with serenity?
what are you dreaming of?

barefoot

heavenly grass
My feet took a walk in heavenly grass.
All day while the sky shone clear as glass.
My feet took a walk in heavenly grass,
All night while the lonesome stars rolled past.
Then my feet come down to walk on earth,
And my mother cried when she give me birth.
Now my feet walk far and my feet walk fast,
But they still got an itch for heavenly grass.
But they still got an itch for heavenly grass.

- Tennessee Williams (1911 - 1983)
when was the last time you walked barefoot on grass?

goddess divine

my grandmother, truly a grand mother
first born daughter
the essence of
father and mother

priestess of earth
blessing the planet
with your birth

goddess divine
i honour you
grand mother and muse of mine

Happy Birthday Beloved Mimi

fertility

bronze & coral
Divine Motherhood involves fertility, yet it requires neither egg nor sperm. Fertility is a juicy readiness to produce and sustain growth – the soul’s growth. Divine Motherhood honors one’s body, nurtures one's spirit and gives birth to one’s soul over and over. I am pregnant – again – with my Self, birthing the Goddess within...

originally published in 2007

may of mothers

surrender to the dance
May of Mothers...

as I surrender to the dance of divine motherhood

I sing and give praise

to all of the mothers who impact my life

to Gaia, Mother Earth...

to Our Universal Mother...

...May of Mothers