mujeres

generation of women, generation of daughters, generation of mothers

PHOTOGRAPH:  from an ongoing series, "MUJERES" featuring the women of Nicaragua

surrender

from my window

delicate leaves of gold hold tight to their mother's branches


father wind whispers encouraging words


LET GO      FLY       SURRENDER


it is time

rains of gold dance down

all around


FREEDOM     INDEPENDENCE     SURRENDER

drop by drop, it is time to dream & write

Rain Mother wakes me up




softly



sweetly



slowly



drop by drop



it is time to wake up



it is time to dream and write...
 
 
originally published in 2007

magic tree

She sat under the tree of gold, receiving its wisdom and a story was born.

be you

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You...Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
- Dr. Seuss (1904-1991)

coral dream

Dressed in coral from head to foot, she entered the ancient temple illuminated only by candlelight…

excerpt from last night's dreams

Maya's Song

with a most comforting, soothing voice emerging from the depths of Mother Earth through to the depths of Soul, Maya sang her memories, her life, her laughter, her wisdom...

I shall not be moved
I shall not be moved
Just like a tree that's standing by the water
I shall not be moved

in gratitude

How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes! - Maya Angelou

let the beauty of what you love be what you do - RUMI

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

fearlessness

For a gallant spirit there can never be defeat.


- Wallis Simpson, The Duchess of Windsor (1896-1986)



A gallant spirit...I love the sound of that...

Every woman I know has a superior level of fearlessness.

from my 2008 journals

es ella la diosa

escucho su voz

en los vientos



obedezco sus consejos

en los sueños



siento las fragancias de rosas



es ella

la madre



es ella

la diosa

november roses

"...the scent of the rose is enough to imbue a woman with wordless, sibylline poetry, as if she were younger by ten centuries." - Colette

lovely November roses

begin again

In the woods, we return to reason and faith.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

I woke up feeling out of sorts, scattered and unfocused and wondered if it had to do with tonight's new moon.

After an afternoon in Nature, I am renewed, cleansed and ready to begin again.

silken threads of spirit

With silken threads of spirit, I have woven a majestic and ever-growing tapestry of friends and family.

from a series of writings soon to be published in print

rain day

remember to PLAY, PAINT, SING and DANCE today...

"down came the rain, and washed the spider out..."

layers of mermaid silk

the mermaid queen wished to live in layers of petals out of shredded shipwrecked silk...

less than 100 years ago

I am inspired by this 1913 illustration "Official Program Woman Suffrage Procession"

"Independence is happiness." - Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)

día de los muertos, día de los santos

los espíritus me andan siguiendo

he soñado con muertos

con lunas llenas

con playas plenas

con diamantes y esmeraldas



hoy

día de los muertos

celebro mi vida

y la tuya también



hoy

día de todos los santos

me visto de luna

canto diamantes

bailo esmeraldas


muertos o vivos - todos somos los mismos

halloween night

"Dear Great Pumpkin,
I am looking forward to your arrival on Halloween Night..."

from the 1966 "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown"
by Charles Schulz

PHOTOGRAPH: my son running through a great pumpkin patch

eye of the tree, I of the tree

hoy me enamore locamente

de un árbol...



today I fell madly in love

with a tree...

no coincidence wise women

Who are the wise women in your life?  When do you seek their counsel?

The wise women speak to me through dreams and symbols.

There are no coincidences...I am being guided, moment by moment.

"In the ancient way of being, the earth not only creates, feels, and protects life, but like a mother, whispers through natural signs and images the secret knowledge of how body, mind, emotions and spirit work upon each other in an intricate, invisible weaving."
- Johanna Lambert from "Wise Women of the Dreamtime"

nature heals

My wearable sculpture is inspired by nature...a tribute to her...

As I walk through the forest, I listen to my soul.

The forest song is sung by every branch and by each delicate leaf.

Nature is healing...

excerpts from my journals

laughing at the sky

we laughed through the rains, under sunshine and moonlight...we laughed all day and night Mama, Baby and I

"When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.” - Buddha

renew

how do you renew?

I love people. I love my family, my children . . . but inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that's where you renew your springs that never dry up.  - Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973)

her secret is patience

in between meals, diapers, laundry and laughs, I am working on a series of projects whenever my adorable two-year-old allows...I am learning to be more patient and flexible with each breath...enjoying every blessed moment of this divine wild dance of motherhood...

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Madre Tierra, Mother Earth

my son's hand covered in volcanic sands & 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

Carlos & Tess: Toddler Missed Connection, National Gallery of Art

It was a perfect Friday autumn afternoon in Washington, DC.

I sat at the Cascade Café admiring the underground waterfall window and waiting for my chocolate peppermint gelato to arrive, when out of nowhere you ran up and embraced me. You were dressed all in purple and wore your golden brown hair to the side with a little braid.

Noah, your five-year-old brother, reminded me of Saint-Exupéry’s Le Petit Prince with his long scarf and love of planes and planets. Your father had dark hair, black-rimmed glasses and a smile. Your mother was tall with lavender sneakers and a big camera. She asked MAMA if we were French too. Our mothers laughed and chatted as you continued to give me spontaneous hugs and kisses in between fairy giggles.

One last strawberry scented squeeze as you waved “au revoir” and just as quickly as you appeared, you evaporated into Leo Villareal’s light tunnel.

You are a year older than me, but that is OK because I am tall.

a true toddler story

patience, passion, persistence

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. - Harriet Tubman (approximately 1818–1913)

contemplating patience, passion and persistence...

sensual nature

whispers of her sensual song...mother nature...

PHOTOGRAPH: from an ongoing series I began years ago

casimira necklace

...it was all about the necklace. 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 which is now included in a series about our relationships to jewels

do you know how to draw the moon?

she was an amazon

an ebony goddess
a statue carved from luminous flesh dark as night

she leaned over
and in slow whispering song asked

Do you know how to draw the moon ?

excerpt from “The Goddess Speaks” a manuscript in progress
originally published in April 2007

it has been polished and extended since then...and I have learned to draw more and more moonlight into my life...

dream stories

ancestors whisper stories into my dreams..

Every WOman is a quotation from all HER ancestors.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I took the liberty of changing man to WOMAN and him to HER...

el ombligo de la diosa

todo comienza

en el ombligo de la diosa

hoyuelo sagrado de vida

en donde sueño existir

excerpt from a series of writings soon to be published in print

birthday girl philosophy

 "be grateful to have been given one more day, let alone one more year. remember to dance in your nightgown, sing in the shower, ride a bike, fly a kite, and take an occasional "wind bath" in your bare skin. give those you love big kisses, huge hugs, and the words "i love you" often and always. nurture your body rather than starve your soul with fad dieting. spend time with the old and the weary to better appreciate your life. on your birthday, call your mother and father wherever they are to thank them for all that they have done for you. watch the movie "life is beautiful" at least once a year. remember that you are not guaranteed tomorrow and that today is as good as it gets. thank god for every thing, every day, every moment." - from a cosmetic bag that a dear friend gave me years ago

contemplating external mysteries while sipping true passion

"True passion is intoxicating and invigorating, soothing and sensuous, mysterious and magical...a magical blend of hibiscus, lemongrass, rose hips, mango and passion fruit flavors....steep for 5 minutes while contemplating your favorite external mysteries..." from the box of my favorite TAZO herbal infusion, PASSION

compassion from my window

the rain falls steadily with purpose and security...the sweet breeze kisses my skin as I contemplate compassion...

"The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.” - Thomas Merton (1915-1968)

33 men emerge into the light

from the depths of Mother Earth...33 brothers held deep in her womb...today is their birthday

“Arriba ese ánimo compañeros, tenemos que organizarnos. Primero júntense todos, tenemos que rezar, pidiendo a Dios que el sondaje llegue a tiempo de reventar. Pasan tres semanas y no deja de sonar; uno pasa de largo, otro hasta la mitad. Escúchame Dios mío, no puedo más. Lo único que pensé en ese momento es decirles a mi esposa e hijos que lo lamento. Ellos con ansias esperándome en esa puerta llegar. Aquí adentro me puse a llorar. Pasaron unos días sin saber de nada, sale un sondaje en la madrugada. Ya lo otro ustedes lo saben: amigos míos, la voz de chilenos habíamos oído." -
Víctor Zamora

hoy te pinto de celeste

remembering my Papa-Coco on his birthday



nació un 12 de octubre

entre cielos azules

y mares morados



los pájaros cantaban

las mariposas bailaban


amado abuelo


con luna llena

y sol fuerte

hoy te pinto de celeste

women of light, mujeres de luz

we sat in circle sharing our stories, our joys, our worries...
women of light...mujeres de luz

10.10.10

we gathered in sacred circle in gratitude and celebration

all we are saying is give peace a chance

"All we are saying is give peace a chance..."
- John Lennon (1940 – 1980)

Happy 70th Birthday John

blue skies & fairy-tales

today's blue skies and singing birds remind me of an ongoing collection of fairy-tales, a group of short stories and poems I dedicate to the nature spirits...

El Reino de los Duendes

Se encuentra dentro del Bosque Verde Esmeralda

Al tope de la Avenida Imaginación

Una cuadra hacia el Amor


direcciones cortesía: Duende Verde Duque Mayor

 
originally posted in March 2007
from my CASI-MIRA collection of Fairy-Tales

new moon in libra

tonight I ask Mother Moon for clarity as I begin another blessed, grateful year of life on this planet

inner rhythm

 
Growing up, I often moved to the rhythms of others.  Today, I sing my own song and dance to the beat of my own drum.  I follow my inner rhythm...I must...

wander & hunt

"You wander from room to room
hunting for the diamond necklace
that is already around your neck!"  - RUMI

silver liquid singing kisses

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. - Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

new beginnings

she is everywhere

volcano mother

birthing new beginnings
 
photograph is from a series I began back in 2002

y luz infinita

I dreamed with blue oceans and lions

I heard his voice calling to me

I wrote to him in blue spanish



lineas azules

besos celestes

abrazos morados risas rosadas

y luz infinita


excerpt from a letter

our songs

we may not have the answers, but we have our songs

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. - Maya Angelou