The Spiral

As we finish this phase of our journey into Wholeness, I remind myself that it's all a spiral, not a closure, but an opening into 'what's next!'

I continue with journies inner & outer - sorting clothes this AM, hanging some, putting some in the 'redistribute' pile! I try not to take to long with this part - have I worn it recently? Am I likely to? Do I still enjoy it . . . energy zappers or energy booster?

I think of which Spiritual Center to visit this AM - my daugher & I attend one with a great kids' program & strong voice for acceptance & tolerance in our community (large gay community, peace & justice focus, & empowering each other on our spiritual journey), the other is a smaller New Thought community - also filled with love & light!

I have so enjoyed this journey with all of you - plan to take part in the next book group, & so appreciated the 'boost' I've received from this phase of the spiral!!

Here's a bit of a song I wrote with Tuille, honoring the maple, cedar & black walnut trees that brought her into being! (for the seasons, I begin with the one we're in - truely winter now, but until Solstice, I'll sing 'autumn' 1st)

And my roots go down
Reaching for the water
And my branches soar
Shining, in the sun
And the seasons turn
Autumn into Winter
Spring into the Summer
My spirit dances on!

O Sada, it is good! May we be blessed

Love Circles & Cycles

With the 'babies' still here, love was easy! I love Denise's wording of this practice - I often do a varient,she invites consistency & intention.

My daughter & I raked leaves, & I piled them on my gardens, with visions of spring. I still haven't planted garlic & arugula; they do well in our mild winters.

My son's 35th BD is later this week, so when they came to pick the littles up, we circled around looking for a restaurant that was open @ 11 AM (he favored Chinese) & had room for 8! The Chinese & Thai places were closed; the lovely little 'slow dining' cafe couldn't seat 8 for awhile, . . . but the Mexican Rest. across the street was open with lots of room, so in we went! Hot plates - & the littlest one scorched a finger!
It's newly opened, & good. The space is big, & a couple of restaurants have come & gone; this is the first time someone's put in booths & dividers, making it much more homey; & it's the only Mexican Restaurant in the downtown area; there's a high end Spanish Rest down the street.

Their new puppy (mostly chihuahua, maybe a bit of terrier?) came along, & puppies evoke love like no other! He's so SOFT, makes my chi, Gracie, look so big! Pancho has a new 'santa' suite - so stinkin cute!

My daughter wanted chicken & rice soup, so we made stock! After living at Breitenbush, I keep my veggie trimmings (no broccoli or other cole trimmings) in the freezer, & pull them out for stock! She had a chicken carcass, & we threw that in the crock pot in the morning, with some of those frozen goodies, & after my son's family left, & we dropped the oldest off for a FOUR HOUR ballet rehersal (need I say, Nutcracker?!) . . . we strained the broth, pulled the chicken off the bones, & started the rice soup.
I recall a wonderful witchy suggestion for stiring the soup in circular style, blessing it as it simmers.

Love, in tangible form!

Visions of Vastness

I have been a bit slow with this - grandkids (almost 3 & 5) visiting for a couple of days - they stayed next door last night, then there was the Parade (they rode on the float with their cousins) . . .

(Illahee Tsiltsil Shanti from back lot line)

*************************
What a delightful year it has been
at first I was nervous about my dau. Mary's move 'across town
but it's worked out great! We still get together, & the folks
who bought their home are delightful neighbors.

I'm so happy when I walk thru my house & feel serenity radiating
from every surface & nook! It was worth the effort to truely
sort & organize! & the best is the garage - it's on it's way
to being a little haven of it's own.
I've been doing more crafts & begun getting calls to
teach some of the skills I've been aquiring.
I took that SoulCollage Facilitators' workshop in March, &
have been to another workshop at Breitenbush!
After the adventures last year (Las Vegas to se Sher, Mexico)
I wasn't sure this year would hold much travel,
but it has! & each journey has been effortless & delightful!

I have decided to be on the Art Harvest Studio tour next year,
& the garage studio will be ready for that!
I've also been teaching Reiki, tuning forks, & flower Essence
workshops at the Spiritual Center in town!
I am part of an evolving Dance community, both taking
lessons, dancing, & teaching!

Live is rich, rewarding, delightful!
O Sada, it is good!

The Abundance of Home

Apple Tree at the Birth Center

I lived in 3 houses growing up, the 'little white house' in town, then the brown house between two towns (~ 8 miles from each); & then back to the 'pink house' that was built after WWII, one of those square boxy houses, with a lovely wood floor, 3 bedrooms, a 'round about' hall/kitchen/dining room (kids loved to visit & run round & round & round). My parents & I were all born in Oregon, as was my dad's mom (for whom this blog is named - Minnie Vestella)

I've owned three houses - a big old fixer-upper with my Scientist non-fixer hubby; someone helping us move in stepped thru the front porch floor (fortunatly, it was close enough to the ground he wasn't hurt!) & we put a piece of plywood over the hole; a niece pushed thru the front room window (ditto) & we put plastic over it, . . . . it was a block from his scientest mom & dad's, & he had a grant with his mom. I began doing massage the next year.
When we bought it, we'd been looking for something close to his folks (dear people; his mom is 93). . . the day before a neighbor 'mentioned' it was for sale, we'd walked by & I said "I could live in the house with the sunporch!"

I lived there 5 years. When decided to leave, I moved to 'the trailer with the fairy garden' - a block from the local college, & 6 blocks from the old house! It was a single wide, 2 bedroom, & just the right size for one! The kids were teens, & just down the block from the grandparents, I left them with him & the house. I remember thinking "I could live in the trailer with the fairy garden!" . . . & being surprised it was for sale! I'd thot of renting some place - but the price was good.

4 years later I moved to the mountains, to Breitenbush & life in a worker owned co-op, with team management. What a powerful, intense, delightful place to be! In the 60s my uncle Bill worked there, & I fell in love with the land! I kept the trailer, renting to a cousin for a few months, then my kids alternated living in it - they were responsible for space rent & utilities, but it was paid off :)

I was in a shared house the first Breitenbush year, 'Stonehenge' - a former tennant had brought round stones (some very large) from the river to surround the small garden in front of the house. It had a kitchen & 1/2 bath. I enjoyed playing garden, both in front of the house, sleeping upstairs with the window open to hear the River; walking in the moonlight, hugging the cedar close to the foot bridge that's my 'welcome tree' . . . chanting, drumming, dancing, singing, teaching tai chi, doing massage, working the land, walking the land, knowing the season of the moon & the sun in my bones; stars, stars, STARS!!

Growing up in Central Oregon before the days of BRIGHT MOTION SENSOR lights, (like that my neighbors just erected! Blagh. . .) I learned the summer stars with a flashlight, little golden book, & my cousins! Winter stars were harder, but my mom showed me orion, cassiopia, the dippers, the Pleiades, . . . & we sat up to watch eclipses & sattelites pass over.

The second year I moved into 'Dream Running' one of the 'picker shacks' - 9x19', with a loft bed above a clothes rod, cedar on one wall, & floor to ceiling shelves, & shared bath about 20 feet from my door. I had a little propane stove, & one of my Reiki stu. gave me a mini fridge. I had pictured the garden it needed, & was surprised to find rocks that had defined one hidden in the grass by the front porch! I called it "Star Song." Tuille came to me there, & played her in the moonlight on full moon nights. Lovely big windows on the end wall & corner! A couple of friends from the valley visited me that first week - neither had visited the year before!

Breitenbush produces 'about 2 city households' of electricity from the 1929 LaFell generator on the river; so energy is 'free' but - precious! The heat is geothermal, with a complex system of sending river water in & out of two hot mineral water wells, then thru a loop of pipes & steam radiators, & back into the well. The drinking & cooking water comes from the river, is clorinated, then refiltered before ingestion. The 'guest cabin side' has small path lights, with green gels to tone them down, the staff generally traverses the land sans flashlights.

The third year, I moved into an 8 sided house, one of 4 that surrounded a similar building that was our shared kitchen/bath. They were built the year before, & I was the 2nd occupant. 'West Wind' was just West of the Garden, 'Star Song' had been on the east side. Both were several 'city blocks' from 'Vista,' the Healing Arts house, the kitchen, lodge, sanctuary & etc.

. . . then for a few years, I lived in a small up/down duplex at the coast, while the old sweetie owner spent a sebbatical year in Europe! I'd lived in the (low) desert, the valley, the mountains; & wanted an ocean experience. I love baths. I love hot tubs, . . . there was an electric sauna at the beach house, but teenie tiny bathrooms (one up & one down), so only showers. Sigh. But the sauna (electric) was fun. . . & I'd put on the tape & sing the Tslagi Chakra Chants while in there, & cool off under the stars.

After a summer Alaska adventure, a brief reprieve at Breitenbush. This time I lived next to 'StoneHenge' in 'Star Cabin,' a 3 person place with a star shaped window facing the front path. I'd spent a few months the year before in a yurt very close to the river, 'Avelon,' filling in for one of the resident priestesses!
At Star, my roomies had set up a chore chart system, & we hosted occasional parties! I've usually been the one who may have family, or occ friends over, & attend parties, so it was fun to play hostess!
Emily did Breema (& was one of my Reiki Stu), & taught Edgu, so we would play with those & Tai Chi. & go on walks in the old growth forest, along the everpresent, ever singing river. Ray was on the Kitchen team, made great chai tea, & saved veggi trimmings in the freezer for soup stock, making soup weekly. We had a 24 hour dish rule - wash up after yourself, within 24 hours! Wash someone else's dishes if you really want to. Do your chores every week - at one of our ~ monthly house meetings, Ray told us he wished we'd all do our chores our first AM off (midweek, as weekends were busy - we happened to have the same days off), rather than putting them off . . . sigh. But it was fun to do them all together, then go on a hike :)

When I moved back to the valley, my son got married & moved from the trailer, so I moved back in. I planted a lovely circle herb garden, surrounded by stones brot from Breitenbush.
After a few years, I began looking at houses around town. This was a neighborhood I'd walked in, I had a friend down the block, . . . my house was the first I looked at!
But it was more than I could spend, so I looked at others, & had begun the process of buying a 'fixer upper' that reminded me of a Breitenbush house, . . . when my daugher noticed this one had come down in price! I was finding more wrong with the other; this one had a lot done in the mid 90s by the owner - sheetrock & lots of insulation, double hung windows, refinished fir floor, a half bath upstairs, foundation (it had been post & beam) . . . so really didn't need any work!

Each place has felt like home - & a lot of that feeling is related to the land, the gardens. I work with them in fits & spurts - putting more effort in some years. When we had our first family home here (we were in rentals the first 10 years - funny - I didn't mention those, did I?? Had veggie gardens at several! 4 houses & an apt!)
When we moved here, we had planted gardens for years for my in-laws, & we began our garden (lovely large lot), but my hubby stopped gardening. Looking back, I realize he went through a period of depression - later he took it up again. & laments now that he's rather between gardens.

Illahee Tsil Tsil Shanti - place of the singing stars. I have a front porch with lots of plants, have planted several areas around the house, & have some of those river rocks defining them (to the chagrin of folks that occasionally mow the grass strips!) There was already an herb garden in back, with self seeding parsley & california poppies; I've planted more lavender, a wagon train red rose from my Aunt Mattie, some fruit trees, blueberries, raspberries, seaberries, a wolf berry, currents, a bay tree, an olive, my vine & fig, . . .

My oldest grand daugther is now 8, & I've spent those years doing a lot of child care, the first year, daily; then less as she entered preschool & school - my choice, as my grandmas passed before I was born.
I am the (grand)parent volunteer at the little one's playschool - 2 mornings a month, with some 'date night' times, or movies, . . . My son lives 2 hours away, so time with his littles is less - we had Thanksgiving at their house, & brought them back with us - they are staying with their cousins at my daughters'.

This week, my daugher began looking at a house across town! For 9 months she lived with me, going thru a divorce & getting clear of debt - then bought the house behind mine 2 years ago! ,Our yards adjoin & we cut an opening in the chain link fence. The girls can come over 'any time,'
She's getting remarried, & her 2 bedroom house is tight. He IS a fixer, so has just finished a beautiful remodel of the bathroom, has put in a dishwasher, . . . .

I have mixed feelings - it is so handy to have her next door!! I don't really have community in the neighborhood - a chiropractor who lives a block away was part of our energy circle for a year or so, I have other friends sattered around town & in other areas, do things with them, but not much hostessing - is it time for that to change??

I have begun thinking more about my house, my bit of land. The gardens have been neglected the last several years. So this process of Soul coaching has given a much needed push to begin really sorting thru stuff, thinking about how I want to set up my yard & space. & have thought of - maybe, perhaps - doing something artistic consistently enough to be on the studio tour! But - I'd have to have a 'studio' . . .

There's a french door & window wall on the E of my small living room - so a nice sunny corner for that chair Denise suggests - something I'd already thought of doing! The adirondack bench needs to move from the back yard to the front porch, & the table back into the dining 'nook'.

There were tall shrubs on her side of the chain link fence, there's a wooden fence on the N, & chain link with 'slats' on S, so my yard is private, . . . we took the shrubs out, & cut the fence, so I've been thinking about what I want on my side to restore privacy, if they do move.

The altar is set up, I lit incense & candles this AM, & think I'll go play harp awhile.

Blessings, all :)

Blessing from a Dancer

May blessings of the wind continue to comfort and move things along their way whenever we feel frozen in the fields of forlorn.

May blessings of water nourish and provide sustenance for the continuance of growth.

May blessings of earth supply the firm and unshakable strength of purpose that moves us along in the everyday dance.

May blessings of fire burn through the illusions and mental traps the set us up to mislead us from our true nature, dancing mystics moving as the soul of the world.

vinn marti, in love and gratitude - Vinn teaches Ecstatic Dance & has 'Soul Motion' in Portland, OR -- this sure fits our theme month, doesn't it??

One with the Mother

In a few minutes I will do the meditation with my 1st harp, Tuilleadh (Tilly), "to give abundantly, in full measure." We lived at Breitenbush Hot Springs Resort & the Oregon coast in the mid 90s, she is infused with Reiki, & offers a wonderful connection with the earth energies. We'll begin with the 'Breitenbush River Ripple,' the first song that came to us, & see what else we want to play. (in the photo I was playing for a Breema workshop in the Forest Shelter at Breitenbush (surrounded by douglas fir, with french doors & windows overlooking the river, & a huge skylight, open to the stars.)


Here's my tea camellia in bloom - see the tiny pink buds?? At the Chinese Gardens this summer, I had some tea blossom tea - so now I know I can use them that way!! This one does better in a pot, tho it's fine on the porch during the winter; I have a larger leaved Russian one in my back yard.

Later today I'm going out to give a new mom massage at a local birthing center, & may get over to the lovely giant & dawn redwoods in the park by our library (across the street from my office - are you envious yet?) & there's a deodar cedar as well - sigh. One of my favoritest of all!!

Once I played her Tuille for friends with an elderly dog, Chetwin. At one point, Chet 'told' his mom "Is that another way she talks? It makes my whole body feel good!" How sweet is that? Chet suffered from aluminum poisoning, he'd chewed a bunch of pop cans their kids (long grown now) had collected.

I've looked forward to sharing this all week - a powerful practice for clearing the land, compliments of Molly Sheehan of Green Hope Essences - do check out her site if you've been feeling drawn to the flowers!! Or just to see some great photos, if you need to connect from inside :)
Several years ago, I asked Molly's permission to share this story & cleansing process, & she graciously agreed, saying that the more people doing this or similar processes the better! Machaelle Wright of Perelandra teaches similar processes in her Garden Workbooks, & offers her own powerful essences.

* I printed out a copy, put it in a vinyl 'sheet protector,' & posted it in my shower, & would clear the land each morning as I cleansed myself! Currently I keep one on an altar. It really does only take a few minutes, & is well worth the extra effort!

If you have a name for your land/home, use that (Mine's Illahee Tsil Tsil Shanti - place of the stars singing (Chinook jargon - the trade language used by the NW natives between tribes & with the settlers, inc. grandma Mary. The name has travelled with me.

** Imagine the boundaries of the land you wish to clear (you may want to have a map of your property, if it's larger, & may be guided to clear it in sections. If you're in an apt., clear your own space, imagining the grounding cord of the apt going into the earth below you, & clear the land surrounding the apt. Pay attention to guidance on what suites your circumstances.

Molly comments that the guides & devas delight in being asked to help us, "A group of spiritual entities connected with Nature do the actual energy cleansing but this group cannot do this work unless a human asks them to do it. It is one of our vital roles in the co-creation & maintenance of earth. If a human doesn't ask for energy cleansing for a piece of land & this land is holding a lot of negativity, spirit's only options for removing this negativity are extreme weather." What a perfect time to share this process!!

Energy Cleansing Process

Find a quiet & comfortable place to center yourself.
"Ask for assistance from:
The Overlighting Deva of the piece of land you want to clean. This being from the Angelic realm holds the divine plan for this piece of land. (Deva is a Sanskrit word meaning 'being of Light')
Angels Overlighting the land. They work with the Deva
The Elementals of the land. These are the beings who bring land into form & then hold it there so we can live in a physical world. Gnomes for the Earth element, Undine with water, Sylphs work with air, & Salamanders with fire.
Pan, Head Elemental of Earth (Machaelle Wright calls Pan the CEO of Nature)
Any Ascended Master of God realized being who is connected with this piece of land. There may or may not be any connected, depending on the piece of land. (You can always invite the presence of the Ascended Master Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, Quan Yin, St Germain, & other Masters with whom you you feel connected.)
Deva of the Earth's atmosphere, Lunaria
Deva of the Earth's surface, Sapphalo
Deva of the sun in the center of the Earth, Darndella
Our Sun, Helios & Vesta.

"After you call in this group, ask them to CLEANSE, CLEAR, RE-BALANCE & ILLUMINATE the land you are clearing.

"You can visualize all the negativity being removed from the land both below & above the ground. You can visualize yourself or an angel holding a sword (Michael/Michaella) cutting all the negativity free, perhaps spinning in a circle holding the sword out; or you can imagine a big gyroscope whirling & cleansing. The image only needs to work for you. If visualization isn't possible, it's OK. The land will still be cleansed because you have asked to have it done. Close the session with a thanks to everyone involved.

"This is the bare bones of a process. Over time you will probably develop your own individual approach. For example, you may get to know the names of the Deva & Angels of the land. You may get shown a process that will improve on this one. You may get asked to do several pieces of land. Thank you for doing this service."

** I also like to imagine a hedge of roses (think Brier Rose) with portals of violet flame at the entrances, clearing folks' energy as they enter or leave. At times I erect a golden pyramid above my property (rectangular here :) or a violet bubble - check in & see if any images come!
Any time you feel vulnerable, are concerned about weather or safety, take a few moments to do this process. It helps to have quick name for the process - you may simply invite 'Devas, Angels & guides of land clearing, please CLEANSE, CLEAR, RE-BALANCE & ILLUMINATE this land!'

Physiology - walking proud

Walking proud - As a child, my mom often told me to 'stand up!' & my piano teacher 'sit up straight!' & I was clumsy - usually one or the other knee wore a bandage, & I stubbed my toes on the way to get the mail if I didn't wear shoes (& who wants to wear shoes all the time??)
It wasn't till my adult ballet classes that I began to find my upright, goddess self! On a walk with my sis-in law ~ 25 years ago, we passed a store window & she commented she loved to walk with me, (she also took ballet) as I was 'the only one' who carried myself like she did!

When I walk down the street, I sometimes find myself pulling myself up straight - no need to slump!! & head up - I recall a gutsy African American 'city gal' talking about that 'don't mess with me' posture - head up! shoulders back!!

-- What a day!! BUSY with only a couple of tiny breaks! Good, & full of movement.

But first - yesterday: the gal I rented my last office space from invited me to come give her mom a Reiki session. What a sweet, sharp & witty woman!! At 93, she's been blind for >20 years, & has electrical field sensitivity, due to listening to SO MANY books on tape with big headphones. So we decided to try Reiki for rebalancing.
I sat beside her on her bed, & asked permission to drape her arm over my lap as I worked, & she leaned into me & said "Dia, you are MY KIND of people!!" Sweet session - she commented that she usually coughed, but tho her throat tickled, she hadn't needed to; & that was one of the trouble spots - a hiatal hernia.
At the end of the session, her legs began jiggling & 'dancing,' & she kept saying "I'm not doing it!!" & "Whee!!" . . . & later sat up by herself, more limber than before. She was bubbling over.
Her daughter teased her about her "resistance" to having me come - "Tell Nadya about your resistance!" We giggled - such a dear, dear woman!! She writes poetry, & some were put into a book a few years ago - they gave me a copy.
This one came in a dream in 1997 (she was already 'blind' in eyes - but not in spirit!)

I lift my little candle high
As I walk alone the paths of night
To guide the lightless passerby
I ask you, Lord, let me be light.
(Mary Day, 1997)

Today I got up early & went to Deep Water Aerobics!! I haven't been for a couple of months - since going to Mexico. It just sounds so cold! It's not really, but I got out of the habit of going.
I dry brushed before going to the pool, drank chaparral tea, then after class got carrot, beet, celery + ginger juice at the Whole Foods store. I added some kelp 'krinkles' to the juice, later had miso soup with Tempe & kelp (have been making it fresh with hot water from our 'tea' spigget) . . . brown & red rice with tofu & veggies when I got home.
I feel a bit tired, but also energized - did the Soaring Crane Qigong sequence & a self tuning fork session before my last client.

Oh! & also yesterday: our new lady Doc has just taken training to develop intuition, & asked permission to 'read' several of us. She'd begun a week & 1/2 ago, & finally had a chance to 'sit with' my field again (at a distance) & finish the reading.
She feels the energy in her body, scanned from the head down (& the client - me :) - does any 'healing' themselves).
Each time, she had a sense of a heavy band around my chest, which shifted when acknowledged; & then would feel on L lower (colon?) . . . & at the very end it moved down to her Rt foot.

She had an image of me sitting in a room, ~ 3 yrs. old, listening to adults with raised voices in the other room. A sense of wanting to be quiet - putting that band around my chest (avoiding conflict? Who, me?? in the wing area :) )
That would be about the time we moved from town about 10 miles, to 40 acres, & my dad was prob. driving school bus. By the time I began school, we moved back closer to town. My folks 'bickered' at each other at times, I could picture my mom being upset about moving - finances? My dad had several diff jobs till I was 9 & he found the position he held till retirement.

She felt a cord from my heart, & another from my power centre (Solar plexus) 'pulling' me back & off center; commented it's really hard for you to ground, you're being pulled off center! This felt more recent.

Her teacher's sug. on that is to follow the cord back behind you 'into the mist' & give a little tug, to see who follows it out :) & then 'you have the right to cut the cord - but don't be surprised if the person calls you in a few days!' (feeling the energy shift) She pictured me 'meditating on a chair in your room' to clear the cord. One of my tools is to picture a rose at the edge of my energy field, where the cord passed out - to help 'protect' & seal the energy - keep the cord from reattaching.
My immediate sense was LIPID (you'll love this - the Last Inappropriate Person I Dated) . . . & a whisper of attachment from a boyfriend I dated years ago! She asked about a brother, but I'm an only child, & no chance of another. & I haven't explored past Life relationships with the more recent fellow (I left the Rel ~ 3 1/2 years ago)
& the feeling on her right foot 'I kept feeling you can't move forward, you can't take a step - the cords are pulling you back!'

So, in light of the Soul Coaching, I was more than happy to go sit in that chair & meditate & cut some cords!! I'd noticed one of my co-workers had a bit of time, so I had already booked a half hour massage; & visioned the work on my back smoothing over & healing the area where I'd removed the cords.
I invited my wings to be freed - taking off, now!!

At the Round Dance class last night, I felt - lighter, interacting with the guys, & found out one with a lovely voice (he calls square dances) is single :) I've been taking the classes with a dance buddy - totally sweet, but dated one of my gal friends several years ago, & we do well as dance buddies :)

OK - today
- eating lightly, exercising (water aerobics & qigong) . . .
- cleansing tea, water at work - drinking 'blessed' water here! I added a few drops of my 'Longevity' flower essence:

Anemone - fresh breath, new beginnings)
Black Current - clear 7 generations of Karmic 'stuff'
Canyon Dudleya - Spirit guides, receive spiritual inspiration from 'ordinary' exp.
Date Palm - spinal alignment
Heavenly Bamboo - Pillar of light - light moving thru every chakra
Jasmine - Ignite God Spark

Lotus - Master healer, bridge water & air

I look forward to tomorrow's adventures1