Women In-Spirit

      In a childhood photograph my Mother walks on a beach with her arms full of wind-dried sea grasses. With her gentle smile and her tousled blond curls peeking out from the hood of her coat, she exudes an aura of relaxed vitality. My brother and I, bundled in coats and hats, cheeks rosy pink from the wind, lead the way that day upon that wide, empty beach. I can still hear the seagulls screaming above the thundering surf of the Atlantic, feel the sharp wind slap, taste the salt on my lips. My pockets were assuredly filled with treasures; seashells, pebbles and bits of driftwood all polished smooth by the sea. And I remember how the ocean made me feel wide inside, open and wild, free and alive but also inextricably connected.        Mother loved to tell us stories of her childhood especially her early years growing up on the ocean; of being a mariner scout or when she and Grandpa were rescued by the Coast Guard one fateful fishing trip. She would loo...

       At this writing we are just in the 'dark of the moon' phase before Thursday's New Moon. The night sky is dark as there is no solar reflection off the face of the moon. Within three days a new crescent sliver will appear. Psychically this is a time ripe for inner retrospect, for deep listening. I usually find that I am tired mentally and physically and am instinctively introspective by this phase each month. Considering that we are also in a mercury retrograde I am especially so. It's time to honor and make space for extra rest, for journaling, and for spending time reviewing the past month. Somewhere under this veil of darkness there is something that unsettles me, something I need to hold and release. Holding on to it weakens me, so now is the time to circle round that wound casting it into the light of healing and forgiveness.       This particular pathway The Forgiveness of Light, #34,   falls then at precisely the right time. Some ...

     Considering the current upheaval on so many levels of our society this is an aptly themed discussion on having “Flexible Strength" which couldn't be more timely in my estimation.      Some years back now I was inspired to explore each of the 99 Pathways in the “Sufi Book of Life”, a book written by Neil Douglas-Klotz, through art and the medium of collage. I had been using the book as part of my daily spiritual practice and thought that exploring it through the expression of art would bring me a deeper experience and understanding. And it has! With this post I have now completed my 33rd pathway, I am one third of the way through. The synchronistic manner in which each creative process enfolds, sometimes over the course of days or even weeks; of images that make themselves seen, of how the collage 'becomes' in its own time, never fails to amaze me. It can't be rushed. And the creating of the collage is both separate yet connected with the writing of thi...

       Twenty-five plus years ago I read Julia Cameron’s book “ The Artist’s Way-A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity” and to this day I practice her main tenets; morning pages, artist dates and walking. Mind you at different times some have gone by the way side temporarily or been adapted differently like morning pages became “whenever I can write the pages” pages, or for a time they were not handwritten but rather typed into a file on my computer. I’m never separated from them for long. They have become a ritual that feeds me.      I was reminded of the importance of “artist dates” this past Sunday when I attended an Art and Music festival in Hamilton, Ohio at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park. Strolling through tents looking at art under warm, sunny skies and trees changing into their colorful autumn wardrobe while enjoying classical music is near perfect an artist date as one can get! Especially since the pandemic has sent most of us to our rooms to wai...

                        “First, flashes of lightning           From an unknown horizon,                      Then rays of light                             Showing the path ahead,                Finally, light all around,                      The brilliance revealed                              Only to those who                                    Turn their senses within.”                         -Al-Qushayri        Through Women Inspirit I share ...

Cypriot  Mother Goddess statuette.      At the end of 2018 a friend in London posted a picture, similar to this one, of a bird-faced goddess figurine that she saw in an exhibit at a British museum. I was intrigued and my curiosity piqued. I was inspired to try my hand at needle-felting the statue which I eventually completed last year. And then sadly I placed her on a shelf and got on with other projects, not giving her much thought honestly again until just a couple of weeks ago. In my morning spiritual work I randomly choose a reading from a book. That day I picked up one of my favorite books called The Song of Eve by Manuela Dunn Mascetti. This beautifully illustrated book is a study in Feminine archetypes and how we as women embody these powerful personalities still today even though the patriarchy has tried its best to repress them. In my way I will hold a book in my hands and ask for guidance and direction and then randomly open the book. I was startled...

    “Be empty of what you think you know.” Rumi Pathway 30, Subtle Mystery.      In order for anything of value to come into Being it must be nurtured, nourished, paid attention to and held. This is a process that begins with a seed being planted. It is held in the dark embrace of its container. If it is nourished by what we feed it,  soothed and bathed in the healing waters of life, nurtured by the warmth of our hearts and cultivated by our intent it will grow. And I’ll add,  if we can look upon this process with eyes and hearts full of wonder and awe then it is not just the life of the seed that is enriched but truly our own lives as well.      This holds true for anything we wish to create; art, a garden, our spiritual path, healthy and loving relationships to each other and the Earth, and to our selves. It is not enough to just drop the seed and hope for the best. Tending to life takes work, dedication, mindfulness and res...