Spring in Victoria

The cold grey days of winter on the island are giving way to the warmer joys of spring and it is the perfect time to open the windows to let in the fresh air and start planning spring projects. For me this means fixing up the garden. I can't say gardening has ever been at the top of my list of things to do but I do get a wonderful sense of accomplishment when taking an over grown area chocked with weeds and turning it into a area of beauty where the plants all have room to stretch and grow.
Feeling the earth in my hands and the ache in my back provides my soul with a sense of connection and well being and so as I start my day with shovel and rake at the ready I will be thankful, grateful and my Spirit will smile.

Blessed be. Love and Light,

Old Hurts

I was given the message recently that sometimes the oldest hurts that we harbour, the ones that we have held so long that they feel like a part of us, are not always ours at all. They are often family hurts passed from parent to child through one or many generations.
I have harboured a hurt within my body. I held it so tight I thought it were not only my hurt but a part of who I am. Today I was made aware that this "blockage", this area of unresolved hurt that I have allowed to live within me, that I have fostered and nurtured and given power to, is not actually my hurt at all but an energy I took on from the disease that took my mothers life.
Today a breath a deep breath and take the initial steps to release this blockage and let go of the blocked energy that I had been holding on to. It does not serve me and so I release it out to the universe and ask to be guided into health and well being.

Check in with your own bodies to see if you too are harbouring hurts that are not truly yours. Perhaps it is causing you to make decisions that are not best for you or pushing you in a direction that is not really your path to follow. Let go of all that is not your authentic self, let go of the stagnated energy and make peace with your true energy and your true self.

Blessed be. Love and light,

Magic

I am reading a book at the moment on being a Wild Witch and Green Spirituality. I'm always interested in different faiths and after doing a little reading on Wicca last year I was interested to find this book and see the differences. For instance, in Green Spirituality there is no Deity to worship just an acceptance that we are part of the creator energy and that there are different Spirits that we can pray to to assist us in certain areas of our lives. We prayer for their knowledge and guidance and in return we give their wisdom a voice here on earth. In this way it is an equal exchange of energy rather than a gift being bestowed upon us by a God or Goddess.
Now whether this is my belief or yours is not what I gleaned most out of my reading thus far but what really struck me is to live a magical life. Not with spells and potions but to see the magic in the everyday. It may be witnessing a flower spring up through the sidewalk in a concrete jungle, or feeling a refreshing rain just when your soul felt dry. Perhaps it is carefully making a healing soup for a sick friend and putting love into the broth along with a bay leaf or finding joy in a chore that you normally hate to do.
We live in a spectacular world that is filled with every day magic if we are just open to experiencing it. For me this is a wonderful view to take and one I will certainly adopt.

I hope you to have a wonderful and magical day.
Blessed be. Love and light,

The Apple Tree

There is a small Apple tree in our garden, close to the fence between our neighbours and us. Next door they have a huge grape vine and over the years the vine has crept over and used the little apple tree to support its self. During this time the vine has thrived but the apple tree has been forced to grow under the weight of it causing it to grow in a direction that it normally wouldn't.
We have now freed the little apple tree from the wight of the vine and although I now think the tree will be able to grow more easily there is no doubt that it is forever changed by its experience.

How much I have learned from this apple tree and vine for at times I have lived with the weight of another and it has formed how I grow. As well at times, I have placed my burdens on others and expected them to carry me so that I may thrive. To support others is noble but we must not take on so much that it changes who we are or our individual growth.
Throughout our lives we take the role of both the apple tree and the vine but to find a harmony in our garden of life is to find a way to thrive while carrying our own weight and burdens.

Happy gardening! Love and light,

An angel

This morning I started my day, as usual, with a walk with my wonderful partner Eric and our 2 happy dogs. It is a great way to stretch out the tight limbs after sleep and set you in the right frame of mind for the day ahead. Then it is home for coffee and breakfast before sending Eric off to work.
My next morning routine is to check email and more often than not to read Corinne Johnson's blog. She is not only a talented artist, yoga teacher, and business woman but is also an amazing friend and insightful angel in my life. This morning I read her post called "Knowing" (http://corinnejohnson.blogspot.com/2007/02/knowing.html) and was blown away by her talent for seeing truth. Please give it a read and if you are lucky enough to live or visit Calgary then sign up for a yoga class with Corinne and experience her wisdom, beauty and knowledge first hand.

Corinne, you continue to amaze me with your wisdom and light. Thank you for being in my life.
Blessed be. Love and light,

The "Full" in each of us

I was thinking this morning about how often we use certain words. As a song writer, I am constantly deciding on which words to use.
On a daily basis I use words to describe my empathy to a friend, my feelings to my partner, my memories to my family. What struck me this morning is the meaning I find in the "Full" words.
Peace-Full, Grate-Full, Joy-Full...
These are Wonder-Full words and I can say that each time I use a "Full" word I will be conscience of just how full my life is and how blessed I am.
May your life and each moment of it be also full.
Blessed be. Love and light,

Complexity of dreams

I am learning that dreams can be our best friend and hugest helper or our biggest hindrance.
It is imperative to dream so as to create the life you wish to lead but it is also imperative to act on your dreams so they don't become stale. The universe, God, or Goddess that you believe in can't make your dreams happen. They can only provide you with opportunities and signs along your path to assist you in making your dreams a reality. The manifestation is your responsibility.
Keep walking, planning, and trying to accomplish all that you desire and take time everyday to give thanks for all that you already have, as your life is perfect for you in this moment no matter how much of a struggle it may seem.

Keep dreaming, keep creating. Be bold and be GREAT-Full.

Blessed be. Love and light,

GreyEl - A family reunited

Over Christmas we had gone away to Montreal to get married and it was a wonderful time but unfortunately while we were away our cat escaped from the peoples house who were looking after him. They were very upset and so were we when we returned to find our little family missing a member. That was back in late December '06. We contacted all the animal rescues, the pound, and put up flyer's but didn't hear a thing until 2 weeks ago when a lady phoned to say that a cat matching the description of ours had been eating the food she put out in her yard for the crows. We kept going to try and see if it was him but every time we were there he was no where to be seen. I started to loose hope that we would ever see our little Orange cougar but then yesterday after a wonderful weekend away Eric phone to let me know that not only had he seen GreyEl but he had managed to bring him home. It has been 2 months since our little cat went missing and now here he is sitting in my lap and loving all the attention he is getting. Apart from being a little thin GreyEl is in good shape and we feel very blessed to have our family back and complete.
Thank you to the Goddess for answering our prayers.
Love and light,

Wonderful Gifts & a Weekend of FUN!!!

A few years ago I moved from Alberta to British Columbia and although I love it here I miss the amazing friends that I have in Calgary. Last week was especially tough as a surprise stagette had been arranged for my dear friend Kim who is marrying her beau in Maui this month. I knew I would be unable to get away for the wedding and certainly wouldn't be able to go to the stag in Calgary this weekend so I was feeling a little blue but keeping it to my self, or at least so I thought.
On Thursday evening, my partner, Eric, showed up with a surprise ticket for me to fly in to party and celebrate with my friends &I was blown away. Eric had contacted my friend Jo and arranged the whole thing with her. To say it was a whirlwind trip would be an understatement but I got to see the look on Kim's face when she walked into her surprise night and that was worth moving heaven and earth.
Friends are an amazing gift and so is the time we have to spend with them. Getting to put my arms around the Goddesses that I am so blessed to call my friends (Jo, Chi, CJ, Kim, & Shane, honorary Goddess) was the ultimate gift. Thanks girls for a great time! Thanks Eric for knowing what I need even when I don't say it out loud. You are my greatest gift of all!!!!!
Love and light,

A visit from my Mum

Last night I had the most wonderful dream...

Eric and I were at my grandparents farm in England with all of our family and friends. We were going to be getting married at the farm and everyone was sleeping on couches, floors, and spilling out of the spare rooms. The best part of the dream was that my mother was there. In the dream she was living somewhere glamorous in Europe and had flown in to spend time with us before the big day. She looked smashing in a fitted suite and extremely high heals. Mum gave me a watch and brought me some shoes (This seemed significant at the time) ????. Then her and I crept into the kitchen while everyone else was sleeping and sat with a pot of coffee catching up.

The reason that this dream was so amazing is because my Mum passed away 15 years ago. Since her death I have had many dreams where she was there but very few in which she was a main part of the dream. Her energy normally just sits at the edges making herself known but not actually participating. Sometimes I will go for months without her showing up at the edge of my dreams and I have always hoped that this meant her Spirit were off having a wonderful adventure. I'd also like to think that us catching up over a pot of coffee last night in my dream was a way of her sharing all she had been up to.
Thank you for your night time visits Mum. You remind me to live my own adventures. I love you!

With Age Comes Wisdom & the Desire to be Naked

An excerpt from Anneliese's upcoming novel....If it ever gets finished :-)

James was approaching from the lap area and I smiled as he neared me.
“All set then?” He asked. I nodded and followed him to the area for swimming laps where he left me to do my swim in the slow lane. James was in the faster lane of course with the real swimmers.
The swim its self went by in a blur and before long I could see it was time to get changed and leave. James escorted me to the entrance of the change room where I knew I would have the next horror of the open shower room.
My strategy was to turn on the tap, strip with my face to the wall and pretend that I always showered with my eyes closed and only for thirty seconds.

Bathing suite off – check
Front of body rinsed – check
Quick spin to rinse my back (horrifying as it meant facing a whole room of other naked women) - check.

In warp speed I was dry, dressed and waiting for James in the lobby. It was only then, sitting and waiting, that I realized I had survived the public pool experience and made it through getting dressed in a changing room full of older naked women without seeing a nipple, a buttock or a trace of pubic hair.
Looking back now I think I must have kept my eyes shut the whole time as the next morning was quite a different experience.

Stay tuned for more excerpts from "With Age come Wisdom & the Desire to be Naked"

My favorite author Kris Radish

I just finished reading "Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral" by my favorite author Kris Radish. During this book I laughed, cried, prayed, talked to loved ones on the other side, evaluated my own friendships and life, and then laughed, and cried again.
This book is filled with so many wonderful nuggets that I would reccomened that everyone read it and then read it again another 10 or so times.

Kris Radish was introduced to me by my wonderful friend Joanne a Goddess among the best of them.
Radish has written 2 other books that I loved called "The Elegant Gathering of White Snows" and "Dancing Naked at the Edge of Dawn". They are heart filled hillarious novels that oppitimize the love that women find with their female friends and Radish also helps women see themselves in the characters she creates while also providing amazing insights that apply to men and women.
The first book of hers that I read , "The Elegant Gathering of White Snows", was what pulled me off the floor after a rather crippling life event and showed me that after hardship can come joy and rebirth.
I will forever be in debt to Kris Radish, Woman, Author and Goddess and in debt to her magical characters and their amazing stories.
www.krisradish.com/
PS: My darling soul sisters, should anything happen to me please celebrat my life like Annie's friends celebrated hers. Lets though not wait for one of us to leave this earth. Lets plan a get together where we can share all of our hopes, dreams, memories and stories. Please know everyday how much I love each of you...