Wishcast Wednesday:What do you wish to give yourself permission for?

Hi fellow wishers and dreamers.
Today over at Jamie Ridler's Studio the wish prompt is What do you wish to give yourself permission for?

WOW Jamie that is a BIG one. So many women I know speak of having that internal permission needed gene in them, myself included, where it comes from I don't know.
Maybe it was put there by our families or society, who knows but it is a pain in the arse.

So in a world filled with wishing the things I would wish to give myself permission for are:

1. Permission to be ME, the me that is not out to please anyone but who does the right thing for herself. I am not talking about selfishness, I am taking about doing what feels right to you not going against your grain to please someone else.
2. Permission to create and explore my creativity and to not feel like it is a waste of time, that is not my true voice saying that.
3. Permission to speak my words, to be heard, not to feel ashamed or embarrassed by my sensitive side or my anxieties. To know what I feel is true for me even if it does not fit other's ideas of reality.

You know I think I am going to stick to 3 for today, there are many more things I can add, but these are 3 big ones. I will let these sit and be wished upon for a bit.

So my fellow wishers what are you giving yourself permission for today.

Namaste,
Karen

Blog it Forward: What inspires me?

Hi.
I am participating in a blog it forward mash up created by Victoria over at SFGIRLBYBAY
and the prompt is "What Inspires You"

I am inspired by so many things and people I will try to organize my thoughts here to list a few.

1. Nature: I am so inspired visually by nature, the colors, the textures, the sounds, all of it. I am especially drawn to trees, here is a mosaic of some of the pics I have taken of trees.
(click picture to see detail)


2. Blogging and the blogosphere, I have met so many wonderful people here through e-courses and blogging in general. I am daily inspired by their creativity, courage, wit and humility as the deal with life's ups and downs. I am especially grateful to Jamie Ridler over at Jamie Ridler's Studio. I have met many wonderful bloggers through her Wishcast Wednesday and Full Moon Dream board group, and it just goes on from there you meet someone and then find someone else through their blog. It is overwhelming at times keeping up but I love all that I have seen and heard.
There are too many blogs to list each one here but the ones I read and visit I thank you for the inspiration.
I have also met many bloggers through these e-courses:
Mondo Beyondo: The safe space and community that Jen Lemen and Andrea Scher have created over at Mondo has been a blessing, Unravelling (see #3) and Leonie's Goddess School: the magic and creating going on over at the goddess school is so cool. These are the e-courses I have completed I have some others in process that I will write about when I finish those classes/projects.

3. I have been very drawn to photography and poetry lately. The two sites I visit regularly for inspiration on photo taking and poetry are:
Susannah Conway over at Ink on My Fingers and Jen Lee over at Jen Lee. I had the great experience of taking Susannah's Unravelling E-Course and I can honestly say it has changed the way I look at myself and the world around me. I have also met some wonderful people in the class that I am honored to call friends. Jen Lee has been such an encouragement to me in getting me to write, just writing anything simply by saying to me, "What is the Worst that Could Happen if I Let Myself Move This Pen Across Paper?" Thanks Jen.
The best part is that I will be taking "live" classes with both of these amazing women at the Squam Workshops.

A favorite poem from Rumi:

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want
Don't go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.

4. Music, Dance, art - love all styles, rhythms, beats, there is something to be found in all of them.
Here is a great Flamenco Video.

5. And for fun I have to add Johnny Depp to my list because to me he is an inspirational actor especially in the way he gives his all to his characters.
There is something soulful about him and well he IS Johnny Depp!



I now blog it forward to Design Candy, for your blogging viewing pleasure.

Namaste to all,
Karen

The Happy Book - What made me happy this week?

Hi Happy bloggers..Over at Jamie Ridler's Studio I am participating in "The Happy Book" Blog group.

I am sneaking this post in from work, it is so busy here now. I work for an accounting office so the next 2 months will probably be a little crazy.

The things that made me happy this week were:

Attending Jen Louden's Virtual Retreat:

This was an audio retreat with about 10 or so hour long sessions with different speakers, I tuned in live for about 6 of them and then we can listen to the others whenever we want.
Here is what I wrote about it after the weekend was over:

"Thank you again Jen for creating and holding this retreat space. I had no idea what it would be like to participate in an audio retreat, I have only done live or video before. I had various other activities over the weekend and I thought fitting retreat time in was going to be difficult or the weekend would feel like it went by too fast.. Well the odd thing is my weekend seemed longer and more restful than most and I think that is because of the times I spent in live retreat, it actually slowed down time for me.. very interesting.."

I will write about this retreat more on my blog when I have processed it all.

Another happy moment was coming across this man through another bloggers site:

Alvin Toffer: On the wikipedia page this is the quote that really made me happy, happy in the way that it made me think and feel about myself, especially since I have been made to feel bad about being emotional by some in my life.

Toffler explains, "Society needs people who take care of the elderly and who know how to be compassionate and honest. Society needs people who work in hospitals. Society needs all kinds of skills that are not just cognitive; they're emotional, they're affectional. You can't run the society on data and computers alone."[4] Toffler also states, in Rethinking the Future, that "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."

Another happy was finding this book "The Awe-manac, A Daily Dose of Wonder" by Jill Badonsky.
Here is a brief description of it from amazon:

"A playfully practical guide that’s a refreshing twist on the revered Farmer’s Almanac, The Awe-Manac provides daily forecasts and directives to help readers make life more creative, amusing, gratifying, and extraordinary—every day of the year! Through 365 days, readers are encouraged to think more brilliantly, laugh more often, make art or write creatively, and simply add a lot more “awe” into daily life.
Brimming with Jill Badonsky’s colorful, whimsical art, and filled with fun features like “Soul Vitamins,” “GlumBusters,” “Daily Toasts,” and “Doses of Mirth,” The Awe-Manac will be an enchanting “companion” throughout the year—a perennial guide that invites its readers to find the joy and amusement in every day."

So what were the moments of happy for you this week?

Namaste,
Karen

Wishcast Wednesday:Where do you wish to make a difference

Hi my fellow wishers and dreamers. Today over at Jamie Ridler's Studio the wish prompt is "Where do you wish to make a difference?".

This is a very hard question for me because it brings up feelings of anxiety in me at the thought of having to actually do something.
Making a difference requires some kind of action and I have become used to living my live in RE-ACTION which actually consists of a lot of in-action followed by a burst of action in response to a situation or a crisis.
This served me well at times in my life but now I am trying to break away from that pattern.

So this brings me back to the question, "Where do you wish to make a difference?" I would love to make a difference in the lives of other women by sharing my story and being witness to their stories, just letting them know and at the same time reminding myself, that we ARE NOT alone out here in the world, there is compassion and understanding to be shared.

Since I don't have my own children I would also love to make a difference in the lives of my nieces and nephews by supporting them and letting them know they are loved and they have my arms to hug them in good times and bad.

The other place I would like to make a difference is in my environment, my home, my marriage my relationships by showing up and being present in the way I treat the people in my life and also the way I treat the world in which I live.

So my fellow wishcasters where would you like to make a difference?

Namaste,
Karen

Happy Valentine's Day

Wishing you all many chocolate hearts today!

Here is a fun, cheezy blast from the past love song:
I Think I'm in Love by Eddie Money

And here are some romantic kissing scenes with a Harry C song.

The Happy Book - What made me happy this week

Hi!
Over at Jamie Ridler's I am participating in the book blog "The Happy Book"

This week while I wait for the book I will share some happy moments.

The Big Happy of the Week was a SNOW DAY smack in the middle of the week, school's closed, work closed, no one on the roads, it was bliss. Here are some pictures for you to share in my happy. The last one is an art project I am working on, I was able to spend some time on that during the snow day, extra bliss.

What were your happy moments this week?

Namaste,
Karen

CLICK ON PICS FOR A LARGER VIEW

Wishcast Wednesday: Where do you wish to Travel?

Image: Rachel Mallino The wishing tree.

Hi fellow wishers and dreamers.. This week over at Jamie Ridler's Studio the wish prompt is: Where do you wish to travel?

I think I have a few answers to this one...

The first is quite literal, I would love to TRAVEL period. I am working on my fear of flying and when I overcome it I would love to travel to California, Seattle, Washington,Austin(TX), Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain...to just name a few ;-)

The second not quite so literal, I would love travel into the past and steer the younger me in a different direction a few times, now I know the person I am is a direct result of where I have been and I am doing pretty good so somewhere along the line things did go right. The thing is that I would love to save that young girl some hurt. This is just wishful thinking because I am grateful for who I am and where I am and in reality changing something would make me a different person.
So instead I would just go back and comfort that girl and let her know things are going to turn out ok.

And lastly I would love to travel the depths of my imagination and embrace the creative well that is there just waiting to be explored. I could start by keeping a dream journal, our inner critic tends to be turned off while dreaming.

Just one more thought on travelling, there is a wonderful blog called "The Hermitage" by Rima who is an artist, her and her partner are travelling through Europe in their four wheeled house selling their art. It is a wonderful blog and it even starts, "Welcome Travellers".

Thanks again for a thought provoking prompt Jamie!

So my fellow wishers where would you like to travel?

Namaste,
Karen

Creative Process: Space Spray painting

Hi!
It is always a pleasure to watch someone in creative process.
One of my friends had this posted on her facebook page, very cool.
I hope you enjoy.

Namaste,
Karen

Spray Paint: Space Painting

The Happy Book - What made me happy this week

Hi! Over at Jamie Ridler's Studio I am participating in the Happy Book Book Blog. As we wait for our books to arrive we are checking in each week and giving a shout out to what made us happy this week.

So for this week some things that made me happy were:

1. Eating Chocolate pudding GUILT FREE as I was recouping from a pulled wisdom tooth.
2. This song: Let it Rock - everytime I hear it I want to break out in dance. This is the best version I could find on youtube. LET IT ROCK
3. Creating my Full Moon Dreamboard. Click on picture for better view. I really gave myself the gift of time on this one, I spend hours on the process.


4. Surprisingly happy moment, joining in on the rant over at Suzie the Foodie's blog. Who would have thought venting would lead to a happy moment.
5. Finding out that I got my first choice classes at The Squam Art Retreat. I signed up for Susannah Conway and Jen Lee's classes, I can't wait.

These are just a few. To my surprise I listed some happy moments that I found surprising: turning getting my widom tooth into a happy moment with the chocolate pudding, finding a happy dance beat within a song that has rap, which I don't always like and finding happiness in ranting about a situation in my life that is a source of unhappiness.

I was so glad to give myself some moments in creative space as I have not done that for awhile. I joined a few different classes online and then I just did not give myself the time to do them. Funny how I can find plenty of time to veg out on the couch to the boob tube but not to create. What the heck am I afraid of, and I do feel like it is a form of fear that keeps me from creating. Well that is for another day because this week I did give myself some time to create and next week maybe I will make some more time.

The Happy Book is already working it's magic and It is not even in my hands yet.

What were some of your happy moments this week?

Namaste,
Karen

Wishcast Wednesday:What story do you wish to live or let go of?

Picture: Back Door Designs

Good Wednesday my fellow wishers and dreamers. Today over at Jamie Ridler's Studio the wish prompt is "What story do you wish to live or let go of?"


I think the story I wish to let go of is the story that I am prone to anxiety and fear, this is a story created in my youth, a story others told me about myself and a story I kept telling about myself. I am ready to let that story go.

The story I want to live is the story of my present and future, a story of courage, faith, trust, good health and love. I want to start living the life of the authentic me, the story I know is deep inside me, the story I was born with.

I know creativity is a door that will lead me to the story of the authentic me, I have had peeks through the cracks in that door from time to time and the view looks pretty good! Now I only need to open that door and walk through to the other side knowing everything will be alright.
It is ok to let go of the old story, that time is over. A new chapter is beginning....


So fellow wishers what are the stories you are telling?

Namaste,
KAren