Butterfly Dreams

  On Friday, my Creative SiStar Cindy offered the first of her annual series of monthly circles , which focus on deepening with our Word of the Year. (I've now made a THIRD 'Word of the Year' card for 2026 - oy! They need to chat!!) Each month's project with Cindy will include crafting a SoulCollage®️ card, plus another activity. During our first session we began making 12 mixed media cards, each of which will have our Word and a second that  supports us in our intention for 2026, and helps keep our word fresh.  2025 card and new batch  I decided to use the board book I picked up earlier in the month, and will add several little pockets, to hold the support cards. I love making  round card s, like those I used to track my prerequisites.  In this  free tutorial  Drew Steinbrecker offers idea for collaging kid's books! I watched it a couple of times now, and also got a gel plate, to experiment with, once my facilitator training is complete!...

  Woot - congratulations on completing the first   BlogBoost  challenge of 2026 -  we did it!    Paul's next challenge starts in April, so save the link!  Whether we posted daily, or just  'regularly,'  we all gain from each challenge. Thank you Paul for inspiration and hosting! Cosmic Teacher & SoulCollage®️ Evolving My biggest accomplishment this January has been participating in the SoulCollage®️ facilitator training!  We've competed 6 of our 8 sessions, and will finish our course Wednesday, February 4th. Each session includes homework - for integration of what's been learned, and to note what we intend to study more / deepen with.  I love the encouragement to form peer groups, and to take classes offered by each other, and through the main SC groups. With over 6000 facilitators around the world, there are a multitude of opportunities! My trainer, Mariabruna Sirabella I feel so fortunate to be able to study with therapist an...

  In November, my grandkids and I walked across the street from our church to First Presbyterian. We went just after the Children's Story, with other youth and our FBC Youth leader.  Sean's co-leader of our wonderful 4 church Youth Collective was offering the sermon, shortly before she left our community to serve a congregation in Arizona.   Oh, Kate will be missed!!  In her message, Kate shared a wonderful story from Brené Brown, on how the idea for using a Marble Jar came to her. Kate dropped marbles in a canning jar, as she spoke,  and after the service, we each chose a marble from baskets held by the Ushers.  Kate's message,  A Good Laugh , starts at 40 minutes (and It was so fun to hear their bell choir! I play with ours, and it's a challenge! But rewarding!) Marble jars ○ crocheted and felted marbles For our Moms group gift exchange in December, I used tissue paper on small jars to make little holders for my 6 friends. I included a small ba...

  Eight years into my Massage therapy career, I moved to a worker owned rustic hot springs retreat center , on 160 acres in Oregon's Cascade mountains.  The suggestions I gave my city clients for self care - eating mindfully, finding a movement practice, slowing DOWN, and drinking a bit more water were suddenly much easier to follow - for me as well! Their biggest choice after their Qigong class, or 60-90 minute massage session was - whether to head to the Lodge for a meal (the bell would tell them when), walk to the tubs or sauna, to the library or their cabin for a nap, or maybe take a short hike on a trail through the old growth forest.....  If I saw guests in the dining hall for their last lunch (organic vegetarian fare, lovingly prepared) they would often sigh, saying, "well, back to the real world now..." And I'd remind them - "No, THIS is the real world! This is how humans have lived, time out of mind! Take some of this with you - and come home, soon. ...

 Blessings on this cold January morning! (So far, just cold, here in Western Oregon) Prayer circles Little altar and Reiki Box ᎪᎯᎢᎦ  ᏙᎯ  ᎨᏎᏍᏗ  Go-hi-i-ga do-hi ge-ses-di With the monks who are walking for peace, I affirm, 'Today / peace / let it be!' (Cherokee) Percy - keeping the 'People' images warm Side table vignette It's our Sixth  facilitator training  class this morning - then we just have two more sessions!  ᏑᏓᎵᏁ ᏗᏕᎶᏆᏍᏗ   (su-da-li-ne  di-de-lo-quas-di sixth class/ school)  ✨️ 

  My SoulCollage ®️ trainer Mariabruna has said that making soul collage cards and not using them is like cooking a delicious feast, but not eating a bite!  I recently saw a comment from someone who has made a number of SoulCollage ®️  cards. She said she's been  so busy caring for others' needs, she had put her cards away - then needed to dig them out again, to be able to use them!  I wonder if she found a way to make room for them again? I wanted to ask her, " Is there a shelf where you could place a bin or basket to hold your cards, so they're out of the way, but also easy to access?" In SoulSollage ®️  Evolving,  Seena Frost invites us to 'Have your cards close at hand, not closed up in a box and tucked away. ... Draw one or two cards from your SoulCollage ®️ deck each morning and see them as your Neters (guides) for the day. (p 130)  Each person reads their cards for themselves, and we receive answers from within our own souls. Messages a...

  Living in the US, and in a sanctuary state, events last week are deeply disturbing.  Many of us are choosing to be upstanders, rather than passive bystanders.  Our former pastor Kent, who is back in his home state of Massachusetts, is one of an ecumenical group of faith leaders activity standing in support of the people of Minnesota. Indigenous communities are singing honor songs.  Friends in my community gather in candlelight vigils. .... Last year, my friend  Cindy Jacobs , offered a series of classes exploring  Creative Resilience, and qualities that could help us find it, in these increasingly troubled times.  One of the qualities is Courage, and I used an image from a blogfriend's calendar, to craft this  SoulCollage®️  card (and sent Leah a thank you note.) Phoenix Rising  (central image - Leah P Kolidas) My Courage Ally invites me to: Stand strong Stay grounded and do my daily practices Speak the truth Maintain vigilance  ...

  " How does a person begin to deconstruct the way they look at the world? After all, worldviews are deeper than culture and language, although both play a part in shaping our worldviews.  "Hanging out with those who have a non-Western or Indigenous worldview seems necessary to make changes."  (P 128 / Becoming Rooted,  Randy Woodley) Several years ago at the suggestion of my friend Don Watson, several of us met throughout the summer to read and discuss professor Woodley's little gem of a book on reconnecting with Sacred Earth. Don volunteers at Eloheh , Edith and Randy Woodley 's nearby Center for Earth Justice and farm, and wanted to explore their ideas on living better in our troubled world.  Our Native Voices bookgroup was itself rooted in that summer read, and a small group of us meet in the Fireplace Room at our church monthly to discuss books by indigenous authors.  "The fires kept burning bright are merely emblematic of the greater fire, the great...

 In the 60s, Star Trek was one of my favorite shows, and Spoc's Vulcan Salute, Live Long and Prosper 🖖 a greeting I loved to offer! What joy to discover this clip on his childhood experience with this  blessing !  My daughter's European doctor has a deep interest in practices and foods that support general health and longevity. Several areas around the world are known for these, including parts of Japan. In this  video , Sachiaki Takamiya talks about different ways we can protect our gut health, which in turn enhances our general health.  Picked garlic, cilantro, Miso, Kim chi, tofu Many of these concepts are familiar and  ones I already incorporate into my life.  Living on the West Coast, I have enjoyed rice, Miso (and yes, tofu!) for decades.  Moderate movement  - for lifelong benefit, it's ideal if your practices are both enjoyable and not overly strenuous! I do 3-6 minutes of  Japanese morning exercises several times a week....

  The front door sets the tone for everything that comes into your life.  M eaning 'wind and water,' Feng Shui invites us to tune into our natural environment, and to appreciate our place in it.    Simple Shui practioner  Amanda Gibby Peters   reminds us that our homes are always talking to us - are we listening? Here's her podcast on loving up your   front door . Think of what you wish to invite in, and what needs to stay away! A great practice to do 2-4 times a year - stand in front of your house and observe, as of it were your first visit:  is the number clear, and the front door obvious?  does the path invite you forward?  do you feel like you'll be welcomed in?  if there are steps, are they safe?  is their a rail?   Welcome in... The Lunar New Year is nearly a month away, with the new moon Febuary 17th. There are  several things we can do as we prepare for the year of the Fire Horse.  First - spruce up...

 Shadow - too much or too little? In   Soul Collage   Evolving, Seena Frost wrote,    "every Neter exists in form. It may be visible or invisible, but there is still form,  .... and every form casts a shadow."  (P 7) Morning sky In our January cohort of the  SoulCollage® Facilitator training, we are exploring ways  Shadow aspects of any quality might play out.  Reviewing my notes from our small group's discussion this week, I was stuck by a comment on a 'Time' Archetype shadow being 'the procrastinator' !  Oy! That's a 'too little' expression (and one I have a Master's in!! 😀) "Art is like therapy; what comes up is what comes up.  It may be dark, but that's what comes up." - Nick Bantock One take away from our discussion is to inquire about potential  Shadowed  aspects during a reading, and ask the Neter questions; perhaps:  where can you be out of balance?  what are you trying to teach me? how can I...

 One of my favorite greens is a  quinoa relative, Good King Henry or Fat Hen. Like Shakespeare"s Puck , this ' Henry'  is a Nature spirit or sprite!   I've had my patch of Blitum Bonus-henricus  for over 15 years and appreciate this sturdy perennial's carefree nature!  The patch in my Galloway Garden thrived in a corner that rarely got extra water. I brought some along when i moved, and it's near my front door,  in the poteger. It's one of my first spring greens, (and this mild winter, hasn't died back!) I found the idea for porridge made from greens on a British  blog .    Good King Henry Like me, Alison enjoys growing perennials. With their deep root systems, they are more nutrient dense than their annual counterparts! The flavor may be stronger, so allow yourself to experiment with cooking methods and spices. Pollen from GKH has been found in sites back to the bronze age in Britain and Western Europe. And like quinoa and amaranth, th...

 In yesterday's post , I suggested prioritizing health and flavor when shopping and gardening.   In traditional cultures around the world, seeds from favorite varieties are saved and treasured! These are from plants which grow well in one's area, and those passed down in our families or given us by friends.   In Coming Home to Eat , ethnobotanist and folklorist Gary Paul Nabhan tells of making a pilgrimage from his home in the Sonoran Dessert of Arizona to visit cousins in the Bekáa Valley of Lebanon.  One afternoon, Gary visited a field of squash with his cousin Nicholas, and asked if he had any herb or vegetable seeds that had come down through the family. Nicholas nodded and opened a cabinet full of hand lettered seed envelopes and bags. After wrapping and labeling small packets of eggplant, cucumber, grains, pepper, parsley, zucchini and tomato seeds, he offered info on their individual planting and growing needs.  Gary shared about his work w...

 Winter is prime time for garden planning, and savoring the bounty in seed catalogs with a warm cuppa is a cozy way to cheer up cold grey days! Morning cuppa A favorite organic gardener and chef in Wales, Gaz Oakley, reminds us to consider flavor, and include heritage varieties! A vegan himself, he has a little flock of retired rescue hens, in charge of pest management, providing companionship and fertility - and his neighbors are grateful for the eggs!  Black cap raspberries   From my garden journal, 2006,  "For too long vegetable gardening has been obsessed with shape and SIZE.  Better that care be lavished from tilth to table on growing tasty food, whose beauty is a bi-product to be relished."  Montague Don, the Sensuous gardener.  In a later chapter, Don comments that there was a shift to growing for size and quantity when men took on a larger role, as there's  'an inbuilt relationship between Horticulture and gastronomy when the person(s) coo...

  "Here’s the thing about not-enoughness - have you every stopped and questioned it? Where/who did this message come from? Are they a credible source?  "What would make you enough? Enough what exactly? Who is holding your imaginary measure stick….and whacking you over the head with it every chance they get (hint, look in the mirror)?" - Heidi Sequoia Moondancer Labyrinth   What changes, when we view ourselves as enough, and shift our perspective?  What do we wish to spend our life force on?  If you journal, this is something you may wish to explore on the page.  What are my favorite ways of 'just being?' What challenge have I faced / overcome recently?   What are some wins over the last year? What will best support me,  throughout this year? I feel best when _______ A couple of  things I'd like to do this year / places I'd like to go/ people to see  _____ My values include ______ (often related to health, spending time with loved on...