Self-Love in Shades of Red & Purple

02/08/2010

The Internet is a very funny thing. The Universe is an even funnier thing, and when you put the two together, sometimes the synchronicities and the conversations that follow.. let’s just say the sparkliness is.. dazzling!

If you’ve been following along, you know that my Word of the Year for 2010 is Self-Love. I’ve been wearing a love-knot ring for quite some time, the reason I bought it was to be a reminder to love myself. But I’ve gotten so used to seeing it, that I look right past it. I had an idea this year to find a velvet ring box and put my ring in it every night before I go to bed. Then, as a morning ritual, I’d take it out of the box, recite a short vow expressing my commitment to myself, and perhaps maybe a specific commitment for that day, such as: “Today I will be extra gentle with myself whenever I encounter frustration at not being able to eat foods containing gluten and give myself credit for how far I have come.” I’d place the ring on my finger and let it be a reminder throughout the day of my on-going commitment to the one person who has and will be the constant through all the days of my life from birth until death; ME.

When I was googling for a source of velvet ring boxes (having failed to find one in my closet or at a thrift store), I came across an inexpensive solitaire garnet ring simply set in sterling and it came with a black velvet ring box. It was so simple, so elegant, and so affordable, I just decided to go for it. It may not arrive before Valentine’s Day, but it’s my little gift to myself, and I’m worth it.

Solitaire Garnet Ring

So then I was poking around the blogosphere and came across this post on Ellecubed. It got me thinking about purple nailpolish, red velvet cupcakes, and Gala Darling, all very colorful things I’d been thinking about anyway. I live for color, and I’ve been totally obsessed for the past year with red and purple. In fact I’m making an afghan out of red, purple and white granny squares (the yarn color names are officially cranberry and amethyst, however).

And I’ve been planning on indulging in a bottle of purple nailpolish.

Not to mention I found a recipe for Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake, since I went gluten-free on February 1st. My naturopath tells me I’ll be feeling loads better in three months, which is right about my birthday on April 30th. Guess what I’ll be making to celebrate?

As if that wasn’t all exciting enough, I just found out Gala Darling has declared February Radical Self-Love month! This so ties in with Christine Arylo’s Self-Love Day on February 13th. In the below video, Gala provides us with our first homework assignment!

Did you SEE that awesome purple heart necklace Gala is wearing?! I totally want one! So I went searching on Etsy, and isn’t this cute?

Royal Purple Heart Pendant

What color is self-love for you? What ways can you bring more of that color, and more of that self-love into your every day life today, this week, this month? And what fabulous gift are you planning for yourself for Valentine’s Day? What fabulous treat or date do you plan to take yourself out on?

photo credits: click photos for source

Posted in: Cataloging Joy, Self-Love, Word of the Year – 2 Comments

Nature Inspired: Mother Gaia as Muse

02/06/2010

A couple days ago I curated another Etsy Treasury! I hope you’ll visit these great shops and give them some love!

Nature Inspired: Mother Gaia as Muse

Nature Inspired: Mother Gaia as Muse

Shop names, left to right, top to bottom: That Vintage, Designs with Attitude, concentric, naturalhome, sjengraving, dillondesigns, Snow Owl Wood Studio, Sarah Whitney Photography, REALBUTTERFLYGIFTS, UnaOdd, Hoodwinked Originals, RubysUniqueBoutique.

Posted in: Etsy – No Comments

Happily Intending

02/05/2010


Granny Squares
Originally uploaded by scrappythebandit.

I’ve decided to combine my Friday Happy with my Weekend Intentions posts this week.

Last month, the new Next Chapter Book Club started, and this time it’s a Mail Around, where 4 copies of the Happy Book are mailed around and the participants each get an opportunity to add our happiness to the book! I’m excited to be part of the Glee Circle (Glee?! Can you believe it?!) but it will be many many weeks before I see the book. In the meantime each Friday Jamie will be asking us what makes us happy, and anyone can participate!

***

I have a few happies this week. You can never have too many happies!

The Internet

It may seem silly, and some may think that the Internet breeds people who don’t know how to “play well with others” but I think, for me, the opposite is true. I get to know people on a deeper level than I might if I met them in real life first — I do have a shyness that is infamous. And a nervous laugh to boot. I just want to celebrate the joys of the internet:

  • Don’t know how to cook and egg, slice an onion or want to find out what an “open-container” law in your state REALLY means? Confused on what is happening on Lost, or maybe you’re wondering if citric acid contains gluten? Google is my very best friend! And so is delicious where I save all my bookmarks on weird things with crazy tags that I may only understand, so I can find them again when the need arises. Information is power, which makes us very powerful (and dangerous!) indeed!
  • Real-world opinions, not just corporate-produced porpaganda. It’s like word-of-mouth, but on a stadium-sized scale. Before you spent your money on that car or this power juicer, find out what others think about it. Again, information is power and might just protect your wallet!
  • People! I know I mentioned this before, but the world is full of cool people, artsy people, spiritual people, people who tell you just what to do when you spill olive oil on your jeans (thanks @AmySeyBrown!), and others going through similar health challenges — which is especially reassuring when the medical establishment is thumbing its nose at you and your pain. New friends might even make plans to meet you when heading off on their own personal Magical Eyes Tour.. and even send you presents! :)
  • And, come on.. the best part of the Internet is YOU!

Free Books at the Public Library

Our local library is part of a consortium that allows us access to books from about a dozen libraries via Interlibrary Loan. That means if any one library doesn’t have the book I want to read, I have a whole lot more options! Since the “economic downturn”, the library’s circulation numbers have increased greatly, which hopefully means they’ll be allowed a larger budget on the next go-round.. another good reason to support my local library and take out as many books as I can carry! Currently I’m reading:

bookshelf

Gluten-Free Girl, Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips, The End of Overeating, Awakening the Spine, The G Free Diet, and, not pictured: Practical Magic and The Botany of Desire.

Keeping My Hands Busy

Inspired by Jamie’s post, and after inspecting the granny-square afghan my Memere made me when I was small, I decided it was about time I made myself an afghan in the colors that I love. I remembered that in second grade I had learned to crochet chains and brought my yarn and hooks to school with me every day in a little cigar box so I could crochet chains during recess. I never got past the chains back then, but why not? So I scraped together my craft store coupons, got some hooks and yarn that I loved, and I’m off and running! Too fun! I will be sure to post a photo of the blanket when it’s finished, so exciting!

Oh, and.. I GOT MY DEPOSIT INTO SQUAM AND I’M TAKING THE SONGWRITING CLASS WITH JONATHA BROOKE THAT I REALLY WANTED! Sorry, I had to capitalize that! Plus, two really great classes with Jen Lee, some free time and a bed in a cabin on Squam Lake! Heaven, I’m in HEAVEN!

So that’s my Happy!

Intentions for the Weekend

This weekend’s soul-nurturing creative and space-making stuff:

  • The aforementioned granny squares. Not a specific goal here, still need to figure out how long these take me in general.
  • I’ve been groaning at the mess in my space — the dirt and dust in corners, the rugs and floors and junk.. but I realized I get overwhelmed at the thought of doing even one of the chores, such as cleaning the kitchen floor. So I am breaking it down into teeny tiny sections. I’ve got a small area by my back door near my computer/tv station in the living room. It happens to fall in my feng shui wealth/prosperity sector, so it’s a great starting point and in dire need of a clean up. Because it’s a small area, I feel I can give it a deep clean without getting overwhelmed, and it’ll give me a sense of accomplishment. I’ll wash the single window and dust the corners and get control of the computer wires once and for all. I’ll even hang the purple suncatcher @meganmonique gave me since purple is a power color for that sector. Maybe I’ll even tackle a second teeny tiny corner (my front entance would be good) if I want, but no pressure.
  • A painting came to me in a dream, and I want to get it together for Willowing’s Art of Self-Acceptance book. I bought the canvas, a daunting 24×30, this week at Michael’s. So this weekend I’m going to prep the canvas and get started on the outline of what it’s going to be. If I have time I’ll gesso black over another canvas I have that I want to recycle.
  • Staying committed to being gluten-free, no matter how annoying it may be. That’s why having other things to focus on besides food is SO important.

What are you planning for your soulfully-creative weekend?

Posted in: Cataloging Joy, Creative Everyday, Happy Book Mail-Around, Making Space, Wellness – 7 Comments

Wishcasting Wednesday: Story

02/03/2010

Time, Originally uploaded by Gale Franey.

Gale Franey is an exceptional digital artist whose work conveys magic and fairy tale as an extension of our realities. Her work can be seen on flickr and at her website.

What story do you wish to live?

This is the question for the week over at Jamie Ridler’s blog for Wishcasting Wednesday.
****

Once upon a time there was a sleep-walking girl. She’d once been very much alive, and although she walked upright and spoke and even sometimes danced, her skin had gone quite pale and the light in her eyes no longer twinkled. But that is an old part of the story. That was Before.

Because on this day in late winter, with the promise of the coming spring at the time of Imbolc, the sun came out, and with it the color of roses flooded back to her cheeks and her eyes began to gleam. All around her invisible vines of life began to grow and weave themselves into her aura, pulsing rays of light that she could feel but not see. Some of these vines shot out ahead of her, faintly illuminating her path to destiny, and she could see them, if only she squinted a little and relaxed her gaze. If only she saw with the eyes of her heart, she knew she would see the shimmering skeleton keys that held themselves out to her wherever she’d encounter a closed door on her destiny’s path. She suddenly knew herself to be protected, loved, and cherished by all that is.

And so she is changed. She walks with the courage of a lion, beautifully fierce, and fiercely beautiful.

She dances with colors — the colors of the auras of her beloved friends and the colors of her paints as she colors her world. She holds nothing back creatively, every thought tumbling out onto whatever surfaces are available, every dream and idea examined and played with. No deep desire ignored, but rather held up against the intuition and truth of her deepest heart. Knowledge fills her as she opens to the great Everything, the Akashic record, the shared wavelength of the spirit seekers and creatives who now share her emotional space. Her body rewards her kindness toward it with vibrant good health. She flourishes, emotionally, physically, creatively, and financially.

Soon she’ll stand at the doorway of the beautiful little cottage in the desert she shares with her fur family, her guitar slung across her back, ready to explore the sunrise on a blue and beige day. This is the new world she has found on the illuminated path of her destiny.

Posted in: Wishcasting Wednesday – 16 Comments
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