Sunflower Healing

I have quite a few friends at the moment, who are going through a really hard time. I wish there was something I could do....but I can't and this affects me greatly! Sometimes there seems to be no let up in peoples struggles. All 'we' the ones close by, can do is hope, pray and keep them in our thoughts.

Is the human spirit indestructible?

Healing is always possible

but not inevitable.

All living beings & systems

attempt to re-establish stability after trauma.

when we have dealt with hardship & pain

we do not return to being who we were before the struggle.

Hemingway wrote:

some will be stronger in the broken places.

it is a surprise to realize I am both stronger & more fragile

than I imagine or remember.

Sending sunflowers,

to brighten your day

and lift your spirits high,

to all those who need them.

xoxoxoxox

Sometimes, other things take priority....

It would be easy to think I have done absolutely nothing for the past 5-8 weeks, but the truth is, my feet don't seem to have touched the floor.

The Wedding Fair preparations took up a huge amount of time planning wise and this had to be intermingled with a Wedding Order and other commissions....however, it went well. We had a great day and I met and networked with a lot of local businesses also involved with the Wedding Industry.

We've also had a busy Summer with Steve's exhibitions and also visiting Arty places of interest. As artists we need to charge our creative batteries now and again. Art is to Artists like food is to a chef.....we may make it ourselves but its always good and inspiring to see other peoples work too.

Along side this we have had time to plan both in our work lives and personal lives....things are definitely on the up.

Autumn Equinox has come around fast, the Summer far too short, but as the leaves start to fall and the nights draw in, it's time to take stock....to see what has worked, what needs to go and what plans need to be started for the coming year.

I had the most wonderful birthday in Glastonbury and Steve and I spent a precious week together. Lots of talking and much laughter.

There's been time to work, time to play and a little time to rest.....anyone that knows me, knows I find this one difficult ....but I am learning to slow down a little and realise that going at everything at a 100 miles an hour does not get things done any quicker....it's just taken me longer to realise that!

Oh....and did I mention having a new bathroom fitted....that took more than 2 weeks instead of the predicted 5 days??? However, it does look wonderful and I've finally cracked my shower phobia....yes that's right....no idea where in the hell that one came from....but it's been with me a long time.

We've spent time visiting family and spending time with my little Grand-daughter.....but not as much time as I would like to,

The garden is sorted at last....the house is getting there a a work in progress.

I've also bought a new camera, it takes the most fantastic pictures and hoped to show you some on here.....but Blogger is playing up and won't have any of it....so I will add them later. I just wanted to pop quickly in.....explain my absence and warn everyone I will be back very soon.

Brightest blessings

Sue xxx

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun?

Before I blog about anything else, and just in case people think I may have died, I thought I play catch up and let everyone know where I have been and more important what I have been up to and who with.
Well after professing to never have another man ever again enter my life....one did....one so special and suited to me he was hard to refuse. Just shows you how wrong you can be sometimes....especially when you least expect it. And I am happy to say.... he feels just the same and we spend as much time together as we can.....So almost everything below has been done either with him or as a result of being with him.

Steve's also an artist, so he feeds me on an inspirational level as well as a creative level, both mentally and spiritually. Oh yes, and he's got his own blog, so go and take a look, say hi and follow him at Steve Smiths Art

Finally we got the garden finished and it more than I could have wished for. I have 3 gardens, but the back one is an awkward shape and I wanted a peace garden....so almost a year to the day after I started it....it's finally finished. Just a Japanese Acer to buy when I find the right one......

We have made a couple of trips down to the South West to see his family, for birthdays and special occasions.....

We went to a long standing friends 30th Wedding Anniversary. Good friends of mine and my late husbands, and they got a Peruvian Pan Pipe Group called Apu to play. Great fun because it's about 20 years since we last saw them play.

Then we've been to the 60's weekend in Pickering (Great fun!) And wonderfully the whole town seems to come out and support it

Ah yes, and then there have been the exhibitions. Steve enters exhibitions on a constant basis, he's much better at marketing himself than I am, and he sells more too ;o)

Then we spent a day at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.... where I had the chance to sit on the knee of the Bronze Cast naked man.....I covered his bits for dignity!

We could have spend a weekend here, we both love Henry Moore, and we both left full of inspiration and ideas. It's so lovely being able to talk shop with someone who understands.

I did however have to stop him using this one as a slide......VERY TACTILE!

And of course there have been the commissions.... A guest book....

A concertina Card......

And I've made a couple of books, codex bound. One for me with plain pages in for quotations.....

And a plain covered one for Steve, hoping he will paint the front himself. It's a mixture of plain pages for note making and watercolour pages for little paintings. Both are about 6" square

And I've been planning for my first Wedding Fair to be held locally in September.

We that just about covers it. Except I'm sure I will have forgotten something. Regular readers of My Facebook will know there has been a lot more going on and when time is so precious it's far easier to post on there than write reams and reams on my Blog.

So, thats it for the time being. We're having a lot of fun, we're both loved up and things just couldn't be better. Hopefully, those who are not on Facebook will have a brief overview of the last 6 weeks and at least you know that I'm still breathing.

Bright Lammas Blessings to my Pagan Friends. Autumn Equinox will be upon us before we know it ;o)

Oh yes..... and did I mention that my kitchen has been transformed and on Wednesday I get a new bathroom and shower......

Being Authentic

"With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity." Keshavan Nair

Identity is an elusive concept. We feel we must define ourselves using a relatively small selection of roles and conscious character traits, even if none accurately represents our notion of “self.” The confusion surrounding our true natures is further compounded by the fact that society regularly asks us to suppress so much of our emotional, intellectual, and spiritual vibrancy. Yet we are, in truth, beings of light—pure energy inhabiting physical bodies, striving for enlightenment while living earthly lives. Our true selves exist whether we acknowledge them or not, often buried under fears and learned behaviour. When we recognize our power, our luminosity, and our divinity, we cannot help but live authentic lives of appreciation, potential, fulfilment, and grace.

At birth and throughout your childhood, your thoughts and feelings were more than likely expressions of your true self. Though you may have learned quickly that to speak and act in a certain fashion would win others’ approval, you understood innately that you were no ordinary being. There are many ways you can recapture the authenticity you once articulated so freely. Meditation can liberate you from the bonds of those earthly customs that compel you to downplay your uniqueness. Also, communing with nature can remind you of the special role you were meant to play in this lifetime. In order to realize your purpose, you must embrace your true self by letting your light shine forth, no matter the consequences.

Rediscovering who you are apart from your roles and traits takes time and also courage. If, like many, you have denied your authenticity for a long while, you may find it difficult to separate your true identity from the identity you have created to cope with the world around you. Once you do find this authentic self, however, you will be overcome by a wonderful sense of wholeness as you reconcile your spiritual aspect and your physical aspect, as well as your inner- and outer-world personas. As you gradually adjust to this developing unity, your role as a being of light will reveal itself to you, and you will discover that you have a marvellous destiny to fulfil.

Have the courage to be yourself. Leave behind the fear that you will be judged, you may be, but those who love you, will love you for 'Who you really are, not who you portray yourself to be'.

Affirmation: I step forward, into the light calm and confident in 'who' I am.

I look in the mirror and like what I see!

Lilies are FATAL to cats!

I have just recieved a message and warning from a freind and couldn't believe it... till I read the following Lillies are FATAL to cats!  I ask that if you are a cat owner, you read the link. There is a lot of information on google if you care to research it.

Update on last post

Hi everyone I just want to give you a quick update on THIS POST

I've had a text from Penny this morning and I'm afraid the news isn't good. Trev has cancer of the liver and stomach. She's booked a flight down to Southampton tomorrow, paid for on her mums credit card. Your welcome donations will help go towards paying that back, so thank you so much for those who have so freely given.
As you can imagine she is devastated. I'll know more when I call her tonight as she cannot speak right now.

Much love and bright blessings to those earth angels that made her flight possible. xxx

Special Friends - Healing Thoughts

It's hard to believe that a week has gone by when my wonderful friends Amber Moggie and Mr Mog came to visit. They planned to stay overnight but as other commitments took place they only managed a few hours on the afternoon and not nearly long enough for us to fit in all the things we needed to talk about...I do ring her on a regular basis, but it's always nice to catch up face to face. And as usual she came baring gifts....This wonderful nature inspired green shawl and Moebius Scarf in the more wonderful of Autumn colours.
A Moebius is a construction with only one side and only one boundary. The most intriguing structure and fascinating to all who look at it. It reminds me of the chant:
We are a circle, within a circle, with no beginning and never ending.


The gorgeous green bead laden shawl adds to my collection of 4 now (I love them!) and is long enough and think enough to use for when I am sat in my garden during the cooler weather.
Her knitting is made even more amazing when you actually know Amber (not her real name) and realises that for the most part she is in tremendous pain, when sitting or standing, from head to toe, but never do I hear her complain. In fact the opposite. She's a smiler and bringer of joy and inspiration to all who cross her way.
And I've added this picture...I arranged the items on the table and went to get the camera. Just before I took the shot, Blue rushed onto the shawl as she wanted to get herself in the picture and tell Amber that the Moggies in this house love her too.
I think her smiley eyes are saying it all....


Never one to complain about her own aches and pains, she makes these wonderful Elementals, usually to bring love and joy to others.

She is one of the most caring and generous people I have ever met. At the moment the pain is almost too much to bare for her, please I ask everyone who reads my blog to sent some healing light and thoughts to her, in the hope that her pain relief gets sorted out soon... for she is the last person who deserves to be in pain.

And talking of pain...pain comes in many ways....I am at the moment trying to comfort the husband of a dear friend of mine who died 8 weeks ago. He is not dealing with it very well at all. He is exhausted from the constant trips back and forward for the last 6 months of her life. Although she was oozing stomach acid through a hole in her abdomen, created to stop the infection and toxins getting into her blood stream, he never gave up hope that she would eventually come home.

Now he is lost. All the plans and dreams of what they would do when they retire all gone. They have no children and so he feels like life without her is futile. After watching Barbara in pain for so long, he is himself now in pain...of a different kind. Having been through this myself I am doing my best to reassure him and tell him that his pain will eventually heal.

And there's dear Laoi over at Solstice Breamer... who now feels that she shouldn't have spilled on this post about feeling so wretched... and there are other bloggers who are also in a lot of pain one way or another. Please do not feel bad about spilling, that's what we are here for, and why I created The Honest Blogger Award!

To all those and many others, known and unknown to us here on Blogger, I send warm loving light to everyone at present in pain, whether physical or emotional. For pain comes in many guises. Remember, the Sisterhood rocks. Sharing does not make us weak or less of a capable person, it makes us human.

PLEASE NOTE: Blue only stayed on the shawl for the duration of the photograph, then was given a swift foot up the...well gentle hand on the behind... I'm not in the habit of letting my precious shawls being used as a cat bed. FAR too valuable!

Motivation, Inspiration and Uplifting Quotations

Well folks I'm having problems uploading photos to blogger tonight.
I was asked at the weekend where a good quotation site can be found, so I'll give you some links to great Motivational and Inspirational Websites.

My long tome calligraphy buddie Teri Martin bot only has a wonderful website, designs pages for scrap booker and offer a free Quote of the Day, but she also has a fantastic achieve of Quotations searchable by words.

Motivate Us Dot Com is another great site with a large range of categories.

Follow Your Dreams dot com is another great site but I must admit I haven't been there for a while. It's still active though cos i've just tried it.

Inspirational Quotes is wonderful for shorter quotations perhaps more suited to cards.

Best Spirituality dot com A large range of Quotations from a wide variety of spiritual teachers and philosophers

And I've just found All Spirit Blog definitely worth checking out.

Honest Blogger Award - Because SHIfT HAPPENS!

This award was ceated in response to the following post '
Telling It Like It Is'

WE ARE Honest Blogger!
the Sisterhood of
SHIfT HAPPENS!

As honest bloggers we:

(Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, Add To...As You Wish)

* Speak our truth from the heart and tell it like it is.

* Share openly and honestly our true feelings without fear of judgement, Blame or shame.

* We write to share our achievements so others can also share our joy.

* We write about our bad times too, knowing that the love and support of others is around us and perhaps heal another’s pain in the process..

*We are human beings will real feelings and emotions and REFUSE to hide behind a mask.

* We dare to be different

* We are Free Spirits

* We realsie that by spilling out, we lighten our load.

* We acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses and don't see them in terms of success or failure.

* We laugh together and cry together

* We are all following our own journey in our own unique way

* Above all else, we may lie on the floor, screaming and kicking, or feel like life is collapsing around us once in a while….but at the end of the day, we drag ourselves up, dust ourselves off and rise to fight another day.

For we are Warrior Women and we write not to please others, stroke our own egos or be judged, we blog because we care!
Our blogs are our therapy, and through sharing SHIfT HAPPENS! This award was created in particular for the following Honest Bloggers for they have opened their hearts in public and gained many friends in return.... You are truly wonderful people! In no particular order, girls, ladies and goddesses all I present to you, the following Honest Bloggers....drum roll please...

Samantha at The Everyday Witch

Cj at Cj's Whine and Cheeze and The Compost Heap

Ambermoggie at The Mogs Blog

Sue at Spirit Whispers

Ceri at Chez Ceridwen

Leanne at Dorset Days Laoi at Solstice Dreaming

Sue at Green Whispers

Beth at Be Yourself

Rose at Living On The Wotchy Side

Tevor and Liz at The Diary of a Wotchcraft Shop in Avalon

Mel at From Clutter To Shine and Creative Clutter

Moonroot at Moonroots Blog

Oh and there's probably 100's more I could add!

Please accept this Award in the spirit in which it was intended. Feel free to take and use the picture and do with it what you will. (She Grins) You can add your own reasons for awarding someone it if you pass it on, you can add links to your blog, you have no obligation at all, I just wanted to let you know that you are one helluva Honest Blogger!

For other Honest Bloggers.... and there are many out there, please feel free to take the award either for yourself or someone else, the choice is yours. Leave a comment and or link at the end of this post....so others can celebrate your or their Honesty!

Affirmations - What they are and how to use them

I really feel like I could write a book about this, so this post will probably be much longer than I intend….. nothing new there then lol.

First off……..

For anyone who’s a cynic about these things, you really have to be committed and try them ad hopefully it will prove to you that WORDS HAVE POWER! More importantly, what you say to yourself magnifies, whether it’s negative or positive. We have all been guilty at one time or another of pulling ourselves down. It’s east to think the worst of ourselves. Usually the words we choose to use to ourselves are designed to chip away at our self esteem and confidence to such a degree in severe cases it can lead to depression and a general feeling of unworthiness. Very often these negative self beliefs have been sown by someone else. A comment made in jest can so easily play on your mind. Other times you can create them all by yourself.

If you practice Affirmations I will practically guarantee that you will see an improvement. I say practically guarantee, because you really have to WANT to change and some degree of responsibility for that lies on your shoulders.

Long before the book The Secret came out (a book I absolutely abhor by the way, as it equates money and possessions as affirmations) where was I (jumps off soap box!) yes long before The Secret and The Laws of Attraction came out, a lot of us were already practicing Affirmations.

So……

Put simply an Affirmation is ‘The 3 P’s’
It’s POSITIVE
It’s PERSONAL to you
And It’s PRESENT… ie you speak it as if it’s already happened.

If you think about it logically, a lot of negative self talk can bring you down to rock bottom. Feeding the sub conscious with thoughts that you probably wouldn’t even say to your worst enemy….
I’m so fat!
I’m so thin!
I’m so stupid!
I hate myself!
I’m just an idiot!
I’ll never have any money!
I’m always so skint!
Everyone hates me!
Everyone takes me for granted!
Etc. etc. etc….BLAH BLAH BLAH

Now if you can talk yourself into believing these things about yourself, it stands to reason that doing the opposite will make you believe the good things about yourself, and in turn attract those things to happen and right before your eyes.

So an affirmation about say….
I NEVER have enough money
Should be changed to
I ALWAYS have enough to get by on.

I am so fed up
Should be changed to
I am happy

I feel ill
Needs to be changed to
I am healthy

I actually sell Affirmation cards, but would like to do a giveaway for anyone who these cards will be of use. The idea is that you pick one card out a day and say it repeatedly to yourself. I used to write them on post it notes and leave them all over the house…on doors, fridges, mirrors…anywhere I would look frequently over the day.
How To Get Your FREE Pack…
1) Leave a comment on my blog
2) Email me direct at inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk so I can email you a PDF which you can them print out, cut up and use.
3) Place the word AFFIRMATION in the subject line to save it getting lost into all the spam!
4) Please note, you MUST been signed into Blogger Anonymous comments will not be accepted and you MUST be able to read PDF Format.
5) Offer ends this Sunday (24th May) and your files will be sent early next week. This will save me missing anyone out and also save time too!

Simply open the PDF and Print onto card!

After that....if you want a set you'll have to pay for them like everyone else lol.

Books That Could Change Your Life....FOREVER!

There aren’t many of us that reach adulthood, unscathed, well balanced and well adjusted human beings. Virtually all of us at one time or another, will have events that make us sit up, take stock and look really hard and deeply at our lives. We can choose to hide away in the hopes that if we ignore it, it will go away. It doesn’t! It may take many years to rear it’s ugly head and the world feels like it’s crashing down around you. Those who bury their inner most pains, fears, sadness, anger, resentments and many other negative feelings can suffer terribly with anxiety, depression or even worse a complete and absolute nervous breakdown.

On my blog I try and be as open and honest as I can. Hopefully connecting to others and hopefully identifying ways of thinking, feeling and changing our beliefs about ourselves and life in general. We are after all, human beings with many, many emotions, some good, some bad….but at the end of the day, whatever we go through can lead to one of two things, either you’re a survivor or a victim. Be assured though, whatever your weaknesses either now or in the past, you are not alone. I hope by wearing my heart on my sleeve you may find help, inspiration, comfort and support.

We all have challenging situations in life, all through our lives. We all have to face up to our inner selves at some point in order to grow. Some of the most painful and frightening situations in our lives are the greatest teachers. With this in mind, I want to share with you, the 5 most important books that changed my life, my way of thinking and probably set me on a wonderful path of self discovery that I share with others on a regular basis. I hope that this particular blog entry comes just at the right time to help even just one person….for if it does, it will be time well spent. I hope to blog more about this over the next few weeks and for far too long, it’s where I’ve wanted my blog to go. To motivate, to heal, to inspire. I could post these on a separate blog, but feel that my main blog is where people will find it most readily. Anyway….on with the post……

YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE
At 23 I was diagnosed with pre cancerous cells of the cervix. Pretty terrifying at any age, but with a 4 year old son….even more frightening. For 3 years I was told that there was nothing to worry about, and the cells could change back just as quickly. Then after repeated smears and regular check ups, they decided, well actually, we were probably wrong and you need a hysterectomy. Yeah right! Like hell I thought!
The book You Can Heal Your Life was a particularly hard one for me to read, but I found it fascinating as to how our thoughts, beliefs, fears, anxieties and anger etc. can actually lead to a physical condition, basically that I caused this on myself! Some of the book I was ready to accept, some not, some I accept now later in years, some I will never accept (and that’s my choice). However, probably the most valuable thing I learnt from the book was the power of Affirmation. Something I am still really big on today (more about this coming soon).
(read some of the book here) By the way.... just for the record...I was clear of cancer after 1 year of diagnosis with minimal treatment and have been clear ever since. While I do not advise anyone to try this route, in my case it was an option and one that I decided to take. Fortunately it worked for me.

YOU CAN'T AFFORD THE LUXURY OF A NEGATIVE THOUGHT
Just after reading this book I came across another called You Can’t Afford The Luxury of a Negative Thought. With the subheading of: For People With Life Threatening Illnesses, including life itself! I learnt many things from this book and it’s an easy one to dip in and out of. It’s been well used over the years (as have all these books I recommend!) But one of the most important things I learnt, is that if you have an illness, and one person has survived, there is no reason why you should not be the second. If no one has survived, then there’s no reason you should not be the first. This philosophy was to be proved with my long term pen friend, who had such a severe form of cancer, he should basically have been dead before he saw the consultant! As the longest anyone had survived this cancer was 6 months. I talked to him, sent him a copy of the book and kept in regular contact. He went down in the Lancet Magazine as the longest survivor of Oats cancer, living a further 8 years and dying at the grand old age of 88!

LIVING MAGICALLY
Then a chance meeting with a friend who called round for coffee, showed me the book Living Magically by Gill Edwards. A book based on metaphysics and self awareness which was to open many avenues and doors for me, and enabled me to once again look at the bigger picture and tackle the demons within. It was probably the beginning of my spiritual journey as I know it today and lead to many, many paths of self discovery. It’s not fluffy or super spiritual hocus pocus nonsense, just a good all round starting point for anyone wanting to see past the world we live in and explore new ways of thinking.
(You can browse some of the book by clicking here)

CREATIVE VISUALISATION
Along side all these books on self awareness, taking responsibility for my mental, emotional and physical health and well being came the deep need to learn to meditate. I had tried so many times to meditate but found it so hard to quieten the mind, still those thoughts and cut out the outside world. After reading and trying just one of the exercises (the pink bubble technique) I found that at last I could meditate and visualise to the extent that where I ended up, I didn’t want to come back from! Lol. The Book Creative Visualisation worked well with the other self help/self awareness books I was reading and more and more I was committing myself to take charge of myself and my own health. Some of the tools I still use today and get others to practice too, if you want to see more (read some of the book here)

FEEL THE FEAR....And do it anyway!
Feel The Fear….and do it anyway is another book I advocate. It’s a fantastic motivator which helps you move through your fears whether money, relationship, you job or other situations which hold you back in life. The aim of the book is to offer readers a path of re-learning, by means of which they can get rid of faulty thinking, feel the fear and push through it to turn anger into love and indecision into action.

SELF ESTEEM AND PEAK PERFORMANCE
I suffered severely with S.A. D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and Winters were a nightmare. Every year was the same. Once the light started to fail and the weather grew colder, my moods became so low I was probably borderline suicidal. Only sufferers of this disorder can identify with the absolute disperse that this condition brings and the abject misery that it inflicts not only on ourselves, but those around us.
I didn’t read a book by Jack Canfield, but listened relentlessly to an audio set of about 8 tapes. I listened to them back to back day in and day out while I worked. The audio book was called ‘Self Esteem and Peak Performance’. It was primarily as a sales and marketing tool but very bound up with the Self Esteem side of things. His audio books are now available to the wider public (click here for a list). Jack Canfield is now recognised as one of Americas leading motivational and life coaches. One of the ‘old school’ who probably inspired most of today’s self healing and self awareness coaches all over the world. Jack has also written or co written Chicken Soup FOR The Soul, which many of you will be more familiar.

So I share with you these books in the hope that they help someone somewhere. You are not alone. Learning about self awareness, self improvement and self help techniques to get you through is not a sign of weakness, on the contrary, it’s a sign of strength. I’m not saying that by learning and reading these books will prevent you from ever suffering again. We cannot avoid crisis’s happening. Crisis is not dependant on how rich you are, how healthy you are or how good and or clean you live your life. The just happen…to everyone at some time of other. What you will gain however are methods and tools to help guide you through, tackle those unwanted thoughts and behaviour patterns that hold you back and give you the chance to live your life in joy, happiness and wisdom.

Let Us Be Brateful Quotation

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;
they are the charming gardeners
who make our souls blossom.

Marcel Proust

Be Careful What you Wish For

Oh yes! Be VERY Careful What you Wish For!

Above photo is by Denis Brown’s Wishes Series

One of the things I hate to hear is someone saying to another ‘Be Careful’. It contours up and says to the unconscious mind that they are not safe and something terrible is more likely than not going to happen to them. So when I say, Be Careful What You Wish for, I mean it as in be careful what you put out there, for what you wish for will come true, whether your wish is a prayer or a spell, and what you put out there comes back to you 3 fold, so when wishes come true make sure your really ready for whatever comes your way.

As Beltane fast approaches the earth waking up with great velocity. The God and the Goddess and joined in union, the male and the female of plant, animal and human are bouncing about with renewed energy and natures flow is in full swing.
The Pixies market garden (well it certainly looks like one!) is well on it’s way and my original ‘Wish List’ created in January is well on it’s way to being completed, and that’s without even trying! I have planted for what feels like weeks and weeks and much to my amazement, things are starting to grow. I’ve planted, potatoes, carrots all colours and varieties, parsnips, courgettes, peppers, runner beans, French beans and broad beans, beetroot, spinach, aubergines (doing very nicely) and sweet corn (also doing very nicely). My salad stuff is starting to grow too, spring onions, radish, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and other salad leafs, hopefully the Pixie will eat cheap this year. I’ve been vegetarian for 25 years now so eating rabbit food holds no fear lol.
I’m enjoying coming home at night and watering the plants, there’s something really wonderful about getting back to nature and compost up your nails. It did play havoc with the French manicure I had last week though.
Ah well, every blessing has it’s down sides.

’m looking forward to my friend Ambermoggie and Mr. Mog’s, coming to stay for a couple of days next week, a great surprise for Beltane and it will be so good to catch up. I met them both around…. Hmmm must be 7 or 8 years ago now. We were close the minute we met and have stayed in touch ever since. I’m so looking forward to seeing them again, so it will be a short week at the studio, ahhhh the joys of working for yourself!

I also wished for an exhibition and it seems to have plopped right down on my lap. It will be scheduled for October, plenty of time for advertising, press releases and marketing, hopefully with a preview evening. We’ve (Me and Spirit Whispers) have decided to call it ‘The Spirit of Nature' a subject close to both our hearts. We are holding a joint exhibition which lessons the burden and pressure of getting a stack load f work out. Although 5 months sounds a long time, it isn’t. We’ve already had 4 months of this year! And before we know it Summer Solstice will be here…. Yes folks it’s only 7 weeks away! So, it will be all hands on deck for the next few months. Funny how things work out, looks like the Pixie is going to be busy, busy, busy and so glad I only have myself to please and no one else to consider, cook for, clean for, wash for. Once your kids are all grown up, it’s the time when we women, finally find time for ourselves, and it looks like I better enjoy it while it lasts, for I had a dream that Grandkids will be on the way far sooner than I think! And I think my son Paul and Sarah will be a tad bit shocked as to how fast they come along too! Lol.

All photos are of Denis Brown’s Wishes Series

I Believe...... Wisdom for Life

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born
A Death Certificate shows that we died
Pictures show that we lived!

Have a seat . Relax . . . And read this slowly..

I Believe...

Just because two people argue,

it doesn't mean they don't love each other

.And just because they don't argue,

it doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...

We don't have to change friends if

we understand that friends change.

I Believe..

No matter how good a friend is,

they're going to hurt you

every once in a while and

you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...

True friendship continues to grow, even over

the longest distance..

The same goes for true love.

I Believe..

You can do something in an instant

that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...

That it's taking me a long time

to become the person I want to be.

I Believe...

You should always leave loved ones

with loving words.

It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe...

You can keep going

long after you think you can't.

I Believe...

We are responsible for what we do,

no matter how we feel.

I Believe...

Either you control your attitude

or it controls you.

I Believe...

Money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe...

My best friend and I, can do anything, or

nothing and have the best time.

I Believe...

Sometimes the people you expect to kick you

when you're down,

will be the ones

to help you get back up.

I Believe...

Maturity has more to do with

what types of experiences you've had

and what you've learned from them

and less to do with

how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe..

It isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others.

sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe...

No matter how bad your heart is broken

the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...

Our background and circumstances

may have influenced who we are,

but.we are responsible

for who we become

.I Believe...

Two people can look at the same thing

and see something totally different.

I Believe...

Your life can be changed in a matter of hours

by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...

Even when you think you have no more to give,

when a friend cries out to you -

you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...

Credentials on the wall

do not make you adecent human being.

I Believe...

The happiest of people

don't necessarily have the best of everything;

they just make the most of everything.'

The Power of the Goddess – Both Inside and Out From Samhain to Imbolc

The Role of the Wheel of the Yeah and

Connecting to the Goddess in my life

Below - My Inbolc Altar

Well, how crazy can life be sometimes? Work has come in thick and fast despite the recession. I sometimes wonder whether the fact we are being bombarded left right and centre with news and views that we ARE in a recession is all part of a factious rumour, I mean, tell someone something long enough and we start to believe it, right?

In the Pagan calendar SAMHAIN (October 31st) is a time of honouring the dead, our forgotten ancestors, and a time for meditating and getting rid of things no longer useful or necessary in our lives. At this time and after a meditation, I made a braid. Into this I platted the things that needed to go. I wasn’t happy particularly with what came about during the meditation. I knew a relationship that I was hanging onto had to go. I had clung on long enough believing that given enough time, understanding and love that he could change his ways, let go of his fears and become the person he truly was (or I thought he was!) But I constantly had to suffer the humiliation of someone who on a regular basis played pick me up and slam me down games with me. Still I hung on. I gave him time, and space, and still cared for him, but he could only take and not give. The relationship ended after he openly admitted (no actually he shouted at me) that he in his words ‘didn’t care’ how I felt and how painful it was for me to tell me that he was eating Christmas dinner with his ex wife! And I was not supposed to be hurt by this, as it was a sign of weakness! He called me a saddo, because I was upset that I would be eating Christmas dinner on my own rather than with the man I loved. He left telling me how much he loved me! And was looking forward to Glastonbury with me the following weekend…..Yeah right! I knew being with him was like being on a surf board, rising gently towards the crest of a wave and coming slap bang hammering down. The next morning I gave him the chance to say sorry. He didn’t he ended it swiftly and without ceremony. I realised at long last that he wasn't worth it.
I no longer had to put up with crazy emotional outbursts, banging his head off the steering wheel because he couldn’t find somewhere and blaming me, storming off in the middle of Glastonbury and leaving me to cross a busy duel carrageway by myself...yes I know I'm partially sighted, but it didn't seem to bother him! complaining of a few cat hairs on his black t-shirts, being accused of stopping him seeing his kids, not having time to read, not being allowed to eat in his car, and having to put my muddy boots in a carryer bag, on a mat, on a carpet for fear of dirt in the back of the van. No longer do I have to sit and listen to him tell me how much he couldn’t stand the people we went to camps with. Constantly criticising them, because that’s not the way he would do it or because their spiritual path was not the same as him….whatever that is. I didn’t have friends over, as he (in his words)‘wasn’t a people person’. He complained that he didn’t have time for anything because he was at my house twice a week but would sit down and eating a meal I had cooked him. He did nothing for me, unless there was something in it for him. If he cried he wanted comforting, if I cried I was weak. I was walking on egg shells, not knowing what was going to happen next with him, when this shift in personality and his alter ego and dark side would come out, it was not good to see. Sadly, the man who needed to spend more time with his children and be a real father, and who didn't need a relationship or woman by his side to lean on and who preferred his own company, Well he lasted a whole fortnight before needing another woman! WOW! lol. So he's a liar too! lol. Worst thing was, he told other friends he needed to spend more time with his kids, making out he was the doting father, so he lied to them as well. How very spiritual. Using the kids as an excuse for everything is unforgivable. He would have done better for himself perhaps if he had read some of those books and looked deep within as to why he needs to behave like that, and sadly looks like his kids are no further up the pecking order than they were before, time that can never be made up in ANY lifetime. But I somehow think he will realise it far too late. Not my problem any more :o)

I learnt that some people are so messed up, you can’t fix them, no matter how much you love them and whatever you try and you are only making things worse for yourself in the long run trying to drag someone screaming and kicking down another way of life. He had less respect for me than I have for myself. I am relieved, at peace and so much more settled and back to my old self without him. It's hard when someone needs so much emotional support but is unwilling or unable to give it back when needed.

So SAMHAIN.....

The meditation helped me realise my own fear. I had a fear of success, (because I didn’t have a supportive partner) and a fear of money. I’m not materialistic so to crave money doesn’t come easily to me. I value people over money and material things.
So I needed to let go of fear on many different levels. I no longer fear success and realise that to have a supportive partner would be nice (perhaps) but I am capable of doing it alone.

Yule (21st December) Is a time for reflection. There’s something comforting about getting home from work, closing the curtains and getting all snugly and warm in the safety and comfort of your own four walls. It’s also a great time for reading, learning and going with the flow. It wasn’t always like this…. I suffered really badly with Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D) some years ago. I bought a light box and read self help books and the more I live in tune with the turning of the Wheel and realising its relevance in my life and the effect on it, the more at one I am within myself also. I’ve used this time to find out WHO I really am. What connects me to Mother Nature, what makes me tick and how easily I can just ‘be’ and go with the flow. I have read more books in the last 2 months that I have done in the last 9 years. My creativity is flying, my ideas are coming thick and fast, I am planning for future projects and I’m free to do whatever I want, whenever I want, with whoever I want….It’s a good place to be. Oh yes I’ve certainly enjoyed the Winter.

IMBOLC (February 2nd) Is a celebration of the return of the light. One where the body (and nature) starts to wake up a little bit and come out of that restful sleepy almost dead phase. Where planning starts and a renewed energy starts to flow. Ideas started in the Winter slowly start to gestate into becoming real. I have cleared my altar of the holly and it will be burnt along with memories from the past that need to be put to rest. Winter isn’t a great time for clearing out the cobwebs, but at Imbolc we start to look forward to the return of the sun, brighter warmer days and with the optimism of things made new. I’ve cleared some clutter (especially clutter that doesn’t belong to me) and old worn out things I no longer need around me. My altar is renewed in honour of Brigid which celebrates the growing strength of the God, still in His child form, as well as the return of the Maiden aspect of the Goddess. As their strength and light grow, we grow with them. It is a holiday of light and inspiration, a time when our path becomes more fixed, and the seeds that will grow later begin to stir within us. The Irish celebration of this festival was dedicated to the Goddess Brigid, a triple Goddess who represented inspiration, muse, healing, and the arts. It’s a time for inspiration, enterprise, new beginnings and growth.

Arkansas Emergency

There is a severe weather warning for all of the UK this weekend. Well we are still in the middle of the winter and Spring phase you I suppose you can't expect anything else. I have seen photos from all my blogging friends over the last few weeks of their surprise of huge amounds of snowfall, especially in areas of the world where it's just not normal. I must admit I wasn't duly concerned, I just thought..... Oh how wonderful and magical for them. When Ceri started storing up foods, I perhaps thought that they were all getting just a bit too cautious. That was I DID think that until a message came onto a board that I am a member of.

I have known Teri Martin for what must be near enough 15 or more years now and I subscribe to her Quote of the Day, which gives me a large amount of inspiration. I haven't had a Quote for a couple of days and just thought it was a glitch in the sending system.... that was until I received this email!

I have helpers monitoring the list, but when I will get back to you "in person" is still up in the air! I just managed to send this from out of state before returning home.You've probably heard that Arkansas is in bad shape::: NO Internet connection at all. People are freezing in their homes and evacuations are taking place to get them to somewhere with a generator. Electricity is out. Cable is out throughout a widespread area, don't know when it will it be up, so I will be offline when I get home at 10:30 tonight. We have a generator, so at least have have heat and refrigerator. BUT all stores are closed ==

NO food. Jim just told me we've been declared a national disaster.
Please pass this info to this list. Hopefully i will make it home safely.My purse was stolen night before last so it's been a rough 24 hours. I had over $400 in there, not counting my credit cards.. now all cancelled. OY. you can reach me through this earthlink address until 10:30 am pacific time.
hugs, teri

What a worry! And how easy we get complacent and take things for granted. Perhaps all the food hoarding is not suxh a bad idea after all.

Prepare for the worst, expect the best is what we all need to keep in mind I think.
My network of friends are lighting candles Teri, just want you to know we're thinking of you all.

UPDATE: And I've just found this link regarding 9 deaths due to the freezing temperatures http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=79374&catid=2

And more news here http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hxyhhC1qV6qWnOdkwks6C1HpYtPAD961JD5O0

Lighting a candle

Lighting a candle for my grandmother who will be buried in Hull today. May your journey to the Summerlands be filled with light, for without you I would not be here.

And thinking of my mum at the special time. Love ya xxx

To be nobody – but yourself –

Another quotation in my ever growing list that I find 'speaks to me' or is useful for someone close to me that would perhaps gain some wisdom from it....

To be nobody - but yourself -
in a world which is doing its best,
night and day,
to make you everybody else -
means to fight the hardest battle
which any human being can fight,
and never stop fighting.
e.e. cummings

At times in our lives it's hard for us to just 'be' ourselves. We want to be what we consider ourselves, but society 'expects' us to look, act and behave in a certain way. Our job titles predetermine how we should act. I am one of the lucky ones, I'm sure that nutty and artist go hand in hand and could not even consider what my life would be like if I had to sit in an office all day.
To be alternative is only OK with those closest to you and others with similar alternative views.

How often are you really free to be yourself? People love you for 'who' you are not 'what you do', but in today's mixed up society, very often success is measured by wealth and possessions not personality, not unconditional love and caring for our fellow man.
Bring on the old ways. Feel free to be yourself (if you dare), make someone laugh or smile, give them a hug is they need it, and wear the clothes that reflect you! We are on this earth for such a short time, we are here to make the most of things, embrace and grab at every little piece of joy and happiness life can throw at us, so at the end we can look back and know that we lived it to the full.
Love often, play like a child, splash in puddles, roll down hills....
Ask yourself.... how differently would I live if I knew I only had 3 months to live?

You have the freedom to be yourself, who dares wins!

In love and light,
Sue xxx