Oldie but Goodie

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Diane

The Weird Sisters is my most favorite read for fun in the past 18 months.  There were some other good ones:  So Much For That, The River of Doubt, The Paris Wife, The Lost Books of the Odyssey, all of the The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series, Just Kids, In The Garden of the Beast.  And many, many more not worth reading or barely worth reading.  i grew weary of the search for another good read.  So, in “back to the Classics” fashion,  I’ve taken on the surprisingly pleasurable reading of The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volumes 1-8, and finding it very fascinating, quite well-written, and worth the time.  Of course, one probably needs to really like history–but so much seems still familiar!

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Memorabilia

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Diane

I have been looking at some piles of brochures, maps, flyers, menus, coasters, and other mementos of trips, vacations, events, and experiences that we have enjoyed. The piles sit there, waiting patiently for me to ‘do’ something with them– put them in a book with cute and/or witty and/or meaningful sayings. Meanwhile, I have come to the conclusion that after a pile has been sitting for three years perhaps I am not so interested in remembering things as I am in experiencing things and I am far too busy with the latter to ‘do’ anything related to the former. What a freedom it is to release those scraps of memorabilia and consign them back to the recycling universe to which they rightfully belong!

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Luminous Mandalas

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Diane

Our luminous mandala class has been amazing! I will try to put some of the images on this website, but you can also view them at the website of Janet London, pressed flower artist and co-facilitator of the group. The women who are participating have been able to access deeper levels of self-awareness and understanding through this process of artwork. Some are reporting a sense of calmness, clarity, and centeredness as they work on the picture, and everyone has experienced a sense of deep connection to their creation. They are working on the healing symbol for themselves right now, and are finishing the white image on black paper, preparing to color the image.

We will be offering another luminous mandala class sometime in February, and will also offer an advanced class for people who have been in the first class. The advanced class will be a one–day offering, probably in the Spring.

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Art and work

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Diane

It’s becoming clearer that creating, or ‘making things’, is considered play and not legitimate work by most people, and one of those people I need to convince otherwise is me! Artistic endeavors were not ‘serious’ enough to count for anything much when I grew up and it was common knowledge that there was no ‘real’ employment in it–although performing artists were valued (as long as one did not think of marriage to one). So it is a challenge every day to allow myself permissions: to take time to create, to allow the inevitable mistakes and beginner attempts, and not to discount those efforts as worth-less, and therefore to be done only when there is nothing else ‘more important’, more ‘work-like’ to do. I’m making progress, largely because the creative process is so satisfying that it cannot remain irrelevant or discounted. My language must begin to change to reflect that I have been working–not just wasting time or playing around or whatever. I finished my first free-motion quilting art piece and am satisfiied with the result even though it isn’t perfect and I would do a lot of things differently next time. Isn’t the learning curve a big part of the attraction? Transitioning. . .

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Try actively monitoring where you are expending your energy

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Diane

What if it is true that your beliefs control your biology?  What changes would you make in your beliefs?  What changes would you make in your environment?  What if Mahatma Gandhi was right when he said, “Your beliefs become your thoughts.  Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions.  Your actions become your habits.  Your habits become your values.  Your values become your destiny.”

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My latest greatest book is The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter and Miracles by Bruce Lipton.

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Diane

This is a fascinating nonfiction book written by a biologist MD about the workings of cells and how cells respond energetically to our environment to keep us healthy.  It is based on quantum physics and explained in a way that a nonscientist can understand.  This is useful and hopeful information for anyone who is struggling with health or mental health issues due to stress, trauma, or poor environment.

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