I hadn’t posted in a while, and I had been posting frequently. Posting frequently is more in alignment with my joy; however, I have been extra busy–and I’m not even sure how time is organizing itself right now. As far as I am intuiting: The official start of the New Year, in terms of momentum, will come after this New Moon in Aquarius that also lines up with the Lunar New Year, 2023: the year of the Water Rabbit. I will be adding a lot of links today because there’s a lot of ground that I want to cover, and I’m not going to create all the content by myself. This might even become another post. First let’s get to the inspiration for today’s blog post. I am coming to the writing block today to bring you Maori artist Sofia Minson and the poet Fred Lamotte. A couple of weeks ago, in December, before the New Year, Fred and I had a brief exchange on email. I told him about how his poetry strikes me in a powerful way. I used different words. Words that were special, and just for him. As a result, I got a reply that I made his day (morning, as is was the first email he read that day). As you can imagine my elation, that I managed to make the day of this most wonderful poet. I’m going to post below one of his most well known poems, and for good reason:
My ancestry DNA results came in.
Just as I suspected, my great great grandfather was a monarch butterfly. Much of who I am is still wriggling under a stone. I am part larva, but part hummingbird too. There is dinosaur tar in my bone marrow. My golden hair sprang out of a meadow in Palestine.
Genghis Khan is my fourth cousin, but I didn’t get his dimples. My loins are loaded with banyan seeds from Sri Lanka, but I descended from Ravanna, not Ram. My uncle is a mastodon.
There are traces of white people in my saliva. 3.7 billion years ago I swirled in hydrogen dust, dreaming of a planet overgrown with lingams and yonis.
More recently, say 60,000 B.C. I walked on hairy paws across a land bridge joining Sweden to Botswana. I am the bastard of the sun and moon. I can no longer hide my heritage of raindrops and cougar scat.
My mud was molded with your grandmother’s tears. I was the brother who marched you to the sea and sold you. I was the merchant from Savannah and the cargo of blackness. I was the chain.
Admit it, you have wings, vast and crystal, like mine, like mine. You have sweat, dark and salty, like mine, like mine. You have secrets silently singing in your blood, like mine, like mine.
Don’t pretend that earth is not one family. Don’t pretend we never hung from the same branch. Don’t pretend we do not ripen on each other’s breath. Don’t pretend we didn’t come here to forgive.
Ancestry by Fred LaMotte for Earth Day
Here is the link for Sofia Minson’s artwork that is combined with Fred LaMotte’s poem.
About me:
I have been working closely with the Medicine Woman Centre for Shamanic and Esoteric Studies for several years, under the tutelage of FRANCHELLE OFSOSKÉ-WYBER. I completed my first Rite of the Six Moons (28 week journey) in July 2019–3 months after my first child was born. For the last year, I have been acting in my esteemed role as an elder for 2 of the 3 programs that I had completed since then, one of which was rich with astrology and magic in the Rite of the Twelve Celestial Regents. In 2023, I was chosen to serve as an elder for another year and support those who are currently embarking on their journeys. This is my lineage under the House of Bee.
This is just one of my shamanic traditions that I am a practitioner in. My other tradition I have also been studying and practicing formally for over 7 years. This is in the tradition of the Four Winds. The Q’ero people passed on their sacred knowledge to Alberto Villodo a former anthropologist. What I have in common with Alberto Villodo is my studies as an anthropology student in my early years, which was really guidance for me to walk the shamanic path. Therefore my “shamanic training” began with education at University while I was undergoing deep processes in my Mind/Body/Spirit. The culmination of my University education was my traveling around the world to locations that were specifically off limits for many travelers–due to boycotts/embargos/political reasons, and also safety reasons. It was then that I also traveled from temple to temple exploring deeply my calling.
I am not a shaman in a particular tradition but I have an assemblage of my own lineage and traditions; ancestry to the ancient Italian practices, began being revealed to me in 2016 when I visited my grandparents’ respective home villages. I have a strong connection with the Maori (and the Polynesian cultures) since I was a young teen (and my soul of course), and was guided eventually to working with Franchelle as an apprentice. Franchelle is a Medicine Woman who teaches within her mystery school where our teachers are the NZ First Light Essences that are created from our teacher plants. My work and studies continue, and my life grows in its magic. My soul, born in balsamic moon phase, is quite an ancient one. It wasn’t until I traveled to Kauai in 2011 that I received my full transmission of my new spiritual name and my surrender to living a life in complete guidance by Spirit. This was the same year that I began this blog. I have since ended up with many spiritual names. One is Tibetan Buddhist Dechen Llamo, given to me by a Lama, and another is Shamanic within the Four Winds, given as Sees Through Water.
Some of you may know that I am now a Doctor of Acupuncture with a specialization in Chinese herbal medicine (DAcCHM). For the next 3 years, I will be delving deeper into my training within Western herbs by the guidance of Rosemary Gladstar, the foremost leader in Western herbal medicine, and working on my land where I currently live with my little family in S. California.
The reason I have for my blog: while it changes over time, I would say that my earliest expression of my Spirit as a child was that of an artist. I was also a writer and a poet. In 2017 I published my first book. My goal is to publish another poetry book before the end of the year. Astrology is also a theme throughout my blog– it is, to quote Shakespeare, “this brave o’erhanging firmament.” Basically, I want to write and connect, and just be me. I want to share my art in whatever form it arises.
I hope those of you who are new followers have enjoyed this introduction. For those of you who have known me a while but don’t really know some of the details, here is your “more.” I truly hope and believe it’s a ‘given’ that you have enjoyed Fred LaMotte’s poem and Sofia Minson’s art. I will close with two of my favorite pieces of hers that I just discovered today. One is Midnight Rose, and the other is about her portraiture.
I’m in the process of recovering from a fever and a cough. This is the first fever I’ve had since the beginning of the pandemic, even though I got Covid at least once! Then I had lost my sense of smell, but got it back quickly after. However I believe Covid triggered depression at that time. Fortunately, I got out of it with help and support of medication, which I now no longer take. Getting on it was pretty bad. Getting off was easy. Getting on there were awful side-effects that worsened my depression and had me calling relatives in the middle of the night. That eventually passed. This is why I think many people who might benefit from antidepressants don’t use them. But I stayed the course. I eventually improved to the point of not needing anything, and it was only then, when getting off the antidepressant, I learned that they were the cause of terrible night sweats—nice to be free of those now. Well, until this fever. But with this fever came those awful chills. I’m grateful for my body’s ability to heal. I share this because it’s okay to go through processes and it’s not taboo in my world to get help from both alternative medicine and Western medicine. Of course the Western medicine is often not so good for the long term-though each case is different. Each person is absolutely unique.
I’ve been writing a lot about time, and I plan to go back and pick up my theme I started from my last blog post. But for some reason, this picture came up in my phone’s feed from when I was in a temple in India, and finished my first puja at 21. I had a Brahman bless the crown of my head. Age 21 I was at the pinnacle of my world. I couldn’t even imagine that I made it to my dream of world travel. I found that embracing these sacred temples that I traveled throughout the world deepened my spirituality, and it was on this trip that it became like a sojourn for me in my soul. Was I connecting with former lifetimes? It was most likely the case. Eventually I became a doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese medicine. All my journeys seem to have taken a decent amount of time. I have lived deeply, and sometimes it’s hard to believe how I got to here, and from where I came. I sincerely love helping people. I love being an inspiration and a beacon of hope. Recently I had a person confide in me that. Here you can read it:
If any of you need anything, a pep talk, or shoulder to lean on for a moment. I’m here. Just send me a message in the contact form.
Cover Art by Debbie Graul, Cover Design by Ka Malana
Praise for Art for Art
Hello dear friends & welcome new followers!
I am delighted to share with you that my 1st book of poetry is published and available. It’s available immediately at the CreateSpace eStore. It’ll be able at Amazon.com in 3-5 business days (now available!), and to a wider audience in 6-8 weeks! The thing is, to me, this was everything: I finished!
May you all have a Happy New Year – Chinese Lunar New Year is coming up – let the festivities continue while we work! I hope. I can breathe now… well, sort of… I’ll sign and autograph as you request. I had one or two of those already. It may take some time as I am just adjusting to my new schedule, but we’ll work stuff out on a case by case basis. Please use my contact form, and just allow me 24-48 hours to get some thoughts together, and of course, to be in front of a computer again.
Ps. I have taken note that every time I write, there are crickets! Right now! Bright daylight, and I hear crickets near the screen door. So grateful!! Remembering this.
My inner child has been a tiny bit restless, I say ‘tiny’ because she’s pretty small, and imagine that she is still cute – not the annoying and terrible thing that her older brother saw her as. The image of the child above the text here is not of little me. Sadly, the link that I found for this image was posted at has been abandoned:
404 – File or directory not found.
Therefore, I am rescuing this child’s image! It’s what I’d imagine my inner child would have been like if she ‘lived a little.’ When we look at children, some of them are fearless and open and abundant with their thoughts. They play around with their friends with the industriousness of a full imagination just pouring out into the world. On any given day, there could be epic missions, and heroic rescues. They live with the purpose of their imaginations and process their emotions as moments that come and go. One day there’s a fall from a bike, wailing and tears. The next day the child is doing bicycle loops around their dad who is beyond proud of them: stunning and amazed. We are most amazed by how independent children are, how despite all the influencing around them, they still end up just being themselves. Many of them are confident and busy at play. To me, this IS the essence of my inner child.
When I used to work with children and tutor them, I enjoyed seeing their eyes light up when they reached within themselves and drew a picture, or answered a math question, or danced to a song by their own choreography. Many of the students I saw in my classroom wanted to be singer/songwriter/musicians/acrobats. Many of them wanted to be stars, celebrities. My heart ached when one of my students felt excluded from an activity that the administration was doing for students who attended a certain number of days. The students I tutored were from the inner city school. There were lots of cut programs and tutoring was an attempt at filling after-school gaps. This particular student, M., cried and cried. I ached right along with her. I can’t tell you that I’m the opinionated type that took sides either with the administration or her broken heart. I did not feel this was my cause nor my duty to make anything just, nor to eliminate her sadness by fighting for what she wanted. I just did my best to comfort her, seeing her process as a continuous initiation into all the trials that we ever, as humans in society, endure.
There are simply times that we are excluded, there are times that some students get rewarded more than others, there are times when peers are mean or just simply uninterested. I try to remember the kindergarteners that I worked with at the Navajo reservation in Tuba City, Arizona when I was assisting as a volunteer for my Spring break during undergrad. That’s a beautiful age when the kids surrounded each other, and also gave each other space. At least in this classroom, this was the situation. They seemed to understand when one child excluded himself from the group activities and instead focused intently on the magic of the wall map. They interpreted that he just wanted to do what he wanted to do. They didn’t seem to need to make an excuse for him in their minds or with each other, “he’s different.” The didn’t perceive him as “different” just doing what he wanted to do. When the activity ended, they all joined hands with him and me. That little child, F., I was told, had fetal alcohol syndrome. He was a little angel. I think he was perfect, but I do know how hard we work to accommodate and make an early intervention. Sadly, this student wasn’t attending school very often, and the limitations of being a teacher and pursuing that particular course any further felt rather unfulfilling. After all, I was an anthropology major, a participant-observer.
Eventually I worked with a group ESL students from Burma, and I enjoyed setting up their classroom and making worksheets, and really enjoyed talking with them – the goal was getting often getting them to speak in their non-native language. If I had continued working with children, I probably would have enjoyed the high school groups more – as for right now – the inner “teenager” aspect of me is very much alive. Those creative years when I would join my older friends at their colleges while I was still in high school. I would paint in my one friend’s studio; and we were wild. Yes, alcohol was involved. That kind of freedom to be wild; that rebellion in some sense, that was the best medicine for my creativity and my friendships. I still miss J. but she never liked technology, nor public attention. I’ve got a lot of ‘inner friends’ who represent all sorts of sides of me. I’m toasting to her right now…. wherever you are… you will always be loved; and I will always appreciate the wildness that you inspired in me! Somehow we were “old” before we were ever really young. I’ve been seeing a lot of memes that say, “Growing older, growing bolder.” It seems that getting bolder are acts of courage we all could use; and it doesn’t come from a place of naiveté, as much as it comes from place of having been wounded before, but moving forward anyways.
Luckily, life gives us plenty of opportunity for exploring all the ‘inners’ with all the ‘outers.’ Thanks to Sindy from Bluebutterliesandme for tagging me in this blog challenge, and I am grateful that you extended your dates. Thank you to Aquileanna from La Audacia de Aquiles: El Mundo Visible es Sólo un Pretexto for the Creative Blogger nomination! I honestly take this award as a challenge to get more creative, and to ‘live a little more fully.’ I am so humbled by you and yours. I mean that in the best way!! 😀
Here are my nominations for the Creative Blogger Award. Please note that if you are not “into” awards, that is fine, just please accept my appreciation for your creativity!!! Also, if you already have the award, then here’s another one, this time **from me, with love**!
With the nomination we thank the person that nominated us, add a logo to our posts, and nominate 10 bloggers of our choice and let them know that you nominated them. I think that when I link your blog, WP will ping you. I’m not 100% sure, though. Please please visit these blogs, if you have not already, and have happy times with these bloggers and their original content and uniqueness.
There are so many moments in a person’s life (this one in particular, me) where the experience of friendship, love, and connected-ness makes one feel so super special. That specialness is the shared embrace of softness and belonging.
Not alone.
It’s that feeling that it’s okay to FEEL because we are all Good Enough, Loveable Enough, Spacious Enough, and Capable Enough to embrace all the wounds we’ve had for an eternity. To really cry it out, love it out, and hug it out, together. We can unfold safely like flowers in the light of the Sun. Nothing will overcome us, when we have one another, and when we have integrity within ourselves.
Angels mean different things to different people. One of my blogging friends, Linda Litebeing, posted some angel wings on my ‘about’ section of my blog this weekend. Wow!
Synchronicity had it that I was also just given the name of one of my Spiritual Guides on that same day. July 19th!
At the New Year I had set an intention to be more deeply present with the angels beyond this world. I know they are with me, and I want to acknowledge their loyal guidance in my life.
I have felt supported, loved, and appreciated for my own variable rays of character. It’s okay, “you’re human,” Linda said in our conversation over on her blog. That means, I too, am gifted with the love and support of others, of her. That’s precious, I’d say. We have a very nice community!!!
Angels among us
Some are those who I’ve only recently been getting to know, but to me, we share a spark! Some bloggers I found earlier on in my blogging journey, and those who have helped me to hold the light of my own purpose, while maintaining the humility of my humanness and fallibility.
There’s nothing you need to do – please just accept this token of my appreciation. If you have already received such a gift, please accept mine, too, and the light of your own abundance.
Seen and Unseen on the Earth Plane & in Cyberspace: Solar Eclipse in Taurus, April 28th
Last week, I spent some time just really reconnecting within myself. I focused on my diet, my schedule, and on my being. This place that I “go to” is a space of creativity, on another plane of existence – although, no one would realize that this is what I’m doing when I shift my consciousness into these states. It’s not for anyone to understand per se. It’s mostly a hidden dance; it requires a level of focus and detachment to present myself in this way to my Self.
Setting up a great amount of space is necessary for dutiful work, and protecting that space is necessary for the being-ness within it. This is the responsible thing to do when engaging with deeply transformative energy.
I bring back with me things, wisdom, or actual objects. Creatures can show up in relationship to movements in consciousness. Sometimes the quality of light is different, or the vibrations emanating from my body are measurably stronger. So, I set up the space (and the time), but what happens within it – is not of my making.
This experience is something that I can commence almost anywhere, but this time, and a lot of the time, I really wanted to be initiate the experience in the woods. I can do it from my couch if I want, but there’s a Spirit request that I’m replying to – and that’s not always easy to put into words for anyone. In fact, it is rarely possible, and I question if it’s necessary. Those who know – know. If you’ve experienced something like this, then you know what I am talking about.
There’s a level of control that seems to improve and become more advanced with time, regardless of conscious effort – there is the existence of unconscious effort. Certainly, conscious effort helps the entire process and programs the unconscious, but one has to be careful not to step beyond the state of receptivity, and get too ‘active’ and try to control the delicate and yet powerful resource that is subtle energy.
The best description for the process of gaining control within the experience of these processes is through the rhythm of dancing in accordance with Essence.
How Magical this is, but it may not seem that way to everyone.
I do notice, however, that artists, writers, musicians, photographers, healers, meditators, and dancers (of course!) often are compelled into these magical states. It seems most natural to experience alternate states from this practice of receptivity. It’s through participating receptively that the subtle consciousness –the subtle body gets involved. Here, we can enter the doorway forusing the body to transcend the body.
Since our bodies are fabulous chemical, electrical, magnetic and substantive laboratories, achieving changes in consciousness can begin and even end by manipulating this laboratory. The energy of the planets and the movement of heavens affect our bodies. A run or jog, moments at the gym, or holding your breath under water can affect changes in your consciousness. This is magical, indeed, but the method itself is ordinary.
Ceremony
Nothing is more powerful than ceremony for bringing in shifts to states of consciousness. I’ve participated in Native American medicine wheel ceremonies and in homemade ceremonies. Spirit has called me to conduct small-scale ceremonies or host spiritual energy for the healing of friends and loved ones. I had an amazing ceremony with some wonderful friends before I left for Kauai in 2011, and was able to bring many gifts there to the island as a result of our gathering beforehand. I left offerings in Kauai at a sacred location on behalf of those who participated, and to the waters in a separate ceremony that I was called to do by myself.
I’m really looking forward to seeing others from ‘my tribe’ this weekend when I visit.
New energies and bonds are forming now, as precious new energies enter the landscape. From a distance I can see how I’ve connected people together just by being a common friend, or thread.
Friendship
There’s a saying that I liked for some time now:
“It takes a long time to grow an old friend,” by John Leonard.
While I’ve felt blessed in my life with a multitude of fast and yet deeply profound acquaintanceships, and have had so many magical and interesting exchanges with strangers (this is my specialty – with an Aquarius South Node and Aquarius rising), something’s been missing.
What’s been missing are the slow movements of Taurus, the plodding and tireless stubborn commitment of Taurus – the time it takes for me to trust, find words, exchange words, and just be in the group or focused on friendship.
Receptivity to the present moment is a gift that means you don’t look to see who is around you for you. You look just to look. However, sometimes, this looking can distract you from Self. So this is the beautiful process of distraction and re-attraction to Self, Spirit, whatever is Source for you.
Just look at the other arms of the fixed cross: the rich intimacy in Scorpio needs the complementary slow and consistent pace of Taurus. I like Taurus. It’s where Chiron was positioned at my birth. Chiron squares my nodes. I pay attention to this, and let myself be wounded by moving too fast; then, I slow down again.
Remembering my cancer moon is sensitive to space and is very nurturing, and doesn’t like it when things get too rowdy. My 9th house Uranus (my Ascendant ruler) is into Jupiter-type stuff, and has become quite optimistic about it all. Right now, Jupiter is in tight conjunction with my natal moon – personal planet on a Grand Cross show down. WELCOME! ♥ If you’ve made it here, and you are still reading, I love you already!! We all want to be heard! It just feels good!
Community
Recently, I received a kind mention and an invitation from one of my blogging friends, Linda Lite Being; and, I’m super touched~ Normally, I wouldn’t participate in this kind of thing just because [insert legitimate excuse], but this one is unique because it’s about GODDESSES and SISTERHOOD! Also, I will be posting about a number of blogs that I enjoy reading, and people (women writers) who have captured my interest and attention.
What Linda wrote on her own blog regarding Goddesses is so perfect, something I could have written about myself (but I didn’t have to, Linda did – and flawlessly) Linda’s words, not mine:
…“Spent many years regarding more of my male friends as true like-minded companions. It was most often in those alliances that I found people who loved to discuss complex ideas, go on wild adventures, and treat me with respect, loyalty, and affection. They knew the real me and had my back, like a fun yet protective older brother. I noticed much more competition and superficiality among my female peers. It seemed that true sisterhood was a rare treasure among plastic imitations. Let’s call them the Earth Goddesses. It was later in life that I was able to find more of those qualities in the women I met. As you know, anything of true value is worth waiting for. With my sisterhood, this is also the case.”…
Linda, Thank you for inspiring me into blogging sisterhood, and for nominating me for this award. I’m sending you an energetic embrace aka HUGE HUG. I’m also really appreciating Through the Peacock’s Eyes and Bluebutterfliesandme as early blogger friends, and know that we are all in good company when we can inspire one another. ❤ I have many nominations (some may or may not already be initiated).
~Rules~ (suggested guidelines)
Provide a link and thank the blogger who nominated you for this award.
Answer ten questions.
Nominate 10-12 blogs that you find a joy to read. (you can improvise here)
Provide links to these nominated blogs and kindly let the recipients know they have been nominated. (this may take a while)
Include the award logo within your blog post.
10 Questions
1. Your favorite color ….Purple, forever. But I shall always paint will all colors.
2. Your favorite animal …This changes depending on what animal I’m working with energetically. HAWK is most consistent.
3. Your favorite non-alcoholic drink …. Herbal tea
4. Facebook or Twitter ….. Both are different, I use both🙂 I will at times* go into internet hibernation, and disappear from the cyberscape. I am KA MALANA on facebook.
5. Your favorite pattern …..
6. Do you prefer getting or giving presents? both!
7. Your favorite number … 0 (zero)
8. Your favorite day of the week … Wednesday/Friday
9. Your favorite flower ….All these favorites (above) will change (except purple). I love all flowers (angiosperms) and plants that do not flower, like moss. The Rose is sacred.
10. What is your passion? ….Life itself; the living of it.
So who are these goddesses that dwell on Earth?
Earth Goddesses ( image originally on Linda’s blog, but is open domain)
Here are my nominees. These are some very cool women! I will call them Earth Goddesses, too! I enjoy getting to know them, and I’d like to be able to read their blogs more often. They write and create from places of wisdom and with true intent. I find them to be both kind and fearless – a wonderful Earth Goddess combo! Thank you for being a part of my life. If you are awards-free, do not fret. Please allow me to simply say Namaste publicly. Nothing more is required. However, for those who are led to pass these on to your sisters, do so with love and honor. Namaste. With all of you, I never get enough time with your blogs. I hope that I am able to notify you in time for the Taurus Solar Eclipse! 🙂
There are so many moments in a person’s life (this one in particular, me) where the experience of friendship, love, and connected-ness makes one feel so super special. That specialness is the shared embrace of softness and belonging.
Fiesta Estrellas 
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