Rose Cottage

  One of the prerequisites for  SoulCollage® Facilitator training is to create and meet cards from several suits, including 2 Companion Suit cards. From the  description of this suit  on the  KaleidoSoul  website:  these cards r epresent the energetic dimensions of our lives.   This suit encompasses two different kinds of energies:  Animal energies Chakra (body) energies You can think of your Animal Totems as imaginary guides on your life journey. You might also think of them as Power Animals because each one imparts a special energy/power to your life. The animals can be animate or legendary - like the Courage card i made this spring - featuring a phoenix. As you choose images, be open to both animals you already feel connected to, and surprises!  Courage  In the 90s, I did a visioning journey to discover Chakra totem animals, in a workshop with indigenous doctor/ healer Louis Mehl. I know I have the notes *somewhere* - horse,...

  Several years ago,  my   feed   over on Instagram delivered a wonderful post featuring a continuing saga of the artist's adventures ...  In her post,  Hannah  wrote about a taking much anticipated camping trip, which turned into a sodden disaster! She wrote that they hung their 'cloutie flags' upon setting up their campsite in Cornwall.  Clootie flags on my porch I guessed she meant small cloth prayer flags or banners, and  found this  article when I looked it up: The Scots word ‘clootie’ means ‘cloth’ - the term can also be found in use in the Scottish dessert, the ‘ clootie dumpling ’. (A Scotts pudding , with dried fruit - currents, raisins and the like) which is boiled in a cloth (the clootie).   Clootie flags  are scraps of cloth, hung from trees surrounding a sacred well or spring. These sources of fresh water have been considered places of healing for millennia, and the flags hold prayers for healing.  Tra...

  As January comes to a close, we are finishing our first blog challenge for 2024. It's been fun visiting each other's blogs, giving us a kaleidoscopic view of each other's worlds. As this challenge ends, new opportunities beckon.  Fly agaric and valentine tree Yesterday, I joined Sophie Wheatly in a needle felting workshop, crafting a wee mushroom, and tomorrow will begin another virtual workshop, Sing the Body Electric. And with Katie and Vi, I am hosting a group through February, Resetting Your Sace as a Living Altar. A dozen or so years ago, my blogging friend Jamie hosted a weekly group - Wishcasting Wednesday.  Jamie wrote,  "Wishcasting Wednesday is a safe haven for wishes, a fertile field in which to plant wish seeds and have them witnessed and tended lovingly. It’s a place where magic begins...Make a wish: Dare to dream." My wish for us is to experience more quiet joy, better health and good friendships.  "What would happen if every week you made a ...

  I'm excited - and a little nervous - to be cofacilitating this year's February Reset. We met (via zoom) last night, and will record our opening circle tomorrow.  The group description begins, 'creating conscious corners with our homes - think of this, what if your whole home was a sacred space?'   I love this focus! And have been joting down ideas, and putting my bits on the calendar.  Intentional Creativity invites us to begin by setting intentions - many of us will pull out a journal for notes and creative process!  Some inquiries to ask as we embark :  Why  do I want to dethug and reset? What  do I wish to create space for?  What  blocks my process/ progress?  Who  - what matters most to  me  about my space? Who  (what items) am I 'renting space' to - (do I like the 'tenants?' Would I invite them again?) When  - what time and energy can I devote to the process? How  - what strategies will I employ,...

 I'm looking forward to the February invitation to Resetting the space of your Living Altar,  which several friends from our Intentional Creativity community host. I'm also a bit nervous, as I've been invited on board to help facilitate the group this year! Red Thread A decade ago, our IC teacher  Shiloh  issued this invitation:   " I would love for you to finish your painting if you haven’t, and then to clean your studio. Reset your altars. Make new room for the sprouts to come up through the ashes. You need space and time to see what’s coming up and what wants to be shared and prepared for...." Whatever your space and projects, giving time and attention to a reset often inspires us, and gives access to new ideas and insights.  The Resetting group description reads,  "think of this, what if your whole home was a sacred space? Throughout February, (we) will lead a month of consciously clearing spaces in your home, and you're invited!"  While...

 At the beginning of the year, we often ask ourselves, " what are my wishes for my health & well being? " Rather than making resolutions, many of us work with intentions, and ways to meet those.  My first thoughts are more movement, healthy food, clearer home & serenity!  I am so fortunate to live in zone 8, with year round access to fresh local produce.  I shop at the weekly farmers market, and am planning this year's garden.  My grandson is nearly 12, and my garden buddy.  I've eaten mostly local OG veggies & fruit, & try to keep the rest of my food as close to home as possible, for most of my life! My parents grew up on farms; we always had a garden, and got milk from the dairy next door.   Our little family (daughter, her family & myself) have eaten  Gluten Free  for 12 years, & several are dairy free. Sugar and treats can tempt me (yes - plenty of GF versions are available!) - so my intention is to choose who...