Rose Cottage

  I recently wrote about some of the benefits of practicing gratuitude - and this week our women's spiritual bookgroup, Sister Circle begins reading and discussing the Gratuitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan. (I'm Grateful to have found a lovely used hardback copy - and used bonus points for it's purchase!) My creative community often convinced words and image in our journals, plus process oriented painting. We often pour a cup of tea, and sip with our creative muses.  Cup of Creativi-tea I got a lovely journal from 'the other Grands' for Christmas, and it seems perfect for the practice. The John Templeton foundation supported Kaplan's work on the book - and a survey they funded over a decade ago showed 94% of Americans "thought people who are grateful are also more fulfilled and lead richer lives.  But less than half the people surveyed said they expressed Gratitude on any regular basis."  That's a big disconnect!  Gratitude Diaries As I mentioned ea...

 Over the last several years, I've enjoyed many crafting circles with friends from around the world - via zoom! I offer  bimonthly circles, choosing themes with my co-facilitators. These were in person before lockdown - there's way less schlocking of supplies with virtual circles!  My friend Kendall hosts full and new moon circles monthly, and we usually work in crafty journals, often making a round moon card. I love crafting round cards, and this process of letting the theme inspire both my collage and a card.  Here's a journal spread from several years ago, which accompanied a painting journey.  Collage spread in CODEX journal Our October full moon is in fiery Aries, called the Hunter Moon by many. There were 8 in today's circle - and it's always fun to witness the variety of images and colors that emerge!  Moon cards from our circles Kendall drew several oracle cards - from a deck which includes recipes! Temperance bespoke balance - and the recipe was ...

 One of my favorite protects is to create Cosmic Smashbooks and Juju Journals!  When she was in her color of Woman teacher training, our Red Thread SiStar  Catt Geller  wanted an option suitable for low-income participants. She thought of using simple composition books - and  Cosmic Smashbooks  were born!  After my own graduation from Color of Woman Teacher training in 2015, I corresponded with Catt, and was granted permission to teach local classes for several years, before she began her certification program.  I offer a simple journal process in my Reiki 2 classes, inviting students to document their Reiki experiences. In these Good Medicine journals, we used Apothecary vessels to transform old stories into remedies .  Reiki 2 Good Medicine journals Composition books are readily available, and provide a good foundation for Journaling, using word and image. Many of us covered notebooks with brown paper - that's a great beginning. ...