Mind over matter, it has always worked for me!

So the past several weeks have been a test sent from the Universe. I was tested in strength, both mentally and physically. I was tested in will and most importantly I was tested in self love. Being diagnosed with anxiety, depression (based upon a silly test on a silly piece of paper) and tension head aches was a huge eye opener for me and made me see that I fell into a place that I had worked so hard to stay away from. Back to square one you could say, but this time I had the knowledge and experience to pull myself out of it.

While I do feel that people do live with depression daily, I do not buy into the concept that everyone needs to take medications for it. I am not a depressed person. I am a female, need I say more?! As John Trudell says, "I'm just a human being trying to make it in a world that is very rapidly losing its understanding of being human." While the feelings of depression do come in and out of my life, it is not me. Period.

I did not truly believe in anxiety, of course, until it became part of my reality and effected me physically. There are people in my life that suffer from it and while most of them truly suffer for no reason known to them, I did feel that some peoples experiences with it (if not all of it) was brought on by themselves, their lifestyles and their decisions (past and present). Lesson learned. Like a friend once said, "God will always give you what you do not understand". Thank you Universe for setting me straight! I have always been anxious, but was able to talk myself out of it. This time I was unable to do so and the anxiety became physical, not just mental/emotional. Each day gets better and I know I will get past this.

Tension headaches, well, they suck and there is really no fix for them other then relaxing and de-stressing yourself. Right? Still working on this but ya know, life could be worse. I am not going to die, all the tests I have had look great. Still waiting on the appointment for the MRI but doc said not to worry about this as they are just following up on a brain scan that came up with some inconclusive results. He said this happens all the time and that they have to follow up on it (for liability reasons) and it usually results in nothing. 

So what am I doing to fix myself? I tried Sertraline (generic Zoloft)...had a reaction and will never take any psycho drugs again. Just another experience to remind myself that the pharmaceutical companies are not there to help us. Sure, I get that idea of taking a drug to keep your heart, kidneys, liver or other essential organs working, but let's not mess with the brain! It does not seem logical to take a drug that has the same exact side effects as what you are experiencing and that makes you sick for weeks before it "might" work. Only to find out that it does not and that you have to go through the whole process until you find a drug that "might" work. What a racket!

Mediation, positive thoughts, walking, nature, photography, loving my peeps and loving myself enouph to know that I am strong and worth it is what is working. Mind over matter, it has always worked for me!

You could be saying to yourself, "Wow, this chick in nuts" or "Hey, she has a point", either way...thanks for reading :)

Love and light my friends! Happy Summer Solstice! ☼

A trip to the Courthouse...there is no shortage of beauty!

Ya know, I have always been one to stop and enjoy the sights around me. Even the travels to take care of daily tasks serves as a wonderful photo shoot...creative peeps, I know you understand ;)

Nevada City is full of old, beautiful churches, buildings and plant life. Here is what I found on my walk from the front door of the courthouse to the car...

My favorite image from this shoot...I have always felt really close to the Celtic Cross.

There is even beauty to be seen at the courthouse! UG!

What are these? They are beautiful!

Daffodils!

The church that is across the street from the courthouse.

This the church, behind the church that is across the street from the courthouse.

This was a moving moment for me...double crosses!

Nevada City landscape.

And there you have it...hope that you enjoyed!

Love and light my friends!

Snoop Lion and Bob Marley

So, I am sure you heard that Snoop Dogg is changing his name to Snoop Lion. Upon Snoop’s visit to Jamaica he awakened to a new reality that he may be connected to the spirit of Bob Marley.

A few years ago my reaction would have been, “Yeah, right!” But today, knowing what I know about spirit, my reaction is “Right on!”  Like Snoop, I have gone through my own awakening and realized that there is more to us than what we can see. There is a part of us that is not yet explained and that part is one part of life that feels right and makes sense to me now.

I have been feeling the “changes” occur. I see it in our strong minded loving children, I see it people everyday who act randomly out of kindness and I see it in nature. I have had a feeling, possibly a premonition that some one that we all recognize would have an awakening and bring upon huge change; not just for themselves and their families but one they could share with the world. I saw this person as a celebrity or someone who is well know by the masses. This just might be it.

As anyone who awakens and chooses to share that part of their life with the world, Snoop will get a lot of resistance. He will face scrutiny and people plainly telling him he is crazy. While, the truth that Snoop is reincarnated as Bob Marley is only known by the Divine but for those of you who smiled funny at me when I considered Bob Marley to be a Divine Master…maybe I was not too far off. Once Snoop Lions first album comes out in the form of Rastafarian beats, it will be interesting to compare the two.

Check out these videos I found on the subject. What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX7EqelDuQg&feature=player_embedded#!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UePv182E2Ac

Love and Light, Onward and Upward, Peace!

Spread your wings and fly!!

THIS IS A TRUE STORY AND IT HAPPENED THIS MORNING!

It is early. 5:43 a.m. to be exact. The birds are actively waiting the sun's arrival.

I let my cat and dog out to enjoy the fresh day that is emerging and sit back down to work, welcoming each sip of delicious coffee.

I notice that the cat and dog are now back in the house and spending some time together. That never happens but I am glad to see that after 3 years they are finally getting along.

Or are they? After about 3 minutes of  "playing" I hear, "Rawr, hiss, hiss, rawr". Hmmm. Then I see Poppy trying to get to the window seal. Hmmm. I better check this out!

Oh my Universe, they have a bird in the house! Oh, kids...between the human kind and the furry kind there is never a dull moment  in this house. Never!

I get up to save the poor Spotted Towee that is now cornered between the window and it's seal. Poor guy, he looks very scared and his eyes are screaming, "Get me the hell out of here"!

I gently picked my red-eyed spotted friend up and held him close to my heart. He took a deep breath and calmed down; as if he was giving a sigh of relief.

I walked to my back deck and set the little friend free. As I did I looked up to see an early morning crescent of the moon; smiling at me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you" my feathered friend flapped. It felt good to reunite him back with nature.

It is these moments that tell me that I AM on the right track. I AM doing what I AM supposed to be doing. The sun has yet to peek over the mountains tops and today has already been a fantastic day!

March/April Creative Corner -- Faith McCloud

 Spirituality. Enlightenment. Balance. All things we strive for in this life. Why? Well, I believe that we all have our own egotistical reasons but on the larger scale, outside of ego, we are all children of the Divine seeking our purpose. Some of us are here to inform, some of us are here to lead and some of us are here to share. I think Faith McCloud is here for all of those reasons.

Faith, the artist that I chose for Creative Corner this time around, has dedicated a great portion of her life to the divine. When I met Faith in 1989, we were in the fifth grade. Then, it was very apparent that God was a huge part of her life. Time passed, high school started, real life started and we lost touch. It was Facebook which connected us together just a few years ago. Thank goodness for Facebook, right?!

We were able to reconnect and I found something out about Faith that I did not know; she is an artist! Not just any artist, but an artist of collage. It takes a talented person to do what Faith does with tiny pieces of paper and paint. I was first drawn to her nature inspired work because it is colorful. It pops! As I looked further into Faith’s work I noticed that it takes an ancient subject (religion) and interprets it in a modern way. To me, Faith’s art is relatable; religious or not, everyone can relate to and be touched by her art in some way or another. 

There is more about Faith that you should know! Not only is she a master of collage but she is also a Master of Divinity. So, she knows God, real well. She knows art, real well. She knows prayer, real well. I love that! I have always thought highly of Faith, from fifth grade on. I am not sure if it is her thick, beautiful red hair or if it is the fact that her name is Faith and she lives life with faith or if it is now based upon her accomplishments; possibly it is all. Either way, I am excited to share her works with you! Meet Faith everyone!