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I received one of the most beautiful emails I’ve ever received this morning. My dear friend and long time student, Peg, forwarded me a message she’d written to her daughters about Radiant Life and my teaching. As I read her words, I felt my whole body soften. I felt someone lovingly hold up a mirror and say, “Look. You are on your path. Keep walking.” I felt a surge of renewed commitment to unceasingly pursue my next life goals.
Peg is one of my Champions. She has always been a loyal and determined student and friend. She has an exquisite eye for beauty and a huge appetite for wisdom. I trust her. I trust her to lovingly speak the truth. I trust her eye. So, to receive such an email was like standing in the middle of a stadium and hearing a huge cheering roar from the sidelines buoying me and reminding me of the huge love and support that is a constant in my life whether I recognize it or not. Of course, the moments I recognize the LOVE that abounds, I feel filled with possibility and commitment.
This gift that Peg shared with me MUST be a link in an endless chain of support and upliftment. I will be forever grateful for the Champions in my life. They are life-blood. They are the arms to fall into when I’m working at my edge. They are mirrors for what I cannot fully see in myself.
And I, too, will always commit to standing as a Champion for the beauty and raw potential and determination I see in others. There’s really nothing we can’t do when we have fierce love holding us.
One of the things I want to do consistently in this blog is talk about love through many mediums. I’m interested in how astrology can open conversations about love and how poetry is a gateway to pierce the heart. Whatever medium we work with or whatever conversation we are having, there is always a threshold that waits to be crossed. That threshold is an entrance to the heart. And once that threshold is crossed, we feel the vastness of the heart that touches everything. Once we choose to cross into that vastness, we are choosing to walk in love, as love and for love– no matter what we are doing or with whom.
Aimless Love
This morning as I walked along the lakeshore,
I fell in love with a wren
and later in the day with a mouse
the cat had dropped under the dining room table
In the shadows of an autumn evening,
I fell for a seamstress
still at her machine in the tailor’s window
and later for a bowl of broth,
steam rising like smoke from a naval battle.
This is the best kind of love, I thought,
without recompense, without gifts,
or unkind words, without suspicion,
or silence on the telephone.
The love of a chestnut,
the jazz cap and one hand on the wheel.
No lust, no slam of the door-
the love of the miniature orange tree,
the clean white shirt, the hot evening shower,
the highway that cuts across Florida,
No waiting, no huffiness, or rancor-
just a twinge every now and then
for the wren who had built her nest
on a low branch overhanging the water
and for the dead mouse,
still dressed in its light brown suit.
But my heart is always propped up
in a field on its tripod,
ready for the next arrow.
After I carried the mouse by the tail
to a pile of leaves in the woods,
I found myself standing at the bathroom sink
gazing down affectionately at the soap,
so patient and soluble,
so at home in its pale green soap dish.
I could feel myself falling again
as I felt its turning in my wet hands
and caught the scent of lavender and stone.
- Billy Collins
On Fridays, I’m going to introduce you to my friends–one at a time.
I’m going to do this because I believe when we are introduced to someone with words from the heart, they become a part of our community. Our community grows. Our circle of care extends.
I love meeting someone, learning about their dreams or needs and feeling into whether I have something to offer. I love connecting people. I love helping others take the next right step in their lives.
So, I’m going to introduce you to people I love. And it may inspire you. You may have something to offer. You may have a message for someone I introduce. He or she may have something to offer you. I want to offer the dance of connection. I want to grow a community that is steeped in love and inclusivity and care.
Meet Laura.
Laura and I met in birth class. We were both about 8 months pregnant with our first child. My first thought about her was that she was very quiet but she knew and felt a lot. My second thought about her was that I’d like to be her friend.
Kate, my daughter, was born 4 days before Aedan, her son. Two or three weeks later, we decided to get together and have brunch. Andrew, Kate and I drove out to Redondo Beach where they were living at the time. We brought flowers and something from the farmer’s market. I remember feeling like it was immediately easy. Andrew and Josh ended up talking a lot and Laura and I made our selves comfortable, nursed our babies and talked.
There’s something you should know about Laura right off. She asks excellent questions and lots of them. She asks questions that allow the one who answers to discover a tremendous amount about themselves as they answer. She’s not afraid to ask questions that cut to the heart of the matter. And she listens with great love. She holds you as she listens. And she is always so grateful for whatever answer is provided.
Laura and I spent a lot of time together when our first babes were young. She’d meet me at our apartment near Larchmont, and we’d walk to get a soy chai. Mostly the babies would sleep and we would talk. But there were definitely times when we both just had to deal with screaming children most of the time we were together. But again, it was easy to do that with Laura. There was no pressure or expectation about our time together.
When I met her, Laura was hungry– hungry for poetry, for wise words, for books she should read, for art she should look at, for teachers she should seek out. I’m 15 years older than Laura so I had a few things to suggest. She devoured each one.
Laura was one of the Hello Love Experiment founding members and everyone that met her said that they understood “Hello Love” when they looked in her eyes. She is one of the tribe that rescues field mice and nurses them till they are strong enough to be on their own. She takes in every stray that comes her way or makes sure it is cared for. She opens the doors of her home and her heart to those in need. She is a great teacher in her inclusivity and nourishing love.
Laura’s husband works in the film industry so they move a lot. They moved when the kids were about 2 and then a couple of years later and now they are gone again– to New Orleans. They always return for which I am so grateful. Laura just had a baby daughter, Satya, in February and she is fully back into the sweet nesting phase of new baby.
I know she misses her community here. She worked to really build one and poured her heart into growing her group. I know she feels a bit out of the loop in New Orleans at the moment. Maybe this growing community here can include her in our explorations.
Laura is an extraordinary gardener, painter, poet, artist and cream/ herbal remedy concoctor. She loves yoga and working in circles of women. She is sincere and will give back what you offer — tenfold.
So, I don’t know what it looks like, but maybe you send a picture of you in your garden. Or maybe you offer your favorite poem. Maybe you remember those first months of new baby land and offer her a wish or encouragement. Only you know. I just want you to know her…. You can find her at .
So much love.
I was recently at a great workshop, taught by my friend Erin Schlabach. We did a simple exercise to warm up in which two people stood one behind the other. Then the one behind held the hips of the one in front. The one in front tried to walk, while the one in back created as much resistance as possible. It’s difficult to say the least. After trying to walk for about 2 minutes, the person in back sets the person in front FREE! And the person in front walks unburdened. It’s a glorious feeling — unhindered, light, quick, effortless.
This is a great exercise to reveal the power of Saturn. When Saturn is present in our lives, we are slowed down. We are forced to be patient. We must be responsible and dutiful. We must work to build a firm foundation. Sometimes it feels like we are simply thwarted or held back again and again– like the exercise. It’s hard to get momentum. This can be particularly painful for anyone with a lot of FIRE in their charts–Aries, Leo or Sagittarius. These signs want to burn bright and with great passion. Saturn insists on a much more methodical approach.
But once Saturn gets to do it’s work, and sets us FREE, we recognize the beauty of the work we’ve done. Saturn offers abundant gifts. It allows us to accomplish something substantial, something real.
Right now, Saturn is in the sign of Libra. This is a 2 1/2 year period where it is our duty to make clear, excellent choices. It is the time when we must work on building right relationship. It’s a period of training for Humanity to learn to treat our brothers and sisters as we treat ourselves. It’s a time to bring a new way of relating into manifestation– to make real the phrase, “We are one.” If you ARE a LIbra or have Libra rising, this is doubly so for you.
So, next time you are feeling held back or like the burden you are carrying is far too heavy, take a breath and acknowledge Saturn at work. Thank Saturn for its insistence on patience, rhythm and structure. Trust that the very work that feels arduous and unending is the very work that is preparing to set you FREE.
More on Saturn in your own chart very soon.
If you want to read about another planet, check out my blog on Jupiter!
- Don’t wait until you’re sick to spend two days in bed again.
- This is because there are so many wonderful things to do in bed if you’re actually feeling good— reading, napping, loving, playing bears with your daughter under the covers, watching Mad Men, talking on the phone, eating popcorn or pasta.
- Even if you weren’t able to do many of these things in the last two days, you got a sense of what it is to slow down and cancel all your ‘to do’s’. This is a fascinating feeling.
- Enjoy that fascinating feeling. Learn from it.
- It’s called No Efforting. It’s called Trust.
- Let’s see: Listen to your body. You’ve been hacking for weeks and you didn’t slow down. You’re still weak. Rejoin the pace of things with care.
- Note how you feel now. There’s a huge trust about the rhythm of things unfolding with grace. And there’s a beautiful silence in and around you.
- Did you notice that when you did get out of bed, you just did little tasks that called to you, that felt good, that were diverse and that you really wanted to do in that moment?
- Did you notice how you felt after you insisted you sit in the sun for 10 minutes and just soak in the heat? Did you notice you were restless but you did it anyway? It’s called practicing stillness. Did you notice how good it was for you and that your face went from a strange gray color to a color a little closer to a true you.
- Do you notice how nice it is to begin Spring quietly, with attention, with inner delight, with a wisdom about pace and self-care?
- Finally, after two days in bed, did you note that it’s time to get some new pillows and that the white bed spread you put on after you sweat through the blue actually looks really light and nice and refreshing. It does.
- And finally finally, did you feel grateful for the love and crazy amounts of support coming your way from your community of pals and family who said, “Sleep. Listen to your body. Take care of yourself. Don’t worry about a thing.You are loved.”
Sing a song of Spring.
Welcome the light.
Shake off the last coughs and sighs of winter hibernation.
Everything is calling to you now.
The day beckons.
Sing a song of Spring.
Open the windows.
Clean out the closets.
Let go of everything that isn’t beautiful or useful.
Sing a song of Spring.
Watch the earth for the first sprouts making their way through the darkness.
Cheer them on.
Flowers are remarkable.
Beans are remarkable.
Anything that insists on growing is remarkable.
Open your eyes, your ears, your palms, your heart.
Open, unfurl, let the world in.
In fact, jump into the world, heart open.
Let everything touch you.
Sing a song of Spring.
Our yearly miracle.
We are blessed again.
What in you is crying to start afresh?
Your wish is granted.
I met Jules in writing class. I often laugh with her about it. I was hugely pregnant and she was single, cool and free free free. I remember looking at her across the class putting on gold lipstick just as class was ending. She was off to a party or a gallery opening or something so much more interesting than what I was waddling off to.
When Kate was born I brought her to visit Jules in her loft in downtown Los Angeles. We laugh about this too. I said, “You’re living my other life.” And she said, “And you’re living mine.”
Now Jules is married and has a gorgeous little boy herself — Ocean. (I, however, have yet to live in an ultra cool artist loft).
Jules is an artist. It doesn’t matter what medium she’s working with. In her earlier life, she was a dancer, an actress. She’s a wonderful painter and a poet. She lights up what she touches. She’s a LEO for goodness sake.
NOW her medium is food. And she’s creating a food revolution with her Renaissance Mamas (http://www NULL.renaissancemamas NULL.blogspot NULL.com/) in Los Angeles.
Here’s the deal. Jules wants to empower women — mothers primarily — but really all women, to make their kitchens a beautiful, comfortable, inspiring place to be. She wants us to have food in our refrigerators and not order out every night. She wants us to know that making healthy food is simpler than we imagine it to be.
I’m pretty wretched when it comes to cooking, but Jules came to my kitchen and talked with me about my day, my rhythm, my children and what we like to eat…. She looked at how the kitchen was arranged and how I could make the most out of the space I had. She encouraged me to have bowls full of beautiful produce and pots with lots of wooden spoons. Beauty! Beauty! Beauty! Why else would I want to spend any time in my kitchen? She cooked with me and it was GOOD. I actually made dishes again later in the week. That never happens.
Jules offers group cooking classes too. Now, she’s teaching on Thursdays–usually 10-1. It’s like a combination of a spa day and an amazing meal. When I enter her home, I BREATHE differently. The table is spread with goodies from the Farmer’s Market. There’s always some new wonderful kind of tea to drink. And this too! Jules is FUNNY! She keeps us laughing as she prepares dish after dish. I leave full of excellent food, calm and empowered.
So, spend some time with Jules. Consult with her or go to one of her classes. Definitely read her blog (http://www NULL.renaissancemamas NULL.blogspot NULL.com/). She is always passing along fabulous little tips.
I have to tell you, I was exhilarated. I said good-bye to the kids at 6:30 pm last night and I drove to the Alcove (http://www NULL.alcovecafe NULL.com) on Hillhurst in Los Angeles. I was not meeting anyone. I did not HAVE to be here. Rehearsal was canceled for a show I’m working on and I still had a babysitter lined up. Would I really be so frivolous?
YES.
And was it frivolous. Try– life blood. Try– absolutely necessary. Try – why haven’t I done this in 6 years?
I used to take my worn copy of Natalie Goldberg’s (http://www NULL.nataliegoldberg NULL.com) “Writing Down the Bones”– that and Julia Cameron (http://www NULL.theartistsway NULL.com/)’s ”The Artist Way”–and let’s not forget Sark’s (http://www NULL.planetsark NULL.com) “The Creative Companion”, and I would stake out my space at a local coffee shop and write to my heart’s content. I wrote several one woman shows that way. I filled up notebooks. I sipped Vanilla Lattes and breathed and mused. Remember Cameron’s Artist Dates? I was the queen of them. Remember Sark’s “never be afraid to dine alone” ? I loved to. Remember Goldberg’s “Write for 10 minutes. Don’t take your pen off the paper. Go for the jugular. Just go.” I ate it up.
But now, the last time I wrote– I mean wrote like this — in a coffee shop with a few hours ahead of me, was in fact years ago.
Guess what? Jupiter in the heavens is sitting directly (conjuncting) my Mercury tomorrow. It happens once every 12 years. Jupiter says “YES” and Mercury says “Write, communicate, let it flow…” I consider it a great blessing. It’s a reminder for me of the abundance I feel with pen to paper or fingers to keys. It’s a reminder that I have many things to say and I have to give myself the time to say them. It’s a reminder that it’s okay to be a mom that takes some time at the witching hour of day to escape and take care of myself.
I want to write a book. About love. About the heart. About the courage to live a radiant life. About our foibles. About how hard it is to love unconditionally. I want to sing a song of the fiery heart. I want to encourage each of us to do what it is we are here to do without apology. And I want to encourage each of us to uplift others in their quests. I want to write poetry that makes the soul pulse with authenticity and aliveness. I want us each to thrive so that HUMANITY thrives.
If I want to write this book, these dates with the Alcove have to be consistent. Saturn is now transiting my third house of writing for two years. This affords me the opportunity to commit to my message. Will I do so? Will you all hold me to it? I hope so. Certainly knowing astrology makes it harder to avoid what one is here to do. And now, certainly feeling the exhilaration of these hours for myself and my writing makes it almost impossible not to plan the next date with myself.
Big fat love to you all.
First off, thanks to all who newly subscribed to the blog! Darren was the winner of the astrology reading raffle. We’re doing his chart today.
And now, here’s a beautiful poem written by Mimi Moore. She is my friend Elizabeth’s mother. For the last 20 years, I’ve gotten to hear her poetry and the gorgeous, simple letters she writes to Elizabeth. It’s not exactly the correct season, but I love this one. Enjoy.
Happiness is…
I watch you rake the leaves in piles
And sweep them
On to a plastic sheet
With strong, sure strokes –
A sailor, rowing in a sea of leaves.
“‘We’re doing it, Ma,” you say.
I laugh,
Happy to spend
The last, warm day of October
With you –
Watching the work.
Watching the chickadees storm the feeder,
Watching a sassy blue jay steal corn kernels
From a decorative piece on the woodshed door.
“Your turn. You’re needed.”
I get to my feet,
Help fold the ends
Of the plastic sheet
Around the leaves,
Making a fat bundle,
Like a giant, Chinese dumpling –
A perfect task
For a retired, family-pastry-cook.
I hold the bundle together
While you lash it to the wheelbarrow.
“My dear, son, Earl,
When the time comes that I,
Like a golden maple leaf,
Let fly and fall to earth,
Ready to sleep forever,
Remember this blue-sky day,
The happiness we shared
And the sea of golden leaves we swam in.”
On Fridays, I’m going to introduce you to my friends–one at a time.
I’m going to do this because I believe when we are introduced to someone with words from the heart, they become a part of our community. Our community grows. Our circle of care extends.
I love meeting someone, learning about their dreams or needs and feeling into whether I have something to offer. I love connecting people. I love helping others take the next right step in their lives.
So, I’m going to introduce you to people I love. And it may inspire you. You may have something to offer. You may have a message for someone I introduce. He or she may have something to offer you. I want to offer the dance of connection. I want to grow a community that is steeped in love and inclusivity and care.
Val is a rare gem. I’ve known her only a little more than two years but she is tremendously dear to me. She is endlessly supportive, wildly creative and fiercely strong. She is a powerful and dependable mirror in my life–reflecting the truth of what she sees.
This is the kind of reflection and support she sends on a regular basis:
“i think who you are, and what you give/teach all came together tonight. there were so many moments where your words, the music, the dance, and our souls melted into one. such precious beauty. i feel like we all expanded into each other effortlessly. the depth of our exploration is profound.”
She is one of the least judgmental people I know. She truly does hold anyone who speaks to her with reverence and with patience. She asks questions that provoke thought and growth. And she asks those same questions of herself.
About a year ago, I asked some friends for some brainstorming and reflection about how they see the work I do– how they see me in the world. Val made a 6 foot collage with fabulous images and phrases. It was LOVE bursting off the page.
She inspires me on a daily basis to offer more love, patience and playfulness. And she’s my pal in being determined to get to the gold of who we are even if we’re terrified to dive into the necessary muck to get there.
Val, by the way, is also one of the most productive people I know. She is a visual effects artist/ supervisor for Stargate Studios and does crazily cool work like THIS (http://gizmodo NULL.com/5473819/outdoor-green-screen-use-on-tv-is-insane). So, she works long hours under pressure but then shows up for every amazing class, lecture, or workshop I’ve been to in the last two years. With a smile on her face. And a kind of wonder and willingness that is rare.
So, dear amazing community out there, here’s one area we can rally around Val: This woman is ready for an amazing, strong, creative MAN. (Yes, with capital letters!) She has been doing such excellent relationship work and she’s about as magnetic and ready as they come. She is beautiful, sensitive and wide open. Who do you know? Could there be any amazing available men actually reading this? WHat about your cousin? What about that guy in the class you took two months ago? I’m getting giddy writing this. There is magic in the power of community.
Just write me here with ideas and I’ll pass them along. 
Big fat love. And hurray for amazing Val.
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