BP Oil Spill

I have been moved to tears. My heart is breaking. I have been in mourning, sickened by the images I see reflecting the utter confusion and ineptitude of the handling of the BP oil spill.
The disaster has left me dreaming dreams of suffocation and death.

I am not writing to sway your opinion on drilling in the gulf. I writing to request that every one of us take responsibility for the disaster. We have all contributed to the "holocaust", as one newspaper reporter called it, in the Gulf waters. For years we have heard that we must change. For years we have watched our world being diminished in subtle ways. For years we have consumed as though there is a limitless supply of all we deem we need and can't live without.

We bury our consciousness in technology, texting and emailing, facebooking and twittering in order to receive bite-sized portions of life while huge chunks of our planet are driven to extinction. I am not sure we can stop the spiral of loss completely but we can begin to shift our own impact on our mother Earth and I know we can change our habits and expectations. Living with less needs to be seen as creating abundance.

There are a million ways to take less and use less. Research them and employ the ones that make the most sense for you. Start living differently. Send me the ways you are changing lifestyle and conserving and I will post them in the next newsletter. No action is too small or insignificant. And please, write, call, picket, vote and let your opinions be heard. This is one time that I do not recommend silence.
Love and Light,
Nora

We raise our conscious vibration through action. We honor our mother Earth and live with thoughtfulness and gentle care. Our steps are light and our hearts are loving.

Celebrate Spring

I love the this time of year. With the onset of spring the world around us seems to be celebrating life, change and renewal.  Growing up it would mean that my mother tackled the yearly ritual of spring cleaning. Windows, screens and doors would gleam with a sparkle of light and transparency after a winter of sludge and gray were expertly removed. The scent of Niagara Spray Starch would waft through the air as the curtains, crisp and bright white once again, moved in the sweet spring air flowing through the newly released windows. We cleaned the house from top to bottom inviting in the season of spring.

For thousands of years people have been celebrating the shift of energy brought on by springtime. Just as we celebrate and honor the birth of a child, we have celebrated the rebirth of our land by dancing in forests and in castles, feudal villages and family farms. I feel the joy of renewal rising from the depths of my soul when I hear the rustle of the bushes alongside the house as song birds build their nests in preparation for the cycle of life to once again revolve.

This year in particular I am rebirthing a love that I have long held and often ignored. I am painting. Finding the courage to allow myself the time to do so has not been easy, but greatly encouraged by my husband and family. I do not paint every day but I think about painting every day. I also have found that by thinking about light, color and form I have begun, once again to "see" the world around me in lights and shadows, burnt siennas and cadmium reds. To paint and not judge my rusty hand has been a challenge. To paint for the sake of the experience and not for the outcome has been something I must constantly remind myself of. But when the day is done I find that my mind focuses on dreaming of painting and color, rather than a worry about something I cannot control.

What do you love that you have allowed let lie dormant? What have you promised yourself you will find time for but have not? Is there a musuem you keep saying you will visit or a friend that you think of but never manage to call? Where in your life is there a part of you that needs to be encouraged to step forward and be reborn or renewed?

Let the season of spring release the child within and start to create in your world, daily, weekly or monthly an action that ignites creativity, curiosity and play. Find even the smallest sliver of time to nurture your most inner self. Please hold as a truth that you are loved beyond the limits of your imagination, and that the most important request of your soul is that on this journey in life you access the power of love within you in the best way you can. Starting with yourself is wonderful way to celebrate spring.

Each day I create new avenues to love, express and explore.

Love and light,
Nora