Every THING Has a Voice!

found this little six-inch Christmas tree at a dollar store, the perfect size for my small apartment. When switched on, it changes colors and is very soothing to look at. I've been practicing and broadening my telepathic abilities, and since the little tree was right in front of me on my desk one day, I decided to try connecting with it...

River: So, my sparkling little friend, is there anything you'd like to talk about?

Posted on December 6, 2018 and filed under Guest Blogger, Intuition, Metaphysical, Nature.

Voices of Double Up in America

As a young mom and graduate student, this shopper, now in her mid-thirties, used Double Up Food Bucks during her last year in school—stretching her food dollars at the farmers markets for fresh, nutritious produce for her family. Today, she’s a social worker in the area and a Double Up volunteer who refers others with food needs to the program.

In the Heart of a Dragon

 

This is the third time a dragon has showed up in one of my paintings and it continues to make me uncomfortable. The best way I can explain the discomfort is that the value of rational, scientific thinking as the only valid type of information gathering was such a central part of my upbringing that the consideration of the mythic is often accompanied by shame.

Posted on November 9, 2018 and filed under Art, Creativity, Therapy.

A Conservation With the Deva of Abundance

Last summer I decided I wanted to attend the Earth Keepers event in Arkansas in November. To manifest the necessary funds, I was following the Law of Attraction rules of visualization plus act-ing like I already had that money; but it wasn't working out the way I thought it should. Then I got the idea to talk to the Deva of Abundance, and I'd like to share the conversation with you...

Posted on November 2, 2018 and filed under Goddesses, Guest Blogger, Prosperity and Abundance.

Black Music Matters...Jazz and It's Impact On Society

I always get a kick out of seeing how startled individuals outside of music studies are when they learn that the vast majority of music majors in America graduate with little, or more often, no skills in the primary creative processes of improvisation and composition, nor in the African American musical heritage that is arguably America’s primary cultural contribution to the world.

Posted on October 11, 2018 and filed under Art, Creativity, Guest Blogger, Music, Education.

Setting Stories in Motion (and Movies to See!)

With the kind of work I do through my creative company — 7 Cylinders Studio — I get to interact with an ever-evolving cross section of our community.

I want to highlight a handful of those criss-crossing clients to survey our local landscape through the lens of video and provide some of the more compelling projects I’ve been fortunate to produce these past few years.

The Zen of Ballet

I am encouraged and inspired by the number of adults enrolling in ballet who have never studied before, or may have only had a year or two of lessons. A common thread among these different personalities seems to be a “beginner mind set”, an openness to trying something new, willingness to persist as difficulties arise and the sense of satisfaction that comes from finally getting it. 

Posted on September 27, 2018 and filed under Art, Creativity, Health and Wellness, Excercise.

AUTUMN ADVENTURES: A Fall Feast with the Fae Folk!

Though I've always known in my heart that fairies are real, I never thought about creating a real relationship with them until the late 1990's. By then I'd been working with angels long enough to raise my personal vibration so it was close to the frequency level of most fae, which simplified connections and communications. And I figured that working with fairies would be a natural next step. After all, fairies have been described as taking care of nature the way angels take care of humans!

Lessons From the Trees

Have you been to a redwood forest? Or laid flat on your back watching the stars? Or seen a person that you’ve never met, that you are certain that you “know”?  There are so many ways that people feel connected, and conversely, so many ways that we forget we are connected and tell ourselves that we are all alone.

Posted on September 13, 2018 and filed under Guest Blogger, Nature, Spirituality.

Persephone’s Daughter

As is often the case, when I first finished this painting, I had little knowledge of the insights it held in store for me. The first revelation came when my husband commented that the fish to the left was not in a natural position, that it wasn’t moving. Often the very section of a painting that doesn’t make sense holds great jewels to unearth about what lies in the deeper layers of the psyche.

Posted on August 18, 2018 and filed under Art, Goddesses, Psychology.

How I Came to Be an Art Therapist

Shortly after I graduated with a masters degree in clinical psychology, we had a major earthquake in Adapazari, Turkey, a town close enough to my home-city of Istanbul that resulted in a death toll of 35,000, and many more that were wounded and/or traumatized. I was part of a group of private practitioners, and overnight our office space expanded to include hospitals and tent cities.

Posted on July 15, 2018 and filed under Art.

Changing the Face of Death: The positive death movement brings light to what has been taboo

America has been described as a society that is at the same time death-obsessed and death-denying.  Mainstream media, in its efforts to capture and hold our attention, focuses on the sensational and feeds us endless stories and images of people being killed and we can’t seem to help but devour them all in a sort of dark obsession.  At the same time, most people have a very hard time talking with depth about the idea of their own death and the topic is often treated as taboo. 

Posted on July 5, 2018 and filed under Death and Dying, Rites of Passage.

Big Magic Indeed

Some magic is small, like how the laugh of a baby can melt your heart regardless of your state of mind. Some magic is big, like when you run into an old friend in a city of 15 million people you are only visiting for a week. When the likelihood of something happening is way smaller then it not happening, it is called synchronicity.

Posted on June 26, 2018 and filed under Art, Magic, Creativity.

Water Works

I never leave the house without it. If I forget it, guess what? I’m going back for it. I take it everywhere I go. It even sits on my bedside table each night. It has become my staple. I’m lost without it. It’s refreshing, tastes great (especially infused!) and the best part is, it’s doing wonders for my body. I’m talking about water, of course.

Posted on June 18, 2018 and filed under Food and Nutrition, Health and Wellness.

5 Tips for Making Healthier Choices at Summer BBQs

Summer is a wonderful time for getting outside and being active. But when it comes to eating healthy, there can be an awful lot of temptation — especially with summer holidays and BBQs. By following the tips below, you can have fun and feel good about your choices at the same time.

Before I Was A Psychologist

The person I looked up to most at the tennis club was a part-time instructor named Lou Graves. He was a teacher in a juvenile detention center and would kid me that I reminded him of some of his delinquents. What he meant was that I had a temper, even though my temper hadn’t gotten me into any legal trouble. It just got me into an occasional fight, including with some of my tennis opponents when I began competing in tournaments.

Posted on June 1, 2018 and filed under Children, community, Psychology.

Is it Sacred? Is it Safe?

Over the past several months, I’ve had several conversations around sacred, ritual, and safe space. Some conversation were with others, and many were with myself in deep contemplation. I think in these times of rapid evolution and redefinition, it is important to revisit our thoughts, ideas, and understanding about some basic principles. For me, this inquiry is both pragmatic and philosophical.

Community, Connections, and Ceremony

Smartphones and social media have a major impact on the way I connect with family, friends, and social groups, but I am often left with a feeling of being less connected using these platforms. Isn't it interesting how these tools that can connect us instantly with others can also leave us feeling even more disconnected? Our core craves for a more meaningful and tangible community. Let’s build one!

Goddesses –Who are they, really?

I’ve been taking online art classes offered by the Art of Allowing Academy for over a year, learning to paint the female face through connecting to the Divine Feminine. Connecting to the intangible happens through the allowing process, letting of the feminine form appear on the canvas and following it with your hands. In other words, going with the flow as opposed to a planned execution. And making an appearance She has been!

Posted on May 12, 2018 and filed under Art, Metaphysical, Psychology.