Make Room for More

Embodied Ganesha

I am amazed at this sustained state of abundance which I've been in and surrounded by for some time now. 

It started with my intensions, planting seeds to grow and blossom, in meditation. I gratefully shared in a 21 day collective meditation through the Chopra Center. Following a guided daily mediation for 21 days (actually 22). Deepak Chopra opened each day with a new focus in limitless thinking and abundance consciousness. It was wonderful to do this and to be committed to the same focus of this group. It gave me momentum to find the time in my day to meditate as best I could. This is something I have so desired and prayed for but never seem to be able to hold too, not so consistently. Even this series allowed me to miss a day and make it up the following, within a 10 day time frame.

Meditation Drawing

The 21 day meditation began during Election week. By the end of 32 days, when I finished it, it was already December. The consciousness was opened, intentions planted and carried on. The holidays were wonderful, rich, abundant beyond any expectation, and still there is this plentitude and possibility! (I am loving it!). 

One of the amazing things is that all wishes are being fulfilled, in my family- not in a greedy way but there is Enough and just having that and feeling it is beautiful. No, I didn't get the job I interviewed for 3 times, which miraculously presented itself (and obviously wasn't right); and No we didn't get to visit my husband's family, on the other side of the world, and No, that affordable housing opportunity didn't become ours... But there Was enough for all we asked for and wanted and MORE. And it has been rich and prosperous and just downright abundant!

One of the gifts we did receive is this sacred statue of Ganesha (photo above), carved from a single moonstone. Ganesha known as the remover of obstacles or the Lord of Obstacles. Our dear friend gave it to us, as she was lead to it in a most unusual way. We have all felt profound obstructions and difficulties being lifted away since Ganesha has been in our hands, hearts and homes. Thank you dear Ganesha, please continue to embody our hearts and to stay open for your clearing of passage. Make room for more!



Oh Lord Ganesha

possessing a large body,
curved trunk,
with the brilliance of a million suns,

please make all my work
free from obstacles-

always. 

End of December

It seems I am down to this once a month posting.
That is not really my intension or my favorite thing to be doing but...I wish I was posting more frequently but....
I have to say my life has been so action packed with following through with my intensions and living my life as fully as I have in these moments of being present to myself and my family during these holi-days.

During this past month we repeated many rituals joyfully this December...

We beefed up last years's advent calendar and had fun with those activities inserted in each day (with chocolate).

Advent calendar 2012

We practiced a lot of art-making activities to give as gifts to ourselves, our home and share with others.

We celebrated my birthday 2 weeks before Christmas.

We sang, decorated, baked, cooked, stored, wrapped, read stories, hung pictures and participated in community events and celebrations-
Events like cooking night at school, participating in a Solstice ritual, various holiday parties with friends, visit to Santa, viewing holiday windows and the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall.

Some rituals and events were shared with sadness and and deep feelings of remorse-
the 11 year memorial of my dear mothers' death, still hard to move through these days without her
and of course the tragic masacre in Sandy Hook,  so shocking and touching our hearts in more ways than one. We all held each other tighter through our tears.

And we started a new ritual - a (homemade) elf "on a shelf". We jumped on that bandwagon when 2 friends at school talked about being visited by their elf. I looked up ordering one and and just couldn't bring myself to spend $39 on a little elf doll. So I made one with what I had at home. He looks a little bug-eyed and homemade but my son grew to love him especially because I found a companion horse for him that the elf would take with him each night to the north pole, to talk to Santa, and would return with him each morning.

Now it is time to make a list of all the things we did and shared in the whole year of 2012. The accomplishments, the gifts we were given, the wonderful things we shared and the promises we kept. And to celebrate and honor and be grateful for all of those things. Then carry those things into our intensions and wishes for the coming year, to plant those seeds of abundance and love and let them go out to grow through 2013. Thank you all- my family, my friends, my fellow humans- thank you for your beautiful gifts of love.

Spirit of Thanksgiving

oh my,
my last post was still October!
I have some art to share and insights to share too...
Time to do it before it is December already!

I'll be back later for that,
in the meantime I am in the living in the spirit of Gratitude today.

Tuning into that gratitude of what I have,
of what exists in my abundant world today exactly as it is,
sometimes challenging,
but sooo helpful daily to me in general
and with a special offering of gratitude and love (and sharing material things too) to those recovering from the devastation of Sandy
and those less fortunate in receiving the gifts of nourishment and love which I am so grateful for today!

Thank you.

Drawing and Cooking

This is (one of) the results of taking time for myself. 

Meditation Drawing

This is one of the results of taking care of my family, 

during Hurricane Sandy

Still working out the kinks

Still working out the kinks


Adjusting to Routine

Having Compassion

Being in Kindergarten

Waking Up

Eating enough

Sleeping Enough

Playing Enough

Physical Wellness

Working Enough

Exhaustion

Grief

Sadness

Anger

Playfulness

Screen time

Rest

Irritation

Love

Sharing

Giving

Being

Dreaming

Finding Balance

Maintaining balance

 and

 detachment

 to serve my family

 are my goals

 for

 today

September Flying

No not flying like a bird but just the "what was that that just just went by...?" kinda flying...

September

So here we are almost about to move into October. 
Every shift of September has occurred that could possibly be- 
ALL of them 
Summer ended,
School began,
Weather changed,
Rosh Hashana, 
Yom Kippor, 
Mum's 1 year Memorial (my grandmother), 
My late mothers' birthday memorial, 
My dear and first cousins' early and tragic death, 
The huge shift of building and making a new and separate room for my son, 
Starting Kindergarten,  getting into a rhythm with that, 
Then changing schools to a newer better one
Still a change with all of its extra added shifts of the emotional, physical, mental system, rhythm, and plans of each of us and as a family together.