Day 86: Water

Water: 1. A body of water such as a sea, lake, river, or stream. 2. A clear, colorless, odorless, and tasteless liquid, H2O, essential for most plant and animal life

Water Dream Interpreation: Water is a symbol of energy, cleansing, emotional stirrings. The condition of the water tells whether your emotional state is positive or negative. Dreaming of clear water foretells good luck at work and in your private life.

After a great day out on the water of Middle Cullen Lake, and after more than a week of thinking, journaling, reading and sitting with some emotional and spiritual questions, I am not surprised I had a dream last night about water. A funny dream, where I was reaching into my refrigerator in the lowest crisper drawer to reach for chocolate, which was floating in clear water. I was gathering up all of the pieces of dark chocolate with almond (mmmm good), and i was getting ready to take them with me to a work meeting.  I have known that water dreams are about our emotions.  I like the interpretation of dreaming about clear water -- that it is a foreshadowing of good luck in work and in my personal life.  I believe it is worth it to do the emotional/spiritual work to clear each season, allowing us to move forward to the next.  Onward.  (and out to the kayaks!)  

*  by the way, dream interpretation about chocolate is as follows:  Any dream that features chocolate in it is a simple omen that presages, not luxury, or impeccable taste, as one might expect, but, rather, Good health and contentment, coupled with a pampered lifestyle.

Day 85: Will-Determination-Purpose

Will:  1a. The mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action; 1b. The act of exercising the will; 2a. Diligent purposefulness; 2b. Self-control; self-discipline; 3. Desire, purpose, determination, especially of one in authority: 4. Deliberate intention; 5. Free discretion; inclination or pleasure; 6. Bearing or attitude toward others; disposition.

Determination:  1. a. The act of making or arriving at a decision; 1b. The decision reached. 2. a. Firmness of purpose; resolve; 2b. A fixed intention or resolution.

Purpose: 1. The object toward which one strives or for which something exists; an aim or a goal: 2. A result that is intended or desired; an intention; 3. resolution; 4. The matter at hand; the point at issue; 5. To intend or resolve to perform or accomplish.


I love my time at Wilderness Resort, and basically, I just love my summer.  It is my time especially, to take stock, re-group, set new goals and take action.  Last summer, this came in the form of listening to Tony Robbins daily and utilizing all I learned to tackle my physical/fitness health.  One year later, I feel so great that I achieved what I set out to do last summer.  I have become a person who exercises regularly and one who is more fit than ever before.  


This week, I am re-visiting my Tony Robbins cds on personal power and setting new goals.  This week, my goals are about my finances and about my work.  Who do I want to be in each of these arenas?  What are my new mantras that will help shape and guide my daily actions?  What is my purpose and hoped for outcome in each area? Last year, my mantra became, "I take care of my body, mind and spirit in every season, summer, fall, winter and spring".  Every action I took supported my mantra.  My mantra supported each action.  Now, I'm generating a new mantra around money and around my work.  This is all about making a decision.  I am in the process of making these decisions in these 2 key areas.  It is exciting to think about how I will feel one year from now, having achieved what I am setting out to achieve.  This year, it is a great feeling to have achieved my purpose around fitness, one year later.  Onward.

Day 84: Action

Action: 1. The state or process of acting or doing; 2. Something done or accomplished; a deed; 3. Organized activity to accomplish an objective:  4. The causation of change by the exertion of power; 5. A movement or a series of movements; 6. Habitual or vigorous activity; energy: 7. Behavior or conduct.

I love the definition in number six above - (Habitual or vigorous activity, energy).  Habits are usually associated with bad habits.  In this case, I love the notion of productive habits that give us energy.  I have returned to my Tony Robbins Personal Power CDs. Last summer, I invested in these CDs and it totally changed my life, specifically in the realm of health and fitness.  I had seen Tony in late night info-mercials for many years.  This time,  I took a chance.  I bought them and I listened to the whole series over the course of my first 30 days of summer vacation.  Every day I had a routine.  Breakfast.  Tony Robbins cd and note taking.  Journaling.  Homework and studying for my 6 summer home-study credits.  Workout.  Lunch.  Shower.  And sometimes, some afternoons I would have some social time.  Mostly, however, I was a quite a hermit, and enjoyed every minute of my private summer retreat.  I made a schedule.  I decided on what things I wanted to grow, change, focus.  I took action.  In the last year for the first time in my adult life, I have maintained consistent exercise at least 4 times per week.  I lost 15 pounds.  I feel better physically than I ever have.

It is summer again.  My renewal period.  I am listening again, to my Tony Robbins CDs.  I am setting my summer schedule again.  Deciding my focus.  Taking action. What I blessing I have to take most of 3 months off of work, to re-group, re-consider all that really matters in this life.  Health, for sure, both physical and emotional.  Deepening and appreciating my relationship with Marilou and my close friends.  Deepening my spiritual connections with a higher being through my mandala project.

I really appreciate Tony's simple view and approach to change-making.  Get clear about what you want.  Decide to go for it.  Take action.  For me, it is in the deciding.  I have decided.  A routine and schedule helps me.  Tony Robbins coaching system and style helps me.  Mandalas help me.  Decision and action = relief for me.  Spinning around in the "waiting til tomorrow" land is torture.  The time is now.  Onward. 

Day 83: Fire In Dreams

Fire in Dreams:  1. The psychologist Carl Jung said that fire represents the process of psychological transformation. Just as the alchemists used fire to transform base metals into gold, so the symbol fire is the trigger for the inner transformation. It purges the decay of the past yet is also the giver of light and spiritual truth. It is the eternal flame in the temple of the soul. It is from the fire that the phoenix of hope rises.  2. The cleanser or purifier. Relates to "getting something started or going". Means activation or setting something into motion.  3.  Spirit. Energy. Unpolluted & cleansing. Need to be inspired or renewed.  4.  To pass through fire intact is to see one elf as becoming purified.  If a particular object is on fire (house, car, etc.), this may symbolize that something is over.  Are you seeking cleansing from a bad experience? Are you going through a significant transition that requires spiritual preparation?


Last night I had a very vivid dream that a large curtain was on fire.  I wasn't in danger in the dream.  It was a contained fire that put itself out quickly.  I woke knowing that my dream was trying to help me transform my emotions.  I have had trouble of late stopping old conversations in my head.  I have had trouble of late setting down hurt feelings. But this morning,  I woke feeling a level of relief.  I woke knowing that today's mandala would be this chinese symbol for fire.  I will hold onto this mandala as my understanding and belief that I can transform my emotions, and move through, purify, cleanse and move through painful emotions  and remain intact on the other side.  After the fire, having survived, I am setting a newness in motion. Transformation.  Onward.

Day 82: Choices

Choices:  1. The act of choosing; 2. The power, right, or liberty to choose; option. 3. One that is chosen. 4. A number or variety from which to choose;  5. The best or most preferable part; 6. Care in choosing; 7. An alternative.


On Thursday, my friend Rick and I biked 16 miles on the Paul Bunyan bike trail, launching our bikes in Nisswa, Minnesota.  My first long (for me) ride  in almost a year!  (I'm still sore!)  Along the sweet trail, there were beautiful wild flowers that kept capturing my attention, and I wanted to stop a number of times to take some pictures.  Each time, however, I also knew that I wanted to do this bike ride primarily for exercise -- really trying to push myself physically.  So to stop to take a picture would interfere with my first priority of exercise. A Choice. Which felt more important to me?   My exercise plan?  My opportunity for creativity/beauty?  I was torn each time I saw another beautiful flower. Should I stop?  Should I peddle on?  I did stop once, to take a picture of this cool wispy globe (my natural mandala for today).


As I was battling with my decision to choose strong exercise, or leisurely beauty/creativity, I thought (brilliantly), that I could give myself permission to stop to take photos on my way back to Nisswa on the trail.  Perfect!  So off I continued to peddle and sweat!


On the return ride, much to my dismay, I saw a man in a large tracker, all smiles and waves, mowing the grass along the trail, mowing down all of the pretty flowers of which I had intended to take pictures!  Oh boy.  What a funny metaphor for this life.  As you make one choice, you give up something else. These choices aren't always easy choices.  We feel torn.  We battle with ourselves about which is the RIGHT choice.  What if we miss out on something by choosing something else?  The photo of this wispy flower is also a perfect image for all that does not last.  Sometimes, if you don't choose now, you won't get a chance later.  This flower, like everything, is impermanent.  I will look to this mandala for a reminder to simply choose, and act now. This is all we have, and we can only really do one thing at a time if we are to be really present in the moment.  I can also use this mandala to remind myself that waiting for later may mean that I won't get the chance -  because later might not come.   Onward.

Day 81: Sun-Day

Sun:  1. A star that is the basis of the solar system and that sustains life on Earth, being the source of heat and light. It has a mean distance from Earth of about 150 million kilometers (93 million miles) a diameter of approximately 1,390,000 kilometers (864,000 miles) and a mass about 330,000 times that of Earth. 2. A star that is the center of a planetary system. 3. The radiant energy, especially heat and visible light, emitted by the sun.

Day:  1. The period of light between dawn and nightfall; the interval from sunrise to sunset. 2. a. The 24-hour period during which the earth completes one rotation on its axis. b. The period during which a celestial body makes a similar rotation. 3. One of the numbered 24-hour periods into which a week, month, or year is divided. 4. The portion of a 24-hour period that is devoted to work, school, or business; 5. A 24-hour period or a portion of it that is reserved for a certain activity; 6. A specific, characteristic period in one's lifetime.


I chose this symbol yesterday, as it was a beautiful sunny day up here at Middle Cullen Lake.  I rode 16 miles on the Paul Bunyan bike trail with my friend Rick.  It was day three of being back on track with daily exercise.  It felt like a new day, another and new chance to choose health.  I like this image of this mandala, the Chinese symbol for sun/day.  It looks to me like a ladder, steps toward the sun.  I'm forever taking steps toward health, and it isn't always easy.  It is easiest when I remember to simply take it one day at a time, one step at a time.  Onward.

Day 80: Earth

Earth:  1. a. The land surface of the world. b. The softer, friable part of land; soil, especially productive soil. 2. The third planet from the sun; 3. The the temporal world, the realm of mortal existence; 4. a. Worldly affairs and pursuits. b. Everyday life; reality; 5. The substance of the human body; clay. 6. The ground of an electrical circuit.

7.  Chemistry Any of several metallic oxides, such as alumina or zirconia, that are difficult to reduce and were formerly regarded as elements. 8.  Idiom - "on earth"

Among all the possibilities.

In my book Chinese Characters: The Art and Meaning of Hanzi, this symol  is described as follows:  "Another of the five elements, Earth is associated with yellow, and its planet is Saturn.  In traditional chinese medicine, Earth is concerned with the spleen, pancreas and stomach, the organs of digestion.  Its emotion is anxiety, and its stage of life is adulthood.  Unlike the other four elements, Earth is not associated with a particular season, but with a period of change between seasons every three months".  

Today, after a few days away, I return to my mandala--making process.  I chose to trace a symbol from my book, one that called to me as I flipped through the book.  I landed on the symbol of Earth.  I have landed up north for a 10 day vacation.  Today, it is raining, soaking the earth, making it ready and supporting its continued growth.  Today, I am finding my footing again, my earth, and the especially productive soil.  Today is my first steps back to the notion of goal setting, getting clear my priorities, taking proactive steps on my earth to take responsibility for myself, my adulthood.  I find myself, indeed, between seasons.  This time away up north is that space marking change for me.  I want to reconsider my priorities.  I want to re-commit to my physical health.  I want to remember that I am solidly planted on this earth for many reasons.  My job is to figure out why. I like the last line of the definitions.  "On Earth - Among all the possibilities".  Onward.

Day 79: Why there was No Mandala Yesterday!

This is the culprit for why there was no mandala yesterday!  Had to make a trip to the new Apple store in Uptown.  Had to buy a new toy.  Apple TV.  Now I can make a slide show of all my mandalas! (not to mention, rent movies from itune) & watch them on our TV!) Today, back to art/mandala making.  More to come.....

Day 78: Undo Patterns

Undo:   1.  the act of untying 2. reversal of the doing of something done; 3.  canceling, annulling 4. the act of bringing to disgrace or destruction 5. the cause of ruin, disgrace, or destruction

Patterns: 1. a. A model or original used as an archetype. b. A person or thing considered worthy of imitation. 2. A plan, diagram, or model to be followed in making things: 3. A representative sample; a specimen. 4. a. An artistic or decorative design:  b. A design of natural or accidental origin;  5. A consistent, characteristic form, style, or method, as: a. A composite of traits or features characteristic of an individual or a group: b. Form and style in an artistic work or body of artistic works. 6. a. The configuration of gunshots upon a target that is used as an indication of skill in shooting. b. The distribution and spread, around a targeted region, of spent shrapnel, bomb fragments, or shot from a shotgun. 7. Enough material to make a complete garment. 8. The flight path of an aircraft about to land: 9. To make, mold, or design by following a pattern.


Just as I have spent a lifetime opening and protecting and opening and protecting my heart, I have spent a lifetime trying to undo patterns that no longer serve me.  Easier said than done, of course.  The patterns somehow are the easiest path chosen, especially in times of stress, just when indeed, we need a new pattern to see our way through. I will look at this mandala as a reminder to undo the old patterns that no longer serve me.  

Day 77: First 20 Days

First 20 Days: 

I thought it would be fun to try to capture as many of the words of my blog since I began in late March.
20 words fit into this particular mandala.  This is just a fun one-stop-shop view of thoughts and feelings that have been a part of my mandala a day project.

More summaries to come!

Day 76: Heart

Heart:  1. The chest area that is the approximate location of the heart in the body; 2. a. The vital center and source of one's being, emotions, and sensibilities; b. The repository of one's deepest and sincerest feelings and beliefs; c. The seat of the intellect or imagination; 3. a. Emotional constitution, basic disposition, or character; b. One's prevailing mood or current inclination;  4. a. Capacity for sympathy or generosity; compassion;  b. Love; affection; 5. a. Courage; resolution; fortitude;  b.The firmness of will or the callousness required to carry out an unpleasant task;  6. A person esteemed or admired as lovable, loyal, or courageous;  7. a. The central or innermost physical part of a place or region; b. The core of a plant, fruit, or vegetable;  8. The most important or essential part. 

I treated myself to a new book the other day.  It is called: "Chinese Characters: The Art and Meaning of Hanzi".  I really love the beauty of these symbols, and I appreciate the nature of how these "images" are actually words.  I know our letters are also images that combine to equal words, but this, somehow, these Chinese symbols are particularly compelling to me.  I like how incorporating this symbol into my mandala project seems a perfect match.  

I love all of the definitions above, particularly, "The most important or essential part", and "The vital center and source of one's being, emotions, and sensibilities".

While fundamentally, I believe that my full and open heart and how I accept myself and such a  full range of emotions is vital to my very health and joy, I also struggle with the nature of my heart.  Today, I am so aware of how my life has been a continual process of uncovering and then, protecting, and then uncovering my heart, again and again.  One time, I worked with an energy healer, and she told me after our first appointment that my heart energy walks in front of my body about 15 feet.  She surmised that I often feel vulnerable in the world, being so open, so transparent.  She wasn't telling me anything new. The old adage, "she wears her heart on her sleeve" is true for me.  And yet, I struggle, wanting at times, to be more closed, self-protective.  Especially, of course, when I have opened my heart, only to have it hurt, even if unintentionally, by others.  

I don't believe most people are out to hurt anyone's heart.  But I also don't believe that most people are willing to really show their full emotions, and often, can't show up fully when others show their full emotions.  This is what is most disappointing to me.  I have spent much of my life finding those people who can really walk with me in all of their authenticity, and meet my own, without dismissing me or my emotions.  I guess, indeed, it takes heart to live fully from my heart.  Definition #5a. is a good reminder - Courage; resolution; fortitude - Heart.  I march on. 

Day 75: Summer

Summer: 1. The usually warmest season of the year, occurring between spring and autumn and constituting June, July, and August in the Northern Hemisphere, or, as calculated astronomically, extending from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox. 2. A period of fruition, fulfillment, happiness, or beauty.


Definitely!  A period of happiness, fulfillment and beauty!  For a school employee who gets to enjoy such a luxurious period of time away from work, there is nothing better than a Minnesota summer - (except, maybe, a warm winter vacation to Florida in December).  This morning, I step completely grateful into summer.   

Day 74: Converge

Converge:  1.To tend toward or approach an intersecting point; 2. To come together from different directions; meet;  3. To tend toward or achieve a common conclusion; 4. To approach a limit; 5. Resulting in an end point


Today, it all converges.  The school year, and all that it brought, comes to end.  It's a beautiful day.  Onward.

Day 73: Air-Bubbles

Air: 1. A colorless, odorless, tasteless, gaseous mixture, mainly nitrogen (approximately 78 percent) and oxygen (approximately 21 percent) with lesser amounts of argon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, neon, helium & other gases.2. The sky; the firmament. 3. A giant void; nothingness: 4. An atmospheric movement; a breeze or wind. 5. A peculiar or characteristic impression; an aura. 6. Breath.



Bubbles: 1. A thin, usually spherical or hemispherical film of liquid filled with air;  2. A pocket formed in a solid by air or gas that is trapped;  3. Something insubstantial, groundless, or ephemeral; 4. A fantastic or impracticable idea or belief; an illusion;  5. A speculative scheme that comes to nothing; 6. A protective, often isolating envelope or cover; 7. To rise to or as if to the surface; emerge; 8. To display irrepressible activity or emotion.


I love this mandala, with the various size "air bubbles" floating in the larger circle, each following a pattern toward something larger or smaller, depending on how your eyes follow the trail.  I like the color choices of soft browns and blues.  I love, as usual, the various definitions of both Air and Bubbles.  I enjoy basically playing a word association game through the image of the mandala and the words/definitions that ensue.  This mandala is the representation of the the air bubbles, the breath, and  the the protective covering I have been floating in lately.  I'm trying to allow myself to float in all the areas of life that are so often quite an illusion of our own making.  I am trying to allow and accept whatever atmospheric movement is going push me along. I am trying to let go, and let my breath and my authentic-self rise to the surface, like an air bubble, finding its way to where ever it should end up.

Day 72: Complete

Complete:  1. Having all necessary parts, components, or steps; entire; 2. Having come to an end; concluded. 3. Absolute; total; 4. To bring to an end:  5. To make whole, with all necessary elements or parts: 


This post is a few days pre-mature, as when I was making this mandala, actually, I was thinking about this coming Monday -- my official last day of the school year. "Absolute. Complete. To bring to an end. To make whole. Thorough".  Monday, these definitions will ring true.  There are some endings that are particularly poignant. This year is one of those years.  I am more than ready for this year to end.  I am more than excited.  So much will feel complete.  There is so much to look forward to our next year.  For this future, too, I am ready.  It is time to make whole, again.  A summer rest, and Onward. 

Day 71: Full Circle

Full Circle: : 1.  Through a series of developments that lead back to the original source, position, or situation or to a complete reversal of the original position —usually used in the phrase come full circle.


I have come full circle.  I see with fresh eyes what was, and better yet, I see with fresh eyes what will be. 

Day 70: Seeds

Seeds: 1. A source or beginning.


I love this simple short phrase/definition.  My mandala-making process began as a simple idea, a seed, a source, a beginning.  It has provided immense comfort in these last 70 days.  Thank goodness for seeds of ideas that grow.  


As I think about the end of the school year, I think of all the seeds I have planted along the way.  Hopefully, many of all the best seeds will grow and flourish for the youth who have come to The Lab.  Today, I visited with a former student who has grown tremendously into his young adulthood.  Our visit confirmed that the seeds we planted and the roots that deepened at The Lab have contributed to his growth.  This feels so satisfying.  Onward.  

Day 69: Opening

Opening: 1. The act or an instance of becoming open or being made to open;  2. An open space serving as a passage or gap;  3. A breach or aperture;  4. A clearing in the woods;  5. The first part or stage, as of a book; 6. The first performance; 7. A formal commencement of operation;  8. Games A specific pattern or series of beginning moves in certain games, especially chess; 9. An opportunity affording a chance of success.

Today, I feel my heart opening again, after a period of feeling hurt, closed and self-protective.  I'm opening to (and feeling) summer approach (3 days til vacation).  I'm feeling the open space coming toward me, with a breath of fresh air, open space, and possibility.  I love summer vacations in Minnesota -- a gap between the end of the school year, and the fresh start of Fall.  It is a chance to refresh, regroup, reconsider, re-evaluate and rest.  I am open and ready for all of these things. 

I had an amazing day at work due to 2 separate and distinct conversations with others who were wanting to know more about my work at The Lab.  Both conversations opened my mind to many broader and potentially bigger possibilities in this work in which I believe so strongly. Doors are opening in my work again.  Today, I believe, was an opening to the next ideas of The Lab.  Growth.  Potential.  Opportunities. Collaboration.  Bridges.  I think there is more coming.  I am open. 

Day 68: Evolution

Evolution: 1. A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form;  2. a. The process of developing; b. Gradual development; 3. (in Biology) Change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations, as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals, and resulting in the development of new species.


This mandala project will be a series piece, evolving each day with one more completed mandala, to eventually complete the series (and the symbolic ending of the school year for me).  I love the definitions listed above for Evolution.  Perfect. Today was day one of five of the final count down from this school year to whatever is next.  Summer, first, of course, and then, an evolution again of The Lab for sure next year.  Gradual changes, moving forward into an improved form, still yet. Exciting. Hopeful. Four more days. 

Day 67: Time - Tick Tock

Time: 1. an instance or single occasion for some event; 2. a period of time considered as a resource under your control and sufficient to accomplish something; 3. an indefinite period (usually marked by specific attributes or activities); 4. a suitable moment; "it is time to go"; 5. the continuum of experience in which events pass from the future through the present to the past;  6. a person's experience on a particular occasion; 7. assign a time for an activity or event.   Tick Tock:   1. The ticking sound made by a clock.


No definitions are really needed here.  Just counting single-digit days until summer vacation!  Tick-Tock Says the clock!  Soon it will be time to go....

Day 66: Escape

Escaping: 1.To break loose from confinement; get free;2. To issue from confinement or an enclosure; leak or seep out;  3. To avoid a serious or unwanted outcome; 4. To interrupt a command, exit a program, or change levels within a program by using a key, combination of keys, or key sequence; 5. To succeed in avoiding;  6. To elude the memory or comprehension of.

"The trouble is....there is no real escaping it...the trouble..."

I like this mandala, and the playing with words, a sentence that doesn't really ever end....It speaks to the notion of how hard it is, sometimes, to have chosen sobriety, and have given up the escape valve of drinking.  I know it was an artificial and quite temporary escape, but in moments of deep sadness, or high anxiety and worry, I long for the escape that a drink could bring.  That too, however, was a cycle that didn't ever really end, either. Drink each day, feel crummy each morning, hate myself for drinking.  Repeat.

I know the choice of sobriety is the only way through, the only real escape.  We are all stuck with managing this life, our emotions, our circumstances.  No one escapes, really.  Somehow, remembering this, is comforting.

Day 65: Bright

Bright: 1. a. Emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts; shining. b. Comparatively high on the scale of brightness. c. Full of light or illumination; 2. Characterizing a dyestuff that produces a highly saturated color; brilliant.

3. Glorious; splendid;  4. Full of promise and hope; auspicious;  5. Happy; cheerful;  6. Animatedly clever; intelligent; 7. High and clear. 

So today, it has been a rainy, gloomy day here in St. Paul, but my mood lifted as I created this mandala -- I chose brlght colors.  It is so nice to be back to my mandala-making process and it does feel full of promise, hope.  

I enjoyed a fantastic show at Steppingstone Theater today, "Legacy: A Tribute to Michael Jackson" -- AMAZING!  and Bright, and uplifting.  I got to see a former student perform.  Tonight, I'll attend Women's Drumheart 20th anniversary drum show.  I'm hoping to see an old friend.  In both cases, the intersection of my life with these 2 people is glorious and splendid.  A bright feeling, for sure.  

Day 64: Sand Mandala

Sand Mandala: 1. The Sand Mandala (tib: kilkhor) is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition involving the creation and destruction of mandalas made from colored sand.


Enjoy this clip from CNN, via Speaking of Faith.


http://blog.speakingoffaith.org/post/663008276/building-a-mandala-of-the-buddha-of-compassion

Day 63: Open Space

Open space:  A space of infinite volume and without any boundary (in the cosmological context).


Ok.  Tonight, I am too tired (I have not stopped all day) to make a mandala.  I swear, I am soon to return to my sweet daily practice of mandala-creating!  


Instead, tonight, I give you this view, this open circular space from our Hawaii trip a few years ago.  The ocean has been on my mind so much in this last month.  I'm so sad and worried about the oil spill and the vast and deep implications on her.  It's beyond my mind what will unfold. 


In this tragedy, and in very general terms in this life, I want to know what solutions are possible?  I want to remember that the possibilities are infinite, and without artificial boundaries.  I want to accept the open space of possibilities for each day to unfold with the grace that is both available, and that is needed.  Open Space. 

Day 62: Djembe

Djembe:  A djembe is a goblet-shaped hand drum that originated among the Manding people of West Africa. Djembes, because of their shape, are capable of producing a range of tones and sounds. Generally, djembes are made of wood, with an animal skin stretched over the top. Djembes are extremely popular in the drum-circle culture of North America and Europe.

The "mandala" today is something I will bring into my summer fun, along side my mandala-making project.  I just bought this very Djembe drum tonight at Ellis Drum Shop.  I connected with a former student (the sales person) from long, long ago and accepted his gracious encouragement, clear knowledge of the drum, and his kindness.  This drum is a circular experience, in so many ways!  This drum brought me back to a very wonderful time in life, and a great connection with a student and his family.  This drum will bring me into a new community at the Women's Drum Center, as I begin to take a few classes.  The centering nature of drumming will remind me of my own center and grounded-ness, despite the storms, just as the mandala-making process has calmed my spirit.  Bass. Tone. Slap.  Bass. Tone. Slap.  I am finding the rhythms that beat within, and working to not be thrown off beat along the way.