The inspiration is flowing! I’ve set up my painting studio in what used to be the dining room, and it’s coming together better than I planned. Don’t you love when that happens? Everything fits and, for the first time in years, my paints and sketchbooks are laid out where I can sit down and work on a moment’s notice. I always have several projects going at the same time, some related to the magazine, some related to writing and editing, and always a few personal projects, sewing and handyman stuff. Sometimes 15-30 minutes a day is all the time I can spend on something, so I am used to working in jumps and starts. Today I set up the watercolor station. I inherited my husband’s paint supplies in the 90’s. He painted in oils and watercolor. I was always an acrylic painter, so that opened new doors to me. He was a real neat freak, so his paint supplies were kept immaculate. It was good training for me to keep them clean and well cared for. As I set up the watercolor station today, I noticed I had a relatively new set of paints and a half dozen new, unopened brushes — score! I taped a few sheets of watercolor paper to pieces of cardboard and set them on the easels, ready to go. I laid out the brushes and paints, the mason jars I use for water, and several paint cloths to wipe brushes on. I’m already inspired!
Author Archives: Andrea
Don’t complain about those you don’t vibe with, just unfriend them til you’re back in the vibe
Don’t complain when someone on Facebook actively supports a cause or a business or a person you wouldn’t support. Simply acknowledge that is where they’re vibing right now. If you don’t vibe there, and clearly you don’t if you’re making this much noise about it, simply unfollow their posts or unfriend them. Then focus on all that other cool stuff you let yourself be distracted from while you were being a pouty puss.
My former dining room is now the art studio
I decided to turn my former dining room into the art studio so I can keep my reading room intact. Yesterday I collected all my art supplies and put them in the center of the living room to see exactly what I had. There were drafting tables, oil paints, acrylics, brushes, palettes, knives, watercolors, watercolor paper, sketchbooks, canvas and stretcher sticks, desk easels, standing easels, pochade boxes, pencils, erasers, pastels soft, hard and oil, solvents. I thought if I had enough to take over a room, it made sense to have a dedicated paint studio. If I leave up paintings in progress, I’m more likely to take a few moments and work on them. Otherwise years can go by with them untouched because they’re packed neatly away in the closet. As I meditated on the idea of room placement, I reasoned that the dining area is the best place in the house to be. It’s near the sink and water, it’s got the best indoor and outdoor lighting, it’s in the middle of the action, so the chi is constantly flowing.
Looking for God everywhere is a spiritual practice
Gandhi said “If you don’t find God in the next person you meet, it is a waste of time looking for him further.” It’s not always easy, but that’s why they call it spiritual “practice.”
And this is why they pay me the big bucks
I did –> a reading <– for a friend 2 months ago, where she asked about moving into a particular gated community. She’d made an offer on the only available home and wanted to know if her loan would be approved. A perfect example of asking a short-sighted question. I told her while I saw her being turned down for this particular loan, there was another unit in the same community about to come on the market, and it was more suitable for her as well. That one would be approved. The question: “Will yesterday’s loan application be approved?” was shortsighted. The better question would have been “Will I live in this community? Will I buy my dream home in this community?” She texted me this week, after I asked for an update on the new home: “Like you had said… one was about to go on the market but had not been listed yet. When I called the realtor who had listed one of the rentals in the community, she offered to show it to me and I said I would buy it. It played out just like you had visioned. I am living here in a pre-occupancy agreement until I close in August.”
What it means when Mercury returns to 4 degrees Pisces on July 17
Only 10 more days until Mercury is back to the position it held before the retrograde began. Whatever got stalled for you before June 7 will reactivate on July 17 when Mercury returns to 4 degrees Pisces. When Mercury goes retrograde in Pisces, there can be mental and emotional confusions, and psychic experiences. Pisces’ challenge is sensitivity, being influenced by others, illusion and delusion. There could be a mix-up of ideas, opinions and passions. People tend to become fanatical or erratic in their behavior. There is a tendency for procrastination and laziness. Stress takes its toll. Stability and privacy are needed for a trouble-free environment. If you’ve got long ignored issues hanging over your head and hard decisions to come to, you’ll feel like you’re walking through quicksand with your mind in a pressure cooker. Look where you can lighten your load, since nothing relieves pressure like releasing past baggage. Whatever got stalled for you before June 7 will reactivate on July 17 when Mercury returns to 4 degrees Pisces. Only 10 more days! Hang in there, baby!
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Prince Harming: Coming clean about past lies will set you free
I had a session with a friend who just learned everything her mate told had been fabricated. When she confronted him and asked why, she got more lies. Been there –> done that! It’s never too late to tell the truth. It takes courage, humility and connection to Source. Until you can own up to what you’ve done, you’re jeopardizing everything you have now. A conscious partner honors their mate by coming clean, no matter how icky and sticky the past was. I watched a few episodes of Catfish, where Nev Schulman and Max investigate when someone thinks they’re online with a romantic partner who may not be who they say they are. Occasionally, as with Kendra, the trickster agrees to meet and comes clean about why they did it. Continue reading
Empower friends by helping hold their vision
Anytime we hold a thought of helping a friend, of sending them some positive energy to help them accomplish what they want, just the knowing that someone else cares enough to do that for us can be outrageously empowering. Never deprive someone of hope, it may be all they have.
What if today turned out to be the best day ever??
What if today turned out to be the best day ever? What if all the best possible things happened to you today? What if you found lucky coincidences everywhere, what if you discovered you have more dollars than you thought you had, what if the kids and coworkers behaved all day, what if you got a raise, what if you found the love of your life, what if a stranger bought you a new car, what if all your aches and pains were healed, what if you found your niche in life and what if by the end of the day you realized everything had meaning and purpose and everything was going along fine, just as it is? What if you woke up today with only the things you were thankful for yesterday?
Grief is work but it doesn’t have to be grim
Stephen Gaskin 1972 Summertown TN
Ina May Gaskin doesn’t describe her husband’s death as a loss. “Sometimes when you check out of your physical body, your work takes on a new dimension.”
Family celebrates life of commune founder, counterculture icon
L.A. Times Stephen Gaskin dies at 79; founder of The Farm commune
NY Times Stephen Gaskin, Hippie Who Founded Enduring Commune, Dies
ABC News Stephen Gaskin Dies