Dharma in the Garden

So, long time no posting. Essentially I've been suffering from a creative dry spell for, oh... too long.  Although I haven't fed or nurtured the garden much in recent months, I haven't forgotten about it. But I see it  needs a bit of revamp although I'm not sure where to start or indeed what I want to do with it.  

Meantime, on a more positive note I am boldy participating in Free Spirit Knits' Inside Out E-Course again this year. This is definitely helping to get the creative juices flowing again (well, starting a slight trickle anyway).

I have also bought myself some BrainSync Meditation CDs and have just started listening to Clear Wave Creativity ("Unlock your imagination, and experience inspiration flowing from deep within the currents of your own mind. Under the calming sounds of Mayan waves, Alpha binaural beats will swiftly melt away the day’s worries, and spark higher levels of creativity, intuition, and awareness.") Here's hoping!

 

Lose the scissors!

Just completed Week 1 of my creative e-course Inside Out and about to leap into Week 2!  It's been great to just mess about with paint and other fun materials and not worry about the results on the paper. This is something I have real difficulty with so hoping to learn how to release all the angst I feel when I start a painting.  The best part has been snipping words and images from magazines and making wonderful collage.  For a little while I was taking time to cut words and pictures out with scissors but then I realised that it was actually far better to just rip and tear things out.  Essentially learning to let go and just be a child again, not caring about being neat or tidy.  Lesson of the week for me has been "lose the scissors"!



There are some parts of the e-course that are challenging for me.  Particularly the journal writing exercises. But I am finding the free form writing to be cathartic. After all the course is called Inside Out and that is just what is happening when you get your thoughts down on paper.  Some thoughts aren't so nice (lots of negativity that needs a light shone on it) but equally I am finding lots of nice stuff turning up!  I have done something similar many years ago when I tried to work my way through Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way (no fault of Julia's that I never managed to complete it). Anyway, morning pages (as they were called) threw up some pretty good stuff and I re-read them again the other day to remind myself of what was going on in my life back then.  



Loving the relaxing meditation (which I just don't do enough of) and looking forward to learning about yoga. 

So can't wait to see what's in store this week, although definitely will need to plan my life better so I can do a little something every day instead of a huge splurge of activity at the end of the week!

Other pictures from my journal of self-discovery can be found here

This Week

So far this week I have been:

trying out texture paste and masking fluid in the studio (this wasn't a success and it wasn't just the masking fluid that was blue...); removing weeds, flower heads and a tangled mess of growth from my (non-flowering) clematis; taking photographs of the garden (see Photographic Memory); reading Soul & Spirit Magazine (great inspiration!) and loving Victoria Laurie's latest book in the Psychic Eye Mystery series; determined to keep my blog up to date; meditating when I can but not often enough; watching yoga, pilates and energetic workouts on TV mainly with my feet up (as a woman of a certain age I don't need to do too much to work up a sweat!); waiting for the arrival of The Urban Warrior's Guide to Health, Wealth, Happiness & Good Looks by the Barefoot Doctor (one of the world's leading authorities on Tao healing and meditation)

Floating down the stream of time...

I am so pleased to hear that Yvonne Innes and Olivia Harrison have been awared a Silver Gilt at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for their garden 'From Life to Life'.  This specially designed garden was inspired by the life of George Harrison - I particularly love the Indian pavilion which represents the spiritual aspect of his life.

Fire the Grid :: Be Defined

I recommend a visit to Fire the Grid.  If, like me, you are concerned about what we are doing to our wonderful planet and worried about its future then Shelley Yates provides 'The Plan' which will hopefully provide the remedy to our situation.  It requires only one hour from each of us on 07-17-07 at 11:11. Shelley's story is incredible - she is truly an inspiration.

Nature's Cycle

For our meditation class today we chose an exercise from a little book of easy meditations - focusing on a flower.  Using a daffodil, we meditated on its perfection and form. We then visualised the cycle of nature where its petals shed and the seeds would scatter. The flower would decay but the cycle would begin again.

Oasis for The Body

Way back in 1990 I was a solo visitor to Le Sport in St Lucia.  It's on my travel wish list as the place I would like to return to (I'm thinking a holiday for our anniversary next April might be nice...).  I also read recently that Kira Bowie, a lady here in Aberdeen who runs pilates classes and who I bought my MBT trainers from, teaches a few weeks a year at Le Sport as a Master of Pilates. 

A brief search of the internet after that found the website for Le Sport - they have certainly added to the resort over the years and it looks very impressive.  When I was there I particularly liked the Oasis, which is the Spa which stands on a hill overlooking the hotel.  It is moorish in design (see photo) and is a haven of tranquility.  Since I was there they have added to their list of treatments and therapies.  They now have a resident doctor of holistic medicine who is available for consultation and individual treatments which work with the body, breath, mind and soul.  They also offer ayurveda therapies and a series of holistic practices encompassing yoga, meditation, massage and detoxification.  Add to that the healing arts of Kinesiology and Iridiology, a specialist skin clinic, a whole range of fitness classes, a gym, massage rooms, nude sun deck, meditation temple, not to mention the incredible list of heavenly face and body treatments, and it's no wonder that this resort was recently named as the number one destination spa in the world by readers of Conde Nast Traveller.

The tag on their website says "give us your body for a week and we will give you back your mind".  I'm having to hold myself back from booking this holiday right now.

Dharma Creation

In the beginning...

Dharma in the Garden is being created.  Watch this space!