Why?

I recently celebrated my 3 month anniversary in my new home town of Denver, Colorado. Moving from San Diego to Denver had many people asking Why? For a lot of people, this did not seem like a logical move. To me it was a no-brainer. And while there were many feelings, desires, and events that lead to my final decision to move, here are a few of the important ones.

Space

In San Diego I lived in an 850 sq ft apartment. This space served me well for many years, however, I had outgrown it and was ready to live in a House with a Yard. Living in San Diego on a single income made this dream challenging to manifest, so I expanded the perimeter of what was possible in my life. During this exercise, old dreams of wanting to live in Colorado surfaced. It was also at this time that the Sacred Shortness of Life was brought to my attention. This encouraged me to take the leap and go for it. I said yes, surrendered to the Divine and let her lead the way. 

Photography

One of my deepest passions is Nature & Wildlife photography. I absolutely love it. It fulfills me on so many levels and is a form of deep meditation for me. Living in San Diego limited my access to Big Nature and I found myself taking lots of vacations to get "my photo groove" on. Colorado was a top consideration for my move as it would put me in the center of Wild, Rugged Nature. Living in Colorado these past 3 months has introduced me to a whole new range of bugs, birds, mammals, plants and trees to study, shoot and share with the world through my photography. 

Revitalization 

Having lived in San Diego most of my life (minus a few years as a teenager when I lived in Oklahoma), I was ready for a change. I was entrenched in habits, routines, relationships and energy patterns that no longer served my highest vibrational frequency. I was ready for big change and I knew that meant I had  to do something big. Moving to the other side of the mountains seemed to fit the bill. 

I enjoyed my first summer in Denver. You can see photos of it by following this link. I am excited about the change of seasons and getting some snow shots for my portfolio. Living through the seasons will put me into deeper communion with the divine cycles of nature, and also deepen my practice of authentic being. I give gratitude and thanks to the Divine for holding me during this transition. I am honored to be alive and to be a participant in this world community. 

When have you listened to the Call of Spirit and taken a leap? I would love to hear your stories of Surrender and Trust. Lets spread the word of Divine Grace throughout this blog by sharing our stories of True Alignment. 

Nameste. 

The Nose Knows & Remembers

I’ve had two powerful experiences with the sense of smell over the past month. One associated with a positive memory; the other with a not so wonderful memory. I’ll start with the good one first.

When I was little, my grandmother would drive me to the beach, and on the freeway off-ramp there was a particular smell I fell in love with. It was subtle and brief, but powerful and soul stirring none-the-less. Since the smell was on an off-ramp, it was hard to really saturate myself in it. I did my best through. It became an on-going experiment for me to determine the most efficient way to get the most of the smell? Take one long inhale, and go deep with it. Or take a series of short inhales and get a couple smaller ones in.

In my travels over the years, I’ve smelled this scent in a couple places, and although it’s always subtle, it never fails to soothe me down to the core. I’ve never known what plant was emitting the smell...that is until I moved to Denver. The smell is everywhere here! I went to REI in downtown Denver and was surrounded by the smell. It was wonderful to luxuriate in the scent, and not be concerned about efficiency or time management with my inhales.

I took a picture of the plant and sent it to my Shaman Priestess Friend in the Yukon to see what type of plant it is (she thinks it’s a species of Willow). When I was walking in the park next to my house, I smelled it again. I took a sample of the tree, with permission from the Tree Gods of course, and plan to take it to the Denver Botanical Gardens to determine the exact species so I can plant it in my yard.

When I cut the sample from the tree, I rubbed its sap into my fingertips, and walked around all day smelling my fingers. It was great. I want a perfume with this smell in it. I think I would make love to myself all day long simply through inhaling this plants juiciness. Willow, my lover. I smell you in. Thank you for your medicine.

And now, on to the other end of the smelling spectrum. I have a basement in my new house that is kinda spooky. I have traumatic experiences in my past that involve basements so I know that probably comes into play somehow. I had been in the house for 3 weeks and had not spent much time in the basement. I knew I had to go down there sometime, however, I was not inspired to spend any time down there.

As I was unpacking, I came across my Glade Plug-In wall scents. I decided to plug these into the basement, and let me tell you, it changed the whole ambiance down there. I realized that it was the smell more then anything that was triggering the spooky feeling for me. With that musty basement smell gone, the lower level of my home is much more inviting and I have started spending time down there decorating and getting it ready for guests.

Smell is a primal force in our life. It connects us to memories deep in the sub-terrian of our mind, and influences us in ways we are not even aware of. This month, I encourage you to explore the sense of smell in your life. What heals you? What repels you? How do you use smell as medicine in your life?

Feel free to share your comments and personal stories on this blog, I love hearing from you. Bright blessings to you all, and may this be a reminder to stop and smell your environment.

Moving to Denver

I am in the process of moving from San Diego, CA to Denver, CO. Last weekend I drove a 24” rental moving truck through the Mohave Desert and Colorado Rockies. My friend Todd accompanied me on the roady for a “Thelma & Louise” adventure (I’m Thelma).

On our 1200 mile road trip we stayed a night in Beaver, Utah and a night in Dillion, CO. I drove through a snow storm on the Vail Pass - CRAZY. I consider this my initiation into Colorado weather.

I had great moving help on both ends, and most of my stuff made it intact. My plants traveled very well...now they are getting used to the new conditions of this mile high city. I am so thankful for the opportunity to make this move and expand into this new beginning.

Eat. Pray. Love.

I am re-reading one of my favorite travel memoirs on my 2-week road trip through the Front Range. Eat. Pray. Love. by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book is a cleverly constructed, and often times humorous, true story about a women, that when her life falls apart, sets off on a year long pilgrimage to find “worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence”. She travels to three different countries, spending four months in each.

She starts in Italy to Eat and experience the pleasure of yummy food. Then she spends 4 months in an ashram in India to Pray. It is here that she comes to more fully understand the Zen saying “You cannot see your reflection in running water, only in still water." She concludes the year in Indonesia, where she lives in community to integrate Pleasure and God to experience and embrace balance and Love in her life.

The construct of this book serves as a perfect guidebook for my journey. I too am going to 3 destinations (Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs). I decide to read one section per place, and let the themes of her travels influence mine.

My first location is Denver. My intention is to explore the city as a possible new place to live. I hang out in different communities, go to coffee shops, city parks and public attractions to meet the people that live there and tap into the vibe of this town. I do have an intention to eat a lot as well. I need to make sure there is good Thai food and good Mexican food if I am going to live here (there is).

The second leg of my adventure takes me to Boulder, a smaller city deeper in the mountains. This is where Naropa University is located. I have a dream of going to this college to get my Masters Degree in Somatic Psychology. I meet the head of the department and sit in on a Movement Therapy class to experience the energy of the school. I take the contents of the class with me into the mountains were I pray for 3 days. And yes, I did buy prayer beads in Boulder, which are featured on the cover of this book.

My final destination is Colorado Springs. I have several friends in the area, one of which I have known for over 20 years. They are a great group of Harley Davidson Bike riders and avid Rocky Mountain campers. I stay with them for several days, sinking into the joyful experience of community and love created from friendship and camaraderie.

Eat. Pray. Love. is an amazing book. I highly recommend you read it. This was my third time reading it, and it still inspires me to expand more fully into the moment and into the magic of adventure. It is here, in the fullness of the now that I am able to open up to receive the pleasure of love and the continual embrace of God.

If you would like to see images from the first part of my trip, see YouTube Video Creations on the side bar.

The Front Range

The lease on my San Diego apartment expires in a couple months. I’ve been in this location for 7 years, and although it has served me well, I am ready for something new!!! I want a place where I can look out my window and see nature and wildlife. I want to move from apartment living into a house with a yard so I can grow a garden and have community gatherings around a fire pit.

As I get clarity on my Soul Needs, Colorado comes to mind as a possible new place to live. It would get me closer to nature, get me more in tune with the seasons of nature, and position me in an environment that will attune my spirit more fully with the grace of the divine.

I decide to go on a personal business trip of sorts to check things out and see if moving to Colorado is a possibility for me. I set off for a couple weeks to explore the Front Range, which consists of cities located on the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains, such as Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs.

The first thing I need to bring up about possibly moving to Colorado is that it snows...a lot. This would be a huge change for me, having lived in San Diego most of my life. I’ve talked to several people that live on the Front Range and they all seem to say the same thing...when it snows, it does so for short periods of time (like a day or two) and the sun shines most of the time so it makes it easier to deal with.

I can see how the sun shining would be a huge benefit, however, there is still the bundling up against the cold and the wind, and let's not forget the shoveling of snow. I found out that cities in this area even have laws requiring that you shovel the walkways in front of your house. That seems like a lot of work to me.

Even through the idea of living with snow is crazy to me, when I check in with my Soul Needs, I discover that I am aching to more fully experience the change of the seasons. In San Diego, the weather pretty much stays the same all year round, which is fabulous on many levels, however, living closer to the elements and experiencing the 4 seasons would enable me to go deeper with my personal evolution and connect me more fully to the forces that sustain and inspire me.

I’m excited about the Soul Journey I’m stepping into with my upcoming move. A lot of changes are on the horizon for me and I am honored to share my experiences and mindful musings with you along the way.