IT'S A MATTER OF BALANCE

Oh my goodness, I have been a bad little blogger. I haven't posted since mid November and here it is the new year. My Bad. Year-end was so busy. So is this beginning to the new year but... big but, all seems so much more in balance. Why? Because I am diligently taking care of me. This week I am simply going to post some photos of nature and get off the computer.

I was off grid Saturday night and Sunday morning. I didn't even have cell service. Friends took me to the coast. I was fully present. :)

These are terns on New Smyrna Beach. We also went to Blue Springs to visit with some manatees. Lovely.

I love the "do" on thee terns!

I have vowed to myself to BE out in nature at least five times a week. I am continuing my morning meditations before I get out of bed. Starting EACH DAY with deep focused and meditation makes an enormous difference in life quality. I believe it opens up your energy for good things to enter. Who needs valium?

The other thing that I am doing is eliminating or cutting down severly on some things in my diet and reducing computer time (that one is hard as I work as a graphic designer). More on that another time. Beach, Biking, Bed, Bonfires...It is a matter of balance.

Well - I leave you there. Happy 2019. See you soon.

Chau 4 now!

NO GUILT

I DID IT AND I LOVED IT.

AND I DIDN'T FEEL GUILTY AT ALL

I STOLE TIME.

FOR ME!

Last week's post's title resonated with me and I took it to heart. Friday was one of those 12 hour marathon days at the LCFA with back to back events from 10 am to 10 pm. I was so glad that I committed to going to a picnic Saturday at Venetian Gardens with a flute circle to switch gears. I don't play the flute. I did bring my drum and more to my abilities, I brought a watercolor mandala to "play on".

The weather was beautiful, the music lovely, the art inspiring, the people a good vibe and the wildlife friendly AND I had NO INTERNET. Darn that felt good.

,
It was no surprise that the following day a friend 1200 miles away posted a video on Facebook that spoke to being BUSY. I have to share the youtube link. Take the time to watch it fully. It is well done and with humor. You will be glad that you STOLE THE TIME FOR YOURSELF

PS: As I was waiting for my little art video to upload an email came in from Walmart. My double hammock and stand has been shipped. :) Yes - I plan on stealing more time in the future.

My trance art is developing quite nicely. I am still working the same amount of hours as usual but I am much less stressed. I even beat my drum today.

Have a Marvelous Mandala Monday!

Namaste y Saluti!
Chau 4 Now.

STEAL IT IF YOU HAVE TO

So many things happening - ALL GOOD - but it seems to leave little time to STOP and BREATHE. Which is EXACTLY what is needed or you will burn out.  "But I don't have time to mediate." You don't have time not to. Coffee is not an answer - though it sure tastes good.

TIME - Find it, Take it, Steal it if you have to, but take a break. Make it a moving mediation if you must. Create some art, listen to relaxing instrumental music, walk by the lake, slow down that busy brain. The anxiety will quell and time, which is a perception, will slow down for you. It is the anxiousness, the pressure that makes it seem so tight.

Decorate your Buddha space even if it is in your mind.

LOOKING WHO IS TALKING! It is my day off! And it is 5:00 already. Did I take a real break yet? Eating leftover pizza and meatloaf for lunch and talking to a friend up north on the phone for an hour is not a break. I even wrote Take a Break at the top of my TO DO list this morning. Further down the page I wrote Relax - Love Self - Smile. OK I checked that last one off (SMILE). I am not done smiling for the day. :) It makes everything feel better.

Did I get to the Automobile Association today - NOPE. It can wait. More important to me and my soul was the Prime Coats on "Canvas" Let's see where it goes. I am not anywhere near to revealing what I am expereimenting with but I think it is going to be BRILLIANT!

And Buddha's new scarf....

Below are photos from last night's event with Flag Across the World, Rotary, Apa Sherpa Foundation and the Leesburg Center For the Arts just to name just of few of the wonderful folks and organizations involved in helping the kids in Nepal rebuild their school.

It was a privilege to attend and a be a part. Perhaps I will expound later but for now

... I AM STEALING SOME TIME!

Chau 4 Now

MANDALAS IN THE WOODS - JOYFULLY INTENSE

What a whirlwind of activity. I apologize for not posting my usual Mandala Monday cheer for a few weeks. Many of you know I took on the position of Program Coordinator at the Leesburg Center For the Arts last January. Last weekend was our annual Art Fest with artists showing from all around the country, two stages of music, an indie film festival and so much more. The preparation and days of the event were insanely busy. On top of that, I was referred to do an emergency wordpress web build for a startup company. Breathe Patt Breathe.

So - ya - busy. And it continues with friends coming, garden and home renovations, blah blah blah. No excuses this week - as promised here are some images of the Create Your Own Personal Mandala event in the woods. It wasn't short of joyfully intense, internally and externally expressive and profound.

Many thanks to Maria Stefanovic and the LCFA for trusting to take on this event and to Christina Carroll of "Off the Beaten Path" Blog for documenting in images both still and moving. Yes Central Florida YOU ARE READY for these types of programs!

If you want to know more about what happens in this event look to this previous post for a full rundown of the schedule.
http://mandalaearthart.blogspot.com/2018/02/its-happening-experience-it.html

I can gear these workshops to older teens, college students and adults.  Limits of participants is best kept to 20 people or less and prep time is essential for scouting out an appropriate park/property that suits our needs. Meaning BOOK EARLY IN THE SEASON. ;)

IT'S HAPPENING - EXPERIENCE IT

Good Mandala Monday to you. IT'S HAPPENING THIS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24 @ 10AM.

Have you registered yet? The link is at the bottom of this post. Check out what we will be doing...

The the day goes like this... We meet at the location at 10:00. There is a short orientation then we go on a very slow paced trail walk to gather "nature paint". Nature paints are items found on the ground along our path. They may be fronds, pods, sticks, leaves, moss, feathers, etc. It all depends on what Mother Nature has provided. I will be point out some "good stuff" for making mandalas as we go along. We end the trail walk at a meeting space where we each pick out a spot of our own to CREATE A PERSONAL EARTH MANDALA from our foraged treasures.

At this time you will be required to shut those cell phones off and leave them in a pile on the picnic table. You'll get to use them later to document your art but they should not be in your pocket while we go on to the next part of the experience. I will be doing a very special energy demonstration. It may surprise you. You will see why you need to separate yourself from your electronics at this time.

Next I will guide everyone through some focus and centering exercises including a mediation/guided imagery session. Yes we are getting into the ZEN CREATION ZONE. Now we will be in silence as each person lets nature create through them. Leave behind any plan. Just let it happen. Listen to your intuitive whispers. This is not simply a mental experience. Your movements make you part of the art. Your peaceful spirit infuses it.

When our creations are complete we will have a short TALKING STICK CEREMONY to verbally share our experience(s). Then you can have your cell phones back. You need photos! You need to document your art!

Earth Mandalas are temporary. Made in this way, with silence, in peacefulness and with reverence for the earth, they become prayers of gratitude and appreciation for our precious natural environment. The wind and rain will take away the designs but the energy will move out into the planet with each breeze and drop of rain..

Here is the EVENTBRITE registration page - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mandalas-in-the-wild-tickets-41434891877

And the facebook event link. Listen - I can only take a limited amount of people so if you say you are going honor your RSVP - prepayment is required. Be responsible.  

   https://www.facebook.com/events/1059633510840074/

I am looking forward to seeing you and exposing you to a new experience. 

**********

And next week I will be speaking at the Leesburg Public Library, at 2pm on Tuesday February 27th. I am facilitating an interactive acupressure workshop to help people stay off more medications and exercise their own personal power. The 1.5 hours workshops is... 

Drug-Free Relief at Your Finger Tips for Seniors

Module 1 - Memory, Mental Clarity and Countering Negative Emotions.

Free and Open to the Public. You do not have to be a senior to benefit from this workshop. Everyone needs help focusing these days.

Chau 4 Now

NATURE HUGS HONORING MOTHER EARTH

It is still a bit cold in Central Florida evidenced by the several layers I have on in the below photo. It was taken inside my house on Thursday. Ouch! I have been told many times that these cold temperatures are not usual, it is an odd year. Well I don't know about that but I do know that I am looking forward to spring! Anyway...a very special postal delivery warmed me up from the inside out. Insert Big SMILE HERE :)

Keith Beaney's Earth Mandala Calendar arrived last week and I thought that if a picture was worth a thousand words a video would be worth 12 times that amount.

Really, think about how a land artist would explain what they do."I make earth designs out of twigs and pods and leaves. They blow away and biodegrade. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."  Most of us photograph our work. I created the book that you see at the top of this page. Keith Beaney of the UK makes BRILLIANT calendars. Check out this video I made. LOVELY. A year full of nature hugs honoring Mother Earth from a very talented land artist.

The video says it all. Go to the FAcebook. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/Earth-Mandala-Calendar-2018-1492308927718255/   

That's it people. I am busy beyond words. I need to stop typing now and get on with it. This post is short but ever so sweet and beautiful :)

As a land artist, earth mandala creator and workshop facilitator please send me your inspirational images. Share your appreciation for Mother Earth through your ART.

Be INSPIRITED!

 Adelante >>>>

MANDALAS IN THE WILD AT THE LCFA

I am so very excited and happy to be speaking at the Leesburg Center For the Arts in central Florida on Wednesday evening. The topic is environmental art and specifically earth mandalas. This three hour event includes a media presentation featuring the works of several land artists from around the world including yours truly. I will be featuring images and video from the USA, Europe, the UK, South America and if time New Zealand.

I wrote the presentation to educate and inspire people to play. There will be table top mandalas with a plethora of materials foraged from private walking trails in the area. Everyone that wants to may add their decorative artistic mark and create a cooperative mandala together. “Mandalas in the Wild” is free and open to the public.

For more details check out the youtube video - 

 Share this post with your friends and I hope to see you there!

  

WHEN ART CREATES ITSELF THROUGH YOU

Hello everyone and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. I just wanted to jump on for a second to wish you a wonderful day. I am currently in Lake County, FL and not traveling for a change. I am at my own home (thank you Universe) and am helping out a neighbor who went up north to be with family for the week. I am taking care of his dog.

No, this is not a photo of Slippers from next door. This photo spread is from one of my books NATURE MANDALAS WITHIN AN URBAN LANDSCAPE - BUENOS AIRES. I came upon it while pulling some images for the lecture that I am giving on January 10th at the Leesburg Center For the Arts. The red of the ceibo flower (cockspur coral - the national flower of Argentina) is so vibrant it made me think of Christmas. The dog is a former neighbor from when I lived in Cabillito, a barrio of Buenos Aires. Oh those eyes... they sure know how to pull at your heart strings.

The two images, nature and cityscape, worked perfectly. The red of the flowers and of his collar, the shape and color of the corner leaves and his ears, the straight lines of the cut reeds and the lines of the paneling mirror one another. It wasn't planned. The entire book was not planned. The pairing up of the small nature mandalas made in the urban parks with photos of my adopted city just created itself. I will be talking about the aspect of art and intuition and flow on the 10th. Yes, in the right circumstances you are the instrument AND you are the music - you are the art.

Enjoy! I hope to see you very soon.

HOLIDAY DECOR IN THE FOREST

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!
May it be a joyous season full of love for all of human and animal kind and for Mother Earth!

The weather has warmed up this week in Central Florida (thank goodness) and it was time to head out for another afternoon of trail walking and exploring Nature's Paintbox. I chose to go to the Flat Island Preserve in Leesburg. This particular park is my top pick for the upcoming Create Your Own Personal Mandala event on February 24, 2018.

Along my path I spied some fallen palm fronds and magnolia pods. I simply had to make a "bright" arrangement. I have been preparing for a kid's plaza chalk mandala event (details at a later date) and I had one of my homemade portable templates with me. What a great time to check out its five pointed star design. I found a relatively clear spot on the side of the trail. With just a few items from the ground nearby I created a very full earth mandala for random hikers to enjoy. Thanks to digital photography I can capture an image of this fleeting art piece and share it with you too.

I was in JOY JOY making this lovely example of ENVIRONMENTAL ART. All chaotic thought floated away. I was IN NATURE, IN the ZONE and OUT of MY HEAD. After all these years of creating in natural spaces I am never not amazed at the POWER of PEACE that occurs. I do not use my head. The inspiration simply flows through my hands. I believe using what is found on the forest floor is extra powerful. I am not translating an "idea" of nature onto a canvas. I become part of the forest's magical mix. And you can too. Come with me and play!

Please check out the video. I talk about the creation of the mandala and also about a presentation coming up in a few weeks where I will be showing many images of earth mandalas both mine and of other artists. It is a complication of creative work worldwide. I will be speaking of sacred geometry and mandala history plus will have some visual and tactile items for you to play with. The event is free and open to the public. Do come play!

MANDALAS IN THE WILD (LECTURE EVENT)

WEDNESDAY    JANUARY 10, 2018    6 - 9 PM

LEESBURG CENTER FOR THE ARTS

429 W. MAGNOLIA STREET

LEESBURG, FL

SEE YOU THERE!

ENVIRO ART PLUS A HEALTHY TIP

I am trying this post as a direct share link from my getin2nature youtube channel so I don't know what it will look like until after I hit the publish button. Ohhhhh - such adventure.

So in this video not only am I making a part of a land art installation, I am also teaching you about a great acupunture/acupressure point for fighting off getting sick or coughing from allergies. How fun! I get to do two of my most favorite things in one video. :)

Enjoy!

getin2nature.com - check it out - join the meetup group and take a workshop.

LEAD YOUR CHILDREN

As you know I am passionate about connecting people back into nature. I am especially concerned about adults. That right, ADULTS. Adults are the leaders of the community and the teachers in our schools, the parents and caregivers of our children, the heads of the family. You can enroll kids in programs which is wonderful (if they exist in your community) but becoming the personal leader and role model for your own children or grandchildren is even better. First you need to reconnect. The rest will follow naturally (no pun intended). When was the last time you played and made art in the woods? Let me guide you.

When you get back out foraging and creating in the woods or beachcombing on the shores you will become revitalized and more alive. Creating art in nature is energizing, therapeutic and gives you a huge healthy dose of VITAMIN "N".

AN ENCHANTING PATH @ BORDERLAND

Here is a wonderful interview with Richard Louv, author of The Nature Principle, Last Child in the Woods, The Web of Life and other books. Louv shares a hopeful message for every area of life from more productive workplaces, to better classroom learning and healing of our nature-starved spirits..

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Check back often and LET'S GET GOING >>> OUTSIDE.

Don't delay. New England schedules are being created NOW.