Why Can't We?

Now and Then - Sunday Scribblings

But for THEN, there would be no NOW.

I have been shifting my understanding of myself, changing from a half-empty to a half-full kind of perspective, in all aspects of my life. And the hardest part of that is my self talk. How I view myself. I find that in the past, I have been very hard on myself, focusing more on what hasn't been done rather than what I have accomplished. And sometimes stuck in the past for how I could have done things differently.

In my process of self discovery this year, I am making peace with the past. But for THEN, I would not be here NOW, sharing myself with you, dear Reader. And THEN has a lot of juicy stuff as I am relishing the adventures that have brought me to the HERE and NOW.

It took the lens of GRATITUDE to see all the yummy and exhilarating life lessons that have created me, Goddess Diana, the human bean that I am becoming. Looking at THEN and seeing how it has shaped NOW. And finding the gifts of THEN in the NOW.

On the eve of this New Year and my upcoming Birth-Day, I am so grateful for THEN. I am so blessed for where it has brought me NOW.

Thank you for this opportunity to share.

The Next Scientific Revolution

Flat Stanley (in-spired by Choochie Jr.)

My niece in Texas, GIRL (Goddess in Real Life) Vanessa created her own Flat Stanley at school and sent him to me for an adventure. She explained to me that Flat Stanley, based on a book from Jeff Brown, is a paper doll who got flattened and sent out into the Universe through the mail to have adventures.

I am always a little stuck when I need to create. I wasn't sure how to be "original" and be "different". So, Flat Stanley sat by my bedside, waiting for me to relax and be myself and play. And play we did.

First, we played with my neighbor Tamara. She came over and we pulled out some instruments and Flat Stanley joined us as we created some beautiful harmonies. And then Flat Stanley expressed a desire to create in my kitchen and so he got to discover some vegetables he'd never heard of before.

And that in-spired me to take Flat Stanley to the beach. He loved the ocean and the sand. And then we weent to Josh's Organic Garden and saw all the beautiful bins of produce - reds, greens, oranges. And Flat Stanley whispered in my ear that he wanted to touch and feel. So, I put him in different bins so he could fill his senses and I photographed him amidst the rainbow of colors.

And so many women passing by seemed to know Flat Stanley. They whispered and giggled as I photographed: "Look, there's Flat Stanley." He seemed to have achieved a superstardom all of his own.

Is this a national trend, I wonder? Is it the concept of a doll? or being asked by a child to share an adventure? I went to my trusted friend, the Internet to research this phenomena.

I found the Flat Stanley project which has been going on for 10 years strong. And while Jeff Brown wrote a book that has had a beautiful ripple effect, it was a bunch of Grade 3 Teachers in London, Ontario who started the project of creating paper Flat Stanleys and having their students mail them to others and track Stanleys' whereabouts and learn to communicate with others through the power of the written word.

Kudos to the teachers who in-spire and shape the young minds of the children who will one day rule our world.

HOLIDAY MEMORIES - Sunday Scribblings

For me, every day is a holy-day.

WSM Noah and I celebrate ChristmaHanuKwanza in order to encompass all the holy-days at this time of the year. No particular religious rituals except random acts of kindness and peace on earth and good will to all.

Holy-day memories for me are always associated with music. Something about this time of year when the resonance and harmony of the music played is happy and cheerful. The melodies are catchy and sweet and have such a great beat.

The jingles are easy on the ear and played so many times on the air and everywhere you go, that they become ingrained into your subconscious.

And so you find the lyrics on your tongue and tunes resonating with your heart.

And the peaceful vibration it creates is so wonderful. Whether it's singing along with the radio or listening to a barbershop quartet (Thank you Goddess Bliss) - holiday music evokes a sense of joy and gratitude for the people in my life and where I am, in the here and now.

They say a picture paints a thousand words. I hope this video gets the point right across.




P.S. And the holy-day of December 24 has always been a wonderful association for me - as it is the day I got married to WSM Noah - soon to be TEN years ago. Thank you Goddess for this blessing and for this man.

Peace Train

DANCE - Sunday Scribblings

I believe I might be peeling the translucent layers that surround the heart/the core. Since these are harder to see, they require gentleness in order to not tear the delicate skin.

I am in the process of learning gratitude in every dimension of my life. The most challenging one is cleaning my home. Really learning the process of being a homemaker and caretaker - breaking down my house into parts and devoting energies into different rooms as I sort, clear, purge and clean (washing floors, windows, dusting.....). I turned on the music and let myself dance (something I had not done in quite a while). As I sang along to my tunes and swayed, I felt a shift in my vibrational energy. As the water in the mop bucket got darker, I felt my sadness lift.

Dancing . I have always believed that dancing is the way to reconnect myself with my body - to truly inhabit the space within - it is so amazing how music can fill my soul and all of a sudden, my foot starts twitching and drumming a beat and then my hand follows, tapping a rhythm on my thigh - until I surrender to the music and let myself go and allow my energy to flow.

Dancing started at a young age. Friday nights after dinner, we'd gather in the basement and dance: Abba (Dancing Queen), Neil Diamond (Coming to America), Boney M (By the River of Babylon) and anything from the soundtrack of Grease. My cousins and I, my parents, my aunts and uncles - we would release all the tensions and cares of the weeks and boogie on down.

When I was in my teens, my girlfriends and I would sneak into the bars and dance, dance, dance - we didn't care for the drinking or the men - just the music pulsating in our veins and the unrestrained freedom of moving and sweating and being.

And so, it was a real pleasure to re-mind myself of how important dance is to my soul, my body and me.

I sway - I sashay - I spin - I move my hips - I do the hokey pokey and I turn myself about - that's what it's all about!!!

TOTEM ANIMAL

These last three weeks, the TURTLE keeps on entering my life.

I was in Orlando canoeing down a river on a REDNECK YACHT where I saw all these turtles, just waiting for us to float by.













And then, in Tennessee at Goddess Bliss' house, I had the opportunity to meet Turtle-ini, a delightful turtle with an awesome personality.

And Monday afternoon, I went to the beach to detox and change my energy. We ended up on a different part of the beach then we usually go to and found a sand sculpture. At first, I thought it was a castle with some tunnels and entrances. And then, when I walked around to the front, I saw it was a turtle. Synchronicities abound!!!

Yesterday, walking through the Cultural Center in Hollywood, I saw an old acquaintance teaching a class. As I looked in the window of the door, she picked up a painting and started telling her class about how she painted Red, her most favorite turtle companion.

I believe the Universe sends me signs - "Sign, sign, everywhere I go, ...." - all the time when I slow down enough to pay attention.

I also believe that when an animal enters my life, it is here to show me or teach me something.

More specifically, the animals that appear in our lives are here to guide us and teach us. Shamanistic cultures believe that these animals are totems.

TOTEM (as defined by Wikipedia): any entity which watches over or assists a group of people, such as a family, clan or tribe. In kinship and descent, if the ancestor of a clan is nonhuman, it is called a totem.

I got onto the Internet and searched for the significance of my totem animal, the turtle.

This is what I found at Lin's Domain:

Turtle is the oldest symbol for the Earth.
It is the personification of GODDESS ENERGY (LOL!!! Thank you Universe for this great sign) and the eternal Earth itself.

If you have a Turtle totem, you must be mindful of returning to the Earth what she has given you. Honor the creative source within you. Use water and earth energies to create a harmonious flow in your life. Ask the Earth for assistance and her riches will pour forth.

If a Turtle totem shows up in your life, slow down the pace of your life. (My mantra is GO SLOW!!! Thank you Universe for this reminder) Bigger, stronger, faster are not always the best ways to reach your goals.

Turtle is fine teacher of the art of grounding.
When you learn to ground yourself to Earth's power and strength,
you place focus on your thoughts and actions
and use the Earth's limitless energies rather than your own to accomplish your will.

Turtle is the keeper of doors and one of the ways into the Faerie Realm.

After the healing experience I had in Tennessee with Goddess Bliss, I am grateful for this totem in my life - just as I am opening my heart to my Angels and Guides.

A Miniature World