INTEGRITY

This week I pray for integrity.

This week I made choices that were so totally freeing to my soul and yet  contradictory to my family’s tradition and culture.

This weekend was Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year.  According to Chabad.org, it is the "day on which we are closest to G-d and to the quintessence of our own souls.  It is the Day of Atonement.  For nearly twenty six hours, practicing Jews abstain from food and drink, washing their bodies and sex.   They pray indoors, in a synagogue, in a type of religious fervor until the end of the Fast when they share food together.

This tradition no longer felt right for me.   On so many different levels, I was seeking a more spiritual experience of connecting with my divinity.    Friday night, after sitting with my parents for their Friday night meal (cooked by LoverBoy – woohoo), I took myself to Raja Yoga at Anuttara Yoga Shala.

This Friday, our class was smaller and more intimate.  I had the opportunity to practice right next to my yoga teacher, Philip, and right in front of a mirror.  The music embraced me while the heat in the room allowed me to release the tension in my muscles and access a deeper layer of myself.

 

This form of practice tranquilizes the mind while energizing the body and soothing the soul.  For me, it is an opportunity to open my body and heart and empty my mind.  My teacher, Philip has a peaceful engaging voice which keeps me present and focused in my body – melting into my bones while my connective tissue expands and my hips open.

As I listened to his gentle voice guide my body, his truthful words were punctuated by powerful thunder that matched the electromagnetic energy we were creating in the room.  A bolt of lightning illuminated the top windows in the Tapas Hall and lit up the statues of Shiva Shakti and made my experience even more mystical. 

Philip reminded us of the sacredness of our practice as it was also the 9^th day of the Navaratri holiday – a Hindu holiday that honors Shakti (the Divine Feminine/Mother) and looks to her for spiritual cleansing, guidance, and enlightenment.    With sweat pouring out of my cells, my body felt limber and my mind was at peace.  I knew I was in the right place, at the right time.

I prayed during my practice for my forgiveness and asked for more compassion and patience with myself.  I prayed for more listening to the guidance from within.  I prayed to the inner child that I honor her and laugh with her and put her first.

Even though this is not how many Jews practice this High HolyDay, this is how this recovering Jew became in integrity with her spirit.    

For me, integrity is finding my way into the world truthfully – not because my parents said so, or religion dictates or this is how everybody does it but rather because it resonates within.  It creates an inner experience that radiates my light into the world.

And so, I laugh at loud and follow my own path, knowing that this is my way of bringing peace into this world and chahahanging history to herstory.

Nico & Vinz sing it like it is.  Enjoy!!!

Prayer in Vilcabamba

ThaHAhank you for all the interest about my upcoming Goddess retreat in Ecuador  - a great question - why Pray in Vilcabamba?

The name of the valley comes from the Quechua language of Inca derivation.  It  is composed of two words, Huilco meaning "sacred" or "Goddess" and Bamba meaning "valley"; hence, "valley of Goddess" or "Sacred Valley."

Hidden away, deep in the Andes Mountains of South America, lies this peaceful valley called Vilcabamba  - an idyllic land of lush, subtropical agriculture where nearly every imaginable grain, fruit, and vegetable grows wild for the picking. It is a veritable paradise on Earth, and by legend, proposed to be the original Garden of Eden.

Over the years the Sacred Valley has been called: "The Isle of Immunity for Heart Disease, The Land of Eternal Youth, The Valley of Peace and Tranquility, and The Lost Paradise."

It has been given these labels because of the valley's solitude, serenity, clean air, dazzling sun, nearly constant blue sky, pure mineral drinking water, medicinal herbs, green fields, towering mountains, friendly people, lack of illness, and a kind of ubiquitous beauty that penetrates to one's soul and provides a sense of well-being.    

It is here that my soul is calling me to nurture and rechaHAharge my batteries and find the STRENGTH to bring peace to my world in 2013.

It is here that my body gets restored and rejuvenated and grounded.  So I can return to South Florida and absorb the electromagnetic force fields and create love.

It is here that my mind is free to rest and become creative and play. And then remember which way to go and flow.

It is here where I can best hear my song so I can shaHAhare it with the world.  

It is here where I will pray and whisper my desires out into the Universe and tap my toes and wrinkle my nose and send my fairy dust out into the World.

AWAKENING to my CALLING

This summer I traveled to the Valley of Longevity in Vilcabamba, Ecuador.  I stayed at an OMazing property called MonteSuenos (Dream Mountain).   

I had never expressed an interest in Ecuador before and yet, when I saw the name, MonteSuenos, I knew I had to go.  I had a heart felt yearning to go and see and be.   It was time to explore.

What I found was an OMazing country.  Ecuador lies on the equator and has diversity in topography (coast - Pacific Ocean, Andes mountain -  valleys and basins and rainforest). There are waterfalls, and trees - all sorts of trees,friendly people, pure air, and food  - the most delicious fruits and vegetables - no pesticides, no gmos - straight out of the ground and off the trees and into the kitchen and served to me.

What I was blessed with was an OMazing property called MonteSuenos -  a sacred space of peace, sustainability, and creativity.   Overlooking the village of Vilcabamba, there are two houses, art studio, meditation tower, nooks and crannies to relax and take in the views, two modern kitchens, natural trails through lush tropical gardens, tiki huts, ceremonial sites and breathtaking nature all around.

I met OMazing women on this trip. SisterGoddess Meredith, the artist who created and envisioned the details in each and every room and whose art hangs everywhere in the houses. SisterGoddess Meredith's art speaks of the Divine Goddess - the Sacred Feminine.  Her easy gentle manner and warm smile and artistic touch make you feel delicious.  SisterGoddess Sarah, resident guru of juices, websites, rawfood and energy healer.  SisterGoddess Caroline, yogini extraordinaire and holistic coach and my busyness parter in our upcoming retreat. SisterGoddess Virginia, Goddess rest her soul (she passed away last month) who was queen of the busyness of MonteSuenos and dancer of my heart.

While I was there, I was part of a sacred ritual - indigenous tribes walked from the center of town to two mountain peaks where the three rivers meet.  A circle was formed and we witnessed a ceremony honoring YakuMama (MotherWater) - we had a dialogue between the East and West, we danced around the fire, we took tobacco leaves at the convergence of these three rivers and blessed the leaves and released them.

I had a feeling - an Aha MOMent that there was something very important for me here.  An AWAKENING that this sacred space needed me to return and to bring those being called.

I found a safe space here in our World that honors the Sacred Feminine  - the return of the Goddess.  I am called to return and express myself through Play (laughter and drumming and dancing) and Prayer (yoga and dancing and laughter and sacred rituals) and Painting (expression of emotions and freedom of creativity).  I am called to bring SisterGoddesses who want to experience another way of breathing and being and eating.   I am awakened to the call of our EarthMother, PachaMama, who wants me to return and shaHAhare her beauty and sustenance and blessings of food and pure water and pure air.

MonteSuenos, overlooks Vilcabamba, the Valley of Longevity.   Having been there and experienced the peace and quiet and purity and sanctity, I am awakened to the truth of this valley.     While there, we had laughter circles run by SisterGoddess Lourdes.  We laughed HAHA HO HO HEE HEE and our peals rang down into the valley spreading joy.

At this time, I am blessed to be able to offer this experience to those SisterGoddesses called by the Oracle of 2013.   My partner and I have set up a PRAY, PAINT & PLAY retreat - Pleasure for your Body, Mind and Soul - nourishing all parts of you and me and we.

I am so excited to go back and shaHAhare myself and my wisdom and laughter in this sacred space that took my breath away and made me feel like I was home again.  I look forward to the women who are called to join me on this journey.

I ask, that as you read this, if you are not called, pass it forward to another woman who might resonate and be awakened to being in this space at this time and raising the vibration of peace as we Pray, Paint and Play.  Check out the beautiful web page created by SisterGoddess Sarah for this OMazing trip  - PRAY, PAINT & PLAY (click on Pray, Paint & Play)

I made a movie of some of my pictures of my experience.  I shaHAhare it with you here for your enjoyment.

ThaHAhank you for letting me shaHAhare my joy and taking a moment to read it.

HAHA in the AIR

I just returned from Ecuador - more specifically Vilcabamba, Valley of Longevity, and even more precisely, MonteSuenos, Mountain of Dreams.  

My heart called me to this sacred space from the MOMent I heard its name. WSM Noah asked me "Why Ecuador?"  I knew not why, I just knew I had to go and explore, experiment and express.

SisterGoddess Lourdes' daughter and her partner brought a group of women and a few brave and bold men together for a Sacred Nature Journey of the Sierras of Ecuador.  

I spent one glorious fabulous week in a sacred space of creativity - a space created by one woman and her hubby - her vision of what our world can be - through the eyes of the Divine Feminine.  This space nurtured my soul, my body and my heart.

I met new peeps and reconnected with some I already knew.  I felt like I was living out of a novel - EAT, PAINT, PRAY - hahaha.

Our days were OMazing - woke up to a SisterGoddess police officer who kicked my ass doing cardio at 5:15 a.m. with the dogs and burros and roosters singing their melodies.   Sunrise yoga stretching our bodies as the sun lifted over the mountaintops.   Yummy fruit breakfasts and walk down the mountain for some green juice.  A walk back up the mountain for my morning workout and then sacred painting circles.  Followed by Laughter Circles and lunch.  Woohoo.

I had the pleasure and joy of being with three of my laughter yogini peeps, SisterGoddess Lourdes, SisterGoddess Nilsa and WSM Victor.   WSM Victor and I would laugh all the time - just looking at each other - for no reason at all except it felt great.

Our house, at the top of the mountain, had a fabulous place to laugh.  Right around the firepit, overlooking the valley of Vilcabamba and the mystical magical Mandango Mountain, SisterGoddess Lourdes led a Laughter Circle almost every day.  Just before lunch, we would walk up to the firepit, overlooking the valley of Vilcabamba and shaHAhakti shaHAhake and laugh like lawnmowers and HO HO HAHAHA - playing and hugging and laughing and moving our bodies.   We laughed so hard residents of both houses could hear us.   The kitchen staff would crack up as they were preparing our delicious meals, mixing into our food the wonderful enerchi of love and laughter.

We infused the air with HAHA chi and let it roll down the mountain into the valley and rise back up again with the delicious smelling air up the sides of all the mountains.

We yelled out affirmations in Spanish and gibberished on our mountaintop - spreading our juicy yummy enerchi for all to feel.  It was OMazing - we were OMazing - life is OMazing.

A great big thaHAhank you for SisterGoddess Lourdes and bringing Laughter Yoga to Ecuador, from the beaches to the mountains and next year into the rainforests.

Woohoo