Emily Dickinson Hope

Emily Dickinson has been my favorite poet since high school. I dreamed this card last night. I think it was a Spirit inspired message to me in answer to something I have been struggling with recently. So, here it is for you to see....maybe it's speaking to you too.

The format is called an ATC or artist trading card. They are all the rage now in the collage/altered art world. Small little playing card pieces of beauty to share. Most do thiers with real paper and glue; I play digitally.

I have only used part of the first stanza. If you don't know this poem, here it is. It's titled "Hope".

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune -- without the words
And never stops at all.

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land.
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

If you'd like to see more of my work, visit this gallery.

ATC,emily dickinson,scrapping,digital art

Princess of Power

This little girl is about to turn 29 this year. She was 9 in this picture and it was the era of She-ra, Princess of Power! She- ra dominated our living room for a long time...she lived in a huge pink castle and had several equally powerful girlfriends that lived with her and they all had tons of stuff! If my own Princess of Power was not playing with the castle, she was running around being She-ra or watching the cartoon on tv.

I think we're all Princess' of Power at 9 years old. It's an exciting time of confidence and vision for a young girl. It's one of the most magical years in childhood; if you look closely at a 9 year old, you can see glimpses of the adult they will become. This princess was already writing poems and little books. Dreaming up complex stories of other lives. Reading everything she could get her hands on. Loving her pets almost more than herself. Helpful, loving and fiercely independent at the same time. Completely outraged by anything she judged unfair. Totally empowered to be herself.

The real trick in life, is to keep that Princess of Power alive. She has.





scrapping, scrapbook

Absolute Write & Freedom of Speech?

I'm a relatively new member at the Absolute Write forums . After searching for a good solid writing resource, I discovered the intelligent, sharing writers at AW. One of the hallmarks of AW is its commitment to helping new writers avoid fraud - an invaluable service, and one that’s working. It's already saved me hundreds of dollars by helping me make wiser choices in workshops and training.

The forums disappeared last night, and I’m assured they will be back soon. In the meantime, check out what Teresa at Making Light has to say about it.

It’s all about how an agent, Barbara Bauer, got upset about being listed #3 on the 20 Worst Agents List at Writer Beware. Barbara Bauer called the hosting company for AW, and scared them, so the hosting company panicked.

Be supportive, bloggers, and check out Dawno’s call.

Until the forums are back up, we’re gathering here: http://www.starchat.net/chat/?chan=absolutewrite

More blogs getting the word out:
http://chatworthy.blogspot.com/
http://shiveredsky.blogspot.com/2006/05/barbara-bauer-literary-agency-inc-scam.html
http://dsnight.livejournal.com/154479.html
http://www.ejknapp.com/OnlyOnSunday/2006/05/24/absolutewrite-writers-forum-shutdown-by-angry-agent/admin/
http://booksellerchick.blogspot.com/2006/05/oh-my-god-im-going-to-be-late-for-work.html
http://www.dtkelly.net/?p=81
http://nicolew.typepad.com/dumbbell/2006/05/dont_mind
http://madscientistmatt.blogspot.com/2006/05/did-literary-agent-on-20-worst-agents.html
http://macallisterstone.blogspot.com/2006/05/aw-down-but-not-out.html




BarbaraBauer

May You Be Blessed Movie

I am not an overtly religious person but I deeply believe in the power of spirit. If you are in need of a short time out from the Internet and would like to focus on spirit for just about 5 minutes, this movie is just what you need!

blessings, spirit

Weekly Tarot 05/20- 05/26: The Moon

The Moon
Universal Waite Tarot

Ah the moon...the inconstant moon...what does she have to tell us? Interestingly, in the Tarot, the Moon is usually an indicator of something not quite nice going on in the shadows. It's a very emotional card and often read as someone keeping secrets or deceiving oursleves.

I see it more as a card of intuition, calling us to look inside and find the answer. Time to allow a situitation to fully play out as it should. You can safely stand in the shadows and be an observer, there is no reason to force action. Things may not be exactly as they first seem and your first reaction may not be the correct one. Trust your instincts when this card is present. You may find your answer in dreams this week. Remeber that every one involved in an event has their own perspective and goals.

If there is life changing event or decision facing you, don't act on it this week if you can avoid it. All the facts aren't in the open yet. In your heart you feel it, but your head may be pushing you to action. Resist that urge. Take some time to do some personal journaling about what is at hand. You'll find your own path in your own time.

tarot

The Coming of Wisdom With Time

The Coming of Wisdom With Time
William Bultler Yeats , 1910

Though leaves are many, the root is one;
Through all the lying days of my youth
I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun;
Now I may wither into the truth.

George Goes Big Time

Meet George. At almost 13, he's our second oldest cat kid. He was roaming around a Georgia Pacific paper mill and adopted my husband. George was just a tiny little guy when we got him. He's pretty sick now, hopefully it's just something that we can manage and he'll hang in there for several more years. It's really too soon to tell.

Last week the vet's assistant took this great shot of George and sent me a copy. Of course, I had to play with it! It was alot of fun and now I may just have to make covers of all the other cat kids. There are 7, in all... just like the dwarves... Secret, George, Frannie, Shadow, Gizmo, Luna and Molly. Not a one of them was chosen by us, they all came into our lives and refused to leave. I think our home has always had a glaring neon sign that only cats can see that says...PUSHOVERS .... in bright pink!

Secret and Frannie should have gone to live with daughter when she moved out, Secret was hers and Frannie came with an ex boyfriend. Molly came with the house we live in now. Shadow was about to be sent to the pound by a co-worker, Gizmo limped or crawled out of a garbage can in the middle of the night,scaring my son-in-law; Giz had been very abused, and Luna, who is the baby, followed daughter home from a walk and was only suppose to be in my house for a week or so. She was also in bad heath, and I'm a good cat nurse. Three years later, she's still here!

Once upon a time, my husband and I thought we'd join the ranks of empty nesters and get in an RV and see the world. Empty nesters? Hah!

Weekly Tarot 05/13 - 5/19 : 5 of Pentacles

5 of Pentacles
Spiral Tarot

This is a huge learning week. You may be struggling with your finances, housing situation or health and searching for the easy fix to the problem. Do you really believe the hype about that instant miracle? Really? I didn't think so. This is the week to really examine your heart and mind. Sure, it's easier to abdicate your responsibilities, allow the events to just play out, then you can blame someone else for your suffering. If you continually put off decisions, you will always find yourself wallowing in someone else's mess. Watch out for that pity party you like to throw yourself; it could become a way of life.

I know this sounds harsh. It is. Life can be unforgiving and hard. It's tempting to be seduced by get rich quick schemes and the promise of the easy fix. Sometimes, those solutions appear to be on the horizon, but they seldom materialize.

Why not take this opportunity to finally take some control of your own life? Ask for help from a trusted source and weigh both pros and cons of the situation. Have you been faced with this before? How did you handle it? How did it work out? Do you really want to keep repeating the same mistakes? What can you learn from that lesson to help you choose more wisely this time around? What have you learned from other aspects of your life that you can apply?

Remember that you always have the power within yourself to create change. Always. Make your own choice.


tarot

Weekly Tarot 05/06 - 05/12: 9 of Swords

9 of Swords
Merry Day Tarot

My, doesn't she look unhappy. Well, maybe not totally unhappy, but contemplative for sure. Things haven't turned out exactly as she had planned and now she thinks she know what the outcome will really be. Is she preparing for the real outcome, or is she living in her head too much and superimposing her fears on the situtation?

Whatever the reality may be, there is a definite sense of vulnerability and loss with this card. I also sense responsibility and burden as a part of the message. Notice the tear running down her cheek? Maybe she is remembering situations that could have turned out differently had she only made other choices. Living in the past so she doesn't have to see the present maybe?

The Merry Day tarot, designed by Lousia Poole interprets this card much differently than a traditional style tarot. In this deck, the numerological influence of the number 9 combined with the suite association, swords = air = mental activity, thoughts, communications and truth, is the overwhelming message. The card has even been labeled Clairvoyance.

More traditionally designed tarot decks often show this card with a woman sitting up in bed, holding her head in her hands with the 9 swords pointing at her. Classic thoughts on this card include nightmares, insomnia, migraine headaches and deep depression. Definitely a different focus than the Merry Day one, but today we are working with Merry Day, so here goes!

What does this all mean for this coming week? Evaluate situations that come up this week not only with your logical mind but with your intuitive mind as well. Making decisions based only on one thought pattern may not be in your best interest. It may at times feel like an overwhelming burden to just carry on, but but try not to allow yourself to become too bogged down in that. You are nearing the end of a cycle and will soon see it's resolution and have new choices to make.

tarot

Birds at my feeder

It's been a busy week at the bird feeder. This little guy is a Painted Bunting. I haven't been able to get my own photo, so I've borrowed this one from Cornell. They have a great birding site. The bunting has been at the feeder now several times for the last three days. He's a lone feeder and won't tolerate other birds landing while he's eating.

There's been another dove species that's found us this week too, the White Winged Dove. It's larger than the Mourning Dove and smaller than the Eurasian Ring Neck Dove, which I still can't get a picture of! I am on a mission for the Bunting and the Dove photos. Swallows have also moved in next door, the third year they have nested in the neighbors carport. They are interesting to watch as they swoop through the sky. We also have ScissoredTail Flycatchers who have come back into the area for the summer. I'm hoping to catch one of them too with my camera one of these days, they are so unique.

Bird watching....I must be getting old.