Current and Future sisters: Aly, Katy, Julie, Kristina
You don't need to go to New Orleans to catch beads and drink in the street, Tampa has it's own mardi gras, pirate themed! Gasparilla is a local tradition since 1904.
0 Comments
After 5 wild days in ft lauderdale, I was ready to get a little quiet time before heading to Gasparilla in Tampa. I did a quick google search for 'florida beach camping' and discovered this gem on the south tip of St. Petersburg-Ft Desoto State Park. It is the most beautiful campsite I have ever stayed at. A calm bay and lush vegetation gave me the serenity I sought. I saw dolphins breaking the water's surface after sundown while the sky still carried pinks and coral streaks across her wide expanse. In the morning, I woke to the chatter of 100s of shore birds noshing on their muddy morning meal.
I met some new friends on couchsurfing (couch potato as they call it) and they took me sailing in the Atlantic Ocean. My first time ocean sailing was exhilarating. We sailed directly into the steady NNE wind about 4 miles off shore to the gulfstream. The water turned deeper shades of blue the farther out we got. The crew was 5 experienced sailors so all I had to do was try not to lose my breakfast... unsuccessfully. Back at the dock we shared snacks and laughs. I'd like to try it again, with Dramamine ;)
This blog is shifting themes as I transition from office worker to farm volunteer. This major decision coincides with my 30th birthday and I gave myself the best gift in the world, moving to Florida! I have the best friends in the world too and they made it hard to leave Atlanta. I am so grateful to have shared my light with so many beautiful souls in Atlanta and they showed me that I can make a difference in this world. On the morning I left Atlanta, as I sold my bed to Chris, Alexa brought me coffee, and Ava dressed me up in a Sari :) I felt like a queen emerging into a new reign of happiness. I was feeling a bit under the weather with low energy, and had the inspiration to host a heart circle with limited talking. How else can we experience our heart center's and share our love with others without using words to describe it?
We explored the expressions in our hands and eyes :) As a brief check-in we went around the circle, stated our name and made a sound to reflect how we felt in that moment. The exercise brought smiles and giggles-success! The sounds ranged from "La, La, La, La, Laaaaaaaah" to "Yippieeeeeeeeee!" to "Mrph" Without any discussion, we gently slid right into the first drawing exercise. Blank sheets of paper, markers, instructions: draw a representation of how you felt today, use as many sheets as necessary. We did this in silence while listening to Chopin. When everyone finished their masterpieces, we passed them around the circle so each person could sit with one drawing at a time and try to feel the illustrator. <Stretch break> Main Event: Eye Gazing. This was a real treat. It's one of those things that is scary to suggest in mixed company, especially with strangers, as some people had just met that night. Yet, one of the greatest parts of heart circle is the safe space that we create when opening our hearts and flowing with divine presence. Everyone was in. We let anyone with prior knowledge share their experience, and we agreed on a method. Starting with 30 seconds of constant contact, at each break we would twirl around the room and when the timekeeper called time, we partnered with the first person to catch our gaze :) We gradually increased lengths of holding up to two minutes. After this exercise, I let everyone talk about their experiences. The first thing to come up was vulnerabilities. Then healing. Finally, divine inspiration. Farewell Love Offering: Draw a picture of a feeling you want to give everyone. Pass around circle. Float away into peaceful bliss... Heart Circle starts in a circle. The oneness bowl gathers tokens of our physical energy to stew in cosmic interconnectedness.
Heart Circle ends in a circle. A Shaman's prayer carries our beings through the four elements into the oneness. What happens in between is the shape of our hearts. <3<3<3 We used a small bronze peacock with trailing pink tied-on tail as our talking stick. First question: What is your name and what made you smile today? What do you want to do tonight? Stand up, stretch. Alexa led us in a unity meditation. The Earth and Stars met in our Hearts to form a sacred trinity. We naturally delved into talking about the metaphysical leaps that take place in meditation. It brought us to a formal question; How are you personally experiencing the shift from the 2012 winter solstice? We closed with a song and dance led by Nina! *We are Weaving the world with Love* *I and Thou with threads of Light* *We can create a tapestry of our delight* *We are weaving the world with love* Keep reinforcing what makes you feel good. |
Categories
All
Archives
June 2016
|