Harvest Wholeness: 9/20/13

What an interesting week this has been.  Filled with surprises and plenty of opportunities for aha moments; a gorgeous full harvest moon and perfect cups of coffee.

Keeping with my new tradition of playing in Cynthia of Spirit Uncaged’s invitation to review our week as part of The Scattered Life Collective, let’s get to it.  Do be sure to check out her week and everyone else who is playing as well, and consider joining the fun yourself.

current time:   4 p.m.

on the menu:  I’m trying a new recipe tonight – summer corn soup.  With poblano peppers, avocados, and goat cheese.  Doesn’t that sound delish?  I’m sad that the fresh corn season is ending.

out the window:   Well it’s official – autumn can begin any time now.   A squirrel has just planted his first peanut of the winter’s stash in my front porch flower boxes.  What a serious little fellow with his treasure.  I tried not to laugh but I wasn’t successful.

reading:   How appropriate that just this week I got a copy of Lyanda Lynn Haupt’s new book The Urban Beastiary.   I’ve been waiting for it to be released all summer.  Lyanda blogs at The Tangled Nest about “cultivating an urban-earthen household.

listening:  Beth Orton’s  “Mystery”.   This has felt like the perfect anthem for this week – sweet, gentle, promising.

watching:  The 2009 film The Push. 

good things:

• Fairytales.  And Friends.  And just to exponentially increase the delight – how about a friend who writes a fairytale and bases characters on her friends?  How fun is that?  Squee – yes I AM a character!  I’m not telling who, but it’s perfect and it makes me laugh.  How does it get any better than that?  Well, actually there are bonus points because her story includes a map.  And the secret cartographer in me loves maps even if my directional dyslexia prevents me from being able to actually navigate by them.

• Pants I love.  For the longest time I’ve wanted a pair of what I’ve been thinking of as Chinese peasant pants.  Years ago I found a designer pattern and have always thought some day I’d sew a pair.  Except I don’t actually like to sew (except perhaps curtains made out of vintage tablecloths or some wonderful art project); and I haven’t actually sewn a piece of clothing in decades.  So after I remembered that, I kept the pattern thinking maybe some day I’ll find some beautiful material and find a seamstress who’ll make me my pants.  Yeah, well, that’s been on the someday list for about forever.   However, because the universe loves me (yes it does!) I recently found the very pants I’ve been envisioning created by Marketplace Handwork of India. I love this company and their clothing – they’re a fair trade, not-for-profit organization who work with 480 artisans in 14 independent co-operatives providing training, work, and a variety of support programs to  truly impact and empower the lives women in India.   Here’s a peek at my new-favorite feel-good-on-all-counts pants

• Sugared Beads.  I love vintage sugared beads – it’s the sparkle-loving crow in me.  I have a few in my stash and I treasure them.  I keep most of my beads in jars on the sills of the windows in my studio space so the light can shine through them.  So that tells you how much I like sparkle.  I thought about sugar beads today because the album my song-of-the-week appears on is entitled Sugaring Season.  That name conjures up all kinds of wonderfulness in my mind, and I hereby am declaring the upcoming Autumn to be an official observation of the Sugaring Season.  Or perhaps a calendar season isn’t enough – perhaps I’ll declare this decade of my life my Sugaring Season. Yes, I believe I will.  And there you have it – it’s official. 

           In case you’ve never seen a sugared bead here’s an example of a modern lampworked one.  I can’t seem  to find        any really good pictures of vintage sugared beads, but perhaps I’ll create a piece of jewelry for myself to celebrate this Sugaring Season.

challenges and their silver linings:

A significant opportunity to look at some things I’ve been holding judgment about.  Lining:  An even bigger opportunity to really unpack this and look at it deeply.   Two spiritual truths I know with all my heart are1) we are always, always, always called to choose love over fear and 2) we are called to release judgment so that we can move out of separation and into wholeness.  I understood this in a whole new way this week, and I feel so blessed.

Around and About: 

• Harvest moon photos.

• Magpie Girl on How to be happy. How to be sad.

• Kickstarter campaign – Everyone is Photogenic.   Love this!  In the week where judgment has shown up for me, isn’t it wonderful to support a movement that embraces us as beautiful?  Do watch the video – at least the first part where photogenic is defined.  Makes me dance in delight. 

• Finally, some pure silliness. Because every week needs some and this had me laughing out loud. 

Here’s my playing-card-as-canvas summary of my week – the practice I’ve adopted from Teresa Robinson of {stargardener’s} right brain planner whose weekly mission is to “document the keywords, colors, and/or lessons. ” Check her week out here.    The back side of my card is my favorite selfie of the week.

 Now tag – you’re it.  What’s been happening in your week?   Have you been struggling with judgment as well?   Did you find a bit of silliness to lighten up your days?  Does the idea of a Sugaring Season appeal to you?  What might that look like.  Do tell – you know I love to hear.  I really do!