Niki

30 Years Ago

Starting very soon!  I will be posting a new series called, "30 Years Ago" about a young woman, Misty Cloud, and her life and travels in 1976.

Background

In April of 1976, Misty had just finished working at a western ski area as a waitress and ski bum.  Everyone was leaving for summer jobs, home, school, or new adventures.  She was not really sure what she would do, but she had a good friend living in New Orleans and so decided maybe she would go visit her.  Misty had very little money and no car.  But that had never been a problem where travel was concerned.

One evening after work, Misty and a coworker, Dusty Rhodes, decided to go to the local town and have a shot of tequila and a beer at every bar on main street.  By the end of the evening, they were making plans together....

What Color is your Aura

Niki, your aura is Blue.   (WOW! Blue is also my favorite color!)

Blues are the caregivers. They are nurturing, feeling, crying, intuitive, sensitive, thoughtful, emotional, selfless, compassionate and social. They are usually female.

Blues embody the characteristics of nurturing and caretaking. They are the Personality Spectrums color most concerned with helping other people. Whereas Nurturing Tans find their life's work in the community, Blues find value in being of service to individuals. Service is a form of altruism, a giving of oneself. It is the art of anticipating the needs of other human beings and ministering to those needs while at the same time allowing the individuals to maintain their dignity. In doing a kindness for a neighbor or performing an act of mercy for a patient, Blues feel fulfilled, valued, and of worth; they find ways to live their lives by giving.

The greatest challenge for Blues is to know what they need to be happy and then to ask for it. Because they are so caught up in service to others, Blues often spend too little time and attention on their own spiritual and emotional growth activities. They must set limits and boundaries on their emotional, physical, and spiritual resources; they must be able to say no and mean it. Blues need to emulate the wise cook who returns a portion of the starter dough to the yeast pot for another day. In this way, Blues can maintain their personal power. They must learn how to husband their own internal resources by measuring them out and using some of their time and energy to renew themselves.

Check out your aura color at:  http://www.davesbrain.ca/aura/index.php

Eagle

Today the male eagle was in the apple tree in my front yard!

Animal totem

A week ago I was asked what my animal totem was...I said I wasn't sure.  The horse?  I am definitely a horse lover, but I felt my totem needed to be a wild animal and probably a bird.  So I wrote last week in Morning Pages about wanting an animal totem that I related to.  Yesterday I took the dogs for a walk and saw a photographer with the largest lense on his camera which was mounted on a tripod.  "That's a serious lens," I say.  And he asks me if I would like to look.  He had a very large male bald eagle in his sights.  The magnificent bird sat high in the bare cottonwood, seeminly posing as he turned his head from side to side.  "Look at this profile!" the eagle seemed to be saying.  After watching him for quite a while, I decided to continue on my walk.  Not very far along, a large female bald eagle shot out of the bushes and banked in a swoop across the river!  The wing span seemed at least 4 feet.  The female flew high up into two intertwined pine trees.  I couldn't see her, so kept walking and studying the tree.  Then movement.  I spied her in her nest.  Called to the photographer who was able to set up his camera and we could see the female with his highpowered lens.  Click, click, click..."I have already taken 300 shots!" says the photographer.  Just then the female flew out of her hiding place and joined the male in the cottonwood.  There they both were - it seemed - just for us.  And I thought, "The eagle, of course."  Free and strong and independent - my totem.

Interesting book

For all of  you that just finished the Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, you may be interested in this book by Brenda Ueland called, IF YOU WANT TO WRITE , A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit.

It echos so much of what Artist's Way had to say, except that it was written in 1938!!

I looked in the Artist's Way bibliography, but Ueland was not listed.  Then I looked in the Bibliography in Vein of Gold and there she was!  I am really enjoying Ueland's  book and her writing of that era.  She was a great admirer of William Blake, Van Gough, Chekhov, and Mozart to name a few and discusses them also.

Thoughts continuously well up in us - put them to paper,  canvas, music.  That is all there is to it.  But it must be from your true self - not what you think you should be.  Be bold.  Be free.  Be truthful.

So you see, imagination needs moodling - long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering.  Brenda Ueland

Letter to my inner child artist

Dear Inner Artist Child

You are so precious and

Innocent, pure light

Thank you for showing

Yourself, and shining

The way to who I am and

What I need to say

I know I need to nurture

You more, love and cherish you

Treat you as special, and

Only encourage you along the way

I am enjoying getting to know you

And trust you and

You can trust me

Hand in hand we walk

With God in light, love

Secure in the universe’ plan

Opening the dam,

Unblocking, che, flow

Finding our center, true north

I want to follow your lead

Direct me toward the path

That will lead to satisfaction

Pure creativity

We are on an exciting

Journey, and I want to

Take care of you and

Help you flourish

We will go slow and easy

Having fun and enjoying

The process

Please trust in me, God, and

The universe and come out

And play