January and February are my favorite months to visit Big Sur. I've been retreating there alone and with friends for many years and I always feel such excitement when I start to pack my bags. For one thing, it combines the warm sand of our southern beaches with the vibe of an enchanted fairy garden, redwoods, tons of art, cozy canyon cafes, and funky, beatnik rooms.
In a nutshell, it's heaven on earth for my soul. I can feel myself reconnecting as I wind the car up the Pacific Coast Highway, into the hairpins that overlook the turquoise water with seals bobbing their heads up and down. I've done a lot of healing on those cliffs, and so I go there full of gratitude for what it is offered me in respite and soulfulness and open to what it's magic will impart this time.
I'm going with a friend to work, which basically means: play with cameras, brainstorm our dreams out loud, and drink wine. I can already feel that fluttery feeling of my soul calling up joyfully, knowing that soon we'll have our toes in the sand and the rest of the world behind us.
In my stead, I have an interview up at Katrina Dreamer, which I'm quite proud about, because I admire so much the work that Katrina has done and is doing. I had the good fortune of retreating with her in 2006 and it's been a beautiful sight to witness her courageously claiming her voice as a teacher and nurturer of the Earth.
I also really loved this blog entry by Lisa Field-Elliot, there is a raw truth burning in there that's stayed with me all day since I read it, which I'm still turning over on the flame.
Rachel, of 6512 and growing, is someone whom you will love reading, especially if you're a mom. She is hilarious and can turn the most mundane sequence of events into a tea-spitting, howling occasion. She's a gardening, homesteading and stovetop inspiration to shame even Mary Jane Butters, as well.
And if you don't quite feel as outdoorsy as you'd yet like to, check out the soulful experiment in communal living at Tipi Village, which I found after much time spent reading the archives at Ande's and Kayla's Rogue Dwellings blog. Take a look at the sewing machine they assemble their tipis on!
soul
+
wild woods
+
crashing waves
and maybe
a beer with the ghost of Henry Miller
=
my kind of weekend
