Pink Coyote

A Mighty Vision for Mighty Wise Young Women

Many of you know how much I adore Wendy Cook, of Mighty Girl Art (and MotherRising blog fame). She is a sister, a seer, a seeker, a deep listener, and an intuitive wisewoman. It was my pleasure to have her in SouLodge in Autumn and to witness her planting the seeds for an MGA online experience for girls who live outside of her D.C. neighborhood, where live Mighty Girl Art workshops have been taking place in the Mighty Girl teepee for several years now.

One of the reasons my heart is so invested in Wendy's movement for girls -and believe me, it is a movement, by all accounts- is because it teaches girls about their intuition at an age when they can really make good use of it. If you know the Russian fairy tale Vasilisa, you will remember how important it is to honor the intuition in order to survive life's trials as a young woman- and make  meaning out of the lessons which do come. If you are a woman, you might know what it feels like to come late to the mountainous value of your own intuition, as our general culture does not have a  rite passage which marks it. If you are from a culture which does, I want to hear about your experience!)

I feel so strongly about the work that Wendy is doing with tween and adolescent adults that I am sponsoring a 48 hour giveaway for one seat in her Mighty Girl Art Spring e-course for my readers. 

As always, comment to enter, and let me know if you've Facebooked, Tweeted or blogged it so that I can enter you multiple times and increase your chances of winning. 

Wendy has generously noted that if you enroll in the Spring e-course, you can share it with your family (all daughters, mamas and sisters can participate on one pass) and neighborhood tribe. My women's circles and SouLodge have taught me how valuable it can be to do close-work with other women, and this is why I'm so proud that something now exists for girls to begin strengthening trust in themselves, together. 

Wendy can be reached for questions at [email protected]

Don't be shy about asking how you can do this with the girls in your life. The young maidens who have taken her in-person classes in the Mighty Girl tent have come away forever impacted and supported as the beautiful beings that they are, and always will be. I'll be attending, to gather notes for my wee little maiden, and also to reparent myself through the rite of passage I did not receive as a young woman. I'm curious as ever to see what will be moved in me-I'm certain it will be very powerful.

What inspired you to create Mighty Girl Art? Did you have a lightbulb moment when it all came together for you- as an immensely creative being, to integrate what you know, love and believe in with what you do?

Mmmm….It's a long story that spans many years.  From the time I was a little girl I knew that I was a creative soul and over time I learned that it was so intrinsic to my nature that I likened it to breathing…not a want, but a need.  When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always responded, "make art".  As you can imagine, the retort was less than supportive and out of concern it was suggested that I consider something "more lucrative".   I also was very interested in science and in particular, healing and wellness.  So, I ended up working most of my life in the medical field in order to support myself and my creative muse.  I enjoyed my role in wellness.  I met some truly inspiring people from whom I learned a lot about healing.  However, it didn't exactly feel like my calling.  

When I became pregnant with my son I had my first awakening.  Never in my life had I felt so in touch with the power of the feminine force.  It was right around that time when I realized I could no longer work in medicine.  After my son was born I had a fairly solid vision of Mighty Girl Art and planned to launch it as soon as my son was more independent.  

It finally dawned on me that the reason I never found my "calling" in life was because it didn't exist…I needed to create it myself and everything leading up to that moment had prepared me for this role.  

 

What do you most want the women and and girls who are thinking about participating to know about MGA?

We have all heard the expression, “Women’s Intuition”.  This adage spans the ages because it resonates much truth.  Intuition and creativity go hand in hand…you can’t have one without the other.  For women, it’s biological.  We are born with it, but many of us have been conditioned to ignore it.  We were given this gift in order raise, protect and nurture our young.  We can also use it to navigate the world around us, to know ourselves more fully and live our lives with more awareness.  When we make time to explore creative self expression, we come alive, we feel whole.

 

What is the most profound or moving thing any participant has said about their experience with your teachings?

I’m frequently told by moms that their daughters seem lit up in a way that they’ve never seen before, that there is a visible transformation.  I overheard two of the girls chatting about their experience on the last day…one said, “I feel so alive”.…the other squealed, "yes yes I know what you mean".  How beautiful!  THe girls were not only expressing themselves so freely, but they are validating each other as well.

Describe an unexpected thrill you've had hosting these workshops:

One unexpected thrill was an email I received from one of the moms.  She said that she was so inspired by the transformation in her daughter that she converted a room in her home into an "art room" so that her daughter and entire family had a place for creative self expression.  The thought of this family now having a designated space in their home to honor that is very touching.

I view creativity as a sacred tool.  Girls of all ages have a soul need to express themselves creatively, be it art, music, dance, gardening, cooking, poetry etc. because we know intuitively that it's healing, transformative, and empowering.  

I know you well, since our boys were just several months old, and I've seen how much you put into your art, parenting, and Mighty Girl. Nothing slips past you-you're one of the most awakended souls I know, and I know how much you love living on this Earth. Share something about yourself with my readers that will tell them of your passion for what you do:

It is said that friendship is an act of recognition, an ancient knowing.  This is how I feel about our friendship, Pixie.  It is also how I feel about life, motherhood and Mighty Girl Art….it is a process of recognition and ancient knowing.

It so hard for me to put into words, yet it's something I feel deeply…bone deep.  We're all in this together, you know?  We all have different life experiences, stories, and gifts…yet we are all connected.  In ancient times women gathered to share their wisdom, learn how to establish and respect healthy boundaries, practice craft and cultivate skills, to provide council and support, to be seen and heard.  In today's world our young are influenced by the media and a culture that sends harmful and devaluing messages.  If we can create more meaningful practices and opportunities to gather, we can enrich the lives of our children (and our own) with creativity, intuition, power and wisdom. 

As you have so beautifully demonstrated with SouLodge, we can use this new technology and social media as a powerful tool for change, to enrich lives.  If you can't come to the circle, the circle can come to you.  

Wendy, I believe in your work so much. Thank you and bless you for all that you do-the ripple effect is profound, and will lift the spirits of women of all ages long beyond your lifetime. Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?

Yes… I just want to say that if anyone reading this ever doubted the power of the feminine, take a good look around you.  Every person you see on the this planet came here through a woman.  May you smile big for the knowing of this, and dance for joy.

Visit Mighty Girl Art and see the bounty of goodness that awaits for yourself.

Thank you to all who enter the giveaway-and good luck! I maintain that I have the BEST readership in the world...thank you for your boundless enthusiasm for walking a creative, spirited, awakened path.

Aho!

 ***************

Congratulations to Stephinie of GYPSY FOREST who won

the space in Mighty Girl Art's Spring E-Session!

Registration is open until March 16th.

Wild News

There is so much wild seed flying out on the wind right now! An incredible spirit of creation and manifestation is taking place. This is just a little sample of what's fallen onto my path this weekend. Please share your finds in the comments and let's have a free-for-all!

I love Connie's new video AND she has two more sessions of BIG:: A Fearless Painting Adventure offered this year. She is a creative force to be reckoned with.

Stephanie Levy, the uber-talanted multi-tasker behind Artists Who Blog, has just launched Creative Courage, a comprehensive course in building your creative confidence, featuring twelve special guests (ahem) and a virtual trip to Venice, Italy. I'm so excited to see how Stephanie executes this- if anyone can do it, she can!

I might be a little late to the party, but I was very excited to flop onto the sofa at my parent's house, flip through a Land of Nod catalog, and see Marisa Haedike's piece, The Buddy System, jump off the page at me!

If you dig the rebellious work and spirit of Keri Smith as I do, you'll be happy to get out of your own way and Wreck This App.

If you tweet, you may know about Kinfolk Magazine. All I know is  that if Molly Wizenberg has her hand in the mix, I'm buying. She's got the magic gift of aesthetic and tasty eats.

I just downloaded Seeing in the Dark, by Dr. Estes, and would love to know if you've listened, and what you think. Clarissa P. is causing my weekly drives to Ojai to be another opportunity to ponder the mysteries of our shadows. Plus her voice is like a fairy godmother's, and who doesn't need that?

Postscript: Seeing in the Dark is much more about seeing with the eyes of a wisewoman, enlightened vision! Even better!

VLOG Sacred Tools: Working with Crystals

At long last, and thank you for your patience! Now that I have the kinks worked out, we can start talking e-course. Yipppeeeee! Awrooooooooooooooooooo!

 

 

The crystals featured in the video are a selenite wand, a chunk of raw rose quartz, and an amethyst formation from inside of a geode.

The Owl wing is from a Barn Owl, which I use in intuitive work because of Owl's ability to cross easily from one realm to the other, and because she brings magic and femininity to all that she touches.

I read from Sandra Ingerman's book, Medicine From the Earth.

 

Thank you all again for your love, patience, and curiosity for the Earth and her magical ways. Bless...

 

Beltane Getaway and Interview with Stephanie Ladd

I'm off again to the central coastlands of my native California, this time as a magical group of eight to celebrate the season of Beltane, which begins May 1st and marks the mid-point between Spring and Summer. Light your own mighty fire for fertile prosperity and I'll tell you all about my adventure when I return.

The Goddess Maia, Queen of May.

I've interviewed someone precious to me to hold you over until I come skipping down the lane, flower garlands and maypole streamers clinging to my gown. I digress.

What I love most about Stevie Ladd, of Owl and Crow, is that she has fearlessly created something she'd always had in her. Her book, In the Lap of the Goddess: Connecting with the Divine Feminine, contains the meaty questions we've all been faced with-the ones that seem to come up again and again, but she takes you down into the deeper levels for new insights. I'm so proud to share her with you.

Enjoy!

 

What inspired you to create your SoulWork book, In the Lap of the Goddess: Connecting with the Divine Feminine?

Since I moved from California to North Carolina almost 3 years ago, I was determined to find a more creative way to do my work as a psychotherapist. I wanted to open up more as a writer and artist and find a way to bridge the two.

Both you and Leonie Allen have inspired me in the way you have built a strong following through your blogs and have created your art and other products that are so tied into who you are and your evolutionary process. It's so fun to watch and be a part of. I ordered Leonie's Creating My Goddess Year e-book and got inspired to write my own e-book about my favorite subject from an archetypal psychology point of view.

So I designed this book to be interactive, to help women plumb their own depths and find their way into the lap of the goddess by doing soul work.

Can you tell me more about what you mean by soul work?

I mean the deep questioning and exploration of our psyches, our purpose, life's meaning, our past, present and future. Ultimately, it is the work of connecting to our Self, with a capital S. And our higher Self is but a reflection of the divine feminine--the goddess of your choosing, or the goddess that chooses you.

I love the idea that a goddess figure would choose me to work with her. Which one called to you first as you went about beginning this book?

Well, when I got to North Carolina, I kept meeting Yemaya. Rob (my husband) had brought back a handmade Yemaya doll from New Orleans about 10 years ago and she had been packed away for a long time. I put her on my altar in my studio in North Carolina, surrounded by shells and other things I found at the ocean.

Yemaya is a mermaid and I kept being drawn to mermaids. At the same time, I was feeling this oceanic, watery energy calling me to create and flow. I made several dolls, SoulCollage® cards, and a shadow box, all with mermaids. I started looking into Yemaya's qualities and realized she was a Creator archetype and that's what was being activated in me. I started this book with her guiding me, acting as a muse. I feel I have gotten to know her quite well and have a relationship with her that helps me feel guided and protected.

What other goddesses make appearances in the book, and what drew you to them or them to you?

Kali was actually the first goddess I did a chapter on because I needed to clear out some old garbage before I could move forward with Yemaya and the book I had started. I had gotten stuck and needed help.

Remember how our teacher, Irene, used to say that when she created her retreats, whatever theme she chose she had to go through it herself, as she was preparing to teach it? That's what happened with me. I had to face some old creative blocks, so I worked with Kali, the Destroyer goddess, and she helped me burn up these fears and let go of some old ways of seeing myself and my work.

I've been exploring the Triple Goddess since I got here, too. I chose the Greek triple goddess represented by Persephone, the Maiden, Demeter, the Mother, and Hecate, the Crone because I love their story. The maiden and mother have been strong with me as I have watched Chloe (my daughter) transform from a 12-year-old girl when we first moved here, to a young woman of 15. There's been a little grieving involved with that, and I've revisited and healed some more of my own relationship with my mother in the process.

And then I've got one foot in the Mother and one foot in the Crone since I had Chloe late in my childbearing years. So Hecate has helped me own the wild woman and the wise woman. I love her magical, witchy, medial nature. She is truly the dragoman of the Soul.

What do you hope women will come away with by doing the exercises in your workbook?

I hope they will have an experience of how the goddess lives within them. I offer suggestions for rituals, totems, and altars so they can work with the goddess not only internally, but externally. It's important to create and surround yourself with likenesses of her when you work with goddess energy to make it a richer, deeper experience.

I've used a lot of pictures in the book because images are the language of the soul. Metaphor and archetypes allow us direct access to the soul as well. So I'm hoping women will have fun exploring some themes of feminine psychology through the goddesses presented in these pages. It's really a stepping stone, a way in. They can then take the relationships they develop as far as they want. I hope to expand on these goddesses more over time.

Who is likely to get the most out of your book? What does this reader look like? If I may be so bold to ask.

I think fearless women who like to journal and create will especially enjoy getting to know themselves better through these goddesses, and those who want to discover or explore their inner yearnings and their own divinity.

I'm starting to feel like Oprah here. How do we get the workbook? Because I want it now. It's Kali the Destroyer my inner wild woman needs to hang with. I've already been chosen! I know my wild self is tied to experiencing Kali as a creative-destructive-creative superhero, embodying the Life-Death-Life cycle I write about so much here.

It's available for download as a PDF on my blog, on the order page for In the Lap of the Goddess. You can buy single chapters, or the whole book to download and print.

I'll have copies ready to mail by May 20, and accepting preorders now, but if you order it before then, it's $22 instead of $24.

And there are 3 free audio versions of the guided journeys in the book that anyone can download and listen to available on my blog.

Ooh, I'm exploring your order page now-well done. Easy. I love it. I'm so excited about this book, and I'm loving that you're offering it as a PDF. All I need is more paper around here. Thank you for doing that-being as green as can be. I may want to print some of the goddesses images and hang them about, however. What else can you share with us?

I would love to know how women use the book, and what they get out of it, so feedback is welcome.

And thank you, my dear friend, for featuring me on Pink Coyote and sharing my book with your wonderful circle of wild, creative and fearless women.

Yip! Awroooooo!

Stephanie Anderson Ladd is a Marriage and Family Therapist, SoulCollage® Facilitator, and an amazing, awakened wild woman living her creative life in Chapel Hill, NC. I call her Stevie, as all of her sisters do. All I needed to know about trust, relationship and communication began with our longs talks and mountain walks, during what seems like a lifetime ago. Everyone needs a Stevie. I know I do. I hope you'll be as inspired by her work and stories as I am.

Wild Giveaway

The most common page-turners in my stash. I've been asked a lot of questions lately, which is kind of exciting because it tells me that all around me there is an energy about going deeper within and a kind of collective willingness to gather the tools right in front of us, in nature, to do that deeper work with. To reconnect with one's wilder aspects.

Knowing my environment and what it's gifts are have helped me feel more comfortable here, where I live, which does not really feel like my home. It's also made living here much more fun and interesting while I do what I need to do to thrive. Knowing my inner landscape has helped me navigate through the things I struggle with, as if carrying a compass, helping me find my way with relative ease over the bumps.

Wolves and other beasties have that beautiful inner compass which helps them make decisions that protect and honor them, without having to think about it all the time. They trust themselves. It seems like this is made up of instinct and senses working together with a well-tuned perception device. There is no right and wrong about it. Just...trust that they are where they are, and they are going where they are going. Something I love about the creatures is that they do respond to information coming in based on what has happened to them, what they've learned through experience- yet they don't use their defenses unless there is reason to do so. Observing the natural world teaches me how much *basura* I carry with me needlessly.

I watched a large ant cart a moth wing higgeldy-piggeldy toward his hill today. Of course, I thought of the rubber tree and what ants aren't supposed to be able to do and all. But it also occurred to me how present he was to dropping the wing, getting lost under it, figuring it out-he just kept moving steadily towards his goal. He didn't stop and ask himself if he should be carrying his prize to the destination. He didn't overanalyze how frustrating it was. He didn't look for someone to coach him through the process. He just knew he needed that wing *real bad* and so he claimed it, patiently working his little ant ass off to get to where he wanted to go. He trusted that he would eventually get there.

What does wild mean to you? How does it express in your life?

Share to have your name in the cauldron for a copy of the print, Go Wild Believing, the DECK-a FULL set of postcards (20), and a Rabbit medicine bundle. Three winners to be announced Thursday. Be sure to tell me which item you love the mostest.

 

 

Tweet

Surprises from the Pony Express

There is such bounty everywhere. I am blessed to have gifts coming and going each day, coming more than going, it seems! I wanted to share a few of them that I was quick enough to snap photos of before they got tucked away into their loved and useful spaces, or little hands carted them off. Think of it as a random sampling of lovin'...it reminds me to keep sending out mail love, something I enjoy tremendously, because it feels soooo good to receive surprises. Don't you agree?

This is homemade healing salve from a herby desert mama friend.

She also sent a bagful of Datura, a deadly nightshade that I must find a magical use for...

Yummy sugar scrub from another mama friend.

A piece of honey calcite which has hardly left me since I opened it. This came from a very faraway friend, so it is extra special, having made such a long journey! I keep wanting to call it Honeyed Calcite. The note that came with it says that it is a powerful amplifier and cleanser of energies and that it helps to speed up development and growth.

Rainwater collected by yet another beautiful sister from a salmon stream near her home in the Pacific Northwest. Of course, I opened it right up and took a giant swig, and I swear, it is the freshest water I've ever tasted. It has a very clean feeling about it. Makes me want to head north.

Bobcat fur remnants from a taxidermy job, from an amazing Native American man who sells me deerskin from time to time. He just tucked this little handful of scraps into my last package, knowing that I would scream and meow and be delighted.

On that note, another friend who is local, brought over two giant trashbags filled with scraps of mule deer, elk, black bear, and some sort of mountain goat hides today from his friend, a taxidermist, who was going to throw it all in the garbage. I get asked a LOT where I obtain claws, fur bits, feathers. Now you know how some of it finds it's way to me. Black Bear is not legal to buy or sell in California because it is our state animal, in fact, each state has it's own specific laws about which animals are legal to possess parts of, and it varies widely. But it is nice to be gifted a bit of this and that to have onhand for special purposes. Especially if it was headed for a trash bin! Native peoples and those practicing native ways have a lovely way of sharing medicine with each other. Remember my coyote leg that my friend's dog dragged out of the forest that is one of my treasures? Sharing is caring.

Surprise chocolate! Which is always a good thing. This is that yummy chocolate that helps one to RELAX, which I'm very much in need of assistance with. Wei of Chocolate (pronounced Way of Chocolate) are very good peeps. RELAXED and JOYFUL are my favorites. The flower-infused flavors are otherworldly.

Bunnies for babes, from one of the kids' most important aunties.

And that concludes this synopsis of lovemail for now. Blessings on all. xoxo

 

Smudging the New Den

photo by fellow Traveler, Lisa Field-Elliot

It's very exciting to me that so many of you are asking for more details about smudging and creating sacred space in your environments. If you didn't see the first video, which covered a little bit of information on smudging, check it out here.There are also a few resources for smudge sticks listed in that post.

One question is whether one should smudge her apartment before she moves her things in or after. If it were me, I would like to smudge the empty nest first. I take my shell or bowl, light the smudge stick (I'd definitely use white sage in a new dwelling) until it's burning nicely, then blow out the flame so that the dried herbs are smoking. You can use your hand or a big feather to fan the smoke up into all of the corners of each room, and into the cabinets and closets.

Here are some awfully pretty fans that I found on Etsy by searching for "smudge fan". The legal-use feathers used are painted to resemble eagles and hawks and look nice and big. I also like the looks of these. You could just as easily make your own. Wonderful feathers are sold at pow wows, as well as Etsy, or you may have a local farm that will allow you to collect.

Aside: Be forewarned, if you are planning to purchase a fan from this seller, that she is indeed selling real migratory and predator bird feather fans from Australia, and U.S. Migratory Bird Laws do not allow the sale or purchase of feathers from protected species (almost all birds except some fowl, I believe). Fines for buying, selling or even carrying a migratory bird feather are in the thousands of dollars. Risky business. I don't mean to be a boo-bird while up there flaunting my Hawk wing.

What smudging does is clears the existing energy out, especially in corners and small spaces in which it tends to gather and stagnate. Smudging also acts as a prayer of blessing and intention in a new space where you hope to thrive.

The photo above was snapped by a friend I visited this weekend. After we'd done a fair bit of unloading of our hearts and before we headed out to breakfast and back to our families, we smudged ourselves and her altar. I think of it like a reset button. I joke to friends sometimes that if I get pulled into negative energies online that I have to smudge my computer screen. I actually do it, believe it or not. I can feel negative energy sticking on me like stinky perfume!

Good luck smudging, goddesses. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

 

 

 

Vlog Sacred Tools: Medicine Pouch

Here's another informal backyard vlog on using sacred medicine tools. This time I take you on a quick tour through stuffing my pouch to get ready for an overnight trip. Can you tell I'm in a bit of a hurry to get packed and on the road? I still haven't sorted out how to set up the camera for the best view and so I'll try to work the kinks out there before I make the next one.

I also share a bit of the drum for a teaser of what the trance beat is like when one takes a traditional shamanic journey, as promised. The drum sounds a bit flat on the video, but it actually has a nice deep resonance. If you feel called to find a drum for yourself, be sure to play lots of them. There will be a sound and size that feels just perfect for you.

To learn more about shamanic journeywork, try Michael Harner's Way of the Shaman or Sandra Ingerman's Soul Retrieval. Both detail the purpose of taking shamanic journeys, as well as how they are conducted in a sacred manner. If you'll be attending Call of the Wild, my mixed-media workshop at Squam Art Workshops in September, you'll get a little taste of what the journey is like for yourself.

To learn more about animal totems and begin the path toward integrating the wild creatures into your spirit practice, check out Ted Andrews' Animal Speak or Animal Wise. There are a lot of great card decks that explore animal symbolism, as well, and a quick search at Amazon or your local metaphysical shop will produce colorful options for divining animal wisdom. If you have a great resource for animals, please share it in the comments. Sometimes I find old books at the library on a particular species and that gives a nice depth. We can learn so much from creatures just by observing them, as many of you already do.

I don't think you could see the beautiful purple earrings I'm wearing, but I'm wild about them. They were crafted by Celisa Nalls of MySoulCanDance and when I opened the package, I could feel joy leaping out at me. The adornments we wear, or talismans we're drawn to help tap us into our intuitive nature, too. The creations we make with our hands vibrate with the energy that we bring to the worktable, and that creates a ripple of light that never ends. It's such a blessing to have access to so many gifted and inspirited artisans.

The sacred Lakota corn was given to me by Lauren Luquin of Visionwise. One of the best things about meeting others on this path is that we get to share tools and honor one another with gifts to add to the ever-expanding toolkit for healing ourselves and the Earth.

On my travels to the coast this weekend, I might leave behind any one of the items in my pouch as an offering to the earth. It is traditional practice to leave tobacco as an offering or a tiny crystal, such as the amethyst one I tucked in there. The lavender buds or the corn would also be a nice way to thank the Earth and Spirit for the gifts and healing they bring.

Please consider the comments section a forum for questions and sharing of stories. We all benefit from hearing others sing with their authentic voices.

Thank you for honoring the medicine and howling up this beautiful Wolf Moon we're seeing!

Rite of Passage: The Goddess of Calamity Meets Venus

photo by the boho girl, denise andrade.

I picked Denise up in front of her home on Saturday afternoon. Rain had threatened to cancel the playdate we'd made a month earlier, and the best gift that we *concerned* Virgos could have been given was to let go of our expectations and agree to meet anyway-that there would be something magical simply in the act of showing up and surrender. The weather turned out to be just perfect, and the meadow we spread our picnic and props out in was earthy and the grass begging to be laid upon.

the extraordinary boho

I came to this project with simple photographic goals in mind-to freshen my website up, and to be able to provide professional photos for the projects I'm working on which require grown-up bios unlike my snarky in-the-moment self portraits.

But I also brought along a need to integrate some of the archetypes I've been working with all year. I had a loose idea of a visual and journalistic approach to aspects that show up as motifs in my life. I brought my favorite memories of my grandfathers, both having passed on this year (one in Spring, one in Fall). I carried Wild Woman with me, the wild canines, and my connection to the earth and how she has helped to heal me. I brought color and playfulness, femininity and strength. I even brought vulnerability along on the four hour drive south.

photo by denise andrade.

I trusted that Denise would help me overcome my suspicious and cameraphobic furrow lines, the things which cause nearly every photo taken of me to look like I'm constipated or being solicited to by a door-to-door salesman. My brief experience of her talents a few years ago dazzled me. I wouldn't take no for an answer as I sought no one else for the job. With a bit of flattery and some begging, I was thrilled to pull her out of Cedar sabbatical and coerce her to shine her mad skillz on my self-conscious being.

I digress as I write this because my feeling is that I'm going to try to tell you how she nurtured me and loosened my uptight places- taking great care to make every shot count, -my fear is that I won't be able to articulate satisfactorily what a day of self-care it was. I loved her art technique; her ability to see the composition and make decisions that were important to me, because she has an incredible way of listening to the artist she's working with and sensing her way through the work. It was like a spa day in that we made it relaxing, fun, luxurious -and as artists, we were both able to experience beauty in a way I never had before. My own beauty-egadzooks.

The truth is that I didn't feel very beautiful when I got to her. I'd washed my dreads the night before and they were extremely fluffy and crazed. I was hot and cold, drank too much caffeine on the way down, I felt sweaty and clammy, I'd forgotten the makeup that I wanted to bring. I was learning more than I wanted to know as I drove along about what makes me feel insecure, and more about what I still feel perfectionistic about (the weather, wearing mascara), negative image issues (I have a zit! Don't reveal too much of my stretched out baby belly! Try to avoid shooting the crows feet-nay, the crows have been stomping around my eyes since Ivy was born-do you really need my eyes in the photos?). It was always going to be so much more than collecting photos to update my professional portfolio, wasn't it?

Because I have a connection to the beloved Boho girl, I trusted that our co-creation would be deep and soulful, and honoring of the divine process of opening up the bits I yearned to share. I craved for someone to look at me without judgement, so I could learn to do it more, too. I felt comforted and eased by how she adored and nurtured me. As with my Blessingway before Miles was born, it unfolded to be one of those landmark moments in the history of my life where a rite of passage occured...so naturally.

With Denise holding space and faciliatating, I experienced embracing my own wild feminine, the me that is full of vitality, strength juxtaposed with vulnerability, and the beauty of my own life-a reflection of all life.

It was very powerful to gain this tool in the context of our day of retreat together. I'm on a mission to find more ways to embrace the wild feminine archetypes that bring me inspiration in my creative work and within my family. So my date with Denise was seriously like dancing with Venus on the day of her birth, and it seemed to bring a ceremonious close to my thirty ninth year on this orb-one that has been full of transformation, releasing and stepping into a more light and surrendered life of comfort in my own skin.

  

photo by denise andrade.

Just as we stood up to drink one more slug of wine out of our little metal cups, the coyotes began to sing up through the canyon. Dark was falling over our sacred gypsy campsite, and two women who had created something lovely together, received one more blessing-the last of so many that day... straight from the wild ones themselves.