Saturday, June 22, 2013

Fremont Solstice Blast From The Past.



Fremont Summer Solstice Parade is today in Seattle!

This is snap is from My Favorite Solstice (so far) in 2008 of Mara of Joyful Life and Me just after the parade ended.  This photo gives me so much Joy & brings in floods of oh-so-lovely & Amazing memories from that day!

Happy Fremont Summer Solstice to All My Loved Ones in Seattle today and You & Yours!!!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Summer Solstice In Seattle.

The Summer Solstice is this Friday My Friends! 
The longest day of the year – the one we have been waiting for! 
It is one of My single Favorite days of the year for so many reasons, but one in particular is because of Fremont Summer Solstice.

Summer Solstice is an institution in Seattle and it is celebrated every year with a parade and festival in the Fremont neighborhood.  The Energy is electric, the streets are decorated with bright and bold colors and everyone is invited to this Pagan rooted gathering!  Families, Friends, Young and Old - People from all walks of life gather Together in celebration of Welcoming Summer. 

 
Each and every year the parade is kicked off with The Ride of the Naked Bike Riders. 
This seems to shock so many people who are not familiar with Fremont Solstice, but Trust Me it is Ahhh-Mazing!  Most of the riders paint their bodies and have themes or designs to their “ensemble” and there are Always those one or two individuals who just go stark naked and perhaps wear a mask…or not.  The bravery and self-confidence these riders have has Always, Always impressed Me.  And if I had an official bucket list, I would definitely put riding naked in the Fremont Solstice parade on it!


This year will mark my second Solstice away from Seattle and I miss it so, but I will be having My own Solstice Celebration and Ritual on Friday – perhaps even naked.  Just to feel the sun and breeze on My bare skin and because being naked in Nature is a part of communing with The Universe.  And Nature and The Universe are two of the hearts at the center of My world.


Monday, June 17, 2013

What They Said.

Let someone love you just the way you are – as flawed as you might be, as unattractive as you sometimes feel, and as unaccomplished as you think you are. To believe that you must hide all the parts of you that are broken, out of fear that someone else is incapable of loving what is less than perfect, is to believe that sunlight is incapable of entering a broken window and illuminating a dark room.
 :: Marc Hack ::



 

Sunday, June 16, 2013

The Love Of A Father.



“There are many different kinds of bravery. There’s the bravery of thinking of others before one’s self. Now, your father has never brandished a sword nor fired a pistol, thank heavens. But he has made many sacrifices for his family, and put away many dreams.”

“Where did he put them?”

“He put them in a drawer. And sometimes, late at night, we take them out and admire them. But it gets harder and harder to close the drawer… He does. And that is why he is brave.”


{Conversation between Mrs. Darling and Michael, from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie}

Friday, June 14, 2013

Tyler Knott Gregson.



I couldn't agree more...
It's what makes Us ache and fills Us up.

Tyler Knott's Words are My Favorite.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Anne With An E.

As a young girl, there were two people I held on pedestals above everyone else. 

Mary Lennox from The Secret Garden was the first. 
The second and my True Kindred Spirit was Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables.
 
 
I wanted to be Anne’s Dear Friend & Kindred Spirit more than anything.

I loved her dreamer quality.  I loved her raw uniqueness.  She said what she meant and meant what she said.  She was dramatic and emotional, loud and full of gumption.  She was smart and self-taught (overall).  She had red hair and green eyes, which I ached for in my youth.  And she was a Writer.  To Me, Anne was perfect.
 
 
June marks the 105th Year Anniversary of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s beloved novel being published.  During that time it has sold more than 50 million copies as has been translated into over 20 languages.  Not bad for a book about a red headed orphan girl, eh?
 

And who can resist Gilbert Blythe?

I first came to know and Love Anne from Canada’s Kevin Sullivan Company’s production Anne of Green Gables.  Megan Follows is the face I will Always, Always associate Miss Shirley with.  I simply adored watching her, along with he fellow cast mates, tell the stories of Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea.  It was watching the VHS tapes at a young age (four tapes total – 2 for each volume of story!) that I became familiar with Anne’s story and wanted more.  And so, I dove head first into the volumes of words L.M. wrote for Me, and for all of Us to consume and savor – Eight flavorful novels between 1908 – 1939! 

I plan on revisiting these Favorite films of mine next week when I have a bit of free time.  The first two novels are also on my list of Summer Re-Reads. 

Is there a particular character from a book or a movie that You feel a Sublime Connection to?

 
All Images are Property of Sullivan Company.

Notes From The Universe.


Today The Universe gave me a wonderful reminder:
 
Do you know how to give folks what they most, most, most want from you, Cass, without even asking them what it is?
In all regards, just be yourself.
That's what they were after when they manifested you into their lives.
Whoa!
The Universe

Don’t You simply Adore that thought?

They Manifested You into Their Lives...
 
Think about that! 
You were Wished for…You are Wanted and Loved and Admired and are Beloved. 
And it is because You are You! 
Hold that wonderful morsel of thought with You as You go through Your day.
 
Do You want Your own Notes From The Universe?
Find Them Here.
 

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Inside. Outside.



Today, after a tumultuous run-in with a certain Family member of mine, I took a breather outside and inhaled deeply and blew out all of the negative Energy I had taken on during our “conversation”.   This person has the ability to push My buttons more than almost anyone I know.  When we’re good, we’re really good, and when we are not – it is horrid. 

During My breather – I sat on the steps, beside the house and heard a buzzing near Me, although it did not sound like a usual insect flying about freely.  I turned My attention towards a nearby window, spotting the insect caught between the actual window pane and the storm window.  How it arrived there, I do not know, but in that Moment I felt oh-so-Connected to that little bug. 

For nearly two years, I have been in very much the same predicament.  Caught in the space between the inside of what currently is, and the outside of where I would very much like to be. 

When My Magical Son and I left Our Home in Seattle, and journeyed East to The Land of 10,000 Lakes to Be closer to Family in the Summer of 2011, a new Adventure seemed to Be forming for Us…nearly two years later, everything seems to still be at a standstill and more often than not, I question the decision to move back in the first place.  Yes, We are closer to Family, but everything He and I revealed in in Seattle is all but a distant memory. 

Our everyday life has become a jig-saw of trying to fit in here, trying not to step on other people’s toes, trying to keep our options and emotions to Just Us as to not upset anyone else.  For the most part, He has greatly succeeded in this “game” of back and forth, but not I.  I Feel things too deeply, I don’t Believe in keeping thoughts and emotions bottled up, and so, after long stretches of doing this – something small will trigger Me and I burst like a helium balloon suspended in the air, bumping along the smooth ceiling, until it strikes a sharp corner and BOOM!  I’ve lost it.

On days like today, I replay the Fabulous, Enchanting memories of Our life, basking in the Seattle Splendor.  Sure, not every Moment, or even every day was Perfect, but it was Ours.  Here, with so many other people roaming about, the sense of Magic and Splendor has vanished, washed away by others’ Energies and the grind of sharing daily lives Together.  Back in Seattle, although He and I were only two individual Beings walking in a sea of many, I still felt like We were special, like We were indeed living Our lives Perfectly as We wished to in Our own time and space.  If We wanted to have a carpet picnic for dinner, We did.  If We wanted to share a pizza and movie in Our living room on a Friday night, We did.  If We wanted to walk around in Our pajamas after a long day, We did.  Life seems limited here and not just because We share living space.  It seems limited because while there is Love around Us there is not as much Understanding and Magic and Acceptance as We both require for the nourishment of Our Best Selves.

And so, after many looooong conversations with My Son, We have both come to the same conclusion:  While We both have Deep Love & Gratitude for the Family We have here in Minnesota, this is not the place where Our Hearts reside. 

During Our 10 day getaway to Seattle in March of this year, He said to Me, and to Our Dear Friend who was with Us that day, “I Feel like I Belong here.  I Feel like people Understand Me here.”  That pretty much sums up how Both of Us Feel.

I Felt the same way after less than a month of moving to Minnesota, and nearly two years later the ache has not dissipated, in fact it has grown.   All of the guilt that I carry within Me for #1 Uprooting Us from Our True Home in the first place #2 Going back on a decision once it has been carried out (and lots of moo-la spent on so-called decision) and #3 Feeling like We are abandoning the rest of the Family because We call somewhere other than here Home.  The guilt is mine to overcome and Release and in time as I make My way through the two year anniversary of Our move, I am sure I will.  After all, the Family got along perfectly well and fine for the seven years We were not here or nearby, and when We return Home to Seattle once more, life will carry on for them as it Always has.  As for The Son and I – We will reestablish Our Lives in The Pacific Northwest, creating a New Home and Existence there, different from the one We left behind as We have grown and changed quite a bit in the (will Be) Three Years since saying good-bye.  Although, We never truly said good-bye, did We?

And so, after I collected Myself and My Emotions on the steps beside the house, I made My way inside, to the window where that little insect was trapped and opened the screen and storm window and Released Her into the outside open air where She belongs.