Thursday, March 27, 2008

Love Thursday: Reiki Tails

It would be so easy to gush about how much I love this not-so-little girl, my daughter, but what this Love Thursday is all about is the kitty she holds, its room mates, and our big love for them. If you have been visiting this blog for awhile, you will remember the weekly Reiki Tails posts of last summer. But if you are new around here (and even if you’re not), a little background information might help.

On a seemingly random Tuesday in November 2005, our beloved cat 18 year old cat, Chelsea, decided she was ready to make her transition. Unfortunately, we weren’t so ready for her readiness ... a fact that didn’t slow down her adieu one wink. She literally passed before our eyes, at home, leaving us bewildered, heart-broken and numb.

A year later, we were still living in a catless home which, as most of you know, really isn’t living or much of a home at all. My daughter and I decided it might be nice to start volunteering at our local League for Animal Welfare. Instead of having just one cat, we would have 80 of them to love ... and not one single litter box to empty. Where do we sign?

As a Reiki practitioner, it felt good to be able to offer this healing to these animals, so many of which were rescued from situations of abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Treatments were as easy as simply sitting in a chair and letting any cat interested in hands-on Reiki to jump up into my lap ... which never sat empty for long. My daughter gave them healing in her own special way, with lots of petting and play. Little did we know what a gift it would be to us to give the gift of our love to these homeless cats.

Ultimately, we decided to become the forever home for two of the shelter residents ... a strapping orange tabby rescued from a New Orleans shelter after Hurricane Katrina, along with his snowy white girlfriend taken in after her elderly owner passed away. We are every bit as lucky to have them as they are to have us. But we still love to visit the shelter as often as we can and have to restrain ourselves from adopting more. It is impossible not to get attached. Each time one of our favorites (which seems like every cat) is adopted (which seems like every week), we comfort each other with hugs of support and reminders that forever homes are what we are supposed to want for them. We are there to help them learn to trust again. Always bittersweet.

It is such a blessing to be able to share this experience with my daughter ... and to teach her the value of serving as a volunteer. I know that she will take this experience and our greyhound rescue activism into her adulthood and, hopefully, she will continue to actively give in whatever capacity she that feels called. It is so important to share our love, our time, and our support wherever and whenever we can.

And, finally, I love sharing Reiki Tails here with all of you. I look forward to returning to these posts on a regular basis. Here's a slideshow from our visit this week, so you can see old friends like sweet Gretel, who is still waiting for her forever home.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Mandala Monday

I think I've set a new record for early! Now that the bar has been raised, I guess I'd better keep it up. You can download this week's mandala here. As always, happy coloring, friends!

While we are on the subject of mandalas, I want to share that I have the good fortune of looking forward to attending a weekend workshop in May led by Dr. Judith Cornell, the author of my all-time favorite mandala book, "Mandala: Luminous Symbols for Healing." This is an incredible opportunity even if it required me to fly across the country, but the best part is that she will practically be teaching in my backyard ... only 20 minutes away, if the traffic signals work in my favor *wink* ... at Moye Spiritual Center where I became a Reiki Master. I feel like a kid counting down the days to Christmas!

It you love mandalas and reside in the Greater Cincinnati area, I strongly encourage you not to miss out on this amazing opportunity. The link to register for this event is here (scroll down to May). I would love to see you there!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Sacred Life Sunday: New Growth

March came in like a lion and has stubbornly stayed that way ever since. With a week to go, I have yet to see any indication of its transformation to a lamb. But alas there is finally the first hint of spring ... crimson peony shoots ... despite the weather's frosty attempt to thwart them. They will grow furiously tall and strong over the days and weeks ahead in order to burst open with ant-laden dewey sweetness just in time for Mother's Day. There is a vase on standby.

I have been feeling inner shoots within me, too, of the creative kind, thrusting upward toward the light. I have been clearing the ground in an effort to make and hold the space for them to surface and, eventually, bloom. And in the process have discovered that it really isn't about effort at all. It's about going with the grow. Sometimes thriving means getting out of our own way and letting what wants to be just be, naturally.

Happy Easter!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Mandala Monday

This week's mandala is ready to download. From the looks of things, I've got spring flowers on my mind.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Mandala Mondays 2007 Coloring E-Books

The Mandala Mondays 2007 Coloring E-Books, Volumes I and II, are now posted to my Etsy shop. I will also be setting up a PayPal shopping cart on the Mandala Mondays page. There are 13 mandalas in each coloring book. Every mandala posted in 2007 is accounted for. And at $1.95 each e-book or $2.95 for thet set, you will be in mandala heaven!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Mandala Monday

This week's mandala is ready to download here.

You will notice that the older mandalas are gone from the page. From now on, only the current week's mandala will be posted for free download. I am working on a mandala coloring e-book which will have all 26 mandalas that were posted in 2007 (tweaked a bit for size) as well as a bonus mandala created exclusively for this e-book. The headers have been removed, so it looks like an honest-to-goodness coloring book, except that you can print the mandalas and recolor them as often as you choose. I hope to have it posted to my Etsy shop by the end of this week and on the Mandala Mondays page, as well, so please stay tuned!

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Sacred Life Sunday

Welcome to my very first Sacred Life Sunday post.

According to Carla, its creator, "Sacred Life Sunday isn't really a challenge -- that sounds too strenuous -- it's really more of a softening ... into a moment, a treasured possession, a companion -- people, parts and places of your everyday life that you cherish. Whatever is sacred to you."

For me, on this bright white Sunday, it is the sacredness of this moment. We don't often receive a foot of snow in Cincinnati. It is far more rare to receive it with one foot into the second week of March. I saw my first flower last week, ironically, a snow drop. It was a tender purple, half open at the base of a neighbor's mailbox. I wanted to weep at the proof that spring was on its way. Now that snow drop is buried, along with any other flowers on their way up, and I want to weep at how swiftly circumstances can change.

This event is a sacred lesson in patience ... in being at peace with what is ... in going with the flow. In all likelihood, this snowstorm will be just a soggy memory in another week or so. In another month, we will have our flowers, even in abundance. But for now, we are asked to find sustenance in this last breath of winter and the beauty that it holds.

At Long Last ... Etsy

As promised in the February newsletter, I will begin moving the I-AMulets to my Etsy shop today. If all goes as planned (fingers crossed), the entire inventory will be transferred by the last day of this month. At that time, I will link the Etsy shop to the main magicbeansworkshop.com website. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for your patience during the remodeling!

Friday, March 7, 2008

Noon with the Moon is Cancelled

Sadly, the weather has thwarted our plans to walk the labyrinth for today's New Moon that arrives at 12:14 p.m. Hope to see you for the Full Moon!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Newsletter Update

I goofed. I misread the terms of my newsletter service. So the next newsletter will be distributed the first week of April, rather than the first week of March, and will go out bimonthly thereafter. If you haven't signed up, there is a lovely little button in the sidebar which will hook you up.

This Week's Mandala

Ready to download here.