Mary Oliver

I’m always surrounded by Mary Oliver’s books. Constant companions that help me right myself in the midst of all that a day can hold. No matter the collection, I can open up her books and find just the poem I need.

Her words remind me, save me, push me, delight me. And even though my heart is still so sad she’s dead, I’m really glad we get to live in a world where her words remain to shine a light.

Yes. Yes. Yes. 

Start here. A collection that has many of the favorites you’ve seen shared over the last few weeks since her death. Maybe make it your homework as we countdown the days until Spring.

the sound of your voice

The sound of your voice is almost lost to me most days.

Yet, I hear you in every chirp, every tulip, every breeze that brings spring back to me.

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Come along for my ecourse, Tell It: Color, and enjoy 14 days of creative play as we take back the gray days of late winter and fill them with color. 

• Because playing with color opens us up to the beauty and joy around us.

• Because we live in a time where the overwhelm can feel tangible, and we need go-to practices to get us back into our hearts.

• Because noticing the colors around you can be an act of mindfulness that shapes your day positively.

Tell It: Color helps you practice self-care through the act of being inspired by the everyday joy of noticing the colors around you. It is an ongoing class and you can sign up at any time. Learn more here.

a whispered wish for you (for me)

May you seek the quiet and notice.

May you listen to the brave truth within.

May you remember that each moment is a slice and not all of who you are or what will be.

May you feel each of us surround you with love as you find your way.

(Yes. Yes. Yes.)

a studio self-portrait

The And Space of:

Knowing and trust

Who I used to be and what’s become

The smallness I’ve created to survive and the longing inside

Guiding and faith

Patience and exhaustion

Missing you and letting it be

Gratitude and back in the thick of it

Wondering and being present

Showing up and rest

Cravings and action

This is me.

Feeling into the edges of all of it.

Hoping you know you’re not alone in your own And Space over there.

this is my year :: from the Soul Mantras studio

I'm so excited about the This Is My Year Manifesto and the ways you’ve shared how you’re using it and gifting it! It is part declaration and part prayer, and I hope you will find yourself within its words. It's available over in my Soul Mantras shop. And this year, the manifesto has a fun new element to it: I've chosen several of the phrases inside the manifesto and highlighted them in different designs (see the photo for a few examples). I will choose yours just for you and invite you to trust that you'll receive the one you most need for 2019.

You can also find the manifesto as part of the This Is My Year mini bundle, which includes a necklace and talisman with your word/intention of the year and the manifesto. Because I deeply believe in this practice of wearing your word and carrying it with you, I've priced this bundle at more than 15% off in the hopes that these pieces will be a beautiful companion for you. You can find it right here.

Other word of the year designs are available here including the heart talismans that so many people order every year to honor the word they are carrying with them.

If you're thinking about choosing a word of the year but need some ideas to help you brainstorm, here's a post to help you begin.

Thank you for continuing to support my shop. This time of year is such a gift to me as your words arrive in my inbox and I have the opportunity to be part of this special practice.

I'm teaching in Life Book 2019!

I'm delighted to share that I'm teaching as part of Life Book 2019! This is an incredible year-long class created and hosted by Tamara Laporte of Willowing Arts. 

There are 32 incredible artists, crafters, and healers who are part of Life Book! We will be sharing our art, crafting, and personal growth techniques and having a whole lot of fun with you.

In Life Book, you’ll be creating several loose mixed media art journal pages per month which by the end of the year you will bind into a glorious journal (aka a Life Book)! This year you will also be able to try out other art crafts like art doll making & basket weaving, and there will be nurturing and nourishing personal development activities (like yoga and NVC) to support any personal development you’re undertaking. 

And through December 31st, take 20% off with code LOVEBOMB2019.

Life Book is one of those lifechanging courses which gives you the opportunity to experience a year-long creative art retreat from the comfort of your own home. There's even a gift bag with over 30+ offers in the form of free gifts, coupon codes, free prints, classes, coloring pages, and printable collage sheets (with a discount to all of my Tell It courses).

Registration for Life Book is underway and I hope you'll come along. I'll be teaching about art journaling as a mindfulness and self-care practice, and I'll be sharing some prompts you can turn to again and again and even teaching about self-portraits and how I use them in my journal.

AND THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER INCREDIBLE TEACHERS! Head over here to learn more and sign up. And don't forget to use discount code LOVEBOMB2019 for 20% off!

It's going to be so good!

Something really magical happened this week. Here's the story.

The most magical thing happened this week and I'm suddenly hosting one of my Be Present Retreats this November.

Here's the story:

Earlier this week, I had a dream (like a real dream at night while I was asleep). In the dream, I wrote a Facebook status asking if a few people wanted to gather with me in late November for a retreat in Manzanita. So many people said yes! And the dream shifted to the actual retreat. We were gathered together in a magical house with twinkle lights and journals and books and art supplies and beads and plates of yummy food and poems and conversation spilling into the air.

I woke up filled with that magic as though I'd really been there, plus I could feel the deep missing of leading retreat so much (it's been a couple of years).
 

So I wrote a status on Facebook (in real life) and said that I'd had this dream and explained what I'd experienced and that it was taking a lot of willpower not to just start planning a retreat even though it felt unbelievable to go from actual dream to making it happen in real life.

Here's where the most incredible magic happened: There was a chorus of replies saying, "I have this dream too. Can we do it? Can we make it happen?" People said the most amazing things and I started receiving private messages and emails saying, "I'm looking at flights! What times would I need to come in."

And here you are reading these words. We did it. We made it happen! And I so hope you can come along to Water Your Soul this fall. Read on for more details.

At Water Your Soul, we'll gather in a gorgeous ocean-front home in Manzanita, Oregon from the evening of November 28 to the morning of December 2. We'll spend time learning about and experiencing soul care and mindfulness practices. We'll create the beginnings of an art journal, take some photos, share some stories, and even write a poem or two. We're also going to spend time deeply nourishing ourselves with food, walks on the beach, sitting inside by the fire, and maybe even have a dance party (okay, we will have a dance party).

Water Your Soul gives you permission to explore what you most need while in community so you can begin to integrate these practices and take them home with you. It's your opportunity to spend time with the self-care you're longing for while also letting yourself be nurtured by others.

You can read all about it and sign up right here.

Please note registration just opened today! There are just 16 spots and only 9 are left.

this is not...

Lately, I've been feeling like I've run out of words but yet I have a lot to say. It's a spot inside The And Space I find myself in right now.

One prompt I like to use when I feel like this is "this is not a photo of." I use it in my journals and even sometimes over on Instagram like I did earlier this month. I pair a photo with a list of all the things the photo is not and end with what it is. Like this:

This is not a photo of my frayed edges.
This is not a photo of the osprey my mother and I watched as it dove three times - straight toward the ground with incredible speed - rising triumphant with a fish in its talons.
This is not a photo of me asking for help.
This is not a photo of me laughing out loud watching Jerry Seinfeld laugh at Dana Carvey.
This is not a photo of my patience stretched paper thin but somehow I hold on.
This is not a photo of the absolute joy I feel inside when I paint lines of watercolor across a page and hold my journal up to let the colors run together until I see myself reflected.
This is not a photo of my mom solving the problems of the world in a dressing room at JJill.
This is not a photo of 42-year-old brown eyes reflecting weariness in the mirror.
This is not a photo of the best peach I’ve had in several years.
This is not a photo of the moment when I had just enough space to hear the truth behind her actions.
This is not a photo of her climbing onto my lap after just waking up, body warm, face soft, words kind.
This is a photo of a heart rock we found in a driveway today, turning it over, choosing to see the sign of love.

Try it today. Let the words tumble out. See what happens when you let them get unstuck.

PS If you're new to this phrase The And Space, it's the name I've given to this place where we hold the beauty in one hand and the mess in the other, where we hold the joy and the grit, where we honor everything in between. I write about it here and in my newsletter.