Wabi Sabi Woman's posts: Recent Episodes
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Due to my mental health challenges and needing to take a break for self care and treatment I am stopping the podcasts for now.
Holy moments in the midst of anxiety; Depression and a shrinking world; Is there value in daily podcasts?; Gratitude.
It is a slow moving sleepy meditative Sunday; Examining my life as piece by piece things disappear and all is stripped down to essence, what remains?
A day when anxiety flutters at the edges like curtains at an open window; A wonderful new book about anxiety by Sarah Wilson; Mary Oliver's poem "The Journey"; It's time to write my book.
Recapping a day out and what it's like to be An Agoraphobe on the Road; Buying flowers for Noni and I; Arriving home; Jonah Berger and what my message is.
I was asked to share some of the work that I do so here is a series of exercises to help us bring our broken places into the light, to heal them, and to love them.
Recording after therapy and dealing with fear and anxiety, even wondering if I should publish the podcast; Pugs and white tile floors.
Gaining confidence in myself again; The incredibly powerful Ted Talk on Wabi Sabi by Cheryl Hunter; You don't have to want to be a writer, you just have to tell your own story.
The first day is Spring and the Christmas tree is down!; Not feeling anxious but uneasy and melancholy; What do we do when we have important work to do but we begin to doubt ourselves?
Reading into the wee small hours about creating a heart-centered business for women; Teaching The Wabi Sabi Woman's Way; A Worldwide Wabi Sabi Women's Circle.
Sleeping in after a long week; Working on combatting the fear of everything; Finally taking down the Christmas tree!
With my medical procedure behind me I am finally starting to relax; A therapy session with 2 big dogs; How a little girl pug takes care of me.
There were no podcasts for 2 days because of a medical procedure; The crippling affects of anxiety that are paralyzing and how to manage and why to speak openly about it.
In the midst of a busy week I look around me and discover, with surprise, what my work is, and isn't; The delight of meeting and becoming friends with my muse, May Sarton.
A rare snowfall; waiting for anxiety to pass before recording; May Sarton, solitude vs. loneliness; The past is like the ocean. More...
The wild cats in the woods; A slow moving day; Finding a way to begin again and create something new in a barren landscape where once there was magic.
Susannah Conway's book on grief, loss and beginning again; Realizing that I had never properly grieved the life lost after the fire; What remains? The work that has always been in my heart and is still here..
Help from friends on Facebook after a paralyzing panic attack; Dealing with doctors, the importance of help and support; Continuing with these podcasts.
Delving deep to discover the true purpose behind my work; Reaching out to others through podcasts; The gifts in brokenness; Mental health issues and forgiveness.
How I manage when I wake up afraid; Living with agoraphobia; The importance of reaching out to others.
Doing my work at a snail's pace; The healing and the lessons in the broken places; Leonard Cohen and the light; Crossing the hurdles in life...
Dinners with Noni; practicing self care -- its especially important for the wabi sabi person; tear yourself away from the computer or your work; The face that launched 1000 ships? Not exactly!
Author Liz Gilbert's book "Big Magic" and making fear a companion. Doing my work despite being afraid; Hearing from you...
A Home Day; Making beauty in your world, the importance of flowers; Find your meadow; On wearing red glasses and flowered shoes.
Thoughts on anxiety rising at the end of the day and techniques that can help; The Witching Hour; Sundowner's Syndrome.
Living with BiPolar Disorder and getting ready to do B School, I'm afraid but determined to figure it out. Living with mania, depression, and searching for the meadow.
Getting up earlier; last day of the VEDIF challenge - what did I learn?; Kerouac's prose essentials and "No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge."
It's Monday and we've a whole new week ahead; Potent Possibilities Abundant; B School -- If not, why not? If not now, when?; Do good work; Having confidence in yourself. Follow me on instagram @maitri.libellule ...
Anxiety lessens but is still present; bad dreams; in my nest; reaching out to someone; linguini and chili.
Yoda said, "Do or do not, there is no try." Michael Nobbs said "Done is much better than perfect." And going back to B School...
Working with a tea company and the ritual of tea; struggling to write a blog post about my wabi sabi work; Cheryl Strayed's 2 questions.
The Christmas tree that lasted a year even growing new pine cones; things that you love and take care of lasts; the beauty of age; and what can you save?
Having passion and deep desire for the work that you do vs. just making income. Coming to terms with the loss of my wabi sabi house, and making a new life in the newly rebuilt house.
I'm in love with my giant yellow mug, Rebekah Stephenson, my Fairy Godmother, living in a wabi sabi world, and oops, the Christmas Tree is still up!
Why it's probably not a good idea to use a cup that can hold a French Press full of coffee! Embracing fitting out when you never really fit in, thoughts and quotes on wabi sabi.
Doodling a lady, why it's not good to put pressure on your art, weeks vs. weekends, find a friend to cook with.
Developing a kind compassion for your life, wearing bright red eyeglasses, living in the present moment, cooking with a friend...
What to put in my coffee! Sleeping, snoring pugs, discovering what to talk about in these podcasts, teaching Wabi Sabi Writing.
A day when a flat affect led me to being in the meadow, going to therapy, the joy of napping with 3 pugs.
Finding beauty in imperfection, being at peace with yourself and your life, Wabi Sabi Writing. And sorry that the very last words got cut off! I was just wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day once more!
Potent Possibilities Abundant, a life-changing series of journal exercises, doing videos to gain self confidence.
Going where I didn't think I could go, movies Noni and I are watching that are delightful, and drawing the 100 Ladies.
It is one of my hard days when leaving the house is a struggle, but I intend to creep out of my snail shell and make it!
This is the first podcast of Wabi Sabi Woman, Maitri Libellule, as she returns after a 3 year absence.
Oh dear, I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date! Why I'm so late and won't be again!; Catching up after the fire; The Spontaneous Art Project & The Spontaneous Art Project Manifesto; Why it is important never to dash the dreams of a young budding artist; Finding joy in drawing again after almost 6 decades and how The 100 Ladies spawned this new spontaneous project; Working back and forth between head and hands and why I really believe there is no such thing as Writer's Block, or, how to get around it; And Turning 60 on April 30! Glorious!
While Dragonfly Cottage is being rebuilt I am busy here in the little rental house doing lot of exciting work. I have launched the HEALING A WOMAN’S HEART WORLDWIDE WOMEN’S CIRCLE &WISDOM SCHOOL, re-launched THE 100 LADIES PROJECT with a very special Spontaneous Art Package with a half price sale through April 30, the Daily Podcasts by subscription are starting again post fire, and I am experiencing and celebrating the miracles and blessings that do indeed come in the wake of a tragedy if we can open our hearts to them. Life has begun again at Dragonfly Cottage and in my heart and as I approach my 60th birthday on April 30 I have so much to share with you. Come visit me at maitrilibellule.com
Life in the rental house; The process, internal and external, of life after a fire; A loss even after the fire, during a terrible ice storm when I was in the hotel a tree fell into my beloved Magic Ship; my daughter brings me daffodils from my garden to cheer me; the pugs love sunning in the window and are amazed to see traffic and people which they never saw in our quiet little cottage life; and, I am trying to live by something my mother said even through 5 years of cancer until she died, "Every day's a good day, it is what you make it." I move forward taking her motto to heart, and doing my best to live up to it...
Nearly a month after the fire at Dragonfly Cottage on February 5 I am getting ready to leave the hotel tomorrow to move into a rental house for 6 months; The stress of agoraphobia and so many moves; Unimaginable life changes and over the moon gratitude for all of the many people who have helped and supported me since the fire; Little pug Delilah very sick and now both of us are on xanax! Thoughts about mindfulness and the life changes that have come and are coming living through this tragedy...
10 days after the fire, weary, teary, but beginning to process the spiritual aspects of the fire, what it means right now and for the future, and mindfulness as the key to holding on; Miss Scarlett, the Grey parrot, is here with us now; and wherever Scarlett, the pugs and I are together, we are home...
Last Wednesday night, 2/5/14, Dragonfly Cottage burned down. I lost 4 beloved parrots in the fire that I had hand-raised from babies. It was a night of tragedy compounded by grief and loss. This is my story of that night and the aftermath. The pugs and Miss Scarlet the grey parrot and I now begin again, an uncertain journey lies before us, but we will make it one step, one moment one day at a time. The picture is my little pugs asleep on the bed here next to me in the hotel room...
The week Wilmington finally saw snow (and ice, and too much of it, and frozen and broken pipes, and no hot water, and dogs who didn't know how to go potty in snow, and a heat pump that gave up the ghost, and...); the harrowing tale of going out in my nightie to just drive through to get fast food (which I would like to make a point of saying I do not make it a practice of having too often) because I am agoraphobic and can't get out of the car... and then I sat to eat... and then the car wouldn't start... and I was marooned in a parking lot unable to get out. Let me just say that AAA will probably be talking about me for years to come. Sigh...
"Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering, there is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." Leonard Cohen; Coming to clarity about the mentoring work that I am doing; Peace in winter, in a day with frozen pipes, even after a fall, peace...; Daily podcasts starting tomorrow, January 27, by subscription. More information at: www.maitriatdragonflycottage.com
A crisp cold morning on the coast of North Carolina; Two attempts to record this podcast as the phone rang half way through (The office phone, I had turned off my cell!) and I panicked and hit the STOP button!); The many. many wild birds at the 12 feeders outside of my studio that I feed and care for over the winter; The pugs and our morning routine; ALL NEW! Next week I will begin doing daily short podcasts, Monday Through Friday, "Daily Mindful Moments From Dragonfly Cottage," and you can go to the website to subscribe, more information there at: www.maitriatdragonflycottage.com and many new things cooking at the cottage!
New name for the podcasts!; Private Mindfulness Mentoring Sessions now open; Living in a house full of animals; Today's blog post in the "365 Days of Mindfulness" series ~ "What Young People Never Realize About Their Parents"; a gentle meditation for self-healing...
Mindfulness Mentoring Sessions now open, private sessions; Crazy winter weather in Wilmington!; On Having a Pity Party to release the emotions that are holding you back, or pulling you down ~ a fun way to help you process these emotions; a mindfulness practice in photographs...
The holidays, from Christmas to the New Year; Family times and doggie days; In The Presence of Angles; Miracles; The New Moon & Wishes for a beautiful year ahead...
A very special Christmas Day podcast as Maitri reads a story from the night before Christmas -- "Christmas Then, Christmas Now, and Christmas Right Now, Here, In This Very Moment..."; and a very special story about a Christmas wish with a video you don't want to miss... Merry Christmas Everyone from all of us here at Dragonfly Cottage ~ The pugs, the parrots, and I...
A special holiday podcast dedicated to having a slower, gentler holiday season, being an angel and creating miracles for those around us.... Happy Holidays From the pugs, the parrots and I at Dragonfly Cottage... Maitri
A very special story about the little Christmas tree that I had for one full year at Dragonfly Cottage, a cut tree that even started to grow little soft, green pine cones. It was a year of magic, wonder, and love, and it a story about how love makes all things grow, and last, and how we might do this with other things in our lives...
Here we go! December 1, first day of the holiday season!; Happy Hanukkah!; Magical things in the works for 2014 and daily gifts in December for Members of The Cozy Room and my mailing list, join either for free at www.maitriatdragonflycottage.com; SNOW -- and how we don't get it here, how I long for it having grown up with it, and more; Day 36 of 365 Days of Mindfulness and Whooeee what a huge project and fun and delightful and joyous!; Working with SARK; and so much more!
Moving into Thanksgiving week; Embracing the holiday season ahead; Coming in January 2014, the long-awaited Outsider Institute for those who feel as though they never fit in in life, a loving, compassionate, gentle community; and the story of the beginning of the endtimes with my beloved 15 1/2 year old pug Sampson.
We are two weeks before Thanksgiving and we've had our first frost. There went the basil!; my daughter and I have begun the adventure of watching Downton Abbey; The Thanksgiving To New Year Holiday Slide eCourse is starting soon. Tonight Day 22 of The 365 Days of Mindfulness at Dragonfly Cottage goes up on the blog. The magical new wall draped with lights on my deck, and how to create paradise where you are.
Day 15 of "365 Days of Mindfulness" today and the journey continues; I read yesterdays post, "Mindfulness Is Not A Perfect Practice"; If you join my free newsletter you can get the daily posts delivered to your email box and also receive my free eBook, "Embracing Fitting Out When You Never Really Fit In."; Beautiful November days, crisp and cool in this resting place between Halloween and Thanksgiving; A Free Video course called "Surviving The Thanksgiving To New Year Holiday Slide" for members of the free Community, "The Cozy Room at Dragonfly Cottage" ~ I'd love for you to join us!; "Comfort Calls," and more... Visit www.maitriatdragonflycottage.com for more information and access to all of the podcasts since the beginning of April.
365 Days of MIndfulness at Dragonfly Cottage ~ a year of daily blog posts exploring living mindfully, falling away, coming back, and the importance of being kind to ourselves as we take on learning any new practice; "Happy Mindfulness"; Using the word "Noticing" instead of "Mindfulness" and being very kind to yourself as you practice; NaNoWriMo ~ the November National Novel Writing Month; advice from Yoda; and more...
The last Sunday in October, the cool crisp weather a blessing; A long meditation and healing practice to use if you are experiencing pain, fear, loss, anxiety or other difficult times, I lead you through a breathing and relaxation practice with a visualization, I call it "Tide In and Tide Out," and have been working with students as well as practicing it in my own life for decades; New series on my "Maitri's Heart" blog called "365 Days of Mindfulness at Dragonfly Cottage." I will be updating the blog daily for the next year with lots of photos and a record of moving mindfully through the days. That is at www.maitriatdragonlfycottage.com, then click on the tab for Maitri's Heart.; How to handle "The Thanksgiving To New Year Holiday Slide" which starts on Halloween if you have young children...
Oops! Sunday slipped away from me and I am recording the "Sundays At Dragonfly Cottage" podcast on Monday; Working around the clock to revise the website and, in addition to The Cantadora's Way private sessions The Deep Listening Soul Guidance sessions are now available as well; Gathering the fall harvest, drying herbs, and cooking with rosemary, making potpourri with herbs and roses; Making an altar or sacred corner at home; Waking up at Dragonfly Cottage with a pug on my head; and more! (And a bit of puggy woofing in the background!)
The delight and joy of being a grandparent ~ how, as an adopted child, my blood lineage started with the birth of my first child and what a deep and profound thing that was for me, as well as my other two children as the family grew, and the utter delight of my eldest daughter coming in with her family so that I got to see my 18 month old grandson Pierce and my sweet 9 year old grandson Lucas who lives here, and the family celebration we had last night. The grandchildren continue the lineage in a profound and deeply moving way; The private FB community, The Cozy Room at Dragonfly Cottage, free, a very warm, loving community, with 3 circles now for fiber lovers of any type, one for artists of all types, and a dear one for The Homely Arts, cooking, gardening, and making your home a safe haven and cozy nest; the incredible experience of waking up to the practice of mindfulness again; I am now taking Private Students, info. on my website, as well as info. about the community, and a new blog post about the pugs with lots of pictures, all of these things at www.maitriatdragonflycottage.com.
The background to the podcast has been provided by Miss Scarlet the grey parrot and trying to speak from the heart as she yells out in an old man's rednecky voice that she came with from her previous owner is an interesting challenge!; Reaching out and touching you, my listeners, through these podcasts, is very special to me, I thank you so much for being here with me; Hard bi polar days and anxiety rising as I approach the opening my business, what it all means, and how important the work is to me; How the process of The Cantadora's Way works and the kind of people I will be working with; Working from a cloistered world; Cooking wonderful autumn meals, the sacredness in chopping vegetables. Cooking as a spiritual act; We have the ability to resculpt our lives and create our world anew; and more...
Memories of autumn, and autumn now; As night falls, and it gets dark earlier ~ cozying in; I once lived and raised my children in a passive solar house in the side of a hill overlooking the Blue Ridge mountains; a tour of the inside of Dragonfly Cottage and the Cozy Room. The new free, private community on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/groups/TheCozyRoomatDragonflyCottage ~ Come join us!
Happy Autumn!; Cooler days, darker earlier, the peace that it brings; Tiny new rescue pug Delilah is going to become a service dog for me, what that means, and why I need one; Creating paradise just exactly where you are, right now; The road to Dragonfly Cottage, from the seeds of a dream to the present moment, a 15 year journey...
A beautiful Sunday afternoon at Dragonfly Cottage; Watching a mother cardinal feeding her fledgling, and capturing it on video; New webcam just arrived so I will be doing videos to come to share with students and a free channel on YouTube; Continuing the self love journey with Belly Dancing, Hula-Hooping and Curvy Yoga!; I read to you an enchanting tale of a little girl whose life was saved through stories, birdsong, golden flowers, and the animals around her at her little cottage in the woods, "The Cantadora's Way" and more...
The name of the podcasts has changed to "Sunday Nights At Dragonfly Cottage" as I will now be recording every Sunday night due to the length of the podcasts and the numbers of people who are joining us, over 10,000 each week. Thank you all for joining me here. In this podcast I share a long meditation that you can use, an example of my work and recent blog entry using story, "The Cantadora's Way," for a healing journey and a way to transform your life. In the next weeks I will begin to take students in group settings, or one on one, or gather dear ones in "Maitri's Inner Circle." Finally a celebration of six decades of writing, teaching, healing, and more.; Little Delilah my new rescue pug is here one week, and what a joy she is. The pugs and parrots and life here at Dragonfly Cottage are the beautiful center of my work and life. Here I share with you my view out my studio windows from my desk, the feeders that I gaze at all day long as I work, watching the wild birds, as I share my life with you and welcome you into my cottage. Love and blessings to all of you from Dragonfly Cottage this lovely Sunday night. Until next week...
A new little girl pug named Delilah comes to live at Dragonfly Cottage (and she wants a latte!); More on pug rescue, a little pug mix named Fiona, a very tiny little girl, comes in pregnant and has 6 puppies this week; thoughts on living with senior rescue dogs, the love and care at the end of their lives and dealing with the loss; My first EFT session and the reverberations that it has had in my life all week long; My work as it moves forward, shapeshifting and moving into deep realms of healing and transformation; and more... (There will now be a new podcast every Sunday from Dragonfly Cottage.)
A noisy week with workmen in the house made it a week before this podcast!; Living with bi polar disorder and med changes, moving through times of adjustment; a new little pug is coming from Mid Atlantic Pug Rescue to Dragonfly Cottage, a little 5 year old girl Delilah, AND a little singing! The songs I've come up with so far to welcome the wee girl; thoughts from reading May Sarton and Colette; and more...
Recording late after computer problems, being sick, carpet being torn out so lots of racket in the cottage; Musings on sacred art, what do you see?; A day of meditation and contemplation, Thich Nhat Hanh, "Deep Listening"; The evolution of my work, and what is it that is best for me to do?; Meandering quietly through this podcast during a low energy time, still not quite well, but wanting to be with you all, my dear listeners...
Goals, Deadlines, Dreams and being kind to ourselves; Interstices; "Being yourself for a living" and check out katwise.com and see the magical rainbow house!; My absolutely inspirational friend, Joseph Sharp, author of Living Our Dying, and the recent, Quitting Crystal Meth, who has lived with the HIV virus for over 30 years, beat cancer in the last year, and more (I love you Joey!); Your dreams are not somewhere over the rainbow; You are worthy...
Returning to my deep work, writing, solitude and silence; new blog posts every weekday; Every Wednesday a special "Tea With Maitri" post (And check the archives on the right-hand side as only the recent post shows up.) and revising and preparing for publication my book Tea Mind, Be Kind; Listening to TedTalks with Gala Darling, Jonathan Fields, Eleanor Longden, and Temple Grandin; Working with my mentor, SARK, on my new book, Tending Grace; and remembering my mentor, muse and friend, May Sarton.
The Outsider's Toolkit; A new way to work, structure, blog posts 5 days a week, and more; Once again, the "Hurdles" exercise and the importance of using the things that sustain us to get us over the hurdles; Returning to my fiber art; Balancing work and life.
This podcast is dedicated to the amazing Jonathan Fields whose work through "The Good Life Project" has totally changed my life; A six hour workshop with Shiloh Sophia McCloud on Abundance and Sacred Art; After a series of lily pad days, which I talked about in the last podcast, I have had an amazing awakening about what my work should be, will be. My mission, my burning question, and again, led by the work of Jonathan Fields, I find my own; and one last piece of the puzzle, Temple Grandin as a great inspiration as I begin what I know will sometimes be a scary journey...
Tiny Milagro goes back to the man who found him to finish raising & he took his first flight!; "Lily Pad Days," when the cloud of bi polar darkness descends, and how to cope and move through the difficult times ~ the newest blog post up today at www.maitrilibellule.com;The new Dragonfly Cottage Community For Women; Sacred Art workshop with Shiloh Sophia; Becoming more focused on my work and returning to avid reading...
Milagro, the tiny robin, has begun to hop about and soon will fly!; At long last my work has come together. In September "Maitri's Inner Circle" will begin it's year long journey; Finding one's work bringing inner peace and a beautiful sense of calm; Summer days in the garden ~ planting for the butterflies, bees, dragonflies and hummingbirds; Drying herbs and roses for pot pourris, jellies and more...
Recording at midnight; Talking with A.J. Leon of Misfit, Inc about creating a business, being a misfit, and what I should ask my followers as I create my new business; the tiny baby bird, Milagro, for miracle, who is growing by leaps and bounds; the current blog entry, "Yeats and Silver Linings Playbook" and the new one that will be up tomorrow based on my most popular series of exercises in 35 years of teaching journal classes - "Hurdles"; my new writing goes off to SARK today!
Back after a week long hiatus; Taking a break, self-care, so essential to avoid overload to avoid bi polar flare-ups; A magical time, wild bird rescue, a wee tiny one brought to me yesterday to feed until he can fly free as he was meant to, his story (And I didn't put this in the podcast but I named him Milagro, "Miracle"); New facebook page: facebook.com/MaitrisHeartandHands and why a new FB page at all? On authenticity in my work; a huge discussion going on on both of my Facebook pages and one I would like to engage in with my listeners here about the movie "Silver Linings Playbook." I would really love your responses. You can write to me at maitri@dragonflycottage.com or use the contact form on my new website: www.maitriatdragonflycottage.com ~ I hope to hear from you!
My work proceeds apace on the new website, maitriatdragonflycottage.com; My book, "Tending Grace," will be on the blog in posts (the introduction and first chapter have already gone up) to share with my readers who will be my beta readers for the book!; What would you like from me?; "The Outsider Institute" as it morphs and Changes; Free posters; my heart work, "Maitri's Inner Circle" and The 100 Ladies Project; Pictured here is The Magic Ship at Dragonfly Cottage.
And so with the website up the journey begins ~ what it all means; new blog posts nearly daily and news of my writing school, The Lotus School of Writing, re-opening in September, news in today's blog post at www.maitriatdragonflycottage.com; why I've decided not to open a community; the bi polar journey in the darkness, finding your way; What it means to live and share one's life authentically; The importance of learning to say no.
The new website is up! Visit at maitriatdragonflycottage.com and sign up for the newsletter and receive my new eBook ~ "Embracing Fitting Out When You Never Really Fit In."; Giving birth to a website: a new chapter in life begins with the culmination of 59 years as a writer, artist, teacher and healer now brought together in one place where I can offer my gifts to the world and help others discover theirs and create a life for themselves that helps them embrace all of who they are; the new community The Outsider Institute in in the works now and will open it's doors in September; Rain, rain, rain so much that I can just sit here and watch the garden grow! Gearing up for all the work ahead, the work that I will do for the rest of my life...
The new website is almost ready to go!; Lost in the bowels of the basement of WordPress! Oy!; New work to come in the days ahead, books, eBooks, and The Outsider's Institute for men and women; The unbelievable saga of the eyeglasses...
Working on the new website/blog/newsletter; new art that will soon be for sale, currently working on a large 16x20 canvas, pastels, part of the 100 Ladies series; work that is coming that will be on the new website ~ A book, an ecourse, a community, one on one sessions and more; Integrating the two halves of myself ~ the woman I was before I changed my name 8 years ago and the woman I am today; torrential rains in our water city on the East Coast of North Carolina; and most likely snoring pugs in the background!; a picture taken in the cottage garden yesterday...
Days of blue-footed boobies, sleepless nights, and coming back to center; sharing my truth, no matter how difficult, in hopes that it can help another; a heartfelt post on the blog maitrisheart.com read and shared here as well as a message that went out to the world today; gentle thoughts for all who are struggling or hurting or having difficult days; lovely Clara Curtis pink old fashioned mum opens in the garden...
New website coming and Maitri's Heart blog migrating to new location in one week's time; more for those who feel that they fit "out" instead of fitting "in" and a new book and ecourse on the way about just this; first two chapters of my book, Tending Grace ~ The Road To Dragonfly Cottage off to SARK today; finally finding THE BIG WHY, the question that needed to be answered and confirmed in my heart before the real work of building a business could begin; listening to your heart to reconnect with your dreams; finding a lovely gladiola just opening in the garden this evening...
Finding my way home ~ letting go of the work that did not feed my soul or come from the place that I need to be to stay calm, at peace, and centered in my life; Don't try to force yourself into the current paradigm if it is not a good fit for you, create your own paradigm; On being comfortable fitting "out" rather than fitting "in"; The new book already in PDF form that will be an eBook out within the month; other work -- art, fiber work and more in an etsy store by fall; the last weeks of planting in the garden, just now lilies and gladiolas by the hundreds and two boysenberry bushes that have just come!
Diving into the deep end with my writing and preparing once again to teach, taking students on a shamanic journey, pen in hand; working on the new book, "Writing In Secret: Memoir and Methodology"; Ordering more bulbs at cheap prices! Lots of oriental lilies, gladiolas, and bleeding hearts as well; Going out into the potager and herb garden to pick basil to sautee it in butter and scramble with eggs for my lunch.
Harnessing Bi Polar Energy, A Renewable Resource ~ new blog entry at maitrisheart.com; Why I have chosen not to have a closed community for women, and the importance of offering my work to all people; How to handle the Sisyphean task of getting through the days when you have a chronic issue that makes the days hard; My new novel, a sneak peek; Loving my old pug Sam, asleep on me in the early morning, cherishing the time I have left with him, and cherishing all that we have, right now, in this moment...
Learning patience in the garden; Planting a host of new little perennials and propagating new plants; Our life, our greatest work of art; Is it Miss Scarlet or the microwave?; Planting your dreaming deep; Dragonfly Cottage Community For Women; my writing, my work, my life all coming together as one at last...
Longer podcasts 3 or 4 times a week with more content; drawing a map of the work and life to come; On being a truth-teller; If you could tell someone, right now...; Exercises to help you embrace your life and live it fully; What title would you give your autobiography, and how should you begin writing it?; my beloved 15 year old "heart" pug Sampson, and opening my heart to a new little girl...
Finally getting a podcast up after 5 failed attempts last night!; New blog entry on maitrisheart.com (3 new entries in last 3 days) inspired by a Mary Oliver quote; A journal exercise for you to try to help you embrace all of your gained experience and wisdom; "What will you do with your one wild and precious life?" (Another quote by Mary Oliver); Happy Garden Days and the beautiful stokesia you see with this podcast, the mystical, magical flower of the hour!
Happy Memorial Day to all of the service men and women who have served or are serving and their families; beautiful days in the garden, the heaviest work of the year now done; in the garden clarity comes and my work finally comes into focus with the !00 Ladies; the launching of The 100 Ladies Project will be happening this summer.
Every garden is Eden; 12 hours outside today in the garden and everything hurts but my little finger!; Making a potager/herb garden just outside my studio; Creativity flows as the garden grows; Forget diamonds! Give me a horse trough full of good soil!; Reconnecting with joy in the garden; The Dragonfly Cottage Garden book.
A Writer's Grail Quest, coming to the book we were born to write, no matter how terrified we might be; the writing of I Will Not Go Down That Rabbit Hole while still working on The 100 Ladies Project; the naked raw truth of who you are; Maitri reads aloud the beginning of the book, I Will Not Go Down That Rabbit Hole..
On Being A Bi Polar Artist, new blog entry on maitrisheart.com; more than half a million visits to the blog!; dedicating my life to helping others through my work with two kinds of books; self-love and acceptance; fitting "out" instead of fitting "in."
A soft, quiet Sunday, a little blue, but finding my way into my work; a very brief bark from the pugs but I paused and started again as quiet calm returned!; the story of Rose, the healer to the 100 Ladies and to me, an allegory that shows us that we all have a rose within, the inner knowing that we can all connect to; making green drinks and scrambled eggs with basil; the last order for the garden this year -- geraniums, scented geraniums, lilies and herbs; being uplifted by the wonderful story of Susan Boyle; believing in our dreams at midlife and beyond.
Gathering Medicine - crystals, stones, feathers, sacred oils and herbs, elk horn & more; Weaving a medicine bag & a picture of Ariadne's Web; Circadian Rhythms; a meditation for something to hold onto during difficult times; planting dandelions and herbal study and practice; The pugs & the podcasts, in which I apologize for yesterday's loud pug carryings on and today stop suddenly just short of the ending I'd planned to avoid just that!
The Door To Dragonfly Cottage, front porch garden, creating beauty for those who come; Neighborhood garden marts, and the huge baskets of petunias; Cure for mosquitoes; Working with SARK to see my book, The 100 Ladies Project, into reality; Bells Palsy, HIbiscus Syriacus 'Bluebird' and The Blue Hibiscus Press; and, oh dear, the pugs WILL carry on!
Mother's Day sushi and delightful times with my daughter; Garden plans and dreams; Dirty fingernails, fisherman's vest with pockets full of seed packets, notebook, pens, camera and more; Forget careful gardening! The Whirling Dervish of Seeds; Oh, the love of watering and weeding!; Some great sources for inexpensive plants and seeds.
Reflections on our mothers, our role as mother, and our daughters as mothers on Mother's Day; Being an orphan in your 50's; Recording our mothers stories; The Visitation: The dragonfly who visited Dragonfly Cottage; Coming eBooks: The Visitation and The Dragonfly Cottage Gardens.
How the light gets in; wonderful books that I am reading now; the glory of the spring garden and how it inspired the writing of the forward to my book, The 100 Ladies Project, and the purpose and meaning behind the 100 ladies and their stories; The 13 Indigenous Grandmothers and the next 7 generations; the story of the golden dragonfly; iris time.
In the fog of new medication; more on Bi Polar balance; alternating the work of head and hands; My creative lineage ~ Gladys Taber, May Sarton and Tasha Tudor; creating a life and work that is all of a piece; living outside the box.
The Bi Polar Balance and Medication Dance; The heat and mosquitoes are here too soon!; filling the feeders and watching the wild birds; the pugs and the squirrels; recording with pugs and parrots; The Big C; Saying Yes ~ Saying No; tell me about your creative lineage. Write to me at maitri@dragonflycottage.com
Sunday evening at Dragonfly Cottage; another new story of the 100 Ladies up on maitrisheart.com and writing off to SARK, the last 3 of the 100 Ladies stories; squirrels and flowers and the week ahead...
The fog is lifting ~ it is grace to breath again; Dandelions? Daffodils?; Maureen, the newest of the 100 Ladies ~ Selkie By Day, Mermaid By Night; Drooping like poppy heads before blooming, but standing up straight as the poppies do; change of heart ~ knowing that I can create income from the work that has meaning to me, and which I hope will help others. Unseasonably cool weather this May night, a relief and a blessing...
A difficult podcast to record ~ in the tunnel of darkness; dealing with clinical depression and other immobilizing aspects of oneself; facing hard truths and tending to practical aspects of life while continuing on through the tunnel and into the light. Picture is outside the studio windows at Dragonfly Cottage.
A favorite movie; wonderful little art books pulled off the shelf to enjoy again; zines; The 1000 Journal Project; Zentangling; The new lady surfaces in yesterday's journal, selkie by day, mermaid by night; the new large seed order arrived; Opium poppies & Bagels & more!
Happy May Day! Reflections on my birth-day celebrations yesterday -- the joy of flowers, balloons and more; Today, the first day of my 60th year, and plans, dreams and schemes for the year ahead when dreams are made manifest; Living as a creative finally growing the practical/business side of the brain; New ways to keep a journal after 50 years of journaling.
A rainy day in NC, recording before midnight with sleeping snoring pugs around me, reflecting on the year past as I turn 59 tomorrow. Growing into the wisdom years, embracing aging as a true gift, plans, excitement, and dreams for the life to come. Living in the moment, celebrating life...
Once again recording past midnight; a day of silence and meditation studying A Course in Miracles with Marianne Williamson in her audio version of her Return To Love workshop; thoughts on the Holy and Divine presence in the universe; the wee pug Abby whom I hope will be coming here; the newest of the 100 Ladies now on my blog,
A twenty minute podcast recorded at 3 a.m. Saturday morning, a sleepless night, meditations on "saying a holy yes to the real things of our lives as they exist," [from Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down The Bones], studying with Natalie Goldberg, finding a spiritual home in Taos, and more importantly in my heart, and, after many days of grieving, my heart opens once more like the thousand petals of the lotus flower. Flower pictured here was taken past midnight on the deck outside my studio windows...
Thank you, it's enough.; Celebrating the realization that the what I have is enough and perfect for me now in every area of my life; picking up Penny's ashes, oh the heartache...; loving my three little boy pugs and realizing that they, too, are enough, and funny little Pugsley, belly up!; doing inspired work from the heart, growing and unfolding the work that I will spend the rest of my life doing and creating a life that fits you, even if no one else understands...
An extraordinary day, waking with a sense of profound love, and gentle joy, and such a sense of peace, what a gift... snuggling with my 3 small boy pugs and loving them so very dearly... going with them outside and being almost overcome by the beauty of this spring day, and realizing that everything is enough, this day is enough, all that I have, all that I've been given, is enough. Fear has gone and in it's place, gratitude, love, acceptance, joy, and excitement for all that is to come...
Peaches the cockatoo came as an angel in my life to get me through the first days, and then went home where she longed to be; starting again without Penny, drawing the first of the 100 Ladies without Penny in my lap, moving forward with my life without Penny, planting the garden, and more...
A gentle easing and brightening of spirit; a recording to the sounds of windchimes, parrots, and snoring pugs! Garden talk -- seeds ordered, garden photos, old fashioned cottage garden flowers, and more. Finally pulling out the pastels and beginning to draw again today, and a new book ordered from audible.com that sounds very promising!
Grieving Penny; gentle, shy Pugsley moves into Penny's spot in bed to comfort me; doing rescue work with animals; the garden -- borage, bleeding hearts, roses, and more; honoring Penny with a bush for the garden.
Losing Penny ~ the passing of my tiny blind pug; "When God Closes A Door Somewhere Else He Opens A Window," Peaches, the Elenora cockatoo arrives; tended lovingly by my 3 little boy pugs through a heartbreaking night; and multitudes of thank you's for the countless messages of love, kindness, and support for Penny's passing...
The night before Penny Pug's surgery; thoughts about wabi sabi, the Japanese aesthetic of the imperfect-perfect as it applies to me, a lopsided, cattywompus grandma, as well as little cockatiels, pugs, and more. Miss Scarlet and chicken leg, and the days go on at Dragonfly Cottage...
A day to reflect on this special time with Penny pug before her surgery on Thursday, and sending prayers and love out to others whose animal companions are ill or going through challenging times. More garden resources, and talk about gardens around the world and the flowers that are the elusive flowers that grow only in our dreams. Too, the wonderful friendships that we form, now, through this special medium, the internet, and these podcasts, what a whole new world it is!
A happy beginning to a new week; news about Penny pug; the glory of the garden, first rose blooming, where Maitri gets some of her garden seeds, how to contact her, and more...
Coming together with you on a quiet Sunday night, after a day when accepting that being very quiet and resting was where I needed to be after a long day yesterday, and encouraging you to accept yourselves, where you are, in this moment, and always.
A very difficult day with my precious Penny pug who will be losing both of her eyes; back and forth to vets and emergency clinics, and the knowledge that ;All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well, as Julian of Norwich said in the 11th century. All shall be well with tiny Penny, all shall be well with me through all that is ahead, and all shall be well with you, through all that we need to face in life, all shall be well, now and forever onward...
Tonight, something special for you dear friends. I am going to read to you the story of Hannah, who was not just an accountant, but had special powers. This is a brief story of one of the ladies from my "100 Ladies Project." I have decided that Friday nights are good nights for story-telling, so tonight I have begun with the first one. Blessings to you from Dragonfly Cottage.
A slow day and a late podcast but the first one with an actual headset recorded directly onto the computer. I share with you what it means to move through one of the hard days, and the transcendent experiences that can occur as well as my friendship with the writer May Sarton. And I laugh as I write this because while the podcast DID indeed go much better than on the phone, toward the end you can hear tiny Penny pug who was in my lap doing the little puggy snore very faintly in the background. This is real life folks. Never a dull moment at Dragonfly Cottage!
Beginner's mind, what does "maitri" mean, compassion and kindness for self and others, and the beautiful work of Dawna Markova...
Sleeping, snoring pugs, living as a woman with bi polar disorder, creating a beautiful life that works for you, and the wonderful work of Michael Nobbs.
It's Monday and there's a whole, new week ahead! Miss Scarlet says hello, the other parrots chime in. And don't wait to let that long held out into the world...