Nestled under the Eucalyptus, carved into the side of a hill is a magical land
where imaginations have converged.
Saunter over pathways of wood chips (breathe in the earthiness - it’s heavenly)
and you will find an eclectic array of artistic offerings
sprawled across expanses of wall, and shelved within newly individually fabricated booths.
Nosh on tasty lunch type fare and enjoy a cool drink
while listening to local musicians play anything from
folk, honky tonk, rock, reggae, world, blues and jazz.

Need to unleash your creative side?
Participate and enjoy a wide variety of workshops for folks of all ages
from ceramics to print making - check their site for schedule of events.

One of our favorite things to watch though is the Glass Blowing Demonstration
Such an amazing art to observe, and a fascinating process to behold.
The results are just stunning and it is interesting to see the unique style of handling and working with the glass that each individual artist imparts.

I think best of show for me this year would have to be
an artist named Isaac Anderson.
As if his painted photographs weren’t captivating enough,
his frames were incredible.
Plaster over wood so he told me, but gave the presence of solid stone.
Check his site out and see if it doesn’t move you too.

The Sawdust Art Festival is on daily from 10 to 10 until August 30th.
Fourth of July hours - 10 to 6

Go check out their site for more details, and do plan on visiting before the summer is out, being amongst tall trees is certainly reason enough to visit, but there is just so much more…

Bluff Cove, Rancho Palos Verdes, California

Claudia from Feel The Bliss of Yoga is having a
Yoga Stretch and Reiki Circle this Friday, June 26
Yak and Yeti in Hermosa Beach.

Visit her site here for more information.
She sent the following along with the announcement.
Talk about positive pattern making - if this were our intent each day, life would be golden.
Thanks for sharing Claudia!

5 Principles of Reiki:
* Just for today do not worry
* Just for today do not anger
* Just for today earn your living honestly
* Just for today show gratitude to everything
* Just for today respect all your neighbors and all living beings

Join me for fun times with Foot Reflexology during one of two new Reflexology classes beginning this week -

Restoring Vitality with Foot Reflexology
at South Bay Adult School, Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach
(4) Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30 pm, June 23 to July 13, 2009
For more info and to register, go to southbayadult.org

Reflexology
at South Bay Massage College in Manhattan Beach
(5) Thursdays from 2 to 6 pm, June 25 to July 23, 200
For full description of this class, click here.

Take your breath away don’t they?

Random Rock Arrangement
Bluff Cove, Rancho Palos Verdes, California

When we insist and persist in fighting against the current - that is when we become fixed. All shades of gray get blocked out from our vantage point and there is no allowing for anything other than black and white. If we release and relinquish the fight and let the natural order of things move within and around us, that is when we will be able to see the opportunities for change we wish to realize. 

Go with the flow - yes, Thank You, I get it, but as of late seem to need periodic reminders to stay on track.

There couldn’t have been a sweeter, more pleasurable reminder then this visit last week to Bluff Cove. Just a short, sandy hike, downwards from the side of the road to the side of the ocean, but a remarkably different landscape below. So many rocks, loose and in formation, so many crabs - small, black and scampering sideways as they do, in and out of crevices - kind of comical to see so many doing the same movement at the same time - synchronized scampering - doing their crab dance…Then there were a couple of long lanky egrets, a few non-lounging lizards, several hundreds of flies and other water dwelling insects, and one lone tanned, untethered surfer surveying the scene of his long held domain. Gray and overcast but completely vibrant, this was a place to feel deeply. Monuments to surfers passed adorned the hillside amidst the wildflowers. A rustic bench inscribed with open hearted remembrances of love. Then as we moved along the stretch of rocky coastline, we heard what initially was thought to be the sound of handfuls of fire crackers being propelled over the edge of the cliff above us. A loud, deep rumbling, that we soon figured out was from the earth itself. As the waves broke vigorously over the shore they simultaneously retreated upon impact, and as they did the thousands of ostrich egg sized rocks were tumbled in succession over the terrain beneath them, sending out a ripple of sound that cascaded along the full expanse of the beach - a wave of sound created by the waves, causing an intense, visceral wave within us. In all my years and on all the many beaches I have visited, I have never heard or felt anything quite like that. It brought such clarity. One couldn’t help but be completely present…not to mention thoroughly impressed.

Musical, Literary, Design, Textural, Traffic, Weather, Plants, Planetary, Behavioral, Personality, Binary, Numerical, Electrical, Sewing, Snow, Brainwave, Fingerprint, Architectural…

They’re within us, they surround us, they can captivate us, and sometimes overtake us.

They create sound, reinforce structure, enhance memory, develop esthetically pleasing design, maintain balance, formulate equations, compose melodies, harmonies, symphonies… they build words, they shield us from view or allow us to blend in, they keep us on task, help us knit sweaters, do puzzles, play bingo, chess, crossword puzzles…

But sometimes they can bring disorganization or complete chaos to our lives.

Occasionally we create some not so appealing patterns that eat up our time, zap our energy, and prevent us from creating the inspired life of happiness, love and fulfillment we were meant to live. Repetitive stress injuries, negative mind chatter, chronic substance abuse, to name a few, are all perpetuating patterns that often times keep us fixed and unable to move forward.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are many different ways of extracting oneself from the quagmire. Over the next several posts I would like to discuss some ideas with you, and I invite you to participate in the discussion by letting the rest of us know how you eradicate negative patterns in your life, and how you have been able to replace them with more positive behaviors and practices. So, come on and get the ball rolling!

Thanks in advance, and I will be back soon to follow up -

Donna

Bonsai Garden - Huntington Library, San Marino, CA

Some things take extreme care and patience.
Their progress cannot be pushed ahead perfunctorily, on the contrary, they must be nourished lovingly daily,
and maintained with the utmost precision in execution.
There is no room for haphazardness or imprudence, or one might be required to begin the whole process all over again. Daily diligence is what is required. Be steadfast and true.
Falling in love with the process
rather than just reaching recklessly and repeatedly for resplendent rings…

Plant Cell Model Courtesy of Adam

selectively permeable membrane - A membrane that allows the passage of only certain substances, selected on the basis of the size and usefulness of molecules. (According to encyclopedia.com)

Not Selectively Permeable - closer to Completely Permeable - that was more my constitution for many of my younger years. Boundaries? hmmm….doesn’t ring a bell…absorbent, spongelike and porous was more my M.O. Attitudes, opinions, anger, fear, irrational behavior, addictions, natural disasters and unnatural disasters happening both half way around the world and in my back yard but usually completely not my own- all had the ability at any given moment to blast through my pathetic first defense line and completely run am0k through my entire being. My lack of selectability, caused me to appear as quite a “fragile” girl, and at times an utter train wreck. Appearances can be quite deceiving though, even to oneself. I never felt particularly fragile, just knew I was extremely sensitive to the world around me, and often had difficulty seeing where you ended and where I began.

Times have changed though (Can I hear a Hallelujah!) - amazing what twenty years can do, and I have worked with much diligence to remember to honor and respect myself on a daily basis. Have gotten a lot better at drawing clearer, bolder, cleaner lines between me and my surroundings and am much better for it. Also learning to take things that come up less personally, with a loving detachment, which has proven to be a very strong tool to get through some days with. I’ve come to the conclusion (so glad I am realizing this now rather than years from now), that it is all one big lesson. Be a duck (let it roll off your back, remember?) Let it go…take what you can from it…move on….it is all good….it really is you know…think on it…feel it…

Experience deep relaxation, improved health and enhanced well-being through this transformative holistic practice.
Bring a friend or meet new ones and learn how to help one another decompress, detoxify, and achieve that glorious altered state this work is known for!

Folks just like you have reported relief from symptoms such as:
Headaches and Migraines * Digestive Disturbances * Nasal Congestion
Hormonal Imbalances * Sleep Deprivation and Muscular Aches and Pains

Clients have also stated that since receiving Reflexology, they have:
Improved stamina and endurance during sporting events
Diminished anxiety and depression * Better coping skills
Increased mobility and flexibility * Decreased chronic pain
and they have remembered to stop holding their breath!

Come join me and see how Reflexology can enhance your well being and bring you to deeper levels of relaxation than you have ever reached before!
I look forward to seeing you - Donna

Classes are held through South Bay Adult School and begin:

Tuesday, March 24, 2009
For 4 meetings - 3/24, 3/31, 4/14 and 4/21/09

From 7:00pm to 8:30pm

In the Cafeteria at Mira Costa High School
701 South Peck Avenue
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 372 - 5456

For E-Z Online Registration go to:
www.southbayadult.org

And while your at it, check out all of the other fine classes South Bay Adult School has to offer like Orly’s:

ART JOURNALING - EXPRESSIONS AND EXPLORATIONS

Reacquaint yourself with your natural born creativity and join Orly on a jaunty journal journey. Craft a personal journal that’s filled with inspiration and energy, joy and discovery. Visually express your inner landscapes and the worlds around you through writing, sketching, painting, doodling, scribbling and collaging.

South Bay Adult School has been offering a fine assortment of reasonably priced classes to enrich the beach cities community for many many years. Whether it be English As A Second Language, Swimming, Conversational French, Belly Dancing, Wine Tasting, Classical Guitar, Tango, Photography, Parenting or Memory Enhancement (just to name a few) you can be sure that you will receive great value for your money and a fun and informative time should be had by all!

Someone’s brilliant and inspired exhibition at the 2009 Rose Bowl Parade -
Leonardo Da Vinci - one of the greatest dreamers of all time.

If there were even one bright light amidst a pitch black night
it would have the ability to radiate for miles with the potency to illuminate a multitude of pathways.

Don’t terminate your dreams. Please don’t stuff them away. Don’t think any of the seemingly insignificant or ridiculous notions that swim around or marinate in your brain, keeping you up nights, sending your heart soaring and swooning, propelling blissful shock waves through your soul, butterflies in your stomach - for weeks, months, maybe even years - is inconsequential.
You might feel if you brought it out to the world that it wouldn’t matter, or wouldn’t make a difference. After all, who is going to want to hear your idea, listen to your song, read your novel, taste your fabulous spaghetti sauce, utilize your new and improved mouse trap…

We have all been given very special and unique gifts in this lifetime, and although we may gratefully accept these gifts, we truly are only doing half of our job as receivers if we don’t share with others what it is we have received. That ’s just how it is. You need to take all of those plans you socked away on scraps of paper and pull them out of your junk drawer, collect all the sheet music you had given up a long time ago on, gather up that manuscript that has been rejected what - at least once if not twenty times…just splash your face, brush your teeth, slap a smile on and commit to getting it out into the light. Because this is what you were meant to do - maybe one of the many things you were meant to do - all of those dreams you let go by the way side because of that little voice inside your head (or some of the voices outside of your head) telling you it wasn’t a good enough idea, people might laugh, its been done before, you’ll fail miserably, why don’t you get a real job, what are you crazy?

WELL YOU KNOW WHAT? la la la la la la la la….I can’t hear you…la la la la la …did you say something because I CAN’T HEAR YOU….

NO MORE. You MUST bring it out, because not only were these Divine gifts meant to enchant You, inspire You, teach You, Delight You…they were also intended for all of us as well. And that’s what we do, we share.