AUGUST MOON 2013 (Day #4): "Mother" has been my guiding word for 2013 and it has been fruitful!

REACHING MOTHER. My guiding word for 2013 has been MOTHER. I created this "Reaching Mother" image in December for my response to the Reverb 2012 prompt looking forward to 2013. MOTHER...has it been working for me?(art by Hallelujah Truth)

AUGUST MOON 2013 (DAY #4) PROMPT: 

What word did you choose as your traveling companion in 2013? How is it working for you? Where have the surprises been?

If you didn’t choose a guiding word, what word sums up your year so far? And why? --from Kat and Meredith

Dear Readers, I chose a word as a traveling companion for 2013. It was

MOTHER!

And here is an excerpt from the blog entry I wrote about my intentionality around this guiding word MOTHER.

THE WORD "MOTHER" AS A TRAVELING COMPANION FOR 2013

"So, for 2013, I am joyfully cultivating the MOTHER in me, and will MOTHER IT UP in the following ways:
First of all, I will MOTHER the NOW, holding present time close like a baby and attending to its ever present burps and gurgles.


I will MOTHER my ART SPIRIT, lovingly tending to its flame, daily feeding it fuel until it bursts into fireworks like the Fourth of July and tenderly putting it to bed each night in a warm bed of ashes for rest.
 
I will MOTHER my BODY listening to its needs, moving when my muscles need to be flexed and lengthened, laughing when my vocal chords need to vibrate, eating healthful foods to ignite the brain and flesh, and maintaining sleep cycles in accordance with the Earth's revolution to experience rebirth each day at Sunrise.


 
I will MOTHER the PLAYFUL GIRL in me that loves to run fast and ride bicycles, lie down under the trees in the park and feel the Earth beneath me,  compete in board games and tennis and have decadent luscious tea parties with friends.
 
I will MOTHER the WOUNDED CHILD in me, listening to her hurts and saying "OUCH" in unison with her as we gently rock together for comfort.
 
...and by BEING MOTHER to MYSELF first, I will heal wounds, nurture strength, foster joy, and deepen in experience in understanding and compassion. Thus making it possible in the future to be PRESENT to MOTHERING."
 
AUGUST MOON 2013--HAVE I BEEN MOTHERING IT UP IN THE PAST 8 MONTHS?
Applause! Joyful Hallelujahs! YES. YES. YES. Dear Reader and Fellow Pilgrim, let me share the success of my intentionality with you! MOTHERING the child in me took me to the following places: 

• Mulberry Fields in Candler Park, Atlanta, to plant my own tomatoes 
• Atlanta Beltline to walk, ride bikes, see art, and talk with friends
• Dance Church, Decatur, to move creatively with my community
• Five Rhythms to dance waves Gabrielle Roth style
• Dancing Flowers for Peace, to share movement with women dancing their convictions
• St. Catherine's Island, Georgia, to track alligators, raccoons, and ghost crabs
• Istanbul, Turkey, to experience the culture many of my international students have told me about

One of the most important issues I addressed concerned my inner child. My inner child ached to move and play, and because of my intentionality (MOTHERING) I discovered InterPlay, a joyful way of being, moving, speaking, and interacting with others. My MOTHER took me on a journey and in the past months, I have found new amazing friends through InterPlay. Hurray for Atlanta's Jennifer Denning and for the co-founders of InterPlay, Cynthia Winton-Henry and Phil Porter!

There is so much more to say and share about what MOTHERING myself has done for me, but let it suffice for now to express my surprise.

ATLANTA INTERPLAY. Today (August 24th), we had the Atlanta InterPlay, led by Jennifer Denning, who is moving behind me. In this activity, we had the opportunity to move in threes and be "witnessed." My loving spouse, the brilliant Tony Martin, accompanied me, played, and took this photo. Thank you! (photo by Tony Martin)

WHERE HAVE THE SURPRISES BEEN?
The major surprise has been in the magic of intentionality! I created the intention of MOTHERING myself and focusing on how to develop and apply this nurturing skill to myself.


To develop the intentionality, I wrote about a blog entry about MOTHERING. I also had my paper calendar have the word "MOTHER" printed on its cover as a reminder. Now, I am reviewing the results of my intentionality 8 months later. And I am surprised at the magical quality my life has taken on by being MOTHER and CHILD simultaneously.

That's Coffee with Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me and tell me what word has guided you for 2013 and how it has served you! If you haven't had a word to guide you, what would you choose now and why?

I REACHED and now I HOLD!

BLOGTOBERFEST12 (DAY #22): STOPPING AND BREATHING, FEELING WHERE I REALLY AM AND THE UNIVERSALITY OF IT ALL

OPENING THE DOOR. In order to stop and breathe and "see" who I REALLY AM requires me to "open the door" and to look beyond the superficial. (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for Kat's BLOGTOBERFEST12 on her blog, "I Saw You Dancing." Nothing like blogging every day to get in the FLOW OF BEING! Todays' prompt comes after Kat looks into what she values about Lily Brett's book, Lola Bensky. For those of us living in the northern hemisphere, Lily Brett is an Australian born New York based author. To learn more about both the book and author, check out Kat's blog and the video interview with Lily Brett that I have embedded below.




OKAY, SO HERE IS KAT'S PROMPT:
"Today, as you're going about your everyday business, I invite you to take a moment to stop, breathe and really feel where you are. And know that your struggles (however small or huge or idiosyncratic or unbelievable), as well as your joys (however crazy or fleeting or majestic or domestic), are universal and eternal."

Stopping and breathing means opening the DOOR to my SOUL and LOOKING IN. "Do I need to make a SHIFT" in my way BEING at this moment? BREATHING. CHECKING. Right now, the DOOR looks like a BLACK HOLE, one with a great appetite. I am hungry for more SLEEP, for more KNOWLEDGE, for more LOVE, and for all of THAT which goes into RECKONING with the DESIRE to be successful at what I do.

In addition to being a VISUAL ARTIST, I am an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher returning on this day for the beginning of a new eight-week session at the Georgia Tech Language Institute. I hunger for my new blogging class to be fantastic, and for the Improv-ESL class to be dynamic as I teach it for the third time. Before the winter holiday, I will also be completing a semester-long course in American Pronunciation and Advanced Oral Communication for graduate students enrolled in a course from the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning.  

Who am I in all of this ESL teaching while being an ARTIST? I AM represented by this image on the left. I have the foundation of more than twenty years of teaching ESL and making ART. Yet, at the same time, I am standing at the DOOR of BEING and seeking ways to continue GROWING up and out and down and under. That is WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW. Is this thrust toward perpetual growth eternal and universal? In  me, YES. The shift I want to make is to EMBRACE and ENJOY the appetite and the challenge of it ALL.  And you FELLOW PILGRIM? What about you? Who are you right now and what shift do you need to make?

That's Coffee with Hallelujah.  SOUL BLOG with me and let me know WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW?