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March 26, 2008

Another Spiral of De-Cluttering...

Two Tuesdays ago
it was my turn for my good friend Dr. J
to come and help me spiral into
decluttering some of my tangled spaces...

There were lots of places in our house to choose from that needed attention, but what I wanted the most was to turn my upstairs office and writing space into a more functional area...

This meant finally getting to THE BOX 
of labyrinth papers and articles
that has been haunting me for eight years...

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So we lit a candle of intention and clearing...

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And began by rearranging what was in my file drawers...

We wrote out the names of the content of each
of the seven drawers...

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This simple act of first rearranging the cards for each drawer, helped me to see how best to rearrange the actual contents of the drawers... I went from seven drawers to six. And now have an empty drawer to grow into... the flow of these drawers, even though they are in three separate groups and areas in my office, make more sense and give better functionality, and makes filing a simple task, instead of being tossed into an ever growing box...

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While cleaning out my supply closet...
I rediscovered the full size body drawing that I did in my first year of graduate studies in my expressive arts class... I am going to try and find the original slides that I gave to my professor of my process of making this art piece. The piece I turned in, in 1993, was of my bones, I believe inspired by Frida Kahlo and her portrait of Luther Burbank...

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Over the four years of my graduate studies,
I worked on this piece, filling in the flesh,
sometimes with paint, sometimes with wet clay,
and finally draped my body with a scarf in 2002
before rolling it up and putting it away...

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This art piece was made ready to let go of, as well as with some other pieces of paper that were ready for a ritual fire of transformation...

But first, Dr. J had no idea that part of her assisting me in decluttering entailed shoveling 91 wheelbarrows of mulch that was delivered in the middle of our sorting out my office!

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Thank you Dr. J!!!!!

Michelle, Lynnette, and I were most grateful for this extra help!

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And so was the meadow!!!

At last, after we let go of so many containers and drawers on wheels that will now find new homes, Dr. J and I lit the ritual fire and let pieces of the past go... (Tesa, do you recognize that candle????)

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Dr. J was momentarily distracted by the sounds of birds and the scent of flowers wafting over us from the meadow and the blossoming garden...

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But the flames brought our attention back,
and what had been,
transformed...
rising in a spiral prayer to the heavens...

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and our task for this time was complete...

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Coincidently... this post today, coinsides synchronistically with my dear Kimberly of Ariadne's Thread and her spiral post, Spiralling Onward...

I'll be away until next week and wish you all well, I will be by soon to see what you've been up to and as always, love to receive your comments when you stop by...

March 20, 2008

Spring 2008

Our meadow,
this first day of spring,
is a sea of budding blooms...

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Coastal iris burst into glory...

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Flags of joy unfurling in the mid-March sun...

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Hidden in the folds of California native plants
are bright blues, yellows, and whites...

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and this is only the beginning...

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these blooms draw me ever inward...

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Into the mystery...

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of spring...

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and the beauty of life renewing...

I have said this before, but my name and the spelling of my name, Lea, is from Old English and means meadow... To walk into this space that is coming to life in our front yard, is to walk into my name and it is divine and beautiful beyond anything I could have ever imagined...

Thank you so dear friends Lynnette and Michelle,
of Belle Feuille Garden Design,
for seeing into my heart's desire,
and bringing that desire to life...

March 19, 2008

Joan Champion ~ A Rare Bloom

This past weekend,
we attended the memorial service
for our dear friend Joan Champion who
passed on March 9, 2008.

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Joan was a rare bloom...
None could resist her laughter and giggles,
or the light in her eyes
that would inspire you to see through the impossible...
She was an amazing artist,
watercolor being her favorite medium,
but she loved trying any thing that would bring forth
her creativity...
An amazing cook,
we enjoyed many a meal together,
and danced and walked many labyrinths,
as well as building a few!
For Joan was a hub of activity,
with family, friends, art, labyrinths, and was instrumental
in the dowsing community...
At the service, children, grandchildren, and friends
recalled all the ways that she touched people,
near and far,
but it was Alex,
Joan's husband and our friend,
who brought tears to my eyes
with his beautiful words celebrating
the life of his love and best friend companion...

Joan we will miss you greatly,
but will look for you in every bloom of beauty...

Photo: Joan Dempsy Champion, born December 24, 1944, passed March 9, 2008 and a bloom from our meadow...

March 15, 2008

Santa Rosa Labyrinth ~ Eleven Years Today!

I can hardly believe that the Santa Rosa Labyrinth is eleven years old today... That morning seems like yesterday, and yet so much has happened in the time since those eight concentric circles revealed this beautiful seven~path labyrinth that has now been made all around the world and graces our backyard...

I can not think of a better birth day tribute to the Santa Rosa Labyrinth, than the article in this March issue of the American Psychological Association Journal.

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This spring, the APA headquarters in Washington, D.C. is installing a rooftop garden and the Santa Rosa Labyrinth will be the focus of this space and the beginning movement to transform acres of cement rooftops into green environments.

On p. 62, in the section devoted to "Curbing Climate Change," is the following article, written by Sara Martin, Editor of the APA Monitor of the American Psychological Association.

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Restoring nature's footprint: APA is installing a rooftop garden that will provide ecological and psychological benefits.

These green rooftops are a collaborative effort to curb and prevent the pollution in local waterways, conserve energy, as well as provide an oasis for visitors and employees.

Sara writes, "For its green roof, APA will use a labyrinth design known as the Santa Rosa Labyrinth, conceived by psychologist Lea Goode-Harris, Ph.D.

Although the origins fo the labyrinth are a mystery- the first is estimated to have been built 3,000 to 5,000 years ago- its social and psychological benefits are clear, says Goode-Harris.

'When you walk in the company of other people from different views, different religions, and different political agendas, you're all on the same path, but you move through seeing different points of views,' she says. 'I can see that as especially important in a city like D.C. where there are so very many factions that can come together.'"

I am so pleased that the heart my doctoral research will be used in this way. It makes me happy beyond belief.

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Happy Birth Day Santa Rosa Labyrinth...

You have brought me such joy and have held me oh so well, as I learn each and every day how to step more fully into life, following the path of my heart...

March 12, 2008

A Door in Time

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One step,
This threshold crossed...
this place of opening
into memories
long forgotten,
brushed away with time,
the key
lost in folds of lush silk,
pressed deeply
into my heart
where I listen for footsteps
and remember...
Finding the
place of opening
I step through
and time no longer matters,
only the beat of desire
coming to life
in the cradle of the midnight sky,
as the sun marks,
over and over,
these passages in time taken,
finding the heart's desire
in this moment of
opening a door long closed...

Photo: A door in the village of Lacoste. A tumble of stone and wood being reborn beneath the shadow of the ruins of the castle of the Marquis de Sade, Provence, France, October 2007.

For other keys to other doors, please visit our hosts, Elizabeth of "The House in Marrakesh" and Frank of "My Paint Box."

March 05, 2008

Snow Labyrinths

For the first time ever...
I made a labyrinth in the snow...

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My dear brother & sister-in-law's yard in Boston
and Mother Nature,
provided me with the perfect canvas...

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and a simple path unfolded beneath my feet...

only to melt the next day...
in a breath of spring...

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Phantom snowflakes...
swirling 'round us all the way home...

dusting our own labyrinth
with a flurry of tulip magnolias
and plum blossom snow...

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Photos: My brother and sister in-law's yard after a snowstorm, with my footsteps making a simple three-circuit classical labyrinth, and our back yard Santa Rosa Labyrinth dusted in plum blossoms while the tulip magnolia bursts into the sky with song...

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