Flash Mob Christmas Caroling

On December 23rd, a One Love Alliance multi-generational mob of merriment filled the streets of downtown Tucson with love and cheer. Channel 4 came along for the ride and ran a clip on Christmas Day.

Thanks to everyone who turned out, with smiles ,open hearts, playfulness and even with bells on! I loved the spontaneous spirit, surprised looks on faces of unsuspecting public spectators and the ripple of joy that moved through us all!

Community celebration. What the world needs now is love, sweet love. Sing it in the streets, sing it from the mountaintops!

(Watch the clip here or on our website, and stay tuned for our next magical mob adventure)
In Gratitude, G

Top 5 Holiday & New Year's Gifts

This Holiday Season, 2011 and beyond, give gifts that keep on giving. These favorites are 100% Organic, Sustainable, Locally Grown, Free of Charge, Transformative & Priceless.

• Give Affection
• Offer Forgiveness
• Cultivate Compassion
• Model Peace
• Be Love

Tis the Reason for the Season.

Happy Holy Days! Here's to a radically amazing 2011 that rocks the world with love, sweet love!
YES!, G

Unconditional Love 101-A One Love Nugget

Feel your heart. Is it open?
When you feel angry, when you are hurting, even when you feel disconnected, you can open as love.
Pause.
Breathe.
Feel.
Soften.
Choose Love.

Especially when you are about to flip your lid, or react...
Pause.
Breathe.
Feel.
Soften.
Open your heart.

Love like a child.
Sit like a Buddha.
Be Love.

The Palm of Grace- A One Love Nugget

This One Love Nugget dropped in during savasana after an auspiciously intense class with dear teacher, Mira (check out her site), at my all time fave yoga studio, Yoga Oasis (check them out too!)

Have you ever felt immense gratitude for feeling held right in the palm of grace, as if cupped gently by the Universe itself? Then life hiccups and suddenly, a drop down, far from the sanctuary of the divine embrace.

Today, I realized we are the yoyo, and the Divine is playing with us. Fall after fall, we are headed right back into the Source. Falling down and reeling back again and again. Humbling. Free Falling. And yet we are held, all along.

We are the golden thread of life...the current of Grace itself.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So I did both.

All Love, G

Why Tolerate? Surrender. A One Love Nugget

This nugget dropped in on my desert run this morning.

Feel the difference between what you accept and what you tolerate. Where have you surrendered and where have you resigned?

I can accept that which I cannot change and surrender to my Source. I might even say "Dear Universe, I surrender. Please support me in experiencing a shift."
Or
I can tolerate that which I am too scared, or too conditioned (habituated), too rebellious (cynical) or too multidimensionally lazy to change.

In toleration and resignation, my heart tightens. I suffer.
In acceptance and surrender, I soften. My heart melts open, even through pain, even through challenging circumstances.

Feel the difference. What do you choose?

All Love,
G

People Before Things-A One Love Nugget

Life is happening now. Time is ticking. Cease the moment to reach out to someone who nourishes you, inspires you, and gives your life more joy and beauty. Thank them.Tell them you love them. What if this simple practice went to the top of your agenda of things " to do" today?
People before things.

Ready? Go! Love up your peeps.
I will do the same.
Shanti Om, G

Flash Mob Caroling and Divine Love

Lovers of the Unity and Love!
Welcome to our December Update. Below you'll find juicy details on:
• December’s Flash Mob Christmas Caroling
• Vanessa Stone in Tucson (Not to be Missed!)
• Our Community Service Thanks N Giving Events Debrief

Upcoming Event | Flash Mob Christmas Caroling
When: Dec 23, 6pm -Quick rehearsal begins at 5:45 pm.
Where: Downtown Tucson on 4th Avenue. We will meet at Time Market (444 East University Blvd) at 5:45pm (check the site for more specific details). We will run our 4 songs a few times through and promptly walk to 4th Ave at 6pm. Be on time. Get ready for some fun, merriment and cheer...we had a blast last year and so did our unsuspecting public audiences!
Our Repertoire: Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry X-Mas, Deck the Halls and Hallelujah.
All are welcome! If you can talk-you can sing! Wear a red accessory and bring jingle bells!
PLEASE RSVP by contacting me, Gabriela, with a comment to this blog post or by email.

Upcoming Event | Vanessa Stone in Tucson
I am honored and grateful to introduce you to one of my dear teachers and greatest life inspirations, Vanessa Stone. An opportunity to sit with Vanessa is not to be missed. It is a life changing, potent homecoming to your deepest heart. Please see the website for all the details on this priceless opportunity! And a big shout out of gratitude to the Bhakti peeps at Yoga Oasis, for offering the space and welcoming Vanessa to the Tucson Kula.

• Sitting | Jan 7, 7:45 pm | YogaOasis Central 2631 North Campbell Ave, Tucson
  
• Sitting | Jan 8, 7:45 pm | YogaOasis Downtown 245 East Congress St, Ste 101, Tucson
• Afternoon Immersion Retreat | Jan 9, 12-4 pm-6761 N Cascade Springs. Place, Tucson

Past Event | Debrief
Our Thanks-N-Giving Community Service Events were a heart warming, powerful experience. Offering a hand, positive energy and loving presence at Casa Maria Soup Kitchen was a gift to all those who gave and received! My thanks to everyone who came out, volunteered time and made generous donations of clothing and household items. It was an extremely sobering reality to see how many homeless and impoverished people there are in our pueblo. The devoted employees and volunteers at Casa Maria are there 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year feeding and caring for our city’s people. I love that there is no paperwork or red tape required to volunteer time, or to show up, get fed, and receive support. Casa Maria is simply about feeding and loving humanity, one mouth and one heart at a time. If you are local, please consider volunteering once a week, or once a month. And wherever you live, consider who is in need around you. Love globally, serve locally! May all beings everywhere be fed, nourished and loved!

Intuitive Consultations | Tap Your Inner Wealth
Invest in your Inner Wealth and receive life changing support to catapult you deeper into the life of your dreams. Book your Inner Wealth Intuitive Consultation now!
Thank you so much! It is an honor to serve with you.!!

Lokah Samastha Sukino Bhavantu.
May All Beings be happy and Free.

In Beauty, Gabriela

Art EveryDay - EveryWhere in EveryWay

Here I am in day 29 of the Art Everyday Month Challenge. It has been amazing, in both subtle and obvious ways. I feel infused with a soulful creative expression that is pure delight. I feel humbled, touched and boosted by the living practices of Life as Art, Love as Art and Art as Meditation. Here are written and visual snapshots of the final week of Art Everyday Nuggets.

• The Art of Visioning: I see a flourishing, functional, thriving Ecovillage, with beautiful green/solar/wind powered facilities, including homes, guest cottages, retreat center, dance/event space, school, ropes course, sweat lodge, permaculture gardens, goats, chickens, wild spaces, art spaces, zen gardens, sanctuary, aligned community and home. Did I mention it has a river running through the property and is perpetually financially fueled by a multimillion dollar endowment? You get the picture. Visioning is an Art. Dare to vision into the miraculous.

• The Art of Family Reunion: Thanksgiving week found us rejoicing with family in town from CA, AZ and FL. Surrendering to the joy of kids bouncing off walls and running down halls, tracking 3 or 4 conversations at once, and 'tai chi-ing' the needs, preferences and rhythms of many people for several days - was true art. We had a blast, and stayed committed to real connection & love.
  

• The Art Of Nature: The natural world is rich with inspiring masterpieces of art. Today as we hiked the gorgeous canyons of the Sonoran desert, I found myself creating pujas of earth sculpture and mandala prayers. Autumn kissed leaves danced around circles of stones glistening with mica specs. Rock balancing meditations, and fairy houses constructed of twigs and golden grasses were embraced within the backdrop of striking mountains and vast blue sky. Mother nature, the original Earth Artist is a potent teacher of impermanence and eternal beauty all at once.
  

• The Art Of Collage: Some of you already know that I am a serious collage junkie. It has been a heart practice of mine for many moons. I love how bits of paper of people, places, images and color somehow come together, effortlessly to express a depth that words cannot touch. As cards, prayers, full/new moon vision boards and beyond, collage art rocks!

• The Art of Movement: Running through foothills trails like a bounding deer, my heart pumps and leaps with the joie de vivre. Wind in my hair, sun shine on my face-I am not dreaming of heaven, I am living it. Followed by a yoga asana set on my front patio amidst full moon and big top sky, I am refreshed, chakras flowing with life force, body supple, mind clear, heart open.
  

• The Art of Soul Dance: A sister to The Art of Movement, the soul dance is informed by an authentic impulse to express freedom from the inside out. I love ecstatic dance. It is medicine. Flowing, rhythmic and provocative music, a dance floor, and the sacred space to ignite and shake it all loose is bliss to me. Soul dance is a practice of love, a devotion, a prayer, a joy, a healing salve, elixir and most definitely an art.
  

• The Art Of Zen Homemaking: Simply caring for home, cooking, cleaning and doing laundry can be regenerative and enjoyable. Today, Kenya, Talia and I blended our chores with crafting and art-making all day long. My sense of relaxation, gratitude and love shifted my tasks from suffering to sanctuary. Check out my greatest inspiration of Zen Homemaking, Karen Maezen Miller. She says, "The kitchen is not only the heart of a home, it can also be the heart of our mindfulness practice. In cooking and cleaning, we move beyond ourselves and into compassionate care of everything and everyone around us."
  

This concludes my 4 part series on Art Everyday. Honorable mention also goes to The Art of Tickling, Wrestling, Relating, Goofing and Doing Nothing. I am eternally grateful for the meditation, exploration, and experiment this month has been. I see clearly that the spirit of soulful, creative expression is everywhere! Life as art really is art everyday in every way. Thanks for coming along on the ride and please comment to this post and let me know what you have learned about your life as art this month!
All Love, Gabriela

How to Live Art in Every way-Everyday! III

Week 3 of the Art Everyday Month Challenge has just ended. I am both elated and humbled by the process of creating art everyday and living life as art. Have a look at the nuggets of the week in review.

Day 15:The Art of Cooking
Emphasizing fun, and functional cuisine, I whipped up an Asian inspired satay. Fresh, organic, locally grown veggies, met coconut oil, tamari and seasonings. Firm tofu chunks sizzled, plump shitake mushrooms simmered and the aroma of fresh ginger and spices filled the air. Served over a bed of buckwheat soba noodles, this dish was YUMMY! A full sensory experience for the whole family and prepared with so much love.

Day 16: The Art of Step by Step
Gone are the days when I would skip meals, working day and night on a creative project till it was done. Now, I am satisfied to savor and celebrate each step along the path of creation, even if it means leaving something unfinished. Take for instance, a Holiday card idea I jumped into creating. Step 1 (last week), I painted two large pieces of paper, one blue, one green).
Step 2 (last night), I cut out circles and land masses, Step 3 (today) I put them together to make Earths on postcards. Step 4 and beyond, I will respond to whatever else wants to be born of these little Earth cards. Creating over the course of many days, and allowing each step to guide me to the next, engages me in a the mystery of the art process. Sometimes I will have 3 or 4 artsy projects like this going at once. Often, I have no idea where I am headed or when and how they will complete. I simply show up and let the art move through me, just like an improvised dance or song.

Day 17: The Art of Seva
This practice is an offering of selfless service for the sake of love itself. Today, Kenya and I went to Casa Maria Soup kitchen and volunteered preparing food. Over 500 people, including 200 families are served there daily. I loved talking with other volunteers and being part of the stealth team of super focused, loving people with one intention: Feed the hungry. I am so delighted to have the One Love Alliance community service events there before and after Thanksgiving! If you are local join us! All the details are here. The dignity, kindness and raw life experience I witnessed looking into the eyes of those we served was deeply touching. Was I in service? Or was I the one being served? Both...that is what completes the circle and makes Seva a true art.

Day 18: The Art of Pretending
Master artist, Talia is my primary model and guide in the Art of Pretending. We built an elaborate two room Veterinarian's office (made of blankets and chairs). We brought out ALL of her stuffed animals and pretended we were pet doctors, carefully treating, loving and boarding each of the animals with their specific ailments and special needs. With animals still at rest, the scene changed and we went outside. Talia spread out a sleeping bag, and placed our entire chopstick collection in a circle ("pretending" fire wood). An orange book cover placed over the chopsticks became the fire. We taped white pompoms on the end of chopsticks and voila, we were camping and toasting marshmallows over the campfire. This heightened my awareness of the role of imagination in the art of manifesting and creating reality itself.

Day 19: The Art of Space Tuning
This is a fusion of feng shui basics and power cleaning. The key to making this an artistic project, is the love of creating sacred, beautiful spaces, along with the joy of letting go of all clutter and stuff that no longer serves you. Today, I did just that. I filled up 6 bags of donations for our One Love Alliance service events, scrubbed, cleaned, cleared, rearranged, swept and uplifted the vibes in my home sanctuary. A fine tuned space, infused with love, is an intimate expression of our creativity and our inner life.

Day 20: The Art of Forgiveness
You know the power of this one. True forgiveness is an art. On both sides, it requires truly dropping the fight, the mood, the grudge, the inner contraction. In our family, this art is often accompanied by the Art of Repair: Re-establishing connection, emotional safety and loving trust. Long live these golden words, shared with earnest intention, "I love you, I am sorry." So simple, and so profound. This art is always more beautiful when practiced with genuine eye contact, affectionate touch, deep breath and a relaxed nervous system. Today, this art process colored my day brighter and led to another favorite, the Art of Beginning Again. Sometimes, my patience is thin, my tongue is sharp, my tone is biting and my gaze and touch are harsh. I am so thankful that I can stop, pause, apologize, flood my cells with breath and love, and begin again.

Day 21: The Art of Completion
Today, I made the final touches on a series of 18 "Peace" cards that I began last week. After so many steps of painting, tracing, cutting, pasting, writing, coloring, outlining and mounting, they are finished. I am grateful. The simple act of seeing a creative project through to completion (however big or small), builds trust in our ability to fruit. These cards are ripe and full of love!

How has your week been, fellow life artists? Please comment and tell me what you have discovered about living your lives as art, everyday, and everywhere. All love, G

How to Live Art Everyday Part 2

At the midpoint of the Art Everyday Month Challenge, I am both delighted and humbled. There were moments this week where it took real choosing to create beauty, ease and art with life...especially when I was very busy, tired and tempted to reactivity and survival chemistry. Though every time I choose to live my life as art, my mood lightens and I feel my commitment to my essential values.

That is what creating art does for me...kicks a log in my fire of divine love!
Here are some nuggets from the week in review:

Day 8: The Art Of Simplicity After a juicy, fun filled day of friendship, intuitive consults, family time, and all kinds of details in the marketplace, I snuggled in bed with four 4x5 postcards and a pencil. Simple- 4 line drawings, before dissolving into dream time. Turns out these wee pieces captured potent energy, and really nourished my soul. It doesn't take much. As the Bhagavad Gita says, about the path of yoga, "Even a little of this practice will shelter you from great sorrow."

Day 9: The Art of Going with the Flow Though a long to-do list met me in the morning, I looked at my journal and line drawings and knew the agenda was out the door. Today (unlike yesterday), I would make Art Everyday my first priority. I sprawled out with bright brush pens, layered papers, wrote haiku, adorned and framed each line drawing. Each was written for and since given to 3 precious peeps in my life. Later, going with the flow, found Talia and I sharing a picnic and romp at Sabino Creek all afternoon. I also shifted my evening city plans as the flow led me to a sweet mountain sunset with the hubs and snuggling our cutie to bed together. Following the current of energy, and letting go of agendas once in a while is golden.

Day 10: The Art of Shopping I am not a fan of shopping. Though I love quality, groovy, functional goods and gear, consumer madness, is cuckoo. Today, however, I set out to create an art form. I was a stealth, zen shopper. I was on a mission. And a fruitful, affordable and fun one it was! Here are my art of shopping pointers:

1. Have a list- yet be open to surprise purchases.
   
2. Get only what you *love* and need.
3. Welcome bargains (second hand can be first rate).
   
4. Have fun.
   
5. Get in, get out.

Day 11: The Art of Chanting I am a big fan of singing Kirtan and devotionals. Every week, right here in Tucson, over 150 folks from Tucson gather to sing Global Chants together. We sing songs and prayers from the Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Sufi, Native American, Buddhist and Goddess traditions and more. I love that we are all a totally diverse cross section of humanity. We are mixed in age, gender, ethnicity, size, color and background. Yet we all have in common a sweet, singing devotional heart. I love attending with Kenya and Talia. We sit in the inner concentric circle, surrounded by guitars, drums, harmonium, violin, shakers and bells. Tonight Talia danced in the center, until flopping into my lap and falling asleep to the lullaby of a Sanskrit chant.

Day 12: The Art of Zenjoyment (a word I created and use often). This day, (and all weekend solo with Talia as hubs was out of town) cross referenced with The Art of Least Resistance, The Art of Non Reactivity, and The Art of Patience. I chose to practice Zenjoyment all weekend, saying yes to life, letting go thoroughly to the moment, being wildly grateful for my experience, no matter what.

Day 13: The Art of Altars Creating a little (or big) space, here and there to welcome, honor and remember the divine is a gift you give yourself and your family. It doesn't matter if that place is where you meditate or on your kitchen counter. Adorned with fresh flowers, images of family, divine archtypes, sentimental trinkets, beautiful elements of nature, seasonal goodies, candles, and more, nurturing this space is a way to nourish ourselves. Today, I cleaned and cleared my kitchen altar. It is fresh with a trinity of Kwan Yin, Mary Magdalene and Lakshmi, with offerings of pumpkin, mesquite pods and eucalyptus. Everyday, I light a candle and some incense here and notice I immediately slow down, breathe more deeply, and relax into love.

Day 14: the Art of Sabbath A day of rest and worship...who couldn't use one? As Rumi wrote, "There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the Earth." Whether in the church of the great outdoors, your home, a spiritual service, solo or with others, taking a Sabbath day is a loving, sane practice, and truly an art given our fast paced culture. I love unplugging, enjoying time in prayer, and communion, savoring unhurried 'down' time that is focused on connection. Today, we did just that, all day long! Yes! A sweet exhale of gratitude.

How about you? How did you create art everyday, in big or small ways this week? I would love to know. Please remember to post your comments on the Blog itself. Use the "comment" link/space at the end of each post. Hitting "reply" to your "emailed" post never gets your comments to me. They are words of wisdom. I want to hear them! May you go out and "Artsper"... prosper too!

In loving Gratitude, G

How to Live Art Everyday

Welcome to my Art Everyday Series!










My dear friend, rad visionary/creative career guide, Britt Bravo always hooks me up with juicy, inspiring goods. Recently, she turned me on to ArtEveryday Month, (a genius creation of life artist, Leah Piken Kolidas). This is a wonderful month long invitation to create art everyday.

I felt totally inspired for many reasons. I love living life as art. I love the practice of focused intention to live creatively everyday.

Here are snapshots of the week in review.

• Day 1: "The Art of Lounging" I slept in till 9:15 am (a rarity in our household, which I have done less than 5 times since becoming a mama 4 years ago). Later I enjoyed a lounge on the Hammock, with my sweet hubs, Kenya and daughter Talia. Laughing, snuggling and swinging together was luxurious.
  

• Day 2:"The Art of Sharing" I posted 10 Pearls of Wisdom for Living Love. Being a true believer in our unity and shared dreaming, I shared highlights from a recent vision quest. Today I felt into my broad definition of Art. I feel so grateful for all the ways that art reflects the beauty, mystery and infinite possibilities of life. True art touches me on a heart/soul level. Later, I played around with watercolors, for the first time in years! Painted a "You Are Love" sign for Talia's room. She loved it!

• Day 3: "The Art of Gift Making"Talia and I played for 2 hours with a sprawl of art supplies, making holiday cards and bookmarks as gifts. We talked, laughed, listened to music, sang and enjoyed a quiet shared creative space.

• Day 4: "The Art of Haiku" I love this Japanese poetry practice, inspired by Zen/Buddhism (5-7-5 syllables). Ideally, it encapsulates deep feeling and gives a sense of the infinite- in a nutshell. Take a deep breath in between lines as you read.
  
  Renewal, Rebirth
  Gut, Release, Dissolve
  Steeping in the Love.
  

OK, by now, I am also in awareness and celebration of how much art expression there is in my life! Improvisational play, puppet shows and family dance parties, singing, chanting, drumming, strumming are a daily part of life. We host a chalk mural canvas patio, the length of our home, 3 cupboards loaded with art supplies and a wide ranging family of instruments. We bring love and creativity into cooking, parenting, relationships, professional work and to the chop wood carry water details of life. And while this lifestyle is the norm for us, I notice that the exception is not nearly as fun or life giving. Surrounding ourselves with art creation and creativity, in all forms, feels good! It is a way of being good to ourselves.

• Day 5: "The Art of Earthing" Yes, Earthing is actually a real word and a movement to stay connected to earth energy as a sustaining factor of vitality and health. We enjoyed an afternoon out in Bear Canyon, with 3 kids under the age of 4. With head to the big sky, sun kiss upon us and bare feet in the ground (literally), we dug in sand, splashed in the creek, played on rocks and communed with nature and friends. First thing that morning, I created a tiny 5"x3" bookmark of Sky/Starfish/Ocean with brush pens. Knowing it would be a full day out, I wanted to begin with the practice of "creating art everyday". Even small expressions of creativity can be so fulfilling.

• Day 6: "The Art of Blessing" I savored a full day in meditation on divine love, peace and unity. I was initiated by soul kin, Zelie and Lucia, beautifully tuned medicine women, as a Deeksha-Oneness Blessing Giver, This profound transmission of divine love, intended to inspire global peace, comes to us from the Oneness University . Check out their amazing vision. Also highlighted today was the "Art of Yoga and Napping in the Garden", on our midday break. I *LOVE* when these art forms blend together.

• Day 7: "The Art of Play" I played with Talia and two of her pals at our home. Hubs was giving their parents a djembe drum lesson, while we romped. We played karate/yoga class, zoomed on scooters, climbed the fort, drew with sidewalk chalk, went on the swings and hammock, shared snacks while coloring with Crayons, told knock knock jokes as we played with the sand and water table, read books (I read), pretended a birthday (complete with gift offerings and song), and had a bubble party, dancing to One Day and Give Love. Thoroughly playful. And they played ten times as much on their own. Children are masters of presence, play and wonder. They are natural life artists.

All that in just week one! I am finding that living Life as Art and Art as Meditation are my ideal lifestyle. Art Everyday Month has already been such an inspiration, to deepen and grow this life long practice that gives so much-inside and out! What's more, this week I got that it is not just "Art Everyday", it is also "Art Everywhere" Thank Goodness.

There are still 3 whole weeks left. Join me, and comment on your experiences here! I'd love to hear about your journey. Stay tuned for week two.
Let's Live Art Everyday, Everywhere, Together!
LeHaim! To LIFE!, G

10 Pearls of Wisdom for Living Love

Last month, I had a humbling, beautiful opportunity to meditate through the night in ceremony and prayer. The Universe is so generous! Many simple pearls of wisdom came to me. And, since I am a true believer in our unity and our shared dreaming, I trust there is a morsel of these "One Love nuggets", that may speak to your heart as well.

• Love it ALL- the way it is.

• In all you do, in all you are, there is no moment where you are not the divine embodiment of love. In every moment you are the divine embodiment of love.

• Let love in everywhere. Do not deny access to love- anywhere.

• Fully let go and come undone. Give it all for love.

• Forgive everything. Erase the past.

• Time spent in mental and emotional indulgence is wasted energy. Stop it.

• Be both gentle and swift in redirecting mind to the remembrance of the mystery of life.
  

• Be humble before/within the mystery.
  

• Let the all embracing love of the mystery flood into every cell of your being, into the whole of your neurology.

• Let Love direct your life. Let it model true compassion and surrender-from the inside out
  

What a wild and beautiful, universal journey we are all on. Love is the most powerful resource we have, let's share the wealth. Need support in connecting directly to your heart's wisdom?
Come here to get it.

Please comment and share some of your current pearls of living love. I look forward to hearing from you. Here's to freedom, love and peace for all beings. May we rest in the silence of the heart in every breath.

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Free Hugs-International Day of Peace

Simple Equations:

• Inner Peace+ Authentic Love= Full Heart.

• Full Heart+Embracing Humanity = Free Hugs.

This year, on International Day of Peace, a few members of the One Love Alliance decided to show up at our local Farmer's Market and give "Free Hugs". The inspiration was simple. When we feel inner peace, we are able to be peace. In being peace, we can be love and in being love, the most natural expression, from this luminous, full place is to share the wealth.

This was a truly joyous improvisational experience. I was most touched by how willing most people were to embrace, smile, laugh, connect and radiate love right back. No one is really a stranger. We are all fellow travelers on this Earth walk. From where I walk, love is Queen. On this bright morning, a wave of lighthearted peace rippled through the farmer's market, and the world felt like a friendly, loving place, where all things are possible.

We have it on video to share with you!

First I'd like to send a shout out of deep gratitude to:

• Kenya, my beloved, brilliant life partner, the eye behind the camera. From idea inception, through execution, and project completion, he is always a co-creative ally by my side.
• My songbird, bhakti sister, Bronwin. Her devotional humble, sweet heart is golden.
• Heidi and her pal who saw our post on Facebook and came to give and get Free Hugs.
• All the willing huggers who joined our exchange of peace and love in motion.
• Mc Yogi, whose stellar, uplifting song, "Give Love" is the soundtrack to our video. He unifies masses in a spirit of devotion & love. He is a true transmitter of peace power.

Please share your comments!
Let us know what our video sparked in you!
And, of course, forward it on, generously. Post it, share it! Spiral this love around the world!

Ready...here it is! One Love Alliance Free Hugs!

Ready, Set, Leap!-Dream Interpretation for Your Most Fulfilling Life!

October 7, New Moon, 2010
I am dreaming. I see my 4 year old daughter Talia start a parade. She picks up a tambourine frame drum and plays while walking with a simple little side step dance. She walks down the street - people of all ages, genders and ethnicity join her. I play and dance along and look back to see that all beings on Earth have joined and are parading...humans, cats, reindeer! From the front of the line, she sends back a brown puppy to join the energy of the group. He flies over each being and they light up as a connected stream. We become one luminous spiral dance of unified rhythm and light. The sky parts and many spaceships are swirling above. They see our light and unity and change their course, disappearing back into space. I awaken to Talia nuzzling me, playing kitties, at 6am.

Any intuitive hits on what this dream is telling me? I'd love to hear your seeing! The world of dreams is so wild and magical.

We spend almost half of our lives asleep. Cross culturally, many rich traditions value the power and importance of our dreaming to reveal insight, guidance and provide resolutions. Tapping the wisdom of the dream time provides deep nourishment and connectedness to the Source. Our dreams are always revealing valuable information, guiding us toward our highest purpose and soul evolution. They are steeped in truth, mysticism and metaphor and always come to us in the service of health and wholeness.

Jump into the Inner Wealth of your dream time!

Today, I am gratefully and joyfully launching a user friendly, totally affordable, instantly accessible dream interpretation service, ripe for the picking and juiced with life force.

Introducing: Dream Leaping Nuggets (Go check out the web page!)
From the convenience of your computer, you send me your dream. Then, you receive a
poignant, personalized, intuitive life leaping reply directly to your inbox. Tapping over 25 years of devoted dream work, (Toltec, Jungian and Shamanic dreaming practices and techniques) I have honed the ability to offer practical dream insights to propel you into your most authentic, fulfilling life. Leap into deeper understanding, integration and happiness through the distillation of your dreams.

Even a single Dream Leaping Nugget can support you to take a LEAP in your life!

Dream leaping Nuggets :
• Align and direct your life force towards deeper fulfillment
• Receive practical, life relevant guidance
• Clarify your path of heart
• Address your most pressing questions
• Free up your Creativity and Access Resolutions
• Deepen connection to your Source
• Tap Universal Wisdom

With heartfelt excitement, I invite you to utilize this service. Share it generously with your friends and loved ones. Post and pass it on to your networks. Everyone dreams, and everyone has the potential to leap with even more clarity and alignment in their lives. Remember those attention grabbing dreams, burning to reveal deeper wisdom, and send them on over to me.

The Dreaming is one Universal Thread of Love. It is a place where we are all connected. Join me! Let's become one luminous spiral dance of unified rhythm and light. Let's PLAY!

The Real Journey Home

Tonight is Harvest Full Moon in Jupiter (expansion and opportunity). With the Moon, reflecting our inner life and deep feminine mysteries, this Equinox window, invites us to give thanks for all we have harvested in our lives, and amplify prayers for future fruition. May we give equal respect and embracement to both light and dark aspects of our lives and our world.

Holding a space of equanimity, while letting go of toxic behaviors, relationships, agreement fields and patterns, refreshes our ability to earnestly pray for the new beginnings and opportunities that will support the flourishing of our hearts and lives.

My prayer for all of us at this auspicious time begins with finding our way home and letting our hearts lead the way.

I woke up the other morning feeling disoriented... totally and utterally lost, actually. I wrote in my gratitude and goal journals, and rose to meet the day. By the time I went out on my favorite running meditation loop, it was already in the triple digits. But hey, I was already burning inside - I figured I could formalize it and have the elements cook me out of my head as well. And that they did.

The first couple of miles snaked through dense Sonoran desert arollo. I was graced by the medicine of lizards, quail, rabbits and roadrunners. I know my way instinctively through these trails, and recognize the curves of the canyon, like my own body. Then, the loop climbs out of the canyon and onto a high foothills neighborhood with gorgeous, monstrous homes.

Holding the space of equanimity, I transitioned from the unity of nature to the duality of the marketplace. I was in a maze of streets and grid of suburbia. It is beautiful, don't get me wrong. Bougainvillea blooming in bright fuchsias, reds and purples, majestic saguaros and ocotillos reaching skyward and landscaping abundant with bubbling water features surrounded me. And spectacular mountain views!

The funny thing is that the loop returns to my house on a sort of convoluted route, that no matter how many times I take it "seems" misdirected. By my mental compass, it appears to be taking me in the "wrong" direction, yet by my heart intuition, I know, it is the "right" way. Even though I feel I might be lost, it inevitably leads me "home," every time.

There is no guilt or shame in this metaphor, of losing and finding our way, of being confused and disoriented on a life path. There is simply a burning to find the essence, and return home, again and again. That is the heart of my sadhana. That is the heart of my full moon prayer for us and that is the segue into the wisdom story I am about to share with you.

I call it the touchstone story. It is based on a true story, told by Radhanath Swami at BhaktiFest, and retold today, innovated with my biases and filters. Regardless, it comes with love. May you take from it whatever is yours to receive.

There was once a wise holy man who was formally a very wealthy consultant to a prime minister. He had accumulated financial treasures, land, homes, livestock and wealth beyond measure. He was highly respected and sought after for his counsel. He reached a point of awakening on his life journey where devotion and the love of God became primary. He chose to relinquish his worldly responsibilities in the marketplace.

The prime minister who depended on his counsel was furious and imprisoned him, so that he could maintain access to him, expanding his own wealth and power. Finally, this holy man escaped the prison. He became a fugitive, running from the law, giving up everything he had earned and known, in order to have his God life.

He ran to safety and found sanctuary under the shade of a mango tree far, far away. There he lived on top of a hill under a tree, in total devotion and communion with the divine. Now, there was a villager who wanted wealth and success above all else. In his ambitious search for a better life, he came across a seer who told him of this holy man and the "touchstone" he had in his possession that would turn everything into gold. The villager set out to find him and did. When he approached the holy man, he was surprised to see that he was a simpleton, in a loin cloth, somehow happy, even ecstatic with just being under this tree.

He said to him, "I hear you have a touchstone. But if you do, why do you live so simply and have no signs of wealth around you?"

The holy man replied that he had infinite wealth, beyond measure, and had no use for the touchstone anymore.

"Well, "said the Villager, "I want wealth, I want money and fame and success. Where is that touchstone? Can I have it?" "Yes, you can," said the holy man. "It is in that large heap of garbage on the other side of the hill, near the river."

The villager, ran to the garbage heap and dove in, searching madly for the touchstone. He sorted through all kinds of funk and rot until he found the touchstone! He frantically ran down the hill and went on to amass gold, homes, land, abundant wealth, and fame. He was surrounded by more wealth than he ever could have imagined or dreamed of, yet he was still not happy. He went back to the sacred hill and found the holy man once again...still sitting in ecstasy, at one with God.

The villager said, "Holy man, I have all this wealth, but I am still not happy. What is it that YOU have? I want what you have. If you gave up this touchstone and all the wealth that came with it, surely, you must have something better. I want it. "

The holy man smiled and said, "I will gladly give you what I have, but you must be willing to let go of the touchstone. You must be willing to throw it in the river. Can you do that?"

"I don't know," said the villager. I have never had it so well. I have so much wealth and power. What if it does not get any better than this? I don't know if I can throw away the touchstone." After working with his own greed, fear and attachment, the villager finally plunged the touchstone into the river and came running back to the holy man. "I am ready", he said, "Give me what you have. Give me what is better."

The holy man gave him the Maha Mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, which promised eternal, unlimited, ecstatic communion with the Divine.

According to Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupâda, "Chanting this mantra brings transcendental consciousness...this maha-mantra, or the Great Chanting for Deliverance, brings one into divine
ecstasy. "

And so, this is the heart of the wisdom story...whatever your path, mantra, prayer or practice, find one that is a direct taproot to the ONE. Are you willing to give up what you thought was the best thing in life, relationships, reality you ever had...for something better? For the only real and everlasting love?

What, if anything have you settled for in your life, believing it is the best it can ever get? Have you settled for an egoic drive, a limiting paradigm, a toxic mimic of real truth, real love, real possibility of awakening?

Where, if at all, have you lied to or betrayed yourself, self-medicated or agreed to stay in a comfortable yet medicocre state? Where, if at all, could you let go, surrender
and dive deeper into your own embodiment of divine love, light and communion? You decide.
Your heart knows the way home.

Me? That touch stone is deep in the bottom of the river. And though I may find another, and another, I will keep tossing them away and going for the real touchstone and only lasting treasure of the heart...the eternal presence.

Radhanath Swami says "Real spiritual life is not necessarily about changing our position in society. It is about transforming our hearts....overcoming selfishness and learning the beauty and art of seva, selfless service...Spirituality is meant to transform arrogance into humility, greed into generosity, vengeance into forgiveness, hate into love, criticism into appreciation, hopelessness into hopefulness...It is meant to transform us into becoming instruments of the inner peace that is in our heart with God...That is the real journey home."

This full moonrise, I will be chanting the maha mantra. I will be honoring the marketplace as well as the natural world with equanimity. I will open a space to embody the divine marriage of both material and spiritual wealth. I will pray to utilize the embodiment of that abundant wealth to serve the world, from a full and healthy heart.

Tales From the God Life-Falling Into Love...

"When you are falling , dive."Joseph Campbell

This Summer has been an over the top flow and fall into the deepest love, mystery and unity I have ever known. Even while surfing these currents of grace, I wipe out and stumble back into ecstasy, forgetting, then remembering again, and again.

This last month of delight kicked off with serving the Global Youth Peace Summit (check out the slide show of beautiful peeps from around the world). This life changing experience was a homecoming and has shifted the course of my life, forever. It deserves it's own post, TBA. Mid month was chock full of communion with family, friends and inspiring dance, music ,travel, play, wilderness, and immense beauty (two weeks at California Brazil Camp). And, it was all topped off with Bhaktifest last weekend. That is where these tales from the God life emerge today.

In the words of mystic, Meister Eckhart, "If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is "thank you," that would suffice."

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Bhakti : is defined by Wikipedia as a practice or active involvement by the devotee in divine worship. It conveys a fully engaged, devoted relationship with God.
Bhakti Yoga is the"yoga of the heart" or "the yoga of love and devotion".

I have been bhaktified. I felt right at home steeping in the bhava of ecstatic, unlimited divine love, invoking God's presence through chanting in kirtan, asana, dance, music and meditation for 4 days, and nights . The exquisite Joshua Tree desert setting, and camping under the big stary sky heightened the potency. Living within an eco-village of a several thousand others aligned in an agreement field of love, devotion and vitality took it to a new level of pulsating life force.

I have been delivered to a deeper intimacy in my direct relationship to the Divine... I have fallen deeper in... into the generous love, into the mystic. And so, what can I do, but dive? My heart continues to wash with tears of joy, humility, gratitude and blessing. I realize now, that as I danced and chanted, in prayer for hours upon hours, I took my vows and my bows to the One that is everything, everywhere.

My work now, is to remember. How does one sustain this open hearted, luminous inner body, that is merged with the one and celebrated in the many? Practice. Being that frequency and ground within humanity, within the Universe, is really all there is to do, or rather all that is worth being. Yet, I forget. Do you? Where does my devotion go when I lock horns with my husband, when my beloved, whining child is pulling on my energy, when I feel hurried and hassled by the logistics and details of the marketplace, when my nerve endings feel I might explode and lash out- and sometimes do?

For the record, I did not even have a single grumpy moment at Bhaktifest. It was easy to relax open as love there...24-7. Yet once home, I witness and observe, as I sigh heavily, roll my eyes, and feel annoyed at how the daily details of life "pull me away" from my God center. This is a lie. Actually, every moment is offering an invitation to practice, to remember, to go deeper into the heart of God, and stay there. If God is with in us, and we are also within God, then all of life is worthy of my devotion. And, if everything wants to drink from the love, then the grumpy mood, whining child, marital spats, life tensions, falls and forgetting can have a drink as well.

Humility is key on this path. True devotion, with a humble heart erases greed and arrogance, melts away fear and anxiety, transforms selfishness into selflessness and hatred into love , restoring the deep peace that is our birth right. No matter how often I forget, my practice of remembering Bhakti Bliss is vital to survive and thrive in the day to day, ordinary, "chop wood-carry water, mundane life.

The ante is up. I have tasted this nectar and there is no going back. That would be death, or foolishness, ignorance and sleep at best. I will chant and dance the sacred names to ground me, and integrate inspiration from the brilliant yoga teachers, incredible kirtan artists and musicians, I joined in practice. I will remember the treasures shared in darshan with many bright, sage bhakti elders of various traditions. The wisdom transmissions direct from ancient lineages of awakened beings were IN THE HOUSE!

One timeless teaching that I will pass onto you comes from Swami Rad, "Every living thing is seeking pleasure...", he said, "for humans, the pleasure of the heart, which is love, is the only pleasure that truly satisfies the soul or essence. This pleasure of love flows from our love for the Divine." No material possession, accumulation of goods, success, ambition or sensory pleasure will ever be enough to fulfill the real need and purpose of the heart. Meanwhile, the thieves of time will steal away our lives as we pursue pleasure elsewhere, aimlessly, endlessly, unless we stop and remember. Only the love of the Divine will do. " It is our nature to be in eternal, unlimited, divine ecstatic communion forever."

As the Upandishads tell us, "Meditation is the bow, devotion is the arrow, love is the target." Join me and aim well, sweet bhakti brothers and sisters. Practice hitting that target over and over again. The only real fulfillment in this life is merging in divine bliss with the ONE. Then, from that satiated, centered, full place, the only natural next step is to serve life. May we offer ourselves, in gratitude as a living, breathing sustainable force of peace and love in motion.

"The door is round and open... Don't go back to sleep."
Rumi

LOKAH SAMASTA SUKHINO BHAVANTU
May all beings everywhere be happy and free!

Devoted,
One Love, G

Be The Big Love

"Creating an extraordinary existence depends upon the energy that we select to weave into the fabric of our life.... the continual attraction and encompassing of higher energy that increases the vitality of our life."
Rudi–Behind the Cosmic Curtain

As I sit down to write today, I am feeling the metaphoric power of life in the desert. Sometimes our inner and outer teachings get so hot! The heat of the fire is searing, "beastly," (as a visitor to Tucson once remarked). It is at this point some say, "I am outta' here." We bail on a relationship or challenging situation just when staying in the fire would bring break through into new beauty and power. If we allow it, the heat can quicken us; the burn, enlighten us - transmute us. Is it any wonder that fire is cross culturally an element of transformation?

July in Tucson reflects this energy. If we are willing to stick around and keep showing up (just when we think it could not get any hotter), the monsoons arrive - quenching the thirsty earth. Monsoons are glorious. Cacti fruit and bloom in bright, amazing colors, rainbow sunsets delight, creeks flow again and the golden twilight opens portals into new dimensions...

It is from this beautifully satiated, hot, breakthrough place, that I bring you The Big Love.

Disclaimer: As usual, do not believe a word I say. Feel what rings true in your heart. The Big Love is not gushy, mushy, woo woo. It is not always comfortable, or enjoyable. It can get hot, even intolerable to the parts of us that need to burn and die, to the egoic cling-on hold to all that does not serve our evolution.

The Big Love is a growing machine. It wants our Big Life, our Divine Life, our most ALIVE LIVING. It is not for the faint of heart or multi-dimensionally lazy.

Over the past few weeks, the Big Love has been the recurring theme-thread that wove through over a dozen intuitive sessions in my work as well as many personal conversations. The cultural Dreaming clear, the message so strong; shown to me over and over again; "Be the Big Love". While the applications were different, the remedy was the same: "Be the Big Love."

Everybody wants a lived experience of being the Big Love. And why not? The Big Love is our natural state. It is what we are born for, wired for...it's what we belong to and where we belong. It's our most primal existence. It is a relaxation in our nervous systems, where we are at rest, at home in the Source. Being the Big Love creates a state of presence in the play of consciousness where the mind and senses, in full color and flavor, bloom as servants of the heart. The Big Love is the current of grace we ride through the sea of intuition and universal love.

Does this sound too "touchy feely?" You bet. The Big Love is about touching and being touched by life! It is about feeling fully alive, feeling truth, feeling inspired, and feeling life pulse in every cell.

Disclaimer #2, Even when it does not feel "good," it is still possible to feel fully alive.

Tap the God of your understanding and ask to be guided to living the Big Love! What does this look like for you? What does the Big Love want from you? What gifts does it offer you?

Ask these questions and then allow this free flow of Big Love energy to guide you in the improvisation of life. Be spontaneous, fresh and unrehearsed. Be unleashed freedom with sacred containment. Delight in this. Savor it. Be awed by all that arises, and falls within it.

BIG LOVE ACTIVATION!

• Extend Radical Forgiveness. Yes, forgive everything.
• Extend Radical Self Permission. Allow full access and expression to your whole being.
  
• Be Vulnerable. Reveal. Admit. Show your true colors, full spectrum, full chakra.
  
• Be Lived. Delight, savor, relish, bask, luxuriate in the Divine, as you understand it.
• Be Held in the God of Your Heart. Source your living from this place.
  
• Distill Wisdom from the wounds of your history, transmute poisons into medicine.
  
• Liberate Attention once stuck in the past. The present moment thrives on your free attention; it uses it as building material for magic and miracles.
• Follow the Dreaming and Mystical Realms.
• Maintain a Supple, Healthy Body.
• Surround Yourself in Beauty.
• Surround Yourself in Love.
• Tell Yourself the Truth.
  
• Sing Your Soul Song. Chant, Vocalize.
  
• Embrace Tears and Laughter equally and unconditionally.
  
• Play. Be Silly, Goof.
• Touch and Be Touched.
  
• Live in a State of Gratitude.
• Choose Big Love. Don't wait for some one or some thing outside of you to show up first. You be it. You choose it.
• Remember the Big Love - ReActivate if life feels shrunken, dull or stuck.
• Let Everything Drink of the Big Love.
  

Practice this, as I am, and witness a recalibration of your life.

You are the Big Love. Get it while it's Hot!