One Love Nuggets-The Book-“Superfood” for the Soul

I love the feel of a trusty wisdom book that is weathered with my love. It is worn from the warmth of my hands and has ear marked corners on favorite pages that I keep revisiting to rediscover myself and the mystery of life.

I am delighted to introduce:ONE LOVE NUGGETS a book for us all. It is compiled of morsels of inspiration from the tastiest nuggets from this blog. This book is insightful, witty and full of pearls of wisdom to inspire your daily living. Keep it at your bedside or desk, drop it in a backpack or pocket, share it and enjoy it as a companion on the journey of the soul.

Anytime you need a lift or reconnection to your inner guidance system, One Love Nuggets is at your service. Turn to it and turn in to your heart’s knowing, every time.

Order your copy now!

Praises for One Love Nuggets
“What an inspiration you are! As the mystics say, life is not a problem to be solved, it is a mystery to be lived, seems like you’ve got that one down! With love from Deva [Premal] and myself, Miten”Devotional Musical Artists

“One Love Nuggets is ripe with insight and guidance. It speaks directly to the One heart we all share because it is written in the language of the heart itself. It does the trick each and every time.” Darren Rhodes, Author, Yoga Resource Book, Founder YO and Tirtha Studios

“One Love Nuggets is like a beautiful jar of love vitamins. Take one each day to remind you of what really matters.” Britt Bravo, Blogger | Have Fun * Do Good

Everywhere You Are-THERE IT IS!

Life force…

In the blue eyes of a client trusting me with her deepest heart.

In vast sky, floating clouds and iridescent, golden glow of setting sun.

In grackles, hawks, hummingbirds.

In giggling 5 year old soul sisters skipping exuberantly.

In the presence of my beloved husband...heart leaping, spine shimmering...joy bubbling.

In the most delicious avocado I have ever eaten.

In purple flowers- luminous at dusk.

In this breath, and the next.

Everywhere I look…

In you.

In me.

Life force is everywhere, all the time, all at once. Isn't that just amazing?

The Main Event- Don't Miss It!

Stay awake to the present moment.
Everything is revealed here.
Everything is done here.
In this moment, and the next, everything we need for our soul evolution is being offered.
This present moment, right now...
That is the main event.
Look no further.
Don't miss it.

The Great ReInvention of Life-A One Love Nugget

Every circle completes and begins again.

I welcome the disintegration of expectations, continuities and neurological grooves.
I am not the same person I was a month ago, or even a minute ago.

Throw all pictures, parameters and ideals of who we think we are, of how life is or how it should be to the wind.

Witness the unfolding of this divine design.
Raw, organic life force~unrehearsed, unknown.
Seeds of essential being flying free.

Right now. As it is. This breath. This moment.
Luxuriously fresh and ALIVE.
Evolution rocks!

What is your life for?

What is your life for?

In the Heart of it ALL...what really matters most?

Rest there.

Your Precious Attention- A One Love Nugget

Today:

• Where will you place your precious attention? What we attend to flourishes.

• Water the Root, Zenjoy the Fruit

Prune Your Life-A One Love Nugget

Prune Your Life.
I mean it.
Take a sober look and cut away all that no longer serves you or gives you life.
Put all distractions, clutter, commitments, outgrown forms and agreements into the offering bowl.
Then, pause. Water and watch.
What IS ALIVE in you will take deeper root.
Flourish and Fruit,
G

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

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 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

Moving On As Love

We are moving into our new home on Wednesday. I have been packing for days. As usual I am with the multidimensional shifts happening in my heart and life as well as in our world. Change is in the air.

Here are some eternal life lessons that are up for me today.

• Let go: What a gift to reinvent ourselves in the moment and lovingly, ruthlessly stay current with what and who it is we really are. What is necessary to take on the journey? This includes objects and possessions as well as ideas, concepts and beliefs. What IS reality? And what do I really need? How can I best serve today, now? Letting go of whatever no longer fits or supports our life direction is essential, on all levels. Letting go is a gift.
  

• Keep it light...Sometimes less IS really more...less stuff, less words, less emotional charge. There is enough density and heaviness already in the world. Can I keep a light heart, a lightness in my step, even with the weight of stress, packed agendas and life intensities? All the while staying grounded and engaged in cultivating the very core rhythms that truly nurture life?
  

• Feel Into the Space.This morning I packed Talia's beloved stuffed animal collection. She has been creating elaborate plays, concerts and gatherings with her 30 some odd friends. She calls them "friends". Before she left for school I told her I would be doing more packing. I am sensitive to how it feels for her to have her life packed up into boxes. I keep feeling into the space to sense what will serve her to stay secure and at ease, even while her familiar home is turned inside out and recreated. "May I pack your stuffed animals", I asked? "And is there a favorite one you would like me to leave out?" She took a deep breath and said, " Well, yes Mama, you may pack whatever you want. Please leave out Kitty and Clara Beara, because they need to be with me." Her tenderness and request was so kind. It brought tears to my eyes now as it did then.

• Gratitude as Guide: After doing a silly departure dance in the driveway, as Kenya and Talia drove away, I got to work, like a focused whirlwind of energy. Yet with everything I packed there was a palpable sensation of gratitude. I felt gratitude for every niche of our home and how this sacred space has supported us to thrive. I took down the string of lights around the mantel, leaving the sun and moon candle holders, a Buddha and prayer flags. Those will be the last items to go. They are essential space keepers. This home, even with it's sluggish plumbing, cavernous hallways and brick oven bedrooms (in the searing hot months) has been a haven. It has contained timeless moments of laughter, love, tears, affection, dance, play, rest, creative juice and celebration with family and friends. It held us through big transitions; weaning, birthdays, potty training, deaths, new beginnings, leaps of development and leaps of faith. I am grateful for every single one.
  

• Move on As Love: I am equally grateful for the beautiful new house we will inhabit. I am excited to build a new nest and delight in the sanctuary that home can be. One of the simplest pieces of inner guidance that comes to me these days over and over again is to "Move on as Love." Whether we need to move on to new places, new faces, new phases, or complete relationships, agreements, projects...whether we are moving on from challenges, grudges or hiccups along the way, we can move on AS LOVE...
  We can trust the Winds of Change when we move on as love.
  I guess that comes back to today's lesson #1.
  Let go!
  
  Have a glorious week y'all!
  

Welcome to Your Vast, Miraculous Life!

“We do not practice zazen to attain enlightenment, but rather to express our true nature.”

Shunryu Suzuki Roshi

Shtick"1. A characteristic attribute, talent, or trait that is helpful in securing recognition or attention". In Yiddish, this funny little word means "a piece". When someone gives you their "shtick", you get just that, only a piece of who they really are. I want the real deal, the whole person, front, back and everything in between, not a crafty, charismatic, maybe funny, maybe predictable, caricature of who they believe they are or who they want me to see.

Most all of us can relate to having had a shtick at some point along our journey. You know, a mannerism or tendency we've used, that got us the acknowledgment, praise or comfort we were after. It can be a way of being in the world that through it's repetition, dulls our evolving edge and diminishes our authentic spark. A shtick can be a survival mechanism, one that allows us to form some pretense of control in a totally out of control, unknown Universe. My point, and I do have one, are that shticks are a cop out. They deny us (internally and externally) of the full potentiality of what it is to be multidimensional beings in an ever changing evolutionary process (not unlike the expanding Universe, in which we live).

Do you ever find yourself saying the same old comments, speaking or thinking the same old beliefs or ideas about how you've decided life is, reality IS? I am inviting you to think again; think something new...or maybe think about something old in a new way. Or better yet, stop thinking and just be available to sense the present moment.

According to Lee Lozowick, (as brought to me by soul brother, Darren Rhodes) " ...when, we get out of our own way, out of the way of the dominating life-script that runs our psychology, our personalities...out of the way of the ego that has convinced us that it is who we are, that this vast, broad and deep territory, this immense storehouse of wealth, will prove to be completely available, accessible. And what then? Each of us...will need to choose to bring this gusher to life."

Now that, is living in the shtickless! It is the greatest improvisation of all. Dwelling in the radiant present moment...raw, unrehearsed and humbly aware is an art. It is a practice, and, it is our natural state, by divine birthright. Sourcing life from this fertile, infinite place, we realize we are no-thing and everything. In this space, we have full access. All we need to say, know, see, do and not do immediately drops into awareness.

Here's a couple of Shtickless goodies I have for you to grock and ponder.

• The first, a recent Blog post by one of my fave Zen writers, Karen Maezen Miller, Who Turns?. I love how she masterfully simplifies perceptual and perspective reality shifts.
  
• Another shtickless wonder,The Universe, ancient, ever fresh, spontaneous and unrehearsed. I *LOVE* the Universe. Here's an amazing wee video on the Deep Field as seen through the eyes of the Hubble Telescope. Watch it and Marvel.
  
• And how about Mother Nature- Quite miraculous. Schtickless factor HIGH. No need to hook you up with You Tube here. Just go outside. Take an hour or even 5 minutes and let the natural world show you what it is to be real...unrehearsed, fresh in your response to the present moment.

As I was running the other day, I came across a glowing, bright green, robust sprout against the backdrop of mountains and brilliant blue sky. There it was unpretentiously growing out of wet black asphalt. It stopped me in my tracks. This little bold being got my heart. Nothing to prove, (as it burst through the thick asphalt, far from its brethren on the sides of the road), just life, living...and thriving in fact.

Shtickless.

The art of living in the shtickless means being as we were intended to. We are coded and wired for being vibrantly alive and present. We are lived by the flow of raw life force. It naturally floods a current of grace into all that will hold it. How juicy is that? Straight from the heart of the Universe, a mystery, a miracle, each and every ONE. As you are, as it is, no shtick necessary.

“The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.”
Thich Nhat Hanh

Ten Tips For Organizing Art/Work Space

Dear G,
Please write a One Love Nugget suggesting ways of keeping my work space clean. I am a professional artist and writer and can't seem to keep clutter from engulfing me and blocking my creative flow. How do I organize my space?"
Thanks,
Messy Maven

Dear Messy Maven,
Thanks for your question. It is one many of us can relate to, as we are all artists of many mediums, including life and reality. Here are my current top ten tips for getting and staying organized in your work space.

• Become a lover of Immaculate, Impeccable Spaces (but not neurotic).
• ZEN OUT-Declutter. Get rid of everything in your space that is not useful, loved or essential. When in doubt, throw it out. Simplify, Simplify!
  
• Make your workplace “sacred space”. Create a simple altar, light a candle, place fresh flowers, etc. This serves as a small way to call in the Divine Muse of Creativity and will support you in respecting organization (you would never leave piles of papers and messy supplies in a temple or church, right?).
• Clear and organize your head and heart! A clear mind (meditate!) and a light heart (forgive, feel, express, release held energy) support a present, clear physical space.
• Use efficient systems to track paperwork, files and store supplies and items.
• Keep storage systems out of sight. If possible, use a closet, cabinet or even a bamboo screen for keeping boxes, bins, file drawers out of your line of sight.
  
• Every week clear out any extra clutter that has accumulated in your work space.
  
• Keep a running list of goals and action items so that the energy of your art/writing/creativity keeps moving. Creative blocks create eddies of messes and disorganization. So keep your flow current and in motion.
• Cultivate Clarity and Focus in your work. Clarity breeds Cleanliness. Focus breeds Organization. In fact, I find that they are bi-directional! They are interdependent.
• Love yourself, Love your life, Create beauty. This one should speak for itself.

I'd love to hear from other readers who are lovers of organization and inspired work spaces.
Give us your fave tips! Thanks! One Love!