Excited to announce the info for the next Spirit Weavers Gathering! Join us May 22nd ~ May 26th on a beautiful piece of land outside of Joshua Tree, California. Sign up for the mailing list on the Spirit Weavers Gathering website and then check back for detailed information as well as teacher and work trade applications on the new moon on March 1st. Ticket sales and registration will open April 1st. Calling in the sisterhood for this ceremonial journey! Deep bow to Amy of Daughter of the Sun for following her heart and bringing this gathering forth into the world. xxx
Desert Mystic
My sweet desert mystic has just announced the opening of her shop! This desert babe is selling mystical prints of her desert wanderings. Now we can all live vicariously through this magical babe and the beauty she brings forth into this world. // Visit her shop: etsy.com/AngeladelaAgua
The Art of Motherhood
I had a discussion earlier this week with some artist friends… We mused about how motherhood (parenthood) and art are almost impossible as hand in hand partners. Being a parent does not lend itself well to long stretches of quiet that allow one to truly drop into the space that is often required to let go, dive in and give space to the flow of creativity and inspiration that we artists spend our lives channeling.
After a long night of tender care-taking, of surrender to my daughter's sickness, of holding her soft mousey hair out of her tiny sweet face as she threw up into the toilet, and then onto herself and the floor, of preparing a shower, and then a bath, at too many minutes past midnight, of letting go of the needed schedule to do my 'art', of sitting in the bathroom by candlelight while she let the water fall over her, I can't help but wonder if mothering (parenting) and therefore the raising of children isn't the biggest work of art we can offer to the world.
It is necessarily a path to break you open, pour your heart in fully or not at all, give it all you got, surrender, nearly lose yourself, hate it, love it, and then send it out into the world with open arms to watch it become its own form, its own creation and take on its own life, as life itself and the world begin to interact with it and literally your work begins to take on a life of its own.
Driving alone in my truck earlier tonight, Stevie Nicks loudly leading the way with stories of crystal visions, the light of the day, of the sun's transition pulled me in. It all washed together and before I knew it the sunset had seeped into my soul, the colors of pale pinks and blues smeared gently in the sky both ahead of me and, in my rear-view mirror, behind me. How do I describe that feeling of absolute contentment that comes from a goddamn sunset? How cliché. And how deeply true. How do I describe that feeling of gratitude that comes from hearing my sick child's breath finally slow to a steady low grumble after too many mid-night wakings? That spaciousness and room to literally breathe a sigh of relief is unparalleled. How do I describe the feeling of fulfillment that comes when putting aside my solitude, my creating, my agenda, to truly be present and open to the gift that parenting gently but forcefully throws at my feet? Hell if I know.
Photo circa winter 2007.
A Little What's What.
I recently fought against my own better judgement (or maybe my own insecurities) and decided to share what I have been fleshing out for many years now: this intimate blog that I have had brewing both in my head and quietly on paper, waiting to ripen. Waiting for me to ripen and be ready to claim my voice and write, even when that also means completely getting over myself. It's time. READ MORE...
I have been fortunate enough to have been gifted with many opportunities for deep practice on standing up in the face of fear and being authentically and unabashedly me, on speaking my voice, even when I'm shaking and trembling. I have learned too that it can be specifically those times when I am shaking that there is simply no turning back, not even and not especially in the face of that fear. So here I am, it's time.
As a piece of this, I am wanting to fill it up with links to my dear ones; to friends and loves and inspiration because building community and connections and supporting one another is so big in my mind and heart right now. I'd like to ask you to take a look, and feel it out (leave comment if so inspired, I'd be THRILLED as this is seriously nerve-wracking for this here girl- I do NOT like to be the center of attention, even online, apparently). Then, if you have a site or blog and after reading through mine feel like they could be complimentary, send me a message to mama@pioneerbabe.com and let's swap links to our sites. As you can see, I started with my girl Brooke and her lovely meal planning at Balance Within Nutrition, and will go from there. I have a ridiculously entrepreneurial brain and loads of inspiration with sometimes (lots of times) a little (MAJOR) lack of follow through. (*ahem* Oh hello six planets in libra + tons in sagittarius + an aries moon. But also, I'm a mama.)
Pioneer Babe is a (slightly adapted) nickname coined by my dad years ago when he came to visit Isa and I at our cabin in the mountain town of Jamestown (outside of Boulder). I was soaking beans, and making kale chips and doing all the sorts of domestic + nutritional bits that were a common and necessary part of my day, and that I loved so dearly. But, as the dad of a single mama (me) struggling with supporting myself and having enough time for... anything and everything, he teased me, calling me 'Pioneer Woman' and begging me (gently) to be willing to take some shortcuts to simplify my life.
Pioneer Babe grew out of that visit of his, a camping trip we all took together, and my reflection on why exactly it was that these important aspects of my life that indeed can be time consuming (and require planning) WERE in fact essential to who I was then and who I am now. This is essentially my effort to tie together all the wayward and un-tameable parts of me as I explore and attempt to define all these aspects of myself. I want to do it ALL and this is a space for me to make peace with that as I am redefining to myself how I can do what it is that truly inspires me AND not only support myself and my little one, but also to deeply thrive.
On the bus. Santa Cruz. Spring 2012.
Guerilla Grafters.
This morning, right before I spoke with a dear inspired woman in my life, I was waiting for my computer to charge so I could connect on Skype, and I stumbled onto the website for the Guerilla Grafters project. I got giddy. I signed up immediately. And posted it to my facebook page, and implored people: "Who wants to do this?! Let's do this!" so... Who wants to do this?! Let's do this! READ MORE...
To me this project ties in so sweetly with the Found Fruit groups happening throughout the Bay and beyond, where people organize a map (often times in their minds) of all the local trees (both public and private) that are either offered (in the case of private land) or left to rot (in the case of public land) and then groups of people who are wanting to forage and harvest fruit and other edible plants head out one or two times a week to the various spots that have been chosen and harvest together. Then the food is being put to use (canning/fermenting/baking) by people who are able and wanting to do it, and the people who have the food but either not the ability or the will to eat it all before it goes to waste, both come away benefiting from this communal food project.
Check out the Guerrila Crafters, and let's get to it. From their website:
The Guerrilla Grafters graft fruit bearing branches onto non-fruit bearing, ornamental fruit trees. Over time, delicious, nutritious fruit is made available to urban residents through these grafts. Our web application helps grafters to find graftable trees, to track how grafts are doing, and helps to facilitate gleaning of fruit. It is built by a laterally organized group using all open source code. We aim to prove that a culture of care can be cultivated from the ground up. We aim to turn city streets into food forests, and unravel civilization one branch at a time.
Because I am personally so excited and inspired by ideas like this and how to implement them starting from scratch, and in communities that might not be familiar with food foraging and/or swapping I am thinking about the presentation and wording that would most feel inviting and inspiring. What are your first thoughts when you hear about Guerilla Grafters or Fruit Harvesting groups?