Living an Empowered Life

Ten years ago I travelled abroad for the first time in my life. It was my first journey outside my country of birth, and an eye opener.

Seeing my own culture through the eyes of others was, and continues to be, a very good experience.

I remember as I was planning my trip then, I envisioned what it would be like on my journey. I listened to music from that region of the world, to set the mood so to speak. I read guide books, and talked to others who had lived and visited the same areas.

It prepared me, and yet the experience itself was uniquely my own. No other person's experience was quite the same.

Life is like that, n'est pas? We can listen to other people's experiences, and yes there are similarities. For we are all connected, interconnected.

And our own experiences in life are uniquely our own.

So if we are "planning" our life journeys -- creating our ultimate realities, manifesting our destinies -- then why don't we all plan happy, successful ones, filled to the brim and overflowing with love?

Ah, that is the $64,000 question for the day.

We are what we think.

Powerful thoughts for your day --

"There is always reason to be optimistic. Enjoy life!" Dr. James Ephraim Lovelock

"My life is glorious, joyful and self-empowered."

"I am living an empowered life over which I have absolute control."

Faith, Hope and Taking Chances

Some men search for it all their lives.
Some look a long time, some look a short time.
Some choose not to look for it at all
and thus lose hope and faith in life.

All of us want it, yet some will not take the chance
to find it.
For them, the risk means pain
and that is a price they will not pay.

It finds all that take the chance
to look for it.
Once found, a wise man pays the price to keep it.
For the true kind is the best and the one
worth all the risk.

Once found, it will bring pure joy, add hope, chase away all
doubts and fears, and bring light to the dark.
And it does not ask for a thing.

The warmth it gives can be spread -
a gift to all that will take it, and share it.
It can bond all men as one, if they let it.
It has the strength to end all wars, stop plagues and droughts.

What a shame that all the world does not know it, for it will
share with young and old, rich and poor, black and white.
The risk is so small, and the gain is so great.
Yet some are still blind to its ways.

What a day it will be -
When the whole world finds love.

by Teri Leigh Teed

Independence Day

Today we celebrate 232 years of independence in America. It is a time for reflection on what is important in our lives -- the freedom to do and be what we wish, and to spend time with the ones we love. And to honor those who have helped to give us and keep that freedom.

We celebrate the gifts that freedom brings to us. And give thanks for that which was penned so eloquently over two centuries ago by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence.

"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

The internet blesses us with easy access to so many gifted writers that bestow their loving and caring thoughts through their blogs, emails and other mediums. All of us are conduits for grace, for Spirit.

One of my favorite lightbearers and authors, Kate Nowak, (www.bettertobless.com) sent a beautiful message today that included this thought.

"Imagine a world where everyone is blessed by the presence of everyone else. Just imagine how beautiful such a world would be."

The freedom to create our own realities is what Spirit gifts to each one of us. This is the freedom of our imaginations, our thoughts. And another of my favorite lightbearers/authors has written about this subject. Adrian Cooper continues to bless us with his book, "Our Ultimate Reality" (www.ourultimatereality.com).

Blessings to you and your families and friends on this Fourth of July. May love, peace, happiness and joy fill and surround you all.

Pax et Bonum

I was remembering today about visits to my paternal grandmother, Nana. When my cousins and I were children, we were always excited about waking up each morning at Nana's house because she had a fairy tree in the woods.

This famous fairy tree was, and still is, a lovely dogwood tree with a hollowed out place where the tree trunk split early in its life. Every morning when we were visiting with Nana, we would hurry excitedly out to the fairy tree to see what presents the fairy left the night before while we slept.

What a magical thing to imprint on the mind of children! Roaming the woods near Nana's home, it was a safe place, a happy place. Here we could commune with Nature. I'm so grateful for that magic she brought into our lives.

A few months ago, a friend gave me a garden fairy figure that now graces my living room. A collection of flower fairies prints compliments it.

Today, I still enjoy my times in Nature. Watching the birds and squirrels frolic in my garden each day, and taking walks in the Congaree Swamp or along the Columbia Canal, brings me much peace and happiness.

St. Francis used the words "Pax et Bonum", "Peace and Goodness", in his writings. Small wonder that I find such comfort in the words of St. Francis, renowned for his love of Nature and the animal kingdom.

On that note, I'll leave you with a small present from St. Bernard. And all our friends in Nature.

"You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters."

St. Bernard (Bernard of Clairvaux) - Epistle, French Abbot and Saint

Bridled Glory for Eight Belles

Last week I sent an email to a friend and former client who works in New York City. I asked Rich for his permission to post one of his poems.

When I was working at Churchill Downs, Rich was one of my clients who purchased tickets to the Kentucky Derby. Now he's a racehorse owner in his own right, and doing very well.

Little did I know what this past weekend would bring. My Mom and I were set to attend the Kentucky Derby, and those plans were changed at the last minute. I'm glad we did not go this year as the brave filly, Eight Belles, raced the last time in her young life.

Many heroes die young on this Earth.

For some reason, the poem by John Donne, "For Whom the Bell Tolls", came to my mind today. In Donne's poem, which was taken from a passage in his 1624 Meditation 17, from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, he writes "no man is an island entire of itself. Each is a piece of the continent.... each man's death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind."

Life here on Earth is about change -- death and rebirth, chaos and peace. Eight Belles' passing is sad, and she is missed. I send her and all her connections peace and love.

In honor of Eight Belles, here is Rich Ciarletta's "Bridled Glory". It seems a very fitting tribute, indeed.

"Bridled Glory"

O' what gift we have received that only God could have perceived.
Atop a power which lives through time:
Behind a flaming mane that yearns to fly,
And rippled legs that churn on High.
Do we know the power which we have harnessed.
Does it know, itself, the legend it possesses??
Of these I am not sure, though I am certain
That we have been given a gift from Heaven.

Rich Ciarletta

Springtime in my Garden

"The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden,
Than anywhere else on earth."
~ Dorothy Frances Gurney


It's springtime in the South, and sitting in my Charleston style garden is a glorious experience. The sun is shining brightly today, and there's a gentle, cool breeze.

All is right with the world.

Sipping a cup of tea and admiring Nature's splendor and abundance inspires happiness.

Everything is green and verdant and the birds awaken me each morning with their enchanting melodies. It's the time of year that brings hope to everyone.

Mother Earth is changing her robes and revealing the lively colors of her character. Perhaps you, too, feel the livelier side of your character!

I've had the opportunity to travel quite a bit lately, and it's a joy to relax on this Sunday afternoon and give thanks.

Thanking our Creator for this heavenly day, and sending peace and love to you all.

May the good fairies inhabit your garden, and may joy and happiness reign in your life.

"I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won; there have been tyrants... and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end they always fall." Mahatma Gandhi

Healing Springs

While walking along life's path, I had the good fortune to visit and photograph an ancient Native American site, Healing Springs, in my home state of South Carolina.

This tranquil event started a smoldering fire of ideas, a serendipitous occasion coming on the heels of recently completing a Reiki I course, and led me to assemble my photographic art of treasured places collected during my life's travels. Hence, the start of a new venture, photographic art, and new photographic art is being added as my life journey continues.

I have always had a fascination for vintage cameras and films, so moving into photography seems a natural progression of my career from the corporate world to the art world, in essence a full circle for me. As a child, art came naturally to me through drawing, painting, writing, and needlework. Moving to London several years ago to study decorative and fine art and historic architecture at Sotheby's and the University of Buckingham, and living and traveling in other parts of Europe, reconnected me to that creative passion which had long since become an ember.

It is my profound belief that there are many mystical places on our wonderful planet that possess the power to heal, to reconnect us to our right balance physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Sometimes the seemingly ordinary, seen in detail or in a different light, can open us to the possibilities that surround us. We need only to open our hearts and minds and our eyes will find them.

My sincere hope is that my personal artworks, written and photographic, will help you find your own inner peace, and perhaps bring a remembrance of who you are.