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We are in the aftermath of emotional turmoil and great losses from the wildfires that raged here in the Pacific Northwest over the last several days. I thought something upbeat might be welcomed. So, here it is, a bit of happy news to share with you from my Down to Earth Studio. Maybe this newsletter will somehow help you keep your heart open to possibility. Read more... ...
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"Are we there yet? How much longer?" Who doesn't recognize these questions from impatient children in the backseat of the car when the journey is long and tedious. That's how I'm feeling five months into The Big P. How about you? I have my routines and not all of it is unpleasant, quite the contrary in fact. I feel blessed and fortunate in so many ways. But, I also feel deeply nostalgic for the good old days of gathering together and creating art, leading retreats at Breitenbush, and long, close hugs from friends. I wonder how much longer it will be before we can feel comfortable together in person again? read more... ...
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I've always loved my home, but lately I appreciate her even more because of The Great Pause (the pandemic). I have stayed home more in the last few months than ever before in all the sixty-eight years of my life. Being home has deepened my gratitude for my humble abode. And the pièce de résistance, down in the basement of my house, is the santuary where I spend hours creating art and crafts -- GG's Down to Earth Studio. Your response to the May newsletter invitation to send me your art tells me many of you have been busy creating, too. I miss having you here with me in the studio, but love that you have sent me your creations for this months' newsletter. So, without any further ado, it is will great pleasure that I announce...(ta-ta-da-daaaa!)... read more ...
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First of all, thank you to all my friends and family members who have been reaching out and checking on me. I feel your love and I am grateful. Second, I miss you! Since I'm not offering any classes right now I miss having my tribe of creatives here in the studio. I look forward to when I can greet you again -- maybe even give you a hug. Imagine that...a hug! You are my peeps and my heart overflows with love and appreciation for you. In the meantime, I'm reaching out to stay connected with you and share some of the art that I've been creating during this time. Yes, we are definitely all in this together. Even the rugged individualists who resisted the idea can't deny it now. We always knew it was true, but perhaps never more than now, as we live through the epic story of Corona 2020. Click here to read more: https://conta.cc/39n5oF1 ...
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Last year something extraordinary happened. During a shamanic ceremony I received what I can only describe as a calling -- a clear message from an entity greater than myself beckoning me to set aside fear and uncertainty and step up my game. Read more ...
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It's become an annual tradition for me to reflect back over the past year before launching into the next one. I enjoy looking back to see how the events and experiences that occurred through year fit into the bigger story of my life. What are your highlights from this past year? What memories do you want to hold onto? I hope you'll enjoy reading about my top 10 highlights or 2019. I'd love to hear about yours, too! Connecting With You Through Art Art is always a source of joy for me and I spend lots of time creating alone in The Down to Earth Studio. But bringing people together to create art and SoulCollage(r) in community and witnessing the unfolding of your personal creativity makes my heart dance. It's what I do! It's why I call myself an Art Doula. Thank you for coming to my workshops and gatherings this past year. I truly believe we make the world a better place by creating art and SoulCollage(r), especially when we do it together! Kintsugi Bowl Breaking and Mending Workshops (A tribute to Tammy) In January I worked with Tammy Morley Jamieson to plan a series of Kintsugi workshops we would co-facilitate together in 2019. Tammy hand-built 60 ...
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Nine beautiful souls came together in the Down to Earth Studio yesterday for a deep celebration of "Kintsugi - Breaking and Mending - Where Grief, Gratitude and Beauty Coexist." I so love facilitating this ceremony. The energy of this gathering was palpable - each woman sharing her story, her love, her broken heart - and, you could feel the healing taking place as the bowls were broken and mended with gold. When Spirit called me to start offering breaking and mending workshops I didn't realize how meaningful this ceremony would be for participants and for myself. I was told by my guides that, if I could find the courage to bring people together in this way and help hearts open to grief, gratitude and beauty, I would be supported by unseen powerful energies. It has proven true - each workshop gets deeper and deeper with more laughter, more tears, more a feeling of belonging to this world. We are all on this journey together, all the pain and all the joy. Let's come together, hear our stories, and support one another along the way. A-ho! Blessed be! Sat Nam! and Amen! ...
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12 Stations of the Vision Quest Rebuilding My Communion With Spirit Through Nature When I was a child sitting in the pew at St. David's, I was intrigued by the small illustrations of the 12 Stations of the Cross that hung on the walls of the church. The paintings were colorful, detailed depictions of the path Jesus traveled on the day of his crucifixion. I think I was more interested in the paintings themselves than the subject matter, but whatever the reason, I liked studying those pictures and the story of Jesus's journey on the last day of his life. Read more ...
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 It was August of 2005, and I was on my second vision quest. I sat in the shade of a old juniper tree in the Inyo Wilderness, across from my vision quest guide, Anne. "I don't know why I've been crying ever since I got here," I said. "I'm usually a really happy person and there's nothing I can think of to be so sad about."  More ...
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Solstice Soul Renewal Breitenbush Retreat 2019 It might have been because the weather was spectacular, or the food was extra yummy. Could have been the labyrinth ceremony or the love letters that our SoulCollage(r) cards wrote to us. Or, maybe it was because just the right combination of kindred spirits came together. Whatever the reason, the 2019 Solstice Soul Renewal SoulCollage(r) Retreat was epic!  Maybe I say that every year, but it really did feel extraordinary. The witness circle was powerful and the sharing was deep. Every experience brought us closer to ourselves and to one another. We felt the presence of the ancestors with us as we drummed and rattled and received sound baths from Ann Christensen's  shamanic voice. We spent reflective time out on the land noticing how nature mirrors our own internal landscape -- Earth my body, Water my blood, Air my breath, and Fire my spirit. We held our cards and walked the labyrinth with prayers for integration and inspiration. We closed the retreat in a ceremony where each woman, one by one, stood in the center of the circle and declared what was emerging from within her. Then, we cheered, hooted and howled in celebration  -- May it be so! Blessed be! A-ho! I loved facilitating this retreat. The more I ...
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