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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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It's spring and green shoots are breaking through the muddy ground and moving toward the light. New growth is everywhere. Last Saturday in the Down to Earth Studio we did our own version of breaking and emerging to let the light shine in. Eleven of us gathered around the table in the studio...read more here  ...
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In the past I jokingly referred to myself an art doula when explaining my role in teaching and facilitating. "I'm sort of a birthing doula for artists," I'd say, "encouraging and supporting them through the process." Then, I realized it's not a joke. I AM an art doula! I am there by your side to coach you through birthing your creative ideas out into the world. I even had it added to my business card: "Glenda Goodrich, Mixed Media Artist, Art Doula, SoulCollage® Facilitator." What exactly is a doula?... Read more ...
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First of all, thank you for joining me on this creative journey. Thank you for reading my newsletters, coming to my art and SoulCollage(r) workshops, and for buying my art. Because of you, I have had an amazing 2018. And because of you, I am able to fulfill my heart's desire to make art and share my gifts with others through teaching. How can it be year end already? I sit back and look at the 2018 as another chapter in a book that tells the story of who I am, and how I am creating myself. I invite you to think about the 2018 chapter in the book of your life. Better yet, I'd love to hear about your year and witness your dreams for 2019! Come and join me for one of the new year workshops I am offering in January (more info on "workshops" page of this website) 2018 has been full and fulfilling. My wonderful astrologer, Carol Ferris, told me in my last reading that I am in a full-sun cycle, and I felt that this year, in spades! I wanted to put into place every good idea I had...and I practically did! I felt the ...
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At the September SoulCollage® gatherings in The Down to Earth Studio, we took the concept of Kintsugi, finding beauty in broken things (What is Kintsugi?), and applied it to SoulCollage®. The results were stunning, both visually and in the way it opened up our hearts and souls for deeper connection with one another. It still brings tears to my eyes when I reflect on what we shared together. I took a chance with this idea of Kintsugi for SoulCollage®, not at all sure whether it would work. I was soon reassured by the openness and willingness of the 17 women who came together for this unique experience. It was a gentle reminder to trust my instincts. Thank you, beautiful spirits, for making lastFriday a memorable day. Here are some photos of the cards we made, tore apart, and mended with gold ...
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I have a wall hanging in my home that says "The earth says much to those who listen," and I believe it's true because I've experienced it through many hours spent in intimacy with the natural world, listening and paying attention. If you stop and think about it, you probably have too. When you look out at a glorious sunset or see a sweeping vista of mountains and your heart aches a little in joy and melancholy, that's your connection to the voice of the earth. more... ...
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