Dreaming Awake the Goddess

The highlight of my week has been an art/planning date with the energy power house that is Carol Newmarch

Carol and I are going to be running a series of Goddess workshops and we really needed to get down to business and do some planning.  We also needed to get to know each other's way of working as we haven't facilitated a workshop together before. 

So we decided on an art date/planning session. 

Productive!

Creative!

The best idea!  

Work but fun!!

Highly recommended - right brain planning, getting to know your co-facilitator and having a laugh... (and I forgot to mention the cups of tea and party bag chocolate buttons, thanks Carol)...

I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon.

For those of you who live in the north east of the UK, the first of these goddess workshops, Dreaming Awake the Goddess, is on Sunday 30th March - and you can sign up here to be kept in the loop about in person workshops in the UK.

How do you run your planning or business sessions?  Or your team meetings? Wouldn't it be great if big biz did this?

From my heart to yours

Rachel xox

ps don't forget - if you would like to be kept in the loop about my upcoming ecourse - sign up here and for in person workshops here xxx

And the launch of 21 Secrets 2014 is drawing closer - more details over here xxx

Imbolc blessings to you

 It's the 2nd February - Imbolc or Candlemas or Brigid's Day - bright blessings to you.

Today is the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It is the day we celebrate the small signs that Spring is approaching; snowdrops, hyacinth and crocuses blooming, daffodils in bud. These all herald the return of the Goddess. (Not that she ever left here...)

I'm chuckling a little to myself as I write this because this is a Fire festival (!!) and Brigid is another Fire goddess.

Brigit is Lady of the Sacred Flame, the Flame of Inspiration, the Flame of Creative Consciousness. Her bright, fiery energy is the energy of creation. She is patroness of all creatives - poets, writers, metal workers and crafts people. She encourages us to tap into our own inspiration and our own creative power. Brigit reminds us that we are connected always to Divine Inspiration and the creative Source.

I started this painting on the Solstice; family time at Christmas and a busy January with my other business meant that it has been neglected. But inspired by Brigit this weekend, I have reconnected with the fiery red energy. It feels so luscious and rich and I'm ready to finish this painting and its sister canvas that I started at the same time.

It's still winter outside but Brigit's energy brings brings hope, renewed enthusiasm, renewal, and new beginnings; Whichever way your spirituality lies, today, whatever the weather, take a walk and look for those small signs of the goddess - perhaps some green shoots appearing or snowdrops in bloom.

And to honour Brigit's fire, llight candles around your home tonight and celebrate with her.

I'm off to Yorkshire Sculpture Park with my beloved for this week's art date to marvel at the Henry Moore's and see the Angie Lewin exhibition.  But also to look for celandines and crocus and the goddess.

From my goddess heart to yours

Rachel xox

ps don't forget you can read all about my Glorious Goddess course for 21 Secrets here

fire in the hold

I hope you are settling into 2014. I've just got time today to squeeze in my (very belated) New Year wishes to you.  And it is The Chinese New Year today, so maybe I'm not so late after all, maybe I'm right on time! 

Welcoming in the Year of the Horse (and I surely am in for the ride) - Gung Hai Faat Choi! May this year be full of prosperity, wealth, health and happiness! May your rice bowl always be full!! (Stealing this from my lovely friend Tina Fu.)

January is usually a slow time of year for me - and as I live in the north east of the UK, this is just as it should be; we are still in the depths of winter. It should be hibernation time - and that is partly how I feel, I just want to cosy up on these dark days, but rippling away beneath the surface, there is much activity...

I'm still dancing round the fire with Vesta.

 

The fire goddess is still informing my daily journal practice. My thought on this is that pre-Christmas and on the Solstice, Vesta was helping me to be in the moment, get cosy and stay home, but now I'm stoking the fires ready to fuel the year ahead...and there's so much coming up I really need this injection of fire energy.

I'll let you in on this activity, what's happening now, coming up and in the planning: 

• I'm preparing my Glorious Goddess workshop for 21 Secrets
• I have a series of workshops planned at the Healing Touch in Staintondale, North Yorkshire - there will be more at my home too, dates coming soon
• I'm planning a series of Goddess workshops with the energy packed Carol Newmarch - more news on that very soon too
• AND Carol has invited me to co-teach on one of her Tuscan Retreats! (I said yes!)
• last but but not least, I'm planning to write my own ecourse - if you'd like to be kept in the loop about that, please sign up here 

Phew!

How's 2014 shaping up for you? Are you still in hibernation mode? Or are you busy busy? I'd love to hear...

I'd also love to know what ecourse you'd like to see me develop. What aspects of my work would you like to know more about? Colour? The Goddess? Art journaling?

From my heart to yours
Rachel xox 

the warmth of winter

I've been winding down to the Solstice, how about you?

I wasn't winding down, I was winding myself up; at the end of last week I was feeling frazzled and stressed, plus my diary for this week was pretty full. How did that happen? But as I put out to the Universe that this run up to Christmas was all getting a bit too much, quite a few things got cancelled or re-arranged. Perhaps everyone else was feeling the same and the Universe stepped in to slow us all down (whether we were aware of it or not).

To help myself slow down, I returned to the studio for some painting time.

I've spent the last 6-9 months painting mostly in turqoise and green, so where did these reds and oranges appear from?

As we got nearer to the Solstice, I realised these fiery colours are for Vesta, goddess of hearth and home. This is what I needed, to draw close to home, light the candles and snuggle up cosy. This season is about the Home, being close to dear ones, and, at the time of the longest night, welcoming the return of the Light.

The painting process has helped me to relax and be in the moment rather than thinking all the time about what I 'have to' achieve. The colours are warming and cosy, grounding and uplifting simultaneously. The works are still in progress but I'm enjoying them immensely.

So my Solstice celebration will mostly be in my studio, with the paints and the canvases and Vesta and her fire. Because that's another thing about the Solstice, which celebrates the victory of the light over the dark - it symbolises bringing Light to our own potential - lighting our own fire... Come on baby...

How are you celebrating this Festival of Light? You're welcome here - I've got mulled wine and mince pies and Jim Morrison's on the iPod.

I wish you a cosy one...

From my heart to yours

Rachel xox

ps don't forget, my Goddess Inspirations Yearbook is on sale and the first month is free :-)

Gallery TS1 Winter Selling Exhibition

I'm so excited! 

For the first time since 1986 I have some paintings in a gallery!!

 Here's one of my framed small works on paper - Magenta Goddesses - in the window of Gallery TS1, Middlesbrough.

Gallery TS1 is an artist run gallery selling high quality, fresh, affordable arts and crafts by emerging and established local artists.

I have on show six little paintings and some small works on paper all inspired by the goddess.   

Here's a little video about the exhibition created by Victoria E A Dektereff, one of the other gallery artists http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OPYUwkvNPc&feature=youtu.be

For those of you who live locally, the gallery is located at 57 Corporation Road, Middlesbrough TS1 1LT. The exhibition opens tomorrow (Saturday 7th December) and runs until the end of the month.

Join us on Saturday 7th December for a mince pie celebration and support your local artists and artisans by buying your gifts from them!  Everyone welcome!

From my heart to yours

Rachel xox

ps Don't forget to check out my Goddess Yearbook 2014 - you can sign up for a free extract!