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The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest ~ Sir Thomas Moore ~


hOMe is where the heART is …


Showing posts with label mindfulness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mindfulness. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

whispering ancient wisdom ...


how did you know what I needed to hear?
whispering ancient wisdom into my ear.
how did you sense my need to learn more?
everyday I have a longing to know more than the day before.
thank you,
dear one,
for entrusting in me 🙏🏻...
for always opening my ears & my eyes to the beauty 🍃🌿
helping me
to hear and to see.
reminding this crone
she is never alone ✨
~deb dunn~
one walk through the woods
fills my head {and heart}
with images & words ...
and while Mr .Crow may have been my only companion as I walked
his beauty and presence was enough to stir my imagination x 

Saturday, January 6, 2018

catching dreams ...

Walking through the woods with Archer ... on a very cold January afternoon, the beauty of our surroundings kept me from thinking of the cold {although I was thankful for my warm jacket, hat, gloves and boots which allowed me to stay out longer}
"Like walking a dream" crossed my mind amongst the tall trees as snowflakes danced in the air.
Each snowflakes pattern could be seen on Archers beautiful black fur...
Oh how I adore January and this sacred walking space ...
I held my hand out, palm up to gather a scattering of falling flakes ... dream catcher ...
& then I thought ...
How often do/have  we place our dreams in the hands of others?
Here's to being our own dream catcher!
***
Little girls with dreams
become women with vision

"Your dreams are a poetic reflection
of your soul's wishes.
Be courageous enough
to follow them"
~Dr. Steve Maraboli~

If your dreams don't scare you
maybe they're not big enough!

"Never settle.
Fight for 
the life
the career
the dreams
the love
that you deserve"
~Mandy Hale~

Happy Dreaming!
d x





Tuesday, January 2, 2018

New Year ... New Painting ...

Happy New Year 
***
I have so many ideas for paintings
{and like my guiding word, they are just waiting to flow ...}
I am so  looking forward to painting my thoughts & dreams & visions
& seeing them come to life on paper.
Santa knows me well {and I must have been on his 'good girl' list
as lots of new brushes, paints and paper were under the Christmas tree for me this year.
~Walking Hibernation~
the first painting of 2018
polar bear & yearling cub, trees, ice & frosty branches, moon wisdom, nature loving woman, cloudy blue skies ...
mixed with lots of love and gratitude
"Silent world,
I find myself,
glad no one hears my thoughts.
In dark cocoon, I hibernate,
yet spirit spills every thought.
A second chance to try again.
The risks I know too well.
Two sunsets
turning into six~
awaits tomorrows will"
~Giroge Leedy~

Sunday, December 31, 2017

guiding word for the new year ...

~Happy New Years Eve~
For the past few years I've been starting the  New Year with  a  Guiding word ...

I will see the word in the most unexpected places {over and over again}
 & it will resonate with me. 
 Some years I  wonder when my word will appear :-D
For 2017, the  word OPEN/OPENING  appeared over & over again
  leaving no doubt that it was my word.
And it certainly was!!
Live Open ... it was a year that showed me where I "get stuck" being the over thinker that I am :-D
Those lessons learnt have brought me to my 2018 guiding word 
a word that came to me so quickly
it appeared
everywhere
and over and over again.
It felt right the moment I spotted it...
I am ready ...
I would nod each time I saw the word...
ahhh, yes, that's my word I would think ... there it is again ... 
~flow~
the "rooted" resister in me is ready to also flow x
I am rooted
but I flow
"Be still
like a mountain
and flow
like a great river"
~Lao Tzu~
***
"Life is a series
of natural and spontaneous changes.
Don't resist them ~
that only creates sorrow.
Let reality
be reality.
Let things flow naturally forward
in whatever way they like"
~Lao Tzu~
"You're thinking too much,
just let it flow"
~E. Paluszak~
The River of Life has no meaning, no good, no bad,
no better, no worse, no love, no hate, no fear, no anger, no joy.
The River of Life has no judgment, no expectation.
The River of Life just IS.
There is nothing to do.
There is nothing to say.
There is nothing to think.
There is nothing to feel.
The River just flows.
The River is the source of all nourishment -
the source of all obstacles.
The River is the source of all life - the source of all death.
The River is the source of all joy - and the source of all sorrow.
Yet the River has no joy - and the River has no sorrow.
The River is just the River.
One can flow harmoniously with the River -
or one can struggle fearfully against the River -
and the River just flows.
One can accept the River - or one can deny the River -
and the River just flows.
One can worship the River of Life - or one can curse the River of Life -
and the River just flows.
There is nothing to do - and the River flows.
There is nothing to say - and the River flows.
There is nothing to think - and the River flows.
There is nothing to feel - and the River flows.
The River flows - and all else is our drama.
The River flows - and all else is our invention.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

the woods, the wind & the wild ...

With all the busyness of this magical season,
I need to carve out time for a few things ...
time to paint
& my time in the woods  :-D
Not surprisingly, the two go hand in hand for me as most of my ideas come to me as I walk quietly and mindfully  with my sweet lab Archer. Both taking in the serenity of the woods and Archer enjoying off leash time where he can walk and wander {though he never strays too far from my side}.
Time with the trees, the birds {such sweet bird song being the only sounds heard}, a gentle breeze on my cheeks, crisp ground under my feet, and when I am really lucky, the occasional rabbit and deer
~ bliss xo
As I walked the woods the other day, I could picture in my mind this painting ...
I was walking the painting ...
and feeling the words ...

She needs this quiet time. Bringing her thoughts & worries to the woods 🌲the wind * the wild 🍃🌿. With each gust of wind & drift of snow ❄️she feels the cobwebs 🕸loosen & clear from her mind. Her eyes watering from the cold, she closes them, each blink bringing clarity 🙏🏻. The trees stand strong. The birds sing. The animals rest. She feels at peace. Surrounded by love and her connection to the woods, the wind & the wild. x ~ my love for the woods, wind & wild in a painting
peace & love,
deb


Thursday, December 7, 2017

thankful {things I love} thursday ...

"I love getting older.
My understanding deepens.
I can see what connects.
I can weave stories of experience and apply them.
I can integrate the lessons.
Things simply become more and more fascinating.
Beauty reveals itself in thousands of forms"
~Victoria Erickson~
Sparrow Studio Altar
~thankful {things I love} Thursday ~ 
music 
a gentle smudge of sparrow studio
candles lit
... tons of ideas & projects floating around in my head

my little studio altar
grounds me the moment I walk into my little sparrow studio
I light candles
put on music
and spend a few moment to settle in 
before I begin
I make a few changes seasonally
but some things remain the same, like my gratitude jar
... a small slip of paper is added daily of one thing I am thankful for that day x
painted leaves, bark and feathers
anyone who knows me 
knows how much I adore quotes.
I had the idea for a while to paint a little quote keeper box.
smudge sticks created from my own garden
have dried beautifully
treasures to watch over me

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

for the secret of the sea ...

"Till my soul is full of longing
for the secret of the sea.
And the heart of the great Ocean
sends a thrilling pulse
through me"
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~
***
I think my heart skips a beat when I find heart shaped sea glass ... it is like stumbling upon a love note washed up and waiting for you to find xo
Walking along the lake this past weekend, gathering sea glass as I walked and thought, this came to me ... Each piece of sea glass makes me think ... 
What man has discarded, nature heals and returns. It may take years and many ebbs and flows,  but when it returns, it is more beautiful than ever!
Reading Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindberg again.
One of my favourite books.
"Patience, patience, patience
is what the sea teaches.
Patience and faith.
One should lie
empty, open, choiceless as a beach -
waiting for a gift from the sea"
~Anne Morrow Lindbergh~
"Because there's nothing more beautiful
than the way the ocean
refuses to stop kissing the shoreline,
no matter how many times
it's sent away"
~Sarah Kay~
*the black blotch in the photos is my lovely lab Archer's head ... my Velcro dog & beach walking partner  ... I could have edited the photos, but I think he adds to the lovely~ness * xo
~hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday~

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

lake Ontario love ♥ ...

"She had the Spirit
of the Sun
the Moods
of the Moon
the Will
of the Wind"
~Julie Cantrell~
I am forever grateful to live in such a beautiful corner of the world ♥
daily walks along lake Ontario fill my heart and soul
with serenity and gratitude
watching the boats
the waves ... they were crashing this morning...
the salty scent from the water and the sound of waves raising
as I walked absorbing her energy & giving her mine
seeing "images" in driftwood
and watching the blades of grass sway
wild flowers
reaching for the sun
they know what to do
sweet sitting {meditation} spot

flocks of geese
carved paths luring me towards the sand ... time for some
barefoot walking :-D
"Make your heart
like a lake,
 with a calm, still surface,
and great depths of kindness"
~Lao Tzu~

Friday, August 25, 2017

An occasional glance ...

I've been working on a few abstract pieces in my sparrow studio, going back and forth, adding and observing.
Setting them aside ... returning again ...
Turning the paper and getting excited seeing the  little glimpses of images appearing ...
Nothing in mind as I paint and swirl the luscious colours about ...
so freeing and utterly enjoyable... just me and the paint.
Often, the brushes are moved to one side and it is all "hands on" ... cool paint on my fingertips, covering the sheet of paper ~ bliss!

And with each happy "find" I smile as there is always, undoubtedly, a bird, somewhere amongst the swirls :-D
This little white treasure appeared from my fingertips ♥
Wondering where it will take me today...

"Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain.
An occasional glance towards the summit
keeps the goal in mind,
but many beautiful scenes are to be observed
from each new vantage point"
~Harold B Melchart~

Have a wonderful weekend
d xo 

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

...Thankful for  all the little treasures on my sparrow studio altar
Art
for me
is like
breathing
"Art enable us
to find ourselves
and lose ourselves
at the same time"
~Thomas Merton~

"If you ask me
what I came to do in this world,
I, an artist, will answer you:
I am here
to live
out loud"
~Emile Zola~


"Artists feel what they're carrying and feel it vividly.
In order to make their art
they must find their edges
and soften there.
Art {like love} was never about safety.
To love an artist
is to fall into a sea
of deep
soulful
courageous
wild living"
~Victoria Erikson~
sweet grass tea lights
"I am an instrument
in a shape
of  a woman"
~Adrienne Rich~

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Thankful {things I love} Thursday ...

"You know that moment
first thing in the morning
and you open the window,
and you are flooded with the senses
of life,
birdsong,
fresh air,
sunbeams,
nature in all her glory...
it's just so sacred.
It's the life-bird
and she's singing the sweetest song.
She's reminding us
of what it is like to be alive.
Don't forget her song today.
Don't become so busy you can't hear it anymore.
Feeling alive today,
make that your focus.
Because we deserve to dance our days away.
Because we deserve to feel alive"
~S.C. Lourie~