☄️Breaking News Announcement📻

I am taking a break (possibly permanently) from this New Moon Blog.*

At this time when there is so much breaking news about what is breaking down in the world, I am paying attention to what is broken or breaking in my life as well.

I love writing for you and am greatly appreciative of the time you have taken to read my words over the years. In the midst of all that competes for your attention, I am honored every time you chose to read my (often overflowing and occasionally overwhelming) offerings.

"It's not you; it's me" and "you deserve better".

These clichéd lines from so many break-ups are totally true in this case!

I want with all of my heart to serve you better than I have been able to do -- despite my best efforts. Our relationship has been "complicated" and that is entirely on me. Clear, concise, simple and easy are totally contrary to my way of being!

Rather than attempting to "fix"what is broken (in this blog and my life and what is happening around me in the larger world)  I'm putting my energy into consciously and more energetically breaking old patterns and exploring what I find at those broken edges.

I always begin my writing for this blog and everything else, by scribbling on scratch paper before moving to the computer.

I make lots of copies of significant insights from my voracious consumption of library books and sometimes they later get added to my scrap paper folder. I have recently discovered this is another fun source of synchronicities. Old pages sometimes copied years in the past that I had decided I did not need anymore or were faulty copies resurface just when they are totally relevant.

So as I was scribbling about the concepts of broken and unbroken and Groundhogs and rats ** and feeling like my mission was "in pieces, in a pile on the floor, [and I had] no idea how to go forward ", I noticed that on the flip side of one of the pages was a reference to Akhilandeshvari --The Goddess of Never Not Broken.

Akhilanda derives her power from being broken: in flux, pulling herself apart, living in different, constant selves at the same time, from never becoming a whole that has limitations.

But this isn’t the kind of broken that indicates weakness and terror.
It’s the kind of broken that tears apart all the stuff that gets us stuck in toxic routines, repeating the same relationships and habits over and over, rather than diving into the scary process of trying something new and unfathomable. **

In pieces, in a pile on the floor, with no idea how to go forward, your expectations of the future are meaningless. Your stories about the past do not apply. You are in flux, you are changing, you are flowing in a new way, and this is an incredibly powerful opportunity to become new again: to choose how you want to put yourself back together. Confusion can be an incredible teacher—how could you ever learn if you already had it all figured out?

Well, maybe you can't relate. Perhaps all in your life is clear and solid, but confusion has certainly been my teacher for a while now!

Also, I love that this Goddess rides a crocodile. 🐊

 Crocodiles "pluck their prey from the banks of the river, take it into the water, and spin it until it is disoriented. They whirl that prey like a dervish seeking God, they use the power of spin rather than brute force to feed themselves." They also represent the reptile brain from which our fear emanates.

I have been twirling like a dervish almost every single day for nearly 10 years in the wild beauty  of Nature--dancing and spinning my (nearly constant and often severe) lifelong fears into nourishing gratitude and joy.

I have also been reading, writing, photographing, connecting and serving in as many ways as I can --as best I know how. AND working on practical survival by taking as many jobs as I can find!

I have not given up on this mission that grabbed me in it's jaws 10 years ago. Sparks & Leaps has been, and continues to be, my greatest longing (obsession) and teacher. 

I look forward to beginning something new on a future New Moon. Maybe it will be a blog or maybe something else. 

In the meantime*, enjoy whatever lucky breaks life brings you --especially those broken places that seem anything but fortunate. As I have invited you to do so many times in these posts; look again at those potent times to see if you can discover a new story!

* I will continue to send out my Full Moon Blog to my Patreon subscribers-- with a new format starting with the next one. If you want to stay in touch with what I am up to and help support my creation process, I would be ever so grateful if you hop over to my Pareon page to check out the gifts I offer there.

** Happy Chinese New Year (Year of the Rat -1/25) and  Happy Groundhog Day, Imbolc, Candlemas (2/2) and Setsubun /Japanese Bean Day (2/3)! 

Groundhog Day is perhaps the most significant for me of all of the myriad holidays I celebrate. So I am feeling a combination of grief, disappointment, resentment, self recrimination (for once again replicating the movie of Groundhog Day with the endless repeating of same stuckness rather than creating something significant to roll out for the game of Sparks & Leaps as I had hoped and planned --see red highlted section of quote above) AND profound gratitude for the many blessings in this time of my life as well as a growing trust in myself and trust that all is unfolding in a timing that is not under my control. 

One last fun synchronicity story. As I was coming to the despairing conclusion that despite my best efforts, I was not going to be able to pull off my annual Groundhog Day offering, I decided to consult my bookshelf oracle with the question of what I should do. I closed my eyes, reached into my ever-shifting stacks of books and pulled out a book that I opened to a random page. I got Awake in the World #331 The section entitled:

"Nurture perseverance and patience". 

There were examples of several famous people who experienced multiple failures before achieving great success. I started to cry when I read "Einstein discovered the theory of relativity in a flash, but said it took him 10 years to explain it". It has been 10 years since my flash of insight (perhaps not quite as brilliant, but still pretty cool!) as well, so I am hopeful that I too will be able to eventually explain it! 

In the meantime, farewell for now!

❄️Happy Holidays From Me To You!☃️

In 2019 I turned 60. This eventful, milestone year was filled with adventures & challenges, sorrows & delights, quagmires & quantum leaps, mysteries & revelations, weighty fears (personal and collective) & sneak attacks of effervescent bliss that bubble unexpectedly and inexplicably to the surface.

My biggest take-away from the year that I want to share with you, echoes a message that I have been saying for years but that became Crystal clear to me in the midst of events like my car crash last March and a scary time involving my finances last summer. 

In both of these near cataclysmic events, the pain and fear I experienced turned into alchemical gold through my willingness to let go of trying to control and to instead trust that all would somehow be of benefit. AND to call in my team* for support in this game. 

Hanging out at the sharp broken edges of my comfort zone or in the muck of stuckness or the fog of uncertainty is not easy, and sometimes I succumb to the pressure of the extremely compelling dictates to FIX from my frantic survival conditioning.

I attempt to FIX whatever it is (fix, as in repair the "wrong and bad scary problem" or addictive fixes  --books, screens and food are my drugs of choice). But the more I can ground into the support of the Earth (my daily time in nature is nonnegotiable) and the support of my team* the better I feel and the more able I am to show up with relative grace in this increasingly precarious world.

The aforementioned Bliss Attacks as well as astonishing synchronicities increase in frequency and intensity each time I am able to courageously lean into and curiously explore that from which I wish to run or hide. Magic happens more and more!

In addition to all of that trust and magic, I took some practical measures last fall. I am now working for several families; picking up the child care hours wherever I can. All of these amazing little beings and their parents enrich my life immeasurably in so many ways!

AND the extra work and the holidays on top of of my usual overflowing activities, has meant less time creating the game of Sparks & Leaps.  

But I am ever the optimist and I am hoping that 2020 is the year Sparks & Leaps has been waiting for to SPARK a fire and LEAP out into the world in a big way.

I also hope that your most precious dream comes true in the New Year and that your holiday season is filled with the gifts you most need (,even if not always ones you would have asked for! 😉)

Much love, gratitude and blessings to you for your (belated) Solstice, Saturnalia  Festivus (or Nestivus if you are an introvert), Hanukkah, Christmas (or Eclipsemas, since there was an eclipse either yesterday or today, depending on your location), Boxing Day, Kwanza, New Years, Hogmany or whatever you celebrate at this time of the returning light!

FOR MY BELOVED PATREON SUPPORTERS: In the last Full Moon Blog, I told you that I was going to make it a 2 part post and finish in this New Moon Blog. But I decided that even divided in half, it was going to be too long for a post in the middle of the busy holiday season. I will, however, continue to explore the topic of truth and beliefs in future posts, so stay tuned! And although most of your offerings are so tiny you might think they hardly matter, allow me to assure you they DO! Not only because they add up, but because knowing that you believe in me and value what I create for you means the world to me. So THANK YOU once again!!!

If you are not a subscriber, here is how you can be a part of my Patreon World. This helps me so much to continue to offer my gifts. If you have not explored what is what I have for you in this other realm, I invite you to check it out!  https://www.patreon.com/SparksandLeaps

* my team includes my friends family and community, that are a combination of "real" and virtual as well as "imaginary". And just by virtue of you taking the time in your busy life, to follow my blog, YOU are on that team, even if that is our only connection; so THANK YOU!  Some of my requests for support are like the one above and some are for emotional or spiritual support. All are valuable to me, whether an actual request you hear or an imaginary ones where I call upon my team (energetically vs in person or via a device) in a moment of challenge, that you will never consciously know about. And BTW, whether or not it is all in my imagination or not, it ALWAYS works! 

🤬 ➡️🦄 Driving Lessons 🚙

Tricksters and unicorns have been messing with me this week.*

I am pretty sure, the trickster Loki (who delights in spreading discord) was driving the camper van that caused me to switch from blissed out contentment to outraged fury and then awestruck gratitude.

All in the space of a few minutes.

Here is what happened:

On Sunday, we unexpectedly stumbled upon a negative tide at the beach. This offered an enchanting expanse of mirror like reflective sand and usually inaccessible tide pools with sea anenomies and starfish.

Due to the fact that none of us wanted to leave the beach, and due to my not having taking into account the fact that my sand monster/ nanny charges would somehow manage to cover their entire bodies, including scalp, ears and nostrils with sand (I usually just have to rinse my feet when I leave the beach), we were running a little bit behind schedule on our drive home.


We had only driven a short distance when we were forced to slow WAY down. Sometimes to as slow as ELEVEN MPH. With no way to pass. And the driver did not choose to use any of the pullouts-- despite the infuriated honking of the long line of cars behind the loathsome camper van.

The older of the boys (who is a stickler for rules), pointed out that this was "totally unacceptable" and was joining me in castigating the driver --who of course couldn't hear us from inside our closed car.

And then the six-year-old boy, (who remembered almost word for word what I had said on a previous occasion when the boys were complaining about slow traffic delaying our return home from an adventure), suggested that since we couldn't do anything about the situation, perhaps we should focus on the beauty of the drive and all that we were grateful for.

And suddenly, Loki's spell was broken for me.

We begin listing all the beautiful things we were going slow enough to notice and remembered all of the wonderful things that happened that day and all of our many many blessings, including how lucky we were to have each other.

I love how kids can turn everything upside down and reflect deep Truths.

And THEN, my little friend asked "How is Sparks & Leaps going?" He has never asked me this before and I have said very little about it other than to mention that there's something else I do in addition to taking care of them.

I've never been able to come up with the short, simple and clear explanation, (for kids or grownups), but I gave it a try.

I said that Sparks & Leaps is a game and that the situation with the van was a great example of how to play.

I explained that when something in life happens that you don't like, it is important to feel the mad, sad, scared feelings, (but not to feed them so that they grow bigger) AND that it's really cool if you can breathe into the feeling and activate your curiosity to see if there's a different possible story or possible gifts.

I told him that in Sparks & Leaps, this is called an ❌ spot and this is where the real magic happens.

I also described how when you can turn bad guys into allies this is a super powerful thing to do.

So we considered several possible stories about why that driver might be going so slow. And we agreed that since we really have no idea what the truth was, and there was absolutely nothing we could do to change the circumstances, it felt better to feel kindness towards that driver rather than feed stressful anger.

And what if this driver was helping all of us in the long line of cars to learn some important stuff? Kind of like Loki and other tricksters.

I don't know if what I said made a difference for them, but it sure helped me!

I love searching for hidden treasures. Sometimes they're tricky to discover, and I might not get the whole thing, but it is almost always well worth the adventure!

This big Starfish was really tricky to photograph in between waves that drenched me, but it was so much fun!

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving with many magical blessings and unexpected delights!

*Here is a story from my FB page on 11/20

Bad news😕/Good News🙂 Story 

😕sick children yesterday

🙂very minor bug & cozy day cuddling. Movies & stories & swilling various immune system support concoctions & extra hour$
😫no nature outing/dance possible during daylight hours
😁I SAW A UNICORN on a nighttime walk/dance through town!!!
😖Still bedazzled by 🦄, I stepped off a curb into a 🕳dark hole where the street was supposed to be.
😅only minor injuries (I am well aware of how unexpected surprises can change your life in an instant) and at least I had plenty of ice for my foot, knee, back and hands since the power shut off was cancelled!
AND there were 2 more magical delights
🦄1.) I discovered there is a UNICORN METEOR STORM predicted for tomorrow night! UPDATE: Unicorn Meteor Storm did not happen after coordinating with a bunch of friends to go and view
☔️2.) there was a totally unpredicted little RAIN SHOWER last night which prompted my running out into my back yard in my jammies for an ecstatic bonus dance.
🎭What fun would it be if life was nothing but 🌞🦄? It is the contrast of the light and dark that makes life so magical 🌈 And BTW, the magic can be even more powerful with greater challenges. 

👀Stay tuned for the game of Sparks & Leaps which helps players discover the evolutionary gifts in dark holes. I am SO close to finding the maddeningly elusive unicorn of the missing magic I need to finally bring Sparks & Leaps out of hiding. AND (I am reminding myself) what fun would it be if it were totally easy?! 

Hiding in a yard in downtown Fairfax

❤️🔥Friendly Fire🔥🧡

Chaos is dancing wildly in my world here in Marin County and presumably also in the larger collective as well -- although since at the moment of writing this with paper and pen, as I have been without electricity or Internet for four days, I am blissfully oblivious to all but immediate survival needs.*

Fire, dangerous wind gusts, darkness, occasional horrid smoky air when the wind shifts, and mass panicked confusion of many thousands without electricity or internet have been the spooky pre-Halloween tricks.

And the treats were stumbling upon a store giving away it's melting frozen food on the sidewalk or the Black Swan rarity of a highly coveted bag of ice. Oh and the starry night skies along with a delicious excuse to read for hours by candle light!

My original idea for a blog topic (before the additional level of chaos brought on by the blackout occurred), was to honor Maleficent.

This was not inspired by the recent movie as I chose my Halloween costume and this theme before I knew about it. I look forward to seeing it now that the movie theater is open again!

My intention was to embrace the elements of chaos that she represents for me.

The characters of Maleficent and Eris (aka Chaos) have related stories that have fascinated me for many years.

My biggest take away from their tales is that it is a really good idea to invite them them and welcome them (albeit with mindful caution and protective boundaries) because they are going to show up anyway, and it is a futile and foolish idea to attempt to shun them.

Out in the hidden pumpkin woods, attempting to scare some children. 

The stories of an entire kingdom put to sleep and the Trojan war --both of which were started due to invitational omissions (Maleficent for a baby christening and Eris for a wedding), are useful allegories.

Few enjoy Chaos showing up at their door in any form: whether dark fairy, goddess or some kind of nasty Life surprise.

We quite naturally prefer more well behaved guests.

Just about everything in our survival conditioning, neurobiology and cultural norms makes us crave that which is smooth, safe, easy and predictable. After all, if we are still alive, whatever we have done must be working --so it feels dangerous to mess with that even if we are not cozy and content.

This makes it extremely difficult to even consider a willingness to explore the evolutionary benefits of inviting Chaos. (I have written about these benefits in previous posts, so won't go into it much here).

Obviously, I am not saying I would invite the fire-breathing dragon manifestation of Maleficent anywhere near my home, because once she gets to that point she is not going to be amenable to friendly connection. The time to make her an ally is much earlier -- prior to alienating her!

https://www.deviantart.com/shadowxjamie/art/Maleficent-Dragon-787219995

I also admit I probably wouldn't be so philosophical or be making overtures of friendship to the Chaos in my life if there were actual flames at my door.

Once things are at that level of crisis, usually the only appropriate response is survival by whatever means possible. This is the time to activate that cortisol and fight or run!

What I believe the deeper message of these stories about Maleficent and Eris demonstrate is that even though they (and the chaos they represent) are troublesome and it seems easier and more prudent to avoid them; this strategy is an epic fail.

Change is the only constant in life. It is inevitable, inexorable and essential.

And of course, change always bring some level of disruption/chaos. Whenever it is possible to lean into the discomfort earlier in the process, rather than trying to control it, resit it, or fix it, I highly recommend trying this seemingly counterintuitive strategy.

In the example of my current and recent situation, I do not get to choose whether wild fires or the winds or smoke come to my neighborhood. I did not get to choose to go without electricity for four days.

But I did get to practice saying yes to the gifts of Chaos, embracing the Mystery of having no idea what was next and dancing with what was happening. Not every minute, but I did the best I could!

One day when the winds brought some smoke, I headed for the cleaner air in the woods with my little charges and our masks.

All of us had a totally magical time! A holiday from school for them and opportunity to make extra money, do something altruistic (always helpful when I am feeling scared or sad or mad) and hang out in beauty for me. They played imaginative games of their own creation about survival and I danced to Halloween and fire songs, made little mandalas out of fall leaves, and sent prayers to all in the path of fire.

I have thought a lot about what caused these fires on a deeper level than just blaming the evil electric company (anyone seen Stranger Things?!). 

I have also pondered the gifts of Chaos and how fire (and all the other disasters dancing wildly in our world right now), could actually be viewed as friendly helpers.

Too many threads to tie together here in this post, but much of it has to do with the choices we make around wanting life to be more easy, comfortable and safe than it inherently is and the evolutionary benefits of difficult times. 

AND firing (with the weapons of judgement, blame and punishment) wildly at everything in sight--thus harming many potential allies or burning "witches".

Please know that I am not saying we should ignore or put a happy face on tragic losses or terrifying circumstances. Nor am I saying that we "deserve" whatever pain we are experiencing because we made "wrong or bad" choices due to being "lazy" or not courageous enough. 

I am not judging anyone (okay maybe PG&E executives, but I aspire not to!) including myself.

Of course we experience natural consequences for our actions and we need to hold ourselves and others responsible when we are perpetrating harm, but when we can do so from a place of common ground without pointing fingers of blame, I believe we will be able to move forward in an entirely different way rather than caught up in the soul sapping energy of conflict.

Perhaps fire can be a friend if it sheds light on the hot and destructive consequences of our previous ways of life and teaches us to be more creative, come together in kindness and love (SO much of that happening in the midst of all of the disasters).

And so on this belated New Moon blog and on this Spooky Halloween, I wish you all of the blessings of the Witches New Year -- Samhein.

*This post was delayed for obvious reasons. Most was written on paper and hastily typed in with a few new thoughts

PS the text is totally wonky in the second half and resists all attempts to correct it. Mercury went into retrograde today and much as I do not want to cast blame, it is either that or a merry little Halloween prankster. 

🧟‍♀️Zombie & Love Stories 🥰

I shot this photo and the ones below a few days ago. All are of my shadow (and a couple of small friends making a guest appearance) dancing at twilight on the Earth.

Twilight (literal and metaphorical) is when our shadows become most interesting. 

I have a dark and complicated shadow AND I have parts of me that shine with bright love. Both are an essential part of who I am. There's no point in trying to run or hide from my shadows or to fight the shadows of others. But I can choose to dance with both the light and the dark within and around me. 

One of the ways of dancing with the shadow involves the stories we are telling ourselves each other during darkening days and/or just before exciting and extraordinary new dawns. 
  

🌞🌑💃🏻🌞🌑💃🏻🌞🌑💃🏻🌞🌑💃🏻

Some of the content of this post was taken from something I wrote in a Facebook group in response to a meme presenting Greta Thunberg as a tool of dark forces. Although I mention politics, the point I am making is not about furthering any agendas of the left or right. 

It is about the stories we tell (on both left left and the right as well as in nonpolitical situations) and the power those stories have to shape our lives.

These are liminal times on our planet when we can no longer live comfortably in the old story or fully inhabit the new one that is still a mystery. 

Liminal can mean a transitional doorway between two worlds. Such as dusk when day is turning into night. Or dawn when night is turning into day. 

In this transitional time we are all collectively inhabiting, so many old paradigms are crumbling and thrashing around in their death throes and our exaggerated shadows are dancing wildly at the edges of the dark void. AND there is magic during these times as new paradigms are being formed.

I do not believe that the void, the edges, the shadows, the darkness, death, Mystery, anger, fear, and an enormous range of differing beliefs (including “conspiracies”) are wrong and bad. 

Consider the opposite extremes of perpetual sunlight, and only that which can be proven by dry, logical certainty, that which can never decay or die, nothing but sweetness, etc. 

Perhaps in another realm, there might be a world where that there is nothing but sweetness and light. However, here on planet Earth we live with cycles and I, for one, celebrate that.

I also celebrate exploring dissonance (part of harmony) as well as that which we fear and resist. ALL are a vital part of the whole. 

I understand there are dangers in the darkness and I struggle with how to stand sovereign with a sword of discernment and demarcate clear boundaries (especially when defending the innocent and vulnerable) AND be curious, open, and willing to listen --even to those that hold diametrically opposing views from my own. 

For the record, I do not believe that Greta is being used by shadowy political cabals. 

Nor do I subscribe to very many conspiracy theories. Although some of them are compelling, I try not to invest much of my energy in that which is fear based, with villains that should be fought, as I believe that which we resist persists and grows more adamant with conflictual energy.

I do not want to breathe life into those stories. I just looked up the etymology of the word conspiracy. It is to breathe together.  What if, when we collectively breathe life into stories of evil, we give them more power? 

I am not saying they're not possible. Evil definitely has a powerful presence in the world. I have seen some extremely convincing articles and videos around various “conspiracies”.

And there are many in my wide circle of loved ones who hold views that I do not, including "conspiracy theories". I care about them and want to live in as much harmony as we can create in the midst of our differing views of reality. 

So I will respectfully listen to what they believe and try to understand what they are feeling that underlies their beliefs. And I will search for any possible common ground; shared beliefs, shared fears, shared griefs as well as shared hopes and loves.

As for those who are not in my circle of loved ones (and for whom I confess that despite my best intentions I harbor strong judgments), I am not advocating a spiritual bypass. Yes, we are "all one/children of God" but that doesn't mean I just want to give all politicians and CEOs of polluting companies etc. big hugs and tell them to go ahead and continue perpetrating harm. 

There are times when it is not responsible to refuse to take action (which under extreme circumstances could involve extreme measures). 

I just do not choose to use my precious time and energy to fight battles I couldn't possibly win --especially using the weapons of "shadow powers", since they clearly have more! I would rather in-spire rather than con-spire and to use my playful creativity and kinder means to explore what else is possible.

This quote from Ariel Spillsbury arrived in my email yesterday:

"In a sense we are putting "spells" or closed feedback loops on each other, hypnotic suggestions by the way we see others, the expectations we hold of them, the stories we tell about them. In quantum physics it is called the Observer Effect. In essence, that means we see what we expect to see. (Though paradoxically, no one is absolutely at cause, because reality is actually acausal, self-arising, non-linear, holographic.. a mutually created holographic dream projection.)”

I also love Leah Lamb's take on what she calls "zombie stories”. These are stories that may in fact be “true", but telling them leaves no place for the listener to engage.

 For instance, if you tell the story that we are doomed (from an environmental standpoint, or powerful cabals), then why even bother to take action, since it is clearly hopeless? Here is a great quote from Leah: 

"Speak with fear and you will speak to the fear in others. Speak from scarcity and you will breed scarcity in others. Speak from love, and you will wake love in others."

We can tell stories of the zombie apocalypse : the planet is dying and it is hopeless --we will all soon be dead OR there are zombie cabals trying to control us with lies about environmental disasters.

But all zombies eat brains and leave their victims with no will of their own. Groupthink zombie stories are not alive and do not allow for the individual listener to have even a spark of hope that might inspire them to take life-affirming action.

I believe with all my heart that the only way we can individually and collectively navigate this time of transition is to respectfully and kindly dance with those other shadows that are here with us to the best of our abilities and start telling different stories.

Instead of seeing our shadows and those of others as bad and unlovable, what if we try to get to know them a little better and maybe even embrace them?

Instead of telling zombie stories (even if you believe them to be true) which spread fear, anger and hopelessness as well as making shadows darker scarier and bigger, why not find ways to connect with teams of allies and start telling stories that are equally if not more true that use creative imagination, loving kindness, and new possibilities?

I invite you to consider what other stories are possible. Can you come up with stories in which we create changes that allow us to care for our planet and the children and other beings who live here? I encourage you to think outside of the box of our current narratives in which there are clearly defined villains and that is soon as they stop doing bad things everything will be fine.*

I am hugely inspired by the massive movement of children (and all of the adults who support them) rising up to protect their planet, but our kids deserve better than only scary zombie stories. And all of us are responsible to add our piece to the narrative and to join together to create change.

*This is my favorite book about climate change  it offers a surprising perspective that people of all political persuasions will find interesting.

🃏Foolish Wisdom👵🏻

You can't really tell from the above photo, but I am dancing at the edge of a steep cliff next to The Land’s End Labyrinth.

Literally and metaphorically, I am at the edge of the solid land, walking reverently in mystery as well as dancing and taking wild leaps in precarious circumstances.

I share this information, not to alarm those friends and family who read my blog (please don't worry, I trust that one way or another, all will workout as it always has!), but because I know there are many of you who are at similar metaphorical edges.  I share what is happening in my life in the hopes that my experience will benefit you.

My current edge is finances, exacerbated by my inner anxieties (with their own set of side effects that impact my life) which come to the surface when I don't feel secure.

For you it might be your health or a relationship issue or any of a wide variety of challenges. And even if by some miracle you are currently sailing smoothly through your personal life, all of us are a part of the aggregate uncertainty (a dark gift) at this time on the planet.

Being on the edge may not feel comfortable, but it is a place where magic can happen.

I have discovered that there is rich potential for transformational evolutionary leaps if I am willing to be open to the mystical possibilities that are more available here, than in the midst of "safety" and comfort. AND it is also, of course, vital to PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION to every step and take practical measures*.

The heightened awareness of Life and it's infinite possibilities (including both the potential for miracles and danger) is one of those invaluable gifts in disguise that I am (mostly!) embracing right now.

Photo taken from inside the outer edge of the labyrinth.

As I was walking the labyrinth which is right up against the edge the cliff with a sharp drop off down to the sea, I suddenly thought of the lovely Alison Krauss song with the line “Whatever the answer, it's yes that's the question-- I am the fool dancing over the edge.”

Yes, I may be a fool to be living so close to the edge. I suppose there are more sensible choices I could make, but none that feel right in my heart. And even when fear pushes me to consider backing away, there are really no viable, sustainable options available to me at this point.

And so, I will continue doing my piecemeal jobs (searching for more now*) while continuing to create Sparks & Leaps and living in my precious little sanctuary here in ridiculously pricey Marin County. The joy of this home here in this sweet community of Fairfax, where I have put down deep roots, made dear friends and have found more joy then any place I have ever been in my life is where I want to stay.

In order to do this, I am reaching out to any and all allies. I would love it if you would hold strong thoughts for me as I navigate this perilous territory (I believe in the power of Love and shared intention) and perhaps help with useful connections—see below*,

In addition to the peril and need for support, I see this as an opportunity to walk (dance and leap) my brave talk about cultivating curiosity and exploring the paradoxes that present themselves in times like these. Game on!

As I am playing my own game of Sparks & Leaps, I am practicing leaning into discomfort, building a team of allies, (including befriending the troubled inner aspect of myself), embracing adverse circumstances, looking for the buried treasure of the gifts in disguise and cultivating gratitude for every blessing.

I am not saying I am sailing through my challenges with total equanimity, (and I have my little escape indulgences)  but this strategy of saying YES with playful curiosity to adventure and cultivating trust feels way better than the seriously flawed coping mechanisms I tried during previous difficult times many years ago--such as curling up into a ball under my blankets while whimpering with despair and ruminating on my worthlessness and hopelessness or recklessly drowning my sorrows with alcohol, cigarettes and drugs.

So far, every single major crisis in my life (I have had many, especially around the times of the beginnings of new decades, starting with my traumatic birth), has ultimately benefited me and I truly believe this one will too.

Moment to moment, and with every step, the Fool leaves the past behind. He carries nothing more than his purity, innocence and trust, symbolized by the white rose in his hand. The pattern on his waistcoat contains the colors of all four elements of the tarot, indicating that he is in harmony with all that surrounds him. His intuition is functioning at its peak. At this moment the Fool has the support of the universe to make this jump into the unknown. Adventures await him in the river of life.
The card indicates that if you trust your intuition right now, your feeling of the 'rightness' of things, you cannot go wrong. Your actions may appear 'foolish' to others, or even to yourself, if you try to analyze them with the rational mind. But the 'zero' place occupied by the Fool is the numberless number where trust and innocence are the guides, not skepticism 

On 8/19, just before midnight in my last moments of my 50s (in theory, I am a wise elder now😄!), I drew this single oracle card from the Osho Zen Tarot Deck in answer to my question "what's the most important next step for me at this time of transition in my life.”

While I definitely have fears about the real possibility that foolish steps will lead to a dangerous fall for me personally as well as that choices being made on larger levels could lead us collectively to disaster, I am doing my very best to trust myself and to trust how life is unfolding for all of us.

After drawing my fool/joker/wild card, and after my labyrinth walk on 8/24, I watched this short video about the Amazon rain forests that came to my email inbox on 8/27. It was (surprisingly, given the grim topic), enormously comforting and inspiring. It was also synchronistic in that it addressed issues such as taking next steps towards the destination of trust that our heart knows exists with naïve confidence, even when our logical mind does not understand or approve.

This does not mean sitting back and passively waiting for magic or luck or a diety to take care of my predicaments or the larger issues on the planet. I am taking a profusion of practical steps* to address current as well as long term survival needs. As for the larger world I believe we need to conjointly  take a great number of  “down to Earth” steps regarding our shared environment, economy, policies etc.

The tricky part for for me ( and perhaps for you too?) is to take those steps from a place of trust rather than fear of scarcity. Given that scarcity fears are a part of intense and powerfully strong survival conditioning, and that I really do need to pay rent and bills, eat and consider my future, this is a moment to moment challenge. I do better in some moments than others, but I aspire to be a fool!

*This Virgo New Moon is all about taking practical action steps. Focusing on details and creating order and clarity out of chaos. Resetting new intentions and committing to them. 

So, here is what I am up to and how you can support me if you have any inclination and/or ability to do so.

• If you have connections in Marin and hear of any child care opportunities (I charge $25.00- $30.00 per hour depending on circumstances) for under 20 hours a week afternoons, evenings or weekends --on going or on call, please send them my way!
• If you know anyone who would enjoy easy, customized adventures into Nature, (individuals or group I charge $50.00 per hour), please send them my way. 
• If you would like to purchase any of my Nature photographs, for yourself or as a gift, please contact me.
• If you (or someone you know) would be willing to help me put together an ebook, I will split the profits.  I need help with organization of concepts, clarity, and brevity.
• If you (or someone you know) would be willing to help me with  technical skills in creating the Game of Sparks & Leaps (either on a website or app --several possibilities), I will split the profits.
• If you (or someone you know) has connections to Jane McGonnigal or others who know how to create games and can help me create the Game of Sparks & Leaps, I will split the profits.
• If you are not already one of my patrons on Patreon, I would be ENORMOUSLY grateful, if you would check out my page and consider supporting me. And you get cool content in exchange. 
• If you can think of any other way you can assist me at this time with immediate survival needs or my long term dream, I am open to love💖, support 💞and miracles✨! 
• AND If there is any way I can support YOU with my quirky skill set and/or holding you in my heart, leaving a flower or other token with your intentions/requests up to a labyrinth, etc. please let me know. Because we are all in this together. Whatever I do to serve you will benefit me, and I would love to show my gratitude for your taking the time to read my words!

❌ SEALed With a Kiss 😘

In this photo, (shot last Saturday by my awesome 27-year-old former nanny charge who was visiting from Minnesota), there are literally tons of elephant seals behind me.

Elephant seals appear to be just lazy lumps laying around on the beach. And it is true that they are nearly immobile for most of their time on land. But 90% of their lives are spent swimming gracefully in the water where they can cover 60 miles in a day and dive over 5000 feet deep.

I have felt a bit like the beached seals recently. They go here to mate and molt. This involves a lot of posturing, making funny noises and is quite an exhausting process for them.

Although I am not mating, I have been creating a new life and this has involved posturing (LOOK AT ME —check out what I am doing!), and making funny noises  (I suspect much of what I have been trying to communicate has sounded as silly and/or incomprehensible to many of you as seal barks and snorts!) and it has definitely been exhausting.

I have also been taking some deep, dark dives into emotional waters recently while trying to avoid being consumed by my inner sharks. I'm looking forward to gracefully swimming to wherever I am meant to go very soon.

 As for molting, like the mythical Selkies who their shed their skins to transform from seals to humans, the messy process I have been undergoing while creating Sparks & Leaps feels like it is becoming transformational and magical.

Not magical as in “abracadabra POOF” with a magic wand where transformation takes place in a flash. 💥

More like a slow painful alchemical process that involves a lot of molten heat.

I, of course, wish it was quicker and easier, but my understanding is that no true transformation happens like that.

Fortunately, it feels like I am nearing the end of the torturous part. Whether my leaden lump is ready to become a SPARKly nugget of gold, and I begin making quantum LEAPS or I at least change into fools gold and my baby steps start to cover more ground, I am cautiously optimistic!

If you are also feeling like things are a little too hot for you (and I don't mean this summer's heat!) or you feel like an awkward seal out of water, maybe you are also in the midst of a transformative change!

We are all, always, in the midst of change, so if there is a transformation you would like to have occur in your life, it might help to consider the possibility that whatever is happening is actually for your benefit.

It can't hurt to shift that perspective and you never know what might happen!

On 7/7, I committed to playing the game of Sparks & Leaps every day until I turn 60 (45 total days) on Facebook. I know many of you are not on that playground, so let me know if you are curious what I'm up to there and I can send you some copies of posts —they are kind of like mini blogs.

Otherwise, I will send you my love, SEALed with a ❌. This ❌, serves as both a kiss and an ❌-spot.❌-spots are one of the key features of the game of Sparks & Leaps and you will be hearing more about them.

In addition to wishing you a Happy Black Moon/Super Moon/ New Moon, I also send you my best wishes for a lovely Lammas/ Lughnasadh (8/1 & 2 or 8/7 --depending on whether you celebrate the pagan or astrological date).

Translation for those of you who don't celebrate any of that, but are curious : Black Moon is the second New Moon in a month, Super Moon is closest to the Earth in orbit and Lammas/ Lughnasadh is the midpoint between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. Is a time of celebrating the first harvest.

OR if you are in the southern hemisphere, perhaps you are celebrating Imbolc/ Candlemas and Grounhog's Day!

Since my Groundhog's Day Sparks & Leaps attempts at new starts have looked more like the middle of that GHD movie than powerful magic, I'm going to see what kind of first harvest I might glean from the mirror holiday of Lammas!

And if this is sounding more like seal snorting and barking to you, then please just accept my wish for a happy August!

🍰Not like this...🚶‍♀️

I wish there was a sturdy, straight, short bridge going safely over the gap between my old story and my new one. I would also like to be totally luminescent -- filled with light and love as I dance gracefully across.

Despite all of the things I have doing to be as responsible and creative as I know how to be regarding practical obligations (putting in the hours for income generating jobs as well as frustrating entrepenurial dead ends), bizarre random complications and challenges  (such an overflowing abundance lately), and many more activities in the way of self care and spiritual rituals, ( including massive purging of physical and metaphysical stuff I do not need); the above description of my passage is far from accurate.

I am baltering (Balter - To dance artlessly without particular grace or skill but usually with enjoyment) through the murky muck!

It's not a cakewalk, but there is a certain sweetness and mysterious beauty about the often dark and confusing territory found in these in-between places. AND there is an abundance of joy and magic as well. (Is it just me or are there more and more crazy cool synchronicities happening all the time?!)

This paradoxical mix, which I call "The Land of &" and Charles Eisenstein calls "The Space Between Stories", is not just showing up in my current personal world. It is also true of the larger "Marvelous Messy Middle" (SARK's name for this place) we are occupying collectively. Perhaps you are hanging out in some paralell universe like this too right now.

If so, I invite you to balter with me!

On this day of a Solar Eclipse (not visible here in USA) I am taking the ashes from my recently burned old journals (old stories) to the sea. I will flirt with the waves alongside my trusty young adventurer friends (internal children and two very real little boys) and dance with wild abandon.

Lots of change happening (partially what dictated brevity of this post) AND lots of wild magic!

I went to this favorite spot last week (it is a windy vortex on top of huge rocks with a view of the sea) and added a favorite quote to the photo.I can't find who originally said it, but it feels especially true right now!