Thank you to my Beautiful SistAr, Rekha, for granting me permission to share her poem.

Oh Mother of the Earth!
I stand upon you with my sisters – hand in hand,
Surrendered, Strong and Sensitive!
Flow through me your wisdom, your compassion and Love
For I with my sisters
may represent your voice and spirit.
Through our outstretched arms
may embrace, comfort and generosity
touch a MILLION Lives.
Through our bellies
may movement, creativity, joy and laughter
light up the land.
Through our hands
may your infinite gifts
flow into the land to heal the land and its inhabitants.
May our strong legs and feet
carry the burden of the land with ease,
and release it into your powerful bosom.
May my sisters around the globe
awaken to your knowing and presence and
become compassionate warriors of the land.
Let us together weave and reclaim your truth.
Let us together
Stand up for the meek.
Stand up for dharma – our innate goodness.
Stand up for Love.
Stand up for peace.
Stand up wise and tall.
Stand up for one and all.
Blessed Be.

Love and Blessings,
~Antonia

The word “surrender” is often interpreted as giving up, as weakness, as admitting defeat. Although this is one way to use the word, we will use it in a different way. Surrendering means letting go of your resistance to the total openness of who you are. It means giving up the tension of the little vortex you believe yourself to be and realizing the deep power of the ocean you truly are. It means to open with no boundaries, emotional or physical, so you ease wide beyond any limiting sense of self you might have.

Love and Surrendered Blessings,
Antonia

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One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice–
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations–
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice,
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do–
determined to save
the only life you could save.

Love and Blessings,
Antonia

I was only away for the weekend, but while I was gone the Beautiful grandmother tree in my yard burst forth in new life, canopying the sky with bright Spring green. After a week of intense rains, bouts of hail and some dramatic thunder and lightening storms, I awakened to the new season making its presence known this morning. The tree stood strong through it all, drinking in the abundant waterfall with her deep roots and stark Winter outstretched braches. Imagine my surprise when I pulled the window shades open, sleep still drifting round my head, to behold rays of warm Sunshine filtering through the new growth of fertile green leaves, while they swayed in an unexpected dance with the light breeze. Delight flashed across my face. ‘Yay!’ I joyfully said aloud, welcoming the arrival of Spring and its regenerative grace.

I find it so very hopeful and inspiring to bear witness to Mother Earth’s ability to renew herself year after year. Gardeners are anxiously awaiting Spring planting and the process of beginning a new cycle, while buds appear and fresh vegetation shoots up from the ground. What an Amazing process, right? Autumn’s fallen leaves nourish Mother Earth and provide seeds so that new life can begin. Through the long dark cold and very wet Winter months, the barren land stands still in its dormancy. Then Winter Solstice returns us to the light half of the year again, and with the warmer days life begins to stir beneath the surface, ready to burst forth, reemerging blossomings beginning the miraculous cycle of life again.

When I joyfully adventured outdoors to welcome Spring, the sunshiny day, and renewed life, I was promptly the receiver of a couple of catcalls. I laughed, then smiled at the clear awakening of the new season! It really was Spring! All around me was bustling, birds vociferously chirped their pleasure, squirrels busied themselves in the trees, and my neighbours actively enJoyed the Beautiful day and chance to be outdoors again. Like Mother Earth, we too are shifting into a new season, where seed planting and springing forth into action will be rewarded come harvest time. Spring is a favourite season of mine, as it allows for not only the witnessing of Beautiful blossomings in nature around us, but also a regenerative start in our lives, as well.

Love and Spring Blessings,
Antonia

It was a late Saturday morning, and I was enjoying catching up with a friend in a Northern California wine country coffee shop when an interesting plan was hatched. We agreed to engage in an ‘Authentic April’ on Twitter, casting fears aside to tweet a more full version of ourselves. It seems only right that our agreement to authentic living should include tweeting, as it was on the popular social media sight that we met. While my friend and I have been our authentic selves on Twitter, and in our lives, humans are complex beings, and ‘personal branding’ can leave one painted into a corner of self, limiting the myriad of personal colours and interests from showing through. There have been times when we find ourselves limiting what we tweet because it might not be perceived as interesting to our current followers, who have come to expect certain content from us. ‘Authentic April’ is an invitation and exploration in releasing ourselves from concerns of how we’ll be perceived, and embracing being more fully our uniquely Beautiful kaleidoscopic selves.

Early in February I had posted an invitation on my blog to my BeLoved Readers to: “Set yourself on the adventure of being 100% authentically you.” Here was an opportunity to embrace it, and my Awesome friend is a welcome partner in our expressions on Twitter. I personally am choosing to wholly embrace Authentic April, not just online, but in my life, as well. Of course I will maintain a modicum of respectful personal boundaries.

Being authentic requires being vulnerable; we must step through fears of judgment, not being liked, or being looked down upon. Let’s face it, this can be scary, and is a challenge for many people. Will our friends still like us? Will we lose followers? Should we care? Living with doubts and fears keeps us from being our truest and best self. By releasing fears we can better serve our unique purpose. In taking a risk, we give others permission and courage to do the same. It also opens our lives to greater resonance with those most like us. Imagine the possibilities!

Let go of the dogma, shake off the stigmatism, and step into LoveLoveLoving the Amazing being that you are. Embrace it by trusting that when you are fully yourself, those most like you will be attracted to your authenticity. When we walk and talk our truth from an open-hearted space, grounded in present moment awareness, we are in a flow which allows for our best self to shine. Empower yourself by casting limiting belief systems aside, and owning who you are FULLY! Let’s make ‘Authentic April’ the month we grew wings and flew into 100% Authenticity together.

Love and Blessings,
Antonia

The stark tree branches reach skyward through thick white clouds floating down from mountaintops, hints of sunlight dancing with the shadows below during a brief break in the rains. I, like many others of you here in the northern hemisphere, have been getting quite spring feverly, and chose to indulge in a study break in search of indications of spring in my surrounding neighbourhoood. While Winter’s face can be quite Beautiful in its unadorned simplicity, there comes a time when stirrings for Sunshiny days and renewed life insist upon one’s attentions. Buds burst forth, breathing hope and revitalization into our beings.

A walk along the local wetlands is a Wonderful treat as I never know which birds may grace me with their presence. The tide had rolled out towards sea revealing exposed earth upon which the Sunlight sparkled and glistened.

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Early Spring flowers tend to be yellow, a cheerful symbol of the Sun’s return. I am always particularly Grateful to see daffodils, one of the most popular floral signs that Spring shall soon arrive. These hearty yet delicate bulbs return year after year with little work, and have a variety of names within their family, including daffodils, buttercups, narcissus and even jonquils. I appreciate sharing in the special Beauty they provide as they help herald in the new season.

Love and Blessings,
~Antonia

Music plays, a blending of karnatic music and Sanskrit chanting, the mood is both one of festivity and solemn reverence as the crowd of women gather near the Attukal Temple in Kerala, South India, for what will be the largest gathering of women on the planet. For days the atmosphere builds as women gather for the famous annual Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam ritual, buses and trains bringing in wave after wave of women in brightly coloured clothing, earthen pots and pongala supplies carried upon their heads. Bridging all classes, caste systems and faiths, the women-only pongala (aka ponkala) ritual is performed as an offering to Goddess Bhagavati. The terms Devi (Goddess), Bhagavati (powerful, supreme deity), Bhadrakali (auspicious Kali) and Amma (mother) are used interchangeably in Kerala to describe the same deity. This ten-day event has been listed by The Guinness Book of Records as the World’s largest gathering of women in a single day when on 23 February 1997 over 1.5 million devotees converged around the Attukal Temple. This has since grown to what is estimated to be over 2.5 million women. Can you imagine?

The famous Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam festival commenced (this year on the 11 February) with the musical rendering of the story of the Goddess (Kannaki Charitam), which continues to play for nine days. The atmosphere is cheerful as Bhajans, musical concerts, ballets depicting folk and temple arts, and singing take place around Thiruvananthapuram city. Colourful floats of the deity are carried by devotees. The seven kilometer (and growing) stretch around the Attukal Bhagavathy temple fills with women, in preparation for the making of pongala, which occurs on the ninth day, 19 February under the full Moon. Pongala, which means ‘to boil over,’ is a porridge offering to the Goddess made of rice, sweet brown molasses, coconut shavings, nuts and raisins.

Before the Sun rises, the women devotees prepare their pavement thresholds for the coming Goddess Bhagavati by drawing an elaborate kolam, a ritual drawing made from white crushed rock or rice flour. They then await the signal for lighting the hearth, which is given by the chief priest of the temple at an auspicious time, and is then followed by humming of the temple drums. Fire from the temple kitchen hearth is quickly passed amongst thousands. The streets are filled with wall to wall women ceremoniously cooking pongala porridge for the Goddess. The ceremony concludes when the temple priests pass by, sprinkling holy water. This is followed by a shower of flowers in honour of the Goddess Almighty. Pongala is shared among families, a prayer for peace and prosperity.

Love and Pongala Blessings
~Antonia

The following poem was written by Shiloh McCloud. The picture above is one of her Amazing paintings. I have been Blessed to work with this gifted Artist, and am Grateful for her kindness and generosity in allowing me to share her Beautiful Art with you, Dear Reader. EnJoy!

The Wisdom Blessing

May you choose outrageous actions that challenge who you are
and encourage who you are becoming.

May you take one step, however small, towards that which
you have always longed for. Now is the right time!

May you recognize the unique and powerful conrtibution
that you bring to the people whose lives you touch.

May you be as grand and wonderful as you really are,
and do things because you want to, not just because you should.

May you celebrate your creativity and find peace
and purpose and passion amidst the chaos and suffering.

May you reach towards the spirit with a longing that keeps you
present to the miracles available all around you, all the time.

May your faith move any mountains that stand in your way
and may your heart awaken and open.

May wisdom be your guide and
may love be at the center of all your choices.

by Reverend Shiloh Sophia McCloud
To share in more of her Art work please visit http://ourladyoftheredthread.com/

Love and Blessings,
Antonia

Quit hanging on to the handrails . . . Let go. Surrender. Go for the ride of your life. Do it every day.

It takes such courage to fully be ourselves, doesn’t it? We each have unique gifts which we bring to this World, but their manifestation can only happen when we are willing to move through our fears and courageously express ourselves. Our truest expressions take myriads of forms, and when it doesn’t look or sound like the norm, society can be discouraging. Whether the judging voices come from the outside, inside, or both, there is a need to disengage from the criticism to allow for a blossoming of our Beautiful authentic self to emerge. Only then can we live our highest purpose which in turn is of service to the planet.

What great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?

Somewhere inside of you, there is a voice wishing to be heard, a heart’s desire pleading to break through and be ushered into consciousness, if only you would have the courage to own your authority and give it wings. Peeling back the layers of other’s beliefs and opinions isn’t necessarily comfortable, but it’s the only way we become free to blaze our own trail. Living with doubts and allowing fears to keep us from being our truest and best self causes anxiety which with time will turn into regrets. What would you do if you knew you could not fail? What if you lived in a World of infinite possibilities and your ability to create yourself and the life you want was limited only by your own beliefs?

If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.

We all have so much more inner strength than we give ourselves credit for, and need only have the courage to tap into it. Set yourself on the adventure of being 100% authentically you. Resolve to tune out naysayers, instead speaking words of encouragement to yourself. You can. You can, Dear Reader. I know you have it within to be uniquely you as you bring forth your talents and share them with the waiting World. Life is Art, and all art has its admirers and critics. Life is Art, and being authentically you makes it all the more Beautiful.

Love and Blessings,
Antonia

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

“I just don’t have your discipline,” my girlfriend told me. She does have it within her, I suspect she’s just lost the drive. Her passionate fire has been doused by years of hard work without heart’s song. When we follow that which has meaning, the spark fuels us in our endeavors, allowing us to make friends with the hard work required to step into our vision with greater ease and grace. The path can hold its challenges, but life is about expansion and growth, only made possible by forging through fears which might otherwise hold us back, rising to meet the day-to-days of it all, and trusting that we have it within to succeed. Setting oneself to task and rising to meet the demands is an important part of our ultimate growth in life, one which allows us the room to discover that we have greater abilities, and more discipline, than we know. Discipline doesn’t sound very fun, but it bridges the way between our heart-centered goals and ultimate Amazing accomplishments.

There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.

We are all Artists, architects of our lives, and once a heart’s song is heard, we can begin to envision how doing the work we Love can be manifested into new forms, allowing ourselves to be of greater service to this Beautiful planet. Life is meant to be fun, and doing what brings joy smoothes the path and allows us to be better participants in the discernment dance required for success. You know the discernment dance, right, BeLoved Readers? Once goals are in place the temptations can arrive, and unlike opportunity with its subtle knock, temptations tend to demand attention by leaning on the doorbell. Balance is such an important barometer here, don’t you find? We can balance work and fun, but keeping priorities in check has its rewards.

There is nothing noble about being superior to some other man. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self.

Is it possible to use the energy of competition and comparison constructively? We are all Beautiful miracles, with incredible potential. Energy lies within us, awaiting our actions to assist in propelling us towards our best lives. We can always try to be a better version of ourselves, which is the best kind of challenge. Rising up to meet the goals only to do it again is exhilarating! Bringing forth greater versions of ourselves not only lifts us higher, but serves as an important mirror for those around us, as well. How does having greater discernment and discipline serve your life, Dear Reader?

Love and Blessings,
Antonia