Nesting

Chocolate Elixir and Chili Truffle
http://www.kakawachocolates.com/

Sunday mornings means nesting.  Sometimes, nesting means leaving the house to walk on familiar city streets, with new eyes.  Wrapped in layers of warm sweaters, long coat, snuggly shawl and ear-covering hat, one can walk the city streets to find sanctuary in shadows and flavors.  

Rosaries and shadows at a church in Santa Fe, NM

Nesting cacti

Santa Fe door 

I am currently nesting in Phoenix, AZ.  These scenes are from last year's winter walk around Santa Fe, NM.

Wrapped for nesting walk

Santa Fe During the Christmas Week

As a part of my Santa Fe tradition, I took a day to wander around the Plaza and some of the art galleries of Santa Fe.  Prior to 2008, I was a tourist, driving up to New Mexico from Palm Springs, California.  I came to enjoy the hot mineral waters in the Taos area and to visit the art galleries of Santa Fe.  My trip north from California was my way of finding winter-like weather.

These days, I live in Santa Fe, NM with my partner Michael.  Although he is not fond of being a tourist in the city in which he resides, I find comfort in walking the streets and browsing the galleries as I did in the past.  There is comfort in honoring my own winter tradition. 

During the week between Christmas and the end of the year, I took a day to myself to turn inward, yet be in the world.

Doors at the Loretta Chapel on Old Santa Fe Trail near Plaza.

Time for a a pomegranate truffle and a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican Mayan Aztec elixir at the Kakawa Chocolate House.

Rosaries on tree branches outside the Loretta Chapel.

The Governor's Palace at the Plaza in Santa Fe.  This is where tourists come to purchase silver and turquoise Native arts.

One of my favorite traditions is having a hot bowl of green chili stew and a local tap beer.
My lunch stop was at Blue Corn Cafe, in the Mercado on Water Street.

Farolitos illuminate the dark and is a tradition to the Santa Fe area.

Gardening in Santa Fe

The morning light in northern New Mexico is magical. The afternoon and evening sun is brutal and can make significant changes in the garden or in my body in a matter of minutes. I've been able to get out into the garden most mornings, at least for a little while.

Last year, a professional landscaper created a dry riverbed to divert water that drains from the roof. This year, I had to remove every rock from the riverbed, install weed barrier fabric, then replace the rocks. It was labor intensive.

I've been trying my hand at both container gardening as well as transplanting perennials that I purchase from at Santa Fe Farmers' Market. Every Saturday I attend a lecture someplace in Santa Fe, where I learn technical tips and suggestions for gardening in this harsh climate.

There has not been a thunderstorm in Santa Fe since January, when a freak snowstorm brought thunder and lightning. There has not been a slow steady rain here since last September. Trying to garden here has obstacles that I never imagined. The ground is parched. My soul is feeling much the same.

Santa Fe Snow

Yesterday, snow arrived in Santa Fe. It was comforting to have relief from my allergies to the juniper pollen. It was also nice to have a fire in the fire place and to create an oven roasted evening meal.



This morning, I drove Michael to the gallery, enjoying the snow scene on adobe and red earth. Even though I continue to long for Palm Springs, the freshness of snow on the Sangre de Cristos seemed to hit my refresh button to accepting living here in Santa Fe.



It was so much fun to see the animal sculptures wearing an accumulation of snow. Just last Friday, the parking lot menagerie was bathed in warm sunshine and vibrant spring blossoms,

Doors in New Mexico

In addition to the narrow winding streets in Santa Fe and Taos, I have an appreciation of the doorways of the adobe homes in these old cities. Here are a few that I want to share. These have not been Photoshopped or edited.

There is a strong presence of Our Lady of Guadalupe on buildings and in artwork. Some homes have small mosaic images or a fresco of the beautiful mother. Since I have a strong goddess practice, I find that she looks more like Ma Kali, who stands on Shiva or the ego.







Coming from Wisconsin, I find gates and fences made of branches to be a unique architectural feature. These structures are coyote fences. For anyone who has ever heard the singing, howling and calling of a pack of coyote during the night, the concept of a strong and secure coyote fence can give a sense of security.




Thank You to Wild Magnolia who created a nice little blogger party for me here in the internet ethers and on her blog site. I am happy to meet Teri and Terra, both bloggers from California who came to my little blog site through Wild Magnolia. Thank you Ashling, for also attending the little etheric gathering via Wild Magnolia. I appreciate meeting with other women and will continue to come to Wild Magnolia, My Grandma's Soul (Jo) and Karen L's blogs.

Santa Fe, NM

On our return to Santa Fe, we were treated to nearly daily rain showers with some thunderstorms. Some of the thunderstorms had an element of high drama. It is obvious that the season is shifting from late summer to autumn in NM. It is beautiful with clear skies behind adobe and brilliant flowers in the end of season gardens.



On a Friday afternoon, I decided to go on a walking tour of the famous Canyon Road and then to the Plaza. On my walking tour, I wore a camera and felt like a tourist in the city that I've been calling home. Since it was a Friday afternoon, the town was quickly filling with tourists and I blended into the flow of gallery lookers.

Santa Fe has so many great galleries. In addition to paintings and statues, there is an abundance of jewelry, textiles and sculpture. A walking tourist can see some amazing art and arrangements without stepping foot into a gallery. Anyone with a camera can create their own art from the scenery on their tour.



The late afternoon gave me a chance to appreciate the blue washed paint on adobe structures. Some places retained their old look, while others were fresh with paint and looking quite new.



While on my walk, I saw a familiar feature that can be found on West Alameda Street, not too far from the Plaza. It is this giant Ganesha. The figure feels like an old friend, out on the street. He almost seems to be waving as people walk and drive by. I hope to interest a certain blogger to come to Santa Fe to have a meeting with this street corner Ganesha. And of course, I anticipate meeting with that blogger, too.

Santa Fe Osho Satsang.

I did it! I officially started an Osho Group in Santa Fe. When I think of all the different things that I can do to share tools for the expansion of consciousness and liberation from the limited thinking, I feel that my best offering is to share Osho Active Meditations. This is one of my passions.

Starting in November, I will be hosting Osho Satsang at the house where I live with Michael. The space is beautiful. It is my intention to bring people together who are moving into the shifting frequencies that Osho and other visionaries mention. I expect that both Sannyasin and people new to Osho will attend. Osho had a vision of people creating many buddhafields around the planet. It is my intention to be of service to that vision.

I'm inspired by friends who currently hold tantra groups that include Osho meditation. It is their inspiration that is catalyst for my decision to create an Osho Satsang in Santa Fe, NM.

http://www.meetup.com/Santa-Fe-Osho-Satsang/

Santa Fe

This blog post is a response to ravenisclumsy. I do not know if he is aware that I'm following his blog as a female stalker. I'm harmless.

The natural lighting in Santa Fe is seductive. It continues to draw me back to the city, even though each time I depart, I think I set an intention to not return. Wherever I travel, I try to find the unique way the light refracts its own unique quality to the area. But somehow, Santa Fe's lighting seems to have entrained me.

Even though I think that I am more surrounded by community in Palm Springs or in Stevens Point, I continue to travel to New Mexico to be with Naked Michael. I made a decision to return to be his regular primary partner. That decision involves other levels of involvement in the area. Michael is vigorously working at creating a tantric community. I hope to enhance that by starting an Osho group.

I expect to start an Osho meditation and book group at Michael's house. We can use the basement area to perform active meditations, such as Dynamic Meditation, Kundalini Meditation, The Nadabrahma Meditations, No Dimensions (my personal favorite), and the Chakra Breathing. We can have book group discussions based on Osho discourse, or do a group study on The Book of Secrets. Since there are big screen televisions at the house, we can watch Osho DVDs and have discussion on topics related to the presentation.

Osho's vision is to create not only a buddafield, but to create meditations based on the new frequencies of inner science for an outer world. This group will be a way to connect with other Osho followers. We can continue the whirling of transformation. In this group, we can explore the science of breathwork in relation to our active meditations and our daily work lives.

""The real person needs no proof for God.
He comes to know God from the experience of inner power,
from his inner glow." ~Osho~

It is my intention to create a tantric group through the spirit of our beloved Osho. I know that the unique quality of light is responsible for seducing me to return to Santa Fe. But it is not just the daytime lighting that calls me. It is the night time light of the stars that entrain me to sleep with them. I return with a purpose, and to be nurtured by my Beloved Michael, the thin air, and the light of many stars

When stars wheel
Around the North Pole,
They are longing for our growing consciousness.
~~Rumi~~