Silly Something

I've been having fun reading Shel Silverstein poetry and wanted to share a few:

SOMEBODY HAS TO
Somebody has to go polish the stars,
They’re looking a little bit dull.
Somebody has to go polish the stars,
For the eagles and starlings and gulls
Have all been complaining they’re tarnished and worn,
They say they want new ones we cannot afford.
So please get your rags
And your polishing jars,
Somebody has to go polish the stars.
~Shel Silverstein

MY BEARD
My beard grows to my toes,
I never wears no clothes,
I wraps my hair
Around my bare,
And down the road I goes.
~Shel Silverstein

PUT SOMETHING IN
Draw a crazy picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Sing a mumble-gumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony dance
‘Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That ain’t been there before.
~Shel Silverstein

What's something silly that YOU can put in the world? :)

The Nature Muse - For Inspiration

When things are busy, you are feeling frazzled, you don't seem to have any good ideas, you need to be nurtured....

Call on Sapphire Wind - The Nature Muse!

"The healing power of connecting with nature."

Summon Sapphire Wind when: you need a nurturing break from the pace of life, you need to soothe your soul, you need to feel energized, you need to clear your mind, you need inspiration

Sapphire Wind's Hobbies: Doing anything in nature while enjoying the surroundings. Inspiring mortals to do the same. ~ hiking, walking, sitting, backpacking, camping, meditating, creating, sketching, writing, painting, biking, bathing, eating, sleeping, napping, daydreaming, breathing, watching the clouds float by....

Questions to ask yourself:
What one small way can I connect to nature today?

Have I watched a sunrise or sunset recently? Or stopped to smell a flower? Or listened to the birds? Or gazed at a tree?

Can I spend five minutes today on my porch or deck? In my garden? In a park? In a friend's or community garden? at a local botanical center?

Exercises:
~ Walk, hike or sit in a natural area - away from traffic, people and cement. Be there with all of your senses.

~ Plant some seeds and watch the changes over time. Remember death is a part of the cycle life.

~ Walk barefoot on the grass. Go wading in the ocean, a lake or stream. Jump in rain puddles.

~ Play in the snow. Make snow people, snow angels, run, hop, sit, throw it up in the air. Catch snowflakes on your tongue.

~ Sit with a flower and really look at it, see all of the nuances about it... colors, shapes, textures, fragrance ~ be present with it.

~ Spend a day, hour or 5 minutes at the beach listening to the sound of the waves or sitting next to a stream.

~ Act as if you can communicate with a tree/plant/flower/mountain/lake/pond/stream/boulder etc. Sit in front of this natural item of your choice, center yourself by closing your eyes and taking some slow deep breaths. In a heartfelt way, ask it a question. What is the reply? Have a conversation. What does it have to teach you? Maybe keep track of your interaction in your journal.

~ Flow energy with a tree: Imagine energy going down your body into the earth, up the roots of the tree to the top, over to you and back down through the top of your head and down through your body. Repeat a few times. Then reverse the direction for a few times.

~ Journal about any of these experiences or others you may have. Draw, paint, dance or sing your experiences.

Quotes from Mortals:
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. ~John Muir

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. ~John Muir

Nature heals and gives strength to body and soul. ~John Muir

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. ~Aristotle

...to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself. ~William Blake

Nature is my manifestation of God. I go to nature every day for inspiration in the day's work. ~Frank Lloyd Wright

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be. ~Anne Frank

Nature is so powerful, so strong. It takes you to a place within yourself. ~Annie Leibovitz

One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between Man and Nature shall not be broken. ~Leo Tolstoy

Enjoy!

(C) 2009 Lisa Dieken

P.S. The "outline" for this was taken from the book "Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard)" by Jill Badonsky! Thank you Jill.

Lisa Dieken
Creativity, Nature & Soul
*Kaizen-Muse Certified* Creativity Coach, Muse Group Facilitator

Shamanic Soul Retrieval & Healing Practitioner
Website/Newsletter sign-up: http://www.TendToYourSoul.com
Blog: http://TendToYourSoul.blogspot.com
Boulder County, Colorado

The Guest-House ~ Rumi

The Guest-House

This being human is a guest-house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you

out for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.

Say I Am You: Poetry Interspersed with Stories of Rumi and Shams, Translated by John Moyne and Coleman Barks, Maypop, 1994.

Doodling!

I knew there was a GOOD reason I doodled during all of those corporate meetings!

"Doodling may imply a wandering mind, but according to a study published in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology, the contrary is true: doodling can actually help people remember details."

Source: Wiley-Blackwell 2009

Taken from the Boulder and Broomfield Counties Natural Awakenings magazine,
Sept 2009 issue.

Peak Experience

I DID IT! I made it to the summit of Long's Peak ~ 14,258 feet, 15 miles round trip, approximately 5000 feet elevation gain. WooHoo!

I've been training since the beginning of August... going on two big hikes a week, increasing the load in the backpack, the elevation, and the elevation gain with each hike... and learning about those places within that want to stop me. The places that don't want to persevere. And then NOT allowing them stop me; letting go and asking Spirit to transform them.

I've also been learning about how my mind sometimes looks at the big picture and gets frightened, when once I get started and "just do it", step by step, section by section, moment by moment, it really isn't that difficult! (By the way, this is putting "kaizen", as in "Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching", into practice! )

Though today my body is sore, yesterday and the climb feel like a dream.
"Life is but a dream." :) ( Row, row, row your boat.... gently down the stream....)


Here are some snippets of my day:

It was a day of headlamps and hiking in the darkness
Waking at 2 am, on the trail at 3 am

Stargazing with Orion looking down
A few glimpses of the near-full moon, she was setting behind the mountain as I climbed up
It was a day of linking soul to soul with the mountain
Resting in the dark watching the headlamps of other hikers move across the tundra
Being well above treeline, watching the red sun rise
Seeing the first morning light on the peak I was to soon be standing on...
Making it 5.9 miles and 3700 feet by 7:30 am

It was a day of rocks, scrambling, climbing, rocks... did I say rocks?
The last 1.6 miles and 1300 feet taking nearly 4 hours
Steep inclines and beautiful views
It was a day of not too much fear, it didn't seem as bad as my mind had made it up to be....
It was a day of laughter and a few tears
Focus and friendship
Clouds building up, sunshine, a few snow flurries, some breezes, and mostly stillness


It was a day of magic! Hearing Raven calling as I ascended up the last steep incline
Being at the summit and experiencing the air being absolutely still



It was a day of improving rock climbing and scrambling skills
It was a day of overcoming thoughts of quitting, of thinking I wasn't going to go any further.... twice (surprisingly ONLY twice! :) )


Connecting to the mountain and asking for help
Feeling deep appreciation for the experienced friend that helped me make it to the summit and back down!


It was a day of protein bars, water, water, water
Sore feet, sore muscles, sore hands(from climbing and scrambling!)
Fatigue and alertness
It was a day of presence. The difficulty of the climb creating the experience of being totally in the moment
Snowshoe hares with brown bodies and white feet, sweet little pica and a marmot or two
Seeing the full moon rising on my drive home, completing the journey
It was a day of celebration!



Love,
Lisa


Here's me signing the register at the summit! My first Colorado 14'er!














I was so focused on my climbing and scrambling that I didn't take any photos of alot of my day on Long's Peak. Take a look at this description and these photos.(link below) Especially pay attention to "The Ledges", "The Trough", "The Narrows" and "The Homestretch". Keep in mind that the photos DO make it look steeper than it is, as no ropes were necessary to climb...http://www.14ers.com/routemain.php?route=long1&peak=Longs+Peak

Wanting to spend more time on your Creative Passion?

Get in GEAR! Creativity Group
Over the phone, in your own home.

For those of you who
-would like to spend more time with your creative passion,
-would like to begin a new creative passion/project,
-are looking for a bit more structure
-and/or would like to have access to, and the support of, someone that is familiar with honoring the creative process....

Begins in October!

Go to my Website for more information. Feel free to share this information with others who may be interested!

At the TOP of the world!

A recent hike to 13,397 ft elevation...

At the TOP of the world! ...or so it felt to me! That dark circular thing I'm leaning on pointed out mountains that could be seen from this point, along with elevations and distances. It was placed there in 1928!

On the way down... down.... down....

Blessings to you,

Lisa

:)