Creativity

10 16 2020

Magical Doodles … An Opening By Beryl McCandless

creation Alchemy, Beryl McCandless, capacity, consciousness, Creation Templates, Creativity, Curiodyssey, earth element, Imagination, Play, Resonance, Stamina, Strength, Stress, water element Alchemy, Art exploration, curiosity, dodles, fugue state 0

As I have moved into the month of October and felt our personal work deepening, larger and larger gaps in my language and languaging are apparent. The body is experiencing tension, exhaustion, irregular breathing, fuzzy and momentary lapses of processing connectivity in the brain. Fugue state it is.

While pressure is within and without, we are being ‘challenged’ to write the templates. I can now only observe what is rising, what seems to be contracting and what is screaming to be heard, acknowledged and integrated with loving compassion and joy.

Tantra has suggested writing nonsense when the wobble is especially unstable. Perfect! No-sense writing makes perfect sense. Well, what if even that is a Herculean challenge?

Crazy as it may sound be Curious. Be fascinated by the brilliance of being out of your depth, out of your mind, out of your league . Try something new to continue to feel and experience the flow of what is rising on your behalf, what has your back, what loves you.

This past week especially, the thought burst though, “But HOW?” No words? No problem. What came through was a doodle. That was how I opened up into. There was movement, there was a ‘happy’ that eased my body, my breath, my wobble. Lines, circles, colors.

It doesn’t always show itself in this way. Sometimes there’s sound, a hum, music. Sometimes there’s rolling and stretching, and walking and soaking in a tub of Epsom salts and essential oil.

Each act of self care, self expression and Self Love is deepening our intimacy with Creation. The more we embrace what is pressing in we discover we are embracing what Loves and adores us. That is what has us moving forward.

Register here for the Curiodyssey Water Element event:

https://www.loc-institute.com/product/curiously-exploring-the-elements-water-element-november-8-2020/

10 13 2020

Quenching Our Thirst for Life By Liz Geyer

creation Childlike curiosity, connection, consciousness, Creativity, Curiodyssey, curiosity, earth element, Exploration, Gratitude, Inspiration, interdependent, interrelated, listening, Liz Geyer, metastate, Narure of Being, Observing, Play, water element flow, innate knowing, Observing, sensation, synchronicities 0

The word ‘quench’ is such an incredible piece of language, isn’t it? This word has opened up such a beautifully deep exploration into what we thirst for in our life, and I am now being present to discovering how my body and being were compelled to quench this thirst during an amazing hike/journey my partner Steve and I took this past week in Utah.

We discovered this beautiful canyon while driving up highway 128, with red rock canyons on either side of the road, and the Colorado River on the west side, flowing gently in this particular section. I was attracted to a particular turn-out, and asked Steve to stop on our way back. I was already planning in my mind how he could take his camera and take pictures of the canyon, while I could answer my body’s calling to be on a trail. My body has really been loving hiking on trails of any kind lately, and the body was almost like a precious dog wagging its happy tail, wanting to go for a walk! This trail would be a win-win for both of us. Steve isn’t a ‘hiker’, though he has been walking daily in his job. I thought we would just ‘mosey’ up the trail a ways…say a mile. I laugh now, because in my thinking about moseying up the trail, I simply took my backpack with my special ‘rock’ tools, thinking I might find some rock formation with which to leave some Shasta opals for anchoring (which did happen at the end of the trail). Yet I did not take the second backpack with food and water in it.

Off we went, exploring this trail, called Grandview Canyon Trail. As we continued to hike, my senses began to open up into the wide variety of vegetation, rock formations, colors throughout the canyon, and a beautiful stream that ran through it. What is even more interesting, is that we were both compelled all of a sudden, to just keep going. Between the gurgling of the stream, and having to traverse it several times and different ways, the colors of the changing leaves on the trees, the meandering up the trail and having to climb, both Steve and I began to be in some sort of magic that was compelling us to continue to hike to “somewhere”. Later I was present to the Primordial Mother, begging us to see an aspect of Her at the end of the trail. With each step connecting my body through the cells, in with the Earth, listening to the stream’s music, while catching glimpses of the water moving in, through and around rocks and branches, I now observe that the body was being fed and nourished with both the element of earth and the element of water. And what a visceral, primal, physical experience we were having! Even though the hike was mostly uphill and hard for our well-used knees to negotiate, still, we were determined to be in the vast beauty of all that was laid before us. What a feast it was!

When we found the end of the trail, we were greeted by an amazing ‘rock-bowl’, and a naturally occurring arch to the right of this bowl. In the center lay a small cave, about fifteen feet up the rock, with a natural spring trickling from inside the rock. I was so fascinated by this spring, and so in love with how it had formed a crack in the rock and was flowing in such a straight line in this crack that the water had carved…just THAT straight line of water fed my soul like nothing else! What power that water possessed! The message from the Mother was clear. Listen and learn. Observe and learn. Allow My elements to feed your physical and non-physical body. It was in a larger opening of this spring that I threw the Shasta opals. The Mother thanked me by gifting me one of Her stones to take to Shasta. Equity.

Quenching…nourishing…whole system response. What an incredible day of magic! What amazing synchronicities occurred for us to have this beautiful flow of existence. What quenches your thirst for life? The Mother asked us to listen and learn. I am forever grateful for my cells being nourished by all things water, earth, and connection!

09 23 2020

Messages From a Nature Mandala, by Liz Geyer

creation Childlike curiosity, communication, connection, consciousness, Creation Templates, Creativity, Curiodyssey, curiosity, earth element, Exploration, Liz Geyer, Observing, Play childhood memories, nature mandalas, Observing, sensation 0

Have you ever put something off that was pleasurable, but something just kept you from actually diving into the activity of it? Such was the case of playing with a second nature mandala. When I actually sat down to be in a creative frame of mind, it literally took me ten minutes to create this nature mandala! Why had I not done it sooner?

Actually sitting down to create was so pleasant. I felt as though another aspect of me sat down in ‘my’ chair…not ‘me’. I have always loved symmetry as I create. What goes on one side must go on another…not all art I create is this way, but in creating a mandala, that’s how I like it…balanced! This one came together so easily! I will say that as I collected the items on a walk last week, as I picked up each leaf, acorn or stick, I could see a pattern emerge in my mind’s eye. If you don’t think that way…no problem. I have practiced many years with making objects out of the clouds in the sky, patterns on tree trunk, rocks on chimneys, huge logs on hikes in the distance…once I swore I saw an Asian Kung Fu master on the trail in front of me, but when I got up close, it was only an intricate tree stump with a branch sticking out of it! If you don’t see the world this way, it’s okay…we each have our own oddities and ‘ways’!

The coolest thing that happened was that an observing recursion popped up out of the middle of the mandala! As I was videoing a description of the mandala, a wisp of energetic smoke came up from the acorn cap in the middle, and I could literally ‘feel’ the observing come up from my solar plexus! It was amazing! “Observing this beautiful configuration has me be present to nature is sending me messages. Being present to nature is sending me messages has opened me up into playing with the elements of earth. Opened up into playing with the elements of earth has me have great joy and satisfaction in creating something new with nature’s elements.” I was blown away by how quickly the solar plexus had spoken!

I am so looking forward to playing with these items again, and adding the pieces I found a few weeks ago to see what pops up next. I can’t wait to do this with you! Go on a walk…pick up rocks or sticks, or even crunched up leaves! Pick the ‘underdog’ acorns…the ones even the squirrels don’t want! There are so many this year! I have never seen so much abundance…see what you can find! Play! It’ll do the soul good!

We are looking forward to seeing you ‘live’ for the Earth Element event, or check out the recording, even if you cannot be at the ‘live’ event. To register for the Earth Element event click here :

https://www.loc-institute.com/product/c … r-27-2020/

or follow with us on the entire adventure of the elements in the 5-part series by clicking here:

http://www.loc-institute.com/product/cu … rt-series/.

09 20 2020

Sacred Openings into Creativity, by Victoria McMahon

creation Body, Commitment, communication, connection, consciousness, Creation Templates, Creativity, Curiodyssey, curiosity, earth element, Victoria McMahon childhood memories, memories, sensation, trees 0

The Curiodyssey is a territory in which creative practices bring forth our remembering of who we are. In preparing to join with others in this creative exploration of Self, I have been re-designing the space I use for movement practice to include the whole creative exploration of Curiodyssey. I created a space (container) for my creative art supplies, an area for language of consciousness template writing journals, and recently re-created the altar space to bring mindfulness and sacred ritual into the exploration of the 5 elements. Over the span of time of the five-part series, “Curiously Exploring the Elements”, I am seeing this altar as part of the glue that bonds my regular practices of allowing creative expression, deepening the remembrance of Self in unity with Creation.

The altar is an essential component to include into the sacred space to amplify the practices. It represents connection to Mother Earth and will continue to expand through the coming months, as I awaken the sentient intelligence registers evoked. For the indoor altar, I looked in closets, on bookcases, in boxes and cubby holes. I saw different aspects of the earth element tickling my attention very playfully, and I found items that I hadn’t connected to in years, as well as many with everyday connections.

The wide array of items range from a wrap that looks indigenous, a red candle, books about building relationships with trees, pictures and keepsakes that celebrate family. I have stones like hematite, bloodstone or lodestone, and a stone I brought back from Cathedral Rock in Sedona. You might just have a piece of jewelry with garnet stone for your altar!

I also placed a small Ganesh wood statue on the altar to assist with releasing old memes about artistic creativity. You can see small mirrors of the sun/moon for balance, and conscious reminders to give support to the physical body (the form I am as a container/temple for my soul being). In particular, I am consciously in movement practices with the spine, legs/feet and internally with the large intestine, supporting the earth aspect of the body to be stable, balanced and grounded.

Also, I am considering creating an outdoor altar. I have been writing consciousness templates this summer about creating the money to build magical gardens surrounding my home in the trees. As some of you may know, I recently received this money from Creation to bring the gardens into form. Creating these elemental altars feels like a natural expression that honors my love of the trees, my home and how much joy I receive in living in this space. Giving color and fragrance to the trees feels like a beautiful way to honor their magic while bringing rich color to enhance the changing shades of the trees throughout the seasons. I am also pondering the stones and statues that wish to support the new gardens. My vision is to create five garden areas, and each one is an altar to the five elements in the Curiodyssey. The outdoor altar is a long-term vision that I have placed as one of my time quadrants.

Ready, set…go! Take a mindful walk about your home today. Consider your sacred space, inside or outside. Then start preparing it as you discover the elemental earth beings that want to consciously play with you. Will you have Goddess Lakshmi (hindu goddess of wealth) or Ganesh (releasing obstacles or beginning new ventures) on your altar? Maybe you will put your checkbook on your altar to be mindful in how you connect with money. Or will it be a potted plant/bouquet of fresh flowers on your indoor altar to bring nature into your sacred space if you live in the city?

Take a picture and post your altar on the LOC Transparency Ether in Taptalk through this pathway:

(Forums; Restoring G.O.D. Matrix Territories; LOC: 7 Levels of Consciousness/Language of Creation; LOC Transparency Ether).

https://www.loc-institute.com/product/c … r-27-2020/

or follow with us on the entire adventure of the elements in the 5-part series by clicking here:

http://www.loc-institute.com/product/cu … rt-series/.

09 13 2020

A Washable Brown Paper Bag By Beryl McCandless

creation Alchemy, Beryl McCandless, consciousness, Creativity, Curiodyssey, earth element, Exploration, Play Alchemy, Art exploration, Childlike Nature, curiosity, imagination, magic containers 0

The gift of being curious continues to surprise and engage me at odd moments. While walking into Trader Joe’s last week to pick up a few items for dinner, I let my mind relax and wander as I placed fresh, organic fruits and veggies in my cart. It had been particularly challenging that day and I was more than ready to let the simple activity of choosing healthy food replace the mysterious intricacies of online schooling with very active, elementary-age students.

I had been playing with the idea of going on a ‘hunt’ for an art container to hold supplies for fellow adventurers signing up for the Curiodyssey, “Curiously Exploring the Elements” series. The curiosity explorer would then be on the lookout for a personalized item from home to fill with craft items already on hand. The idea held great appeal for me.

What would be found? Where would it be discovered? Would it come from a closet, a cupboard, an attic or garage? My sassy, playful, outrageous inner Child was whispering in my ear, ‘What you got, Lovey?’

The selection I could choose from was embarrassingly long and varied. There were baskets and boxes of various shapes and sizes that could be transformed. Perhaps that bright tie-dye backpack or an old patchwork purse would be more interesting. All were immediately rejected. An old suitcase? Hmm, that had potential, but..no.

I pushed on and came to an end cap at the front of an isle. The shelves held new items featured for the month of September. A small stack of folded brown bags caught my eye. The sign read “Washable brown paper lunch bags, $5.99”.

Curious and intrigued I made an impulse buy and popped one into my cart and went to check out. I had been meaning to replace my 6 year old insulated lunch pack. It was environmentally friendly. Perfect!

I didn’t realize how perfect a simple brown bag could be. During a meditation that night before bed, I was taken on a cosmic-primal journey. Straight out into the cosmos, into the great Void then out and through an eternal light matrix. I received a gentle reminder of the knowing and sensing, being held ‘within’ that stunning intelligence. I continued ‘moving’ through the Original creation of the star systems, to the planets, eventually arriving upon this beautiful world into my ‘physical’ form.

I was escorted deep within my fields, cells, blood, organs all lit with a pulse of Life. There I became present to the vibrational resonance of ‘I am the perfect container of many containers ‘, protected and cradled within the Primal container of beloved Gaia, Mother Earth. Within Her I felt the Hum of her breath and the pulse of her Heart, and became in sync with ley lines, grid-lines, her nervous system. Everything was lit up, and glowing, just like in the movie ‘Avatar’.

Embodied, we carry the Self. The Pineal Gland is housed and carried within the physical brain, our heart contains and shares the blood contained in the vessels and capillaries. Our lungs contain oxygen, our digestion contains nourishment to be shared throughout the body. Men carry the seed of Life and women carry Life within…(breasts contain milk for nourishment, the womb contains new life). Fields within fields, within fields, spiraling within and without. We are an extraordinary creation within Creation that communicates, creates and plays with Creation, responding and creating with us. Add a spoonful of curiosity, a sprinkle of imagination, and for me, a washable brown paper bag. I’m ready for our upcoming play date with the elements. Aren’t you curious too?

Register here for the Earth Element event!

08 13 2020

Curiously Exploring the Earth Element: In Relationship with Trees

Curiodyssey is a journey into the landscape of the remembrance of who we are, through creative exploration, opening up an opportunity for every human being to discover, embrace, and co-create a new template of living in the world.

Through our curiosity, Beryl, Liz and I wish to take you with us on a Curiodyssey. We are exploring wellness as a whole system response and awakening our natural sensitivities to restore our bond with the Earth. We are using movement, artistic expression, journaling/the consciousness templates and sound to play with developing our natural sensitivities.

According to Michael J. Cohen, in his book Reconnecting with Nature; Finding Wellness Through Restoring Your Bond with the Earth, nature-centered people use their natural sensitivities in their every day knowing, loving and creating to balance and restore their bond with the Earth. As someone who has been movement oriented my whole life, I want to invite you to awaken your sensitivities, to deepen your exploration of the consciousness templates and enjoy the life enhancing experiences with movement as your guide.

Recently, I awoke just before dawn, and heard the sense of knowing, reminding me how I interacted constantly with trees as a child. This story began to unfold in my mind, with one event after another bringing forth images to create the story. I just began to write down what I heard in my mind and saw through memories, body sensations and emotional connections. In the experience of this story coming to life in the moment, this blog becomes the story of my awakening remembrance of the deep bond that I share with my beloved trees.

In Relationship with Trees

Someone once told me that we as humans are one chromosome away from being a tree! I am not sure if that is scientifically true or not, but I definitely feel the connection! When I was a kid, going outside to play meant being outside for the whole day. So each day a new adventure in this connection to the natural world was created.

One day it would be making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which I would wrap up in a red bandana and make knots to loop over the end of a ‘stick’ and I would ‘run away’ from home for the day. I would run out the back door down the yard, and hop over the rock wall into the ditch. The minute I hopped over the wall, I entered my world of make believe. I was on a journey with my stick carrying my sustenance. I might either imagine I was like one of the boxcar children looking for a place to call home, or I was an explorer on the quest to discover new lands. Once I finished eating my sandwich, my ‘stick’ turned into a walking stick and the bandana wiped my brow during moments when I needed to rest. This stick was a partner on the journey! At the end of the journey when I climbed back out of the ditch and into my yard, I would leave my stick in the corner spot for the next pb&j adventure.

On another day it would be creating my own home outdoors. I had a favorite spot in the backyard that felt like I was creating my own little nest. I had the mulberry tree that created my roof top canopy and I had a mixture of honeysuckle and rose of sharon bushes that made wonderful walls. I spent half the day clearing the weeds, leaves and such from the earth and imagined I lived in the olden days when houses had dirt floors. I would find lawn chairs, boxes and stuff in the basement to create a kitchen in one area, with old dishes and pots and pans. A blanket would cover the ground to keep the creepy crawlies from disturbing me while I napped. My younger sister would be my visitor who shook the tree branch to symbolize knocking on the door, and lunch would be peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and water with mulberry juice squeezed into it. Dessert was honeysuckle stems! Just another day in the trees….

Then other days would be climbing the trees, hanging upside down from the limbs, and sometimes flipping off to the ground. Sometimes it would be constructing a swing from one limb to another with a piece of rope. I spent a lot of time in the neighbor’s fig tree and discovered the ‘magic’ of eating too many figs at one time!!

And of course in the fall, I jumped into every pile of leaves I had to rake up. I learned how to make fire from my brother with a magnifying glass, with the sun and leaves…..fortunately we did this one leaf at a time. Also, I loved to create leaf designs on paper by rubbing crayons on the paper that I laid over leaves. There were so many ways I interacted with trees as a kid.

This relationship naturally followed me through early adulthood by going camping and taking hikes in forested areas. This led up to the eventual decision to live surrounded by trees on the edge of the Hocking Hills State Forest. Now I take walks through the trees and interact with them. I have learned to ‘orient’ the trees to establish a deeper communication network among the trees. I connect to and imagine the possibilities of more expansive realms that exist within the trees. I listen for the swish of birds and land creatures that move through the trees. And I feel the trees are teaching me to have new registers for how they interact back with me…a swish of the wind through the leaves at times when I am thinking how much I appreciate how they shade me from the intense summer heat, or how they offer homes for the woodpeckers that I see and hear pounding into their bark. And ultimately, I give thanks to the trees that offer me the opportunity to fell and split them, that I might enjoy their savory smell as I burn them in the firebox for winter warmth.

I feel how the trees have followed me through the seasons of my life, and bring greater connection to how I am rooted in life because of them. I have even grounded my teachings of movement through yoga based on the image of a tree. I will be posting this image of the eightfold path of yoga from the vision of a tree at LOC-institute.com this month, so be sure to look for it.

After writing this blog, I recognize how I connect this lifelong thread into my yoga movement practice in daily living. I see the natural sensitivities and relationship I have with gravity, the sense of weight and balance. I see and feel this as I stretch and extend my body being into and away from the Earth. I can also explore my sense of motion, body movement sensations and creative sense of mobility as I explore how the body is in relationship with Earth, whether moving inwardly or outwardly. I even claimed my style of yoga based on this knowing, StillFlowingYoga.

So many ways to be connected with the Earth. I found my connection in relationship with trees. What is yours? Are you called to explore your innate relationship with gravity, weight and balance, and/or the sense of motion, body movement sensations and mobility? Join us in the first session of this five-part series to explore the Earth Element, as a gateway that supports restoring your natural sensitivities in moving towards your ‘being becoming’. Our first session will be on Sept 27, 2020. Join us!

Register here for the Earth Element event!