Chair Up

My acupuncturist just called back after listening to my message. She said she had no intention of making me feel like I was responsible for breaking her chair or that I should pay for it. She asked if we could set up another appointment for next week, that I bring my own chair and said it’s important to her that I feel comfortable.

Sigh.

When you look at the world through fat glasses and have lived a lifetime being exposed to the oppression that comes with it, it’s hard to know what’s what sometimes.

Add a comment March 27, 2008

Introducing our Circle

 

Angelica - is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Pilates instructor, and has more than nine years surfing experience. As a competitive surfer she traveled to El Salvador, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Oahu, Peru, Baja and mainland Mexico. She is known for her fluid style well suited to both short and long board surfing. For more than eight years she has mentored women and youth in the sport of surfing. As well, she is noted for her skills in land-based strength training and women-specific coaching. Angelica is a cancer survivor who at a very young age learned how to triumph over adversity. She has an incredibly giving heart and is committed to helping others discover their own pathways to health.

Lucy – Lucy is a talented graphic artist and fine artist known for using unique combinations of mixed media who lives part-time in Santa Barbara and Bainbridge Island. She has an incredibly peaceful way of presenting herself while remaining authentic, true and ever-grounded. As well, Lucy was a member of a very interesting experimental women’s circle for about 10 years during the 1980s and 90s that focused on arts, politics and expression (among other things). A by-product of this special group of women was many unexplainable and quite magic events. As my mom was in this same group, I was able to hear many of the stories which ended up greatly affecting my perception and created the belief in me that magical events truly occur.

Ashley – has a beautifully kind and giving spirit that transcends all her relationships. She is a true Renaissance woman whose life has been built on many sincerely fascinating adventures and has included experiences ranging from working as a bodyguard for a Diplomat to owning her own very successful knitting supplies store. Her powerful determination keeps her light flickering brightly even in the face of adversity and difficult times. Most recently, her lifelong dream to be a professional photographer has led her from Charlotte, North Carolina to Santa Barbara where she studies photography at Brooks Institute.

Laurie – Laurie is a homeopath and doctor of Oriental Medicine and has run her own practice locally for more than 25 years. She too was a member of the same magic women’s circle with Lucy, Martha, Janet and Elinor. Her natural gift and passion has always involved mixing potions and creating elixirs, whether it be homeopathic remedies, flower essences, perfumes, or as is the case with her current endeavor, the art of wine making.

Elinor – another original member of my mom’s former circle, is a journalist and writer who possesses a fabulous dry wit. A powerful brainstormer, she is your go-to girl when needing extra resources. Eternally questing for knowledge and new happenings, she has a beautiful childlikeness that eternally draws her into innovative experiences. Her fascination with cross-cultured religions has provided her a deep spiritual exploration as well as a long involvement with Buddhism and Vendantaism.

Nancy – is my aunt and is, from what I believe has been handed down through my family’s lineage, biologically gifted with psychic abilities and understanding of the paranormal. She is a keen intuitive and has naturally practiced many modalities of healing and psychic communications throughout her lifetime. Underneath her quiet exterior is a woman as strong as steel who has faced tremendous challenges and survived them all.

Martha – is my mom and also biologically gifted with psychic abilities. Born a natural healer, for many years she chose a career in psychotherapy which led her to working with clients facing some of the worst scenarios of rape, violence and schizophrenia. She has an amazing ability to sit with the most devastating of situations and trust in the strength of those impacted.

Jaclyn – lives between Santa Barbara and Bodega, California and has been a practicing therapist locally for more than 30 years. Her belief in the accessibility of counseling led her to co-founding Santa Barbara’s Community Counseling Center which has offered services to thousands of local residents at an affordable cost. She has an amazing virtuosity for listening to others and trusting in their innate process, a gift that spreads itself by empowering those around her with confidence in the natural rhythm of life.

Carolyn – is currently a first-grade Waldorf teacher who has also worked with children, parents and pregnant families for more than 20 years. She is degreed in counseling psychology and is committed to the practices of natural and spontaneous healing. This is evident just being in her presence as her tender and kindhearted nature profoundly touches all those who know her.

Janet – also an original member of my mom’s women’s circle, has traveled extensively throughout Mexico and blends much native Mexican spiritualism into her own distinctive brand of mysticism. Janet imports gris gris from around the world and has a incredible eye for exceptional works of art. Because of her access to and love of these numinous treasures, she can be counted on to have just the right thing to cook up a powerful spell or two. A remarkable artist in her own right, Janet can often be found creating an impromptu beach sculpture when not kayaking or upon the ocean, surfing great waves or kicking up dirt at the softball diamond while sliding aggressively into home plate.

Elizabeth – is a gifted healer who has long been involved with Siddha Yoga, has trained with Guru Mayi the Head Master of the Siddha Yoga Foundation internationally. Elizabeth has her own consultancy called Master of the Healing Arts based on a combination of Cosmic Healing (a methodology passed down via her family lineage), Reiki, Pranic Healing and shamanistic Toltac Healing.

Beth – is an astrologer and psychic whose down-to-earth approach has helped guide people both locally and nationally. Her counsel uniquely combines pragmatism with great intuition. Her academic achievements in cultural anthropology, comparative religions, psychology, English literature and business administration all combine to give her a keen understanding of human nature along with the ability to inspire those she works with into action.

Joanne – is degreed in counseling psychology and possesses an exceptional instinctive gift for understanding human experience in a compassionate and non-judgmental way. Her thoughtfulness and gentle nature also allow her an amplified connection to animals. Dedicated to the concept of healing, Jo Anne has spent much of her adult life researching and pursuing the many available forms of healing practices available today, ranging from Western and Eastern medicines to more alternative modalities addressing psychic, spiritual and emotional interests.

Delia – lives between Santa Barbara and Bodega, California, has a doctorate in depth psychology and both produced a film and authored a dissertation titled, “At Home in the Counterculture: A Communal Memoir.” Her film and dissertation give a voice to the often silenced individuals of communal living counter-culture and is birthed from her own experience. Delia founded and lived within a Northern California commune whose existence has spanned the past 40 years and which serves as a model for the communal living experience. She beautifully establishes her life based on the fundamental hippie values of honoring group process, communication and connection.

Michaela – is a Stanford graduate and currently a masters student at the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute studying somatic psychology. As well, Michaela serves on the board for the socially progressive Fund for Santa Barbara. An accomplished pianist and lover of music, she has researched and practiced many forms of dance and movement therapy. Michaela is an admirable advocate for female sexuality, social justice, and the arts. Her exceptional openness to new thought has led her to many truly unique situations and experiences. She is a passionate believer in challenging taboo subjects, re-examining barriers and extending bridges of connection.

Karen – is a talented artist and painter who has shown and sold her work publicly for more than 18 years. Over the past several years she has been active in a group she helped found known as the Art Center Working Group, a part of the Shipyard Artists Alliance. This group of San Francisco community members are working together to create a Community Art Center as a part of the re-development of the old Hunters Point Navy Shipyard, a project likely to last another 8-10 years to reach completion. As well, she has traveled extensively both nationally and internationally, including many off-the-beaten-path destinations and is gifted at journaling and sharing her experiences. She embodies an open and thirsting mind and is always one of the first to encourage seeing a situation from a fresh perspective.

Add a comment March 11, 2008