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I've decided to invite the sacred back into my life by lighting a stick of sunrise incense every morning. It amazes me how such a simple action can open up such a wonderfully vast space of intention and breath within me--and I like starting my day in this way. Perhaps part of this pleasure comes from the fact that the incense's name, "sunrise," reminds me of the time I spent studying yoga in an ashram in India. It was a very quiet and introspective time for me. It was also a time of significant growth. We woke early to the clear sound of a bell ringing through the dark morning air. Wrapped in woolen shawls, we met in the temple where, for two hours, we concentrated on our breath and movements. Meanwhile, the sun rose over the Ganges River and, when we returned to the world outside, we were greeted, every day, with the soft pinks and oranges of another Indian day. That time of my life is infused with the scent of incense--and if you've ever been to India, then you probably know what I mean.

Traveling through India was a very important and sacred time in my life. Now, ten years later, I sense myself entering yet another sacred time. Lighting a stick of incense and, this morning, even a candle, is my way of honoring this time and welcoming the change that it is sure to bring.

I notice that, when I don't post on a regular basis, I have a hard time knowing where to begin. Maybe I need to get back to posting here every day, but lately I have been so busy painting and working on websites that there just hasn't been time. Sometimes I wish I could just hook my brain up to this thing so that Blogger could catch my thoughts as they come and, in this way, I could share them with you.

When I started blogging, I did it simply to write. Blogging was a new and exciting space because it was so anonymous and public all at the same time. These days, however, I find myself wanting to blog for two reasons. Reason One: to untangle my thoughts (writing in a public space has a way of helping me to clarify myself--if even for my own sake) and Reason Two: to share my thoughts and stay current with you, my friends and fellow bloggers. I like the transformation that blogging has taken for me. But I often find it difficult to know where to begin.

And so, to keep this post from stretching into infinity, here are some random tidbits about where I'm at, in this moment, today:

• I'm going to spend several hours this morning painting. I'm currently working simultaneously on two dog portraits ("Louis" and "Russel"). My goal is to have both of them completed and another one ("Chester") started by January 31st. This will require a great amount of focus--which I (amazingly) feel very capable of. I am looking forward to posting images of my paintings as I complete them. Hopefully I'll have the first two up in the next couple of days. I have to admit that, as I paint, I get very excited to show you what I'm working on! :)
• I'm meeting a friend for coffee and conversation this afternoon. Perfect timing to take a break, get refreshed and be inspired by good company. Afterwards I'll come back home and (yes, you guessed it) paint!
• My husband is on a business trip this week and, although I love him and miss him, it feels absolutely incredible to have this time to myself. I feel like I'm on a creative retreat and I didn't even have to leave home! I'm using this time to really saturate myself in my current painting projects. These three days feel, oddly, like a gift. Last night I stayed up until 1am working on one of the paintings. That is, I painted until Louis (my dog) demanded that I come to bed. I slept well.
• I bought a very beautiful card for my aunt. It is blank inside. I'm going to sit down and write her a letter so that she knows that I love her, that I'm thinking about her, and that I'll do anything for her. The card is still sitting in the cellophane packaging because I don't know how, exactly, to say the things I want to say. I have a heavy heart because I know that time is, truly, of the essence. I'm deeply afraid of missing my chance to say these things. And this is one of the reasons the card is so hard to write.
• Last night was our second "telephone conference" for Circe's Circle. I cannot even tell you how incredible this experience has already been. I feel so incredibly inspired and supported by these lovely women. And it absolutely floors me just how perfect the timing has been for this. I can't help but think that, this time around, the Universe has truly conspired to help me out. Either that, or I finally started taking the necessary actions needed to help myself. Actually, I believe that it is an even combination of the two.
• I'm reading Organizing for the Spirit, by Sunny Schlenger (from Leah's book list) and am loving it. This book really deserves a post of its own.
• Vinny and I have been getting random web design inquiries all week. Hurray! :) These sorts of things add a needed sense of belief in ourselves, our goals, our dreams!
• These days, I feel very much as though I am working from my center. Last night I did a creative exercize over the phone for Circe's Circle, led by Jamie. In the end we were asked to write down words and then branch those words out into other words. I wrote words such as: beautiful unknown. mystery, artful, love, special desire, freedom, happiness, breath, sky, loving, free, heart, meaningful. And, yes, I truly feel as though these words are a reflection of where I'm at right now. It is an amazing feeling.
• Gotta go. It's time to paint! ;)

ps.
Patry Franci's, The Liar's Diary has been released in paperback today. Have you gotten a copy of it yet? If not then GO! RUN! Go get it now! :) You can read about The Liar's Diary Blog Day here. Congratulations and best wishes, Patry!! :)