Creating a Seasonal Home Altar

(I wrote this article for my art tile company's monthly newsletter, which you can read here. I wanted to share these ideas with you, too.)

It's traditional in Japan to set aside part of the family living space as a seasonal altar. This very ancient tradition can become a simple and lovely way to stay in touch with nature and create a sense of sanctuary in your living space. Choose a low traffic but highly visible area for your 'altar.' A mantelpiece, entryway table, or deep windowsill will work; a dedicated, built in area is ideal. I use one end of my kitchen counter which has a huge window above it, and is out of the way of most kitchen tasks. When choosing how to adorn your altar, keep it simple! A traditional household altar would have a seasonal floral arrangement, a seasonal scroll or picture, and perhaps a deity image or sculpture. I adore the simple serenity of the home altar in this vintage photo; a single bloom in a beautiful stoneware jug, a scroll, a sense of spaciousness - probably a late winter arrangement. Celebrate the seasons with your altar: you might display a big ceramic bowl of apples, a vase of maple branches, and a family picture of a special Thanksgiving feast for Fall; a glass hurricane lantern filled with shells, a crystal vase of fresh cut peonies, and a beach picture for summer, etc. This special area can reflect your spirituality, but it doesn't have to. The goal is to create a simple, elegant space where you can rest your eyes and spirit, and be reminded of your connection to nature's cycles.

Artful Life Moon Circle - New Moon!

Welcome back to the Moon Circle! I love New Moon days, my monthly opportunity to start fresh. Hosting this circle has already been a powerful experience for me; making the commitment to be here for you has allowed me to also be here for myself and commit to the process of intention setting. It's good.

Last month my intention was to begin to joyfully and consistently create sanctuary in my surroundings........ and watch what other gifts and lessons doing this might bring into my life.
How did that go for me? Well, my house is much shinier and more peaceful. And I've had some real insights into the reasons I held on so long to dis/order. And I have a manageable routine in place for continuing to make and keep my home shiny and sacred. All of that feels really good, and maybe what feels the best is that I kept an important commitment to myself by following through with my intention.

How did you do with your intention last month? I'd love to hear about your experience here in the comments. I believe your experience is valuable, whether it is the contentment of having kept that promise to yourself, or whether it is the frustration and disappointment of having fallen short of your aspiration. What is valuable is what really happened, and what you have learned from it. If your original intention was a good fit for your life now, if it was specific, measurable, and manageable, chances are you followed through with it. If you weren't able to follow through, take a look at the questions here and see what insight you can gain to make this month's intention workable:

• did you try to do too much too fast? this moon, think baby steps.
  
• were you vague? (ie "My intention is to get organized" wouldn't have worked for me last month!) this moon, try to keep your intention specific and measurable so you can measure your success.
• did you do an intuition check? this moon, take a moment to check in with heart and gut and see if your intention really feels like the right thing for you now.
  

My intention this moon flows out of last moon's intention. I want to continue to work with the theme of bringing gentle order & creating sanctuary; I'll continue to focus on my home, but my special intention for this month is to re-commit to the physical practices that I know support my well being. I have to be careful here to follow my own advice and not overcommit! What I believe I can manage is this: 15 minute meditation daily, at least 20 minutes of dance or yoga at least 4 times a week, and daily attention to mindful eating - that is, being aware of my food choices. My hope is to establish a manageable rhythm that is something I can maintain consistently. What I have noticed is for years now I pick up these important practices for months at a time, then drop them for months, pick them up, drop them, pick them up... so my New Moon intention is not so much about the practices themselves, but about finding a way to make them a consistent and ongoing part of my daily life. I think I can gain valuable self-insight from attempting this, because the picking-up-and-dropping pattern is a big sticky pattern in many areas of my life.

Now, to you! Take as much space as you want in the comments, anytime over the next few days, and share insights gained from last moon plus this moon's intention - there is power in this circle of women under the moon! Let's reach for it!

Ten Blessings

The Buddha in His Youth, by Odilon Redon, 1904

Ten Blessings of Having an Open and Generous Heart

1. A person sleeps in comfort.
2. A person wakes in comfort.
3. A person dreams no evil dreams.
4. A person is dear to other human beings.
5. A person is dear to other non-human beings.
6. Good fortune guards this person.
7. No fire nor poison nor weapon harms this person.
8. This person's mind can be quickly concentrated.
9. The expression on this person's face is serene.
10. This person dies well, without falling into confusion.

The Buddha, from the Anguttara Nikaya

Will you just look at this crazy flamenco dancer of a flower? There's a little house along the road on my way from town to the ferry; it used to be a one room school house, now it is someone's adorable home, and there is usually something artsy going on in the yard. Today it was a little stand at the end of the driveway: "Flowers $5". Well, could you have driven past?

I needed some flowers, too. I was coming home from dropping my daughter off at the airport. She jets off to LA for a month every summer, and will be heading there longer term in just a few months. Parenting is such an incredible journey. I've been watching Goddess Leonie's beautiful, brave, and raw video journal of early pregnancy , and having the bizarre experience of feeling motherly towards a woman experiencing early motherhood. Is that a grandmotherly feeling?!?!? I so clearly remember the first weeks and months of pregnancy, being awash in hormones and mystery and brand new feelings of fear, caution, and protectiveness. I remember reading something at that time in which a woman described having a child as "having your heart walking around outside your body." Yes. It is. And seventeen years later it still is. The big surprise is how little that feeling changes over the years. We trust more, we let go more, but that open-heart-in-the-world feeling stays. So tonight, love and blessings and big red heart flowers to all the mamas who have watched their children fly.
xo

Bill Viola

I'm absolutely fascinated with this artist. I first encountered his work several years ago in an article in the Buddhist magazine Shambhala Sun, which also featured a series of stills from his video work. In Shambhala, he said " ...(after studying Zen)... it began to sink in that perhaps art resided in life itself, that as a practice it derives primarily from the quality of experience, depth of thought, and devotion of the maker." I find his work beautiful and profound; comforting and chilling ; Buddhist and Gothic - just amazing. It will take you about 15 minutes to watch these three videos, and it is time well spent. The third video here is an interview with Viola about the making of Ocean Without A Shore. Visit Bill Viola's website for more.

Full Moon Check-In

How have the last two weeks been for you? What have you noticed about the intention you set at New Moon? Now is the time to see what has come of those thoughts and wishes, and ask yourself what else you want and need. Is there anything you want to let go of, release, or give up in the coming phase? Will this release help with your intention?

My own intention this month came from a deep longing that has been with me for a while - the longing for sanctuary. My life is full and rich, but the qualities of ease and order have eluded me. And I want those qualities in my life! I simplified and grounded my intention with the decision to bring physical order and routine to some areas of my home. This has been going really well! Little by little I have been clearing and cleaning, bringing my intention for serene sanctuary to the areas I'm working on. It's been interesting to notice my resistance to routine and ponder where that comes from. It's been fun to bring some magic and play to mundane chores: I started mixing my own non-toxic cleaning supplies and scenting them with wonderful essential oils; I researched the energies of different stones and then got some rose quartz, amethyst and citrine to place in my newly shiny bedroom... it helps so much to bring in play!

My moon group met and celebrated. I made a small batch of Margaritas with fresh organic strawberries; we sat on the deck with a view of the water and sipped them and talked and talked about what we wanted to release from our lives. We walked down to the deserted beach and swam in the twilight moonrise. Beautiful. I asked to release disorder. This will be outwardly reflected in my continuing quest for a home sanctuary... but even as I said it, I realized the disorder I really need and want to release is my sometimes powerfully disordered and distorted thinking - the seeds of anger and depression that can rob me of my serenity no matter how perfect are my surroundings. This release has actually been a big part of my healing journey over the last few years, so I am simply asking for it to continue, for my increasingly serene outer world to reflect an increasingly serene inner world! Practical steps this moon? I will get back to my 15 minutes of morning meditation. I will keep cleaning and organizing. I will take small, manageable steps. Now, to you! Please check in, I'd love to hear where you are with your beautiful New Moon intentions. ****IT'S NOT TOO LATE! CHECK IN ANYTIME DURING THE WANING MOON (THRU AUG 19)******

summer on the island

ripe berries
long twilights
barnacle scrapes on my toes
yard full of blousy dandelions
smell of warm cedar & salt water
purple starfish
wet dogs
freshest salads ever
swimming in the evening tide
afternoon naps with the smell of lilies

huevos rancheros

We've been indulging in lots of amazing, fresh, beautiful local food. Sunday breakfast was Huevos Rancheros. I used freshly made local organic corn tortillas, melted a little organic cheddar on them, topped with organic white beans, tomatoes from the farm down the road, eggs from next door, a sprinkle of fresh green onion and cilantro, then salsa verde and some sour cream. Soooo good.