Artful Space For The Word

Hello

 Happy New Year To You.  I wish you Joy, Peace, Health, Wealth and Happiness for the year ahead.

You may notice that at this time of year, many people are introducing their chosen word/s or phrase for the forthcoming year as a means to bringing in more (or less) of what they want.

Last year my guiding word/s were Magical Connections.

These words did indeed act as a guide for me as I made new connections/friendships with women from the the Joy Up Tribe, which is a community of women united by their participation in any of Hannah Marcotti's Joy Up Programmes. I have had alot of fun on all the Joy Ups and the Making Space Cleanses, and if you are a regular reader to my blog, you will know that I did alot of de-cluttering last year, and I feel there is still more to come of that.

Self Portrait August 2012 - having a bit of fun whilst cleaning and making space

This word also inspired me to stay connected with my photography and I took a short course with Julie Einstein called Seeing Drala.  My style of photography changed as a result of this course as I became  introduced to concepts such as visual haiku and  zen aesthetic, it really did feel a magical connection to a way new of seeing the world.

Zen Aesthetic

Visual Haiku

2012 brought with it some changes within the family which have been difficult and I still find I am learning to find myself within those changes. My daughter going away to University combined with my partner working away from home for part of the week have been key changes.

And now at the start of 2013, I find myself searching for a new guiding word/s.  There have been a few floating around the ether, but I haven't decided on anything particular yet.  To help me along with the process, I came up with a little collage today on the theme of "Doors" inspired by the Collage Obsession blog which Paper Rainbow featured on her blog recently.

Open Door onto Flodigarry Island

This collage is only simple, I printed out a picture of an open door and collaged it onto a picture I took whilst on holiday in the Isle of Skye last year.  I purposefully left some white space within the collage to write my guiding word/s for this year when they arrive.

I haven't set any resolutions for this year, as my guiding words will bring in the changes I want to see for myself this year.  However, I would like to develop more courage this year.  "Brave" began to emerge late last year for me so maybe "courage" is a new word?....hmmm.  Anyhow, last year I registered for the Cultivating Courage course being run by Andrea Scher, it starts Monday 14th January 2013 so I'm looking foward to that.

I would also like to create space for daily meditation and today I started with 7 minutes.   Another theme emerging from last year was "silence", the sort of silence you can only find through meditation.

And finally, each time I visit my favourite shop in Ambleside (Silver Moon),  I always take time to admire a t-light holder which they have out on display. As I was in Silver Moon this Sunday, I decided to stop admiring and start buying! It's really sweet and resonated with me and my desire to have more contact with some of my friends, both on-line and off.

They are called Circle of Friends....the card with them reads "ever since the beginning of time, fire has been at the center of gatherings and celebrations. the warmth and light of a campfire, shared with friends, has always been a happy occasion. Light a candle in the center of this "Circle of Friends" and enjoy the warm-hearted ambiance Friendship Circle.

I have a few more things bubbling in the 2013 pipeline, but more on that to come! :)