#Magic!ContemplationsMedicine BasketWisdom Cards

“I do – I do – I do believe in magic!”

Posted on by sue boardman

The last time I said this aloud, it was nearly a year ago. We were planning for the beginning of Red Madonna… the annual journey a whole lot of wise women make into the land of the Divine Feminine and traditions of painting and writing in community.

Notably, that same conversation is about to begin anew and I’ll keep you posted, for sure. Today, though, the magic is a bit more personal. You see, there’s a new book hatching and, last night, the cover began to appear!

I know… not much so far. And the High Museum is not likely to fight me for it! Here’s the thing, though…

It’s a doorway! A doorway for me to pass through to allow the book to come forth. A doorway for me to begin to see what I know and feel… what I’ve made a promise to share. Now.

Promises can be scary!

Showing up as who we really are can be really scary. Especially these days. And yet, it is – I believe – the reason we were imagined. Created. Nurtured.

You, wise soul, have already guessed that there’s a whole lot more wandering to go on the path to an actual book cover. Here’s the amazing part…

I’m not worried! I know what I’m trying to accomplish. I know who I’m working to reach. I know what consciousness windows I’m hoping to open.

And, in a lot of ways, life is like that!

We start with questions and move on to answers that matter to us. Step by step to an opening where others can join us. Where we can set our magic free in a world that so needs it!

For this moment, I also need a bit of space for Valentine’s Day which is happening for us with Sunday brunch. And, possibly, a few more heavy body paint spatulas… there’s a wee neighborhood hardware store just across the street from the restaurant! Romance is in the eye of the beholders!

And, just in case you’re feeling the need for a magic wand tune-up, let’s talk! 45 min. My gift. You bring your dream. Your promise, perhaps! A cuppa, of course. Journal and pen. We’ll talk next right things. And, quite possibly, pull a card! Just click here and the calendar elves will hook you up. (Patience appreciated… the calendar is a bit wonky just now!)

#Magic!ContemplationsGrandmothersMedicine Basket

I am declaring “Real Deal” Day!

Posted on by sue boardman

The canvas is, indeed, my work-in-progress for this moment. And, you know??? I’m really proud of it! There’s a whole lot of musing, there. Of claiming what I’m actually trying to accomplish, deep inside. There’s also a good bit of moving on from what wasn’t working, before.

And, yes… I’ve been watching the news! (You do the math…)

You’ll have to take my word for it, but the canvas you’re witnessing is on about her third attempt to become my #Alchemist painting. Turns out that creating such a thing involves taking the huge mental-emotional risk of believing that alchemy – the good kind – might actually be possible, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Here’s the thing, though… I have to believe!

I have to believe in Creation with Intention and Love. In Hope. In the wild notion that we can learn new things and see farther than our own vested interest.

At least, enough of us to go on.

If you’ve been hanging around a while, you probably already suspect that this is me, being one of those five people for myself. Those five people we all need who – as my old friend Steve Glenn taught me – listen to us, take us seriously, and don’t shame or blame us for our questions.

Here’s the part I don’t remember Steven mentioning, all those years ago… the part it seems I had to learn for myself:

In order to really do that for anyone else, we have to learn to be one of those five people for ourselves!

And, yes, it’s likely that you’ve heard me mention this lately. It really is the best thing I know in terms of things we can actually choose and do!

In this moment, it’s time for buttons. (Stay tuned! They’re way more comforting than news!)

It’s also time to claim Hope where we find it!

ps… I have some cool new ideas about doing just that! Do you have a dream? A path that needs claiming? A next right thing? Let’s talk! 45 min. on me. Your dream. My new process offering. Just click here and the elves will find you some space on the calendar. Hurry, though. There’s just one place on the path open!

#Magic!Art JourneyContemplationsGrandmothers

Of cold and quilts and hope!

Posted on by sue boardman

Let’s be real! It’s been a hard weekend. The news is crazy. Well, most of it. There’s a lot to be mad about. A lot to be scared of. And a smidge of hope in recent election news… at least in my mind.

Frankly, I was kind of surprised when my story & quilt Gramma showed up in a dream. Elsie passed in January of 1989… an adamant, life-long Republican. I often wonder what she’d have to say in these days.

In my dream, though, she showed up with quilt pieces! The Grandmothers’ Flower Garden kind she taught me to love. Scrappy, assorted bits of what was available, hand-pieced by painfully arthritic fingers. Her way of helping people who were cold or lonely.

Those bits and pieces help me, still! And, that, I think, was the message of my dream!

The world is filled with things none of us can fix by ourselves. And, yet… there are things we can do!

Words are one of those things, for me. And, wow, is there a flood of that going on! I’m really excited. And, a wee bit scared. Well, maybe more than a wee bit. Let’s just say there’s more real deal coming through.

There’s also more unknown floating around than I’m personally comfortable with. I’m pretty sure there’s always a lot unknown floating around and I’m just more aware of it than usual, right now.

That, my friend, brings us to CHOICES!

  • A bowl of homemade soup for dinner. Local, sustainably raised bone broth. Organic wild rice. Veg, herbs, lots of garlic.
  • Helping to plan next right things.
  • A new John Lewis sign for the front yard.
  • Prayer dots. Lots!!!
  • A quilt to curl up with.
  • And, a reminder from Walter Brueggemann… Just tell the stories!

Also, encourage the Littles!

A dear friend was at the house today and she asked if her nearly 10 year old boys and their friend could see some paintings. (It’s really hard NOT to see paintings around here!) One of the boys found a favorite… one that kind of reminds me of one of Elsie’s quilts:

“Wait!” he said… “You don’t have to stay in the lines???”

When I assured him that we really don’t, we both cried.

ps… curious about the magic of not staying in the lines… of folded paper, markers, and next right things??? You could be just the person I have space for in my new 1:1 offering! Just click here and the calendar elves will hook us up with 45 min. on me so we can ponder the road to what you’re dreaming. (Fair warning… the next week or two are extra hectic. Patience & flexibility appreciated!)

#Magic!ContemplationsGrandmothersGuardiansMedicine Basket

Of history and perspective…

Posted on by sue boardman

Yesterday was a challenging and intense day. Strength work for terrified muscles in physical therapy. It helped… and it wasn’t fun!

My chair was calling when I got home. Comfort food. Weighted blankets. Kind of like hibernating!

Then, news.

Witnesses and family members from Minneapolis testifying before Senate and House Democrats. Hard stories to hear. Harder, still, to tell. Renee Good’s brothers speaking, tears in their eyes. Aliya Rahman struggling to express her experience as a differently able person with communication and mobility challenges, detained by ICE without reason, except – presumably – her skin color. And elected leaders, with tears in their eyes. (MS NOW reports that, though invited, no Republicans attended the forum.)

I, too, had tears in my eyes, so I turned off the news coverage and reached for my Medicine Basket. A bit of musing about paintings. Lots of journal notes. Slightly delayed Morning Pages. Anxiety about some unclear questions.

And a tidal wave of memories!

Hungary. Just about now, in 1989. A group of seminary students on an adventure known as Alternative Context. Before the Eastern Block fell.

Russian tanks playing target practice games in farmers’ fields. Being treated like unwelcome radical foreigners in airports. Especially the women among us. Touring a rabbinic seminary where women were “not permitted”. Where frost covered the walls inside the buildings, and adding new books to the library had been illegal since before the World War.

And, for this kinesthetic processor, perhaps the biggest memory of all… of literally throwing our luggage from a moving train and leaping into a snow bank to avoid a border crossing, where we Americans could have been immediately arrested.

Add to all this, the fact that my son was home with neighbors in the Village at Columbia Theological Seminary, postponing his ninth birthday party until my return.

And, yes… these memories show up about this time, every year. (Perhaps it’s the weather!) Today, though, the trigger was the voices of human beings, in the United States of America, trying desperately to talk some sense into the nation, because what was happening, then, in Hungary, is feeling way too close to home, now.

Then I heard it, deep inside my heart.

It’s ALL-IN time!

Frankly, I’d kind of assumed I was already there. Now, I know more!

And, yes… there’s a new book coming. First, though, I need to start over on my #Alchemist painting. And #Mother Nature’s friends, the Manatees, need some more attention.

It really is all part of the journey, if only we have the courage to notice!

Which brings us to questions… what are YOU noticing? And, how can I help???

If you have big questions, too… if you’re ALL IN… let’s talk! I have space for ONE new 1:1 dreamer/client looking for some new tools and guidance along the way. Click here and the calendar elves will hook you up with 45 minutes, on me, to explore possible roads ahead!

#Magic!ContemplationsGrandmothersMedicine BasketWisdom Cards

Many voices in my head…

Posted on by sue boardman

News, clearly. Especially the stuff about deciding who can talk and who can’t.

Also, snow. Not much, but enough to make wise Atlantans hesitant to tackle the big roads.

Body messages, too. Let’s just say mine doesn’t seem amused by the phone pointing out that it “feels like zero degrees”! And, yes… I’m huddled under a weighted blanket and glad I’m not in Minneapolis.

If you’ve known me more than about 10 minutes, you probably know that I’ve been a journalist. National denominational news in times of big change. The incredible responsibility of hearing. A growing awareness of all those voices and the huge realization that I had – and have – choices. We all do!

The prophet, Isaiah, was the first voice I noticed rumbling around inside me, Saturday. Context not all that different from this moment! Here’s a bit from chapter 43:

…Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you, for I am the Lord, your God…

Now, the writer(s) of the biblical book many of us know as Isaiah had a lot to say, much of which feels timely in these days, though they probably didn’t know about blizzards!

There were, however, more voices in my heart. The Magdalene, preaching hope on the coast of France. Joan of Arc. My Cathar cousins hiding contextually dangerous hope in Fairy Tales to help keep their Littles safe. And more cousins… witches hanged in Salem. Angela Davis, still carrying the banner. Authors, like Kathleen McGowan, telling old stories in these days. You hear me…

The big thing, in this moment, feels like choice. Well, choices!

Will we choose to claim that we have choices to make?

And, which stories might we choose to guide us?

Back in my knee surgery years, I spent a lot of long dark nights propped in a recliner, listening to Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes tell hypnotic bed-time stories. Now, I’m reading Women Who Run With the Wolves… Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype, consciously. (This way, I can underline!)

It’s both an intentional choice of a feminine voice, and a deep, deep sense of my calling in this context. Dr. E. knows about wrestling fear. And making choices.

This, I think, is the choice of our time…

Which of the voices can we trust???

Which of the voices WILL we trust, enough to take action, each in our own ways???

One of the voices I’m trusting in this moment comes from Grammy’s MetaMod Wisdom Cards! Here’s a peek..

It’s a card from the Symbols & Language category and this is their message…

Powerful, majestic, and rare symbols of strength and leadership, the white lioness is considered, in some lands, to be a symbol of royalty and, with their white coloring, even a divine messenger. They are seen as guiding seekers to their higher selves and aiding in spiritual connections. When a white lioness appears in a dream, she may bring strength, courage, and protection. Imagine them walking with you on your path. What might you ask of them? Ideas, perhaps, for overcoming challenges? Courage to claim your authority?

ps… Yep! The white lionesses will play the 2-handed journal strategy with you! (Write an inquiry with your dominant hand. When you sense a response, write it with your non-dominant hand. Really!) More info, and a way to get your very own set of Wisdom cards HERE!

pps… lioness art by the elder grandteen with inspiration from the amazing Julie Steelman!

#Magic!ContemplationsGrandmothersMedicine BasketWisdom Cards

My Brain on Sabbatical!

Posted on by sue boardman

Yes… I’m sticking with it! No… I didn’t expect this particular patch of time to be quite so challenging.

Things are running together in my dreams. News, of course. Paint. A title for a new book. Lots of Grandmother stories. From the ones I loved actually hugging, to the ones 2,000 years ago – around the time we switched from what used to be known as BC time to CE time. Especially the Grandmothers listed in history as name unknown. (I’d so love to find their names!)

Then, there’s cold and ice. Blessedly, very little ice for us!

A new adventure known as Eco-Somatics. (Stay tuned!) Let’s just stick with it having to do with things my bio teacher left out! (And my nursing teachers…)

This next bit probably won’t be much of a surprise. My safe space, when I can’t handle the news, is often old episodes of The West Wing. (And, yes, Madam Secretary is waiting in the wings, too!) Last night was big.

Season 6, Episode 12. 365 Days. Jed Bartlet’s final year in office is just beginning. Leo has healed enough after his heart attack to be back at work. And the question is, “What are we going to do with the time we have left?”

It was broadcast on Jan 19, 2005. Staff was shifting. The Santos campaign was just getting off the ground. And Leo was determined to get some good done in the “old” administration. His proposed goal was to, “Let Bartlet be Bartlet, now!” Or, to re-frame just a bit, “Let’s leave it all out on the field!”

Then came the rationale I hadn’t quite remembered… a quote from Thomas Paine:

These are the times that try men’s souls.

I’d go with people’s souls, but it sure feels like it fits in this moment!

All of which led me to a question… What does leaving it all on the field look like for me, in this moment?

What does it look like for you??? I’m really asking!

A big part of what it looks like for me is my new individual coaching opportunity… complete with a cool new use for an old tool you may know, and some timely questions!

Glinda and I have space for one more traveler on the road. If you’re curious, click the link and ask the calendar elves to hook you up with 45 minutes, on me. Let’s do some noticing and wondering! Who knows? We might even breathe in some anima!

#Magic!ContemplationsGrandmothersWisdom Cards

I need some space!

Posted on by sue boardman

Space from news. From hideous images. From ominous weather reports. From… Well, you hear me! So, I am declaring today to be Fierce Compassion Day, at least in my wee corner of the world.

For me, that looks like turning off the news. Homemade soup for dinner… assuming the power holds out. (And a donation to a community food bank.) Time to paint. To write. To re-set a sacred space with new intention.

It also looks like prayers for those trying to show up for themselves and the world. For you!

In fact, it feels like being Mama Bear, who showed up last night, bringing with her ancient words I very much needed.

She and I are sending warmth and sustenance and HOPE, even if you don’t feel it just now. Light a candle. Write the word on a magic index card and put it under your pillow. Tie a new Red Thread on your wrist. You do you… in your space and your way.

That’s how we claim the cour-age to go on!

ps… dreaming of next right things? I have room for one more determined soul hoping for a buddy on the road to the place where they feel called. Curious? Ask the calendar elves to hook you up with 45 min. on me.