Moondancer

 In our prayers we put forth our intentions. We ask to be excused for the mistakes we make unknowingly and that no harm will come to anyone in the process of arriving where we need to be.
In this way I pray. I respectfully am apart of the Kalpulli Teokalli Teoyolotl.

To say I am beginning my preparations would be mis leading, better I say I am continuing my preparations to enter the Moondance circle, the womb, for my second year. My formal preparations began when I made my commitment with my Tobacco offering to my Madrina. I, Xicahuamazatl, with her permission, would make my commitment to dance the year following. I would accompany her to Mexico later that year to support her and learn while she danced her ninth year.

Since joining her circle, walking the red road with her as a navigator, it has been 8 years now. These years and more have been the start of my preparation.

Less then two weeks until one step in front of the other, one woman in front of the next, one fire in front of the next, one heartbeat.

8 days of ceremony, four nights of dancing, open, giving, receiving, praying. together. Tlazokamati

Tiny House Project - 3D dreaming

Something like a month ago I watched part of a documentary about a boy building a tiny house.  The following day I off-handedly asked my good friend, John..."Would you think it would be fun to build a Tiny house on a trailer with me?"

"A what?"

"A Teeny Tiny House, a piece of our art work, an opportunity for me to learn more wood working and construction from you.... We finished building the darkroom last week, New Project!"

"ok! I've got lots of pallets of wood for us to have plenty of free wood" he said with a smile and no idea from either of us what we were getting into.

We began searching blogs, pintrists and craigslisting for trailers.

With our promise to a seller of a couple of of John's sheep and $1,200 I had a trailer, a DIY trailer ... We were going to build!!!

Our strategy for the environment and my pocketbook was to utilize as much rescued materials as we could. A huge amount of wood and other things go to the dump each year, each day. We are constructing the house out of as many things we can that would be discarded otherwise.

As an adjunct photography professor and an artist, my income leaves much to the imagination. My parents were both Gypsies in their own right. My father's home is still a converted school bus, as it has been for a majority of my life. My mother and I moved over ten times before I was 8, drove across country often, lived in tents for some months and always had a passport handy for any last minute travel arrangements. That was normal to me. My father continues to travel to set up kitchens for  disaster relief, for activism and for native american ceremonies. My parents have taught me that a transient life in a small space gives great potential for freedom, from bills and from holding on to tightly to anything and becoming stagnant...

I welcome you all to follow as I learn and we build and we make, hopefully not too many, mistakes...

Re-membered (Dervish home)

Cracked open
again & again
polishing the dust off of
the mirror
to have
the opportunity to
refine

 Wedding walk

linked arms we meditate in step

the ground blanket

of colored leaves, sound

as we share this intimacy

of existence

of the beloved

Accompanied, seen, guided

embodied in this gentleman

of time before

a fixed gaze

on his centered turn

abandonment in light

In the night of our wedding

our re-memebering

we dressed for our presentation

our re union

the music

the circle of  light

my mother

in the center

still. in motion. grace.

A tear rolls

in experiencing the abundance 

overpowering

love

pushing out 

in witness of her radiance

unabashed love

sharing and receiving

oneness

We fly

soaring circularly

centripetal force

into the heart center

home

Photographs I made in Konya, Turkey during our Dervish trip in 2010
words written in front of the fireplace….a gift of many at our dervish retreat this weekend at Body Mind Restoration Retreat Center

Haiti: Rebuilding Strong

Recently I worked for Habitat for Humanity Haiti. These videos are of some women in an incredible and empowering job training program. There are programs focused on financial literacy, disaster risk education and home maintenance. A gender equality program that is interwoven through out the other courses.

Recorded August 2014 at a demonstration of skills day, where the students showed the advanced vocational construction skills they had learned through the course. The closing celebration can be heard in the back ground.

Tortuga- the young universe

At 15 years old
this baby
ancient as the universe
allowed time to stop in his sphere
and nothing existed
more enriching
then sharing his space and joy


full just watching him

Recovering Violation of the Feminine

In the darkness and shadow, hidden for many year, a memory. Since 2002 I have known the bump in the night. A night of too much in Washington and an evil hearted cab driver. I was in college then, recently back from living abroad.

At times a flash comes to me, a new part of the memory I have suppressed comes to the surface for me to recognize, to acknowledge so I can let go, forgive and have peace.

My close friend asked if I had been abused.

He wanted to make my person in bronze for a body of work. with Text

 We began with my bottom half. I assumed the posture of my nightmare. Extreme Yoga to hold a pose. This pose. Feel deep into it until my muscles ached and sometimes I lost all blood. As the silicon dried and then the plaster was applied, to harden. The weight growing heavier and I became glued, forced down, to the ground, to the slab bellow me.

 I felt certain that it was my time to process. It is my time to process. Each step up become harder to breath, out. Each leg, then arms bound above my head, the chest plate and lastly, very finally my face.  As each took away a different movement, a capability. At the end I held my heart. I am thankful to have the opportunity to work this way. For my friend to help give me palace to process. My book will be made of Tabacoo. My story i will intertwine with my prayers. In my four part binding and sacred plant I will not hold on any more. He will have no part of me anymore, not even in remnants soon.


I now look at these pictures as I post. I can smile seeing that my Krav Mega (Israel hand to hand combat) tank is what I am wearing while my face is covered. These are memories I have not shared. I think it's important to speak and share. To be strong together.