FROM UPCOMING BOOK – 

“Summer is not so much a season as a melody, that tune of contentment we hum as the days begin to beautifully blur.” – Sarah B. Breathnach

In July we celebrate, amuse ourselves and we learn to recognize, appreciate and behave with kindness. We continue to garden in the spiritual and worldly realm.

July lures us outside with a whiff of backyard bar-b-que smoke, the anticipation of packed picnics in the park and the candle or twinkle light sparkle of evening, outdoor patio dining.

Wavy water sports, beaches drenched in sunblock and stylish pool parties entice us. We dip our bare and painted toes (or more) into the relief of cool temperature water as we sip on icy beverages. We traipse around in trendy summer fashions with our hip sunglasses, slinky sandals and attractive, wide brimmed hats. July is festive.

In July, kids are on holiday and families take vacations or day trips. We get away from ordinary time tables. The hot, hot heat demands we lounge more. And, as the nights are temperate, we partake of mauve and orange dusks, perhaps sharing the evening with friends.

July creates harmony with its flowers, fruits and vegetables abloom. What we prepared and sowed in spring procreates and ripens in the merry seventh month of the year. Salads of fresh cut greens and fruits become a daily part of our meal and snack repertoire. Peaches and stone fruits peak. Bright pink, vibrant magenta and flaming orange zinnias stand tall against the early sunrise. Geraniums in fiery scarlet, neon fuchsia, deep red salsa and coral colors thrive in the direct summer sun. Competing with the warm and drowsy sunsets, the buds of American Beauty red and Texas yellow roses rage with wild and open sweet fragrant delight. Honey bees hum, fireflies glow and butterflies flit.

July rejoices with benevolent and vivacious charm.

I fulfill my higher purpose with kindness.

FROM UPCOMING BOOK –

We have all been in that black patch, underwater. And, if you have a difficult past to swallow and regurgitate, you may find yourself here, time and again. You may feel, even possibly today, that you will never swim up to the light and break through the surface of water. But, imagine your roots, like the lotus, firmly grounded and fed. As the water lily, your instinct is to rise above water, gasping for air in triumph. You burst open with gradient hues and tiered layers of understanding.

The lotus assures us we can endure with grace, eloquence and poise. It encourages us. We too have promise to reach our authentic zenith, even through dismal, wretched nebulas of despair.

My spirit strengthens as my roots deepen.

THINK ACTION: Where have you witnessed nature’s will surpassing all logic? Describe a time where you felt lost and managed to climb out of the black hole. How did you carry out this task? How do you find hope when you feel hopeless? Keep a picture of nature surviving under dire conditions or the lotus to remind you of your own strength, endurance, determination and optimism against all odds.

from upcoming book

The sacred lotus reminds us to thrive and stretch to the sweetest edge of survival like the blossoms on the shifting, gravelly bay shore. The lotus roots into rich alluvial mud. Its fertility is sourced from silt and clay valley deposits. It shoots its bloom towards sunlight. It thrusts its long stem till it breaks the periphery of the water, like a giraffe’s neck rising to nip new growth at the top perimeter of acacia trees. And, at the water’s surface, as it meets the earth’s atmosphere, the water lily plant shows off its consummate glory – its multi-leveled layers of wide colored petals that unfurl from center as the day unfolds. 

From my Upcoming Book – Goddess Musings

June 6 – The Lotus Flower 

“Just like the lotus we too have the ability to rise from the mud, bloom out of the darkness and radiate into the world.” – Buddha

 On a sandy, windy beach surrounding Mission Bay in San Diego, in the middle of a summer drought, I started to stroll. The stretch of coast was empty and I walked alone. I saw powder pink, two-inch-wide, star-shaped flowers on a grayish, skeleton like branch. What supply of rain, sun and sheer passion has to exist for it to have bloomed? Blush petals dotted the shriveled leaves. They must have roared their lust for life, like a lioness, as they blossomed. I felt giddy by the discovery and revelation. Parched and thirsty, I heard the squawk of dove gray, snow white seagulls. A tentative smile crossed my face as I fathomed they were the only spectators on the lonely shoreline, besides me. So, I recorded the rosy, petaled miracles and their extraordinary presence using my macro photographic lens. What an eye-opener to see nature growing where least expected.