An exciting discovery

In December I had coffee with a colleague I haven't seen in a few years and she told about the Emerging Women Company and I have to say that I am really inspired by this.  From the moment I saw their slogan "Live the truth of who you are," I was hooked.  I love the concept and I love what they do.  I was also really excited to read about their power circles. 

Here is the write up on their website page 

'Emerging Women exists to support and inspire women to express themselves authentically through the work that they do. We strive to provide the tools, knowledge, and network to help women lead, start and grow businesses in a way that integrates feminine values such as connection, collaboration and heart. It is our desire that women have a strong voice in the shaping of our world's future.'

I am hoping to go to their Emerging Women Live Conference in San Francisco in October (I'm putting it out there) as Elizabeth Gilbert and Brene Brown are the main speakers.  What a team!  Check it out. 

I hope you find some podcasts, blog posts, insights and videos that will inspire you too.

Play

It has been ages since I have written on my blog and I am not entirely sure why.  There are some definite logical reasons, but there also seems to be a deeper one.  I think I have needed to do a bit of hibernating and after a body talk session, Clare Tucker, who I go to for body talk said, "I only want to see you again in January. Your body's telling me it just wants to be entertained."  Well with that permission, I have been doing exactly that.  I've been getting lost in a whole lot of fiction books and just watching movies.  It has been blissful and I think I really needed it.  I have come out my hibernation for a little bit while to sort out a whole lot of things for the Christmas holidays but am reveling in the fact that I have another month of just playing!  I ordered the following off Amazon and intend to immerse myself in them in the next few weeks.

During this hibernation, I also attended a process art workshop with Michelle McClunan in Hillcrest, and I absolutely loved it.  Our project for the day was "Me as a tree" and before we started on the painting, we did a bit of clay work which I found hugely pleasurable and beneficial.  Michelle shared with us the benefit of playing with clay when you are angry or sad and how when you are done with it you can just release that clay with all your stuff, back into the earth to be washed away with the next rains. I think that is a magical idea and a great way to teach children to deal with their anger too.  So I am off to get some sculpting clay soon.  I highly recommend it!

The process art was an amazing experience for me too and I had to learn let go of the outcome and work with the idea that it is about the process and not what it looks like when you are done. I had arrived with all these ideas in my head of creating a magnificent looking tree and was resistant and disappointed with the idea at first.  However, in reflecting at the end of the class, I realise my process was all about finding MY voice.  It was very powerful for me and I will be doing some more next year for sure!

Indulging in an Artist's Date

Julia Cameron in her book "The Artist's Way" encourages us to have a regular (once a week if possible) artist's date with ourselves, where we do something that we love or go somewhere on a date with ourselves, be it browsing through some lovely shops or an art gallery, watching a movie, going for a walk on the beach, going to a coffee shop and having something yummy to eat, taking a half an hour out in the garden with a cup of tea and a magazine, going to the local bookstore ... whatever it is that fills your tank. So last week Thursday, the same day I discovered that enchanting bookstore in the 13th century church, I took an entire day to do just that, in the magical city of Maastricht.  Here are some of the delights I found ...

Maastricht here I come!

Amazing tea variety in a local tea shop

How beautiful

Mint leaves served in glasses to make your own mint tea 

Different flavoured hot chocolate lollies for your hot chocolate drink in a true chocolaterie

Douwe Egberts Coffee Shop

Traditional Limburg's Tarts

Cheese anyone?

Candles in the famous Basilica of Our Lady - my granny's favourite church

But ofcourse!

Love this light 

Love the name!

Sacred Bookstore

The passed week, I spent some wonderful time with my mom and my family in The Netherlands.  I also got to visit my most favorite city in the world, Maastricht.  I think it is a beautiful city with rich history and is the place that my dad grew up.  I've spent many a wonderful time in that city and have such fond memories of it.  It is also a magical place to shop with really trendy shops scattered down cobbled alleyways and historic buildings, so I set aside a whole day last Thursday to indulge. 

During my shopping spree, my cousin and I came across a beautiful old 13th century Dominican church that had been converted into a bookstore. It is the popular Dutch bookstore chain, Selexyz. I absolutely loved it!  What a great idea for a church that is no longer in use.  I really wished that my bookworm daughter and father had been with me to share in the beauty of it.

There was also a coffee shop in the church/bookstore and I love how the coffee table was shaped into a cross.  Very clever!

Messages for my bookworms

The Children's section

Truth ...

I have this gorgeous little book that I got from a dear friend of mine 

and on Tues in my circle group I randomly opened it up to this page and these were the words of wisdom that flowed out ...

 

Here's to the truth that shall set us free!  

Because only in being true to ourselves about who we really are and what we really want, will we be free to live the fullest and most magnificent version of ourselves.

Treat Yourself ...

Here is a little write-up about a retreat that I am running together with three really amazing women and I am super excited about it.  We hope to see you there ...

Trees, Confucius and Journaling

Last week I went to a ceramic exhibition that a friend of mine held on her beautiful farm in among the sugar cane fields. Driving along the dirt road, I stopped to admire a gorgeous Natal Fig tree.  I absolutely love trees and to me there is a magic about them.

This particular tree always makes me slow down on the way to the farm because it is just so big and majestic. I quickly stopped to take some photos in between passing cars, hoping not to get covered in dust as cars drove by on the dirt road.  I managed to get a few nice shots. 

Later that week, when doing the Lisa Sonora Root Journaling, the focus that day was taken from the quote by Confucius 

"Cultivate the root; the leaves and branches will take care of themselves."  


The prompts made me think about the tree I had photographed earlier that week and I could resonate with the trunk of the tree. It feels like they represent my roots at the moment, or rather my very cluttered life! The branches are completely entwined and some even look like they are strangling each other. While I love the look of it in the tree, in my life, it feels like they need some thinning out and some space.  I have been wanting to de-clutter many things in my home for a very long time, from cupboards, to paperwork to 
furniture and a whole lot of crockery that has been sent my way!  I however have been resisting for as long as I can remember because it feels daunting and I would much rather be blogging.  So the message has become very clear indeed. I need to make some time for space.  Space in my home and also some space to breathe and just be.

"Spacious" is also one of my core desired feelings that I discovered while doing Danielle LaPorte's  Desire Map and I think it is time I honored that a bit more.

I am so grateful to how that majestic dust-covered tree and the Root Journaling prompt pulled that message together for me. 

Thank you.

Living In My Zone of Genius

I came across Lisa Sonora's website through a friend's blog and I absolutely fell in love with this journal page of hers.  For years I have been working with and delving into what my strengths and joys are, or as she so beautifully words it, 'zone of genius', and I just love how she has made such a powerful, encouraging and inspiring commitment  to herself and the world.

As I have mentioned before, I firmly believe that in following your joys and committing to them, you are serving the world in the biggest way possible, for that is where your genius lies and through your genius, others can but only benefit.

Yet it is hard for so many of to allow that genius to surface.  I think the ego comes up with so many creative obstacles that block the path and that magnificent genius that resides in all of us just keeps lying there, dormant beneath the ice, waiting for its opportunity to shine.  I have definitely found that with my writing.  There are always so many other things that just 'need' to get done and then there are also the bigger life events that slow us down; while time then just keeps ticking along.  So I feel inspired and motivated by Lisa's magnificent commitment to her genius!

I have signed up for her 30 day journal project which looks like a whole lot of fun.  Maybe it's something for you too? 

Unraveling 2014

Hello hello!  And hello 2014!!  I am so excited to be writing on my blog again after a lovely long summer holiday!  The kids are back at school and this week we are back into our termly routines of school and extra murals which was all a bit of a rude awakening after such a lovely, lazy holiday.  In fact, I was actually quite nervous to get back into the fast paced action, but at least we eased into it with a three-day school week last week.

So, here we are three weeks into January and I have managed to complete Susannah Conway's Unraveling 2014.  I really enjoyed doing it and as I have said before it is highly recommended as it is a great way to reflect on the year passed and to put some thought and energy into the kind of year you would like to have.  Obviously this doesn't mean you are in full control of everything that happens in our year, but it gives us something to steer by and work with.

In the worksheet, you choose a word that becomes your word for the year and for me it was uncanny how that played out for me in 2013 and for my group of circle women who also did the unraveling.  At the end of 2012 I did it over two separate sessions and initially came up with the word 'create' which felt really good.  However by the next day, I just knew it was wrong!  And what came to mind was 'just be' which I couldn't really fathom why.  Well two weeks later my dad went into hospital for a procedure and ended up dying 5 months later in hospital and all I could do through all of those months was exactly that; 'just be.'  Only in the last three months of the year did I manage to get down and start creating! So it was amazing for me how that just panned out; two words and both had their place.

This year, my word is BRAVE.  It started out in December with a friend putting together a CD for me and I heard Sara Bareilles' song Brave for the first time and I just loved it. Then when I started playing with what my word for 2014 would be, I came up with 'truth.' I felt like I really and truly wanted to stand fully in my truth. Then I realized, in order to do that wholeheartedly, I need to be brave! And so here I am at the start of 2014 with my new word, BRAVE.  I have to say that It does make me rather nervous for what it will require of me, and for what lies in store, especially after the year we have just had.  But that's what felt right so we'll have to just let it unfold and see!

One of the exercises on the worksheet is to play around with words and images for 2014 and I decided to do a vision board for it.  I thoroughly enjoyed doing it and just love it!.  

 Any ideas for what your word for 2014 is? If you have the chance and it appeals to you, try the unraveling worksheet.  I think it is really powerful. You can find the link here ...  Lets make some magic in 2014

So as a little treat for 2014, here is the song Brave for you. Enjoy

Surprise ...

My hubby got back from the States yesterday with a whole lot of yummy goodies and one of them was this beautifully wrapped box of Aveda tea!!  Of course I had to share it on my Stoeptea blog!!

I've just had some with my friend Donna who was helping me with a flyer (thank you sooo much my special friend) and it is delicious (liquorice, fennel, basil and perppermint!! Yum!)

My Weekend Red Tent

I've just had an absolutely gloriously DIVINE weekend away with my women's circle group.  The environment was so magnificent and I feel truly blessed to have been able to enjoy such a wondrous piece of paradise. My soul has been nourished, pampered, fed and loved and it was just magical.  I can actually see and feel how my energy is vibrating at a totally different level - it feels like it is just oozing love!  I am so grateful for this unique and special group of women who have come into my life.

Fun on the beach!

A few years ago my hubby read "Anticancer" by David Servan- Schreiber, and read about some research done by David Speigel on women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer and the impact that the support groups they formed had on their coping abilities, recovery and survival. The study shows that those women who where part of a group where they spoke openly and honestly about about their life, their fears, the cancer, how they were feeling etc. lived longer and coped better than those who were not part of a support group. He even observed a difference in those who had attended sporadically and those who had attended regularly.  He links the findings back to Satre and Kiekergaard's idea about people being able to be as authentic as possible and that in confronting the fear of death, human beings become fully themselves.   I was blown away by that research and also so delighted as I feel that my circle groups give women the opportunity to be as real as possible, to become fully themselves, to stand in their truth and live life fully ALIVE!

Jump for JOY!!

This quote by Louise Bernikow sums it up so beautifully;  "Female friendships that work are those in which women help each other to belong to themselves." 

Thank you so much girls!!

Over this long weekend, I made some space to "slow down the room" and did some lovely baking, singing along to some gorgeous music and just really relaxing and getting totally into it.  It was lovely to be so unhurried and creative, and for me, it is one way of getting in touch with myself.  You don't always need to meditate, to slow down your heart rate and your mind!

I have managed to sort out a whole lot of my old recipes and it has been magical discovering some of these old gems and making them again.  My best friend from school is Cypriot and every now and then her mom used to spoil us with those delicious Greek biscuits, Kourabeides - the ones dusted in icing sugar - and we used to go up to the far end of the field and just revel in the deliciousness of these melt-in-your-mouth biscuits.  When we were in our last year of high school, her mom gave us a lesson in how to make them and I wrote it down word for word, being very green in the baking and cooking department!  I only plucked up the courage to make them years later and every time I make them and read the recipe in my original green ink, I think of the excitement of the two of us, opening the lunchbox to these little moon shaped gems!

Thank you Mrs Economou for the wonderful memories and the perfect accompaniment to my cup of tea this week.

I am just loving trees at the moment.  I went for a walk this afternoon and fell in love with this one tree that I drive passed every day, but only really “saw” it properly today in the gorgeous afternoon light.  I couldn’t believe how many branches it had and how far the branches reached. It is just magnificent.

I am also loving these beautiful coral trees that are currently in full bloom.  They are so gorgeous.  I’m going to try and photo one close to our house in the morning light and see how that turns out.

MUMBAI STYLE TEA
I spent a few days in Mumbai last week and while waiting for my hubby outside the local super market, I had the pleasure of watching a street vendor serve masala tea to a whole lot of passersby. I was totally fascinated and really wanted to take a photo but was a bit shy and was also not convinced I would be able to catch the essence of the vibe with the photo. In hindsight, I should have just asked him if I could take a photo of his tea pot on the stove, but such is life.

It was clearly home time (a good time for tea) and the vendor was really, really busy. The man serving the tea had a huge teapot on his little stove and he poured the tea into little glasses and handed it to his customers. There were all kinds of customers, ranging from business men to what looked like some local policemen. They stood around on the wide street corner drinking and chatting away, while the traffic blared on by. When they finished, they rinsed their glass in one of the two buckets of water next to the vendor and placed it back on the serving table. When we left I glanced into the buckets and just saw some grey, milky water. Not sure if my spoilt little "European" tummy could quite stomach drinking out of those glasses but clearly they had no problem with it.

What fascinated me even more was a beautiful young girl, who was with her mom and two younger siblings, walking confidently up to the vendor, through a small crowd of men and obviously asking for tea. What happened next blew me away. He proceeded to pour her some tea in a clear plastic packet. He twisted it at the top, whipped it over and tied it just like we do when we buy loose fruit. Then off she went. I thought to myself - but now how on earth is she going to drink that? A minute later her younger sister walked up to the vendor and he gave her 3 paper cups. Aha - okay that worked better for me; but still?!  Tea in a plastic packet?! I assumed that the vendor was maybe doing them a bit of a favor by giving them some extra tea. Then a few minutes later, he poured some more tea for someone else in a plastic bag and gave him paper cups too.  He had a few more customers like this in between the others who drank from the glass cups and then it dawned on me that the tea in the plastic packets was a take away!!  Why it wasn't served into the paper cups immediately, I have no idea, but that was take-away masala tea mumbai style!!  I loved it!  I just wish I had taken that photo.

I just love this - it appeals to the little girl in me and what a fun idea.  I'm very keen to try this

I’ve been working through The Artist’s Way (by Julia Cameron) with a few girlfriends these last few months and it has been a really wonderful and insightful journey.  I have loved delving deep into long forgotten dreams, ideas, and memories; some pleasant, some not so.  I find myself really excited to take my children to their extra murals these days, hurriedly dropping them off and heading to the nearest coffee shop; book, journal and pencil in hand and having a whole hour to myself to read, delve and write. Bliss!  I’m so pleased I’m not filling that gap with grocery shopping anymore.

Living authentically and living deeply is really important to me, yet I find it challenging.  Being the good girl (substitute mommy/friend/wife) and people pleaser myself (I would like to say an “ex-people pleaser”, but that would not be totally authentic) there are all kinds of situations that hold me back from being completely true to myself.  Working through the book and discussing it with my girlfriends, has definitely put in motion my ability to start living more from my joy.  So I am just loving it at the moment.  This blog is one the hopefully many creative harvests of the book.