Day Four εїз Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all— …
~ Emily Dickinson

July 12th, 2015

Hello Mother, hello Daughter,

As I walk to hot kettle this morning I am particularly struck by the sounds around. A few girls have risen and are playing. Birds are calling each other by name.

Take a deep breath, or a few if you like. Turn up your speaker volume and click box turtle photo below. Indulge yourself with this aural gift—should you choose—and join us in the sounds of this ancient forest.

My heart now feels twice the size it was than when we arrived. Full. Joyfull. Blessed. Grateful. Today is a day for greeting each moment with complete gratitude, knowing that each mighty adventurer—all 17 of us—shall leave this special place having become more of who we are meant to be, each carrying with us memories of woodland magic.

mca md butterflies 2015

To all our retreat goers, I am deeply grateful to have been a co-creator with you for this very special time in our lives.

I am grateful to our secret retreat host for having the vision, intention and for being a caretaker of such a sacred gathering place.

To the Mighty Creative Girls, I thank you for the blessing of seeing you natural and free. I saw you caring for the wildlife, and watched how your concern and reverence grew everyday. Because of each of you, I am assured our world is raising the healers we so desperately need.

Wendy, I thank you for the creative inspiration you so freely shared though out our visioning. Birthing this adventure together with you served to more deeply activate within me a wilderness–my human wildness–that I aspire to remember for all my days.

em wendy mca 2015

And to the Mothers, thank you for trusting Wendy and I, for sharing your precious daughters with us. Thank you for listening to your instincts. The memory of our girls running together barefoot amidst the rabbits, snakes, butterflies and hummingbirds is tattooed upon my soul.

emma hope mca 2015

Emma–my daughter and one of my greatest teachers–has a beautiful ability for naming things. Throughout the weekend she offered her gift by naming many of the creatures that came to her; names not as species but known fully by her heart. In the photo above, she discovered a butterfly with a small bend in its wing. She looked at it for a moment and said, “This is Hope.” She perched and clung onto Emma’s finger for a few moments… and then Hope flew up and away.

It was a moment that took my breath away, moving me completely beyond the moment.

While embracing each and every girl and woman in departure, I could feel within us lies the great Hope: I could see the possibility for our human wing-ed flights.

Thank you.

I will never forget our secret forest, or our mighty creative adventure.

in gratitude & love,

❤ becky

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Day Three εїз the Butterfly Effect

Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who make the morning
and spread it over the fields…

good morning, good morning, good morning….

Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.

~ Mary Oliver (excerpt from her poem, Why I Wake Early)

July 11th, 2015

Hello Mother, hello Daughter,

Top of the morning to you, Turtle … or Terrapin? Here you are, whatever we humans call you… gliding in the forest. Delectable synchronicity! Were your ears ringing the other day? Uhh, do you have ears? Oh yes, sorry, of course you have, they just look a little different than mine. Hmmm, I was just talking about you few days ago in Raleigh; did you hear me? I was telling my friend about how I had never seen a terrapin before, and … well…HERE you are turtle? terrapin? perhaps to teach me about discernment? Taking your turtley time walking through the forest on your way somewhere important I’m sure. Oh, it was so very considerate of you to pop by and to time your stroll at the exact moment I was going get my first morning tea. We are so happy to meet you, oh and to gently put you back in the same exact spot we found you so you can continue on your way.

mighty terrapin mca 2015mightycreative terrapin 2015

Oh and moth, aren’t you extraordinary? Oh yes, I see you…. You with your contrasting stripes and swirls, making quite the fashion statement… making other moths–a bit well–perhaps more edible?moth mca 2015

And MMMMMadame Butterfly: Taking your sweet time, fanning your wings, sunbathing while dining on a lily. Oh the life! Have you heard what some people say about you and the Butterfly Effect: that the beat of a your wings can be felt around the world? Right now as I am with you–you and your splendid magnificence –how could I possibly believe anything but…. butterflies? I do believe in butterflies. I do. I do. I do.

wings to fly mca 2015

and look, look, look at the beautiful humans: friends, smiling, and up to something curious, yes?!

mighty friends 2015

and oh, my… more butterflies… Eastern Swallowtails or Spice Bush are you? I beg your pardon if I am mistaking your species, but a butterfly by any other name, perhaps smells as sweet? I have to ask you, why do you always come to this particular patch of dewy grass every morning for your proboscis full of morning dewcoffee? Something about the shade? The sun? I wonder…I marvel…I believe.

spice butterflies mca 2015

Oh, and look … that Mom is eating more hummus. Good thing there was lots of it. Earlier there was a discussion about the gourmet Sriracha Mango flavored hummus that mysteriously vanished quicker than you could say “Sriracha!” (Thank you Roots for generously gifting the girls and moms plenty of hummus and chips for our adventurous palettes. Delicious!)roots hummus 2015  mca

Hmmm.

There are more messengers and teachers in the forest than I could ever have imagined. Nature and animals teaching, if we pay attention and open our awareness to what comes into our space. And–even though we are leaving this enchanted place tomorrow–thankfully back at home, nature is everywhere there too–around us, before us, above us, beneath us. No lack of teachers, even those of us who live in cities… Mama Nature is everywhere. I am so grateful for these teachers.

εїз on butterfly wings εїз
love & creatiful blessings,

❤ becky