Farewell :: Wild Present Tense

Posted on July 24, 2015July 23, 2015 by Lifted Lorax

Little spider weaves a wispy web
And stumbling through the woods it catches to my head
She crawls behind my ear and whispers secrets
Dragonfly wiz by and sings now teach it…

Gimme some of that wild fox medicine!
But, keep me here in this wild present tense…
Dawning adventures sparkle get some rest!
Dawning adventures sparkle get some rest! – Nahko Bear

July 12, 2015

Hello mother, hello Daughter….

Alas it is time to say goodbye and begin the long adventure home. I am watching the girls exchange email addresses solemnly on the porch of the lodge – and – sharing heartfelt hugs with new friends in celebration of a Mighty Creative Adventure co-created together by a circle of kindred spirits.

butterfly goodbye

wendy butterfly becky

Thank you Cheryn and Becky for capturing this butterfly goodbye – and to Ana for the vid below!

So…what was my intention…what did I hope to give and receive?

I hoped to give creative tools and contemplative tools to express your beautiful self in new ways.
I hoped to receive the joy in getting to know you better, in hearing your laughter, in witnessing the magic that only you can make.

I am blessed in innumerable ways and I thank YOU for that.

(The girls say good bye and chase my car.)

Made so & rooted by….

love edit NC ,

Wendy

Day Three :: Dreams Into Realities

Posted on July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 by Lifted Lorax

In the moon of the budding trees
I was gifted new eyes to see
All of the shifting shape and ways you can be
Wake the dreams into realities – Nahko Bear

July 11, 2015

Hello Mother, hello Daughter…

I rise early once again, the sound of the river that lulls me to sleep at night now lifts me from slumber at dawn. Soon the birds will begin to sing. I like the quiet of dawn and being the first to wake.

Today we explored a trail outside the sanctuary.

There I found a tiny snail on the forest floor and pondered these questions.

What will I see today?

What will I notice in myself?

What will it teach me?

Where will I see it reflected in my own life?

*Thank you Cheryn Odolecki Bolasci and Ana Garcia for the snail and butterfly photos!

Today the moms made special spoons to bless the meals that they make to nourish their families…

While the daughters stamped pencils to bless the words that they write.

There was a new visitor who brought us much laughter.

Our wood rounds that we prepped yesterday were now dry, so we began rubbing away the paper pulp to reveal the image that we transferred to the wood. The wood rounds were a gift from Walnut Hollow. You can read more about them here! We are very grateful for their generosity!

It’s was a day filled with creativity…

and connection…

and playfulness…

and some heartfelt talking…

and ceremony…

The mothers and daughter painted wooden bracelets to exchange during our closing ceremony. The bracelets were donated by the generous folks at DIY Bangles. DIY Bangles is a pioneer in unfinished wood bangles made from high quality tropical hardwood.

Thank you, DIY Bangles, for your generosity and support!!!

Made so & rooted by love,
Wendy

Day Two εїз the Beauty Way

Posted on July 22, 2015July 22, 2015 by becky suzik

I walk in Beauty,
Beauty before me.
Beauty behind me.
Beauty inside.
Beauty all around.
I walk in beauty all around.
~ Kathleen Hannan, inspired by a sacred Navajo Prayer

July 10th, 2015

Hello Mother, hello Daughter,

Wendy and I bunked together on the 2nd floor of Narnia; Emma in the loft above, and Abbey in the hammock bed below. Each night when we went to bed, we talked and giggled… the 13-year-old in me was more than content.

It had been a dream of mine to work together with Wendy on a project intending love and creativity for girls and their mothers, and now we were in full flow and beauty of it.

Today was a day for creativity and drinking in the beauty all around us.

That morning, we went and sat on the rocks beside the stream and made river talismans. Time was unhurried … time seemed almost to stop. That morning could have been 200 years ago, women and girls sitting together, cotton in hands, hand tying and present with our handwork, intention and each other. (One of the enchanted forest’s secrets is that time perception changes here.)

river talis mca 2015

After our timelessness beside the stream, we went for a hike to explore the Pisgah National Forest. This forest is one of the oldest in America, so much diversity, so many rare species. The rewilding continued…

woodland trail mca 2015

We walked with our awareness in the full present moment; looking, sensing, smelling, and feeling our way up straight up the woodland trail. We looked to nature as our teacher and guide…

tree roots mca 2015

I felt supported and surrounded by the strength and splendor of mother earth and inspired by the curiosity of the wildly wonderful humans beside me.

When we returned to our camp the girls played in the bamboo, swayed in the tree swings and found more butterflies.

mca 2015 butterbush

Beauty all around.

The girls and moms discovered beautiful natural wood bracelets and crushed velvet bags sent from our creatifully-charged contributor DIY Bangles. At dusk we gathered on the grass to painted them. Thank you so much for your generous gifting!

tree circle mca 2015 diybangles mca 2015 diybangles 2 mca 2015

We played and created so much beauty today. There is more joy and beauty to come tomorrow. Now off to get some beauty sleep….

love & creatiful blessings,

❤ becky

Opening Day :: Maps in Hand

Posted on July 21, 2015July 22, 2015 by Lifted Lorax

Little spider weaves a wispy web
And stumbling through the woods it catches to my head
She crawls behind my ear and whispers secrets
Dragonfly wiz by and sings now teach it…

Edge of the west where water touches land
You are the east with folded maps in hand – Nahko Bear

July 9th, 2015

Hello Mother, hello daughter…

Welcome! Take a map and compass to find your way in the world. Find your shelter first, then go to the lodge to stir your offering into the soup with our blessing spoon. We’ll meet you at the opening circle in the garden at dusk. We will be eating al fresco and we’re making lanterns when the sun goes down. We have a story to share with you by the fire tonight….

After dinner we made mason jar Forest Lanterns by the light of the moon and the stars and the fireflies that sparked the sky.

The jars were a gift from the generous folks at Ball brand Canning Jars. Ball brand Canning Jars was founded by five brothers, Edmund, Frank, George, Lucius and William, in 1880. They began by making wood-jacketed tin cans for products like paint and kerosene. The brothers began making glass home-canning jars in 1884.

Thank you, Ball brand Canning Jars, for your generosity and support!!!

*The jars, LED lids, handles, and embellishments can be found at your local craft store.

DSCN0848

We then made feather pens for our journaling exercises. The beautiful turkey feathers were a gift from Moonlight Feather! Moonlight Feather is a family owned company founded by husband and wife team Justin and Joey in 2008. The company was inspired by the headband designs that Joey created for their infant daughter. Joey sold her handmade headbands on etsy. Their dream grew from an office in a spare bedroom to a 3500 square foot facility and a staff of 15 employees.

Thank you, Moonlight Feather, for your generosity and support!!!

*To make your own feather pen, simply snip the tip off your turkey feather, then slide a pen refill inside the quill. You can decorate your feather using dye or water soluble oil pastels, glitter or even rubber stamps with Stayz-on ink. You can purchase beautiful feathers from Moonlight Feather! Pen refills can be purchased from an office supply store and all other embellishments from your local craft store.

DSCN0762

We gathered ’round the fire for a story and s’mores before a good rest after traveling far and wide for our Mighty Creative Adventure. Tonight we contemplate our intentions for this adventure. What do we hope to give? What do we hope to receive?

DSCN0683

Made so & rooted by love,
Wendy

your questions answered

Posted on June 19, 2015June 19, 2015 by becky suzik

Hello Mother, Hello Daughter!

Everything is coming together beautifully–blissfully– for this summer’s inaugural Mighty Creative Adventure™.

We still have room for a few more adventurers and we’d LOVE to welcome you to our opening circle on July 9th in our enchanted woodland sanctuary. This retreat is for mothers of all ages and daughters ages 8 to 14.

Today we launched our Mighty Creative community on Facebook. We will support our online community by sharing ideas that support and nurture girls, mothers and creativity. If you are on Facebook and would like to join us, please LIKE here, then click the arrow next to LIKE to Opt-In to Receive Notifications in your feed. We share only beauty and noteworthy ideas!

We’ve had a few private emails with some excellent questions, so we thought we’d take a moment to share here.

Can I bring more than one daughter?
Yes indeed! Some mothers are bringing more than one daughter, and others with more than one of-age-daughter are choosing to come with one daughter to focus on their special bond.

I want to register but prefer to pay by check, or to pay in two payments.
You may pay by check. Get in touch with us HERE and we’ll send you payment details. And yes, you can break payments up. We do not want finances to hinder your participation

What airport is nearby and is there a shuttle service?
Our retreat is about 40 minutes from the Asheville (AVL) airport in North Carolina. Our retreat site host may be able to pick you up. Shuttle service from airport to our enchanted forest is $50.

What time will we finish on Sunday (June 12)?
Most of our guests have to journey home, and some girls begin a new school year the day after our retreat. With this in mind, our closing circle will be at 930 Sunday morning, intending to be done by 11. You are welcome to stay longer and enjoy the gardens, or go after our circle.

We are honored to be breathing life into this creative adventure. With love we offer you the very experience that we’ve longed for as girls, a women’s circle for mothers and daughters that is nearly extinct in our world today. We are offering a safe and loving retreat experience for mothers and daughters to come together for activities that nurture connection, creativity, intuition, and wisdom. If this speaks to you, we hope we will see you around our Mighty Creative fire!

You may register and find more details HERE.
See the available rooms and shelters HERE.
And contact us HERE for more info or questions.

your loving guides,

p.s. scroll to the bottom of page if you’d like to subscribe to Hello Mother, Hello Daughter and receive notices, updates and our retreat reflections from camp.

p.p.s here’s linky to our new Mighty Creative facebook community!

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