Sweat Lodge and Fire Pit - Arroyo Hondo near Taos

Planning to leave early in the morning - so I'll do a write now.  Mainly, just wanted to send you the photo of the sweat lodge and fire pit where the rocks were cooked last Saturday evening.  This experience was truly a memorable one - effects felt particularly clearly three days later.  I woke knowing I had an experience that I needed to continue growing spiritually that I probably could not have created in other way.  The controlled breathing I did, the community within, the leader, and the prayers, songs, and chants; those outside the lodge handling the rocks, and whatever else needed doing.  I guess I'll leave it at that.  The photo will appear above.

Sally's Readings and Sick Cat

Today started off a bit unusually.  Several calls to the owners and a visit to the vet first thing with Shugie, the male cat with AIDs and recently dosed for pneumonia - He had begun wheezing again so off we went first thing to the vet.  Turned out to be a fun visit - the guy was full of jokes!  Anyhow, back home now with drops to give Shugie again tonight, but already he is up and about much more freely - no doubt the shot and drops the vet gave him.  So, we're off to Orlando's for a New Mexican lunch after yoga at noon.  Then, a bit of shopping, back home to clean house, do laundry, and basically get packed to leave.  I will go back out to Jim's this evening for an energy treatment this time.  Last evening was just conversation - a great one.  I'm learning a lot from him and enjoying every minute of it.  Before that, Sally came by and led us up to her home high in the mountains - a beautiful adobe home with lots of glass expanse to enjoy the view.  She is clairvoyant and gave me a super reading - full of meaning.  Then, a Tarot reading for Susan.  I think mine was far more exciting!  Three men are to show up in my life:  a frog, a serpent, and a turtle!  Not quite sure what all the characteristics of each are but I presume I'll learn as I go along.  Wonder which will show up first?  Is one already in my social circle?  Who?  Could all of these aspects be in one man?  Who?  Sorry I didn't get a photo of the readings.  But, I'll remember them!!!  Thanks, Sally!

Sage Smudge Sticks etc.

Susan making Sage Smudge Sticks

Wednesday - the time is running out - only two days left.  Seems so many things left to see and do, but it will be good to get back home, too.  Yesterday we spent time in the Rio Grande river gorge a few miles out of town.  Susan hiked down into the canyon to hot springs pools that feed into the river.  I stayed up top gathering stones.  The trail looked too dangerous for me and my weak ankles.  Both of us had a great time - the site is soooo serene - inspiring - perfect for going inward - which is what I've been doing a lot of here.   It's so easy!  The wide open bright blue skies with absolutely sparkling white clouds, watching the rain storms come toward us from across the landscape, the dusty side roads, the sagebrush everywhere with its lovely yellow blossoms, the friendly folks always eager to give directions, usually beginning with "just turn left (or right, or go straight through) the " old blinking light", a stop light that no longer blinks, and you're on your way to wherever....While out at the canyon Susan collected some sagebrush and  made smudge sticks last evening.  So far, my sneezes, runny nose, and dripping eyes are not bad - been using my neti pot at least once each morning - so we may collect some more.  Smudging seems to be a frequent practice, and it is fun, so we'll do more of it at the Yogatorium and labyrinth in future gatherings.  Don't ask me when - right now I'm flying on a cloud of pure joy out here.  Will come back down to earth next week.

Sweat Lodge and Lama Foundation Retreat Center

Jaquie at Lama Foundation labyrinth

Lama Open Ceremonial Structure

Sorry I've been neglecting you. Much is going on. The sweat lodge experience Saturday evening was quite different from the one I did in Montana a few years ago.  I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to stay all four rounds - about four hours elapsed from the time we entered until we left (although we did have a short exit break for some of us following the second round.)- with no physical problems other than being drenched in sweat the whole time!  There were about 18 of us together listening to each other's prayers and chanting together and listening to individuals singing, etc.  You really have to be there to understand and appreciate the experience.  I am so grateful for having been a part of the entire ceremony.  Following - we ate potluck supper at about 11:00 pm, visited and had a closing ceremony in Jim's home......Sunday we spent at the Lama Foundation spiritual retreat center on the western slopes of the Sangre de Cristo mountains  at 8,600 feet.  It was 1967 when the first steps took place to open the retreat site and it has been continuously in operation since 1968 - one of very few lasting hippie hangouts from the 60's.  Sunday was the closing day for this year and was filled with a tour, a puppet show, delightful vegetarian lunch,  and dances of universal peace.....Monday, yesterday, I spent in recovery at home except for a short shopping trip to Mexican stuff stores.....Last evening, a friend from the sweat lodge experience came for supper and sleep in a house (she had been camping out for a couple weeks).  She's off to another camp site for a few days before returning to Florida where she lives.  Today?  Not quite sure what yet.  Will report tomorrow.

Miscellany

Saturday morning Farmer's Market visit first - brought home lovely plums, pears, kale, lettuce, grass- fed ground beef, all organically grown, of course.  We have really been eating delicious food the whole time we've been here - very little New Mexican but what we have eaten has been super delicious.  Today is hydrating day getting set for sweat lodge this evening.  I'm a bit apprehensive, but can't resist the happening.  I've promised myself to be careful and leave the lodge if necessary.  Understand there may be as many as 20 people participating. .....We visited a beautiful, luxurious spa near our house yesterday and took photos (on Susan's camera, so I can't send them) in the beautiful surroundings.  Lots of waterfalls and pools, statuary, hidden small patios, etc.  Even apple trees bearing so much fruit the ground was covered beneath one.......and they are all over town, loaded with fruit.....magpies are also everywhere - don't recall ever seeing one before - beautiful birds!  One tree nearby is a nesting area for vultures - so we are careful walking along the sidewalk there.  Ravens, of course, are here too.  Enough.  More tomorrow.

Abominable Snowmansion

Abominable Snowmansion in September

 Friday - a free day with nothing scheduled.  Kind of a time to sit back and plan the next week of our trip.  Great evening last - Tito la Rosa, Peruvian shaman did a two-hour concert playing several different Peruvian instruments while walking around the yoga studio among those of us seated on pillows on the floor.  It was inspiring, delightful evening - even sitting two hours!  That was last night.  During the day we spent time at the Taos Spa for a Feldenkrais session (on our backs the entire hour) which was a great session - will incorporate some into my teaching, for sure.  Susan stayed at the  spa for three or four hours doing all kinds of stuff while I did a bit of shopping - skimpy clothes for the sweat lodge tomorrow.  Then, a hot tub soak, and home for lunch and naps.  We have managed to do at least one exciting thing each day so far - who knows what might happen yet today!  The photo is of a building I found funny - If you click on it, you can enlarge and read - but for those who won't do that, it says "The Abominable Snowmansion."  It is in a tiny town nearby - Arroyo Seco - halfway between the ski slopes and Taos.

Red Willow Tribe - Taos Pueblo

It's Thursday already - weve been doing a lot of stuff so seems we've been here longer than we have.  Yesterday was full with a trip to the Taos Pueblo - Red Willow Tribe - with much fun going in and out of the small adobe homes with shops in them.  Not a whole bunch of buying, but lots of looking.  Truly fun to realize they have a stream running through the pueblo that comes from up in the mountains and serves as their drinking water.  Yes, it is tested frequently to be sure it is pure.  About a hundred people live inside the walls of the pueblo but what we saw mostly were tourists.   Here's a photo of the church on the pueblo where we intend attending mass Sunday morning at 7:00.  Off to yoga!

Shamanic Journey



Center of Labyrinth at Mable Dodge Luhan House

 Monday was a busy one - A delightful yoga class with Genevieve at Shree Yoga right off the Plaza a couple blocks.  I learned a new pose - "inch worm" - which I will teach when I return - not easy, but fun.  The hour was well spent - felt better all day.  The highlight of the evening was a shamanic journey with 6 of us at Jim's home a few miles from Arroyo Seco.  First off I took the wrong map Sally had drawn for us - to her house rather than to Jim's - but a short phone call fixed that and we arrived in plenty of time.  He opened sacred space, smudged us all, did a long guided visualization and then drummed for 20 minutes.  Afterwards we shared and it was amazing to me how much we shared that was the same..  This was my first experience lying on the floor (sort of like savasana) and going where the drum beats took me.  To a jungle and a meeting with jaguar, hummingbird, serpent, and turtle......Some of you will not have the slightest idea what I'm talking about - if so, just chalk it up to one of Jaquie's crazy interests and let it go..........Anyhow it was fun and I hope to enjoy more similar stuff while here.  .....This morning we're doing a bit of laundry, and just lazying around. 

Touristing - Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos

Another great day yesterday.  Did yoga in the backyard among the quaking aspens - leaves not golden yet - but still gorgeous site.  Spent a delightful walk and time at Mabel Dodge Luhan house and grounds.  She was a wealthy socialite who came here in 1918 from Buffalo, NY and married a full-blooded Taos Pueblo man by the name of Tony Luhan, her 4th husband.  (He and his buddies built the major portion of the house and other buildings.)  The part of the house under the portal (low part) is 200 years old.  The rest was added in the 20s. If you look closely, you can see roosters perched on top of the weather vane and roof of the low section.  That's me in the center.  In addition, there are several more buildings and a rock labyrinth - a BIG one.

It's me in the middle of the labyrinth.  Susan is in the center photo.  (The photos and the text keep moving around as I write this.)........  It's hard to describe how much we are both enjoying this place.  It's like being in a foreign country!  I spent much of yesterday reading shaman stuff in preparation for tonight's journey with Jim Langerich.  Beginning to get a little better feel for what shamanism is all about. .......Susan is stuck in 50 Shades of Gray on my Kindle.......  The five cats are doing well - in spite of the fact that I had been closing the utility room door where their litter box is (unknown to me) - No wonder they keep staying outside so much!  At least the litter is still clean - the garbage truck came before we thought to empty it. (I did get the can to the street.)   Maybe next week we'll have something to add from the cat box!  ....I give up - this write is driving me nuts with its mobility!  Too lazy to learn how to manipulate the pics and words.

Sunday morning.  A great day again yesterday. Major event - out to a bar for a couple hours - first for both of us in quite a while.  The Taos Inn has live music (VERY good) 6 nights a week! So, we may have found a home!  Nothing to write home about - except the drinks - Cowboy Buddha margaritas!  Don't ask me what was different - I had a non-alcoholic $8 orange juice with lime.  Still playing this game for a while.  Before the trip is over, I may have to at least try one of those Cowboy Buddhas.  Saw a couple potential dance partners but nothing exceptional enough to make a play.....as you can see - we're really on vacation!  ..... Most fun was trip to the Farmer's Market and a visit with Bonnie, the palm reader.  Seems to us she was right on!  We each took notes while the other was being read and even after reviewing those, we agreed we heard some plausible ideas.  Not sure about the past-life vocations as healers?  Lots of synchronicity going on - not only that - both of us healers - but this morning we both weighed 127.5 lbs!  What is going on here?  At the market, all organic stuff, we bought beets, broccoli, chard, Italian Torpedo onion, pears, goat cheese, blueberry scone, etc.  At Cid's the night before Susan bought purple potatoes - purple all the way through - not just the skin!  ........We're cat sitting - so thought I'd send a photo of two of the five - sitting in my chair in the back yard - the orange chair.

Taos Orientation with Mya

Wally and Mya just left for two weeks of camping north on the lakes near the Canadian border.  Yesterday was a super one - I had a "Taos moment" they call it when at a consignment shop named "Pieces" I found pottery dishes from my wedding breakfast pattern - all of which had been broken for several years now and I had been hoping to buy some of - 6 plates, 6 saucers, 4 cups of the Stangl fruit pattern which I got nearly 60 years ago - all for $16!  I am overjoyed!  Of course, lots more wonderful bargains are still waiting there.  Then Mya continued escorting us around to other places we need to know about - to a delightful lunch at the Dragonfly - to rock shops - to two different shopping malls of all kinds of delightful local art work - and to a spa with everything from weight rooms, tread mills and reclined bikes, zumba to old folks yoga, swimming pool, two hot tubs, etc. ...So now we know how to use this town.  We've found the "whole foods" store called Cid's, labyrinths await us, and even WalMart where I bought a camera so soon I can include some photos on my posts - forgot mine - so we've been oriented well.  This morning we're off to the Farmer's Market and a palm reader, not what one would normally find at a Farmer's Market - but remember, this is Taos!

Taos - with Wally and Mya

We're here!  Arrived yesterday about 3:00 after long ride over the mountains from I-40 up through Las Vegas (NM) where we had a delightful lunch at Estella's cafe (Susan had eaten here before) which has been in business since 1950, which doesn't seem so long ago to me.  New Mexico food is a very distant relative of Mexican and much more to my liking.  True, the beans and rice accompany, but my tacos were home-made shells, very light, and the stuffing was tomatoes, arugula and cilantro, etc. organically grown locally.  Believe me, nothing like Las Cacadas in Ninety Six.  Then last evening we ate out here in Taos where I had a chili relleno en novado which was stuffed with ground beef, pear, apple, raisins, topped with becan and brandy cream sauce!  Nectar from the Gods!  Surely beats the stuffed bell pepper I had years ago at a Mexican restaurant in Greenville.....Las Vegas plaza was fun - bought a lovely tinware piece from the artist and had a long history of Las Vegas lesson from him.  Visited with a man carving an "immigrant farm laborer" from a standing tree that was dying.  In the plaza that's what they are doing as the trees begin to die they hire an artist to carve statues from them. The Plaza Hotel was delightful.  We only looked, but would love to sleep there some time.  Many movies filmed there.  ........Then a long drive in the rain!  We actually were driving in the clouds at a couple of points and rain like they haven't seen before - at least Wally and Mya hadn't - and it is still cloudy this morning.  The house is lovely - lots of wood everywhere - back yard with beautiful quaking aspens - and we have four cats with us.  Wally and Mya will leave Saturday but for now we're getting a running expo on the area so we'll feel right at home by then.  What a gift!  This house sitting might become a habit!

Stopped by a cop

In an Amarillo  Travelodge motel tonight - had to move from first room because the room above sprung a leak and was dripping into our bathroom - then can't get water out of the faucet here without strong-arming the thing - but otherwise an OK place.  Long ten hours of driving today - but we had yesterday off visiting with Susan's family in Longview which was a delight.  Ate lunch at the Cotton Patch with her father who is now 99 and had a great southern meal cooked to perfection!  Supper was good ole Texas barbecue!  ....... The greatest event of today's travel - I got stopped in Merino (or something like that) by a very handsome cop who smilingly told me I was going 70 in a 45 mph zone.  Couldn't find my driver's license.  Did manage to come up with the car registration.  About then, he started smiling like crazy and asking me to be more cautious and backing away.  I'm convinced it was my aura - he just couldn't break through it!  (Some of you will know what I'm talking about - others don't care.)  Susan is convinced he thought I was a nun (I was wearing my Celtic cross.)  but I think it was simply my aura.  I'm telling you, this emergy healing is strong stuff!  Finally found the driver's license in a bank money envelope after he drove away.  Those nuts make you give them your license to cash a check now and return it in the tube sealed with the money.  Of course, I forgot to get it out - but fortunately it was in the console.  Oh well, so much for today.  Nighty-night.

New experiences

First night, Saturday, we spent with Reid and Michael and son Liam.  Fascinating evening with dinner at an Indian food restaurant where Indians eat!  Little India. - What a joy to be in Atlanta where such can happen - even in the South.  And what a joy to get to know Reid and Michael better.  Tempted to sign up for Michael's comprehensive course on energy healing coming up in January.  Is it even halfway reasonable for me to travel to Atlanta once every single week for who knows how long?  May be more than even I can commit to.  ........Yesterday we left Atlanta with unbelievable stupidity on my part - we missed exits (one of A or B) three or four times.  I don't remember seeing such when you first have to take an exit where both A and B go and LATER split off to the one desired.  Anyhow, took three of them to teach me.  We went in circles around Perimeter Road (285).  After that, smooth sailing.  Particularly after we got to I-20.  Ended up driving 12 hours to Longview, TX to spend night with Susan's sisters.....Unfortunately, I forgot my camaera, so unless I can learn how to connect my phone to my computer and send photos that way, you'll be out of luck.  I will try hard to learn how to do that - I know photos make the posts much more enjoyable.  But first, I have to learn how to take photos with the camera.  Actually I've already taken one - now if I can just remember what I did and learn what to do with them.........Oh well, that's what vacations are for......new experiences.

On our Way!

Today's the day!  Susan and I will leave at 3:30 and stay over with Reid Susan's stepdaughter, in Decatur,  GA, then off again early in the morning headed for Taos.  I am so excited - I travel enough to know how beautiful the experience can be and New Mexico is my favorite place - so far - well, maybe Kinsale Ireland was even better - but you never know!  One of the joys of traveling is the unknown - Nothing expands one's horizons like travel.  Yep, my horizons keep on getting expanded.  More as we go.

Relationships



Jaquie Rattling



Millie,Todd, Debby

 Last evening while Diana, Millie and I gathered to share thoughts from Living Your Yoga my writing came up and I realized writing is something that brings me great pleasure - a pleasure I have neglected lately.  So, get ready for a spurt of writing to show up.  It's not that I have been denying myself pleasures - goodness gracious! I have been having more fun lately than I have in a long time!  See the photo from the Blue Moon evening - That's real joy shining forth!  But much more is going well for me, too.  One is the joy of friends now living in the Cabin!  See Todd playing the flute - meanwhile his "drum" is waiting - it's the upside down bucket like several attendees used - Millie playing a djembe, and Debby enjoying the whole event.  Todd and Millie have moved into the Cabin.  Debby hasn't moved into the cabin, but she has moved into an important spot in my life as a good friend and willing frequent substitute teacher for my chair yoga class!  It is becoming clear to me that true happiness is based on relationships.  The longer I live here in my beautiful surroundings on the property where I grew up, the more important the people in my life become.  Yes, it's true.  I hide from people often and just be.  But much of that alone time is spent relishing my friends and family letting it all sink in deeply - relishing the joy of those who somehow or another keep showing up.  What a blessing to have new friends to share my space...to be in my space with me.

Drumming Circle Success

What a great time we had Friday evening!  There were 18 of us walking the labyrinth, drumming, dancing around the fire, meditating, etc.  The moon wasn't really blue - but it did finally shine over the pines about 10:00 pm - And, even still visible the next morning as I drove away to Atlanta for the day.  We're planning another drumming circle for the Winter Solstice - Hold that in mind - ........Thanks to each one of you who were here Friday evening.  I am so glad you brought friends - pass the word around so that we can have an equally well attended - mabe even more? for the next one in December.  Photos are Denise (facilitator), Debbie dancing in the foreground, and me drumming her drum while Denise cleansed the circle with sage.  Many more photos - thanks to Pat!