new face

With the remake of the movie "The Color Purple" interest in Alice Walker and her words has surged more than usual. 

In her book "The Same River Twice: Honoring the Difficult" the Mendocino County-based author revisits the film set - describing her personal reactions to the whole experience, in brave, naked detail.

Her writing brilliantly unveils an artist’s pain and joy at seeing her work take on a surprising life of its own. For writers and artists, it is full of valuable insights. 

Sandra Ingerman | shamanic journeying for healing

Today is the start of a new course with Sandra Ingerman - "Shamanic Journeying for Healing" at the Shift Network. 

Shift course page

It is perfectly timed - opening 2024 to much of it potential and possibility. Exploring an ancient practice intimately intertwined with the elements of nature. Journeying into non-ordinary realms in ceremony - for healing, support, and guidance. 

Sandra Ingerman in an intimate connection with helping spirits and nature beings of these unseen realms. Into worlds beyond our world - shamanic journeying to connect with multidimensional guides and their insights since ancient times. 

Sandra Ingerman teaches how to experience firsthand what it looks, feels, and sounds like to explore other worlds and be in true physical presence with the divine beings who dwell there. 

Providing options and solutions to our greatest personal and collective challenges to share - with family, friends, colleagues, and community. A truly life changing experience. 

May we all contribute in the creation of a better world for all. A glorious 2024 to all!  

midwinter rites

Bonds of spirit, bonds of sisterhood. That is the glue that binds us together. In our blood and bones the cosmic web of life thrives. 

Cocooned in the wintering womb of Gaia, earth goddess, mother nature - our inner self and all or creation hibernates within - infinite and insulated. 

elemental sisters - water, earth, air, fire

All allied and at One - mind, body, soul - identity incarnate. In the bosom of an ever expanding cosmos augments the power of incubation. 

female fates & cycles

 "The psyches and souls of women

also have their own cycles and seasons

of doing and solitude,

running and staying,

being involved and being removed,

questing and resting,

creating and incubating,

being of the world and

returning to the soul-place."

~ Clarissa Pinkola Estés

The Three Fates by Alexander Rothaug (ca. 1910). Jack Kilgore Gallery

Women were the first diviners, and goddesses were the first symbols of destiny. The Moirae of Greek mythology were a triad of fates who were said to spin, weave, and cut the thread of fate.

The Moirae determined and guided the moira—literally the “portion” or “allotment”—that every mortal received when they were born. 

As ambiguous goddesses of fate, the Moirae naturally also knew the future and were sometimes regarded as prophetic or oracular figures. 

The Moirae frequently appeared in ancient literature, art, and inscriptions and played a role in other myths.

The spinning wheel has many layers of meaning - the wheel of time and fortunes, of birth, life and death, of the passing of the seasons, of the cycles of things, and the creation of form from chaos.

In Hopi and other mythologies, Grandmother Spiderwoman gives advice, weaves a magic web, provides therapeutic cures, and is the wisdom keeper.

It is empowering for women to recall such archetypes of our abilities to weave our destinies.

Why do I read?

I just can't help myself.

I read to learn and to grow, to laugh

and to be motivated.

I read to understand things I've never

been exposed to.

I read when I'm crabby, when I've just

said monumentally dumb things to the

people I love.

Mohammed Aziz, a bookseller in the Medina in Rabat - photo by Bjørn Ihler

I read for strength to help me when I

feel broken, discouraged, and afraid.

I read when I'm angry at the whole

world.

I read when everything is going right.

I read to find hope.

I read because I'm made up not just of

skin and bones, of sights, feelings,

and a deep need for chocolate, but I'm

also made up of words.

Words describe my thoughts and what's

hidden in my heart.

Words are alive--when I've found a

story that I love, I read it again and

again, like playing a favorite song

over and over.

Reading isn't passive--I enter the

story with the characters, breathe

their air, feel their frustrations,

scream at them to stop when they're

about to do something stupid, cry with

them, laugh with them.

Reading for me, is spending time with a

friend.

A book is a friend.

You can never have too many.

~ Gary Paulsen, Shelf Life: Stories by the Book

November 11, 2023

Eleven-eleven. 11:11. November 11. The date means many things to many folks. Good Feng Shui. An auspicious portal. Veterans Day in the US. A good friend's birthday.

This year is an extra special numerology bonus - 11/11/2023. 1+1+1+1+2+0+2+3=11.

This rare and powerful energy portal is shifts reality - creating space for new opportunities. We are entering one of the most influential periods of manifestation in life. Whatever spoken and visualized over the next few days will set the tone for the next year. 

75 years ago the Women's Armed Services Integration Act was signed into law.

On Veterans Day we honor all of those who have served the country in war or peace - dead or alive - to thank all veterans for their service and sacrifice. East West Women give special mention to our warrior women of the world. 

It began to seem that one would have to hold in the mind forever two ideas which seemed to be in opposition. The first idea was acceptance, the acceptance, totally without rancor, of life as it is, and men as they are: in the light of this idea, it goes without saying that injustice is a commonplace.

This did not mean that one could be complacent, for the second idea was of equal power: that one must never, in one’s own life, accept these injustices as commonplace but must fight them with all one’s strength.

This fight begins, however, in the heart and it now had been laid to my charge to keep my own heart free of hatred and despair. ~ James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son

Circe | magic & witchcraft

This Halloween season it is a real treat to read the novel, Circe by American writer Madeline Miller. This adaptation is derived from various Greek myths set during the Greek Heroic Age. Told from the perspective of Circe - the first witch in western literature. 

The novel explores Circe's origin story and narrates this contentious sorceress' encounters with humans, gods, monsters and all sorts of mythical creatures - on her own road to revelation. 

book cover art

Circe is a bold and subversive retelling through the lens of a fierce feminist and formidable enchantress. The story brilliantly reimagines her life of wild adventure and ever enlightening awareness.

eclipse season

Welcome to eclipse season, the biannual period where back-to-back eclipses sow their usual chaos.

As if the summer's dual retrogrades of Mercury and Venus were not enough these October eclipses are the pivotal grand finale of our 2023 astrological year.

eclipse viewers image by Dave Davidson

The October 2023 eclipse season features an annular solar eclipse on October 14 visible in the Americas. A shallow partial lunar eclipse also happens on October 28 visible from the eastern Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Mabon brings balance & clarity

Autumn Equinox or Mabon is a psychological reset - a time to balance the energies of summer against the energies of winter - life cycling to death. It’s a time to center and ground ourselves as we move into the dark time of the year - a time to go within and nurture our inner lives.

Opposite to the Spring Equinox, autumn equinox like full moon energy brings the outcome of intentions we set in spring.

Autumn Equinox on IG

What have we learned to harvest since the Spring Equinox - the astrological new year? How will that harvest nurture us over the winter? What can we use and plant into our soul’s soil for next year?

eternal & infinite

For those of you who follow us, Sandra Ingerman is a beloved teacher and healer we post about regularly. 

Recently she mentioned having the most amazing vision about finding our life force. She makes the distinction that life force is different than spirit or soul. You can read her new book for a deeper explanation.

image credit, Eky Rima Nurya Ganda

The other night my consciousness was simply blown away by seeing a image of the life force of all of life that was connected to a life force of infinity. I wish i could explain it better. Maybe one day I will try and draw a picture.

This life force of the Earth connected to the life force of Infinity - where life never ends. An affirmation that there will always be life on this Earth.

While we try to integrate all these for obvious reasons the image of life force gives us strength and hope in this age of much dismemberment and shadow work.

A beautiful blue flowing flame that can never be extinguished - an image we can each hold close to our hearts to inspire and guide us.