This is where I spent my weekend!

These are the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, NC.  This image was taken while driving down the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway.  I have lots of thoughts roaming around inside my head trying to compose themselves into an inspiring blog post.  But, they are just swirling around and I am finding it difficult to find the words that describe the experience I just had.  Let me sum it all up briefly by saying, it was a magical!

My friend and I went with no agenda, no plans, no schedule.  We just felt called by the mountains.  Listening and trusting our hearts to guide us, we simply did one thing at a time.  We visited the downtown shops, drove down scenic roads, meditated on top of a mountain, practiced Reiki, ate incredibly sumptuous vegan food, attended a hot yoga class, and conversed about transformation and strength.

We created and allowed balance within ourselves and brought it home with us.  It is beautiful!

How about you?  Where do you go when you need to refresh and renew yourself?  When is the last time you allowed yourself to experience it?  I think it may be time for a vacation!

In Love & Blessings,

Jeniffer 

This afternoon I am sitting outside working on editing my book. I came across a passage I had written that mirrored a conversation I just had with a friend. We were talking about the meaning of the phrase “living in the moment.” Since it seems important that I share(and remember) this message, I thought I’d share it with you too.

“You are still working on knowing yourself, trusting yourself and believing in yourself. Know that this is okay. It’s okay! It’s okay to be exactly where you are. In fact where you are is perfect. Accept that. As you are not judged, do not judge yourself. Forgive yourself. Accept yourself exactly where you are. You have spent your life in past minded thinking. Be in the present. This is where YOU really are. It is perfect exactly as it is and you are perfect exactly as you are in the present. You are still learning and that is okay.” -me

Funny how these same lessons keep coming back in our lives. Sometimes it is hard to believe that I wrote this all in the first place.

May each moment of your day be beautiful!

Love & Blessings,
Jeniffer

I think we all could use to play like this more often!!!  

Love & Blessings,
Jeniffer 

I recently revamped this zucchini bread recipe to bring to Easter dinner. It was so YUMMY that I made it again for a pot luck this past weekend. It keeps disappearing so quickly I’m starting to think I need to double the recipe and keep a few loaves for myself

As with all of my recipes this contains no milk or eggs (or meat, but meat bread would just be really gross anyway.) If you want to use eggs feel free, I’m sure it’s just as yummy.

Zucchini Bread

 3 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup oil (I used safflower oil)
1 1/2 cups sugar
Egg replacer for 3 eggs (I use Bob’s Red Mill brand)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins

• Preheat oven to 325 deg. F.
• Grease 2 bread loaf pans (I love using coconut oil for this step. Makes everything pop right out!)
• In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt & ginger. Set aside.
• In a large bowl stir together grated zucchini, oil, sugar, egg replacer & vanilla.
• Pour flour mixture into dry ingredients.
• Stir until moistened.
• Fold in walnuts and raisins.
• Pour batter evenly into loaf pans.
• Bake for 50-60 min.
• Cool. Cut. Enjoy!

‎”If people come together in a spirit of cooperation, understanding, compassion, joy, peace, love and mutual blessing, imagine the energy they generate!” – Jafolla

I don’t think I could count how many times I have met someone new in this area, we’ve gotten to talking about spirituality and at some point they have said to me “I am so glad to know I am not alone here.” That is exactly why I have created “The Gathering.” I wanted to bring together all of these like minded individuals so that we can all walk this journey together.

The inward journey of self discovery (or better termed re-discovery) can sometimes feel like a lonely quest. We may feel that our paths are very different from “the norm” – what ever that means. Our outlook on things may seem a bit odd. Our definitions of the world around us, of ourselves and of God may not resonate with everyone we meet. (Perhaps our current environment may feel like it is anything but supportive of these definitions.)

But, trust me, there are many who will think your ideas are not complete nonsense. They will let you speak from your inner voice and know it is not crazy talk – it is the Truth. Our paths may not be identical – truly no two people walk the exact same path, but we recognize our goal to be the same. We are seeking to know more about the Presence greater than our individual selves, our connection with it and the world. You may call this Presence God, the Divine, Universe, Mother Goddess, Spiritual Source. Amongst the seekers of Truth, we recognize that these names do not separate us.

For those of us on this journey it is important to invite into our lives a safe, nurturing, and supportive spiritual group. Seek out spiritual communities, think of friends, family, and acquaintances who share your beliefs. They will help you to grow and develop your understanding of the Highest Source. This is the first step towards recognizing, we are not alone and we certainly are not crazy.

Aside from the mental relief of not being alone, a spiritual support group is invaluable on your quest. This journey is more rewarding when you travel with spiritual companions. You can call on these friends when your motivation is sagging or your Truths are being questioned. Their love and support will help you to continue on your journey. Together you can celebrate new spiritual insight, share ideas, talk about concepts you are working with or perhaps a new class you have taken.

Depending on your past experiences, it may be difficult for some people to feel comfortable being their true selves around others. Perhaps your beliefs were questioned or put down by someone close to you. Perhaps, like most of us, you feel self conscious about communicating with others on deeper levels than we normally do. This is where your spiritual support group can help you to branch out in a safe environment. Share your thoughts, ask questions, and fully be yourself. To ease the discomfort, consider it as though your inner highest self is communicating with the inner highest self of everyone you meet. Speak from your heart. From this point we will see how much we all really do have in common. From this sense of connectivity our own healing will naturally take place.

“Thank you, God, for my supportive friends. I now draw to me the right people with whom I share my journey. I know that their caring support is really an expression of Your great love.” -Mary Alice & Richard Jafolla in The Quest

Love & Blessings,
Jeniffer

P.S. Next week we are celebrating Earth Day with a community mandala. I’m so excited!

As artists I know that sometimes we get a little shy when it comes to sharing our work.  Critiques and editorial sessions can be an artist’s worst nightmare.  Too often we focus on all the work that needs to be done and the changes that need to be made.  Instead we should focus on the positive feedback first.  Acknowledge the achievement and progress we have already made.  

If we can see the good in anything right where it is, mistakes and all, then we can let it unfold into it’s full magnificence. 

This is the process I am currently going through with my book.  I am carefully reading through each page with a fine tooth comb…  in other words, I hired an editor.  Luckily I am blessed to have a close friend who is a professional writer & editor.  Three cheers for Melissa Goslin Collins!  Hip hip hooray!  Her knowledge, gentle guidance and sense of humor is making this part of the process a lot less daunting.    

I am happy to report that Melissa has read through the entire manuscript and has given me some incredibly positive feedback.  Yay!!!! She told me that laughter, tears and inspiration all found her within these pages.  I’d say it’s a good sign to keep moving forward!

I’ve been going through some of her notes today.  There are quite a few typos, etc. that I need to fix, but for now let’s focus on the positives…

And just like that I am uplifted, encouraged and motivated.  I am actually excited about editing misspelled words and adding commas. I know this is part of the process. The sooner it is completed, the sooner it will be published so you can read it too!  

The next time you have someone critique your art remember to highlight all the positives in your mind.  Write them down if you need to.  Remember you have the power within you to make it shine even brighter.  

Love & Blessings,
Jeniffer 

Love & Blessings on this beautiful day!

-Jeniffer

The Journey

by Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice –
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do –
determined to save
the only life you could save.

The theme of our first Gathering was appropriately, “New Beginnings: Starting Right Where You Are.”  My deepest gratitude to everyone who attended for helping me nurture this new beginning in my life.  For those of you who were unable to attend in person, I would like to share a portion of my talk with you here.  

“One of the greatest things about embarking on a new path in your personal journey is that you can always start where ever you are. Right now in this present moment you can make the decision to go deeper, to travel further down that path.  

All you need to do  is to be open and receptive… and be willing to change. It is change that leads to personal growth. It is change that takes us further down the path of self awareness and spiritual understanding.

Change doesn’t have to be big or drastic to have an effect. In fact every little change is like taking another step. It could be a change in thought, a shift of perspective, adding or taking away one element in your daily routine. Perhaps you have been considering taking a new class or attending a weekend retreat. These are great ways to invite new experiences into your life.

Without change we do not grow.

Change can be scary, there are a lot of unknown answers and uncharted paths out there. That is why we are here together. We can continually remind each other of the joy, health and peace that await us on our journey.

In each moment of our lives we get to choose the life we wish to create. We get to begin again by making one tiny little step at a time towards our calling, our passion, our highest self within.

I invite you right now in this moment to travel with me. Let’s take one step forward and let the next one appear.”

Love & blessings on your journey,

Jeniffer 

PS. I have a bunch-a-roo of new classes & workshops including expressive painting, parent & child fun, visual journals, Reiki & more.  Be sure to check out the workshops & retreats page so you don’t miss any of the creative fun!  

We had such a great time with this project, I just had to share with you.

I titled this workshop “Me, Myeslf & I.” Through it we explored the various aspects of our personalities, the emotions attached to them and how we can find balance in our lives. Right off the bat it was obvious that everyone was getting deeply into the process. The room fell silent as these women created themselves onto the page.

Each person approached the project in a unique way. Despite the differences in creative process, there were similar themes that emerged. What I found to be the most amazing is that everyone recognized what it is in their lives that keeps them balanced.

As women, we have many roles, can have extreme emotions and sometimes feel like we are running through life upside down and inside out. It can be very easy to loose our balance. How incredible that through a 2 hour art activity this group of women all recognized what they can do to bring balance into their lives at any moment.

Here is a little sample of the artwork from the class.

(You may notice that we actually worked on loose pages for this project.  I believe journal entries don’t always have to be in a book )

If you live in the Fayetteville area I hope you can join me next Wednesday evening!  We’ll be exploring the theme of “New Beginnings” and creating personalized covers for our journals. For more information clickity click right here.

Over the weekend I co-taught a two day intensive Reiki workshop.  We had an excellent time with the fabulous group of women there.  What a wonderful time warp it all was!  

Then Monday came and well there is nothing too special to report about Monday.

On Tuesday I participated in a paint-a-thon inspired by Whitney Ferre of www.creativelyfit.com.  She went a full 24 hours.  I just made it my goal to spend as much time as possible in the studio painting for as long as I could.  Woo hoo was that a blast!!!  

Sorry but there is no final video as it did not want to download properly.  I managed to work on FOUR new paintings during that time.  One is completed and I have a potential buyer already lined up  A second, larger painting is almost complete and I LOVE how it is coming out.

Wednesday, I worked a little more on one of the paintings.  Then I sat down and made a very BIG decision to open my home studio as a space to offer local classes and events.  No more waiting around for the perfect venue to present itself, I am making it happen right now, right where I am!  I feel I need to be sharing these programs with my local community and I don’t want to wait any more.  I’m trusting that as the events start filling and we need a bigger venue one will present itself.  Armed with my decision I took to my journal and planned out exactly what I wanted to offer.  Then I opened my calendar and scheduled it all in.  Man did that feel good!

That brings me to Thursday when I added all the new information to the website here.  Check it out!

New Workshops:

 Journal Journeys: Ongoing live workshops of self discovery.  Our focus will be on the process of working through our own inner thoughts and emotions on the page.  Absolutely no artistic experience is required for these classes.  Click here for more information

Creative Playgroup: Explore creativity and play with your child!  Children are naturally creative and expressive beings. What better way to tap into our own creative spirit than to do so along side our children. Click here for more information

*This final one is something completely new, but I strongly feel like it is the right time to create a space for a creative and spiritual gathering in my current home town. My decision to do this could be (and potentially will be) an entire post in itself. In the mean time I just want to begin to send the energy and the message out there.

Building Spiritual Community:

Join me for a weekly gathering of like minded souls here in Fayetteville, NC.  It is an open venue for creative, spiritual and self discovery.  All are welcome regardless of religious belief or spiritual faith.  Together we can build a community of love and light in our own backyard.

Click here for more details.

And now it is Friday and I’m going to take it easy from now through the weekend! It’s all about balance.

I hope you all have also had a wonderful week of sharing, creating, and taking yourself to that next level – what ever it is for you!

Love & Blessings,
Jeniffer