How

Did the rose

Ever open its heart

And give to the world

All its

Beauty?

It felt the encouragement of light

Against its

Being,

Otherwise,

We all remain

Too

Frightened.

~Hafiz

photos: boulder, colorado. december, 2010.

i am here.

i am open eyes and the synthesis of transformation. of darkness into light and shadows on the moon.

i am strong and raw and flesh and power.

the pouring rain and the fire inside the well.

i am all and i am here.

i am forty years lived and lifetimes of remembering .

edges, circles, and softness. vast.

i am here, taking my seat at the table.

grateful for you who prepare the feast, who see, who are willingly awake.

today, i celebrate my arrival, our connection,

and the beauty that intoxicates us.

i am senses and synapses firing. i am alight. i am now.

i am taking this door off of its hinges.

sufi queen, hanging the lantern;

falling passionately, embodied, infused,

in love.

One regret dear world, that I am determined not to have when I am lying on my deathbed is that I did not kiss you enough. ~Hafiz

Taking a quick break from my quiet to share beauty and promote my talented friend and client. And be sure to read through to the end for a very special holiday offer!

I love beautiful adornment. But the pieces I wear must tell a story.  I love for a piece to carry the intention and inspiration of the artist who made it as well as the collective infusion of history in the metals, stones, and beads used to create it. Designs by Adesso do just that.

Adesso translated means “now” or “in the moment” in Italian. World traveler, artist, and Adesso creator Samantha Goldstone, has found that her local and far-away journeys influence her inspiration, materials, and design. Samantha finds treasures on each trip that are incorportated into her jewelry, making every collection uniqe with its own story. Every Adesso piece is an eclectic mix of vintage, modern, local and international style.

Adesso jewelry is created with a distinct combination of vintage and ethnic beads, semi-precious and precious stones and various metals, including sterling silver, gold, bronze and pewter. Samantha is particularly drawn to vintage glass, vintage African trade beads, antique silver and unusual semi-precious stones and charms.

As the photographer for the Adesso collection, and as a grateful friend, I feel lucky that Samantha is part of my tribe. We intend to continue our collaboration of talents into 2011 with plans to travel to far away places in search of beauty, connection, and opportunities to open doors. (hint: we are currently dreaming of a return to India!)

Perhaps most inspiring to me is that Samantha, a young adult cancer survivor, designs for several non-profits and donates a percentage of Adesso’s profits and time to important causes. Among those that Adesso supports are the Dream Foundation and the Tribal Trust Foundation.

AND…As a very special gift to Doorways Traveler readers, Adesso is offering a generous 40% discount on all currently listed collections (except for sale items) through December 31, 2010. Just visit the Adesso shop and enter the coupon code ADESSODOORWAYS when placing your order. Go ahead, gift yourself, or someone on your list, with beautiful adornment.

note: portions of Samantha’s bio information were borrowed from the Adesso site.

this is how i spent my morning, at the beach with a group of middle school kids. they have a ritual of meeting friday mornings at sunrise to start the day with a swim, or in the winter months, a dunk. the ritual commences with hot chocolate and doughnuts and a stronger connection to one another.

10 days into my 21 day consciousness cleanse, i am feeling the call to go deeper and deeper still into the simplicity of life. to whittle, to remember, to intend. i find myself in extended periods of silence, in cautious care of the re-wiring that is taking place inside of me. i feel the experience of separation being dissolved and i am so grateful for real live moments in the company of people that i love. there have been days with (no joke) shooting star sightings, healing conversations, and longs walks up the mountain. others days it has been all i could do to summon and plea for any whisper of loving presence while riding the wave of something close to free-falling terror. i’ve been present for my children’s highs and lows, mindful of our home and our rhythm. the clearing continues and i can feel spaciousness on the horizon. but not before i go even deeper into what is unfolding within me.

for the rest of these 21 days, and most likely the remainder of december, i’ve decided that what i need is to spend limited time on the computer. it is so evident to me that this is the right thing to do. in the past, i’ve come close to this edge of transformation–of real paradigm shift and pattern dissolving–but haven’t gone all the way through it. i’ve distracted myself, thrown myself back on the wheel. not this time. my fear, of course, is that my less frequent posting might mean that i lose all of my readers, the support, and the connection. for that reason, i’ve found myself sitting at this keyboard for countless hours in a fight-or-flight state trying to create something, anything, to fill the space. and we all know that is not the place from which creativity comes. nor honesty. nor anything that is in alignment with our best selves.

so as we get even closer to the winter solstice, to the full moon, the eclipse, and my 40th birthday (still wrapping my head around the significance of all that happening on the SAME DAY), i ask that you support me in doing the deep work. to trust my silence. sometimes we just have to live the story before we can tell it. i want to be present on every level, to feel freedom, and to run wildly through this next doorway.