Happy Canada Day!

card_canadiana_heart_canada_day, originally uploaded by Our Enchanted Garden.

Time to reactivate and rejuvenate - Canada Day is a great day to start!

Halloween is Here!

a fun shimmering jack o'latern 

Wishing you a Happy Halloween!

I've been experimenting with Glitterboo and a few of my photographs, I'm pleased
with how the features work and experimenting to see where best to upload
and share the animations!

With love,
...from the garden

Celebrating the Giving of Gifts

The giving of gifts, a long honored tradition that applies to almost every celebration we 

humans conjure up certainly takes center stage during the Christmas season. 

On the surface of our modern day world, marketing and retail corporations would like us all to believe the world's financial state relies on brisk Christmas and Boxing Day (After-Christmas) sales. Millions of dollars are spent promoting a frenzy of consumerism and blatant 

overconsumption.

Ya, yawn, we all know this, really, BUT...

Come on Scrooge it IS Christmas!

The giving of gifts is still something that we all enjoy doing, anytime of year and I celebrate it. 

In my opinion I've acquired the philosophy that;,

When a gift is offered, the giver also gains a gift of their own. They are reminded of their own 

abundance and good fortune and affirm it through sharing that abundance with another. 

Sharing with whom there is a great emotional or respectful relationship seems to me to charge the circumstances with that much more good energy for all.  Consequently I would say that 

the promotion of abundant gift giving during Christmas may actually be doing us all more 

good than harm because it has a healing affect on us. Despite all that seems to be negative 

about the whole system of consumerism, when it requires overconsumption by the masses to satisfy the beneficiaries, it may at least help the masses feel good. And feeling good is where we all want to be, what we all want to feel, what we're all searching for in our lives.

I received a gift today from Jerry & Esther Hicks and the group consciousness known as 

Abraham, it's a great reminder and I wanted to share it because it is one of the most important things I've learned in the past and I know many others will benefit from remembering this! I'm much more interested in allowing improvement and so this was an important reminder for me!

Most people do not realize that as they continue to find things to
complain about, they disallow their own physical well-being. Many do not realize that before they were complaining about an aching 

body or a chronic disease, they were complaining about many 

other things first. It does not matter if the object of your complaint is about someone you are angry with, behavior in others that you 

believe is wrong, or something wrong with your own physical body. Complaining is complaining, and it disallows improvement. 

--- Abraham

I enjoy listening to the audio work of Jerry & Esther Hicks and the group consciousness 

known as Abraham, there's an interesting website at abraham-hicks.com a lot of their material is available to download. However purchases are limited to credit card payments at the 

moment.

Hoping you are abundantly celebrating your abundance through your holiday giving and 

receiving, however way you enjoy going about that!

With love,
...from the garden

Celebrating Celebrations!

Celebrations seem abundant at this time of the year. Back in October some were celebrating the end of Ramadan, and Canadians celebrated their Thanksgiving. Then there was Halloween, followed by Remembrance Day on November 11th and Americans celebrated their Thanksgiving later that month. Hanukkah is just winding down today to be followed by Kwanzaa, Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year's Day! So much to celebrate and so much fun to be shared for so many people!


Family occasions, company parties, religious and traditional holidays are all different in their scope but celebrating them seems quite universal. Whether formal or casual, families, friends and co-workers generally want to share goodwill and good wishes during these times. It is also heartwarming to see how people get together to help others less fortunate, that they too can also participate in a variety of holiday celebrations. 


These times can be difficult for some people, perhaps they've no family nearby or family members are no longer living. The loss of a loved one around such times of the year can be depressing, even devastating for some. We last my Dad two years ago, just a month before Christmas and this year is the first time we've even felt like decorating for the Christmas holidays, even though we still cooked a traditional meal and enjoyed some time with my daughter and her family. In some ways the holiday seemed a bit of a drudgery that reminded us more of our loss than of the special time of year that it is for our family.


This year we've chosen to return to our family traditions and have reminded ourselves that Dad would want us to carry on with them and take the time to enjoy them. So to honor his memory we're moving forward and keeping him in our hearts while we set out decorations and plan some fine breakfasts and dinners and prepare for another visit to see my grand daughters! Young children are truly a joy to included in holiday celebrations because they remind us of the simpler things that are so worth celebrating; like the first snow and making a snow man or snow angel and being first down the toboggan hill! Their glee is such a joy to experience it helps bring everything back into perspective and makes us realize we have so much to be grateful for.


Hoping you have been enjoying  your own special celebrations with others that you hold dear and that the traditions you know are honored and kept in a special place in your heart.  


In celebration with you, and, as always,
With love,
...from the garden

Celebrating Dream Time and Sleep

Today I celebrate dreams, dream-time and sleep. Thought I'd bring that one forward because many of you who know me well know my day is somewhat upside down compared to most. I work a straight midnight shift and so when many of my friends are heading off to work I'm winding down my "day" and preparing for a good and restful sleep. The schedule works well for our family, allowing someone to be home at all times to tend to my mother's needs and keep our dogs well supervised and give them the personal attention they thrive on.

I'm finding a split sleep schedule actually works well for me. Though it seems counter to any sleep advice I've heard. However one thing I have read is concerning older adults and their tendency to get their  sleep in two or three sessions. I am one of those people who rarely sleeps a full 8 hours, 6 or 7 has always been my norm and now I find I get that time in at least two separate sessions. As a creative person I am finding this schedule is enhancing my creative energies. It's as if I can pull creative ideas from my dreaming time through to my awake time much more easily, and I have read that this may be a more natural process than I've realized.

During dream time our brains and our subconscious work not only on solving and assimilating the challenges of our day but also in expanding our creative and imaginative powers. That's something that I'm happy to celebrate. If you're familiar with the contemporary band Collective Soul they have a song that talks of dreaming, and of wishing that our physical reality could better reflect the beauty and magic of the time while we're sleeping. That our dreams and our reality could become the same. And that reality helps one to appreciate the world of our dreams. 

I think because our dreams know no limits it may even help us build confidence when in awake time we may feel less sure of our abilities and more fearful of hurts, real or imagined. Nothing however makes a person feel or even look better than a restful sleep. To sink into our comfortable beds, wrapped in soft and soothing blankets, we return to our subconscious world in dream time, a place we've known since before our birth and yet remember little of once we awaken.

Enjoy your dreams and your sleep time, it is universal to all active living beings and is as natural as breathing! 

With sleepy, dreamy, love,
...from the garden

Celebrating Passion!

What are you passionate about? The word passion applies to a whole lot more than romantic attentions but the effect of a passionate desire of anything is quite similar in it's energetic qualities. Professors who are passionate about the subject they teach can inspire their students to delve deeply into their academic studies and those students usually remember that teacher's impact for the rest of their lives.  Writers, passionate about their craft, can hold their readers spellbound through the thickest of novels. But just how did these passionate people become so enthralled in their work and in sharing their skills with others?

What makes these people different from the run of the mill teachers or writers or lawyers or athletes that do their thing but in a more lackluster fashion? Love seems to be the main factor to separate one from the other. And getting back to those romantic attentions, romance just doesn't happen without love. Think about this; sex, in and of itself is just another physical activity, but sex, coupled with love can and often is passionate and complex and far more satisfying. If that makes sense then it's not hard to transfer that same logic to all other activities in our lives.

While it is unlikely that every aspect of one's life is backed with passion, housecleaning for example is not everyone's cup of tea and yet for some it is their passion. Just as not every person is attracted to becoming a renown musician those that are passionate about their music seem driven to share their talent, and their love, with the world. Because a person loves the subject of their passion they seem to focus more intently on what they do and how they do it. They may have been at it for a whole lifetime or it may be a new discovery in their lives that simply sparks a love for and interest in a particular way of being or doing and always it is approached with enthusiasm.

So passion can't really be faked but people can learn to be more passionate in their lives. It just takes some self reflection, asking questions like; "What do I really love doing?",  "What interests give me a great sense of satisfaction?". By  focusing on the answers to those types of questions people can find hints to lead them to the activities and interests that they are passionate about. From there it seems the next step is in cultivating that passion, like a flower in the garden, allowing the passion to flourish and develop, until at some point one just does what they love and forgets there was ever a question like; What is your passion in life? 

Our world is filled with passionate people and it is also filled with people who are struggling to learn how to connect more fully with their own inner abilities and strengths. I am inspired by the passions of others and love to learn more about their lives and their loves. In particular I love their energy and their determined focus. Sometimes shyness or fear may hold others back from fully exploring their passions and my hope is these people will find their passions and begin to explore them in depth. A world filled with people who are passionate about their lives and the lives of others is a world that is exciting and inspiring. That's why I celebrate passion, I believe the more of it we have the better our world will be! 

Leaving you to ponder this and as always;

With love (and passion!),

...from the garden  

Celebrating the Gift of Forgiveness

Today I thought it might be best to celebrate forgiveness and I've a good reason for doing that as I have to ask for your forgiveness! Our Friday and Saturday were such busy days this week. I work midnight shift and my timing often gets a bit out of whack when I work overtime or have family matters to attend to and I had both to contend with this week. I am a little embarrassed at missing my 4th entry but will resolve to make it up to you somehow!


Forgiveness is a special human activity that gifts the forgiven and the forgiver. A win-win situation in my understanding. By forgiving anyone for what-ever slight or harm we've experienced we release ourselves from the focus of judgement and allow ourselves to return to a state of grace and well being. For by being in judgement we are, in fact, out of alignment with our best and highest good. By virtue of the basics of the Law of Attraction, where "that which is alike, unto itself will be drawn", we do ourselves much good to place our focus and attention on those things in our lives that make us feel good. Thinking of past wrongs, no matter if horrifying or not, focuses our attention in negative directions that will likely attract more of the same to us.  


Considering also the power of keeping one's focus on the immediate now moment in our lives. By being fully present NOW. Right at this very moment when we have the power to make choices we can choose positively or negatively but we can choose, we can do, we can be that which seems right to us at the moment. In the past, into the future we have less impact and are really just wasting our time placing too much attention in those directions. Right now is where energy and matter connect and we experience our lives in physical reality. That is the only time it happens. Everything else is not in real time, not in reality. The past, near past or ancient past, the future tomorrow or 10 years from now do not exist in reality, they are thoughts, memories and ideas. They can still be powerful forces in our lives but they are not in the position of power - We ARE, right now, right here! At least that's an opinion that is held by some people, myself among them. 


Those two concepts help to highlight why forgiveness makes so much sense. By releasing those for whom we hold disdain, avarice or hate we remove our energy from making that emotion more important than our own happiness or sense of well being. We'll be healthier because our nervous system won't be churning and boiling with our rants, fits of depression, anxiety attacks or pity parties. Imagine the freedom we can feel by simply letting go of passing judgement upon another human being. The action may or may not be appreciated by the subject of your focus, they may not even be aware of your hurt or their slight, but that doesn't really matter in the scheme of things. 


Come to think of it, this forgiveness thing is interesting... because, really, it's of much more benefit to the forgiver than the forgiven. I think that's a fun thought for starting your day today; Go ahead and be selfish, forgive, and benefit greatly both physically and mentally by the activity! Gift your mis-givers with your forgiveness and gift yourself with the freedom to move forward in life with a better sense of well being!


Okay, I'm a believer that things always happen for a reason, so I must say I must have missed posting on the 4th just so I would be sure to include celebrating forgiveness in my list of celebrations for the month! Such an odd and happy coincidence I am glad to ask you for your forgiveness, because if you gift me with it you will gain so much and for that I would be so very grateful! What a happy circumstance this can be. In the end I guess I really can make this up to you and I'm hopeful you'll accept this little gift. ;-)
As always,


With love, 
...from the garden

Celebrating Science and Discovery

Today I'm inspired to celebrate science and discovery and the wonders uncovered through the dedication and determination of curious adventurers.

Just in the past year or two there have been amazing new discoveries in science. Some of these include the discovery of water on Mars, the new advances in quantum physics, the decoding of human DNA and new work with stem cell research.

Just yesterday an article in the Globe & Mail, a large Canadian newspaper, reports that a new study published in the scientific journal Nature suggests there may be three times the number of stars in the universe than was originally estimated by astronomers and astrophysicists. And while there will likely be years of debate before any agreement will be reached I find the idea quite enchanting to imagine we are sharing the universe with such a huge and almost unimaginable number of stars. In the order of 300 sextillion stars, that's 300 followed by 23 zeros and that is an incredibly huge number! Not to mention the fact that all those new stars will likely have their own planets and moons and meteors and star dust!

Check out the article yourself here.

Study triples count of stars in universe - The Globe and Mail

I celebrate all the great and beautiful starlight that shines upon us each night and the men and women inspired to explore the depths of our world, even questioning their old assumptions and shaking up their own "orderly" scientific world of knowledge in order to stretch our knowing that much further.

Not to mention that it's worth celebrating the fact that we're all here to witness such amazing news! What an incredible time to be alive!

Under a sky brimming with the most beautiful stars I bid you sweet dreams, and as always this is shared; With love, ...from the garden

Celebrating the Colors of Creation!

Today I celebrate the colors of creation! 

Have you ever wondered just how many colors there are in our natural world? They are limitless, it seems, even though some differences may be subtle. For example; when the trees begin to leaf out in the spring it is usually quite obvious that each variety of tree gives off it's own unique shade of green which, in a mixed forest, can display itself like a beautiful tapestry of colors and texture. Of course spring flowers and fruit are undeniably some of the most uplifting and exhilarating visions for people who live in climates like Canada's. After a cold snowy winter there is nothing more welcomed in a Canadian household then sweet lady spring!

Late November, here in my little corner of the world, helps remind me to celebrate colors because of it's nearly absolute lack of color. If we haven't gotten enough snow to cover and brighten the landscape the damp and dark days in November give the landscape a monochrome appearance which has a beauty all it's own but is more focused on texture in deep shades of grey, brown and green. This is in extreme contrast to the spectacular display of autumn leaves and flowers that would've graced the same landscape just a month or so before. Often November can be drab and dull, not just lacking color but also absorbing light so that there is little to be found. The striking differences help me appreciate the colours that exist throughout our natural world.


Colours have meaning to many people and others are affected by the presence or absence of colour in their environment. Red is associated with danger or power in many circles. Green, traditionally associated with money is now more widely associated with environmental issues. Yellow is a favorite here in the garden along with blue. It is a colour I believe represents cheerfulness and spring-time although others connect yellow with the need for caution.


I recommend throwing caution to the wind and letting your heart guide you to the colors that you are attracted to. Enjoy them and let their light vibrations soothe your very soul. Immerse yourself in colour when you are feeling down, depressed or lethargic. Wear a cozy scarf or a striking hat or tie in a color that suits your mood or enhances and uplifts your mood. Try it and see how it also affects the people around you. It may be fun to share your experiences here if you're so inclined or visitors might be interested in hearing your thoughts about colour, your favorite color, color memories and the like.


In any case have fun with color and have a great, color-full day.


With love,
...from the garden