Give thanks for the rain of life that propels us to reach new horizons.” ~Byron Pulsifer. 

Raindrops on leaves, nourishing the plants, cleansing the earth. Last week I shared a photo reflective journey with the blossoming crab tree here. This is part 2…that area of our front yard kept calling me, this time right after a long stretch of rain.

Taking photos is an invitation to slow down and gaze deeply. To see with different eyes, with sacredness. A reflective journey. 

The drops of rain reflect the light of the sky, even though the clouds are still heavy and dark.  The raindrops appear magical, like tiny crystals of light. I notice how some of the drops are perfectly round, and others seem to bend with the leaf.

The rain is making the crab blossom petals wet and heavy. Many are falling off of the flower. A part of me is sad to see them go. Although I know the releasing of the petals will create space for the small berries to grow. Food for the birds.

I want to soak in the blossom’s beauty, before they go. Appreciate their gifts.

What are the raindrops and blossoms teaching me? What are the sacred reflections I am feeling? 

I feel some sense of quiet inner stillness. A touch of loss. Yet seeing the beauty in the cycle of transformation. Creating space for newness to grow.

Feeling the way the rain must feel good on the surface of the leaves as they soak in the exquisite raindrops, filled with light. Delight for the sparkles that seems to appear, even though the sun is not shining. Nourished, replenished.

Perhaps raindrops on leaves are like life after a storm. The light starts gradually reappearing, at first in a quiet gentle way. To replenish our souls. To prepare for transformation.

Giving thanks for the rain of life that propels us to reach new horizons.

Thank you for joining me on this reflective photo journey. Are there feelings it brings forth for you?

May you feel nourished and replenished. 

Blessings, Nancy

Taking photos is an invitation to slow down and gaze deeply. To see with different eyes, with sacredness. That feeling of being in the past or future drifts away. I enter that quiet space where I can listen to whispers from God, the angels, or my inner heart wisdom.

The other day, I was feeling in a funk. Just lethargic, tired of the rain, feeling the edges of depression wanting to settle in. The rain stopped long enough that I could go outside with my camera. I was planning on taking photos of flowers in my garden, but our flowering crab tree had petal blossoms floating down that seemed to draw me in like a magnet.

First is the “normal” view from my front steps.

 Next looking at the carpet of petals everywhere.

The petals on the leaves invite me closer. The rain has given some of the petals a translucent appearance. The center of the leaf is like a small bowl that fills with petals. The leaves are reaching up, expanding, as the petals let go and release.

 A petal on the wooden fence seems to contrast strength and gentleness.

Once the petals have dropped, there is a magical part left that looks like a tiny crown, or perhaps a star. I never noticed that before.

Petals fall like tiny blessings onto my hand. Softly, gently. Whisper soft and pink.

What are the falling blossoms teaching me? What are the sacred reflections I am feeling? 

Besides the pure beauty, I was really drawn to the sight and feeling of contrast. The gentle petals on the strong rustic fence. The petals releasing, and yet refilling the leaf “bowl”. The releasing into my hand that also feel like receiving soft, gentle blessings. This quote comes into my mind.

 “To hold, you must first open your hand. Let go.”~ Lao Tzu

Oh my, that makes me teary eyed. This is my heart message of the petals. I must open my hand, and my heart, to first let go and then receive. Letting go can be soft, gentle, lovely. Letting go doesn’t have to be difficult and painful. I can be gentle with myself, and still be strong. Opening creates space to receive.

I stand among the petals on the driveway, thankful for the beauty, the blessings, the healing and receiving. The sacred feeling now inside me. Grateful to God.

” When we see the world with the eyes of the heart, we can engage in an act of both reverence and self expression.” ~Christine Valters Painter

Are the petal photos awakening any feelings of reflection in you? Your message may be different, but perfect for you. I would love to hear any of your reflections.

I invite you on a journey to see light with eyes of the heart, with reverence and beauty. Shining Light email series starts in a few days, Monday June 10. Twelve days of photos of light, quotes and short reflections. Light… appearing softly and gently in your inbox.  Sign up for this free gift, from my heart to yours. 

Many blessings, Nancy

The angels are nudging…kind of pushing me out of my quiet little healing space. Over the past few years, while on the healing journey from grief and depression, I related my time like being a flower still safe within the bud. Then I chose my word intention for the year to be blossom, rooted in love. It is spring now, so the angels must have decided it was time for me to start blossoming. Ready or not…lol.

So, my blossoming during the last month included:

Shared my video Hope is Beautiful.

Created the free Shining Light photo email series, starting June 10. Got brave enough to announce it to the world. I am honored to see people signing up, and passing it along to others who need to receive the gifts of light. Thank you!

Joined Hannah Marcotti’s Magic Masterminding class and had my first coaching call with Hannah. Whoa. Incredible.

One of the members of that group, Maggie Hollinbeck is doing an interview series called Deep Soul Dive, Conversations on Living Whole- Hearted.  I agreed to be interviewed, without realizing my turn was going to come up in a few days.Yikes.

I am an introvert in many ways, so this all feels like being very visible. A friend and I were talking about why we can have fear about being seen. Fully seen for who we are. Perhaps it is that fear of rejection, or being judged, or not belonging. And yet, how can we find the people who resonate with us, if we are not seen? So, I am working on letting go of my discomfort, and letting the angels help me be more visible, or heard. My hope is, it will help inspire you to do the same. Because for some reason, it is not always easy.

As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”~Marianne Williamson

Here is my interview with Maggie,  Attuning Your Internal Compass.

“Nancy Lennon and I talk about the power of adverse experiences to bring us into our authentic inner centerpoint.  We talk about grief, solace, and what becomes possible when we listen to the still, small voice within.” ~Maggie Hollinbeck

Maggie is a soul couch and gifted interviewer. She calls herself, “An illuminator of soul truths.” 

My interview with Maggie was a blessing. She has a gift for making people feel comfortable. As we talked it gave me clarity on my passion for photography as a tool for healing. It was such a tremendous help to me. Also, I have a strong  desire to help others who are dealing with loss or grieving or struggles in life. So more will be unfolding, as I allow that passion to come forth.

If you need more light in your life, I would love for you to sign up to receive the Shining Light photo email series. You will have 12 days of photos, inspirational quotes and reflections. Like little sparks of light in your inbox. It starts Monday June 10, and ends on the summer solstice, the longest day of light in the year. To fill you up.

Sending you light and blessings! I am so glad we are on this journey together. Nancy

We all need hope. Especially in the hard times. A few weeks ago, I shared the Hope Is Beautiful Video I created. It is about my “gray” time of life and searching for hope in beauty and light, with my camera in hand. Searching for light was an important part of my healing journey from grief.

Now I am excited to share a gift I created for you, called Shining Light. 

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it’s not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.” ~Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Twelve days of light. Soak it in. Pass it on. It is a gift.

Last fall I created a video called “Hope is Beautiful”. It is about my “gray” time of life and searching for hope in beauty and light. I wanted to create an email series to go with the video. So, I waited. And, there was a part of me that felt vulnerable to put out something that felt like pieces of my heart.

But then the Boston bombings happened. And the angels whispered in my ear, it is time. Time to share your journey, share the light. It is needed now to uplift others who are in a gray time, or in need of hope.

So…I am sharing the video. It is about 2 minutes long. Enjoy it, and feel free to pass it along.

Hope is beautiful from Nancy Lennon on Vimeo.

I am in the process of developing an email series filled with photos of light and beauty. Shining light, softly entering into your email box to uplift your spirit. A free gift from my heart to yours.

Twelve days of light. Soak it up. Pass it on. It is a gift.

More details on the email series coming soon! ( If you haven’t already signed up for my email list, there is a sign up box in the upper right hand corner of the home/blog page).

Sending you love,

Nancy Lennon

(Last November I took Montage, a  video making class with photographer Vivienne McMaster. The videos on her website are gorgeous!)

The experience of beauty is like a homecoming. When we feel and see and touch the beautiful we feel that we are at one with ourselves. Because in some subtle and secret way beauty meets the needs of the soul.” ~ John O’Donohue

There are times we need the beauty of nature. The wonder that a magical sunrise can bring. This is one of those times.

My heart goes out to those affected by the Boston bombing tragedy. My heart hurts for their pain, the losses and the shaking up of beliefs in what should have been a time of joy. Sometimes life is really hard. There are losses, change, tragedies that affect each of us.

It may seem like a strange time to talk about beauty. Yet when I think back to a few years ago, when my family was dealing with a sudden death, taking photos of the beauty of nature was an important part of my healing process. Each sunrise, intricate flower, and ray of light seemed to sooth my heart. Gradually those images started replacing some of the images in my mind of sudden tragedy.

As John O’Donahue says, “When we feel and see and touch the beautiful we feel that we are at one with ourselves.” It does seem to touch our souls. 

So today, for all of your hearts, I simply share photos of nature.

May images of beauty imprint hope into your heart.

My wish is that your heart is soothed and uplifted, even a little bit. From whatever you might be navigating in life. 

You are beautiful. 

“Beauty is the illumination of your soul.” ~John O’Donahue

This is part of the monthly flying lessons blog circle, with creative women around the world. All of us took Kelly Rae Robert’s course Flying Lessons. Each blog leads to the next, forming a circle. I love reading so many different perspectives on a theme.Grab a cup of tea and read about what “favorite quotes” stirs up.  Next in the blog circle is creative whiz Michelle at http://www.michellehilldesigns.com/.

Many blessings to you, Nancy Lennon

Flowers don’t worry about how they’re going to bloom.  They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful.” ~Jim Carrey

There is something about flowers that uplifts my heart. During the grieving journey, I was living in Florida so I was blessed with many flowers. Taking photos of flowers was like a healing meditation for me. It would bring me into the present moment.

Now, back home in Minnesota, it is winter, we still have tons of snow, and it seems like forever until springtime flowers. So, as part of my loving kindness, I have been buying tulips for indoors. The process of watching them open up feels like a bit of spring hope.

Do you need some spring hope, or moments of  just soaking in beauty? Come and share the experience of photo meditation with the tulips.

Looking inside the tulip, gaze at at the intricate pattern. It is like a flower within the flower. 

 What shape are the petals? There are a few which form a heart. Not all of them,  just ones where the top curve dips in a little extra. I never knew this about tulips. You have to search for the hearts.

From the side, you can see the different shape of the buds.  The tulip that is fully open reminds me of a bowl, reaching to be filled with sunlight. 

 Notice how the background light is streaming down, giving the petals such a soft velvety look.

Take a deep breath. Do you feel any different?

For me, taking photos of flowers relaxes my busy mind. I feel more present, connected and grateful for the tiny miracles contained within the flowers. If there is such miracles within flowers, it helps me trust there can be miracles in life.  I needed this reminder a lot during the grieving journey.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of photo meditation with flowers. It helps me remember we are each unique and will blossom in exactly the right way for us.

This is part of the monthly flying lessons blog circle, with creative women around the world. All of us took Kelly Rae Robert’s course Flying Lessons. Each blog leads to the next, forming a circle. I love reading so many different perspectives on a theme.

The next stop is with Becky in Burma, talking about How to Navigate Super Stress.

Blessings, Nancy

I am delighted to share with you a chance to win a spot in Spirits of Joy, a 3o day e-course offered by Hannah Marcotti. 

Last October, I saw on Facebook that Hannah Marcotti was offering free chances to take her Spirits of Joy class. Thirty days to connect with inner joy. It sounded simple, but the course was transforming…in little ways that shifted my spirit. E-courses work well for me because can do them at home, at my own pace, as time and energy allow.

One of the tools used is to create a vision book. I have done vision boards, but this was different… deeper. Hannah’s prompts had a way of drawing out the longings of my soul. The word that kept jumping out at me, was Sanctuary. After a few years of grieving, I was ready to start creating new dreams, but was still somewhat fatigued.

In one prompt Hannah asked us to find the feeling inside the dream that our soul longs for. I realized the common feeling of my dreams was of retreat, finding an inner sanctuary. ( No wonder that needed to be my theme.)

 Even though going on a retreat wasn’t an immediate dream option, I could take steps to create that feeling in my day to day life.

I started by making changes in my bedroom to make it feel more restful, and soothing. A sanctuary. Soft pink flannel sheets to rest upon, like sleeping on a pink cloud of angel light. Eliminating clutter. Thanking God for each day, thanking my bed for being a place to rest and restore. Starting an evening devotional for “Women of Peace”. Little things, that didn’t take much time, but started to create that feeling of rest and retreat, in a sacred way that my soul was longing for.

Little things that created big shifts.

Spirits of Joy.

• Thirty days of gentle, beautiful emails from Hannah.
• Inspiration you can soak up, or work with as your life allows.
• Re-discovering who you are.
• A circle of supporting women.

For more detailed information about the class …click here.

Today, thanks to Hannah’s generosity, I am thrilled to help give away three spots in Spirits of Joy class to spread more joy. It is contagious after all!

If you feel led to enter, please leave a reply comment below this blog post before midnight on Saturday March 16. Class starts Monday. Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact the three winners Sunday morning.

(Oh my, it dawned on me right afterwards, that I have now signed up for a photography retreat in September. Wow!)

Update: The three winners are Ruth Robertson, Sue Jorgenson, and Andrea Kaplan. An email is on its way to you with instructions. Everyone else…thank you so much for stopping by and entering the giveaway. There is still time to sign up for Spirits of Joy if you are led. 

Sending blessings of love and joy to you,

Nancy

“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second.”~ Marc Riboud.

Capturing magic and telling a story. I am taking a great E-course with photographer Catherine Just, called In Plain Sight, a 30 day project to uncover the magic in the everyday. On day 22 our project is to create a story of everyday moments. But to create it like a clue game…capturing little glimpses, tiny details. As Catherine says:

“It helps shift your perception from what may seem ordinary to really being present to witness what is truly extraordinary.” ~Catherine Just

Wow, this drew me in and helped me notice the little things I love…my horse’s soft nose, the mini-donkey’s big ears, the sun shining on the barn stalls. And the sense of mystery, by only focusing on the details.

Here is one more story of small moments, in a daily part of my day.

Sometimes, a change in perspective brings a whole new awareness to the everyday…in photography and in life. Slowing down, trying a new way of looking at things… powerful tools of transformation.

I encourage you to try out this shift…is there beauty in some of your daily routines, if you slow down and look for them? Maybe even take a photo. It adds a element of fun…and magic.

My project for the 30 days is Morning Light. So more on that later.

(Oh, and if you want to try creating collages PicMonkey is a really easy program to use.)

Many blessings to you! Nancy ( farm wife, who loves her animals, and morning coffee! )

]]> http://rainbowlightangel.com/2013/03/photo-clue-stories/feed/ 0 http://rainbowlightangel.com/2013/02/lovingourselves/ http://rainbowlightangel.com/2013/02/lovingourselves/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2013 03:00:13 +0000 Nancy http://rainbowlightangel.com/?p=2117

I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” ~ Brene Brown

It is easy for me to love others, with great kindness and compassion. Yet often I am not very kind and compassionate towards myself. Taking care of ourselves, loving ourselves, sounds so easy and yet, seems challenging.

I read somewhere to examine how you talk to yourself, and think about whether you would talk that way to your best friend, or your own child. Wow. That one got me. Some things I think in my head, but would NEVER feel or say towards another person:

To my body: I will love you more when you lose 15 pounds. Your belly looks too big. Don’t buy yourself any pretty new clothes until you lose weight. You should be fully recovered from grief by now.

Ouch. Not very kind, compassionate or loving towards myself or my body. My word for the year is blossom. I think of planting my flowers in the spring, and how I tenderly nourish them. So, my new focus is to nourish and love my body.

Nourishing yourself in a way that helps you blossom in the direction you want to go is attainable, and you are worth the effort.” ~Deborah Day

Here are some of my self love strategies so far ( but I am still learning!).

1.Exercise. Instead of the intense exercise videos I bought, that make my shoulders and neck hurt, I am focusing on gentle yoga. And I bought a hula hoop. It makes me smile and laugh and feel like a kid inside. Much more nourishing to me right now. Umm, and it is really good for the abs and waist.  If you would like more information, check out Amanda Oaks website, Hooptacular. Watching some of the videos is what got me hooked. It is like dancing inside a circle of light. Although right now I am just working on keeping it up for a whole song…lol. Exercise can be fun!

2. Rest. My body still needs more rest than I think it should. Perhaps left over remnants from the grieving journey, or maybe menopause hormonal stuff. Instead of resisting my body’s need for rest, I am now surrendering to it. I decided to make my bedroom feel even more peaceful. A sanctuary. I have soft pink warm flannel sheets and a heart filled quilt. Like sleeping in a pink cloud of angel light. I thank my bed for being a place to fully rest and recuperate.

3. Words. I am trying to use more kind supportive words towards my body. At night, when I put lotion on my face, I look in the mirror and give thanks to my body for everything it does for me. Kinder words.

Are there ways you can be kinder, more loving towards yourself? Do you have self love strategies in place already that you can share?

Always remember
You are loved
You carry the love
You spread the love
You radiate the love
And the love is returned to you” 
 Karen Hackel, The Whisper of Your Soul

In case you forgot… Always remember, You are Loved! Be kind to you.

This post is part of the February Flying Lessons blog circle. To read more reflections on love, travel around the circle. The next stop is France ( how cool is that!) with the talented artist Laly Mille. 

Blessings of love to you,

Nancy