Naked Prayers

How to Walk through Fire

 

Art/Words by Kimberly Cain ©2012
Body Art by Leroy Roper

New shoes. New perspectives. Expanded horizons.

Who doesn't love a new pair of shoes?

Yeah, I understand the value of an old, comfortable pair for floppin' around the house. But, I'm talkin' about struttin' your stuff in a brand new pair of sassy heels, rugged boots, or get-it-done sneakers. We all love the feeling. We remember stand-out pairs from our childhoods. We even remember the events surrounding the acquisition - whether as a gift from Santa, lusting after the perfect pair for going back to school in the fall & visualizing the new friends they would bring our way, or choosing the special pair of sandals for vacation & thinking about the ease with which they would slip on & off by the pool. Shoes are pretty exciting stuff!  

New shoes give us the feeling that we can walk into a new world, express ourselves in a new way, take a journey into new territory. New shoes can do far more than just clothe our feet, if we allow them to work some deeper magic. When we envision the places we can go & the things we can do in our new shoes, in the same way we did as children, we shift perspectives. This shift can expand our horizons & literally carry us to realms previously unknown to us.

The imagination is available to create the lives we long to live. It is far too powerful to be shoved into a corner, playing second fiddle to the intellect (or not playing at all). The imagination is where genius reigns.

Put on a new pair of shoes. Then, share in the comments below where you plan to go. 

Walk into your dreams. Transform yourself. Grrrrrrrrow!

Divine Feminine - She's in Full Bloom!

Women everywhere are answering the call to express this Divine Feminine energy that flows like sensual, liquid fire.
Inspiring, Courageous, Creative, Beauty-full!

I'm on a high from seeing two extraordinarily beautiful & powerful women "do their thing" over the last couple of evenings & I feel the need to share the experiences with you. Reason being - I imagine a lot of extraordinarily beautiful & powerful women coming my way who need to know that they're in this camp! I want to inspire you to be exactly who & what you are by introducing you to these lovely ladies.

I received an invitation from my friend, Carolyn, to attend a video shoot.     
I hadn't seen her & her husband Rickey "Bongo" Carthen in a while. Rickey performed with my sister & me for many years in our band, Frankly Scarlet. He's a gifted percussionist & harmonica player, as well as producer (but that's another story!). I wanted to see the couples' latest creation, so I carved out some time to stop by the shoot last night. I was floored & unprepared for what I saw when I arrived. I was expecting to see a full band performing a new song with Rickey at his signature percussion set-up & Carolyn on vocals. I first thought the shoot hadn't started because Rickey came to the venue door to let me in & there were just a couple of young guys & a girl sitting on stage in sparkly clothes - no instruments to be seen.
The PA started pumping music & they got up & went into a hot dance routine. I then realized that the"girl" up there was my friend, Carolyn. WOW! She was absolutely stunning! She always has been, but as she said, "For years, I've been behind the scenes & it was time for me to take the stage on my own. It feels really good & if it's for anything, it's for me."

Well, I can tell you that Carolyn's time definitely has come - as Kavi-R! She wrote & performed the song, "It's the Shoes", for the video shoot, produced a story-board for a filmed story sequence, & choreographed & performed a dance routine. I can't wait to see the final video & direct you to see it when it's finished. The important part here, though, is Carolyn's journey. She's been 100% supportive of her husband & their two gorgeous children. Many people give up on their own creative dreams after being in a supporting role to others for a while. Sometimes, they don't even remember what their dreams were. This venture is a transformative experience for Carolyn & it's already a huge success because Carolyn has empowered herself to remember & explore the parts of her creativity that have been "waiting in the wings". What an inspiration!

Tonight, I learned that a dear friend was in town from Santa Fe & that she would be teaching a NIA class.
I only had a half hour to change & get to the dance studio - I had to make it because I needed to move my bones & I certainly didn't want to miss seeing & dancing with Jamie. When she moved from Dallas to Santa Fe a year ago, Jamie Klein was in the process of transforming herself - not to become someone different, but to become who she truly is. Exquisitely feminine. Jamie & I met in a NIA class & immediately connected on a very deep level. She was leaving a job as a top salesperson for Lexus, where she worked ten-hour days. She was in a very masculine, numbers-driven environment & had worn the clothes well to get the job done. She also had a lot of pain in her right side.

During our first conversation, I knew intuitively that Jamie's body, mind, & spirit were screaming
for her feminine nature to come out & play. Her right side, representing her masculine energy, was locked up & saying it had had enough. It was time for balance or else. Fortunately, Jamie was listening to her inner voice. She embraced the practice of NIA & it led her through the door to an incredible journey. Click here to read about it.

Like the wonderful surprise last night with Carolyn, I was blessed to experience it again tonight with Jamie! The woman leading the class was a totally transformed Jamie. She had shed the old "suit" & is wearing her Self like a shining beacon of joy & vitality. And that is a gift not to be underestimated. Jamie's willingness to strip her old skin & start anew, to find her true Self, has led to a ministry of joy-in-the-body that is touching the lives of countless others.

I saw the Spirit of the Divine Feminine in Carolyn & Jamie & I can assure you, there is nothing sexier than this Inner Fire, this Sacred Joy (both of their husbands agree!). You may not know these two women, but you can see the Divine Feminine Spirit, too - you won't have to look too far, as She is showing up in more & more places & faces. She is powerful, but don't let Her frighten you. Your fear is only a sign that you recognize this dormant Divine power within yourself. If you were to awaken Her, She would surely take you on a wild ride - a ride to the core of your own True Nature - your God/Goddess Self. Ummmmm, delicious. Whenever you're ready, Love. I can't wait to see you shine. 

 

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I delight in inspiring others to break through barriers & shine as their True Selves.

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Halloween - Honoring Death

There is no death without life & no life without death.

In the material world, anyway.

Halloween dates back 2000 years to a time when the Irish Celts celebrated the transition from the summer harvest to the darkness of winter. Associated with nature's coming darkness was the darkness of human death. The Celts believed that this transition in nature blurred the boundaries between life & death, that the "veil" between the two was very thin at this time. The celebration, called Samhain (pronounced sow-in), was an important one for the Celts, as they believed their Druid priests could better communicate with otherworldly spirits to bring them predictions for the future. The Celts' existence was entirely dependent on the behavior of Mother Nature &, as such, they were much more deeply attuned to her subtle rhythms & vibrations than we are today.

During the Samhain celebration, the Celts wore costumes made from animal heads & skins as they danced around huge sacred bonfires. They told ghost stories & fortunes & made animal sacrifices in order to give back to Mother Nature the same goodness that she had bestowed upon them during the summer harvest. This brought comfort to them as they entered the dark, cold winter, believing that these sacrifices & their tribute to the spirits created the blessings they would need to bring the summer harvest once again.

How did Samhain become the modern-day Halloween?

Throughout the centuries, our loss of contact with the natural world continues to grow. Technology has brought wonderful advances; it has also served to further disconnect us from the natural world. Not only do we spend many computer hours at our offices & homes, we take them into the sanctity of nature, never looking up to see the beauty that surrounds us - so "connected" that we're completely disconnected. We are no longer aware of how we fit into the natural world, how to honor Mother Nature & ourselves as part of her, the Divine Feminine.

Nature teaches us how to live & how to die. She teaches us that life & death are integral parts of each other in this material world. Our society has great difficulty accepting death & dying. We don't want to talk about it - too grim. The loss of ability to honestly look at & honor death, as integral to our living, has brought us the great tragedy of ignoring the elderly as vital contributors to the well-being of our culture, among other things.

Halloween provides an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of seasonal change within the human psyche & experience, a call to revel in the wildness of the unknown, the darkness...the "thin veil" between worlds. Where do we go from here? Spend some time with Spirit; receive answers.

I thought I'd share a story about an encounter with nature & death in this video. I'd love to hear your comments about Halloween, about death & dying, about how you learn from nature. We all learn from each other, so please take a moment to share your voice!

Can't see video in your reader? Go to YouTube channel.

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Transformation - Lessons from the Chameleon

Transformation is an essential & inescapable element of life. 

Learning to embrace it brings great reward.

We tend to resist change with great fervor. It's interesting to ponder the experience of a world that embraces change with equal zest - or better, accepts it as easily as we accept the turning of day into night, & back to day once more.

I love learning from nature. It is rich in its lessons - patient, loving, deep, at once immanent & transcendent...infinite. I often receive visits from animals, birds, & such that come as teachers. The more subtle energies of plants, trees, & even rocks are teachers as well. These lessons are available to all of us - the trick, however, is to make yourself available.

I've been undergoing transition. I do that best by spending extra introspective time, allowing the Divine to inspire & guide me. I have always been an intuitive, but have not always been especially vocal about it. It is a gift that is intended, not for me alone, but to help guide others through their life challenges & into an understanding of their own higher selves. I have realized the importance of coming further forward with this gift, but have not fully understood how to do so.

I asked for guidance, then went into the stillness of meditation, surrounded by nature's beauty. A teacher soon arrived - a chameleon. When he first appeared, I thought he was sick, as he was moving very slowly & with seeming difficulty. I then noticed his shedding skin. I watched as he rubbed himself against the blades of the amaryllis, twisting & turning to loosen the old, dead skin. He looked so uncomfortable as he puffed his body up & wriggled through the tunnel of tight skin a little further. I had an impulse to help him & asked him if he needed that from me. I received the answer that we must all make our life transitions on our own. Others can be a witness to our lives, but no one can make the actual transition for us, nor can they speed it along. In fact, to try to do so could be a detriment to us. We need time to process our experiences in order for real & lasting transformation to occur.

I accepted that I was to be a witness then, not a savior. Chameleon continued to wriggle & as he did, I saw that he was intended, by nature, to shed his old self (skin) & become new. His old skin was tight & it required effort for him to loosen it & push further & further out of it with his new self. Nature understands that this is right & natural. No drama is needed. Transformation is simply a part of life.

Humans have made transformation such a difficult process by adding layers & layers of ego between the physical & spiritual planes. Our worries about what we will lose, if change occurs, often prevent us from experiencing Divine grace - the mystery of transformation & the many blessings that come with being born into something or someone new & more beautiful.

Transformation is inevitable. It's almost comical how difficult we make it, when really, it's all about love. The love of a higher, Divine energy - an evolutionary energy, a spiritual energy - that brings about necessary change for purpose that is beyond our grasp. Acceptance of this guidance alleviates fear & marries us to the joy & the mystery of Creation itself.

Chameleon allowed me to video him. I've put it together with a song by my sister, Kelly Brown, aka Local Honey. It's called "Love Remains". After all, that is really what we have when we let go of the drama & fear of transformation, accepting what is natural & beautiful about life. Love is the energy that remains!

 

 

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