Remover of Obstacles.....

Ganesha......

Om Sri Ganesha Namaha - Great Lord of Wisdom,

Here I stand with so many decisions to make,

with so many ways to turn.

I beg your Grace.

Please fill me with righteous judgement and clear discrimination

as I lay all confusion at your feet and immerse myself solely in Your Being.

Om Ganesha Saranam.

Sated Down Under.........

Breakfast......

in Bali........







Pineapple Pancake..........

then Lunch.........

and on to.........

New Zealand...........

Squid like no other!...........

The Best Flat White.........

(Deserving of a second photo for scale!)

The Best Eggs Bennie ever!

Mushrooms and Feta......

And a Flower toooooooo.......

the Sushi.......Divine...........












And take it from an expert...........

I thank my generous hosts down under for the yummiest and most lovingly prepared meals and for the cafe culture of New Zealand...........food prepared and presented consistently more delicious and esthetically pleasing than I have ever experienced.....

Gratzi

Hand Holding Down Under............Part 3

The Juicy End

OOOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmm.............................

..............I've been quiet this week.  Very quiet.

For Christmas I was gifted a CD of Crystal Bowls Chakra Chants......and have been pretty much playing this sound in my little abode day and night for many days.......and nights...........this level of calm is amazing to experience...........

So what is spinning in my head as the New Year is quickly approaching..........the big Long Awaited 2012!?

Mostly that I have had a really really BIG year here. I mean REALLY big.  Probably the biggest year of my life in terms of changes and experience.......and I have a long list of people to thank.........And I hear I must first Thank MySelf.......for saying YES to accepting a really big year.............for "Buying the Ticket" to quote the 'Griffin'.

And how do you say thank You?  A really really really big Thank You........make it Big Enough...........and yet soft enough to be heard by Angels? and the Souls they're meant for.   How does one do that?

So I would like to try now and thank these two gal pals...........Textile Artist, Teacher and Writer,  India Flint..........and Energy Healer, Teacher and Artist, Elaine Grohman.........for sending the signals and connections that I was fortunate enough to pick up on........signals that set my journey in motion and in purpose down under for over two months.......and to Paula Perleman.....it is under her guidance and friendship I have learned to connect with Spirit...........

And to all of my friends, family and hosts who have have an interest in and support what I do, who I am and where I have gone this past year..........who are not so public........Thank YOU and Kisses and Giant Hugs to all of You!  You know who you are!  And for those of you following this blog who don't know me!  God Bless YOU! A Thunderous THANK YOU! to you too! I am so grateful to be in your energy field!

...........And now I'm off to ponder a bit more about this past year........so I can be done with it and move on to the next ASTONISHING year! ......Which I've been gently reminded will be 2011!

OOOOOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmm



In Joy.....................

Bali HO........................

I am Rested, Restored, Rejuvenated............and Ready to continue on to the last leg of my journey........

To the Land of the Long White Cloud.....................





I may be out of touch for awhile............................In Light and Love................

Headed Over the Rainbow again.........................

Bale Bengong.........................

Here in Bali I have discovered this wonderful structure.................it is called a Bale (pronounced Bali) Bengong.  Bale means "the Building" and Bengong...........well as it was described to me there was not a word..........my friend Kadek said the words "imagine............don't say anything"........and he made a face that implied a day dreamy kind of look...............OH............."Contemplation"........yes, this is a building structure for "Contemplation"................a Bale Bengong....they come in many shapes and sizes.....

My private Bale Bengong at Puri Asri Villa.................














As I prepare to leave Bali........I think......
Wouldn't it be nice to take this home?.................

Making a List.................

When I first arrived in Bali............it struck me, with the heat.............how I longed for a pool to slip into.

And along with that...........I longed for Clean White Sheets, Quiet, a place to Meditate.............. a place convenient to town............and.......oh, and I thought it 'would be nice' to have a Spa experience and I always add "and easily affordable".......oh! and toilet paper!........So apparently those desires became my "List".   The Universe does not know what to give you, unless you are clear.............. and I do the best I can with this........it's not always easy to know what you desire.

And now...........where I stay has 'ticked these boxes' and more.

White Sheets - check
Pool - check
Quiet -check
Spa nearby - check
Easily Affordable - check
Close to town - check
Amazing Meditation loft - didn't expect THAT! - check
Toilet Paper - check!

Hot Water Shower - OOOOps, not even "pleasantly lukewarm".........note to self: keep this on the list!

Alam Wangi
Traditional Spa
Nyuh Kuning Village, Ubud ~ Bali





Oh, I'm not staying here................this inn was also fully booked..........staying nearby

On Manifesting.........................

Many times on my journey, the conversation has turned to 'manifesting'...........in other words, the subject is how to attract that which you desire into your life.  I often say "I am a 'Master Manifester'".....now I say this jokingly......not taking myself that seriously, but honestly, the record shows I AM pretty good at it..................

I met a new friend in Bali who calls herself an Intuitive Healer...............As we were discussing this idea, she was impressing the importance and meaning of words to me.  I exclaimed, as I do often, that "I am on an Amazing Journey".  She said, "Of course you are. I have heard you say that several times. You are attracting it by saying that.".  She also went on to say that my journey was "A Maze with Zing".  And that it is.  This is not the first time I have had had the importance and deeper meaning of the words we use impressed upon me...................."Elaine, are you there?"

And as I further pondered this idea..............I realized that when I'm not saying, "I'm on an Amazing Journey", I'm saying, "I'm SO Lucky"........or if I feel 'Lucky' is a word I should not be using..........for some reason it is often thought too trite.........I say, "I am SO Fortunate", or "SO Blessed", or "I Love My Life"...............you get the idea......and that seems to manifest more of it.   It's so interesting how that works............and I guess the trick of it...........if it is a trick............or the 'key' to it is, that I really BELIEVE it.  I am SOOOOOOOOOO Grateful......so Blessed.......blah, blah...........and on and on and on it goes.  Believe me it has not always been this way............I've had my fill of manifesting the undesirable stuff too.

And that reminds me of my last post.........the part where when asked if I'm traveling "Alone"...I say, " I'm meeting friends".............well that has happened again and again......meeting Friends.......but they are NEW friends.........and I am so Blessed.  For all my Friends....................I am so Blessed.

Temple Bliss................

The last two days I have spent more time on the back of a motor bike than I have in my entire life up until now.....

The last two mornings I had the privilege of being in these temples......long before the tourists arrived.......






Goa Gajeh, The Temple of the Elephant Cave

Tirta Empul, The Temple of the Holy Spring





They were my Secret Gardens for those mornings.....





And in the afternoon yesterday.............I was taken for a 4 hour tour (sounds like the Professor and Mary Ann)....................my guide Nyoman and Me...........on motorbike...........

To see rice fields, a volcano, a coffee farm and an ancient temple............the afternoon ride was fun......but the sights were more touristy than I fancy...........I'm sad to admit, taking the time to upload those photos is a reminder of that I don't want to relive at this moment.

And it has me wondering about the three words every Balinese person can speak......"Where you from?" usually asked by someone trying to aggressively sell you something, or just as a greeting ....as though the answer has some meaning.......and the second most disturbing question to me, often asked.........."are you traveling alone?"  "Are you kidding?!" I think.  "NO", I reply.........."I'm meeting friends".........I say a little too exasperated.  It's hard to fly under the radar answering that question honestly.

I say all that knowing it is how these people make a living and somehow they learned it is good and acceptable behavior..........It just does not feel good being on the receiving end of it.  Understatement.

Also, I want to thank all those who asked if I was OK given the natural disasters happening in this part of the world............Of those locals I've consulted.........we are no where near.........all good here............

A Green Day............

There is a point to feeding your Soul first......................It feels SO right!

Meet Green Tara.........the Spirit of my new singing bowl.............

"The Green Tara is a female bodhisattva representing enlightened activity, and the ability to overcome fears, anxieties, and dangers.  In her mother goddess form, the Green Tara reaches out a compassionate hand to release sentient beings from pain and suffering and to invite them to an existence of bliss and happiness."




Works for Me...........................

About Color...............

Yesterday I shopped for my Soul..............

I gathered a Beautiful Handwoven Scarf, a Quartz Crystal and a Bell.......the last from a shop called Rainbow Spirit .............of course it was.

As I laid out my cache, the colors were not lost on me...............

.

Perhaps today will be a Green, Blue and Violet day...

Non Attachment....................

Every day I see Beautiful Women making 'Offerings' for Ceremony....................

They seem to work effortlessly, with rhythm, balance, cooperation.............and Serenity................



These beautiful offerings last for one day only.........made every single day in one exquisite form or another......with materials bought fresh at the market each morning.

Another lesson in non attachment to what we make and for what purpose.................

Monkey Business.....................

This morning I took a walk in the Monkey Forest...............

Begging for a Caption.............

Only sees a Little Bit of Evil?

Message to the Universe..................

I booked my trip to Bali on the spur of the moment............my guides as my guide...........

"To Ubud", they said................"JUST DO IT!!!"

So I did.  Not knowing where I'd stay........and really no time to think about it with the rest of my journey spinning in my head.  I was also advised not to worry about it.  So I did not.

But then a message came to "book early" and it was already late..... and as a result, all the recommended places to stay were fully booked.

Yet somehow I was led to this little homestay, I now call home for a bit.  A lovely place. But very rustic......the good news is it is clean and nice and safe and in the center of this tiny bustling city and only costs 100,000 Indonesian Rupies............the eye rubbing equivalent to $10 or so US or Australian per night.  Breakfast included.....hot water shower....en suite bath.......

The less than perfect part is it is bloody hot here..........sorry for the crude speech, but I've been in Australia for a while................

And I am longing for a pool............a pristine..............pool...........like the ones in the brochures......so this morning I took a walk..........early enough to be able to walk the streets without fear of being run down by motorbikes...........Shangri La is not perfect............

I quickly found this.................

and fully booked at $350 US per night..........

Ever curious, I walked a bit further and found this...

And this and more.................








And what I found they all had in common.........




Were Spas...............hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Perhaps I can enjoy the many pools of Ubud, Bali after all.................my vessel is calling for attention.

To be continued................

Offerings and Ceremony................

This morning I awoke to the making of Ceremony.............



It is the full moon............

A Day filled with Offerings in this part of the World....

In front of every entrance...........on every corner..........at the base of every alter............they appeared.........




Nearing the end of the day, the smell of incense prevailed.................

More than once I stumbled on a Beautiful Woman in her Secret Garden praying........as I quickly extracted myself........wishing it was ME.........as her............Consumed with Spirit...........that way.............

As I write this evening........with the Ceremony deeply underway........families still wave at me as they pass..........no one is late for this one................

I hope I can take this day with me and begin to incorporate this depth of Beauty and Offering into my life........

Happy Full Moon!