First Class begins Next Week

I'm finishing the preparations for my first class which will be about stinging nettle. There are a lot of things to cover in just 1 hour of time! But we'll keep it lively, interesting and fun ;).

If you haven't signed up for the class already, I encourage you to do so.

To RSVP, please contact Marie at The Path:
800 Torrance Blvd, suite 102
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 540-3030

See my previous post for more details: http://zenseer.blogspot.com/2013/03/announcing-wild-plant-spirit-allies.html

See you there! ;)

All Good Things Organic Seeds - Organic Vegetable, Herb and Flower Seeds–All Good Things Organic Seeds

Quality seeds from Ojai, CA
All Good Things Organic Seeds - Organic Vegetable, Herb and Flower Seeds–All Good Things Organic Seeds

Ultra Rustic Garden Treillis

I have collected several Y-shaped branches during my Fall & Winter hikes, in the hope of making a wind catcher and giving branch weaving a try...Oh well! It looks likes these projects will have to wait a little longer.
My young grapevine has awakened from its Winter slumber and is busy growing new branches that need some support (the young tendrils won't have anything to latch on, on a barren wall) so I decided to improvise a garden trellis out of my deadwood branches. I little bit of jute twine magic (all of this done under my cat's supervision) and there you have a rustic wooden trellis to support the grapevine ;).

Announcing "Wild Plant Spirit Allies" Classes...

I'm happy to announce that I will be teaching a short series of classes at The Path, starting April 13th.
Details below. Feel free to contact me if you have any question.

To RSVP, please contact Marie at The Path:
800 Torrance Blvd, suite 102
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 540-3030

WILD PLANT SPIRIT ALLIES

Through this series of classes you will learn about the truly magical uses of 5 plants in your everyday life. These plants can be found in your garden but you are more likely to encounter them on hiking trails throughout California. You’ll learn about each plant’s folklore and various uses (physical, emotional, nutritional, spiritual…) as well as how to connect with it on a deeper level. To complete our journey with these plants’ spirits, you will learn how to recognize them in the wild during a local herb walk.

Classes’ schedules:

·        Nettle                                     April 13^th, 3-4 pm

·        Mallow                                  April 27^th, 3-4 pm

·        Fennel                                    May 11^th, 3-4 pm

·        Elder                                       May 25^th, 3-4 pm    

·        Blackberry                             June 8^th, 3-4 pm

·        Wild herb walk (free)           June 22^nd, 3 pm

RSVP REQUIRED FOR EACH CLASS  

(Fee: $15/class)

"Contes étranges" maintenant sur les sites amazon / "Contes étranges" (french edition only) now available on amazon websites

Mon livre est maintenant disponible sur les sites amazon de France et de Navarre, notamment ICI (site US) et ICI (site français).

Et bien-sûr toujours chez mon editeur ICI (lulu.com), petit aperçu à la clef...

Je rappelle que le livre est imprimé à la demande chez mon éditeur (cela prend généralement 2-3 jours) puis envoyé au commanditaire depuis les Etats-Unis (ce qui normalement prend 2 semaines tout au plus).

Merci pour votre soutien et bonne lecture!

P-S: le projet de CD audio est toujours d'actualité ;).

"Contes étranges" bientôt sur Amazon...

Mon livre devrait être disponible sur les différents sites Amazon d'ici 6 à 8 semaines!

Ce que je lis / What I'm reading: "Les Nains et les Elfes au Moyen Age" de Claude Lecouteux

Description de l'ouvrage

Personnage familier venu d'un lointain passé et perpétuant sa vie dans l'imaginaire de nos sociétés modernes, le nain n'en est pas moins méconnu et a été, en fait, bien peu étudié. Qui est-il et d'où vient-il vraiment ? Puisant dans les littératures médiévales, mais aussi dans les contes, les légendes et les mythologies, Claude Lecouteux, éminent spécialiste du Moyen Age, relève les images, les situations et les usages gravitant autour de cet être singulier. Il met au jour tout un monde de croyances disparues, souvent occultées par l'Eglise ou simplement englouties par le temps. Ainsi, loin d'être des supports de fictions ou de superstitions, les nains, empreints d'une forte signification religieuse, seraient liés à la fertilité, à la mort et à ce culte des ancêtres dont on connaît l'importance dans notre ancien Occident. Fourmillant dans les traditions populaires, lutins, follets, kobolds ou trolls, nains et elfes de toutes sortes, laissent entrevoir comment, en dépit de la culture chrétienne, le paganisme parvint à se maintenir dans les campagnes jusqu'à l'aube de l'ère industrielle.

 

http://www.amazon.fr/nains-elfes-Moyen-Age/dp/2849521973/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360031957&sr=1-1

Une piste / A lead...

Comme je l'ai mentionné précédemment je me considere davantage conteuse qu'écrivain. Le conteur raconte une histoire (qu'il connaît ou invente au fur et à mesure) à un public qui bien souvent n'est pas familier avec l'histoire (à moins qu'il s'agisse d'une légende locale). Dans ce contexte, le conteur suscite l'intérêt, l'attention et l'imaginaire du public d'une façon plus soutenue qu'un simple livre pourrait le faire. De plus le conteur joue sur les intonations, les changements de voix et la gestuelle ce qui a le don de rendre l'histoire beaucoup plus vivante.

A l'heure actuelle je m'interesse à un support audio. Je souhaiterais créer un CD audio avec les histoires de mon livre "Contes étranges et qui dérangent" justement dans le but de recréer cette ambiance du conteur traditionnel à la maison (ce serait parfait pour Halloween).

Je souhaiterais également aller plus loin et avec un peu de chance mon 2e livre se presentera sous cette forme: je voudrais avoir un beau livre illustré avec quelques extraits écrits de mes contes qui irait de paire avec un CD audio servant de support visuel d'ambiance et d'avant-goût des contes sur le CD (une sorte de kit). Je ne peux en dire davantage: c'est une idée que je vais laisser germer dans un coin de ma tête et on verra bien où elle me menera...

As I previously mentioned in another post, I consider myself myself more of a storyteller rather than an author. A storyteller tells a story (that he knows or invents as he goes) to an audience which is often unfamiliar with the story (unless it's a local legend). In this context, the storyteller gets the interest and attention of the audience while stimulating its imagination in a much more interactive way than a book can do. Plus a storyteller plays with changes in tones of voice and gesture which makes the whole story much more lively.

I'm currently interested in audio media. I'd like to create an audio CD version of my book "Contes etranges et qui derangent" (in french and english) in order to recreate that whole traditional storytelling experience at home (and it would be perfect for Halloween).

But I also would like to go further and if things go well maybe my 2nd book will take this form: a nice looking book with my illustrations and a few written sentences from my stories as well  as an audio CD in which the listener can discover the tales (a sort of combo pack). I can't say more as this is an idea I need to let germinate and develop in my mind, we'll see where it goes...

FINALLY, a Nut-Free Almond Flour Replacement Recommendation | Paleo Parents

FINALLY, a Nut-Free Almond Flour Replacement Recommendation | Paleo Parents

Mes lectures du moment / My current reads

Aussi loin qu'il m'en souvienne, j'ai toujours aimé les livres. Et je crois que l'apprentissage de la lecture a du avoir l'effet d'une révélation car elle est la clef qui a permis l'ouverture d'un nouveau monde pour moi...Celui où mon imagination pouvait vagabonder sans limites.
Aujourd'hui, je me vois mal vivre sans eux (d'autant plus que je viens d'en publier un), mais il y en a tellement qui me titillent et murmurent mon nom tout bas que je ne peux me résoudre à en lire juste un à la fois. Il faut dire que je ne me contente pas que d'oeuvres de fiction, je touche également à la philosophie, à la poesie et à l'étude de tout un tas de choses qui font partie de mes centres d'intérets.
Voici une brève liste de ce que mes yeux devorent en ce moment. Et vous, que lisez-vous?

As far as I can remember, I have always loved books. I think that learning to read must have been a revelation to me for reading is the key that opened the door to a new world for me...One where my imagination could run wild and free.
Nowadays I can't imagine living without books (especially since I just published my own) but there are so many that tempt me and whisper my name that I can't just read one at a time. I'm not only interested in fiction but in philosophy, poetry as well as the study of the many topics that my mind is so curious about.
Here's a short list of what my eyes are currently devouring. What about you? What are you currently reading?

• "La douce empoisonneuse" d'Arto Paasilinna
• "The Sorcerer's Dream - Dreaming and spiritual adventure in a New Millenium" by Dreamshield
• "From the Ashes of Angels - The forbidden legacy of a fallen race" by Andrew Collins
• "Mermaids, Sylphs, Gnomes & Salamanders - Dialogues with the Kings & Queens of Nature" by William R. Mistele
• "Victor Hugo's Conversations with the Spirit World - A literary genius's hidden life" by John Chambers

Is eating a nutrient dense diet really doable? (And questions I need your help with)

Is eating a nutrient dense diet really doable? (And questions I need your help with)

A propos d'ebook et une idée / About ebooks and an idea...

A ceux d'entre vous qui attendaient la version ebook de mon livre "contes étranges et qui dérangent", je dois des excuses car ca ne va pas être possible. En effet, une des conditions de mon editeur à la creation d'un ebook est que le texte soit en anglais! Chose que j'ignorais...
Mais après avoir entendu quelques sons de cloches et un peu de reflection, j'aimerais bien créer un CD audio avec mes histoires. Certains de mes amis ont eu l'occasion de les entendre avant de les lire et les ont appreciées et visualisées comme des histoires qu'un conteur vient raconter au coin du feu. Ne jamais sous-estimer le pouvoir de l'imagination! Et comme je me positionne davantage comme conteuse et folkloriste qu'écrivain, cette idée me plaît bien. Je vais donc la creuser et je vous tiens au courant...

There won't be a french ebook version of my book, since it's not possible with my publisher however it shouldn't be a problem for an english ebook (once I'm done translating). But there is something else that I'd like to do, an idea that's been slowly simmering in my brain. Prior to publishing the book, I have had the opportunity to read a few tales to my friends who really enjoyed them and were able to visualize them like tales told by a storyteller sitting by the fireplace. Never underestimate the power of imagination! And since I consider myself more like a storyteller and folklorist than a true writer, this is an idea that I'd like to explore and I'll keep you posted...

Song of the End

"Mother of twilight
tear us away
from the
density of time.
Initiate us
into the ever,
the all,
the breath
of the infinite.
Baptize us with starlight.
Wrap our souls
in the shroud
of rapture
and sound.
Create in us
everything which
has been lost
and all
which is unknowable.
Let us speak
in the tongue
of grace,
in which all
vibrations are
one
eternal
song."

Christine Fortuin
(Poem found in the 2013 We'Moon Calendar)

Are you really eating a nutrient dense diet? (And would Dr. Price approve?)

Are you really eating a nutrient dense diet? (And would Dr. Price approve?)

Dernieres Nouvelles / Latest News...

J'ai besoin de reviser mon livre et de faire quelques corrections avant de pouvoir elargir la distribution a des sites comme amazon.com. Si vous avez l'intention d'en commander un exemplaire, je vous demanderais de bien vouloir patienter un peu, vous ne serez pas decus!

I need to revise and proof read my book before distribution to such booksellers as amazon.com. If you intend to buy a copy (french version only for now), I will have to ask a little patience from you, you won't be disappointed!

Red Riding Hood Cape Pattern ♥ Fleece Fun

Red Riding Hood Cape Pattern ♥ Fleece Fun

Tout arrive (+ un extrait de mon premier livre) / Things happen (my first book)...

I finally published my first book in French! I've been working on it for the past 2 years with all the torments and frustrations a writer can know. I put my heart and soul into this project. And when my dream became reality and I saw the cover of my book online, I had tears in my eyes. I hope you will enjoy reading it as my as I enjoyed writing it. I plan to offer an ebook version of it and then for you my English-speaking readers, an English translation of my books (within the next few months I hope). All I can tell you for now about it that it's a collection of 18 fantasy and folklore inspired tales (short stories to be precise). Thank you for your patience ;).

Le moment tant attendu est arrivé: je viens de publier mon livre. J'ai travaillé dessus pendant 2 ans avec tout ce que çà a comporté de joies, les peines, les doutes et soucis. J'y ai mis mon coeur et mon âme. Mon rêve est devenu realité et j'ai eu les larmes aux yeux lorsque j'ai pu voir la couverture de mon livre sur internet. J'espère que vous aurez envie de le lire car moi j'ai aimé l'ecrire (et j'ai deja un 2e projet de livre en tête ;) ).

C'est un recueil de 18 nouvelles plus ou moins longues inspirées de la littérature fanstastique et du folklore. Vous pouvez avoir un aperçu du mon livre ICI (sommaire et premieres pages), sur le site de lulu.com (mon editeur). Normalement il devrait être disponible très bientot sur d'autres sites internet du type Amazon.com et Barnes & Nobles. Et je vais probablement proposer quelques exemplaires sur ma boutique Etsy. J'envisage également de créer une version ebook pour ceux qui n'aiment pas le papier...

Et pour ceux qui hésitent encore à se le procurer après avoir jeté un oeil dedans, voici un petit extrait de "La Corberelle" (vous saurez ce que c'est en lisant mon livre):
"...Et pour qui crois-tu qu’elle soit venue cette corberelle qui ne te lâche pas du regard ? Comme les Anciens disaient chez nous : ‘Si tu entends le chant de la Corberelle, prends garde à toi. Car si tu la vois la Corberelle, c’est que pour toi sonne le glas.’

Sur ces paroles Gaston se délesta de son attirail de chasse et s’approcha de l’oiseau toujours perché sur le prunellier. Puis les yeux pleins de larme, il lui dit avec une certaine émotion :

-Lydia, est-ce que c’est toi ?

Soudain un épais brouillard se leva ; il était si dense que Tantine ne pouvais plus voir Gaston. Ce brouillard avait quelquechose de surnaturel qui l’angoissa. Il n’y avait plus un bruit dans la Lande; même les oiseaux s’étaient arrêtés de chanter..." 

Besoin d'un cadeau de dernière minute pour un ami lecteur? N'hésitez pas...

KYMATICA - Bruce Lipton PhD. FULL Interview - YouTube

Change your perception, change your mind, change your world...
KYMATICA - Bruce Lipton PhD. FULL Interview - YouTube

Listen to the Cards: November 6th 2012 Reading

Before I get to the actual reading, I'd like to say that I am no channeler, no tarot reader and even less of an astrologer (even though I know Mercury went retrograde yesterday and that today is the Last Quarter of the Moon). But I am a sensitive in ways of my own...

So what do the cards hold for us on this Election Day?
First I picked the "Warrior Three / Alignment" card from the Tarot of the Sidhe (I rarely work with tarots, I usually prefer oracle decks which I find more precise, but this specific tarot has proven to be reliable many times).

This card is a powerful one, it holds so much potential that I believe reflects the expectations of many people right one. After the passage of hurricane Sandy, I felt that something had been birthed/released energetically and we can all sense energies even if we can't always describe what we feel or sense with words.

The Warrior cards of the deck are connected with the element Fire. They manifest dreams into reality via the power of will and action.

"The alignment's dawn, a magical time,
As sun and moon and stars entwine,
The gate is open in the east,
A three-fold sum of power increased..."

I believe that the Universe is watching as well. This election may be a step stone for things to come.
Notice the reference to the East? It could very well be that the eastern states will play a big role in this election, after all they have been (and still are) through a lot but who is there to listen and help in the middle of the desolation? Only they know what is truly going on and only they can tell (one way being by casting their vote)...Also remember (prophets of doom sent aside) that we are going through changes, through a planetary and galactic evolution. We are moving from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. People are awakening and the picture they see isn't very pretty...

The 2nd card I picked (as supplemental information) is the "Three of Stones / Creativity" from The Wildwood Tarot.

"The practical manifestation of the creative energy requires a clear and open channel to the inspirational forces and impulses of the universe...Just as releasing your dreams and desires into the universal consciousness always brings a response, so the releasing of creative energy invites into the artist the healing and enriching fuel from which further insight and visionary stimulus flows..."

Be the artist, you are creator of your life. Manifest your hopes and dreams into this reality by painting what you really want for yourself and others onto the big canvas of Life. Don't let yourself be influenced by others, don't let yourself be blown & pushed by the winds, don't give in to worry, fear of sadness...Listen to your inner voice, stand your ground, project what your heart desires into the universal energetic pool. There is always a choice!.

Have a blessed day ;).

Thinking Out of the Blue...

Life sometimes throw things such as dislikes, fears, anguishes and phobias on your path. Sometimes there is a logical explanation for it, such as an allergy but in other cases such fears can be debilitating like my phobia of water. I had a drowning experience as a child and that fear of water has stuck with me ever since. I don't like water, period. I don't mind swimming in clear, calm water where I can see the bottom and where I lay my feet. But the dark waters, the opaque waters, the raging waters...
Water is life, water is death. It has an energy, it is healing, it carries emotions & feelings yet no human can live under water. It is the realm of water creatures and all sorts of aquatic beings (some very ancient) that you don't want to mess with. I read about a theory that the reason why the vikings were such master sailors is because they revered the spirits of the sea and had an understanding with them (that would make sense to me). More recently I read that blog post regarding water spirits in folklore. Once again they are not to be taken lightly. Some of these water Elementals are also in control of the weather and can bring rain or drought whether they are acknowledged and respected or neglected and just part of the forgotten folklore. But the crazy weather might just be a projection of our "modern" way of life...
Anyway all these readings have been lingering in my subconscious and brought me to the conclusion that this fear of water, this aqueous dead end is probably an area where somebody somehow doesn't want me to wander. I'm not saying that I will ever get rid off that fear but I might be able to play around it, learn a few things and maybe get some blessings/help from water spirits along the way. I'm even starting to like the color blue but this is another story...