Sacred Spaces

There is a beautiful hummingbird that has become a resident here in the garden over the past two months. Until today, it has been incredibly elusive and shy as it drinks the nectar from the salvia, fuchsia,  cleome, cardinal vine, and agastache flowers. This morning, it appeared to be more comfortable with my presence and allowed me to take photographs as it was perched in a cedar tree on the edge of the garden. It sat on a thin dry branch. It was protected and safe.

I am very curious about what creates a sanctuary and a safe place for one to land and mend. This concept is very important as I assist my patients heal from trauma. Sometimes the layers of  trauma may present as complex and energetically dense. Creating a safe and contained space is the first and most important step to regulating and mending. When we feel safe, our nervous system is more available for healing work and we are able to access more spaciousness within our bodies through the para-sympathetic state. This spaciousness allows us to slowly uncouple the energy of trauma from our physiology.

I feel that this is the most sacred healing work and when the physical spaces that we live and work in reflect order and a precious energy then the unwinding may be more elegant and supported. 

Today I created a small sacred space in my office where I included fresh flowers, some of my favorite crystals and one of my favorite statues. I love what I created and realized that this made me so very happy. My little vignette sits on top of a Florentine set of drawers that belonged to my grandmother Isabelle. The Chinese lacquer vase belonged to my mother and one of the crystals was a gift from a dear friend that is beautifully tucked away in a small metal tin with an image of a peacock on the lid. Having fresh flowers, like a gorgeous, fragrant and elegant magnolia takes us where we can allow ourselves to be enveloped by the senses, nature and beauty. 

One could find sanctuary in the center of a magnolia, or in the shimmering surface of a crystal, or a photograph of a magical hummingbird. These are all beautiful resources.
During these volatile  times on the planet, staying true to ourselves, our process of regulation and cultivating sacred spaces feels more important than ever. Our capacity to regulate, stay fluid and maintain flow is ultimately what I believe will help to stabilize unsettled energies that we may feel within ourselves and the outside world.
My next creative projects will include creating sacred spaces in nature with cedar branches and vines that I have been collecting for over a year.  I am also helping others find and create sacred spaces on their properties and in their homes so that they may develop their own sanctuaries for healing, resting and mending.
Wishing everyone a safe and beautiful season. 

June in the Springs, East Hampton

From the Garden Today

Atlantic Spotted Dolphins.

As I work on updating my new Prettymedicine website, I discovered over one hundred pictures that I never saw or edited from my last trip to the warm waters of the Bahamas.

There were many precious gems, but this one took my breath away. 

A mother and baby Atlantic Spotted Dolphin. 

I will add a blog post when my fresh new site is up. 

Until then, may everyone dream with the dolphins. 

Best wishes, 

Maria

New Thoughts and Beginnings.

Since my last post so many things have shifted. For one, the weather is warmer, the butterflies and moths have arrived on the East end of Long Island and I am in my second trimester of Doctoral work. 

I am also in a year long advanced trauma training that takes me to the base of the great Rocky mountains. 

These big shifts take time to integrate. 

And then we need to find the words.

How do we express the depth of the gratitude? 

There is a splendid gift in the company of gifted healers who carry the heartfelt wish to bring goodness and mending to the world during these challenging times.

There is the police man who let me be the first in line after a five hour long delay on the Long Island Expressway, to allow me get to the airport, followed by the person who left the long term parking spot seconds before my arrival so that I may park my car and make my early morning flight. The parking attendant who said 'Honey, there is only one spot open here and it's yours'. 

Followed by the angel and dear friend that picked me up at the Denver airport to take me to the heart of the city where we studied new and beautiful methods for mending of the nervous system.

And then there are the gorgeous hearts who are on this mysterious journey of mending trauma. 

Thank you Kathy and Yuri.

And the amazing people from all over the world; Japan, New Zealand, Italy, and the United States. Thank you all for being a part of this gorgeous and meaningful work and training.

Knowing that we are all supported by the prayers of the monks is deeply inspiring and confirms the depth of our commitments to this important healing. 

On the inside, there is now a new level of commitment to the work, a stronger sense of importance to each and every effort that I make to support the mending of trauma.

 I am grateful.

And to the incredible hearts who come into the practice with their openness, willingness and gifts of beautiful peonies.

Wishing everyone a colorful and beautiful Spring!

The Magic and Spaciousness of Baja.

Last month I had the great fortune of visiting Baja Sur, Mexico. It is a place that I always wanted to visit and explore. The East and West coasts of Baja are grounds for Blue whales, Grey whales, Humpbacks, Orcas and so much other wildlife. 

I was immediately struck by the spaciousness that I felt in such an arid and open land. 

The colors are exquisite and the landscapes are truly breathtaking. The skies go on forever. 

The moment I arrived, I felt my body become more spacious, the sun kiss my face and the sound of my mother tongue soothed my heart. For years I had wanted to visit this far away terrain with it's sun drenched mountains. 

A rare gift of time with a hummingbird mother and her nest with two eggs was an extraordinary sight. As I watch for hummingbirds in my garden, I immediately recognized the lighting fast speed of this beauty. 

Her nest was at the top of a cactus, between two buildings. She flew from vine to vine collecting nectar, all the while keeping an eye on the eggs. One morning, I saw her elevated in the nest and she was feeding two little beaks with her very long tongue. The eggs had hatched and two perfect babies had emerged. As she swooped by my head, back and forth, her delicate chirp almost felt like messages to the chicks, reminding them they she was close.

Between trips for nectar she sat upon the chicks and protected them with a watchful eye.

Below is a collection of shells from the Sea of Cortez.

Each and every time I gather shells from a new land I think of my grandmother Isabelle and her beautiful collection that sparked not only my curiosity for nature but also far away places that might have such treasures.

Dawn at the Sea of Cortez. 

The starkness of Baja stole my heart. These beauties wait patiently along side of the water waiting for just the right opportunity to pluck their meal.

I am quite sure that a part of me was left behind in the beautiful waters of Mexico.

 It is so rich with life. 

There is little to write about these pictures, they tell their own delicious and mysterious stories. 

Gracias Baja Sur!

New Discoveries.

As with all new endeavors, there are always new discoveries. Much to my surprise, a recent project for one of my doctoral classes opened up an entirely new realm. It is the world of video. 

I am so grateful to Dr. East Haradin for her encouragement  in my Practice Based Learning class. She has lent us her heart and offered support and motivation to grow, expand and to ask ourselves how we can become more of ourselves and bring this facet of our being to the medicine that we practice. 

Just weeks after completing a three year professional training in Somatic Experiencing, I began my Doctoral classes through Pacific College of Oriental Medicine where I received my MSTOM. The completion of this program is the next part of the journey as I begin to research Integrative Neuroscience and explore our relationships with rhythms and the natural world. 

So many beautiful aspects of my work are now coming together. Creating the video with pictures that I have taken and small videos from nature has been a reminder of how everything may be interconnected, even though it may not always appear so at the moment. 

My fascination with nature, internal regulation, its' rhythms, and mending of the nervous system are coming together in a poetic and personally meaningful way. 

This is the first video that I have ever made, but I'm inspired to create more pieces in the future. 

Thank you Dr. East Haradin, Dr. Peter Levine and Dr. Mary Giuffra for being such generous luminaries on the path. 

Happy Spring!