"and the soft rain—
imagine! imagine!
the wild and wondrous journeys
still to be ours." - Mary Oliver
Opening day was met with stormy weather and we were unable to gather in the tipi. We met in the studio instead. Chelsea and Grace arrived early to help me rearrange the studio to accommodate all the Mighty Girls. Soon they bounded through the door and began forming our circle on the drop cloths.
We began the morning with our opening ceremony and a reading of an excerpt from David Whyte's poem, "What to Remember When Waking". We took turns introducing ourselves via our maternal lineage as far back as we could remember to honor all those who came before us.
Once everyone was settled in we presented the Morning Gift. Each morning the girls receive an inspiring gift from our sponsors. Today's gift came from the lovely folks at Natural Life. Natural Life was founded by Patti Hughes, a woman with a passion for making things. Her product line includes clothing, accessories, home decor and keepsake gifts with an artistic flair. Natural life sent a "Happy Box" for the girls, and you'll be seeing more from them during the week. This morning, however, the girls were presented with these beautiful journals.
Thank you, Natural Life, for all the lovely gifts, and for the beauty you add to the world, and for creating products that inspire!!!
Our first project was to prep our art journals. The art journal is the foundation for our week long adventure. It's also a wonderful tool for introspection and self expression. Each day we will add more layers to our journals. Today the Mighty Girls lightly sanded the thrifted board books before giving them a coat of gesso. Gesso is a surface primer for painting canvas and other surfaces and it helps our paint to adhere properly.
We set aside the journals to dry and took a snack break before beginning our secondary project, Walking Sticks. For thousands of years, the walking stick has been a tool for the journey, as a symbol, a weapon, for balance, and to support the tired legs of the wanderer. We will be using our walking sticks this week during our nature hikes.
We took a few moments to discuss safety in the forest and learn about the population of venomous snakes in our area.
* I would like to take a moment to thank SuperMaggie for this beautiful snake shirt which I will be wearing all week as a reminder during our forest excursions. SuperMaggie is an independent, nature inspired apparel company created by artists Maggie Kleinpeter and Michael Pittard. Thank you, SuperMaggie for your generosity and for creating beautiful clothing that honors the beauty of nature.
Dear Mighty Girls,
The rest of the week is going to be lovely. Please remember to wear bug repellent and sunscreen. Wear shoes that will protect your feet and that can get wet and muddy. Tonight think about words, quotes, or symbols that you may wish to add to your walking stick, pencil them into your journals so you don't forget. If you arrive early, please find your walking stick and begin adding your details while we wait for the others to arrive. The wondrous journey continues...
Made so & rooted by love,
Wendy
*Below are some mindful tips for exploring the forest, as well as some plant wisdom. Click on image to enlarge.
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Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind. - Henry James