I like quiet intimate settings
that turn into raving
streams of laughter
due to inside jokes
This connection formed
from deep pools of stories
beyond daily experiences
from joy to grief
and back again
The formation
of friendship that
builds upon familiarly
after the formalities
have fallen aside
Although there are
moments of laughter,
there can be misunderstandings,
disagreements, and
even anger
but with
heart-filled, truthful conversations
kindness does prevails
Those connections
of vulnerability
and inner trust
can mirror what can be
seen within us
beauty or even disgust
when something is revealed
or witnessed between us
it can strengthen
or break into dust
Once a shift occurs
there is always anew
and humous moments
will be revealed
When I was a child, I loved to play with ants. I would let them crawl over my hands, and I'd watched how they would find their way back to the earth. I loved getting down into the dirt, and I watched how ants worked together. I would sit there for hours as the ants worked around my hands or feet. They did not seem to care that I was involved in their lives.
Over the years, I found that I adore connecting with different insects. Yes, I still get a bit jumpy when a butterfly is about to land on me or when a spider crawls over my arm. However, insects and other small living beings have very delicate legs, and body parts. If I move too fast I could kill them without paying attention.
Whenever I take the time to be outdoors without rushing to one place or another I stop and connect with nature. I like to observe many small creatures which includes bees, ants, or spiders. I love watching how some of the insects interact with each other. I've seen gentleness and some aggressive behaviours from insects. The insect world is vast, and fascinating even within a 10 square foot area. I'm certain that globally the insect world is phenomenal.
I love contemplating how insects function within an urban environment where most people pass them by without realizing how amazing, and structurally important their existence is to our overall environment.
Insects, be them fliers or crawlers, have short lives which has large impacts on humans lives. From my observations, insects clean areas by consuming and returning nutrients to the soil. Some insect species works with other species to collect or store food. There is an interdependence within the insect world that strengthens their community which includes the soil, water, and sources of food. The insect community is essential to other communities as well such as the birds, fish, plants, trees, water, and all of life not to forget humans.
My request for others today is to think about the insect world even for a few minutes. You might be disguised by insects or you might be curious about them. Either way, insects live with us everywhere, and connects with us on many levels.
How do you see insects and the small beings of our world? What do insects do for you without your knowledge? How do you interact with the insect world on a daily basics?
I'm sure everyone has an insect story that they would love to share.
After a beautiful day in the sun, I decided to take a longer walk home
through the local wooded area. As I was coming out of the forest into a meadow,
I saw flames along the right side of the pathway. On the street about 50 feet
away I saw two people watching the flames. There was one man on his cellphone
and I called out, "Did you call 911? Did you call the fire
department?"
"Yes, they are on their
way," he replied as he finished telling the person on the phone the
location.
Since I was closest to the fire, I assessed the situation quickly and I
decided to do what I could to get it out. The flames were spreading in
different directions and I knew that I could at least get some of the flames
down. "Be careful," the man on the street called out to me. I guess I
decided to jump in right away. "It's okay, I am just going to remove some
dry plants so that the fire doesn't spread," I called back.
When I got closer to the flames I
said with respect, "It’s okay, dear Fire, you can go out now." I was
a bit nervous because the flames on the other side of the field were moving
faster than the ones closest to me. When the flames in front of me lower I
stomped them down. At one point, the flames were moving faster than I expected
and flared up beside me. I stepped back and said with respect, "Thank you
Fire." Once the flames lowered again, I stomped them down.
When I looked up for the flames
on the other side of the area they lower too. I immediately crossed the burnt
field with 8 or 9 steps and stomped on the remaining flames. The fire along the
cement pathway went out on its own. Wherever I saw smoke I stomped on it in
case the flames restarted. Once I got back to the side of the cement pathway, I
looked back at the street and saw a fire truck pulling into the park. The truck
drove down the pathway and pulled up beside me. One firefighter jumped out and
said, "Are you looking for a job?"
I'm not sure if he was trying to
be funny but I replied, "No." I watched how the other fire fighters
quickly stomped down the remaining area to disperse any loose ashes. I realized
that they did not want to speak to me, so I walked away.
I love those woods and I had to
do what I could to put out the fire. It's not the first time I saw flames in
the woods and it’s not the first time I put out a small fire. However, it was
the first time that I ever spoke directly to the fire and said thank you.
I was lucky that I did not get
burned because the flames did rise higher than I expected. However, I did trust
that the conditions were safe. I knew that there were low wind levels and most
of the dried bushes were low to the ground. So once again, "Thank you
Fire. I respect you and I appreciate you."
I got you. Yes boxes. I'm finding
that moving boxes takes breath and body. I don't have powers to move things
with my mind yet. Actually, I do. I think about moving it and then I pick it
up. There I go, mind over matter. It works.
As you can see, I'm in a playful mood of flipping around words to fit my needs.
These past few weeks were about movement of my breath, my body and yes boxes
that belonged to work, friends, and some of my own. I find that the simplest of
things like moving boxes up, to the right or left and then down has basic
importance such as making decisions of where will it go. Once again it connects
to the breath, the body and an object that is outside of me.
There is an unspoken commentary that
I go through without realizing that I have done so. Examples: Can I lift this
by myself? We got this. Should this box go first? Can this support the weight
of the next box? I can do this. Where are the walls? Is there anything that I
could trip over? Is there another way? Am I willing to readjust the
arrangements after I place it down? There are quick answers that occur when I am
moving boxes. Some answers come at the same time. Multiple answers for sure.
It's amazing how quickly I can seemly make simple decisions.
No matter if the box is big or small
most of these questions and comments come up again unspoken. With each movement
it includes my breath, my body and the box.
There's a Triple B. BBB.
I would like to change the word “Box”
to bold or beautiful.
Breath, Body, and Bold. Breath, Body
and Beautiful. Actually it is Being.
Breath, Body and Being. There I go.
Being fits the most. The Triple B of my moving of boxes experience. Breath,
Body and Being. Snort.
Gosh... I like how that happened.
I can apply this to other areas of my
life too such as cooking, dancing, grocery shopping, writing, communicating,
working, organizing, and well just about anything.
I will admit though while moving
boxes I have a few bruises but it’s done.Next experience! Triple B in action.
Energy created after singing and dancing
around a tree. (January 21, 2016)
A tree dance is a form of gratitude
and reverence performed by dancing and singing to a tree or trees. I set an
intention to connect lovingly with the tree(s). I bow and ask the tree if I can sing a song and dance for it. Sometimes I hear, "yes", in that case, I start to sing and dance.
Sometimes I hear, "no". Truly, it can be. When the answer is no, I ask, "what can I do for you?" Some trees and nature spirits want people to clean up the garbage in the area. It only takes a few minutes and it helps all beings: trees, animals, insects, water, earth, air and even humans. So I will totally cleanup the area. Other trees do not want to have anything to do with people and the answer is "do not bother me." When I hear that type of answer, I immediately say, "thank you for answering" and walk away. I can try another day.
Lesson: Do NOT force your energy on anything or anyone. This is important to remember always. (I did not expect to write that part but it is important to mention.)
Once I finish clearing the area I
state my intention of gratitude and respect to the tree. I wait a few moments
for the song to form and then I dance. Each
tree has its own energy and sense of humour. Yes it has a sense of humour
especially for staying in one place for many years.
For many years, I sang and danced around trees.
But this image is the first time I felt compelled to
draw the energy I co-created with a tree.
(September 2015)
During a tree dance, I allow myself to feel the energies completely. This brings different sensation and images to me as I'm dancing. Emotions of joy or sadness come up to be released. I find that most times, I giggle or laugh once I finish dancing. Some dances are 5 minutes while others can last over 1 hour.
After I finish a tree dance, I take the time to listen for any additional insights that may come up. Most messages are directed towards personal development whereas some messages are about bring more peace to the world. For many years, I would only sing and dance but in September 2015, I felt compelled to draw the energies that I co-created with a tree. I did not realized how important this first drawing was until later.
Why am I sharing this now? Well, it's a matter of process really.
The original image was created in pen and
in my journal on October 14, 2015.
I created this image on December 9, 2015.
I only shared my tree dances with a few people. It was a private and personal experience. However, I felt compelled to continue singing and dancing around trees.
This was created on April 1, 2016.
Some energies required expression and documenting immediately so I drew them in my private journal. A tree dance helps the person as well as the tree. Trees live much longer than most humans and when we listen to the messages we can gain wisdom and insights to the patterns of life.
Drawn directly in my journal (April 16, 2016).
You'll notice that back in 2016, I decided to walk away from my tree dances because it was not what you would say, "normal." But over the months, I felt a push to return to nature and continue to sing and dance. I tried making art with nature instead. Here are two pieces that I created back in August of 2016.
Beginning of August
Then on August 11, 2016, I called my father and we spoke for 4 hours. I shared my desires to teach people and children about nature, fairies, angels, art, music and dancing. My father told me to take a chance and trust myself. "It's time to charge people for your work." As we were talking, I created this art piece.
August 11, 2016
After getting off the phone with my father, I became fascinated by some rain. You can see my reaction to it in this video. Oh how amazing nature can be. You'll notice how my fascination changed to annoyance once I got the message. Snort.
So the process is all about following the messages of your heart, spirit and the beauty of nature. I realized that running away from a tree dance experience is not healthy for me or nature. My guidance continues to lead me to sharing tree dances with others. The image below came to me after meditating on the messages of the previous day. Now is the time to share. It's about a year later than August 2016 but it's time to dance again.
On August 12, 2016 this message and image came to me.
One more piece I want to share with you. This is Merry Bell and she is offering a rose to everyone. She reminds us to be open to the love of spirit and our hearts. "Follow that which makes your heart sing and shine."
Let's dance together. Sending you deep love and gratitude.
There are many times when I'm out in nature and I have an urge to get closer to a particular tree, plant, or flower. One of my five senses are activated as I smell a sweet scent; I heard a soft sound; I see a different colour or object; I feel a tingling sensation on my skin; or I taste a sugary flavour in the air. All of these things guides me to something wonderful. There are even times, when I feel a flutter in my heart that excites my inner child. When I allow my inner child to get closer to an object I feel excited and more inquisitive. As I follow my impulses, I ended up finding some amazing things.
Here are a two examples of my interaction with nature.
I filmed this video back in May of 2015, where I noticed the light green needles on the tree. As I looked that them I felt guided to touch the soft needles. After watching the video, I realized that I sang to the tree unconsciously, which is something that always delights me. In addition, I watched the film a few more times and I noticed that there were 3 different little lights moving quickly away from the needles before I touched them. Oh... I wonder what they can be. Maybe nature spirits?
This past November, I was visiting a friend's home and I noticed some orange and white berries on a plant outside her house. I had an urge to take some pictures but I did not do it at the time. Once I got home I asked my friend to text a photo of the orange and white berries outside front door. At first she had no idea what I was talking about. She only noticed purple berries at the front of her walkway. She lived there for many years and it was the first time she noticed them.
Once she found them, I asked her to post a picture of the berries on my Facebook wall. This is what she wrote: "Berries on my porch that I did not see. What other treasures are there to discover? Thanks Naomi Benoist for bringing them to my attention!"
Although I loved the photo my friend sent me, I had an urge to return to take a few pictures myself. I couldn't get the berries out of my mind. I felt called to them. After a few days, I found myself outside her home again and I took the pictures below. I enjoyed the colours so I've kept them on my cellphone for months. Just recently, I showed these photos to another friend and I noticed a blue coloured orb. HA! Now look at that!
In the first photo there is one light blue orb above the berries. If you look closer you can see another light blue orb hiding behind the stem of one of the berries. The more you look at the photo you might noticed there were blue, green, and white orbs around the plant. HA!
Although this second photo is a bit off focus I decided not to delete it. In this photo there is an arch of little lights over the second set of berries. Of course one could say that the lights are just coming from the sunlight but it's nice to think that they could be fairies dancing in the background.
I love taking pictures of trees. Sometimes there are funny faces staring at me. Here are a few that I thought were humorous. Enjoy!
This one is in Oakville, Ontario.
This gem is in High Park, Toronto, Ontario. When I saw this one I laughed loudly and fully.
I had to get close and personal with this tree. Snort! Even now I giggle to myself.
This tree is in Etobicoke, Ontario.
Another tree is Etobicoke, Ontario.
This tree is on the Old Mill Inn's property.
This tree is also in Etobicoke, Ontario. I was planning on walking away without a photo but I felt pulled back. It was as if I heard, "I am beautiful. Take my picture!"
I find that my art is an extension of my emotions.Mainly my creativity comes out of "know" where. Snort... I meant to write nowhere but really it is about a knowing. It's a knowing that I have emotions to express in all their various colours and flavours. I believe that everyone has access to their personal knowing using their five senses (sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch) and their sixth sense or intuitive self. The inner knowing of all that is within and around us. At times, I suppressed my creativity because it feels too intense. I have tried to hide my own creative spark which only causing me to become more stressed or sad. It even effects my physical body. Yet once I break free from denying my need to create everything flows easier and more fluidly. Here are some examples over the years of how I use my inner creative knowing to express myself. On December 30, 2015: I pulled out the pencil crayons and thought I was going to make a picture of a flower. I did create a flower but I also created a sense of calm and relaxation. This picture is very dreamy and the lizard on the right side is making its way to the shade of the flower. There is no need to rush as I explore the gentleness of my own inner journey.
On December 29, 2015: I was waiting for a bus which was taking a long time to arrived. I noticed how people were complaining that they were waiting for over a hour. I did not want to get involved with the complaining. I decided to sing and gently sway to my own sound. I noticed on the ground an "U" shaped twig and a spark of inspiration came to me. I bend down and looked for other items that were close by. All the surrounding sounds dissolved as I continued to sing. I created "Old Man Winter" winking at me. This image was about relaxing because everything is fine. Really fine. Once I took a picture, the bus arrived. How sweet is that? I noticed that a few people walked over to see what I created. Snort! It's all good.
On November 30, 2015: My partner, Tom, took me to the Paint Lounge for special date. I had no idea what I wanted to paint. I don't paint often yet I was excited to see what would come up. I was enjoying myself dancing and laughing with him. This is what I created. It looks like a happy dancing being! Snort!
On August, 24, 2015: I could not go out until I did a piece of art. My creative side needed to be expressed. I was unsure what I was going to do. Once I saw my silhouette on the paper, I drew a line to show it. Then a number of colours came out around it. There are many things I did not see with my bare eyes. Many levels of light and colour that wish to dance around me. What am I not seeing in my life? Am I recognizing all the blessings around me? If not, it is time for me to be grateful and acknowledge them.
Behind the Silhouette
On October 7, 2015, I had a vision of a bird catching a large fish. I couldn't let the image go so I had to draw it with the best of my ability. I was surprised about this one especially since I've watched the salmon run over that past few weeks. I've been cheering on the fish to make it over the waterfalls. When I had this vision, I realized that, "yes, the salmon will make it." Also that there are many opportunities for all to receive the blessings of the salmon run.
Golden Promise
On January 12, 2015: The night after my mother's death. This image came to me and I could not sleep until I drew it. There is no title at this time. As I was drawing it I felt empowered and open to receiving new information. After drawing this I slept deeply.
On September 16, 2013: I started to doodle in my journal. I found that once again, I was suppressing my need to create. I created this image of inner knowing and peace.
Along with this picture I wrote:
Whisper to me the love that you share. Voice of
God is in the air. Love
between us. Love above us. Love within us. Love is love. The time has come to be true. See the love: this is within you. Wake and share your voice. Wake and speak of choice. We are love. Love is us. Many voices all are us. Speak of truth. Speak of peace. Speak of love that’s within you. Love is love. You are us. Pray for peace from the stars above. Love is love true and real. Love is you. Love is us. Hear the chorus filled with heart. It’s your choice to come to us. Be your truth. Be your love. Heart to heart we love you. Love is love. Be that love. Open up to our love.
After viewing these examples that I've shared with you, do you recognize when you suppress your creativity? If so, please share your insights with me. Much love!
