All Hallow's Eve

Nothing says scary like lamb costumes for grown women.

May the spirits be with you.

leaf and stone

it was a peaceful morning walking with the dead.

i can see them from my window.

  today, in the soft october light they beckoned.

mighty yellow leaves and the blue sky of dreams

sheltered and lit their sorrows.

there must have been sorrows.

ruth, wife of henry, you left days before 49.

grace and arthur~

you barely skimmed the surface;

do you remember this earth?

and fannie.

you came and went in 17 months.

your sister after you in 34 months.

your brother after her in 16 months.

how did your mother survive?

but, fannie, that was 146 years ago.

i hope you came again and lived a full life.

i hope you walked with yellow leaves and stone.

i hope you found out for yourself

that amid the small tragedies of living 

the blue sky of dreams is shelter and wildness at once.

52 Photos Project~ October 26th

The Octagon House here in Mayberry

...Because there are always many sides to a story.

"Look Up"~ for Bella

come to the edge

going beyond the barriers to get the good view.

water and trees. my favorite.

i can almost see them

doors close, one upon another.

there is no going back.

i don't want to.

time will tell if it was wasted.

or if simply more character needed to be built.

i will not see you and you and you again.

but, thank you.

i await the windows.

pain forming panes that fly open,

sunshine and glory streaming through.

answers. freedom. purpose. life.

the little birds are leaving.

the owls will come.

i can almost see them.

52 Photos Project~ October 19th

Autumn colors, Western New York

~ for Bella

The Soul In Bloom is on sale!

25% off until October 31st.

wind and water

safe in the roots of the sitting tree,

i sat with wind at the edge of water.

there was shifting and change.

it was cold.

do not be uneasy with the changes,

said the sitting tree to me.

if everything were to leave you,

if you feel you are alone

and cast off,

you are not.

you are safe in the winds and

the turbulent waters,

for your anchor, your roots 

lie not outside,

they begin and end in your soul.

The Soul In Bloom~ gratitude

page 45

The Soul In Bloom is on sale!!
25% off October 17th through the 31st!

"I've been savoring my copy of soul in bloom ~

Graciel, honestly... it is just gorgeous.

The quality, the photos, the intimate words.

I love it - and I thought you should know

that I think you've created something magical."

Bella

"Your magazine moved me to tears - and I don't cry very much."

Emmy

"My mom asked me to thank you for the magazine,
she absolutely loves it!"

Kelly

Thank you to the many dear souls who have taken a chance on

my 3rd issue of The Soul In Bloom.
Thank you for the generous praise.

Thank you for sharing this issue with your friends and family.

You have all made my heart immensely full.

And you give me strength to do more.

To purchase a copy of the Autumn, Summer or Spring issues of

The Soul In Bloom, go HERE to sign up.

Should you have any difficulties in the signing up process

(it can happen, ask my Mom), send me an email at

evenstarart@gmail.com and we'll figure out how to get a copy to your door.

Art in the Yellow Woods

the real art, the yellow art,

was not made by the hands of man.

Ready Or Not

I remember the time I knew everything. It was such a short time, that brief blip in history, when I understood and I could explain. But then age advanced; more chemicals laced my hair, collagen began collapsing and people I knew started dying. It was when the dying began that I understood I knew practically nothing at all.

Today, I learn of the passing of a good, good man. He celebrated his 54th birthday and died, unexpectedly, the very next day. Platitudes masked as well meaning wisdom haven't a place in this scene. In fact, there is nothing to say. The wisdom, if there is any, lies in the honoring of emotions and a deep and abiding inventory of what there is to be grateful for. There is also the vow to use whatever wisdom I think I may have to get on with it. To unfurl. To bloom as big as I can, ready or not.

The Obession Continues, part 2

blue ribbon farms percherons

I am afraid of horses. And I am mesmerized by the largest of their kind. I cannot explain this sudden desire, this need, to be near them, to learn what this wagon-hitch business is about.

Lisa and me, we are bitten and smitten. We are willing to travel to get the next fix. So we went one state east and found joy unimaginable in the ring.  Then after, finding the barns, (the barns!) and melting into the background watching, watching the dismantling of giants.

Somewhere in the tangle of hoof and wheel and harness is the message of power. Of companionship. Of teamwork. Of happiness that cannot be explained, and yet must be followed unblinking. It is the message of new worlds to be explored and reverence, sweet reverence for the pull of the natural world.

The Obession Continues, part 1

belgians

percherons

10 teams x 6~ wouldn't fit in the frame...

18 teams of 6 draft horses each competing

for the $30,000 first prize at the

Eastern States Exposition

in Springfield, Massachusetts,

October, 2011.

52 Photos Project~ October 5th

Spinning Circles~ for Bella