Transitioning, Shapeshifting and Metamorphosis

A major running theme in my posts has been transition recently. I was delighted to find that our topic for the month over at Creative Every Day is Transitions. Creative Every Day is a year long challenge, to do as the title says--create daily. Creativity is given a wide birth--it can be writing, visual art, cooking, crafts--whatever it is you consider creative. I have found much food for the soul through that challenge over the years I have participated. I greatly appreciate the people that come forward to comment on my blog from that website. We support one another in whatever way works best for us, often that includes commenting on each other's blogs and even joining them as followers.

Transition can seem beautiful and often it is in the end. However, getting to the new state, going through metamorphosis and change, can be ugly and painful. As many of you know, I have been transitioning from working full time for others to working for myself as a freelance writer and author. That transition alone has been exhilarating at one turn and infuriating the next. Finding gigs, submitting to publishers and agents--all of it has incredibly high ups and then too there are rejections that can bring you down. Slowly but surely, I am beginning to feel this particular transition is paying off in a positive way.

Then too, there is the weight loss journey. With weight loss there is so much of the good, bad and ugly. It is great to feel lighter. It can be bad that your clothing bags off your body and sometimes you can get stressed out and do not feel quite right within your self. I am going through all of those stages of transition right now. Acceptance, patience, grounding and centering seem to be the most effective practices while going through this particular transition.

All of this brings to mind Shamanism. Shamanism involves shapeshifting from one type of sentient being to another.You also go into different worlds that require you to adapt to survive. Shapeshifting takes you through the full spectrum of transition and change, being that is can get painful and downright ugly during the process. Ultimately it leads to an intriguing shift that many find to be beautiful and energizing.

Follow Fest Interview and Sharing

When I first became a blogger it was difficult to know if I had readers and visitors coming to my blog. I’d post and be met by the sounds of crickets. Then, I branched out into the world of the blogosphere, a world I didn't know really existed. From my ventures, I met a lot of interesting bloggers. I've started following and commenting on numerous blogs, for you see, prior to my outings, I too was out among the crickets. Lurking about but seldom saying anything. A fellow blogger I've met through my journeys around the blogosphere is Melissa Maygrove . She had the brilliant idea to have a Follow Fest , where we share about who we are, what we do and most importantly, how you can connect with us further. It is my intention through joining Follow Fest, that I’ll connect with many more readers and people interested enough in what I do to want to learn more by following. So, here goes my entry for the fest. Name: Stephanie Rose Bird Fiction or

Gran Bwa

Gran Bwa is a lwa that helps you connect to ancestral roots or the spiritual home of Vodou. A friend of mine, who is an expert on Haitian Vodou, who has spent a lot of time in Haiti with the artists there, told me I had painted Gran Bwa when I made this spontaneous work out of walnut ink and sumi-ink on handmade paper. I had considered this painting a self-portrait. She now holds this piece in her private collection: Quite a few people are afraid of Vodou but it is an awe-inspiring tradition of bringing together plant energy with divinity, spiritual and personal energy. My friend who is very involved with Vodou, especially the art that surrounds it, is from European ancestry. She is light in spirit and bubbly, with a close relationship to nature and her garden. Vodou affirms the relationships between cycles of life, trees of knowledge and spirit. The Vodou vision of lwa , understands them as the intelligence of energy present in humans, nature and thoughts. Mysteries ca

Xochitl--Flower

(Winter Poinsettia by Stephanie Rose Bird, oil on wood) One of my Facebook friends does daily posts and shares called "I love Flowers." I love flowers too, in real life, in my garden, in paintings and as they are related to the gods and goddesses, in healing, as well as their use in folklore like Hoodoo. Not long ago I posted about Xochipelli (Sho-CHEE-pee-lee) prince of flowers and Xochiquetzal (Sho-CHEE-ket-zul) goddess of flowers in anticipation of April's blooming season. The Goddess and Prince of Flowers post is here. Today, I want to focus in on the root word of their names and it's symbolism. This word is Xochitl (Show-CHEE-tul) in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs. This word means flower. ( Frida Kahlo "Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser) In many different belief systems there are nature gods and goddesses connected with flowers. Flowers possess symbolism,

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