“Ours isn’t a world of angel wings and white spires.
Maybe when you die and go to the other side,
you’ll flit around as golden light.
But that’s not how love shines in this human realm . . .
This is the red realm.
And the only way beyond it is to feel through it - by loving as it.”
Lovely Blogmates,
I’m back in the blogosphere after a crazy, but lovely, month of travel. My last trip was to the amazingly beautiful Hawaiian Island of Molokai where genius filmmaker, Velcrow Ripper, and I started taking the first steps towards creating a feature documentary film, Redvolution: Dare to Disturb the Universe. The island goddess, Hina, blessed our brainstorming with her warm winds and rooted our giddy spirits into her red earth. Uh huh, much of Molokai’s soil looks red, in fact, it’s often called “the red island”. Did we know this before we got there? Nope. And almost every morning we were greeted by red headed woodpeckers and red cardinals. OK, it’s also the island where colonialist white people used to banish the lepers, but these days lots of island pride, activism, sustainability and healing make this non-touristy tropical gem a true paradise.
Learning how to come up with visuals for what I have, for the most part, only described through words - lots of words – was new for me, but creative synergy firecracked between Velcrow and I and the images and ideas just kept pouring forth like Pele’s lava.
Here’s a random sampling of some Redvolution flair: Shamanic cheerleaders, sexual priestesses, Gnostics, tantrikas, scholars, Eve (Adam’s temptress)) Mary Magdalene, rock stars, supermodels, modern day mystics and saints, hula hoop instructors, Jungian analysts, and young women who are kicking some major ass just by daring to be themselves. And the star of the Red Show? The Mama, The Red Lady, The Sacred Feminine, The Universe’s better half. It’s about time she’s featured on the big screen don’t ya think?
The red-wine induced late-night brain squeezed giddy taglines: ‘it’s “The Secret meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In a back alley. Naked”. No no no…it’s “Looking for God in all the wrong places”. Or rather “We’re not preaching to the spiritually converted, we’re preaching to the spiritually perverted”.
This film is all about exploding boxes, ideas, beliefs, programs, paradigms, dogmas, labels, roles, and even deities that keep us stagnant, contained, and limited. Our rebel yell is actually a revolutionary roar that arises organically from our inner truth, our red hearts, our spiritual authority. As activist Van Jones says, a rebel opposes, a revolutionary proposes. Although this film will be unlike any other “spiritual” film out there (and this is a good thing) and stems from the, er, “colorful” perspective of a spiritual cowgirl and redvolutionary, it will illuminate universal themes that everyone and anyone can relate to. And it’s gonna have a kickin’ soundtrack.
After one late night cram session when our eyes were blurry and our minds relaxed, Velcrow asked me how I wanted people to feel after watching the film, I immediately said “horny and inspired”. And we laughed to our bellies hurt and the Universe clapped it’s dirty hands with glee and Goddess turned to God and said “Giddy up! This is gonna be some ride!”
Lovely patient readers,
I apologize for being MIBA (missing in bloggin action). I was away for the holidays and as soon as I returned a nasty virus paid me a surprise visit and I’ve been toes up on my red velvet couch for a week, barely able to breathe, much less write a decent sentence, without swooning.
And now I leave for yet another two intense weeks in order to write a film treatment for Redvolution. But I promise, I will be back in full red force towards the end of January.
Something I want to ask all you fellow bed heads out there: Where are you feeling the most sick? You chest? Your throat? Your sinuses? Your head? Your stomach? Why am I asking you this? Well, in my red universe, every physical symptom I experience - while having legit concrete practical reasons for existing such as being around a sick family member or my genetics or wonky hormones - has an energetic reason that deserves appropriate attention. Or, to put it another way, if I get the intuitive nudge to do so, I use my sickness like I use anything else that happens in my life – as a symbol, a metaphor, a message, that if paid attention to and acted upon, can help me grow and get the most out of my couch time (the zingy connections between physical and energetic health coming in The Redder Book). In fact, I’ve noticed that when I’m willing to look at my ailment energetically alongside taking practical healing steps such as taking supplements, steam baths, slurping chicken soup, I seem to heal faster.
OK, right now, I’m experiencing seriously intense sinus pain – most likely a sinus infection or two. This area in my body is often linked to the sixth chakra, one of the seven energetic centers hanging out in my etheric body. Imagination, visualization, insight, vision, self-reflection – all characteristics of the sixth chakra. This is the energy center that allows us to have “second sight” (through our “third eye”, go figure), and yep, helps us see dead people (via clairvoyance), but it also lets us see so much more – like the reality and truth of our life, our relationships, our self and our planet.
So, this past week I took a good look around my life and asked myself what I might not be wanting to “see” right now. A relationship? A career choice? A personal issue? Well, with a little meditation, self inquiry, and some juicy dreams, I began to realize just why I was making my 3rd eye blind. It will probably be a future post, when I can write without sneezing 34 times in a row (I swear my parrot is going to start mimicking my sneezes soon), but it has something to do with not being willing to see part of my shadow.
One thing I will mention: I’m extra hesitant to look at some of my light shadow because when I do take a gander (not only is this virus making me see stars, it’s turning my vocabulary into my grandmother’s), I see that some of it, OK, a lot of it, contradicts what is deemed “spiritually correct” for this day and age, and that makes my unconscious want to bury its head beneath the covers, or layers of mucous (ew, sorry that’s true, but a little gross).
Alrighty, enough of that. My sinuses aren’t worth it. For this new year, I’m asking to see my entire light shadow – dish it up with cosmic ice cream, serve it raw like sacred sushi, make it shine like the Goddess’ mind and all that - cause I’m ready to start clearing up, etherically and nasally.
So, how are you feelin’ lately?