Stepping Into A New Dream

When I decided to scale back my card business a few months ago to make room for new creative projects, I had no idea how quickly and powerfully that space would be filled! It was challenging to let go of something I had built that had brought me satisfaction, confidence, and a sense of identity. 

Two experiences over the last month have left me knowing that I've stepped powerfully onto a new path, into a new dream.

Photo by Anya Hankin

At the end of June I travelled to Portland, Oregon to attend an Intuitive Painting worksop with renowned artist Flora Blowey.  I have followed Flora via her blog for years and was inspired by her creativity and how she empowers people to be brave and bold and trust themselves artistically and in life!

Flora, Pearl dog and I in front of her paintings

The minute I walked into Flora's colorful, light-filled studio, I felt like I had stepped into a place I had been dreaming of. Flora demonstrated techniques she has developed over 20 years of painting, and also shared many wise insights about how to stay free and open while painting. One of my favorites was: 

"Make bold commitments while staying open to change." ~Flora Bowley

My Paintings are the three on the left

Close Up 

Hummingbird Spirit in Progress

In Progress

It was thrilling to play on such a large (36"x36") canvas after five years of painting small (8"x8") for greeting cards. I loved using my whole body to dance across the canvas. One day during the workshop Flora invited a Kora (African 21-stringed harp) player, Will Dudley, to come and serenade us as we painted. I let the music flow right through me onto the canvas. I also had a chance to receive some feedback from Flora about my paintings and a great tip about turning the canvas in all directions to see what orientation "sings" compositionally. Flora demonstrated a variety of techniques using fluid acrylics to produce washes of color, stamping and etching. If you are interested, Flora has a great book, Brave Intuitive Painting, and she also offers an online e-course, Brave Intuitive You.

Photo by Zipporah Lomax

Photo by Zipporah Lomax

I fell in love with Portland and painting large-scale, and just bought an easel so I can paint BIG in my home studio! I appreciate how generously Flora shared herself and how wonderful and supportive her studio assistants Katie and Anya were~ I'm looking forward to attending the level 2 workshop soon!

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Classroom Under the Cedars at Mosswood Hollow

I just returned from a Dream Teacher Training in rural Washington State with Robert Moss, world-renowned dream teacher and author. It was an in-depth study of Active Dreaming techniques that Robert developed, including Lightning Dreamwork, which is a quick process of dream sharing with a partner or group that helps you get to the essential message and energy of a dream and apply it to your life. We also practiced Dream Re-entry and Tracking. Dream Re-entry is a technique used to go back into a dream using shamanic drumming to learn more about a dream and explore within the dreamscape. With Dream Tracking, a partner (or a group of dreamers) enters the dreamer's dream (with permission and the aid of drumming) to explore and support the dreamer. These techniques are simple and potent. Robert has published many books on these techniques, and one of my favorites is Dreaming the Soul Back Home. He also has an e-course beginning 8/5/15 called Dreaming into the Dreamtime: Tapping the Power of Seven World Traditions for Transformation. 

At the Faerie Gate with wonderful new friends

The training was fast-paced, far-reaching, and challenged me in deep and powerful ways. From the start, Robert encouraged us to act as teachers, leading Active Dreaming techniques for the group and discussing our dreams and telling stories as if we were sharing them with the public. Robert stressed the importance of telling good engaging stories! I had an opportunity to lead the group in Lightning Dreamwork as if they were workshop participants in an art and dreaming workshop. Although I was nervous, I trusted myself and stepped into the role of teacher, which felt natural, like what I was born to do. 

Newly Graduated Dream Teachers

My name, Tenaya, means "to dream", "dreamer of wisdom", or "he who dreams" in the native language of the Ahwahnechee of Yosemite. My whole life I have felt like I needed to live into it, to honor my name as a path in life, and I feel like I have taken a definitive step onto this path. As a dream teacher I will lead workshops that bring together the practices of Active Dreaming and Expressive Arts to bring the potent energy and imagery of dreams into tangible form to inspire and empower waking life. 

Robert and I under the cedars

I will have a chance to study with Robert again in November at Esalen, and next July for Teacher Training Level 2 and Level 3 after that.

I'm so grateful to be walking this path~ I give thanks to my dad (who made this possible financially) and who showed up powerfully in a journey last week~ He encouraged me whole-heartedly on this path~ Feeling his love and support from beyond~  

Opening to a New Path

Me & Dad, 1980

My dear friends~ After 5 years (and over 5,000 handmade cards!) I am shifting gears creatively and opening to a new path. I will no longer be selling my cards at retail outlets, but I welcome custom orders via my website~

I've been longing to spread my wings and work on larger projects and paintings, as well as take classes and workshops in creativity and dreamwork. I'll be studying with renowned dream teacher Robert Moss and painter Flora Bowley in the coming months.

It's exciting and bittersweet to make this change, but after my father's passing in February, I did a lot of soul searching, and found I wanted to step onto a new, wider path of possibility and growth. 

I look forward to sharing what I find along the 

way! 

Blessings and love~ 

Tenaya 

Rites of Spring

Greetings & Happy Spring Equinox ~ 

One-of-a-kind Easter Egg cards

It's been a quite a while since I posted, and I've moved through some major rites of passage in the last few months. On February 1st I lost my beloved dad, Gerry, who passed away after an 8-year decline from Early-Onset Dementia. I inherited so many vital parts of my being from him~ A love of nature, art, music, dance and a strong desire to travel. On his birthday last year I wrote a poem that expressed my greatest wish for him~ That he could be free to roam all the places he loved, free from suffering, and to know how much he was loved~

A Gift For My Father

By Tenaya Wieczorek 10/25/14

As you near the end

This long and winding road

Your feet already off the ground

Held aloft on currents of sky

Drifting slowly upward

For eight long years

As you’ve slipped away

Still a slender thread

Holds soul to body

Soon to release

And you’ll be free to travel

To all of the places

You’ve been too trapped to go

And waiting for you on the other side

The family you’ve loved

And a parade of animals

To guide you home

We still here

Will circle around you

Holding you in our hearts

Offering up our memories of your great life

We will raise our voices and tell of your kind and gentle spirit

Stories of how you’ve touched us all

And brought us closer together~

The beauty and heartbreak of this

Gerry, your spirit is now free

And we send you to the beyond by way of

Yosemite, Great Falls, La Honda~ and all the places

You loved to roam

And when we find ourselves in nature’s green and open spaces

We will know the wonder and joy you felt

And you’ll be with us again

Gerry in Yosemite, 2006

This loss has been bearable, due in part to my new sweetie, Jennifer. We connected while dancing in October and she has brought joy, love and support to my life, especially during such a painful loss.

Jennifer & Me on Valentine's Day

Dream Speak Design cards are going strong, but I've been feeling some inner nudges to stretch my wings and explore  new creative expressions, so I just signed up for a 4-day painting workshop with the inspiring artist Flora Bowley in Portland, Oregon in June. I'm over-the-moon excited to visit Portland and splash around on a big canvas with only my intuition to guide me.

Here's some one-of-a-kind Easter cards I painted yesterday for family and friends & Easter/Spring cards are available at Good Earth Natural Foods and Riley Street Art, or from me directly. 

Thank you for your support & wishing you all the best during this time of BLOOMING!