I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend in whatever perfect way resonated with your heart and aligned with your own beliefs and life intents. We were away to celebrate with family and even had the chance to touch in with some friends during our whirlwind weekend. And although brief, it was fully packed with beautiful experiences around every corner. It truly couldn’t have been more perfect and nurturing on many layers, not to mention confirming for me on equally varied levels.

From the moment we arrived it was nonstop enchantment and I felt so supported, as well as supporting, by and to others, as well as from the powers that be.

Our home-away-from-home Airbnb (which the kitty babies loved too) was a small creek side cottage in eclectic Topanga Canyon, which was very rustic and also quite enchanting with magickal touches like a storybook wardrobe staircase up to the cozy loft bedroom, private courtyard with hammock, outdoor couch, and sparkly lighting, a giant quartz crystal guardian at the front door atop a tree stump, skylights to see the trees and stars, original 1926 Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore illustrations (I love Eeyore and Pooh!), and other nurturing touches.

Although set back in the trees with a dirt road to walk up to it and septic and propane tanks the heating and plumbing were set up on, it was still a sweet getaway that made us feel connected to nature and back in our mountain home setting although near the big city of Los Angeles.

It was also very conveniently located to all the things we love, which enabled us to hike in Topanga Canyon State Park, stroll along the Pacific Ocean, and eat at a bunch of great vegan restaurants.

The other amazing thing was that not one bit of traffic was experienced the whole entire trip, which is unheard of in LA. We zipped along everywhere we needed/wanted to go without any challenge and quickly! And we literally were all over the place between Topanga Canyon, Santa Monica, Venice, Costa Mesa, Pomona, Pasadena, Camarillo, and Granada Hills.

We also got some things handled at our storage facility where we picked up some chairs we’d stored because we didn’t need them for our rv adventure (since it’s sold now) and put a large painting of mine in storage that was being housed/enjoyed by our friends renting our house, who will be moving on to a new home soon.

The latter helped out by my friend who had the painting since her car fit it, which enabled us to visit a little, exchange gifts with her and her children, and share some sweet moments we captured on camera.

I received such wonderful gifts this year that were so aligned with my essence – perhaps because of my being so in touch with it more than ever that people knew exactly the things that were perfect?

And apparently, I found out some more surprises are in store when I pick up the mail from our P.O. Box. Can’t wait!

It was all so unexpected, but truly filled my heart with gratitude for the welcome surprises.

Probably the sweetest Christmas gift maybe ever, though, came from my friend’s daughter when she presented me with her stuffed rabbit she sleeps with every night, named Cosmo after my bunny love.

Because she was at preschool and was heartbroken when she found out she’d miss me coming by the house to get the painting, we made a stop there to see her. Her mom told the teachers her Faery Godmother was coming, so they let her out to see me.

Anyway, she said that because he’s no longer with me she wanted me to have her Cosmo and that I have to sleep with him every night like she does and then every two months we will send it back and forth to share him together. Awww… talk about melting my heart.

She’s a magickal little Faery, as she presented it to me on 12/23 the day before my other rabbit’s birthday, named Joy, who was Cosmo’s beloved partner and in 2 months it will be 2/23 which is the 8 year anniversary that Joy came into my life. Talk about synchronous and connecting these two loves to me and each other.

I’m so grateful I had time to spend with these two sweetie pies that day and to sprinkle a little Faery gift giving to them as well.

I also had the chance to visit my beloved Garden Tower that my friend and her kids care for at our old house they have been renting for the last almost year and a half. It’s doing amazing as you can see and some of my original plants are huge and lush!! What a special gift all around!!

And the gifts kept pouring in (wow!), as you can see in some of these photos of things I received. This isn’t even all of it, but truly it they were some special and thoughtful things indeed.

…..magickal measuring cups that measure out love, beauty, grace and sparkle, Native American Herbal Remedies book, vegan cookbook and sweatshirts from Sea Shepherds, three porcelain rabbit figurines/ornaments meant to symbolize my three bunny loves, homemade nature-inspired Christmas ornaments, a snowflake blue agate display piece, a photo frame creation from the photographer and his wife who took the photo of me, Cosmo and Joy to have a keepsake, a lovely sterling silver/gold rabbit ring (interestingly Dave’s brother’s wife had gotten it for me earlier in the year but hadn’t been able to send it and then the timing at Christmas after Joy and Cosmo transitioned became the perfect timing to bond them and Nestor to me and wedding me to my loves eternally), a Navajo inspired cd of two flutists creating a haunting musical journey inside Canyon de Chelly, adobe village mugs from Mexico, natural gnome soap, Tree Tarot, and more, it’s been an unexpected Christmas for sure, but so appreciated. And all of them perfect, each in their own way speaking to a part of me and things that I love and that would nurture my life.

I also got myself a bunch of fun things, I may share in another post, as I was really feeling the need to nurture my heart after my bunny loves transitioning onward.

But truly, the best gift was the quality time spent with loved ones and the experiences that took place that touched my heart in non-tangible, but potent ways.

This to include a hike we went on where I found a sparkly pink and blue/gray stone gift from Joy, cleansing my feet in the creek of the canyon (where we found icy blue painted stones we had to walk across at one point), the waterfall, the enchanted forest we descended into, and the Mayan glyph and numeral I found etched in stone atop a cliff, which I knew because of my studies (also “happened” to be the same exact glyph in my painting of “Fire” that I had picked up from my friend’s house the day before), the red-tailed hawk that flew in front of me when I deciphered the glyph and made the connection to Joy sending me a message (big chills)!

The glyph is Ahau, which means “Sun” – the light of all life and is considered by the Maya considered as the most sacred of days. They also called it the “Day of Ancestors.” It also symbolized the “Flower”, beauty, dreams, hopes, wishes, artistic energy, transformation, light, the warrior and traveler, nature, love, and radiance. It represents artistic people who love recreating real life into their own vision of beauty (sound familiar with my personal motto of “creating life as a work of art” and how I’ve been saying I’m rebirthing and recreating myself? It also is about shining your light and embodying “I am the Sun” – more things I’ve been expressing a lot of lately too.

The glyph had the Mayan number for 13 atop it, and all encased within a Sun symbol. Numbers are Galactic Tones for the Maya and the number 13 and 20 are foundational to their astrological system.

Here’s a little insight on 13 from http://www.tokenrock.com:

“13 – Ascension, authority, intensity
The supreme deity—completion

The number thirteen, to the Maya, was a very powerful number. It represented going to the highest level of accomplishment. Those born with the number thirteen will be very good at tying up lose ends, making sure all the details of a project are in order.

Thirteen people are always interested in improving upon what they have created. Thirteen is at that point of getting ready to jump into the void to start a new cycle or project. Thirteens often have their feet in both worlds. They are at home in void, for they know that the void is that from which manifestation begins. Thirteen people are often psychics or clairvoyants. A thirteen person will always have a lot of intense experiences that they will either create or the people in their life will create for them.

Unexpected change is always part of a thirteen person’s life. For a thirteen person to be happy, they need to realize that change is a constant in their lives. They will be pleased if they can be flexible and allow new situations into their lives. Thirteens are always standing on the precipice of any area of life, ready to jump off into a new creation, or take it something already created to the next level.”

And here’s more on the significance of thirteen for the Mayas: http://www.4-ahau.com/en/The_13_Numbers.html

Joy has always been connected with the Mayan energy and sending me messages via this link that is strong for me and opened things at one point in my life to get me to where I am today. No coincidence there are some links to my writing here as well.

That’s a glimpse into that very powerful experience where I mentioned the hawk then flew by and around me when I was making this connection…feeling like the ancients and Joy were confirming through this sentinel who has been guiding the way for me daily.

And then there was the three deer that showed up at the end of the hike – Dave had walked by them and didn’t see them…another man also walked the opposite way and missed them – but me just a bit behind heard something and found the three of them munching on the fresh rained upon grass.

They let me stay so close to them, unaffected, and as if I was welcomed as one of them. If you remember, in Glacier National Park I’d come across two magickal deer, which were Nestor and Joy visiting me (Joy had just passed).

Well, now little Cosmo had joined them, as there were three. The middle, youngest one was him and he connected a long time with me.

This encounter was meant for just me and I received the gift they intended. What a special experience, which I relished in for a while on my own since no one was around. It was beautiful to just be with my loves…and all on Christmas Eve – Joy’s birthday. Thank you!

Joy was gifting things and showing up all around…she felt to be orchestrating all of the things I encountered and like the dream of her I had a couple of weeks ago that had pointed my attention to listen…I was!!! As it was my ears that made me hear the very subtle munching of grass that got my attention to stop, turn, and see the three of them surrounded by trees that camouflaged them to others.

And it is my ears that will also hear the Galactic and Cosmic tones of alignment speaking through my heart to guide me forth.

I love when the dots get connected.

That day also continued with a light lunch and I had a virgin mojito (since I don’t drink) on the beach, a stroll, and dipping my feet in the ocean…so I now had cleansed my Pisces essence (as feet are connected to the sign of Pisces in medical astrology) in the creek and the Pacific. A way of purifying and rebirthing, like a christening into a new me.

It was on the beach that also I found two heart shaped smooth stones (after intending I’d like to find one)…one of which has a “T” etched in it for Tania, Tiny, and Tiny Tim (the nicknames of Joy and Cosmo). And of course a lovely feather also made its way to me, as the bird tribe is so active these days!

Speaking of, as mentioned the hawk appeared at the site of the Mayan glyph on the cliff where I was connecting with it, but hawks were abound the whole trip in numbers too high to count.

But alongside deer, I also had coyote and road runner medicine show up. The coyote crossed the creek at Inn of the Seventh Ray where we had our Christmas Eve dinner/Joy and sister-in-law’s birthday celebration dinner at. The restaurant is in the canyon set amidst the trees, creek, and mountain, so nature is all around. I felt the coyote showing up was indicative of sacred teachings coming to light around paradoxes, especially since after dinner while we headed home, which was only two minutes away (convenient!), we saw coyote cross the road again. And roadrunner tried to cross the road in front of our car while I was driving on another day, but it darted back to safety once I’d seen him and told him to be careful! 🙂

And as mentioned, we enjoyed tons of good food and indulged ourselves at different restaurants all over…some old and some new places…all super yum. Meals, desserts and all.

And we had the chance to connect with a few friends one evening for a Christmas dinner at Cafe Gratitude – perfect place/name for all the overload of loving gratitude felt.

I was beaming with “Joy”.

Our trip happened to coincide with Dave’s dad having just gone into the hospital for major spinal surgery and so we were able to have a nice uplifting visit with him at Huntington Hospital on Friday and were grateful he was released on Christmas day so that we could spend a nice evening again having the family surrounding him in love to support his healing.

We had a mix of time to ourselves, time with some friends, and time with family enjoying the best of nature and city all around, returning to both of our old stomping grounds in Santa Monica and on the pier to relive exact experiences and photos from the past, duplicated in the now, like me kissing the golden dolphin, and even came across an Alice in Wonderland Christmas tree complete with White Rabbit tea party, but all filled with lots of love, warmth, connection, and sacredness.

Our last evening on Christmas ended with play time with our niece, Violet, after opening gifts (she received a giant pink unicorn because every princess needs one), including her teaching me and her mom a dance, which Dave video’d (I would totally have posted it, but it’s way too large and was done via his cell phone).

It seemed like the perfect conclusion to the weekend with the message of dancing my heart out through this new chapter of my life, just as sweet little Violet does, and of taking everything with lightness of heart, as life is meant to be joyous, playful and not so serious.

There is a time and place for it all and balancing wisdom with innocence creates harmony.

The weekend was full of themes like inner child wonder, nurturing, living life fully in each moment, the true meaning of love, values highlighted, eternal connections, guiding support always being around, and magick, of course.

And upon returning home, a stunning sunset welcomed us back and impressed it all upon my heart more so.