In a world of challenging energies, heaviness, and spiraling dynamics, I like to focus (of course without denial or suppression that other realities exist) on ways of creating new realities, embodying greater personal peace, inspiring others, engaging creative energy, activating more personal empowerment, bringing a sense of solace and safe haven, or sprinkling a bit of magick, innocence, and joy where all hope feels lost.

You may recall my post from a couple of weeks back, Embodying & Emanating Essence ~ How I’m Integrating Holistic Being On Every Level, where I mentioned making literal outer changes and taking actions to align with my inner shifts, as a way to fully activate and move into that new experience and space in greater embodiment of wholeness. I mentioned some of the ways, and with my birthday approaching, I also gifted myself a few special things to reflect that as well.

My favorite birthday was two years ago when I went on my epic Iceland trip. And while I’m not going anywhere on my birthday itself this year, I decided that a few very special gifties were needed!

I find it incredibly important to support and nurture ourselves, as we often are doing that only in the “giving out to others” mode, rather than ever thinking of that giving including an outflow to us too. And when we actually do so, we are completing that circle of giving and receiving that is necessary and healthy. Not to mention, in these challenging times, taking care of yourself, loving yourself, being extra gentle with yourself, and doing special things for yourself go a long way.

This doesn’t have to be anything extravagant….it can simply be giving yourself an hour a day or each week just to yourself, making yourself a special meal, taking a bath, walking in nature, taking yourself on a date, getting yourself flowers, saving up for that thing you’ve always wanted by putting aside a little at a time just for you, telling yourself you love yourself, committing to creating boundaries that support you, or buying that special something “just because” or that you’ve longed for.

So this year I decided on three special gifts for myself, since I’ve been saving to be able to invest in my dreams, my joys, and long-term goals for my path I’m working on being able to share in the near future. Since I already devote lots of time for me now and have created a more balanced life than I ever had, which includes nature immersion on a regular basis, I felt some gifts on an alignment basis were in order.

Since I’m an artist of life and by heart, I tend to do everything creatively and to live that out loud as a form of creative power in expression, as well as a celebration and reverence for the temple body and physical life we ALSO are blessed to experience as humans.

Hence, my tattoos, which embody spiritual significance, healing integration, and potent personal expression.

This year’s gifts, however, included a new hairstyle to match the essence of me, some quartz crystal singing bowls I’d been considering for a while and got confirmation that now was the timing, and a very magickal, treasure-of-a-book collector’s item to take me into the realms of my imagination and truest being.

So, after trimming 4 inches of “old energy” off of my hair a few weeks back and to match my “highlights from the Fae” – silver gray streaks strategically growing in naturally, and to honor my desire to not color my hair in any way anymore so that it can do its thing and reveal my true and ancient “roots,” as well as support me into my own “Nature,” I decided on a non-intrusive, creative, magickal, enhancement.

This included adding extensions to match a dream I had and visions that kept coming to me over the last few months of this look from another me self, off-world, which just so happened to also mirror a long-ago brief style I had for one very Aquarian Age, Cosmic modeling shoot I did.

It just so happened that I was now back near where my old hair stylist I used to go to when I lived in Lake Tahoe and Reno many years ago, was still working at the same salon there. She also just happens to have a little girl who was born on my birthday. 😉

I discussed my desire, shared some photos, and poof! Two days ago on Valentine’s Day (that wasn’t planned, but aligned time-wise to reinvigorate a new meaning for this day than its roots), it happened.

Briefly, she added smoky platinum extensions that would enhance and work with my silver gray streaks at the top and have both a natural and ethereal quality to compliment the Cosmic and magickal energy I wanted to create and embody more of, while still having this ancient Earth feel.

It’s hard to capture in photos, as the color and look of the hair shifts in different lighting and with movement, but there are long streaks here and there from top to bottom and in the front, with about 4 inches of extra length along the ends to create contrast and creative flow.

The look shifts, depending on what I wear, but ultimately it is very Faery, but also mirrors my star “roots,” ancient Earth embodiments, and even some Native Indian influence that is key for me too.

Anyway, what I have discovered is immediately it shifted how I felt, including a deepening into myself and even more peace, and joy, as well as alignment with the reality I’m creating.

And because of the shifts, I also saw that another wardrobe purge would need to happen, as some of the things I have just no longer mesh with this energy. Energy is so interesting to experience with both subtle and big changes, making it clear what resonates and what doesn’t. Makes for easier choices overall!

Out with the old and in with the new!

But on to birthday gift number two to self. This was in support of how sound has become a pervading element and integral thread to my life through my voice, song, sound channeling, music, sound healing, and more.

And so I was drawn to the perfect quartz crystal singing bowls for me. I’d felt some may come for a while now, although before hadn’t been drawn to them, but was never the right time. Then a few months ago these showed up and they became one of my early birthday gifts to myself.

I originally thought I’d only be getting one, but it became perfectly clear that a pair was the aligned perfection for my desires, intents, and frequencies I wanted to create, support, and emanate with them.

This led me to a 432hz binaural beat theta wave pair of A-note 9 inch bowls – talk about potent balancing and invoking conscious dream, receptivity and opening a gateway to all things watery.

Some info about these:

“Alpha brain waves are present in deep relaxation with the eyes usually closed and while day-dreaming. The relaxed detached awareness achieved during light meditation is characteristic of Alpha and is optimal for programming your mind for success. Alpha heightens your imagination, visualization, memory, learning and concentration. It lies at the base of your conscious awareness and is the gateway to your subconscious mind. The voice of Alpha is your intuition, which becomes clearer and more profound the closer you get to 7.5Hz. Alpha Brain Waves (8 to 12 cycles per second) This brain wave indicates a relaxed state of mind, a state of relaxed alertness, good for inspiration and learning facts fast. In this meditative mind state we tap into internal “antenna” like qualities, visions, powerful ideas, mindless creation of the incredible, internal feeling & sensations. Studies have shown that learning in Alpha State enhances the performance of students. It also develops the interest of studies in students more than they have ever learned in tense environment. Frequent gaps of 2 to 3 minutes after every 30-minute study period relaxes their minds and the alpha state will prove its efficiency with great ease and fun. But learning is more than just absorbing information, so changing the state of mind to operate Beta, Alpha and Theta is most likely to produce the best learning, cognition and creativity, while also staying in a relaxed state. Alpha is the brain wave associated with relaxed, daydreaming states of mind; it’s a state of relaxed, detached awareness. Many people are “in alpha” while watching TV. Alpha is often called a “hypnogogic” state because you may experience spontaneous mental imagery.”

I love them and they are perfect for creating that balance and return to natural harmony. I’m enjoying exploring more and more and combining them with my own sound, tibetan bowl, and my chakra drum, which was a gift to myself almost two years ago, to see what I can tap into and activate!

Then we come to my third gift to self, which was cool on timing of when it got into my hands, as it couldn’t be sent to a P.O. Box, which is what we have, so I had it sent to my parent’s house and it just so happened to arrive right before we visited them two days ago. So, right after my hair appointment we went to my parent’s for a pre-birthday dinner celebration and I was able to see it for the first time and then take it home.

A little about this book, which I posted on my social media shares:

This incredible body of work wrapped up in an equally exquisite masterpiece of highest quality and creatively passionate delivery is the most magickal book I now own. I’ve been so excited to receive it, as it is one of my birthday gifts to myself by this multi-faceted, award winning British fine art photographer, Kirsty Mitchell who also has a background in fashion design and costume making. The story behind the book and each image is so beautiful and poignant… Dedicated to her mother who passed from cancer in 2008, the project took 7 years to come to fruition through her dedication and love and some costumes and props for just one shot taking up to 6 months to create. The name of the book speaks for itself, taking you through dream worlds that reflect memories of the stories her mother used to read to her as a child, now brought to life – a way to make fantasy real and to step into it completely. The book is a personal journey and includes each image’s story and behind the scenes. This book is huge and beautifully embossed! – 4.5 pounds and almost 15″ x 11 1/2″ x 2 1/4″ with several shots of each scene – some with fold out pages. I’m in love!

This book felt like the perfect companion to my new hair that helped me step into those otherworlds I now felt more in aligned frequency with. And perfect as to the reality I want and am creating – life created as art, the magickal made practical, Earth and Cosmos merged, dreams manifested…..

I know I live life by the beat of my own drum, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. And like I always say, if I’m happy and not hurting anyone, and potentially spreading a little inspiration, joy, creative support, or magickal pixie dust fun along the way, then I think that’s an enhancement I can contribute to the collective and not a detrimental one.

I’ve learned that whether simple or more extravagant (it doesn’t matter), self-nurturing and investing time, energy, and/or resources in yourself, your healing, your growth, your business, and your dreams and passions, really make a difference in having more vitality, clarity, potency, and drive to fulfill your path and have more to give to others from a richly authentic place of who you really are.

I no longer feel depleted, resentful, or in lack because of the things I’ve implemented to take care of myself and have more balance and equality in my life with input and output. I don’t rely on others for things I want or that make me happy and healthy. And I don’t feel any lack because success and joy isn’t measured by needing certain returns, but knowing I’m doing everything I can right now to support my well being and in turn, highest good by the way I then can connect with others without attachments of any kind.