I’ve returned and although am a bit “misfitted” with the reality I find myself in, it is also not a harsh experience, as I am also feeling very comfortable in my own skin in such a fluid and softened way – definitely in this world, but not of it. I know this will continue to balance out, as I integrate being back, but I also know that on some level things will not be the same again – for I am not the same person who left on Friday, February 20th.

I also know that it is not for me to morph back into the environment here, but rather will be holding/embodying this new energy that I bring and bridged from across the globe that will in fact create alchemy here, to help shift and make aligning adjustments as it seeps out.

As always, I keep a journey journal when I’m…well…journeying 🙂 and so what you will be reading is a chronicle of my experiences while immersed in Iceland’s energy, as well as some interesting facts that stood out to share about this beautiful country that is so new, fresh, and pure – holding the essence of renewal and rebirthing we are experiencing as a whole.

So, I do forewarn this will be a long share, as it is a journal of my experiences, things I learned about Iceland, and how it all was seen and felt through my eyes.

If you don’t like to read then you can just explore the photos, but it is an example of the kind of things available to us all to create where ever we are or where ever our courageous hearts lead us.

I don’t detail every little inner experience, process, shift, and expansion that took place, but perhaps through the images and feeling of my words it will come through nonetheless.

PLUS! If you ever find yourself drawn to explore Iceland, it will give you some ideas of what you can explore, not to mention some interesting info about this magickal land.

I know most people have only time to read brief things, but I share because it is who I am, and who ever wants to read it, or is meant to, will. I find writing to be a very powerful form of processing, integrating, and an outlet for creative energy. It is also a way to connect with, share, and transmit energy with others.

I was so grateful to be experiencing the enchantment of winter. I know many people asked or may have been thinking, “why would you want to go to Iceland in the winter?” Well, because for one, it truly has its own magick to appreciate that can’t be described – all seasons of life are to be honored for their gifts and value. There’s just this sense of cleansing and fresh clarity, as well as mystical and sparkly secrets around every corner. Two, it is the only time you can have the opportunity to see the Northern Lights, although is not guaranteed by Nature. 😉 Three, it was my birthday celebration that I felt guided to do in a very extraordinary way this year. And four, I actually do enjoy the winter. Although I get cold very easily, I’ve learned how to layer up, I find the snow enchanting, I’m a winter baby, and there is beauty in the symbolism of winter hope, renewal, and fortitude that is powerful. I never run from the challenges and in doing so, end up integrating the gifts.

My friend Kate Magic had told me about how wonderful the people were and I concur completely. Iceland, herself, is quite an extraordinary place where everything is so simple, peaceful, and with an essence of innocence you don’t much experience. Not to mention is a dimensional doorway to the Other World, the Elemental Realm and Beyond.

I felt myself both evolve and mature on a level that felt so natural and grounded, really knowing and embodying more of who I am in such a gently relaxed way.

And there were several themes taking place during the week including rebirth, activation, genuine empowerment, greater clarity and solidity, harmony, duality merging, fearlessness, timelessness, lightness (I literally lost 5+ pounds – which is a lot for a wee Faery – and have been experiencing a natural physical cleansing/detoxing upon return), connection, and magick.

Iceland is the land of fire and ice, and I definitely felt those energies surging through me both in the physical and spiritual sense.

The only piece of jewelry I was guided to bring and wear while in Iceland just so happened to be a Mayan-inspired ring I had engraved about 10 or so years ago. Go figure!! Mayan in Iceland..well that isn’t too far from the truth. 😉

The ring is a very wide silver band with the Mayan phrase ká a yaán tah, meaning “to be reborn” etched around the outside.

And there definitely feels to have been a sort of rebirthing that was taking place leading up to and during this journey. During my time wearing it in the geothermal hot springs it was continually shifting and changing color because of the sulfur – mirroring my transformations I was recalibrating within. At times looking copper with touches of blue emerging. But then it would morph again and upon returning home it is all back to silver, except the center area where the engraving is, is slightly copper still, which symbolizes to me the change has rooted within me and will now be carried forth in a new way.

I can’t tell you how I looked forward to this week to myself. And I can’t tell you how piled on everything was right until before leaving. I was astounded at how I managed to do EVERYTHING I intended before I left, AND still got to bed at 10 pm, giving me a good 7 hour sleep night before traveling. Unheard of, in my land that is. It has happened on occasions counted by fewer fingers than I have on one hand…in my lifetime. 🙂

But magick was afoot. The Elven enchantment had already reached its hand across the globe to me and pulled me on through to the Otherworld Realm with ease.

I didn’t know how I was going to leave my little ones, especially Cosmo. Joy has become accustomed to my travels and tuning in with me, so I did prepare Cosmo and told him how he too could be with me. And he was since I left, including his sweet smell lingering on my hands the first half of my journey abroad, as I bathed and cuddled him bunches before leaving.

And everything on my first travel day, went like clock-work. I sent energy to have all connections, transfers, and excursions link up, as if one was late, it would throw everything off. And what do you know?…everything was either on time, or early and perfectly synchronized.

2/20 Friday: Upon arrival in Seattle, my Gate to Iceland was #11 – mmmhmmm and I was on a mission to read my entire book “The Last Unicorn”. For some reason it felt important. I’d actually started into it several weeks back, but had only read about 40 pages. The other nearly 260 I felt needed to be done before getting to Iceland. Coincidentally, I was also wearing a Unicorn sweater with the word “Imagination” on it to begin the day. It got wet when I was bathing Cosmo, so it then switched to a white sweater with a dove that said “Peace on Earth”.

The day before my leaving I got my hair trimmed and styled with new bangs I didn’t have. I needed change. I wanted change. And I had been feeling the full on bangs coming for a while. All part of the “rebirthing” new energy.

And birthday energy was abound, not just being that this trip celebrated and would be over my birthday, but my birthday numbers were always showing up throughout my time away: 2/26…2:26…226…26. Even my airplane seat to Iceland was 26A and returning it was 26F. And on every single flight (all 4 going and returning)…nobody sat in the middle seat between myself and the other person, leaving it quite comfy and energetically spacious.

2/21 Saturday: I arrived on Saturday 2/21 in Iceland at 6:50 am being welcomed by 6 degrees Celsius (21.2 degrees Fahrenheit) weather, a super easy breezy airport to get through (without customs forms, crazy inspections, lines, or questioning) and baggage awaiting me as soon as I got to baggage claim.

I only rested/slept on and off for maybe 3 hours and on my day went, as once I arrived and got transferred to the apartment I was renting, I had just enough time to settle in, shower, change, and meet my next transfer to the Blue Lagoon.

I purposefully set this up as my first day so that I could unwind and relax, ground myself and immerse in the natural energy of Iceland, and literally do nothing but soak in the geothermal pools, saunas, pampering, and gourmet food. What a change for me! A week all about me and nurturing my every whim.

I’d heard the Blue Lagoon was a must visit and that it is considered one of the 25 Wonders of the World.

So, although it is a bit more touristy, I felt this first trip to Iceland would be both about exploring/seeing the main highlights, while also soaking up a little local color once my magickal Faery friend, Kate Magic, arrived to join me at the tail end of my journey. I wanted to make sure to see the things I wouldn’t have to see again, so a next trip could be about a different kind of exploration.

But I still wanted to make sure to choose the right things for the right days that felt aligned, as there are many things to choose from to do in Iceland.

It seemed I picked the best of both worlds, and even the apartment I rented through Airbnb, ended up being RIGHT where the company I booked my excursions through was able to pick me up next door to where I was staying, which made things REALLY convenient and without having to walk all over with luggage or whatever.

I also happened to love the street address of the place “55”, which is my favorite number doubled for double the fun of “bring on the change baby!”

Anyway, my first day was lovely and I so enjoyed going it alone. On the way to catch the second bus we passed by an area in town where a little lake had frozen over, but one end had some water and there in the water were like 75+ giant white swans mixed in with some geese. WHAT A SIGHT!!

I had never seen such a huge flock of swans in my life and I told myself that at some point I would go walk to it and immerse in their energy (which I did on my last day).

The driver told me I was lucky, as the day I arrived it was the best winter weather they’d had in years and before this it was snowy, cloudy, wet. But this first day was clear and brisk. A lovely day for the Blue Lagoon indeed. I was told the night before that the people had seen the Northern Lights, but unfortunately this night was not good viewing, so my trip was cancelled. I knew it meant there’d be a better night and that I was meant to catch some much needed zzzzzzz’s, as otherwise I’d get hardly any in 3 days, since the Northern Lights trip is an all-nighter.

Elves and Faeries already looking after me…patience they say…patience.

Just as we were about to embark on the bus ride over to the Blue Lagoon this woman with really odd and brash energy came onto the bus. There were many seats open, but she insisted to tell me to move my bag so she could sit next to me. I just politely moved it to my lap and said, “sure” without any of my energy shifting in reaction to hers (I was in peace and calm and would remain so throughout this trip), although thought it odd she “had” to sit there.

Well, something happened because about three minutes later, after she’d given the driver her info and time she wanted to be picked up at the end of the day, she suddenly got up right before he was about to close the doors for us to go, and said to him, “I don’t want to go anymore. I just don’t want to go.” And off the bus she walked, down the street, and disappeared. VERY interesting and yet not surprising giving the energy I was holding and reflecting. 😉

And so off we went to the Blue Lagoon where I did enjoy the pools, sauna, steam rooms, waterfall, put the white silica mud on my body, and sat at my own table in the more upscale LAVA Restaurant enjoying my amazing two course lunch and green tea before heading into the beckoning warm waters.

The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa that is definitely an experience worth visiting and it’s nice if you aren’t rushed and can just take it at your own pace, as I did.

I was there from 12 – 5 and that seemed perfect to me without feeling I had to hurry to make it somewhere, as some people book it in between their excursion or with a short time before catching a flight out.

But on my way out I ended up meeting two other solo travelers. One, a young man Kevin from France exploring Iceland for his first time (my mom is half French/born in France). And then later a young woman (I didn’t catch her name, as we were briefer) that was also exploring Iceland for her first time as her birthday trip too! Her birthday was just a few days before mine. Very cool to “stumble” upon these two quite NOT arbitrarily.

Fun, fun! I also didn’t happen to mind the sweet Icelandic waitress who asked me how old I was in the restaurant when I shared I was there for my birthday, nearly losing her eyes out of her socket when I told her I was turning 42. She proceeded to ask if I spend a lot of time in the sun (which I do) and what I do to not have wrinkles and if I’d spent a lot of time visiting the Blue Lagoon on travels since people come there to rejuvenate and reverse the aging process with the mud, algae, and the waters. It was VERY sweet and cute and I was actually quite shy over it having her eye me so much, as she looked me over.

I thought to myself…just stoking that Faery fire consistently…hehe 😉 And this shock at my age continued throughout the journey, as well as the surprise I was traveling and celebrating my birthday on my own, although everyone then thought it was very cool, wishing they also had the courage to do that.

2/22 Sunday: Then, as all things are fleeting and ever-changing, I woke up the next morning after a wonderful 10+ hour sleep, to snow that had fallen in the night. This also created a very wind chilled, cloudy day and although I was up at 8am, sunrise isn’t until 8:45 – 9 am, so it was quite a contrasting morning to the bright beauty of yesterday’s Blue Lagoon.

That said, it was lovely to wake to snow when the sun rose. And due to the weather, my excursion was cancelled. Rather than get upset about it, I knew there had to be a plan in action. Part of it, I felt was to get some relaxing in and to also sink my energy a bit deeper into actually being here before setting off to explore other realms. I found myself so calm, unaffected by anything, and any nervousness or anxiety I could have or might have gotten in the past, was non-existent.

And of course I was able to reschedule and shift around my remaining days, so I could still get everything in that I wanted. When you just allow, things fall into place without the stress and anxiety.

But I did wait outside for nearly an hour for my bus in the cold, as they were so backed up in contacting everyone about the change, they hadn’t yet had chance to tell me. I got a hold of them on the phone finally though. Standing outside gave me a chance to see how my 6 layers of tops and 2 layers of bottoms would keep me warm for the day ahead. And it worked like a charm. It also showed me how easy it is to shift and flow with change, without getting worried, just accepting and allowing what is, to just be.

So after finding out the change of plan, I decided to have a quiet, close-to-town day to explore a bit. I looked at a few things online and mapped them out and off I went. First stop was the local grocery store, just 3 minutes walk away. I explored the food and picked up some apples, grapes, blueberries, and figs. Then dropped them home and went back out walking Laugavegur where all of the shops, galleries, and restaurants are.

It was quite the gift to have such a well-situated apartment just minutes from literally everything.

After I walked for a bit, as I’m not much of a shopper, I then walked down a bit further along the water and stopped in at a little hidden spot – Kex Hostel. I’d read in Helga’s notes (the woman I rented the apartment from) that this was one of the out-of-the-way places you could get a tea or coffee and look out at the water.

It would sort of be missed if you weren’t looking for it and the door was locked to get in. Not knowing how things worked with the buzzer, I just waited a minute and people came out, which allowed me access in. I went up the stairs and found it to be such a quaint, cozy, welcoming, community setting with a lot of eclectic antique decor and tons of lounge space to hang out, a bar to order food and drink at, and yes a table overlooking the water for me.

I asked the bar tender if they had anything vegan when he showed me the menu and he asked the cook, whom was happy to make one of the items from the dinner menu – vegetarian he’d easily just exclude the cheese from for me. And it ended up being a really good salad over grilled zucchini with an amazing spicy vinaigrette-like sauce and toasted pine nuts. I ordered a raspberry ginseng tea along with it and sat to eat and write in my journal, at my little shared table with another young woman, overlooking the ocean. It was fun to sit there enjoying the people coming in and out and keeping warm, as the wind was picking up outside.

While I was eating I quickly scanned the room and nearly fell over at the things, one by one, that caught my eye. First there was a large column wall in the center with letters all over it that people can spell things out on and immediately the first two things I saw were “love” and Happy Birthday!”

Then I looked to the left and my eyes found a giant rabbit sitting on the top of the book shelves. Directly after that my eyes scanned a little down to the left and in the forefront and on a side shelf table I found an old tattered, large ticket stub with large black numbers “226” – my birthday numbers again. 🙂

It was amazing how it was like connect-a-dot, my eyes going from one to the next, to the next, without anything else in between.

I knew I was where I was supposed to be and being watched over, although I have to say I felt moreso like I was in my own time bubble on this trip. Even though I interact now and then, those things feel very deliberate and I move quickly in and out to do so.

I learned while sitting there exploring some info about Iceland, that water is its finest drink and is free. I found this very true, as the water has a flawless taste of mountain brook. It can be streamed straight from the tap and is among the cleanest in the world. I’d been drinking and putting the cold water in my bottle each day from the apartment tap, which Helga had mentioned to do and it was amazing.

I also learned about Iceland having the highest ratio of swimming pools per human in the world. It is a public activity that is fundamental to Icelandic culture and because the country has an abundance of geothermal energy, for a modest price people can swim outdoors all year.

There are baths and pools all over and in the first two days of being here I’ve already been to one each day (and by the end of the trip, I’d been to one every day of 5 days out of the 6 full days I was there – lots of healing/relaxing action going on!!)

Which brings me to what I did next after my meal and break at Kex Hostel.

I walked up to Sundhollin, which is the oldest (built in 1937) pool in Reykjavik. It is also the only indoor pool, but does have outdoor jacuzzis – all natural hot spring water. This place is popular with the locals and has a certain level of authenticity because of that (not touristy at all). Of course it is only 3 minutes walk from my apartment too. So I stopped in to relax and get warm, while experiencing this in contrast to the more touristy Blue Lagoon.

Just under $5 gets you in for the day and another about $4 for towel rental if you don’t have one. I hung out for about 3 hours. You have to always cleanse yourself in the showers before entering the pools anywhere and then off you go. I spent most of my time in the hottest jacuzzi up on the roof and then a bit in the pool inside, downstairs, and in the steam room up on top. It was really fun and quite the contrast to be in the frigid wind with little snowflake flurries wizzing past and at my face and settling on me, while I soaked in the hot water. I enjoyed keeping my upper body from chest up, out in the cold and the rest of me in the hot water – the contrast was perfect in my opinion, as I happen not to like being immersed in hot water for long up to my neck.

What I realized in these first two days is that me and my tattooed dark skin are quite the spectacle causing many an eye to stare at the baths, which is kind of an interesting experience, as for me it’s just who I am and I don’t think anything of it. They were not odd stares, but intrigued ones and as if they’d not seen anything like it before. So there was definitely a cool energetic infusion taking place from the energy of my tattoos, as they connected to each person and imparted a vibrational activation to each.

And it was my tattoos that struck up a conversation with a guy who had just moved to Iceland in November from Northern Italy, near Milan. He is an artist and does a lot of drawing and asked if I knew any Iceland tattoo artists, as he was trying to show them his work – drawings he does that, in his own words are “magical, spiritual, and mythological”. Hmmmm, sound familiar?

Of all the people to talk to, here is this guy who came to Iceland to pursue his drawing and art (he told me of another project as well) and was able to get a good job working prep and cooking in a kitchen while he works on and supports his passion of art – a style like tattoo work (and the work I wear on my body he says) that he’s trying to get out there.

As he left (it was his only day off – go figure) I told him to keep believing and that things would open up for him. He said, “thank you” and “thank you for being here today”. I could tell that these were the exact words he needed to hear to help fuel his fire and our meeting was an alignment synchronously created just for that.

After I dried off and got back on my 6 layers, I made my way over to Glo, a vegan, raw, and vegetarian restaurant chain with now 5 restaurants in Iceland (they recently opened the new and large 5th). I went to the one close to my apartment of course, since I could walk there easily in 5 minutes. There was a line to order, but I immediately knew what I wanted – they have about 5 things on the menu choice, then you get to choose 3 of like 10 salads to go with it, and of course I got a dessert.

I ordered the raw vegan coconut curry soup – amazing!! that came with awesome raw vegan bread – mmmmm! and picked some kind of rosemary potatoes, an orange, fennel, yam salad, and a cauliflower, chickpea, eggplant, caper salad. All was great. I finished it off with a piece of raw vegan Snicker’s pie. Wow! I was stuffed, but warm from the inside out for my walk back and cozy time in bed before a big day ahead.

2/23 Monday: This was a very full day’s experience and truly one of my favorites. I went on an 11 hour excursion to the South Coast and continued immediately on a Northern Lights expedition directly after for another 7 hours. Sounds incredibly exhausting and dragging, but as mentioned, timelessness seemed to be a theme here. Everything seemed to move so fast. What seemed like an hour or two was actually 6 or 7. It was incredible how rich each moment was and yet it all flew by.

But this excursion was really special. It journeyed to two waterfalls, an indoor and outdoor museum, the coastal village of Vik (southern-most village in Iceland with population of 300), two black and beaches, Dyrholaey (a naturally formed rock arch), dramatic basalt stacks of Reynisdrangar, and a farmhouse where one of the volcano eruptions had struck just several years ago. So it was an early day starting at 8 am and a very late night. I did not get back until about 3:30 am and wasn’t in bed until about 4 am. Given I woke at 6 am, it was a nearly 24 hour day.

A little Iceland background: Iceland has a population of just under 330,000 people, but is growing fast, as in 1900 there was just over only 5000 people. Reykjavik means Bay of Smoke or Smokey Bay. It is named by a Viking who when he saw the area while arriving from boat, saw what he thought to be smoke from fire. In actuality the smoke was steam from all of the geothermal activity.

There are not many trees in Iceland and those that ARE around are not very tall. 25% of Iceland used to be covered with woods, but now only about 1.5% is. This is because when the Vikings arrived, they needed wood to build and so basically all the trees disappeared and were destroyed, which also affected the winters causing them to become longer too. Reforesting efforts have taken place to cultivate the original Icelandic trees and trees were brought in from Alaska and Siberia as well.

Life in a volcanic country is unique. Every 1 – 5 years there is volcanic eruptions that happen. And earthquakes are a daily experience. There is a lot of natural hot water and geothermal activity, so this enables the people to be able to heat pavement, driveways, and pools. There are many geothermal spas and even a warm beach where they have been able to heat the water. Swimming and baths are an important and natural part of Icelandic life. And the cold water is so pure – some of the cleanest in the world – you can drink it right from the tap, as I mentioned and have been doing. Water is abundant and provided free everywhere. And it truly is wonderful tasting and silky. I noticed my hair being so smooth and shiny after washing without use of conditioner (which I never use anyway).

One day I just remember this sense of clean purity that washed over me being in Iceland and it wasn’t just about the water 😉

Grain is imported, and most of all of the fruit is too. Meat and dairy is hardly ever imported, as they produce that themselves abundantly. While I’m not a supporter of eating meat and dairy myself, I am happy to see that the animals in Iceland are not farm factory raised and are out grazing the lovely fields freely. Blueberries, black currants, strawberries, and crow berries are found locally. Most vegetables are grown in Iceland too, except in the winter they import some. But they have many greenhouses to assist with growing in the harsher cold temperatures, which I enjoyed seeing by day and evening, all lit up.

There are barley fields all around because of one farmer. He was determined and tried growing them and it worked. And after watching him, other farmers then too began to grow it themselves when they learned. This farmer is now trying wheat so we’ll see how it goes and if it too catches on with everyone once he learns the ins and outs.

Names of things in Iceland all mean something. Skogafoss Waterfall (which we were heading to) means “the forest”. It is said that a hidden treasure lies beneath the falls, buried by the Vikings. Vikings believed when they died they would come back and fetch the treasure. Before the Vikings, there were few Irish monks that lived in Iceland and my friend Kate later in the week shared that the Vikings would pick up Irish women on the way to Iceland so this is where a mix of the Irish warmth and values merges with the Viking determination, adventure, and fortitude of the people.

As I was listening to all of this information on the drive, I turned to the left and my eye caught the numbers on the dashboard. I’m not sure what the reading was for, but when I looked it read 22.6 in red glows….again my birthday showing up.

It wasn’t long after this, by our first stop, that I met Fey and Chris. We became a threesome of faery and elf energy for the 11 hours. Fey came from Malaysia and Chris from Boston. Both of them were so light and full of twinkly energy. Fey’s name itself was such a giveaway to that – pronounced just like Fae. He was really a path maker, as he would always forge the path no one was following. Chris was simply sweet and joyous with his jovial face and kind heartedness. We all had very independent, walk (skip or fly)-to-the-beat-of-our-own-drum, explorative energy. So it made the day fun.

We first visited a museum that both had artifacts inside to explore, as well as some old dwellings outside. The history of Iceland is young, so things do not go back that far, although the land itself is richly invigorated with many a story and energetic imprint to impart.

There were some interesting things at the museum…one of which was a small lamb that had two heads and three eyes. It was quite odd, but also quite interesting, as the 3^rd eye was exactly dead center of the third eye. It seemed quite symbolic of this integrative, innocent energy that intuits from that sacred feminine connection.

We then explored, as mentioned, two black sand beaches where there were crazy waves and currents. We were warned not to go too close to the water, as it would immediately sweep us away and off to Antarctica because that’s where the current flows.

They were not kidding, as those waves were wild and one moment they weren’t on the shore and the next they were. They had a lot of accidents happen and not so happy endings, which is where the warnings came from.

There were very cool basalt formations like steps you could climb and sit on, very cool large rock formations and tumbled pebbles along the black sand beach.

I found one stone that reminded me of the Faery Stones, with etched designs in it that came home with me.

I also came upon a heart rock on the beach, as well as three perfect white feathers, all the same size, that were naturally connected at the bottom. I thought 3 to be interesting to find, since by birth I’m a number 3 and 3 is also about integration and creative abundance energy. The number 3 showed up again several times later, including the auroral activity level on a special night and the number of the bus I road then too.

This day was quite windy, but not the storms like the day before. Yet, when we would visit the waterfalls it always felt like they called up the air element power, as the wind would rage through and felt to come off of the falls and just surge through the body making them feel like these forces – gods and goddesses and a bridge between otherworlds one could enter if they uncovered the key.

Between that and their watery mist, and any precipitation in the air, it was always quite powerful and frigid, but in this incredibly invigorating and revitalizing way. Not to mention, each waterfall was totally enchanted and you could just hear the magick singing and sparkling from them, creating chills throughout your body of immense and overwhelming beauty.

We also explored a glacier, which was absolutely amazing too. I’d seen quite a few of these in Alaska, but this one had its own energy and was a lovely pale blue. The walk up by the glacial lake was stunning and the glacier itself was awe-inspiring. There was a lot of similarities to things here in Iceland, as in Alaska. Some of the differences being an energetic thing, as well as the volcanic energy and geothermal hot springs, but in general also a lightness vibrationally.

And we also visited a farmhouse that had been in the eye of Eyja Fjalla Jokull’s path when she erupted in 2010. This was an ash eruption that followed a lava eruption from another volcano just before it. These back to back eruptions created a lot of damage, but this farmhouse showed how determination and belief would see them through. We watched a movie about the tons of ashes that covered everything and how they cleared it out and revived everything. Some ash is actually good for the ground with its mineralization that helps with growth. Too much though is simply not good.

The land between stops was just beautiful. You can see horses throughout, sheep, cattle…I could picture the land in my mind’s eye both in winter and summer and really appreciated being able to see the beauty in all of it.

We arrived back from our long, but seemingly short day, around 7pm. It was Fey’s last day, so we bid him a farewell for now, as Chris and I had both booked the same Deluxe Northern Lights excursion for that night. So we hopped on another bus and got ready for the adventurous night ahead.

All other Northern Lights excursions were cancelled because they are shorter. Ours was a longer one, which is the only reason they let it go because it provided more opportunity to drive farther and potentially past the stormy night areas that the others wouldn’t be able to in their short time out.

On the way we learned much about the Northern Lights, as I always did learn a ton listening to the very interesting and experienced guides. There are three factors that need to be at work in order to make it opportune for the Northern Lights to show up:

1. There has to be high auroral activity
2. There needs to be darkness (no light pollution)
3. There needs to be clear skies (seeing the stars and moon preferably)

This night we had #1 and 2, but were in search of an area that had #3. Things in Iceland change by the minute, so it is always possible to have a huge storm one moment and then 10 minutes later, have it blow over to clear skies.

So we journeyed off and stopped at about 4 locations along our night’s adventure to see what we could see. The journey included blankets and pillows, as well as a dinner stop with dinner included, and a hot refreshment stop as well.

There was talk about Elves (The Huldufólk or the Hidden People) this night and how many people believe in them. There is actually a city (Hafnarfjordur) where every inhabitant there believes strongly, so strongly that they will not build anything unless it is in alignment with the Elves and doesn’t take away their homeland areas. There are true stories about how people have had things happen to them, including death, or something stops the building, if they do not heed the warnings and honor the Elves.

There was also talk of Trolls and how the ones here in Iceland are good luck. There was a lovely story of one Troll shared and then stories of the Elves and how they show up for people. It is said they are mostly only seen by children and only show themselves when they want to adults, but it’s believed that the way they do that is by showing themselves in the Northern Lights. When you see them you can understand this, as it is like a ballroom dance of Elves in the green lights that take place (green is the most common color to be seen).

Elves are said to live in the lava fields especially in that one city – (Hafnarfjordur). They also live in the mountains, hills, rocks, and stones.

In Iceland you can actually study Elves for 3 semesters in school. The first semester is on Elf Genesis 😉

But back to the night’s adventure….the first about hour or a bit over an hour drive took us to a restaurant called The Blue Ocean. By the name I figured they’d have nothing for me to eat, but I didn’t care much as I was always carrying my vegan snacks with me – all raw except for my amazing granola. I was actually 95-100% raw on this trip, which was really fitting for the energy and what I was activating and renewing. It also might sound odd, given it was so cold, that I’d be eating raw, but truly if you eat the right things it doesn’t make a difference. Although, the weather wasn’t colder than in the 20’s, usually around mid to upper 20’s with the occasional lower twenties and sometimes 30ish. The wind factor is what makes it colder, but truly when the wind wasn’t around, it was really amazingly nice.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised that they actually had a vegan option. And not only vegan, but gluten free too! For everyone else, but maybe three or four of us there was a lobster soup. For the veg peeps there was an amazing, I think broccoli soup, which was fantastic. At first I thought I’d not be able to eat it, because it was creamy, but when I asked they said it was actually made with soy milk and no gluten in it. Who knew?! There always seemed to be a vegan option to be found when you least expected it, like at Kex Hostel. Kate later told me it had to do with Solla – the owner of the Glo restaurant chain, whom I’ll talk about a bit later, and her influence on Iceland’s diet and shifting eating habits.

We first journeyed to the Bridge between Continents where the 2 tectonic plates meet – Eurasian and North American. It was so stormy as we walked out of the bus and made our way along the path to the bridge, but wow!! Everything reminded me of these Lord of the Rings treks and this one was really powerful.

Chris and I stood on the bridge that literally straddles the gorge between the two plates. It was otherworldly in the black of the night and storm, with seeing just hints of the rocky gorge, but feeling the deep, dark, density and unknown underworld below. The photos I took are of this gorge in the dark of the night with interesting things showing up amidst the stormy mystery. We also kept joking about The Goonies, having both seen it many times over our growing up period. We were all hooded up and layered and on these adventures like them…giggling a lot.

This area, usually a site where the Northern Lights can be seen, was obviously too stormy of a night for that tonight.

When we got back from this frigid walk to the bridge we were served up coffee, tea, or hot chocolate by the bus. They opened the bottom of the bus and created a refreshment truck out in the middle of nowhere, which was great fun and yummy warm.

We then headed off to the two lighthouses for our next Northern Lights lookout. It ended up proving not successful, after staying around there for an hour or so waiting out the storm. But it was fun to step out on the balcony of the restaurant by the lighthouse, in intervals, in the storm over-looking the water.

Then on the bus we went again and on our way back to Reykjavik where we’d go through one more area that is usually a good Northern Lights sighting area. But the sky never did open enough, despite our patience.

Yet, it was a really fun night all around with much adventure in the dark and mystery, and there is something to be said about experiencing and being in stormy weather.

AND, because we had chosen this deluxe excursion, they offer a free shorter excursion if you don’t end up seeing the Northern Lights, so that you can return and try again.

Both Chris and I knew we wanted to do that and so we both figured we’d be seeing each other the next night again for the later 8pm excursion if all went well. I wasn’t actually sure if I could, as my friend Kate Magic from England was going to be arriving then to spend the last 2 and a half days with me. So I kept it in mind to see how things would go.

As mentioned I was back around 3:30 am and had a very short night’s sleep upon hitting the pillow at 4. But wow, what a day!

2/24 Tuesday: this day marked Joy’s and my 6 year anniversary together. So I already knew it was a special day and she’d be connecting with me. All of my little ones and soul companions on Earth and off Earth were with me always, but today was a kind of pre-birthday celebration since Joy had come home with me as a birthday gift, two days before my actual birthday in 2009.

This day was another long and full day ahead. Destination – Golden Circle and Fontana Baths. This would be a day of seeing the amazing Golfoss Waterfall (or Golden Waterfall), Geysir hot springs and crater, as well as walking through the National Park and an area of the separating tectonic plates and enjoying the wonderful baths.

Chris was also doing a Golden Circle excursion, but we were not together because I’d opted for a longer one to pamper myself in between the day with some soaking in the hot springs time. But we did run into each other in the morning once for a hug, which proved to be our last for this trip, unbeknownst to us. This excursion originally had been scheduled for Sunday, but the weather cancelled it, making it happen on this day.

When I was picked up in the morning it was feeling like a new day. Each day was like renewal itself, as it was shifting moment to moment, day to day. The female driver (first female picking me up) that came was such a happy and energetic soul. I sat down and she switched radio stations…and what comes on is “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis. I had to smile so big to myself, as she started singing and dancing in her seat. This was the energy setting the tone for this day that would end up being a blessed and magickal gift.

The driver who then became the guide was very funny and fluid with her comedy and high energy. She was also really proficient with tons of great info to impart.

Always I was learning more, and today some things included:

• Reykjavik being the most northern capital of the world
• Iceland is being torn away tectonically
• Iceland being one of the most environmentally conscious and peaceful countries in the world (lowest crime – as most of it is by foreigners), even international prisoners that are kept in the Iceland prison say it is like being in heaven (as they get a lot of amenities and things they wouldn’t elsewhere because of Iceland laws including a television for each)
• There are no McDonalds in the country (it went out of business)
• The KFC’s have no trans fat
• There’s a 99.9% literacy rate – which is the highest in the world
• There’s more golf courses per capita than anywhere (67 golf courses in all and 17,000 members)
• There’s more pools per capita than anywhere

Very interesting indeed.

First we stopped at the National Park, which was a lovely walk and interesting to walk the tectonic plate path.

After this I and 6 others (3 couples) departed the bus, while the others went on, so we could take in 3 hours of relaxing at the Fontana Bath in the midst of our excursion. I was surprised not more people did this, as it truly provided a relaxing and renewing experience admist the day’s stops and for a mere $18 more you could enjoy yet another lovely hot springs bath experience that included lunch.

These baths overlook a hot springs lake and were truly lovely. Whereas the Blue Lagoon is much larger and with more people, this was a nice off-the-beaten-track, quieter place to soak the enriching air and water in. Here, I met Ivan and Jamie from Los Angeles of all places. They were coming through on their own – Jamie’s fiancé had stayed in the restaurant while the two of them enjoyed the baths. Like with most of the people I met, it was as if I knew them. They were soul familiar and so easy to talk to. I really enjoyed the brief time we had to connect and hope since we’re so close by means of where we live, that we’ll connect again at home.

After soaking for a couple hours, I changed and went to the restaurant. I originally had no idea they offered lunch as part of the package, and was pleasantly surprised to find a wonderful ginger soup option that was truly amazing! Ivan and Jamie came out too and introduced me to Kelly, Jamie’s fiancé. Ivan was traveling alone like me (as it seemed most of the people I would connect with were too – I love that!)

They then took people outside to show them how they made the lava bread that is geothermally baked in the ground, which the fresh loaf was then brought indoors to cut and disperse to all who wanted. I couldn’t unfortunately try it because it’s made with milk, but it definitely was interesting to hear about.

Then it was off to Gullfoss, the Golden Waterfall. A new bus picked me and the 3 couples up and we made our way. It was so stormy when we got there, but I truly feel that the waterfall itself is what creates this, as the wind and sleet-like sheets that came at you felt to come directly off the waterfall. There was an icy (as was usually the case to be cautious of) walk down and up to see it from two angles, but wow!!

It was like this raging entity of power that just went in and through me…despite the cold, the wind that would like to knock me over if it could, and the sheets of sleet, I just stood there solid and centered, facing it directly and taking in all that this powerful life force wanted to bring on. It did not feel like a rage, but a force that could be harnessed by those who knew how and who stood their own with it. It was exhilarating and empowering.

I felt like I became the waterfall in my integrating and receiving its energy rather than hiding, leaving, or being cut down or weakened in its presence. I felt much stronger in fact and bigger, as I took the pounding over and over like an activation pulsing through me.

After the waterfall we explored the Geysirs and got to see the one go off every four minutes, which was really cool shooting up into the air.

And then we were off back to Reykjavik.

What I failed to mention is that this is day was the only day I did not have wi-fi access. This was important only because I was keeping in touch with my friend Kate Magic via this way and this day, in the evening, she was going to be arriving and then teaching a raw chocolate course at the restaurant Glo.

So, for whatever reason, although I learned why later, we were unable to communicate this day. She was going to try to coordinate my arrival back from my excursion with somehow getting me to the restaurant, which was too far to walk and the buses weren’t really an option.

However, it became more clear as the day went on, that I was not to meet up with her that evening. Not only was my excursion running later, having me back around 7:30/7:45 pm, but her course was from 6-9pm, which means my rushing there would be almost meaningless, as I wouldn’t catch hardly any of it. I made the decision on the bus, since I couldn’t get in touch with her that I was going to for sure use the free Northern Lights excursion and join Chris on that for the 8pm one out. I had tuned in and gotten a loud green light that said this was what I was to do.

Not long after deciding this, the guide announces on the bus that the Northern Lights excursion is on for the night, as they make a decision each night between 4-6pm based on the weather. Apparently it was a really good potential, as not only would this excursion go out, but they were going to be sending off 24 buses that night! That’s huge! So I knew something was brewing.

My Saturday night had been cancelled due to weather, Sunday night weather was too bad so it didn’t work then either. Monday night we tried, but weather was still not good. So now we’re at Tuesday with my chances dwindling down, as I was going to be with Kate the next two days and only one of the days we were going to try the Northern Lights with a friend of hers that said he’d take us out.

Anyway, I got off the bus and went to set up my ticket for the Northern Lights leaving in just a few minutes. Since Chris and I were on different excursions, I couldn’t find him amidst the 24 buses of people loading and coming in and out. So I just got on my bus and felt things were as they should be. As my bus pulled away, I ended up seeing Chris in line outside, but it was too late. For what ever reason I/we were meant to experience this on our own.

And off we drove straight to the light houses again, for the second night. I just increasingly was having this knowingness it was going to happen. And I watched as we drove, how the sky was getting more and more clear….the stars and moon coming out brightly. And not long before we arrived at the lighthouses I saw a small group of Icelandic horses lined up right next to the road, so that they were right there by my window like sentinels. I got chills throughout my body, feeling they were a sign, since I had such a connection to horses and one of the things I wanted to do on this trip was to see them and to get up close and touch them.

One by one the buses arrived at the lighthouses. 12 had gone another route to a different location. But 12 were here where I was, back at the same spot as last night. I later learned that Chris in fact had been on one of the 12 buses also going to the lighthouses, so although we didn’t find each other, we were in the same spot energetically together.

And when I stepped outside it was like night and day. The night before was wildly stormy with winds and some wetness, but tonight was pure stillness. Not a wind at all, ALL night we were there. And the skies were so clear you could see the Big Dipper, Orion’s Belt, etc., as well as the crisp Crescent Moon.

I made my way out across the snowed over sanded rocks to the rock barrier that divides the ocean from the lighthouse and stood for a while looking at the sky. I then started tuning in with myself and with Nestor, Joy, Gaia, and Cosmo, as well as my Cosmic family. I did some inner centering and integrating, blending my Earth and Star body, as well as owning and embodying the power that I have within. I asked the Faeries and Elves, along with my soul companions mentioned, for a reflection and gift so that we may mirror each other in celebration. This felt to be for maybe 45 minutes to an hour or so, but time is so weird here I’m not sure.

I then took a seat on the rocks and looked out over the ocean to the North, where they said to look, just under the Big Dipper. And it was no more than minutes that I started to see something emerge in the sky ahead and I just knew it was starting, even though I had no idea what it would be like or what to expect.

And it did. Little by little as the sky parted even more where there was a slight haze across the horizon, the dance began.

At first it was like a cloudy form of pale green growing and it soon turned into an arched green rainbow across the sky and over to the lighthouse.

Then in between the arch and to the right, shapes started to form and areas became more intense green and they started floating and twisting, skipping, and twirling.

I saw at times a rose and yes, in fact a rabbit standing on two legs, more human-like, even showed itself.

During this time a man had come to sit by me, once the lights had started. He set up his camera with timer and stand on the rocks and every 30 seconds or so his camera took photos, as the delay was necessary.

I had been trying to change my camera settings, but couldn’t get things to work. And in the midst of that my camera battery was dying. I asked if he could help and he tried, but my camera battery fully died. I knew then I was not needing to take photos, but to fully just receive this magickal gift. So that is what I did.

And it made me teary eyed, as I watched this wonder reminding me of the miracle of life and magick of the cosmos and origins of home.

The man next to me I found out was Brazilian, living in France. He, too, was traveling on his own. We talked briefly, but mostly took things in, in silence. I was able to see his camera shots that were coming through, which were beautiful. It’s interesting that the cameras are able to see the lights better than the naked eye. While it is beautiful in person without camera, the camera picks up all the frequencies we can’t see, and much, much more vibrantly as well. So it was really interesting to see both.

The photographer’s name was Erick Pessoa, and that made me smile being that my brother’s name is Eric. He asked me about my being here in Iceland. I told him how I’d always wanted to come and decided it would be my birthday celebration. Before he left to go, he told me he would send me the photos he took as a birthday gift and since we are seeing the same thing and would have taken the same pictures, he would be more than happy to share them with me.

What a gift!

So I gave him my email and we parted ways. I sat for a while more, by this time, although there was no storm or wind, my body was becoming frigid with cold I just hadn’t been focused on while watching. Yet my feet and hands felt frost bitten so moving around was a good idea.

While I was walking, a photographer, Alli Moller, that the bus happened to have on board this night said if anyone wants to have their photo taken with the Northern Lights behind them, he’d take them and send to us.

I, of course said, “oh yes, me!” to myself. This was a once in a lifetime I wasn’t going to miss. I was doing a lot of special things for myself this week and this was just another to add to the list.

I was about 5^th in line and got my photo taken and was feeling very complete.

If you’d like to experience a live capture of the Northern Lights, taken from a different sighting, you will enjoy this video by Alli Moller that he shared with me later when we had time to connect more:

Northern Lights in Iceland

By this time things were dying down, and people were heading in buses or inside, as the Northern Lights of ballroom Elf enchantment was decreasing little by little and the time was coming to depart. I found it hard to break away from engaging in the cosmic dance, but the cold caught up with me and I gave in to its need to warm up.

I felt fulfilled and full of gratitude, thanking all who had made this possible.

I got in the bus and headed to the very back, where I’d been sitting. This time sitting next to a young guy from Thailand who lived in England while he was going to University.

We got to talking and he showed me his magickal photos he took of the night. Then we exchanged emails and Facebook info. To do this, he opened his tablet and as he did I was taken right away with the photo of a rabbit that popped up. I said, “do you have a rabbit?” He told me that was his rabbit who is no longer with him, but that rabbits were his favorite and he loved them. Hmmmm, sound like anyone you know?

After we talked I then turned to my right and this girl’s hoodie caught my eye.

I got chills throughout, as I could hardly believe my eyes and yet of course it was right there plain and clear!

Her hoodie had an image of a white rabbit on the back with white wings that came off of the temple-like aura around the rabbit sitting there, framing the rabbit like angel wings. And above and below the rabbit the words written were:

“Never underestimate the power of a rabbit”

WHAT?!!! Oh yes….was not my dear Nestor, Joy, and Cosmo with me that evening? Did not the rabbit show up in the Northern Lights? Did not Joy make her presence known and celebrated with our entire magickal family together with me? And did not Joy know how much I loved and acknowledged our anniversary?

To say I nearly fell over with rushes of chills would be an understatement. But indeed I had a smile running through me from ear to ear and heart to auric field around me.

I was so floored, but not surprised, by this blatant and quite humorously powerful message. So much so that I decided I had to find a sweatshirt like this of my own and did! Although when I did I discovered it read “Never underestimate the power of a woman with a rabbit.” I wondered if this had actually been what was written and when I saw it in the darker lit bus, the words “woman with” had been in the folds of the sweatshirt, or if in fact the message was to only be as I’d seen it.

Nonetheless, I now will have a sweatshirt of this too, reminding me of this miracle night we created and of what I’ve always known…that rabbits are magickal! and when I am teamed up in partnership with them, there is nothing we can’t create together! The power of one is strong, but together we are invincibly expansive! All things ARE possible, yes!!

There had been so much magick, more than I have even shared here, because that comes in the experience. Perhaps you can see the energy in the photos, although they hardly capture the presence of it all.

It was also then that I found myself again during this trip thinking how much I loved traveling alone, as I am NEVER alone. And truly, the magick happens most when I embark on my individual journeys and am connecting with my soul family energetically.

I got home earlier than the previous night, was able to message and make a plan to meet up with Kate the next day, and went to sleep a  VERY happy bunny.

2/25 Wednesday: interestingly, again I awake to a new day and a stormy one at that. Kate and I were meeting at Glo (the raw, vegan, vegetarian restaurant in Iceland that has now 5 locations).

Glo is owned by Solla who is a true alchemist in the kitchen with her raw vegan delights. Kate had talked about her so much, as being one of her favorite people in the world, and I was soon to discover why. But until then, her food spoke mountains, as it was truly amazing and exceeded many of the raw places I have eaten at. I could go so far as to say her food is the best I’ve had, as her blends and textures, and secret little variations are pure magick, not to mention light and rich with mysterious tastes in the perfect blends!

Anyway, I could go on about the food and likely will say more, but Kate and I met at 11:30 am and caught up over a long lunch that was gifted to us along with amazing raw vegan chocolates and raw vegan cake from Kate as a birthday gift.

Lunch was an amazing spicy raw vegancurry, with these wonderful light crackers (I don’t normally like crackers, but these were awesome) and I also had a turmeric tonic and blueberry smoothie…MMMMM MMMMM GOOD.

We finished off with a piece of raw vegan coffee raspberry cacao brownie pie. OMG! Silky amazingness.

It was as if Kate and I picked up where we left off about a year ago. We have seen each other once every year for the last 4 years, so this is only the 4th time we connect in person. Each of the other times have only been for a day. This time for two days and in Iceland, rather than California where we usually meet.

If you don’t know Kate Magic, she’s a raw chef extraordinaire herself and has the largest online raw store in Europe. She has numerous books and is known as one of UK’s leading raw food chefs and authors. AND, of course she’s a proper Faery and tattoo aficionado herself. 😉

So we caught up and then bundled up to brave the stormy streets, which for two wee Faeries is quite a task. We decided to head to the main and tallest church, with largest organ in Iceland – Hallgrimskirkja.

The winds got so crazy when we approached it that we were both blown 10 feet across the walkway. NO JOKE! I had to ground and then catch her, as we were being whisked away.

We got in wet and winded out. Kate looked at me, giggled, and said it looked like I’d been out in a storm for hours when we’d only been walking for a few minutes! LOL!

We checked out the inside downstairs and then bought a ticket (tower keeper gave me a little discount 😉 )to go up the tower. Smart idea? Hmmm…

We get up and the wind is howling and screaming through the tower as the storm rages. I look around through each window with some difficulty, feeling like the wind will grab my camera from my hands any second, but I manage to snap a few photos and we figure we’ve had enough after making the rounds to each window’s view. The way up was on an elevator, so back to the elevator we went to go down.

But of course Faery and Elf games were on the way. The tower also has four large clocks on each side of it, so it is like a time sentinel that truly marks the center of town. So there was some time warping perhaps about to happen or dimension jumping.

Of course the elevator wouldn’t work. We tried all the buttons. I even tried some Reiki, but the elevator was stuck. Kate hit the emergency light…no sound. She picked up the phone to call, but it doesn’t work.

We then try the door to the stairs, but it’s locked.

No way out and no way to communicate. We’re stuck up there for like 10 minutes…just the two Faeries in a clock tower church overlooking Reykjavik.

Then we hear the phone ring in the elevator. Kate answers and tells him we’re stuck. He says to take the stairs down. She tells him it’s locked. He asks if she’s sure because it’s always open. She tells him oh yes it’s locked.

Anyway, about 5 – 8 minutes later a huffing and winded man opens the door after climbing the spiral staircase all the way up to us. He proceeds to check out the elevator to see if he can fix it and we proceed to go down the spiral staircase. He warns as we go that if the lights go out, to just stay where we are, very still and wait it out.

So we wind down and down and I swear it was like the endless rabbit’s tunnel because I couldn’t believe it kept winding more and more. I thought it was only eight stories, but my goodness. And about half way down, of course, the lights go out. I just knew they would.

This is our black out of the trip and may I say it was fascinating. We both stood still in the complete nothingness and started laughing, saying we knew it would happen. And I swear we both said it was like being out of body and just consciousness floating in the cosmic soup of consciousness. We were definitely transported elsewhere, as I was not in body, but just a voice, as was she. And the voices were all around us and in us and coming at us, but there was no body. Woah!

After several minutes the lights finally go on and we continue laughing until we emerge back into the lobby where there are now many more people than before.

Where did we go? What was it about? The Elves were definitely playing with us and it WAS FUN!

(The photo below was the only photo I was able to take of the staircase once we got to the bottom. Nothing clear would show up, so you can tell indeed magick was afoot)

The storm had died down after that and so we decided to walk the shops just a bit. First stopping at Glo’s natural food store below the restaurant that also has a juice and smoothie bar in it. We both picked up a few things – I got some Icelandic moss herb tea, Icelandic lava salt, and some volcanic clay and wild Icelandic birch mask to try, for some deep earthy goodness to nurture myself back at home with.

We then strolled a bit and ventured into just a few shops, including a crystal store. I picked up a couple of gifts and an Icelandic raw quartz stone just for myself. I, of course, couldn’t help myself when I saw the large Troll beings in the magickal little store we were in. So Kate snapped a couple of shots of me between my jovial Troll friends. 🙂

Then we went to Solla’s house, on the same street that was just behind my street where I was staying. Kate was staying with Solla, as she had an extra room and thought I might want my place to myself for my birthday, which was nice of her.

Solla had just finished a food photo shoot and so there were raw goodie samples all over. She was just lovely and from the moment I met her until the day we parted, she just increasingly brought fuzziness to my heart. She is an example of someone who is hugely successful and famous – her 5 Glo restaurants, numerous books, her own food line in all the grocery stores and health food stores, and even her own truck – all with orange Glo label and her face on it, have not changed who she is one bit. She is sweet, down to earth, humble, generous, conscious, and loving. A true Faery Goddess Mother that you just love to love.

This whole trip was such a blessing and gift up until this point, but from here on I became extra spoiled, after meeting up with Kate and her introducing me to Solla and Solvi (a Pixie friend that works his magick helping out Solla in the kitchen and with creating smoothies and juices).

So we got to sample some of the food Solla had made for the shoot and she offered to drive us to the baths and pool on the way somewhere, and then to pick us up and take us to an outlet shop Kate wanted to check out, and back home.

So off we went to Laugerdalur – the largest pool in Reykjavik. We spent 2+ hours soaking, relaxing, chatting, swimming in the evening and night sky, as the snow came down upon us, which was just magickal. It was the first night bathing I’d done, which was wonderful to experience.

We were then picked up, got to the outlet store where we each found something we loved, but Kate had intentfully manifested exactly what she asked for. And then we went back to a different Glo location for another gifted dinner. Kate and I had an amazing raw vegan kale, kelp noodle, coconut and berry salad, with spicy dressing. So good I got it again the next day for my birthday lunch on-the-go. Rakel and Solvi ordered these amazing vegan burgers with some kind of yam stack that both looked and sounded amazing when Solla described what was in it. That’s what you see pictured here.

I was feeling so nourished in many ways. We also got to meet Solvi’s friend Rakel. All of them were total sweethearts and we thought it fun that Rakel and Kate were Scorpios. Solvi and I were Pisces. And Solla is a Libra. She sat at the head with one of each of us on each side…balancing us all. Oh the symbolism!

And it WOULD be the four of us water signs that would be heading out on another adventure the next day together – on my birthday.

So off to sleep I went after Solla and Kate dropped me off. Life kept getting better here in Iceland.

2/26 Thursday: My birthday!! I was actually up until my almost real birthday at 3:01 am, as I just could never go to sleep early. Not due to jet lag, as I don’t get that, but time was like not on my radar and I’d get caught up in things and notice it was late. Then I’d wake up feeling ready to go even after not many hours of sleep.

Many energetic downloads were happening just by being here and by the encounters and experiences. It’s like I say about what happens in workshops or at retreats…it’s not about what the agenda is necessarily that is being taught or intentfully focused on, but about the coming together in person that activates things. People just being in the presence of each other, and/or in a particular time and place, create alignments of energy frequencies that vibrationally are being transmitted in the encounters. Nothing even has to be said for it to happen. It’s part of why I encourage “experiences” and embracing the courage or willingness to do them, as they truly make a huge difference when you physically engage on top of all the other aspects you are engaging.

But back to my birthday day, as it truly felt perfect and ended out this epic week wonderfully. I woke to a brilliant, spectacular sunshiny day!! Yay!! It was as if the storm never was. It was beautiful with sparkling brightness and baby blue skies. It was like a spring day they each said.

We all met up at Glo at 10:30 am. Kate had mentioned she was asked to be on the radio that day at 11 and that I and Solvi were also invited. I was like, what? Um, ok. Sure!

I had no idea what we were talking about, but it sounded fun. In my past when I first began my journey I’d have been freaked out of my mind, but I didn’t even think twice. I was also feeling so in my essence and peaceful and this to me was like this amazing surprise fun adventure we were about to do, AND ON MY BIRTHDAY! It was unbelievable how it fell on this day. I’d done several radio interviews before, but all over the phone, so to go in-studio was going to be a blast.

I thought to myself, how many people wake up in Iceland on their birthday and end up on the radio? Oh, the fun the Elves and Faeries were having!

And so the fun began as guess what? No one knew which radio station and where it was. LOL! They tried to get info and call around, asking Solla, etc. And the four of us watery Faeries and Pixies were just flowing around in a car from one radio station to another. We walked into each building and asked around to no avail.

Finally, and don’t ask me how, we ended up at the right studio, although 45 minutes past our time. But luckily it was not live, and Icelandic people are so relaxed, it was all perfect.

We met the crew and the radio host, Darren Foreman, of Radio Iceland Fm – 89.1 who just so happened to be from Los Angeles, but living in Iceland now for 13 years.

We got set up and Darren asked us what we did and next thing you know we were on. It was just a short piece, but lots of fun. Kate started off, with Solvi and I rounding out the closure. Quite the way to kick off my birthday having fun on air with such great people. And Darren was amazing. We all loved him and can’t wait to connect with him again the next time I visit. I’ve enjoyed connecting with him since the show and find it so cool he has been living in Iceland all this time and is from L.A. near me. He was floored when he found out my age and Kate’s. We said, it’s all that good raw vegan food and magickal living. 😉

Darren is a great host and has an awesome radio voice. On our trip out that day we actually listened to him give some interesting news on the radio and found him to be the best news broadcaster because of his style and voice.

After the interview fun and photos, we whisked away to Glo to pick up some snacks and lunch for our adventure for the day, as we’d be out all day.

One thing I had said I wanted to do on my birthday was see the horses up close so I could connect with their energy. They are so amazingly sweet in their small, but very sturdy stature and so much fur, mane, and tails in every variety of color blends.

And that was manifested, as along the way to our driving destination, we came across a horse ranch and were able to go connect with them.

We brought them apples, although they seemed to have already eaten, but did give us some love and were so, so sweet I could have squeezed them.

I was so happy to get to rub their noses and stroke their faces. I was so grateful for Solvi finding a place we could see them, as the others along the way we saw were out far in the fields to connect with.

After horsey love, we ventured on, as we were headed to some natural baths out in the middle of nowhere.

And we arrived at Hrunalaug, not far from The Secret Lagoon, but Hrunalaug is literally out in nature and isn’t an establishment of any sort.

You hike in through the snow and arrive at what appears to be a little hobbit house that is just big enough to change in with a stream of water running through half the ground below it to clean your feet of the mud.

Then you make your way up behind the house and into the hole in the middle of the snow surrounded by rocks.

Talk about fantasyland and winter wonderlands. It was absolutely amazing and enchanting.

It was just the four of us for a bit until a small group with a guide came through, which included 2 Australian girls and 3 Asian guys. They joined in the pool with us and then the guide put on some music and we just enjoyed ourselves there for a good hour or more – I guess, although I am not sure about time as mentioned.

What was really special was that when they found out it was my birthday the whole group of them sang me happy birthday out in the middle of nowhere in this pool hole in the snow by a hobbit structure. I was so moved and happy. Best birthday singing ever! That’s not normally something I enjoy, but this truly was special and I really enjoyed every second of it…so heart-felt!

We then got up and changed and hiked back to the car. We were all pooled and bathed out, since I’d now done 5 days of bathing since being here this week, so we decided to explore some caves the guide told us about at Raufarholshellir.

We got there and it was still so still and crisp…everything was white with baby blue skies out as far as the eyes could see. And we hiked around trying to find the entrance to the caves. We found the caves but the entrance seemed to have been snowed over too much and even if we had slid down, there’d be no way out (or at least it seemed).

But we could see into them and they went deep and far in and were really really mystical.

One photo an orb came through when I moved the camera. It was really deep snow around so we were being really careful so as not to fall through a hole somewhere, but after quite a while of exploring around we were getting pretty cold, so we decided that just being in this magickal field and above the caves was pretty powerful as it was.

And luckily we decided to leave then, as a huge storm blew in. We ended up in the middle of a white-out. And so now we had our complete white where we could see nothing but white everywhere, just as Kate and I had the complete black-out in the stairwell.

Luckily Solvi is a great driver and managed to keep the car stable in the massive gusts of wind and without being able to see. We saw cars stopped and a bus that had been pushed off the road and was caught on an angle with a full load of people. I’d seen and heard about Sunday’s storm and how people had to leave their cars and cars had been turned over. When they get bad storms you really need to stay off the roads or be so careful. They have a lot of accidents and tragedies that happen between that and ice. Iceland is beautiful and giving, but also can in an instant be treacherous. The symbolism of life and change we can embrace or fight.

But our timing was perfect enough to experience this white-out storm and the craziness, as well as perfect enough to just have made it before they closed the roads. As if they had, we’d be stuck on the other side and not able to go anywhere until it blows over or the next day, which wouldn’t bode well for Kate’s early morning flight.

So, back to Solla’s we went and when we arrived she and Solvi put together a dinner very quickly which ended up being an amazing raw vegan wrap, and kimchi, as well as fermented beet root. It was all scrumptious and wonderful as my birthday dinner. Nice and light and full of yummy tastes and blends.

I forgot to mention that earlier that day Kate had brought a bag of hats that Solla’s friend Dora makes. And so Kate and I both chose a hat. It was as if they were made for us, as there was only one perfect one each we immediately saw and of course mine was blues and white, just like the snow and sky scapes we’d been seeing, but also like my favorite colors I’d been wearing a lot of that week.

And after dinner Kate surprised me with raw vegan chocolate goodness! Rather than a cake, we had amazing raw chocolates that were licorice chocolates with he shou wu, mucuna, and acai, she placed in a circle on a plate, laced with Icelandic flowers of baby’s breath, daisies, and leaves looking like a Faery head wreath. She then placed a tea light at center and this time Solvi, Rakel, and Solla sang happy birthday to me in Icelandic!! Yay!!

I was feeling amazing to say the least and so spoiled by all the love with my Faery family.

I had three chocolates and each one kept getting better, melting in my mouth immediately.

And as we ate our chocolates, Solla pulled out her Feng Shui Astrology book and started reading my birthday energies and then moved on to each person’s reading. That was really fun and I found out I was a Fire-Earth-Fire in this version, which was really dead on and quite empowering to hear about.

I just felt so at home and exactly where I was meant to be for this experience…off in Iceland…off in harmony.

I was then surprised yet again with a gorgeous blue scarf from Solla and I was nearly just taken back by all the amazing love being shared and the generosity and nurturing sweetness from all of them. I immensely enjoyed my time with each of them.

Solvi and Rakel were both wonderful and so giving. Rakel is an amazing young woman who is stronger than she thinks and has much to give. She has a courageous story she shared with us, that is truly inspiring. Looking forward to where her path leads, as she continues on her journey. She will surprise herself I believe, as she was not connecting with her Feng Shui Astrology saying she was a leader. We all said, you’ll look back at this in the years to come and say “Ah-ha! now I get what they were saying.”

She is off to Argentina actually, for two months (she left the day after I did). So she and I will be in South America at the same time. We had a dear connection, so much so she showed up the next day synchronously.

The evening ended with lovely conversation with Solla, Kate, and Solla’s husband. Then the lovely Kate offered to walk me back to my apartment! How sweet is that to walk me in the snow to my apartment and then walk back on her own? I am so blessed with these wonderful people in my life. I hope they can feel beyond my words, the gratitude I have.

Solla and her husband will be out in California in Orange County in April for Expo West, so we’ll meet up again and Kate will be coming out as well in April and May (she’ll be hosting a special dinner you won’t want to miss L.A. peeps!), so a mini reunion is to be had.

2/27 Friday: My last day and it is now surreal to go home. It’s like feeling caught between worlds a bit and will take integrating when back. I had a leisurely morning and then decided to just walk a bit. I went to the crystal shop again and the natural food store, and walked briefly by the water. But my main desire was to see the swans and geese I’d been seeing so much each time the bus went by.

And I found them on my own by walking where I thought they were. And just before I reached them guess who pops out of the bank, but Rakel! We were meant to have one more hug and connection before we parted. Talk about synchronicity, as she had just messaged me that morning to say goodbye again and thank you for the connecting. And here we were bumping into each other on the street on my way to the swans.

She came with me for a bit, then left to meet a friend for lunch.

I stayed with the swans, geese, and ducks for a bit, amazed at how many there were.

Over 75 large white swans, even more than that of geese and ducks. It was enchanting to say the least and I could have lingered there for a long time. They were all so docile too and walked in and out around me and were swimming in the frozen pond. A local man came to feed them and the flurry of them all coming to him was so great to watch and the swans just ate from his hand.

I was like, “this is magick and a return to natural harmony”. What symbolism to have so many white swans in one place. I’d never in my life seen this. Only one or two at a time, but this was awesome!

Here is a short video I took to give you a glimpse of what it was like:

Magickal Swans, Geese and Ducks in Iceland

And off to airport I went. Leaving a piece of me and my heart in Iceland to return again some day soon. I’ll likely try summer next time, to get the full experience of the seasons and can explore some of the areas you can only explore in the summer. Darren has invited us back for more radio fun too and there could even be some workshops in store for Iceland. 😉

Something else that magickally manifested for me on this trip was finding a symbol I had been searching for. I had been trying to find a symbol for Music that resonated with me and had inquired and researched to no avail. Music and sound is important to me and there was reason for this. And it was on this trip that I found what I was looking for, which makes sense that in such a pure essence kind of energy I would find the missing link to the musical essence of my Faery and Cosmic soul.

I was at one store the first day where I came across what are called BindRunes in a pendant. They had many symbolizing different words, but they were all out of only one – the one for Music. And several days later I came upon another store and there it was, but only one – the last remaining symbol for Music waiting just for me.

These are Ancient Viking/Norse inspired symbols using the method of binding Runes – a historic process where individual Runic letters are overlapped to make a single word or name. They are based on the younger Icelandic Futhark, which they feel is most representative of ancient culture and custom in Iceland.

I couldn’t have been more excited and of course this pendant and two others came home with me (Creation and Love), ending a several month search I’d been on.

Everything I had hoped and intended on this trip took place and manifested, and then some…as I did not exactly know how things would come to be and I didn’t know how I would feel or who I’d be upon return.

Since arriving home, I’ve been struck by this feeling of extreme calm and peace, as well as centeredness that has carried over, in a deeper way. There’s been a lot going on that would likely seem surprising on many levels, and yet none of it phased me and I just marveled at how extra flowing I was and ready to make any changes necessary. I also simply just embraced taking my own responsibility and not looking to or asking anything of others to change or make things a certain way that might “seem” better. I’m just ready to do what is necessary and see it all as better the way it exactly is.

I’ve also been met with an interesting contrast of extremely synchronous magick with some things and other things taking interesting twists and falling away that before were in place. There’s been an influx of mega embrace and trust, alongside things not happening or throwing things on me that would otherwise be extremely stressful.

Yet, I am not phased and I’m so at peace with what ever is to be, knowing that when one embraces change that entails that things actually DO have to change. And since I’ve intended and feel big change, then big shifts will take place in wild ways – at least that’s how it happens for me. Things that are not in alignment will have to drop away or end completely. And only that which is, will remain or come through.

I also feel like the experiences that have taken place in the last couple of days are my way of testing the solidity of this new embodiment I feel that has taken place. There have been interactions with people that have contacted me about varying things that were all old triggers that would have pushed my buttons in the past.

And I was pleased that wasn’t the case. In fact, I have had in some cases no response and just allowing things to unfold patiently.

While missing Iceland, I’m happy to be home only because I’m happy to integrate the new and that means taking the magick I learned and activated, and bringing it into every day experience.

But life has been interesting upon arrival and my little ones have blessed me with their snuggles. I thanked them for being with me and creating the magick while I was away.

The morning after I arrived a physical detox and cleanse seemed to be underway bringing on being under the weather, but I welcomed it knowing it was evidence that I was purging the old and in transition of shifting.

That morning was quite full with me settling back in, there was a tv film crew at the house, I also made a dash over to the Gem Faire to pick up a special crystal, I had the opportunity to visit my favorite beach for a walk (and my Osprey friend was there to greet me back!), and I’ve already been seeing things swept out the door in many ways.

The crystal feels especially important – it is a large record keeper, rainbow Herkimer Diamond that felt integral to be part of a threesome grid with my other two Herkimers that my friend at Energy Gems was saving for me (love that it was the day after I returned…feeling like another special gift and part of this new embodiment it will support). While at the Gem Faire briefly for like 10 minutes or less, I happened to run into dear friends who showed up at the exact same place too at the very same time. 🙂

And each day is continuing to be a finalization and closure to everything that had been from before this trip. I’ve had a ton come at me and yet I’m in a place where I am able to harness this sense of peace and see the magick despite what any of it appears to be. I feel that the rest of this month is going to move quickly and will be pivotal to a shifting leap I’ll be making.

If you’ve made it this far in reading, wow! and thank you. I hope you enjoyed my experiences and perhaps might find yourself changed by the energy in the photos and between words, feel a connection, or maybe even will one day be in Iceland or some other magickal place that has been calling to YOUR heart. It truly is a special place that has much to offer if you are open to receiving it, and much more than I’ve expressed here, as most of what takes place is not something that you can explain.

Faery magick to all and a lot of love!