Into the Dark Night : GIVEAWAY

Friends...I am SO excited for this eCourse to begin. These self-proclaimed "wild gypsy artists" are two of my very favorite people. I have spent blissful face to face time with Mandy of Messy Canvas and have devoured her words and art. Hillary is the heart and soul of my new blog...my design genius who has walked with me every step of the way. Even at 3am on the night before my book launch (oh how I adore her)! Dedication I tell ya. She writes at Spirit Soul Earth and she is mesmerizing.

Both of these beauties bring soul-filled wisdom and life-experience...illuminating the way to self-exploration. Their words are deeply moving and powerful...intention and insight pours out into every word.  I can only imagine that this course will be the same. 

Into the Dark Night — A Guided, Creative Descent
into the Shadowlands of the Soul

A mystical journey with your gypsy guides Mandy Steward + Hillary Rain

We are Hillary Rain + Mandy Steward, a duo of wild gypsy artists determined to create what we most need to find.

For us right now this is space for our spiritual sojourn through the dark place we are drawn to again and again: the Mystery, the womb where life begins, the earth which cradles roots and bones and secrets, the long dark night where we thrash about with God or our stories of God, wrestle in and out of soulskin and emerge, sometimes bleeding, limping, haggard, and exhausted, into daylight. And because we create what we most need to find, we have also made space for you to come alongside us as we continue our creative descent into the shadowlands of the soul.

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”

— Jack Kerouac

We are honored to announce a spring session of Into the Dark Night—an eCourse created for the dark night of the soul. These dates run March 16 - April 26th.

“We see ourselves as wild women of the wilderness. We have dreadlocks and feathers in our hair. We follow the seasons of the moon. The night air whips our skirts into chaos until they shiver like prayer flags in the wind.”

— The Wild Mystics

Love, consider this your invitation to join a gypsy tribe, a motley gathering of the poet and the prophetess, of artists, dancers, seers and mystics, earthen sisters unafraid to mine the seasons of life / death / life and seek the wanton truth packed in our bones.

the way is difficult

We warn you: it isn't an easy sojourn. Within our descent we explore the rough edges of rejection and the harrowing emptying-out of grief. We embrace the aching howl of lament, of the sorrow and loss and death encountered along the way. We press up against the hard questions, the uprooting, the ripping apart of all we have known.

It's uncomfortable. For some it's unbearable. Actually it's quite dangerous. It gets messy and painful and hard; harder still knowing that this isn't a linear path but one which spirals through unexpected caverns and mermaid caves and dark forests, hidden labyrinths and catacombs and even our own backyard. It can be incredibly lonely. It is dark and wild. And while each path is uniquely our own, for we can only walk the Way we're given for ourselves alone, we do find solace knowing that others are merely a breath away—trembly and ragged as it might be.

For the Shadowlands are always with us. And when our eyes adjust to its glimmering light we find secret soul messages whereby we become transformed. This is the work of uprooting: of cracking open and finding light—but also accepting that while our fire can draw others close for intimacy and warmth, it can rage, create discomfort, burn up, smolder, scorch, and burn away.

In fact, to come along with us you have to be a little bit mad.

giveaway

Our journey begins March 16th and runs six weeks.

We are honored to offer one complimentary spot in our eCourse to a reader of Nesting Gypsy! To enter, please visit our website, www.thewildmystics.com, and become familiar with our eCourse.

Then come back here to this giveaway post on Nesting Gypsy and leave a comment below sharing why you would like to come along on this sojourn into the shadowlands of the soul. Deadline for entry is Tuesday, March 11, 2014.

*winner must be willing to provide contact information + if we are unable to make contact within 24 hours, an alternate winner will be selected.

On Top of the World

"Let's go on a walk..."

What possibility these words hold! Opportunities abound for heart-changing, soul-moving experiences. That's what a walk is for. To adjust your perspective. 

As we began the search for our new home, we knew that "normal" and "cookie-cutter" just wouldn't do. We searched for a way to keep our animals and move to another small farm, but land availability in Colorado is scarce and we couldn't find one in time. Trusting that God had something even better in mind, we fixed our gaze on the mountains. Because we love nature. And snow. Big views and crisp clean air. It's such fun to walk out the front door and have such beauty all around. I smile every time. 

This weekend we decided to go on a walk and explore more of our neighborhood. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that we live on top of the world! 

We walked just a few minutes up the road and this is what we saw! Breathtaking to say the least. It was quite overcast every time we visited before our house closing, so it's such a sweet discovery every time we discover a new view. Looking out over the canyon...I am reminded of God's faithfulness and care in our lives. Our surroundings on this mountaintop inspire thoughts of creation and spirit and sacred beauty. I am so thankful. 

We continued on our way, meeting neighbors and their dogs along the way. They informed us that there is a private hiking trail that we have access to as a resident, and I can't wait to check it out! We haven't done much hiking in the past, but now that we are "mountain people", I want that to change! I foresee snow shoes in my future. And cross country skis!

I try to spend time outside every day...it's so relaxing to climb up onto our rocks and look out over Denver or just sit and listen to the birds. Or watch the deer. The herd of twelve comes through our yard 2-3 times a day it seems. 

Or I just sit and enjoy the silence. It's SO quiet up here. I notice it even more so because my girls are quite....ahem..."enthusiastic" about life and their sweet voices ring out like a bell!

I'm truly enjoying the snow and wintery days...but I'm also looking forward to warmth and wildflowers. Seasons changing. Such beauty in it. So much to learn.

Do you have a walking ritual?  
Or  a daily nature experience?
What have you been learning lately?

The Little Kitchen in the Basement

When we bought our new house, the first thing we did was tear the kitchen clean out! But it's not super easy to nourish a family with no running water or stove. I know there are amazing mamas who do it with grace every day around the world...but whoa. It's a big challenge. So in an effort to make our transition a bit easier, Matt built me this sweet little kitchen. 

We have a bank of cabinets with open cupboards on either side of my barnwood plant stand...with succulents on top of course! A mini-fridge and a sink on the left. Matt tapped into the water spigot for the washing machine and rigged a large bucket underneath with a sump pump that drains the grey water out automatically when it gets full (yes, he's a genius). What a relief to having running water downstairs now! Love it. We also added a single hot plate and a griddle for cooking up some delicious meals. I have my crock pot too, which will come in handy.

What makes it even more special is that all of these pieces were either free/salvaged or thrifted. The cabinets, cupboards, fridge, and countertop were all picked from discards at Matt's job sites. And then we made a quick stop at ReSource in Boulder on Saturday and came upon the utility sink and grabbed it right up...along with my vintage teal blue metal shelf that I am repurposing as a magnet board for all of my happy little pieces of love. 

Isn't it adorable?! When I walked into the ReSource warehouse, my eyes immediately darted around and around for TEAL. Find the teal! Yes! I won't even tell you about the perfect teal kitchen island that I bolted towards...only to find a SOLD sign on it. Drat. Foiled again! I am predicting many more trips there in the next couple of weeks...on the prowl for the perfect salvaged goodies. The shelf is hanging on the side of our sauna...which we have yet to fire up, but I'm hoping this week we will enjoy some heat! 

And look! Remember those yummy flags Em sent me last week? I hung them here in the little kitchen and I ADORE them. The round shape is so soft and whimsical. And you know I just can't have a space in my home without flags flying. I asked Em if she would make them available online so y'all could buy them too...AND SHE DID!! Jump on over there to snag your very own. She also has an insta-store on Instagram if that's more your style! You can find her at @shopembers. Her super comfy tee-skirts are there too!

I absolutely love taking an empty space and turning it into something that inspires me every time I am there. Temporary spaces can still be fantastic with just a little bit of love. And by love I mean flags, succulents, and layering light and textures! Worth every minute!

It's looking to be an exciting week at the house...with drywall being finished, texture being sprayed, and wood being laid on the ceiling. It's convenient to be living in our construction zone...so now Matt can run upstairs and work on a few items whenever he wants to. We love standing in the space and talking through our vision and how it's all going to come together. It's a process. Such a process. But one we are enjoying, day by day.