Kiva et l'élément du Feu

Au dela de la chaleur, la passion...que represente l'element du feu pour vous? Laissez vos commentaires...

Black and White Beauty, Black and White Mood

I recently took a client to White Sands, NM. This is one of my favorite places in NM.
It's simply a pure marvel and the largest desert of gypsum in the world.
Eun Joo is from South Korea and visiting this site was a long time dream of hers. She was about 10 years old when she saw pictures of White Sands for the very first time. Since then, she has held on to her dream and has always believed that she, one day, would visit it. She did everything she could to make her dream come true, and this day had come!

I was so happy to help

her make it true. She was such an inspiration for me!
No matter how big or far your dream seems to be, go for it!
Along with this stunning White desert we also went to the Valley of Fire...Another

amazing site...And that's this week's article: Black and white beauty, Black and White mood...Read the article to understand what I mean.
As soon as we arrived in the White Sands area, the excitement began...
The magnificent beauty immediately uplifted our spirits. When I looked around, everyone was in a blissful mood, playing with the glistening sands, talking and sharing each o

ther's feelings.

Even though the plants are ra

re, as it is a desert, they look glorious. Especially at dusk and dawn, the color gradient is so delicate; I felt like I was immersed in a world of grace and nothing seemed to be able to take away this cheerful mood. White Sand's unique formations are the result of water's work. A million years ago heavy rains poured on the mountain made of gypsum and literally dissolved

it. This gypsum run off created Lake Lucero. The wind continued to break the lake down until it would become a fine sea of gypsum particles, which finally evolved into the smooth round dunes ever moving and creating these amazing sands patterns.

Valley of Fire, as its name indicates is the result of fire's work. The lava formed this dark site, it's flow would run up to 44 miles south from this little peak. A m

illion years after this event, the soil has become a 'paradise' for the plants and offers a very fertile ground for them to thrive.



Surprisingly they found their way into crevasses and lava cracks. Given the amount of lava still visible I was very surprised to see the diversity and quantity of plant species.


Valley of fire is a beautiful site, but I couldn't help but notice that all this black color certainly brought a different mood than White Sands. W e arrived with an uplifted and positive mind. After being around this surreal landscape and dark colors for a while, I realized that sadness and quietness were the emotions and state of mind that took over our mood.

This confirmed the importance of our environment, and how nature influences us. If you don't like the environment, you are living in, be sure to take some time to think on how you can change it. Add some lighter or brighter colors to your world, or simply colors you like. Add some plants. Give smiles to others, as you will receive them back!
This week I challenge you to be creative and make a pos

itive and lasting change in your life, your environment, maybe by changing a habit, maybe by changing some décor... Do something that make YOU feel good! And please let me know how it changes your everyday life:

Connect with Mother Earth

The power of the Stone

I have been blessed to come to Sedona again, a sacred place; not just because of it's beauty, powerful rocks, the earth's energy and famous vortex; but also because of the wonderful people who live there or visit.
A couple of weeks ago, I helped my friend Lilou to interview a few of them.
A true journey of the heart, from the heart, in the heart of the Southwest!
Speaking about energy and rocks, I'd like to introduce to you a new teachings' series: the properties and power of gemstones.

Last year I told you about the Animal totems, how to use them and what they are teaching us. This year, I'll share with you in this newsletter the power and energies the stones, crystals and gems can give us. This is called: Lithotherapy.

The very first stone of this series is the Beautiful Turquoise.
It is a very typical stone of the Southwest. It was mined here, traded, and made into amazing jewelry.

I love this stone for its color and properties.

Navajo Turquoise, is a mixture of the turquoise stone and sard which forms the beautiful lines you see in the stones.

The combination of turquoise and sard, give you the love and connection energies from turquoise mixed with the attachments to family, home, and your roots which come from the sard. It is to help you stay in a place of love and connectedness with others so you can feel at "home" no matter where you are.

One of the main compounds of the turquoise stone is copper which gives it that amazing blue and green color. Turquoise itself is also wonderful for drawing out negative vibrations from a person. Placed by the feet, worn in a sock or shoe, turquoise draws the negativity out of the person and as it dissipates, allows the negativity to go back into the ground.
This beautiful stone can also be helpful in uplifting, bonding with your spiritual nature, and opening us up to giving and receiving.
One of the main compounds of the turquoise stone is copper which gives it that amazing blue and green color. Turquoise itself is also wonderful for drawing out negative vibrations from a person. Placed by the feet, worn in a sock or shoe, turquoise draws the negativity out of the person and as it dissipates, allows the negativity to go back into the ground.

About.com Holistic Healing
Spiritual and Healing Properties of Turquoise

Board Breaking...in New Mexico

Last week, we did an amazing experience of going beyond our fears, and Lilou with her Juicy Living tour filmed it!

I have to say that it was awesome. We did that in the beautiful setting of Galisteo, NM. When Gwendolina arrived with the boards, I began to worry a little bit...I didn't expect it to be so thick!

But Gwen prepared us very well, and we spent some time talking and visualizing about going beyond our fears. Then the excitement began. And I couldn't wait to try.

I love the fact that Gwen had us write on the board what we were looking to achieve, and let go of. I believe this helped to break the board.

That was my first 'board-breaking' experience...and I am looking forward for the next one....and...the fire-walk!

Want to experience it? Check it out and contact Gwendolina to set up a workshop...

Have you ever done this? What was your feelings once you broke the board?

Bring your Heart to White Sands

The first time I went to White Sands, NM it was the end of summer, and I was really amazed by this white desert. Although it is a desert and a 'moving one,'

some plants have succeeded in surviving. Yes it is moving, because as with any dune, the wind is a huge factor, and makes the landscape change and move, which of course becomes a big problem to maintain the paths and roads within this exceptional area.

Here, again, you are confronted with the immensity and the very long work of time through the landscape.

When in this desert, you are definitely inspired towards meditation and rejuvenation. If you are looking for some inspiration, it is a fabulous place to reconnect with nature and, by simply being in the moment, enjoying this unique site, immensity, and calm.

Even in the middle of the hottest summer days, when touching the sand, about ½ inch under, it is cold; the sand is such a pure white, that it deflects the sun heat.

So be careful, don't get lost and stay too late in this fascinating beauty, or the cold will get you at dusk...

White Sands' dune

The most renowned mystery of Santa Fe…. about to be unveiled.

Legend is often rooted in truth and truth in legend...

Before we enter into the chapel…we will read this sign. Everything you can read on it, is erroneous!

Loretto Chapel! No no no, but maybe “The Chapel of our Lady of Light” was a little bit too long to put on this sign. But that is its real name.
Built in 1873! Do you really think that such a sophisticate jewel could have been built in one single year? It took 5 to be completed, until 1878.

The best! Miraculous Stairway...

The legend goes… I won’t give you all the sleazy - flimsy details of the story.

But it is said that due to the murder of young Mouly, the architect of the chapel, the choir was left with no plans or drawings to figure out how access it!

The Loretto sisters begun to do what they knew best, they pray! And it worked!
After 9 days of prayers (called a novena) to St Joseph, the patron saint of the carpenters…a white bearded-man carrying a toolbox and traveling with a donkey, appear at the convent door, seeking for work… as a carpenter! What a great co incidence!

The sisters employed him immediately. The man built a two 360 degree spiral staircase, piece of art! And disappeared, without even asking to be paid for his labor!

Who wouldn’t want to know the name of such a model employee! Many begun to assure that Saint Joseph himself came to built the Miraculous Staircase, in Santa Fe!

And this... was the Legend.

And this is the object of the controversy.
What everyone agrees on, is that this is artistically evident that the 19th century craftsman who built the staircase in this chapel was a MASTER carpenter. From any angle you look at it, it’s simply magnificent

and perfect!
After many years of thorough research, Mary Straw Cook, the author of the book Loretto: The Sisters and Their Santa Fe Chapel could state with no doubts: Francois-Jean Rochas, was the talented carpenter.

The question now is: HOW did he build it? How this amazing stairway can stand withouta central axe and no nails? ...

Rochas, also known as ‘Frenchy’ seemed to have received training as a ‘compagnon’.

When I researched on the compagnon’s carpenter from his time, 19th century, these types of stairways were quiet common.

‘The compagnons du tour de France’, that’s their exact name, -

absolutely not related to the ‘actual tour de France’ that you might have heard

from - is a French organization of craftsmen and artisans dating from the Middle age, and still active today!

The young people who aspire to become a compagnon, have to take a two years course, where they learn the basic of their work, then they leave for a ‘Tour de France” which now can be all around the world, for three to five years, in different cities, and with different masters.

The knowledge is transmitted only verbally from masters to apprentice; it is kept secret because only those who deserve it can receive the knowledge.

It is not a technical knowledge only, but also the teaching of philosophy, the symbolic, and values: fraternity, equity, and appreciation of the well-done labor for the welfare of the community. Only those who can apply these values in their everyday life are worthy of the knowledge.

At the end of their ‘compagnonnage’, the student has to build a ‘model’ of EXCEPTION to show his abilities, before receiving the title of ‘compagnon’.

Even with a nice and well said legend, it’s the labor and chef d’oeuvre which really matter and which is admire centuries later. As a compagnon, I’m sure Rochas understood this. It was not about him, it was about doing something of exception for the benefice of the community. And for the little story, he did receive payment for his labor. (see pictures above from the museums of 'les compagnons du tour de France' of the 19th century.

As Benjamin Franklin said: “Well done is better than well said”.