by Debra Cortese | Feb 9, 2018 | Delaware River, General optimism, interests, life changes, Mike Dooley, Narrowsburg, nature's energy, Patterns, personal development, rescue cats, very cold day
I woke up feeling ok, but as soon as I check the cat room, the spiral begins. Someone pooped on the floor again and right in front of the boxes; I clean this up before anything else and then, I feed them (yes I know, what goes in comes out), Squeeky cat throws up almost as soon as he’s finished gulping his breakfast. What is it with cats? Every day, the same nasty bodily dumps.
And, while I’m complaining, for several days my coffee has not had the taste I most enjoy. Did Starbucks change their roasting process? wtf? I love their French Roast, especially whole beans so I can grind my own and really get the full flavor. Lately it tastes flat and stale. Maybe it’s just me?
So… by the time I get to making the stale coffee, I’m already stressed and feeling like a bitch for being angry with the cats who no doubt are also feeling trapped. When it isn’t 12 degrees out with a four inch blanket of paw-cutting, crusty snow, they always head out their cat door for a morning walkabout after breakfast. The reality however is that it is the peak of winter here in the Catskills along the banks of the Delaware River. Even the birds and squirrels are reluctant to go on their daily foraging jaunts. I have also been secluded in my living room/studio for too many days in a row.
Sobbing with tears running down my cheeks
So, I finish the clean up and put my new Willow & Everett kettle on in hopes that today’s coffee** will again have the taste I crave, but first, I pour some of the hot water for Sammy cat’s thyroid meds and a bit for my essiac tea and, as I do every day, I prepare to invoke a daily wellbeing blessing.* However, I instantly break into a sobbing, tearful mess! I could not even get through the first line. So, when I finally calmed down a bit, I just pleaded for guidance to get me out of this depressing spiral.
With the tears wiped away and my mediocre, but hot, coffee in hand, I headed to my usual routine and opened emails. I choose to read the inspirational ones first, so clicked on Mike Dooley’s Thoughts from the Universe message that included the TEDx talk by Dewitt Jones.
And I knew this was a response to my plea for guidance!
Perhaps today is the day that you can also appreciate the information that Dewitt Jones has shared in his uplifting, TEDx talk, “Celebrate What’s Right With The World!”
*My daily request: Divine Diamond Golden Source Light, energize all of today’s fluids, solids, thoughts, beliefs, emotions and actions to align with the energy of total wellbeing and love across all dimensions, known and yet to be known, across time and space for complete physical, mental, emotional balance and harmony.
** I don’t use a coffee maker. Prefer to boil filtered water and pour through a paper filter. Always make it fresh, by the cup.
by Debra Cortese | Jan 21, 2018 | Flower of Life, life changes, Narrowsburg, nature's energy, Patterns, personal development, sacred geometry, SEEDS of INTENTION, Seeds of Intention workshop, workshops
THE SEEDS OF INTENTION WORKSHOP
previously scheduled for Jan. 17th
at Tusten-Cochecton Library – Narrowsburg
HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED
new date is:
Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at 1 pm
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. Happy to say we have a full house!
.
by Debra Cortese | Oct 28, 2017 | Flower of Life, life changes, nature's energy, personal development, SEEDS of INTENTION, workshops
On Saturday, November 11, 2017 from 1 to 4 pm I’ll present my playful, powerful and compelling, “Seeds of Intention” workshop at MISSING PIECES, 959 Main Street, in Honesdale, PA as part of the ongoing cultural events of the Wayne County Arts Alliance.
This workshop combines the therapeutic benefits of music, meditation and coloring within the transformational patterns of the universal Flower of Life. I’ll be guiding each participant through a series of playful exercises designed to help you clarify a specific personal or career goal.
Once you are clear on what you choose to manifest, you can embed the patterns of already having achieved your goal by intuitively coloring its energetic code within a Flower of Life template.
This hand-colored, unique work of art then becomes your ‘Seed of Intention’, a personal meditation mandala which you will use daily to reinforce the energetic flow and manifestation of your goal.
To learn more about the Seed of Intention process, click HERE.
by Percy Cat | Jun 6, 2014 | beekeeping, honey bees, interests, life changes, my garden, nature's energy, paintings, peace, sacred geometry
Bee populations are plummeting! Yet the Environmental Protection Agency recently sided with Dow AgroSciences to approve a new, highly toxic bee-killing pesticide called sulfoxaflor.
And now the EPA is considering expanding the number of crops this pesticide can be sprayed on to include corn, alfalfa, oats, and several other significant and widely grown crops.
Will you help? Tell the EPA to deny Dow AgroScience’s application to expand the registration of the bee-killing pesticide sulfoxaflor now.
Nearly one-third of our crops—including many vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds—depend on bees for pollination. But bees in our country are dying at unprecedented rates, and scientists are pointing to pesticides like sulfoxaflor as a cause.
A world without bees is unimaginable. Earthjustice is doing everything we can to save the bees, using the law and the power of the courts. But we need your help to change this latest proposal.
Help us ensure the health of the bees and our planet. Take action now to save bees!
That’s why I signed a petition to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which says:
“As a citizen concerned about our nations health and food security, I urge you to deny Dow AgroScience’s application to expand the registration of the bee-killing pesticide sulfoxaflor so that it can be sprayed on corn, alfalfa, oats, and several significant and widely grown crops.
Honeybees are dying at rates unprecedented in history, prompting the U.S. Department of Agriculture to warn that it is no longer confident in our ability to ‘meet the pollination demands of U.S. agricultural crops’; Rather than expand the number of crops that can be sprayed with highly toxic and systemic insecticides like sulfoxaflor, the EPA must take immediate steps to help bees recover. I join with other members of Earthjustice in calling for you to suspend the use of sulfoxaflor on all crops pending a thorough analysis of the impacts to bees and the many crops that depend on bees for pollination.”
Will you sign the petition too? Click here to add your name:
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/save-bees-from-a-highly?source=s.fwd&r_by=10684519
Thank you.
by Percy Cat | Apr 23, 2014 | Flower of Life, General optimism, interests, life changes, nature's energy, Patterns, SEEDS of INTENTION
Children of the Sun music/video
by Percy Cat | Feb 7, 2014 | life changes, Patterns, sacred geometry
is anyone out there?
I’ve been working alone most of the winter and I believe I’m going a little bit crazy?!?
Am I “three feet from gold” or delusional?
ding ding dong,
singin’ this song
by Percy Cat | Jan 24, 2014 | Abraham Hicks, art business, Art by Debra Cortese, Art Licensing, custom art & design, GIFTS, interests, life changes, my garden, Nature Designs by Debra Cortese, nature's energy
Finally produced a new design that feels right. Has been a bit of a challenge this winter to keep my muse and myself inspired. Very cold nights and days along with a bit too many ‘shades of gray’ of the no sun and dreary gray landscape in my studio window view.
However, a new White Heart on Waves of Pink & Orchid has emerged from yet another revisited photo. Seems I am drawn back in time on many levels since returning to my childhood hometown (Narrowsburg, NY).
The base inspiration for the new White Heart image was from my Miami garden so not that far back. What I once thought of as the dracaena plant turned out to be a cordyline and that is the basis for the new design. The fractal or overlaying grids of gray lines represent the energy lines of both the plants leaves and the interaction between the sun, the shadows and the plant. The White Heart developed after many variations of reflecting portions of the image in a variety of angles.
My intended outcome was to offer a design that is filled with the energy of unconditional LOVE. The surprise for me was that it is also filled with JOY and a SENSUALITY that evolved with the finished art.
Unfortunately, I did not complete this in time to have any handbags produced for Valentine Gifts, however, you can order it on a necklace, a locket and pillows through my Zazzle shop. http://www.zazzle.com/debracortesedesigns
White Heart on Waves of Pink and Orchid is available on custom products, as a print on paper or canvas and it is also available for licensing. Just pop me an email at: debra at debracortese.com and let me know what you have in mind.
In the meantime, I’m sending waves of LOVE and JOY and SENSUALITY out to the Universe and can’t wait to see what returns 😉 LAW OF ATTRACTION…
NOTE: This design will be available on handbags – look for it in the new Spring 2014 collection.
by Percy Cat | Nov 12, 2013 | Abraham Hicks, art business, astrology designs, custom art & design, designer handbags, Flower of Life, General optimism, honey bees, interests, life changes, Mike Dooley, my garden, nature's energy, paintings, Patterns, Planet Waves Astrological Insights, sacred geometry, SEEDS of INTENTION
I’m in the process of rebranding my handbag business and all of the messages I am receiving reaffirm that my childhood passions for gardening, hiking, exploring, beeing in nature were the original blueprint for the story of who I am. Along the way, sacred geometry and Flower of Life joined my list of major inspirational alignments. The symbolic and energetic vibrations of Flower of Life and all of its variations have become the basis for many of my paintings, projects, and designs over the past decade, which is especially significant in light of the challenging background story of bankruptcy and foreclosure that I was living during that time. The energy and alignment that I experience while creating art and designs using the underlying grid that represents the Flower of Life and all of its power is phenomenal.
My close friends and family knew the background story and as the foreclosure process signaled that is was time to move on they also understood why I chose to return to my childhood home town of Narrowsburg, NY. It was time to review the full circle, time to help my only sister with the care of our 88 year old mother. Mom had a severe stroke in 2005, is paralyzed on one side of her body and needs full-time assistance for all the basic daily grooming and feeding activities that most of us go through on auto pilot. I now also realize from conversations and the posts of many Facebook friends that we are among so many others taking care of aging parents and, as much as possible, we are maintaining and expanding our own stories along the way.
One of the ways I maintain an optimistic perspective is to begin my day with great coffee, my two favorite inspirational daily emails (Thoughts from The Universe and Abraham’s Daily Quote). If that isn’t enough to get my energy and attitude in the flow, because some mornings just need an extra dose of positive energy – I’ll listen to a short meditation or watch an inspirational video.
Today I ‘listened’ to the messages that, not surprisingly, came through a link in an email, and followed one to the video on this post. I’ve been aligned with the work of Esther and Jerry Hicks/Abraham for many years and as I allow more of what feels right to me, I understand, to the point of tears of joy, why nature is such an inspiring, vital part of who I am and what I can share.
Please share your thoughts on this in the comments below and share this post with your friends (share buttons below).
Enjoy the video and NATURE!
The Universe Always Provides Signs. Pay Attention
a YouTube Video of Esther Hicks/Abraham that reminded me of the power of my connections to nature:
by Percy Cat | Feb 7, 2013 | General optimism, life changes, nature's energy
[nggallery id=33]
The past few months have been full of emotional attachments to people, places and things as I prepared to let go of my home in Miami; leave my daughter and friends; and return to my childhood hometown to start over yet one more time.
Once I was able to release my emotional attachments and stories about my possessions, especially my antique Steinway piano, everything else began to fall into place, albeit this place still seems to be in another dimension, or alternate reality. *
Time for full disclosure…
Our house/home/property which was in my opinion, absolutely perfect for our family and friends, and for me, became one of the heaviest possessions I’ve ever become attached to as well as the defining factor in my life thus far. It was pretty close to my dream home. After 8 years, the yard, gardens and neighborhood were just perfect but it had become painfully obvious that I could not recover from the financial distress that is overtaking much of the world’s population and I finally just stopped trying and accepted the impending foreclosure.
On Monday, November 19th, my home was sold through the foreclosure auction process of Miami-Dade County and on Wednesday, November 21st, I left Miami and headed back to Narrowsburg, the small town in the Catskill Mountains of New York where I lived as a child. My sister and Mother are living there in the home we grew up in and my Mom has had multiple strokes and needs around the clock care. My sister has her own business and I could be helpful to both of them, plus the obvious, I’d be damn close to homeless in Miami under the present circumstances. So… I sold everything that I could, gave away even more, packed my Honda mini van to the roof complete with 5 furry felines and all of the art and supplies I could jam into the van and at 12:06 pm pulled out of my driveway and did not look back.
My eyes were filled with tears and I had to stop frequently because I was sobbing and could not see through the tears. I managed to make it to Jacksonville that first day, and already, the mechanical challenges of Mercury retrograde had alternate plans for me. My intention was to drive for 3-4 days and get to my destination safely and without delays. The reality is, it took me a full week to make the trip due to multiple mechanical problems with the van and the consequent delays in getting parts.
*(note: I started writing this post on Dec. 1 and emotionally, was not yet ready to share because the emotional chaos, depression, and shame were too raw. As I progress in the new version of my life, the painful stuff is fading and easier to share. I’ll continue with a bit more of this story in hopes it may help others in the chaos of the financial manipulation of our lives. And I do believe that while I am ultimately responsible for my choices, I was/we all, are victims of predatory lending strategies.
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