Fairy of Love for Your Way

“Everyone should sit quietly each day and feel what makes them tick.” 

This quote was said by my friend, Mark Utter.  I thought of it as soon as I picked at random from my Bluebird Fairy Deck this wonderful fairy:

I love her fun, easy demeanor and that big heart in her chest gives a big hint to the secret of finding one’s own, unique way of being human.

Yesterday, I was doing something I love which is to forage for food near where I live.  Brian and I have most recently been feasting on Fiddlehead Fern Tacos, Dandelion Fritters and drinking Nettle tea. 

Filled with the excitement of foraging I opened a book a friend turned us on to last year, “The Wild Wisdom of Weeds” written by Katrina Blair. She’s an amazing woman who LOVES plants and feels the ones we need most are right around us. In her preface she shares a creation myth in which all sentient earth life explodes from the inside of a giant spider. 

“Every creature was born with a unique and special gift to share with the world.  The gift revealed itself when each creature followed the passionate feeling of joy found deep within its heart.  This passion was a guide for living in health and happiness”

Last week the Bridging Program students I work with at Champlain Community Services had a GALA to culminate the formal programming of this year’s “new and improved” program.  In it, their individual and group successes, of which there were many, were shared with a large audience in our beautiful, grand hallway.

In these exciting and wonderful moments of presentational sharing I am reminded that what allows this work I do with people to happen is love.  It starts when I first meet them, accept them and provide a safe places for them to feel who they are.  And then I do this again and again, every time I see them.  Once comfortable with who they are, they can then share their gifts with the world. 

Can you sit still today and get comfortable and still enough to hear your heart tick? 

Try it.  Seek no answers. Just the ease to be you.

Then go outside and find something to eat.

Fondly,

Emily and the Bluebird Fairies

Bluebird Fairies is going to have “store hours” on Wednesday Nights starting in June (though not on the 15th) in “The Made in BTV Shop” in the Howard Building at 4 Howard street (near its intersection with Pine street).  If you’d like a fairy card reading or have another “Fairy” related idea please contact me or just stop in. 

Also, we’re at Arts Riot's Truck Stop in Burlington twice a month.  Take note of our dates and stop on it for a Fairy Card reading and more.

Feeding Your Bird Relationships

Hello Friends of Bluebird Fairies and a big welcome to all the newcomers to our blog. 

I'm doing a short stint of writings focused on a trip I took to Colorado in April to see my nieces, cousins, Uncle, friends and people of interest.  All of my blog postings feature a fairy pulled at random from the Bluebird Fairy Deck.  So, each Colorado thought is inspired by the fairy that appears.

Today's fairy is:

Oh, I love her, her delightful smile and fun dress. She’s got a fun “story of origin” that I’m sure I’ll share with you at some point.  Today she reminds me of a walk I took with my cousins in Colorado Springs through a beautiful golf course behind their house.  It was just starting to become dusk and we saw a dark blue bird fly by and sit in a tree.  I'm not sure if it was an Indigo Bunting or a Western Bluebird.  Either way it was a total delight as the only blue birds I’ve seen in real life are Blue Jays.

Today I’m off to do a Workshop called “Putting Your Personal Fairies and Demons to Work” for Green Mountain Self Advocates’ Voices and Choices Conference.  GMSA is a state-wide advocacy organization that support the minds, bodies and spirits of people who experience a variety of “disabilities”.  The theme of the conference is “Work” so we’ll be Demons and Fairies inspired by difficult situations and positive hopes and actions.  I’m really excited to see what happens and all that is created.

The Arts Riot Truck Stop is starting on Friday May 20th.  I will be there approximately twice a month so check the Seven Days or my website event page to see what dates I’m there.  The other dates I’ll be doing “Private Parties”.  So, book one soon if you’re interested!!
I look forward to seeing and hearing from you soon.

Keep your eyes open for Blue Birds!!!

Fondly,
Emily and Bluebird Fairies

Oh My Heart Just Keeps Singing

Hello Dear Friends of Bluebird Fairies,

I had a GREAT trip to Colorado.  To continue maximizing the effects of that adventure I’m going to devote my next 8 blog postings to it.  I’ll do this by drawing a fairy from the Bluebird Fairy Deck and allowing it to determine the story I tell.

This dear fairy---

---sums up the experience I had reconnecting with my 13 year-old niece, Sullivan, and her little sister, Rowan.  They now live in a cool house up in the mountainous countryside near Boulder and just a few miles from the Peak-to-Peak Highway.  It “makes my heart sing” to know they have this wonderful home in their lives.  It’s well maintained and yet holds a nice funky feel to it.  Most importantly, it has a direct connection with nature.  The mountains, moose, deer, elk and so much more are so very near.

Are there places in the world that you connect with deeply in a natural and magical way?

I hope you find and visit, whether in spirit or body, these places whenever you can.

Fondly,

Emily and the Bluebird Fairies

 

Around the Edges of Oddness

Dear Friends of Bluebird Fairies,

We've had some glorious spring-like weather days in Vermont.  Then we curved back into winter for some surprise snow and cold and wind. Today, a Saturday, is a gift of warm, hopeful sun.  This morning my fairy was 'The Fairy of Today' and she’s helping me dust off the weariness from my work week and easily look brightly towards the future.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of offering 'Fairy Card Readings' at the 8th Burlington Yoga Conference on the top floor of the UVM’s Davis Center.  I loved my conversations with people poised for self-transformation.  The fairies in my Bluebird Deck are excellent participants in these talks.  Just the right fairy arrives, at the right time, in our 3-card readings. 

For today's posting I drew (during last week’s conference) from the Bluebird Fairy Deck this wonderful down to earth fairy: 

Oh, she's a welcome sight.  Yes, we can all identify with the feeling of oddness in our lives, can't we? Many of us are reminded of the strong emotions we had when we were young that, for whatever reason, we were not 'fitting in' with the rest of our peers. Not wearing the right sneakers or having pants that were too short were huge dividers when a I was young.

The phrase, 'around the edges of oddness', comes from a man named Tracy Thresher.  Tracy has autism and types to communicate.  He's a co-star in the movie Wretches and Jabberers. 

A couple of summers ago, I was enhancing my skills supporting people who use Supported Typing by working with Tracy and other members of the Communication Alliance down in Barre, Vermont. 

 That summer, everyone in our group of 'Typers' and 'Communication Supporters' began to realize that my favorite thing to do was going out to lunch.  I don't usually like being in restaurants like the ones we frequented because they often don't have the food I prefer to eat.  But, these experiences had so much more to offer.  They reminded me of going to diners with my deaf grandparents where I got to play the role of being their interpreter.  In this case, the men from the Communication Alliance didn't need interpretation they just needed support for their words to flow out.

The waiter or waitress would invariably approach our table with a nervous look.  As each guy typed out his friendly greeting and eloquently ordered his meal their face would bloom into easy happiness. In those moments you saw two human beings connecting with each other. 

Tracy after one of these lunches said 'Why are you so happy at these meals?  When I told him, he typed   'Yeah, our iPads help them get around the edges of our oddness'.

We all have varying degrees of oddness and it's all relative to our life situations and the experiences we gravitate into.  I believe we all have the ability to own the oddness, embrace it, because it’s ours, and seek ways to move through it. And whenever you can, seek ways to connect with others who might be feeling a little odd today. It eases the edges around us all.

 I just did a new t-shirt printing of this fairy over at Amalgamated Culture Works. So, if you are a woman, or someone who loves a fitted V-neck cut, who would LOVE to have a shirt for yourself or a friend. Please drop me a line. 

Fun projects are on the horizon.  I'm starting to do 'Fairy Card Parties' so please be on the lookout for more information about them if you're thinking about gathering some girlfriends together for a fun night. 

Keep tuning in and taking your innate wisdom into all you do.

Fondly,

Emily and the Bluebird Fairies

"Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing is a field.  I'll meet you there when the soul lies down. In that grass the world is too full to talk about."  -Rumi

The Fairy of Bluebird

Hello Dear Friends of Bluebird Fairies,

I hope this blog posting finds you all in growing-lighter-by-the-day spirits.  In these times filled with a mixture of decay and huge promise it’s important to let the growing light open our minds and float our hearts upward!

Today’s fairy is-

I’ve written about how I consult Ted Andrews’ book Nature-Speak when I need information on flowers, trees and land formations. I do the same with his Animal Speak whenever an animal comes into my life.   Ted provides an overall (Keynote) attribute for the animal and then a wonderful mixture of fact, lore and meaning.  I always find resonance in his writings for what’s happening in my life and those around me.

I’ve never seen a Bluebird so I’ve never read what Ted has to say about them. The other day we were surprised to see a Red-winged Blackbird outside our window.  As I headed towards the listing for “Blackbird” I paused at “Bluebird” and read it. Wow.

The “Bluebird in our name”, Bluebird Fairies, was inspired by Charles Bukowski’s poem “Bluebird”.  It’s rough and sweet.  Definitely take a listen to his growly voice reciting it. 

I believe we, like Charles, all have bluebirds in our hearts. They’re our unique, sweet way of being human.  It’s my belief that Bluebird Fairies and the fairies each of us draw to express positive parts of ourselves assist our bluebirds to come out and greet the world with strength, confidence and lots of practical light-heartedness.

So what does Ted Andrews have to say about “Bluebirds” and is there a connection?

Oh, it is SO perfect.

Its overall meaning is “modesty, unassuming confidence and happiness” says Ted Andrews. He then goes on to say “the bluebird is a native bird of North America.  Although once common they are now quite rare. This is a reminder that we are born to happiness and fulfilment but we often get lost and wrapped up in the everyday events of our lives.

“ If bluebird has come into your life look for opportunities to touch the joyful and intrinsically native aspects of yourself that you may have lost touch with.”

Onward we go.  Whether sitting still or flying, you deserve happiness, confidence and to always be in touch with your true, funny, fun self.

Be well and I will too!

Fondly,

Emily and Bluebird Fairies

Announcements:

Interested in supporting Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign?  Please check out my “Fairies for Bernie”.

Our Bluebird Fairy Decks now come with a wooden “Fairy of the Day” stand.  If you already have a deck and need one, please contact me.