Selected Flora and Fauna of Ghana,West Africa

These photos start and end with the Queen of the Night- an amazing flower we had the honor of seeing on three different nights. Each flower blooms for one night only. All that exquisite showiness for a few sweet hours. They certainly reign in the night!

I also caught some baboons, unidentified pink flowers, a beach path, a tiny owl (Elf Owl?) with a mouse, ostriches, an Agama agama (the brilliant lizard), a termite hill, a fresh almond and a crock! I was going to add trees to this, but decided the amazing trees of Ghana deserve a separate post!

A word on the owl. I got that shot on our last night at the beautiful, ocean-side, eco-resort Kasapa Center, outside of Accra. Proprieters Kofi and Susanne are good friends and true visionaries. They began creating this green, sustainable "village-like" resort about ten years ago. They combine traditional African architecture with the latest technologies, such as solar electricity, a bio-dynamic sewage system and modern hygienic compost toilets that work great.

The beauty of the place is only matched by the attentive and caring staff. Everyday, we ate delicious food under a big open air, thatched roof pavilion. One night when Kofi alerted me to the presence of the owl, I left the dining table to get this shot. When I  came back, I mentioned that I knew some African people were afraid of owls. My dear sister-in-law, Naadu said, "All of them are!"

At that point one of the staff looked over my shoulder at the picture. "Oh my, was that taken in our country?" she asked. "Yes, I just took it right over there." She let out a shriek and ran to the kitchen laughing. Susanne and Kofi said they are seeing their night visitor in a new way and are enjoying catching glimpses of him. So I hope I helped rehabilitate the image of the owl a little bit.

We felt blessed to spend our last few days at Kasapa, a slice of heaven, where the Queen of the Night flower presaged the emergence of the true Queen of the Night!

All photos and artwork by Barbara Upton
more photos on Facebook

Ghana Travels

 Along the road from Oguaa to Accra- the reaction after I waved.     B Upton

Enjoying my month stay in sunny, vibrant Ghana. We are visiting family and soaking up the sun and warm hospitality for which Ghanaians are renown. Here is a little photo essay to give you a taste of this beautiful West African country.

    

God's Grace Barberings- You often see scripture embedded in business names- one of my favorites- "Forgive them God They Know Not What They Do Saloon" 

A slow day (Sunday) at Kaneshie Market

This is Accra's central market, down the street. There are 8 million here and on any given day they all seem to be at the Makola

Ghana National Museum

The first is a mask used by the Gelede cult dedicated to paying homage to the spiritual power of elderly and ancestral women. I like that cult. Next to it is a Chi-Wara headdress depicting a half human half antelope that was thought to have taught the ancestors how to farm. The Chi-Wara dance always had a male representing the sun and a female the earth to ensure an abundant farming season. Below are traditional woodcarvings representing communal ideas, myth and proverbial sayings.

And I will leave you for now with some refreshing pictures from the rainforest at Kakum. We had fun walking 100 feet above the ground on swinging rope bridges. The trees and plant life were gorgeous.

 

My step son Jamiles called this tree the Tree of Souls from Avatar!

It did look magical.

Next time- photos and a thoughts on the Cape Coast Slave Castle. One of the most moving experiences I've had since arriving on Xmas day.

Solstice Moon Art

Awakening at the Cathedral of the Crooked Tree  2                                                                                                     B Upton

Lunar Eclipse- Seeing the Shadow                                                                                                                               B Upton

One Light                                                                                                              B Upton

Moonlight through the Trees                                                                                                                                          B Upton

 Last night was the shortest night of the year- and now the light returns- a perfect occasion to reflect on your own inner light and to make a conscious choice to allow more of it to shine in the coming year.

The world has never needed us to be more in our power and light than it does now. What amplifies your Light? What helps you to connect to your spiritual essence? Creative expression, meditation, acts of kindness, prayer, being in nature's glory, sharing, learning, building community...there are countless ways to realign with your deepest and wisest self. Thoughts and actions that increase forgiveness, gentleness, openness and compassion increase your vibration and light!

The other day it dawned on me (I can be slow sometimes) that almost all of my paintings contain a white spherical object, or a little moon. I also have taken many photos of the moon, especially the moon at Solstices, eclipses and super moon phases- so it seemed like a natural idea to combine them digitally in Moon Art.

I hope these images draw you in and help you to connect to

your greater depths, inner beauty and remembrance of the holiness of all life.

Happy Solstice, Merry Holidays and

Endless Peace, Unlimited Joy and Unconditional Love to you in the New Year!

Love,

Barbara

Amplified Moonlight

Amplified Moonlight 1                               B Upton

Amplified Moonlight 2                                 B Upton

In honor of the lunar eclipse that took place yesterday, I am sharing some digital photos I took of the  lunar eclipse from last June at the Solstice.

As you may know from other posts, I love lunar eclipses. I even created a world peace flag that depicts one (not that I consciously knew it at the time)!

Lunar eclipses help us to release old ways of thinking that no longer serve us. They are times of endings and bright, new beginnings. They can bring about flashes of insight that help you make sense of your world and they can illuminate the highest path before you. Their transformative energy stays around for a long time.

In the days of old, Church Fathers (not a mother among them!) thought lunar eclipses were evil and symbolized "wicked" women. AH! Time to reclaim the lunar eclipse, the time when our earth's shadow transverses the moon and turns it coppery red. Time to own our shadow and the collective shadow of humanity. Time to allow the powerful energies of these cosmological events to spur us on to the next level of our evolutionary journey. Time for women everywhere to reclaim their goddess nature as powerful co-creators, protectors and lovers of this world!

I amplified the colors to match the intensity of the energy of the lunar eclipse! After viewing these images I hope you will take a moment to close your eyes and allow an image of healing, meaning or beauty to be revealed to you.

 Sosltice Lunar Eclipse                                                                                                                                                  B Upton

Amplified Moonlight 3                                                                                                                                              B Upton

                                                                                                                                                                                    B Upton

The Awakening at the Cathedral of the Crooked Tree                                                                                                   B Upton

Amplified Moonlight 4                                                                                       B Upton

Just to be accurate a couple of photos from Super Moon at the Spring Equinox showed up and my piece below is semi-transparently superimposed on one of those photos. As I said in that post-

"I hope these pictures will serve as a loving reminder of your own inner beauty, balance and divinity and the role you have to play in these times of transformation."

 Lunar Eclipse Awakening                                                                                                        B Upton

Blessings of Peace, Joy and Love

Barbara

The LOVE Revolution!

 My 25 Year Old Christmas Cactus- a gift from Nan who was a gift to this world and is now making angels laugh      B Upton                                   

If you are really paying attention you know we are in the beginning phases of a revolution- but true to our unprecedented times- it is a revolution like no other before it.

It is a revolution of the heart.

Across the globe, people are wiping the sleep from their eyes, taking deep breaths and starting to once again connect to the earth, one another and their deepest selves. We are connecting to the true and unwavering goodness that resides within us. We are also seeing that inherent goodness in every other person. We are awaking to our divine oneness! We are seeing the world with new eyes- eyes of love and reverence for our small, blue miracle of a planet and we are more passionately assuming our rightful roles as earth's protectors.

We are rapidly evolving from creatures of fear- who distrust, believe in scarcity and who are quick to violence, to people who create their lives from love- who radiate compassion, vitality, creativity and joy. It begins with making peace with yourself- honoring and loving every aspect of who you are, forgiving those who hurt you and forgiving yourself (although on a spiritual level- there is nothing to forgive).

When we open our hearts to ourselves, we are able to open them to our brothers and sisters across the globe. We no longer project our rejected and hated parts onto to others and instead recognize our shared humanity. We reconnect to our responsibility to make this world a better place for all.

What flows from making peace with ourselves is that we also make peace with time. We are able to experience the eternal now- the peace of being in the present moment, without struggle or worries. I'll be writing more about this in future posts.

The LOVE Revolution is birthing a new human- one connected, at peace, intuitive, compassionate, passionate about justice and unafraid. It is a challenging time, but also an exciting time to be alive... filled with the promise of a more just, sane, loving and sustainable world!

Occupy the Planet!

Grateful

My "Fanciful" Lizards                                                                                                                                          B Upton

I have always loved Thanksgiving- one of the more laid back Holidays where we get to enjoy good company, good food and the pleasure of thinking about all that is right in our lives.

When I count my blessings, people come first- my beloved family, all my loved ones and good friends and the friends I have yet to meet! I am thankful for.the gift of life itself and for our beautiful and sacred earth. I am thankful for the time we are living in, which although challenging, is also full of  promise. I am grateful that a new world is possible that works for everyone and that humanity is awakening and will not stop until they create it! I am thankful for open hearts, for the eternal possibility of forgiveness and for the unconditional love that permeates our universe and is the ground of our being.

To bring it all down to earth, I am grateful for the conversation I just had with my 8 year old grandson, the oldest of my three little darlings. We talked for well over an hour on subjects ranging from caught critters (he estimates he has caught over 100 geckos- which he eventually frees)  pets like Honey Bear (a little dog who has the face of a bear and who is fun to cuddle with) to the stop motion animation he has posted on YouTube and to to art in general. That's when it got very interesting. I asked if he ever considered drawing a picture of one of the geckos.

"Oh, yes, I have" was his reply.

I told him I'd send him a colored pencil drawing I had done of lizards years ago. Then I remembered how "psychedelic" they were and thought it necessary to add,

"They are rather fanciful and don't look like "real" lizards."

He paused and then sagely said, "There is no right or wrong in art- that's what makes it art."

How wonderful and liberating and a long way from the way I was "taught" art. When I was in the first grade, my teacher slapped me across the face because I was not keeping up with the other students in drawing a tree. She told us to draw a line and put a circle on top. I thought to myself, a tree does not look like a lollipop! So I drew 2 lines for the trunk and was filling them in when...

My grandson informed me that he drew all the time and we decided to make a pact- I'd send him my drawing of lizards and he would send me his "as soon as possible". We also discovered that we both love sea horses.

"Do you know it is not the female that carries their young?" he asked.

When I suggested we might both try our artistic hand with them as well, he said, "You just read my mind!"

He mentioned that my artwork is hanging in his great-grandparents house. When I told him I painted them nearly 40 years ago, he exclaimed, "Your art has been hanging for two generations!"

He also told me of a car he painstakingly made for his dad who "loves cars" for Father's Day and that he had written DAD on the sides of it.

"My dad said it was the best present he ever got," he told me proudly.

Here is to innocence, creativity, passion and hope. Here is to future generations! May we redouble our efforts to create a better world for all the precious children everywhere.

The Gecko Catcher Himself

And with his dad, my son

Here is my post from last Thanksgiving- Our Universe, Ourselves, which is my most popular one. It is quite different from this year, but the wish remains the same-

May you have a delightful day filled with goodness, warmth and love. May the blessings of connectedness, plenty and love reach more and more people around the world.

Occupy Your Heart

I referred to Occupy Wall Street as a Revolution of Love in another post and I think this video sums it up well. Also, here are two videos I recently  did. One is of our own local encampment at Occupy Poughkeepsie. A few of us gave them a hand in having a March and Rally to show community solidarity on Nov 12. The mostly, young folks who are occupying struck us with their intelligence, insights, organization and compassion. People from the neighborhood often drop by and if they are hungry they are fed. If you are in the Hudson Valley please join them for a General Assembly everyday at noon and 7PM and visit them at occupypoughkeepsie.org. We know police are cracking down across the country, often violently, against peaceful protesters, so we want local officials to know we stand with our local occupiers!




And here is one from last Thursday- in which over 32,000 rallied in Foley Square and then went across the Brooklyn Bridge.



 

Occupy Wall St.

Here is 1 reason to join the movement.....
The U.S. Census says the number of children living in poverty in the U.S. rose by 1 million last year. Nearly 1 in 3 children, 33% now live in households considered poor. At the same time the 400 richest people in America – our nation’s oligarchs – have never had it so good, they control more weath than 150 million Americans.
400 people with more wealth than 150 million. Many children in poverty so they can have billions. Sickening.
We simply will not allow this to continue. We are rising up.

"You cannot evict an idea whose time has come."

Blessings of Peace, Faith and Perseverance

11-11-11 Portal to the New Earth

On Friday, we will experience 11-11-11-11-11-11 (11seconds, 11 minutes after the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year) something that will not happen again for one hundred years! I have written before on the 11:11 phenomena in which millions (some say 75 million) are seeing 11:11 on digital clocks with almost supernatural regularity! I started seeing 11:11 about 15 years ago and have always viewed it as a reassuring sign that all is well. Some feel 11:11 is the trademark of a group of 1,111 fun-loving spirit guides- here to remind us that we are not alone, powerful beyond measure and on track in aligning with our highest, truest and most loving Selves.

Now I see 11:11 everywhere! For instance, I just noticed that the human butterfly crop circle above is a depiction of the evolving human standing between two (slightly wavy) 11's. Now I also see many 11:11's in the piece "Sacred Pond" I did below (which I was not aware of while creating it). Eleven is a spiritual Master number representing illumination, deep insight and great power - so yes, I think the 11-11-11 date at this critical juncture in time is of great significance!

I believe that on 11:11:11 there will be a light-filled infusion of loving energy sweeping around the world. By centering and raising your vibration through meditation, song, dance, or other ways- you will be able to help ground this divine and blissful energy into your being and into the body of the earth. You will also be able to experience a sacred doorway that opens into higher dimensional reality- to a place where you remember that you are pure love and eternally safe.

Some of us are called to join in groups (in the Hudson Valley- the Dreaming Goddess, in Pok at 11AM, Sonic Alchemy Chamber at 7:30PM at Mountain Waldorf School) to usher in these energies. Some may just feel a strong pull to be in nature alone, or with one or two close friends. Listen to your heart. The physical way you honor this sacred day is not as important as the intention you bring to it. I believe this will be a day of amplified energy- whatever intention you have will be strengthened and come into manifestation more quickly. So it is important to hold the highest vision for yourself and for the world and you will automatically be linked to all who are doing the same.

Meditation for 11-11-11 beginning at 11AM  in your timezone- 

so the energy raised can sweep across the planet!

Take long, deep breaths- letting go of thoughts, worries and cares on every exhale. Inhale peace. Let go of any tension in your body each time you breathe out. Just let it go. If your inner-critic, or inner-cynic starts yakking- simply observe it as "thinking" and go back to your breath. Breathe in peace, relaxation and love. Exhale anger, anxiety and doubt. Inhale freedom. Exhale fear. As you feel more relaxed, allow feelings of deep contentment and calm to flow over you and through you.

Now extend your "roots" down into Mother Earth and draw her nourishing, healing energy into your body bringing harmony and perfect functioning to every cell. As you fill with vital, life-giving (female) earth energy also reach up to the heavens, allowing "branches" to grow from your head and reaching up past the moon and the stars. Inhale and  connect with the luminous and loving (male) sky energy. Feel these beautiful energies meet and merge in your heart and bask in the light that is created when you connect to these vast and infinitely loving energies (you are simply connecting to your greater Self).

Hold a vision for the highest and most loving future you can imagine. See all people living in peace, happy, fed, clothed and housed, with good health care, quality education, decent work, freedom, love and dignity. See the earth restored, with a booming green energy economy, safe, natural and nutritious foods, clean waters, rich topsoil, fresh air and with all people having deep respect for the planet and all the life it supports. See yourself at peace. Acknowledge that you are indeed "good enough", and that you utterly belong and are needed on this planet at this time. Vow to bring more of this peace into your everyday life.

Feel your connection to all the other humans on earth who are joining with you on this sacred day to begin the birth of a new, more sane and compassionate humanity Each of you is a point of pure Loving Light- see the points connect creating a dazzling grid of beautiful light all over the planet. Know that this light represents our Waking Planet and that you are an irreplaceable part of it all.

Slowly, begin to be aware of sounds and sights in the place you are in. Come back feeling more whole, harmonious and content. Bring more awareness to your ability to reach this state whenever you choose. Know that on a heart level you are now connected to an ever growing body of souls dedicated to the Great Shift of the Ages that is now upon us. May we all provide each other strength, love, perseverance and joy in these transformational times. May we all be at peace.

You Are Love. You Are Loved.

 

Love, Barbara

PS This is  the Double Rainbow of the Waking Planet image that came to me after 9/11. It too represents the portal to peace we are about to walk through. 

SEE YOU (BE WITH YOU) 11AM on 11:11:11!