As I began to open, I started to feel my root chakra expanding, as my roots began sinking deeply into the earth. As my body became relaxed and free of thoughts, I invited my body to open naturally, inviting all my cells to awaken.

Within moments, I saw a vision of a temple. What started out to be one temple, became many. As I reached out for a paintbrush, I spontaneously dipped it into the paint, while witnessing the paintbrush dancing freely upon the paper.

Before my eyes, a temple came to life. A fire red dome-shaped structure appeared with an arched doorway in the center. Inside the doorway, I saw several beings of light beginning to form. Below the temple, a giant orange triangle birthed, naturally grounding the structure within Mother Earth. On both sides of the temple, soil appeared with seeds waiting patiently to be planted.

As I held the painting up to witness as an opportunity to feel it’s essence, I could feel my roots deepening within the earth’s soil, through the crust of Mother Earth in a very graceful, yet powerful way. I then placed the painting upon the altar, to “be” for a while, moving forward with the next adventure of my day.

A few days later, I arrive in Topanga Canyon for a co-creative meeting with some of my allies and partners. The intention was to gather, share and potentially plant the seeds for new projects and creative endeavors. Upon arrival, I couldn’t help but notice the amazing doorway before me. The front door to the house was carved with intricate designs and adorned with a three dimensional buddhist sculpture functioning as a door handle, graciously there to greet it’s guests.

As I walked into this magical space, I felt the presence of a temple. It was abundant with life and creativity. The walls and hidden nooks were adorned with wild animal sculptures, masks and metal artwork of sacred beings. Each room felt unique. The house was comprised of many temples within it. The doorways to the office, bedroom and bathroom all had arched shaped openings that invited one feel as if they were entering it’s own separate temple, and yet they were all connected as one. The bathroom was divine! The bathtub was surrounded by windows, perched upon a cliff, with walls painted the color of sunshine and a feeling of being on top of the world.

As I witnessed and felt inside this great temple, I spontaneously awakened to the gifts of the painting that birthed a few days before. When we are what we are there is unlimited freedom in how we relate and how magic is created in our lives. There are no limitations to what we can be and how and what we choose to create.

In Joy,

Ali-Sun Trees

All week long, I was excited about this reunion, wondering what it would feel like to be there again. It had been over 30 years since I had stepped foot on the land. I always felt the land in my heart and saw it in my visions, but to actually be there physically was a dream come true.

As we made our way down a long country road, my first impression was that everything seemed bigger than I remembered. The entrance was completely different, as I felt like a stranger in a strange land. It is now referred to as Running Luck Ranch.

Upon arrival, Tyler and I introduced ourselves to the land owner, Vern. We met him in his office, which was the same trailer the caretakers lived in years before. His kindness towards me as well as my excitement to see the land seemed to dissolve all energy of cigar and cigarette smoke looming in the air. After a good half hour of conversation, he invited  Tyler and I to visit with the land. I couldn’t get out the door fast enough. I was so excited.

As I walked out the door and down the steps towards the house we had lived in, I started to feel a familiar sense around me. Everything was the same as I remembered. I walked past our old house, then past the pasture where I used to watch the foals being born in the early hours. Yes, and my beloved hay barn, where I met my first rattlesnake. The hay barn was so much fun. We used to build forts out of the hay and hang out until it got dark.

The moment I looked out over the bluff, I was like a kid in a candy store. I couldn’t get enough of this place. I knew it would be neat, but Wow! This was extraordinary. This was way beyond childhood memories. It felt like paradise to me! Out in the distance, I could see the river, the horses, and the various trees along the river. Everything felt so familiar. I was home. To my surprise, I saw peacocks roaming freely on the land and mingling with the horses. Amazing!

After greeting the horses, and showing Tyler around the land, I felt drawn to visit with the river. As I went off on my own to explore, I began to feel my roots sinking deep into the earth as my whole being expanded. As I began to relax and slow down from all the excitement, I started to tune in with the land. Any sense of time disappeared, as I could see and hear more clearly the details of nature.

Ahead in the distance, I notice two hawks flying above. They were calling out towards me. Simultaneously, out of the corner of my eye, I see and feel three race horses galloping towards me at full speed. They were flying! I stood very still, even though I knew there was a wooden fence between us. The energy was so powerful! The peacocks were even chiming in. They all succeeded in getting my attention. It was quite a magical moment. And then, as I looked over to my right, there SHE stood.

Mama Oak was standing there in all her beauty. Wow! What a wonderful surprise to see her again. I felt energy rising throughout my whole being as I felt immense love and gratitude in her presence. In her reflection, I could see who and what I am and what I have always been. She was one of my greatest teachers and friends in childhood. Being in her presence again was the most wonderful reflections of beauty, graciousness, and timelessness. I spent most of my visit with her, enjoying the river and the shade she provided.

While enjoying the spaciousness of the visit, I could feel that soon it would be time for me to be on my way. As I stood up from sitting with mama oak and walking a bit along the path, I received a call from Tyler graciously letting me know that it was time to go and that the owner needed to lock the gate for the night and that it was time for me to make my way up the hill, now.

I felt such gratitude for these moments shared with the land, while also feeling a little tugging on my heart knowing that this may be the last time I would visit with the land, physically. As I walked along the path, I thanked the mama oak tree, the nature spirits, the horses, the peacocks, and the ancient spirits of the land for our time together. The three horses raced towards me as they did in our initial greeting. I then invited all the beautiful beings of the land to call on me any time if they choose.

A few mornings later, two hawks greeted me in a dream. As I looked around, there I was again on this wonder filled land.
In JOY,
Ali-Sun Trees

By the time, my friends and I reached the trail head, I felt more energized and ready for a longer adventure. On our way, I was pointing out to my friends the poison oak patches, as well as mugwort, which is a great remedy in case one gets poison oak. There was quite a bit of poison oak around on the trail heading towards the creek. As we approached the creek, we began the fun of rock hopping with eagerness to see what lies ahead.  From the beginning, I could feel myself letting go of some old layers and tension in my body. As I let go of my tiredness, I felt the stress surfacing. I could feel where I was not being very present and just trapsing along. This was the greatest opportunity for me to grow and my ally, the poison oak, to come in to greet me. More like meeting me with a kick in the ass. The invitation came, when I found a great place among the rocks, what appeared to be a little island of sand and privacy. It was the perfect place. So, I took off my backpack, and peed. No problem, right. Wrong! As I prepared to leave the spot, I turned and looked to my side as I saw this poison oak plant wavy back at me. What? I didn’t even see this coming. I must have spaced out over the plant, not even seeing it.  Wow! I didn’t even feel it touch my skin.

When I got home that evening, the first thing I did was take a shower. No sign of rash at this point. In fact, 3 days later I didn’t feel it. I pretty much had put it out of my thoughts. The 4th day, I started to itch and then the next day more, until it had fully arrived. 2 weeks of itchy, burning, hair raising irritations. Sleeping, which is one of my favorite things to do, became my least. I couldn’t sit much, for it was by my butt. Clothes against the skin felt like sandpaper. It’s amazing how just a few small spots of this rash can go a long way.

As I went through the irritability of my reaction to the rash, I came to realize that this was the perfect gift for me. It helped me to see the places where I have been emotionally invested in stress, that I would normally hold in and keep to myself. I was letting go of so much trauma and old energy, all at once. I could feel the heat and anger that wanted so badly to be expressed, yet I had not been able to quite get to that surface so easily. It was a challenging experience, but as I began to see it as an opportunity to heal and since there were signs that it was fading, I became more relaxed and allowed myself to really feel and express my feelings and emotions more freely.

As I was running errands around town, I even shared with a few people of the poison oak rash and just by doing so I felt better. It felt great to just share, to say it out loud what I was experiencing, being true to the moment and to the people I would come into contact with; even people I had just met for the first time. So, poison Oak a curse or a gift? For me, I’d say a gift, in this experience. I feel more expansive, free, personal and open, when I opened to the opportunity of the experience. It was also great for my paintings, since standing and creating felt the most comfortable and supportive thing to do at the time.

In those moments, I opened to what it would be like to share my reality with others and how would this be a gift for others. How can something as simple as being, and enjoying the moment be a benefit for everyone? And now, as I write this I think of Ananda Maya Ma, the spiritual being from India, who was an inspiration for  many. Just by being in her presence, everything would awaken. People are known to have had spontaneous openings in her presence, healing sickness and unhappiness. Her blissfulness inspired others to feel the happiness and joy, within.

This is just too easy, I thought to myself. Can being what I am be so easy, effortless, and natural that it inspires others to be who and what they are? and we can all live abundantly by by doing so and be happy?

Our ride out to the Wolf Sanctuary was beautiful. As we drove through the desert we saw the most amazing rocks and spring flowers blanketing the sides of the road. At first glance, the long and dusty road felt quite desolate, yet I could see and feel that the presence of the desert was truly alive. I drove out with new friends and got to know them pretty well in those two hours. It was truly an adventure! As we arrived to our destination, we headed down a rickety road; it was an interesting road, for it was a road that appeared to go on for miles. In fact, it was the only road that could be seen for miles and went on for miles.

As we pulled into the driveway, I was reminded of my Grateful Dead days, with campers in the front yard, cars, and dogs running around. We were happily greeted by the friends and family of the Wolf Sanctuary. They were hard at work, preparing a big Easter Feast. Naturally, we were all excited to meet the wolves and upon entering the house we shared our gifts of food and herbs to the hostess, who’s name is Little Wolf. Little Wolf is a native woman of the Apache tribe. Her grandfather was an Apache chief, and at a young age she opened to a unique relationship with the wolves. Her life story is quite an inspiration in that her life is dedicated to supporting the wolves and their well being. Little Wolf has taken in many wolves into her home over the years and her intention is to purchase some land for them to roam free within the space that she will be creating. This will provide an opportunity for the wolves to live more naturally within a supportive space for their growth and families to come.

As we entered the front door, we were greeted by smiles and kindness. It was a great honor to be invited into their home on Easter and to have the opportunity to spend time with the wolves. With the kitchen in a bit of chaos, in excitement of the preparation of this meal, they excitedly hurried our greetings and offered us to visit outside, where the wolves were. After we shared our gifts with “Little Wolf” and got to know each other a little bit, we were guided to a table, where we would sign our lives away! We were asked to sign a waiver, basically a waiver to say that we are responsilbe for our own well being. We also learned about the do’s and don’t’s of being in relationship with the wolves. Even though they are somewhat domesticated, they are still very wild! As there were others in line to visit with the wolves, we were told we would need to wait our turn. That we did.

As we were gettting to know the lay of the land, we were guided to the outside of one of the pins, quite a large one, where a few of the wolves were playing. They were incredible. We were taught that each wolf had a particular role within the pack and that some of the wolves have the ability to heal. They are considered the shaman wolves. On the drive out, my new friend, shared an experience with me about how one of the wolves came to her and lied by her side for hours, assisting in a healing that changed her life. She shared that there were many stories of how this happened, spontaneously, again and again. Little Wolf shared more about these experiences and upon entering the pin, she mentioned that we may experience a particular wolf inviting us to engage with him or her. We learned that the protocol was for the wolf to make contact and that if she comes to any of us, to allow him/her to sniff and feel us. It was very important to not approach the wolf without invitation. She went on to share that many times the wolves will signal to Little Wolf to bring someone to them; For Little Wolf is the alpha of the pack and they respect her as their own.

As it turned out, Easter became a day filled with many tourists. This was not expected, but was greatly appreciated by Little Wolf, for the people that arrived shared gifts, such as money and food for the wolves. It was truly amazing to witness the spontaneous and abundant nature of this day. With the waves of people coming by, a couple of the family members decided to set out their stones and sacred objects as an offering to the tourists to purchase. Because there was such a steady flow of people, we were asked to wait several hours for our time with the wolves, since we would be there for the whole day. This gave us an opportunity to really come into relationship with the land and to enjoy each other. It turned out to be a hot day, which was a bit of a challenge, but it was part of the experience. It truly is amazing to experience nature in the heat. Everything seems to come alive in the heat, while time slows down.

After a few hours of locating shady spots and drinking lots of water to keep hydrated, we were invited by Little Wolf  to meet the wolves. We had, in those few hours met several wolves, from outside of the pins, but now it was our turn to be with them in their habitat. This particular pin we were being invited into was quite large and had about 4 wolves inside it. We were a fairly big sized group, for they added more to our group at the last minute; about 10 people. As Little Wolf led us into the pin, I could feel an energetic shift within my whole being. I was feeling some anxiety as I entered, and I knew that was natural given the wild nature of these wolves, and it being my first visit. It kind of felt like that first rush one feels jumping in the ocean and feeling the coldness and liberating feeling of being in the ocean. All of my sensations awakened, naturally and spontaneously.

Upon entering, Little Wolf guided a few of us over to one of the wolves that was lying on a platform. He was truly amazing and BIG and beautiful. We were invited to pet him. As we were connecting with the wolf, I was feeling the wolf with my hand and with my whole being, becoming aware of his presence. There were about four of us petting him at the same time. it was a really neat experience. A great way to bond with friends, too!

Moments later, Little Wolf approaches me. She grabs me by my shirt, not the most gracious of ways, however I could feel that it was an honor. She takes me by the arm, and says “Come here”. She then guided me to stand in a particular spot with the wolf. Seconds later, I hear some commotion in the corner of the pin. It’s Little Wolf; she fell down. It was completely unexpected, and as a couple of her friends rushed to her side, they escorted her out of the pin. OK, so Little Wolf  is the alpha of the pack, and it is protocol to be with her or someone that has a relationship with the wolves. Here we are, without our alpha, or at least the unknown of who is the alpha, in this moment, and not to mention all this excitement about “Little Wolf” and her personal crisis. Can you say Wild! WOW! Everyone was actually quite calm, and at the same time not all that present with the situation.

I could hear people talking among themselves and not really being present with what was happening, and so spontaneously I walked over to the woman that was now in charge, one that knows and relates with the wolves, naturally. In that moment, I asked her if she would call a silence in the pin so that we could ground the energy and invite a shift in the energy. At first, the request of silence was met with resistance, but after a few minutes, everyone settled in and felt appreciative of the opportunity. In this moment, I could feel why Little Wolf brought me to the wolf, before she collapsed.

After a few moments of quiet meditation, something extraordinary happened. I could feel the gravity of the land, the wolves, and us all connecting as one great energetic web. It was incredible. I felt the earth move and roll and shake underneath my feet. I could feel and see how this was affecting Little Wolf. The energy was quite intense. In these moments, I knew that we were all called to be here together to stabilize the energy and support the openings that were awakening. I could feel the presence of all of nature, God and the whole Universe supporting this shift, as I saw in great detail, what it was that we were healing and opening. I saw inside of what Little Wolf was healing and I also felt what the wolves were opening to. The wolves were holding space for Little Wolf to heal and beyond that, to create their new life opportunity. We were all receiving a healing at this time. There was mutuality everywhere. Everything felt so timeless, in those moments. It felt as if we were in slow motion and that everything was focused on this one expansive moment. We held this space until the energy became calm and subtle. It felt like everyone could feel a shift, even those that were outside of the pin. As the energy relaxed and harmonious, we completed and shared a deep appreciation with one another. We could feel that this part of our visit was complete and with that we thanked the wolves, and exited the pin. It was extremely powerful to feel this extraordinary shift and how the land, animals and people felt changed.

After our experience, in the pin, with the wolves, we enjoyed the simple nature of being on the land. Now that we were even more present and open to the desert, the wolves, the people, we began to see other amazing creatures like the roadrunners and the presence of snake that were most likely around. We then shared in the Easter Celebration, which was filled with laughter and entertainment. It was really special and an honor to be a part of it all.

Following the feast, a woman and new friend, and companion of the wolves invited me to go back to visit with the wolves and offer them some treats from our meal together. Just her and I.  I agreed with some hesitation, and as I followed her out, I started to feel quite anxious about the idea. Her partner even showed some apprehension to her inviting me in the pin without Little Wolf, since I just had met the wolves that day. We decided to proceed and entered the pin. I chose to stay close to the exit door. I felt safer that way. My friend went further in. I could feel the energy was a little off, so I stayed in one spot. A few moments later, the wolves came to me, and sniffed me. They sniffed my lower body. I felt extremely vulnerable. I could feel a wave of fear flowing through me energetically and physically. I could feel the wolves love and at the same time, I could feel that we weren’t so much invited. We both agreed it was time to go and made our way back to the door. We thanked the wolves for the visit and started to walk away. When we were a few steps away, two of the wolves came to the gate and started to howl. They looked directly at me; I was told that they were howling at me in honor of what had happened that day. “Thank you”, I replied to my new friends of the desert.

As we first felt her presence, Carolyn shared that she could feel that this mama Oak is the guardian of this particular forest and even beyond the expression of this forest. We could feel how she has the capacity to feel and communicate with trees across the planet, spontaneously. She felt like a universal and a God being, completely. We were both in awe. We felt her to be about  a 600-800 year old tree. As we grew in her presence, we both chose to sit with the tree for a while in our own space to relate with the tree.

After some  time, I got up from the spot I was sitting, which was below the trunk of the tree and made my way towards Carolyn where she was sitting, among many wildflowers, blending in with the landscape. As I started to walk towards her, Carolyn could see all the fairey’s gathering around me. I could feel their presence too, for I felt like I was glowing with little beings all around me. In that moment, I made my way closer to the trunk of the tree, where I sat facing my dear friend. From the moment I sat down, I could feel my body open completly, while feeling an expansiveness so beyond, time and space. I could also feel the Mama Oak, as a partner. We were all connecting as One.

Carolyn and I  began to engage in the wisdom we were experiencing by being in the trees presence. We started to share about relationships and that when we share from a unitive and loving space, that everyone and everything has the opportunity to grow and heal, spontaneously. We spoke of the unlimited nature of how we choose to be in relationship with humanity, nature and the universe. In the sharing, we could feel our true nature as the words flowed freely and with clarity from our whole beings. We could feel an energetic shift that was opening naturally, while feeling in partnership with the Mama Tree. We were all opening together and it felt wonderful.

I shared with Carolyn that isn’t it wonderful that when we choose to relate as what we are only, then we become simply an expression of that, nothing else. If we choose for our bodies to be an expression of health and vitality, it is our choice. As we truly accept this as what we are completely, in detail, we are free and beyond free. This is our choice.

I enjoyed a beautiful drive up in the mountains and upon driving back down, I felt inspired to stop and visit with a beautiful grassy meadow. I parked the truck, and enjoyed the silence, listening to the sounds of the birds, while feeling into the opening that was the opportunity of the day. I can feel that my life is changing in new ways and I am in the place of not knowing, which can be both exciting as well as a little challenging. As I let go of the places where I just want to know, I remember the beauty of not knowing. It is the stillness in these moments, that invite us to see with new clarity.

As I walked down the path, I came towards an Oak tree. In this Oak trees presence, I experienced sweet moments of joy. As, I began to feel more relaxed and open,  I noticed a bird flying swiftly right by me into the bushes ahead, directly in front of me. He was beautiful. I could feel by his presence that he was a red-tailed hawk. He stood on a branch, doing his thing, perhaps searching for food. For a few moments, we exchanged greetings with one another. It was a very sweet graceful meeting, nothing extraordinary, simply and ordinary moment.

As I opened my eyes and heart to the gift of this red-tailed hawks presence, I listened and asked what the opportunity of this moment is? Has he come to share a message with me, I wondered? I then asked him, if there is perhaps a message he’d like to share. In the moments to follow, I saw a vision, one similar to the one I had seen a week ago.  As we connected deeper, I saw the bigger picture of this vision and in this moment, I felt my reality change, spontaneously.  As the vision became crystal clear, the red-tailed hawk came swooping in towards me, quite swiftly, passing me by in a blink of an eye, then reaching up to the sky. It was fantastic. Yes, clearly, I could see the reflection that he bestowed onto me. Thank you my dear friend. May you blessed in every moment.

I felt complete in that moment. Just a few moments later, I stood up, thanked the oak tree for our visit, and went along the trail.

I am starting to feel much more vibrant, younger and much stronger than ever. I have enjoyed meeting others that have been opening in these ways, too. It’s really fun opening to these places together. I have discovered that as we are a reflection for each other to grow, we have the capacity to change spontaneously. When I feel the places where I may feel a block or disharmony in my body, I simply feel inside, feel all of what is present, inside the root, while opening to who and what I am, holding space for me to experience me and what is not me to leave, completely. Spontaneously, without doing anything, old patterns and experiences dissolve and open to a new experience. As I choose to experience these places, as a positive and expansive experience, everything opens. Naturally, what may have felt like a painful experience in the past, now has the opportunity to feel pleasurable and ordinary. I have been experiencing that as we choose to be an expereince of what we are only, we have the capacity to heal and redesign our lives and bodies as we choose.