inHERview: Liz Lamoreux

this month's inHERview is with the graceful, generous & open-hearted adventure-ess Liz Lamoreux.

i had the privilege of embracing Liz and sharing space with her at Squam Art Workshops earlier this month. she is truly a connecting, re*connecting force in the world. i am delighted that she has offered herself to us here in this inHERview.

Who are you?

Where can we find you?

I feel very blessed to live in the Pacific Northwest, a place that deeply feels like home although I have lived here for only five years. You can often find me nestled in my little house curled up in my favorite chair, millie (our golden retriever) by my feet, the indigo girls playing in the background...usually a laptop is attached to me in some way or another as I work, play, and connect using this magical piece of technology. My online home is www.lizlamoreux.com.

What makes home "home" for you? Where do you feel most at home?

I am at home when I am grounded, my feet strongly beneath me, and I stand inside the knowledge that people love me just for me. This feeling of love and safety, providing it and accepting it, make home, home for me. I suppose when I find my feet resting in sand while I look out at the ocean is a moment when I feel at home.

How do you spend your days, nights & weekends?

Working from home means I spend a lot of time alone, which is often a blessing as I do feel quite at home in solitude. However, with that quietness can come some feelings of lonely, so I feel very blessed to live with my dear friend and husband who gets me and all my idiosyncrasies. Some weekends, you can find me singing my heart out as I drive to Portland to spend time with some dear friends who live there. I am in the midst of seeking the balance of solitude and connection.

What does September mean to you?

September brings a feeling of internal rebirth as the world around me begins to quiet; I find myself open and ready to dive in to possibility. Lately, I have realized that I often say that "fall is my spring."

What makes your heart sing? What nourishes you?

My heart sings when I hear the laughter of those I love. There is nothing like a moment that includes a group of people enjoying time together and laughing. Yes. That makes me very happy. I also love walking in Point Defiance Park in my town and soaking up the trees and the blooms and the water. I feel very nourished as I take it all in, sometimes through my camera lens. Taking the time to breathe deeply and just notice the beauty of where I live is a gift I treasure.

What dream are you dreaming?

I dream of a little cottage by the sea.

What adventure are you participating in right now?

In this moment, I am in the midst of many adventures. Goodness. It takes my breath away a bit when I honestly think about them all. I guess I could say that I am in the midst of the adventure of manifestation. (I highly recommend it.)

What are you reveling in right now?

I am reveling in the beauty of love and all that love can create.

What are you anticipating?

The October Be Present Retreat (Unearth), which happens in about two weeks. I cannot wait to gather on the Oregon coast with this amazing group of women. Sigh. Yes, I cannot wait.

What are you committed to?

I am deeply committed to the practice of facilitating opportunities for people to share their stories so they can remember and know they are not alone.

What song is singing to you right now?

"Something Good This Way Comes" by Jakob Dylan.

What words are speaking to you right now?

I am currently reading two books by Anne Lamott ("Operating Instructions" and "Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith"). This woman deeply gets it, and if you haven't read her, you should run (not walk, run!) to the bookstore to discover her words.

If you were to “tell the world just one thing” (as Jewel sings) what would that “one thing” be?

Give yourself permission to sit in the quiet and listen.

SAW reflections

i heard about Squam Art Workshops (SAW) for the first time leading up to the inaugural gathering in september 2008. i sensed SAW would be something that i would want to be a part of in the future - the near, touchable, tastable future.

after hearing about attendees' experiences at that first SAW happening i knew for sure i wanted to be there in september 2009. i felt my heart leaning, stretching, leaping towards this. and, this reaching for me, wanting me, inviting me. yes, yes, yes.

attending art camp. in the woods. surrounded by familiar beauties - some known, some soon to be known (and, once seen - oh so familiar they were/are). all of us, turning towards the shimmering light, the brave rising and the sweetest soaring.

september SAW was on my list for 2009. it was to be. no question. it simply would be. it was the future i was living into. a passage, a healing, a baptism, a renewal and a leap.

from the time of that first knowing, through registering and to arrival: i experienced the deepest darkness before the dawn (connected to the physical death of my sister/babe, bella, and my great grief journey); i honored the new ground i was standing on (claiming my new way of being in the world and in relationship with bella - our awake and alive relationship) through baptism - getting my nose pierced; and, i listened to my heart, followed spirit's guidance and chose an adventure - leaping north, to new england, creating new life and new work.

september SAW 2009 intersected with grounding in my new geography and contained all of the elements of my journey to arriving there: passage, healing, baptism, renewal and leaping.

passage: making the journey further north and back with this radiant being and my creative neighbor, Katrina (also one of my "fire*side beauties" - more on them later...); witnessing when i was feeling overwhelmed, self-conscious, afraid, stuck and on the edge of shutting down and giving myself the space to have my whole experience - being even bigger than i've ever known myself to be; and, bravely and boldly speaking my truths.

healing: embracing a large circle of women who, by simply being, have been an important part of my healing and living journey these years. jen gray, Christine Mason Miller, Susannah, Denise, Schmoopy, dar, Kirsten, Liz, Thea, Jeanine and Elizabeth - i bow to you, you have kept me warm and inspired. along the dirt path, at the table and around many fires, i welcomed a creative community of women with whom i am continuing to journey. these are my "fire*side beauties" (many of them are listed/linked on the left side of this page): danielle marie - a rock star; ab - a blossom; Lauren - a sassy sister; Jen Lee - a pioneer; jenna - a guide; Helen - a love; Vivienne - a warrior goddess; Heather - a treasure chest; and, Katrina - a lighthouse.

baptism: claiming and naming the ritual, healing and creative arts practice i am building and the creative community i have longed for and found.

renewal: time by the bonfire, beside the lake, under the stars, in the rocking chair and underneath layers and layers and layers of blankets. a kick*ass art-in-nature class led by Christopher Frost - all day, outdoors (my true, true home). refreshing my writing practice in a class led by the delicious Jen Lee. and, "Breathing Space."

leaping: a vow to cultivate play, vitality and being big and a request for my creative community's support in this.

i am - soaring on...

the goods: list 21

• walking the path in my neighborhood at dusk & encountering a man on a bike singing sweetly, "la di di, la di dah", with two wee ones in tow.
• rereading an e-mail this afternoon & realizing a dear friend will be in town this week. calling her right away. tomorrow we have a play date at 3 p.m.-ish.
• connecting with local Mondo Beyondo class participants. a handmade (made with marker on construction paper) sign to greet me; a glass or two of wine; poster paper, magazines + glue stick; conversation & laughter; plans to get together again on october 28; and, a ride home with a new friend.
• my first monthly meeting with treasured beings with whom i attended interfaith seminary, who live in the area i now call home. opening prayer, checking in, open discussion, checking out & closing prayer. holding space for another & having space held for me by others = divine.
• collecting leaves, twigs & acorns for the autumnal equinox ceremony. gathering with a small group of women on friday night in my candlelit living room to honor what we've harvested this past season, give thanks for the abundance & name/claim our vows/intentions for this autumn season. my vow: to cultivate play, vitality & being big.
• magic: reading The Wishing Year by Noelle Oxenhandler. "...I want to say that a wish is a desire with something added. For while a desire can remain quite passive, latent, held within the realm of possibility. A wish, as I intend to use the word, takes aim. It tries to cross the threshold between the possible and the actual." ~Noelle Oxenhandler
• connecting nearly daily via e-mail with my "fire*side beauties", lovelies with whom i sat around many fires while attending Squam Art Workshops. see the list of many of 'em on the left side of my blog.
• spending most of this past sunbright saturday walking with my dear roomie, l. to the farmer's market & then the grocery. through our neighborhood & along the path.
• sunday night dinner with roomies, l. & s. sharing news, herstories, scrumptious slices of homemade bread, bowls of homemade butternut squash soup, warm chocolate chip cookies & cups of tea. i am one lucky, lucky girl.
• three phone calls with three women of three different generations with whom i used to work: nourishing, playful & celebratory.
• talking about my dear bella, telling her story, my story, our story - a love story that lives on & on & on... honoring her by connecting with this organization.
• tonight, tomorrow night & wednesday night: a string of phone dates with beloved sisters with whom i haven't spoken in weeks or months.

going to art camp!

by this time tomorrow i will have arrived at SAW/Squam Art Workshops.

a journey a year + in the making...

i know this experience will be a heart-opening, wing-widening, soul-lifting & home-coming good time.

i will return here when i return.

may your days & nights be filled with color, ease, magic & love, love, love.

xo,

gem

off... from goose42 on Vimeo.

"the opportunity to add to [the Universe's] glow"

"The Universe is immense and gorgeous and magnificent. I salute it. Every speck, every little fly on the window salutes the Universe. Every leaf has meaning. I think the Universe is expanding - it is experiencing and accomplishing. And we have the opportunity to add to its glow. Everybody can love, in the place where they are. In the physical body in which [we] are. In the life in which [we] are involved. We can all add our share of love..."

- Helen Nearing

the goods: list 20

• an excerpt from a prayer entitled, "Earth Prayer", by Mark Nepo: "Let us live deeply enough / till there is only one direction... / and slow enough till there is only / the beginning of time... / and loud enough in our hearts / till there is no need to speak..."
• i am now in my new home after days & days of moving, lifting, traveling, unpacking & letting go of even more of what i no longer need. i live in a sweet three bedroom shared with two lovely 30-something women. it is a light-full, spacious, cozy & inspiring space. i am hugely blessed & wildly grate-full. did i mention i live just blocks - blocks! - from 2 homes filled with some of my beloveds?!
• a scrumptious & sunshine-y saturday morning at the farmer's market. in my bag from a local organic farm: kale, arugula, red onions, broccoli & green beans. yum!
• early morning walks through my new home*town & along the bike/walk/running path.
• making sunday morning blueberry pancakes to share with my roomie, l. receiving nourishment from the shared food, tea & unfolding conversation.
• the time & space to watch a movie in the afternoon & another at night on sunday night (snuggled under a blanket on the couch, candles lit & tea mug in hand with a roomie nearby).
• preparing for Squam Art Workshops.
• preparing for my next inHERview. so excited to post this at the end of the month!
• creating an autumnal equinox ritual.
• a new library card, three books - including this one - & one cd checked out.