Author: Masha

“The ways we live life, the habits we keep, the delight with which we celebrate and see our moments will shape our hearts, minds and souls for life.”  Sally Clarkson

Let’s start this week with some flower power. As I stand here admiring these gorgeous pink carnations, thinking of a creative way to photograph them to show off their beauty, I am filled with joy and gratitude. Buying flowers for myself has become a part of my self-care that really fills my heart with beauty, elevates my soul, cheers me up, and puts me in a higher vibrational state.   And I’m thinking how much I love these flowers, how grateful I am for them, for my home and for everything that I have.

I didn’t always buy myself flowers, the idea came to me one day when I was at a friend’s house and she had a gorgeous bouquet of flowers I was admiring. When I asked who gave them to her, she very matter of factly said, she did, she bought them from a vendor in the street on her way home from work.  Oh WOW, what an idea, I never thought of it. I always thought flowers was just something you got from someone else. It was in that moment of clarity that I knew that I was going to do the same. That was many years ago and buying flowers for myself has become a part of my life, a thing I do for myself. A way of appreciating myself, of caring for me, a delight that I will continue and am so grateful for. 

I’ve always loved flowers, I remember as a child picking the flowers, (I think they were weeds) that were growing in the empty lot next to where we lived and giving them to my mother. At first it felt a bit strange to be buying flowers for myself, but with time it’s become a sacred act, a way of reminding myself to slow down, to be present and to savor the moments in the day.

If buying yourself flowers is not part of your self-care, here are just a few reasons why they should be –

Flowers will uplift your mood.

They are a stress buster; they will give you a feeling of calm.

Brighten up your home.

Increase creativity.

They will fill you with a feeling of happy.

It’s easy to find a bunch of beautiful flowers, most supermarkets carry them, so don’t wait for someone else to give you, and you don’t need a reason, buy them for yourself just because. You deserve and are worthy of the joy of flowers.

I hope I’ve inspired you to go out and get yourself a bunch of flowers, leave a comment, love to hear from you.

Blessings

COPYRIGHT MASHA G. ELLMAN 2021

Hey everyone, it’s April and I’m feeling happy and joyful, hope you are too.

I love the color yellow, you can just feel it’s energy, it screams HAPPY!!! 

I really miss so many things, little every day things that I, like so many of us, haven’t been able to do during this pandemic. Things like just going out to the supermarket and finding a bunch of flowers, picking out vegetables that speak to my soul that day, or just going for a short trip to visit family. I took this photo a couple of years ago when I was in Las Vegas and we went to the Bellagio to look at their display for the Chinese new year.

Like I said I love the color yellow, but for the last couple of weeks yellow has been pulling at me, and it’s kind of been percolating in me waiting to be let out. Today I found out that yellow is the first prompt in Susanna Conway’s (here), April Love (here), one of her yearly photo challenges to bring some mindfulness into your day. So I joined in, makes me happy.

The color symbolizes friendship, happiness, joy, sunshine, hope, I can’t think of a better way to start the month of April.

How about you? How does yellow make you feel? I’d love to hear from you.

April Blessings

COPYRIGHT MASHA G. ELLMAN 2021

I took these photos for the simple joy of ‘delight’.

I started reading Ross Gay’s book The Book of Delights (here) which inspired me to start a “my delight journal” purposefully finding little things in my everyday life that delight me. 

There is so much around me, that I don’t always notice.  So I decided to each morning intentionally set out to look for ‘delights’.

Delights can be anything, you can find it in something you read, or in the words your neighbor spoke, in preparing a meal, in the bird that just flew past your window. In a memory that just popped into your mind or delight in the time spent with grandchildren…Anything that makes you feel like sunshine on your face. No pressure, no must, no every day, but maybe once a week or twice a month, find delight and record it. It can be in a paper journal or online, whatever feels good for you. I’m keeping a paper journal, my favorite way to journal. Over time you will have accumulated your own journal of delights.

In the end this practice will make you more aware and appreciate your everyday with more gratitude.

What is delighting you today. I’d love to know.

Blessings

COPYRIGHT MASHA G. ELLMAN 2021

Hello wonderful people,

I trust you are safe, well and joy-filled.

It’s Monday YAY!!! I love Mondays, it has a fresh feel, it’s the beginning of a new week, it’s full of possibilities and opportunities. I feel open and ready to receive miracles.

I’m getting back into Tarot and Oracle, I got away from it for a while but I’m back into it now. I also have a couple of new decks which are very exciting to read with and I’m doing more intuitive readings for myself. So I’m loving it.

For this month I’m using the Magickal Herb Oracle, enchanting secrets from the garden by Cheralyn Darcy, I love these cards, I pull one every day and I’m pulling a weekly card as well. For this week Communication fell out as I was shuffling and her guidance is,

from the book – “You are being reminded to look after yourself and to listen to your body and inner voice. There may be a conflict that requires more attention from you, and perhaps your voice and point of view needs to be communicated more strongly. This is an opportunity for growth, for the physical realization of dreams, and the progression and goals is also available. Speak up but make sure you’re clearly heard, because there is energy around that will disrupt meanings when you communicate. Double check any form of correspondence to ensure it has been received.”

Hope this serves you, leave a comment I love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful, blessed week ahead.

COPYRIGHT MASHA G. ELLMAN 2021

Love your life.

Love your-self.

You’re creating your life every step of the way.

Do something every day that will bring you joy and make you feel good.

Smile.

Don’t hide yourself away.

Find out what makes you light up and do it.  Set that intention and you will find your way to it, to your passion.

Shine your light.

Let yourself grow, life is forever changing and moving, change and move with it.

Look for the magick and the wonder in every day.

Hold a vision for yourself.

Don’t let fear stop you, take fear with you and do it anyway, your dreams are worth standing up for.

Remind yourself that you are –

Awesome

Worthy

Deserving

Beautiful

Smart

Empowered

You are limitless.

You’re a spirit having a physical experience.

You’re here to experience all of what life has to offer.  The messy, the glorious, the everything.

Honor yourself, you’re a sacred being.

Don’t listen to anyone who puts you down.

Who doesn’t appreciate you.  Who wants to change you to be someone else.

Don’t hold on to what doesn’t matter.

Forgive yourself, forgive others, you don’t have to become their best friend, but forgiveness will set you free.

Be proud of who you are.

Be strong.

Believe in yourself, miracles will happen.

Always always always listen to your own heart.

Follow your own intuition.

Have a relationship with your inner guide, your inner goddess.

Love every bit of yourself.

Take classes.

Read books.

Do the inner work that will open you up to the mystery and the wonders of who you are.

See in yourself the gifts that are only yours, they’ve been put in you and are waiting to be unwrapped and sparkle.

See in you the brilliance, the magick – the love that is YOU!

You are the Universe.

You are amazing!!!

Happy International Women’s Day!!!

Blessings

COPYRIGHT MASHA G. ELLMAN 2021

Hello wonderful people,

How are you? Hope all is well for you.

I was sitting on my couch reading emails when I looked out the window and the sky and the tree looked so beautiful and the words, it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood popped into my mind. Of course you cannot think those words and not remember Fred Rogers, so I thought I’d share his entire poem.

“It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood,

A beautiful day for a neighbor.

Would you be mine?

Could you be mind?…

It’s a neighborly day in this beaurty wood,

A neighborly day for a beauty.

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?…

I’ve always wanted to have a

Neighbor just like you.

I’ve always wanted to live in the

Neighborhood with you.

So, let’s make the most of this

beautiful day.

Since we’re together we might as well say:

Would you be mine?

Could you be mine?

Won’t you be my neighbor?

Won’t you please,

Won’t you please?

Please won’t you be my neighbor?

~ Fred Rogers

Hope this little poem fills you with a happy feeling.

And, please share what’s going on in your neighborhood today? I’d love to know.

Blessings

COPYRIGHT MASHA G. ELLMAN 2021