COSMIC COWGIRLS RANCH –
Here we come!
Well….drum roll… After a year of conversations about the name, messaging, branding, and energy of our space here in Carneros, Sonoma County, we have come to a new conclusion – which is kind of an old conclusion – sometimes you have to come full circle and know it for the first time. Yes it’s true, you may have heard a rumor, that our space is now officially Cosmic Cowgirls!! This is Cosmic Cowgirls Ranch!
This feels good and exciting and it was truly a mutual choice between my love, Jonathan and I. One of the reasons for the exploration of a new name was because of, one, wanting to be taken seriously, and two, wanting to make sure that the name was inclusive of the masculine and feminine aspects of our business and life of which Jonathan is equal and all choices. And this is how it happened!
There is a little Vineyard here that was filled with different grapes, we did the work this year of having the grapes all grafted to a new vintage, Barberra, so that we could make wine, I mean we live in wine country right, and Jonathan is an advanced Sommelier, so that makes sense, plus it takes up a good chunk of our property, we have 99 vines and more fruit trees. So I was like, ‘hey babe, this is so exciting, this is one project where you can put your name and brand all over everything with the wine project, since my projects pretty much hog most of the other branding’.
After a few days, he said “I thought about this a lot, and I think I’ve got the name! The Vineyard is called Cosmic Cowgirls and the first vintage will be called…drum roll…Trouble!” And so in the end it was his choice, but deeply connected with my soul work which is the tending of a community of women that has gathered together for 12 years. Or 112 years as the legend goes…For those of you who don’t know, Cosmic Cowgirls is a woman and girl owned LLC with member shares. We hope to take this business into the next seven generations. We also have members who are not owners – who are simply a part of the tribe. Every once in a while we offer ownership to those members who have participated and supported in the creation of the culture.
It was the annual conference a few weeks ago, so together with members of our community we made up this sign and put it outside. This is significant in more ways than I could ever say! Not to mention the fact that 20,000 cars a day go by our property. Gee – I wonder what it is you’re going to want to communicate with all those passengers about in the coming years? The muse wants to know!? So for now, Musea Sophia is going to be the name of our little museum in house here that features the work of the one and only, Sue Hoya Sellars. And will soon feature a volume of poetry by my mother, the one and only Caron McCloud. Other collections will be added as well, photos by Jonathan’s mother Irma Jeanne, and thread paintings by my grandmother Eden McCloud. And our small collection of Lenore Thomas Straus’ work. The naming of the space has been quite an adventure, about how one would want to spend one’s life force and energy. I can’t think of a better place to focus than on the dynamic paradoxical wild and sacred stories of the women who identify as Cosmic Cowgirls, which is women who walk between the worlds, women, whose head is in the stars, and her feet are on the good red and green earth – along with the brave men and women, who dare to love us and stand beside us!
Loving and being partner to women who have stepped out of pre-prescribed boxes and systems, who identify as sovereign beings, and who choose to think for themselves, is not for the faint of heart. On the lighter side, when Jonathan is driving my little convertible that has Cosmic Cowgirls magnets on the side, sometimes men ask him what is that, a strip club? ‘well not exactly, not the kind you’re thinking of! They do strip down the layers, however!’ All in all the brand is hot any way you look at it. And it’s an energy I have been nurturing this for a very long time. Long before people marketed to the concept of a mailing list being a tribe, we called ourselves the tribe, a chosen tribe. A place we could explore the hidden parts of ourselves and invite the shadow and the light to dance together. A place where the paradox was in a cosmic embrace!
And so today I thought I would share this story with you, as it is part of an unfolding legend of a global community of women who choose to be set free no matter what, chosen to take up a relationship with their creative fire a.k.a. the muse.
In our case, Cosmic Cowgirls Ranch is the place where a husband and wife invite you to join us to dance between the worlds and enjoy good meals, practice intuitive painting with Intentional Creativity and enjoy a glass of wine under the redwoods. Our company together still called Mothership Inc., but this location is indeed, Cosmic Cowgirls Ranch! Find yourself here… And about that point of being taken seriously, I’ve changed my mind. Instead, our focus is around resiliency and celebration and play! This is about the best thing I could think to do in a world gone mad, to create a space to dream and play… I hope one day you’ll join us… I have spent a lot of my life serving what’s needed. And at this point in my journey, I feel I must not only serve what’s needed, but make sure to tend the desires of my muse. Which is to create experiences of transcendence that heal us and create joy – and do my own work.
Coming up next, on June 3 we have a Gypsy Muse Supper Club with poetry and a concert from the band Gypsy Soul, with barbecue from Jonathan Lewis! This can also be watched via livestream – then on June 10 we have a Muse day Intuitive Painting Jam.
We have just put in four raised beds with herbs and veggies which makes my heart sing, are chickens next?
Today at Cosmic Cowgirls Ranch – Kerry Lee, A Color of Woman Graduate is here and is teaching a workshop – how cool is that? Our first workshop by a graduate happening in the space. Her daughter, Rosie is here, making the food. Yesterday I got to see the tattoo that Rosie got of her mother’s painting on her arm. Love it!
