I should like to meet you here Here in the Gulf of Poets Poets who by day sit by the bay Bay filled with enchanted songs Songs which speak of what came before Before all of this, what to make of this This place where temple-turned-church Church of the fishing village in marble stands Stands a fortress above the crashing sea Sea of Mediterranean aqua foam of Venus Venus whose temple once rose from cliff Cliff whose rocks rise to tell stories Stories which tell of conquest and shells Shells which whisper in pale opal light Light which shines on green shuttered homes Homes with laundry waving out of windows Windows with pasta and pesto wafting aroma Aroma which invites us to walk ancient stones Stones which speak of souls passing Passing by a café, I see you You here with me, can it be? Be with me here until our skin is no more More of life will come from slowing Slowing to the sound of seagulls calling Calling us to places we have never stepped Stepped up a hillside there is a small chapel Chapel of the Madonna enclosed in leaves Leaves climb the buildings in passionate bloom Bloom of my heart in pink flutter Fluttering wings of white butterfly flying Flying overhead seeing colorful homes Homes orchid blue, peach ice, mustard, rose wine Wine in my glass in evening sun Sun setting on the gulf of poets by night Poets who find themselves dining with Venus Venus, her temple rises in the hearts Hearts of women rising wearing white White crisp linen dresses whispering come Come with me to the Ligurian sea today Today I am no longer waiting for anything Anything is already happening here Here my veneration rings cold rock warm Warm is the color of your ocean eyes Eyes which see beauty wherever it rests Rests are needed by poets and lovers Lovers sit in warm blankets of gold Golden light as stars shine on water’s edge Edge of a life ready for the changing bells Bells ringing in the hour of late evening Evening resting her feet in colored glow Glow of your freckled hands on mine Mine is this day, this hour, this love Love is here in Portovenere Portovenere, the port of Venus
Shiloh Sophia Ligurian Sea Porto Venere, Italy, October 2018
When you travel – you get new eyes and new ears. And depending on the place, new taste buds too! I don’t know what it is is about Italy, but when I am here it as if the petals of my rose of consciousness expand. Ones that are there all the time that just stay closed on an average day…curious isn’t it? Have you had this experience in travel too?
It has been almost a month since we left home for this journey and it has been, as always, quite an adventure. And as we watch life at home in the US I have to admit we wondered what it would be like to move away – to just leave – a place that so much doesn’t feel like home right now. As soon as I arrive home to Carmel I am going to be offering my Colorful Scars class for free – so we can express much of what is hidinig within. Just to move it OUT instead of deeper in, can be so healing. Feel free to join us and invite other women too – it is a free Global Circle for women and you can watch on Sunday or at your own pace.
Some of you will remember that last time I was in Italy there was a bombing of the nightclub in Florida, and I created DIVA X and IMAGINE as inspired by serving through Intentional Creativity. This time, Colorful Scars is my offering. My regular students say it is good for me to go away – because I come back with fresh ideas. Indeed!!
It is also interesting to note that the Birth of Venus, by Botticelli, is about this spot – these waves, which rumour has it that many made fun of in the painting, are said to be from here, Porto Venere, Port of Venus!! When I ask the oldest Italian men who have lived here their whole life what the name means they say:
‘It is the woman who comes from the sea, born of foam, it is named for her.’
When you stand in the Venus Temple turned Peter church – you feel all of it. How the land has been shelter, and fortress, military base and refuge. And still she stands looking towards us with whispers of solemn beauty and hope.
See the part at the edge – the tip? That is where she is said to come from. Can you imagine the Romans coming here to this place and building a temple to their Goddess? It is quite astonishing. The church inside is light and dark. Beautiful and in it’s own way terrible. I do love to hear the bells but did not attend Mass. I painted and talked to God.
What’s next for me in addition to COLORFUL SCARS is that we have opened applications for our 6 month program for heart centered women entrepreneurs called Radiance. You might ask, in a time like this, why focus on business? If someone did ask me that I would say – if women are not empowered to act – and instead are caught in survival, who will ‘woman’ the revolution?
When I am struggling, I can’t stop long enough to see what is needed by others. I just have to tend to my own stuff. When I am flowing in my business, with my sacred work in the front, I can do things like finance projects like Colorful Scars – a free offering. It can take thousands of dollars to put out many free offerings for us entrepreneurs, it is a privilege to be able to share my gifts. I am free to do that because I am living my body or work, providing meaningful work for others and offering revolutionary education. So the link between business an service is a bridge where prosperity and generosity meet. This is something my partner in Radiance, Amy Ahlers and I talk about all the time – what is the most powerful thing we can do? Empower women to act. And so we are. This is Radiance.
Proceeding in my life as if everything I do is held within a body of work supports my thinking, my actions, and my very being. We have some wonderful calls and a fb live coming up – so if you want to join in – just sign up for our free one page business plan here and you will get added to the list for all things Radiance. The one page plan provides some context for the other things we will be talking about together over the next two weeks.
The writing above for Jonathan is indeed written in the Gulf of Poets in Porto Venere, Italy and oh my the beauty of the place, including Cinque Terre is unparalleled. Jaw dropping visuals, scents, sights, sounds.
Lord Byron and many other poets have hung out here, we even visited the Grotto of Lord Byron :) Lawrence, Shelly, Dickenson, Dante and Montale – A a wonderful poet from this area that won the 1975 Nobel Prize in Literature. As we walked where he lived, we read his poetry. I love reading it in Italian out loud first before the translation, as if it is more clear the first time around. He says:
Standing on the dramatic cliffs of Cinque Terre, I have no wants, needs, or concerns. I am simply coexisting with the land. The air is cleansing and looking down I see vegetation speckled with houses and a few restaurants and I think, this is life in its most basic components: beauty, food, and nature.”
”Here by a miracle the striving of frustrate passions is stilled, here even we, the poorest, find a fortune and it is the scent of lemons…..”
Signed in the scent of lemons, which once this smell and taste gets into your skin and nose, you crave lemons every second….
Photo and caption by Jonathan McCloud – Mermaid spotted eating lemon gelati in the surf…
See the part at the edge – the tip? That is where she is said to come from. Can you imagine the Romans coming here to this place and building a temple to their Goddess? It is quite astonishing. The church inside is light and dark. Beautiful and in it’s own way terrible. I do love to hear the bells but did not attend Mass. I painted and talked to God.
The writing above for Jonathan is indeed written in the Gulf of Poets in Porto Venere, Italy and oh my the beauty of the place, including Cinque Terre is unparalleled. Jaw dropping visuals, scents, sights, sounds.
Photo and caption by Jonathan McCloud – Mermaid spotted eating lemon gelati in the surf…
