Happy New Year! Happy Transition into New Awareness for 2023!

I am re-posting a New Years post from 7 years ago to ring in the New Year, as it feels extra timely.

Happy New Year all! Wishing you a fantastic new journey! As this year starts, I'm feeling super-charged and optimistic, looking forward to the changes we, as media makers, can generate together. Good news already: According to “Variety” Hollywood leaders are pushing to create a healthier balance in the film industry by opening doors for more women, through systemic changes. Because up to now, if most everything we are watching comes almost entirely from the male perspective, and features primarily men doing and accomplishing…how can the world not be out of whack? It’s ancient wisdom, coming from an eclectic list of spiritualities that, for planetary, emotional and societal health, there needs to be a balance of yin & yang. All genders benefit. Starting to change the system is a beginning. These things take time, but let’s do what we can on our part to accelerate it. Read article here. Next blog we will talk about what we glorify in media in little and big ways. For now though, I go back to the topic of previous posts, because the holidays tend to be a time of year that’s busier than usual, and even though I’m aware of the grounding, spiritual and mental health benefits even short amounts of time spent in nature brings, I found myself putting it off, telling myself, “I’ll do it tomorrow, no time today.” I caught myself and decided to join Llyn Roberts in her awe-inspiring “Speaking with Nature” 3-day workshop in Big Sur, CA.. I had interviewed Llyn last month for this blog, where she talked about the gift we would be giving people by showing nature’s restorative powers as one of the many consciousness raising things we could add to our films. A change in perspective here could change the world...instead of us against nature, us with nature. During those wonderful 3 days Llyn passed on to our group what the indiginous elders on the Asian steppe shared with her to share with those in other lands. Indiginous and shamanic people honor and work with the earth and her spirit. There is so much to benefit from that wisdom. I'm grateful for Llyn's teachings. On the last night, after dinner, we all took part in a Siberian fire ceremony under a star lit sky. I had incredible insights while there and came back recharged, inspired, filled with ideas. I’m determined more than ever to get the ball rolling with this Conscious Media Movement. Spending even as little as 5 minutes in nature creates a shift. You suddenly notice birds looking for food, bugs flying by, plants, trees…a worm digging a tunnel, a squirrel storing nuts for the winter. There are billions and billions of creatures living on this planet at the same time as us. There’s a vast ocean of life, the skies and the earth all filled with living beings going about their day. Suddenly the little capsule of thought playing around in the head can finally burst open and our problems appear smaller when we realize that there is so much life going on besides just us and our small circle. We need to get out of our heads and stop seeing ourselves so separate from our neighbors or people of different religions and cultures, and all of the nature beings. When did we forget that the whole Cosmos is a living entity with a consciousness we are all connected to and partake in together? I invite you to be one of the media makers who uses their talent to initiate life-affirming changes needed to save this planet and humanity through their films and stories. Its a new year filled with new hope…together lets make this happen!