Hello beautiful blog followers….I want to give great honor to the beautiful process of my maiden voyage in blog land, and it is time for my new identity. Go to my NEW MellissaeLucia Worpress blog to follow the magic and FUN, and thank you for supporting this platform over the last couple of years. Mellissae Lucia {Melissa Weiss Steele}
http://mellissaelucia.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/painted-in-the-desert-a-travel-essay-and-my-new-name/
insect love in the jungle
Costa Rica has captured my heart, as I suspected it would. Before leaving on this adventure whenever I would say where I was going my shoulders would do this little shimmy and I would get a sly grin on my face. Good signs.
Orosi Valley, Costa Rica
The journey on this land has been both oddly familiar and perplexingly foreign. {I am still writing in the present tense. I did not realize this. The first morning back in the states on the rural Vashon Island i had a dream that I was still in the jungle. A part of me is still coming home}. It is a strange feeling to experience a place on an energetic level that does not translate to the practicalities of language and cultural differences with the human ones. The first time I was consciously aware of this type of experience was when I visited the Hopi lands in Arizona. It was home, and I was different.
My Spanish teacher Isabel
I began this trip in a delightful little village in a coffee growing valley call Orosi. It is the sort of place where people sit on their porches in the evenings and greet their neighbors, they have two sacramental temples, the church and the football {soccer} field, and they adore their children. An arty looking Swiss woman makes real, organic wheat bread and pastries, and you can almost always hear someone playing bouncy latin tunes and reggae-tone. They have natural hot springs, and the locals actually look pretty happy. When I researched Costa Rica, it said they are a unique country, with no standing army, almost the entire population is literate, and they have a very high standard of living for Central America. They have dedicated a large percentage of their land to national parks, and they live what they call “Pura Vida,” literally pure life, meaning life is really, really good. They actually say it on a regular basis.
Patron Saint of Costa Rica-Black Madonna Virgen de los Angeles
The magical synchronicities of the trip are still being absorbed, and I look forward to sharing what I can as I integrate the deep mysteries that came through the ancient ones and the land and stone spirits. As life will do, I was guided to spend a month in the Orosi valley which is 40 minutes from the most important religious site in Costa Rica, which has a BLACK MADONNA! On her feast day, August 2nd, the devout walk 20 miles on their hands and knees to the cathedral in Cartago. I got to see folks doing the final leg of the journey in the church as they slowly made their way up to the little two-inch icon in such a humble fashion. I did not know she existed until I had been there a while, as I do not research my trips extensively. I Intuit where to go, and then show up and am lead to where I am best served. More on the Virgen de los Angeles as it emerges.
Mist Spirits at volcano Irazu, Costa Rica
Volcano Irazu's brilliant lagoon
From the mossy lushness of the Northwest, my heart remembers the magical white horses grazing on the terraced green hills, the huge toads devouring bugs in the evenings, the giant flying cockroaches, the black earth of the volcanos with hot springs on the rivers, coffee coffeee everywhere, the charming “adios” given as a greeting, the American thrift store clothes imported for that real US flava’, running out of vegetables at the grocery store, trying to learn Spanish when I was being deeply initiated by molds and pollens {good luck}, the wild 6.0 earthquake on my 9th birthday {see last blog post}, the abundance of friends available when you stay in hostels, only wearing my backpack about 20 minutes the entire trip, hearing weed wackers buzz regularly as the Tico’s attempted to subjugate the jungle, how light and effervescent the volcanos actually felt, and Lord Aranal the volcano, shrouded in the mist spirits, with the vacation portion of the trip at the fabulous “backpackers resort” http://www.essencearenal.com/ Much love to the jungles I shall return to.
Volcano Aranal the last morning
Here I am in glorious Antigua, Guatemala. I have come to Central America to learn Spanish and experience Semana Santa, Easter in this Technicolor land. It is the biggest Easter celebration in the world, begun after the Spanish overtook these lands. The procesiones (processions) and valaciones (holy vigils) have been occurring since the mid 1500s. The procesiones have 7000 pound floats that shudder and lurch through the streets with 60 men, women or children carrying them on their shoulders for 10 to 12 hours. These devotees all wear purple robes until good Friday when they change to black. A corporeal representation of the weight of responsibility and honor necessary to properly eulogize Senor Sepultado, the crucified Christ.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh84u0Ak07E
These behemoth barges are glittering apparitions, surging and swaying over the cobblestone streets. They are made even more magical and elusive by the thick cloud of frankincense dutifully swung ahead of the approaching float. With its jerking movements it seems like a drunken centipede, with the altar of the gods above attempting to win the beauty pageant for devotional glory. There are a series of Jesus´s and Mother Mary´s that leave the different churches daily throughout holy week. They are very very graphic, with all of the blood and glory of the crucifixion horror portrayed.
The entire event is awe inspiring, crowds of believers filling the streets lined with food and souvenir venders adding a circus atmosphere to everything. A band follows the float, with the loud exhaust spewing little generation responsible for illuminating Mary or Jesus as they lunge through the streets. The droning funeral march of the band can be heard throughout the town from morning to night. They even blast it on televisions when the procession is not near. I have been taking both film and digital pictures, and will not see the fruits of my labor with the analog images until I return.
As I write they are broadcasting Christ in his coffin being paraded through a church. This is a big deal here. I do not in any way mean to minimize colonialism, destruction of indigenous culture, or the violations done by organized religion, but I also wonder where true devotion and love for Jesus and Mary fits into all of the injustices. Beatrex Quntanna spoke of an astrological event over the next 8 years where we are to heal the heart of the world religions. I am holding onto that, the beauty, the sincerity, the humility of honoring something beyond ourselves, the great grace within the Mystery.
How do we get any better than this? Well, there are the alfombras, the mandala like carpets that are spread over the nubby cobblestone streets for the processions to stagger over. These rainbow carpets are made of colored sawdust, flowers, plants, bottle caps…anything that may make a powerful statement to the beauty of Christ´s sacrifice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZEED4iMv8c
I wish I could upload some of my images, but I have freed myself from my laptop and do not have a secure place to lad my images. It will have to wait. If you search google images for ¨Easter + Antigual Guatemala or Semana Santa + Antigua¨ you can see some of the barges and carpets. I added a couple of videos so you can get the idea.
A new era in my photography play for Melissa Weiss Steele. FILM! Eight eyed camera, Holga with multiple exposures, disposable cameras with fabulous fortunes and travel postcard imagery printed on the film. Life is so good. I am taking 50 rolls of film to Central America. Look out Latin Catholics on Technicolor acid during Easter in Antigua, Guatemala. cool.
Oracle of Initiation card "Reliance" card in the Guadalupe Canyon
Melissa Weiss Steele-Oracle of Initiation card "Listening" in the Guadalupe Canyon, Mexico
Highway 10 Ellensburg
Fabulous Tracey & Adam in Guadalupe Canyon
Photography buddy Jak Wonderly
Highway 10 water viaduct-the location of my early Earthen Body series images
Jak with his medium format camera superimposed..cool
My super cute sister
Gabriel on the way to Guadalupe Canyon
Highway 10
Highway 10
Highway 10
highway 10 Holga multiple exposure fun
Jak Wonderly
Oktomat 8 eyed camera at the Split Pea Andersons
Lets talk about manifestation, magic and graffiti. Now that’s a good set of topics! When I was staying in Oceanside, California I was woven into a really illuminating story of how grand and mysterious the universe is when it comes to manifestation. Through hearing the background of what was wished for two days before the faux Banksy graffiti appeared, I wove together this amazing story of the power of intention to manifest blessings beyond what our human minds can have conceived of.
I am not using specific names to respect the privacy of the people involved, but the message still comes across.
Two days before the faux Banksy graffiti materialized, one of the owners of the shop Quiver Board Works and Bull Taco in Oceanside was speaking to a confidant about wanting to energize the business in a new way. On the day of the graffiti tagging the owner received a call that the building had been vandalized. The caller said they would be painting over the offense quickly. Just as this was all transpiring the owner saw on his i-phone a TMZ TV show report saying the artwork was done by British graffiti artist Banksy.
This is a BIG DEAL.
Background on Banksy. He is one of the best known graffiti artists in the world, and his real identity is a mystery. Last year a “documentary” on him was nominated for an academy award called Exit Through the Gift Shop. His work is so clever, intelligent, skillful and subversive that it carries a very distinct and recognizable signature. He has managed to achieve a level of fame while still retaining his street credibility and the world not knowing his true identity. I have added some of his images below.
As for master manifestation, for such a respected international icon to be associated with any business is a marketing coup. This is the sort of press that can’t be bought. And it was on a hip surf shop, the water’s equivalent of skateboarding/punk/hip hop/self-defined creative cool culture.
The owner of Quiver Board Works could not have orchestrated a more appropriate or cool marketing idea. The power of this story, even if it turns out that the image was not actually done by Banksy is THAT IT DOESN’T MATTER. They still got the press, and it energized the business and the local arts community. It blasted open Oceanside to the entire network of creative mavericks across the world. This is master manifestation at its best, putting out there what you want, and allowing the universe to deliver it in magical and mysterious ways BEYOND WHAT YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE!
So remember this next time you are holding space for a dream, the blessings may come in wildly fabulous ways you could never have imagined.
Below are some images of the graffiti with my beloved Lisa and Alee.
a "real" Banksy
Banksy
Banksy
I have reached mama Ocean, Yemaya and I are embracing once again. My hair is big, Good Hair, good good hair. The salty ions are cleansing me well. my cells are all plumped up. more of the roadtrip to San Diego… beloved children giving me divination readings with their decks, tattoo potentials, martial law border patrol in Arizona, cactus sentries, mesmerizing wind turbines and the first night at the ocean…
this is an image post…..more to follow….I am going to fly like an eagle, to the sea, fly like an eagle let the SPIRIT CARRY ME.
59. Expansion from The Oracle of Initiation deck by Melissa Weiss Steele
“This was by far the most inspirational meet-up ever! Melissa, and the images of her Oracle of Initiation deck, evoke the deepest part of your psyche in layers that allow you to become one with your feelings. Her presentations have you hanging on every word and shaking your head in agreement as you come to realize THIS is your place in life. Thank you, Melissa, Asher & Wisdom Moon for the insights presented on a power-filled afternoon!”
Gloria Vinskey, Albuqurque Tarot Meet-Up
“Fabulous! I never thought I might come across another deck and love the purity of it, as I do James Wanless’s Voyager. However, Spunky clear hearted and visionary Melissa and her Oracle of Initiation deck have won me over.”
Early Gardner, Albuquerque Tarot Meet-up
We had a wonderful day divining with The Oracle of Initiation yesterday at the Albuquerque Tarot Meet-Up. I got see some familiar faces from LETS-Land of Enchantment Tarot Symposium held last October in Santa Fe and some new friends as well. This was the last presentation I will be doing on the land of The Oracle’s emergence before I am off to the Ocean and Central America.
During the event we got to consult The Oracle’s wisdom about what our true happiness is as a way to center and focus our intentions and dreams. We also examined what outdated stories we are carrying offers us access to our Rainbows in the Dark, the potential to reframe the initiations we have encountered to find our true power and gifts. Thank you to Margaret & Robert for organizing the group, and Amy & Meekah for being fabulous Guardians while I offered my sacred work. life is good.
27. Gathering; 46. Reliance; 3 Instinct from The Oracle of Initiation
The Monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery rock! I was blessed to have a front row seat at the releasing of this labor of love, the sand mandala. Words cannot convey how intense this work of art is, I was shaking when I saw it “finished” on New Years Eve.
Seret’s Collection here in Santa Fe hosts the monks each year for their daily chanting and sand tapestry creations. I had never seen the releasing, and was blessed to have my buddies Amy and Beth there with me. Each stage of the ceremony was filled with a pageantry and beauty that was inspiring.
When the monks came out in their yellow crowns I felt like Mayan priests had entered the room from centuries past. The telescoping horns they played shook my entire torso as the two elder women bowed to their offerings. Watching the precision and reverence they carried during each of the phases of the event was an honor.
They chanted, blew horns, made wild and crazy chaotic explosions of noise, and then were silent. Life really has become like one big acid trip, without the drugs. The world really is Technicolor, in sight, sounds, taste….and these ancient practices recognize that. Lets shake-um up so they enter an alternate reality, and then bring it down so they can sink into the temple we’ve created.
Then the mudra-making bell-ringer circumvented the mandala, took the white daisy that has been with the Dalai Lama altar, and dropped it in the center. Very Wabi Sabi; lets rake a perfect zen garden, and then drop a leaf in it.
He took bits of the sand from each directions and dropped them in the center on the flower. He bowed his head, took off his pompadour hat, and placed some sand on the crown of his head. Next came the slow and methodical crooked pointer finger pushing the sand into the center from the four cardinal directions, and then the cross quarters. In one of the photos you can see the white powder on the monk’s finger and his quietly profound recognition of having this sacred dust on his finger.
Time for a changing of the guard, another monk takes his blue handled brush and does swirls into the center to obscure the images. wow. The busy bee monks are on point again, no more rhythmic chanting here, they need to make little dime bags of sand for we patient devotees to carry off into the world. The MC monk said this was the first time they had dedicated one of their mandalas to abundance and prosperity. They wished for the world to see a rebalancing in resources.
AND as if it couldn’t get any better than this…THE POP ART ARRIVES.
Yes, one of the monks has a CHIPS AHOY box to carry the little sand offerings in. It was such a thrilling juxtaposition, the ancient traditions with a gleaming blue box of processed American cookies. The commercialization of the “good life,” in a box of hockey puck “treats.” Life is so so good. And now my two baggies of vibrating rainbow sand are sitting with Santo Nino, Eshu, messenger between the worlds and opener of the pathways to blessings and abundance. Blessings on the sacred sparkly soils.
Thanks Amy for the first image of the Mandala-its a great one.
to see more about the monks: www.MysticalArtsofTibet.org
My Oracle of Initiation LETS presentation with the image "Sanctified"
I want to share the wonderful video Carrie Paris and I created today from my presentation for LETS- Land of Enchantment Tarot Symposium that was here in Santa Fe this October. Below is also an update about The Oracle and my travels, projects and upcoming adventures. Life is good.
LETS-Land of Enchantment Tarot Symposium VIDEO of the Oracle of Initiation’s Birth {use either headphones or plug into external speakers…the audio is low}
http://vivu.tv/portal/archive.jsp?flow=397-654-7677&id=1291578442700
Carrie Paris Tarot Goddess and co-organizer of LETS
I want to share some wonderful new videos about The Oracle of Initiation deck and keep you up to date about my travels. I will be leaving Santa Fe at the end of January 2011 to go to the west coast to teach and divine and then will be off to Central America for 5 months to learn Spanish. I am currently finishing the book to go with the Oracle deck and look forward to telling you more about that project and the wonderful contributors I have gathered. The deck is a vast and Mysterious creation that has called forth a variety of voices to help illuminate its potentials.
Lisa with one of her De St. Croix Tarot images
Tonight on the Sagittarius New Moon I was doing my manifesting through Beatrex Quntanna’s incredible 2010 Moon Book { to order your 2011 copy:
http://www.beatrex.com} She and Susan Lennox have created a workbook to utilize the moons incredible power to co-create the destiny we desire. The reason I am bringing this up is because there has been some really interesting synchronicities with this moon’s symbolism and my stepping out into videos offerings.
The ladies goofin' it up
Today Carrie Paris, local Tarot Goddess and I recorded my presentation for the LETS-Land of Enchantment Tarot Symposium conference that happened in October. The initial talk had technical difficulties and did not work. Part of the LETS conference’s magic was the potential to see the main presentations online, from anywhere in the world. Carrie and I tried to record my talk again, and the sound was silenced. So today, our 3rd try, we recorded a great presentation on the birth of my Oracle deck, and the sound is low on some computers. Hmmmmm. here is the link again….
LETS-Land of Enchantment Tarot Symposium VIDEO of the Oracle of Initiation’s Birth {use either headphones or plug into external speakers…the audio is low}
http://vivu.tv/portal/archive.jsp?flow=397-654-7677&id=1291578442700
Jordan Hoggard with his soon to be available Land of Mystereum Tarot Deck- The Death Card
So I am reading about the Sagittarius New Moon in Beatrex’s book and the manifestation Goddess featured is Saraswati. The description speaks of her as “fusing our personality with the light of our divinity…When this fusion occurs, the Law of Sound is made available and we have the ability to manifest our vision through the resonance of our voice!!!!!” So….it gets better…As Carrie and I created the altar backdrop for the LETS video today we PUT HER SCULPTURE OF SARASWATI BEHIND ME!!!!!
So, it is interesting that my video is muffled at times. Hmmmmm. Still sitting with what this may mean.
Tarot Maven Mary K. Greer with my Oracle deck
It really is a cool video, I am proud of it, and the images that accompany the fascinating story are gorgeous. Some of my early inspirations are really interesting. It is a 55 minute investment, but watch it instead of a TV show or reading something else. It really is a gift to see how another has enlivened her life and stepped into her unique passions and joys. Inspiration feeds the soul.
Co-organizer Margaret Letzkus on her sacred geometry presentation
I have also included a couple of animoto videos of my earlier work. Good stuff.
Earthen Body Series
Eagle Eye Graffiti-Earthen Body Series
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxEQUY342Og
Weiss Steele Early Art Work
Fire Horse collage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0jYUc7Hgus
Donnaleigh de LaRose created this wonderful video using the Oracle deck. I will be on her Beyond Worlds Tarot Tribe radio show March 6th 2011. Cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcp8JM2eYc8&feature=player_embedded
January 15th 2011 I will be speaking to the wonderful Albuquerque Tarot Meet-up…come play with one of the limited edition decks if you are in the area. We will have both juicy depth and raucous fun. That’s a good combo.
Sifu is so cooollll
So happy holiday, and if you want a reading in-person in Santa Fe, you will need to catch me before mid January. I can always do work over the phone as well. I am seeing a lot of lineage coding coming up in people to be released and have had wonderful success with other clients in transforming those old messages and constrictions that were never truly ours. Break free from the agony of the illusions of isolation, shame and worthlessness. They are NOT TRUE YOURS.
There are also copies of the first edition of 88 signed copies of my Oracle deck on the website..go get your today to help read the landmarks, challenges and gifts along your glorious journey of awakening. www.OracleofInitation.com
Jordan, Marianna & I
So here’s to the intensity, the turbulence, and the great beauty of this Grand Initiation we are all undertaking. I will see you all dancing under the stars as we embody our true brilliance and divinity, together…MelissaBee
Pegasus collage by moi
Melissa Weiss Steele's Blog 
