LEFT: Having too much in the way between you and the divine—God, source, mystery—is like walking on fresh, damp earth with rubber soles. The sole interferes with the soul, under the guise of protection, logic, rationale. It’s a thick layer of ego—of insecurities, worries, rumination and overthinking. Perhaps, at one time or another, in response to actual stimuli—a survival mechanism of immediacy that soon congealed and became habit. Maybe that’s why the saints and sages remove their shoes when they enter the temple to kneel upon the ground in reverence. I want nothing to intervene between my spirit and This Great Aliveness. That’s why I always say that I believe in magic—because I’ve felt and seen and experienced it. It’s not so much a belief as it is a deeper knowing of the power of that divine mystery that envelops us in its warm embrace. Unconditional. Making a note to myself to remove my shoes before entering the temple today.

RIGHT: *note* - this pages consists mostly of quotes from other books, all credited below.

“Now is the time to know that all that you do is sacred. Now, why not consider a lasting truce between yourself and God…All your ideas of right and wrong were just a child’s training wheels to be laid aside—when you can finally live with veracity and love…What is that sweet voice inside that insights you to fear?…This is the time for you to deeply compute the impossibility that there is anything but Grace. Now is the season to know that everything you do is sacred.” - from The Gift by Hafiz

“My holiness envelops everything I see.” - a mantra from The Gift of Change by Marianne Williamson

Artist’s Way: Are you destructive of your true nature? Who are you responsible to? Virtue/fear of being selfish as a self-destructive tendency. Being overly nice/helpful/agreeable as a destructive tendency.

“The true self is healthy and occasionally anarchistic…knows how to play and say no to others, and yes to self.”

What are my needs? What would I do if it weren’t “too selfish”?

- notes from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

RIGHT UPPER CORNER:

Don’t you think it’s funny we’re trying to be “something”—beyond ourselves—when all we need to do is be ourselves and express our creativity? We struggle to obtain something we already have. It comes from source, which is us. - from a message from my friend, Isabel

RIGHT LOWER:

In the greenhouse at Oz Farm, where someone told me that George Harrison once gifted them a guitar like mine.

LEFT:

Perfectionism is an illusion! Get Messy! Be real! Be real! Be true to you! Put down the phone! It’s ok to cry. Free yourself! Express! Feel the blood running through your veins! Feel the present moment unfolding! Free to feel.

Stop comparing yourself to others. Why would you dishonor your badass self like that? You got to be you in this life for a reason, don’t waste it trying to be someone else!

LEFT:

Thoughts today…I want to be an ambassador of realness in this world. To be so honest, true and genuine to my soul that it uplifts those around me, even when I’m not in a happy mood in the moment. To be truth. It’s refreshing. It’s interesting how sometimes all it takes is someone confidently showing a different reality, so committed to their soul’s truth—unwaveringly, unapologetically—to understand that there is another way. I want to light my own path. For me, because it’s my truth. But, maybe for others too…Inspire them to light their own unique way.

RIGHT:

When you walk into the main area in front of the wooden barn at Oz Farm, there’s a sign with the word “abundance” painted on it, and that pretty much sums up the vibe there. Endless produce, giant beets, fields of colorful wildflowers (everything growing exactly where it wants to), apples scattered on the grass like pennies in a fountain. So many apple pies—we took four home, I held the boxes stacked up under my chin. Candy apples too!! And everyone was so friendly and loving.

Highlights included the music, of course—performing my own songs, and then seeing the inspiring Aviva le Fey, and my friend Jake Padorr’s band, Flat Sun Society. Haven’t had that much fun dancing in a while, it was a truly freeing energy cultivated by the music and crowd.

I also loved exploring the property the next day, wandering into the redwoods, plunging into the cold river, getting stung by nettles, haha. Geoff and I found lots of iridescent abalone shell bits on the beach, and I’m planning to silversmith a necklace with the pieces inlaid. Some way, some how.

LEFT:

On the way back from Oz Farm, we stopped at a mysterious and magical place called Sea Ranch Chapel, in a tiny town called Sea Ranch of course. The chapel is a small wooden, naturally-shaped structure with a shingled roof and kaleidoscopic colored stained glass windows. Apparently, the structure was built from ideas and sketches, rather than a calculated architectural design plan. It’s very unique, no hard lines or angles—all curves and organic shapes. Very psychedelic-looking. I loved how the plaque said that the architect or artist views art as the intersection between the physical and spiritual worlds, because I definitely feel that myself. When I’m singing, if feels like I’m communing with the universe, some powerful healing energy beyond me. It feels like I’m creating something tangible (yet intangible at the same time) out of the void. Naturally, I had to bring my guitar in and sing some songs. The acoustics were beautiful.

RIGHT (cont’d..):

My voice was feeling a bit weathered from the journey, but it ultimately added to the rawness and magic of the moment. A very human yet mystical moment, communing with unseen, loving energies under the stained glass-filtered light.

QUOTE IN UPPER CORNER OF RIGHT PAGE:

“Days like these it’s easy to believe in more than you see / when everything you do, you do it well / you cast your spell on me…” (from my new song “Live Among the Flowers.”)

QUOTE ON LOWER CENTER OF RIGHT PAGE:

“Sing your song, for you know we won’t be here long” (from my new song, “Over my Head.””

*Yes, I did just quote my songs twice haha, they fit the vibe well*

Note: Hover over the page to see the typed entry, in case you have difficulty reading my handwriting!

This past weekend I went on a whimsical jaunt up the coast to play a house show in Santa Cruz, followed by the autumn harvest festival at an epic place called Oz Farm. I played my shows on this trip solo, so it was just my partner, Geoff, and I on the road. Along the way, we also got to explore some other sweet towns like Carmel, Point Reyes, and Sea Ranch. This wasn’t fully a tour, rather a weekend of shows and adventure.

Our main destination, Oz Farm, is located just outside a tiny town called Point Arena, where the population is supposedly around 400 people—it’s a quaint and magical area. The farm is composed of 240 acres of land, blanketed by a forest of towering redwoods, multicolored wildflower fields, rows of vegetables, and an apple orchard. There’s a cider mill, a big wooden barn, tiny homes built in trailers, yurts, and a geodesic dome. Our beloved tiny home for the weekend looked right over the orchard.

According to some research I did, Oz started in the 70s as an “ecotopian” living experiment. And it most definitely has that warm, loving, anything’s-possible utopian vibe. As you can probably sense, it’s a well-suited space for a dreamer like me. I had actually randomly (or not so…?) visited the farm five or six years prior, when a friend of mine was apprenticing there. So of course it felt very synchronous when I was asked to play music there—and, just like the last time, I pretty much never wanted to leave.

These pages are scanned from actual my journal, and this time I didn’t end up going into as much of the details of our day-to-day. It was more of a spiritual and poetic reflection. So, while it doesn’t really tell a linear story of the trip, I hope you are still able to gain something from my thoughts, and that this inspires you creatively in some way. Maybe grab a notebook and some colored pencils and head over to a body of water to muse on some of your own adventures!

Sending love.

A.R.