When I came to Mexico, I had retirement in my mind.  The thing is there is no such thing as retirement.  You are either moving forward and expanding, or you are in a dead end and ready to leave this plain we call Earth.  

When my husband and I came, it wasn't all sunny beaches in our relationship and even though we brought only two suitcases each, we were carrying a lot of other baggage.   I ask you, what are you still carrying? All the emotional baggage you may have healed or not healed.  This was made very evident to me as I had some emotional anger that I denied, and some inner child wounds that I didn't want to really admit or even look at.  I had done a bunch of shadow work before we came but you're like an onion with many layers to uncover.  Layers upon layers, deeply buried where you thought no one could see them, including yourself.  

I remember seeing this magazine photo that showed this couple walking down a dusty road and a man that resembled Jesus following behind carrying lots of luggage, I realize this was the couple's baggage that they had not dealt with or had not let go and forgiven, and they were so far out in front of Jesus that they didn't even know they were carrying all this stuff, all the stuff he died for.   I cut that picture out and kept it for many years and had just gotten rid of it when we came to Mexico.  

At first nothing changed when we arrived, my old normal patterns of doing life...not a human being enjoying life...but doing life, dealing with the same old ways of not dealing with the truth inside, not expanding with joy.  God seemed to be constantly talking to me about expansion with joy, only most of the time I wasn't listening.  It was like being a ghost in my own body.  It was like I was sleepwalking through life.  

Sometimes we are so good at pretending.  Giving a show.  Expressing a false self by walking in lies of our own making, trying to keep the peace even if all of that is slowly killing you.  

Well...if you don't get the message that God is trying to convey to you...to change or shift your patterns, then sometimes drastic measures are needed.  You know the ones, you get sick, you get in an accident, things start falling a part in your household, in your family, things become monotonous, the spark leaves life and you find yourself faced with either change or your journey is over, your mission or purpose is incomplete and it's time to go. 

That's exactly what happened...I got a wakeup call.  I had been having them for years. How about you?  Have you been getting messages to wake up? Cancer was one of mine, still didn't cause me to change or at least not fully enough.  There were various ailments within my body that were telling me to I needed a cleanse, a releasing of toxins and thoughts that I was keeping and holding onto that were slowly poisoning my peace, my joy, and that I was actually causing my own self to suffer.  Later on I found out that I even gave myself the cancer, you might not believe that but I realize that all that stuff, all the worry, all the pain of heartbreak, all the lies you have been telling yourself, all the ways we hold on to betrayals, all the times we were manipulated, all the ways we chose to hurt ourselves physically and verbally and how we feed the pain with drugs and alcohol and it just seems it's a never ending loop we can get stuck in.  This is the baggage.

My first year in Mexico and I was gifted with a Near Death Experience that was a wakeup call for sure.  A few weeks after this NDE message I get to experience another message as my soul decides to exit this earth plain again, I have no say in the matter as my soul begins to leave.    Apparently, I didn't get the first message in way that shifted me into a new patten of living. I do remember the message...Do you want to live?  If you do want to live, then get on with the experience of living.  What does this experience of living look like to you?

There is a cord that attaches the astral body to the physical body this is an energetic cord that we all have on this frequency we call earth.  When you have a Near Death Experience depending on where you are energetically or vibrationally and what we believe, we have an experience that mirrors that.  You have heard of some reports by people that they traveled down a tunnel of light.  When near death happens, this is a dying, but the person doesn't complete the process.  I have been shown that if one continues toward the light and enters it, this energetic cord is dissolved, and one has crossed over or gone through the veil of light.  

  My own experience was like I went to a waiting area, a place where it was super peaceful and I was just floating around.  It was a place of pure love. Ernie my husband said I mentioned my mom as I returned.  When you have this experience, it can then alter the projection of one's life and as it should.  In my particular case, about three weeks later I found myself leaving again and I was unable to stop the going.  Thankfully Ernie my husband threw a glass of water on me to stop the process.  The thing is I realized, my guides and guardians were trying to change the projectory (project and trajectory) of my life path.  I had been on a path that led to a dead end, no pun intended.  So, something like this experience that happens to you can really shake up your thinking.  The idea is to shift one's heart mindset into creating new patterns.  

Since those wake-up calls, every time I have been going in the wrong direction or getting off track it's been made very clear that I have a mission or purpose to fulfill and to about face, create a new pattern of living and go in way that is beneficial to it.  

This has led me to stop drinking and partaking in experiences that will hurt my spirit, mind and body.  It has helped me to make better decisions about my diet, led me to yoga, walking, and other types of exercise.   It has also led me to seek out all different kinds of healing modalities and even become certified in some like Reiki, and sound healing.  I have also been encouraged to try vibrational sound healing which led me to having my own Quantum healing table with Vibro Acoustic Sound and crystal therapy that I can share with others. 

I have been fascinated ever since the NDE with the other side.  I am ferocious is my pursuit of learning about channeling, hypnosis regression, reading ever book and listening to others that have gone through these experiences and to people whose lives have completely changed because they said yes and went down a rabbit hole because all of a sudden in their lives they are hearing from beyond this world and getting messages to share with the masses.  

What I have found is we are Artists of Reality.  We came here to create, co-create with the great creator.  You are, and every one of us have come here to become sculptors of experience.  We are the poets of the quantum field and the physical dimension. We are all frequency artists because we are energy...we are creators of something whatever you may be creating, and we are in the frequencies of our creations.  

Today I ask you my friend, what are you creating?  Are you listening to your still quiet inner voice? Listen deeply and make the adjustments that you feel are needed.  Is it that job you dread going to each day?  Have you been feeling like you're supposed to make a move, sell your house?  Have you always wanted to become an artist?  Take the necessary next right steps however small those first steps are.  If you are doing something that is hurtful to yourself or to another, about face and go in another direction.  If you have baggage no matter how small or how deep, find the help you need to let it go.  If your friends or so-called friends don't lift you up or believe in your success it's time to wave good-bye and make some new ones who do really care about you.  If you're in a marriage that doesn't feel empowering or beneficial for your expansion with joy, then ask yourself what it would be like to have a relationship that does meet your needs and that does create an expansion within you.  You're not really living if you continue to live in mediocrity, if you keep looking for the rainbow outside your window and even when you see it, you never want to leave the house of lies.  Fear is false evidence appearing real, you keep hoping for change, but it never happens because we never take the next right step.  

I am constantly facing all of these truths myself, and God is asking me to shift my position and use a new compass that changes my patterns.  If this resonates, feel free to reach out and we can have a chat.  

A note on the Art side of things...I continue to grow and face challenges to overcome.  I am just finishing up another new painting and will present it all to you next month.  

Remember you are the light of love, so don't let this life dim your light, shift your patterns so your light will shine brilliantly!  Then you'll be a world changer.  

Be liquid love and splash all over, Johanna
​See you all next month

Everything is always, always coming up roses. 
If you want to believe
that everything is always working out for you,
always, always working out for you
then what I have found is it does. 
And when you look back 
over your life, even in the most terrible traumatic times
Everything has worked out.
Lessons were learned or repeated until they were learned and
now maybe, it wasn't exactly how you thought it should work out, 
but it worked out.  

My newest painting is called "Coming Up Roses"
Her Story Her Blessing
She walks through the forest as the light of love itself.  
Every step she takes, roses rise to meet her.  She is the birth of love and every gesture she makes; petals fall and she plants seeds that sprout magic.  The forest blooms in her presence, reminding us that abundance is not something we chase-- it is something we embody.  
When we believe in love's infinite flow, life responds in kind.  
We are always, always coming up roses. 

This painting is a mirror of your spirit.  You, too, are the one whose presence calls beauty forth. 
You, too, are the one who's light and love, your very essence this place we live called earth is crying out for. 
Your very breath stirs magic from the ground...your words and thoughts create your very world. 
There will be days that your path feels shadowed, days when the forest seems still, and you feel alone. 
There will be days of torrential rains and howling winds
and those days of when all is well and everything seems right with the world. 
No matter what season you are in the roses wait beneath the soil,
​ready to rise at your touch. 
You are never without abundance.  You are never without love. 
The world blooms in response to your belief, and the forest remembers your light.  

"Beloved Souls, I write to you not as a stranger, but as one who sees the light you carry...
You are the guardians of abundance, the one whose steps call roses from the earth...
You are the rose blooming, the seeds of love come forth from you...
Love is not something you must earn--
it is the ground beneath your feet, rising to meet you with every breath.
May your days unfold like petals, may your nights shimmer with stars,
and may you always know:
You Are the Voice of Love."

Hello friends, March has been a month of expanding. 
It's my birthday month,
and as a good friend said time to celebrate another year's journey around the sun. 

So many new experiences are saying yes to me, try this, you're going in the right direction.  I wrote a children's book, still in the finishing stages. This was something I have wanted to do for years, and I finally took the time to try my hand at it.  I am excited to share it with you as soon as I have it in my hands and give it as a gift to my daughters and granddaughters. I am also on a new adventure with Spirit that has the possibility to expand into a "Movement".  It feels way bigger than me.  My job is to keep showing up, consistently and having fun while I do.  We don't need to know how it will happen, instead trust the flow, the ideas coming to you, pay attention and just take the next right step.  How about you?  Where is your expansion taking you?

The thing I have noticed is that every time I am on the edge of stepping into new territory where growth lives, resistance often show's up with it. 
In my mind I may know that I am safe, my spirit may already be soaring, but the body does not lie. 

Sometimes my body needs more time to trust the expansion.
Resistance is not the enemy.  It is the body's way of saying, "This is new.  Let me catch up". 
I notice it in the way of tension in my shoulders, the clenching of my teeth at night, it is the proof of growth.  It is the echo of fear dissolving; the residue of old stories being released.   
Does this happen to you?  

When you decide to take the next right step, something beautiful happens: the support you need appears.  Some call it synchronicity.  
But have you ever noticed that suddenly the photographer you've been thinking about or looking for suddenly appears...the little coincidences, you mention you are just thinking about it, and somebody knows somebody, and the funny thing is you already knew this person but didn't know they were a photographer.  It's like the universe heard you months ago and already provided, but you weren't quite there yet...so it was just waiting until your yes was yes.  Then the money appears, you get paid for a job you did over a year ago, so any resistance in this area has been taken care of.  Suddenly everything aligns, the path opens, not because the fear is gone, but because you chose to walk through it anyway.  You said yes, without wavering in doubt, but instead you are living in certainty.

I showed up and said "YES" to the scary thing.
The first steps to anything in growth is allowing yourself to try something new, to say yes to whatever it is.  
I showed up to my photo shoot this month. For days before hand, resistance lived in my body--the nervous signs of teeth grinding at night, neck tense, jaw tight, looking over all the outfits...more than once This was something I had been thinking I wanted to do, along with all my art being photographed also.  Evern though I had already walked through the fear of saying yes and making the appointment, I was getting ready to enter new territory-my nervous system still clung to its old armor.  
Then the excuses before I even started.   I didn't know a photographer here in Oaxaca. 
It meant I needed my art to be at a place of being ready and having enough art completed to warrant the cost of a shoot.  
Then the body judgement I had in my mind of being seen, of being heard, combatting all the old negative stories and shifting my mindset into one of love, one of loving myself, showing up for me, smiling at me. 
I am ready to be seen and I'm not hiding anymore; I can share the most vulnerable places within me and that includes my unique voice and the truths of my experiences.  

RESISTANCE IS NOW MY SACRED THRESHOLD  
Each time I cross it, I discover that the "scary" thing was never truly scary at all--it was simply the doorway to freedom.  

So, I honor my body's resistance as part of the ceremony.  
I breathe into the tightness, I whisper reassurance:
"We are safe.  we are free to grow."
Slowly, the body learns to soften into the expansion.

I used to tell my ego.
Were just going to try this and if we didn't like it, we could go back to the old way.  I told my ego that if it didn't have something nice to say; then just go sit on a fence until it wanted to play nice.  You know those not so nice voices.  
But now I laugh a bit at this...because there is no going back. I am standing in my own power and it's stronger than I once thought.  My ego has joined my heart and soul, and I find I walk in peace.  
I just keep moving forward, I keep expanding and with joy! 
Expanding with Joy, I think this is a book that I want to write, not because I have to, but because I can, I get to. 
​It is my life...learning to expand with JOY!

The photo shoot was more than images-it was initiation.  A reminder that showing up, even trembling, is enough. ​

That scary isn't scary anymore.

Just laugh at it and have fun.
"Where is resistance showing up in your body today, and what new horizon might it be guarding?"

"The world is changing at a pace that asks us all to be brave.  Resistance may tighten our jaws, stiffen our necks, or whisper that we aren't ready.  But each time we step forward, we discover that scary isn't scary anymore.  These thresholds are not just personal-they are collective.  We are all learning to soften into new horizons together."

"And so, I step forward, jaw unclenched, heart open, into the horizon that once felt frightening. 
Scary is simply the threshold of becoming. 
May we all honor resistance as the sacred gatekeeper of our growth
and walk together into the new world that is waiting for us."

Golden Coherence-Acrylic-60x70cm-

This painting is a journey from noise into coherence, from fragmentation into union.

The vibrant colors in the hair are like ribbons of truth, of light, of love.
The colors of oranges, reds in the hair represent the voices and distractions of the world, gradually dissolving into higher vibrations of love and light.

From the heart emerges radiant green, carrying golden hearts that symbolize purity and unity.  Teal flows as the truth of the voice, while purple awakens the third eye, and gold surrounds all - reminding us of the divine essence we embody.  It is a vision of becoming one with the Prime Creator of All, our Source, our true Choice Point, the place where we all become unified in the Golden Coherence of Love, of Light. 
Here we recognize ourselves as perfect essence, inseparable from All.  Here we recognize that we all matter, that we are the harmony for each other, we are all one coming together as notes that create a song of unity, a vibration that connects us together as one. Here, we all become the Light of Love and recognize that we are One with All.

From the Studio:

Every moment we have together is a blessing, is a gift.  Thank you for reading this post. Thank you for your support.  I appreciate each and every one of you.  Below is an easy link to share with a friend.  Someone who may benefit from not only supporting me but giving themselves a gift of the light of love.  Each person that signs up receives three free blessing cards that you can print to give away and enhance someone's day.  As a subscriber you all will receive 15% off the first print purchased. You will also be the first to receive notice of new paintings, of special blessings being released.   Soon this will all be in place with ease and grace, and you will all be the first to know the date of my launch.  Stay tuned for more!

Thank you once again, for listening.
You are the Light of Love,
​Johanna  

What would it be like to be a "Beacon of Light"? 
Have you ever thought about it? 
What if you already are a beacon of light and didn't realize it.   
A beacon stabilizes,  it radiates, and it expands.

It does not demand attention, it simply shines.
It holds steady in the storm, offering direction when the path feels uncertain.
It glows with a quiet strength, reminding others of their own brilliance.

To be a beacon of light is to embody presence-to stand rooted in love,
to radiate compassion, to expand into possibility. 

And perhaps the most beautiful truth is this: 
You don't have to become a beacon of light.
You already are.
Every act of kindness, every moment of authenticity,
every breath of gratitude is part of your radiance.
The invitation is simply to notice it, to honor it, and to let it shine.

Each blessing is offered in both English and Spanish,
carrying the vibration of unity across languages.
Each card has a blank space on the back and awaits your own words of encouragement...
To gift a friend, uplift a loved one, or brighten a stranger's day.
Through this act of love, you become a beacon. A world-changer. A light-sharer.

🌿 Receive these cards as a gift when you sign up for my newsletter.
They are my way of saying thank you for joining this circle of light.
"How will you let your light shine today?"

By your act of support in joining my newsletter, you're not only receiving blessings-
you're stepping into a living circle of creativity.
You become a part of the unfolding story of my studio,
witnessing each painting as it emerges,  each blessing as it takes form.   

As a subscriber, you'll be the first to see new works before they are shared publicly,
and you'll receive a special gift of 15% off your first purchase.   
This is my way of honoring your support and inviting you to become a collector-
someone who carries these pieces of light into your own home, your own sacred space.

To collect is to remember.
To collect is to honor the journey of art as ceremony.
To collect is to let beauty live with you, guiding your days with color, breath, and blessing.

🌿 When you join, you’re not just supporting me as an artist--
you’re becoming a keeper of light,
a co‑creator in this movement of gratitude and presence.

LET YOUR LIGHT BE SEEN.
LET YOUR BREATH BE SACRED.
LET YOUR JOURNEY BE BLESSED.
YOUR BLESSING ME IS  BLESSINGS UPON YOU...
PRESSED DOWN...SHAKEN AND OVERFLOWING

Thank you for your support,
Johanna Lee Larson

​Just listen to the words: 

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird, fly
Blackbird, fly
Into the light of the dark black night

Hello friends, I've been busy with not being so busy.  While I did complete a painting in October, the month of November has been about being thankful and taking the time for myself. 
I helped out a friend with another cat sitting gig.  Bought myself a few new pieces of clothing.  Went on a trip with my daughter Christa to Mexico City, where we visited the castle in the huge park that is bigger than New Yorks Central Park, enjoyed excellent Pizza and walked around the tree lined streets.   We then flew to Ixtapa and stayed at the Worldmark Resort in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. The resort was fantastic, and the beautiful bay and local people were so kind, and we just really loved it.   I do plan on returning another time.

 I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with Christa, time to swim in the pool, walk around Mexico City and Zihuatanejo.  While we were in Zihau, we met several people from Washington state also visiting the area.  We also went over to what they call the island and, on the way, met a local man who was wearing a Seahawks Jersey #12, and worked at a beach restaurant with the Seahawks flag, it's a small world.  We spent the day at this restaurant lounging, enjoying the turquoise waters and eating great food.

It was a lovely vacation, and I didn't realize how much
I actually needed to go and see some different sites of Mexico and break up my weekly routines.  

I am home now and have started creating a brand-new piece for the series Unified Light.  I plan to share it with you in my December Blog.  

I love random ways the universal sends you gifts. 
How when your attracted and passionate about something, the thing your passionate about shows up everywhere you go, even with your loved ones when you're not even around.  

While Christa and I were in Mexico City,
I see this man walking in the street wearing a pair of white overalls...
I had been thinking about getting a pair for painting in. 
Well, this man was covered in paint...Jaja Jaja...
I knew he was an artist the moment I saw him. 
So of course, I waved at him and Christa, and I stopped to chat with him.   
His name was Nicolas Guzman, and he had been creating in his art studio
and was just taking a break for a cup of coffee, a coincidence? 
You can check out his work @studionicolasguzman on Instagram. 

Then when I returned,
I was invited to a wonderful reception for a Group Art Exhibition at Niss Gallery in Huayapam, Mexico. 
@nissgaleria on Instagram

I have met some really talented artists here in Mexico and two that I follow, and love
are Ayanna Mojica and Echieko Wenrich Clegg.
​@ayannamojica    @echieko333

​Below is a picture of the Niss Gallery Collective Reception with the owner of the building cutting the red ribbon, and artist Nicolas Guzman from Mexico City.  

The very next day after Niss Gallery reception I went to Yoga with Christa,
something I try to do faithfully every Friday through Sunday.
She began telling me what a lovely evening she had taking herself out on a date. 
While she was there, her beautiful glow attracted some other ladies at the same restaurant wine bar. 
As she was leaving, they ask her to stop and talk with them. 
Turns out one of them is a gallery owner here in Oaxaca, and also in California.
​What are the chances? Coincidence?
They invite her to come have dinner and get to know them, and Christa asks if she can invite me also. 
What a lovely coincidence, and wonderful opportunity to meet new people and who knows where it will lead. 
Don't you just love how beautiful life works and how you get to meet such interesting and incredible people.  Everywhere we turn beauty surrounds us if were expecting beauty to surround us. 
Opportunity and gifts follow us if we recognize them as gifts and opportunities. 
I like to think of every person that comes across my path as a beautiful gift,
and if you are reading this blog, that includes you.  
Thanks for supporting me, I really do appreciate you tremendously.  
Hope you all had a beautiful Thanksgiving with your friends and family
and that lovely coincidences are happening for you.

You can also find me on Instagram @johannaleelarson_artwork

I held a vision.  I could see it in my mind's eye.  It began to show itself about three years ago. 

I kept seeing silhouettes of women that were one with all living life. 

They were living life; they were speaking to me in a resonant and expansive way.  We are all one.

They were telling me how you and I are already one with All. They told me that we all carry a similar vibration of unity, interconnection and sacred belonging    

The story they told was that we belong to the great whole.  That the Great Creator is All Conscious life and All is woven within us.  

So that makes us threads in the sacred tapestry of life, of all life.  

One breath, one rhythm, one soul.  We are the echo of everything.  We can find ourselves in every being, in every flower, in every tree, in every animal, in all of life, if we are willing to look.  

All that is, lives in us.  We literally are the pulse of the universe.  There is no separation, only sacred union.  

When I began the series, I lovingly called it "One with All".  A series of nine paintings that would depict how we are one with the ocean, one with the trees, one together and rooted in All. How we are the very reflection of all the colors of God, like a rainbow of his/her magnificent light, we are woven together in unified light.  

In this moment, I paused.  In this moment I listened inward.  I was thinking that the message I was receiving was to rename the series from "One with All" to "Unified Light".  As you create and bring to light each piece in the series sometimes a deepening message begins to evolve.  

I tested the name out with a circle of women and the vote was easily "Unified Light".  

Unified Light felt like a transmission--gentle yet powerful, spacious yet intimate.  It carries the essence of my work:  the merging of many into one, the sacred glow that connects all beings, the soft radiance of wholeness.

Unified Light feels like a deeply aligned name.  It speaks to the essence that threads through each piece: the luminous connection between spirit, nature, and self.  There's a sense of transformation, remembrance, and sacred embodiment in the work as a whole.  Unified Light captures that beautifully. Whether a painting explores identity, elemental forces, or divine feminine energy, they all seem to radiate from the same source: a unified field of light, color, and soul.

 Now, for my newest painting...this one began as "Who Are You?" and has also evolved into something more embodied and cosmic.  

Her story: She emerged from the question-not as an answer, but as a revelation.  Her hair, a flame of galaxies.  Her body, a vessel of flowing light.  She does not ask "Who am I?"-she is the response.  She is the breath between stars, the dance of becoming, the mirror of all.

This painting is a portrait of soulhood-of the moment when identity dissolves into essence.  It is a celebration of the feminine in her cosmic form: radiant, fluid, and whole.  She reminds us that we are not separate from the universe-we are its living poetry.  
A good friend commented she was an essence of me.  I say she is the essence of the Light of Love, found within us all.  And with that her name emerged.  

Title: Essence Revealed
Series: Unified Light
Date: October 2025
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 70x80cm

It's always such a pleasure to spend time with you, thank you for allowing me to tell you about my art, share my experiences, your support is everything to me and I greatly appreciate you.  

This morning, I finished prepping my next painting, the seventh in this same series...so hopefully it will progress quickly, and I can share it with you next month.  Once I reach the ninth one, I will see about getting a professional photographer to come and shoot the lot.  Then the real fun begins uploading onto the website, shifting the dialogue to meet the new art.  Connecting a drop shipping company to handle all the prints, learning how to market the work.  Then the next series begins, one which I have already started.  Stay tuned as the journey unfolds.  

May you be blessed, your heart be light, and your path be luminous.

In the light of love, Johanna

​I find myself this month... remembering,
filled with nostalgia of days gone by, filled with gratefulness for today,
and filled with excitement for the days to come. 
Remembering how precious life is.  

Every day brings breath, the spirit of God coursing through me.
I am so grateful for this breath.
For the little things that touch my spirit.  
The gentleness of a soft breeze against my skin.
The movement of the wind in the trees.
The sound of birds singing to me when I wake.
All the wild little flowers that catch my eyes and inspire me.
So many gifts and I don't want to take any of it for granted.
This includes my family and how much I love them.

I am so grateful as I remember my first baby born was on September first.  It also happens to be my best friend's birthday and this year...my first-born Janelle and her husband Chris gave birth to our second granddaughter.  Like how precious that is!   Meet Ophelia Grace, born on September 13, 2025, at 10:34 am.  Ernie and I are very proud grandparents indeed!

I started out the month with hives.  Found out the hard way that I was allergic to the leaves of a citronella plant.  The good news about this is that I found Dr. Nelly.  She speaks English and of course that all helps when your Spanish is not fluent.  Today the rash and itching are gone...so grateful.

I also volunteered for a cat sitting gig for one month.
It's located in San Augustine Etla, which is on the other side of the city from where we live now. 

I was curious of this area, and now I know unless one has a car, it's just a bit too far and expensive to get into town.
The views of the mountains, and the lush green fauna are stunning and the quiet of being alone has been good for my soul. 
But it hasn't been without challenges.  Challenges are good, for they help us grow and expand.  You can expand with joy or with the latter...frustration or fears...but I find the peace within me usually laughs at all the challenges these days and I can take it with a grain of salt, as my mother would say, and with age comes wisdom that there are many views of how we can interpret challenges.

Meeting Haiku...cats are the funniest creatures.  From the moment I first arrived...Haiku came to me for a pet scratching.  Not every cat is so amiable.  So, I had a big sigh of relief from this.  This cat was chill.  
The first days were no picnic, but I managed to roll with whatever the universe was throwing at me. 

First thing that happened was the gas for the hot water ran out.  Now the owners were visiting family in France, so them explaining to me how to do things has been interesting, not to mention my eyesight needs light and the boiler is in an area that has no light and everything of course is in Spanish, but I was up for the challenge. 

Unfortunately for me...it took four days to get the gas and to figure out how to re-light the boiler.  This meant if I wanted a shower, I had to heat water up and use a bucket to pour over me.  No big deal...it seems the only real reason the gas hadn't come was first there was Mexico celebrating their Independence Day, and communication or the lack of it on my part.  I had to have Christa help me and eventually found success.  

Ernie my husband came out for a few days, and Christa came for a night.  We really enjoy each other's company and the first night we walked to a brewery that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere and we enjoyed an IPA and pizza together.  

When we got back from our walk...the house had been closed up, and a foul smell was coming from the bedroom.  Ernie found a tuft in the carpet that turned out to be a dead bird at the foot of the bed.  Haiku had brought me a gift.  

It's been a very long time since I had a cat and I have been re-introduced to their antics.

The house is old and has a few leaks when it rains...and since we are in rainy season, the bowls came out to catch water. 
 
What's that old saying when one is away the heart grows fonder.  I like to think that sometimes when faced with change...or a shock...it makes one re-evaluate and become grateful.  Ernie and I had time together to reconcile some areas of our lives, and I that we needed this time alone to re-examine our relationship of 45 years so changes could be made if we were to continue onward for the rest of our time on earth.  This time apart has been fruitful.

After Ernie went home, I had planned to try and make my way into town and go to yoga, and a women's gathering.  Seems easy, right?  I got up extra early.  And after all the usual chores, started on my way out the door, only to find a bird had somehow flown into the stairwell heading up to nowhere. 

​This is typical in Mexico, as they will build the stairs and then later add the upstairs.  First the cat and I were shocked.  Where or how had this bird gotten into this space.  I watched as the cat watched the bird and its head went back and forth like one of those dolls on a spring.  

The stairwell is closed at the top with a clear plastic covering and the bird who was not small was banging on this plastic.  The cat was watching it with great interest as I was trying to figure out how in the world could I get it out of the house.  I wrote to the owner, who couldn't believe that it had happened.  I found the tools through her instruction and went to the roof...thankfully most houses have a flat roof...this could be sometimes why they leak.  I was thinking the only way I could get the bird out was to undo the screws that held the plastic covering down.  The owner was concerned that I would break the seal to this plastic causing further leaks.  I was concerned that I was going to miss yoga, which I did and then miss the women's group.  So, I was frantically trying to remedy the situation.  

Well, just like I didn't know how that bird came into the house...the front door was the only way...I also don't know how it got out.  By the time I returned to see if it was in the stairwell...just like that it was gone.  I chocked it up that my angels were looking out for me and there was a reason for safety in the delay.  

This is my fourth year without a car.  I miss one, especially in these circumstances when I am far from the city and transportation is a challenge.  Yes, another challenge. The funny thing is the owners left me their car, but without insurance and I forgot my driver's license I wasn't keen for taking their car anywhere.  Not to mention that the roads here and the lights are no joke...it's like driving in a maze and there are topo's (speedbumps) everywhere which are often unmarked and will give a surprise.  

So, I walked.  To get to town, one must walk down this little mountain, cross the freeway, grab a collectivo that will take you into the city...good news it's not even a dollar to do this as you are sharing a vehicle with others.  Once you're in town at the drop off, you cross a busy road and start walking to your destination.  My destination is clear across town in a whole different section called Reforma. Thankfully a taxi found me walking and I jumped at the chance to lessen the 45-minute walk I would have had.  I was so grateful that he only charged me about $6.  So, in the end I made it the women's group and with time to spare. 

In the days that have followed, I giggled one day when I saw the cat had feathers stuck to each side of its whiskers, but this turned out to not be so funny, when I found the poor bird half devoured on my blanket.  The very same day the cat cornered a mouse in the bedroom, after hours of chasing the little creature, the cat wore it out and I was able to catch it and release it outside, hoping that it would survive the ordeal and be able to share the scary story with its family.  But alas, no such luck as two puppies found their way into the yard and carried it off to my dismay that it hadn't survived.    

After this, I started keeping the bedroom door closed in the afternoons.  

Well, it doesn't end here...with the animals.  I went to the kitchen a few days later, only to find Haiku chasing a rather fat gecko across the floor.  Finally, the other animal got the best of Haiku, the gecko went under the stove and eventually the cat gave up.  Haiku meowed at me...I said, "You're on your own".

That night I went to turn off the boiler and had a fright as a very large possum lives right by it in a hole in the ground.  
This all brings laughter as I have been tested, and comfort too, thinking how I love where I live and how funny life is.  I think I could see a children's book out of all of this. As I am writing this Haiku has showed up with another small bird.  Poor thing...Haiku seems to be quite the hunter.  

Seriously, this area of Mexico is so beautiful, full of butterflies, hummingbirds, dragonflies, these rather large neon green moths with really cool markings, and the flowers...don't get me started. I am getting great inspiration for my next painting.
​
I brought art of course to work on...

So, the paintings I brought with me to work on are for the "We Are One" series and the "Angels Among Us" series.
​I am in love with it already and it's just got the blocking in finished.  I am working on a black background and so my first step is to block in with white paint so the colors will stand out first.  Here is a sneak peak, of what's to come.  This painting is called "Who Are You".

Tomorrow the color begins.  The first stages are for figuring out how to get the idea onto the canvas.  Just like life, this is a putting on, taking off and figuring out what does work, what does not work.  I often will find moments when I get stuck, but the one thing I know is to ask.  Ask my angels, my guides for some direction.  It never fails to amaze me how within usually a day...inspiration comes so I can move to the next step.  
I also brought with me a second painting for my "Angel's Among Us" series.  It's of a woman who is dancing with Angels.  This comes from my own experience's feeling like there are thousands of angels dancing with me.  It's in the ugly stage right now...blocking in, adding shadows, and light, trying to figure it out.  
Each of these paintings are so different from one another and I kind of like that.  It gives me a change of pace from one to the other.  
Well loves...this is the end of my September memories, thanks for joining me, so until next time...keep creating your dreams and thank you for supporting mine.  
​Johanna

Series: One With All   
​Medium: Acrylic on Canvas   
​Completed: September 2025

• She is the breath between words.  The vibration before sound.  She speaks not with volume, but with frequency-a resonance that touches soil, sky, and soul.  
• Her voice is a river of remembrance, flowing through ancestral glyphs, pearlescent codes, and sacred breath.
• Each line, each dot, each swirl of my brush paints a shimmer of light language, a prayer whispered into the ether.
• She speaks for those who forgot they were divine.
• She speaks truth into shadow.
• She speaks love-and the world begins to bloom.

This painting is not an image; it is a living invocation.  A portal of peace.  A mirror of higher self.  A wellspring of overflowing grace.  She is radiant and alive with movement and emotion.  The colors sing with warmth, and she is a flowing river, giving birth to all of life, her blue hair represents the truths of her soul, cascading down like a waterfall, nourishing all who come into her realm, the surrounding trees evoke deep grounding alongside expressive freedom...the birthing.  

​WHEN LOVE SPEAKS...THE EARTH REMEMBERS

HER VOICE IS LIGHT, HER BREATH IS TRUTH

WHAT SHE SPEAKS AWAKENS THE SACRED

SHE IS ONE WHO BREATHES LIFE INTO THE SOIL

​THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE IS ROOTED & RISING

Her words move like water, spiral like wind, and root like memory. She carries the songs of ancestors, the truth of transformation, and the love that liberates. “When Love Speaks” is not only what she does—it’s who she is. A visual invocation of sacred expression, healing presence, and feminine wisdom that cannot be silenced.

Soon I will be calling the photographers, to photograph the collection series.  Soon the final touches like the signature and the protective layers will be added.  

So, who might this painting be for?  For those who feel the stir of truth in their chest, the whisper of love in their breath, and the quiet knowing that they were never separate from the divine.  She is for the seekers, the healers, the dreamers, and the ones who speak light into the world simply by being.  

If you are interested in this painting...reach out to me.  I will place you on a waiting list and when the prints, and the original are ready...I will contact you.  

Thank you so much for this opportunity to share a part of my heart.  
Be the one who dances with the light of love...Johanna