Posts in Creativity
What Are You Leaving Behind?
What Are You Leaving Behind?

Today marks the spring equinox. This day is a living paradox of mystery and science, that which is enigmatic and yet clearly makes sense when studied through measure. The very practical notion of the sun crossing the celestial equator, as well as the vibrant metaphor of an expressive rebirth following a long internal winter season. The flowers bloom through the snow and our animal nature is stirred towards procreative efforts. While the energy is that of moving forward and rising up, we are simultaneously shedding layers of dead weight of what no longer serves us. What are you leaving behind?

Read More
Past, Future, Present, Philosophy, Creativity, Devotion, Entrepreneurship, WellnessCiela Wynter
Are You Excited?
Are You Excited?

I am. Deeply… are you? In constant awe of the range of emotions I can feel within an hour, I find a profound resonant beauty within this kaleidoscopic existence. As a human, our capacity to feel is so relevant and also proportional to our level of being. Imagine with me the felt sense of every aspect of every emotion, the shape-shifting perseverance of what it is to be human, as well as the need to discern throughout the entire range of what is possible and ask, is this real? Is what I am feeling true...or false?

Read More
Past, Future, Present, Philosophy, Entrepreneurship, CreativityCiela Wynter
Whose Integrity?
Whose Integrity?

Ours. Ultimately the integrity in question is always that which is the most intimate of all. Despite any impulse to look outside ourselves for the wrongdoing of the moment or the action of another, regardless of what is provoked from within us, the journey of reclamation of power begins at home.

Humans are the stewards of vast realities created by ourselves. These realities have an immense impact upon everything touched, spoken to, loved, or unloved. Inside of each of us is a world of worlds and our current state of consciousness can only access so much of this information at a time. The majority of the inner workings of who we don’t know ourselves to be remain unconscious yet completely active under the surface layers of our psyche.

Read More
Past, Future, Present, Philosophy, Wellness, Astrology, Creativity, RelationshipCiela Wynter
What Is Your Moment?
What Is Your Moment?

I cried tonight, I laughed out loud, I sat and stared into the flame. There are so many moments in a moment and right now the full spectrum of aliveness calls me within. I wanted to share with you a letter I wrote to our Joan of Sparc community that encapsulates this moment for me. Not all sides of it, not the intrinsic transformative fluid nature of what occurs inside the chrysalis walls… yet, there is a hint of what is to be.

Read More
Past, Future, Present, Philosophy, Entrepreneurship, Astrology, Creativity, RelationshipCiela Wynter
Winter Solstice Reflection: A Year in Review?
Winter Solstice Reflection: A Year in Review?

The natural inclination to withdraw from external stimulus arrives with the North winds upon the cusp of autumn and winter. As this year has proven to be anything but “normal,” it is quite possible that we could even overlook this very personal invitation to reflect.

Just because we may find ourselves in lockdown or hunkered in doesn’t mean we won’t be seeking to distract ourselves. For many, our senses are nearly numb with controversy and the holidays will look vastly different than in previous years.

Read More
Past, Future, Present, Philosophy, Astrology, Creativity, WellnessCiela Wynter
If You Were President?
If You Were President?

What would you do? Please indulge me and ask yourself this question. Instead of us thinking how others should live into this immense responsibility, let’s dream together about what we would do in those shoes.

First thing, I would apologize. Deeply, fervently, with tears of love, and prayers for mercy. Standing in the present moment I would ground my feet into the earth and give thanks. There would be recognition for all that we have been given and rectification for all that we have stolen, lied about, and destroyed. To walk forward into a bright future, we must first know where we have been. The road is long and we will walk it together, not as sheep, but as lions

Read More
Past, Future, Present, Philosophy, Politics, CreativityCiela Wynter
What Happened Next?
What Happened Next?

I sat down to breathe, closed my eyes and went in

Where was the earth and where did it begin?

My body convulsed as I birthed a lion cub

Without time as a threshold, I blinked, it grew up

The Lion devoured me in one shocking fell swoop

I became nothing, re-formed, my belly moving like soup

I heaved and I birthed, a second lion cub son 

Another mouth, so fierce, teeth around me…I was done

 

I opened my eyes and I floated with grace

A deep topaz blue, a high mountain lake…

Read More
Past, Astrology, Future, Creativity, Poetry, PresentCiela Wynter
When Do You Doubt Yourself?
When Do You Doubt Yourself?

In moments of challenge, when what seemed like a yes is then presented as no or when the rug gets pulled from underneath me, I go inward seeking resolve. Often, I first encounter the fleeting ‘ok, I’m alright, stay optimistic…this too shall pass’. I venture deeper and a flurry of emotions resembling a thousand bees buzz through me, disorient me momentarily and bring forth subtle anxiety that increasingly builds. Chocolate? A friend’s voice? ‘God, are you there? It’s me, Ciela.’

Read More
Past, Creativity, EntrepreneurshipCiela Wynter
Are You a Mother?
Are You a Mother?

Not in any traditional sense, no. When people ask me if I want to have children, I’ve always had the same answer… “God Willing”.  I am not compelled to have kids. I don’t feel the need to be a mother to fulfill any sort of destiny and I don’t have the deep-rooted longing that I witness in many of my sisters. Throughout different chapters of my life I have experienced the role of Mother. I’ve led communities and sat in the seat of a matriarch. I have spent endless hours upon hours taking care of students, their families, and friends as if they were my very own. Maternal instincts come naturally to me and I have more love to give than I even know.

Read More
Present, Creativity, Devotion, Philosophy, PastCiela Wynter
How Does Poetry Tell a Story?
How Does Poetry Tell a Story?

There once was a maiden who yet knew rebirth,

she danced and she danced ‘round her perceived value and worth. 

In her days of youth, she would commune with the creatures and plants,

seeking connection in every living thing, riding bareback in trance.

Through the forests with sunlight kissing her skin,

between shadows of leaves she found Nature’s kin.

Her innocence was a flame that began to grow dim,

as she grew, her attention was lost, seeking outside, not within.

Read More
Present, Poetry, Past, CreativityCiela Wynter
How Do You Prepare for the Unknown?
How Do You Prepare for the Unknown?

Settling into the warmth of radiant floor heating, cozying into a cashmere blanket, having just steeped in a hot bath full of salt and essential oils, feeling quite human again while sipping on a delicious coconut mylk matcha latte, I am considering this question in a different way than perhaps I would have just weeks ago. And yes, I recognize I am completely spoiled right now. So, I see your question and I’ll raise you two answers. 

Read More
Present, Poetry, Future, Creativity, PastCiela Wynter
How Do You Experience the Burrowing of Winter?
How Do You Experience the Burrowing of Winter?

There comes a moment when the trees are bare, the air feels calm after the autumn winds and the cold settles, inching towards the bones. In some places of winter there is the first snowfall which always brings both excitement and a slight panic to the nervous system of the journey ahead. My yearning for a beach, anywhere, is reluctantly stunted by the reality that it may be a while before my bare skin is caressed by salt water and sand. My hunger for thick stews, root vegetables and carbohydrates also indicates my internal chemistry shifting to meet the new sub-freezing temperatures. The beauty and starkness of death as well as the impending end of the year weave in and out of my subconscious mind, bringing me into a profound reflective state. Here I review the months past as if I am saying goodbye to a chapter of life, which of course, I am. 

Read More
Present, Creativity, Wellness, PastCiela Wynter
How Do You Experience the Thinning of the Veils?
How Do You Experience the Thinning of the Veils?

As we venture through the window of what has traditionally been referred to as Samhain, a Gaelic seasonal time of celebrating the transition from harvest to winter, we are invited to travel through the liminal portals beyond space and time. It is said that the veils between the world of the material and the realm of spirit are thin, allowing one to have ample access from both sides of this bridge. A time where devas and fairies of the plant kingdom would reveal themselves, a time when mere mortals could experience a taste of the supernatural, thus altering their sense of “reality” for good.

Read More
Present, Creativity, PastCiela Wynter
How Ripe is Your Fruit?
How Ripe is Your Fruit?

The harvesting cycle seems to run throughout my soul no matter the season. At times I am emotionally about to burst, the joy or the tears are nearing capacity and something has got to give…or physically I feel more voluptuous within my personal rhythms aligned with the moon. Sometimes an idea that has been brewing is now coming into form and ready for birth into the world.

Read More
Present, Astrology, Creativity, PastCiela Wynter
What Was the Question Again?
What Was the Question Again?

My heart is pulsing and yearning…and my head? At times spinning or perhaps contemplating. Breath is my sanctuary and reminds me I am alive and have been held from the moment I arrived here. My body is both tired and energized while my creativity is afire or teasing me out of overwhelm. I have the privilege of choice and I notice this, again.

Read More
Present, Creativity, Astrology, PastCiela Wynter