2022 Year Review and Looking Forward to 2023 - Heartful Art by Raphaella Vaisseau

In Numerology, 2023 is a 7 Universal Year in the 9-year cycle. According to "The Secrets of Numbers" by Vera Scott Johnson and Thomas Wommack, this means it is a "time for assimilation, analysis, and introspection, a time for perfecting the results of past efforts, and not a time for expansion and change." They suggest 2023 will be good for savings, banking, and insurance, which is great for me since I'm all about feeding my bank accounts at the moment. What is bringing me joy may also be right on target.

Last year, in 2022, my intentions were to deepen my relationship with my daughter, find new friends I resonate with, simplify my home while visualizing something even better in the future, continue establishing my legacy in art, and to enjoy nature in this beautiful place where I live. Below is a picture of my 2022 vision board. The adorable painting of a fox in the center of my collage is by local pet portraiture artist, April Johnson. I'll be creating a new vision board for 2023 in the coming weeks as the new year comes into focus.

Opportunity was my keyword for 2022, although I hadn't remembered that until I read last year's review. Nevertheless, with my mindful focus on listening to my Inner Guidance, I took inspired action enough times to feel I was vibrationally tuned into opportunity whether or not I consciously remembered to claim it. I met or surpassed most of my goals and, overall, I'm pleased with my progress over the twelve months of this past year.

I'm super excited about the coming year. I'm not sure I've ever felt so realistically hopeful. It's a great feeling. 

I haven't defined my intentions and goals yet for 2023 so I'll say this: As I move forward into the coming years, and look back over my entire life, I'll be pleased that I sought to continually take the next step, time and time again, toward being in greater and truer alignment with my highest purpose and with living a joyful life.

I wish you all the very best holiday season as 2022 comes to an end, and the most prosperous, joyful year in 2023. Blessings of Light and Love to you.

-Raphaella Vaisseau

Meditation is Life - Heartful Art by Raphaella Vaisseau

I was asked today to share how I built my meditation practice.
Here's my answer:
     Currently, my life is a meditation. I meditate off and on throughout every day, while walking in nature, waiting in a checkout line etc. It started in 1975 with a 6-week enlightenment experience I had while traveling from Minneapolis to Niagara Falls, across upstate New York in the most glorious autumn ever, to Boston, and back to Minneapolis. The intention I declared to the Universe was, among other things (like a closer relationship with my daughter and making new friends) to have greater spiritual inner awareness. A longer story than this, but the final message from the Universe to me at the end of the six weeks was, “Contact Anja. Her teacher will be the one to get you off of the planet.” (Exact words.) I knew Anja was a patient of mine at the dental office I worked at so I went to work, found her file, called her on the phone and asked, “What are you into. I have to know.” She invited me to an MSIA seminar she was hosting that night. I didn’t have a car at that time but I took 3 buses and walked several blocks to get there. I was cautious about the seminar but it seemed straightforward to me so at the end of the evening I asked, “What’s next?” Someone suggested a little poetry book called, The Spiritual Promise, which I bought. I journeyed home and when I got there, not wanting to disturb the people whose home I was staying at, I sat on the floor under a tiny lamp to read. While I read the book my heart opened. So magical. I knew I was home. As Spirit would have it, MSIA is an acronym for Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness (note the almost exact words I declared to the Universe). My conscious journey in multi-dimensional consciousness began that night, on November 15, 1975. Three months later I moved into an ashram in Minneapolis with 17 other MSIA students, including Anja who has been my best friend since then. She and I traveled the country singing our original spiritual folk music, thinking we were the very ones to bring in the New Age.
     I take my studies seriously, as you may know. The meditation I learned how to do was active, not trying to empty the mind but rather to chant tones and/or focus on breathing. The tones I started with were HU (God) or Ani-Hu (empathy with all creation). Two years later I received my 1st initiation, was given my own tone, and from that point through this day, I used/use my personal tones from that and future initiations. Living in a spiritual ashram made it easy to be consistent with meditation because we were all committed to spiritual enlightenment and were meditating at odd hours all the time. It was glorious. There was a period a few years later when I no longer lived in an ashram, and instead was married (to another MSIA student) when, after I claimed the meaning of devotion as “living out my vows” in the world, I made a commitment to meditate for 2 hours a day, which I did for 3 years.
     At a time when, a few years later still, after having moved to LA and deciding to leave my marriage, I found a lump in my breast that was cancer. The doctor gave me 10 years. I thought, wait! I don’t want to leave yet. In meditation I had strived to be one with God. Instead, I course corrected, changed everything about my life, continued my spiritual studies but in a more balanced way, and I started living my life for me, expressing who I am (rather than taking care of everyone else). My entire company was created after that point. I have been supporting myself with my art for over 25 years. Meditation now is like breathing. I pause and consciously sit to breathe my tones, but I also feel them always around me as I drift to sleep, wake up, be in nature, share with others, even while I’m working at the gallery. Meditation is life.

- Raphaella Vaisseau

2021 Year Review and Embracing 2022 - Heartful Art by Raphaella Vaisseau

In Numerology, 2022 is a 6 Universal Year in the 9-year cycle. According to “The Secrets of Numbers” by Vera Scott Johnson and Thomas Wommack, this means an emphasis on security and reliability. “It is a time for adjustment, for seeking a balance,” they write. “It is a time for reparations on the home front” and “There will be interest in educational and health programs, in food and diet, in ecology, in civic improvement.”

Last year, 2021, my intentions were to focus on Freedom, Accomplishment, Balance, and Expansion. It went well, in spite of the continued presence of pandemic challenges and national and global changes. I traveled a bit, reached a weight loss goal, bought a new car, and enjoyed success at Heartful Art Gallery. I took a few Adobe art classes and learned some things about repeat pattern design and photoshop. And, of course, I continued my studies of Law of Attraction with Abraham-Hicks and Good Vibe University. All and all, when I did my year-end review in December, I was pleased.

I then set about to visualize my focus for 2022. Opportunity is the word that came to mind. Contemplating the word over the last two weeks of December, I ascertained it would allow me to be alert to inspirations of any given moment, and encourage me to shift from an action I am in the process of taking to momentarily explore the possibilities of taking another action. It will be good for me to loosen up a bit in my day to day plans of action.

Thus, in 2022, in alignment with the Universal 6 year and my chosen word, I plan to continue my focus on health and wellness, deepen relationships with family and friends, expand my tribe, simplify my home, continue establishing my legacy in art, and be in nature as often as I can. As much as I love my home with a view of a farm and the Blue Ridge Mountains, I'm awake to the possibility of finding a different home surrounded by nature, with vista and conveniences that provide me with even greater enjoyment of life.

I put all of this in the Light for the Highest Good, and hope, as the year unfolds for all of us, we experience a year of security, health, and well being. Peace be still.

-Raphaella Vaisseau

Lightbulb Moment Number Two Million and One - Heartful Art by Raphaella Vaisseau

I am a forever student of Life. One of my currently favorite teaching organizations is Good Vibe University (GVU), founded by Jeannette Maw.

During a recent class I had a lightbulb moment that is changing my life (again). I had been caught in discouragement regarding lower than usual sales at the gallery in the first 3 weeks of March. Wanting clarity, I shared my concerns with the group. When Jeannette asked me, “How are you supporting yourself vibrationally?” I instantly felt a huge shift within me. After the call, I attuned myself with my Inner Being in a different way that I had understood prior to that realization. The Universe immediately responded and today, 17 days later, I surpassed the 30-day goal I had set for the 4-week class.

Most conscious creators know the value of self-love and sincerely practice it. For me, this is slightly different. Plus, I often say the very words. I tell people who visit my gallery that I’ve been supporting myself with my art for over twenty-five years. Interesting, right?

I’m learning there is a subtle but important distinction between loving myself, supporting myself financially, and supporting myself on other levels (vibrationally, emotionally, physically, intellectually, etc.). It feels like I am awakening (once again) to a more profound understanding of how to be, and it feels like falling even deeper in love with my Inner Being.

I’m listening, feeling, aligning, and realigning. Even when I’m sharing with others, it feels that I am sharing more authentically because it’s through a lens of supporting myself. Inside, I’m fine tuning. I’m placing a priority on what I want and need on subtler levels. Like breathing. I’m noticing my thoughts and replacing anything less than fabulous faster with thoughts of things I love and want more of.

It’s curious that no matter how conscious we are, or how much we’ve studied, and how much we know and understand the laws of the universe, there is always more to learn and know. There is always a deeper level of understanding. How great is that?

-Raphaella Vaisseau

Follow Your Dream - Heartful Art by Raphaella Vaisseau

My Kindergarten teacher at Munger Elementary in Duluth, Minnesota in 1953 told me I was an artist. She asked me to paint the mural that's behind our class in the photo to the right. Every day at my Heartful Art Gallery in Asheville, NC, I share with gallery visitors that it's probably because of this teacher that I feel I am in "perpetual kindergarten" as I create my art and work in my art business. Growing up, my parents acknowledged my artistic talent even though being practical they also said, "You can't make money with art." A college degree was required in my family so as a Senior in High School I picked the fastest degree available and became a dental hygienist. It wasn't until much later in my life that I saw an artist making money and the childhood myth I was taught by my parents was shattered. I was at an art fair in Los Angeles and the artist was Vicki Leon who creates amazing glass sculptures. She had long lines of buyers waiting in line with arms filled with $400 pieces of art. I was shocked. I stood in line as well and when it was my turn I asked her, "What's different about you that you don't seem to have poverty consciousness?" She shared a few things with me, and then I asked if I could volunteer at her art shows over the summer to learn her way of being. She agreed. I did. And at the end of that summer I started my own art business painting flowers and blessings on greeting cards. Six years later, in 1997, I quit my executive secretarial job and moved to Ashland, Oregon to live my dream as an artist. That was 23 years ago.

When I read a quote from Abraham-Hicks in this morning's email, I was inspired to share my story. Actually, a few more stories as well. When I shared my dreams with my ex-husband and said, "I'm going to do this or that," he'd say, "I bet you won't." And, I remember saying to my Mother as a young girl, "I want to sing on the radio." Her response, "You can't, you weren't born in Hollywood." Her saying that to me was like cold water thrown on my face and on my dreams. At the time I didn't know how to process it, but years later, while driving on the LA freeways with my friend Rob Hanson, my song came on the radio and we heard it!!! It was on an NPR station and they were showcasing local singer-songwriters, which I was at the time. To say that experience was a thrill, and a HUGE confirmation from the Universe is an understatement. We screamed and hollered in the car as we listened and I told Rob the story of what my Mother had said to me all those years ago. I sang on the radio after all.

It wasn't always easy for me to break away from the traditions of my parents and their goals for me and forge my own path in life, but I am so glad I did.

-Raphaella Vaisseau

What kind of reality can we create together? - Heartful Art by Raphaella Vaisseau

As a student of new thought and the law of attraction, I'm called to contemplate the times we're currently living in through the lens of how we can create a future where we all can win. Facing not only the Covid 19 pandemic globally, but the urgency of race relations in my country, I want to use this time wisely and do my part to create a better world. It's not enough to watch it unfold. At least for me it's not. I am a conscious creator who believes in the power of creating my own reality. Millions of other people do as well. We can do this.

Knowing that pushing against anything makes it stronger, the way conscious creators can most effectively execute change is through imagining and believing in what we want, how we want it to look, and see it that way. However, in times like these, as awareness is exploding, I am now embracing a combination of learning, action, and imagination as the best path forward in lifting myself and the people of the world into a reality more aligned with justice and happiness for everyone.

Through inspired action I am committed to creating my own reality which can in turn impact and transform the people whose lives I touch. I've known for decades that we are all at unique points in our awareness and understanding of our own purpose in life and how we are manifesting it. We can't tell by looking at another person what their experience is, what their reality is, so best not to judge. Instead, I strive to give the benefit of the doubt and focus on my own integrity of action and reaction in any situation. Back in 1975 I embraced the notion that Earth is a giant school where we're all taking different courses and learning in our own ways.

Still, as I've matured in my awareness, I find moments where it's important to step up outwardly and do what I can to help in a more direct way. For me, this is one of those moments. Nevertheless, while taking action I am attuned to my own vibration so I can monitor and realign as needed, keeping in mind that what I focus on I bring more of to myself. Also, I keep in mind Abraham saying, "You didn't come here to fix a broken world. It's not broken." OK. So, you might ask, if it's not broken, what's all this I see?

Balance, possibility, awareness. We learn from each other. We learn what to do and what not to do. We learn how to take care of ourselves and how to take care of others at the same time. We learn how our speech and our choices affect others, how our actions impact our daily lives and we learn what we're creating as a living context if we are awake enough to know it. Life is beautiful and magical when we know we each create our own reality. It's all in how you look at it. An example of this is George Floyd's six year old daughter Gianna saying, "Daddy changed the world." This is the truth.

Although there have been many times since Trayvon Martin was killed in 2012 (and, I know, for the past 400 years) that I sadly watched the news of yet another black person senselessly murdered, it was on May 8th after Ahmaud Arbery was killed while jogging that I started waking up about white priviledge. That's the piece that's new for me. In my Instagram and Twitter feeds, white people have been speaking up more and about white supremacy and the responsibility of white people to change the conversation in their own families, workplaces, and within themselves. An avalanche of news and events followed that ignited a mass of white people to join with the Black Lives Matter movement. It's been heartening for me to see the diversity of cultures and colors of the protestors.

As people have been waking up, I've seen people make rules about how to awaken, how to protest, and how to unlearn. I've heard "if you're a white person, don't join in the chant of 'I can't breathe' when you protest" because it's not for you to say. They've said, "if you post a black square, don't use the hashtag #blacklivesmatter because that will distract from the work" or "if you post a black square you have to do all of the other things required of being an activist or you don't get to post a black square" and on and on. This is called taking someone else's inventory, and it hampers the process of awakening. Remember, we are all at different places in our process in life. We all have different lessons to learn. We all have different roles to play. We are all a part of the dance of life. And, conscious creators do things differently.

What I'm choosing to do in this time is threefold: (1) learning how to do it better; (2) writing to my local elected officials, especially the mayor to encourage alignment with the Obama Foundation's My Brother's Keeper Community Challenge (launched in 2014), and enact Campaign Zero's 8 policies of 8cantwait.org that have decreased police violence by 72% in cities that have done so; and, (3) envisioning a world where everyone can win, a world of peace, justice, and love, and a world where we all keep learning how to let life get even better for each and every one of us. What is your vision?
- Raphaella Vaisseau

Empathy in a Time of Uncertainty - Heartful Art by Raphaella Vaisseau

Today is March 31, 2020. Most of us have been staying at home for awhile now as the people of the world come to grips with the pandemic of Covid_19. Anna Galland posted a tweet over two weeks ago on March 16th that I came across today and I feel it's still relevant: "You can safely assume that everyone you talk to today has *something* going haywire personally ..." All of us, around the globe, are finding ways to cope, discovering new ways of being, and for some, enduring the day to day challenges of saving lives. I think we can all agree that gratitude helps. Empathy does too.
     I'm reminded of a quote by Henry David Thoreau: "Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?" Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Merriam-Webster goes further: "Empathy is the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner."
     A friend in Denmark, Melinda Knudsen, offers empathy counseling through her company, Empathy Catalyst. A student and practioner of nonviolent education, Melinda offers empathic support and communication coaching to groups and individuals around the world. A perfect skill for the challenges we face during this unusual time of our lives.
     As Anna reminds us, "Be kind. We're all figuring this out." If you're struggling, Melinda may be able to help. Find her on Facebook.

-Raphaella Vaisseau

Writing Advice from Elizabeth Gilbert

Elizabeth Gilbert’s free 10-step Writing Academy:

1) Tell your story TO someone. Pick one person you love or admire or want to connect with and write the whole thing directly to them —like you're writing a letter. This will bring forth your natural voice. Whatever you do, do NOT write to a demographic. Ugh. ❤️

2) Start at the beginning of the story, write what happened, and keep going until you get to the end. ❤️

3) Use radically simple sentences. ❤️

4) Don't worry if it's good; just finish it. Whether or not your project is good, you'll be a different person at the end of it, and that’s always worth doing. ❤️

5) Don't write with the aim of changing anybody's life. That will lead to heavy, irritating prose. Just share what delights or enrages or fascinates you. If somebody’s life is changed by it, that’s a bonus. ❤️

6) Whenever you can, tell stories instead of explaining stuff. Humans love stories, and we hate having stuff explained to us. Use Jesus as an example: He spoke almost exclusively in parables and allowed everybody to draw their own lessons from his great storytelling. And he did very well. ❤️

7) Your work doesn’t have to be any particular length or written for any particular market. It doesn’t have to even be seen by another human being. How and if to publish your work is a problem for another day. For today, just write. ❤️

8) Remember that you’ve been doing research your whole life, merely by existing. You are the only expert in your own experience. Embrace this as your supreme qualification. ❤️

9) Every writer starts in the same place on Day One: Super excited, and ready for greatness. On Day Two, every writer looks at what she wrote on Day One and hates herself. What separates working writers from non-working writers is that working writers return to their task on Day Three. What gets you there is not pride but mercy. Show yourself forgiveness, for not being good enough. Then keep going. ❤️

10) Be willing to let it be easy. You might be surprised.

- Elizabeth Gilbert via her Facebook Page @GilbertLiz on 08-31-2019

Art News: River Arts District Gallery To Open January 15, 2020 Featuring Artists Karen Maugans, Raphaella Vaisseau, and Walter Arnold

In Suite #104, 191 Lyman St., the current location of Karen Maugans Gallery in Riverview Station in Asheville's River Arts District, come January, 2020, three artists will join to create a brand new Asheville art destination. 

From now until then, you're welcome to stop by any day from 10-5 to meet Karen and view her botanical art. Karen's website is KarenMaugansGallery.com. Call her at 407-456-2225.

As for Walter Arnold's work, it can be found in numerous galleries including Woolworth Walk, Kress Emporium, and Grove Park Inn in Asheville. Discover more about him and his process on his website, The Digital Mirage, and on his blog, Art Of Abandonment, where there is a link to the Ron Howard short film, "When You Find Me" which includes one of Walter's images that was selected from almost 100,000 entries as part of Canon's Project Imagin8ion. Well done.

I am thrilled to be a part of this new gallery and look forward to seeing you all there. My website is HeartfulArt.com, and I may be reached at 941-993-7001. In the six months before we open, you're welcome to call me for press information and updates.
-Raphaella Vaisseau

A Good Move to Asheville, North Carolina for Raphaella Vaisseau and Heartful Art

     During the three and a half years I took care of my parents in their final years, I thought about all the places I have lived in my life and where I might want to go next. I picked Asheville, North Carolina.
     I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and lived there for forty years. Next was Los Angeles for ten years. In 1997, I committed myself to being an artist and moved to Ashland, Oregon. I stayed there three years and then moved to the SF Bay Area and opened Heartful Art Gallery in Sausalito in 2001. In 2008, I moved to the Gulf Coast of Florida to be closer to my aging parents, and in 2015, I moved to Miami to be their caregiver. They wanted to stay in their own home as long as they lived and my going there to help them allowed that to happen. So grateful. They had been happily married for 73 years, and both passed fairly naturally at age 96. By December, 2018, I had completed handling their affairs in Miami and set out on a journey to my new home in Asheville.
     I had never lived on the East Coast, and was attracted to the Blue Ridge Mountains, the forests, and the thriving art community in Asheville, a town of 92,000 people. I loved the idea of being able to have Asheville as a home base and take short trips up the East Coast to NYC, Boston, and Maine, travel to the North Carolina coast for a weekend, or explore the surrounding states of South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and beyond. This country is vast, beautiful, and has so much to offer.
     I've been in Asheville for six months now. There are many "best parts" of living here, but my favorite is nature. It is accessible. I don't need to seek it out or drive anywhere to get to it. I simply look up, look around, pause, and enjoy. It's everywhere, around every turn in the road, on every path.
     Mountains surround Asheville. To me, they are living art, with the sun rising and setting and splashing shadow or color on them, clouds and storms moving over them, trees blossoming in spring and turning colors in fall, and birds singing everywhere.
    For a nature lover like me, this area is perfect. I'm told there are sixty waterfalls close to Asheville (I've hiked to only 3 so far), and neighboring Transylvania County has over 250. I love trees. Being in a forest is a breath of Heaven for me, and I now have hiking boots, trek poles, and a backpack. I'm all set.
     True, Asheville doesn't have an ocean. However, I so cherished the Gulf Coast waters of Caspersen Beach when I lived in Venice, Florida, the ocean lives inside me now. Also, I know winter does exist here, since I arrived in the middle of an ice storm last December. But the weather here is moderate, especially compared to the cold of Minnesota or the heat of Miami.
     As for my required necessities, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and EarthFare provide plenty of organic, healthy food. Then there's the bonus of family and friends. My sister-in-law and niece both make their home here and have families of their own. Friends from California and Florida live here now too, and, being the gregarious person I am, I'm blessed with wonderful new friends as well.
     So, that's the story. In my life, I like to move toward my next adventure and this is it. I'm happy here. I'm painting, creating, and thriving. Onward.

- Raphaella Vaisseau

Goodbye Piano by Raphaella Vaisseau

Music played a special and sometimes complicated part of Dad’s life. In Fergus Falls, Minnesota, Dad enjoyed playing high school football and was good at it. However, his older sister Florence was intent on becoming a concert pianist, so his Mother moved them to Rochester NY for Florence to attend a music school for a year. He easily made the football team in Rochester too, until the coach learned he’d only be there one year. This disruption in his young life was something he spoke of often, wishing his Mother had let him stay in Fergus Falls with his older brother Homer and their grandpa Hale for that year.  Nevertheless, he accepted it and tried to focus on the benefits in the experience whenever it came up. Over the years, as it came up again and again, we talked of forgiveness and what could have been. 

Although Florence did not reach the heights of fame as a concert pianist she wished for, she did work in music her entire life as a college music professor, organist, and teacher. Mom and Dad sang in the choir in every church they belonged to. Music was always a part of our lives.

Our young family didn’t have a lot of money, but my parents were inventive with what we had. One of my favorite outings and favorite memories was driving around town singing 4-part harmony to songs like “When you wore a tulip” and other classic songs of the day. 

When Dad’s hearing started declining, it was music that was the most difficult for him. Melodies were distorted, and he couldn’t be sure he was singing on tune. He continued to sing at church, but no longer as a member of the choir.

After my Mother passed, I moved in to their home to care for him. He kept his songbooks by his favorite chair in the family room and I’d often hear him singing songs to her as he flipped through the pages. And, especially in the final months of his life, if he was feeling down, I’d encourage him to play the piano. He readily agreed, and it always lifted his spirits.

All of this being said, today was another momentous goodbye as his beloved piano was moved out of the house and on to wherever it will go from here. I thank God for music every day, and know that Dad, Mom, Florence, and all the beautiful souls on the other side are singing in harmony forevermore. Life here on Earth moves on. Goodbye piano. I love the gift of music you gave to Dad. Thank you.

-Raphaella Vaisseau

Teacher Appreciation Every Day by Raphaella Vaisseau - Heartful Art

The life you live is the lesson you teach. These words could be a companion piece to Gandhi's "Be the change you wish to see in the world." What we do, how we're being, what we say ... all these things are sharing who we are and what we're up to in life. This saying can inspire us to align with our highest expression and motivate us to make wise choices.

As classroom art, teachers can create lesson plans that explain what it means for students to be in alignment with their values, to "walk their talk" so to speak. I think Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson would like this quote. It's profound, yet simple.

My work with Heartful Art is to provide people with words and colorful art to inspire, motivate, and encourage thought and reflection. Whether you are inspiring yourself, your family, or a classroom of students, Heartful Art can play a part. Every day I appreciate the creativity, resourcefulness and dedication of teachers, and I continuously strive to proivide tools to assist them in their work with our children. If you are a teacher, during this Teacher Appreciation Week in 2018, and all year long, know that I thank and appreciate you.
-Raphaella Vaisseau

Dreams Are Good For Us by Raphaella Vaisseau - Heartful Art

If ever there was a dreamer who made his dreams come true it was Walt Disney. In following his bliss, he created worlds of fantasy and joy for all of us. He told us, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

It does take courage. It takes focus and allegiance to our intentions. It takes commitment to the act of dreaming itself, and to not getting sidetracked by what appears to be reality, or real obstacles ahead of us. The transcendentalist author of Walden, Henry David Thoreau, wrote, "I have learned this, at least, by my experiment, that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

Dreaming is an art. It doesn't mean it has to be difficult, however. Move forward, yes, but consider it may be more about believing than action. Many any people have written about the etheric nature of dreaming. Others have written about the importance of keeping dreams alive. Two beautiful poems by Langston Hughes speak to this: Dreams and The Dream Keeper. Eleanor Roosevelt said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

Allow yourself the luxury of dreaming. Go to where inspiration springs forth within you. Spend time in nature, meditate, practice free-flow writing, and spend time imagining what it feels like to have the manifestation of the dream you are seeking. Abraham-Hicks describes this process as writing the script of the movie you want to see and then watching it, over and over again.

Believe in your dreams. Dream fantastical dreams, filled with promise, harmony, functionality, joy, and prosperity. Dream it real. We all are dreaming our world into further expansion, whether we are aware of it or not. The more we believe in the beauty of our dreams, the more beautiful our world will manifest.
-Raphaella Vaisseau

Raphaella Vaisseau, American Artist, Women in Art 278, Jan 2017

I'm happy to share that I am included as a featured artist in the Jan 2017 issue of Women In Art 278 (p. 38), an international art magazine that showcases female artists from around the globe. Featured are my watercolor and mixed media floral paintings. See the entire issue and more online at art278.org. Thank you to Editor-in-Chief, Liesl Marelli, for thoughtful commentatry on politics and artistic expression in this issue.
- Raphaella Vaisseau

Thank You and God Bless You, Jose Fernandez - by Raphaella Vaisseau

My parents are grieving today, especially my Dad. As you may know, Jose Fernandez, the Miami Marlins pitcher, died this morning in a boating accident. Besides his talent, this young man expressed so much joy, on the field and off, it was infectious to fans, and in particular, to my Dad. Baseball has a huge piece of Dad’s heart. He recently shared with me he gets depressed when baseball season ends each year. Last night he spoke again about how much he loved the game, and told me he started playing when he was 3 years old by hitting rocks with a stick in a field in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Fernandez was his favorite player and he watched every minute of any game he pitched.

Both Mom and Dad loved the story about Fernandez coming over on a boat from Cuba when he was 15 years old. According to a story I read today in the NYDN, “Fernandez, who became a U.S. citizen last year, defected from Cuba to the United States with his mother and sister after three failed attempts resulted in jail time. He escaped by boat, leaving his grandmother Olga, a woman he called the ‘love of his life,’ behind. While crossing the rocky waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Fernandez jumped in to rescue a woman who had fallen overboard. It wasn’t until he reached her that he discovered it was his mother.”

My Mom and Dad are in their mid-90s so they have experienced a lot of grief in their lives. Even still, today’s loss of Jose Fernandez will be especially missed by Dad as he watches Marlins baseball and wishes he could see this young man pitch just one more game. Rest in peace, Jose. You have given much to many, not the least of whom is my Dad.

September 25, 2016, Raphaella Vaisseau

This means something: liberty and justice for all - by Raphaella Vaisseau

This means something: liberty and justice for all. Think about it. Liberty is “the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views.” (… or religion, color of skin, sexual preference, handicap, etc.) Justice means fairness and “using laws to fairly judge” with impartiality and respect for people. All means “everyone,” the whole of us, every member of our society. Black lives matter.

-Raphaella Vaisseau

New 11x14 Worthiness Poster Now Online - Heartful Art by Raphaella Vaisseau

Years ago, early in my conscious spiritual journey, I did an exercise to increase my sense of worthiness. Not my worthiness, but my sense of worthiness. We are innately worthy. This was the 1970s, I was living in an ashram, and I was devoutly studying soul transcendence and higher vibrations.

The exercise was to repeat a phrase 100 times a day for 32 consecutive days. Doing this supposedly laid new track in the subconscious mind for the intended affirmation. A big fan of positive thinking and using affirmations to lift my vibration, this was one of my favorite exercises.

Here's how I did it: I sat at my dressing table with a mirror in front of me. (Note: This exercise can be done without the mirror, but in the case of "I am worthy" I felt it would be important to see myself and feel the words and meaning as deep within me as possible.) I gathered ten pennies and ten dimes and put the pennies in a pile to the left of me and the dimes in another pile further back, also on the left side of the table. I was ready to begin. Looking into my left eye, I said to myself, with feeling, "I am worthy" and moved a penny from the left pile over to the right side. As I said the words again, I looked in my right eye, and again moved a penny from the left pile to where I'd placed the first penny. Again to my left eye, and then my right. After doing this ten times, and all the pennies in the pile on my left had been moved to the right, I moved one of dimes from the left to a new place on the right of the table and began again with the pennies until I'd repeated the affirmation another ten times at which point another dime was moved to the right. Using the coins allowed me to not have to keep track of the number of times I said the affirmation. I could move them from side to side without even taking my eyes from my reflection in the mirror. When all the dimes had been moved from the left to the right, I had completed 100 repetitions.

Two more things about this process are (1) before beginning I would write out my commitment, date it, and sign it, and (2) after I completed the exercise each day, I would check it off on a chart I'd created and labeled for this purpose. I had learned the 32 consecutive days was important, and if a day was skipped, I was to start again at the beginning with a new agreement and new chart. This is a powerful, powerful process. Each time I wrote out a new affirmation and made a commitment to myself to do this to lift higher, I would immediately feel the results.

I highly recommend this technique and the "I am worthy" affirmation to anyone recovering from eating disorders, addiction, to anyone with self-esteem issues, lack of self-confidence, or simply for fun. It it sounds interesting to you, give it a go. We are in this together. I support you as I support myself.

-Raphaella Vaisseau

Law of Attraction: Emotions as indicators by Raphaella Vaisseau

Whoever said we should be real and tell it like it is? What is real anyway? Who is the judge?

The more I study the law of attraction, the more I realize how important it is to tell a new story. Rather than talk about reality, what appears to be real, talk instead about how we want it to be. Become vigilant in thinking and feeling. If a belief is just a thought we keep thinking, as Abraham-Hicks teaches, it may be worth it to make some new beliefs by thinking new thoughts that feel good, thoughts that match what has been created in our vibrational escrows. Thoughts like, "Things are always working out for me" or "The universe gives me what I need when I need it." Ernest Holmes said, "To learn how to think is to learn how to live." Buddha taught, "All that we are is the result of what we have thought." Interesting.

How do we make the shift? Abraham-Hicks teaches us to notice and care about how we feel. Consider that we live in a vibrational universe and we are vibrational beings. Consider also that we each have an inner being who adores us, knows what we want, and knows the path of least resistance to where what we want is. By paying attention to how we feel, we can tell if we are in alignment with or out of alignment with the way our inner beings view a situation or circumstance. Emotions are the indicators. For example, feeling happy might indicate being in alignment, whereas feeling sad might indicate a larger separation from the alignment we seek.

Our inner beings never condemn us or another person, never make us or another person wrong, never push, or ignore us. Rather, our inner beings love us unconditionally and see us and others as who we truly are, as extensions of source energy. If we stand in judgement of another, or irritated by a condition, and if we care about how we feel, we may notice a dip in our emotions when we express judgement or irritation. This is because our inner beings maintain the perspective of the god-self, and do not come with us in the judgement or irritation. We feel the separation that develops between where we are in the judgement or irritation and where our inner beings are on the same subject. Remember, our emotions are our guide.

By telling new stories, we practice thinking and speaking in ways that are in alignment with where we want to go, with who we are. Law of Attraction responds to what we think and say. When we notice we are thinking a judgmental thought, we can stop and focus on something that's easy to be in alignment with (nature, a pet, a song, a loved one). The emotional shift may not happen immediately, but with practice we can get better and faster at raising our own vibration. If we have practiced caring about how we feel, and find ourselves expressing irritation, we can learn to notice this, recognize we are feeling differently about something than our inner beings are, and we can move to a more general focus. For instance, we could affirm how things always seem to work out. Henry David Thoreau said, "Surely joy is the condition of life." He surely knew something about vibration. The universe is elegant in its simplicity. Practice brings clarity, and we have a built-in emotional guidance system to show us the way.

All is well. We can't get it wrong.

- Raphaella Vaisseau

Resurrected Heart 2 Heartful Art print of an original painting by Raphaella Vaisseau - What love is all about

Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Week, here's a print of "Resurrected Heart 2" from a series of three paintings I did when I lived in Ashland, Oregon before the turn of the century. (That sounds so long ago.)

The flower in the center of the heart is symbolic of the heart forever opening to the spirit within. That's what love is all about, a forever unfolding of joy, understanding, and acceptance, within and to ourselves as well as outwardly in relationship to others. Such a beautiful thing love is.

Knowing that everything is vibration and living in a vibrational universe, it's easy to feel when we are in harmony with ourselves, our loved ones, and our desires. Abraham-Hicks teaches that our emotions are the indicators of how well we're doing. Does what you're thinking feel good? If yes, think more thoughts like that. If no, refocus on something else that generates happy feelings. Sound too simple? Maybe so, but you might want to check it out for yourself.

I wish you love today and always.

- Raphaella Vaisseau

Heartful Art by Raphaella Vaisseau is now available on Handmade at Amazon.com

It's official. Handmade at Amazon launched on Oct 8, 2015 so you can now shop for Heartful Art on Amazon at this link: http://www.amazon.com/handmade/heartfulart It's been just a month, but the results are exciting. Such a thrill to share my art with a wider audience. Over 150 items are listed so far. However, rest assured, I will continue to add more art, including original paintings, giclee prints, and more as time goes on. Check it out, share it with others. Have fun shopping for meaningful, happy, Heartful Art.

-Raphaella Vaisseau