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

Choosing to Live Life As A Miracle - New Heartful Art by Raphaella Vaisseau

According to Albert Einstein, "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." As for me, I choose the latter. Everything is a miracle: being alive; the sun coming up; grass growing; birds singing; our hearts beating. Life here on Earth is a wonderful thing. Life is a wonderful thing.

Sure, we have challenges. Everyone does. Challenges push us to expand, and grow, and overcome. They make us stronger. And, in looking back, after the challenge has passed, we are able to find the good in a new direction, an understanding, or a new way of being.

In the simplest of terms for me, it's all about enjoying the journey. I choose to live life this way because it's clearly more fun. If ever I am feeling down (the more I take this approach, the rarer these moments are), I go outside and look up in wonder at the vastness of the sky. The beauty of a tree, the complexity of a flower in bloom, or a deep breath of fresh air is thrilling, and all of it reminds me of the miracle of life.

Gratitude and appreciation come next. I make a deliberate effort to focus on the wonder and the good. I look around my surroundings and see what I love that I already have. In conversation, I make it a point to talk about what's working in my life. I'm practicing this even in my thoughts when I appreciate other people, regardless of sameness or differences. I strive to see all people as Source (God) sees them, and intend to align my thinking and speaking in accordance with that view.

I believe it is beneficial to acknowledge situations that serve us: a good job; a healthy body; a creative mind; a trusted friend. All miracles. Practicing these things and this way of being develops new pathways in our brains, new habits in our actions, and soon our beliefs are new as well. Life then continues to unfold as though everything is a miracle.

What is a miracle? A dictionary (or Google) may describe a miracle as "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency," or "a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences," or perhaps "an amazing product or achievement, or an outstanding example of something." Whatever miracles are defined to be, I embrace and celebrate them. I choose to live life as an eternal optimist.

-Raphaella Vaisseau, 2015

Unconditional Living and the Law of Attraction - New Heartful Art by Raphaella Vaisseau

What is unconditional living? Students of the Law of Attraction believe that what a person thinks, says, and does creates a vibration that attracts more of the same. Like attracts like.

Everything in the Universe is vibration. Some vibrations are higher than others. The more a person is in alignment with the vibrational essence of their desire, the more likely it is to manifest. Abraham-Hicks teaches that we each have an "emotional guidance system" (our feelings) within us that is our indicator of how close we are to vibrational sameness with our desires. This is key. When we feel negative emotions, such as sadness, fear, or worry, we are separating ourselves from that which we want, and, because we are on different vibrational wavelengths from our desires, they cannot manifest.

If everything in our world is vibration, and higher vibrations get me closer to God as well as manifesting my desires, I want my vibrations to be as high as possible every minute of every day. All year in 2014 so far, I've been waking up in the morning with the intention to pick a word that resonates with me for the day that can keep me on a high vibration. I pick words like confidence, exhilaration, clarity, happiness, appreciation, and hundreds more, and I write them on a chart I have on the wall. When I began, more than eight months ago staying aligned with the high vibration of the word I picked for the day was more of an effort, but now, with practice, it is easier.

We've all heard the phrase "unconditional loving" and many people strive to practice it. In my studies, I've been practicing unconditional living. I don't want to feel happy just when good things happen, I want to feel happy all the time. I don't want to feel clarity just when I've had a good night's sleep or a great cup of coffee, I want to know clarity and have access to it all the time.

The practice of unconditional living is something that has evolved for me over the past couple of weeks as I've made a point to notice when I'm happy or sad and why. I observe if something happened to affect my mood, and yes or no, I've made a deliberate effort to stay on, or get back on, the higher vibration regardless of what happened or what is going on. As an example of what this might look like in real life, before I go to the mailbox, where I often find checks waiting for me, I remind myself that I intend to stay in a good mood either way, checks or no checks. That's just one example. But perhaps you get the idea.

I created this Feel Good poster to put on my wall to remind me to do just that - Feel Good regardless of conditions. Besides, I love it so much, it makes me feel good. So, I'm happy to share it with you too. You can click on the poster to go to my etsy shop where you can buy it if you'd like. Enjoy it, share it if you'd like, and feel good.
-Raphaella Vaisseau

ERA: Speak Up and Support New Efforts to Pass the Equal Rights Amendment with Heartful Art by Raphaella Vaisseau

In 1923, Alice Paul authored the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Amazingly, it remains unpassed to this day.

According to a July 24, 2014 Ms. Magazine blog post by Stephanie Hallett, new legislation has been proposed by two US Congresswomen, Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Jackie Speier (D-CA), to finally get this thing passed.

The text of the ERA consists of 24 words: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."

Click here to purchase Raphaella's version of the ERA as an 11x14 poster on Etsy. To support your activism on this issue, volume discounts and smaller versions of this artwork are available. Mail copies to your congressional representatives and ask them to support this important legislation.

Share this news with your friends. Join the congresswomen, Ellie Smeal (Feminist Majority President and publisher of Ms.), Terry O'Neill (NOW President), and other leaders and activists in stepping up.

Speak out. The time is now. Pass the ERA.
-Raphaella Vaisseau

Nature's Magnificent Beauty: Being at Caspersen Beach by Raphaella Vaisseau (heartfulart.com)

Ten minutes from where I live is a magnificent sandy beach that I love. Constantly changing, constantly moving, alive with manta rays, dolphins, sea horses, sand crabs, seagulls, blue herons, egrets, eagles, and more, Caspersen Beach never ceases to uplift and thrill me with its beauty. See more pictures on Flickr  from an hour spent here recently. Follow @heartfulart on Instagram for glimpses of life in southwestern Florida, including many visits to the Gulf.

Thoreau captures the beauty of our world in his timeless book, Walden: "Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads." I wish you the best of days as you walk on this beautiful planet.

- Raphaella Vaisseau

Wise Words of Henry David Thoreau on Heartful Art by Raphaella Vaisseau

This lesser-known quote from the beloved transcendentalist, Henry David Thoreau, speaks to me: "Every leaf and twig was this morning covered with a sparkling ice armor; even the grasses in exposed fields were hung with innumerable diamond pendants, which jingled merrily when brushed by the foot of the traveler. It was literally the wreck of jewels and the crash of gems ..." Every day as I marvel at the extraordinary beauty of this world we live in, I hear Thoreau's words in my heart and head.

I love nature with a passion. I am a seeker, devoted to aligning myself with my best and highest expression of the gift of life and the world we live in. One day, years ago, during a spiritual retreat in Minnesota, we were given an exercise to go outside and find something in nature that reflects who we are. We were given an hour to do this. When the facilitator said to start, I rushed out the door and ran full speed down a country road in the woods, thinking that by getting first to the farthest place, I would be the one to find the treasured thing. I searched frantically for something meaningful. Not finding anything, I was fearful that the time would be up and I wouldn't have discovered the perfect thing I wanted.

It was then a glimpse of a beautiful flower flashed momentarily through my mind. I had rushed past it being first out the door. I turned around and walked back to the beginning, to the building, and there it was, just to the right of the door: a magnificent flower unfurling it's beautiful self. I knew this was the thing I was looking for. I found it and it had been right there all along. I wouldn't have had to go farther than one foot from where I'd started my quest. Again, I heard Thoreau's words in my heart and mind, and understood: "Such is beauty ever, neither here nor there, neither in Rome nor in Athens, but wherever there is a soul to admire. If I seek her elsewhere because I do not find her at home, my search will prove a fruitless one."

The power of the universe is within each one of us. The beauty and wisdom of the ages is inside of me and you, and it is available to us, should we choose to turn the key to and open the door of our hearts, and use the power of our minds. As wonderful, beneficial, and helpful it might be to travel to faraway places, take another seminar, read another book, find another teacher, if we are doing that in order to find the piece that's missing in our own selves, we will not find it. We must first know we are a magnificent creation and the power, beauty, and majesty lie within. Know the truth and the answers are inside.

Look within. Discover the ever-unfolding miracle of being. Step out into the world with the knowing that you, me, and all of us are equal parts of the magnificent creation of our glorious world. What you find, and me as well, will amaze us even more.
-Raphaella Vaisseau