Hypnosis Venice Grand Opening was Indeed Grand!

Theresa Foley's Hypnosis Venice (et. al.) relocated to 517 E. Venice Avenue a few months ago. The Grand Opening celebration was held March 20th in honor of the Spring Equinox. The evening featured music of Elaine Silver, artists Kim Northrop and yours truly, Raphaella Vaisseau, jewelry creations of Susan Caron, a darling (but very shy) kitty for adoption, chair massage by Robin Renee, amazing vegan Thai food by Thai Bistro, eggplant Parmesan by Ophelia's, wine, water, and the best cake ever made (vegan coconut raspberry) ... plus drummers and friends. What a night!

See more pictures here.

Heartful Art at the Sarasota Folk Festival - March 14-15 2009

FF-Heartful Art,
originally uploaded by heartfulart.

It was fun to be back in the woods at an outside Folk Festival with my art under the trees on my old Pro Panels. I haven't used them since I moved from Ashland, Oregon in 2000 but they worked great. Positioned between the Main Stage and the Small Stage, we heard wonderful acoustic music from one or the other along with the wind through the trees and meeting lots of new people wandering around. The Key West Cat Society booth offered free Vegan samples of Thai food and vegan cake. Yum, yum. Of course the kitties were a big hit with everyone. And hanging out with friends in nature with music made for an all-around great weekend.

A Reminder from Abraham

A reminder to myself to notice where my attention is focused, to look at what I want more of, and to always choose the path of least resistance - feeling good.

clipped from www.abraham-hicks.com We are all Vibrational Beings. You're like a receiving mechanism that when you set your tuner to the station, you're going to hear what's playing. Whatever you are focused upon is the way you set your tuner, and when you focus there for as little as 17 seconds, you activate that vibration within you. Once you activate a vibration within you, Law of Attraction begins responding to that vibration, and you're off and running--whether it's something wanted or unwanted --- Abraham Excerpted from the workshop in North Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, August 18th, 2002

Seven Heart Paintings by Raphaella Vaisseau used as Licensed Art on CDs and for Musical Production

For someone who loves color, words and music created to inspire and uplift, Bob Falstein's new cd "Take Heart" is a delight, both visually and musically. Color heals. That's my belief, my knowing. It lifts the spirit as music can.

Bob's joyful heart spills forth in his vocals and in the music and lyrics created together with Rev. Bonnie Rowsell. The cd is on itunes so you can take a listen.

This is the third time my painted hearts have been licensed for musical packaging. First was Resurrected Heart licensed by IMAGINE Consulting & Production Group, LLC for a S.F. rock musical, "Sacredly Immortal" in 2000. Second was Heart of Glacier used for Karen Drucker's beautiful "The Heart of Healing" featuring healing and affirmational music sung by Karen at her Mother's bedside in her Mother's final days in this world. One of my favorite meditative cds, it never fails to bless me and uplift.

Bob Falstein licenced five of my heart paintings for his cd: Great Heart (on the cover), Heart of a Butterfly, Heart of Life, Heart of God, and Heart of an Angel's Wing. The graphic designer, Sharon Turney, who visually put it all together did a masterful job of preserving the vividness of my original art with the text, photos and background of the whole cd package.

I love music. I believe it's one of the highest forms of communication on the planet. What an honor to have my art adorn these projects in this way.


Please contact Heartful Art if you have a licensing project of your own.

-RV

Bollywood Movies Recommended by Kumar

clipped from www.npr.org Amitava Kumar's Bollywood Crash Course *Sholay is the biggest hit in Bollywood history. Kumar says it has "melodrama, violence, sex and dance," all the "characteristic marks" of a Bollywood film. *Satya is a Hindi crime film from 1998. *Ankur, or The Seedling, started "the new wave of Indian cinema," according to Kumar, with its "eye for social observation and injustice." *The Bandit Queen is the fictionalized story of Phoolan Devi, a modern day, female Robin Hood in India. Monsoon Wedding, from 2001, was directed by Mira Nair. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe award. © 2001

Listening to NPR's Talk of the Nation today I found myself browsing the Bollywood films on Netflix. Adventure awaits.

Oh Happy Day! - Isabella is here!

Here's my little grand niece, Isabella. Isn't she beautiful? She is 4 days old. What a gift and blessing she is.
-RV

Tell a New Story

This morning when I was driving around Venice running errands, I listened to an Abraham-Hicks cd from a live workshop (6/28/08 in Boston, MA). I heard an interesting thing about Law of Attraction. If we keep speaking about "reality" instead of our dreams, we'll keep attracting more of that reality instead of attracting that which we are wanting to call forth into existence. When we "tell it like it is" we get more of that - even if it's true. "If you keep expressing how it is, it can't change," says Abraham. "Stop arguing for your limitations. Be more hopeful. Be willing to dream. Be optimistic. It requires focus to look where you want to look. Try to see through the eyes of Source. Allow yourself to be the expanded being that Life has caused you to become."

All day when I talked to people who asked about this or that ("How are you feeling? How did your show go last night?), I noticed myself trying to be really honest about my responses. Each time I stopped myself and reframed my replies in more hopeful language. I refused to say,"It was okay but ..." and instead said, "The show was good (I couldn't get myself to say great yet) ... I met lots of new people and I sold a bunch of art." Throughout the day I noticed how often my thoughts dwelled on "reality" and I reframed some of the conversations in my head as well.

Abraham suggests we ask ourselves, "This may be how it is, but is this the way I want it to be?" If the answer to that is "No, that's not how I want it to be" then, stop reading that book and stop writing that story. Start telling a new story. Tell the story of how you want it to be.

Most people would think of me as a positive, optimistic person. I've been at it for over thirty years. Yet, I was surprised at how much of my language is focused on the truth of my experience rather than the enthusiasm of the dream I am moving toward. I realized not "telling it like it is" is going to take some practice. But practice I will. I'm going to tell myself a new story and share it with the world.