In October I received my gratis copies of Guide to Self-Publishing. The books they mailed first time around never made it (mailed first class mail – coming from the UK). These arrived via DHL. Thrilled that my case study was included in this guide published by Bloomsbury.
“I found your case study incredibly touching.” – Assistant Editor
Blessings,
Camilla See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!
“Words of Alchemy”, published December 2019, is a free-verse poetry memoir covering the last 6 years of my life. The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love, in one beautiful book.
Amazing news! My 19 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell’s debut book, “Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories” was published January 2018. Learn more and order here.
Wonderfully exciting news! My 15 year old son, Thomas Darnell‘s book, Biggest Little Photographer is published. Be inspired! Learn more and order here.
(Cloud Angel – Taken by me during a 2016 or 2017 walk)
August 25 2017
Friday, August 25, 2017, was the day “lightning” struck my heart. It was intense and was the culmination of a month long journey of confusion, worry, discombobulation, frustrations, and dead ends.
Tempered with moments of knowing that this was the work of my psyche and being an observer to the pure madness it was stirring up. (Just to be clear, I am not speaking literally of lightning striking my heart. It’s simply a metaphor for the culmination of a series of events which opened my heart and lightened it.)
The day began by waking with mild anger within me that intensified as the morning progressed. I made my way to the grocery story early. I could feel the anger growing within me.
Next, I made my way to the used book store to pick up a book they had on hold for me. Turns out they re-shelved it two days earlier as I didn’t show up to get it and now it was on hold for someone else. Somewhere along the way I lost a day or two. That was the straw that broke me and made way for the lightning strike.
As I drove away I began sobbing and I felt an urge to scream as loud as I could. I could hold this baggage in no longer. So, I did. I screamed so loud and for so long, “Why, Why, Why”, over and over.
For a split second, I feared I may bust my ear drums with the sheer volume of the screaming. I’m quite sure I have never yelled that loud before. My face felt like it would explode! Then there was a lot of cussing at everyone and everything that came to mind. Sealed with lots of sobbing, sobbing, sobbing.
I felt like I had let myself finally feel some past and current emotions and released them. There was still some releasing to process and it climaxed around lunch time with a full blown potty mouth smack down of the food I was using to make lunch. I felt more of the anger release after that.
Then I sat down and saw I had a new email titled, “Starting, Over and Over Again.” The content of that email guided the release of the remaining anger. A sweet wave of Pure peace and relief embraced me at that point. I had finally connected with and let myself feel and process old and new emotions.
Next, This Happened
One, beautiful, kind, loving gesture. If you have the opportunity to share loving kindness with someone, I beg of you to do it.
You never know what they carry on their shoulders and your act could be the one thing that offers them much needed relief; before they explode or implode. And also restores their faith and knowing in themselves and others.
Someone saying, “yes” to you when it’s been a month of “No” and negative events. That just happened this afternoon. It landed on this heart with such gratitude and relief.
And, from all places, an employee at the Reno Social Security office. I had requested a waiver of an amount owed to Social Security due to an error (having to do with Lillian’s SSI). I felt the two items required to be met for the approval of the waiver, were met.
I had received a letter denying it, and a conference was automatically set for today so that an uninvolved third party could review with me. He agreed with me, and with a few strokes of the keyboard, waived the amount.
That landed on a heart that is parched and thirsted for relief. I hope I didn’t embarrass him. I blessed him and left in tears. Relief, Dear God, Relief from one issue. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! Thank you to Happy, my Guardian Angel. And, thank you to Ram Dass as I sat reading one of his books while waiting. And, And, Thank You to my Mammaw, Elnor Downs, whose presence I felt with me while waiting.
I Let Myself Connect and Feel
This is what happened the day lightning struck my heart. I let myself connect and feel, the new and the old. The shell around my heart was split wide open and warm Divine love poured into me. Deep relief and peace were with me the rest of the day … and still are.
I acknowledged the yearnings of my heart and soul. I let them know that we will have that which we all desire. Just not yet. And I asked for patience while I fully unearth, connect, feel, release and transform into that which is needed for the light I am to fully shine in this life.
The Beginning of the Month Long Emotional Roller Coaster Ride
This actually began back in mid-June when I applied for a Library Assistant position with Washoe County Library System. My deep love of the written word and the mission of library systems is what led me to this and with encouragement from the Librarian at our local library. I also knew that I needed some relief from the pressure of financial obligations. Yet, I feel strongly that whatever I do must be aligned with my heart.
My application was accepted, I was scheduled for and took the test in mid July. I learned while at the Chromosome 18 conference that I passed the test within the needed percentage to be called in for an interview. I interviewed in mid July and felt sure I’d get offered a position as there were four openings. I received the results of the interview on August 2nd.
Wait, Let’s Back Up
The lease for our apartment was up on August 19th and the renewal lease came wrapped with a pretty significant rent increase. If we were going to move, I needed to give a 30 Day Notice to Move; which would land on July 19th. I had calculated that we would not be able to stay here if I did not have some type of part time income flowing our way.
I had to decide, without knowing whether I would get offered the Library Assistant position, whether or not to give the notice. I asked the management if I could back out of the Notice if it turned out I was offered the job and they said, “Absolutely!” So with that, I took a leap of faith and turned in the notice on July 19th.
On August 2nd, while on the Thomas and Camilla August Date Day, I received the email from Washoe County letting me know I was not offered an assistant position. I thought I had been doing a good job at staying detached from the outcome.
Yet, when I received that message, it felt like my entire world came crashing down around me. I kept thinking, “What the heck just happened?” And, of course, my psyche was full of commentary on what I had done wrong during the interview.
Fortunately, Thomas and I were at Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe when I received the news. Her precious waters soothed me and absorbed some of the disappointment. I was in a foggy, confused, mess of a state for the next couple of days.
Once the fog cleared, I began simultaneously packing more, looking and applying for part time work, and looking for a less expensive place to live. In addition, to exploring ideas that didn’t involve signing a year long lease; such as a motor home or a temporary place for a month or two.
And This Was Also Happening During The Month
I was notified that a small percentage of our current income was to be reduced.
Lillian’s craniosacral therapist left a message that we needed to cancel Lillian’s next appointment as Anthem Blue Cross has decided they will not pay for more sessions.
I received a few “no thanks” responses to jobs for which I had applied or interviewed.
We were denied for a place that would have been perfect! The population has increased so much in Reno that there are thirty or more people trying to get one place. The rental prices have increased beyond a typical increase. When already existing apartments had a vacancy, it was snapped up quickly. New construction apartments have waiting lists; for apartments that won’t even be finished for a year or more.
I had difficulties finding a storage unit that would be large enough that wasn’t overpriced. Those were also being snapped up quickly. Any size of U-Haul truck was not available between August 24 and September 3rd due to Burning Man.
All of these things happening within close proximity were extremely overwhelming.
**February 2021 Update**
It’s pretty wild having stumbled across this while housecleaning on my blog. I remember all of this like it was yesterday, with deep compassion for the 2017 Camilla. I’m shedding tears now for her, and the path she traveled. I did indeed keep the patience, and continue moving forward.
November 2019 brought much relief in the form of a new, affordable place to live. And, February 2020 brought relief by way of a steady income. I am deeply grateful to the friends who stood by me, during those years, and for The Romano Duo and my dad for all that they did to help us.
What a heavy load I was carrying. I’m grateful to be on the other side of it.
Blessings,
Camilla See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!
“Words of Alchemy”, published December 2019, is a free-verse poetry memoir covering the last 6 years of my life. The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love, in one beautiful book.
Amazing news! My 19 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell’s debut book, “Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories” was published January 2018. Learn more and order here.
Wonderfully exciting news! My 15 year old son, Thomas Darnell‘s book, Biggest Little Photographer is published. Be inspired! Learn more and order here.
Blessings,
Camilla See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!
“Words of Alchemy”, published December 2019, is a free-verse poetry memoir covering the last 6 years of my life. The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love, in one beautiful book.
Amazing news! My 19 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell’s debut book, “Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories” was published January 2018. Learn more and order here.
Wonderfully exciting news! My 15 year old son, Thomas Darnell‘s book, Biggest Little Photographer is published. Be inspired! Learn more and order here.
I was recently on a facebook live with 4 other authors. We had a great time answering everyone’s questions. We chat about writing styles, where ideas come from, and much more!
Join Helen Pryke, Fay Henson, Elizabeth Hill, Camilla Downs, and Valerie Keogh for a chat, laughs, and more.
Blessings,
Camilla See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!
“Words of Alchemy”, published December 2019, is a free-verse poetry memoir covering the last 6 years of my life. The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love, in one beautiful book.
Amazing news! My 19 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell’s debut book, “Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories” was published January 2018. Learn more and order here.
Wonderfully exciting news! My 15 year old son, Thomas Darnell‘s book, Biggest Little Photographer is published. Be inspired! Learn more and order here.
In September I was a guest on Armed with a book as part of The Creator’s Roulette series. Kriti has created an amazing space and website, and I’m incredibly blessed that she and I met in an online author/book blogger group. I encourage you to have a look at the website as she has a wide range of blog posts related to books and all aspects of writing. Thank you, Kriti!
In the guest post I share about my philosophy of walking, of how walking, nature, and photography work together to get the creative juices flowing. Join us …
“It is Armed with A Bingo Check in week which means I am hosting the wonderful authors who have donated their book to our giveaway. First up, I have Camilla Downs with me. You’ve met her a couple of times on the blog. I did a cover reveal for her book, Words of Alchemy (in our giveaway) and she was also the community feature of the challenge couple months back. Today, she is here as author, sharing about walking to get creative juices flowing.
Camilla Downs is a bestselling author, indie publisher, mentor, and mom. Nature and life experiences are a constant source of inspiration for her writing. She enjoys living a minimalist lifestyle, practicing meditation and mindfulness, reading, going for walks, and capturing nature’s essence with photographs. Camilla is the founder of MeetingtheAuthors.com and lives in Northern Nevada, USA with her two kids.
A Philosophy of Walking
By Camilla Downs
For the past 20 years I have been going for walks. The meaning and depth of the walks have shifted throughout the years. What started as an activity simply to satisfy my desire to be active, bloomed into a walking practice. A practice to process healing, to release, to discover my authentic self, and to connect with nature.
Just as a cool glass of water slakes my thirst on a scorching hot day, going for walks quenches the thirst of my soul and heart to know my true self, to heal, to release, to allow joy, and to be at peace. Walking guides me in the loving way to process life, to fulfill life, and to let life be.
Going for a walk at least three times a week has literally kept me going when I felt I could not carry on, and propelled me into bliss in times of joy. Each time I walk I have a different experience. At times, the walk overflows with peace and bliss and at other times, I’m ready to be done the second I begin. Those times are when I can’t seem to get out of my head. Worried about this, that, or the other; or lost in the past or distant future. Turning the worry over and over like one would a compost pile. Hoping a resolution will bloom from the compost pile of worry.
Most days the walking, along with nature as a helper, snaps me awake from tending the worry compost pile. My entire being melds with nature during these walks and reminds me what I already know. That the worrying only buries solutions deeper in the compost pile.
This is a poem I wrote after one of my walks, demonstrating what nature and these walks mean to me:
Nature’s Way
You see through me
You wake me up
You shake me up
You see me through.
The colors you pair
for these eyes to see.
Reflect my true colors
back to me.
With each step
upon your graceful
ever receiving surface,
My love I impart to you.
Focus on a tree,
Focus on a cloud,
Focus on a flower,
My love I give
to Nature with each focus.
Nature’s love travels
through this body
to the heart and soul.
My love and appreciation travels
to Nature through my essence.
Walks enveloped
in the glow of your beauty,
The shine of magnificence,
Are the Way of loving myself,
Are the Way of appreciating,
Are the Way of stillness,
Are the Way of Knowing
Ever present Love,
Ever present Grace,
Ever present Peace.
Going for walks and being amongst the trees, sun, clouds, grass, rocks, flowers, bushes, birds, wind, and weather nourish my heart and soul. Just as fruits and vegetables provide this body the nourishment it needs to continue; walking does this, and much more, for my heart and soul.
Going for walks is like being at an outdoor art gallery where nature changes the artwork every day, in fact every minute at times. Walking teaches the art of letting go of that which you find beautiful and meaningful. Walking teaches to quiet the mind, seize the moment, breathe and let soak in every morsel of beauty nature shares.
For the beauty nature displays while on a walk, is ever changing dependent upon the time of day, the season, whether clouds obstruct the sun, and whether it is near sunrise, midday, or sunset. Walking teaches the art of experiencing the continual changes of life as nature experiences the changing seasons.
Going for a walk opens the writer’s spigot and helps to flow the words of my heart and soul. I know it may seem I’m assigning much responsibility for these walks. In truth, my walking practice works in concert with a meditation and mindfulness practice, along with a writing practice. All of these practices to be held grounded by the practice of allowing myself to physically feel the emotions of life. This quintet of practices guides me in walking into the unlovely aspects of life and welcoming uncomfortable emotions, as well as fully experiencing the joy of life.
I’ve been walking with my kids since they were infants. I cherish every single walk taken with them. They are 19 years old and 14 years old now. Once they were old enough for one to stay at home, I began going with each one of them for a walk once or twice per week and a walk as a family once or twice per week. I continued to have walks alone, one to three times per week. Now that they’ve gotten older, the walks with each of them has slowed a bit. Yet, it is my hope that I opened their eyes to the beauty and philosophy of walking.
Whenever my son or daughter had a tough day, I would be sure to have a walk with him or her after dinner. The three of us had many deep and meaningful conversations during these walks. Mixed with periods of silence to simply enjoy the beauty. Not to be left out, mixed with much fun and silliness also. Rolling down hills, playing with our shadows, catching leaves as they blow from the tree, hitting pine cones with sticks, running through sprinklers, playing in the mud, feeding the ducks, helping worms cross the sidewalk, and making nature photographs.
I was not only moved to photograph our family during these walks; I was moved to photograph nature. There are only a few occasions I’ve gone for a walk and not taken at least one photograph. These photographs helped to inspire poetry to flow from my heart. I had never read or written poetry up until about six years ago. This seemed to be an extension of the walking and other practices.
Headed Home
And she walked.
And she walked.
She walked until
Arriving at
The home of
Peace and Joy.
Discovering once there,
She had been
Here all along.
I began to share the nature photographs on social media. I would normally write a few words about the beauty of nature. One day when I was choosing a photo to post, a poem flowed in place of the descriptive words I had previously posted. This began to happen nearly every time I posted a photo.
About six years ago, I visited Fallen Leaf Lake in South Lake Tahoe, California. The beauty was quite overwhelming, bringing me to tears. As I drove home, I made several stops along Lake Tahoe, sitting to take it all in. While doing this, poetic words bubbled to the surface of my consciousness. This was the beginning of a six year journey of being inspired by nature with poetic words, then later, inspired by life events. Here’s that first poem and a photo of Lake Tahoe.
Earth Dance
As the sun’s rays dance upon you like stars twinkling in the night sky, so shall our souls dance upon this Earth.
As you are who you are with ease, so shall we no longer struggle to be who we are.
As you adjust to the World around you without struggle, so shall we go with the flow of life.
As you release your beauty, power, and love for us to enjoy and learn from, so shall we do the same …
And so shall we become vessels of love, joy and peace.
Writing, getting things out of my head, helps me to see situations differently, helps me to process life experiences, and to discover solutions. Writing is deeply therapeutic for me, allowing my creative and imaginative nature to come out and play as well.
Going for walks, taking nature photographs, and writing about life experiences have guided me in processing life. Here’s a poem that was written during a time I was feeling unsure of myself, comparing myself to others, and not having faith in my abilities.
Twenty years ago I began going for walks. The walks blossomed into a walking practice, teamed with other practices, leading to blogging, writing poetry, and having four books published. It’s been a wild and interesting journey! Thanks for letting me share a small piece of the journey with you and your readers, Kriti. All the best to you!”
To read the full post, including the nature photographs paired with the above poems, and have a look around Armed with a book, go here …
Finally got to have Lillian’s poolside BBQ birthday celebration. We weren’t able to do it on September 14th due to the smoke, and poor air quality. Wonderful afternoon hanging out with The Romano Duo.
This one made my eyes sweat … Another of Lillian’s fairy tale emotion stories. The morning before she wrote this one, I was in a grumpy mood. Many times she will hook into this and catch a ride on the grumpy wave.
She was yelling at Thomas telling him that they had made me angry. I explained to her that no one made me angry except for myself with my own thoughts.
And then later in the afternoon, I read this story she wrote. As with many fiction stories that are sparked by the author’s reality, Lillian’s have a thread of her own reality running through each one. It warms my heart and causes my eyes to sweat …
I’m thinking that the series that she’s writing will be that book I mentioned she and I would write. I’m thinking Mr. Happy Tree will be the narrator (a fabulous tree that Lillian drew last spring or summer). **December 2020 Note: In fact, this story along with Lillian’s writings from age 5 – 16 years old are included in her debut book, Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories.**
Angry Candy Story
Once upon a time, there lived a red chewy candy who was always angry and her name was Angel. One day, Angel got angry for some unknown reason. Her candy buddies decided to investigate what could have made her angry but first, they had to look for some possible clues.
While they were investigating, Angel met with her candy friend, Sneaky Spice-Rika who was always acting innocent but Sneaky was hiding something from Angel. The investigators found strawberry flavored licorice, spices, and mint candy. So they went back to their club called Secret Detective Club to plan their next step of the mystery.
They put together a list of suspicious candy suspects with other candy suspects to talk to. The candy suspects’ were Sneaky Spice-Rika, Strawbella, and Sugarlicious. They set out to talk to Sugarlicious first. “I did see something very unusual, odd, and peculiar this morning.” said Sugarlicious, “I saw Sneaky Spice-Rika near Angel”. So the buddies said,”Thank you”! and moved on to talk to Strawbella but apparently she didn’t see anything strange. Finally, they talked to Sneaky Spice-Rika and she said she was only near Angel to talk to her. So they went to Angel to get more facts and she said it was to comfort her. So the investigators went on to explain the whole story.
When Angel had heard the whole story, she chuckled and explained to them that no one had made her angry but herself. She also said that she had a bad argument with her candy parents, Coca and Choc. The investigators went back to everyone what they had learned. First, they stopped by Sugarlicious to tell her what she had thought was actually an act of kindness. Next, they stopped by Strawbella to tell her that Angel had been angry and she was made angry all on her own.
Lastly, they visited Sneaky Spice-Rika to apologize about suspecting her. The investigators thanked her for being such a great friend. Angel forgot about being angry and never got angry again. If you look closely, you can see Angel in any chewy red candy you or your friends eat.
I hope you enjoyed this story. Join us every Friday for the newest edition of Emotions With Animals!
See the full story on Lillian’s blog, by going here …
Blessings,
Camilla See It. Share It. BE IT … Spread Love Everywhere You Go!
“Words of Alchemy”, published December 2019, is a free-verse poetry memoir covering the last 6 years of my life. The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love, in one beautiful book.
Amazing news! My 19 year old daughter, Lillian Darnell’s debut book, “Where Would You Fly and Other Magical Stories” was published January 2018. Learn more and order here.
Wonderfully exciting news! My 15 year old son, Thomas Darnell‘s book, Biggest Little Photographer is published. Be inspired! Learn more and order here.
Thank you to fellow author, Helen Pryke, for this beautiful review on her Pink Quill Books blog. I am deeply touched by this expressive and warm review!
“My review for Words of Alchemy by Camilla Downs, 5/5 stars.
Camilla Downs takes us on her journey of healing, compassion and love in this collection of poems. Each one is written from the heart, and her warmth, and her love for her children shines through every word.
Nature and its healing power is very important to Camilla, and her poems instill you with a feeling of well-being and calm. She gently guides you through the chaos and difficulties of life, and shows you how just a few moments of quiet observation of the world around you can help reset your fragile state of mind.
Looking at the world through Camilla’s eyes is a calming experience, and opens your mind to the possibilities that life holds. I loved the poems about her children, and how she acknowledges their difficulties, indeed, she embraces them, and reassures her children that they are a part of them to be accepted and talked about openly, rather than suppressed. This mother’s love, her compassion, is inspiring and humbling. Highly recommend.”
To read the full review, and to visit Helen’s blog, go here …
Thomas and I went for a hike on the Tamarack Lake Trail earlier this afternoon. Incredibly beautiful and peaceful.
Thomas had fun hitting rocks into the lake. I included some blooper photos of trying to take selfies with the wild wind that was blowing, and a blooper of what happens when Thomas takes my photo … He keeps taking the photo until I take my phone away! Crazy kid!
Go here to read the full post and view more photos …
