~*...the best run of my life...*~

its been over a week since i've been riding. i've been waiting to get my computer, and then once it arrived i had work to do...so today i was ready for some serious shredding.

jonas and frederic picked me up this morning and we headed to whitewater. i ran into nature in the parking lot, the only other dark skinned dreadlock in nelson.



after two warm up runs, we prepared ourselves for an afternoon of backcountry riding. my friend brett had lent me his snowshoes, so my afternoon of backcountry riding was only very exhausting instead of crazy insane challenging.



it took 45 minutes to hike to the top of the 5mile basin. i happened to have my poi with me, so of course i tuned in and spun on top of a mountain. there is a very powerful prana that flows on the tops of mountains, and i was honoured to channel it through poi. yes, i'm such a fukkin hippie sometimes. i was thinking that i am the first person to ever spin poi on top of this peak, until i reminded myself where i am. if there is any place in the world where hippies might spin poi on top of a snow covered mountain, its here. perhaps i'm the first jamasian to do it, but maybe not the first person.





our goal was the facing peak of the 5mile basin, more specifically the top of the tree line on the right.


to get there, we had to drop in through these trees and ride to the bottom of the basin.


the slope was 40degrees through knee high powder. falling was definitely not an option.


as if you can't see from the pix, but the snow was incredible. light, fluffy, and in plentiful supply. the run down took about 6minutes, a short run in comparison to how long it took to hike to the peak, but its about quality not quantity...and the quality of the snow and the runs here is top drawer.


the ascent to the facing peak was untracked, no one had trekked up there at all today. we had to create our own path up the mountain, a task that was definitely easier said than done. to help me minimize the weight on my back, jonas offered to carry my snowboard on his back. oh man did that ever help out. having the weight of a board on your back with snowshoes on while trying to climb a mountain is intensely challenging to say the least.

its times like today that i wished i had a backcountry split board.

it took us just over an hour to reach our destination, the top of the tree line of 5mile basin. i was beyond exhausted, so i decided to catch my breath by tuning into the prana of the peak and meditate for a few minutes. what a great way to prepare my mind and body for what was to be the most insane run of my life.


pfft....like you didn't know i was a hippie *wink*

i buckled into my board and dropped into untouched, untracked, heavenly powder.



for 8 minutes, i lived in a dream. i was floating through knee high powder, making turns through snow that no one had touched, and smiling from ear to ear. the only sound you could hear was us yelling at the top of our lungs as we carved fresh tracks through the best snow in the world. the high was like nothing i had ever felt before. yes, it was better than sex (but only by a little bit).

it was the best run of my life. thank you jonas and frederick for taking me out to the backcountry and sharing this experience with me.

the trek back up took about hour. the sun had almost set by the time we reached the peak, and the temperature was dropping. the ride down to the lodge was fun, but i was beyond exhausted. our car was the only one left in the parking lot by the time we reached the base.

what an epic afternoon of backcountry at whitewater. those who know where the best snow is in the world are here shredding it...those who don't, are somewhere else ;)

i'm going to sleep like a baby tonight. i earned it.

~*...normaste...*~

~*...the full moon lunar eclipse...*~

after the lunch today, owen and i headed over to cottonwood falls at the bottom of rosemont hill. spring is in the air, and we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

there is a beautiful park at the bottom of the falls where the market takes place during the warmer summer months.


its awesome to know that this kind of beauty is just down the street from my home. breathtaking!



i tuned into the prana of the falls by spinning some poi.



water: its not just good, its essential. snow, ice, liquid...same water, different state.



later that evening, owen and i headed to the movement center for a chanting session in celebration of the full moon. organized by my friend flora, owen, myself, and 25 beautiful goddesses chanted and sang songs in praise of the full moon.

we all come from the goddess, and to her we shall return
like a drop of rain flowing to the ocean

i'm really enjoying the power of music embraced through song, and there are lots of people out here singing.

we are alive as the earth is alive
we have the power to create our own freedom
if we have courage we can be healers, like the sun we shall rise

it was also a full moon lunar eclipse tonight, where the moon quietly slipped into the earth's outer shadow, also known as the penumbra. there will be a full solar eclipse on march 29, fyi. the power of the full moon changes things, and tuning into that energy while chanting and singing with godesses was a great way to celebrate.

you are my brother, you are my sister, you're my lover, you are my friend
you're the beginning, you are the centre, and you are without end
i love you so...you help me see
see you in all...see you in me
for i am you and you're in me

thank you flora for organizing the full moon chant.

om ah ra ba zha na dhi
may enlightenment come to all sentient beings

happy birthday brennan. happy birthday amy. you are in my thoughts.



and for those who may not be aware, today is steak and blowjob day. ladies, show your man how much you care for him by putting meat on your man's plate and in your mouth too.

today on march 14th you'll get a special treat
i'll cook you a steak now isn't that sweet?
but wait there's still more, cause i'm hungry too
i'll suck on your knob till i'm full of your goo.
happy steak and bj day my love!


genius!

~*...normaste...*~

~*...baby blessing...*~

today i went to my friend andrea's place for a baby blessing, an alternative to a baby shower. it was a pot luck combined with a clothing swap. the food was delicious.


after eating, we moved to the solarium, my former bedroom, for a baby blessing ceremony. in the middle of the room was a small shrine adorned with sculptures, crystals, candles, flowing material, and a goblet of water. we sat around the shrine in a circle and presented our gifts and blessings for andrea, akkal, and their baby.



instead of baby shower gifts, andrea requested an addition to the mobile she was creating for her baby. my addition was a quartz crystal braided in red hemp.



last night, my friend lindzee said to me "a child is the most beautiful physical representation of love". i could not agree more.



as an alternative to creating a piece for the mobile, owent wrote a story. he and carron painted the pages that story was written on, and he read it aloud as his contribution to the blessing.



other than owen, myself, and andrea's partner akkal, the people at the blessing were all women (three of whom were pregnant). one of the women, christina smith, brought her daughter grace with her. christina is the artist who painted the many pictures that hung on the walls of andrea's home. her site is called earthly images. seeing her, with child, underneath her own paintings was beautiful. she is a physical embodiment of her art, carrying the future of the world in her womb.



the blessing ceremony then went to the temple of song. there is something about the voices of women singing that makes me melt, and my heart was warmed with the harmonies of the beautiful goddesses at the blessing. one song that we sang in a round echoed in my mind, even later as i walked home.

i hear the voice of my grandmother calling me
i hear the voice of my grandmother calling
she says wake up, wake up
wake up, wake up
listen listen

after visiting the temple of song, andrea took a piece of yarn and tied it around her wrist. she then took the same yarn and tied it to my wrist (i was sitting next to her). i then took the yarn and attached it to the wrist of the person sitting next to me. this continued until all of us were connected by the same piece of yarn.


andrea then went around the circle cutting the yarn, leaving a bracelet of yarn on each person. it represented the connection of all of the people at the blessing, and serves as a reminder for all of us to channel love and blessings to andrea, akkal, and their baby. we will all remove the bracelets when andrea has given birth.

after the blessing there was a clothing swap. unfortunately, almost all of the clothing was women's clothing so there weren't many options for boys.

thank you for including me in your baby blessing andrea and akkal. i wish for you a happy and healthy baby.

as i was about to leave, i noticed that the girls had placed the poem i had written in calligraphy for them up on the wall of the solarium. it looks good there, and its an excellent way for me to end this blog entry.



Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown, or to any man or number of men-go freely with powerful uneducated persons, and with the young, and with the mothers or families-re-examine all you have been told in school or church or in any book, and dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem, and have the richest fluency, not only in its words, but in the silent lines of its lips and face, and between the lashes of your eyes, and in every motion and joint of your body. - Walt Whitman

~*...normaste...*~

~*...babies are the latest accessory...*~

yesterday, jonas came to pick me up so i could hang out with him and frederic in their new pad. i'm really glad i met these guys. the only other swedes i've hung out with was in flames, a swedish death metal band that my brother toured with last summer.

jonas and i made a quick stop at cats tattoo parlour for an art exhibit showcasing the work of a talented nelson artist named tamara. tamara enjoys working with metal, and her work is beautiful. i found out about tamara's exhibition of art thanks to tribe.net, more specifically the *tribe sluts* tribe. most of the peeps in that tribe are from nelson, so i'm more likely to run into these *sluts* in town. two different tribes (.ca and .net), same norm ;)

congrats on a great show tamara. great meeting you jenna j. good to see you out naomi.



jonas and frederic live in a nice furnished suite just down by the civic center. after eating some food and drinkin a few ales, we headed over to the shanti yoga space for tammy's reggae pot-luck party. this family friendly event was full of incredible people, great reggae music, and lots of babies. seriously, its like babies are the most popular accessory for beautiful women here....everyone seems to have one ;)


that is my friend rachel and her daughter rhythm. i met rachel about a month ago here in nelson. she drove a crew of us into the valley of winlaw for a full moon jam session. when i was introduced to her, she said she rekognized me and asked if i lived in london, ontario. i told her i went to school there. she then asked me if i ever went to om...heheh, other than the first year, i've been to all of them. it turns out that at om 1999, i drove rachel and her friend julie back to london from the party. it was her first party ever (she was only 17yrs old then).



you really can't see her that well in that pik (old ghetto camera) but that is rachel, julie, and my partner at the time amy. rachel now lives in nelson with her partner and daughter rhythm.



running into someone i drove home from om almost 7 years ago in nelson is the kind of random majik energy that flows through the kutenais. its nelson.



the biggest surprise for me last night was running into my friend lindzee, a jedisistar that i knew from toronto. she moved to the sunshine coast two years ago with her partner. it seems like there is a huge connection between the kootenays and the coast. i can understand why: there is majik here and on the coast that i have never experienced anywhere else in the world. the veils are thinner in the koots and on the coast. of course lindzee had the popular baby accessory in the form of her beautiful son azrah.


lindzee's was travelling with a beautiful goddess named paris. as if her beauty wasn't enough to knock you over, paris had one of the most powerful pieces of ink on her shoulder. it has encouraged me to start designing my own version of it, so one day i too can have this powerful piece on my body.


the universe is spiralling out from her shoulder. i just love how its edges are sharp and it is full of stars. of course mine would be red and black. maybe after i get my burning norm tatto on my back i can start saving for this design. ink is so addictive.

i also met a woman named naava. turns out she is a jewmaican...yup, half jewish half jamaican. i've been referred to by my best friend mel as a chiggajew, part chink, part nigga, part jew. i had never met a jewmaican before. jamaicans are spreading love everywhere it seems.


hmmm...me attempting to contain my excitement in pikchaz through a smile makes me look like i'm in pain. note to self on happiness in pikchaz, jack it the fuck down ;)

i wrapped myself up in pure sweet reggae riddims for the rest of the night and then retired at jonas and frederick's place where we played vidz and passed. what an excellent family event. thank you tammy for organizing such an amazing evening.



~*...normaste...*~