Today I drew this card again, as I did the other day in the midst of Cyclone Gabrielle. The card is from The Art of Life Inspiration Deck and the book, The Art of Life: Thriving Through Chaos: Insights and Inspiration to Spark and Sustain Your Creative Life. As I shared in my earlier post, thank you to those of you who downloaded the book when I set it to FREE – it went to #1 on Amazon!!
All the images on my oracle deck are of my artworks, accompanied by an inspiring, uplifting quote that I have written. It seems perfect for today in the wake of Gabrielle, we have entered day three of a Civil/State of Emergency here in the Bay of Islands.. The sun is shining, the storm has passed, yet the destruction continues…especially for those in Hawkes Bay, Coromandel and Auckland areas who have suffered terribly—loss of property and life.
I don’t understand why we are under a state of emergency here in The Bay of Islands, but I do know is that it has forced the cancellation of my three-day art retreat. As Karen, who was due to fly in from Queensland today shared, her flights from Brisbane to Auckland appear to have been cancelled—but nothing has yet confirmed. Then there is her worry that she may start her journey and find herself stranded.
“It looks horrendous on the news channel,” she said.
I replied
“Hi Karen
the cyclone has passed and the sun is shining
Our current government seems to be very trigger-happy when calling national emergencies. You may remember this is the same Government that locked the country down when we had ONE covid case!
the emergency up here has passed and really wasn’t one apart from a few trees felled on powerlines which cut power are now cleared…certainly not flooding and slips like other parts of New Zealand. Not horrendous at all!
I myself have been out and about today enjoying coffee and lunch at the local restaurants and currently sitting on the deck outside enjoying the sunshine. I had coffee today with Bill who with his wife owns Stay motel and he’s very much looking forward to hosting you
The light here is amazing at the moment the calm after the storm is a very special time
I understand how worrying it must feel to look at the news but it’s really not like that here in the Bay of Islands. The temperatures will be in the mids 20s and the sun will be shining:)”
Below is a photo I took to ‘evidence’ the truth of the weather, taken at Marsen Estate restaurant and winery on day 3 of our Civil/State of Emergency.
I’m told that many people have lost everything up here, but I haven’t seen anything need the widespread flooding that has damaged other parts of the country and which we are seeing in the news. The damage may be localised to certain homes, or areas, but I’m not convinced that warrants putting the whole of Northland in a Civil Emergency. It does mean people may need extra help and as a community providers are pretty good at providing that and we have a good social welfare system already in place.
On the 31st of January the Far North District Council put the region into a Civil Emergency only to lift it less than 24 hours later. This was shared by the Deputy Mayor on the Facebook page.
“The state of emergency declared for Northland yesterday (Tuesday 31 January) as part of the multi-agency response to a Red Heavy Rain Warning for the region has been lifted as at 10am today.
Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group Controller Graeme MacDonald said although emergency declarations are normally for a seven-day period, the relevant legislation provides for these to be either extended or ended earlier.
‘The decision to seek an emergency declaration was made in consultation with stakeholders and elected officials as a precautionary step ahead of the anticipated weather yesterday afternoon and evening. The reason for doing it was to enable the use of the emergency powers to protect life and property which are available under the Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Act 2002.
“As it eventuated, these powers were not required and there is no need for the emergency declaration to continue.”
He thanked Northlanders for their understanding and preparations. “For our partner agencies – emergency services, councils and contractors, health and welfare agencies, community groups, electricity network and telecommunications providers, community groups and iwi – it has been one of the biggest exercises in advance preparation that I can recall in Northland.
Northland Police, Northland – Fire and Emergency , Hato Hone St John and NZ Defence Force all brought additional personnel and equipment into Northland and there was a strong presence of responders in some of the locations that have historically been the first to be cut off by flooding
Yesterday’s emergency declaration was communicated via an emergency phone alert; however, Northland CDEM Group has opted not to send a second alert today for the lifting of the State of Emergency, to minimise any disruption of the public.”
On 14 February 2023, New Zealand’s Minister of Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty declared a national state of emergency following severe and widespread impacts from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle. Northland was added to this list.
The emergency for Northland has passed. There is no threat to life and property (the damage is done) and it is disruptive. I am wondering why it is not lifted now?
As Karen shared, “Coming to a region in a state of emergency is not in my plans.”
What her cancellation, and that of others too frightened to travel, is cancelled bookings, not just of my event, but the accommodation booked, meals to restaurants, and the loss of other tourist dollars. In its place, the offer of emergency payments to those impacted.
There is no doubt the threat to life is real in the wake of the flooding in other regions, but I can see no reason for it where I live. Just as I couldn’t when we were all locked down when there was one case of Covid in Auckland. The last state of emergency and the instilling powers that deprived people of their rights was due to the Labour Government’s pandemic response. Honest people sudeently found themselves arrested, criminalised, and minimalised if they spoke against the ‘regime.’
The mechanism of the state of emergency deprives certain people of their civil and political rights, producing his interpretation of homo sacer.[4]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_emergency
Back to my card.
The damage is done. The workshop has been postponed. I will try again in Easter, hopefully, by then we may have had a change in Government. As I share below, it may feel like someone or something has stolen my joy, but today I can be grateful. The sun has been quite kind:) (as Elton John sings.)
My supposed flight for tomorrow isn’t even showing and you normally can see them 48 hours early.
I do think it will take some time to clear the backlog of passengers and have no wish to join them. Just grateful that I hadn’t actually commenced this journey.
Glad for you that you have sunshine and power restored.
I truly don’t want to inconvenience you or any of the other participants so although bitterly disappointed I still feel as if I have made a good decision.
I know you don’t teach often but if you were to do another retreat later in the year I would be very interested.
Enjoy the sun,
Once again, I feel like I’m in a holding pattern and all around me joy is under attack. But here, mindset is key. Again, I reemphasise that I am so grateful that I am:
As I write James Taylor sings….
James Taylor, You’ve Got a friend.
Soften into your power. Whatever is soft and unyielding will overcome that which is hard and cannot yield. Do something soothing so you can yield and flow.
Some of the ways I soften into my power include listening to music, writing, spending funtimes with friends, painting and connecting with my spiritual strength through meditation, sacred rest, yoga, journaling, prayer and play.
Yesterday I spent the day at Marsden estate and played throw the storm debris (sticks, broken branches and leaves) with the resident German Shepherd, Lola. I also wrote some storm scenes in my current WIP Stolen By the Sheikh (which will be released under my pen name Mollie Mathews (www.molliemathews.com)
Here are a few other soothing suggestions to soften into your power, whatever is going on:
🎶music
🕯scented candles
🥗 comfort food
🤩 creating
💖 colour
👯♂️ friends
🧖♀️ massage (I’m so happy I had my 90 min massage two days before the storm)
🍷 classy wine (or sobriety)
❤️ self-talk
🗣 affirmations
🔔 churches
🤫 quiet
👚clothing
🕊peaceful joy
How about you? What are some soothing things you can do to increase your strength and resilience?
You’ll find wonderful tips in my book Resilience Plus: 5 Book-Bundle Box Set (How to Overcome Adversity, Build Resilience and Be Happy)
To grab your copy from Amazon, click here>>
http://getbook.at/ResiliencePlus
The Art of Life: Thriving Through Chaos: Insights and Inspiration to Spark and Sustain Your Creative Life
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2RRFXVH
The Art of Life Inspiration Deck. https://shop.cassandragaisford.com/product/the-art-of-life-inspiration-deck/
Etsy
https://www.etsy.com/nz/listing/1136618674/the-art-of-life-inspiration-deck
My partner drew this card the other day, Think Pink! Perfect!
Take a peek at the teasing and bullying which inspired the painting which accompanies this card:
https://shop.cassandragaisford.com/product/beetroot/
Here are a few of my thoughts (my own and gleaned from others)
This storm will pass (it did, a day later)
The sun will come again (it did, a day later)
I am safe (I am!)
I am loved (I am!)
I am protected (I am!)
What does not kill me, makes me stronger (yes! My childhood taught me that. I have fictionalised these events in my self-empowerment series, Transformational Super Kids)
No storm, not even the one in your life, can last forever. Every storm runs out of rain, just like every dark night turns into day
After a storm comes a calm (yes!)
56 Storm Quotes To Weather the Storm and Emerge Stronger
As I shared in my earlier post when the Cyclone was raging and the cyclone was forecast to arrive earlier than planned I made the decision to postpone my exhibition. But my heart is still hopeful!
You can swim in bubbles of joyful artworks—view and purchase online
https://shop.cassandragaisford.com/product/a-hopeful-heart/
https://shop.cassandragaisford.com/…/summer-will-come…/
https://shop.cassandragaisford.com/product-category/art/
I’m hopeful too, and confident that when Karen finally flies in from Queensland for my 3-day in-person art retreat (new date yet to be confirmed) and having extended for an in-person one-on-one pamper package, the sun will be smiling, the birds will be singing, and we shall be of good cheer and grateful for the shared experience!
It’s nice to have things to look forward to, and I am looking forward to meeting Karen, sharing my love of creating amazing abstracts, and my passion for the beautiful Bay of Islands. Sometimes, like the native trees we have to yield to the storm, be flexible with our plans, and persevere when conditions are more favourable.
I’m super excited to have confirmed another daring creative is joining my upcoming in-person abstract art retreat. At this stage, the new dates are yet to be confirmed.
As I shared in my earlier post when the Cyclone was raging I had been preparing for the worst, just in case everything was cancelled.
She is a severe category three storm, forecast to be one of the most serious storms to hit NZ this century. We may push out the dates a couple of days, especially as one lady is flying in from Queensland to join the retreat, and her airline and insurance company are urging her to change the dates.
We are hoping for a good outcome with the weather, but if the cyclone reaches our shores, we will reschedule to keep everyone safe. This could be good news if the original dates didn’t work for you!
I just didn’t expect that everything would seem so perfect and I still had to cancel. As the card I pulled today from my Rumi Oracle deck advises, ‘it’s time to lay the bitter disappointment to rest now and prepare for new life.”
Is one of your dreams creating cool abstract art? But you…
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.. don’t know where to start 😥?
.. feel like there’s so much to learn and you feel overwhelmed
.. haven’t studied art at school
.. you can’t seem to paint something you actually like
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How amazing would it feel to be guided step-by-step in person and have an award-winning artist show you the exact techniques & tools your favourite artists are using when creating their paintings?
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It’s not a far fetched dream!
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Come join Cassandra Gaisford and her 3-day in-person abstract painting course “Summer Love” and learn STEP-BY-STEP how she approaches creating amazing abstracts.
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Instead of being stuck and feeling uninspired, imagine this:
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✨ ..being confident in your creativity and inspired to share your work with the world
✨ ..knowing exactly what techniques and tools to use in order to achieve what you want
✨ ..having an abundance of fresh ideas and energy to paint
✨ ..finally being able to paint a piece you’re proud to hang on your wall home and giving your loved ones your art as birthday presents
✨ ..getting immersed in that state of flow that everybody in the art world talks about
✨ ..never wasting any art supplies ever again because you know that something amazing will come out of the process
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This course is for all abstract enthusiasts of all levels looking to unleash their creativity, get into the flow and create something beautiful in the process.
This course is for all abstract enthusiasts of all levels looking to unleash their creativity, get into the flow and create something beautiful.
Thanks for reading. Stay safe and stay sane!
I’d love to know what resonated:) Do drop me a line.
Posted in: Blog
ABOUT CASSANDRA
I am an artist, storyteller, intuitive guide, mentor and Reiki master. All my creations are infused with positive energy , inspiration, and light. I believe in magic and the power of beauty, joy, love, purpose, and creativity to transform your life. My greatest joy is helping your realize your dreams. That makes my soul sing!
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