"Don't cry for me when I'm gone
Three score and ten are given to man,
But ours is a much briefer span.
So, though I give you all my heart,
The time will come when we must part.
But all around, you will see,
Creatures that speak to you of me;
A tired horse, a hunted thing,
A sparrow with a broken wing...
Pity and help *I know you will),
And somehow, I will be with you still.
And I shall know, although I'm gone,
The love I gave you lingers on."
- Author Unknown
Thursday, July 21, 2022
 Yesterday we said goodbye to one of our beloved cats of 20 years. She'd been diagnosed with cancer three months ago and over the past week, was declining rapidly. This has been such an excruciating process. And I am grieving so heavily that I can't always access the words to express what I am feeling. What I want to share is the beautiful sacred manner in which the veterinary team held us and helped our sweet little golden girl transition to the great beyond.
When we entered the vet's office they ushered us into a room called the Comfort Room. It had a couch, blankets, and a rocking chair. The walls and tables were adorned with statues of angels, dogs, cats, and plaques with tender prayers (including the one I shared at the top of this newsletter). There was a box of Kleenex, a salt lamp, and a stack of teddy bears with a sign inviting us to take one home as a way to bring comfort to our hearts in our time of loss. The vet team brought her around the clinic so the staff could say goodbye to her. We placed Trudie on a soft blanket and held her as she went through the process of transitioning. Every step of the way, the vet and her team invited us to pause and take all the time we needed. It wasn't rushed and didn't feel transactional. They clearly respected the sacredness of death and our process as a family. Trudie left us at 10:11AM - she was tucked into a soft pink blanket in my arms and with Gary's hand on her head. She left this world with caring hands - held and loved.
This was a new experience for both me and my husband and not one that we want to go through again although we are both aware that we have another 20.5 year old cat at home who is struggling with renal disease and mild dementia. While it was difficult, the vet team provided an environment of compassionate, care and filled it with rituals that honor the love we had for our furr-baby. They even let us leave through a back door so we could maintain privacy.
 We know how blessed and lucky we are to have had her for 20 years. She came into our lives when she was 3 weeks old. A friend of ours found her in the woods all alone. He looked for her mother but didn't find her. We took her in and bottle fed her for weeks. She entered our lives the week my father died unexpectedly. She was a gift from the universe during a time of unspeakable grief. We know she is still with us in our hearts and memories. But my goodness, we miss her presence and her absence is excruciating. We know that grief will come in waves and it will shapeshift over time. We are in the thickest and heaviest part right now. It's only been just over 24 hours - we are both still feeling pretty raw. Since my tears were all over one of the teddy bears at the office, I took it home. We set up the bear on the couch with Trudie's favorite bunny catnip toy and a photo of her. It feels like the bear is keeping her spot warm.
As you will see below, I am teaching this weekend and I don't quite know yet what my body will be capable of. Grief has a density to it. I am currently feeling heavy, slow, sluggish and there are moments when I feel like my whole body is under water. But movement is a commitment to myself and to my aliveness. It is also part of how I heal and access resilience. I won't be pushing myself in the days ahead. I will meet my body and heart where they are. Class on Sunday will reflect the honesty of my body-mind-heart state. I am committed to showing up just as I am and moving together - Breathing, Feeling, Dancing and Resting. Know that no matter what you are going through, you can always show up just as you are. The first step to self-care is showing up. There is nothing more that you need to do <3.
Grateful to all of you and deeply grateful to those of you that met Trudie over the past 20 years and got to know and love her. We miss her terribly and will miss her and love her forever.
Classes this week - Sunday at 10:00AM PDT and Wednesday at 4:00PM PDT
Deeply grateful for this community,
Jennifer
Schedule Going Forward:
- Somos Luceros on Sundays at 10AM PDT
- Embodied Movement Explorations in Body Wisdom & Wellness on Wednesdays at 4PM PDT
- ArcanaDance - next workshop TBA
Somos Luceros
 Somos Luceros is a somatic dance practice designed to illuminate the wisdom of your body and cultivate deep embodiment of archetypal qualities that offer lightness, depth and joy. The dance moves are simple and guided by the language of storytelling, opening new chapters in our bodies where we can see and feel our most luminous potential. Release the stories in your body that weigh you down and reclaim your light. In Spanish, Somos means “we are” and Luceros means “bringers of light” or “bright stars.” This name honors my father, my paternal indigenous ancestors in South America, my heritage, and our collective oldest ancestor, the stars. We are dancing bodies of light.
With immense gratitude for your continued support,
Jennifer
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Somos Luceros - Breathe, Feel, Dance & Rest: A Movement Exploration in Honor of International Self-Care Day (via Zoom)
Date: Sunday, July 24, 2022 at 10:00AM PDT
Time Zones: 10:00AM PDT | 11:00AM MDT | 12:00PM CDT | 1:00PM EDT
Pay what you can in exchange for the class experience ($5-$25)
Register for class:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlcu2qqzkoE9WKhCSZ7O8YBTvAFUF6nDld
Join us for Breathe, Feel, Dance & Rest: A Movement Exploration in Honor of International Self-Care Day
 Sunday, July 24 is International Self-Care Day. The theme this year is resilience.
This past week I said goodbye to my beloved cat of 20 years. I am grieving. The accompanying sensations of grief run the gamut from deep sorrow to gratitude. Movement has always been a central part of my self-care practice and is one of the ways I cultivate resilience.
I don’t know how I will show up to class. My heart may be heavy. My body may ache (grief is extremely physical). I may need gentleness or catharsis. I don’t know if I will find the right words to speak. But I am committed to this self-care practice and I welcome you to join me as I explore how to move with grief and access sparks of resilience. Showing up exactly as you are is the first act of self-care <3.
The dance moves are simple and guided by the language of storytelling. You are invited to receive the choreography, bring it into your body and make it your own.
Somos Luceros is a somatic dance practice designed to illuminate the wisdom of your body and cultivate deep embodiment of archetypal qualities that offer lightness, depth and joy. The dance moves are simple and guided by the language of storytelling, opening new chapters in our bodies where we can see and feel our most luminous potential. Release the stories in your body that weigh you down and reclaim your light. In Spanish, Somos means “we are” and Luceros means “bringers of light” or “bright stars.” This name honors my father, my paternal indigenous ancestors in South America, my heritage, and our collective oldest ancestor, the stars. We are dancing bodies of light.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the class/meeting.
Pay what you can in exchange for the class experience:
Embodied Movement Explorations for Body Wisdom and Wellness (via Zoom)
Date: Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Time Zones: 4:00PM PDT, 5:00PM MDT, 6:00PM CDT, 7:00PM EDT
Class is 75 minutes
Pay what you can in exchange for the class experience ($5-$25)
Register for class:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYscOmorT8pGNewf8y4tLkarzwHfVod_E7v
Join us for Embodied Movement Explorations for Body Wisdom and Wellness
 Body wisdom is being aware of and attuned to what our body needs to feel well. This somatic intelligence and tending can be accessed and cultivated in many ways.
Every week we will explore a variety of somatic movement practices that include somatic dance, yoga, QiGong, archetypal expression (mainly tarot), and other modalities that emphasize mindfulness and that guide self-knowing.
Classes for the month of July will focus on basking in the somatic sensations of joy in our body.
Our guiding tarot card for this class is the Four of Wands/Staves/Fire. The invitation is to open to joy, follow its expression as it moves through your body, deepen your connection with your specific somatic imprint of joy and to mobilize your face, torso and hips into a smile.
Just like we bask in the light and warmth of the sun, in this class we are invited to pause to bask, in celebration, of our felt sense of live-giving and life-affirming joy.
In this class we center the experience of living, feeling, sensing and moving in our bodies. We learn practices to know ourselves more deeply, cultivate joy, restore from stress, explore creative self-expression, and ways to nourish the various systems (fluid, muscular, skeletal, organ, nervous, and cellular) of our body.
Come to move your body, develop a deeper appreciation for the intelligence and wisdom of your body, and to learn practices to be well in mind, body, heart and soul.
Wear comfortable clothes to move in. No shoes required. Feel free to have a yoga mat, blanket or towel for floor-based practices.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the class/meeting.
Pay what you can in exchange for the class experience:
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Tarot Sessions - Now August and beyond
 I am now scheduling into August and beyond.
These sessions are my lifeblood and I so appreciate your continued support in scheduling appointments and referring your loved ones and friends to me. As you know, I don't advertise. All of my client work has been via referral. For that I am immensely grateful.
To schedule a session, choose the session type at www.jenniferluceroearle.com/tarot-with-me/sessions and email me your questionnaire.
Tarot Consultation Packages
There are several tarot packages to choose from, including options for multiple one hour to two hour sessions throughout a one year window.
Huge thanks to Brooke Lowe Johnson for the photo (top) above!
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Mary Lenox's Poetry
Following is the inspiring poem, Oneness of the Breath, that Mary wrote and shared with us after class this past Sunday, July 17 - when we celebrated her and Rebecca's birthdays.
Oneness of the Breath
You were there before the beginning of time
A divine gift of life
An eternal flow of grace
To planet earth
Earthlings
Offer prayers, chants, songs, breathwork
In humble adoration
Of your sacred healing power
You are here, there, everywhere
In the air we breathe
In ocean waves, high or low
In seaweeds resting on the sandy shore and so much more
I inhale and exhale you with a smile of gratitude
Feeling the vibrations of you in me
Ever mindful
Without you, the world wouldn't exist
Praise be for you
Omnipresent miracle of love
Uniting all people in oneness
Breath by breath
©2022 Mary F. Lenox
To join Mary's email list: mflenox69@gmail.com
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