Reflecting on Blogging from A to Z 2015

The opportunity to reflect as an integral post for the Blogging from A to Z April (2015) Challenge, is a sign that this event is well thought out. Going through a challenging event with a large group of people lends itself perfectly to reflection. It is because of the organizing of A to Z from the Theme Reveal, through the 26 days of alphabetically organized blogging, through to the summarizing reflection that I decided to participate for 2 years in a row. In my "S" post Stick-to-it-ive-ness post I thanked Arlee Bird and the countless minions and assistants for their organizational work and support before and during the challenge. Bravo and thanks again!

Planning

My regular readers know I'm fond of divination and am never too far from a crystal ball of one sort or another, I had no idea of the process or outcome of this challenge. I say this even though I participated last year.

Process

With my life being incredibly full, to the point of being hectic at times, I had no choice but to take a leap into this event. I decided on a theme and then wrote on that theme on blogging days. I didn't have the time or inclination to prepare my posts ahead a time. My blogging is always spontaneous. Apart from one post, which was scheduled just to give it a try, I blogged as the day arrived. Using this method I only missing a handful of days because I was called away to address more pressing issues.

Clarity

As the days progressed I grew into my theme. I took ownership, realizing I could interpret the theme of exclamation points and their overuse in anyway I desired. My process led to great clarity and by the end I saw new things about myself as a blogger.

Camaraderie

I'm seeing now, each year is different, with unique visitors, readers, comments and bands of people coming together through a sense of camaraderie.

Thank you to my regular readers who stuck around for this somewhat specialized series of posts.
Thanks to the folks who I linked up with last year, who came and read, as well as commented on every post!
Welcome to new members and followers through a variety of platforms. Thank you too for sticking around, reading, commenting and sharing your unique insights.

I'm so happy to have found a new audience and new people whose blogs I enjoy. I wasn't so sure about this A to Z stuff by mid-alphabet as a blogger. I'm glad I stuck around and saw it through.

Gran Bwa

Gran Bwa is a lwa that helps you connect to ancestral roots or the spiritual home of Vodou. A friend of mine, who is an expert on Haitian Vodou, who has spent a lot of time in Haiti with the artists there, told me I had painted Gran Bwa when I made this spontaneous work out of walnut ink and sumi-ink on handmade paper. I had considered this painting a self-portrait. She now holds this piece in her private collection: Quite a few people are afraid of Vodou but it is an awe-inspiring tradition of bringing together plant energy with divinity, spiritual and personal energy. My friend who is very involved with Vodou, especially the art that surrounds it, is from European ancestry. She is light in spirit and bubbly, with a close relationship to nature and her garden. Vodou affirms the relationships between cycles of life, trees of knowledge and spirit. The Vodou vision of lwa , understands them as the intelligence of energy present in humans, nature and thoughts. Mysteries ca

Xochitl--Flower

(Winter Poinsettia by Stephanie Rose Bird, oil on wood) One of my Facebook friends does daily posts and shares called "I love Flowers." I love flowers too, in real life, in my garden, in paintings and as they are related to the gods and goddesses, in healing, as well as their use in folklore like Hoodoo. Not long ago I posted about Xochipelli (Sho-CHEE-pee-lee) prince of flowers and Xochiquetzal (Sho-CHEE-ket-zul) goddess of flowers in anticipation of April's blooming season. The Goddess and Prince of Flowers post is here. Today, I want to focus in on the root word of their names and it's symbolism. This word is Xochitl (Show-CHEE-tul) in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs. This word means flower. ( Frida Kahlo "Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser) In many different belief systems there are nature gods and goddesses connected with flowers. Flowers possess symbolism,

Follow Fest Interview and Sharing

When I first became a blogger it was difficult to know if I had readers and visitors coming to my blog. I’d post and be met by the sounds of crickets. Then, I branched out into the world of the blogosphere, a world I didn't know really existed. From my ventures, I met a lot of interesting bloggers. I've started following and commenting on numerous blogs, for you see, prior to my outings, I too was out among the crickets. Lurking about but seldom saying anything. A fellow blogger I've met through my journeys around the blogosphere is Melissa Maygrove . She had the brilliant idea to have a Follow Fest , where we share about who we are, what we do and most importantly, how you can connect with us further. It is my intention through joining Follow Fest, that I’ll connect with many more readers and people interested enough in what I do to want to learn more by following. So, here goes my entry for the fest. Name: Stephanie Rose Bird Fiction or

Stephanie's Studio

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