Friday, 29 March 2024

The decisions you make determine the schedule you keep.  
The schedule you keep determines the life you live.  
And how you live your life determines how you spend your soul.  
- Lysa Terkeurest

Wednesday, 27 March 2024

Blessed are the crazy ones who believe they can change the world.
Because, indeed, they can. 
- Steve Jobs

Monday, 25 March 2024



From TEA for the Bitter Times  Created by Beth Richardson ©2022


Saturday, 23 March 2024

Saturday Morning Comic 

Friday, 22 March 2024

It doesn’t matter what you bear. 
It matters how you bear it.  
- Seneca

Wednesday, 20 March 2024

Spring is when you feel like whistling
even with a shoe full of slush. 
- Doug Larson

Monday, 18 March 2024



From TEA for the Bitter Times  Created by Beth Richardson ©2022


Friday, 15 March 2024

March 15, 2024 Chautauqua

Beth's Ponderings

May the leprechauns be near you

to spread luck along your way,

And may all the Irish angels smile upon you

on St. Pat’s Day!

 (Irish blessing)

 ~~~~~~

May the luck of the Irish possess you,

May the Devil fly off with your worries,

May God bless you forever and ever.

 (Celtic toast)

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UAdYVhRs7l5RHmZZpBtvAm8mm_GMsaTR/view?usp=sharing


 Whether you've enjoyed reading The Chautauqua from the first issue 22 years ago, are a brand new reader, or somewhere in between, I sincerely hope that The Chautauqua has enriched your life, as much as it has enriched mine publishing it.  If you would like to help ensure it continues to enrich others like yourself, I ask you to please consider making a donation to The Chautauqua. There are three methods available:   

Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0 

E-transfer to thechautauqua@gmail.com 

PayPal at https://paypal.me/thechautauqua (note: you will need to sign into PayPal first, and then specify the amount) 

   Your support and kindness is always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to bring joy and inspiration to you with each issue. Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!

And, if you are looking for a unique gift idea, please visit: https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html

Contact The Chautauqua via email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua   


Wednesday, 13 March 2024

How much progress could you make
 if you made just a little each day 
over the course of an entire life? 
 - Ryan Holiday

Monday, 11 March 2024



From TEA for the Bitter Times  Created by Beth Richardson ©2022


Saturday, 9 March 2024

Saturday Morning Comic 


Friday, 8 March 2024

My Artist Voice #23 March 8, 2024

   Welcome to my 23rd Artist Newsletter.  Thank you so much to everyone who has subscribed to date.  If you would like to receive this newsletter directly in your email inbox, please contact thechautauqua@gmail.com and ask to be added to the mailing list.  Please share this with friends who may also be interested.  Thank you so much for your support.  

   On February 18th, I did my 1,400th DAILY post in Inner Circle.  That's absolutely AMAZING to me, because when I started posting the first day, I had no idea how I was going to post every day for the WEEK!  I wasn't worried about having something to say, because I can always find something to say even if it's just one line or word, rather, I had no idea how I would share MYSELF and what I was doing every day.  Sharing my words in public was a piece of cake after owning the paper for 18 years (at the time I started Inner Circle), but sharing not just the good, but the messy middle and the bad days in a public setting was a stretch.  Well, I've managed for 1,400+ days in a row!  And I did it by just committing to post "just today" and not worry about the next day or 50 days after that.  I am also happy to say, I will be renewing my yearly membership in Inner Circle for another year - my 5th!

Celebrations: 

- I published two more comic strips in the paper and posted them online.

- On February 22nd, the Radiant Rainbows deck I ordered from Jessica Swift arrived!  I'm having fun looking at each of the cards.

- On March 3rd, the 2024 calendar journal I ordered from Virginia Rosenberg (back in January!) finally arrived!  I started filling out the various prompts to get myself up to date, and I'll continue to use this - in conjunction with the Moonology diary - for the rest of the year.

Recently Completed:

Since the last newsletter, I've completed...


- (top) Laughing Buddha painting (watercolour pencils, acrylics, Posca paint pens in my smashbook) based on a process by Whitney Freya
- (bottom) a second MOON painting (watercolour pencils, acrylics, Inktense pencils, Posca paint pens on 9x12 mixed media paper) based on a process by Whitney Freya

- On February 17th and 24th I made another baked oatmeal.

UFO (UnFinished Object) Update: 

- still deleting old PDF files that I no longer need.  Also, I went through a few lists of tasks, plans and options - from the perspective of my Human Design - and over three-quarters of the items were a resounding NO!...that took a few more UFO's out of my life...the other quarter included repeats of ones I already had in my Basket of Possibility.  

   As well, I pulled out a 4-inch binder from the basement that is full of dreams, goals, plans, resources, and more from my 20s and started going through it.  Back in my teens and 20s, I was quite sick as it was the first physical collapse I'd had, and anything that interested me, or I wanted to do, went into a filing box.  I had quite a number of those boxes filled by the time I was 30!...after my 2nd collapse almost 11 years ago now (time flies!), I started going through the boxes and kept everything that still called to me and put them in binders.  I believe there are 4 or 5 more binders downstairs, so this will be quite the task.

Courses and Challenges (free and paid):

- Laura Rose's Honey Pot (embodiment) self-paced online class - I finished this course on February 23rd.  The third unit was on a short erotic dance routine that I've been practicing every day as I am more like a tin man dancing than a seductress!  There was also a unit on breast massage that was delightful - especially since I actually have breasts now following my weight gain.  The practices from the course that I am continuing with (for now!) include practicing the erotic dance, breath work, self-massage techniques, and sex magic manifesting.

- I'm practicing my drum playing daily, and haven't moved onto the next lesson yet.

- Shiloh Sophia's Wild Card Oracle class - still not sure if I will make more cards or not.

- Recipes, Remedies, and Rituals Ayurveda course: I started the course over beginning on Feb. 8th.  The first unit was on food and of the suggestions, I decided to add 3 deep breaths before I ate (more challenging than I expected!) and eating only my personal portion size during each meal. 
 
   To determine your personal portion size, you cup your hands together to make a level bowl shape and that's the amount you eat at each meal, and no more, as that's the size of your stomach and the amount you can eat without stressing it.  After filling my hands with dry cereal and then measuring to determine the amount of food I could eat, I completely understood the expression "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach" because my personal portion size maximum is 3/4 cup!  And let me tell you, that looked like hardly any food at all on a plate!  Especially since I'm used to eating a LOT more than that at a meal.  So I was sure surprised when I started eating only that amount to discover that I wasn't hungry and felt satisfied after each meal.  I did have to tweak a bit and make sure I was eating more protein for breakfast and lunch, and not just at supper.

   I finished the course on February 23rd as well.  There are lots of different practices I could add to my life to boost my health, but I decided to make things easy on myself and keep it simple.  So for now, I'm still eating my personal portion size, drinking a cup of warm water with a spoonful of coconut oil melted in it daily, and doing an abdominal massage daily.

Works in progress:

Currently, I'm working on...

- a 9x12 page of watercolour play
- based on Whitney Freya classes, I'm working on my 2nd BODY painting 
- an 8x10 acrylic painting (a UFO) 
- a 16x20 acrylic painting - this has moved forward a bit 

- I completed some more mini collages (4.5 x 6) 

- In Inner Circle, we were challenged to pick a (daily) practice that would stretch ourselves on various levels.  After Amber led us through a guided meditation, what popped into my mind for a practice was seated forward bends!  Not sure why or where that came from, but I'm going with it.  Despite doing yoga for years, and graduating last year from my yoga teacher training, seated forward bends have not been a pose that I could do, so this will be a stretch (pun intended).  
Pink shirt - Day 1 - Feb. 19, Black shirt Feb. 26, Housecoat Mar. 4

Featured Items for Sale:
If you want to start the new year off on a positive note why not get an inspiration deck or two?  They also make great gifts!  I have the following items for sale (prices include GST).  Go to https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html to view samples.

Books:
"The View from My Window" by (Peeping) Thomasina (2020) $10
"Exploring My Artist Voice: a journey without a map" (2022) $15

Card Decks:
"Traditional Wisdom: proverbs for everyday guidance" (2020) $25
"Daily Wisdom: proverbs for living life to the fullest" (2020) $25
"BEEing" (2021) $20
"Deep Truths for Remembering and Reclaiming Yourself" (2021) $40
"TEA for the Heart & Soul" (2021) $75
"May I" (2022) $25
"TEA for the Bitter Times" (2022) $45

Planners and Journals:
"Creative Daily Planner: for the unconventional, non-conformists, creatives, rebels, and other out of the box personalities" (2022) $30 or from Amazon https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BMJM1SD3

"Magical Moments in my Day Journal: for the extra special moments all around me" 6x9 lined journal (2022/2023) $15 or from Amazon  https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CJLKZ3KB

Music Albums:
"Just Show Up" (fall 2022) https://linktr.ee/beth.richardson CDs $15

Please contact me at thechautauqua@gmail.com or phone 403-352-3837 to make an addition to your collection.

Upcoming Projects: 

- I offer Pay-What-You-Can Distance Reiki/Energy Healing sessions.  Energy healing works great from any distance and I've sent Reiki healing as far away as Queensland, Australia.  Please, contact me to set up your healing session.

"I have been suffering with Long COVID for over a year and have tried every healing modality in the book to get my energy back. Beth has been gifting me with healing Reiki energy for quite some time now and I have, for the first time in over a year, started to feel like myself again.  Much of my weakness has dissipated, and the dark cloud that I have been stewing under has lifted. Thank you Beth. ♥️" - Carla, Esthetician, Nova Scotia 

Thanks for reading, and as always, feel free to share with anyone you think might enjoy it.

Beth 

~~~~~~~~

As a life-long creative, and recently self-taught artist, I endeavour to weave my varied interests and wisdom together in an enlightening and entertaining manner, to make people think, but above all else, bring a smile to their faces and hearts, as my style is almost childlike in its simplicity and playfulness.  While bedridden for much of 2017, I developed 5 – 10 minute practices which allowed me to commit to them daily. I’ve been called the “Queen of Small Steps” because my simple practices – though they may seem small individually – have added up to quite a body of work in a relatively short time period. 

~~~~~~~~

Thank you so much for your support, and again, if you would like to receive this newsletter directly via email please email: thechautauqua@gmail.com and ask to be added to the mailing list.  Thank you!

Back issues of this newsletter can be found here: https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/  under the category "Artist Newsletter"

If you would like to support my artistic journey, please consider purchasing my artwork, items available in person at 4910-47 St, Mirror, AB

or by making a donation via
Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0 

E-transfer to thechautauqua@gmail.com 

PayPal at https://paypal.me/thechautauqua (note: you will need to sign into PayPal first, and then specify the amount) 

   Your support and kindness are always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to bring joy and inspiration! Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!

Wednesday, 6 March 2024

A bird does not sing because he has the answer to something;
 he sings because he has a song. 
 - Chinese proverb

Monday, 4 March 2024



From TEA for the Bitter Times  Created by Beth Richardson ©2022


Friday, 1 March 2024

March 1, 2024 Chautauqua

Beth's Ponderings

   Have you ever heard the expression, “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach?”

   Usually it’s trotted out when someone has eaten more than they should have, or hasn’t eaten everything on their plate (for those of us of the age where that was strictly enforced)

   I recently learnt that there is a lot of truth to that statement!

   In 2022, I started taking an introductory course in Ayurveda, the ancient system of health and healing from India.  Ayurveda emphasises natural foods and remedies to balance your body and restore health.

   Because it is an introductory course, it doesn’t go deeply into the doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) but provides basic practices that would benefit anyone and everyone in terms of digestion, vitality and sleep.

   I made it halfway through the course in 2022, and then had to set it aside.  This year, I returned to the course, starting from the beginning.

   As digestion is an area of concern for me - all my health concerns seem to relate to that pillar - I decided to start there. 

   I was quite surprised to discover that according to Ayurveda, the amount of food you should be eating in any one sitting (your “personal portion size”) is NO MORE than the amount of food you can hold in your two hands when cupped like a bowl.  That bowl shape equals the size of your stomach.

   According to Ayurveda much of the stress our body experiences is because we (especially in North America) overload our stomachs when we eat and that doesn’t allow for proper digestion to occur. 

   I scooped some dry cereal into my cupped hands and measured it out.  I was SHOCKED that it was ONLY 3/4 cup!!!!!  As someone who is used to eating a LOT more than that at every meal, I didn’t think I’d be able to survive on only 3/4 cup of food for each meal (you can eat more meals, leaving at least 2 hours in between to allow for digestion) so I was quite surprised that I felt full enough and didn’t need to eat more.

Beth

Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IxSqVXPdA1p1efJeE4RSX8Bpxt1z4CXl/view?usp=sharing


 Whether you've enjoyed reading The Chautauqua from the first issue 22 years ago, are a brand new reader, or somewhere in between, I sincerely hope that The Chautauqua has enriched your life, as much as it has enriched mine publishing it.  If you would like to help ensure it continues to enrich others like yourself, I ask you to please consider making a donation to The Chautauqua. There are three methods available:   

Mail a cheque or money order (made out to Beth Richardson – Chautauqua) to Box 261 Mirror, AB T0B 3C0 

E-transfer to thechautauqua@gmail.com 

PayPal at https://paypal.me/thechautauqua (note: you will need to sign into PayPal first, and then specify the amount) 

   Your support and kindness is always greatly appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to bring joy and inspiration to you with each issue. Thank you so much and have a marvellous day!

And, if you are looking for a unique gift idea, please visit: https://thechautauquanewspaper.blogspot.com/p/products-for-sale.html

Contact The Chautauqua via email: thechautauqua@gmail.com or via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChautauqua   


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