Regina Chante

A New Look!

My beloved Terran Love Notes followers are now seeing a new page being birthed. In the spirit of Winter Solstice I am birthing myself anew as well! Like a true baby, this page will morph over time, expanding its gifts to include more of what people have either been asking for and/or I have observed could be beneficial, or at least intriguing discussion. The first blog page, Terran Love Notes, will always be the anchor for the whimsical being at my core.

Many who know of my musical background have asked for more music, meditations and such. Over time I will add links to those as they become available. We just moved so all the sound gear is still needing to be assembled. As I learn to create video I will post links there as well, but for the interim will likely be sharing other peoples’ links I find helpful, informative, relaxing, etc. Please check back in regularly and see what’s new, and please subscribe! Perhaps in time I will afford to buy a WP package w/o ads. My apologies in advance for those annoying things.

Kodama local terran, surrounded in winter’s magic

As you will see from my “ABOUT” page there is a lot to my world. Through the years I continue gaining insights, experiences, wisdom, feedback and observations in many fields of interest which I intend to share here. As always, I welcome your thoughtful reader responses. Dialoguing helps us all grow and evolve. This site is also a special dedication to those friends and family who are relinquishing the standard, social-media pages for a variety of reasons; I hope you will stay connected with me through this blog.

We are living in “very interesting times” according to Confucius. That may be a blessing or a curse, depending on one’s filters. To find a light in the dark night of the soul, a dream to reach for, a healthy meal to create, a gardening delight, or methods and ideas to help surface the magical, powerful beings we truly are is what keeps life worth living. Thankfully, many other wonderful “imaginal cells” around the planet are consciously participating as midwives to bring a more balanced paradigm into existence – I will happily share their stories and links as well.

Welcome aboard new readers and much gratitude to my faithful fans.
Here we go, here we go, here we go now!

Hunting (With A Camera) For Nature Spirits

A fortunate video find led me to author and photographer, Atala Dorothy Toy, who did a lecture for the Theosophical Society in 2018 (see YT link below). She specializes in communing with and photographing nature spirits. In her video she provides fun insights on how to slow down, breathe deep, and feel where you’re drawn to take a photograph of nature spirits that you might otherwise miss! Even if you do not believe such things exist the very act of getting outdoors, into fresh air and sunlight with a camera in hand is a fun adventure just the same.

Ms. Toy’s video presentation:

This morning found me bedridden for most of the day, on the verge of what felt like a flu. By the time early afternoon arrived I was feeling antsy and needed fresh air and movement. Fortunately there is a lovely, little park down the way and the sun was out. Feeling lethargic from whatever caused me to sleep so long made it easy to walk slow and take in the scenery. Hardly anyone was around so I meandered round each tree and large rock that caught my attention. The key to seeing nature spirits is to not look for them, which sounds absurd, but it’s important to release the analytical part of the brain and allow the image to present itself.

Below are a collection of before and after images. In the ‘after’ ones I have lightly traced what I picked up. You may find other interesting faces or images that I missed – that’s the fun of it! In this first image his face popped out at me, then the body became more apparent. Is he sun-gazing? Or perhaps he’s looking down his nose at all of us.

Ms. Toy mentions that sometimes the tree spirits will create an artistic rendering of life forms they frequently encounter or an event that made a big impression on them. Looks like this tree is honoring a favorite little dog!

This is a cute little critter. Not sure what it might be. Kind of appeared like a sloth head at first, maybe a squirrel, cat…?

This character was easy to spot! Reminded me of a honey badger standing on his hind legs. But, maybe a bear? What do you see?

Last, but not least, there’s this one. Here, again, looks like the tree is showing a memory of somebody, maybe a cowboy having a drink from his flask?

It’s all good fun, and I hope this little blog inspired you to adventure around your neighborhood and make friends with your local trees, plants, nature devas. Be sure to offer your gratitude for their presence as I understand this makes for good relations between humans and the planet we share with the seen and unseen realms of life!

My soul can find no staircase to Heaven unless it be through Earth’s loveliness.
Michelangelo

From My Little Window

I rest here, gazing out the window at dainty trees who’ve lost their leaves, the pink and white sunrise casting light under a gray ceiling of clouds. Little birds flitting back and forth, pecking up hidden bits of food under decaying leaves while a little squirrel bounds across the evergreen branches.

My mind rolls the planetary clock back to a time when this land didn’t exist. A time when this planet and the surrounding solar system was a swirling dust and vapor mass in the great cosmic dream.

Turning the clock dial I imagine the magical touch of Divine geometry laying down the solar system blueprint, forming each planetary sphere.

One particular gaseous, dusty haze would ultimately form into this lovely planet over billions of years. The elemental spirits of fire, water, soil, air, and the ethers whose gravitational embrace hold it all together, are still securing the matrix upon which every body was formed.

Feeling a heart bursting sense of awe as I imagine all the scenes that would pass by this window… turbulent storms of planetary birth, fires, rains, earthquakes shaking and dividing the firmament, glaciers rising and melting, carving out the riverbeds and mountains, meteors and asteroids whizzing past and some of them crashing to a fiery death only to seed the planet with more bacteria and live-giving nutrients. After a long needed rest the powerfully oxygenated atmosphere would support massive trees, insects and dinosaurs into existence.

Great raptors would fly past my window peering in with their ancient, predator eyes, and dragonflies the size of helicopters would buzz past, their iridescent wings shimmering in the primordial sunlight.

Fast forward the clock, seeing repeated cycles of destruction and resurrection amongst the elements creating an ever-changing landscape on the planetary canvas that would inspire modern artists, poets and mystics alike.

The planetary clock rolls closer in and now I see the indigenous people coming ashore. They make their long houses and teepees, they build communities and make offerings to the spirits as they honor the web of life.

I can imagine them now, nestled along the river’s edge, in the local forests and open fields. They build great stone mounds, talk to their star ancestors, teach their children the ways of their people, and speak of the day’s events around campfire.

In most recent clock time the restless, pioneering settlers arrive bringing their endless hunger for material wealth and quest for religious freedom. In the blink of an eye, less than a century out of all the millions and billions of years where Nature reigned, they transform the landscape with their technology, commerce, transportation, and factories – a din of sound and light pollution that carries on through all hours of day and night on the land just across from my window.

There is talk that we are not and have never been alone as a species and this makes me wonder how the scene outside my window will morph over the next centuries and eons? Where will my spirit be at that time?

Will I be peering out some other window, in a great ship that sails the starry skies and dives into solar portals? Will I be experimenting with a new bio-suit on another planet in a distant constellation? Will I be little more than a distant memory? Perhaps all or none of the above. But the beauty is I can imagine it all, and I am an imaginal spark of Who or Whatever incrediblicious, magnanimous, fantastical imagination that birthed all life, the universes, and everything into existence! Just sitting with that realization leaves me floating in awe.

Gratitude Ceremony For Moving

A Gratitude ceremony for the residence you’re leaving is an ideal way to collect the joyous, important memories, and to bring along the energies of land and place that align with you (and your family’s) highest well-being to join in the new abode.

Materials:
Beeswax candle
(1) Sage Smudge, or incense of choice (if in smoke-free environment use bells)

Items to represent each of the four directions. In the photo example (above):
feather = E / air;
bowl of soil = N / earth
bowl of water = W / water
pyramid = S /fire
(1) Clear Quartz cluster.

You may also choose to add photos, momentos, and other items of meaning to you.

Begin by cleaning the crystal, particularly if it has been recently purchased and/or handled by many people. Cleanse the cluster by placing it in a bowl of water and salt for a couple hours. Remove it carefully and rinse under tap water. Offer gratitude for the crystal as it has been forcibly removed from the Earth and traveled great distances to join you in this powerful moment.

Sit with your old home, sending it heartfelt gratitude for the joy, security, and space it has provided over the years for you and your family. Feel and imagine in your heart that all the most loving, powerful, heartfelt memories and energies are going to move with you from the current home to the new home.

Instructions:
Arrange the elements on a secure table or countertop with the beeswax candle in the center.

Light the candle and place the crystals and the elements around it, aligned to their associated direction.
Light the Sage smudge from the candle’s flame and start smudging your energy (body/aura), or use bells if you cannot release smoke in your dwelling.
Go to the center of the home and face each cardinal direction, one by one, pointing with the smudge stick or bells.
Ask to release your energy from the house with gratitude and love.
Go into every room, asking for the release of memories and moments. Take as much time as needed in each room.
As you go through each space take only the best memories with you.
Go outside and do the same for the land as you walk the perimeter of your home.
Come back to the center of the home and extinguish the smudge stick, or set bells aside.
Taking the clear quartz into your palm walk into each room once again, asking to take the best memories with you to your new home. Visualize the memories being securely saved into the crystal. Take as much time as needed. Walk the perimeter of the land around your home and repeat the same intention.
Come back to the center of the home and place the crystal next to the candle. Take your time to be alone with the house.
When finished, extinguish the candle and carefully pack the crystal.

Zucchini-Walnut Loaf

But seriously, this is an amazing vegan zucchini-walnut loaf recipe you’ll love. It’s easy to make and super tasty! 😀 I would definitely suggest having a box of unbleached parchment paper on hand. What a genius invention! Before preparing batter cut out a piece of parchment paper that fits into the bottom of your 9 x 5 loaf pan. Add a little vegan butter or coconut oil around the inner pan edges. When it’s done cooking the loaf will slide ride out of the pan – no muss, no fuss.

Organic Ingredients:
DRY
* 2 cups all purpose flour
* 1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 3 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp nutmeg
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

WET
* 1 cup shredded zucchini (tightly packed)
* 1 aged banana (not new and green, some brown on the skin is ideal)
* 1/4 cup vegan milk (soy, almond, or rice)
* 1/4 cup sunflower oil or coconut oil (melted)
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 1 egg replacer (1 Tbl. flaxseed meal + 3 Tbl hot water)

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees on convection setting (if available), otherwise “bake” setting will do.

– If using coconut oil, melt in advance on low heat. You can also mix coconut and sunflower oils for this recipe.

– shred the zucchini, press it into cup to pack. Set aside

– using a fork mash the banana in a small bowl or plate till it becomes squishy. Set aside.

– In large bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients

(flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt)

– in separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients)

(zucchini, banana, vegan milk, oil of choice, vanilla, egg replacer)

Add wet ingredients to the dry bowl and mix. Let it sit for a couple minutes to allow water from zucchini to release, then mix a little more. If needed, add a touch of vegan milk.

Using spatula, pour batter into loaf pan, place in oven for 60 minutes. If you see it’s browning too quickly on the top before finished just add a little wrap of aluminum foil over the loaf pan and return it to the oven.

After 60 mins. check to see if center is cooked by pushing a thin, long knife blade down into the center. If it comes back with gooey batter on the end return loaf to oven for another five minutes.

Once removed and cooled about 10 minutes put a plate face down over the top of of the loaf. Hold plate in place and flip loaf pan upside, Your tasty, little zucchini bread loaf will plop right out thanks to your handy piece of parchment paper! Put another plate over bottom of loaf, and flip right side up. Voila! Show some love to the Earth for the bountiful harvest and elements, to the farmers who grew the plants, and to the peeps who transported the ingredients to you. Enjoy!

Tasty Salad!

I haven’t shared a recipe in a while so here we go! This lovely creation was made on a whim, super easy to make, yummiful nutritious, and vegan. 🙂

Gather up the following organic ingredients:
* 1 cup steamed rice (I used basmati)
* 1 can black beans (pre-cooked/canned)
* 1 diced roma tomato
* chopped lettuce of your choice (romaine and leaf in this case)
* 2 Tbl. dried seaweed flakes
* 1/2 tsp. cumin powder
* 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
* chopped cilantro (much as you like)
* Tofutti sour cream

Directions:
Rinse beans well, place in saucepan and add water to cover beans. Add the cumin, turmeric powders, dried seaweed and heat on low-med till seaweed hydrates and expands; stir well. Add salt & pepper or other seasonings of choice.

Place the rice, beans, tomato, lettuce, cilantro in a bowl, top with vegan sour cream, put a little chips on the side if you like, and enjoy!!

The Joy of Playing the Didgeridoo!

I adore the sound of the didgeridoo, the indigenous instrument of the Aborigine people of Australia. The one you see pictured here was purchased at our local Saturday Market. John, the creator who prepped the bamboo and wood-burned the decorations, also sells bamboo flutes of all sizes. Recently he was kind enough to repair the beeswax covering when my didge mouthpiece suffered a little heat exposure.

More about his handiwork here:
Spirit Song Flutes (and didges)
https://www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com/vendors/john_wydyshhotmail.com

Playing the didge is like playing an incredibly large recorder or flute, and if you wish you can add your voice to create overtones. This instrument requires lots of air, and if one’s up for it, mastering the art of circular breathing. Pumping the diaphragm muscle while taking in and cycling around lots of oxygen is an exercise unto itself! Here is an article listing some of the unique health benefits of playing didgeridoo:

https://heartdidg.com/benefits-of-didgeridoo-playing/

Basic training video on circular breathing:

If you just want to hear a variety of ways the didge is played, even combined with other instruments, please check out the following for starters:

The Original Peoples’ Music, featuring Aboriginal Artist Lewis Burns

Multi-Instrumentalist, Mitchell Cullen

Aboriginal Music Meets Celtic, featuring the Wicked Tinkers

Thriving in Tomorrow’s New Moon / Solar Eclipse

Here we are, on the cusp of a fabulous solar eclipse, a time ripe for setting goals and planting seeds in your heart’s garden for the personal world you wish to manifest. What better time to go within and access deep reservoirs of compassion, self-nurturance, and emotional sustenance. Through the roller coaster ride of fears, constraints and outmoded ways of being, personally and collectively, you can always go within and dream your new self into being.

Mars heads into fiery Leo soon, which makes plenty of energy available for recreation, goofing around, and time spent in nature. It may also be accompanied by bad drivers, flaring tempers and “me monster” sudden outbursts. But, when everyone’s acting like a theatrical self-centered lion, just think outside the box. You can be the giraffe, tall enough to see all sides of the issues, and keep your crown on straight!

Venus will enter cancer, drizzling with desires for lovely, squishy, homey, cozy feels, and that can be a welcoming balm to the public’s potential edginess. Everyone has an inner-feminine that thrives on being nurtured, honored, and respected as an equal. Check in with your heart regularly and give it a smile.

Strong Plutonian energy means it’s also a great opportunity to be a transformer! Take in the feelings of insecurity, hair trigger tempers, and projections coming out of yourself and others and have fun! Find the humor in situations and see how fast you can authentically switch from wanting to smack something to bathing in a happy thought. It’s a lot easier to do when you’ve been eating your (organic) fruits and veggies! The body will be less acidic, sleep will improve, and you will energetically feel like a balloon, bobbing on the ocean waves of life!

LISTEN TO YOUR HIGHER SELF. It’s been with you all along, and will always be right by your side anytime you want to chat. Take a deep breath, settle down under an inviting tree or welcoming, cushy chair, and get a download from the Love that has always had your best interests at heart.

Offering of Gratitude on Father’s Day

While working with my Native Spirit oracle deck today I pulled the “Offering” card, which suggested it’s a good time to give thanks to the many blessings in life. With a powerful full moon arising between now and tomorrow that seemed very apropos. I wasn’t sure what the offering would be. A generous square of cornbread has been sitting nearby which seemed like a nice gift. Somehow, though, it felt like something else was calling. After puttering around the garden the “aha!” occurred: I would take care of one my compost bins that has successfully turned into “black gold” since last year.

It seems that when I’m deep in a project, especially if it’s outdoors and involves sweating and a sense of accomplishment, that’s when my intuitive antennae is strongest. While heaving shovel loads of happy compost full of wriggling red worms into the wheelbarrow, the first person who came to mind was my paternal grandpa, Milford. He was a farmer who built his family’s little homestead and barn, grew fruit trees, raised animals, and dutifully tended to the land. I was up for no apparent reason at 4:00 am this morning, so I did qigong for an hour, but I reflected how he would’ve been up around that same hour, every day of the week, doing all the chores of a farmer, on top of his regular work at the timber mill, so he could provide for his large family. Due to being on the road through my early 20’s earning meagerly musician wages, I didn’t get to see my grandparents nearly as often as I wanted. When the gig schedule let up and I had enough gas money, I would go the family homestead where grandpa would give me tours of the farm and with much pride show me the apple and potato cellar he built, the creek he tapped into for irrigation, the trees he planted as saplings that were now mature fruit trees, and tell me how his faith really pulled him through some of his most challenging, personal times. I imagined that if he were standing nearby watching me create my hugelkulture raised beds with my homemade compost he would be very proud. This was my offering for him.

Then my maternal grandpa, James, came to mind. He died suddenly of heart failure at 52, working as a carpenter. He, too, built homes, drank coffee on hot days to help him break a sweat, and provided for a large family. When I was an infant, but old enough to sit up on my own, I have a distinct memory of being on the floor between his legs while he sat in his recliner, smoking his pipe. The smell of sweet cherry tobacco scent filled the air. A slender lamp stood near his chair. He leaned in and whispered “Grandpa loves you Gina”. The irony is that apparently I never met him. According to family, he died in Texas when I was two months old. Several intuitives have clearly seen and heard him while giving readings on me. They say, “Oh my gosh! He’s a real talker!” and each one perceives him as a dominant spirit guide through all my growing up years, maybe even till now. I don’t know if he gardened, but I have always wanted to learn to work with wood, maybe wood-burning pictures, and/or building small fairy and bird houses. All the wood-working tools are sitting in the garage awaiting my creative muse to kick in. Perhaps when the garden season slows down I will dive into this new field of creativity. I told him as much while hauling the compost around, and sent him heartfelt love for the inspiration.

My dad, who thankfully still lives, provided me musical genes, has been a faithful confidant/cheerleader during some of my greatest young-adulthood challenges, and is a fine balance between being an impeccable Virgo perfectionist and snarky, punny jokester. While he has gardening skills I imagine he would say my compost is disgusting, but having been raised on a farm would appreciate the necessity of keeping the soil healthy and balanced.

Hugelkultur raised bed feeding nutrients into the forest floor.

When we moved into our current home I wondered why there was so little topsoil to work with and way too much clay. Later I learned that in order to build a home they often remove the top soil, sell it to make money, then put a token amount on top to please the incoming home buyer. It’s been very difficult soil to work with so mastering the art of composting became a priority to help rebuild what humans have imbalanced. It has taken a lot of trial & error, moving the bin to different locations, and fighting to save the leaves the yard guys would normally run off with. It seemed ludicrous they should take all the prime composting material from my yard forcing me to buy it back from the store – in plastic bags nonetheless! LOL! The efforts and struggles have been worth it. My raised beds are now home to ferns that have magically found their way in, the compost is rich with nutrition that is slowly rebuilding a small section of a very starved forest floor, and if the Trillium flowers should find their way in, that would be the bestest gift of all! At any rate, tending to the soil was the offering that needed to be made today, in honor of Earth, the spirit of the land, and the plants and animals that thrive when we learn to live in balance with Nature.

Parched, nutritient-deprived forest floor.

To all the grandpas and dads out there who passed their wisdom, their experience, and their spirit to their offspring, thank you! This blog is an offering for you!

Nature’s Calling, Will You Answer?

Today’s excursion to a nearby wildlife refuge was a much needed escape from the din of the city, the traffic, and the same four walls. A healthy dose of fresh scenery does wonders for the soul, and I was on a quest to find wild, open fields, free of any man-made machinery, crowds, and such.

The wildlife refuge reminds me of playing in the fields as a child, going to the creek near our apartment, catching bullfrogs, sitting in the oak groves, and playing hide-n-seek in the tall grass.

An intuitive once told me my spirit guide would let me know they were around when I came across daisies. To my utter delight the refuge was was full of them today! This showed me that even when we think we’re alone, we’re really not alone – our spirit team may be peering up at us from the sunny faces of flowers!

It was funny to see some of the people “power walk” their way through such a tranquil sanctuary, or chatting at top volume. However, it was refreshing to see them enjoying the great outdoors and not tied to their electronic devices.

Many years ago while on a solo beach trip, the sun was perfectly bright, the temperature pleasant, and the day had an other-worldly feel. I walked along the Oregon coast and the wind was stirring like it does, but in the fields away from the water’s edge the breeze couldn’t have been more perfect. Like a little animal I curled up in the tall grass, far from the peering eyes of passer-byers and fell into one of the most tranquil, outdoor naps I’ve ever experienced, evidence that resting on the Earth directly is the best form of grounding. I didn’t take such a nap today, but did a fair amount of “Earthing” by putting my bare feet on the planet’s surface to absorb a healthy dose of electrons. It cleared the cobwebs out of my brain.

In today’s walk dragonflies abound, and soon as I arrived a little butterfly seemed very purposeful in fluttering in front me as I walked down the gravel paths. After my paternal grandma passed away in the early 1990’s a little butterfly landed on my shoulder one sunny day while gardening in the yard. Instinctively I knew this was her spirit coming to visit. The open meadows of the refuge are so reminiscent of the visits to my grandparents’ farm, with its far-reaching landscapes, tranquil breeze, bugs flitting about, and bird songs in the distant trees. Only thing missing here was the ever-welcoming tire swing!

Around midday, before heading to the refuge, I pulled an oracle card to get a feel of what today’s energies would be about. The “Offerings” card came up with the accompanying theme:

“…find what’s good and wonderful in every moment. No matter what’s happening around you, there’s always something to be grateful for… make an offering to whatever nurtures your soul..”.

Consider this blog my offering to you, that it may inspire you back to Nature, to peace, to remember your human roots. It is also an offering of gratitude for all the beauty and life force that was so abundantly shared with me today.