CrazyLemon

Healing is a lifelong journey toward wholeness. Healing is remembering what has been forgotten about connection and unity and interdependence among all living things. Healing is embracing what is most feared. Healing is opening what has been closed, softening what has hardened into obstruction. Healing is entering into the transcendent, timeless moment when one experiences the divine. Healing is creativity and passion and love. Healing is seeking and expressing self in its fullness, its light and shadow, its male and female. Healing is learning to trust life. from Jeanne Achterberg ’s Woman as Healer Photography by Louise Lutz.

The roots of Halloween are fascinating in that they come from the ancient Gaelic festival known as Samhain, translated as “summer's end, which is super cool, but, the even cooler fact, Halloween represents the switchover from the “lighter half” of the year, to the “darker half.” The approaching winter and it’s darkness as Goethe put it allows us “to hold it all” to enter the rich conversation with mother earth and go inward, to gestate the next planting. As Halloween blows through this weekend, as the traditions rage, as we switch from light and move into the dark, take this moment to seize the opportunity to own what you need to own, to fearlessly step into the darker part of the year, and to grow into the grounded darkness of your truest self. Mark Halloween as your harvest time, and absolutely reap what you have sown. If your harvest is sweet, treasure your efforts. If it is sour, treasure your efforts. Remembering the lesson. In the planting we learn, in the harvest we grow a...

Whatever it is you've been feeding and nurturing, or starving and avoiding, it's harvest time. This is the week to do it, in the glowing ritual of Halloween. It's been one trying 2009. Inspiring news has been scarce. People everywhere are underwater in all aspects of their lives. It has most certainly been the year of our collective discontent. If you are like me, you may have been stressing out at the beginning of the year but you made a choice, you stopped watching the news, stopped believing in the doom and gloom, and claimed the downturn as a marker. A marker that this would be the best thing that could ever have happened, that winter would give way to spring awakenings, and the I of our illness and distress would give way to the We of wellness and abundance. Through the winter we stayed in and took stock, we held tight to our loved ones and as often as we could we remained grounded in the truth. We commiserated with neighbors, we huddled on facebook and we jumped into ...

No one knows the full story. No one is in charge of how you need to feel. No one is holding you prisoner. Go out and listen to your heart. Be grateful for the gifts you have been given. Celebrate your accomplishments. Live in the light of that truth. Report back!

Check out Harley Davidson on the road . Remember to live free! Get the support you need to go deeper. THE BARE MELCESSITIES is available at Amazon . Check out the website www.thebaremelcessities.com

PBS KIDS - Little Viv from Melanie Lutz on Vimeo . Fascinating how mesmerizing television can be. music: "Carpe Diem" by Aldebert Thanks to the terrific artists and educators that work on Sesame Street. We love you.

Behind the scenes from my recent The Bare Melcessities Holiday shoot with everyone's favorite min pin Blake O'Malley! Yes, we said screw you, 90 degree So Cal weather, and busted out the Christ-mas Kringle-ing. Check back for exciting holiday themed book campaign. Coming soon! Remember nothing says Happy Holidays with love than a brand spanking new copy of the soulful Bare Mel . Pictured... The Piano Man (Richard Berman), Mr. Butter (Bill Miltenberger), Authoress (Melanie Lutz), Everyone's favorite Min Pin (Blake O'Malley) ps. If anyone needs to book stellar min pin for an upcoming catalog shoot, will happily put you in touch with Blake's agent. Mr. Butter. pps. does anyone think Blake's going for a little "elbow tittie" feel? Get the support you need to go deeper. THE BARE MELCESSITIES is available at Amazon . Check out the website www.thebaremelcessities.com

Time to unload your divorce stories! THE BARE MELCESSITIES Scary Divorce Story Contest It's time to put the horror behind you. Send us your divorce story, we'll pick the top three, and celebrate in high style. info@thebaremel.com. Congratulations! You've lived to tell the tale. Thanks for sharing. Worst Divorce Story Contest on Facebook Get the support you need to go deeper. THE BARE MELCESSITIES is available at Amazon . Check out the website www.thebaremelcessities.com

Calling all horror, I mean, divorce stories! THE BARE MELCESSITIES Scary Divorce Story Contest It's time to put the horror behind you. Send us your divorce story, we'll pick the top three, and celebrate in high style. info@thebaremel.com. Congratulations! You've lived to tell the tale. Thanks for sharing. Worst Divorce Story Contest on Facebook Get the support you need to go deeper. THE BARE MELCESSITIES is available at Amazon . Check out the website www.thebaremelcessities.com

Tackling limiting beliefs takes courage, it takes love, and it most certainly takes some tears. Woodie Guthrie described the blues as "ain't nothing but a good man feeling sad." Get the support you need to go deeper. THE BARE MELCESSITIES is available at Amazon . Check out the website www.thebaremelcessities.com Worst Divorce Story Contest on Facebook

STAY GROUNDED. "The grounded self can accept comments, can understand the context in which advice is offered, can even establish the necessary boundaries to take the words in. A centered self can respond, react, evaluate and utilize input. The crazed self has no business even trying." Excerpted from Melanie Lutz's THE BARE MELCESSITIES, Breakthrough chapter, available at Amazon .

As Charlie Chaplin often said "time always writes the perfect ending." Here's an audio clip from Oprah.com from Marianne Williamson's miracle thought on no limits. Have a listen and revive yourself. Lots of love.

Behind the eight ball on my movie doucmentary watching, but hey, better late than never. Here's one for my Musical Theater Loving crowd directed by Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern. Sony Pictures Classic Every Little Step, following the exploits of one of my favorite musicals and it's most recent revival A CHORUS LINE. Check out the story NPR did... click here . The musicals lyricist Edward Kleban is one of my heroes and a subject of much fascination points.

:A Unique Fall Leaf ~ Manhattan Beach ~ October 2009: It is so easy to focus on things that hurt us. The evil pain, the desperate despair. It squawks so loudly. But if you tune yourself in to listen to other, softer voices, you can set yourself up for eye opening good times, you can make the choice to find the flower that drifts from a tree and lands on your windshield, to notice the butterfly that holds itself in the wind on its way to freedom. To feel the perfect crunch of grass on a dew filled morning. To bend down to pick up that unique fall leaf that bursts with its own individuality. Pain and despair and turmoil and laughs and joy and exhilaration live side by side and coexist at glorious times across our timelines. Get comfortable with all; know they are meant to speak to you, that everything is a gift, and you are stepping toward freedom by seeing across a wider canvas. Excerpted from Melanie Lutz's THE BARE MELCESSITIES, Breakthrough chapter, available at Amazon .

944.COM - Hannah from Melanie Lutz on Vimeo . :Hannah Bella Lee reviews the latest 944 magazine: Music: Jardin D'Hiver by Keren Ann Love an impromptu moment, and the picture of Marilyn Monroe and The Doors Jim Morrison on the wall added to the quiet moment just after breakfast at a busy Los Angeles restaurant. Viva la resistance!

What's a girl to do? Phillie Phanatic throws down the hometown love! National League Championship Series Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies Yes, I'm split. Yes, I'm hoping for a tie. Anyone? Go.... Somebody!

:Bathroom at Jinky's Cafe on Sunset Blvd.: Gotta love it! It's inspiring and evocative at the same time! What's in your bathroom?

Passing along the wisdom from Guru Singh at Yoga West: The Home of Kundalini Yoga. You, as your present identity, arrived with consciousness through thousands of progressive incarnations. Your destination, the true identity of your destination, is your journey. The journey from where you are (fate), to who you are (destiny). The ancients called it rasayana; a Sanskrit word for the path of pure essence using innocence to locate your inner-sense and arrive at some common sense while experiencing life. There are only two promises you must bring to this journey: (1) accept the starting point of where you are, and (2) believe you are authorized to reach your destiny. Set up a personal daily practice of yoga, conscious breathing while walking, and meditation. Move one small step forward every day and measure your progress after each forty days. Celebrate your experiences when you succeed and also when you fail. Remember: failures are very important steps toward your goal . . . the goal of yo...

Working on some designs for the Get Bare Campaign. Here's a first rough, before it goes out to the Professionals. Thoughts?

Here's the slide show from my recent signing at Barnes & Noble in Manhattan Beach. Picture taking was not allowed, so we had the opportunity to snap a few on the covert, which would have been fine until I asked the store's security guard to take a picture of me with a couple of people and he confiscated the camera till the end of the signing. Whoops. Enjoy what we could muster... :Melanie Lutz at Barnes & Noble in Manhattan Beach: Do I look official, or what!?

It's been a long time since we've had any rain. Such a nice feeling to have the air heavy with moisture and the trees swaying in the extra special dance of wind, water, and being. Ahhhhhh. The eucalyptus trees smell so unbelievably good in this rain..... getting all the senses revived, as I learned in Nicholos Pratley's intrueessence meditation spa Saturday, eucalyptus promotes, vitality, activity and energy. Thank you rain drops!!

We set up our table at the front of the store next to the magazine racks, in front of the O Magazine's and settled in for our 6pm start time. With Oprah at my shoulder and the angels on patrol we unleashed the love and started signing and selling The Bare Melcessities, Barnes & Noble style. All I'll say, there's a magic in the way the universe works... From the woman who bought a book and had to call her therapist while waiting in line to immediately add the book to their church's 'women in transition' group, to the mother just happening into the store after visiting her daughters, who is recommending it to her book club of over 21 years, yes they've been reading a book a month for 21 years, through divorce, breakups, deaths, kids, laughs, lives, etc., to the Fired Up group that came to support and buy books, to dear friends from my past lives, to the single woman who had already read the book, and loved it, now buying another copy because she lent hers...

Everywhere I go lately I'm meeting best friends; in coffee shops, at meetings, at signings, at events. From women working on projects, hanging out at luncheons, supporting each other through a party, showing up to lend a hand for a move, touching a shoulder when tears fall, laughing hysterically over some shared absurdity, and always sending the love. It is deeply moving to experience the warmth and connection of this supportive and elastic and ongoing relationship that is a best friend, through the highs and lows, the ups and downs, consistently providing love, support, compassion and most importantly understanding, understanding of the journey we all find ourselves on! It is an honor to share my challenges and triumphs with my Best Friend, and it is a privilege to share hers. Here's to celebrating our Best-ies.

This is a shout out to my friend Nan! "FU people who create destructive delusions and then drag their loved ones into their web of self hatred. Wake up already. The planet doesn't have time for your bullshit!" (breathe) "Love you universe for your grace in helping uncover the truth!" :Jewel sings her song Stronger Woman live in concert: Thanks for reaching out, we take our sisterhood support network very seriously. Feel free to drop us a line with your thoughts or concerns or if somebody's done you wrong. We'll post a shout out!

Check back for your chance to do your dance. Visit the website for more information on the book . And. Don't forget to get your bare on.

Yocco's and The Bare Melcessities! Originally uploaded by Love Everyone Ahh.... Yocco's "the hot dog king!" how do I miss you? Let me count the buns. Thanks Bailey family for sending along the picture of my book at one of my old Pennsylvania haunts! Order the book .

Meriam Webster always comes through... Main Entry: love·ly Pronunciation: \ˈləv-lē\ Function: adjective Inflected Form(s): love·li·er; love·li·est Date: before 12th century 1 obsolete : lovable 2 : delightful for beauty, harmony, or grace : attractive 3 : grand, swell 4 : eliciting love by moral or ideal worth What if the world were filled with Love-ly people? :Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady:

:Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair:

Check back soon for details. Schnoop It! COMING SOON Originally uploaded by Love Everyone

One of the most joyful parts of fall in California is the afternoon light playing in the leaves of the trees. It's getting a touch colder and a bit clearer. Thanks mother earth for giving us the seasons and the cycles of change. Enjoy Nat King Cole singing Autumn Leaves ... from Wikipedia ... "originally a 1945 French song "Les feuilles mortes" (literally "The Dead Leaves") with music by Joseph Kosma and lyrics by poet Jacques Prévert, the American songwriter Johnny Mercer wrote English lyrics in 1947."

The sun in the trees. The wind from the ocean breeze.