12/24/13

*2013: Rapid Evolution in Review*

To begin I must recall December 21, 2012. The sun was rising, breaking and bursting through the clouds. I cried in silent gratitude, as I had an overwhelming feeling that 2012 had been the best year it could have EVER been and beyond, and could not even imagine what 2013 might bring. I was in South Adelaide Australia and had been traveling along the east coast, decided it was time to sit in my first Vipassana, and had been in silence for nine days when the 21st came. It was during this silence, this time of deep viewing and introspection, that I realized that all of the circumstances in my life are direct creations of individual, cumulative and compiled thoughts and/or actions. When I began to train my mind not to react to ANY thought (not good or bad) I became relieved in my body, mind and spirit of so much mental and emotional debris. I had no idea how bright the sunrise on Solstice could be, until I peeled away the filter from my Inner Eye. So now, one year later, as I reflect on the last year, I remember fondly of the moment, I knew that life was not only going to be OK, but become a continuum of miraculous and magical moments...

I stayed in Australia until February 4th. I was blessed to perform with Nahko Bear & Medicine for the People along the East Coast in cities like Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Melbourne and at the amazingly epic Rainbow Serpent Festival. These performances were certainly some of the highlighted moments of my role and self-created career of being a Sacred Hoop Dancer. Being able to dance to the tunes that inspire my life on a daily basis in BIG ways was an answer to prayer and beyond! This is how I know Great Spirit is listening. I ask for something, and then it shows up in packaging to a perfection that I could not have imagined myself. Thank you, sweet Creator! As luck and magic would have it, Nahko's birthday was Feb. 3rd and I was blessed to be able to sit by a campfire with him and listen to him strum songs of his story. It was a special time, one that will be cherished always.
There were so many adventures from the beginning of 2013 until I left in February. Throwing my sleeping bag out on expansive beaches of white sand and mango trees, being on the road with perfect strangers who became great friends, professional performances, festivals, fire-spinning, rain foresting, full moon howling and Aboriginal connections. The essence of this experience set the tone for the most beautiful year to date! I welcomed 2013 with open arms, an open heart and a creative & imaginative mind...

I arrived on the mainland and spent a lovely three days with my good brother David. It was a releif to see my dear friend and have a safe space to land and decompress. Not for long, though! By February 8th I was back on a plane to spend a month in Maui. Ah...sweet Maui! Her blue oceans and red sands, coconuts and avocados, House of The Rising Sun and bamboo forests, and Hana...my Beloved Hana...where the waterfalls run and rain runs the show. I had a short and seriously playful episode with my very dearest friends doing all sorts of things from: random photo shoots, lots of hiking, drum circles, teaching workshops with Tara of Roots Hoops, performances with The Ultra-Violets Black Light Burlesque Troupe, having a muddy fun fest at Source (Maui's Regional -and very wet- Burning Man!), and so much more! I explored more of Maui in that one month than I did during the longer periods of living there. Thank you, Maui. You were the perfect remedy for coming back to America after being overseas. I am forever grateful for your Mana....Mahalo.

After Maui, the Mainland adventures began! I hit the ground running, as always!
So much touring this year! I love my life.
I enjoyed traveling with my Qi Revolution family, being the representative for DevaProject's healing music, pendants, oils and clothing; and, of course, participating in the epic four day workshop that includes Qi Gong, Food Based Healing and Disease Reversal, Super Empowered Breathing Practices, Reflexology and very informative lectures on Sacred Geometry, the Universe, Miracles, etc.
My dear brother Jeff Primack created this event over 7 years ago and I have been traveling with them working and sharing the healing magic since 2010. This year I toured with them to Orlando, Greenville, Houston, Vegas, San Diego, Santa Fe, Portland, Chattanooga, and Philly! I think that covers it :) I have so very much loved this time in my life of being with all of these sweet people, meeting all kinds of new friends and helping people understand how to heal themselves. Truly, it has been such a beloved honor and duty! Thanks to Jami of DevaProject, Jeff Primack and the Qi Rev family. Humble Bow. I hope ya'll rock 2014!

The tour continues with the amazing Hoop Dance Gatherings and Arts & Music Festivals that captured my heart throughout the year.
The fun began at a new and super progressive gathering called FLOWSTORM in Austin, TX.
I gave a few massages here, but really my shining moment was my SpinLightenment class. I am being so for real when I tell you that when I played Aloha Ke Akua for a spin session clouds formed around the sun that were in the shape of a star tetrahedron (MerKaBa) and a FULL CIRCLE rainbow around that! We ALL saw it, and I knew this was my blessings from Creator to teach this material to as many that will receive it! I loved this gathering so very much. Thank you to Thom Thumb for being such a wonderful and cutie pie organizer!!! Looking forward to creating more with you in this future :)

I was so blessed to be the Massage Therapist for the fourth year running at Hoop Camp (Santa Cruz Redwood Forests) and was also lucky to be selected as a teacher & performer for the first time at HC this year! I massaged so many thankful bodies, taught an epic workshop on SpinLightenment, performed for the first time in the showcase to Manifesto 2 by Nahko, emceed the Fashion Show as well as co-hosted the Renegade Show with the infamous Anah Hoopalicous (love you girl)! Hoop Camp was the BEST YET. Thanks to Heather Troy and Nessia Star. I LOVED every role I was able to play this year at Hoop Camp. You all keep making it even more amazing each year...thank you!!!!!
Looking forward to HoopsGiving 2014 in the Redwoods!

I was also blessed and feeling fortunate to be the Massage Therapist at Hoop Convergence and Hoop Path as well! I love these gatherings in the grassy woods of North Carolina. This is my Home Tribe. These are the people I know from my beginning days as a hoop dancer, which was the most transformational and self-realzing time of my life. I was honored to perform for the first time in the HoopCon showcase to Manifesto I by Nahko Bear, massage dozens of fellow hoopers, and revel in morning flute songs by the lake. I am always grateful to Julia Hartsell and Scott Crews for creating the Hoop Convergence gathering to be about so much more than hoops and circus arts. Hoop Convergence is about family, forging new bonds, exposing epic talent and taking time to soak in the slow, sweet, Southern Vibe. True roots!
Hoop Path's Seventh Annual Carrboro Retreat was also sweet as tea and lovely as could be! Reconnecting with Tribe, deepening my own spiritual connection and practice with my hoop, and being a resident healer/massage therapist for my most cherished community is SO SPECIAL! I am so grateful for the HP Community; Jonathan Baxter, Ann Humphreys, Beth Lavinder and SO MANY MORE, but you three are super core. I appreciate all that you did and all the people that came together to keep this tradition going. It made 2013 so complete! I celebrated my FIFTH Hoopiversary in NC this year during the Summer Solstice. What a way to honor my Sacred Hoop :) As of June 22, 2014 I will have been hoop dancing six years! I couldn't be more thankful for my hoop. It has taken me all 'around'...literally!

There was  a new gathering on the calendar this year; Sacred Circularities Sedona. Jaguar Mary X of Sacred Circularities Bali created this event and it was one of the best experiences of 2013 for sure! To be immersed in the Red Rocks of Sedona, AZ, while teaching Qi Gong and Breath Work, meeting new friends and having my own personal revelations was SURREAL! I relished in teaching and taking classes daily for seven days. I played the flute for the full moon by the water pond, giving thanks to Nesa, the moon goddess. I healed the Divine Feminine within me, as well as outside of myself in the hearts of my sisters. We hiked Cathedral Rock, we dined together on delicious food, we danced in devotion/cleansing/passion/freedom, we learned, we loved, we let go, we did it all together!  :) It was a time of deep connections and new territories explored. My heart expanded and I am already looking forward to next year! Thank you JM, you're so loved and appreciated by this ever evolving hoop dance community.

WOW! After all of the Qi Revolutions and Hoop Gatherings, what other righteous experiences could I pack into this already vibrant 2013!??! Four more festivals, that's what!
On the mainland, I attended Bhakti Fest, Prana Fest, Lucidity and Beloved.
Lucidity was in Santa Barbara in April. What a beautiful gathering! Thank you to Tammy FireFly for inviting me to your home before hand, the road trip down, and all of the love once we arrived. I also appreciate Metatron for organizing such a sacred Healing Temple. Lucidity's musical line up was super dope! I was also stoked to be there as a stage performer with my own stage slot. Life is good. As always, I used  a Nahko Bear song. I love spreading this musical medicine far and wide. I even got to catch a show in Santa Barbara just before the festival! Lucky me. It was wonderful to reconnect with my mainland friends, especially my very best friend in the whole Universe, Omni Love. Love you sweet lady! Can't wait to hug you soon :)

I performed at Bhakti Fest in Joshua Tree National Park in September. It was such a blissful blast in the desert!!! I was blessed and honored to be performing Sacred Hoop Dance on stage with so many well known Kirtan Artists; Jaya Lakshmi & Ananda, C.C. White, Dave Stringer, The Kirtanyas, DJ Drez and Deepak & The Breath of Life Tribe. more. This year in 2014 I will be teaching and performing again at Bhakti and Shakti fest! I love this gathering so much. Breathwork, Tantra, Yoga, Hooping Free! Good food, great family, singing, chanting, dancing, loving. A true gift to the western world! Thank you to Sridar and Mukti for all of your hard work, and all of the 1000's of others who make these gatherings possible and so well put together. Looking forward to another year of Bhakti Bliss!

On the Kirtan note, I also really enjoyed a much smaller festival in late September in Ashland, Oregon called PranaFest. What a sweet little intimate gathering at the well springs! More yoga, more kirtan, more music, movement and hoopdance performance! It was a blessing to be in the spotlight again with Jaya Lakshmi & Ananda as well as Deepak & The Breath of Life Tribe. I really love dancing my prayers. It is truly my greatest joy on this earth plane. Dancing and Loving <3 p="">
There was a random trip to Mount Shasta somewhere in all this. So beautiful and inspiring! I love that mountain, in all it's purple majestic royalty! Thanks for a good nights sleep under the starry skies on a cold mountain. There was also time spent in the ever lovely Nevada City and Grass Valley areas. I love retreated here during the fall season. The Fix, The Yuba, the alpacas, the solitude, the rejuvalac healing concoctions, the cleanings, the clearings, the abundance...the stars. I love you, California.

I was also blessed to spend lots of time in Austin, TX and the tiny town of Wimberly, TX. I love these towns and look forward to more time here amongst the springs, live music shows, renaissance festivals, and family time. I love you Texas fam! Stay True.

Every year, no matter where I am in the world, I migrate back to South Carolina to take a trip with my Divine Feminine Blood Tribe (My mother, cousin, aunt and grandmother) to Edisto Island. I have been surrendering my soul to this spot since I was two years old. I am now 29. That's 27 years of devotion to this amazingly undeveloped and pristine marshland and oceanic ecosystem. Wild dolphins, deep healing, family bonding, sun baths, thunder storms, moon rises, sun sets, canasta, low-country cookin', fried green tomatoes, sweet tea, coffee and honey, thousands of sea-shells, inner reflections, journaling, reading three novels, doing nothing, loving everything. This is why I return each year. I am sure you can appreciate what brings you these moments in your own life, and I am so grateful to have this special tradition in my life. It is more important to me than any holiday. Thanks Mom, Whitney, Solid Blue, and Nonnie (and this year little Sawyer!) for the most joyous expression of relaxation one could co-create. MAHALO! Looking forward to our 28th year of celebration this 2014. Love to you all forever and always ~ aloha nui <3 br="" nbsp=""> I was also able to return to Orangeburg, SC where I was the 8th generation born to celebrate thanksgiving this year. I love my mom, dad, Nonnie and cats so much! Going to church and traditional dinner. A Southern Giving of Thanks for sure <3 nbsp="" p="">
During all of this, I made some drastic and very beneficial adjustments in my love life. After what feels like a life-time of searching I am now in a relationship that is the sweetest, deepest, most loving, spacious, sacred and sexually charged experience of my life! Kellen and I became lovers and partners in early April and have been in a respectful, reviving, thriving, creative, compassionate expression of relationship since. I love his beautiful children as if they were my own and it is my hope and prayer that they can come live with us here on the Big Island much sooner than later! I am learning the ropes of motherhood through these little angels, and what a beautiful gift it has been. I just sent off a package for them for the holidays, and hope it puts smiles on their faces and joy in their sweet hearts. I am feeling inspired as a new aspect of my personality and purpose arises in my life. Motherhood! I wonder how this face of the Goddess will continue to represent herself in my life? :) I am excited to continue to explore this in 2014. Thank you, Kellen, for being a devoted and loving father to your babes! I cherish this aspect of your Divine Masculine so very much. Mahalo.

Australia, Maui, Mainland Festivals, Hoop Gatherings, Edisto Family Time, road tripping and so many other experiences that I can't even list it all properly...this was my 2013. And now, where I am as of December 24th, 2013? I am sitting in a coffee shop in downtown Hilo Hawaii. I am loving living on the Big Island! Kellen and I are care-taking the most amazing property in Hakalau. Hakalau is on the Hamakua Historic Coast, and quite the spot for endless waterfalls, dramatic mountain & cliff sides, jungle jungle JUNGLE and rivers flowers fauna flora and fairies galore!
I am so grateful to LIVE HERE, and have unpacked ALL of my bags. I'm stayin' for a while.....
Hilo is ready for Sacred Hoop Dance, and I am simply putting the final preparations in place to continue to live the life of my dreams! Teaching, performing, gardening, sprouting, fermenting, WRITING, becoming a best selling author, being the inspirational personality and light being that I am destined to be, epic lover to my Beloved, joyful friend/mom to all kids, hoop master and magic maker :) There are infinite expressions the White Light can offer. I am tapping into the most potent ones. This land is fertile for my planting. Roots to fruits. That's my motto for 2014! 

I am beyond thankful and fully immersed in all feelings of gratitude for the amazing and wonderful year that 2013 shaped up to be! Thanks to all of you who were with me, thanks to those who followed via social media, and thank you to my parents and my family for being the most supportive tree in my forest. I am grateful to God/dess for all of the beauty and profound perfection that exists effortlessly in your Being. I am humbled by your majesty and divine radiance obvious in all things! My prayer is to continue to see that beauty in all things, all ways, always for all of my days and into the beyond. May all beings be truly happy, truly peaceful and truly free in their minds, hearts bodies and spirits. May all animals live in harmony with humans and may the barriers be broken and bridges be built! Let us reconnect to our magical animal and plant families with ease and grace. As for me, I am going to spend the Christmas and New Year's HolyDays in quiet contemplation and a simple neighborhood gathering. Perhaps I will bust out my fire hoops, and give the silent town of Hakalau a little extra something to celebrate ;) Until our next connection...Aloha nui Loa!

  Mahalo ke Akua <3 br="" nbsp=""> Love ~ Hoops ~ Hugs
-Shellie White Light-
         12-24-13




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