Welcome!
Due to the fact that I’m sort of a self proclaimed jack of all trades, you could be here for any number of reasons. Whatever it is, I’m glad you’re here!
Recent Posts
The Mystery of History
“To understand where we are going, we must first understand the historical worldview that shaped our present consciousness.”
It’s a woo woo kinda life… with Darci of course.
Alright here goes. I’ve always been in touch with nature. I’ve felt the most calm sitting under a willow tree, walking on the beach, or standing at the top of mountains. Those are the places I feel grounded and connected—big and small—and synced with love all at the same time.
I’ve always felt sensitive to peoples energies, and just energy in general, but learned to keep quiet about anything that wasn’t socially acceptable. I grew up in a mormon family and then, as a teen left the church. I began following Wicca because it felt right to me. I slowly “outgrew” that and then was so focused on mom life and being a grown up in survival mode that I didn’t follow any philosophy other than to be good. (I wasn’t even really good at that.) Later I fell into going to an adventist church because I remembered the principles of church, don’t lie, cheat, blah blah blah, and wanted my kids to get some moral grounds. I tried to fit the mold, but always felt like an outsider. The restrictions and the hypocrisy of church life felt suffocating and I stopped going. After that I went a little feral (hence my photography name) and let my inner wild dance with the weirdos. It was a connecting point for my inner wild child for sure. Since my divorce I’ve done a lot of soul searching, I’ve done a lot of sharing about that journey.
Now, I’ve settled safely into the woo-woo life: talking to my plants, loving my rocks, and listening to my gut and intuition.
This last week, I had an 18-hour road trip and decided to listen to a book called The Celestine Prophecy. It talks about everything I’ve felt and validated a lot of my instincts toward people and life in general. I typically enjoy reading books so I can underline, take notes, and process that way. Since I was driving, I didn’t get to do that—and because I love to share my process in hopes of helping yours, I am going to journal thru the book one insight at a time.
So what is this book I’m about to start blabbering a lot about?
It’s basically a story of enlightenment: how to become connected through love, energy, and how we treat others. Kinda like the golden rule of every philosophy, but with a little more mental processing involved. The main character goes on a trip to Peru in hopes of finding a manuscript that will help him find the meaning of life, or at least help him feel less stagnant. The manuscript has nine insights, and is heavily hated by the church and government. On his journey, he meets people and has experiences along the way that teach him about each insight.
If you’re too impatient to wait to hear about every insight from me, I highly recommend reading or listening to the book now. If you’re up for book clubbing it with me, I’ll be posting one insight processed by me every Tuesday and Thursday for the next five weeks, and would to have someone to bounce ideas off of.
For now, let’s start with the first one.
Insight 1 – The Critical Mass of Coincidences
Okay, this might scare a lot of you away, but it seems to me there is no such thing as a coincidence. Are you a Crime Junkie too? I know after listening to tons of crime episodes that most detectives don’t believe in coincidence either.
This insight gave me the perspective that it’s time to wake up. I’ve spent so much of my life on autopilot, letting the world dictate my next move, not seeing the light that has been shining on me every day. Have you heard the word synchronicities before? It’s basically when things line up just right, to solve a problem—or maybe even prevent one from happening. Maybe you’ve bumped into the same person a couple of times in random places? Maybe you’re supposed to meet them; maybe you’ll receive a life lesson from them that will elevate you in some way.
One of the things I know I struggle with is being a skeptic, while also being too lazy to look into a new concept so I have the knowledge to believe. On the flip side, someone else might obsessively over-interpret things, meaning neither of us actually accepts the synchronicities at face value. But this insight is something I already believe in.
I’ve been journaling consistently for two years now, and alongside that, I pull daily affirmation cards, oracle cards, and things with inspirational quotes. Sometimes I’ll pull a couple of cards, and they are all aligned with a similar word or offer an exact answer to something that has been on my mind. I’ve chosen to believe it’s what I needed to hear at that exact moment.
Just last week, I was thinking about the trajectory of my life, feeling like I’m at a crossroads and needing a glow-up of sorts. When I visited Branson, we went to a butterfly garden. Butterflies are a huge inspiration to me because of their majestic transformation from goo to beauty. While I was journaling later, I had a butterfly deck sitting right there, but I decided not to use it because of how magical my physical experience at the garden had been. Instead, I pulled a card from a different deck. And what do you know? The card I pulled was a butterfly, talking all about magical transformation.
So, I will continue to practice looking for synchronicities in my daily life by journaling and looking for the patterns that show up consistently. Some of you may think it’s silly, but what if I frame it as your guardian angel sending you signs or trying to push you toward the light? We all have our things. I can’t see a problem with looking for the light in life—I’ve spent too long living in dark caverns.
Putting it into practice…
Something I’m looking for light on currently, at my own crossroads, is what to do with my work. I love bartending because I get to be social and active all day. I hate bartending because I’m feeding into a very negative habit, and I’ve seen the havoc it wreaks firsthand. (#DayFiveOnTheWagon)
Thinking about synchronicities: A while back, I decided to reactivate my photography IG account and started posting again. Then, while visiting my dad, we talked about his desire to do photography again, how we could possibly collaborate, and how he could reignite his own love for shooting. Then I posted a photo of butterflies that got a ton of positive feedback. And THEN, Rick asked me about maybe helping design a new site for selling my photos—something I could have more control over instead of using a bulk sale site that takes a massive commission.
Kinda seems like a no-brainer right?
What do you think???
- Should I listen to the synchronicities to keep pushing towards my photography dreams?
- Have you ignored any random coincidences recently, or have you paid attention to them? Care to share?
Never Put Off Until Tomorrow What You Can Do Today
Tomorrow isn’t promised right? I’ve tried to focus on living that way but have been a little side tracked. It’s funny how the day to day work life can impede the life we actually enjoy living. My job recently changed and I went from working …
Happiness Isn’t Natural?
I know, some people seem naturally happy, but why are they and maybe we aren’t? Also, just out of curiosity, how is happiness defined?
Oregon… I don’t understand your logic.
Okay, I know this is going to probably get some hate. Recently I have had a few conversations about Oregon’s Initiative Petition 28 (IP28). This is called the PEACE Act, People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions.
✨The fundamental goal of the PEACE Act is to treat all animals—including livestock, wildlife, and laboratory animals—the same as companion pets under Oregon’s animal cruelty laws. It attempts to do this by removing current legal exemptions that allow for the intentional injury or killing of animals in specific contexts.✨- Google Gemini
I’m sure you’re going to read this on my site and think, what a hypocrite. Darci, you’re a vegetarian who preached all the PETA stuff, and was even a hardcore vegan for a hot minute… If you know me, you’d know that I used to raise my own cattle for beef, I absolutely hate the commercial farming industry. My boyfriend is an avid hunter, and does everything he can to do so humanely. I’ve fostered dogs for the animal shelter. I’ve taken in a pet turtle that someone found wandering the streets, btw it was an African mud turtle, so I know it wasn’t a local resident. Heck, I’ve even stopped to pick up turtles on the highway, to get them across the street safely. Even when I was in Costa Rica and the tide was going out, I picked up as many beached fish as I could to throw back into the ocean. I want you to know that I’m on the side of getting rid of cruelty to animals. If you saw my last blog post that talks about octopus, you know that I know animals are more intelligent than we give them credit for and don’t deserve to suffer.
👆Just a peek into some of my past social sharings… 🫣
I’ll be honest, I mostly try to stay away from politics, but this one peaked my interest for obvious reasons. I love animals. I hopped on Google Gemini and asked about it because that seemed more productive to me than to filter thru all of the feelers sharing their thoughts. Mind blown over here to say the least… Below I’ve kinda outlined my understanding of what I found.
Proposed Changes
Obviously I am against animal cruelty, and a lot of the things I can say seem like great ways to end that, but I am also able to see more sides than mine.
- Slaughter and Food Production – Good bye beef production. Good bye milk.
- Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping – No trapping of those pesky raccoons or opossums. Forget fishing in our beautiful rivers.
- Breeding Practices – No fancy bull dogs, because they can’t procreate themselves.
- Research and Education – I can’t say that I object to this, that means no more testing on animals.
- Pest Control – No killing of mice or rats. Restaurants always have pests… whatcha gonna do?
What Is Legal Then?
I see lots of wiggle room with these two legalities.
- Self-Defense: If an animal is threatening you, you can kill it.
- Veterinary Care: If the medical care is in the best interest of the animal…
Who decides what is right?
This is one of the things that irks me the most. As a society we are so up in arms with each other that we can’t see how our choices might affect others. I can’t say that I want to see animals tested on, and I also can’t say that I really see a purpose for breeding animals who can’t breed themselves. BUT…
Did you know that neutering and spaying is considered a breeding practice? Who decides that neutering by a licensed veterinarian isn’t cruel?
Did you know that Oregon’s livestock industry is a multi-billion dollar industry? Not just for our consumption but exporting it too. If we make it hard on them, where are they gonna go? They’ll leave the state, and then we will be paying higher dollar amounts for all of the meat, eggs, dairy, and fish to be imported to our grocery stores. Not only would it affect the animal farmers, it would hurt all of the industries around that. Where would all of Eastern Oregon’s hay go? Even if they transition away from livestock farming, who pays for that? The government? Isn’t the state already struggling financially? Does that mean our taxes will go up? Also, how long is a handout going to last? Sure the big commercial farms can likely take a hit, but what about our neighbors who ethically raise their animals, and humanely slaughter them? Or even the families who raise animals to feed their families? I doubt food stamps will cover that cost for them.
Did you know that hunters, and anglers, actually play a huge role in conservation? The conservation efforts that go into tracking animal wellbeing in the wild are funded by the fees hunters pay. The permits are also very well managed so that animal populations aren’t over grazing areas and affecting other animals in the wild. They even reduce the numbers of permits given to help keep the populations up if areas start showing low numbers, even track diseases that spread thru different herds. Something I actually found to be kind of interesting is the grizzly population increase where I live. Did you know that it’s illegal to kill a grizzly unless it’s proven that you were in imminent danger? The population of bears around Yellowstone have become so large that they are now starting to affect elk numbers. Wild horses in certain areas are starting to become so huge in numbers that they are damaging the lands and affecting ecosystems. I’m not saying we should just go willy nilly and put all these animals down, but who decides what is right?
As my little dog ages, I can’t help but wonder what would happen if I was living back home again. Thankfully she is a healthy old lady, but what if she wasn’t? Would this new law specify that I’d have to wait until her life is unbearable to go on? Would I have to watch her suffer? I have a feeling if this law passes, the popularity of Oregon might go down.
So, Oregon? What do we do? The world is watching…
Non-Conformist ~ An Art Piece Dedicated to Me and You
Just a little insight to my creative experience making this painting. I hope you enjoy a little more of my vulnerability.
FOMO
Okay, hear me out. I know it’s easy to get wrapped up in what everyone else is doing, and wishing we were there, or wishing we weren’t where we are. But why?
Finding Stillness
Our worlds seem to always be busy. Always going or distracted by our devices, constantly stimulated by really uninspiring stuff. I know for myself, personally, it’s very anxiety inducing.
There are really only two positives to social media for me. One is that I can see what my people are up to, which is really just a lazy way to “have a relationship” with them. Two is that I can see all different styles of art to help expand my creativity, which is the easy way to not go to art museums, or even learn from artists locally. Connecting and disconnecting have been hugely on my mind this last week. I have been out of the country and unless I’m at our place, or connected to wifi, my phone has only been my camera or a source of music. Do you remember the world when we left our homes and no one could reach us until we got back? The time of snail mail? Hand written letters? I realized this Christmas that kids don’t even write notes to each other in school anymore. I wrote a note to my son’s girlfriend and folded it all fun like I did when I wrote notes to my friends in school, she had no idea how to refold it. As a creative person that blows my mind. Is our world going to be only creating thru AI? If we aren’t teaching our children to do things on their own, use their hands, problem solve, what is that going to do to their brains down the road? Science has shown that learning new things is good for keeping our brains working. I’m terrified of dementia, and know that numbing my mental space is not productive for preventing that.
The Covid Era
I mean, what a crazy time right? Obviously that time period had lasting impacts on our kids, and how the world now operates. It is sad that a virus separated our community connections to a point I’m unsure it can be repaired. We are so disconnected from our neighbors, our families, really just humanity in general. Kinda makes me wonder, what the disconnecting factor was that allowed WWII to happen… Okay back to the positive.
One bright thing that came from all of that for me, it helped me to slow down a little bit. Finding joy in the quiet, not feeling like I needed to be in a hurry everywhere, aside from my job because we were so understaffed, helped me find some peace. I’ve said it before, everything I’ve experienced has brought me to here. I love hiking and before covid, I was very focused on finishing the grueling hike. How fast could I get my mile time to? Could I get out and back before dark? I missed so many of the little things. Now? I see the little snails, the micro mushrooms, the pretty swirls in ferns as they grow. Sure the exercise was great, and it still is, just differently. Slowing down on my hikes has not only helped me feel more connected to nature, but also more grounded and calm.
Finding the quiet
Snorkeling this last month has shown me that the still allows me to see more. If I am swimming thru looking at the rocky spots, sure, I’ll cover distance, but stopping, breathing, and waiting allows the fish to see I’m not a predator. They start venturing from their hiding spaces and getting back to fishy business. The still is when I get to see the most wonders of the sea.
I’ve been at the beach almost every morning here. It’s a 20 minute walk, holding hands, chatting, hearing the birds. Then it’s usually another hour on the beach, watching the waves, dancing with my poi, watching my love surf, and sitting with my thoughts. Then another 20 minutes back home. A day at home may not realistically allow such a large window to start the day, but it has been good for my soul to connect with my human, and to connect with myself. Even on our walks, taking it slow, and seeing the different kinds of flowers, and sea shells, rocks, little crabs. I’d miss those things if I tried to hurry there.
Investing in yourself is also a great way of slowing down. Read, learn something new, meditate, dance alone, journal, be creative. I’ve been focused on enjoying my surroundings here in Costa Rica, but intend to continue that push when I get home. Focusing on journaling in the mornings has been good for me, and pulling an affirmation card has been a great spark of internal reflection but also starting my day out with a positive mindset.
Challenge?
I’d like to encourage you to slow down and find the quiet again, with no distractions. Find time by yourself. Find time with your kids. Find time to connect to the person next to you in line. Find time to reflect and see what truly brings you joy.
Where is your favorite quiet place? Or something that has brought stillness and peace into your life?
Everywhere the light touches is our home.
Yesterday was brutal, and I almost missed snorkeling because I was chasing comfort. I chose to go anyway, and I was rewarded with sights I would have never seen from my phone screen. Why do we let a little discomfort dictate our lives? It’s time to break free.