Arizona Dream is another great film that I discovered while living in Paris in addition to Until the End of the World.

Wow, do I love this film.  The soundtrack is also amazing with Iggy Pop.

Johnny Depp is such a genius and makes amazing choices in his career is all I have to say about that.  If you get the chance to see this film – do!!  It is a gem.

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A comment came in on my Home Page from volunteer at TEDxAsheville who said: just wanted to let you know that your talk was GREAT! Thank you for sharing yourself with us. I swear I’m not some woo-woo crazy Asheville hippie, but I wanted to share a dream I had last night. Doc Hendley gave you a canning kettle full of butterflies in various stages of butterfly-ization. You opened up the kettle and laughed this amazing, belly-full laugh and all the caterpillars jumped up on your arms, and the butterflies were flying around your head while you skipped around the room. It was amazing. I hope you’ve learned to see yourself as you appear to the rest of the world. I’m still shedding all my cocoons, but you definitely seem to be a butterfly. You are such an inspiration! Thanks for being your squishy self.

WOW! I just had to repost that. First of all Doc Hendley is not only hot as hell (and married with children), he is one of the good men out doing good things in the world.  It’s a honor to be in the same dream as him and speaking at the same event.  He founded Wine to Water – non-profit aid organization focused on providing clean water to needy people around the world.

As it says on the TEDx site: Doc Hendley /henˈlēⁿ/ 1 : founder and president of Wine To Water 2 : named one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes for 2009 3 : calls himself proof that anyone, even a tattooed keg-tapper, can cure what ails the world.

The fact that he and I were in a dream together is such a great metaphor for me.  Both of us are “setting butterflies free” from totally different worlds.   We spent some time talking at the event and he is an extraordinary man as in extra-ordinary too. He even toasted a glass of water to the audience at the end of his talk and pointed out what a “nobody” could do since he went from a bartender to a hero by following a dream.

Speaking of dreams and butterflies – they play a significant part in things I’ve been writing recently!  Devon’s dream was a great little “keep dreaming and keep writing ” poke.   Plus, it propelled me back into a memory from when I was about three and had collected a whole jar full of fireflies with my brother and sister and who opened the lid in the house?  Me!!

Here’s something lovely ~

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Angela Shelton and John Fugelsang

My friend John Fugelsang has inspired me, as usual. He told me how he was so not into social networking at first but began using his Facebook Page as a way to do his Morning Pages.  Ah, clever chap, I said!   But wow, if you were to see my journals, you may wonder what planet I came here from since my interests range from naked singularities to riding my bike straight into a dust storm.

Ever since making my doc, my life has been right there in the open. Believe me, I spent many a night and day thinking of taking a running flying leap off the nearest cliff while editing that film.  (I did learn to edit on the Avid by the way.  Kudos to me!)  But I wanted to be on Saturday Night Life, not talk about trauma and recovery for years!  But life is funny and I think that joke is very true – How do you make God laugh? You tell him your plans. I had lots of plans for that documentary and most of them came true but in ways I never would have imagined.  As far as how my life went, I certainly had to learn detachment.

That documentary changed my life and taught me to really love people.  That’s why I talk about I love you, squish! The doc paved the road to the squish T-shirt (one is backwards so you can see it in the mirror).  And holywow, the things I learned, from the ins and outs of victims and perpetrators to being an indie fimmaker and producer in Hollywood.

Despite making God laugh with my plans, making it through hard lessons, leeches, zombies, plates shifting, worlds colliding and plans changing – I continue to have lots of dreams, visions and goals even if I do make God giggle.

Why not share the next phase (and maybe every phase) of my life since I’ve already shared my past, my family, my healing, my turmoil, heartache and pain?  Jeez.  I was told by one of my wackadoodle healers that my life is my teaching.  Well, I think it’s about time for some seriously recess!  I went through the murky waters of feeling bad that I am so happy when so many others are not.  Then I wrote on the Survivor Manual about Moving Beyond Survivor Guilt. I’d love to share what I’m working on but I cannot at the moment; top secret!  But I can share what I’m personally working on which is living a joyful life.

So inspired by my friend John, I’ll share my vision boards and the next phase of my life right out in the open.  Hold onto your hats.

Warrior Workbbook

Oh, the things I’m writing about now that my life is no longer about the past!  I feel like doing a happy dance.  But I’m still like, ah… well, wow… what do I share?  I’d love to share my thoughts on science and spirituality but is that too much?  I’d love to share bits of the scripts I’m writing but…

While pondering this, I actually just went back to the workbook I wrote to help people make their way out of trauma and into joyful living.  There’s something profound about using your own tools and practicing what you preach.  What stood out to me in the workbook (The Warrior Workbook) was the portion where you write a letter from your inner child to yourself about what your inner child wants to do next.

My inner child wants to dance, ride her bike, play dress up and talk about magical blue lights.  So, I may just be doing that next.  I’m curious to know what you’d write about and how the end of the workbook, not the beginning, strikes you or uplifts you.

And by the way, though I’m not talking about trauma and healing 24/7, I am still involved in helping organizations I love and support and I got John Fugelsang to be the MC at the annual Gala for Darkness to Light!

I’m sending out more newsletters as well now so sign up if you like me.

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One of my favorite movies is Until the End of the World by Wim Wenders. Unfortunately we don’t always get to see great films like this in the states. You have to seek them out. I was living in Paris when I had the pleasure of discovering this film.

And of course, where there is great art and artists Bono shows up!  Wow, would I love to go to dinner with Bono and Wim Wenders. I have met both of them, but not together!  I met Bono at the height of my modeling career in New York.  What a presence he has, even though he’s about half my height – his energy is that of a giant.  I met Wim Wenders at a photo exhibit of his in Los Angeles. He told me how he goes to a place first and sits with the landscape and comes up with the story based on the essence of the place.  I love both of them – until the end of the world.

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Last time I was in Asheville, NC I was proposed to on my first night here. This trip I was proposed to on the last night I was here. I see a pattern.

The latter man was much more clever than the first.  He presented me with a box that “had a ring to it,” he said.  It was a little bell that was my “ring.”  He wants to know what we’re going to name our children.  He’s a very cool and very talented fellow so I’ll keep him anonymous, but I had to share that some proposals have a ring to them!

First of all I’m not looking to get married (that’s a lie, I’d probably do it again).  Second of all, I wonder why I should get married when my gay friends cannot?  I’d rather do a legal partnership for political sake.  By the way, I’ve seen far more happy marriages among my gay friends than I’ve seen in straight couples – I’m just saying.  Plus, I’ve been married already although I don’t claim it since I never had a ritual that I believed in.  On those online dating profiles of “what lie have you ever told” it is “I do.”

Why not buy yourself a ring?

I did.  Then I hawked it to refinish my floors.  I got myself another one, although (fake) diamond and wedding ring set but when I wear them I actually get approached more.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to be flirted with and I certainly love men – although I’ve had a longer attraction to boys and wonder if there are any men.  Odoctah says that men are boys and stop trying to find a man.  I’m not trying, they keep showing up with rings!

According to the history of marriage – One nearly universal tradition is that of the engagement ring. This custom can be dated back to the ancient Romans. It is believed that the roundness of the ring represents eternity. Therefore, the wearing of wedding rings symbolizes a union that is to last forever. It was once thought that a vein or nerve ran directly from the “ring” finger of the left hand to the heart.

What about blood diamonds?  What about those dying so that our ring fingers can hold heavy shiny rocks and compete with the other gals?  Why not get a tattoo instead?  That was why I thought the “ring” was a clever gift instead of a god-awful gold encased diamond cluster.  I’d rather have a barn house and a baby blue ’56 T-Bird convertible with white interior.

Why get married?

According to Wikipedia: People marry for many reasons, including one or more of the following: legal, social, emotional, economical, spiritual, and religious. These might include arranged marriages, family obligations, the legal establishment of a nuclear family unit, the legal protection of children and public declaration of commitment.

I’m a hopeless romantic and a lover or love so I love the idea of marriage idealistically.  In reality, I can buy my own land, I don’t have children, I don’t need a public declaration of commitment (we have Facebook for that) and I do not need matrimony to fulfill me emotionally.

I spent too much of my youth writing love letters to boys who didn’t even know I existed, my teens chasing after them, my twenties taking care of those who said they loved me and the beginning of my thirties untangling myself from those I’ve taken care of.  But I still love men (and boys) and I may still get married one day but I think this video sums up a lot of what we hopeless romantics go through.

Marry Me

I’m very happy to say that I’m riding my bike!

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I just spoke at TEDx in Asheville and what a wonderful experience! The music was fantastic. I loved all the speakers.  The high bright energy was contagious. It was a great night.  A huge bonus is that they played the below video during a portion of it and I discovered one of my new favorite people.  I don’t think that putting people on pedestals is a good idea since everyone has gas.  Perhaps we should pick a bright spotlight or a halo glow or a special carpet maybe.  That being said, Adora Svitak is in that spotlight for me.

Adora Svitak

Wow, what we can all learn from children!  I do a standing ovation just watching this on my laptop.

I adore her and I adore her parents.

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Wake UP! Radio with Ryan and Fuzz asked me to be on as a guest to talk about my documentary and I was like ah….. not again! I’ve spoken so much about that movie that I’m blue in the face.

You can see most of my speaking gigs for free on Survivor Manual, you can get the DVD, you can read the book I wrote about how making the movie changed my life forever – do I really have to talk about it again?

But then Ryan mentioned he wanted to talk about the spiritual journey that I went on. Now, that is something I like to talk about along with the ins and outs of indie filmmaking.   It was very fun to sit down with Ryan and Fuzz.  I love that they are talking about exploring your passion!

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Made-Up from Mirjam Plettinx on Vimeo.

I saw this on Ze Frank’s blog after hearing about him at TEDx in Asheville.

When I have spoken about trauma and recovery, I have pointed out that you don’t have to have been a victim of child sexual abuse or domestic violence to have experienced trauma.  Neglect is also trauma. And you could read a fashion magazine and be traumatized. I know, I was a model for years.   Talk about trauma!   Most of those girls are in their early teens selling to middle aged women. Everything is airbrushed, made up, curled, coiffed and calculated. Also most of the models I worked with had the self-esteem of a peanut. I watched so many of them do pounds of drugs, go out with guys who treated them like crap and some ended their lives as addicts. It is amazing what trauma does to the body, mind and soul.  The sword of trauma can be anything traumatic. That’s why I wrote the warrior workbook.

This video made me think of trauma on so many levels!  It all goes back to loving yourself no matter what.  That’s why I’m talking about I Love You, Squish! at TEDx!

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Some people get so freaked out about Mercury Retrograde and others think it’s just a bunch of hocus-pocus. Whatever you think about the planet and it’s doings, it’s a good time to back up your cell phone and your computer, get organized and keep an eye out for those you haven’t seen in forever.

I love reading about astrology and I love numerology too (I am my mother’s daughter) but I don’t believe in living your life by it; it’s like reading about the weather – that too can change and the weatherman could be totally wrong.  It seems like most people want to know what’s “in the heavens.” People are fascinated about knowing the future and having a road map for their lives. Some people even post their horoscopes on twitter daily. I thought I’d share some ideas about this MR time.

What is Mercury Retrograde?

The planet Mercury slows down and appears to stop and move backward aka retrograde.  It doesn’t actually go backwards, it just appears too.  There is always forward movement.

Mercury rules communication so when it recedes, it’s said that things having to do with communication go completely nuts. For example, all your contacts in your cell or computer are erased, emails go missing or are bounced back, mail is returned or not delivered at all, calls are not returned or never arrive into voice mail etc etc. I have no idea if this has ever been proven, but it’s interesting to watch how techno-trauma does increase during Mercury Retrograde. It happens four times a year.

Astrologers warn not to sign any contracts during MR time since whatever you sign will also go haywire. There is a loophole though. If it’s something that happened a long time ago and has needed to be taken care of for ages, then signing during MR could work.

Also, blasts from the past happen. The planet is receding so things from the past show up.  People you haven’t seen or spoken to in ages can suddenly appear in your life. When you go out during this time, you may run into that old boyfriend, an friend or the person you so wanted to talk to and were just thinking about suddenly walks into the room.

There can also be miss-communication and delays with people. You could be misunderstood or misquoted.  Your plane could be late or you could miss that bus.  Take some extra time at the airport.  You could also type things incorrectly so it’s recommended that you reread emails and letters before you send them.

This Mercury Retrograde is August 20th-September 12th

Does it really affect you? Is this all poppycock? Who knows. Observe and see what happens. Mercury goes retrograde into different signs apparently. This MR times is going to be in Virgo, which is said to rule well being, health and healing although a lot of astrologers suggest not having any surgeries during MR.

What do you do with your time?

Again, this could all be bologna to some but it’s a good time to observe what does happen.   We are made up of mostly water and the moon affects the tide and certainly affects us – some more than others.  So perhaps this Mercury planet does make things all wonky.  And just to be on the safe side, why don’t you back up your computer which you should really do anyway.

• Get organized – go through old files, boxes, the back of your car…
• Take your time, things will be delayed anyway
• Reflect on what you’re doing with your life
• Pull out old creative projects and reread, rework and re-plot their course
• Think of someone you’d like to run into, it may very well happen
• Since it’s in Virgo, revisit any healing that needs to take place
• Start up that workout routine from ages ago that you stopped doing
• Spend some quality time with yourself – as you computer backs up

I just had a flash of my mother as I wrote this, getting my astrology charts read when I was young.  Oh, the stories.  I’ve heard it all and I believe portions of it.  It’s like religion, politics and a great buffet – take what you like and digests well and leave the rest, somebody will love what you think it inedible and gobble it right up.

Mercury goes direct on the 12th and then there’s bound to be something else in the stars. Oh wait – Mercury’s shadow period begins July 31st and ends September 27th, whatever that means.

I’m eating cake and staring at the moon, then I’m going to organize my office.

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I discovered this article today on Twitter via a post by TypeMicah (thank you!)

Jeremy Irons narrates a mocumentary about the life of a plastic bag and its journey to the ‘Pacific garbage patch’.

It was produced by campaign group Heal the Bay – lobbying for a ban on plastic bags in California

Brilliant!  Please help them help us.

I’ve always wanted to make a film about a plastic bag, I must say. I have notes in many of my creative journals about a film called Litter about this little plastic bag that won’t give up.  But no need to make that anymore after seeing this!  I love it.  If you’ve seen the end of my documentary (I hear the original one with the funny end is on Netflix), you know how I feel about Litter.  Those who litter reveal so much about themselves and the litter itself is becoming a country all its own in the middle of the ocean!  I have a long long list of ideas and creative projects so my plastic bag one gets the big check mark next to it because of brilliance like this.   This is the Global Brain at work.  It’s not about being upset about how you shoulda, coulda, woulda done something, it’s about what are you going to do now.  I’m going to help promote this movie and their cause!
Please share it!
YouTube

Heal the Bay

And bring your own bags when you shop too!

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Smile! I was recently invited to take part in the Portrait Project to help Smile Train - a portrait project designed to help children around the world smile!  Thought I’d share some of the fun ones.  Let me know if they make you smile!  Make a comment about smiling while you’re smiling.

Here is the photographer Faleena’s project video.  She wants to tour the world with this idea so contact her.  She has a great story of how it all started. Help her out and smile while you’re at it.   http://smileportraitproject.com

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Assumptions and judgments can keep you from things you love – that you didn’t even know you loved!

For years I was told about this elusive Burning Man and for years I avoided it due to the rumors that it was a bunch of naked hippies having sex with each other in tents. No thanks, I lived through my childhood already.  But then my BFFD (best friend forever, duh) and I were invited to go and I figured I was safe with her – she’s a tough one. We joined a camp, bought bins, bikes and lights. I had no idea what to expect, I just knew that I wasn’t having sex with anyone and I didn’t want anyone touching me.

All I can say about Burning Man is that the true you is revealed. You enter into the gates of Black Rock City and you step onto another planet. You don’t even use your real name, you are given a name or you acquire one somehow. I was called Queen since I didn’t allow anyone to touch me without my full permission and then maybe they could hug me. Maybe.

Nothing from the “real world” is allowed.  No logos, no ads, not selling anything and no money.  They only money exchange is at center camp for the espresso machine.

There are even mutant vehicles. No car that has any recognizable features as a car is allowed.  It is a world of bicycles (heaven!).  You either ride your bike along the web of streets or catch a ride on a mutant vehicle.

It is an artist’s paradise.  It is an adventure.  And most every art piece is climbable!  I spent most of the time by myself, riding my bike for twenty-five miles a day and climbing art.  You never know what will happen on any given day on the planet of the man – the playa. There may suddenly be a trampoline in front of you, a band of clowns or zombies might be headed your way or a ship may pass by calling you to board it.  Literally.  I was nervous about all the crazy sex and drugs I’d heard about that were there, but the entire experience is a like a drug trip with no drugs necessary!   Like life, you can find whatever you seek.  You can be and do whatever you want, within limits. There is a police department, a medical station and a mutant vehicles DMV.  People dress up and take on new names.  There are dance parties every moment of every day.  It is as hot as the devil in the day and freezing at night.  You must survive, there’s even a survival guide. Most people look like they are straight out of Mad Max. It is the ultimate dress up playtime.

Then there are the dust storms. They come out of nowhere across the playa and cover everything with the thin playa dust that will forever be in your clothes, boots and fingernails.  You can barely see your hand in front of you. You should have your gas mask, goggles and water with you at all times, and hopefully your bike.  You never know when a storm is going to hit.

Some people are afraid of the dust storms and hide in their RVs.  I’m much more of an adventurist; the storms were my favorite part. I was lucky to be in five of them!  My favorite moment, if picking one moment at Burning Man is even possible, was the first massive dust storm that rolled in.  You could see it coming and had about two minutes to prepare.  While people around me zipped up tents, ran to RVs or tightened their goggles, I got on my bike and rode directly into the cloud.   A few others had the same idea and we saw each other and nodded in pockets of clearness, like being in a cloud on another planet.  That’s exactly where we were.

Me and my BFFD had tents right next to each other and we had a notebook that we left in front of our tent to let the other one know what adventures we were on or had just been through.  Best friends are those you can be alone with, literally. There was no babysitting.  Burning Man is not the place to keep time or appointments.  There is no cell service.

You can be whatever you want and whoever you are is revealed.  I was a loner cyclist adventure climber called Queen.  I took on the storms, I climbed, I danced and I rejoiced in the beauty of humanity and art in Black Rock City and nobody touched me inappropriately. 

Oh how I love the man!  I’d go this year but I’m speaking at TEDx in Asheville.

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Writing can be a hassle, a pleasure and daunting all at once for those who take it up.  I know some writers who are paid gobs of money and who hate writing so much that they fill up their days with all kinds of procrastinations until at last, it’s time to go to bed and they missed the moment.  Others, like myself, love to write and are always writing whether it’s in a journal, on a napkin or via tweet.   Then there are the writers who haven’t begun yet and are daunted by the process.

It’s really not that big of a deal.   If you can speak, you can write. Even if you can’t speak out loud, a world is happening in your head and you can write it down.  There are even ways for those with no hands, no arms and no vocal ability to write so there are not excuses. If it’s a passion or a calling, write!

1. Read, Set, Start Writing!

Don’t get tied up in judging yourself, just write a stream of consciousness.  Worry about spelling and punctuation rules later.  Sometimes seeing mistakes and misspelling certain words inspires more ideas to write about.  You could write a whole essay on not being able to write.  Just write.  A book I love from writer Anne Lamott is  Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son’s First Year where she wrote about getting pregnant and birthing her son in such real and hilarious ways that it breaks your heart – and opens it.

A great book to help you get in touch with what to write, what moves you and where to even begin is an Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir

2. Write Everyday

It is your job to write.  Yes, it’s your job even if you don’t get paid to do it.  If you look at writing like your job, you’ll schedule time to write. Although if you loath the word job or work, toss that idea right out the window.  I happen to love what I do and see work more as play.

A great practice to get you into writing daily is doing the journaling that is perfectly outlined in The Artist’s Way.  If you haven’t done the Artist’s Way, I highly recommend it.  I’ve done it by myself and with others and it’s very helpful with setting time for yourself.  I personally love the taking myself on dates part!

The Artist’s Way

The Complete Artist’s Way: Creativity as a Spiritual Practice

The Artist’s Way Morning Pages Journal

3. Work on Two Things

Focus is key for writing but sometimes you can get annoyed, lost, uninspired or just plain bored with what you’re working on.  It’s great to have another project to pop off to.  In one day I may write five pages on a comedy screenplay, ten pages on a dramatic book and then go back to the silly screenplay when I get bored with the book.  I’m not one to buy into the whole notion of writer’s block.  If you feel blocked, go write something else and come back to it.  No need to fall into the whiskey bottle or God forbid the television set.  Although watching TV is great if you’re writing for TV.

To get you started on your projects, this is a great book: Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within (Shambhala Library)

Also a very well known and much loved writing book, again by Anne Lamott from Operating Instructions, is the lovely Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

4. Go someplace you’ve never been

There’s something about transition that gets my creative juices flowing.  Transition or those in transit, transit stations and just all around transportation.  Whether it’s an airport, bus station or train station or small dirt runway on an open plain somewhere in Africa, it invokes writing in my head.  Those places provide perfect opportunities for the pen!  You could even go Couch Surfing and write a whole book about your adventures. The point is creating in places besides your typical dwelling or your usual desktop or laptop computer.

5. Write longhand

The art of handwriting is dying – keep it alive!  Write a love letter to someone.  Write yourself a love letter and mail it. It’s so fun to receive.  Get a journal that you love the feel of and write in it when you go to places you’ve never been before.  Go sit on a bench somewhere and write a letter to a stranger across the way.  Giving it to them is not the point, writing longhand is.  Hum a tune and write the lyrics to it.  Write to the beat of the drummer in your head.  I have a vast collection of those very small journals that can fit in your back pocket. I bring them with me on bike rides. I’ve been known to  pull over and write the lyrics to a song that came into my head during one particularly perfect peddling session!

6. Do something fun

When was the last time you went swinging?  Not that kind of swinging, I mean sitting on a swing!  Fun for me is riding my bike, hiking my dog, going swimming and of course my all-time favorite is dancing.  When you do something fun, it relieves stress, gets you out of your head, raises your vibrations and plants the best ideas in your for you to write down!   Try it.  I look forward to seeing what you create.

7. Stop the Competition

We all have a story and some of us have many stories to tell.  We all have our unique ways of telling our unique stories and there is room for all our creativity in this world.  It’s not like there’s a limit on love.  There isn’t a quota that you get and someone else stole your allotment.  Sometimes the competition is with yourself and you’re way too concerned about who’s going to publish your work than you are writing it.  Just write.  Get “them” out of your head.  Where you work ends up will reveal itself, the important thing is to start with step one – start!   We all have the freedom to create whatever life we’d like to create.   Write it down.  Your process may start with a simple commitment to yourself to release any old resentments, competitive thoughts, anger, fears or anxieties and promise yourself that you’re going to write what you love.

Pictures by Hiking Artist!

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Oh wow, what a blast from the past. Had to share this. I spent my teens with dyed jet black hair listening to goth music, wearing Dr. Martens and blood red lipstick. Yeah, that’s right. I do believe in angels though. I love how and where Nick Cave was inspired to write this. You never know what’s going to happen in life and what little moments will inspire you or alter your path.

I went on a Bible Road trip to read the big book across the country with a filmmaker.  We ended up staying in California and our lives went in completely different directions, blessed in their own way. I took the path to writing and directing comedy and he got an opportunity to write and direct a horror film.

Life is funny. I love what is in my arms now and the fabulous turns my life has taken me on. I’m still reading the Bible by the way until I finish it. I’m just reading in private. And ps, I love Nick Cave and I still have my knee high lace up Dr. Marten boots. They are covered in playa dust.

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I started the Army of Angels (AOA)  forum, website, concept, logo and group as a way for healthy warriors I knew to connect and meet each other.  It is not a victim or a drama/trauma arena but since it is online, it does attract some of that. The core AOA are worldwide warriors who are my personal friends and help people escape darkness and find the light.  While some people were spinning in drama, fear and assumptions last week, the real AOA were working to help a woman escape and setting up a network of various routes to awareness that we also share on The Survivor Manual.  The whole point of all of my work in the trauma and recovery field has been to inspire and empower people to heal and lead joyful lives so that trauma is no longer in your vocabulary.   Healing is an act of revolution and when you heal yourself, you inspire others and when you are healthy, you can help heal the whole world.  Many are addicted to and stuck in pain and suffering but far more that I see are rising to new amazing heights of happiness and love.  That’s what the conference is about and why I wanted the amazing people I know to be able to meet each other to bring our collective work to a new level.

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The verses below reportedly were written on the wall of Mother Teresa’s home for children in Calcutta, India, and are widely attributed to her.  I just had to share this.

___________________________________________

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

Mother Teresa

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This was so great, thought I’d share it.  I can so relate to what Rev. Michael spoke about after giving up everything and getting everything.  There’s nothing like watching the chaos turn into clarity.  Your real friends show up.  Your connection to the infinite is more focused and joy is triumphant!

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Geeks, Nerds and Techies are highly valuable in our world. You need to love and care for them well.  Many of them are by nature cranky and though some claim the title of social media experts, they are far from social.  Here are some ways to care and feed your geek so that your life can be a tad easier.

1. Feed Your Geek Well -

   The best way to keep geeks working is to feed them.  Don’t load them up on too much sugar and carbs since that will make them sleepy.  Feed them protein.  They like shakes. Bring them food instead of asking them to come join you for a meal. They can eat and work at the same time.

2. Smoke Your Geek Out -

   Many geeks are addicts, it’s just a cold hard fact.  They are pot heads. If you’re in California, you are safer since it is legal.  Be sure to recommend your geek get his card and don’t judge him for his issues.  I recommend not working with those who are wake and bakers but good luck finding one.  If you find a geek who is not a pot head please ping me.

3. Don’t Fall in Love with Your Geek -

   Although they are very cute, it’s best to not get romantically involved with your geek.  You will get your work done for free for a brief moment but when you break up they will stop working on your project and you run the risk of them vindictively taking your sites down since they know all of your passwords.  Flirting is better than falling.

4. Pay Your Geek -

   Money is better than love to many a geek.  Many geeks disappear once they are paid though, so it’s best to give a little bit up front and then the full amount once you have your full site or project done.

5. Don’t Bug Your Geek -

   Too many questions, comments and concerns freak geeks out.  Don’t send them too many emails or texts with various questions.  Send one email with simple bullet points as if you’re talking to a computer.

6. Don’t Get Emo with Your Geek -

   The last thing you want to do is get emotional with your geek, especially through email.  The long drawn out paragraphs of what you need, expect, are missing and disappointed with will only make your geek crawl into their cave with your passwords.

7. Don’t Call Your Geek a Geek -

   Geeks, nerds, techies and the like are very special people.  Although I personally love the term geek and I have an attraction to nerds myself, the geek is royalty.  Treat him or her as such.

8. Become a Geek Yourself -

   Save a lot of pain and heartache by taking classes and learning to do your own site and internet work.  You won’t be perpetually waiting on your geek or have a site that is perpetually “coming soon.”

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Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the campaign I did with the Army of Angels that I announced at the 140 Conference in NYC would lead to two tortured little girls being reunited!

While tweeting the story of Jane #S2, I was contacted by many other survivors who had been prostituted by their parents.  Two of those survivors are friends of mine.  I wrote about one of them in my book actually.  When they commented on how good it was that I was telling Jane’s story, I suggested I introduce the two of them since they shared similar pasts.  I can have empathy for those who were trafficked but I didn’t go through that kind of torture myself so I linked them up via social media so they could have a dialog about it.  First I introduced them on Twitter, then on Facebook.  As soon as they saw each others pictures on Facebook, they recognized each other.  They had been trafficked in the same truck!

Two friends of mine had been trafficked in the same truck as kids!

I’ve called out to the sky so many times after making my documentary Searching for Angela Shelton, “Why me? Why do I have to hear the stories from thousands of survivors? Why am I the one people tell their darkest secrets to?”   I wanted to make comedies! After linking these amazing women together, I see one major reason for all of my work – I was meant to reunite these two little girls who are now grown women.

They are both in the Army of Angels.

The Army of Angels are persons committed to healing who are living the mission of the Angela Shelton Foundation which is to inspire and empower all survivors of abuse to heal and lead joyful lives. The Angels Live Joyfully no matter what. They are people of every gender across all boundaries of race, religion, and political standing who met through me and were inspired and empowered by my work (it’s Spirit, not “me”) to make dramatic shifts in their lives.  They now make my work work.

They have an annual conference.  My two friends are meeting, or reuniting actually, at the Army of Angels Conference Oct 15-17 in Asheville, NC.   There won’t be a dry eye in the whole place.  These are the surprise guests on top of the already amazing list of speakers, healers and angels.  This is not a trauma conference, this is a joyful healing conference.  There is only one way in and one way out, you will not leave the same way you came in.  To get tickets and spread the word to others, please share this link – http://armyofangels.eventbrite.com/ The conference fee covers your conference ticket, your food and your lodging!  Small price to pay for a life altering weekend.

Just thinking about the vastness of this story sends goosebumps all over my body, bring tears to my eyes and leaves me humbled and amazed.  I sat with one of my friends while they skyped each other for the first time. I was the one who balled my eyes out.  They look at each other so tenderly and with so much love. It is such a beautiful thing to come out of such a horrific story.

And by the way, these two women are now helping Jane find her escape route since they were once exactly where she is.

If you’d like to sponsor the conference please contact Diann Diaz at diann@angelashelton.net or kristianna@angelashelton.com or me at angela@angelashelton.com

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What commitment are you going to make to your own genius?  Are you a genius?  What are you doing to be a creative vehicle?

PS I love Ted.

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What do you believe?

Some people believe what their parents taught them or what they learned in school.  Others, like myself, believe based on experience.  I’m actually writing a book about all of my spiritual aka connected experiences that I’ve had since a child.  Now I’m doing this project BibleRoadTrip.tv where I’m reading the book that has spawned so much hate and love in the world.  As I work on a TV pilot that has loads of Bible quotes and write a book about my own experiences, I thought it’d be a perfect time to tackle this big reading adventure.

As we go on this road trip, our days are pushed forward out of the kindness and support of others.  Since the day we left, all of our gas, food and lodging has been covered by those who are following us.  I wrote a post about how I was moved to tears with gratitude for those who support all of my projects.  Last night I reached for my favorite book that I always carry with me, Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior and was amazed by this passage:

Tenderness contains an element of sadness. It is not the sadness of feeling sorry for yourself or feeling deprived, but it is a natural situation of fullness. You feel so full and rich, as if you were about to shed tears. Your eyes are full of tears, and the moment you blink, the tears will spill out of your eyes and roll down your cheeks. In order to be a good warrior, one has to feel this sad and tender heart. If a person does not feel alone and sad, he cannot be a warrior at all. The warrior is sensitive to every aspect of phenomena – sight, smell, sound, feelings. He appreciates everything that goes on in his world as an artist does. His experience is full and extremely vivid. The rustling of leaves and the sounds of raindrops on his coat are very loud. Occasional butterflies fluttering around him may be almost unbearable because he is so sensitive. Because of his sensitivity, the warrior can then go further in developing his discipline. He begins to learn the meaning of renunciation.

In ordinary sense, renunciation is often connected with asceticism. You give up the sense pleasures of the world and embrace the austere spiritual life in order to understand the higher meaning of existence. In the Shambhala context, renunciation is quite different. What the warrior renounces is anything in his experience that is a barrier between himself and others. In order words, renunciation is making yourself more available, more gentle and open to others. Any hesitation about opening yourself to others is removed. For the sake of others, you renounce your privacy.

There’s another way to look at the Facebook privacy issues – be open, be available, be authentic.  I love my life.  Thanks for being  a part of it.

Thanks to the HikingArtist for your lovely work.

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Norma is the longest best relationship I’ve ever had – 10 years. You can see why I’m going on the BibleRoadTrip to get her! She’s a sage.

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So, I’m going on a road trip to get my dog.  She’s the love of my life.  I’m in Asheville, NC seeing about bringing my next film here and every answer is a huge yes.  But making a film takes a while and I need my dog with me.  I refuse to fly her so I’m going on a road trip to get her from my house in Malibu and bring her to the mountains of North Carolina that she loves.  She is a German Short Haired Pointer. I brought her with me here when she was a puppy and I was writing a TV show about the South.  While she was here she pointed at a cow.  Wish I had a picture of that, it was genius.

I leave on Thurs with fellow artist and producer Judson Matthews to go on a road trip to get my dog.  On the way we are going to read the Bible and film it.  WHAT?  Believe me, I was more surprised than you.

http://bibleroadtrip.tv

This reminds me of when I made my documentary Searching for Angela Shelton and saw how the majority of Angela Sheltons were women of God and very faithful. My editors avoided the faith topic for the first two tries of editing the film.  I have not trusted organized religion for quite some time now, perhaps all of my life after being beaten and starved by those who claimed to be God fearing.

I kept having recurring dreams while Searching for Angela Shelton that I wrote about in my first my first memoir.  Because of those dreams, I realized that I had to put God into the movie since practically every Angela brought it up.   I did just that.  My team in Hollywood at the time said that I was nuts, delusional and was wasting my time.  Then the movie took off on the movement that is still going strong today.   Was that because of God?  Angela Sheltons think so.

After traveling with my film for years, I’ve seen how the most violent crimes are committed by those high in the church, not just the Catholic Church, but all churches. Criminals hide behind positions of power, especially child rapists. I’ve heard the most brutal stories you can ever imagine.

Then I met Judson Matthews in Asheville when I came to see about bringing my next movies here.  I commented that I really liked his full sleeve tattoo and was shocked to find that it was a Bible verse. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will guide your path. Proverbs 3: 5-6

I shared my distrust in organized religion with him and how I’d heard so many horrible abuse stories centered around the church.  Judd suggested that I read the book myself and make my own decisions about how and why it has been misinterpreted.  He then offered to drive me to get my dog in his truck (he’s a super alpha male).  So I met his family, he met mine, we both checked out and I took him up on his offer to go on a road trip.  My dog is my darling and I must go get her.  I’ve been across the states twenty-seven times but Judd has only done it once and has not seen the Northern route which is the best in my opinion.  Then I got an email from a friend in Montana who was just having triple by-pass surgery and would love for me to come visit. It seemed like this trip was a great idea and perfect timing as well, plus it gives me the time to polish up my script to shoot in Asheville.

Then I suggested I read the Bible on the way.  We looked at each other, both being filmmakers and producers, and said we should film it.  That’s how the http://bibleroadtrip.tv began.

This is an adventure for the both of us. We do not come from fundamentalist backgrounds.  We’re certainly not the typical people you’d assume would sit and read the Bible on camera.  We’re doing this for ourselves but sharing it for those who may get something out of it as well.

I spoke about it on my Sunday show and Judd and my mom make an appearance:

We are leaving this Thurs and going to be reading the Thompson Chain-Reference Bible. We went to a social media event with Gary from AskAsheville.com and met Arlaine Rockey who is lending us the Women’s Bible to read from as well. I love that. Thanks for supporting this journey. We’ll be sharing daily videos and updates.  Follow us. Thank you for sharing our Facebook Page as well.

You can also represent by wearing our gear when we show up: http://www.cafepress.com/BibleRoadTrip

See you on the road.

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Thanks to the grassroots loud-word-of-mouth work of the Army of Angels, my book Finding Angela Shelton sold out the first year it came out. It is now available in download below.  You can read the first chapter and chapter 54 below –>

Finding Angela Shelton

You can also download it on Ejunkie (along with loads of other things)

I am working on the third piece in the trilogy of  Searching for, Finding, and Discovering – Angels.  The working title based on the Facebook poll on my page is Calling All Angels.  Please help support it on Indiegogo.  Thank you for your love and support.

I had no idea when I stepped into that RV years ago to go make a movie about women in America named Angela Shelton that I’d end up knowing about angels and demons, literally.   I’m telling all of the inspirational stories that were omitted from Finding by the first publisher and adding all that has happened since.  In encourage you to read Finding and pay attention to the dreams because in the next book I’m going to explain why they showed up when they did and how they were a premonition of things to come.

There is something magical around this movement that is not me, I’m just the vehicle for it to shine through, and I’m writing about it in the next book and telling you everything that happened.  No more silence – especially about the good (God) stuff.

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The time has come! I’m working on new movies after years of traveling with Searching for Angela Shelton.  Plus, many of my supporters, friends and fans are ready for some more humor and have even started a Facebook Page to get me to host Saturday Night Live.  That made my day. I had a dream to host SNL when I was young and thought I was going to be acting in comedy movies by now. I didn’t suspect that I’d be bring humor into the trauma and recovery movement!  After being a speaker for years, I’ve seen a great need for joy and humor.  I think that’s why I’ve spoken at so many places, because I bring levity to a horrible topic.  Though I do not and will not make fun of abuse and violence, I have used humor to make it easier for more people to hear the truth about horrible subjects.  The movies that I’m working on also address social issues because I can’t help myself but they will be funny.

If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you. Oscar Wilde

Now I’m in my hometown of Asheville, NC seeing about how I could bring movies here and thus bring work home and highlight this amazing town. I had a sit down with Gary from Askasheville.com last night to talk about the power of social media:

Please let me know if you like Online Dating for Food!

I thought it was interesting timing that the video that showed up right after this one on YouTube was this interview I did years ago when my book came out:

After supporters shared the first movie I directed and my first published book via Facebook and Twitter and even Myspace, it showed me the power of social media and having direct contact with your audience and listening to them.  At my speaking events over the past year I’ve mentioned working on a few comedy movies and so many people have come up to me afterward and asked me to please make more movies and make them funny and then can I please write their life story.  I love that.  Everyone has a life story.  I encourage you to write your own stories and I’ll make more movies.

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