The Painted in the Desert movie is released: Watch it NOW!

This a very special day for the manifestation of dreams. Exactly a year and five days ago MK Barr and my life changed dramatically. We could not have anticipate how much committing to the Painted in the Desert documentary film would impact both of us then, but today we joyfully release it to the world. …

Image Highlights from the Painted in the Desert filming

First promo video for the movie, boy has the project grown since this!!     http://vimeo.com/26590741 Blog for the film: http://www.PaintedintheDesert.wordpress.com

New Mexico return to the graffiti tunnels of my heart

You have NO IDEA how happy I am to be back in New Mexico. It truly is one of the places of my heart, and I am glowing from the return home. There is something about the vastness of the sky and the pinion baking on the earth that satisfies me like no other place. …

Back HOME to New Mexico to film for Painted in the Desert-A Travel Essay

I have not been home to the southwest in six months. New Mexico is one of the most enchanting places I have ever been; I fell in love with the land three years ago, and have not been gone for more than a month since that time. I tend to start sobbing and shaking when …

Flying Turtle Ecstatic Dance for the Painted in the Desert movie

Dance is one of my greatest joys. There is a fountain of happiness that opens within when I am rhythmically moving that I have not found anywhere else. I have been extremely blessed to have found tribes of other folks who also feel this way, entering the dance with a loving dedication to their own …

Painted in the Desert-A Travel Essay and my NEW Name

This is so exciting, a NEW blog! My initial MelissaWeissSteele.Wordpress.com blog was a big commitment and surprising joy, and I met its call for a couple of years. In the last nine months I have left New Mexico, written my first book, The Oracle of Initiation-Rainbows in the Dark, and traveled to Central America. I …

LETS-Land of Enchantment Tarot Symposium VIDEO of The Birth of The Oracle of Initiation

I want to share the wonderful video Carrie Paris and I created today from my presentation for LETS- Land of Enchantment Tarot Symposium that was here in Santa Fe this October. Below is also an update about The Oracle and my travels, projects and upcoming adventures. Life is good. LETS-Land of Enchantment Tarot Symposium VIDEO …

COMPLETED EVENT: Way Weaver and Pattern Walker Coleen Renee’s Painted Body Initiation

My sister Coleen and I met the call of the Red Earth together through my Painted Body ritualistic photography process here in New Mexico. Enjoy Coleen's first hand account of this transformative,  fierce and joyful experience: Red Earth Calls By Coleen Renee Red Earth calls… Primal stirrings… Awakening self I do not recognize. Oh. It’s …

COMPLETED EVENT: Margi Halfon’s Painted Body Initiation into the Hidden Petra-like New Mexico Desert

Petra is a DreamTime place. It is a magical and cloistered city tucked away in the desert cliffs of Jordan. The first time I saw an image of the huge temple facade peeking though a slender opening in the canyon walls I was stunned. I have yearned to walk through that portal into that otherworldly …

COMPLETED EVENT: Water like Fire-Lyric Kali’s Water Spirit Initiation

I. Water in the desert is extremely precious. I grew up in the lush and mossy Northwest where the water element could be overly abundant at times. Moving to the Southwest has completely changed my relationship to this fundamental structure of life. Many times I will go exploring in the wild and not hear or …