AnnaMariah aka "the bodacious lady" - Who am I and why am I here
If you're confused about my name I did used to be Carolyn - I changed my name effective February 2012. Read more about this change below in Becoming AnnaMariah
Hopefully, if you’re reading this you know that gemstones have energy and power. Phwew, there’s one big thing out of the way. Just kidding, but you’d be surprised how many people look at me cross-eyed when I mention that idea.
I am honored to be a guardian of the stones, and to be called to help them bring forth their light and depths to the world. Each stone I touch is reactivated with the original energy of creation and is tasked to assist the wearer or recipient of its energy to awaken to full consciousness of who they are and what is theirs to do. In this way we step out of the darkness and into our full light of being.
I am a gemstone empath and tune deeply to the energy of the stones, listening n to their guidance to create gemstone jewelry that can be supportive and even transformational in myriad ways. I am less concerned with every changing trends and more with the beauty and magic inherent in the stones. My pieces are always unexpected and transformational as it connects with your energy and brings out your inner radiance in ways you hadn't considered yet.
Bold Bodacious Jewelry came about as an embodiment of my mission to help you become more consciously empowered and to remember who you are and why you are here.
Empowerment and confidence are supported by looking and feeling your best. What better way to embody that empowerment than with an amazing, unique work of wearable art that supports your inner radiance and outer beauty?
Combining my connection with stones and my ability to read and sense auras I have been able to work with the stones in unique ways to bring about combinations that resonate at different levels. In this case the whole is so much more than the parts.
You can look up the meanings of stones and that may give you an overview of what you can expect. But there’s a magic that happens when the connection is made between the wearer and one of my designs. The resulting changes may align with what the books say, and sometimes what I see is a combined energy that is completely unique and not exactly what would be expected from those particular combinations. The stones come alive when they connect with your energy.
My initial awakening into spiritual consciousness came about due to a stone. Yep, you heard me, a rock. I was in New Zealand at the te Maori Exhibition in 1987. In one write up about the exhibit they say this of the stone “The E Tü Ake mauri stone, named Hine Kaitaka. Mauri is the life force that exists in and connects all things, living and inanimate. Hine Kaitaka is a touchstone for the exhibition, anchoring the mauri of everything on display, the visitors and the exhibition’s hosts.”
The stone was placed at the entry point, and you were to touch it to honor the ancestors and give thanks. I touched the stone and felt electricity run through my body from the top of my head, through my feet and into the earth. At this time in my life I had no awareness that stones had energy and was completely taken by surprise. I looked up into the eyes of an ancient Mauri woman who seemed to be smiling knowingly, somehow almost gleefully. I practically heard her say "Finally, you're here".
Only one other person in our tour group of 40 people reported feeling anything. I was deeply moved by this experience, but certainly didn’t expect it to change anything in my life. HA I won’t go into detail but my life turned somersaults for the next few years, I had visions, learned to read tarot cards, experienced my first past-life regression…as, oh wait, here’s a surprise, a Mauri warrior. I credit this stone and my experience at that moment with activating something deep in my soul, and I’ve never looked back.
I was able to reconnect with this same touchstone again in 1998 at a tiny little exhibit in Arrowtown New Zealand. It took my breath away. I was instantly on my knees communing with the stone and soaking up its love and giving back my deep gratitude for its part in my life. Shortly after that I was back in Montana at a meditation and saw and felt that stone again in my mind and I heard these words. “This touchstone holds the energy of love and hate. It’s a fine balance and it’s yours to choose, which will you decide.”
I was reminded of this as I was listening to a call with Tantra Maat 1/13/12 as she was discussing a revelation she had recently experienced. She stated that we must find the balance between joy and sorrow love and hate, death and life, seeing them as the same, and not separate from each other. I’m simplifying here I know, but that statement brought to mind my experience of the touchstone and my initiation into the phenomenal gifts the earth has given us. She continues to give us, even now, with new stones that have never been experienced by man before, each one bringing with it a particular quality to assist the evolution of mankind.
Tantra Maat also said that we must know who we are and what is ours to do.
As I pondered this directive I know who I am and what is mine to do. I am honored to be a guardian of the stones, and to be called to help them bring forth their light and depths to the world. Each stone I touch is reactivated with the original energy of creation and is tasked to assist the wearer or recipient of its energy to awaken to full consciousness of who they are and what is theirs to do. In this way we step out of the darkness and into our full light of being.
I look forward to sharing insights into the gifts of the earth and how they can assist you on your path.
Namaste
AnnaMariah
AnnaMariah, Bold Bodacious Jewelry (formerly Carolyn Nau – I’m in the process of transitioning into the fullness of being AnnaMariah as an expression of the divine on earth)
https://www.facebook.com/BodaciousWay
I am business Manager for BioElectric Shield Company and owner/designer creating healing gemstone jewelry for my artisan jewelry company Bold Bodacious Jewelry. These two business work beautifully together as they both deal with the healing power of gemstones.
I’m passionate about making jewelry and sharing the BioElectric Shield with others because they’ve changed my life.
BS – before Shield…I remember times when I’d go to a trade show or other crowded place and the overload of energy would be so great that I’d be spacey, have a headache, even have trouble breathing – one time I ended up out front hyperventilating and crying. I had to forego a lot of things I wanted to do because of this. I knew spiritual protection techniques and what to do, and it just wasn’t enough. The Shield has changed my life, and that of so many other people. I love knowing what I do makes a difference. The Shield changed my life, from energy sponge, to empowered woman.
Announcing my new name...I am AnnaMariah
As of Feb 3, 2012, I officially announced on Facebook and a couple other on-line places, that I'm changing my name from Carolyn to AnnaMariah.
I realize some people won't understand, some will be confused, but I hope you'll get over it. I am now officially going by AnnaMariah.
When I sit with the name I feel like it's reconnecting me to my divine self (Anna) and my elemental self (Mariah, as in "They Call the Wind Mariah") bringing together a clearer expression of who I am. One of my favorite songs was Neil Diamond's "I Am I Said". In reflecting on my name, my initials are now AM, I am standing in My "I AM" space and moving more fully into that space.
I'll share more about how I came to that name decision if you're interested.
I’ve long known that I would have a pen name, but lately have been feeling a draw more and more to become more of who I am now, and am becoming, and thought perhaps changing my name would assist that transition. Carolyn has felt that it’s of the past and is limiting in some ways I can’t even definite. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been defined by that name and those definitions no longer seem to fit.
Okay, so changing your name is a big deal, how do you know if you’ve chosen a name that’s in harmony with you and who you are becoming?
In my case I did “name change research” with Rose Rosetree. Rose is a phenomenal aura reader and has developed a method of energy spirituality and reading specific chakra data banks to see how a change will affect you energetically on many levels.
I was at a workshop with Rose, and she’d done “name change research” with one of the participants during lunch. After lunch Kim came back and announced her new name as Valerie and she was glowing and had a strength about her that hadn’t been there before. The transformation was impressive.
The following day I did the same research with Rose. We researched several names for their effect on areas like, personal power, making money, reputation and status in the world, relationships and love, creativity, passion, communicating deepest truth and even connection to divine. Part of the research is to present different names and see how they react to your aura. My middle name was Marie, which I’ve always hated (too much the good little Catholic girl, or nun). I have always loved the song “They Called the Wind Mariah”, it spoke to me of power and freedom, and I respond to the elemental nature of it. But Mariah alone wasn’t quite right, Anna had a nice ring.
My aura was fairly strong to start with, but as AnnaMariah all areas of my aura strengthen about 10 fold, and I instantly felt more bodacious and empowered in a very positive, yet grounded way. AnnaMariah feels lighter, more connected and expansive, deeper somehow and yes, graceful.
I’m in the process of transitioning into the fullness of being AnnaMariah as an expression of the divine on earth. Many thanks for all your positive support.
And I do realize you won’t just automatically change my name in your mind, and that’s okay too.
I'll answer to Carolyn or AnnaMariah, but I trust you'll move with me into this change into the fullness of Being I AM.
Have a bodacious life,
AnnaMariah
More Ramblings about Who I am, and Why I'm Here
It all started when I was Six and got my first sewing machine, but maybe it really started before I was born, as I looked at the life to come and chose to bring forth my gifts with stones.
Since I was a little girl making Barbie clothes on an old treadle sewing machine and jewelry out of tiny beads and thread, I've had a passion for creating beautiful things. That passion has grown to encompass a desire to help others feel beautiful inside and out. I'm a gemstone intuitive and Reiki master and have learned to use those abilities to create more than just jewelry. I create energy enhancing tools to help you be your most bodacious.
I have a confession about how I made jewelry back then, it wasn't always with beads and thread. My sister and I would take beaded pins, cut them short and then "Stab" them into Barbie and Midge's necks and ears to make earrings and necklaces. They looked very decorative, not sure how thrilled Barbie and Midge were though.
I feel that creative expression is something we all need to really keep in touch with our souls, our inner selves. It doesn't matter if it's just creating a nice flower arrangement or a nice vignette on a table, the important thing is to find a way to create beauty.
I could go on about the details of my life which have taken me to a lot of places, some planned, some completely unexpected. My life hasn't taken a straight path from one place to another, but followed a lot of twists and turns.
The one constant has always been a need to keep growing and creating.
I'm Not Selling Jewelry -
an amazing revelation and how it came about
This is from a blog post in early 2011, I've included it here because it does explain more about what I'm doing and why.
Most of you know that I make jewelry, but do you know that it's more than that? Probably not, because I don't really say much more than, "I work with the energy of the gemstones". Wow, really, what does that mean?
That doesn't really say very much, does it? I have to share a funny story with you that unfortunately stuck with me and caused me to doubt my ability to really share from my heart the truth of what I do.
About 6 months after I started the jewelry business, my husband and I started a business making gemstone collars (In addition to the people jewelry). We were at a craft show in Wisconsin and all day people would come in and exclaim over the pretty collars, and get totally disinterested when we mentioned that they also had specific healing properties. Before we started the second day, we decided to just say "Yep, they're pretty", and see if we could actually sell something.
The first woman in the booth started talking about her therapy dog and how wonderful it was that her dog could help people in nursing homes. I stupidly assumed that if she had a therapy dog, she would be into healing energy. I said "Well, then you're going to love this. These collars have gemstones which can actually help your dog energetically." She turned around mid-sentence and RAN out of the booth. I kid you not, she was running like the devil was after her.
That incident made me wonder if perhaps I should just sell jewelry, and let people think that's all it was, just pretty. So I jumped feet first into applying for art shows and showing my jewelry at a lot of traditional venues.
My biggest thanks goes first to all those shows, exhibits and events that I attended, spent loads of money to be part of, and came home feeling tired, discouraged and frustrated. (I won't go into the badly run shows, overbooked jewelry vendors, misrepresented and just borderline rip-offs here, that would be another whole blog.) Even the best run shows weren't working, I was in a beautifully jurried show in Annapolis and they put on a great show but when it's 95+ and humid, no one really wants to shop.
You've all helped me to realize something. I am not selling jewelry. Sometimes it's the things that don't work that are most important in showing us where our true passions and gifts lie. It may seem obvious to other people, but sometimes we have blinders on and are so busy working it, we don't see that perhaps it isn't about "working", instead it's about making connections and allowing the magic to happen.
I spent over two years trying to market my jewelry using all the traditional marketing methods, website, art shows, craft shows, meetings, home parties. If I hadn't had many great experiences where people really connected with and purchased my designs, I would have been seriously questioning my abilities.
Thank you to all of you who took the time to "feel" the energy of the stones and realize that there was a special connection when you found "your" piece. You kept the spark alive and reminded me over and over why I'm really doing this. But somehow it still didn't dawn on me that perhaps, just perhaps, I should allow my true abilities and passions to all come together and to stop "marketing" and instead help people to see, feel and understand the benefits of an energetically matched piece of jewelry. When the stones, the design and the wearer are in alignment, it's no longer jewelry, it becomes a sacred tool, an amulet, if you will, that can work with you to deepen your life experience in myriad ways.
When I stop marketing, I can realize the depth of what I do and allow it to speak for itself. I started the tarot reading and gemstone insight meetup honestly as a way to get more people interested in my jewelry, and because I thought it sounded like a lot of fun. Yes, it was fun, but it was more than that. It brought a new depth and meaning to how people were experiencing the stones.
The process has helped to merge and synthesize what seemed to be disparate talents, into a cohesive whole that allows me to give more value. I had a talk the other day with Lynne Porzel as part of her Trim Tab Coaching, I told her that I was not very clear that art shows, vendor events and the like really don't work for me. We talked a little longer and as we talked I saw very clearly that I'd been looking at this all wrong. I'm not selling jewelry. That's right, I'm really not selling jewelry. I am creating energetic tools that will enhance your life, support your energy and help you achieve your goals, stand out from the crowd, feel confident, show your uniqueness, help you sparkle, find your passion, express yourself, and so much more.
PS. I am not currently marketing the collars. When my husband went back to work as an exhibit designer I realized I needed to focus on my true love, jewelry for people.
Being Open to Possibilities - My Life Path Changed "quite by accident", and I love it
It's not every day that going to a trade show can totally change your life. It did mine. I must have been ready for a drastic change. I just didn't know it.
I guess I've just always been a natural Quester. I was in a low point in my life in June of 2008. I normally like what I do and enjoy going to work. That wasn't the case, in addition to working part time for the BioElectric Shield Company, I was working in an office as an accountant. Normally my accounting jobs are interesting and have some creativity. Not this time. The work was dull and with only one exception I didn't feel supported. I was seriously depressed, not a normal state for me. I was looking for a change, when quite by chance, I heard the ad for the Bead and Button show in Milwaukee.
I was off work at noon and on my way to the show. I was powerfully drawn to go, but the funny part is, I didn't know how to make jewelry, but I love gemstones and shiny things! The show is an entire convention center filled with beads, baubles and semi-precious stones. I found some beautiful clay Kazuri beads that really inspired me, I bought some incredible (expensive) red coral from Abe, who was soon to become one of my favorite vendors. I spent a bit, but not too much. I got home, pulled everything out to drool over it and show it off to my husband, when I realized I didn't have enough of the clay beads for earrings. So I went back with a friend who normally is the voice of reason. I thought if I got carried away she'd help me stop.
Ha. Joke was on me. I was unable to resist all those incredible goodies. My friend turned out to be a very bad influence, she'd find fabulous things and hold semi-precious and even precious stones in front of me saying "Have you seen this?" with wonder in her voice. How can a woman resist all that beauty? I can't! I couldn't. I walked out with a suitcase full of beads and stones.
The only problem was, I didn't even know how to make jewelry. I spent the summer taking classes, reading books, practicing jewelry making. Immediately people were stopping me in the street asking about the jewelry I was wearing. It finally dawned on me that just maybe I was meant to design and share my creations. Thus Bold Bodacious Jewelry was born. I still laugh about this whole process. Obviously the Universe or someone was guiding me. Looking back it should have been obvious that I was buying enough to start a business. But at the time, it just felt like the right thing to do. Not a conscious plan. Sometimes following your gut can change your life.
I was surprised to discover that magic happens.
I made 5 or 6 necklaces that first month, and was getting a lot of compliments. I still had no idea that I was going into business. I was at a dinner party and one of the women I just met was in love with what I was wearing. She followed me home so she could see what else I'd made. She put on one necklace that I'd worn and it was nice, not fabulous, just okay. MaryAnn put it on and it was magic, the necklace and MaryAnn both transformed, she was glowing even more than usual and the necklace went to nice to flipping stunning! She paid me on the spot and left thrilled. I was in awe at what just happened. I began to think that maybe this was all for a purpose and I was meant to make jewelry.
Remember that boring, depressing job? As I found extreme joy in the act of creating jewelry, going to work became simply unbearable. The contrast was just too huge. In one week my doctor, massage therapist and chiropractor all pointed out that when I talked about jewelry I was joyful, when I mentioned work I was crying, sometimes sobbing. Hm, yes, something had to change. Virginia Brown at the BioElectric Shield Company was thrilled, I could increase my hours working with her if I quit. So I took a deep breath, quit my job and created my first website!
In the fall of 2008 I began examining how various gemstones could enhance the protective and healing effects of the BioElectric Shield, I'm the business manager and have worked with them since 1994 (Read more about the Shield and how it's changed my life).
I also wanted to wear great jewelry and my gold and diamond Shield at the same time. I started creating "Shield necklaces" so I could do that. After making a few "Shield energy necklaces", I began to realize fully that not only was my jewelry beautiful and fun to wear, it had additional healing qualities as well.
I began to notice that I could hear and feel the energy of the stones. I instinctively knew how they needed to go together and when they were in alignment. When the design was right the necklace took on a life of its own. Over and over again, there was that magical moment when necklace and wearer combined energies and both simply glowed.
One friend kept telling me to make smaller things. She changed her mind though when one day she fell in love with a necklace I'd just made and it was fairly large. She tried it on and I kid you not, she danced around the room looking joyous.
What I realized in that moment was that a necklace that is large for the sake of being large, is just that, a big honking necklace. But when the stones and wearer are in alignment it doesn't feel too big, it simply feels bodacious.
Since 2008 I've been immersed in studying stones and their properties, paying particular attention to the magical transformation that happens when stones are combined. Much like the Shield, the combined properties of the stones in my jewelry are more powerful than the same combination of stones loose in your hand.
To view gem properties and styles to complement your shield, please visit Shield Energy necklaces and on the more delicate Beaded Chains, both make lovely jewelry on their own. If you're interested in ordering use coupon code BODACIOUS10 for 10% off the BioElectric Shield, Beaded Chains, or Energy Jewelry. (these pieces can also be worn as just jewelry without a Shield, and the beaded chains can work with your own pendants)
Michelangelo said "Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it"."
I have that same feeling about jewelry. I read books and magazines about jewelry designs and look at a lot of inspirational idea. But when it comes time to sit down and make something, all that goes out the window. My creative process consists of opening all the drawers in my bead cabinet (all arranged by color) and waiting for the beads to call to me.
Then I wait for them to let me know what they want to become. Sounds odd, perhaps, but I feel that each bead has an energy and a purpose and they truly help to inspire. Years ago, I designed clothing the same way, I would lay out a bolt of fabric and then would wake up in the morning with a vision of what it was to become. Jewelry is even more intuitive than that, and much more immediate. I pull out a collection of beads, and then sit with them for a while. Sometimes I have an immediate picture of what I'm making, other times it evolves completely on its own as I work. It's a fun, and often surprising process.
The other part that continually surprises and humbles me is the interaction that happens when my jewelry finds its owner. How to explain this? When the right person puts on a piece, it completely transforms into something much more than it was. I feel a huge "rush" when this happens and know that I'm doing something that is much bigger than what I can understand. I've also seen, felt shifts in the energy of the wearer as they connect with the piece. Jewelry is a beautiful decoration, but it can also connect us with parts of ourselves that we may not have fully expressed, or strengthen those that we have.
I am deeply humbled to be able to work with the energy of the stones and by doing so connect with beautiful, bodacious women, and assist them in stepping more fully into their bodaciousness. But at the same time, I'm having more fun than I've ever had in my life.
If all this sounds too "out there", then let it go, and just see what pieces attract you, my jewelry is beautiful and can accessorize your wardrobe beautifully.
Have fun with it and live the Bodacious Way
If you're interested in a Tarot Reading and/or personal gemstone consultation call 703-763-1655 or email me AM@BoldBodaciousJewelry.com
Bold, Bodacious Jewelry
Not just jewelry, or the latest trend, Bold Bodacious Jewelry is energetic, transformational tools that will help you discover and uncover your Empowered, Bodacious Self. Her pieces enhance your inner radiance, allowing your personal 'amazingness' to shine through. Bold Bodacious Jewelry creations are durable wearable works of art that are as unique as you are.
Artist Statement
AnnaMariah aka "the bodacious lady" - Who am I and why am I here
If you're confused about my name I did used to be Carolyn - I changed my name effective February 2012. Read more about this change below in Becoming AnnaMariah
Hopefully, if you’re reading this you know that gemstones have energy and power. Phwew, there’s one big thing out of the way. Just kidding, but you’d be surprised how many people look at me cross-eyed when I mention that idea.
I am honored to be a guardian of the stones, and to be called to help them bring forth their light and depths to the world. Each stone I touch is reactivated with the original energy of creation and is tasked to assist the wearer or recipient of its energy to awaken to full consciousness of who they are and what is theirs to do. In this way we step out of the darkness and into our full light of being.
I am a gemstone empath and tune deeply to the energy of the stones, listening n to their guidance to create gemstone jewelry that can be supportive and even transformational in myriad ways. I am less concerned with every changing trends and more with the beauty and magic inherent in the stones. My pieces are always unexpected and transformational as it connects with your energy and brings out your inner radiance in ways you hadn't considered yet.
Bold Bodacious Jewelry came about as an embodiment of my mission to help you become more consciously empowered and to remember who you are and why you are here.
Empowerment and confidence are supported by looking and feeling your best. What better way to embody that empowerment than with an amazing, unique work of wearable art that supports your inner radiance and outer beauty?
Combining my connection with stones and my ability to read and sense auras I have been able to work with the stones in unique ways to bring about combinations that resonate at different levels. In this case the whole is so much more than the parts.
You can look up the meanings of stones and that may give you an overview of what you can expect. But there’s a magic that happens when the connection is made between the wearer and one of my designs. The resulting changes may align with what the books say, and sometimes what I see is a combined energy that is completely unique and not exactly what would be expected from those particular combinations. The stones come alive when they connect with your energy.
My initial awakening into spiritual consciousness came about due to a stone. Yep, you heard me, a rock. I was in New Zealand at the te Maori Exhibition in 1987. In one write up about the exhibit they say this of the stone “The E Tü Ake mauri stone, named Hine Kaitaka. Mauri is the life force that exists in and connects all things, living and inanimate. Hine Kaitaka is a touchstone for the exhibition, anchoring the mauri of everything on display, the visitors and the exhibition’s hosts.”
The stone was placed at the entry point, and you were to touch it to honor the ancestors and give thanks. I touched the stone and felt electricity run through my body from the top of my head, through my feet and into the earth. At this time in my life I had no awareness that stones had energy and was completely taken by surprise. I looked up into the eyes of an ancient Mauri woman who seemed to be smiling knowingly, somehow almost gleefully. I practically heard her say "Finally, you're here".
Only one other person in our tour group of 40 people reported feeling anything. I was deeply moved by this experience, but certainly didn’t expect it to change anything in my life. HA I won’t go into detail but my life turned somersaults for the next few years, I had visions, learned to read tarot cards, experienced my first past-life regression…as, oh wait, here’s a surprise, a Mauri warrior. I credit this stone and my experience at that moment with activating something deep in my soul, and I’ve never looked back.
I was able to reconnect with this same touchstone again in 1998 at a tiny little exhibit in Arrowtown New Zealand. It took my breath away. I was instantly on my knees communing with the stone and soaking up its love and giving back my deep gratitude for its part in my life. Shortly after that I was back in Montana at a meditation and saw and felt that stone again in my mind and I heard these words. “This touchstone holds the energy of love and hate. It’s a fine balance and it’s yours to choose, which will you decide.”
Tantra Maat also said that we must know who we are and what is ours to do.
As I pondered this directive I know who I am and what is mine to do. I am honored to be a guardian of the stones, and to be called to help them bring forth their light and depths to the world. Each stone I touch is reactivated with the original energy of creation and is tasked to assist the wearer or recipient of its energy to awaken to full consciousness of who they are and what is theirs to do. In this way we step out of the darkness and into our full light of being.
I look forward to sharing insights into the gifts of the earth and how they can assist you on your path.
Namaste
AnnaMariah
AnnaMariah, Bold Bodacious Jewelry (formerly Carolyn Nau – I’m in the process of transitioning into the fullness of being AnnaMariah as an expression of the divine on earth)
https://www.facebook.com/BodaciousWay
I am business Manager for BioElectric Shield Company and owner/designer creating healing gemstone jewelry for my artisan jewelry company Bold Bodacious Jewelry. These two business work beautifully together as they both deal with the healing power of gemstones.
I’m passionate about making jewelry and sharing the BioElectric Shield with others because they’ve changed my life.
BS – before Shield…I remember times when I’d go to a trade show or other crowded place and the overload of energy would be so great that I’d be spacey, have a headache, even have trouble breathing – one time I ended up out front hyperventilating and crying. I had to forego a lot of things I wanted to do because of this. I knew spiritual protection techniques and what to do, and it just wasn’t enough. The Shield has changed my life, and that of so many other people. I love knowing what I do makes a difference. The Shield changed my life, from energy sponge, to empowered woman.
Announcing my new name...I am AnnaMariah
As of Feb 3, 2012, I officially announced on Facebook and a couple other on-line places, that I'm changing my name from Carolyn to AnnaMariah.
I realize some people won't understand, some will be confused, but I hope you'll get over it. I am now officially going by AnnaMariah.
When I sit with the name I feel like it's reconnecting me to my divine self (Anna) and my elemental self (Mariah, as in "They Call the Wind Mariah") bringing together a clearer expression of who I am. One of my favorite songs was Neil Diamond's "I Am I Said". In reflecting on my name, my initials are now AM, I am standing in My "I AM" space and moving more fully into that space.
I'll share more about how I came to that name decision if you're interested.
I’ve long known that I would have a pen name, but lately have been feeling a draw more and more to become more of who I am now, and am becoming, and thought perhaps changing my name would assist that transition. Carolyn has felt that it’s of the past and is limiting in some ways I can’t even definite. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been defined by that name and those definitions no longer seem to fit.
Okay, so changing your name is a big deal, how do you know if you’ve chosen a name that’s in harmony with you and who you are becoming?
In my case I did “name change research” with Rose Rosetree. Rose is a phenomenal aura reader and has developed a method of energy spirituality and reading specific chakra data banks to see how a change will affect you energetically on many levels.
I was at a workshop with Rose, and she’d done “name change research” with one of the participants during lunch. After lunch Kim came back and announced her new name as Valerie and she was glowing and had a strength about her that hadn’t been there before. The transformation was impressive.
The following day I did the same research with Rose. We researched several names for their effect on areas like, personal power, making money, reputation and status in the world, relationships and love, creativity, passion, communicating deepest truth and even connection to divine. Part of the research is to present different names and see how they react to your aura. My middle name was Marie, which I’ve always hated (too much the good little Catholic girl, or nun). I have always loved the song “They Called the Wind Mariah”, it spoke to me of power and freedom, and I respond to the elemental nature of it. But Mariah alone wasn’t quite right, Anna had a nice ring.
My aura was fairly strong to start with, but as AnnaMariah all areas of my aura strengthen about 10 fold, and I instantly felt more bodacious and empowered in a very positive, yet grounded way. AnnaMariah feels lighter, more connected and expansive, deeper somehow and yes, graceful.
I’m in the process of transitioning into the fullness of being AnnaMariah as an expression of the divine on earth. Many thanks for all your positive support.
And I do realize you won’t just automatically change my name in your mind, and that’s okay too.
I'll answer to Carolyn or AnnaMariah, but I trust you'll move with me into this change into the fullness of Being I AM.
Have a bodacious life,
AnnaMariah
More Ramblings about Who I am, and Why I'm Here
It all started when I was Six and got my first sewing machine, but maybe it really started before I was born, as I looked at the life to come and chose to bring forth my gifts with stones.
Since I was a little girl making Barbie clothes on an old treadle sewing machine and jewelry out of tiny beads and thread, I've had a passion for creating beautiful things. That passion has grown to encompass a desire to help others feel beautiful inside and out. I'm a gemstone intuitive and Reiki master and have learned to use those abilities to create more than just jewelry. I create energy enhancing tools to help you be your most bodacious.
I have a confession about how I made jewelry back then, it wasn't always with beads and thread. My sister and I would take beaded pins, cut them short and then "Stab" them into Barbie and Midge's necks and ears to make earrings and necklaces. They looked very decorative, not sure how thrilled Barbie and Midge were though.
I feel that creative expression is something we all need to really keep in touch with our souls, our inner selves. It doesn't matter if it's just creating a nice flower arrangement or a nice vignette on a table, the important thing is to find a way to create beauty.
I could go on about the details of my life which have taken me to a lot of places, some planned, some completely unexpected. My life hasn't taken a straight path from one place to another, but followed a lot of twists and turns.
The one constant has always been a need to keep growing and creating.
I'm Not Selling Jewelry -
an amazing revelation and how it came about
This is from a blog post in early 2011, I've included it here because it does explain more about what I'm doing and why.
Most of you know that I make jewelry, but do you know that it's more than that? Probably not, because I don't really say much more than, "I work with the energy of the gemstones". Wow, really, what does that mean?
That incident made me wonder if perhaps I should just sell jewelry, and let people think that's all it was, just pretty. So I jumped feet first into applying for art shows and showing my jewelry at a lot of traditional venues.
That doesn't really say very much, does it? I have to share a funny story with you that unfortunately stuck with me and caused me to doubt my ability to really share from my heart the truth of what I do.
About 6 months after I started the jewelry business, my husband and I started a business making gemstone collars (In addition to the people jewelry). We were at a craft show in Wisconsin and all day people would come in and exclaim over the pretty collars, and get totally disinterested when we mentioned that they also had specific healing properties. Before we started the second day, we decided to just say "Yep, they're pretty", and see if we could actually sell something.
The first woman in the booth started talking about her therapy dog and how wonderful it was that her dog could help people in nursing homes. I stupidly assumed that if she had a therapy dog, she would be into healing energy. I said "Well, then you're going to love this. These collars have gemstones which can actually help your dog energetically." She turned around mid-sentence and RAN out of the booth. I kid you not, she was running like the devil was after her.
My biggest thanks goes first to all those shows, exhibits and events that I attended, spent loads of money to be part of, and came home feeling tired, discouraged and frustrated. (I won't go into the badly run shows, overbooked jewelry vendors, misrepresented and just borderline rip-offs here, that would be another whole blog.) Even the best run shows weren't working, I was in a beautifully jurried show in Annapolis and they put on a great show but when it's 95+ and humid, no one really wants to shop.
You've all helped me to realize something. I am not selling jewelry. Sometimes it's the things that don't work that are most important in showing us where our true passions and gifts lie. It may seem obvious to other people, but sometimes we have blinders on and are so busy working it, we don't see that perhaps it isn't about "working", instead it's about making connections and allowing the magic to happen.
I spent over two years trying to market my jewelry using all the traditional marketing methods, website, art shows, craft shows, meetings, home parties. If I hadn't had many great experiences where people really connected with and purchased my designs, I would have been seriously questioning my abilities.
Thank you to all of you who took the time to "feel" the energy of the stones and realize that there was a special connection when you found "your" piece. You kept the spark alive and reminded me over and over why I'm really doing this. But somehow it still didn't dawn on me that perhaps, just perhaps, I should allow my true abilities and passions to all come together and to stop "marketing" and instead help people to see, feel and understand the benefits of an energetically matched piece of jewelry. When the stones, the design and the wearer are in alignment, it's no longer jewelry, it becomes a sacred tool, an amulet, if you will, that can work with you to deepen your life experience in myriad ways.
When I stop marketing, I can realize the depth of what I do and allow it to speak for itself. I started the tarot reading and gemstone insight meetup honestly as a way to get more people interested in my jewelry, and because I thought it sounded like a lot of fun. Yes, it was fun, but it was more than that. It brought a new depth and meaning to how people were experiencing the stones.
The process has helped to merge and synthesize what seemed to be disparate talents, into a cohesive whole that allows me to give more value. I had a talk the other day with Lynne Porzel as part of her Trim Tab Coaching, I told her that I was not very clear that art shows, vendor events and the like really don't work for me. We talked a little longer and as we talked I saw very clearly that I'd been looking at this all wrong. I'm not selling jewelry. That's right, I'm really not selling jewelry. I am creating energetic tools that will enhance your life, support your energy and help you achieve your goals, stand out from the crowd, feel confident, show your uniqueness, help you sparkle, find your passion, express yourself, and so much more.
PS. I am not currently marketing the collars. When my husband went back to work as an exhibit designer I realized I needed to focus on my true love, jewelry for people.
Being Open to Possibilities - My Life Path Changed "quite by accident", and I love it
It's not every day that going to a trade show can totally change your life. It did mine. I must have been ready for a drastic change. I just didn't know it.
I guess I've just always been a natural Quester. I was in a low point in my life in June of 2008. I normally like what I do and enjoy going to work. That wasn't the case, in addition to working part time for the BioElectric Shield Company, I was working in an office as an accountant. Normally my accounting jobs are interesting and have some creativity. Not this time. The work was dull and with only one exception I didn't feel supported. I was seriously depressed, not a normal state for me. I was looking for a change, when quite by chance, I heard the ad for the Bead and Button show in Milwaukee.
I was off work at noon and on my way to the show. I was powerfully drawn to go, but the funny part is, I didn't know how to make jewelry, but I love gemstones and shiny things! The show is an entire convention center filled with beads, baubles and semi-precious stones. I found some beautiful clay Kazuri beads that really inspired me, I bought some incredible (expensive) red coral from Abe, who was soon to become one of my favorite vendors. I spent a bit, but not too much. I got home, pulled everything out to drool over it and show it off to my husband, when I realized I didn't have enough of the clay beads for earrings. So I went back with a friend who normally is the voice of reason. I thought if I got carried away she'd help me stop.
Ha. Joke was on me. I was unable to resist all those incredible goodies. My friend turned out to be a very bad influence, she'd find fabulous things and hold semi-precious and even precious stones in front of me saying "Have you seen this?" with wonder in her voice. How can a woman resist all that beauty? I can't! I couldn't. I walked out with a suitcase full of beads and stones.
The only problem was, I didn't even know how to make jewelry. I spent the summer taking classes, reading books, practicing jewelry making. Immediately people were stopping me in the street asking about the jewelry I was wearing. It finally dawned on me that just maybe I was meant to design and share my creations. Thus Bold Bodacious Jewelry was born. I still laugh about this whole process. Obviously the Universe or someone was guiding me. Looking back it should have been obvious that I was buying enough to start a business. But at the time, it just felt like the right thing to do. Not a conscious plan. Sometimes following your gut can change your life.
I was surprised to discover that magic happens.
I made 5 or 6 necklaces that first month, and was getting a lot of compliments. I still had no idea that I was going into business. I was at a dinner party and one of the women I just met was in love with what I was wearing. She followed me home so she could see what else I'd made. She put on one necklace that I'd worn and it was nice, not fabulous, just okay. MaryAnn put it on and it was magic, the necklace and MaryAnn both transformed, she was glowing even more than usual and the necklace went to nice to flipping stunning! She paid me on the spot and left thrilled. I was in awe at what just happened. I began to think that maybe this was all for a purpose and I was meant to make jewelry.
Remember that boring, depressing job? As I found extreme joy in the act of creating jewelry, going to work became simply unbearable. The contrast was just too huge. In one week my doctor, massage therapist and chiropractor all pointed out that when I talked about jewelry I was joyful, when I mentioned work I was crying, sometimes sobbing. Hm, yes, something had to change. Virginia Brown at the BioElectric Shield Company was thrilled, I could increase my hours working with her if I quit. So I took a deep breath, quit my job and created my first website!
In the fall of 2008 I began examining how various gemstones could enhance the protective and healing effects of the BioElectric Shield, I'm the business manager and have worked with them since 1994 (Read more about the Shield and how it's changed my life).
I also wanted to wear great jewelry and my gold and diamond Shield at the same time. I started creating "Shield necklaces" so I could do that. After making a few "Shield energy necklaces", I began to realize fully that not only was my jewelry beautiful and fun to wear, it had additional healing qualities as well.
I began to notice that I could hear and feel the energy of the stones. I instinctively knew how they needed to go together and when they were in alignment. When the design was right the necklace took on a life of its own. Over and over again, there was that magical moment when necklace and wearer combined energies and both simply glowed.
What I realized in that moment was that a necklace that is large for the sake of being large, is just that, a big honking necklace. But when the stones and wearer are in alignment it doesn't feel too big, it simply feels bodacious.
Since 2008 I've been immersed in studying stones and their properties, paying particular attention to the magical transformation that happens when stones are combined. Much like the Shield, the combined properties of the stones in my jewelry are more powerful than the same combination of stones loose in your hand.
To view gem properties and styles to complement your shield, please visit Shield Energy necklaces and on the more delicate Beaded Chains, both make lovely jewelry on their own. If you're interested in ordering use coupon code BODACIOUS10 for 10% off the BioElectric Shield, Beaded Chains, or Energy Jewelry. (these pieces can also be worn as just jewelry without a Shield, and the beaded chains can work with your own pendants)
Michelangelo said "Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it"."
I have that same feeling about jewelry. I read books and magazines about jewelry designs and look at a lot of inspirational idea. But when it comes time to sit down and make something, all that goes out the window. My creative process consists of opening all the drawers in my bead cabinet (all arranged by color) and waiting for the beads to call to me.
Then I wait for them to let me know what they want to become. Sounds odd, perhaps, but I feel that each bead has an energy and a purpose and they truly help to inspire. Years ago, I designed clothing the same way, I would lay out a bolt of fabric and then would wake up in the morning with a vision of what it was to become. Jewelry is even more intuitive than that, and much more immediate. I pull out a collection of beads, and then sit with them for a while. Sometimes I have an immediate picture of what I'm making, other times it evolves completely on its own as I work. It's a fun, and often surprising process.
The other part that continually surprises and humbles me is the interaction that happens when my jewelry finds its owner. How to explain this? When the right person puts on a piece, it completely transforms into something much more than it was. I feel a huge "rush" when this happens and know that I'm doing something that is much bigger than what I can understand. I've also seen, felt shifts in the energy of the wearer as they connect with the piece. Jewelry is a beautiful decoration, but it can also connect us with parts of ourselves that we may not have fully expressed, or strengthen those that we have.
I am deeply humbled to be able to work with the energy of the stones and by doing so connect with beautiful, bodacious women, and assist them in stepping more fully into their bodaciousness. But at the same time, I'm having more fun than I've ever had in my life.
If all this sounds too "out there", then let it go, and just see what pieces attract you, my jewelry is beautiful and can accessorize your wardrobe beautifully.
Have fun with it and live the Bodacious Way
If you're interested in a Tarot Reading and/or personal gemstone consultation call 703-763-1655 or email me AM@BoldBodaciousJewelry.com
artspan is contemporary art