Thank You

Diva in her glory,

with offerings at her feet.

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Photos cannot do justice and words cannot recount Diva's launch. I thought I would have taken tons of shots, but I barely took any. Somehow it seemed incongruous to try and capture Diva's essence ... and even the few shots that I did take don't live up to 'the real thing'. I thought I would have been writing tons of words, but now I am speechless and empty (as often happens to me after any heartfelt massive creative output). I will leave my words for "Thank You's" ...

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THANK YOU

Thank You to JAH ... not the judge of Diva's poetry competition (although we thank her too), but the JAH without whom none of this would have been possible.

Thank You to Allison for being such a gracious hostess and providing Quest as (i) the intimate and ideal space for the launch, (ii) the symbolic portal through which Diva passed to go to her new home (where I hear she has settled in well and is very happy) and (iii) the symbolic portal through which each one of us present entered and exited and were transformed in some simple but significant way.

Thanks to everyone who came and brought offerings, whether physical or intangible. In what turned out to be a gathering of kindred spirits, your presence filled the room with positive vibes. I felt it turned out to be a simple, magical and multifaceted launch.

Thanks to the night's performers: Nicola for opening the show, introducing Diva and reading that very fitting little story and honorary poem; Carolyn and Liseli for reading for the first time in public from your new books/novels; Tracy for sharing your original, sensuous Diva poems; Rosanna for closing with that powerful Adi Shakti meditation. (Ironic and symbolic that so many people read from their 'first books' since Quest is a bookstore ...)

Thanks to everyone who brought something to eat or drink. We certainly had a divine feast, fit for a Diva. For those who were asking about the recipe for my 3D (Divine Diva Dip), I will provide it below.

Last but not least, thank You, Diva, for taking me (us) on this inspiring, intriguing and pleasurable journey. Along the way you became more than an inanimate object. As you developed, you definitely seemed to embody the spirit of someone very special. (It was interesting to see/hear us last night at the launch addressing you as if you were one of us - as I take it you were). I feel honoured to have helped you become who/what you are now. (Here I will admit that when I took Diva to Quest on Saturday and then returned home, there was 'a space' left in the house, as one would feel when a special guest or a friend who has been visiting for an extended period is no longer there. But this is merely a physical space, since Diva's essence extends way beyond the mere frame). Diva, may you stand with pride in your new home and always give light to those who encounter you.

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Recipe for

3D: Divine Diva Dip

Ingredients

1 tin of channa/chick peas

1 large onion - chopped

3 pegs of garlic - diced

A few springs of celery - chopped

A few olives - diced

A red garden pepper (not the hot ones) - diced

Half a pack of Philadelphia Cream Cheese

An 'oomph' of water

An instinctive dollop of mustard

A few sprinkles of sea salt (or any salt - if you don't have sea salt)

A tad of honey

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Method

Put everything in a blender and blend until satisfied.

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Elspeth