Shed the thoughts to reveal the heart

I've noticed when I break out of a routine to work on a project, I have a hard time getting back into that routine again. It is like a spiral. One doesn't go back to the beginning, but rather takes the new experience and moves around in an upward motion.

I've added meditation to my morning and evening rituals, so I have taken that experience along with my reading, to come back to mandalas.

I have missed doing them and it was this morning after reading a mandala oasis post on chakras, that I knew I needed to do a mandala to get centered again.

I feel as though I have been all over the place... scattering my energy like the scattered leaves all over the ground. Grounding, that's what I needed and what better place to start than at the first chakra.

Suzanne was inspiring me with her research on chakras at Mandala Oasis, and what seemed to fit here was the issue of Trust that had come up lately.

Trust is a 1st chakra issue.

The issue of mistrust had surfaced and while working on this mandala it came to the forefront of my mind.

Red is the color of the Root Chakra, called Muladhara Chakra.. and snake appeared.

Snake has appeared a few times in my mandalas.. a message of transformation.

Shedding the skin, it gave me thought to our "thoughts" and how we need to shed the old belief patterns from our past. Moving forward, leaving behind that which no longer serves us.

In order to do that, it needs to surface, come to our consciousness.. we need to be aware of it first. One cannot move on until we understand and integrate the lesson.

No sense in burying it, because it will only resurface some other time.

Trust is an issue we develop in our early childhood.

And yes, there were some aha moments with that which I won't go into here...

But the point here is, mandala is speaking to me again. I gave myself the gift of time to listen. To do some art for myself, to have the "conversation" with it, to pay attention to the message.

Thank you my mandala sisters :-)

Back to mandalas

Autumn's burst.

I love autumn, but last week was more like winter.

I love the colors and it's my favorite time to drive.

I could walk forever in the woods with leaves swirling around my head.

It's the energy of autumn, that invigorates me with creative energy.

I want to capture it.

Wrap myself up in it.

It's the the energy of fire.

Dancing.

Eating the rays of the sun.

Have you ever wanted to just find yourself on a little island, eating the rays of the sun?

Drawing in it's healing energy.. looking at the reflection of the moon in water...

embrace yourself with dazzeling light?

close your eyes.

and be there.

Most popular

This seems to be the one that most people respond to first. The chakra box. I called it Between the Earth and Sky. click on the close up for details. There are small bottles representing each of the chakras. My focus is to take the Middle Way, the Tao, in life.. the path of heart.

We called the show Random Fixtures of the Heart. It all comes back to that, the heart. Keeping it open to find it's messages, to follow it's path.

The path to peace.
Of the nine pieces, this one had the most favorable response. Which one is yours?

Art Show - part 3

When most of the people had left, Igor and my sister took pictures of us.. and of course we were goofing around...
Reflections of the Moon
Memories of the Moon - a piece the evolved about global warming. Protect our oceans before they become just a memory...

This is the Vision Box.

Strange Fruit:

Dear Monsanto,

Please leave our seeds alone.

Make Fun Stuff:

This turns around, so it was interesting photographing it... this is the back..

one side

and the other...

Art Show - part 2

A most wonderful feeling... and able to take a breath!
This piece, Reminders of Life, is in memory of Margaret, John's sister that left this planet on May 18th. These are her shoes.
There were lots of lessons for me with her death and one of them a reminder not to put off doing that which you love to do. Not only that, but to have more faith, to dance, to take more chances, to live life to it's fullest.
Dare. Dream. Create.
Don't put anything off.


Close up of the hanging shoes.

My dear brother taking a look...

Art Show - part 1

Between the Earth and Sky:

A Chakra Box

Taking the Middle Way, the path of heart

This one was probably the most popular one of the assemblages/shrines.

Me and John as things began to wind down. I'm next to The Vision Box.

I loved how this one complemented the "eye of love" next to it.

This is the inside of Excavating the Heart. The back of it reads:
"I think you are searching for a heart of gold," she said.
"Yes, and I had to dig deep to find it."
The more open the heart,
the deeper one loves.




Take the pearl, leave the shell. Inspired by Rumi. All these found at Rye beach, except the doll head which I "inherited" from Margaret.

Breathe: Follow the Path of Passion.

As I was creating this, I was influenced by a book my brother and I are reading and it evolved into a piece dedicated to him. It's about finding your path in life, following your passion, your bliss. When one does, everything falls into place... like these assemblages :-)

My brother creates beautiful ponds, loves nature... a natural gardener. We share a commonality in the love of nature... so this one is for him.

Need to go eat... and I'll post more later.

The neglected blogs....

I have been so remiss in keeping up with my blogging... Sometimes I just don't have much to say.

Most of the time, it's because I don't have anything to show or I haven't uploaded pictures.

Life seems to be back on track with teaching art, yoga, working on art for clients and a show me and John are doing together.

His work hangs on the wall, my is off the wall. Appropriate.

Initially, he wanted to do the show solo, but then "invited" me to participate, but only with my assemblages and shrines.

OK by me :-)

I am having a great time with this, creating in my free time. OH YES! During the school year, I HAVE free time... unlike the summer. Seems to be a bit backwards, and I'm hoping to have that changed for next summer.

Anyway..... Here's some stuff I've been working on.. just a peek.

I'm also reading Hick's new book, The Vortex (an Abraham book) which seems to be a wonderful companion to The Presence Process, by Michal Brown. Lot's of good insight and Aha! moments. Learning and growing........

Mandala Insights..

Fiesta Sun
Eye Dream

Medicine Shield
Looking back over my mandala journal, I've noticed that red is not a color I'll use too often. I'll work with a deep red or a magenta, using a bit of red as accent.
I hardly wear red.
So this was a thought that came about, more like a question... really.
Why the attraction to red? I'm using it more often in my recent work.
Red , a color of the first chakra, to me is a cry for some grounding.
I tend to take on a variety of jobs (Gemini midheaven) and I can get pretty scattered with my energy, especially when clients want it done at the same time.
At the same time, getting all this work is energizing. A pattern, healthy or not, that I see as "working best under stress"... I get it done when the pressure is ON.
So, once again, I look to the happy medium, the center ground (grounding) where I can balance work and play (my own art).
Being self-employed, I take it all on, because one never knows - old thinking!
It's always there and sometimes it pours.
This is a habit that dies hard, although there are a few jobs I did say no to recently. More for fear of totally losing it though. I felt I was on the edge...
scary.
A new season, with a return to a different schedule (more to my liking, I might add) and with it a need to bring my self-discipline to working in a timely manner. (no procrastinating!)
Getting the work done, but leaving room for myself.. my Self.
So this is my medicine shield for now, a reminder to ground myself and to be in balance.
Stand strong. Rooted.
and then take off.....
upwards into the creative realm.
Bliss.

For Passion

After creating this last night, I thought I'd dedicate it to my friend Ann Marie whose birthday it was yesterday... Happy Birthday! It's message is to follow your passions in life. Open up to them, keep them always in your heart and let them out to share with the world.
Who would we be without our passions?
They are what keep our fires burning. Vowing to keep stoking that fire, feeding it with doing that which I love to do. My art. My spiritual path.. these are things I share with my friend.
Always good to have a friend to share these passions with and glad to share this path with you.
Happy Birthday :-)

Away from or Towards

I had one of those moments when it "clicked" as to how I was looking at something a bit problematic in my life... attached. stuck. focusing on what I wanted to remove from my life.. what I was wanting to move away from... when I focused on it, I felt terrible.
And then something happened...
I began to visualize what it was that I did want.. what I wanted to move towards and my body felt different. I smiled. I felt good... aaahh, silly me.
Looking out the wrong window again.
It is that law of attraction.. what you focus on is what appears.. even if only in thought.
So instead of moving away from, I am now moving towards.
Not from, but to...
and it feels so much better :-)

All One

A week long vacation to take in the mountain air and spend some time creating. I did quite a few mandalas. Our cabin had a table big enough to share.. John on one side and me on the other with enough room to spread out. We could hear the sound of the water rushing by, birds singing along with the smell of wood burning below at various campsites. It's a peaceful place.
We take walks to the creek, read and do our art. A truly relaxing vacation.
This one I did with the twinkling H2O's that I ordered.. and finally got to open up the new colors.
Most of the mandalas unfold without any conscious intention other than just wanting to create in a circle. Afterwards I sit with it. Listen to what it wants to say, or what I need to hear.
Being in this environment, it is easy to feel at peace and at one with all beings... human, animal, plant, river, rock... breathing in the beauty, listening to the song of the birds... reminding me of what is important.
I feel in alignment again.
I fell out of it for awhile and I'm not so sure why I had to create all this drama. I did have a choice on how I responded to all of it and I didn't do very well.
This mandala reminded me of the oneness...

~All One~

One with the Divine

She is One with Nature

Goddess of Expression

Creative Spirit

Her palette is her Spirit

holding the colors

Nature has manifested for her

Her power comes from heartfelt Service

Wisdom passed on..

Stamina shines forth

Radiating her strength

She knows

She sees

All embracing

Reaching out

Connected

One.

Divine.

8/17/09

Deep Reach

Reaching out from my heart center

How far, how deep

can I reach

stretch

Open

I want to open out to the Universe

Stretch so deeply

as to touch the edges of life and love

Open up so deeply and fully

Embracing all life and love has to offer

Embrace All

even the unknown

Drink it into my heart

filling it to it's fullness

and then exploding it outwards

landing all over you :-)

Insightful mandalas

I did this one on Sat. morning.. called "inner sensing" which I didn't really know why. It was something that popped into my head and didn't question it. I pretty much did that through out the mandala.. choosing colors intuitively. Allowing. Seeing what comes up. Later comes the insight.
Interestingly enough, in yoga class, this is pretty much what the class was about. Inner sensing - getting in touch with what was going on internally. It was an amazing practice! Powerful in "presence" and right in synch with what I am reading... The Presence Process by Michael Brown.

This mandala is called, "when paths merge". Life can be so freaky at times. Small. Without going into the details of it, life has shown me that when we are on a path, you never know who you'll run into. We all have our path in life, but I find it astounding at times how paths interweave with someone else's.. another "pay attention" moment. What is this telling me?

I'm where I'm supposed to be. I guess we all are where we're supposed to be. We just look too much outside ourselves and into the future.. wondering rather than Being in the present moment and receiving and intimately feeling the moments in our hearts, bodies, soul... relishing each glorious moment.

Each step.. walk gracefully.

Each breath.. be aware.

Being conscious of life.

Living it with conscious awareness rather than mindlessly walking-talking-in-the-head-to-the-next-place-I-need-to-be and in such a hurry that you don't consider anyone else around you... ever been like that?

Take a moment to walk. slowly. consciously. allow your body to move the way it desires. Give it permission.. to sway. to swoon. to glide... to move into dance. Be inside and take notice.
Have fun :-)

Jungle

Wandering eyes

Starting to slack off on my mandalas a day... I kept up with it pretty good and even went back to color some in... but the last week, I've only been able to do some on the weekend.
Today, this one is taking on a new meaning.
I think what happens sometimes in art is that the unconscious is revealed to us but not always right away.. it takes awhile for the conscious mind to "get it".
I'm a pretty stable person. I've lived in the same place for over 30 years, held the same summer job for about 25. There is a comfort in stability, but I also like diversity. I take on a lot of different jobs throughout the year... this year, there was a big increase in work. I teach art to children, teach yoga to adults, teach private art classes at various times, take on various other art jobs painting furniture or walls or tiles or whatever someone may want painted... add to that community projects: window painting, mini workshops, etc.
I am full, overflowing with an abundance of work. (For this, I am grateful )
Add to THAT- caretaking parents, fitting in my own art, so yes... life is full and diverse.
Summer involves camp.. pretty much a full time job and I still have clients that want stuff, yoga classes, incomplete projects waiting in the room, and I AM BURNT!
Wandering eyes revealed to me that it is time to let something go... and it is camp.
I come home and veg.. nap... or whine... Client's work sits waiting to be done. My own work waits to be done. My energy is depleted.......... my eyes wander to where I can go, what I can change.
Goal: Next year start a preschool art camp. Mornings only... Saving my afternoons for my own art, clients.. and having some fun.
Yes, these eyes are looking to the future - knowing it's time to leave. Let it go.

Blogger mystery...

I have my blogs back. I like some things with wordpress, (www.mandalas4me.wordpress.com/ )but I love that you can click on the above picture and it'll pop up larger... not sure why wordpress doesn't do that, or maybe I just don't know how.
I have stuff to scan. So now I know it's not ME that messed up, that I deleted something, but some weird glitch with IE, because this happened to someone else as well.
I love the computer, but damn! they are so temperamental.
Sometimes, you just need to let it go... does everything need to have an answer? and sometimes, I don't really care as the why (although this is rare :-) just as long as I have what I want.. in this case, my blog... it's a mystery as to what happened and right now, I don't care.. enjoying the moment :-)

A Station Break

Here's the deal... I'm at the library. I cannot access my blog from my own computer because, well, I messed up something and until I figure it out, you can go to my NEW blog over at Wordpress.
See my mandala art at http://www.mandalas4me.wordpress.com
and my main blog will be http://www.doegrozart.wordpress.com
So, until furtur notice....... that's where I'll be. Hope you come visit.
thanks.

Tiles in progress........

So far, here is where I'm at with the tiles. Some of the work will be done on site, adding grape vines... one bonus of doing fruit bowls and doing them in a timely manner, is that I get to eat the "still life"

Ate the mango today :-)

Yum.

Remembering

Remembering

It's been awhile, but it's coming back to me.

yes.

I remember your radiance and how magical you made me feel about the world.

You were gone for such a long time, but now you are back.

You were deep in slumber, waiting for this time.

This time,

I will keep you in my heart center.

This time, I will not take you for granted.

This time,

You are deeply appreciated.

Art of the Young Child

I have been lucky enough to fall into the work I do... I give children an opportunity to create.

Important stuff - for them - for all of us. From the beginning of October until the end of March I give them a variety of materials to create with and take pictures of the creative process. The celebration of Week of the Young Child is this week, and we celebrated yesterday with a reception of their work... It is diplayed along the walls, covering both floors, and in the case.. It brings color and joy to all who see it. The next few posts are some of the photos... enjoy :-)

Party Time...

Sometimes, one sings their art...............

At the Reception...
Sharing their art with family and friends...

enjoying some snacks

Chatting with friends, finding their artwork..

and taking some time out to do a little dance

say "Cheese"


Parties over ....

What I have been up to....

I have been working with a group of preschoolers and the culmination is an art show of their work, their photos capturing the process of creating and some quotes to go along with it.
We worked with a variety of materials; paints, clay, collaging... always with some fun embellishments... but it is always about the processs of creating. Learning, playing, experimenting, playing and of course making a mess.

Sometimes, we need to taste our art :-)

This is a taste of some of the art they created. This was our flower garden with imaginary bugs.

Art is about having fun, and while having fun, they learn.

Recycle!

One of the things I have been working on... and you can see them here :-)

Doodle Weekend

Doodle bird takes a walk

eye fly

Bursting through

The Awakening

What a pear!

Travel the Royal Road

I doodled this as I sat talking with my SIL. It calmed me..

and as I am calm, those around me may be calm-er.

I think I was wanting to set an example as well. It doesn't take much to sit and doodle..

You don't have to pull out all the paints and brushes.. just pen or pencil and pad.

I had a title for this when I was there, but I forgot what it was exactly..

The closest to it is something like

Taking the Royal Journey...

I always want to travel the high road. I work hard at taking the high road, the path that I feel is of service, being good, doing good deeds. I like giving, but I also need to receive. I don't mind driving, but sometimes I like to be taken on a ride.

We all need this balance.

I looked at this picture as an invitation to travel well on a royal path. To be carried away to exotic places, exalted. "Oh yes, your highness... be most comfortable and travel well."

Aren't there some days you want to be treated like a princess, or queen (or king, prince)... because you work hard and should be treated this way?!

I can choose my path, but how will I travel it?

with dignity.. with honor...

how will I cushion the rocky road?

how often will I stop along the road to smell those flowers and observe the beauty around me?

who will I travel with and how will I greet those I meet?

We all travel this path.

I want to travel it without regrets.

Now Go! Do thy taxes!

What do you do when you are on overload and don't have much time for art of your own?

doodle.

I carried a pen and sketchbook to my sister-in-laws house. this isn't the one I did.

I did this at night sitting in my big comfy chair in the living room with hubby, half watching TV.

Too tired to go back into a very messy art room.

Energy almost depleted, but not entirely... I go within to see what comes out :-)

Later on after looking at this, he spoke to me...

yeah, no more procrastinating.. get that stuff prepared for taxman.

Not particularly fond of this time - it comes when there are so many other projects going on.

But, it is what it is... so I need to stop whining about it and just finish it up.

Is everyone else as overwhelmed as I am.. seems to me that life has speeded up!

When the wind blows....

Another in the series of theraputic zentangles.

A great shift occured. Stuff got done.. as it usually does.

Sometimes, it is just overwhelm.

Looking at the big picture too much and not being in the present moment.

It is so much easier when there is a gentle breeze, when everything goes along nice and smoothly.

No ruffled feathers.

But that is not the case in life.

Great winds appear, hurricane force winds... stirring it all up.

But hey, maybe that is just to blow away that which is weak,

that which is not strong enough to remain... it gets rid of the dead wood.

Nature's way of cleaning.

We need to take notice.

Observe and learn from Mother nature and all her tactics.

Thanks for the lesson.

Peddle Hard

In the evening, when I can do nothing more than veg out in front of the TV or I just need to be in the company of my sweet husband... OR I just have no more space left in my art room...

I doodle.

And along the lines of these doodle/zentangles, I find it interesting what my subconscious mind has to say about it all.

I had to laugh at this one.

Carrying all the burdens of life, we do the best we can. We just get up and do it. Easy to do the stuff we love, but then along come the "obligations"... the services of love, really. Ok, sometimes they DO feel like obligations, but because we love, we pull up the strength and do it... and we keep peddling, carrying it all heroically, and in the end it makes us feel good to help.

Notice there is no steering wheel.

That is because I move along intuitively, faithfully, guided by Spirit, God, Universe.... the Ultimate Energy that guides ALL of it. I, and I'm sure I could substitute "we" here, surrender to it, believing we will be shown the way.... because half the time, I do not know where the heck I'm going!

Whatever art I can muster up, sneak inbetween, it becomes the call of my soul showing me the way. The more we carry, the harder it is to peddle.

I'm hanging on to too much.

I need to dump some stuff, let it go.... but what?

oh, the desire to travel light seems so inviting... but at what sacrifice?

The heaviest load, and that which I work at releasing is worry.

That will surely lighten my load.

Happy Birthday Jake!

A mandala for Jake.

I read in Jill Badonsky's Awe-Manac that today is George Washington Gale Ferris' birthday.. the inventor of the Ferris wheel.. That just so happens to be my son's last name..

and it's Valentine's Day.

Reflecting on it, I'm reminded of the wheel of life and all the stages we go through.

A medicine wheel of sorts.

I used the cup as the holder here. Cups are emotions.

Hearts for each stage in life.. because all that matters is that we take love along for the ride.

Through the ups and downs in life, it is the only thing that makes it worth it.

Love. Share it. Receive it.

Fill your cup with it.

Drink it in.

I LOVE YOU!

reaching out

Finding that fine balance of me vs. you (first house sits Saturn - Uranus in my 7th).
Give and Take.
I reach out to you and you and you and you....................................................................... because I like to :-) I like sharing and gathering and joining.. Aquarian nature. Community.
But I also LOVE to be by myself. Gather with in, use what I have learned out there.
It's out there that I get my inspiration from! The world we live in and the people we meet, online and off, makes for one very colorful world.
So, I like to stay plugged in. I like variety.
Some times the "me" time is challenging. sometimes I have to say no... sorry, I just cannot add one more item to my plate. I'm full. Push the plate away... how else will I enjoy desert!
Desert = me doing art. I've been putting myself on the back burner for awhile... simmering ... waiting.. sneaking in some art here and there. Last night I put up the flame!
and here's another piece, my reaching out but it goes both ways. We are connected, not cut off, so we feed each other. We just have to say, "ok, now it's my turn"
Tag! You're it!
Take some time for yourself today and create something :-)
YDoreen

Zen-tangle of Joy

A friend and I went to see Andy Dooley friday evening. funny guy! You may be familiar with T.U.T. and notes from the Universe, which his brother Mike does. Andy sends some other inspiring emails with art. He's a funny guy. yes. it did me a world of good, but I didn't actually realize how much until yesterday morning while rushing and brushing my teeth, the "aha" came to me...."serious problem".... shit! I WAS being too serious... waaaaaaay too serious lately.
I needed to lighten up and an evening of laughter was what I needed.
I also needed to do some art.
Balance. I've been working hard, teaching classes, doing some volunteer work for Youth Art Month, doing some online classes for myself and then there is the "caretaker" part :-)
Jupiter conjuncting my sun in 5th house.. EXPANSION...
so I needed to get off the computer... stop watching House, and go into the back room and create.
and so I did. This is one of the zentangles. When I turned it on it's side I saw this goofy grin. Yeah. There it is again..... smile. laugh. find that joy and stop taking it all so serious.
Pay attention to the messages.....

roads to recovery

I did this mandala while my husband and SIL went to see their sister. I stayed with my MIL. Taking this time to do some healing mandalas... artful prayers.. the best kind of prayers I know.
It was for my Sister in Law, My mother in law and a friend's grandson.. and heck. for all of us. we all need some healing in some way ....
We take various paths to heal, but surely we heal most quickly when we are surrounded, engulfed with love. Held. comforted. embraced. Just knowing someone is there for us.. even if we have never met or distanced by space.. our souls know.
Our souls know we are loved, held in prayer by someone. I pray for my sister-in-laws speedy recovery and my prayers go out to you too ~ for health, for making wise decisions, for balance and harmony in your life.
May all our roads be paved with Grace, comfort and LOVE.

Shed the skin and shine!

Back to mandalas... I took out my watercolor book New Year's eve and worked for awhile, just seeing what would come up. The snake materialized as I took my pen around the outside of the circle, the line becoming thinner as I went around. aha. Snake. Ouroboros - the snake that eats it's own tail. The cycle begins again.. eternal return.. spiraling inward and outward, enclosing the elements of air, water, fire, earth... separate and yet whole, entering within to become one.
We appear separate and yet we are not. We are all part of the whole - together- journeying this life on this planet... sometimes feeling apart or a part.
Cycles of life. days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries... eras. Cycles of the moon, the sun, the planets, the galaxies... Jupiter enters Aquarius today and will be in my sign for about a year.

I like this.. Jupiter is about expansion.. to me it's a planet of luck. It's in my 5th house - house of creativity. This is where my Sun calls home in my chart. Jupiter will come kiss my sun in mid Feb.

It's my intention this year to embrace my how my soul wants to express itSelf. .. Follow those passions, without doubting or second-guessing the audacity of coming out to Shine.
Who am I to be brilliant? Who am I not to be brilliant?? The words of Marianne Williamson's has touched a generation of women, to come out and shine....

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

A New Year :-)

One of my projects in the new year will be making a Prosperity Doll taught by Chaska. The Angels we made were really cool and I plan on making more of them. This new class is a no-sew doll for anyone without a machine or just hates sewing.

I'm still creating mandalas at one of my favorite yahoo groups Mandala Oasis.

Just finished one today.

And anyone interested in a group of supportive creative souls may want to check out this social network CoachCreativeSpace created by Dan Goodwin. A wonderful community of creative souls with many different discussions and groups. The Ultimate support group for anyone who is creating something... and aren't we all??? I started oil painting with one group and Barbara started a group reading Julia Cameron's books. I'm reading Vein of Gold. The Artist's Way helped me get through a major turning point in my life and having support makes it all so much easier.. don't you think? Yes, it will be another creative year for me.. Welcome 2009!