A Year of Art 2006 - 2011

Spread LOVE & LIGHT

2011-12-04T09:56:00.004-05:00

"Life is too short and this lifetime in particular is too valuable for you to spend it doing things that don’t engage your passion and that block your heart energy from flowing into the world."

This was part of my horoscope for the week, but really, it should be an ongoing reminder for all of us at all times. This time of the year is a reminder for me to do just that.. to do what I love doing and to share my passions. A time to open the heart even wider to share.. to give to others.

We live in such an affluent area that sometimes we need a reminder that it's not all like this.

Yesterday, John and I spent part of the day at a Fair Trade Festival where we met with people who are sharing their passions in other countries as well as our own to help create a better world. This world includes clean water and food, an education and medicine... things we tend to take for granted here. These are people who are making a difference traveling to some of the poorest areas, sacrificing the comforts we expect here at home.

It was a heart opening experience to be surrounded by a room filled with these giving people.

Here at home, I can follow the same path. The path of sharing - giving -of myself, my work, my passions.

Key here is to do what you love to do and then pass the love and light of it on to others. Give your gifts to the world.

When you photograph a beautiful sight, paint your visions, create in clay, write your story... and share that, you pass along your gift.

And I thank you.

May your heart always be open.

Namaste'

Sending out love

2011-11-19T11:00:00.003-05:00

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."-- Melody Beattie

When life comes at us from all angles, hitting us with demands from this direction and that, we have a choice. We can ride the edge of the wheel and become part of that turmoil and chaos, or we can move towards the center and breathe into our own stillness - our heart center.

From there, we can know our next step. We then can move from the still point, the calm center. This is what mandala does for me. It brings me to that still point, quiet, peaceful, my heart center, and I make a choice from there.

My response, rather than reaction, comes from the question of "what will help me to grow?.. what best serves my higher Self?"

I move from the self-centered reaction of "what about me!?" to how can I be of service to you, a compassionate and more whole response. I move from the centered Self, and carry my gifts, my purpose out into the world.

It is a constant movement - inside to outside- back and forth- a balance of give and take.

I would like to take away your pain and give you joy. I would like to come from a point of compassion and gratitude all the time, but it is a journey. One that has me coming and going.

How joyous it is when this flow comes between us, sharing the journey of give and take. How wonderful when we are in balance.

When there are obstacles and turmoil, I move back inside.. into the center of mandala, heart center, and find the deep gratitude that awaits there for me... So much kindness. So much love that I can focus on... and then the rest disappears.

Namaste'

Center of it all...

2011-11-13T09:25:00.003-05:00

Opening up.

Blossoming.

When open,

what do you find in the center of it all..

Love.

Follow it's direction.

No matter which way you turn,

it is there.

One needs to just open up

to find it.

It is in the center of everything.

Namaste'

I found this quote on the internet today and it fits with my feeling today about this mandala:

We have a treasure within us that we will never lose, but we will not find it by searching outside. We have to look within.
– Amma

Seeds

2011-11-12T10:55:00.002-05:00

Finally, getting back to some blogging and more importantly, to mandala making. Since the show, my priorities seemed to have been misplaced or maybe I just needed to venture into other areas.

What I notice is I get cranky when I don't create. Giving is good, but there needs to be a balance that I more often than not tend to forget.. or maybe it's just saying that "no" word that is hard to do. I tried sneaking in some moments and created some cards for a show that's coming up, but it wasn't exactly the same, but even that went by the wayside.

I don't find the same calmness that comes with mandalas. They are more centering. Like the breath, the more focused I become on them, the calmer I become. As I become calm, I get more clear on what I need for myself and for others.

Each new moon I notice that the seeds I plant always have to do with this.. giving myself the time to do art.

Along with this, I found a book, "How Yoga Works"... and more messages of the same, planting seeds. Each thought is another seed. Whether positive or negative, loving or hurtful, it is a seed we plant and eventually reap the results. Plant positive and loving seeds and see the benefits.

If I am cranky and irritable and speak to others in an unkind, critical voice, I am sure to see that return back to me. That is not what I wish... so keeping this in mind, it is better for me and for you and for the betterment of mankind if I do my art.

So, if you see me on the street, getting short with you or someone else.. just pat me on the back and say," go home and make mandalas".

Thank you for your kindness :-)

Wainwright Sunset

2011-09-28T08:13:00.002-04:00

Our evening ended with this beautiful sight.

Our reception was great fun. Thank you to all those who came.
The exhibit stays up until Oct. 21.
New moon yesterday (Tues.) comes at a time that I set new goals.
I love making mandalas, but I also love creating assemblages, so I am on the lookout for a new space to exhibit 3 dimensional pieces in the area...
Today, I get to paint on a wall in the library. Children's section.
Working Big.
It balances out from doing all those small and detailed mandalas.
Time to use those large muscles :-)
Moving towards newness.
What's new with you ?

Heal thyself

2011-09-04T10:31:00.002-04:00

Feeling more emotional than usual.. a bit raw. Getting ready for the show got me into doing the practical stuff like framing, creating the cards and then preparing for a hurricane.
Besides that, I was surrounded by loss. A friend, my mom lost a friend, actually 2, and a dear friend of mine lost his son. On top of that I watched and learned of devasting effects from the hurricane in the places that are dear to us in upstate NY.
Yesterday I knew I needed to pull myself out of a funk. My body lagged with little energy due to emotional eating.. junk food.
It hit me.. take your own advice! go create a mandala. I realized that's what was lacking.. the simple act of creating those small gems of quieting the mind.. a way to bring out that inner light that was dimming in all the outside sorrow coming at me. ART HEALS!
Compassion is good, but it needs movement. I realize movement is key and me "not in motion" stays that way and you do NOT want to be around me when I'm like that.
Unstructured time, lack of self-dicipline, unmotivated and stuck make for one very grouchy Doreen.
The indecisive mind enters.. and immobilizaton sets in.
aaaaaaaahhhh. Pull me out!!!
and I did. I started with morning pages to dump.. get it out of the system and then I created a mandala.
I need this.
I cannot not do this - this act of creating.

She's coming.....

2011-08-27T18:46:00.002-04:00

Working on a mandala painting 24x24 for the exhibit coming up at the Wainwright House
in Sept. Irene is coming this way and I've moved a lot of my art supplies into the dinning room. Have my flashlights ready. Art is such a wonderful way to be absorbed into something positive. I'll let you know how that all turns out. Most of the worst part will be overnight and tomorrow morning. Wishing everyone on the east coast the best.
I've been pretty busy and haven't been blogging all that much anyway, but if the power goes... well, who knows when.
Be well.
Do art.

Re Centering

2011-08-20T10:51:00.003-04:00

In the labrynth at the Wainwright House where we will be having our exhibit. This beautiful spiritual place is on the water... very peaceful. I took some time to work on centering myself and getting back into my own art for a while.
Another way to get centered is painting a mandala.
Life gets very messy while we focus on our art..

Gratitude Wheel

2011-07-09T09:01:00.003-04:00

I shifted gears this week. For 6 weeks I work at camp as the art specialist. I love working with the kids creating for the most part, but not fond of the hot, sticky weather that I have to do this in. I work under a tent of blue and orange stripes which creates confusion as to the color of things and it absorbs the heat! Along with that, add bugs, bees and unorganized materials and you'll understand why I tried this experiment this week.
Each morning on the way to work, I said "thank you" to everything good that popped up in my mind.. everything from clear pathways to beautiful landscaped houses I passed to green lights and the people who paved the road... Many things came to mind...and so I started out each day with this grateful state of mind.. and even through all kinds of challenges, I stayed pretty calm.
I was able to lighten up!
So, for the next 5 weeks, my intention is to be thankful those things that I love and am grateful for. It's a powerful prayer.
Coming home was much more challenging.. .. .. ..
As these wheels of life turn, each day brings an opportunity to try again :-)
Namaste'

Mandala Time

2011-07-01T19:32:00.002-04:00

I did some mandalas while away. They're in a small watercolor journal and are done with marker and glitter gel pens which are spread with a waterbrush. I scanned them, so they don't show the glittered effect so much.

This first one is Solstice Abundance: Birth of Summer and all it's abundant blessings.

Each new day brings new blessings while others are revisited... I count them, but lose count there are so many and I am grateful. It was a gorgeous week listening to bird song, river tumbling over stone. Comfortable to sit.. and be still.

Listen to my own inner self.

It is a creative universe.. a Universe filled with Creativity.. and I am filled with it as are you.
There is no end to it.

Each direction, no matter which way we turn, it is there for us to reap it's rewards, this abundance that is there for us.. we just need to open our eyes.

Then open our heart

and let it in.

Time out...

2011-06-07T10:48:00.003-04:00

Finally getting back to mandalas again. It had been a while and I feel the difference when I don't take the time for myself.. some quiet introspective time.. my form of meditation.

I listen to the messages.

Listen to what comes up.. how mandalas speaks to me.

This one had a message of "go further" - move beyond the normal boundaries.. stretch your boundaries! I keep adding on..

As in life, I keep adding on.

How much further can I take any project, and how much is too much?

I AM

surrounded by so much beauty

supportive people

so much love

If we take a look around, we can see how much we can be thankful for.

Switch gears.

Change the channel.

Turn the dial.

If there is something in our world we do not like, take offense to or just find to be too negative, how often do we sit with it anyway.

Mull in it's muddy murky waters until we become just as negative.

Switch gears.

Change the channel.

Dwell in a different possibility..

Find something that uplifts you

and moves you into that place

of peace

and beauty

and love.

Most of the times it just involves getting up off our butt and take a walk,

preferably with a camera..

turn on the macro setting

and find that true beauty hidden in nature's amazing work.

Even a bug becomes magnificent in it's irredescent spendor.

Most of the time, we just need to take a time out

and do something kind for ourselves.

Namaste'

ATC's

2011-06-07T10:38:00.000-04:00

I figured I'd post what I made... curious as to who got what :-)

How to paint..

2011-05-26T08:26:00.003-04:00

" Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures"

Henry Ward Beecher

"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way-

things I had no words for"
Georgia O'Keeffe

"Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do."

Edgar Degas

"What art offers is space- a certain breathing room for the spirit"
John Updike

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart"
William Wordsworth

" Every Child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."

~Pablo Picasso

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge"
~Alber Einstein

Namaste'

2011-04-29T06:30:00.003-04:00

Carry the seeds

2011-04-28T08:22:00.003-04:00

When I begin a mandala, I have no real intention of what it will be about. The intentions I do have are to bring myself to a calm and centered state.. sometimes they are used as a form of prayer.. for healing..
but..
images appear as I work with this.. symbols tend to repeat themselves for a while. Many times the cross appears, flowers, hearts, leaves and seeds lately.
Some times an image appears with dual purpose.. is it a bud or a seed.. a fish or a flower.. a birds beak or another seed.. it appears.. and I listen.
I would say my "aha" moments come about 3/4 of the way through. These are messages to myself, small and large epiphanies.
I had been thinking on a discussion of creativity and spirituality. I began thinking how through art I am able to get in touch with my spirit. This is my voice, my creativity. They, my artwork, are reflective of my spirit.
But if I keep it to myself, it is only half of my journey towards my creative spiritual growth. It has to be shared. The light needs to come out from under the bushel, the bud needing to blossom.
That is what the mandala spoke to me about.. carry that seed out into the world. Out of the internal to the external. If we do not bring our gifts out into the world, what is the point? If we have a voice, what purpose if it is not heard?
The seed cracks open, the blossom appears and new seeds are developed to be carried away out into wherever they need to go. Dive into these waters and do not be afraid.. dive deeper into your inner knowing and come to the surface with delight... share that.
Plant your seed, and watch it grow.. and then muliply into a garden of delight.. Those seeds may be carried beyond your wildest expectations :-)

Relax

2011-04-09T19:49:00.002-04:00

The show is hung.. taxes done... the stress of the week has come to a slight calm.. breathing room. A day to take the camera out and take a deep look at the renewal of life.. Spring.

This tree is in the park at the beach in Rye... pretty cool. Orchids I treated myself to. It is a reminder to look at the beauty around me. Thank you.

Sharing art

2011-04-07T08:06:00.002-04:00

The past year has been a teaching one.. teaching others? no..Rather being taught by them.. the young children in art class. I learn from them the powers of possibility.. focus.. attention to detail.. and the utter delight in piling on glittery substances. They teach me how to sparkle in life.. Their smiles sparkle with unconditional love. How lucky I am to have this in my life. How deeply grateful I am to have the opportunity to be with them and share their experiences of creating art. Such a power art has. I can literally heal us. As we heal, we can heal that which surrounds us.

healing energy

2011-03-27T19:25:00.002-04:00

As I was creating this mandala, I thought of Rauchen, my son's dog. Jessi mentioned he's having a problem with his ear. Sweet Rauchen.. I noticed ears appearing and went with the full attention of her.. my prayer for her healing inserted into this mandala as I was drawing and coloring.

going further

2011-03-25T08:42:00.002-04:00

Inspired by some other intricate mandalas, I kept adding to this one. I guess, one can continue on and on until the mandala or anything for that matter is filled to the brim!
I pondered that. As I worked on this and the story of it unfolded, I saw the leaf holding a bowl. Holding it up in gratitude. It was the feeling of abundance, the dance of gratefulness for all that life holds for us...
and then this little demon crept in.. he is at the bottom. His teeth were white at the time. I didn't want him there and thinking the pink would alter him and it did somewhat.. but now I know he is there.. if I look. I can always shift my attention to the gratefulness of a full cup too.
I can do this at anytime.. just like in life.
Toying with my thoughts on this today as I have an appointment to have a back tooth, which broke, pulled today.
My mouth feels crowded. I never had any wisdom teeth pulled and one tooth even turned to make room. One front tooth is beginning to overlap.. Crowded mouth.
Crowded life.
I'm living a full life at the moment and it feels crowded.
A dream last night, remembered this morning was me cooking on a very large grill. The grill was full of stuff and I tried to find some room for the small pieces of chicken I had cut up, squeezing them in between things... containers of vegetables, other indistinguishable foods that were kind of gloppy in a metal bowl... It was a very large grill too, like a very large picnic table that I had to walk around..
Anyway, back to the idea of going further on something.. taking it one step further...
and I thought how much is too much.. like life.. how much can we take on before we say "no thank you".
Art reflecting life. Mandala reflecting mine. Do I want to keep adding, or work to simplify. You can guess where I am going with this.
If I do not take that one step, pushing the envelope, how will I know how far I can go.. how will I know if I don't take this risk and learn what I need to learn.
I altered this a bit, because my going too far in the center didn't appeal to me, so I added some glitter.
Simplify. De clutter. Release rather than add...
thanks for the lesson mandala :-)

Blessing Meditation for Japan

2011-03-13T16:52:00.000-04:00

Spread Love

2011-03-12T09:09:00.002-05:00

It's so easy to get caught up in fear, worry, anxiety. Life comes at us pretty strong at times and overwhelms us with so much we feel our heads spin with so many thoughts in so many directions.. which way to turn... spinning.. spinning..
Stop.
Breathe.
Turn off the outside world for a bit.. go into your space of quiet.. and listen.
Remember, it is love and not fear that we want to project.. and without knowing the whys of everything... we trust in the Higher purpose of life. We are here and while here, we need to uplift!!!
Close your eyes, send out images of love, joyfullness, peace. See - visualize people smiling- the world wrapped in healing light.. sense joyfullness and wonder.
Uplift the world.
Please.

Share your light

2011-02-24T09:00:00.002-05:00

What purpose does it serve if we have something and cannot or will not be open to sharing it.
Joy is magnified when we view a gorgeous sunset, break bread or share our gifts with another. Our gifts are doubled as we share them with another.
What purpose does it serve to bury your light, hidden under that bushel. We all have a special light that needs to shine, to help carry someone to greater sight.. insight.
Our being on the planet is reason enough to share it... to help others.. Maybe we are the holders of that light while another climbs out of a darkness.
What about being the one who receives the light... how open can we be to say yes to it.. allowing another one to be the barer of that light and be carried through to our own brilliance.
Deep gratitude goes to those who have given me the inspiration to shine my own light.. Thank you to those of you who have given praise and complements to lift me up, inspiring words, giving me confidence to go out and shine my light.
Thank someone today that has helped you to see the light.. whether a candle flame or bonfire... it has helped you.. me.. to walk along this path. We cannot shut our eyes or hide in the dark any longer but rather reach out to someone who needs a touch of lightness.
Whether you carry this light or someone else does, both receive the benefits.
Namaste'

aaahh, yes. you understand me :-)

2011-02-10T09:28:00.003-05:00

I saw this wonderful post first on my friend Chaska's website and went to read it here at
this blog. Living Story - understanding creative people.
It was one of those moments when someone writes about you and you say.. yes, that's me.. and someone finally gets it! Someone understands.. most creative types do understand other creative types.. but let's face it.. sometimes we question our own sanity with this.
But when you read it in black and white and read someone define your behavior.. it has to bring a smile to your face and relax into that feeling.. yes.
So, what is it that I wish for you .. you creative types out there.. that you are true to you higher self and that creative genius that lives inside of you...
Namaste'

what carries you?

2011-01-29T09:59:00.002-05:00

Our lives being a journey

gave rise to the thought of what carries me through the day.

Most days I move along at a steady pace

rituals played out.

Deep waters make me more conscious of life

and it brings me to realize how it is love that carries me through the day.

Faith plays a part

Without it

I would not trust the boat that carries me over to the other side

of fear and uncertainty.

I continue to move towards that which I love to do

rather than do the expected responsible thing-

the mature adult thing

the money thing that is constantly being slammed at you

by way of media.

No.

It is the child within me

the idea of trying something new

that carries me

to a shore of possibility.

But ultimately it is because

I love you

deeply.

Buried Seeds

2011-01-27T19:44:00.003-05:00

Buried seeds

keeping warm deep in the earth

beneath this blanket of snow

One day you will emerge

move towards the light

and

rejoice.

You will begin again

another round

another birthday.

The wheel of life turning round and round

from seed to blossom to fruit and back to the earth again

rest

because you will rise again

to be in your glory

colorful

brave

open

dancing your feverish dance

with all of life

forgetting where you came from

Wild Thing

2011-01-26T19:11:00.002-05:00

While I was creating this mandala, "passion" entered my thoughts. I've been thinking a lot about following my passions. Art is one of my greatest.. there are other which I won't get into right now, but for the last couple of months, I've been doing mandalas as a daily meditation.
I've become very passionate about doing them... sometimes avoiding doing other things.. but what the heck.
But the language of the mandala shifted and spoke of being wild, taking a risk... that side of you that wants to be a "wild thing"... a bit rebellious, wanting to move outside the box.. s t r e t c h into something new.. go exploring again.
What is calling you?
What is it you'd like to try?
Where can you stretch yourself... and maybe take a walk on the wild side :-)
Maybe I'm just getting cabin fever!!!!!!!!!!!

compass of love

2011-01-22T20:01:00.002-05:00

Finding your true north..

that which you love to do, that which you are passionate about.

Your heart becomes the compass showing you the direction,

the path upon which you should be walking.

Many times I have questioned my purpose,

but what I have learned is that life will show you if you are willing to listen,

listen to your heart

that is.

Here is where the answers lie.

Whatever you find yourself doing

over

and

over again.

Whatever brings a smile, make you feel like singing,

whatever brings joy

whatever makes time

stand

still.

That's it.

Transition

2011-01-21T11:01:00.004-05:00

As I was working on this mandala, the word "transition" kept popping up in my mind. Here's where I say that the mandala speaks to me. It begins the conversation within the process, getting stronger towards the end and most often it speaks more clearly at it's completion.
About halfway, it had a strong energy of summer.. the energy of vibrant color wanting to be felt, turning away from the gray, black and white... ok, mostly white - of this winter.
But transitions are about just that, the moving from dark to light, and then from light back to dark... from warm to cool, business to stillness.
Moving from inside myself to outside in the world.. these are small transitions of each day.
Moving from one sign to another.. moon, sun.. outer planets.. these take longer and even longer..
Each transition comes with ease or difficulty, depending on how we are, what we are feeling.
How well do you transition from one activity to another?
Watch children. This conversation was held during our class last night, discussing our different experiences with children during transitioning and I think that is what must have been sitting deep inside while I was completing this. I think Mandala wanted to discuss it a little more with me :-)
When I am totally engrossed in a project, I do not want to stop to do something else.
I want to sit with what I am doing.. focused... totally immersed in what I am doing as if there were nothing else in the world. Being in the now.
But "now" moves forward and we begin transitioning into another activity. Maybe some responsibility that MUST be done.. like shoveling your car out or doing a load of wash..
But ooh so sweet are the times when we can linger on and on, taking it slow, transitioning slowly... flowing well from moment to moment. Such bliss.
I was taken with an event I saw on the local news station - a man with a rare cancer was turned down by the insurance company, but channel 12 news interceded on his behalf, calling the insurance co. on it... and they took another look at it and decided to cover his treatments.
This happened as the sun moved into the humanitarian sign of Aquarius.. cool, I thought and Kudos to you channel 12 news!
I hope all your transitions today go smoothly..
Namaste'

New Journal

2011-01-14T08:00:00.002-05:00

Opening

Heart Light
I bought a new journal from a local art store that has beautiful handmade paper. The mandalas are cropped, so you don't see the ragged edges. This caused me to take a break from markers and go back to watercolors.. H2o's. Unfortunately, you cannot see the glimmer these colors have. They are one of my favorite mediums to use.
I treated myself to 2 new journals, both having watercolor paper... both delicious to use.
Food and Art.. two things I love that nourish me!
I've been "hungry" lately. For some reason, I am looking for some food to satisfy and it ended up I was eating too much junk food... then I realized, it's not the food but the art that would satisfy this time. With a cup of tea (Relax from Trader Joe's) I went into my art room and painted.. and that does the trick every time.
Trying to lose weight? go pick up a brush.. or marker or whatever tool you prefer :-)
You are changing your focus. You resolve the emotional eating that does us in every time... and instead become centered on creating and your own inner self and just maybe will uncover some issue that had been lurking deep inside.. bringing it up to the surface and making it conscious.
Once it is brought to Light... then we can deal with it.
"Enlightenment is not about imagining figures of light, but of making the darkness conscious" Jung wrote that and I get it.. and doing art, especially creating mandalas, does that for me.. it brings things to light and if we bring the light to something "dark" it's there for us to see.
I see you now.
You are out in the open.
Now I can deal with you....
and be open
to some new possibilities...

what guides you?

2011-01-08T08:21:00.002-05:00

I created 2 mandalas while waiting yesterday. I have a series of "waiting room" mandalas :-). I bring a book and pens, markers, journal, blank cards...
Because of the snow, I stayed at the hospital while John had his paracentisis (sp?) procedure. I usually drop him off and go do what I have to do for a few hours and then go back to pick him up when I get the call... but yesterday with the snow coming down like it did, I stayed.. no way was I going to make that trip twice!
I was concerned about the roads, but the Universe was good and they were just wet while everything else was covered.. COVERED.. in a blanket of heavy snow. It was beautiful to see and I thought, that too was a gift.. a gift of beauty.
I sat in the cafeteria for a while making mandalas and getting lost in time.. no time.. while creating them. I believe they bring me to a place of calm and healing and while I'm in that mode, I feel that healing energy go out to every one there besides my husband.
Remarks on how well he is looking from his doctor, a smooth "tap" all verify this for me. If I can be calm and loving and send out this energy, it can only be good for others as well.
WE are energy.
If we are filled with love, that energy must go out into the world too. If we are joyful, notice how much joy we see out in the world.
If we do what brings us joy... then we are living our truth, walking our path.. it is a constant reminder to do just that. Do what brings us joy.. let it be our guide.
Thank you Universe for my eyes to see.
Namaste'
Doreen

Open arms

2011-01-03T08:36:00.003-05:00

This is the last mandala of 2010. I made it with the intention of giving it to a friend to say thanks...
I called it open arms, because of those golden extenions and the blue wavey lines reaching out. Sometimes I feel as if I was to wrap my arms around it all.. all of my friends, all of life. I want to give it a big hug.. to hold on to it, encapsulate it all inside of me.. to hold on... to hold on.. but it is all there and no need to hold on to it, because it is all right there.. right here.. all a part of the whole and there's no need to hold on.
Release is something I am keeping consciously aware of this year. I want to let go of stuff, material stuff as well as emotional stuff that does not serve me well. I want to let go of stressful emotions, the worries, the fears that prove to do nothing but cause dis-ease.
I want to let go... not hold on.
If my arms are open, I can not hold on and I can let go.. no grasping and there's no need for it because it's all right here.
In my heart.
I breathe it all in.. hold ... and let it out.. letting go with a soft sigh.

The Light within

2010-12-26T18:55:00.002-05:00

Back to paints in a new watercolor journal. These are twinkling H2O's that sparkle. Two new journals that I absolutely love, both with watercolor paper... and I think they are calling me right now..

Peace within = Peace

2010-12-13T10:55:00.002-05:00

Here's the thing.. I'm not going to find any peace "out there" if I don't feel peaceful within myself.
It's a goal. Finding that center while I'm creating, doing my yoga is fine, but how to maintain it in the world.. sheesh, can't stay in all day!
Here's my intention.
Look a person in the eye and send some love as much as I possibly can... only downside on this one is when I'm in the car driving and I become extremely judgemental about some *#@! driving without consideration for anyone else.
I can start small. Today.
I'll let you know how it goes.......
breath in peace........
Namaste'

sowing seeds

2010-12-07T09:00:00.002-05:00

I did this a while ago, but it fits for the new moon, a time to sow some seeds, new intentions. My focus for this new moon is to work on some art for the show. Moon in my 4th house of home, where my studio is.. so when the full moon comes, in the 10th house of career, and "out there" in my world of art, I'll have manifested some art to exhibit.
That's one goal.
The other is to beautify this home.. keeping the clutter at bay. It's so much easier to do when there is more space, but I'm finding there is still so much more to rid myself of. Material stuff as well as emotional stuff.. and I realize it's a process and not beat myself up when it doesn't happen quickly enough.
At this new moon I planted seeds of healing as well, understanding, forgiveness, compassion, focus on family and go within - listening to what needs to be heard, because sometimes we only hear what we want to hear.. so, I try to limit those filters and truly hear my own voice as well as others.
I do this best when I am settled, calm and what brings me there????
Mandala!

Clean slate...

2010-11-14T09:45:00.002-05:00

Lighten Up

I found it ironic that an astrological message.. heading.. said, " Clean Slate".

Yes.

I had to laugh at this, as I lost all my mandalas (and some photos) due to a "mishap" with the computer. I won't go into it, but I tried hard to see the lesson in it. Where, WHERE IS this lesson??!!?? Of course, I am leaving out a lot of adjectives here.

But they were gone. Most of them I have originals, but there are some that were created and passed on to others, so they are they are the ones that I really grieve, along with other stuff I've saved.. but it is a seaon of release and letting go and I'm trying hard to look at it that way.

Holding on.. Letting go.

Dark...Light

Where is the light in this I wondered. More space? Fresh start? Clean slate..

Begin again.

It's that lesson I take with me.. everywhere. Releasing more and more to make room for newness, making space for something different.

Grieve and move on.

Lighten up.

It makes me think of my priorities.. where is my focus? Do want to dwell on loss or focus on that which brings joy, that which feels good and all that blessings that surround me.

Look to those blessings, look towards the light...

Be filled with....
divine love

joyful creations

laughter

beauty

inspiration

time to listen

warm embraces

community

compassion

kindness

generosity

appreciation

peaceful moments

wonder

magic

bliss

what would you love to be filled with?

Two Mandalas in a day

2010-11-11T18:26:00.001-05:00

" Joyful Day"

"Passion's Dance"

Fresh start..

2010-10-02T21:42:00.004-04:00

Energy Lines

It's all energy... connecting

I see how we connect with the energy of love

and that is what feels best

Mandala Sunset

I bought a new book, new markers

and decided to use just one side, the pastels

I purposely limited myself

sometimes it feels good to not have so many choices

Moon Phases

I follow the phases of the moon

and listen to her

Lunar learnings

She repeats them

over and over

but they are not always the same lesson

Change

I plant seeds

seeds of transformation

and wait

I nurture them

and wait

All things change

move

we see death, endings, but it's really change

it is the wheel of life

always moving, always changing

sing with the change

dance with the wind

plant the seeds

pray

wait

watch them grow

and be grateful

We reap what we sow

Catching up with journals

2010-09-26T08:52:00.002-04:00

This is in Serena's Art Saves journal

This is in Carmen's 10x10 journal

I did the collage below but HAD to add a mandala...

This one may be Susie's journal... at least I think it is..

I forgot to photograph/scan the art I did in Serena's other journal (10x10) so I'll add it later.

Our journals are almost done and ready to send back home. I'm looking forward to seeing the art up close and personal :-)

Becoming Aware

2010-08-15T08:16:00.003-04:00

If we see everyone outside of our self as mirror, reflecting back to us how we see the world, our belief system, values, judgements, etc... then why is it so how to change (within us) that which we see as unacceptable behaviour... ??
BEcoming aware of this.. that what you do, what I see as "what you are doing, being".. is just me and how I am being and doing...
This is a belief that keeps coming up and it came up again by reading someones blog recently - but it is not new to me. In order to know oneself, there has to be some sort of "other" for us to get it.
I believe we are the reflective souls of the Divine Being. In order for God to know God, there has to be something to reflect back to God (hey, substitute any other Word here). So here we are.
If I learn about myself by being in relationship to "other", anything outside myself, then why am I setting this up to see stuff I don't really want to see... unless it's something I DO need to see, and experience, in order for my Soul to grow and develop into a better spiritual Being... mmm, so do I need to experience illness in order to appreciate health... and do I need to experience deep sadness in order to appreciate deep joy?
If I am surrounded by rudeness, I should take a look within myself.. eliminate any rudeness I may have.
If I see inconsideration, I need to be more considerate.
If I see grief and sorrow, I can be more compassionate.
Be more trusting, more humble, more tolerant, more accepting... If I see a wrong-doing - go out and do something kind.
Love more.
My lesson this month seemed to be more about Trust. Trusting that the Universe will provide, trust that I CAN let go... in letting go, in not resisting and judging.. a shift can occur to allow the Universe to provide. This is a lesson that keeps repeating itself.. this path of growth in learning to trust. I have become more aware.
I think this Awareness is key.
When I am aware and see I can change and grow.
I'll get back to the "reflection" part again with more thoughts on that matter :-) because it intrigues me.

Harvest gratitude

2010-08-07T09:29:00.003-04:00

Canson came out with a new Mixed Media sketchbook with thicker paper and I love it. The Bic markers bleed through so the heavier paper is great.. also, I plan on doing some collage work in it. Good stuff :-)
This mandala spoke to me of being Thankful. The Harvest colors reminded me of the autumn and autumn reminds me of Thanksgiving. Being grateful has been a message for me this past week.. ok, weeks. More than a few times the message would come through astrologically or in one form or another - that the easiest way to change my "attitude" is through gratitude.
OK, I get it, but why do I forget it?? When I am in the thick of it, I find it difficult to stop and say to myself, "ok, let's find all the things I am grateful for"... no, I am too engrossed, too STUCK!
And then - as if by magic - it all shifts... no, not really, I have to do the work and it seems the "work" that works best for me is to create.
Simple.
Art moves me out of my small self to a more open Self. Mandalas and doodles or "Zendalas" do it best and this one spoke to me of remembering to be grateful.. be thankful for all the good stuff and there is sooo much of it!
When I move into that energy of gratefulness, I am more accepting of myself and everyone around me and the way things are.
Self-acceptance is a wonderful thing. Once I move into that space, everything else seems to fall into place.. it's all ok. It's all the way it is supposed to be. Let it be. See it. Feel it. Enjoy it. Even the challenges turn out to be heart-opening, mind-expanding experiences, so allow it and stop resisting. Because that is what it is - the resistance- that causes the pain, the fear, the worry.
So many times experience has taught me that I am being taken care of. The journey of life is just one gigantic and continuous journey of love and it is ALL going to be just fine. We are where we are supposed to be. I am already who I am supposed to be.. It's that moment thing.. the being.. the NOW.. and it's all just fine....
and life becomes once more filled with Thanks and Giving.
Sharing.
Trusting.
Full.
Blessed.
Loved.

Weekend images..

2010-07-25T19:12:00.002-04:00

We've been having a discussion, my husband and I, about our art speaking to us. One thing about these zentangle type of doodled art is that it is so undeliberate.. no planning, no thinking.. just creating some line and filling them with patterns.. playing around.
It is when I am finished and turn it around that I "see" something. This guy seemed so sad to me and I guess there have been more than the normal amount of sadness lately. With my husband's health issues, it has opened my heart, being more compassionate with other people's challenges as well. It seemed that there was some sort of health issue with so many people and felt as though it was being added to my own sadness. How much can one carry?
We shouldn't have to carry it alone, but rather share with others what we are going through. Does it lighten our load or are we just sending more pain out into the world? I used to feel that I shouldn't share my worries and pains because I didn't want to impose them on anyone else. Now I am not so sure. When I read about other blogger friends, people I don't even know personally, and learn of their illness or that of their child, I offer up a prayer and if I can do that, then maybe it will lighten their load so they won't have to carry so much. I hope we all only carry what we can and no more..

A change. Star flower - moving away from the cross....

Since my husbands stay in the hospital, I have gone back to mandala making as healing.. as prayer.. as meditation. The cross plays the predominant image in most of them.

Crosses, I see, as direction.

I see it as reaching out, choosing ... opposing directions.

Outwards and inwards.. upwards towards the heavens and here on earth..

Centered is the heart.. it brings me to the present moment.

In this moment, there is no worry, because there is no future.

There are no regrets, because there is no past.

There is only the now.

Present moment.

A place where my heart lies, where I find love.. and that is the place of healing.

a weekend of mandalas

2010-07-18T18:56:00.001-04:00

"grow"

"heat"

"elements of hope"

"the door to within"

The violin

2010-07-18T08:14:00.002-04:00

I am not sure if this is done. Part of me wants something on the black and the other part says, don't over do it... that's the part my husband agrees with.

I am from the school of "more" and maybe it's just because I want to keep creating, but more so is how much I can push the envelope...how do I know if I don't try.. the idea of reaching to more possibility.

And then again.... there is that part that says, "enough" and the insecurity of screwing it up.

so, I'll sit with it for a while and wait.... any feedback is welcome :-)

and it really needs to go out.

Waiting....

2010-07-14T09:45:00.003-04:00

waiting...
communing...

extending...

within me.

I have been taking my bag carrying my small mandala journal and pen with me where ever I go. I have used my waiting time, for what ever reason, to sneak in some mandala making.

It is a series of "waiting room" mandalas.

I take my pen and create... later on I fill it in with color unless it is a looooong wait, then I take a small pack of markers with me as well.

It is the only thing that I can do peacefully while I wait.

Love is the best medicine.

2010-05-26T22:04:00.003-04:00

Some of you already know and some of you don't, but my husband went into the hospital with very high ammonia levels. Serious shit and it really scared me. For a few days I sat by his bed drawing mandalas, praying and talking to him.

I believe that whether he heard me or not, he would receive the energy I was sending.. I repeatedly told him I loved him... and focused on centering my self with positive energy by working on several mandalas. This is one of them. I appreciate all the care that was poured upon my husband in ICU at Westchester Medical and I added to that my special medicine.. Love.

He is doing much better. Taken out of ICU and eating and back to his humorous self, he is moving along, but he needs a liver.. a beautiful healthy liver for him is prayed for and would love for you to join me in that prayer.

Hey, don't take anything for granted... appreciate ALL of it. We have this amazing body - take care of it. We live in the incredibly beautiful world - take care of it.

Thank you.

Replenishing my soul

2010-04-21T15:29:00.002-04:00

It has been a pretty wild year and the last two weeks were the most intense. I came home from yoga one evening to find my husband at the door with his bags packed... not what you might be thinking....
He said the doctor called and told him to get to the hospital...NOW.
His sodium levels were too low and I had yet another learning experienc... oh, these learning experiences... the dangers of this being he could stroke or pass out.. and it also explained his being kind of "loopy". I thought it was the medication he was coming off.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about medication. I do not take asprin and will take a drug only if I desperately need it... like when I had poison ivy all over my face!
They wreak havoc on the body... we all need to eat better. Fresh, wholesome eating. Green, leafy things :-)
While my hubby was in the hospital, his mom passed away. Dear sweet Alice. She died peacefully at home. She wanted to leave. She was 94, deeply loved by family and friends, but the death of her daughter broke her heart.. that's my feeling about it, and she lived almost a year afterwards. Alice died on her daughter's birthday.
So, today as I took a walk with my camera, photographing flowers, I came upon this tulip. How cool, I thought, it looks like an angel inside.
I continued my journey, taking more photos, on to my mother's house. One needs to appreciate their mother while they are here... spend time with her.
I went and spent some time outside with her drinking in the beauty of eveything in blossom. Just as we were about to go in, she said,"look at the lilacs"... and a butterfly brought us pleasure watching it fliting about, drinking in nectar... a message of transformation.
Everything changes.. nothing really disappears, it just changes form.
Thank you Alice for all the wonderful moments :-)

Resurrection

2010-04-08T21:42:00.002-04:00

Being that it is that time again.. Spring... A time of renewal... I felt a bit of a resurrection in myself as well....coming back to the mandala book and even creating a more balanced mandala, rather than a free form one.

There has been so much going on. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels, flying off in various directions.. and this is part of life. Dealing with it all. It comes and it goes. Life speeds up, life slows down.

What really matters is our response to it. Are we responsible in the way we handle situations or do we run from them. There have been times in my past that I would have rather put my head in the sand, and did so, but age, wisdom, experience and maybe a development of more faith and trust in the Universe help me to look at it all square in the face and know that it will pass. The question is "how gracefully?"

Maybe it is lack of resistance, for we know what we resist will persist. Maybe I'm too tired to fight it.. it takes more energy to move against the current. Better to flow with it and see where it will lead.

So, here is one coping mechanism.. art, mandalas used for centering and quieting the mind.
It is a gathering place for me. It is an internal space where I can go to. Where I can find some quiet solace and just be. No more doing... just being.

The ressurrection of the internal Self coming up to the surface to breathe.

A long deep and full breath... rather than a sigh.

Kitchen set... Done!

2010-03-06T09:40:00.003-05:00

What I thought was to be a "summer job" turned out to be a year long project... chair by chair and finally the table. Fruits - vegetables and Fun.

I'm usually tempted to over do these things and I did hold back. What would I have done if it was mine......

studio tree

2010-03-03T15:45:00.002-05:00

I did a few mandalas - quick ones just to get all this "stuff" bottled up within me out. The most interesting thing I find about doing this art is how the subconscious mind/feelings come up and out on paper. It's similar to "morning pages".. those familar with The Artist's Way know what I mean... it's an emptying out.. brainstorming.. no editing.. no thinking. Just releasing.
It is afterwards, when I look at these mandalas that I notice things.
I have started the process of looking for a new place to live. I have lived in the same place for 33 years and it's time to move on.
I went to look at one apartment and I noticed that the rooms faced north west, the opposite of where I live now. I have one window facing West for the sunset, but my bedroom and art room face the east- south east. Kitchen is north and on the dark side.
There were pros and cons about the place, but what my mind kept returning to was the direction. No morning sun to wake me up.
After doing the mandala, I notice the window and frame around it. Like a compass, it is facing northwest... not to mention the colors.
Northern light is supposed to be good for doing art.
The cons outweighed the pros on this place and I'm still looking.....
I need studio space for my art... period.

windows of the soul

2010-03-02T13:48:00.004-05:00

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul.

My eyes change.

They will appear greener if I wear green, sometimes more gray.. grayish blue.

They change... I change.

I constantly find myself looking for direction.. sometimes I seek direction by going within through meditation and sometimes out side my self through reflections in the world.

Synchronicity, Astrology, and feedback from other people.

Looking.. seeking.. Seeing

Sometimes we just cannot see things clearly within ourselves, because of messages we have heard. Those messages have been "contaminated" by inadequate hearing.

For instance, I thought I had a terrible voice. I attribute it to my inability to sing solo in music class in childhood. It wasn't until I taught yoga that people told me how soothing my voice was.

Sheesh. All those times I hesitated to sing, speak up..

Sometimes we think we cannot do something - lack the confidence or courage,

but we CAN!

Sometimes we think we are going in the right direction, but something else comes along and we discover something new and wonderful about ourselves.

We learn a new skill.

We learn a new technique, choose a new art medium and CHANGE!

we are on a new path....

We discover new ways of doing things because we took the risk of going down a new road.

We learn there is more than one way to get where we are going.

We learn it's ok to change direction.

If you looked into my eyes would you see what I see?

Would I see myself in you.

You in me.

Would I see the similarities or the differences?

Do we see our souls deep within and see we are the spark of the Divine....

each making up the Eternal Light.

My path may not be as direct as yours.. it may have less adventure, less heart ache,

more groundedness,

less exciting.

There are times when my path seemed long and challenging,

but I took in the sights, found the beauty where I thought there was none,

and came to a new understanding.

It is through my eyes seeking direction that I've come upon so much love.

That is what matters.

What I do see with my eyes is that it's all good.

I don't have to take the same path as you in order to feel good about myself.

Today I saw many smiling faces, and I took that as affirmation that this path I am on right now is the right path for me. When the path holds joyfulness and warmth, I will continue on it.

In the end, all these paths lead home... so enjoy the one your are on.

Needing color

2010-02-26T14:56:00.002-05:00

I have a bunch of mandalas and doodles to upload, but for now here's one I did close to Valentine's day... maybe it was around the last snow storm.
Needing some color on these days... so much snow, gray, white. Luckier than a lot of people here on the east coast, thoguh. Some lost power and have more snow than we do.... but it keeps coming. So many businesses just closed down.. banks, doctors... so much for those SUV's which everyone bought for the snow.
The upside is that I stayed in and did some art.
I do have to go out and will take the camera.
Do I sound cranky.. because I am. This winter seems to be full of resistence for me. Everything takes so much effort. Dressing. Driving. Digging.
I am sure I will appreciate Spring oh so much this year.. Dear Spring, I need your color!

Reawakening

2010-02-16T13:16:00.002-05:00

This has been a strange winter for me.. feeling reclusive and limiting my time "out there".. going out when I need to. I guess it goes with the season to some degree.. following nature's cycle of hibernation.
This seems deeper though. Looking for answers within myself, but finding the distractions of life more annoying.... until I see them as messages.
I sit in my chair, reading, meditating, journal my thoughts. I am surrounded by many inspiring objects - things that make me aware of my spirituality, remind me of a higher purpose.
But the questions come back to that.. what IS my higher purpose???
Answers come in strange ways.
I get glimmers of them in unconventional ways... after reading a book which had to do with divine guidance, a card fell from my deck of flowers (angel cards)... just fell over. Not the first card, but somewhere within the deck, and it's message was: Divine Guidance. It made me stop.
I envisioned a hawk and turned to the window. No, hawk wasn't there, but I felt his "presence" and just at that moment my plant moved. It's long stem fell into a new place.
I come to the computer and read something that is pertinent to what I am feeling. It's astrological message is clearing something up for me.. another answer.
It all brings me to accept that if I listen, take notice of my surroundings, I am being constantly being guided.
Even if it is my internal higher self guiding me, it is still guidance.. intuition perhaps.
There is a strong pull to stop and remove myself from the distractions of the world, so I can listen, so I can get closer to the answers of my "being" here. I remind myself that sometimes that is where the answers lie... out there in the world.
Winter brings me in so I can find myself.. so I can then go out into the world reawakened to the best I can be.. to serve and do that which I am being called to do.
I reawaken to the dream I had, renewing my intention to bring it to fruition.
I am tenderly watering that seed, nourishing it with my love.
Waiting patiently for spring, I tend to the internal garden, and hope the blossoms will be a source of inspiration.

Expressions of Love

2010-02-10T10:50:00.002-05:00

all paths lead to love

I reach out to you

you come home to me

my heart is here for you

open

and ready to travel far and wide

to be with you

always

Crossing the Chasm

2010-02-07T10:01:00.003-05:00

"When we feel stuck, going nowhere -- even starting to slip backward -- we may actually be backing up to get a running start."-- Dan Millman
How funny I should read this today as I had just had this thought recently and think I even made a comment to someone about it....
Sometimes we need the faith to fly.. but at other times, what appears to be a step backwards.. is us taking that running start for the big jump.
You have to eliminate fear if you are going to do that.. no stopping mid-way, or changing your mind.. you just have to do it. YOU HAVE TO -because you know deep inside it is time.
I doodled this the other day making fun of myself. I have a T-shirt that says Stretch Your Boundaries. I usually wear it in yoga class and at other times I need reminding.
My boundaries were stretched when I asked for what I needed, something I find hard to do for some reason. But it was time. The results were better than I expected too :-)
Where can you stretch your boundaries today?
Today mine are going to an Apple class to learn how to use this new computer. I'm expecting this new computer to open up some new possibilities with my art.
The sun is shining.. the snow stayed south of us..
Life is good!

River runs through

2010-01-22T10:04:00.002-05:00

What if everything you did, you did it through love? Instead of choosing chaos, we chose tranquility.. There is so much out "there" that can create fear, worry, indecisiveness, confusion... but what if we chose to change our perspective and looked to see what was hidden beneath all of it.. what if we could bring awareness to the possibility that within all that chaos, was some blessing.. ..ready for us to bring it to the surface.

What if this river of love came from our hearts out through our finger tips, so that everything we touched, we did through love. How open can we be when we are bombarded with uncertainty and fearful energy pouring out from our TV sets? We always have a choice.. always.

It is a message that repeatedly comes up, not just for me but for all of us. We choose every minute of everyday... do we respond with anger or love, fear or love, suspicion or love, doubt or with a certainty that it will all work out... no matter how long it takes!

We need to hang tough, have faith and trust the Universe.

May your day be filled with immeasurable quantities of love that takes you on a journey that opens your heart fuller and deeper and all of that pours out into the Universe so we can all share in this glorious journey together... imagine everyone taking part in this giving and receiving of love... open hearted and fearless love.

Now wouldn't THAT be amazing :-)

Namaste'

twisted rainbow

2009-12-26T10:38:00.002-05:00

The Christmas Gathering
Twisted rainbow, cropped

Twisted Rainbow on canvas inspired by Cheryl's conversation on Mandala Oasis on color - rainbows in particular from Suzanne Fincher's book.

In particular, I was inspired by the idea of creating a rainbow mandala, using all the colors to activate all the chakras in the body and the idea of the feeling of being reborn.

I've been doing some black and white mandalas and some that have been limited in color.

The book I've been working on is thick and my new scanner makes it difficult to scan them.. and I have been a bit lax on scanning them... I photographed these two.

My intention is to do some more painting. It definitely brings me into a different state than the coloring. The painting keeps transforming. Layering, adding on. The background of the painting changed from black to flames to flowers to an edge of black and white design to this...

and it's transformation that I seek.

For YOU...

2009-12-21T11:23:00.003-05:00

I would like to wish you all a most merry christmas and whatever else you celebrate... I wish you all warmth, friendship and good cheer!

May your days be filled with laughter and embracing hugs.

I wish you moments of presence.

I wish you peace.

I wish you love.

I wish you joy.

I wish you spend this time in wonderment, appreciating each blessed moment we journey on this earth. I wish you more blessings than you can ever count.

I wish you creative inspiration that fills you with those blessed "ah-ha" moments and they continue to grow...........

Thank you for sharing this journey with me.

Thank you for sharing your creative energy, your wisdom, experiences and your comments.

Happy Solstice!

May all our lives be brighter, lighter,

healthier and happier.

Time without "you"

2009-12-04T08:40:00.003-05:00

Just before my computer caught a nasty virus, I watched a Teesha Moore video on creating your own journal from one piece of paper. I love the format of the book and that's what I did during the free time NOT on the computer.

I LOVED it!

I had so much fun cutting and gluing and created a whole journal. I ended up putting it into the show case at the town house with my assemblages because the theme was "recycling into art".

I laid out some junk mail catalogs.. then the journal.. then some cards which were pages scanned from the journal.

I loved it so much, I brought the idea to class and my older kids are now collaging in their own hand-made journals. Thanks Teesha :-)

Now, I have decided to limit my time on the computer. I realized how much of a distraction it can be and how habitual.

With coffee in hand, every morning I checked my email... instead I journaled and sometimes even cleaned :-)

Thank you!

2009-11-25T12:53:00.002-05:00

A MOST WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL !
I am most thankful for all the blessing I have received.
Lots of art experiences with my husband and students and friends..
It has been a very good year :-)

2009-11-23T12:16:00.000-05:00

Computer is going to the doctor... no blogging for awhile

Shed the thoughts to reveal the heart

2009-11-06T17:38:00.005-05:00

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

2009-10-19T10:01:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-09T08:42:00.002-04:00

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

2009-10-03T10:07:00.005-04:00

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

2009-10-03T09:47:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-02T17:52:00.003-04:00

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....

2009-09-16T21:08:00.003-04:00

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..

2009-09-03T08:12:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-29T10:30:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-26T11:02:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-24T18:30:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-09T10:56:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-02T08:19:00.003-04:00

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

2009-07-25T13:15:00.000-04:00

Wandering eyes

2009-07-23T19:42:00.002-04:00

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...

2009-07-01T08:30:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-01T14:44:00.002-04:00

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........

2009-04-24T14:53:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-21T08:36:00.002-04:00

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

2009-04-20T08:03:00.002-04:00

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...

2009-04-19T18:37:00.005-04:00

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....

2009-04-19T18:22:00.002-04:00

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!

2009-04-17T08:54:00.002-04:00

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

Doodle Weekend

2009-03-30T09:55:00.003-04:00

Doodle bird takes a walk

eye fly

Bursting through

The Awakening

What a pear!

Travel the Royal Road

2009-03-25T21:12:00.003-04:00

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!

2009-03-25T16:30:00.002-04:00

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....

2009-03-21T20:06:00.002-04:00

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

2009-03-20T11:34:00.002-04:00

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!

2009-02-14T15:43:00.002-05:00

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

2009-02-08T10:45:00.003-05:00

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

2009-02-08T10:24:00.003-05:00

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

2009-01-26T10:50:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-01-05T10:50:00.003-05:00

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 :-)

2009-01-01T21:41:00.003-05:00

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!

Angels, paints and wishes

2008-12-27T20:18:00.003-05:00

The Christmas Angel... What I wished for (computer working) came true!
This is the Angel of Belief...
One must believe in the possibilities of what you would like to manifest. Interesting time of year for belief... Do you believe you can manifest that which you desire or is it wishful thinking. Wishing isn't enough - you need to believe.
Wishing and Believing... Make a wish and believe it will come to pass.
See it. Visualize it. Believe it to be so.
If you truly believe you can have it, make it so.
I believe we are all capable of so much more than we think.
I think we just get scared.
I wonder if we admit to being scared, then another person can admit to it as well and if we all support each other, even though we are scared... well, we can help each other through that fear to the other side. The side that holds our dreams. Wouldn't that be something!
I sure hope your dreams come to be.

A painting I've been working on in oils. I'm used to working with acrylics and have decided to try my hand with oils.. slow process, working on it little by little. Allowing what wants to come up.... still working on this. Who knows, maybe it'll be finished by the next full moon.
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas.

My wish is for more understanding, more compassion, more honesty in communications, more patience to listen closely, observe more of what nature has to tell us, have more gratitude for that which we have and to share it more often with those who do not.

I wish us all more peace.

More love.

More joy.

I believe we can.

Still working on it....

2008-12-22T12:02:00.003-05:00

I'm seeing this as a process. I'm without the internet again.. but thankfully, the library has access. But the upside is I'm doing more ART!
If I'm not back online by Christmas.......
MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL AND A HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!!!

Scariest Night!

2008-12-21T11:57:00.003-05:00

Imagine your computer crashing... and having to do a total recovery.. going to bed thinking you have lost the last two or three? years of your "computer life"..

I went through all the stages of grief. anger.. denial...

Trying to maintain the higher spiritual aspect of it, but then come crashing down to thinking it is all lost..

Is mercury retrograde or something????

This morning I turned on the computer to my own desktop picture :-)

A Christmas Miracle!!! but unable to connect to the internet.

Trouble shooting for what felt like hours on the phone to no avail... call HP.

I explained and then ... another Christmas miracle.. it connected!

Not exactly the way it used to.. but hey, I'm here :-)

I have all my pictures.

My documents.

My blogs..

oooooh computer... I love you so much.. please be good now.

I'm going to get some discs now to upload my photos, as I now have another chance.

Life is good.

a bit nerve-wracking at times... but in general it is. Life has more ups than downs.

It was interesting to observe my feelings last night.

Is this what death feels like? If I feel like this about my computer, what will it feel like when a loved one passes on. In the big picture, it all passes.... and does it really leave? It all just changes form.... all part of All That Is.

how attached we are to those "things" we have... attached to life.

Enjoy it while it's here.

Playing with angels

2008-12-11T07:53:00.002-05:00

Playing with paper angels... and still playing with them.

I've been picking up the oil paints as well, experimenting with using them, blending, finding my confidence.

Most of my energy seems to have been going into teaching classes and workshops and these little angels are great to leave on my table, adding to them here and there.

But I miss making my mandalas, so I played with the oils paints, redoing an old canvas.

I don't think it's done yet.

This came from the Daily Guru this morning:

With Clear Seeing,

Reality does not suddenly change.

All that shifts is our perspective --

and we eventually rediscoverthe familiar Reality we have been seeing all along.

The moment of awakening may be marked by an outburst of laughter,

but this is not the laughter of someone who has won the lottery or some kind of victory.

It is the laughter of one who, after searching for something for a long time,

suddenly finds it in the pocket of his coat.

I picked up Alberto Villoldo's book Courageous Dreaming last night...

I paused to think: "What story am I telling myself? What dream am I dreaming? Why not change my story, change the perspective of it and redream the dream to what I would rather see?" Have I bought into this dream? Why?

Am I dreaming you? Am I dreaming all of this?

We share this dream of life on earth and I would like to wake from the nightmare of selfishness and greed to a dream of sharing and helping one another.

Shift the perspective.. look into my pocket to find that all I had to do was just put my hand there and find the key.

Change the story.

Chair Swap

2008-11-25T09:25:00.005-05:00

"Lizard's Longing"

"Nest"

"High" Chair

Art in the Garden

Healer's Chair alongside the Nest Chair

I really do love making these little tiny things, always tweaking here and there, adding stuff at the last moment... until it needs to go out in the mail.

When to stop... always seems to be the dilemma.

I hope today finds you in a nice comfortable chair,

a chair to take you on long imaginative journeys,

sacred spaces,

one that allows your creativity soar into the universe.

If your lucky enough and it's warm enough,

maybe you'll find yourself outside doing art in the garden

or maybe you just need to nest :-)

Wherever your "seat" finds comfort today,

may there be peace and love surrounding it.
Namaste'

Being Grateful

2008-11-20T13:47:00.002-05:00

She is my angel of gratitude... one of the angels taught in the Angel Project taught by Chaska.

We are on a mission to make as many angels as we can and send them out into the world, give as gifts or fill up your home with them :-)

I am an angel collector and have all sorts of angels flying around here. Actually, they are "winged-things" because some of them are fruit with wings... fairies, anything with wings gets hung up around here!

Making your own is a whole other story...

mostly because you set the intention of what or where you want it to go...

Thus, the Gratitude Angel.. in time for Thanksgiving.

It is a reminder for me, not so much to be grateful for everything around me, because on MOST days, I am... sharing that gratitude (abundance) is a bit harder and I am well aware of my tending to hoard stuff.... share my chocoate! ok, you can have a little of it...

Can I send out my very best, most valued stuff in a swap???

gulp.

so, here is my mission..... Share.

And that is what this angel is saying... there is soooo very much in my life that I am grateful for. Share the damn chocolate and then go buy some more!

What is the hardest thing you ever had to share?

(p.s. I did give hubby some chocolate, but only the pack that was already opened)