Time out...

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

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

How to paint..

" 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'

Carry the seeds

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

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

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

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

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

Spread Love

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

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 :-)

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?

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

so

deeply.

Buried Seeds

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

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

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

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

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?

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