Creations Call to In.Spirit.Action~~
‘It is when I seem to be doing the least that I am doing the most.
Leonardo de Vinci
As you may have noticed, my writer self has not been visible on this page lately. Since the beginning of 2010, I have been in a place of deep introspection, contemplative listening: more being than doing, the nourishing nurturing space so vital to the core of my ‘ I AM~ness’. Scanning my favourite art book, I was encouraged recently as I reread Jeanne Carbonetti’s insightful description of her process that so closely mirrors mine.
“…the world goes into soft focus…when I am in the waiting cycle…paying attention to the slightest stirrings that guide me to the next step….the being in the world, but not of the world…. Had I been busily engaged in something productive, I may have missed those stirrings.”
And so it is and was for me, when the art above began to call forth, beckon, flow on to the page guiding me from within to paint it into life. I stared fascinated, bemused by the pattern splay; the moving into intention phase, bringing essence into clear focus.
The following dialogue began running through my awareness ~ I burst out laughing, tears running down my cheeks and I had to stop the paint flow and capture the wordage flow on paper.
“I am Brigid. Brigid the goddess of Inspiration”, she began. Ummmmm… Okay, I thought: I had placed that card on my desk top recently for several months. Good, inspiration was stirring within.
AND THEN THE YAMMERING BEGAN
~I soon began to think of her as ‘Sassy Assy’ rather than Goddess Brigid, as you may immanently understand~
(~~ at sentence beginning will indicate Brigid’s words )
Hey come on You, it’s time to stop this now!
~~Huh~ I ain’t’ stopping
I mean you gotta quit spreading your fire wings…its getting ridiculous…you’re almost off the page
~~So what’s the problem…who’s to say…
Well, I am. You’re going into an art show, and so you will be viewed as a work of art and you should be …
~~Should be what! I’m a work for anyone to judge!!! No way!
Who are you? What’s up….you’ve waited all these years to come to this moment and you are telling me not to spread my wings, not to take up all the space that surrounds me…
Well no, I guess…
~~Whadda you mean…you guess…. I don’t believe you! What happened to you!!
Well we kinda created this YOU… together right?
~~Right… soooooooo
Well I only knew I was birthing something, ‘cause I felt so crappy for so long~ and then I sensed how close I was to this change within and … and I already knew what I was submitting to the International Women’s Day Art show! It was a done deal and…
~~And what !!!! I hadn’t appeared yet! ….so NO deal~!!
Well ummmmm…in my cauldron of mulling and fogginess of becoming ness ummm…ahhhh I just thought I’d play with paint…that creativity always feels good in the midst of my inner turmoil and then…
~~YAH and then….I SURPRISED YOU DIDN’T I~!!!!
Yah you did~ painted~ let it dry~came down the next day~and there you are staring at me~ Up heaving all my plans…
~~Hey you…Linda! …it’s like this…
~~if you are open to divine will, you are on the path of conscious living, willing to transform within and without…haha ~ what a word….within and out wardly….And then I am willing to allow you to paint me onto the page to show you what you are birthing i.e. Your INNER PHOENIX!!!!! What’s your problem with what I LOOK LIKE…~~!!!!!!
You’re gonna go through all this and then Give a Damn about what other people think about how I look!!!!! Seeding, gestating labouring and emerging IS MESSY work alright~~! There ain’t any other way…
~~And now that I am here, Lady….you bet I’m gonna spread my wings any which way I CHOOSE.
LOOK OUT WORLD HERE WE COME~!
Oh my jumping heavenly hosts, I silently mumbled, remembering the truth of the saying:
Be Careful What You Pray For~~
Mom! Are There Two Gods In Church Today~
Precious Gifts From Our Children
Long ago and just the other day it seems, I was blessed to give birth to my beautiful daughter Holli, a gem who gratefully chose me as her mom. From this wee being wisdom flowed freely. Holli would give voice to things others would never notice, or at least never dare to express. I loved and still love her ‘eyes wide open’ perspective on life.
When the children were young, I would take them all to our historical village church and we would settle into the hard, old wooden pews. Holli, as a baby would be snuggled facing me, with her next older sister sitting facing forward, back to back with her. On each side of us sat her oldest sister and her brother. As church service would pass, the children would play with my rings, hand and foot games or draw on paper produced from my purse.
This particular Sunday Holli, who was four years old, wore her best dress with white leotards and black patent shoes. Over top, she wore her silver faux fur coat buttoned up the front. Enhancing her attire was her radiant smile, huge blue, see into your soul eyes and her mass of curly blonde hair pulled up into a knot on top of her head. A charmer she was, absolutely.
We were pleased to see Reverend Sam Obal from Kenya was at our parish that day, assisting Reverend Tonks with communion.
Open hearted, the light of God shone from Sam’s face.
Holli seemed a bit restless during the service and was quietly walking the 3 feet of empty pew space beside us, all the while intently watching both Sam and Basil in their long white vestments. Finally she settled into the high backed corner of the pew, standing with her elbow resting on the aisle edge, where she had a splendid view of the proceedings.
It would be important for the reader to know that this particular church was still attended by the direct ancestors of the original settlers, who had built the architecturally beautiful structure in the early 1800’s. Newcomers would soon learn to be certain that they sat in any place other than the particular pews invisibly labelled: ‘for direct descendants only’.
And then it happened. Holli clearly and loudly interjected her question.
“Mom, are there two Gods in Church today?”
“Holli”, I whispered, I’ll tell you later.” Snickers. You could feel the distracted rustling finally ebbing, as the church settled once more. Long pause. More observation. More consternation. I could sense her still pondering since Holli and I had always been so closely connected, even before her birth.
“Please dear God, help her wait this one out”, I silently prayed.
“Well”, she finally proclaimed loudly to all: “If they aren’t two Gods, are they two ANGELS?” That did it. The whole congregation bubbled with rolling laughter.
And yet the story is not complete. When it came time for communion, Rev. Sam reached down and picked up Holli. The contrasting image of this 7 foot tall black man holding tiny blonde Holli in his hands, so that they were smiling face to face, is one I treasure, always.As it is written, like Mary in times of old, these things I keep deep in my heart.
May we be thankful for the clear seeing, free flowing thoughts and queries of children. For the insight, candidness and laughter they bring to our days.
May we remember the innocence of the child in us who longs to be free to ponder, to voice aloud unedited the deep wonderings of our heart.
What might you try today in spontaneity just because you have always wanted to? I invite you to take a risk. Trust in yourself.
Go For It Now~~~~
Believing in the wisdom of YOU ….blessings Linda
The World That I See Mirrored Back At Me..
- HAVING FUN
Mirror, Mirror, what do I see reflecting back at me…..?
Annoyance, humour, AHA moments, all full of possibility~
Mirror, Mirror, what do I see reflecting back at me…..?
Annoyance, humour, AHA moments, all full of possibility~
Years ago strolling along a beach crying not good enough tears, I painfully came into the moment as I stubbed my toe on something hidden in the sand. Reaching down, I picked up a small heart shaped rock with a chunk missing from one corner.
Its metaphorical and metaphysical message struck me profoundly.
Since that day, I have been aware that my most important life’s purpose was first, remembering to love myself deeply; then from within, I have much to share and offer in love to others.
In my life, pre-the toe stubbing on the broken hearted rock, the messages blaring through my perceptionary field spoke illusive concepts of always being good, quiet, sweet, pretty, the perfect size, using the right products, trying hard to own the right stuff and above all pleasing the people cared for, to get love. These messages led me deeper and deeper into confusion, self doubt, frustration and depression~ de-pressed energy~ since of course, I had wandered a long way away from the real beauty of me~!
As I began to remember my way back to myself by listening to my soul call, things began shifting deeply within me. AHA’S after AHA continued to drop in; deep understanding of self caring, self responsibility, self forgiveness, the power of conscious choice, healthy boundaries, mind body spirit connection and the true empowerment of shaping my own life were the universal sign posts leading me back.
As I continue to follow my Soul Song, my life responds and mirrors back to me the beauty and love that has always been in the world, when I hold the willingness to see with clear eyes.
The following quote continues to inspire my adventuresome life.
” The world would have you agree with its dismal dream of limitation but the light would have you soar like the eagle of its sacred vision.” Cohen~
” The world would have you agree with its dismal dream of limitation but the light would have you soar like the eagle of its sacred vision.” Cohen~
And the playful part of me just HAD TO TRY the ‘take your own picture in the mirror’ trick I have watched children do for years. I am so glad I had the sense of fun to do this; however, I see that I have photos in TWO places and I can’t seem to delete one of them.
Guess My Inner Child Really Wanted To Play
Guess My Inner Child Really Wanted To Play
- HAVING FUN
Since fun and playfulness all raise our vibrations….
HOW HIGH CAN WE ALL SOAR TOGETHER ?
Since fun and playfulness all raise our vibrations….
HOW HIGH CAN WE ALL SOAR TOGETHER ?
Heart Talk or Babble ?
Is the Language of Human Kind Universal?
The Burning Question…..
Recently I attended several Expressive Arts Therapy courses with wonderful people from many different backgrounds and nationalities. During our time together, many of us connected with each other in deep understanding and communion.
A Korean classmate spoke English that greatly improved over only a few weeks and I commented on her incredible language facility. She just smiled and said to me: “Linda, is easy talk with you. You talk heart talk, same same, like me.” So simply, did she state this beautiful truth.
This experience reminded me of a time years ago, when I was blessed to be one of the team members who facilitated the safe arrival of a family from Taiwan to our town. My task was to assist them in finding housing, supplies and to generally introduce them to the every day functioning of Canadian life. Amidst the many challenges and hurdles, we laughed, learned and shared much.
Early in our relationship, I invited the family to join us at the arena to watch my son’s hockey game. This I felt, would offer the 3 young boys an outing and some good old Canadian sports experience. My youngest daughter, about 5 at the time, loved any new adventure and she joined me on this day. The family, although quiet was fascinated with the arena, the ice and the new sport. After awhile however, Holli began pleading with me to allow her to take Khan, the youngest boy with her to show him around.
Off they ran together to explore and play. This was the first time that they had been alone together, in a new environment. About half way through the game, breathless and bursting with boundless energy, my Holli ran up to me, interrupting our adult conversation by pulling on my coat. I immediately asked her what was happening. She looked at me in complete surprise.
“Mommy, mommy” she said, “MOMMY, HE DOESN’T SPEAK ENGLISH !”
Suddenly she was noticing that in all the time she had shared with the boys, the words they used were not the same as hers. In all the getting to know each other, the exploration, fun, and joy they shared together, language had never mattered. As my new friend simply stated, and Holli intuitively knew, the language of the heart and soul always leads the way.
Too often in this world, we have chosen the TOWER OF BABEL mode of communication, with dire results. The language of human kind is indeed universal if we choose to remember.
What we truly need to understand one another is an open heart, the desire to connect and the remembering that we truly are all ONE.
Learning to Love Yourself
005
Learning to love yourself, is the beginning of a life long romance.
Oscar Wilde
