Month: January 2024

And a new painting adventure begins!

One with a name which might be a bit of a surprise…

Temple… The Artist Erotic, led by Curate Shiloh Sophia McCloud and Dr. Havi Brysk Mandell and a host of other folks with answers and cameras and music and tech skills.

Imagine for this moment that you’re heading out for 3 weeks in your favorite fantasy destination with just one tiny personal item, only to end up staying for 3 months… which is to say that this Temple journey is growing by the moment!

And, as you’ve probably heard me mention, the paintings for Red Madonna and Origins and Guardian are already filling up my studio and my dreams. Grandmother Moon even whispered that we might have enough going on!

I could have delayed Temple for a while. In fact, I was going to. And then it turned into a 90 day opportunity to focus on what my body needs, which all of me needs!

(My ortho guy and my physical therapists are thrilled!)

So… Temple. Now.

We began on Thursday. (Well, technically!) Music. Dancing, even! Red Thread. And a shiny graphic map of our fledgling journey which insisted on being combined, in my heart, with another image that very much guides me… and turned out looking like this on page one of my repurposed journal with the intentional cover art…

Then, much to my delight, a question! (I love questions!!!)

What are you present to, now?

And the flood gates opened, after a whole lot of holding back pain and mobility challenges and – since we’re being real – fear. Fear of not being strong enough to walk the walk.

Here’s most of what I wrote in response, on page two, with my favorite red pen.

I am present to pain. To hope. To promise. MY promise.

I am present to opening myself to this journey.

I am present to how much my body needs and deserves my Fierce Compassion.

Ummmm… mike drop!!!!! And my red pen had more to say…

I open myself to this journey by becoming “one of those five people” for my body! I listen to my body. I take my body seriously. I do not shame or blame my body for its questions. I treat my body with the loving perspective of a Fiercely Compassionate Rebel Grandmother!

To which my obvious response was, indeed, Ummmm… Duh!

And, my next, internal, response – not surprisingly – was a wee story from the way-back machine.

Once upon a time, quite a while ago, deep in the land of Ericksonian Hypnotherapy training, a new friend commented that I was, “really into power”.

I was shocked and aghast... until I realized that, while I’m not much into power OVER, I am, indeed, quite into power FOR!

Trust me when I tell you that, even three days in, this journey is all about that!

And, it’s also about my Big Why!

About helping others – people just like you – to claim the place where their deep joy and the world’s deep longing meet. In this world. Even now.

Okay… Especially NOW!!!

And, then, helping to map out the path from your here to your there, in ways that are as deep and true and empowering for you as mine are for me.

Here’s the big news… it’s almost time for Oh, I See… Consciously! to begin. And you’re going to be invited! There’s some calendar stuff to sort, and I’m on it.

For this moment… perhaps you’d care to muse on this…

And start pondering what you are present to!

Details very soon!

ps… Oh, I See… Consciously! is intentionally designed to be really, really flexible and accessible, including an alchemical painting process! The world needs you!

pps… want more info even before it’s all techy-neat and colorful??? The calendar elves will be thrilled to hook you up with 45 min. My gift. We’ll see what feels like a good fit for you. Small group and individual options will be available for determined dreamers!

ppps… the intentional cover art on my repurposed journal??? Names! Grandmothers and granddaughters. Mine. In my hand. Which is a lot like em-power-ment!

Welcome to the Fireside of the Dangerous Old Women, as we bid farewell to 2023 and call in 2024. You’re a specially invited guest to the regular Crone Moon meeting of my Red Madonna sisters, walking the journey called Tree of Life.  Dr. E. and I are so glad you’re here!!!

Settle into this moment of reflecting with hope and comfort. We are, each in our own ways and whatever we’re feeling, still standing and still dancing.

For me, I enter the unknown with a medicine basket full of new perceptions and stories. With a heart full of my girls laughing and leaping ocean waves. With huge new clarity around my Big Why!

And there is still more that I bring. A kneecap sliding out of place way more than it used to. A rather urgent need for a visit with an eye doctor. Some lingering fears from an autumn of trauma triggers.

And, blessedly, a new vision of what Fierce Compassion looks like for my journey. And a fresh supply of index cards! (It’s a whole new year!)

Here’s one that surprised me, amidst the storm of fireworks I’d rather hadn’t been going on all around me on New Year’s Eve.

Nope! It doesn’t look like much. It probably doesn’t even make much sense to you. For me, though, it’s the Muse whispering the next pieces of my Guardian painting for Origins. Scribbles and scratching even I wouldn’t have understood before this particular moment.

And that, in my mind, is a wonder!

It’s also a reminder that, when we open ourselves, we often hear things we had no space for until, well… until we did. And that led me to my Shaman’s Dream oracle deck! Let’s listen…

Woodwives… adaptability, strong roots, growth!

The Woodwives dance into your dreams as a reminder to be grounded no matter what life offers you. You need to know who you are, what you’ll tolerate, what you’ve learned to date, and what boundaries to set so you feel good about yourself. Life is going to offer you something extraordinary now, and, in order to learn and receive its blessings, you must remember that being grounded gives you more freedom, not less.

You have everything you need; you have all it takes to do this right now. If you also keep reminding yourself to be flexible, you will be amazed by how well things play out for you. The Woodwives are both wisdom keepers and students of the new world, as these forest spirits have an uncanny ability to adapt to changing circumstances and always find the perfect way to grow and expand. They represent what you already know how to do.

Learn. Be in beginners’ mind. Let go of your rigid notions of how things “should” be, and be present to what is right now, unencumbered by your projections. Is there a storm brewing because things need to change? No worries – nothing can uproot you now, and it will pass, and you will dance with nature and move with it all.

Perhaps you’ve being given an opportunity to take a chance on something new, and you’re not sure how far you can go without losing your footing. Have no fear, for when you remember your roots – your integrity, your authentic self – you can stretch yourself beyond the invisible line you drew. Go for it. You will be so glad you did.

And, in case you’re wondering, this is the card which found me after much shuffling and passing them through my hands.

And, some of it feels like a stretch for me.

And, isn’t that the point???

So… we’re going to try something new, here in this moment of consciousness, around the fireside of the Dangerous Old Women.

I’m inviting you to open your eyes and your heart to your inner Oracle. Start this year with the intention of noticing and wondering. Of finding your message. At your easel. In your journal or a favorite book. In a dream. Even on a bumper sticker! Open yourself to the wisdom around you. And, if you feel led, share what you discover, here, in this circle. Your voice helps all of us on this journey!

Blessed be!!!

ps… you can reply, below. Or, email me at suesvoice@gmail.com

pps… have you ever imagined there could be a moment when all the wandering and learning and sorting and choosing and scaring yourself silly could come together with your Big Work? There can be and I can help! Details to follow… soon. Unless you’re really, really ready now! Just ask the calendar elves to hook you up with 45 min. My gift. You tell me where you are and what you hope for. I’ll share some possibilities. It really can be your moment!