Month: June 2024

Do you know how this feels?

Peeking behind a curtain, curious, and a wee bit anxious? Not sure what you’ll find… and compelled to find out?

Yep! #apothecary! Part NEXT…

And, wow… did I get surprised!!! The kind of surprised that sometimes comes when we allow ourselves to hear what other eyes see.

First, though, a bit of a dot review. More following than controlling. A riff on an old Quaker teaching, word by word. Hope, in the midst of unavoidable tragedy.

I — am — willing — to — be — changed.

Over and over. And over and over.

And, then.. the parentheses marks around the dots. Another, even older, old story. The punchline goes like this…

The chains which bound me are broken, and I am free, already.

Then, I got really brave and shared my progress with other travelers on the road.

One of those other travelers – who clearly knew more old stories – commented that she saw Ganesha. Research was in order!

Ganesha – or Ganesh – is the elephant-headed god in Hindu Religion and symbolizes protection and the removal of obstacles from one’s path. (Thank you, Google… we didn’t cover this in nursing school or seminary!)

That’s a message I’ll gladly receive!!!

All of which felt even more aligned when I reminded myself that the #apothecary painting is part of a larger journey known as #animystica.

Sleep was definitely in order! And, dreams. The whisper-y Grandmother Moon kind of dreams.

And then, more paint. The Big Scary Glaze kind that changes many things!

So… drum roll, please! I have a book title! And I’m close to having cover art. (The #wip has graciously volunteered!) And the content already lives within me. It’s just been looking for a container deep and wide enough.

The next right thing is even more Big Scary Glaze. And an alabaster jar.

Oh! The line for joy and pleasure appeared from above and became a vessel, too! It just needs filling with stardust soup!

This has been quite the Squeegie Hunt. And – remarkably – I’m not afraid!!!

Perhaps that’s why I’m humming something pretty close to Go Tell it on the Mountain!

ps… also bought a domain name. My new book title! The Art of Overcoming Obstacles®. Stay tuned!!!

pps… if you’ve been hanging around a bit, you may detect a hint of Filters! You’re absolutely right. And there’s more to come!!!

ppps… just in case you missed part one of this adventure, just click here to be magically transported!

And, yes… we’re talking Medicine Painting! Specifically, the journey known as Apothecary. The photo from my journal, above, should give you an idea of what this adventure feels like in the beginning.

It’s like all the parts of my brain dancing together at once. Early on, there was quite a bit of singing going on inside me. I thought John Denver was a bit odd in this mix until I heard:

Comin’ home… to a place we’ve never been before!

It had a lot to do with the metaphoric river under the river… the Rio Abajo Rio.

Now, before we go any further, I should let you know that I’d be a bit behind, if we believed in that. (And, no… you’re not surprised!)

Imagine, though, a very busy spider, of the Weaver Dreamer sort, with a whole lot of new web to weave. That’s what this journey feels like for me. You know how the spider puts her web back together after a big bug tears it or a storm blows it loose from the the corner of a window?

Now, imagine doing that for yourself, with paint. (And you don’t even have to hang upside down!) That’s what this is like for me.

One of the things I’m weaving back in is some of those old summer camp stories. Like my first-ever Red Thread circle. And the amazing notion that we all work together to make the world work.

Then there was the random impulse to anoint the back of my canvas with a bit of the cacao from my mug. Kind of a comfort thing in the midst of some deep noticing and wondering.

There’s a painted line for joy and pleasure coming up. First, though… Context!!! By which, of course, I mean news. Not just the national kind – which is huge enough – but also the inner kind. The really personal stuff.

But, first… the words of Shiloh Sophia McCloud.

Medicine painting is an artifact of change!!!

And it works!!!

Somewhere along the line, while we were taking a studio break on Saturday afternoon, I was able to claim a thing that has changed for me. A thing which I didn’t consciously know was holding me back. A thing called grief. And I realized that the composting has happened and I am ready to go forward.

And I spoke my claimed perception shift. And made space for newness to begin.

The loss is still there, but there is now room for newness. And I’m off to make marks for that on my canvas!

It’s not much to look at so far. Here’s a peek…

Tears. Right there with the paint.

Tears of release and hope! Tears of strength for living into what I was born to do. If you squint, you might see the eye!

And, then, the line before the one for joy and pleasure, which is still to come.

This one is the line for unavoidable tragedy. Mine insisted upon appearing in one of my personal codes which has been with me since The Muse appeared in 2018. And it feels like a really good sign, now!

There’s a lot more painting to do. More learning. More claiming. More singing. More showing up.

Here’s a hint… I was born to do this!

For now… huge hugs. And the hope that you’re beginning to imagine what such a journey might look like in your world! This world needs all of us, now!

ps… I just saw another eye! Wonder what’s next…