Yes. It’s a pretty big statement. And it generated a whole lot of Who am I to say that? when I painted it into the quilt worn by my Artist/Taliswoman painting from about 3 years ago. She was part of my Color of Woman certification process, and she insisted.
These days, she is known as The Fiercely Compassionate Artist and she’s had a lot to say lately!
This morning, I was adding the stars to the Our Lady of Guadalupe work-in-progress who’s been keeping me busy lately. Tonantzin, as she is also known, wanted lots of stars. She also wants a North Star, or Polaris.
How old, I wondered as I spattered, is Polaris? Some research was in order.
According to the founts of knowledge who live in my phone, a good guess is 70 million years!
And suddenly there were tears streaming down my cheeks as I heard the words from my Artist painting, again.
In the image of the Divine, I create.
And, as the book of Genesis proclaims… It was good!
I began to imagine about one-zillionth of what it must have felt like to create the sun and the moon and the stars, all of which are here, too, made by my hands and my brush in paint, on the canvas where I was spattering the night sky.
The North Star isn’t there yet. There are lots more individual prayer dots to make first. I wondered, though, as I went on spattering stars, about our personal North Stars in this moment. Yours and mine. Our touchstones nearest the true North of our hearts. And souls.
Personally, I’m still in Astronomy-kindergarten. (Well, maybe pre-school!) Here’s a bit more of what I learned in Wikipedia-land:
Polaris is currently moving closer to the north celestial pole. It will come closest on March 24, 2100, and then begin to move away. Another couple of thousand years later, another star will be closest to true North.
The very fact that we know how to predict such a thing blows my mind!
For this moment, though, I’m more obsessed with wondering what our personal true Norths are.
This is mine, if you’ll pardon the run-on sentence!
In the image of the Divine I create and what I choose to create is part of a better, kinder, safer world, because I have two granddaughters growing up in this world, and grandmothers need all the empowering we can get and I can share!
It feels like a really big statement to me, too.
And one I can claim with my whole heart.
Me. An ordinary grandmother with creaky joints and much, much more to learn.
Love, really, with a paintbrush. Or a quilting frame. Or a stock pot. Or a crochet hook. Or an abundant garden. Or buttons, even! Or whatever empowers you to create…
I’m so hoping you will!
For this moment, the paintings are satisfied and I have more prayer dots–more stars of hope–to make. The Forest of Grandmothers starts soon and there’s lots to do!
Blessings to you and yours from Phoebe and Luther and me!
ps… We really ARE stardust!
pps… Can’t wait to introduce you to the angel at the base of this painting!