Author: sue boardman

Well, probably more like still learning, still… And you’re totally correct if you’ve already realized that I don’t plan on quitting!

The whole Intentional Creativity® adventure known as #Legend is really helpful for the learning thing. It’s not just about finding new answers to old questions. It’s also about finding whole new questions… which is one of those terrifying/thrilling things in my world!

I have a tendency to find new questions when I feel stuck and, wow, was I feeling stuck yesterday! You see, there are certain “ingredients” of a #Legend painting. The crucial ones. I think about it like soup!

There’s got to be bones. (Well, almost always!) And onions and garlic. Bay leaves. Parsley – mostly stems. You get the drift…

This #Legend‘s list of gotta-haves included animal symbols, ancestral references, and stars.

Stars… no sweat! But the dove was lonely. And it’s basically all ancestors but I needed that to be visible to people other than me. So… search engine!

Animal symbols. French. Cathars.

Just between us, I never imagined a snake would show up, hiding in a word I did not know. A word – a perspective – she wants you to know that we’re claiming…

Ouroboros!

aka: Insights Into The Snake Eating Tail Symbol of Eternal Recurrence. And, no, we didn’t cover that in nursing school or seminary! Here’s a smattering of what I learned:

• transcends time and culture
• symbolizes eternity and the infinite
• circular form represents the unending nature of the cosmos and existence
• signifies the unity of all things… the interconnectedness of material & spiritual realms
• represents self-reflection and personal growth, emphasizing the process of individuation
• symbolizes purification, integration of opposites, spiritual enlightenment, wholeness, and totality

All of which felt totally legendary… and left me with a design question. What would I do with such a being? Yep… earring!!!

First, though, I needed an ear. And, you know, eyes and a mouth. The third eye wasn’t even a surprise. It insisted on being included from my third #Legend painting… an homage to Luther, our blind Newfoundland rescue dog who saw with legendary vision, and taught me many precious things.

So, here she is, rising like Good Trouble from Stardust Soup! And, there’s a book tucked under one elbow, though you’ll have to trust me on that. That copy of Brueggemann’s Finally Comes The Poet… we talked about on Sunday. The Rebel Poet! Me!!!

Not because it’s going to be easy. Or fun. But because we’ve got beloved Littles growing up in this world and – well – somebody’s got to!

Besides, the whole Finally Comes the Rebel Poet bit helps the big Red Book you can see make more sense in this moment!

For now, though, more paint. And, quite probably, a wee nap while the paint dries. Mattering matters. And, sometimes, it’s exhausting, for painters and paintings! Here’s the thing, though…

Madam Secretary was right!

Sometimes it’s the stories we want to hear the least that we need to hear the most! (S 3, ep 21)

ps… want to learn more, too??? Stay tuned! In fact, add your name to the annoying pop-up thingy and be registered for a chance to win a museum quality print of one of my paintings! Really!!!

pps… while you’re in the mood to be adventurous, CLICK HERE to check out my upcoming adventure known as #Filters! It’s leaping up and down in my Medicine Basket, so looking forward to meeting you. Life-changing is NOT an exaggeration! And you’ll wind up with an amazing painting that’s yours in all the biggest ways! (And, there’s a big discount for those who dive in soon!)

ppps… today I went to a really cool meeting!!! Planning for Red Madonna, 2025. I can’t say too much, yet, except that it’s going to be an awesome adventure with Mother Nature… and paint! Also – drum roll, please – poems!!! Stay tuned. And signing up for the mailing list (above) is a great way to be sure you don’t miss anything! (The painting below is a fav bit from one of this year’s Red Madonna paintings… and, yes, it’s the back of a canvas! There’s a whole lot of wisdom to be claimed!)

If you look legend up in the Oxford Dictionary – or your phone! – the first thing you’re likely to find is this: a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated.

I’m willing to bet that whoever wrote that definition didn’t have a paintbrush in their hand! Or a Zoom room full of artists from around the world, with enough courage to set out on an adventure to claim their legendary selves in this world, now.

Blessedly, I’ve been hanging out in just such a room since Thursday, and we’ve got a couple days more to go. (Well, maybe a couple more than a couple, in my case!)

Quite the trip does not begin to describe! And, yes, I’ve done this before. I think this is my fifth #Legend. This is one of those things that actually does turn out differently, even when you do it over and over! It has a lot to do with context!

First, though, if you squint a bit you may be able to see the first signs of her face appearing. As in, I found an eye and the tip of her nose there, rather than putting them there! Miracles abound!!!

Now, let’s dig in…

You’ve guessed the basics. Canvas. Easel. (Rolling table, too, in my case.) Lots of paint. Especially the more translucent varieties, for all the layers. Brushes, of course, Fingers. Spray bottle. Also, soup, chocolate, and a really comfy pair of paint shoes, willing to become, well, colorful!

My personal adventure was already begun, in the land of two books to write and a deck of #Quickening wisdom cards in process. The Dream Muse has been really busy, too. And I’m not at all sure what the muscle memory parts of me are up to. Let’s just say it’s a challenging mystery!

Here are a few of the ah-hah’s…

This #Legend painting – who’s also really fond of journaling – insisted, even before the wrapper came off the canvas, that she was going to be the book cover for the third book which added itself to my list, just this past week. A third edition of my Grandmothers Are In Charge Of Hope!® Because – as you’ve no doubt noticed – we could use a truckload of that, these days!

Much of my unofficial journal time on Thursday night, had to do with questions for an appointment with my doctor on Friday. If you imagine Nancy Drew looking for clues, you’ll be on board. Then, there was a dream, complete with a thunder-y sort of voice I know very well.

Walter Brueggemann. Finally Comes The Poet. Half the pages are loose in the copy I’ve loved for decades. I’ve pressed a rubber band into service to keep things in order. And here’s the sub-title… the why now? part of this story: DARING SPEECH FOR PROCLAMATION.

And the miracle happened… Paint brushes. Big questions. Walter’s voice. And I claimed my place among the Poets. The daring ones.

Then, a few lines of real-deal writing which grew out of my conversation with Mark, who – as doctors go – is a really good listener!

Once upon a time, the world got very scary. People who had felt safe for a long time began to get scared. People who had never felt safe became afraid that they would not find safe. And they all worried about the Littles they loved. Many, many of their ancestors had experienced similar times and feelings. It was their turn, now.

One of those people had a dream, which is a very hopeful thing to do when you’re scared. They dreamed a Grandmother meeting. Camp fire. Joan Baez. A Red Thread circle, and lots of new conscious connections.

Oddly, C.S. Lewis’s old friend, Puddleglum, showed up, too! And his message, in that dream, was a lot like this – Hope looks different in different times, though it all comes from the same place inside… the place that believes we all matter and that dreams can change things.®

All of which brought me to a place where I’m ready to stand up and make a big claim!

I want to keep doing what I’m doing… and I want there to be space for those who want to join in to be able to stay on the road, too.

My #Legend canvas is still on the road with me, even after some big edits today. Loving the rainbow feel. We still need a makeup artist… all in good time! It’s been a big day!

I’m not actually sure what all comes next. I am sure I’m all in… and trusting that Walter won’t mind this tiny edit:

Finally Comes the Rebel Poet… and she is me… with a pen in one hand and a brush in the other!

Amen. Amen. Selah.

ps… ready for some game-changing magic??? Or, ready enough to find out more??? Click your heels together 3 times, then click the link and say There’s no place like #Filters! for all the info. Love to have you with us!!!

pps… Daphne’s special offer is still on in FierceArtWithHeart! Buy 2 copies of A Creation Poem… for the Littles YOU love, and save $5 on each! Just put them in your basket. The shop elves will do the magic, through May 7. Also, lots other goodies… art, mugs, posters, and even those able to choose tank tops!

I know… that may not be the way you learned it. It’s not the way I learned it, back in my early years. Somehow, it wasn’t considered to be a polite thing. Or a useful skill for the Medicine Basket nobody told me was a possibility!

Fortunately, life is for learning! And, yes… I did a bit of that yesterday.

Physical Therapy session. Stretchy clothes. Hard treatment table. Random twitchy things going on. And a really helpful healer!

There I lay, on my right side, while mashing went on in the vicinity of my left hip. If, by chance, you learned sacroiliac joint along the way, you’re in the ballpark! One of those adventures that, while really useful, is not exactly fun.

Then, I knew! And, I used my voice to get what I needed!

Honestly, I’m not really sure what I said. Something along the line of, “lift my knee and ankle and lean gently, toward the window.” And, it worked! My SI joint adjusted itself!!! And the place that had been hurting a lot relaxed.

(I think my PT buddy was as relieved as I was!)

Now, for the disclaimer! I’m not suggesting, in any way, that you try this literally in your world. (That’s so not my department!) Metaphorically, though, is a whole other thing!

Imagine allowing yourself to consciously claim what isn’t working. What’s creating pain, of whatever sort. And speaking that truth, especially to yourself!

Then, imagine at least experimenting with the notion that it could get better! And, yes… the basket comes next!

What’s in there that could help? Old. Dusty. Out of context. All good… if we blow the dust off and try! And, yes, one of the things in my medicine basket is 12th grade anatomy & physiology class! (Not to mention having had my gloved hands in a whole lot of hips, which is gold for a kinesthetic processor!)

Now, though… same song, next verse! You see, after my PT adventure, yesterday, another new thing happened! Another book project added itself to my list!!!

Yep… more work. But the kind of work that makes what I care about so much more accessible to more people in this moment!!! Let’s just say that Grandmothers Are In Charge Of Hope is about to get a whole new edition for this world, now! And, the other two books-in-progress, along with the wisdom cards, called a meeting and made new choices about how they’ll all work together!

As I cause these words to appear in my laptop, Peter, Paul & Mary are singing Blowin’ in the Wind. I needed this line: How many years can some people exist, before they’re allowed to be free?

And my inner world just shifted again!

After a brief break to squeeze in a bit of hearth-tending and an infuriating detour in the land of Facebook, I know something new, and I am using my voice, here and now, to choose a different way!

My much anticipated week of #Legend painting begins Thursday. An exploratory, prayerful adventure with Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes and a bunch of dangerous women begins today. And I just decided to skip as much news as humanly possible this week!!!

Maybe a tiny smidge of Stephen Colbert if I really want it. Otherwise, I’m deputizing the Legendary Husband to keep an eye on things and filter (!!!) them for me.

You, dear heart, are my witness, if you care to be. May this choice, too, be healing! (And, yes… you’re welcome to join me!)

ps… over in FierceArtWithHeart, Daphne is excited! You see, with all the making things going on, we’re having a sale! Put 2 copies of A Creation Poem… in your basket and save $5 on each. No special codes. The elves are waiting to make it easy! Plus, Mothers’ Day is on the way! There are mugs with bears on them. And great art. And tank tops that read able to choose. I’m just sayin’…

pps… these bears wanted it to be easier for you to see them! (Also the hint of #filters!!!) That adventure starts in June… a first-class ticket to a whole new view of the world! Just click to read all about it!

You know those kind of days that feel like somebody stuck a bunch of really good stuff in your soup pot, along with a big handful of more challenging items??? Yep! Today!

Let’s just skip the news, shall we?

Then there were meetings. More meetings than there were me’s to attend. And all of them good stuff, though my left knee cap, which is wandering in an uncomfortable way, thought it was more good stuff than I could handle. (Knee caps often win arguments of this sort!)

I needed a plan and so I decided to show up in the places I could make the most difference. Hearth tending for #workinprogress Wednesday. Fifteen minutes of stuff on my list. In this case, staring at a painting that had lots of requests.

A phone call with a friend sorting some really scary medical news.

Zoom-land with women I’ve been on a Red Madonna adventure with for a year. Stories. Art. Grins. Tears. Ah-hah’s. Big questions. And lots and lots of HOPE. For ourselves. And each other. And the group gathering around Mother Nature for next year.

Then, feet up and 30 minutes of TENS unit time. That same 30 minutes was enough time to make some progress on claiming what I most want to do. (Turns out that doing it all really isn’t an option!) And some more time painting my insights into obliging under-layers. The external claiming really helps keep me on the road!

Lots of channeling my inner Camp Counselor, too. You see, turns out she’s the one who’s making the list of want-to-do’s!

Then, there’s the photo we began with. Sunflowers are symbols of HOPE in my world. And all those fingerprints are, indeed, prayer dots.

My knee still hurts. And it’s not the only thing that does. But I’ve re-claimed my path to the place where I feel called. And you’re invited! You see, it’s about to be #Filters time in the land of the Intentional Creativity Foundation! And I’m so hoping you’ll fix yourself a cuppa and wander a bit with me. Just click here for all the info. We start late in June so you’ve got plenty of time to gather some supplies. And I promise you’ve got this, even if you’ve never painted anything but walls with rollers. (Honest! That’s where I started in 2017!)

ps… there will even time to finish #Legend before #Filters starts! And there’s a big discount if you sign up soon! It’s all there in the link, above! (If this feels like a foreign language and you’re curious, just leave a comment below and I’ll gladly help translate!)

pps… have questions about the place where you are called? Or all this #Filters stuff? Let’s talk! 45 min. My gift. Next right things are my best thing! Just click here and the calendar elves will be delighted to hook us up! You’ll want something to write on & with, and a cuppa. Red Thread is handy if you have some. Mostly, though, just choose you! And…

Yes… the neurological kind, more frequently these days.

Also, though, the other kinds. Intellectual/Emotional. Work/Rest. Head/Hands. Showing up/Hiding. I’m guessing you hear me! And, in the midst of all the searching, a whole lot of noticing and wondering.

You know… Storms. News. Uncertainty. Holidays. Faith – a bit dusty and hidden, perhaps. And, since we’re being real… probably fear, too.

Then, there are the things that need doing. Not just the routine things. The big things we really long to do!

I have been coping, as I often do, with paint. In the land of #Filters, painting supplies go in the Medicine Basket, aka – Strategies.

Tears, too. Paul Coelho explained it this way:

Words are tears that have been written down. Tears are words that need to be shed…

There’s a whole lot of tears and paint going on in the canvas you glimpsed, above. It’s from my #Quickening journey and it’s changed a lot this weekend. It’s also taught me a lot… about listening. You see, even though there won’t be visible words for a bit longer, I’ve needed to listen DEEP to hear them!

And it’s MY voice that needs hearing. Well, the voice that was a gift from many of my ancestors, filtered through this world, now. Their stories, yes. And their courage to speak in times and places when that was a dangerous thing.

There’s another layer of deep work I’ve discovered in this particular paint/word journey. I needed to set a whole lot of my familiar stuff aside in order to hear the messages waiting for me along the way.

I needed to set aside what I wanted to hear in order to hear what was really there for me.

I needed to set aside what I thought I ought to be hearing in order to hear new messages in this world.

And, now, I need to externalize the new hearing and knowing. The new claiming.

Yep! Images. Words. Tears. And, another bit of newness, as well. New HOPE!

This is, after all, a day of HOPE for many of us. And a day of CHESED… or Loving Kindness. Which, when you get down to it, are great additions to our Medicine Baskets! Every day!!!

Today, I am painting HOPE.

Soon, I will be teaching the most hopeful tool I know. #Filters! The perspective which helps brave seekers like us to move, step by step, to the place that is calling us. Frederick Buechner put it like this:

The place where we are called is the place where our deep joy and the world’s deep longing meet.

And NOW is the time for that journey, in so many, many ways!

Curious??? Even if a tiny bit anxious??? Click here for all the details! (And for a big, time-sensitive discount!)

Isn’t it time to answer YOUR call???

ps… true confession! My #Filters needed a bit of adjusting in this moment, too. Fortunately, under all the MSNBC in my Medicine Basket, I unearthed the Princess Diaries, 1 & 2. Here’s to YOUR time to shine! (Seriously!!!)