Yucky cold cereal… the kind that made the milk look like melted crayons.

Cartoons. Specifically, battles with my sister over what to watch. (We had very different tastes!)

Rocky and Bullwinkle was among my favorites. And I loved the idea of the WABAC – read that wayback – machine. You know… setting the machine to some historical time and place and poof! Mr. Peabody and Sherman were somewhere else.

There were times, in those years, when I thought that would be a really cool machine to have.

I’ve had similar thoughts, lately!

My trip to France last summer was a whole lot like the WABAC machine. And, now I know more!

Today was a whole lot like that, too. A reunion sort of event down the road at Columbia Theological Seminary… my alma mater – a couple of times – and the place where the Legendary Husband and I met!

Let’s just say that many things have changed!

Blessedly, the red giraffe is still on duty.

The one off to the right side of the stained glass window in the chapel I know best, even though – back then – we didn’t do images.

In fact, images are still pretty rare around there. (I’m working on it!)

The music, however, has gotten considerably more fun. And diverse! Kind of like what happens when the WABAC machine is also the future!

And, yes, there was a bit of preachin’ involved!

Anna Carter-Florence was telling the story of Abraham and Sarah on their trip from Ur to Canaan. It was a very, very long trip with a rest stop of twenty years or so along the way.

And then she said something that surprised me! The notion that part of what slowed the travelers down might have been old certitudes that wouldn’t fit in the bags they packed for the trip to a new place.

Did you catch it?

It’s a Filters story!!!

And I suspect that you might relate to the notion of things which seem certain turning out to be simply excess baggage that we really can lay down!

There’s still time to join the party, just in case you could use some company on the road from…

If only… to I AM!

We start tomorrow, though, so you’ll want to hurry and check this out!

There was one more thing that popped into my mind while I was hanging in the WABAC machine today…

A bit of the 90th Psalm, which I learned when I was in Hungary in 1989, shortly before the Eastern Block fell…

The work of our hands, establish Thou it.

That takes a bit of layin’ it down, too! And we’ve got this!

ps… we’re making progress, the painting you see a bit of at the top, and I. And they have a name… Guardians of Fierce Compassion… then, now, always!

Wedged over in the bottom corner of my most recent Apothecary painting, there is a small collection of books.

Books are vessels for words which mean they really do belong in this vision, beside the medicine basket, the alabaster jar, and the beloved stock pot you can’t quite see!

It’s kind of an exercise in seeing with new eyes!

My message, this evening, is a lot like that, too!

New eyes for you, perhaps. New eyes for me, assuredly!

It’s a poem I wrote as part of the Red Madonna journey for 2023 – 24. And I’m really grateful to Dr. Havi Brysk Mandell for sharing this process, which was new to me. (More on that to follow…)

I’m going to ask you to read my poem, first. Then, I’ll tell you how we got there! Deal???

I call upon my strongest children to aid those in need.
There are warring opposites trying to find a way to be together in peace. To obtain that treasure, you will need courage, trust, and faith.
I hear your innermost thoughts, feelings, and prayers. Tell me even that which you are frightened to admit to yourself, and know that I will never judge you. For now, beloved, it is rest time. Receive my message of comfort and peace, now.

My peace be with you now, my child. The energy of Caterpillar appears, heralding a time of transformation and opportunity. Perhaps your journey has made you tired just before reaching the proverbial finish line. A part of us, hidden in the vast expansiveness of space, wants to sabotage our progress. Come to rest again in the sanctuary and safety of your soul and be at peace. If you also keep reminding yourself to be flexible, you will be amazed by how well things play out for you. Surrender to the Fool’s Embrace, allowing the truth to envelop you in love and compassion.

Surrender to this truth and know that you are getting a passport to bliss, even when it feels that you are being consumed by the fire of the Beloved. Can you keep your heart open to what is coming towards you, without surrendering your experience of this moment by becoming too future-oriented? Those legs will become remarkably power-full in time, but the process of growth and maturity has to take place, and that requires some wobbly first attempts. It is so much more wonderful to imagine there is something yet to find. As unlikely as it may seem, the invisible help from the universe is often more power-full than the physical efforts of a thousand [humans]. Perhaps we have conditioned ourselves to believe that getting what we want is for others, not us. This oracle comes to you because you have become swept up in thinking things through!

– slb, Feb 3, 2024®

So… before I tell you how this works, I have a question. How does it feel???

It feels exciting and encouraging to me! And intriguing!!!

It kind of feels like a prize for staying on the path! You see, the directions for this adventure involved pulling 7 cards from each of 3 Oracle Card decks. Then, the 1st sentence of the 1st card becomes the 1st sentence of the first stanza of the poem. The 2nd sentence of the 2nd card, same deck, is next, and so on until all 21 cards are arranged into 3 stanzas, as you see.

Now, if you’re wondering if, perhaps, I’ve lost my to-do list, the answer is decidedly not!

You see, even though Havi didn’t explain it this way, this exercise is totally an experience of what I call Filters! What gets into our consciousness from the onslaught of our context? (Even when the WordPress elves won’t arrange it quite the way I told them too!) What catches our attention in the arrangement of the thoughts? What help do we find that we might have missed had we not taken time to explore?

And, no… I didn’t exactly learn this in Seminary… which is a conversation for a different day!

For today, though, an invitation… to another encounter with Filters! And you need to hurry… we start Thursday, and we’d love to have you join us! Just click here for all the info…

ps… the top photo is, indeed, a close-up of Apothecary, aka Revelation! The Hebrew word on the “raised” hand says, “Here I am!” (I’m just sayin’!)

pps.. the card decks I used, in order of the stanzas are Mother Mary Oracle Cards, The Shaman’s Dream , and Sacred Rebels Oracles.

ppps… nope! You don’t need any experience as a painter to join the adventure! Here’s a glimpse of my first-ever painting… other than walls with rollers! We’ve got this!

The paint kind!!!

And it feels like a really good time for this…

As you’ve no doubt noticed, this world needs people like us. And – maybe, just maybe – it’s starting to notice!

In fact, I learned a new word this morning. Well, not a new word, but a current appropriation of a the word, influence.

Yep… influencer! Right there on the news… which is part of the thing called context!

Let’s just say that the conversation went from Taylor Swift to Stanley cups. (The beverage kind… not the hockey kind!)

What they were really talking about, though, was women changing conversations!

Now, the people around me are much happier when I don’t sing. And the possibility of lead exposure in the fad-ish drinking cups was enough to convince me that I don’t even need to ponder wanting one of those.

I want to make art!

Not, mind you, the kind that’s cool because it matches the fad couch of the moment.

The kind that helps me grow while I make it!

Grow, enough, in fact, that I have major things to share. One of those things that’s blooming in me is all the things prayer dots – or dots of hope – can do, intentionally.

And, yes… my Guardian painting is still chatting away! She’s insistent, this one.

Dot-flowers. Voice…. Choice…. Sovereignty. (The personal kind of sovereignty for. Not over.)

Dot-hair. Hope! Not just in general… but brave, real-world hopes! The kind with hearts and hands and feet! (Which is next on the list!)

Then, there’s the volunteer bear, you glimpsed as we began! A mama-bear with lots of practice at loving courage!!!

And, just between us… there’s a whole lot of claiming my shifting filters goin’ on!

The point of this adventure, on the Origins journey, was – in my understanding – to claim my role as a Guardian in the garden we know as this world. Color. Vines. Flowers. Something that represents me… The Fiercely Compassionate Rebel (!) Grandmother.

What I didn’t see coming was the presence of my Guardian. The Divine Feminine of my understanding. Teaching me and guarding me in this world, now!

And, en-couraging me to show others the way!

Frankly, sharing this journey is kind of scary. And, it is also a huge part of my way of being – if you’ll pardon the pop culture jargon – an influencer!

So… here’s the question!

What might being an influencer look like in your world???

Really!!!

That’s exactly what we’ll be working on in…

Oh, I See… Consciously! The path from “If only…” to “I am!”

We start soon! (And there will be painting!)

And there’s still a seat for you! So, grab a cuppa, take a deep breath, and click HERE to learn more!!!

I’m headed back to my easel, creaking knees and cranky wrist, full of curiosity… and an open heart!

ps… one more thing I learned on MSNBC this morning! A poem!!!

That’s My Heart Right There 

We used to say,
That’s my heart right there. As if to say,
Don’t mess with her right there.
As if, don’t even play,
That’s a part of me right there.
In other words, okay okay,
That’s the start of me right there.
As if, come that day,
That’s the end of me right there.
As if, push come to shove,
I would fend for her right there.
As if, come what may,
I would lie for her right there.
As if, come love to pay,
I would die for that right there.

-Willie Perdomo

pps… this poem comes from the new book, This is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets, by Kwame Alexander. I bought my copy this morning!

Yep! The basement!!! With huge thanks to the Legendary Husband for undertaking the expedition on my behalf!

The goal???

A square canvas. At least 36×36″. New and shiny. Or, stuck somewhere between begun and finished.

He was successful! There were actually two neglected candidates waiting to be noticed.

The photo, above, is the middle section of the 48″ square winner. (Read that… lots of underlayers ready to play!)

Frankly, we have a big job ahead of us, Guardian and I. And, yes… this is my third beginning on this journey!

It’s not that I messed up along the way. It’s more that this one wants to be very different from much of the work I’ve done before. And, just between us, my paint brush has struggled a bit with the notion of different! As in, scary!

Progress is among us, though! (Here’s an up-close view of where I was after I sat and stared at it for a couple of hours and then actually – you know – picked up a brush! And a squirt bottle!)

Intentionally claiming my promise to create!

The part I’m still experimenting with is the notion that much of what I’m painting and loving will eventually disappear under marks that I can only describe as intentionally abstract!

The real challenge is that I can’t see it in my head!

Well, that feels like the real challenge! It’s actually just the way my brain works.

The other challenge is realizing how much this one means to me.

It’s all about what I would call my Promise. My work in the world. The world my granddaughters – and all our Littles – will inherit.

I have words for that. No problem! And, yes… this is a Filter thing!

And that, dear heart, is the key to unsticking stuck stuff, which is one of my most favorite things!

I’ve had some good teachers along the way… so it’s no accident that I’m typing these words to share with you, just before I head to bed… I’m talking to myself!

We do not become healers. We came as healers. We are.
Some of us are still catching up to what we are.
We do not become storytellers.
We came as carriers of the stories
we and our ancestors actually lived. We are.
Some of us are still catching up to what we are.
We do not become artists. We came as artists. We are.
Some of us are still catching up to what we are.
We do not become writers… dancers.. musicians… helpers… peacemakers. We came as such. We are.
Some of us are still catching up to what we are.
We do not learn to love in this sense. We came as Love. We are Love. Some of us are still catching up to who we truly are.

– Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes

The trick is venturing out to live as we truly are!

And that, my friend, involves laying down all the stuff that’s been holding us back!

Limiting beliefs. Other people’s shoulds and oughts. The power of shame and blame. Fear of fear. (Really!)

And laying that stuff down takes learning new things… preferably in community! It takes seeing deep. Consciously!

Now is the time!

Well, it’s probably well past time for some of us. It IS the time we have! So, take a deep breath, please. And click this link…

…to learn more!

I know! It might feel scary. Here’s what’s even scarier… not taking a chance on you!

How do I know? Well, I’ve been taking a chance on me and learning to help people just like you do the same for over 30 years, now. And right there, in the place you’ll be when you click the big link, I’ve added a few details about my journey… about the things in my medicine basket, just in case you’re wondering. We’ve got this!

So check what’s happened on my canvas since I began painting and writing on Saturday afternoon. It’s really the visible artifact of what’s happening inside me! And the word for that is HOPE!

Aren’t you done with, “If only…”???

Join us. Soon! We begin on February 8th…

Gnostic Judeo-Christian Mystic Medicine Woman walking the Way of Love (aka, The Fiercely Compassionate Rebel Grandmother, For Rent)

ps… huge thanks to my Intentionally Conscious buddy, Natalie Moyes, for helping sort glazes!

Just between us, I’ve been trying – for a lot of years now – to pretend that my body’s main job is to carry my heart and mind around the world, while I accomplish the things they put on my list.

In addition to being a fairly lumpy sentence, that theory doesn’t work real well in practice, either.

Yesterday was a good day for reflecting on such things!

It turns out that my body has a really, really good memory.

My knees, of course, remember their various encounters with scalpels and bone saws. Also an unfortunate adventure with one of those huge exercise balls and the floor.

My ribs remember breaking sounds and the resulting huge resistance to moving.

All of me remembers being in labor, 44 years ago. Well, not consciously. The seizures kind of messed with the conscious part.

And all of those memories went with me to physical therapy!

It was cold and wet and there were several voices in my head suggesting that I could just skip that particular event on my calendar.

And then there was my right hand, insisting that we go. Dry needles and all.

You see, my right hand – being mostly in charge of painting – has been really busy lately, helping the rest of me learn and sort and claim new things.

Here’s the big news…

It seems that there are insights which are easier to find if we be our way to them, instead of trying to just think our way there.

And, bringing visions into being works really well for me!

Here’s an example…

My first Legend painting.

She was my third-ever painting and I was terrified. Mostly because I had been well schooled in the notion that…

WE don’t do symbols. Other people do, but we are not like them.

But, it turns out that WE can learn, if we’re willing to lay down limiting beliefs like that one!

It helps if we allow ourselves to experiment with allowing our inspire – ations to be included. I didn’t know it then, but this was the early days of my bringing my commitment to voice and choice into form.

And, as I sat gazing about for inspiration, I found myself focusing on her right hand – which some might say is a symbol of power – reminding me that taking a night off to rest my hand was likely to be a good embodied investment!

Which isn’t bad for a six year old painting, teaching me still! And she has another job, these days!

Waving at you! And whispering…

Hi! Come closer. Find YOUR North Star. Claim your vision. See what’s possible!

It’s Alchemy. And we start soon! Click HERE for all the info…

For tonight… huge gratitude for the baby boy who withstood all those challenges with me years ago and inspires me, still!

ps… yep! Often, we really do need to DO something different in order to claim our new paths. To keep our promises. So, click the thing and listen deep. We could all use some alchemy!