Category: Filters

#Magic!ContemplationsFiltersGrandmothersOffering

The stories we carry…

Posted on by sue boardman

Oh, dear friend… the memories are insistent this day!

Tuesday, August 7, 1990. The beginning of the first Gulf War.

And the need, in my personal, very new pastor universe, for something to put in the church bulletin for Sunday. Yet another thing they didn’t cover in Seminary! Or, maybe they did, and I just didn’t have a filter for it yet! Let’s call it a huge lesson in CONTEXT!

I don’t remember much of what I actually said. Probably something somewhat related to whatever the Lectionary passages were for that day. Here’s the part I pray that I will never forget…

It was time for the benediction, at the close of the service. The usual choices seemed out of place. I scrambled, deep inside, to find my voice and all the truth I knew:

May God have mercy on us all.

I’m going with that now, too. Along with some other voices in my soul, in this moment of diverse spiritual holy-days…

One of my name unknown Jewish Grandmothers, from 2,050-ish years ago, is whispering Sabbath prayers:

Blessed is the Lord, Our God, King of the Universe…

My Beguine Grammies, Begga and Itta, and all the Aunties, including the ones from Salem, are praying and working for the person-hood and rights of women and girls.

My Cathar Grammies are whispering fairy tales to their Littles, passing along precious stories of Hope in the midst of persecution and terror.

And there’s another story I’ve learned… my Intentional Creativity® ancestors have long said I Matter. You Matter. We Matter.

In January of 2025, I dreamed the next line…

Mattering Matters.

For me, and I think I can say for us, the kind of mattering we’re talking about is inspired by the Great Mother. It’s not about gold-plated bathrooms and feeling ludicrously cool on the world stage.

Instead, it’s way more about mercy. The Hebrew word suggests a mother’s instinctive, womb-like compassion for her children.

Let’s matter like that! In fact, if you’d like some help along that road I’m ready, with tools and em-power-ed questions and deep faith that YOUR journey matters, now! Curious? Let’s talk. 45 min. My gift. Just click here and the calendar elves will hook us up!

For now, though, Glinda, my #wip, is calling for more prayer dots and I’m taking tomorrow off! Mattering also involves rest!

ps… Destiny Joan wants you to know that now would be a great time to sign up for this mailing list. Just go back to the bouncy thingy at the beginning and the elves will be delighted make it so. (Changes are afoot!)

#Magic!ContemplationsFiltersGrandmothersGuardiansWisdom Cards

All the parts of us…

Posted on by sue boardman

You’ve probably met them, before, these old friends of mine. They live on a wall near my writing chair, in a room where there is often the noise called news coming from the TV. It turns out that they want to join the conversation!

We’ll skip the swearing and crying. I’m guessing you’ve got your version of all that covered. Let’s do introductions, instead.

Aslan. Matilda. (Or Boudicca!) And a cardinal bird named Elsie. Not so much intentional as demanding. And I’ve needed their messages a whole lot, lately!

You know Aslan, I suspect, from C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. Wise and powerful. Benevolent, but formidable. You can probably guess why I find him appealing in this moment!

Then, Matilda/Boudicca. (The painting hasn’t made a firm decision yet, and she could assuredly be both!) Powerful women leaders in times when women weren’t permitted to be powerful. Matilda of Tuscany was my cousin. She is often described as one of the most important governing figures of the Italian Middle Ages. She was also a spiritual leader and a huge supporter of the arts.

Boudicca, hundreds of years before Matilda, was a warrior queen in ancient Britain, also considered a symbol of the struggle for justice and independence. It’s likely that she, too, was a relative.

The bird is named Elsie after my grandmother who told me, when I was about six, that cardinals were ancestors who’d gone on, coming back to check on us and encourage us.

And, yes… they’re livid about a whole lot of the news.

Here’s the thing that I’ve realized… these stories and images are powerful #Filters through which I’m engaging the context of this moment!

For today, I am claiming their wisdom and strength… still alive in my being and spirit. I’m also claiming their #inquiry…

What can you do – what do you need to do – so that what you love to do works better???

Yep! You. Now. In the midst of this context.

And, I have a plan, though it needs to wait until Friday. Watch for a special email! In fact, if you’re not on the email list just now, use the pop-up thingy and get the elves to fix that!

ps… Fairy Tales coming soon. And more Wisdom Cards! (It pays to listen to the walls!)

#Magic!ContemplationsFeminine Frequency FestivalFiltersGrandmothers

Let’s get real! (And it’s NOT easy!)

Posted on by sue boardman

So, 6pm ET on Saturday night. The Legendary Husband and I had enjoyed a lovely lunch date and a busy afternoon. Having received the inspiration I was counting on, I was busy telling folks about the upcoming Feminine Frequency Festival. I’m really excited to be presenting. Excited enough to – you know – post actual photos of me!!! (Gulp! And, read on…)

Then, I turned on the news. The MS NOW folks were ready to spend the next few hours on likely protests at the Army-Navy football game. Instead, there was a shooting at Brown University, in Rhode Island. I am, intentionally, skipping the still scarce details. It is enough to say, here, that not everyone will make it home for the holidays.

I am livid! Also terrified. Our older grandteen received her first college acceptance this week. (Yes, that is totally a #Filters thing!) And it’s so utterly NOT supposed to be this way!!!

For this moment, though, I am taking really deep breaths and intentionally shifting my attention to the glimpse at the first layer of my (very!) new Intentional Creativity® painting. It is, officially, #Alchemist. Or, will be. Yep… that’s it, above!

In my heart, though, it’s already begun to dance in my dreams with memories of this painting…

There I was, leading my 13-step Workshop in 2018, the first time I did #ColorofWoman. The title of our adventure was Who Put the Honey in Your Heart? My dream-travels took me to a place where old learning meets new learning, in a radically new context, and I woke this morning in a whole different world!

And, yes, in this moment, there are 12 more layers to go. I’m trying to let go of expectations and be open to even more surprises. I can tell you that magic will be involved!

The surprising thing is realizing that – even in the midst of all the unknown – I’ve totally got this!

I’ve also totally got the Feminine Frequency Festival thing and I’d love to have you join us. (Actually, there are lots and lots of us who would love to have you join us… and it’s free!!!)

I’ll be sharing on YOUR Feminine Good Trouble Magic!

The first step for you is to click this link and ask to join the group, which may take a day or so. Then, put December 21 at 4:40pm ET on your calendar! Think of it – in fact the whole Festival – as a Solstice Practice, if you like. We’ll be taking it easy… journal, markers or colored pencils, a cuppa…

This world NEEDS many, many, many of us… on the road of Light!

ps… prayers, also, for victims and loved ones of the anti-Semitic mass shooting in Australia, at a Chanukah gathering.

pps… I’m with Gabby Giffords!

#Magic!ContemplationsFiltersGrandmothersGuardians

Of dreams, mixed messages… and choice!

Posted on by sue boardman

There was a whole lot of singing in my sleep Friday night… and no, it wasn’t me! Instead, it was Tevye, from Fiddler on the Roof. And you can probably guess the rest.

Dancing on the roof, undone about new things in his world. Bearded face. Deep voice. TRADITION…

And I suspect that, if Tevye were with us in this moment, he’d be even more perplexed than he was, back in the day. Let’s talk traditions…

Friday, trick-or-treat, and high school football, about two blocks down the street. With huge thanks, we delivered our candy to our dear neighbors for door answering help, even in the midst of their Shabbat observance.

Samhain, too… though I’m still learning that!

Saturday, my knee surgeon’s birthday. And All Saint’s Day. (We’ll be back to this in a couple minutes!)

Today, the observance of Reformation Day on the church calendar I know best . You know… Martin Luther “vandalizing” a church door, October 31, 1517. (That story turns out to be way more complicated, too!)

And, yes… tradition is a perspective thing, which is, quite possibly, another definition for the word, heresy. You’ve heard my favorite definition of that one, before… able to choose!

Welcome to the world of MetaModern!

For this moment, a story… the “old” chapel at Columbia Theological Seminary. November 1, sometime in the late 1990’s when I was on campus for one of my last DMin classes. Walter Brueggemann preaching. About All Saints Day! (Really!!!)

If you’re new around here, let me explain that Saints were NOT a big topic back then, in that bastion of Reformed Theology!

Walter said a lot, which was no surprise. I remember, all these years later, one sentence:

Saints are all those who believe for us, on days when we can’t quite believe for ourselves.

And, just between us, I think that is even more important, in the context of these days, than it was a quarter of a century ago.

Just this year, Walter walked on to the place where I suspect all the beings are “saints” of that sort. And, he teaches me, still…

Many things are true and they don’t all get along very well.

I’m not sure whether this is more real than ever before, or whether it’s simply more in our faces. In either case, it is a huge part of the reality of our lives.

Here’s another thing that’s true… a glimpse from my family tree!

On your left is my Gramma Begga, aka Saint Begga. An advocate for women when that was even more dangerous than it is in these days. And, to the right, her daughter, Saint Clotilde, known to some as the patron saint of the lame.

Then there are two great aunts insisting on being included in this moment. Alice and Mary Parker. Sisters. Hanged as witches with six other women, in Salem, on September 22, 1692. The last of the Salem Witch Trials.

It’s well worth mentioning that a big part of the reason I have access to these stories is that these women, and many of their generations, had the radical notion that women should be able to read and write!

I am consciously choosing to claim, even though other things are no doubt true as well, that we are, ALL of us, as Linda Hogan wrote, despite the tragedies, the result of the love of thousands. And, we are capable of choosing what to live!

I am also sure, that we have choices to make! Like voting, if you haven’t, already. And learning new things!

I’m learning new things, too – amidst my recent mobility challenges – which is why the upcoming journey formerly known as #Filters has a new nickname… #Magic!!! There will be lots more details, soon. Let’s just say that things got way more fun and I’m really excited!!! Here’s a hint…

ps… want to be ahead??? Grammy’s MetaMod Wisdom Cards are in stock now, and sure to get you on the road! Could be huge fun for family holidays!

Art JourneyContemplationsFiltersFoodGuardians

It really is all relative!

Posted on by sue boardman

So, it was about 3 am by the time I got comfortable enough to finally fall asleep. Body dueling with inner artist. To-do lists and big dreams wrestling for attention.

Then, suddenly, I peered at the clock beside the bed and it said 10:30 am. That was a bit more sleeping than my calendar had space for! And, it got worse. According to my more contemporary toys, it was actually 11:30 am, which was even less optimal!

And then, I remembered. It’s an old electric clock that gets confused about daylight savings time! And, yes… I’ve been lobbying to retire it for a while!

Fast forward, though, to tea and news. And an overwhelming, informed sense of relating to what the people of Jamaica are waking to, this day. If, indeed, they are waking.

Fast forward a bit more, to #wipWednesday post up, another cup of tea, and what felt like a zillion emails. (I’m guessing you hear me!)

So, I yelled at some politicians. (The ones who live in my “clueless” file.) I encouraged some more. (The ones who actually care… and reminded myself how blessed I feel to have some of those on my team!)

And then, it hit me!

It’s not just that I’m relatively lucky that the raindrops falling on my metal roof remind my auditory processing self of prayer dots… it’s also that we are ALL part of what’s happening in Jamaica, and Cuba, and the Bahamas. The environmental challenges. The “othering”. The increasing fascination with telling all the “little people” what they must believe and accept. And, perhaps most of all, the not caring how many living, breathing humans get hurt because a few of the “cool” kids are trying to steal even more power.

It isn’t just all relative. It’s all related!

Take a deep breath with me, please. Feel your heart beating. And join me, if you like, in re-membering that this world needs a whole lot more connection circulating in it!

For this moment… a wisdom card, like the photo, above. But first a note! There are 66 cards in the deck, plus 11 blanks for users to add their own. Several different categories. I usually choose a category or two, related in some way to my inquiry, shuffle them together, and then run them through my hands until one calls me.

This time, I went all in. I pulled out the blanks and then mixed all the rest together, even though that means lots of sorting later! Then, eyes closed, listening deep, wrist whining, I passed them through my hands. The one that found me was from the Memories category, and looks like the photo, above.

Alternative Context

January, 1989. A study trip with a gaggle of Seminary students and a very patient teacher. Budapest, Hungary. Alternative, indeed!

If you’re doing the math, this was less than a year before the former Eastern Block fell.

Christian and Jewish Seminaries where no new books were permitted since before Hitler. Russian tanks busy with target practice in farmers’ fields.

My hand on a stone altar in a Catholic church crypt, where the sacrament of Communion had been celebrated every day for 1500 years, even when it was deeply dangerous to do so. Full body chills. Not from the weather!!!

All of this, Filtering the news in this moment. What are you remembering???

I’d really love to know! You can leave a comment, below, or email me!

ps… curious about the cards? There are still some in stock for quick shipping! Just click here!

pps… World Central Kitchen is at work, feeding Hurricane Melissa’s surivors!

Art JourneyContemplationsFiltersGuardiansWisdom Cards

Can I get a witness, please?

Posted on by sue boardman

You know that old saying about not looking a gift horse in the mouth??? Well, I’m taking that for my motto this week!

I am naming that horse Hannah, a Hebrew name which means blessing. In this case the amazing blessing of having more than the usual amount of space in my calendar, this coming week, for taking care of me! And a very special Red Thread reminder!

Some time with docs and physical therapists. Only meetings that matter. (Shhhh!!!) Voting!!!

And space for making things. Art. Stories. Soup. Plans… you hear me!

Making things feels especially comforting in these days, when it feels like so many things are falling apart. Making plans feels comforting, too! Plans for newness! And, yes… the paintings are whispering again!

Here’s what I heard, early this morning, gentle and insistent… Draw the circle. Start with the map! The first bit you consciously chose!!!

And, yes… I know exactly what that means and why it’s showing up, now! And, there’s a whole lot more to come!

For this moment, though, a card!

Hmmmm…. interesting!!!

From the Symbols & Language category… Mother!

Once a Maiden, then a Mother, this archetype carries the wonders of fertility, nurturing, and creation. It is, quite possibly, the universe’s most complex job description!

We are, of course, not born mothers. We become archetypal and relational mothers, as well as, for some of us, biological mothers. Live-giving, in all its expressions, is a creative wonder. It can also be terrifying and dangerous. That part of the journey is real, as well.

If there is a greatest truth about motherhood, I suspect it is that it will ask more of us than we can imagine and create some of life’s greatest possibilities for awe, wonder, and challenging change. I believe Creators understand!

I suspect that at least part of the message, in this moment, is that I need to be life-giving for me, and that The Mother is on my Red Thread!

What do you hear???

ps… maybe my weighted chair blanket wants to be known as Hannah!

pps… the “mother” image is under-layers of a 2024 Red Madonna painting!

ppps… curious about the Wisdom Cards and their really cool Calling Cloth??? Just click here, while there are still some in stock!

ContemplationsFiltersGrandmothersGuardians

Found by an old filter!

Posted on by sue boardman

Way back in the day, when I was just out of nursing school and – you know – being a nurse, my son hung out in preschool/daycare. The family who owned and ran the center had 16 kids of their own, plus all the kids like mine. The resident teens helped with the Littles after school. And, they had a tradition that was new to me…

Side bench. It wasn’t punishment. No shaming or blaming. More like time-out, but for getting some space.

Well, today, I declared Side Bench Day for me! And, yes… the space is a much welcome strategy… body, mind, and spirit!

My #wip #Taliswoman painting was entirely on board. In fact, she volunteered to be in charge! Nothing that involved big arm & shoulder movements! (My PT approves, too!)

Rather, detail stuff. The things you didn’t know are needed until you’ve spent lots of time staring, noticing, and wondering. First try at a red thumb print. Red Thread, with a precious, empowering hint of pink. Touch up on the wisdom crow’s beak. An eye! More color in some of the roses.

Joan and David joined in with a timely reminder…

And, yes… this is the bit I so needed to hear:

Blackbird singing in the dead of night… Take these broken wings and learn to fly… All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise!

That, dear heart, is exactly how I feel just now. And, I’m ready!

ps… our class, #Filters… The Next Right Thing begins in January. Please stay tuned!!!

pps… ready now??? Let’s talk about working individually! Just click & ask the elves to hook you up with 45 min. My gift. Your questions. Next right things!!!