Category: Grandmothers

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Honor Your Process!

Posted on by sue boardman

Really!!! That was the exact message I received from the elves/universe at 4:44 am. I know that it was 4:44 am because my phone said so when I reached for it to type those word into the message gizmo.

There are a couple things I need to share about that. I like the number 444! The Angel number 444! Depending on one’s beliefs, it might carry different meanings. For me it symbolizes divine protection, stability, and reassurance.

If you’re guessing that this is among my more recent learnings, you are totally correct. We did not cover angel numbers in nursing school or seminary. Fortunately, we did cover always keep learning!

Back in the old days, when I was first serving as a pastor, there used to be a stack of index cards on the table next to the bed. And a pen. That was how I kept track of the messages which appeared in my sleep before cell phones. Notes for Wednesday’s bulletin. Especially an official title for whatever sermon was hatching. (I was the church secretary, too, back then!) On Saturday nights, volunteer key words for the sermon. Things that weren’t ready until they were. Usually 5 words. Then, back to dream-land and time for the connections between those words to become clear. (It worked!)

Here are the rest of the words from early this morning…

Solstice. Rainbow Hair. Cousin Angela (Juneteenth). Mother Nature – CC wall – purple & green.

In case you’re curious, they didn’t appear all at once. More like each thought making space for the next.

And, yes… this whole thing really is about honoring our processes, even now. Especially now!!!

How might you do that???

Really! How might you claim intentionally honoring your process? I’d love to hear!!! (You can leave me a comment, below!)

I even have a possibility for you to consider! A possibility awash with hope and sisterhood and newness! You see, it’s time for the journey known as Red Madonna to begin again! (Well, almost time!)

I spent most of Saturday communing with NASA moon phases, working on our calendar for Red Madonna 2026.

Ready for a deep dive? Just click the link to read all about Red Madonna Sisterhood: Womb of Living Waters… a 13 Moon Painting & Initiation Journey into the Primordial Waters of the Divine Feminine. REGISTRATION IS OPEN!!! https://musea.org/red-madonna-womb-of-living-waters

We even have a free way to dip your toes in – Come Home to the Waters: A Mini-Retreat to Connect With the Living Waters of Your Life. This adventure is offered by the Red Madonna team for each of us to touch into our sacred flow and experience a taste of our year-long Red Madonna 2026. It’s happening Friday July 3, 2026. Enroll in Come Home to the Waters Now!

Red Madonna has been part my of honoring my Sacred Journey since 2018. It’s gentle and welcoming and diverse. It opens new doors into my understanding and practice. I’m honored to be part of this team and so hope you’ll consider joining us. The world needs more of us on this path!!!

ps… the painting, above, is indeed my Red Madonna 2025 work, Mother Nature. She says she’s finished. We’ll see!

#Magic!Art JourneyFilters!GrandmothersMedicine Basket

I really, really wish the tech-elves would quit changing things!!!

Posted on by sue boardman

Yep… you probably have to squint quite a bit to make this out, so I’ll help. It’s under layers from my most recent #Apothecary painting, a couple moths ago. Truthfully, it isn’t done yet, as in it isn’t complete, but also it isn’t done teaching me.

Here are three of the VERY intentional words you probably can’t quite read in there, crossword puzzle style:

Courage. Hope. Determination.

And, yes, I’ve mentioned them before.

When I fired up my laptop tonight, this wasn’t exactly what I had in my mind but apparently the elves have been secretly “making things better” again, and it took me about 3 tries to get this post to start happening. (I want elves that follow directions!)

In any event, I am still learning… anyway! When the paintings whisper in my sleep, they are insistent!

So, my #Threshold painting work in progress has announced her name, insisted on background revisions, and whispered some of her favorite star glyphs for me to include. The really cool thing is that, as all that magic was happening, she also solved the structural challenge with my tweens & teens book in progress!!!

Frankly, she kinda blew my mind! (And she prefers to wait until she’s finished to make another appearance!)

Then, I did a new thing. Yesterday, I had a Zoom meeting with a dear friend who now lives in Egypt. It was so good to catch up! And, she did a mini-numerology reading for me! (Yet another thing we didn’t cover in nursing school or seminary!!!)

Here’s the thing that really grabbed me:

My core challenge – at least at this point in time – is a tendency to feel responsible for EVERYTHING and hand-cuffed by perfectionism…

Wow, does that hit home! And, I suspect I’m going to want to explore more.

For this moment, though, it’s cacao ceremony time. And getting ready for observing the solstice time. (Really!) You see, I spent lots of time watching Georgia run-off election returns last night and I’ve decided to be open to all the help I can get!

My #Threshold painting is totally onboard!!!

ps… my Wisdom Cards are ready to meet you! Just put 2 decks in your basket and get 20% off, automatically. They go really well with cacao and perhaps a smidge of ceremony!!! (Also, sign up for the Winged Ey Wisdom mailing list and get an extra 10% off your order!)

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Of calendars and singing walls…

Posted on by sue boardman

It’s one of those forward and backward kind of days in my world. You know… memories and dreams bumping into each other!

Friday, my older grand-teen graduated from High School!!! Her world is about to change in a huge way. My hope and prayer is that the “who” she’s always been will learn and grow, and discover more of her chosen path!

Then, the memories. It was just about exactly this time, in 1987, when – having just finished my BA – my son and I set out for Columbia Theological Seminary in an ancient VW bug. He was 7 years old. Some young adult church buddies caravanned along with us, to help with the move before continuing on to Montreat in North Carolina. It was quite the adventure. Especially the flat tire!

And, there were way more adventures to come!

That first summer was known as Baby Greek School, and wow, was I lost! In fact, I was approaching hopeless when the miracle happened. Our word for the day was Blepo which is Greek for “I see!” Suddenly I had something I could relate to as I was very familiar with eye surgery words, some of which actually begin with Blepo! And there was a bit less chaos in my world!

Our friend, above, is a bit of one of the paintings that whispers in my dreams. That’s the Asherah side of a 60″ wide canvas, from the adventure known as #Codex. The Divine Feminine side, if you will, complete with her winged eye for wisdom.

And a bunch of triangles on her forehead. The Greek letter Delta, which is a symbol for change!!!

Last night, she was singing…

“The times, they are a-chan-ange-ing!

They are, indeed. And, yes… it’s scary! (Well, at least a lot of it is for me!)

When I was making our Graduate’s card, a bit from an old movie came to me. Perhaps you’ve seen The Help. Old, southern, USA. Plantation country, in a way. Comfortable white families. Lots of help from black folks. And, lots of vastly overlooked wisdom, too!

Imagine a young maid/nanny whispering to the small girl she’s more or less raising:

Remember! You is smart. You is kind. You is important.

That is part of my prayer for our new graduate. And for ALL our Littles!!!

Our job is to VOTE like that matters!!! (Early run-off voting has begun in Georgia!) I’m choosing the ones who aren’t focused on keeping the White House happy. Who know that we are ALL important!!!

For this moment… a peek at the card I made for the amazing person who helped me see a whole new world and a whole new me…

ps… have some smart, kind, important magic of your own to set free in the world? I can help! 45 min. My gift. You bring your dreams. I’ll bring a lot of years of practice and a medicine basket brimming with cool tools! You can also bring a cuppa and a bit of Red Thread, if it’s handy. We’ll name your next right thing and then talk about what it might be like to work together. Just click here and the calendar elves will hook us up. Hurry, though! The calendar is filling up!

pps… more questions, before you click??? Here’s the basic bio stuff…

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All the “me’s” have bizzy brain!

Posted on by sue boardman

I’m guessing you might, too! News… much of it of the lunatic persuasion.

Metro DC going through massive chaos and dragging way too much of the world along.

In my own calmer and considerably more intentional way, things are also shifting. Part of it is the normal course of endings and new beginnings. A year’s worth of community and work completing even as the next artful adventure takes form. (Stay tuned!!!)

Yet more painting adventures beginning, as well.

The Book-in-Progress is taking over my world and I’m thrilled! The individual stories pretty much existed from the beginning. The structure – the flow – the voices – are appearing magically in my dreams and, in the context of this world, my Grammy Heart is overjoyed.

All of that newness leads – at least for me – to new awareness of things which aren’t yet optimal. And, as so often happens in our world, that involves moving things. You know… being body comfy while having easy access to books, tools, light, etc.

I think our magic friend, Glinda, must have invited the Feng Shui books to join in and – wow! – did that help!

Here’s an example… as much as it made sense and I tried to make it work, the whole nesting thing just wasn’t going to work in the studio. So, the most adaptable chair is back in the room now known as Sacred Skills & Knowledge, so that I have a better chance of being able to create deep and be something which loosely resembles comfortable. And, yes… that will mean moving books!

The paintings, of course, all want to be new places, too. Inspiration. Energy supportive colors. Even a sleep supervisor dedicated to healing and abundance! She’s the one up top… a mythical shape-shifting Selkie in charge of useful things like intuition and unblocking trapped potential!

There’s another painting going on in my world, too. #Threshold. If I believed in being behind, I would be. Instead, I’m going with being exactly where I’m supposed to be to be, hearing what I need to hear! My big ah-hah, so far, is to discover… instead of expecting! As we used to say back when, that’ll preach!

For this moment… an invitation!

If you’re a real human reading this, instead of some AI mystery being, and you have dreams about putting your magic to work in the world, let’s talk! 45 min. My gift. We’ll name a next right step for your path and explore what it could look like to work together… you, me, and Glinda! Hurry, though! It’s about to get book-busy around here and I only have space for two brave folks like you. Just click here and the calendar folks will set you up!

ps… now would also be a great time to check out all the magic at WingedEye Wisdom! Just put 2 sets of my really cool wisdom cards in your basket and save 20% on them!!! Great gifts. Fun for travel. Best of all, a doorway into wonder and wisdom! (And you don’t even need a secret code!) Oh! Browse around while you’re there… everything from art prints to kids’ books, many items on sale!

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The walls have taken to singing!

Posted on by sue boardman

Today, in many traditions, is Pentecost Sunday. It’s also a planning nightmare when it happens to occur on Memorial Day weekend! Just between us, I’m kind of okay with having a different role these days! Kind of more free to set aside the Lectionary’s notion of what story goes with which day and open myself to inspiration which, in many ways, was kind of the original point!

Clearly, my song leader friend agrees! This is what I heard…

Deep and wide… Deep and wide… There’s a fountain flowing deep and wide…

Deep and wide… Deep and wide… There’s a fountain flowing deep and wide…

Now seems to me like a really good time for that!

According to my late seminary professor, Dr. Walter Brueggemann, Pentecost can be seen as a revolutionary rupture of the status quo in which the outpouring of the Holy Spirit dismantles hegemonic power structures, shatters psychic numbness, and actively subverts the homogenizing, empire-building impulses of the world.

Walter goes on to contrast Pentecost with the Tower of Babel which represents a human society driven by fear and a desire for hegemonic power, seeking to impose a single homogeneous culture. By miraculously allowing the gospel to be heard in native languages, the Spirit affirms God’s will for radical diversity, ethnic pluralism, and localized variation… not a soothing comfort, but a disruptive “wind” that upends society’s comfortable routines and privileged arrangements… and makes way for new, just, and inclusive communal realities… in which every single person has both a voice and a purpose.

My painting friend and I offer these whisperings in full knowing that your tradition may be different. Your teachers may have shared different wisdom. And, if you hang around here, you’d probably stand beside me in claiming equality and radical hospitality, in this world, now. Deep and wide!

For now, I join the the prayer from Ephesians that we, whatever our traditions, might grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of the Son of Creators. That’s what all those dots are for… healing wounded hearts!

And one last thought from an episode of The West Wing… It’s season 7, episode 8. Presidential candidate, Matt Santos, is speaking in a predominantly black church, just after one of their teenagers was killed by an hispanic police officer. He begins with a quote from Dr. King:

If we could find compassion… if we could express compassion – if we could pretend compassion… it would heal us.

As the congregation begins to hear… to respond… Santos goes on:

We are tired. Tired of understanding. Of waiting. Of trying to figure out why our children are not safe and why our efforts to make them safe seem to fail. We’re tired. But we must know that we have made some progress… and slowly… too slowly, things will change.

This is the message of my heart for this day…

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Hope… it’s a Mom-thing!

Posted on by sue boardman

May 10 is a big day at our house. It’s our wedding anniversary every year. (36 years so far, if you’re curious!) It’s also the anniversary of the day I graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary, the first time! And, sometimes, as it was in 1990, it’s also Mothers Day.

At the moment, I’m missing generations of Moms and Grammies. I’m missing my grands and their dear Mom & Dad. And, there’s part of me that’s missing the feeling of Hope.

Here’s the thing, though… Hope is not just a Hallmark-y feeling. Hope is a choice!

A choice I’m choosing! Even in the face of the all the chaos and news. And, I’m planting symbols of hope, like sunflowers. (We’re a smidge late, due to a couple of cold snaps but, again, I’m hoping.)

I’m hoping, with my painting friend, for Peace.

I’m hoping that, like the star glyph in the painting, we will rise from the chaos. And, if you squint a bit, you might notice that the phoenix is rising from love!

There are two more hopeful things going on in my world, today. Prayer dots, which are no surprise, I suspect, and also help me a lot.

And, soup! A body-mind-spirit thing for me. With huge help from my anniversary buddy. (In case you missed the recent easy version of the recipe, just click here!) Shopping with local, sustainable farmers spreads the hope even more!

For this moment, Mama Bear and I are sending you hugs and Hope!

#Magic!ContemplationsGrandmothers

More Real Truth???

Posted on by sue boardman

One of the reasons I write is to help me figure out the chaos of our world. Chaos which often takes over my dreams. To externalize it and watch for patterns.

Punctuation helps, too, in an odd sort of way! You know… intentional pauses and emphasis.

And, Morning Pages help a lot. Actual pen and paper. Texture and motion and causing newness to appear in manageable chunks. Tea, too, of course!

Here, though, is the real secret for me. Morning Pages happen right after Dream Time! Last night was a really big time for that. Well, early morning, really.

With some help from my old teacher/friend, Walter Brueggemann, I had wandered off to sleep pondering the notion of speaking with Creators.

From my tattered copy of Walter’s book, Finally Comes the Poet:

…it is the voice of human hurt and hope that evokes the presence and response of God (p.51).

Here’s the thing, though…

What I heard in my dream was the connection between all the lunatic evil of our time and the desire of proudly fallen humans to be more than Creators. To be controller-in-chief. Owner. Maker of all choices.

To own people and to decide who matters.

Which brought me, of course, to the voices of the paintings on the wall. Yep! The one you see, above. A very early work of mine, called Codex. I put the brush down and signed the back in 2018. (Maybe 2019 – it’s too big to get off the wall to check!)

An adventure of claiming Creation and – for me, at least – my place within it. Symbols. Lots of prayer dots. Claiming the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine next to each other. El and Asherah.

The core problem of the Epstein gang, and those who continue to support and shield them, is their unwillingness to be part of something greater…. where everyone matters. Instead, we have way, way too many people wanting to be like him!

You’ve heard me quote this before…I matter. You matter. We matter. And knowing that THIS is the kind of mattering that matters!

ps… want to help your Littles start learning this now? Begin with Creation… words and images! Just click here and the elves will transport you to WingedEye Wisdom where Daphne will be delighted to get you your very own copy of A Creation Poem. And even a bit of extra art with orders of more than one book shipped to the same address!