When the Muse speaks in another voice…

Yep! You guessed it… she’s doing her Critic imitation, just to see if I’m listening! And, frankly, it took me a bit to remember that, when it really matters, the Muse will use all the medicine in her basket to help! Now seems to be one of those times!

This glimpse of the painting on my easel will give us a place to start.

My heart is over the moon thrilled.

The Muse, who always has my back, knows that there is more thrilled to come, if I just keep going… and do the scary things.

Which, frankly, feels a whole lot like life!

I woke, this morning, resolved. And quaking! All the puzzle pieces are there. And, more truth than I’ve been able to claim before. And, still, we need more paint.

Not different. Just deeper. You see, she and I want others to hear the message of the Cura Archetype and claim their own inner healing healer! And that, dear heart, seems to mean my picking up the brush again and taking the risk of more paint. More clarity.

The thing you glimpse just a wee bit of, off to your right, that looks something like a rainbow, was the game-changer! It’s her stole. A symbol, in the land where I was raised right, of being willing to show up, intentionally, with stories of healing and hope. And, it’s a familiar symbol around here, borrowed from an old quilt pattern.

The triangles form what’s known as the Flying Geese blocks. These are Liberated Flying Geese, in the worldview of Gwen Marston, whose Liberated Quiltmaking convinced me I could be a quilter! And, just in case you haven’t heard, wild geese are a Celtic symbol for the Holy Spirit who, in my heart, is utterly liberated!!!

There are lots of other symbols on this canvas. Things that my heart-eye discovered in the intentionally swirly, messy, random space of the under-layers. Symbols for the most cherished things I’ve learned – and use – on my own intentional path of helping hearts, and families, and the world in which my grand-teens are growing up, to heal.

Much of that healing work involves three things…

Choice. Voice. Sovereignty.

Owning our ability to choose.

Using our voices in service of our choices.

Claiming our sovereignty in our lives. Sovereignty over our chosen journeys.

And – fair warning – sometimes that means doing new things. Some not-the-way-we’ve-always-done-it things! This, for me, is a moment like that! You see, this is where my painting is at right now. A place that could reasonably be labeled farther from done than before! And, frankly, my inner good student is a bit anxious about it!

Here’s why… there’s a thing, Friday. A big event kind of thing. And in an ideal world, my painting would be finished before it begins. Frankly, that’s somewhere between really optimistic and not very likely!

What is true, though, is that I’m claiming what this painting was meant to teach me. I’m more ready than ever to share that learning in the world! And, it isn’t just my head that’s learned. It’s my heart and soul and my inner Fiercely Compassionate Grandmother. (She, by the way, is the one who has tears rolling down her cheeks, even as we’re typing!)

And the Muse just gave me a high-five!

For now, though, rest. Then, food. And Joan Baez, because freedom helps get the Good Trouble done!

ps… ready to claim yourself as your medicine basket??? Let’s talk! Just click here and the calendar elves will hook you up with 45 minutes, as my gift. You’ll want a cuppa, paper and markers, if they’re handy. (Hell, eyebrow pencils will work!) Oh, and a bit of red thread… real or imaginary!

pps… the book launch is even closer! Stay tuned!!!

Cleaning Closets… real & metaphorical!

There’s a room in our house known as The Dressing Room. The builder, in 1962, would have told you it’s a bedroom. And it is, in the sense of a place for welcome guests to sleep. Mostly, though, it’s my closet. And, no… I’m not taking a picture. (Yet!)

It’s also a metaphor. A power-full one in this moment! You see, I’m sorting. Intentionally!

And, yes… Daphne is modeling part of the change. Let’s talk denim vests. Or, in my world, purses! You see, most days I need at least one hand for walking. Sometimes, two. And that makes purses complicated. Also, my shoulders are not fans of the backpack option. So, for a while now, it’s been denim vests.

They have lots of pockets. And they’re happy to hold my omnipresent Good Trouble buttons! And blue or black denim goes with all the internalized rules I’m only beginning to be conscious of.

Here are a few…

  • Don’t call attention to yourself. It isn’t safe.
  • Don’t wear too many colors at once. You’ll look crazy.
  • Everything should match your shoes.
  • Blending in is more important than being comfortable.
  • And, my personal fav, Preachers don’t…

You, clever soul, have already realized that I’ve been editing the rules for a while. And, in the context of this moment, I am making very conscious, intentional choices about nearly everything.

So, I went hunting for a statement denim vest/purse for this moment. (Tye dyed jacket from Etsy. And about an hour to cut the sleeves off and fray the edges.)

And, when you get right down to it, it kinda does go with everything!

It also starts conversations! Conversations which often conclude with me reaching into one of the handy pockets and giving away a spare Good Trouble button. I suspect John Lewis is smiling, too!

And, yes… my magical new vest goes great with Chucks and pearls!!!

I only get one vote. (Well, hopefully. That’s far from a sure thing in Georgia just now!)

I also have choices. And one of them, introverted as I truly am, is to wander around my ‘hood looking like an openminded, engaged Fiercely Compassionate Grandmother, often spattered with paint!

And, I’m planning for an actual guest in a couple weeks, which means that I’m going to need to find the bed that’s in there somewhere, under spare weighted blankets and things to give away. I’ll never be a minimalist, but I am trying on the notion of being an Intentionalist!

Don’t you just love words???

My relationship with a current #wip painting is a lot like this. Less deciding what I want to have appear on the canvas. More seeing what I see and allowing viewers to see, too! Here’s a peek…

Officially, this one is becoming my #CuraArchetype painting. Which feels a whole lot like noticing that…

Which is a bit like walking through the door in the back of C. S. Lewis’s famous wardrobe! And this, my friend, feels like a really good time for that! (Chronicles of Narnia…. The Silver Chair )

If you decide to head out on a similar path, wave at Puddleglum for me! We really are living his story in this moment!

ps… don’t know Puddleglum yet? Click here for the punchline!

pps… ready to claim yourself as your medicine basket??? Let’s talk! Just click here and the calendar elves will hook you up with 45 minutes, as my gift. You’ll want a cuppa, paper and markers, if they’re handy. (Hell, eyebrow pencils will work!) Oh, and a bit of red thread… real or imaginary!

ppps… there’s a book launch coming up! Stay tuned!!!

When one post needs two titles… and a gift!

According to the Legendary Husband, Rocky & Bullwinkle were quite comfortable with needing two titles for an episode, so here goes…

There’s a Moose in My Lotus Pond – and – Dish and Bars! Stick with us, please!

As you’ve no doubt guessed, we’ll start with the moose! This is what happened when my #exoticlandscape painting, which I began in early June, started listening to the news about three weeks ago.

Somewhere along the line, Shiloh Sophia McCloud was demonstrating simple one-line heart drawings and several of those appeared on my canvas. A bit later, we went on to wildly imaginary, exotic flowers. And I knew that there were lily pads ahead.

And, because I try to do almost everything with awareness of context, those lilies insisted on becoming lotus flowers, because lilies and lotuses are members of the same family and Kamala Harris’s name means lotus! And lotus flowers symbolize strength, resilience, and rebirth. (I’m just sayin’!)

The Moose came later. She’s still deciding on her name. And, yes, the antlers are more commonly associate with bull moose, but this is art! It’s also symbolism. And a moose is a strong, majestic force, symbolizing power, grace, and resilience. It could be a reflection of your… inner strength and ability to handle life’s challenges.

I’m guessing you’re with me!

Then, just yesterday, while I was still painting, the next right thing happened and, suddenly, I was channeling my Minnesota roots!

Senator Amy Klobuchar (D, MN) was on MSNBC sharing her excitement about our new VP pick and she told a story about her family and the Walz family having long connections. Apparently, when Tim and Gwen Walz were celebrating the birth of their daughter, Hope, Amy’s mom took them dinner which I recognized immediately as Dish & Bars!

You know… a casserole and bar cookies. Likely brownies or chocolate chip.

All of which transports us to the 14 containers of Marry Me Dressing the Legendary Husband and I put in our freezer this weekend! Translation.. our version of my Granny’s favorite Dish!

It’s nutritious, full of the Minnesota delicacy, wild rice, flexible for the family you have, not hard to do, and great for friends who could use a bit of loving help with dinner. So… here’s a link to the philosophy/recipe. Our gift to you. Love to hear what you do about Bars!

Somehow, the world feels more hopeful, already. Thanks for being you!!!

ps… it’s Graduation Day in Intentional Creativity® land! To celebrate, the elves have created a discount at FierceArtWithHeart! Save 15% off anything in the Wearable Art (Clothing) collection! Leggings, tank tops, a dress, even a new T-shirt! Sizes from 2T to 6X!!! Just use the magic code BackToSchool at checkout. And, if you’re ready to stock up, there’s an option to pay over time. (Special offer expires on Aug 12, 2024 @ 11:59pm EDT.)

Consciousness, paint, and choices…

I just got an email from “somebody,” with a headline asking, Is preppy your style? and offering me a discount on wallpaper!

Short, predictable, answer – Not so much! – though I come from a long line of people who would probably have been comforted if I’d said yes…

Here’s the thing… I used to be really good at following directions. At meeting perceived expectations. At hanging safely in the middle of the pac. Now I know more!

The photo, above, is indeed the vision from the chair that makes things hurt less. Finished work, yes. Some just home from Scan Camp! And works-in-progress. I literally prop them there so they can whisper the next right things to me. The deep answers to what they want next.

And, they do!

See the one behind the sun and the moon???

She was kind of a pop-up with some unexpected requests. As far as the demo live-streams went, she was supposed to be an adventure in background. Many, many layers, which I love. Different art-sisters doing different things with brushes. (And fingers!) Kind of an unfolding mystery.

Mine, however, seemed to focus in on some older paintings that we witnessed as we began. Paintings by an Intentional Creativity® ancestor named Sue Hoya Sellars. Sue walked into her future very early in my journey with canvas and paint and possibility. I just know I would have loved her!

In this moment, the connection had to do with inner and outer consciousness, and crystals.

(That, dear heart, is a sentence I’ve never needed before!)

The group-art demos didn’t go as far as beings. My canvas insisted! The human-ly one in the center was intentional. The seal – or Selkie, perhaps – on your right, appeared as if by magic. And, well, then we needed another one.

With considerable inner dialogue, I have decided not to obsess over making them match! Related is close enough!

Then, I spent some time communing with the crystals in our home. The ones which insisted on helping with this adventure were amethyst and kyanite. (Tip! You can google something along the lines of amethyst energy and discover all kinds of cool things you might not have learned in biology class!)

This is where we were just before the kyanite began, on Saturday evening.

Here’s the exciting thing… I’m following directions from my consciousness-es! A concept which much of the world has attempted to shame and blame out of way too many of us!

And, for a whole lot of reasons, now seems like a really good time to learn to listen to myself. To ourselves. And to spread the word!

Here’s where my friend is, after amethyst joined the kyanite with a whole batch of magic prayer dots…

ps… it’s Graduation Day in Intentional Creativity® land! To celebrate, the elves have created a discount at FierceArtWithHeart! Save 15% off anything in the Wearable Art (Clothing) collection! Leggings, tank tops, a dress, even a new T-shirt! Sizes from 2T to 6X!!! Just use the magic code BackToSchool at checkout. And, if you’re ready to stock up, there’s an option to pay over time. (Special offer expires on Aug 12, 2024 @ 11:59pm EDT.)

Meet Great Aunt Gert!

You, dear soul, have already figured out why this story in this moment! And, depending on the particular folks who raised you right, you may have already met Aunt Gert… also known as St. Gertrude, the patron saint of cats.

Her story was not one I learned from Gramma Elsie, as I traced honeycomb shaped quilt pieces for her, with a pencil and a pattern made from a Cheerios box.

In fact, I’d bet this was not a story Elsie knew, though she loved stories like she loved quilts. You see, Elsie was raised right by a bunch of folks descended from a bunch of folks who got on a wee boat named the Mayflower and came to these shores to get away from the power structures of the people who did know about Aunt Gert and weren’t amused. And there were lots of stories that got buried. Intentionally.

I, however, have the advantage of questions, and buttons to push to help find answers.

Thus I discovered, while swinging from the branches of my on-line family tree a couple of years ago, a new Great Aunt, many, many generations back. Another of the handful of related Saints nobody ever mentioned.

Here’s what I first learned about Aunt Gert… She was born in what is now Belgium, in 626 CE. Like other women in her prominent family, she chose – with her mother’s help – to escape an arranged marriage of the politically correct and financially beneficial sort, and establish a monastery for women dedicated to living their faith and helping people.

Turns out, though, that there was more to the story.

When Gertrude was only 10 years old she was asked “if she would like to marry a duke.” Despite the power and wealth normally included in such deals back then, Gertrude – in a bold move – declined.

After Gertrude’s father passed on, her mother, Itta, worried lest her still teen-aged daughter be kidnapped for marriage so she shaved Gertrude’s head and built an abbey to protect her daughter. Eventually, that abbey – of Nivelles – became a double monastery where nuns and monks served together.

Pause for amazement!

Eventually, Gertrude served the monastery as the Abbess, though she spent her days caring for others and building hospitals and churches and she walked into her future at the age of 33 years. She was canonized soon thereafter.

What I learned just yesterday was that Gertrude was never officially named patron saint of cats, though the people she served considered her so. This was likely because, in the time of the plague known as The Black Death, cats were important in protecting people, especially the poor, from the rats which carried the disease. And Gertrude protected cats.

What I feel, as I read her story in the context of this moment, is that she was a fan of laying down beliefs which were not empowering! And I like to think of her having a presence something like my #Matrica painting, known as Liberating Lily.

This story also suggests that some of my tendencies in the direction of laying down limiting beliefs just might come from a long line of women who found hope in choosing to fill their Medicine Baskets with tools for change. Among the relatives Aunt Gert and I share are Saint Begga, and a couple of Saint Itta’s, all of whom were noble women, likely among the Beguine communities where women were permitted to own their property and make decisions about their finances!!!

And here we are, 13 or 14 hundred years later, in a world where the guys who think they’re entitled to make all the rules, are making fun of childless cat women. I’m all in for keeping that from happening in this world where my grandteens are trying really hard to grow up!

Matilda, whom you may have met lately, is on board!!!

She’s in charge of overcoming obstacles around here. You know… the path from here to the there where you are called! If you’re ready for some help along the way, let’s talk! Just ask the calendar elves to hook you up with 30 minutes. Our gift. You bring your dream, a cuppa, and some Red Thread, if it’s handy. We’ll come up with the next right thing. Really!

ps… I learned some of the newer parts of Aunt Gert’s story at catster.com in an article which was – ironically – updated yesterday!

pps… Aunt Gert and I are proclaiming that every day is cat lady day around here, even though we’re kind of more rescue Newf people. In fact, every day is strong people ready to make things better for all the people day!

Third time’s the charm!

You know those seemingly random ah-hahs that pop up in your consciousness now and then???

The things that don’t seem to fit the moment. The things we don’t do. The things that feel scary and important…

Welcome! You’re going to fit right in today!!!

You see, I’m guessing I’m not the only one who’s noticing an up-tick on the ah-hahs. I’m pretty sure it has to do with newness in the air. And, at least for me, it has to do with hope in the air. I – literally – wrote the book on grandmothers and hope! And this moment still feels different than that! Like way more than I can hold on my own.

So, while I was kind of rolling around in the familiar land of paint and knees and words and red thread, I had one of those ah-hahs.

And, I decided that it didn’t make sense and probably wouldn’t help, anyway.

Then, the same ah-hah bubbled up, again. And, yep… I decided to ignore it again. And, you – wise soul – have probably already realized what happened next.

The third time the same ah-hah appeared, it was literally hopping up and down inside me.

So, I caved – or trusted – this idea that still causes the deep, old voice inside me to insist that WE don’t do that! Because, there are other voices in my awareness, too. Many of them even older and deeper and, frankly, more intriguing than the usual ones. There’s also the fact that I’m all in for the Filters thing, and this is definitely one of those!

As it happens, Alana Fairchild’s Sacred Rebel Oracle Cards were right next to my chair!

I briefly contemplated just opening the book and reading whichever card was number 11. I like 11’s. Then, I decided I was in all the way. So, mixing and shuffling and passing them through my hands until #17 chose me… It’s an energy thing!

The reading begins this way…

You hold in your hand that which you seek.

And, it goes on… In other words, the pair of spectacles you have been rummaging around the house for are sitting on top of your head. What you are seeking, perhaps by exploring far and wide, is actually right under your nose. You may not like this idea! It is so much more wonderful to imagine there is something yet to find. Of course, there is unlimited creative potential and always something more that can be – yet in this instance, it is important for you to know that you already have what you need and what you want. That doesn’t mean it’s the end of the story, although it does ask you to give up the fantasy that a perfect solution lies in the future somewhere. Instead it asks you to acknowledge that everything necessary for success is with you now. All you need do is accept this, and act with what you have available to you…

I know! That hasn’t alway been our perceived experience! For now, though, this is what’s before us, so let’s read a bit more…

It might not seem like you have much to start with. Perhaps you feel that all you have is a small, simple choice to make – perhaps you have a song to begin, an email to send, a conversation to start or a sketch to let loose. However small, it is enough to get the ball rolling… This oracle also comes with special guidance for you. You are more ready than you think you are! You are more prepared than you realize… All that you need in this moment is just one sweet act of nourishment. That is enough to take you out of backwards nostalgia or regret, and forward into what is awaiting you now. Be brave. Dig deep within. And enjoy the sweet surrender… to love for yourself!

This, by the way, is what the whole painting looks like… when we add our voice and our sovereignty to our choices!

And, on the off chance that this isn’t all just me talking to me, please hear me say that now is a very good time to start! (Also, if you live in the USA, a good time to check your voter registration status!)

ps… what if there were treasures inside you, longing to be claimed and set free in a world which desperately needs them? What if I could help you access and own them? And start a path from here to there? (I can!!!) So, click here and ask the calendar elves to hook you up with 30 minutes. My gift. You show up with a cuppa and some Red Thread, if it’s handy… We’ve got this!

Truth time… for real!!!

(A bit of an old story in the beginning, and a whole new one at the end!)

Once upon a Sunday morning, quite some time ago, 11:00 arrived as it almost always does, and it was my turn to preach. There were a few challenges, that particular day.

It was a Sunday in October. A Sunday for which the Lectionary (complicated calendar of which scripture passages are “for” what day) was utterly unprepared!

You see, in addition to it being whatever Sunday in Ordinary Time, it was also Stewardship Sunday, on Pink Ribbon Sunday for breast cancer awareness, in National Domestic Violence Awareness month.

Yep! Money, sex (Well, some people think so!) and power, all cued up for Sunday morning.

The three things you learned – if you were raised right in the time and places I was – not to talk about!

But I did, because I couldn’t have lived with myself or faced the Creator of my understanding if I hadn’t. I mean, people dealing with all those challenges were sitting in our folding chairs, and not talking about it wasn’t going to help anyone!

This moment feels just like that, somewhere deep in my raised right heart which has learned a whole lot of new things.

One of those new things, since then, is Grammy-ness. Elder-ness.

I’ve also learned that flying our Real Me flags is the best thing for us as humans-in-progress.

And, that’s exactly what I want for my grandteens!!!

Actually, it’s what I want for all our Littles. I want it so much that I’m going to make a profession… I am officially beyond the whole raised right thing. As in done-done!

And this feels like a really good time to claim it. To notice that the Universe is in a place we’ve never been before… a portal, if you will. And it’s our job to join the team! (I’m liable to make a t-shirt!)

Money, sex, and power have always, always, always been huge issues. We get to re-frame them! Consciously. Intentionally. With honor to those who survived before us. And those who did not survive.

Here’s my attempt, much to the dismay of my inner editor who is convinced that she hasn’t had long enough to ponder…

Money is a tool. Not a matter of worth. We can use it for good, rather than simply for control.

Sex – or gender – is an expression of self… and we get to decide whether to love and uplift, or to dominate.

Power is always relative to something or someone. We get to choose to claim power for, rather than power over. Even though a whole lot of people, through a whole lot of time, have chosen over, rather than for.

Now is our time to choose… not just for ourselves, but for the future of the world. And, in this particular story, for those of us in the USA, now means 104 days.

I’m choosing a world in which all our Littles have choices. And voices. And sovereignty.

Many, many of my ancestors and family members did not have those options. The same is true for your family, whether you know their names and stories, or not.

Two of my great aunts – sisters named Mary and Alice – were hanged as witches in Salem. On the same day. Charges that often resulted in women being tried as witches were being in possession of, and able to read, a book other than the bible and having no living husband, father, brother, or son to control their money and property.

Those who did the accusing and judging, all those years ago, believed they held the only truth and were entitled to put women to death for those reasons.

Far too many of their descendants – genetic and political – believe that they hold the only truth and are entitled to similar powers in our time.

It’s time, and long past, to end the current expressions of such errant and tragic beliefs.

This is my heart-image of what that might look like…

Raise your hand. Gather your power-for. Claim your place in the circle. The time has come!

ps… this post is dedicated to my Grandmothers, Elsie and Elizabeth. Activists, both… in their ways and times.

pps… the painting in the middle is a #RedMadonna project, entitled Womb of Creation. May I – and all of us who choose to do so – create on!

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