It is time, and long past, in many ways. And the key to the prison door is consciousness!
I had a big lesson in consciousness Saturday night. You know… while I was attempting the thing called sleeping! And, yes, it was one of those nights when the paintings were in charge of my dreams. I should warn you, before we go further, that I don’t have huge new easy answers.
I do have new questions… and you know how much I love that!
First, a smidge of context. I’m going to assume that you know as much as you can handle of what’s going on in the news. Let’s talk about the more personal stuff. The #workinprogress painting you see, above, seems to have decided she’s in charge! And there are, indeed, many layers. Not only of paint, but also of meaning!
Feminine and masculine. Ukraine and – well – autocracy, wherever we encounter it. Peace and deep beliefs. And the pinky-purple figure in the middle who might be me. Or my Muse. Or even the Divine Feminine. (It’s too soon to tell!)
Whoever she is, she is in charge of questions! Many of the answers to those questions often begin with the notion I’m guessing you also grew up with: We always/We never…
I sure did!!! And my grandmothers had a lot of ideas about we! (And, no, they didn’t always match!) Meet Elsie and Elizabeth…
You’ve probably heard my story about moldy fruitcake cookies in Florida. I was middle-school aged when it occurred to me that perhaps we always wasn’t the only viable option! (And, yes… it’s a Filters thing!)
Recently, though, I’ve learned a whole lot more about grandmothers. My grandmothers. And aunts. More than 2000 years worth of them! Some of them considered actual saints, like Aunt Gert, who tended cats to help protect her community from the Black Plague. And Grammy Begga, who helped women have choices other than arranged marriages. And my painting of a circle of Grammies and Aunties whose individual names I do not know, standing beneath a laurel tree in Montsegeur, France, where they risked everything to tell the truth of the Gospel they claimed, in a time when “women didn’t speak”.
There are lots of stories about all of them. Stories I love learning. And yet, they bring questions, too. Here are the three biggies in this moment…
Who am I becoming?
Why?
How?
Here’s what I’m trying to do… to take the best I know of all those stories, learn from that, and live what I can, in this place and time.
Why? is easy! Because I have two grand-teens trying very hard to grow up in this world and I want all our littles to have what they need, in a world where they can breathe, and choose, and feel valued for who they are.
How? is trickier. And I’m not sure there are always/never answers. My best notion is with all of me!
Relationships. Beliefs. Words. Images. Resources. And – here comes the hard part – a truck load of courage! The showing up kind of courage.
And a smidge of faith that those who came before me are learning still, just as I am!
ps… one more thing before we go! AMoR (aka, the Tigon!) is complete. Well, except for edge finishing and signing and a trip to Scan Camp. And she has a question, too! Who are YOU becoming??? And, how can we help??? The calendar elves would be thrilled to hook you up with 45 minutes. Our gift. Your questions and musing! And, if you’re ready, a next right thing!
