So, back in the day, when I was hanging out in nursing school and hospitals, if I had said what I’m about to say, here, out loud, a whole team of my colleagues would have mouthed psych consult at each other and reached for the phone!
Deep breath, please. I’m fine. In fact, I’m a great deal more fine in this moment that I have, perhaps, ever been before!
And, I’m going to tell you a story…
If you’ve been reading along, you’ve heard me musing about a painting called Apothecary which I’ve been in the midst of for a bit, now.
It started out feeling comforting and familiar. Intention. Lots of fun drips, hither and yon, as I turned the canvas. (I like drips!)
A line. In my case a dark, jagged one, kind of like a lightning bolt. The line of unimaginable tragedy.
Eventually, we got to the part about vessels.
Think Apothecary as in remedies for ailments. Kind of like a pharmacy. (An open-minded one!)
The books appeared, first. Books are vessels, too!
Paint, of course. Teal blue for voice and truth!
And a medicine basket! Red thread, obviously. Roses and rosemary and thyme.
Then, after a busy night dreaming, the stock pot, over to the right. This isn’t new for me. They show up predictably in Legend paintings, for I am a boiler of bones.
And, since I have a huge thing for dots, the night sky. There are favorite constellations, and spatters – which are huge fun – and about a zillion dots for courage. A fabulous moon. And yes, my version of a Phoenix rising right out of the stock pot, complete with a bay laurel leaf!
I felt safely en-courage-d that far. Then, things began to get interesting.
An alabaster jar, which is a sign that my collection of sacred stories and symbols is growing.
The face and the arrow on the stockpot, which some of you will recognize as having to do with something nicknamed Filters. Familiar, for sure, but – ironically – completely new in this context!
Frankly, I was starting to get a bit anxious. And, there was still something missing.
Yep! The circle, on the stockpot, with six thumbprints.
A six-petal rose. Right there, where my map of reality belongs! Utterly by choice!
Tears. Relief. Hope. A whole new world, in many ways.
And, I thought I was finished. But the painting was not done speaking to me.
Yesterday, she announced her name.
Revelation!
Truth tears. And I thought I was finished. Until I went to the first Red Madonna circle of 2023.
It was fabulous. Which was predictable!
And then, in a conversation between the leaders of this particular band, Shiloh Sophia McCloud and Havi Brysk Mandell, I learned a new word!
The one most of you didn’t notice or couldn’t read in the photo at the top.
It’s a Hebrew word which I didn’t know before. (I wasn’t a very good Hebrew student!)
Pronounced hee-NAY-nee, it can be translated in different ways. In our circle, today – and in my heart – it means Here I am!
And, of course, it insisted upon appearing in the palm print of my hand, which meant a bit of editing.
Hand, by the way, also means power in Hebrew or Aramaic, depending on who your teachers were.
I think the painting is done now…
I, clearly, am not! And, just between us, that feels pretty damn good!
ps… there is still time to join Red Madonna Sanctuary! We’re going to do some deep painting, too! All the info is here… and there’s a place for YOU along the Red Thread! (Standing and dancing will be involved… figuratively, at least!) Take a deep breath and check it out HERE!
pps… Revelation! is already plotting new things. If you’re feeling the vibes, let’s talk! The calendar elves will hook you up with 45 minutes as my gift.