Self Care

What are some of your favorite self-care go-tos? 
This week on our Cosmic Cowgirls call, we each shared some of our personal practices and aids. Here are some we came up with:

• Movement several times a week (Qigong, walking, yoga, Ballet, etc)
• Art practice, journaling, painting, craft to begin and end the day
• Grounding, perhaps outside with a tree
• Drum or play flute 
• Stay hydrated! Water and herb tea
• Healthy food choices (don't turn to food)
• Time in circle with friends/family (supportive)
• Time with animals pets (new kittens!)
• Art blogs and artist groups on FB
• Meditation/ quiet time
• Receive bodywork or do self-Reiki
• Epson salt bath with a candle, soft music
• Include self, step in, engage! - not waiting to be "invited!" (Check-in if you need, find a group that's harmonious, avoid isolating ourselves)
• Slow down, take time for things you enjoy
• Balance responsibilities and "fun stuff"
• Saying prayers of your tradition
• Guided meditation
• Essential oils, smudge
• Take action, if something is bothering you!
• Come from love "let love be the center of your choices!"
• Become a lifetime learner, study something new

Candles of the Red Thread SiStarhood

Your turn, what are some of the ways you nurture yourself?

Happy PPF!!

Holy Water and Red Madonna

On the 6th of January, Shiloh shared a lovely practice of making Holy Water for our painting process this year for Red Madonna. She attended the Theopany ceremony at her church Russian Orthodox), and guided us through the process to craft our own, using what we had on hand. Our community will have the opportunity to make Holy water for painting at our February Red Thread Circle. (Registration for this year's Red Madonna online is open for one more week, through January 27.)

Altar with Magïc brushes and Holy Water

My blessed water included well water, Bulgarian Rose Oil, Hathor oil blend, and Our Lady of the Cosmos flower essence bouquet (formulated for Red Madonna 2015). I placed it in a cut glass, stoppered bottle, which I'd used for Holy Water from a Buddhist lama in the mid 90s. We also added some to one of our spray bottles. 
On my altar: my Magïc paint brushes, crystals and coral, a carved red turtle (Kenya), reindeer antler, a goddess of fossilized horn and silver, Hathor oil, rose  beads (around the angel), the flower essence bouquet, smudge sticks, a Red Jar candle, and chocolate!

Then last week it snowed here and in various other Northern cities, and several of us added snow melt to our holy water bottles. I also finished getting my table cleared and the altar reset.

Snow for Holy Water

We "painted" symbols and designs on our black gessoed canvases with some of the water (no pigment added), after blessing them. The photo was taken in the evening, so the water shows up dark, and gold.

Canvas "painted" with Holy Water

I have been purchasing fresh flowers for the altar, with a rose each week. I'm enjoying having the new smaller table, and have several books, my Mother Mary Oracle cards, and my drum on the shelf beneath.

This week we received our first painting videos on the full moon (January 12) ... I spent several days across town at my daughter's during the snow time, I've watched the videos, but not yet added paint! Soon, ...
Happy Paint Party Friday

Blessings in the New Year!

The Monkey has been wiggling its tail these last few weeks, getting ready to jump aside for the Rooster! It's cold and clear here in the Pacific NW, and a great time to clean up and rearrange my Atelier! This article offers some tips and inspiration.

Much of clean-up time is simply getting out the broom, dust pan, garbage and recycling cans and applying some elbow grease, LOL! Stuff does pile up, at least in my studio, so next comes reorganizing what's there. (I like the suggestion by one artist to tidy the studio daily, .... or "not at all!" Since creativity often generates a certain amount of stuff!

I continue to work in acrylics, so have my paint containers pretty well organized: one oz in a chipboard container, 4 oz in containers on a higher shelf. Stencils and interference paint are housed in two smaller lidded containers. Then there are my Smashbook and Art journals (shelves), brushes (containers in a cleaning caddy), spritz bottles, rags (T-shirt squares). And in our Intentional Creativity tradition, I have a area set as am altar with fresh flowers, a candle, crystals, incense and things to represent the elements.

Before the dethug

I currently have the brushes and other supplies both on a small rolling cart and a table. I'm thinking of switching shelves from another room with the table, to have more room for painting, and for storage on shelves. There's also an armoire which houses my laptop and some of the supplies. 
This year I will journey with Shiloh Sophia in Red Madonna, following the Sacred Path. I am honored to be one of the Hearth Tenders in the online Red Tent, holding space and honoring the other travelers. Shiloh filmed a little video recently of the art supplies we commonly use for these classes.

I'm partway through the "elbow geese" portion, always the most daunting! I hope to share the"after" view next week! 

Happy Paint Party Friday!!