Chalice of the Soul

 For over a decade, Shiloh has offered a year long painting journey - the Red Madonna. This is near and dear to her heart, and to the hearts of the women who join in. The offerings are rich, painting, group calls, making cards, writing poetry, .... 

So this year, Shiloh has invited the Sisterhood to submit work from one or more of these journeys to the upcoming show, In Her Embrace. You can find a ticket to this show on our Museum page. 

I am submitting two paintings from my own time with the Red Madonna community. 

I often work on repurposed canvasses, and in 2015, I found a sweet painting (of a Cocker spaniel) at one of the local thrift stores. It had rich layers of thick Acrylic paint, which provided some beautiful texture (I didn't tell the checker I was going to paint over the pup!) She Hears the Stories emerged, and is still one of my favorites (OK, most of my paintings are my favorites!) 

She Hears the Stories and the artist - 2015

She Hears the Stories

Come sit here with me awhile

     Your Golden Heart glowing

          A candle of presence

Bring the Sacred ampule

     To collect the tears

          Of ten thousand osses and longings

     Place it here, on the altar of our lives.

Tend it carefully

     Adorned with such care

          And the scent of a thousand roses

The second canvas is also repurposed, this one a pair from our Habitat ReStore, two 24x30" canvasses, screwed together! (So 48" wide). It was a simple big sky landscape, which made a good under painting, and was less than $10! 

Some of the inquiries over the 13 moons include exploring our connection with the divine presence, making meditative strokes and patterns of light on our ladies' mantles. While painting, we are invited to contemplate our own sense of "divinity," and articulate our thoughts and beliefs. In our 8th moon, we explored Tenderness, feeling into times we gave - and received - tenderness.

We experienced a total Solar Eclipse in August 2017, and the dragonette holds the sun as it's hidden by the moon. Both Mother Mary (blue mantle) and beloved Mary Magdalene (Red) appeared and shared this journey. I gilded with both Gold and silver, which shine in the light. 

Chalice of the Soul - 2017

Sacred Compass

In the space between spaces

     We enter the Inner Temple

         Light the candles

     Fill the Chalice of the Soul

Entering the Inner Temple

     We pay homage to the Sacred

          Fill the chalice of the Soul

     With the waters of renewal. 

We pay homage to the Sacred

     Fly with phoenix and dragon through the cosmos

         Baptized in the waters of renewal

     Finding our inner compass.

Flying along the cosmic Soul Path

     Lighting candles on the altar

          We find our sacred compass

     In the space between spaces.

I look forward to witnessing the beauty from the past decade of Red Madonna paintings.

You can find posts from my Red Madonna 2017 journey are here and here.