Sit With Her

Shande'nea Star Path - Legend 

Muses each have their own energy and timing, their own interests, inquiries and inspiration. Shiloh Sophia, the founder of our Intentional Creativity® community, has provided a wonderful format for inviting our  Muses to flourish, and encourage us to shine in our own special ways!

Since painting my first Muse Gabriella in 2014, I've danced between painting, journaling, creating cards and codxes and being in conversation with my paintings. 

You might wish to bring out your Legendary Lady, and Muse, plus your notes about them, and the intention you wrote on the canvases, and call council.
Pour a cup of tea and sit with your journal and your ladies. 

Put on some music, perhaps what you painted to, before, or something you currently love.

• What messages and insights do your ladies carry for you?
• Do they have suggestions for how to proceed?
• Which of your other ladies carry messages for you and your quest?
• What is your next step?

If you are in process on a painting, do this same exercise with her, as you consider where to dive in. Ask her! Sometimes I do a light glaze, then sit back and journal while it drips.

Rosa Mystica - Legend 2020

This may be a good time to clean up your painting supplies, and reset your altar. Get out a new candle, and maybe some flowers to welcome your muse! Is it time to create a new journal, or Oracle cards? Sweep the floor, open the curtains, it's time! 

Happy Paint Party Friday! 

Glazing and Repurposing

When I took that first Muse class in 2014, I was having a good time with ceremony, visioning, painting and journaling, ...

Then Elisabeth told us we were going to paint over our canvas with a Risky Glaze - ¿paint over? ¿glaze? Yikes!! 

She demonstrated, choosing translucent paint, and some water,  spritzing the canvas, then applying with a big brush, then rubbing it with a square of old T-shirt, to burnish ...well, that wasn't so bad! And it did integrate the different colours. Now, it's one of my favorite processes!

Recently,  new painters in our Red Thread Creatives group have asked about preparing new raw canvas, and about repurposing our own or thrift store canvases. 

For a new raw canvas, you'll need to apply several layers of gesso, give plenty of drying time, and sand between layers. You can also prepare wood panels.

When I'm reclaiming or repurposing, I generally use a glaze rather than gesso! 

Good Medicine - 2019

Glaze to reclaim a canvas: 

• If you're revisiting a canvas after a time, a lite glaze is a good way to reclaim it.
• When you're called to continue, pull out your journal notes about your painting
• Light a candle and pour a cup of tea
• Sit back about 6' and return to the initial visioning and inquiry.
• Ask yourself What attracted you to this subject  or class in the first place? What's shifted since you last painted? What insight is arising?
• Are you drawn to continue, or start something new? 
• Spend some time with your intention,  and write it on your canvas/in your journal. 
• Get fresh water, and perhaps reset your altar

• Glazing can be scary, and is so potent!! It is a great way to integrate what has gone before, and is a key component of our process with Intentional Creativity. It is also a simple way to add Mothercolour 
• Use a transparent color - Golden's Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold or Transparent Red Iron Oxide are some favorites! 
• What's gone before and each new layer adds depth.
• Want to gesso? Consider choosing a transparent color, watering it down a bit, use a big brush and cover the canvas with a layer of glaze! How does that feel?  Write about your process!
• Translucent Golden Fluids work great for glazing - you can lay it flat to glaze and dry, and perhaps use a piece of T-shirt, to rub and "burnish" the canvas. ... 
• Then, you guessed it! 
• Sit back with your journal, and write about what's being integrated! 

Glaze options:

• Partial glaze, use one color on half the canvas, and another on the other half. Smudge the line between the two, burnish if you wish.
• 4 directions: choose 4 transparent colors. Spritz the canvas with water, then use the first color along the top, spritz again and let it drip ...rotate the canvas, spritz and use the next color ... Spray, paint, play with the drips. Turn the canvas again ... 
• White!! If you REALLY want to gesso the whole thing, try spritzing the canvas, choose a direction, paint white along the "top", spray again and let it drip! Or use white on the area you "don't like" and spray it, let it drip ...
• Gold! Our inner Critics are easily distracted by shiny objects! Spray the canvas, and use splashes of gold or another metallic in a few areas!

                              Thrift store pansy

Repurposing a canvas

• I love finding a large canvas at the thrift store, and reclaiming it! 
• When I get it home, I spritz it with water (often with flower essences) and wipe it down, and use Palo Santa or cedar to smudge it. 
• A bit of salt in a bowl of water, and damp washcloth are another option for cleansing and clearing.
• If there's a lot of texture, I might lightly sand that area, and dust off with a dry cloth.

• When you're ready to glaze, consider the colors already there, and your approach. 
• Bless the canvas, and pull out your journal, to write and sketch
• Write your intention on the Canvas (I use Neocolor 2)

Some examples:

• A painting of a spaniel was white and gold, with very dark eyes, I painted white over the eyes, and perhaps glazed the whole piece with Quinacridone nickel Azo Gold. There was a lot of light texture, which added interest to my painting!. 
• On the big pansy - mostly dark purple, I added more purple around it, and to the white triangle in the center. 
• I might do partial glasses, or a 4 directions glaze on a more random piece

  Pansy - after several layers

This became "Good Medicine"

Do you have favorite ways to repurpose canvases? 

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Painting with Intention

Intentional Creativity® offers an approach to painting (and other creative projects) where we set our intention at the beginning, and follow our curiosity, using inquiries and letting the brush lead. It is a way to activate Breakthrough, without Breakdown, to attune to  inner guidance and own images. It can also be a powerful mindfulness process. As we paint dots, dashes and other repetitive patterns, we move into a flow state. 
Changes occur in the electromagnetic field around us, when receive from the unmanifest, and bring that information through the portal, into our painting. 

We begin with a theme, often choosing an archetype to provide a framework and images for our painting.

• How do we connect with our Muse of Creativity, or lead a more Legendary Life? 
• What are our Super powers? 
• What gifts sand talents are in our medicine baskets?

While the themes, and archetypes are limitless, we are encouraged to choose one that lights us up, or has us "shaking in our boots!"

Siren Song 

Whether working on our own, or teaching a class, I use a step-by step method designed to foster insights and inner access. Founder Shiloh Sophia writes, "There's something sacred about the container, about the formula holding you, that allows for freedom to emerge. You are going to create an intuitive painting, from the heart of your own self. You'll learn to use your visionary lens for Active Imagination to connect with the light and spaciousness of your own sovereignty."

We usually begin with a visioning, a guided Meditation focused around the archetype it theme of the painting. Everyone has their own paths of access, so while some may receive visual images, another will "hear" something, and yet another may have a more tactile experience, including the hint of a scent. 
There's no "right or wrong" way! Even if you feel you didn't "get" anything, as we spend time with our Journal and canvas, images and symbols emerge. The painting become our visionary Portal.

Juju Journal · One of the keys to the intuitive painting process is moving back and forth between the canvas and our Journal. Using image and inquiry, we follow the thread of the story we are weaving, and access information we didn't know we knew. This practice of asking for information and allowing images to emerge helps is transform old stories, and gives us more bandwidth for good juju.

As we move through the steps, we build upon previous layers. Something you loved may later get lost, to, perhaps, re-emerge later, like a dear friend, well-met after years apart! So we remind ourselves, don't get attached! (And take photos!) 
With our inquiries, we note where something similar happens in daily life, hmm... and may ask, 'how does our guide receive information?' 'What symbols does she have?' 'What are some of the trials and dangers faced?' 'How does she overcome them?' 'What weakness is she ready to transform?'

Student painting - in progress

Partway through, we send our lady into the mist with a risky glaze, spraying the canvas with water, and using a big brush and diluted transparent color to unify the painting, and send her into the Fog! I wrote about glaze options in my last post, and additional glazes adds depth and luminosity. This is a great time for journaling, exploring what is going behind the glaze and getting lost, what is coming through? How does she want to re-emerge?

Step by step, we journey to the heart and soul of our lady, to our own heart and soul! Sometimes we get discouraged - have I lost her?? ... Ah, no, there she is! Lose her, find her, lose her! ... This dance may occur several times, as we move towards completion. Confused about what's next?
Ask her.
Listen. Record ...
Bring in more light, illuminate - we're *cooling sacks of stardust* - the light beams from within! 

At some point - during the Workshop or later, as we feel compete,  we sit back at least 6' and hand her the pen. This is a time of inviting information, her statement, perhaps a poem. There may be a message about the next mission, insight into an old story, a recurring roadblock, codes, secret language, a lexicon of symbols...

And even after we'd done this "final step," ... We may get called back to the canvas (often years later!!) Because she wants something else! ... 
And if we're listening, we come!  

When in doubt, take it to the journal ...

In our Intentional Creativity Classes and personal practice, we spend significant time with our journals, unpacking information and insights. 

A wonderful practice is to begin the day with a cup of your favorite beverage and your journal. I recently moved a wicker chair about 6' from my easel, (which my kitty thinks is especially for him, lol) I have my colored pencils, a book of poetry, and several journals nearby, for this important part of my process. 

Symbols for Wonder Woman

During a class or after, there often comes a point where the student becomes frustrated, and just wants to slap a coat of gesso over the canvas, and start over! 

Ah ....

This is such a potent point, which can be an opportunity for recognizing old patterns / unconscious reactions, and shed light on the issue, on ways we've been stuck. It's one of the ways we call access a breakthrough, rather than a breakdown! 
How can we use it? 
What if we tried something different this time?

In the classroom, two of my favourite phrases for this stuck/I wanna start over point are: "When in doubt, Glaze!" and, "take it to the Journal!"

** If you just got home, I suggest waiting at least overnight before making any changes! Give your canvas (and yourself) time for reentry. This is a great time to journal about your experience and anything that came up.

Collage - vessels over watercolor pencil

• Take it to the Journal: Move back about 6' and sit with your journal. This is a good time to write fast and furious about whatever is coming up, and is fun to use watercolor pencils. If something seems important, you may want to note it elsewhere, or just process - get it out! (I hear Shrek, "Better out than in!") Is this something that's come up before? Is there a voice attached to it? (Can you identify a person who told you that?) You may want to dialogue a bit with your Muse. You can let the words and colors cross and build.This is your compost layer ... 
• Next, One option is to sketch a flower, lotus or rose, or perhaps a simple daisy, in the center, and activate the colored pencil around it with water - no mud, no lotus! You can use paint over the flower petals, to highlight the shift. You can also use collage (like my image above) 
• Here are 150+ prompts if you want to completely step back and puddle around with something different for awhile! That's a good option! 
• How do you feel now? Look at your painting again, how do you feel about it? Did you get insights on how to proceed? Ask your Muse what she wants you to do! At this point, you can write about the shift, before you return to the canvas. Let it sit! Go do something else for awhile! 
• It can also help to return to the initial visioning and inquiry - return to that page in your journal. Ask yourself if/ how what's coming relates to those? What attracted you to this class or project in the first place? What's shifted who've you first wrote? What insight is arising?

Applying a partial Glaze in a recent class

• When in doubt, Glaze: Glazing can be scary, and is so potent!! It is a great way to integrate what has gone before, and is another key component of our process with Intentional Creativity. In class, glaze partway through with a transparent color - Golden's Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold is a favorite! Each layer adds depth. You want to gesso? Look for a transparent color, water it down a bit, use a big brush and cover the canvas with a layer of glaze. (Golden Fluids work best for this) you can lay it flat to dry, or use a piece of T-shirt, to rub and "burnish" the canvas. ... 
• Then, you guessed it! 
• Sit back with your journal, and write about what's being integrated! 
• Glaze options: a) partial glaze, use one color on half the canvas, and another on the other half. Smudge the line between the two, burnish if you wish. b) 4 directions: choose 4 transparent colors. Spritz the canvas with water, then use the first color along the top, spritz again and let it drip ...rotate the canvas, spritz and use the next color ... Spray, paint, play with the drips. Turn the canvas again ... c) White!! If you REALLY want to gesso the whole thing, try spritzing the canvas, choose a direction, paint white along the "top", spray again and let it drip! Or use white on the area you "don't like" and spray it, let it drip ... d) Gold! Our inner Critics are easily distracted by shiny objects! Spray the canvas, and use splashes of gold or another metallic in a few areas! e) White and gold, in different areas.
• And - however you glazed, grab your journal, and write about what's coming up, what's being integrated. Do you still feel like starting over? What happens if you turn the canvas and get a differing perspective? 

In our process with Intentional Creativity, each layer builds on the last, and we are invited to return to our Journal, and our notes in messages from the original visionary journey, and our intention for the piece. 
What if there was nothing we could get wrong? 
What if we let the canvas rest while we do, sleep on it, and revisit it in the morning? 

Magic brushes and altar

Paint brushes are magic wands - will we let them work their magic?
Happy Paint Party Friday!

Cosmic Smashing

One of my favorite protects is to create Cosmic Smashbooks, and Art Journals! 

When she was in her color of Woman teacher training, my Red Thread SiStar Catt Geller wanted an option suitable for low-income participants. She thought of using simple composition books - and Cosmic Smashbooks were born! I corresponded with Catt, and was granted permission to teach local classes, and love seeing the books that emerge! 

Reiki 2 Good Medicine journals

This year, Catt is launching her Teach the Teachers training, and there are still a few slots open! Contact her if you're interested! 

Here's a lovely little tutorial on making an art journal with watercolor paper. I like making small themed booklets (a even simpler format is the fold out style, no sewing!)

Apothecary jars 

And here are a few art journal page ideas -  let's art journal  
Looking for inspiration? Here's a challenge with monthly themes: Art journal journey

Do you have a favorite format for art journals? 
HåPpÝ Paint Party Friday! 

In the Still Room

It's been a lovely, busy week. I played harp for a wonderful new moon meditation circle Sunday morning (Mother's Day), in a sweet rural setting, and nice weather, so we were outside. I got to stay for brunch under the trees, and later in the day had time with my kids and the local Grands.

This week I was puttering in the Apothecary, framing shelves, partial glazes, ...And feeling close to completion, .... 
Now, the Muse wants:

Apothecary

• Gel for "carvings" on the shelves
• An Alembic still (! - She saw one on another painting, and has to have one!) 

  

  Alembic still

• A button box, full of family treasures - did you have a button box? I could spend hours with my mom's! 
• Real items: key and leaded Crystal, a knob for beads and a pouch to hang from (apple burl, from an artist friend) and buttons from the family box for knobs on the drawers
• a few more Nick-Nacks, perhaps an amethyst cluster, little statue, dropper bottles ....
• Titles on the books (far right)

Because the canvas is angled, I plan to add a hazel branch above the narrow end (right half), ... apparently it will be wrapped with Red Thread from circles led and classes taught, and the key and lead Crystal will hang from it ...

I used my editing feature to sketch in some of the ideas she has for me, ... I'd glazed the star

violet, ... that seems the perfect place for the still! And life the other dragons, Scarlett will peek out, ...

An early layer was a rich "compost" glaze, that seems in order over the star...

Happy Paint Party Friday! 

What tasks has your Muse set you?

Muse and Oracle

I've always loved cards - once my daughter asked how many decks I needed ...(angels, fairies, several Earth based tarot decks) ... well .. (ok, I have a bunch!!)

Early my Color of Woman training, we made our first set of 'story cards,' identifying the 'poison' of old stories, and discovering the antidote! My IC friend and Vision Keeper Isha recently challenged me to photograph 20 of my ladies, and create an Oracle deck (and sent me a link for having one set printed for about $20!) 

With spring break this week, my middle granddaughter and I have making affirmation and other cards, and doing art other projects. Always fun

IC Cue Cards .

Last weekend, two dozen of the 2018 class met in Sonoma to paint their Muses, while the the rest of the students, and many of the Guild members, painted along with the Livestream. My cohort Sepha and I were asked to film a little video for our colleagues on creating a teaching deck with prompts for each step. Fun finding flow with that!

For my lady, I pulled out the Muse I began two years ago, when Sepha was in Color of Woman. I offered online support for that event, and just never finished my painting! Last year, I brought her our for another online class, so her first layers were in place. (I'm painting her in the lower photo on this post)

In Her Own Time, WIP

I'm offering support to students on Muse Time, those taking longer than 9 months to complete their CoW teacher training, and she seems the PERFECT Muse to aide me in supporting them! I'm excited to see who's ready to take the next steps, and move toward commencement. 
Over the last few years, I've informally supported a couple as they neared the finish line, and know how helpful a little encouragement can be. I tend to push live-lines myself, and got my own Initiate book off just before midnight that last day!! 

This weekend, Shiloh and her husband Jonathan roll out their latest class, Apothecary; on discovering your own medicine through creativity. Like the Story Cards, identifying the old wounds and poisons helps us discover antidotes. Jonathan was a military EMT, and fittings healing from PTSD through writing poetry and cooking! He'll emerge from behind the curtain (camera) to share some of his story. 

In April, my classmate Grace from Denmark is rolling out her new class online, Stella Polaris, Muse of the North! I am so excited to paint with her - one of my early online journeys was with our AU SiStar, Jassy Watson. I cherish the Good Medicine of these oportunities! 

My own next offering is a invitation to women in the Pacific NW paint a portal to connect with Gaia, as your portal to connecting with Mama Earth. This is a wonderful way to celebrate Earth Day weekend! (this one's In person, stay tuned for online offerings!) 

Cosmos and Codes

Blessings on this Full Moon and Holi season, and HåPpÝ Paint Party Friday!

Full Moon Musings

Tomorrow my friend Sepha and I will journey a couple of hours South, to offer a workshop for new beloveds in the Eugene area! This class coincides with Muse Day offerings around the world, where we gather to share tea, Poetry and creativity! 
I've offered several Muse Days, beginning with one for my middle grandkids in February, and one last month on grief and guardians. My friend Patricia did a wonderful spirit portrait of her beloved dog Kai, who recently crossed the rainbow bridge! 

Kia, by Patricia R.

Our weekend offering is "Musé of Creative Fires," and Musés light Fuses! Today's full moon is in Sagittarius, inviting us to remember the arrows we cast in their beauty and softness,  watching them flower into wisdom. We'll share the process of creating with attention and mindfulness, and see what wisdom's fire offers our beloveds! 

Order of the Phoenix

I'll take along my Phoenix woman, and Sepha is bringing a couple, including her fiesty demo for this playshop, Rubi! 
We met for tea and an art store jaunt this morning, and are gathering our supplies. Here we go!  One of the last instructions during our events is to hand the Musé the pen, and receive a poem or missive.

I love the message from my lady, Gypsy Rose Muse in 2016, "Sweet Nadya, we bring wisdom from the stars and ancient pathways. You are so loved, so appreciated, so honored! We invite you to attune to all your senses, and enliven your spirit.
Sparkle and shine, share the joy you know deep inside. In attending to your own joy, and in doing the little things, a-tending, you will bring your beloveds hone to themselves!"
You're invited to contemplate some of our inquiries: 

• What lights your creative fire, this Sagittarius moon
• What beautiful arrows are flowering?
• What does your Musé invite you to cause and create?

When I Met My Muse 

~ Oregon poet laureate William Stafford ~

I glanced at her and took my glass off -- they were still singing.

They buzzed like a locust on the coffee table and then ceased.

Her voice belted forth and the sunlight bent.

I felt the ceiling arch, and knew the nails up there took a new grip on whatever they touched.

"I am your own way of looking at things," she said.

"When you allow me to live with you, every glance at the world around you will be a sort of salvation."

And I took her hand.

Sacred Path ladies ~ Red Madonna  (in process)

.... You're invited to meet your Muse!  
Happy PPF!!

First and Latest

Recently, Maestra Shiloh Sophia issued a challenge to post pictures of the first painting we did using Intentional Creativity methods, and the latest! I had just taken a workshop with one of the current Color of Woman teachers-in-training Tina Gain, and painted a sweet lady during her two day offering, "Caregiver, Heal Thyself!"

This seems a perfect time to reflect on that first class in February 2014, when I painted my "Musé of Creativity" Gabriela in a similar maiden voyage IC class, offered by my friend Elisabeth Freise-Mick. 

Gabriella, end of workshop

       At the end of class, (just one day!) Gabriela was still rather raw, and I later spent time developing her, filling her hair in, evening out her compassion, adding ribbons and details on her harp. 
       Elisabeth tried to get me to leave Gabriella "as is," as reference point for later work, but as an Artist, she felt unfinished! Several students have asked to see my early work, and now I see the value of keeping some ladies in a less finished state. 

Gabriella, Muse of Creativity

Star Song emerged out of the cosmos, during Tina's 10 hour workshop  weekend  (And yes, I'm still working on her!) I loved learning a new way of doing stars, and the appearance of her Dragon companion. I love the focus and depth of Intentional Creativity!

It is fun to view these ladies side by side, and see how my style and techniques have developed. Each carries a message of shining our light.

Star Song - 2016

Changing stories, changing lives

Do you feel the call to explore who you are, and share your unique gifts? Imagine gathering with a tribe of women who seek access to their own internal guidance system through creativity. Intentional Creativity is a process incorporating journaling, visualization and painting to develop deeper self awareness. In communities around the world, women gather with others to share these teachings and insights, joy, laughter, tears, and self discovery.

Hearts and Dragons

What stories run your life? What story is burning to be told? As we connect with our Musé, our creativity lights up, and the stories begin to align with our true essence. The voice of the Critic recedes into the background, and some of the things we always thought were true are seen as whispers and myths. 

When asked if they are creative, 95% of young children say 'YES!' ... by middle school, that's dropped to about half, and by late teens, only about 5% see themselves as creative! What changes? 

Sometimes it's a thoughtless comment or criticism, or a comparison with someone more 'talented.' In reality, Creativity is a birthright of all humans! In Intentional Creativity, the process is more valued than the 'product,' though chances are you - yes YOU - can create something that brings you and those around you pleasure and joy, and looks good to boot! And like any other 'muscle,' the more we create, the more skillful we become. 

And ... then there's the intention!!

Our friend and fellow teacher, Bejeweled Baroness Elizabeth Gibbons writes, "By creating with intention, we create a cosmic portal, a quantum field where we can explore our potential and possibilities. We shine the divine light of our higher self into the darkness of our shadow self. We are able to heal and integrate all aspects of our psyche and to access a miracle field, the space between the thoughts where our divine spark lives."

Intentional Creativity exercise: Take a few deep breaths, and ask yourself 'what am I passionate about?' What upsets me - what brings me joy? Take out a pen and begin writing ... you can use a simple composition book, or fancier art journal - or .... write. Write what comes to mind. Write fast & all over the page - cross your word with others, change colors .... 
Take several minutes with this process, then write a simple prompt or prayer - asking for information on the exploration, 'show me... help me ... guide me ... give me insights' 

The next step is to smear gesso or paint over the page. I like to mix in a couple of colors - perhaps just putting dabs on the page, and spread with a junk 'credit card' (save those from your junk mail!) If the paper's thin, you may want to glue a couple of pages together. 
Let the gesso or paint dry, then begin to doodle with oil pastels or paint on the paper ... play with the texture of the paper. You may want to trace your hand, or draw circles and sprials. Just play with the paper, & let the feelings transform. 

FireKeeper, Owl Woman

Welcome to the Creative Heart! The collective will embrace, applaud, and celebrate you and the unique gifts you bring to share. We delve deep and shapeshift with laughter, connection, and joy (blessed with glitter, and a bit of dark chocolate!)

Spreading the Word

While having tea with my Musé this morning, I was pondering promotion.

When we have offerings, how do we go about sharing the information, the Who, What, When and Where? Where will our beloveds find it? In this technical age, we have so many choices, where to begin?

I have several entry points, my MeetUp group, my artist FB page, Nadya's Atelier, and events created from that page. On Sunday, Sepha and I met, and created a couple of physical flyers, I found my thumb drive, and had some printed! Woo hoo! 

What are some of the ways to use Facebook? 
While this changes, there are some basic guidelines: 
I love Ann Manatt's tips on creating your fan page. She has lots of other quick videos on utilizing FB. Hot of the press, Ann just posted this one on increasing the effectiveness of your posts! 
And this one from Ann, on how to have your fan page show up on your personal page is awesome! I love these simple videos, that walk is through the steps!

Here are tips from Sophie Mahir oncreating your event invitation that's catchy and relays necessary info in a few words!

I'd love you too share your favorite tips! How do you and your beloveds connect?

Visions & Dreams

This year, sixty women from around the world have embarked on their Red Thread Quests, the Color of Woman teacher training. Over the next six months, they will discover more about themselves and their creativity, and how to encourage others to use creativity for both self expression and healing. As a Reader and trek guide, I am privileged to their stories, discoveries, and beautiful creative projects as they come in. And I love it!

I joined my friend Sepha, who's on this year's Quest, to paint Musés with the Livestream the first weekend in April. It was a fabulous spring day, so we were able to paint outside! With the completed paintings due at the end of this month, the finished ladies are beginning to appear in the online classroom. The second p
art of the assignment is to hand the Musé the pen, and receive a message. 
Last year, my Musé Gypsy Rose said, "Sweet Nadya, We bring wisdom voices from the stars and ancient pathways. You are so loved, so appreciated, so honored! We invite you to atune to your senses and enliven your Spirit. 
Sparkle and shine, share the joy you know deep inside. In attending to your own joy and in doing the little things, a-tend-ing, that you will bring them (your beloveds) home to themselves."

Sepha with her Musé

There are several forums for connecting with the Color of Woman offerings, both online and in person. Some are group sites, others, my SiStar's personal blogs and websites. This week I decided it was time to update my blog links to reflect current interests (and active blogs!) Check them out in the sidebar! 

You'll find links to sites and classes when you click on "contact ___" as you view a teacher's profile on our Intentional Creativity website. Click on the map to find teachers closest to you. Here's the link to my profile! 

Painting Musé with the online group

The Red Thread Nation site has a calendar with class offerings from many of us, click on the links to discover more information and register! Shiloh's blog has juicy food for thought, and links to her offerings.
Facebook presences include Shiloh Sophia's Artist page, the Red Thread Cafe Classroom, Sepha's and my artist pages. Many of my SiStars have artist pages as well.

Our beloveds can find some of our offerings through out MeetUp groups. Here are links to Heidi's, our NW group page, Cynthia in Australia, and mine. 

Amber, Denise and Jassy offer online teachings thought the year, and often, introductory glimpses into one. Several of my classmates will launch online courses this fall, so stay tuned! 

Today would be our Art matriarch Sue Hoya Sellars' 80th BïRtHDäÝ! She departed her Earth body in 2014, to dance among the stars. She is loved, she is missed! These teachings were part of her dream... Blessings, beloved!

"Whether I am doing studies of deer in my meadow or painting an angel moving between dimensions,there is always a glimmer of the cosmos showing through their bodies and parts of the landscape. My work has one primary concept: exploring the formation of our bodies from the cooling of gaseous material originating from the beginning of the universe."

~ Sue Hoya Sellars ~

Linking to Paint Party Friday

Reader and Aide

I am so excited to have been chosen to offer online support to this year's Color of Womanclass! This weekend, they'll be painting their Muse, either at Cosmic Cowgirl U or in their home studio, and I'm an aide for the FB forum. Last year, I was babysitting at my daughter's during the Muse weekend, which worked well, as my home Wi-Fi doesn't stream as well as theirs! 

My friend Sepha is in this year's class, and I'm excited to see her muse emerge.

Muse workshop with Elisabeth (2013, Gabriella on left)

My second role is as a class "Reader," assigned to seven of the students, reading their posts and following the progress with their paintings & other assignments. This is a new role in the CoW training, and I feel it will really help each student feel seen and witnessed.
Next Thursday and on the weekend, Sepha and I will host a Red Thread Circle and then a PlayShop, Dancing Through the Rainbow, & Rainbow Women. You'll find info on current classes on my website.

Happy Paint Party Friday

Elen Star-Path & class

I finished my 'Beloveds' Painting - & what a lovely turn she took! Elen of the Pathways is a horned goddess, whose tales stretch back through time. 

Elen Star-Path

Researcher Caroline Wise writes: "She is the Guardian of the ancient track ways, the Leys, the kundalini currents in nature, and as the Horned Goddess, she leads us to the first trackways, the migratory tracks of the reindeer and later, she leads us to the path of the red deer through the forests. From here she leads us to the lost Shamanism of the isles of Britain, and we can follow her across Scandinavia, Russia, Mongolia, Siberia, India and beyond."  

It was a fun challenge to paint on a smaller canvas (16 x 20") & develope this painting in a quicker time frame. ...and then
On Sunday, I held my first 13-step painting Playshop' - "Dancing with the Muse!" I had three students, and we had a lovely time! This was my first Intentional Creativity class on canvas & I was a bit nervous, but it went really well.

One, my friend Sepha, has been teaching for years, & is a 'Paint Night' instructor; she offered to share some of her tips & helped me set up! What a blessing. 

At the Canvas

• A bucket and pitchers for water - we were in a room without a water source, & this was great! You bring water in the bucket (s), fill the water cups, spritz bottle & pitchers, students can dump dirty water in the bucket periodically, & refill their paint jars. At the end of class, you simply dump the bucket(s).
• Microfibre cloths for cleaning up spills - squeeze into the bucket.
• My friend Elisabeth suggested using old T-shirt pieces for paint rags, & for 'burnishing' the canvas after 'glazing.' (I had paper towels at each station as well) With the 'glaze' step, we cover the whole canvas (or part!) with a mix of water and a transparent color, to Integrate the colors & elements of the painting. You can let this dry, or burnish it in.
• Inexpensive plastic tablecloths (Dollar Store) on the tables, & be sure to wipe dry after use, so they don't get musty in storage
• Tabletop easels (we could have painted flat) 
• A clock 'just in case' the room doesn't have one (this one didn't)
• I brought several 4' x 5' tarps to have under the tables/chairs (Duck taped to the rug at the corners, to avoid tripping) 
• TV table for my paint supplies
• Master's Brush Cleaner for the brushes when we were cleaning up - helps extend the useful life of the brushes
• Square trays (dollar store) for each paint station - I'd purchased these before my 'Soulful Story Card' class, & they are a boon for keeping supplies corralled! 
• Totes & a good Dolly for transport (I am still acquiring my tools for this!) 
• I got a 12 x 12" three drawer container for the paint & other small supplies 

It was a fun class, our ladies are still 'in process ... a couple of the students already paid a visit to the art store, for paint, a new brush, ... while I got a jar of the brush cleaner, & D hooks for the back of my wood panel paintings, which will be in my next show at Walnut City Wine Works.

And this morning, my Muse was whispering in my ear instructions for crafting our next class, 'Medicine Woman' .... stay tuned! 

Harvest Muse - WIP

Posting to Paint Party Friday - & to Express your Creativity  - come join the party!
 

Fire Keeper

Lo'oet, Owl Woman

Owl Woman - Fire Keeper

Wind at my back, fanning the coals, sun rises in the East

Fire keeper Am I, Keeper of the Sacred Flame

From Lo'oet, Fire Keeper

Long have I known you

  loved you

    guided you

      Little one, little SiStar, Talis Tenas

       Beloved little one

I sit on the bridge, tending the Sacred Fire

  for the people

     for the old and the young

      the sound of heart & spirit,

     for the weak and lonely ones

       for the free, for those ensnared

Medial Woman Am I

   On the Bridge between the Worlds

     Tending the Sacred Flame

       Carrying the stories, bringing change & renewal

And the Chalice of Pure Water

  During this time of fires, of drought

    This time of Smoke and danger

      I remind you to guard your flame carefully

   I hold the fire, yet my colours

     Are watery blues and purples

The Chalice brings life, brings renewal,

  Come, share the water of life!

Owl Woman, Woman between the worlds

  Wisdom woman, Keeper of the Sacred flame

    One with Clear vision, who calls sacred the homeland

Who are you?

   What would you?

      When will you?

    Who do you Ally with?

       What calls your Heart & Soul?

          How will you live from your vision?

Way shower, holder of blessings

  Who are you, in the great world?

     What do you bring

        In your Medicine Basket?

Medial woman, Owl woman

   holding place in the Middle

     Holding Soul Fire stories,

       Which warm the heart & enflame the spirit!

    Watching over the land & the people.

Fire Keeper am I, story keeper, wisdom keeper

    Keeper of the Sacred Flame

      Ever renewing, ever renewed

        Come! Drink from the sacred well!

      Come! Come home to your soul!

********* ********* ********* ********* ********** ********** **********

Tenas Talis, Little Beloved one!

 We bring you Wings & the gifts of the old Knowing! We light the fires of the hearts and souls, as you fill the cups, & share the abundance that comes to you naturally and sweetly! You draw from the well of old stories, weaving the NEW renewed and renewing You reweave the dreams, shining light on the strands, untangling, smoothing, awakening understanding. Quantum blessings await all who come to the bridge between the ways and worlds. 

You are so blessed, share the blessings! As you dance into who you came to be, the people come to the bridge - they come, they come! Are you ready? Fan the flames, pour the cup, tend the hearth, set the table, Welcome those who come to be renewed & ever renewing! All is well, all manner of being is well.

Aho - it is good!

** In the late 70s, I followed a meditation to 'meet your internal healer,' & Lo'oet came forward. Lo'oet is the old name for Mt St Helens, & in the NW tradition, she was the only one along the Columbia River who still had fire ... so Great Spirit (or coyote!) commissioned her to sit on the Bridge of the Gods, (then a land bridge) sharing her fire with those from both sides of the river. The children sent to receive fire from her mock her, so she asks Great Spirit to renew her youth and beauty, which Great Spirit agrees to, reluctantly! and then ....

In the late 80s, I retold her story, weaving in an Owl companion, & shared it in my Creative Writing class. A few years later, I wrote a song for my new harp, 'Fire Keeper's Lay,' which begins with the line "Wind at my back, fanning the coals, sun rises in the East" ... In a workshop on healing I took around that time, Rosalyn Bruyere commented that people ally around the goddess of the land, Isis in Egypt, in the NW, it was Owl Woman.

My grandmother's middle name was Vestella, 'little fire/hearth goddess' ... in both the NW and Greek stories, Lo'oet & Vesta have trouble choosing between two loves ... Apollo (sun/fire) & Poisiden (water!) .... here we have the chalice & the sacred flame ...

Owl Woman, Fire Keeper is the third painting for my Color of Woman teacher training, within the theme Soul Fire or Alchemist. Within the crucible, base metal becomes fine gold.
During 'Adornment, I used interference paint (just a dot!!), some mixed with Quinacridone Magenta or with Pthalo Turquoise. You'll notice these places where highlights reflect different colour!

What lights your soul fire, and keeps it burning? 
linking to Paint Party Friday (one of my delights!!)