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! 

New Moon altar

 One of the simple practices we often use in our Intentional Creativity® community is setting up an altar. Home altars have been used since ancient times throughout the world, be people from many traditions. 

An altar can be as simple or intricate as you wish, often set in a lovely cloth, holding momentos of loved people, pets, items from the natural world - rocks, a bowl of water, a candle, some smudge or incense ... I have little altars on surfaces all around my home!

Today marks the first New Moon of 2021, with the sun and moon both in Capricorn. New Moon can be a good time for setting intentions and celebrating new beginnings, and a lovely time to create or reset your altar. 

A couple of years ago Shiloh Sophia shared a process of gathering and blessing water, drawn from a service at her church. From Dr Maseru Emoto's work on water, we know that water responds to intention and spoken words, and can be patterned.

Altar with Magïc brushes and Holy Water

My blessed water from that session 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. 

I often "charge" water by placing it in a bowl in the moonlight, sometimes with crystals in it. We can add some of this blessed water to our paint water, and to a spray bottle. 

The altar cloth is a placemat from France, and holds 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!

Altar for Mystic Legend

Some of my altars are set on cloths, others directly on a shelf. There are crystals, breathers, shells, Oracle cards, a candle or olive oil lamp, flowers, holy water, smudge sticks, figurines ... Some are little arrangements on window sills - blue bottlers, a little bowl, shlls, beads, feathers, bells ...

Denise Linn has written a lovely book on Altars and Shrines. While Zsuzsanna Budapest wrote a one on bringing altars and the Goddess into your workspace 

Do you have a home altar? .

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Flower Essence Cards

This fall I've been enjoying learning about, and beginning to do Neurographica. This way of creating helps "Balance the mind, inspire creativity, and explore different approaches to problem solving." 

"From the first rounding of intersections and angles, there is a sense of recreating wholeness, of softening the edges of harsh thoughts; of merging with our greater intentions and better knowing. Of being whole and letting go of fear, of opening to unlimited possibilities."

The basics:

• Think of your intention or a concern
• Draw random lines (not an even zigzag!) 
• Or begin by tracking astound your hand or a leaf
• Round the intersections -calms the neurons, reduces tension
• Circles bring harmony 
• Observe how your body feels as you draw, as those intersections soften.
• Color - 3 or more colours, color in at least three segments with one color 

Through November I drew and colored a number gratitude cards, and some centered around handprints or leaves.

Neuro-Noodle Labyrinth

After seeing a friends Neurographic Christmas cards, I was inspired to some as well - In the 70s and 80s, I often drew our cards, and sets of paper dolls. A couple of those were printed in doll magazines. 

California Poppy - true gold in your heart

I've been creating essence bouquets for my grandkids, and began drawing essence cards - I did a few cards decades ago when I began creating my first essences and combining them into bouquets 💐 The first were larger (poppy and fuscia)

Fuscia - soul warmth

Using 5.5x8.5" mixed media paper, I began creating smaller cards - the #Neurolines interconnect if I draw before separating them ❤ 

I begin with the circle for the flower cameo, then add the neurolines (on larger cards there's room for circles) I haven't colored any yet, and may print these! 

Essence cards

• Forsythia – announce presence, golden trumpet, Gabriella
• Hyssop – takes the strain off DNA, purify, release guilt 
• Rosemary – liquid ambrosia, strengthen immune system, enhances memory
• Violet – trust warmth of others, express own warmth, comfort in groups

• Aster - illumination, sacred play, create time and space for creativity 
• Borage  – optimism, seed of Hope · opens heart, comfort and courage, joy, illuminates your unique path  
• Nettle (Sister Spinster) - align with personal truth, speak up in prickly situations, don't panic! 
• Yarrow - strong, healthy boundaries, compassionate awareness, seals energy leaks, wholeness         

Drawing these cards is a sweet way to connect with the energy signatures. Do you have a favourite you'd like as a card? Let me know in the comments! 

Happy Paint Party Friday!  

Harvest Queen and Princess Silver Hands

Last weekend felt like a Retreat, as two of my friends who are in this year's Color of Woman teacher training offered their required 13 step class - virtually! Carol Fairbanks has been a frequent student in my workshops and circles since 2016. I first met Christy Cozby in Sepha's certification class around the same time. 

Carol chose as her theme Harvest Queen, drawng from the HQ class I taught last fall. She scheduled her class over two sessions, so we'll meet again tomorrow. 

Heidi, Leah and Carol, fall 2019

Inquiries:

• What wisdom can I harvest from this year?
• What mature fruits are ready for harvest?
• What is ready to be Clipped?
• How can I make space for the next cycle?

I pulled the card Old man of Stories - Legba - is the story one of healing? What will being balance and harmony? (Rainbow Earth Tarot)

Underpainting - 3 words and 3 colours - centered, (Quinacridone violet and Dioxazine purple) renewal (Green Gold and Yellow Oxide) and gratitude (primary magenta)

Symbols: Apple, (fruitful harvest) spirals of life, wreath - crown, balance and wholeness

This week I revisited her face and expression, bringing in a looked Fae presence - and need to do loved listening/ journaling! We will gather again this Saturday, and delve deeper! 

*°*°*°*°*°*°*°*

Christy's class on Sunday was based on the tale of Princess Silver Hands, or the Handless Maiden - which she told beautifully! (Several of us weren't familiar with this tale)

• what gifts do your hands bestow?
• They are the "tools of tools," enabling you to feel and do.
• What do they hold, feel, grasp, fashion, give and receive? 
• What phases go with hands/restrictions? Sitting on my hands, hands are tied, waiting for a band out ... 
• How do we internalize the patriarchy, make a margin without all the information?

Our creativity grandmother, Lenore Thomas Strauss asked, "what ancient knowing lives within these hands?"

All the great stories are variations on the same story of challenge, journey into the underworld (forest) benefactors (a pear tree that offers its fruit, King, kind mother in law) initiating and renewal.

Sketch on the background

I appreciated the places in the story where in spite of challenges, she is cared for, loved and nurtured. 

 

There's a pear tree in the background, and a cord nesting in her hair (I used reverse stencils on both paintings, the technique we learned in treesisters. One of the themes in the story is a renewal of wedding views with the King after a seperation and misunderstanding, and a big celebration of nine days and nine nights. Our Color of Woman SiStar Anna Corsini, from Florence, Italy, committed to continuing working with her lady overr this time! 

Fun to see the shadows of the birch tree on my lady ... She's continuing to inform me as well. I look forward to what each of these paintings and process have to bring.

Happy Paint Party Friday! 

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!

Cards and encodings

In our third Moon of Red Madonna, we're painting our YES to arriving on the planet, then

Blooming into Yes!

stars, the cosmos, and encodings our symbols, ..

I'm just at the blooming into Yes stage with my canvas, but LOVE seeing the glyphs and patterns which are emerging! We will be painting for 26 moons (two years), so this is all underpainting.
My next step will be adding stars and Cosmos ...

Last night for our Red Thread Circle, we worked with Mark making, first painting simple backgrounds on watercolor paper, then tearing into cards, and scribiing symbols. 
Making cards is one of my favorite simple projects, and can take many forms. One participant cut pictures for collage, my granddaughter and I painted symbols.

I am gathering information and choosing images to create an Oracle Deck, inspired by my conversation yesterday with my RT SiStar Isha. I find this article on the process helpful. Have you created a deck? 

Are there marks or personal symbols you find appearing in your art?
How do you sign your work? 

My initials are perfect for a monogram style signature, N A K , which I slant together...
Now I often use a crown 👑 for my K, as my last names King.

What symbols do you claim?

Happy Seventh BD, Party Party Friday!