Crystalline Heart - Wonder Woman

This week Shiloh Sophia invited 40 of us in the Intentional Creativity® Community to share our art with the group during the Feminine Frequency Festival

I am sharing Crystalline Heart, my Wonder Woman, in the MUSEA : Intentional Creativity show. Painted during the online workshop with Jessica Enovald, her message is:

“We are all whole and holy. Each of us carries gifts to bless and uplift each other. Your Heart holds the spark that ignites others – weaving an infinite web of love and connection that stretches through time and space! 

"Your magic harp sends ripples along the web, reminding all who resonate with their own connection. You hold the chalice of renewal, and are allied with the Phoenix of Translation. Your inner vision and compassionate heart lead you ever home. Oh Sada – it is good!"

Earlier posts about this class are here and here. We used Wonder woman and her allies as Red Thread Circle and Class themes last summer and fall, with delightful, powerful muses emerging! Inquiries include

• Who are your allies and companions 
• What super powers are you developing?
• What symbols activate these talents?
• What's your theme song? 

Margot, Denise and Carol - fall 2019

I love using round canvases - and enjoyed beginning by using an extra piece of Red Thread for mark making. 

  

This is a powerful theme, and one of my favorite paintings! Wonder Woman is the class for summer in my Medicine Wheel series.

Blessings on your journey of connection with your own sense of wonder and empowerment! 

Musing Around the Medicine Wheel

Everything inside us is held in a web of stories. When we create around stories, we discover juicy new chapters, can begin to hear with new ears, see with new eyes. The creative process engages both sides of the brain, and gives us new access and clarity going forward. Often we discover new paths around old obstacles. 

Over the last five years, I've led circles and taught classes from this perspective of bringing Intention to the creative process, since the reintroduction to my Muse of creativity. I've designed a series of classes around the Compass that can be taken in series, or stand alone. Many of these were first offered at my friend Margot's beautiful rural retreat outside Corvallis. 

Each turn of the wheel offers opportunity to explore different aspects of ourselves, and navigate the terrain of becoming more true to who we are. 

Spring is a potent time as Mama Gaia invites us to stretch out limbs and reawaken. This is the perfect time to listen for her call and tune into fresh energy. The urge is to plant and nurture new life and ideas. East, sunrise, element of air.

She Changes - 2018

Muses light fuses and nudge us to grow. In summer, our creative juices are flowing, and our days are often action packed. The world needs every Wonder Woman to recognize and engage her own Supper Powers, Muse inspired creativi-tea can be the perfect way to harness them! South, midday, element of fire.

Wonder Woman - 2019

In the fall, our Harvest Queen beckons us to go within and discover our inner Queen's wisdom ways. A true Queen is not a diva, or someone who 'rules' over another. She is privy to her own heart centred wisdom, and a steward of resources for the people. West, sunset, element of water. 
(The Harvest Queen class demo is a good example of how far we get in a one day class.)

Queen's Harvest - 2019 

As days lengthen and winter sets in, we appreciate each bright day, and are reminded to Shine our own light more brightly. This is a time of contemplation and renewal, of remembering that, like snowflakes, we are each unique and perfect in our own way. North, night, element of Earth. 
(Snow Queen also began as a class demo - this post shows her in both phases!)

Snow Queen - 2017

I invite you to join me in this journey around the Medicine Wheel, deepening with the teaching of each direction, and into your own true essence. Classes include instruction, time for journaling, group sharing, and chocolate!! 

Harvest Queen, fall 2019

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Wonder Woman's Allies

It's sometimes challenging to wait for the Muse to announce the theme for our monthly Red Thread circle ... "Maybe? ...no, ...ok, how about? .... Mmmm,  ...." 

We've been working with several prompts and inquiries as we journey with #wonderwoman, we ask ourselves, "who are her allies? What superpowers is she developing?" So that became the theme for Thursday's circle! As we often do for these circles, we worked on Watercolor paper and, used Inktense pencils and shimmer watercolor for "bling!"'
Items on the altar included wool cards that my great grandmother brought over on the wagon train, and rose beads I made (inspired by grandma Mary's)

Red Thread Alta

I was excited to have a newly minted Intentional Creativity teacher, Jan Jorgensen from Olympia, join us! 

Jan and Nadya

In addition tho teaching intentional Creativity, Jan is also a singer and sound healer, so we have quite a bit in common! We shared the Purple thread of leadership (and got the memo on what color to wear, hee hee!) She's also made Rose Beads! 

Jan's Ally

There are nearly a dozen of teachers in the Pacific NW, it was special to meet another. Jan moved to Olympia fairly recently, and is still in process of connecting with her tribe. My cousin Leah came again, and we had a sweet afternoon connecting with allies and a common message of relaxing into sharing our Light. 

Leah's twirling Ally

• In what ways does your ally support you?
• What would you like her to tell you?
• What don't you want her to do, ever?! 
• How does your Wonder Woman shine?

Oracles and Allies

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Into the Fog

One of the scariest of our painting process with Intentional Creativity is the "risky glaze,"  where we take our painting into the fog ...

During my first class, our teacher Elizabeth handed us a  spray bottle, a big brush and transparent color (Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold), a soft cloth (piece of T-shirt) She had us lay our canvases on the floor, then demonstrated spraying the canvas, brushing on the color, and then burnishing it in, using the cloth! ... And then we went off to lunch! 

Yikes and Wow!! 

Used this way, a glaze integrates the colours we've used, and helps unify the picture. It also offers an opportunity to reflect on what is going "into the fog," what concepts are being integrated. We usually spend some time with our journals, exploring these inquiries, noticing insights, and sketching new symbols. We generally sit 5-6 get back from the canvas while writing/sketching, to gain perspective.

The first time I glazed a painting, I was indeed shaking in my boots - what was I going to loose? This painting process becomes a crazy process of "loose her, find her!" ...distinctions disappear, lights darken, colors merge ... Now it's become a favorite part of my IC explorations, and one I look forward to!

Blessing Star

After the glaze, it's time to begin to bring her back, a new round of lights, darks and mediums, a round of highlighting, of deciding whether to reemphasise symbols from the earlier layer, or bring in new ones. Here's the story of my hummingbird that is with my Taliswoman, and has become a spirit helper for my IC classes. My WW has a Blessing Star as her ally.

It's also a time to change shapes a bit of if I need to- reposition all eye, lengthen or shorten the nose ...
Acrylics are easy to rework - you can't get this wrong!!

We generally use the Golden Fluid acrylics, delicious colors and richly pigmented, but very sheer. Like my first muse, Gabriella, Wonder Woman has a harp, and I'll use gel to bring in more dimension.

Second glaze

Wonder Woman has gone into the fog a couple of times now, (she was in a hurry, and called for a glaze before Jessica invited one!) 

We used different colors on the right and left sides of the canvas - Quin Nickel Azo Gold, and Quin Magenta, ... I added a bit of iridescent gold over parts of the hair, and burnished with my cloth. Then, I let her wanted a bit, while I explored in my journal. 

One of our inquiries is on allies and arch enemies - which super heroines balance between. What are some of those inner demons?'

We've done another round of lights and darks, bringing clarity and dimension as she reemerges from the fog. We're sitting with any new symbols, the background, and any new colors....

Wonder Woman - Stepping out of the fog

Gabriella's Harp

I love this process of exploration with intention. Here are some thoughts and images on the inquiry, "what would you tell a friend who is considering Color of Woman training," from last year's class, Color of Woman 2018.

Definition and more color

Happy Paint Party Friday

Emerging with Wonder

It is such magic to paint with friends halfway across the globe - I'm so enjoying our Wonder Woman journey with Dr Jessica Enovald-Duncan, who lives in Karlskrona, Sweden. Dr Jess and her husband own and run the Gefion Guest house. I *met* Jessica (online)'during her Color of Woman training in 2016, when she was one of the students under my wing, as their *Reader,* and I enjoy watching her blossom! 

Inktense journal process

In our Wonder Woman journey, we are identifying our Super Powers, how we access them, and also some of our weaknesses, so we can fly higher.
Some of the inquiries:

• what needs to change?
• What are some of my superpowers, magical tools and qualities?
• How will I develop and access them?

Emerging in the early 1940s, Wonder Woman was a new role model for girls and women, at a time these roles and opportunities were rapidly changing. She was brave, with both strength and beauty, a natural leader, who redefined everyday qualities. The child of an Amazon and a demi-God, Wonder Woman still inspires and invites us to tap our own superpowers and our humanity.

• She has a lasso of truth
• Speaks all languages (how do we communicate/receive information?)
• Magic bracelets to defend herself (how do we do this, with least harm to others?)
• Liberation - approach each mission unencumbered by past experiences - but with the wisdom gleaned from them.
• Theme Song to engage power
• What to Wear Dare - what reminds me my own superpowers? 

We've been exploring our symbols of power, our allies and mission, good and "bad" angels/behaviours we want to explore, and ones which no longer serve. 

We began with string (red thread) dipped in paint, and putting nadis/ lay lines on our canvas (I love round canvases, and chose to use one for my WW.) I had my students begin this way in our Gaia class, a wonderful way to connect with the energy! 

Wonder Woman Altar in my supply wardrobe (repurposed entertainment console!)

After several under layers of paint, she begins to emerge!

Color blocking

Sketched some symbols in my journal
I love this process, and Inktense pencils are so vibrant when activated with water

Harp - theme song and healing tool

Crystalline - Stellar connection

Winged heart of compassion

Chalice of renewal

Phoenix of transformation

Winged eye of inner vision

Wonder Woman in process, with symbols
Happy Paint Party Friday & Ultimate Blog Challenge!

Wonder Woman

My friend Dr Jess is offering a wonderful online adventure which begins today, an encounter and painting adventure with our own internal Wonder Woman! 

Jess lives and teaches in Sweden, so this is a rare opportunity to tap her unique perspective and guidance! I'm excited to be with others from around the world on this journey, ... Discovering more of my own super powers. HereHe her video invitation

Celebrating super powers!

My daughter and son-in law love and are inspired by the stories of super hero's, and my daughter created a Wonder Woman costume  (for herself!) one Halloween. 

What are some of your super powers? 

Happy Paint Party Friday!