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!

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!