Journal Friday & TNC

First, lets add some paint to the journal pages and then we'll talk!
One of my best buddies (one of the ladies I call sister by choice) was by the house yesterday
and took a look at the original journal pages.
Like you, she had just seen them on the blog.

She mentioned that she thought I was using the same
colors that a dear friend (and artist) used
in her work.
Unfortunately, cancer took our friend from this earth
many years ago.
She was much too young and we miss her. She was one of a kind!
Perhaps she is my guide now?

This is week seven in The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women by Gail McMeekin and Secret Seven is Consulting With Guides.

"As the creative path can be lonely and fraught with arduous challenges, help from guides can keep you centered and well-advised."

As Oprah Winfrey says, "Surround yourself with people who are going to lift you higher." Being part of this book group is one way to lift myself higher. Being part of Creative Everyday is another.

Gail McMeekin said many things that grabbed me by the tail (see earlier posts for being swung around by the tail reference!). Among them:

"It's amazing how the power of being heard and valued can clear the cobwebs and allow us to identify what we really want."

And

"We are all guides to someone in our lives and therefore we have opportunities to nurture and support others. It is not appropriate to condemn and devalue other people's innovations. We can express our honest opinion but with reverence for the person's courage to express herself. A world where each of us sees our chance to play guide as a sacred role will help to heal the scars of creative destruction that too many of us have already experienced."

Amen!

Which leads me (finally) to the almost finished Friday Journal Page.

Somewhere out there in blog land, I read about Tarot Journaling.
I visited half price book store last week and found, lo and behold,
a book titled Tarot Journaling and next to it was The Runic Tarot.
Ok. Sometimes the big U does not have to hit me over the head.
I brought both the book and the cards home.

Then I decided to work with cards I already had, the new ones
and picked The Lovers from the major arcana to start with.
It was an experiment and, I must say, it was very successful.
I used the Lovers from my old Waite deck -- the deck I used 30+ years ago
almost daily for myself and for others.
The Japanese Deck is based on woodblock prints.
But the card I found that sounded the most like me today is one
from the Dragon deck and the new Runic Tarot. (Really!)

Enough! I could go on and on. I will try this again, but next time
I will pick a card at random and use all the decks again
and see what I learn about myself.

This came in my morning email -- my message from the universe.
I'd like to share it with you.

Whatever it is you want, however you want to have it, no matter why you want to have it, Snap, you can have it faster if you can first be happy without it.

Sneaky, clever, foxy, wry -
The Universe

Have a wonderful, peaceful, innovative, joyful, Friday!

The Te of Tea

I had a wonderful surprise at the end of January. Vivian was in town. You might remember that she is a young colleague and friend of mine who went to study Chinese in Beijing. We temple treked together on more than one occasion. She called one morning with a surprise. We had been invited to a video taping of a puja at a local Hindu temple. The video will be used in the new Arts of India gallery at the museum.

This Hindu temple is very different from the one we visited during the summer.
This is the gateway into the courtyard.
Immaculate, beautiful and flowers everywhere.
Gorgeous in its' simplicity.

This is the outside of the temple.
The windows had been covered with paper to make the taping easier.
The water was beautiful and was on all sides of the temple.
The puja was for Shiva and was amazing.
The sound of the chanting by the priest, the ringing of the bell, the lighted candles --
WOW!

After the taping it was off to the Te of Tea for some tea and lunch.

The tea shop is in the Montrose part of Houston.
A wonderful, interesting area with different shops hidden around every corner.

The day was very special.
I got to spend it with two people I consider friends.
Two very lovely ladies who I respect very much.
Christine is on the left and is the curator for Asian art.
Vivian on the right. She is back in Beijing. We miss you Vivian!

Staying Grounded

Sometimes I'm surprised by synchronicity. I don't know why. It seems to happen all the time. Well, duh! There's the big U hitting me over the head again. I've shared the Daily Om with you before, but the one I read in this morning's email grabbed me by the tail and got my attention. Here it is:




February 13, 2009
Staying Conscious
Staying Grounded in a Big City or Busy World

1. Live simply and live deliberately. By choosing not to get caught up in the details of this fast-paced world, you are doing your part to slow down. You will also discover that you have more time to enjoy being alive.

2. Stay in touch with yourself. Soul searching, meditation, and journaling are just a few of the many activities you can take part in to stay aware and learn as much as you can about your emotions, reactions, likes, dislikes, dreams, and fears. Having a solid sense of self gives you a firm foundation for living in this world.

3. Support or teach others as often as you can. This can help you form connections with people while also giving you an opportunity to make the world a better place.

4. Consciously choose what you will allow into your being. The media bombards us with visions of hate, war, and pain. Be judicious about what you read, watch, and listen to.

5. Acknowledge the beauty that resides around you. Whether you live in a sprawling metropolis or a stereotypical suburb, there are natural and man-made wonders just waiting to be discovered by you.

6. Nurture your ties to your tribe. If you don’t have one, create a community that you can belong to. Modern life can be isolating. When you have a tribe, you have a circle that you are a part of. Its members – loved ones, friends, or neighbors - can be a source of support, caring, guidance, and companionship.

7. See the larger picture. Remember that the way that you choose to live is not the only way to live. Widen your perspective by exploring other modes of being through research, travel, and discussion.

8. Embrace the challenges that life presents to you, and challenge yourself often. After a time, even the most exciting jobs or lifestyles can seem routine. Never stop assimilating new knowledge about whatever you are doing, and your life will never seem dull.

9. Move your body. In this busy world, it can be easy to live a sedentary life. Movement reacquaints us with our bodies and connects us to the earth in a visceral way. It also restores our vitality.

10. Make time for stillness, silence, and solitude. The world can be noisy, and we are subject to all kinds of noises nearly every waking hour. We are also often "on the go" and unable to relax. Being alone in a peaceful place and making time for quiet can help you stay in touch with yourself.

For more information visit dailyom.com

Camera Critters 45

It's Time For Camera Critters!

I have a question for you.
What is magic?

For me, this is MAGIC.
Mother Nature in all her glory.

There is a little story about the blooming cosmos.
I have seed packets that are so old, I should be ashamed of myself.
The cosmos comes from one of those packets.
I put the seeds into a pot and said,
"If they come up - great -- if not -- at least I put them in soil ... late or not!"
And, look what came up.
These beautiful pink cosmos.

This picture of the pink cosmos and critter friend was taken
on February 5, 2009 by Mr. Dragon.

MAGIC!

Valentine Journal Page

Happy Valentine's Day!

I know I'm a day early, but I was ready and I've been eating chocolate!

Today is Friday which means journal page day and I'd like you to meet
Mr. and Mrs. Dragon on their wedding day.

A few presents for you! (Thank you Dover!)

Cute little Valentine Putti is clip art for you.

Another clip art bouquet for you.

I think the swans are my favorite clip art.

The next chapter in The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women is titled Conquering Saboteurs. "In order to leverage your creative growth, you need to defend yourself from saboteurs, both internal and external". In order to do this McMeekin suggests that we value our natural abilities, overcome the fear of criticism and others, but it was these two that I *felt* the most. She talked about gremlins -- those persistent little voices of doubt. The gremlins suddenly turned into dragons that needed slaying. I laughed. Interesting what symbols mean to people. You see, my imaginary friend when I was a kid (a very long time ago) was a dragon. Sort of a dragon of the Puff the Magic Dragon type, with a nice big belly that made curling up easy and comfy with his wings draped around me. My dear Puff has changed over the years. Sometimes he was a fiery monster that kept all the bad *stuff* away, but he always was on my side.

My natural abilities were never nurtured at home. I had a chorus teacher in grade school who recognized my perfect pitch. I still kick myself for not continuing voice studies, but the finances weren't there -- the support wasn't either. I quit singing in high school. I hum a tune every now and then. I loved Barbara Sher's quote "A good teacher is the holiest of God's creatures." Amen. To all you teachers out there -- bless you!

My father had the most beautiful handwriting. He was taught in school the Spencerian Script. It was hard to read with all its flourishes, but what an art! He should have been an artist.

I've always been interested in *things*. I've always *crafted*. I don't think of myself as an artist -- craft person is ok with me. Is that a gremlin sneaking in and telling me I can't do it? Good question!

When this month is over, and all my talks and tours are given, I'm going to take a kid's art class. I have the books and I'm going to be a 5 year old going to my first art class with my crayons and pencils in tow. Don't worry, I'll share!

One more quote from this chapter: "To fear is one thing. To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another." ~Katherine Paterson, writer.