Haiti

Haitian goddess of Beauty & Love, Erzuli's veve (symbol).

There has been much speculation as to why the earthquake in Haiti happened. Beyond the geological reasons, tectonic plates and whatnot, people want to ascribe an esoteric reason based on religious logic. There are idiots saying it is God's punishment, atheists who argue that if there were a God, why would He let this happen? As if human logic can explain something like this. As if that would make the hurt go away.

When I first went to study with Dave Dobson, he said, "Give up the need to know why." We've been conditioned by psychology, to believe that if only we knew why a thing happened, we would be able to heal or move on. Dave said, why keeps you stuck in content. Knowing why doesn't heal it. You may even have all the reasons why you do what you do. It doesn't stop you from doing it. If you are waiting to know all the reasons for something, you will stay waiting. Would you rather know why, or would you rather heal? So much of our misery is the need to know why something happened.

Add to this the expectation, reinforced by Newagers, that only good things should happen to us. Therefore, bad things happen because we attract them and it's our fault. As if. All we have to do is affirmations, meditate, be vegetarian--whatever, and our lives will be perfect. Caroline Myss points out that the church teaches us that if we pray enough and we're good enough, that we have the expectation that bad things won't happen and if they do, somehow God is punishing us.

I do believe that what we resonate with, we attract. But it's not a conscious resonance. There is more at play--our soul, our patterns, our life contract.

I was recently whining to John Morgan about a part of my job that I dislike. After I ranted, he quietly said, "But isn't that a part of the job? To separate it out as not a part of the whole package is to annoy yourself." To separate heartache and illness and death from life means that you are denying 50% of life. It is all a part of the package. I'm reminded of Caroline Myss saying, "People say, I never thought this would happen to me. Well, who did you think it would happen to?!"

This is what we signed up for, but somehow we think it shouldn't be the way it is. As John likes to say, "I wish it was the way it isn't." We prolong our misery when we fight against reality. It is what it is. Now what?

Back to Haiti: Before the earthquake, how much did you even think about Haiti? How much did you care that their biggest import is used clothing from the Goodwill? Did you see their living conditions before the earthquake? Right. Out of every disaster--natural or otherwise, we get to be reminded that the most important things in life are not things. We are all on this planet together and we're not getting out alive. My prayer for Haiti is that with new resources going to rescue, resuscitate and rebuild, that they will come thru this with a renewed strength & hope for a better future.

P.S. I'm linking to the Cakewrecks Doctor's Without Borders page, for donations.

Layers

I started this labyrinth a few months ago & set it aside. I was listening to a recording of Jerry Stocking's latest seminar as I started to work on this. I thought it would be cool to cover it with layers of tissue paper. Which I did as I was listening . . .

Anything you learn about yourself is good news.

and I don't like how this art piece is turning out. I don't like the shapes or the colours. But I keep adding more tissue paper, thinking that if I just put enough layers on there . . . still not looking the way I want it. Should I start over? No! I've come this far. So I added paint to the glue medium. Maybe that will transform it.

What a mess. And I've spent 2 hours on this! So I ended up trying to peel just the top layers off. Yeah, that worked. In the end, I got it sopping wet and scraped it clean. Really clean. Usually I erase the pencil marks & paint over the smudges. I didn't think more of it except that I felt like I'd wasted my time with it. Until I talked to John later that day. He's the one who introduced me to Jerry. So I was telling him what I had heard from Jerry's seminar so far, including the above quote. I didn't mention I was also working on this art piece. He said:

When you find out something about yourself, you're peeling away a layer of conditioning, like layers of paint; getting down to the essence of who you are which is nothing--which is everything. Layers are who we say we are. Once peeled away, they no longer have an effect on you. Layers & conditioning block your essence.

It was then that I told him about my frustrating art experience. Or so I thought. What had been a waste of time became a beautiful metaphor--and all the more because even tho I wasn't at Jerry's seminar, I was still receiving the benefits. It also sparked an insightful blog post from John, Peeling Layers. The question becomes, What layers are you hiding underneath? If you peel them away, you reveal your Divine Essence.

New Labyrinth Painting

When I got into labyrinths, I built the Cretan/Classical because it was easy and didn't require math. This is my first attempt at drawing the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth. I've always been partial to the Cretan one prolly because it's the one I'm most familiar with. I'm rather enjoying this new one--less predictable when I'm tracing it with my finger. Where am I? I lose track and can't figure it out. It will be a painting. Eventually.

My nephew, Dimples, who is 8, is sitting here with me and says, "You could make copies of this and sell it and make money." Yes. Yes I could. "Maybe you could even put it in the newspaper." That's his marketing side coming out. ;-) Mum & I are heading to the Brother D's with Pioneer Sister's kiddliewinks today. And then! To the beach at the crack of dawn tomorrow.

The Labyrinth Path

The Labyrinth Path
Walk with a sense of humour;
it will ease your burdens.
Walk with a sense of ADVENTURE,
and be open to new possibilities.
Walk with a sense of GRATITUDE,
and be receptive to ABUNDANCE.
Walk with a sense of JOY,
and experience JOY with others.
Walk connected to the Earth,
and be grounded in your world.
Walk connected to others,
and have LOVE in your heart.
Walk with intention,
and create your reality.
Walk with God,
and find your place
in this Universe.

Visual Auditory

I do collages, but this one was different. Usually I'm v. precise and spend a lot of time with colour, shape, images. This one is mostly words & phrases. I went thru a magazine [Ladies Home Journal with Ellen on the cover--because she's a . . . wait for it . . . that's right . . . Cover Girl]. Anyway, I flipped thru v. quickly & just cut & ripped out words that got my attention. I didn't think about it, I just did it. And this is what I got:

Quote by the candle from Ellen:

As I've aged and matured,
I just feel better about myself,
more confident and
more comfortable
in my own skin.

Yeah, like that. :-) This is going to be one of those pieces that I look at and get something different out of each time. What do you notice first? I look at that "Unblock Feeling" and it makes me think of a Jerry Stocking course. And there's nothing like a healthy dose of *giggles*[snort] So as Jerry likes to say, time for me to go play. And by play I mean do dishes. How do you make that fun? I'm going to listen to some v. fun music. And *splash* :-)

Today is your day

Today is your day
to dream yourself awake
Today is your day
life is what you make
Today is your day
to hold most dear
Today is your day
to let go of fear
Today is your day
to give it a rest
Today is your day
to clean up this mess
Today is your day
to give it a go
Today is your day
to give up what you know
Today is your day
to learn something new
Today is your day
your day for you.

B-day celebration with Ex-XM Radio Guy

I finally got together with Ex-XM Radio Guy for our January birthdays. After Xmas, he told me that his GF, Red Lobster, gave him a rock. It's one of those special we'll-each-keep-half kind of rocks. What am I supposed to do with a rock? he says. Hahahahaha So as I was walking to the postbox one day, I saw a really cool rock. So I dolled it up, and this is what I gave Ex-XM Radio Guy for his birthday:

See? It's an elephant.

I glued little sparklies on it & used a gold pen to write OM.

And of course, a labyrinth. It glows in the dark. :-)

Great . . . a rock . . . he says. "You can use it as a doorstop," I said helpfully. Hahahaha

This is the card that I gave with the gift:

So obviously not a card for a GUY.

Time for yourself, yada yada . . .

Hahahahaha

So let me s'plain. He's got a v. sweet severance package and so he's not suffering. Plus, he gets to spend time in his little-cabin-in-the-woods. After working 15-hour days for the past few years, it's been like a vacation. But his parents, of the Depression Era, are all worried about him not having a job. So that's our little joke.

So this is what he gave me:

3 CD's that he fished out of the trash at XM for me: Kathy Griffin, For Your Consideration, advanced copy of Goo Dolls Greatest Hits Vol. 2, & The Clash, Revolution Rock. See the Police Evidence bag pictured above? That's what he put the CD's in. He also gave me Walk Hard, THE funniest movie I've seen since . . . it's a fake biopic in the vein of Spinal Tap. Hysterical! Also pictured is a collection of Star Trek pez dispensers to pass on to Brother D. [I'm totally his favourite sister now!] And a pack of Old Gypsy Fortune Teller cards, circa 1940. How cool is that?

We had Indian food and then we went thrifting. At one store this cashier stood at the front and YELLED for her supervisor. KATHY! HEY, KATHY! Just then we see this woman walk-running from the back storeroom to Cashier Girl. Shhhhhh! You don't have to yell. Blah blah, use the intercom, blah blah So after she leaves, Ex-XM Radio Guy says to Cashier Girl, "How much will it take for you to yell Kathy, again? I got 5 bucks, here." Nothin'. "Anyone? $5 to yell Kathy." Hahahahaha I almost did as we were leaving . . . so that was our b-day vizzie. I have another story to tell, but I'll wait for next week . . . .

P.S. What do you think of the new blog header? It won't be up for long--just until spring. :-)

HAPPY B-DAY to 3

I went thru a period of painting yantras. I didn't know what they were at the time, I just painted what I saw. I painted a few for friends and this one belongs to my friend Dee. She is a fellow Reiki Master and friend for the past 20 years. It's her birthday, which she shares with my friends Doug O'Brien & Alaria. Dee has not met Doug, but I introduced her to Alaria, and Alaria to Doug. I met Alaria at a labyrinth party at Susan's. Small world! Doug & I go waaaaaay back to our fire-walking-woah-clapping-Tony-Robbins daze. Anyway, I'm wishing a HAPPY Birthday to all 3 & sending Reiki BLESSINGS thru the airwaves. :-) BIG LOVE, H.

Day of Rest

Pictured above is the collage I did on my 2006 planner/calendar: a couple poems I wrote, a couple phrases lifted from some friend's emails that inspired me. A rock wall from Sedona, a sunrise, my first Hand of God painting, still my favourite. A picture of Shiva, Parvati, & baby Ganesh~a Hindu trinity of sorts. Many people think they have a monopoly on God and then try to impose their version of God on others. They create God in their own image and then get mad when others don't agree. Silly humans!

Jerry Stocking says that the definition of love is inclusion. I think that's the nature of an enlightened experience~feeling included and at one with everything. We are in this world to experience, to learn, to grow, to love. That's my belief, what's yours? We find evidence or lack of anything through our belief systems. Is your God a loving God? Is your God a wrathful God? Is your God indifferent? Is your God non-existent? Is the world a playground or a war zone? You'll find evidence for all these, depending on what belief goggles you're wearing.

When you try on a different pair of goggles, you'll begin to see a different world. Colin Tipping says that when you have the willingness to do something, you create a space for it to manifest. You open the door to allow whatever it is, to show up in your life. What are you willing to have a new willingness about today?

A Merrie Heart

A merrie heart maketh glad the day, and there you find your treasure.

I have this on my business cards and on the header of my blog. The story of this comes from an experience with my GSF Kristina a few years ago. She was recovering from bronchitis and asked if I could come over to Reiki her before she had to leave for work. We had about 10 minutes. I started with a tuning fork on an acupuncture point (Lung 1). Then I stood behind her and put a hand on her back and the other on her chest. She was v. tired and congested and her breathing was labored.

What can you do in 10 minutes? 10 minutes of Clock Time is a blip and an eternity all at once when you’re working in the realm of Spirit and healing. It is that place of Presence and Stillness. There is no past or future, but only NOW. We were in her living room completely embraced by God’s healing Light. She breathed a deep sigh. With my hand on her heart, I heard the phrase, “A merrie heart maketh glad the day.” I think there’s a similar quote from the Bible. Anyway, then it was time for her to go to work, feeling much better. We were both completely merrie!

A merrie heart repeated as I was driving down the road. You know those moments of quiet joy and peace? This was one of them. Later, as I was writing my first Healing Labyrinth Path newsletter, and there you’ll find your treasure completed the phrase. It’s kind of like a clue from Spirit. Imagine if everyone had a merrie heart, perhaps the world would be a bit different. Having a merrie heart is allowing God to smile through you. It’s not the concept of human happiness, because that’s so fleeting. It’s also about finding your treasure, your gift from God that you share with the world. What makes you SMILE now? Do that.

This is the smile in my heart: making people feel good. Helping them to relax and take a pause from the stresses of daily life. Whether I’m doing it hypnotically on a CD or in person with a massage, this is the work I was born to do.

Ornament Thursday: LUCK

I designed this labyrinth based on a 4-leaf clover. You can see the template in the previous post.
There are a couple variations. The first one I did on cardstock and used graphite paper to trace the image. Then I applied the dimensional paint (I use Scribbles). I mod-podged a real 4-leaf clover in the center. I used a gloss varnish for the finger path, and then used gold sparkle paint around the labyrinth. Then I glued it to the cover of a journal.


My favourite way of creating finger labyrinths is to use regular copy transparency sheets (for an overhead projector). I put the labyrinth template underneath and trace over with the dimensional paint. It dries in a few hours. Then you can apply that to a note book, journal, etc.
On this one, I painted the cover of the journal with acrylic paints, and then put the labyrinth on top when it dried. I used a metalic marker for writing.

This is my favourite! Glow-in-the-dark dimensional paint, great fun at night. Also, the dimensional part adds a nice kinesthetic feel to tracing the labyrinth with your finger. You could also close your eyes for a different experience. This one is on a transparency sheet and I put it over a pretty piece of shimmery paper I got from Michael's. I've also used wallpaper to cover notebooks, steno pads, etc. and then the transparency sheet goes right on top.

HAPPY ORNAMENT THURSDAY, everyone!!! :-) H.

Here are the links to the rest of the gang:

Art Bead Scene Lucky ABS!

We're part 2 of Lucky Knots!Cindy Gimbrone aka Lampwork Diva Luck is knotted up in Part 1 of this tutorial

Earthenwood Studio Chronicles Melanie is inspired by a lucky Leprechaun to make a fairy tale, treasure filled necklace

Jennifer Heynen of Jangles Lucky Charms Bracelet...The name says it all. This bracelet has everything to bring you good luck.

Joolz by Lisa As Luck Would Have It...Lucky Earrings

Katie's Beading Blog Make your own luck with these fun, swingy earrings!

Linda Augsburg at Make It Mine magazine Lucky doesn't begin to describe the adventure I had making this T-shirt...

Lucky Lucky to be... based on a coin holder a friend made for me...

Lucky To Be Me Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? Well, YOU, of course. No matter who you are when you look into this magical mirror, you'll be reminded you're lucky to be you!

Lynn Kvigne - Beading Help Web Irish Proverb Window Ornament - step by step instructions for making this year-round ornament that may bring luck right through your window!

Melissa J. Lee - Strands of Beads Good fortune is yours with this cookie-inspired necklace.

Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! You'll "make Jean's day " if you check out her lucky Pendant with a Clint Eastwood eighties twist

Swelldesigner Swelldesigner gets lucky this month with some super colorful, sparkly painted bangles

The Impatient Blogger Luck starts with a wish...Margot shares an project she created for Simply Beads last August.

Life is Like a Labyrinth

I was traveling with my Resonance Repatterning friends Dee & Jane to a seminar in upstate New York. It was held at the Empowerment Center, an old school in the middle of nowhere outside Goshen. I love it there. It's beautiful and remote with hundred-year-old lilac bushes that are like trees. We had driven for 6 hours and it was approaching midnight as we were on the final stretch down the back road. Up ahead were those orange barrels and a road block. That was not a good sign. The bridge was not there. Instead, there was a crane sitting in the middle of the creek, and some cryptic note saying to follow the detour signs. Detour signs? What detour signs? There were detour signs? Where?
We could see the building lit up on the hill, a 3 minute drive away. The detour signs took us in circles, so we stopped for directions. Several times. We finally got there 2 hours later. I had decided that no matter what, we were going to keep the situation cheerful. There's nothing worse than being in a situation and then getting all grumpy along with it. The situation is the situation. I would like to take credit for such enlightenment, but I had just re-read Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning prior to our trip. In the whole vast configuration of things, getting lost in Goshen was spit compared to what he went through. One of the things he said after surviving the Nazi concentration camp was, "Everything can be taken from a man but ...the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
So we chose to laugh. And we did. We came upon Crack Street. Plumber jokes abounded! I think we laughed more in those 2 hours than the whole weekend, and a weekend with Chloe Wordsworth is pretty spectacular.
The next morning as the seminar was about to begin, I handed Chloe a gift which she set on a table to open later. She began by welcoming us and telling us that some people had given up and didn't make it. She said, "We've all come through a labyrinth to get here."
"Chloe," I whispered. "You have to open your gift, now. It's very appropriate." So she opened the LABYRINTH journal that I made for her. Inside I had written:

Life is Like a Labyrinth

Whatever path you are on, you ARE on a path.
Sometimes it may feel like you’re going in circles,

and then you turn the corner,

and you’re closer to your goal.
The journey is just as important as the destination.
Weather happens & the terrain may be rocky,
Seasons come and go. In all these things,
You get to choose if you’ll SMILE on your path
And who you’ll share your journey with.
May your path bring you BEAUTY, JOY,
and much, much LOVE and LAUGHTER .

BLESSINGS to you on your path, wherever you are. :-) LOVE, H.

BIG LOVE

"Love is the great democracy--all of us are equally deserving of its welcome." ~Bradford Keeney

According to Keeney in his book, Bushman Shaman, the Kalahari bushmen refer to God as the Big Love. In gladness and sadness, they dance in celebration of that Love. I'm reading Eckhart Tolle's Oprah Bookclub book, A New Earth and in it he suggests that you may have an awakening experience as you read the book. I don't think that's just with his book, it could be any book that touches your soul. That was certainly my experience as I read Bushman Shaman.

I was visiting a friend out in West Virginia. He was mowing his GF's yard and I'm watching him as he rides the mower on the side of the hill like he's surfing. He's having FUN. And I'm reading about Big Love and I feel my spirit open up and I am in the heart of God on a mountainside in WV feeling the BIG LOVE. GF's mother is in the house and she keeps going in/coming out and standing next to me. We don't speak and I know she doesn't know why she feels compelled to keep checking on the mowing progress. It's OK. Stand next to me and be in the Big Love with me.

The painting above is a healing symbol reflecting the Big Love--but since we are created in God's image, it's also a reflection of our spirit, radiating our own Light. We are like drops of water in the ocean of Love. However we express it, we're wanting to have that connection to Love. In the heart of God, there is no separation. It is in our humaness that we feel disconnected. Oh, you with your Godtalk, Hali. Yeah, I'll have a more mundane post tomorrow. Perhaps. In the meantime, here's wishing you all . . . BIG LOVE!!!

P.S. A v. HAPPY B-DAY to my 3 Six-of-Diamonds friends born on this day: Alaria, Dee, & Doug!

Ornament Thursday is Back!

We had such a good time that we're doing a monthly version of artistic expression until we get to December when we'll be posting all-things-ornamenty on Thursdays. So, this month is "Love Story." I was asked to do these two paintings for a skincare line created by a Bulgarian homeopathic acupuncturist. She wanted to include something of her Bulgarian heritage and asked me to use the Cyrillic alphabet. No problem! And she wanted to include the word love in the packaging. Except that the cyrillic version of love is...kinda ugly. She wanted a flower and she wanted 5 petals to represent the Chinese acupuncture five elements. So we settled on taking 3 letters and spelling out L-U-V. The center of the flower is the first letter, then the next letter in the center of each petal, and then each petal is the last letter.

I drew it out on paper and then primed each canvas board (8 X 10). I used graphite paper to trace the image onto the canvas and acrylic paints (mostly Americana from Michael's). I used sparkle varnish where it's sparkley and I used sparkley dimentional paint to outline the flower.

LINKS to other Ornament Gals:

Ornament Thursday - The Main Page

Art Bead Scene The designers at Art Bead Scene have two jewelry love stories for you! Elaine Ray links together a little love with her ceramic heart components while Melanie Brooks Lukacs tells a little tale of romance in a Gothic Garden http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/2008/01/ornament-thursday-two-love-stories.html
Cindy Gimbrone Beads Cindy's Love Story is about a hook and beadshttp://lampworkdiva.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-love-story-spirals-n-shay.html
Earthenwood Studio Bead Blog What is sweeter than a mix CD for your Valentine? A yummy gift box in which to present it, filled with candy themed decorations, including a cute bracelet and cell phone charm!http://earthenwood-beads.blogspot.com/2008/01/ornament-thursday-sweet-sounds.html
Heart mobile painted paper pulp heartshttp://pomly.livejournal.com/43236.html
Humblebeads Heather shares her favorite bracelet design in a Valentine inspired color scheme.http://humblebeads.blogspot.com/2008/01/ornament-thursday-love-story.html
Jennifer Heynen of Jangles Jennifer has made a fun "Ornament" for her neck that looks good enought to eat.http://jenniferjangles.blogspot.com/2008/01/ornament-thursday.html
Joolz by Lisa This "Love Story" will last all year long! Lisa shares how beads and books work together.http://lisaliddy.wordpress.com/2008/01/30/ornament-thursday-love-story/
Katie's Beading Blog Here's a happy little heart project for you - use it to embellish a bag or your jeans, or as inspiration for a necklace or bracelet.http://katiehacker.blogspot.com/2008/01/happy-hearts.html
Kriss Cramer - Art Interrupted Grow Love! Nuture and care for your loved ones every day. Use this heartfelt book, you can make yourself, to remind you of all the love you have to give.http://art-interrupted.blogspot.com/
Linda Augsburg at Make It Mine magazine Linda's love story project is a dress she embellished by stenciling dancers and a big band along the hem. Read why and learn how to do it yourself on the Make It Mine blog.http://cs.makeitminemag.com/mimcs/blogs/makeitmine/archive/2008/01/31/ornament-thursday-january-love-story.aspx
Michelle's Love Story... The band is getting back together again! Ornament Thursday celebrates the story of love...http://fromichelle.blogspot.com/2008/01/love-story-by-ornament-thursday.html
Savvy Crafter Candie's love affair with big rings continue...she's making her own now! Love Stories and more over at the Savvy Crafter! XOXO! http://candiecooper.typepad.com/savvycrafter/2008/01/heartsy-artsy-i.html
Snap out of it, Jean! There's beading to be done! Ah, Love ! This satirical creation of Jean's immortalizes certain women's profound affecton for their ... handbags!!!http://prettykittydogmoonjewelry.blogspot.com/2008/01/love-story.html
Strands of Beads Love speaks many languages. Learn how to say "I Love You" in an untraditional way with Melissa Lee's whimsical jewelry project.http://strandsofbeads.blogspot.com/2008/01/ornament-thursday-language-of-love.html
SwellDesigner Alexa shares with you her truly swell and punny Valentines!http://www.swelldesigner.blogspot.com
The Impatient Blogger Love is in the air at The Impatient Blogger! Margot shares two vintage inspired jewelry designs that are oozing with romance...in a good way!

Quote-of-the-Day

I’ve come to believe that there exists in the universe something I call “The Physics of The Quest” – a force of nature governed by laws as real as the laws gravity or momentum. And the rule of Quest Physics maybe goes like this: “If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared – most of all – to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself….then truth will not be withheld from you.” ~Elizabeth Gilbert