Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Peaceful Transitions


Wishing you a new year filled with unbounding
Peace, Joy & Love

Today is Christmas Eve and as we enter into Christmas and approach the coming new year, many of us are contemplating the changes that 2009 will bring to our lives. On a daily basis we are bombarded with foreboding announcements of severe recession and unemployment and some of you may already be dramatically experiencing this. Regardless of the dynamics of any local, national or global circumstances that have infiltrated our lives, we can fortify ourselves by choosing to believe that the very best will be present in our lives. Amid the frenzy and often fearful predictions, when we ground ourselves in the strength of spirit we release our attachment to owning the drama that is being presented to us. We can then become the change that we are seeking and allow ourselves to rise into the space where we are capable of manifesting only peace, love and joy in our lives.


Aligning
latent energies
my inner light
rises now
from the depths
of the
Canyon of Fear.
A radiant zephyr
unfurling
straining wingtips
to soar
forever upward
in bold brilliance
toward
it’s undeniable
Call of Love

Kate Jobe

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

The Body Electric


During 2008 I have been busy creating new projects that I had hoped would require less time to complete. Despite any delays I encountered, I am aware that all the time they have required is exactly the time they needed to be created. All things occur in the time they are supposed to occur and all things are related to timing. The perfect time for something to manifest in our lives can sometimes be different than any pre-determined sequence we have calculated for its arrival. When our time lines edge past us or appear to be far in the future and beyond our reach, we are sometimes being called to adapt and look for the gifts presented to us by this unexpected change in our plans. In other instances, when it seems that we are consistently so out of synchrony with our timing that our dreams are always beyond our reach, we are being alerted to make changes in our lives. Releasing energy blocks formed by outdated life scripts that no longer serve us can help jump start our timing. When we release blocked energy, we become better equipped to understand the language of our intuition. Feeling safe in trusting our intuition provides us with a tool that can guide us to make empowering choices and decisions. When we have a clear understanding of what we truly want to manifest in our lives, we can create powerful intents that radiate out from us with the energy of intensified electricity, assisting us to become magnets for attracting success.

How have you gifted yourself this year by re-wiring your body electric? How have you worked co-creatively with the universe to make changes in your life? What stale life scripts have you released during the previous twelve months? In what ways have you learned to listen more deeply to your intuition and how has this supported you this year? What intent/s did you make this year that gifted you in a powerful way?

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Sharing the Dance

One evening during the summer of 1993 I awoke from my sleep with the images from my dream still present within the room. The dream had been of women of all ages and cultural backgrounds, in ceremonial dress, joyously dancing together. While they were interconnected, they also were respectful of each others boundaries. Their presence was so compelling that I got out of bed and began to sketch what I was seeing and write notes of the details if the images.

Two days later, an interior designer who sometimes commissioned me to create art for her clients called me and told me get her some sketches of women of all ages and cultural backgrounds, in ceremonial dress interacting together interdependently in a shared space. She was not able to tell me why she needed these drawings but conveyed that it was for an important project. Over time, I have grown to not be surprised by my dreams but, in this case, both she and I were stunned by the fact that I already had the rough drawing that she needed. I submitted the work to her and several months later, I was informed that my concept had been unanimously chosen by the Omaha YWCA Board of Directors to be recreated to commemorate their 100th anniversary.

It was both and honor and a joy to create "Sharing the Dance." As is the case in all of my major work, it became a part of me during the time that it was flowing from my mind and hands and taking form as colors, shapes and lines upon paper. "Sharing the Dance" felt like it was inspired, through me, by spirit. I continued to dream about it throughout the time that I was engrossed in its birthing and each woman that I drew spoke to me and became a manifestation of healing and awareness for the part of me that related to them. The majority of their clothing were adaptations of garments that I had designed and painted on silk fabrics, but two of the garments are embellished with motifs that are symbolic of the logo of the YWCA.


The completed work, a large mixed media drawing, hangs in the Omaha YWCA and it was reproduced and sold as a signed and numbered limited edition print. My most profound wish was that whomever saw the work would be able to experience the power of what I had felt while creating it. Later that year, the work was displayed at a large women's conference and the theme of the drawing was incorporated into a closing presentation. After the conference had ended, a young woman tearfully approached me and said that she wanted me to know the healing power she had felt while observing the picture and said that she had never before realized the significance of the support and community shared by women. Her words not only validated my work, but filled my heart with joy. My journey upon the path of artful healing for the human spirit had begun.

Information regarding purchasing of "Sharing the Dance" can be found here

Honoring the Dance


As a woman matures and enters into the phase of her life when she is considered elderly, her energy often turns to contemplating upon the legacy that she has created with her life. This part of her life reflects the qualities of the north on the medicine wheel. The north is focused upon wisdom, generosity of spirit and the path of right action.
In the energetic realm of the magnanimity of ones achievements being proportionate to their impact upon the world, the quality of size is nebulous. Seemingly small actions can have an immense impact that is far-reaching and enduring, while the flamboyance of what appears to be a massive achievement can project a minimal impact of little significance.
If she is wise, the elderly woman understands that her legacy is not an accumulation of wealth in the form of money, but in the wealth of her knowledge gained throughout life. Her legacy is the quality of love and compassion that she has received from and extended toward others. Her legacy is the wealth of her stories that can be shared with others that provide insight into the historical and cultural content of her life and that illustrate parallels of her behaviors and thought to those individuals who are younger than her.
The elderly woman draws upon all of the phases of her dance in this life to honor its complexity and totality. When she pursues life with a balanced and healthy perspective, she has the opportunity to nurture herself while honoring her needs on a deeper level and to rejoice more profoundly in the reverence of living. When she also extends her nurturing and wisdom to those who are beginning their dance, assisting them to honor themselves and to approach the dance with joy, the elderly woman stands in her true power.
A woman's legacy, in the end, is the invaluable asset of the gift of her Self and her willingness to be part of the dance.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Rejoicing in the Dance


This post is the third in the series of vignettes from "Sharing the Dance", the drawing I created for the YWCA in 1993. I call this segment, "Rejoicing in the Dance." It is representative of the time in a woman's life and in the maturity level of her energy, when she can experience the gifts available to her during midlife.

At this time, much contemplation is often experienced, assessing where she has come from, reviewing what she has accomplished and discerning what she now wants to achieve in her life from this point on. With her children raised, she may experience the empty nest syndrome, yearning for a way to express her nurturing. In response to this yearning, dreams she had tucked away and put on hold will begin calling to her. When she directs her creative energy toward this calling and channels it into joyfully embracing the fullness that this period of life has to offer she will remember dance steps she had forgotten, adapt old ones and construct new ones.

This is a time for self-actualization, when she stands strong in her style and the way she presents herself to the world, regardless of what current trends may dictate to the public. Through the passing of time and the many things she has experienced in life, she has earned the knowledge of what works for her and what does not. A woman within this time of her life does not feel intimidated by going against the grain. If purple is not the popular choice for current fashion, she will wear it anyway and with glorious aplomb.

This can be a time of freedom on many levels. The symbolic quality of the years when the sun is setting can provide her spirit with a brilliant panorama of warmth and illumination. She is in the symbolic time of autumn when change and transformation are occurring. Regardless of challenges that may be presented to her at this time, rather than being a time of midlife crisis, this time in a woman's life can be a time of new awareness's and new beginnings. These are the years when, more than ever, a woman can attain a deeper quality of comfort with change and a rich sense of embracing the minutes available in each day to learn more, experience more, love more, laugh more...and to rejoice more in being part of the dance of life.

Nurturing the Dance

All women are creators. They are born with the ability to carry and birth new life. It is female energy that allows both men and women to birth life into the inspiration of creative new ideas that become projects of all kinds: visual art, music, homes, gardens and businesses. All creative ideas are like our children and, like children, thrive and can become strong and independent when love and nurturing are directed toward them. Their energy eventually withers and dissipates when they are in an environment of anger or are forced to mature with an excessive focus upon power and control.

The female aspect of nurturing energy assists to provide open, heart centered communication and emotional support that can achieve rapid growth and positive change. The quality of nurturing adds the component of safety to the dance of life. Safety encourages freedom...freedom to walk our walk and talk our talk...and freedom to feel safe enough to adapt the steps in our dance of life when the way we were no longer works with what we have been presented in life. Life changes...always...and so the dance must change. If we are afraid to change, and subsequently feel out of alignment, our personal power withers and dissipates and we ultimately become angry. Our fear flourishes.

The nurturing essence of healthy female energy is like a soft warm blanket that encircles you. It fills you and surrounds you with love, for yourself, and for the people with who you interact. The dance of life, when directed by compassion and nurturing, glides and flows easily with joy and harmony.

Are you feeling in need of nurturing? Do you have new ideas, projects or employees that need you to direct your nurturing energy upon them? Are you needing to reaffirm the creative, nurturing aspect of your female energy? Focus upon this aspect of yourself and ask what dance steps this energy can assist you to inject into your life.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Beginning the Dance

Each of us is composed of both male and female energies. Each of these energies has its own unique gifts and challenges. Regardless if an individual is a male or a female, both of these energies are needed, in a balanced and healthy form, to allow them to act upon their intuition, to think creatively and to move forward and act upon these ideas systematically and consistently...to manifest their creative thoughts. Balanced male and female energy allows us to express our feelings, while at the same time, maintaining healthy boundaries.

The art above is one of four segments of a mixed media drawing, entitled, "Sharing the Dance," that I created in 1993 for the Omaha Nebraska YWCA. The complete work will be featured in a blog entry after all four of the segments are featured and discussed. Because the work was created for a woman's organization, it is about women. It is a journey through the growth of a woman, and symbolically, through the maturation of female energy.

This segment is about the invincible quality of youthful female energy. It assists us to remember that all things are possible when approached with joy and vitality. It reminds us that life is a dance...a dance that can be learned and a dance that we can create from our own personal rhythm. This level of female energy possesses both innocence and passion that can bring strength and healing when expressed from a place of balance. When out of balance these qualities can evolve into a victim mentality or excessive drama.

Do you feel like you need an injection of hopefulness? Are you missing the quality of playfulness in your life? Meditate upon the innocence and youthfulness of this facet of female energy, ask what is needed from you to remember this part of yourself...or think back upon a time when this quality was present in your life...remember it with as much clarity as you can and then breathe this awareness into you and allow it fill you up, nudging you to remember parts of the dance of life you have forgotten.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Passion & Peace (Mandalas for Peace Series)


The wellspring of peace lives within everything on earth, but it cannot flow freely when it is tended with apathy, rather than passion. Apathy causes us to detach from our passion and forget who we are; forget what we stand for…and, as I recently heard someone say, ”If you stand for nothing, you can‘t stand at all.” The indifference of apathy quenches the fires of passion.

Passion and peace….two dynamics that are seemingly very different and yet, peace cannot fully exist without the presence of passion. Passion is often thought if in relationship to fire and tumultuous intensity. Passion, in its true form, is the ability to live life fully; it is the quality of embracing life with joy; it is being fully present for each moment that is experienced; it is the quality of being committed to walking your walk and talking your talk. Passion does not have to be expressed loudly. It can be a continuous but slow burning fire that burns brightly, with occasional bursts of flames that can be seen more vividly.

Like the unending ripples formed from the action of throwing a pebble into a pond, your personal commitment to living your life with passion will activate an awakening within your soul, creating a deeper level of peace within you. The energy of your inner peace will ripple outward and into every aspect of your life and will impact upon the people with whom you interact. When you stand with passion and peace, you stand strong.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Seeds of Love (Mandalas for Peace series)


Several months ago, while checking out links on the web related to creative expression, I came across Cheryl Finley’s blog, Mandala Oasis ( http://www.mandalaoasis.blogspot.com/ ), which led me to her yahoo group site of the same name. I joined the group and have been repeatedly enriched by this connection. The group is comprised of predominantly women, but also include a few very creative men and everyone, male or female, is welcome. Over the months, I have found all of the members to be supportive of each other, incredibly creative and overflowing with stimulating suggestions for books to read , art techniques, supply resources and mandala prompts. The art presented for viewing in this group often takes my breath away.

Currently, many members of the group are involved in the creation of two Mandalas for Peace projects. One of the these is a card deck that 9 women have committed to produce. Each woman will create 9 cards that are symbolic representations of 9 themes: (Birthing/Transformation; Body/Mind/Spirit; Community; Creativity; Family; Ancestors; Nature; Right-Livelihood; Womanhood/Women/Woman) and the work will be completed in increments of 9 week cycles with a re-evaluation of the project occurring at the end of each cycle.

Yesterday, while facilitating a mandala group with six teen-agers in the residential treatment facility where I work part-time, I began to create the mandala pictured above. I find that when I create my own work with this group, it assists them to stay centered and focused upon what they are in the process of creating. My focus upon creating art that focuses upon going within to my center reflects back to them. The mandala, titled, “Peace Grows from Seeds of Love” reflects the birthing of peace and new possibilities that grow from a heart centered approach to life.

Love creates fertile soil for effective communication. Allowing seeds of love to take root in your life promotes the appearance of silver linings. When nurtured, seeds of love flourish to create a web of peace and strength that expands out from you and to everyone with whom you interact.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Papercuts


The other day I found a large colored pencil and graphite drawing I had done of my son, Jesse and my daughter, Annie, when they were ages three and 6 months, respectively. Because it was so large I had never framed it and it had become badly torn in places. I had always loved the drawing and felt that throwing it out was not an option. After getting past the sacrilege of thinking I should cut it up and create new, smaller and re-designed pieces from it, I picked up my scissors and cut. Once I started there was no option but to finish what I had started.

As I cut and pasted and altered the existing colors of the work, I thought of how each child had changed over the years and of how alike they still were from the way I had depicted them at that time. I contemplated, how my approach to creating art had changed since then. Tender thoughts of that time in my life flooded over me. The scent of baby lotion and talcum powder wafted up to me and I remembered the incredible softness of their skin at that age. As each thought emerged, I was shifted back in time, standing by the bed where they lay, sleeping, watching them with as much overflowing love as I had felt when I had originally been inspired to create the picture. I felt myself brushing back the dampness of their hair and listening to their gentle breathing as they slept.

The process of reinventing their portraits was validating and healing. It filled me with joy and re-connected me with a precious time frame I had forgotten. With each piece of the drawing that I cut and evaluated new placement and then glued into place, I felt a deep satisfaction at the significance of these changes: filling in some of the negative spaces with warmth and brightness; honoring and appreciating the details that created us as a family and re-designing old ways of interacting with each other to construct a new way to express the fabric of our lives.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

The Essence of Details




The Japanese Geisha Moth shown above, is a large embroidered motif I created for the back of the silk Georgette kimono serape shown on the right. This garment was created for Opera Omaha's spring 2006 benefit auction that correlated with their production of Madama Butterfly. The exquisite sets and costumes for this opera were designed by artist Jun Kaneko and I wanted to honor my appreciation for his artistic excellence through the authenticity of the details of this garment. Based upon a serape style, it combined eastern and western styles, reflecting the lead character's beauty and angst. Butterfly, a geisha, desperately wanted to marry an American sailor with whom she had fallen in love, and to then move to America and merge with the western culture.

Although I do not usually invest this much time in creating a garment, over 100 hours were spent researching Japanese motifs and the story of this opera; hand dying the fabrics; carving linoleum block stamps; strategically block printing the motifs to create a more Western design influence in the front and an Eastern one on the back; embroidering the 8"x5" moth motif with delicate silk and metallic threads and sewing on tiny beads. Each stitch that I put into this project was a process of a mindful meditation. It created peace and happiness within me as I created it. Whatever we do with love radiates with the energy of love. Whatever beauty we create with a mindful intent shines that much brighter with a positive quality. Small details, although perhaps not always seen, will always be present in the overall essence of what we do.
Moths and butterflies symboliize transformation. As we enter Autumn, we are entering the time on the Medicine Wheel to go within and seek answers. We are preparing for spiritual hibernation and, like the butterfly, to cocoon some facet of ourselves. What thoughts and behaviors of yours are needing to be cocooned with love and given adequate time for their details to gestate and be changed into a new form that can take wings and fly?

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Changing Paradigms

Creating art can be so stimulating and engrossing to me that it becomes difficult to stop when I am in the midst of a project. This jacket was one of the most exciting, as well as one of the most challenging art-to-wear garments that I have created. It involved color blocking...piecing together different colored segments of fabric to form the overall fabric from which the item is constructed. Some of the pieces had been painted months prior to the inspiration and some were painted specifically to add to the harmony of the design. This jacket, with its front lapels, buttons and numerous seams, was created in a manner that was a change from the rest of my art-to-wear collection at that time. The majority of them were less complex in their actual construction, requiring only a few seams and pieces to create them.

Painting upon silk fabric was a vehicle that assisted me to be fearless about finding ways to correct mistakes. The completed "corrected" designs were always among the more dynamic ones. I have accepted and adapted to many changes in life, some more easily than others. My life has been a series of several different lifetimes that overlap and merge together to flow into the totality of who I am..a woman passionate about life...an artist, a mother, a Nana, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a seeker of knowledge...a human being that continues to change and be transformed, releasing some things, embracing others and re-affirming involvements that I had left for awhile.

Some segments of life require us to utilize many of our skills to accomplish the opportunities and challenges that are presented to us. Life is a creative process during which we can become so mesmerized by what we are focused upon that we are unable to extract ourselves from the object of our intent. We can then become addicted to the manifestations of our creations, whether they are an expression of an art form, relationships or behaviors.

When we leave something that causes us to feel drained, irritable or unfulfilled it frees up our energy for something better to come into our lives. At other times, change barrels down upon us, leaving us stunned and wounded. It is painful to be forced into leaving something that we felt was perfect for us or that we had worked hard to attain. Even these situations will some day, perhaps some day many years into the future, reveal gifts and/or wisdom that we could only receive by letting go. There are cataclysmic changes, brought on by trauma that changes our lives forever and that causes us to grieve for the past...and even then...we heal when we let go of wishing that the past was stll the present and are able to accept the change of moving into the future.

Monday, September 22, 2008

The Power of Intent


The mandala with the fish that I recently featured in the "Harvest Moon" post prompted me to include the photo of this hand painted silk kimono that I designed and created upon silk crepe de chine several years ago. Koi fish are a classic motif for silk kimonos but, for this garment, I wanted to combine the fish with unexpected design elements to create the juxtaposition of classic with contemporary themes. My fabric design inspirations come from many places. In this case, the golden lines that run diagonally across the fabric began formulating in my mind after I saw some advertisements that featured computer components and time release photographs of lights on cars as they drove through the night on busy city streets.

My foray into wearable art began 22 years ago when I moved to Florida for five years. it reflects the manifestation of the seed of a dream I had planted in my consciousness ten years before it grew into fruition. The journey from Iowa to Florida was born from listening to my inner voice. In 1976 I purchased a publication that featured an article on silk painting. The kimonos shown in the photographs made me feel like a small child yearning for a beautiful new doll in a toy shop window. I was transfixed by the content of this article and told myself that I was going to do that form of art some day.

Nine years passed. Thanksgiving morning in 1984 I was awakened from a dream by a message repeatedly telling me to move to Florida. After six months of contemplating this directive and finally deciding that moving there would somehow jump start my art career to a new level, I sold as much of my belongings as possible, packed up the car and drove with my son, and daughter, then ages 8 and 5, to take up residence in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Within a few weeks I came across a tiny ad in the miscellaneous section of the "Help Wanted" newspaper ads asking for someone skilled in sewing on silk who could do occasional fashion illustrations. I was experienced in both of these areas. The next day I drove a half hour to be interviewed for the position and was immediately hired. By fall, the owner of the shop, Wanda Baxter of http://www.silks.com/ , offered me her studio to explore silk painting techniques and to see if I had an affinity for it. From the moment I put dye on my brush and swept it across an expanse of two yards of silk crepe de chine stretched upon a frame, I began a love affair with painting upon silk with fiber reactive dyes. It literally took my breath away and lifted my spirit into another level of consciousness. I cannot even begin to describe the sense of ecstasy I felt while engrossed in creating with this medium. Exquisite might come close. My work relationship with Wanda continued for 15 years, continuing on a long distance basis when I returned to the Midwest in 1989, where my experience as a silk fabrications designer provided me with the opportunity to work with several prominent Omaha, Nebraska interior designers. The skill I had acquired in Florida truly did fulfill my intent for moving there by elevating my art career to a new level.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

The Magic of Innocence

The little girls in this mixed media drawing are two of my five grandchildren. The art, itself, was created by me a few years ago for a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation http://www.wish.org./ The intent of the art was to portray that all things are possible...wishes and dreams can come true when they are sent out into the universe with a loving intent that is as strong and pure as the innocence of a child.

I include this art with this post because today is the 7th birthday of the granddaughter portrayed on the right. Her wisdom, sweetness and generosity of spirit sometimes overwhelm me. Among the presents that she received today were three play make-up kits, each given to her by different individuals. Rather than comment that the gifts were duplicate ones, she responded with thrilled appreciation as she opened each one and then, later, gifted two of them to two of her cousins.

One beautiful autumn afternoon five years ago, when she was staying with me, and the day was unfolding with complications, she took my hand and indicated that she wanted to go outside. We walked, hand in hand, and she led me to an area under a tree, where the sunlight flickered through the branches. She said she wanted us to lay on the ground, which was blanketed by crisp autumn leaves. We lay on the leaves, breathed in their scent and watched streams of leaves blow past us in dips and whirls. The sky, viewed through the tree branches, was a patchwork collage of intense blue. I will never forget the magic of that afternoon and the wisdom of a two year old child leading me to ground myself upon the earth.

My grandchildren are part of my Heart Song. I love being "Nana", as they refer to me. I have been privileged to be present at all of their births and to assist in joyfully welcoming them to their life on this planet. Part of my appreciation of them is that they reflect to me a time when I was more innocent, when I was a young mother and fervently believed that I would be married to my husband my entire life. The advent of their presence in my life reaffirmed to me a deeper awareness of love and the possibility of it.

Like most children, my grandchildren believe in all things magical. They delight in the wonder of fireflies blinking through the sky on a warm summers night. They are mesmerized by the delicate beauty of rainbow hued soap bubbles that float gently from bubble wands, like opalescent pearls. They find wonder in nature. They appreciate the simple pleasures of a good book, a funny movie, laughing, creating art with crayons and paper, hugs and the loving presence of their families and good friends.

Have you forgotten the innocence of the child within you or do you embrace it with warmth and joy? Do you still believe in magic? Have you forgotten how to embrace life and find beauty and wonder in every moment? Set you intent, chart your course and wish upon a star, magic does happen...but you have to believe.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Storyteller


For close to two years, from Summer 2006 through Spring of this year, as part of the Successful Aging for Women Program (PWSA) provided by University of Nebraska at Omaha, I taught "Writing Your Life Legacy" to a group of six women, residents of an elder adult complex, whose ages ranged from 68 to 98. These women met with me every other week, filled with enthusiasm and commitment, to create the stories of their lives. Their writing skills evolved, as did their courage and willingness to explore new ways to express themselves in this manner.

The months progressed and we formed a bond with each other, forged from trust and openness. We laughed and cried together. The group became more than a vehicle for them to write their stories. It became a support group of women who had traveled through successes and disappointments. All of them had struggled through the challenges of living on low incomes. They had known the joys and pains of falling in, and out, of love. They were mothers and grandmothers. Some had experienced the sorrow of the death of a child. One was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and was reaching out from her heart to remember her stories before she forgot them. Another was legally blind. Some were divorced and some were widows. Together, we created new memories from the re-creation of their previous memories. I am honored to have known them and to have had the gift of being allowed to see into the richness of their lives.

During this time I was able to see, first hand, how important it is for people to tell their stories and to record them. Our stories are legacies that provide credibility to our existence. Our stories honor our experiences, both positive and challenging, and assist us to remember the beauty of the passage of time in which we live on this planet. Our stories can lead us to retrieving memories of love, joy and tenderness we have tucked away into our hearts and have then forgotten where we left them. Our stories sometimes help us to acknowledge memories of sadness that lurk in our consciousness, evolving into disproportionate shame and anger. When we face these memories as words written upon paper and then read them aloud to others in a nurturing environment, they can sometimes be absolved and released. Our stories, recorded from the notes of our Soul Song, are part of the most significant legacy we leave for our families. They illustrate to them, and generations to come, the depth and complexity of who we, and they, are as individuals.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Harvest Moon



The recent full moon was the "Harvest Moon", as well as a Pisces moon, and although I didn't know it when I created this mandala, on Saturday the astrological energies of mercury and the Sun merged, creating an auspicious moment that added transmutation to the gifts of this moon.

The creation of the art was intuitive, and yet it reflects the serendipitous message of transmutation. The snake, a symbol of transmutation, symbolized by the golden spiral, sheds its old skin to reveal a new one. When we shed our old skins, and welcome new ways of being into our consciousness, we are able to harvest gifts that we had previously been unable to receive.

We refrain from fully expressing the beauty of what we have to offer the world because we are afraid. Afraid of of being hurt; Afraid of being rejected; Afraid of not being good enough; Afraid of being judged by others. We refrain from fully expressing ourselves because we have allowed our vulnerabilities to become more significant than our strengths. Pisces, represented by the fish, reminds us that balancing the ability to be vulnerable enough to share ourselves with others, while at the same time, setting healthy boundaries, allows us to swim deeper into the bounty of life.

Staying centered in the expansive protection of spirit, represented by the central motif of the cluster of seven dodecahedron's, allows us to remain in the flow of life. With spirit as our guide, we can release ownership of trying to control our lives and of being directed by the complex navigation whispered to us by our egos. We harvest love when we give love and when we allow ourselves to be loved, whether it is given or received in the form of relationships, financial abundance, creative expression or appreciation for our lives and the world in which we live.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Tribute


Last night while driving home, a myriad of fireworks were shooting up into the sky in front of me. They were part of a ceremony that paid tribute to the victims of 9/11. When I walked into the house I looked at the face of the clock. The digital numbers indicated that it was 9:11. Throughout the day I had been thinking about the events of 9/11 and how they had impacted upon everyone in the United States and, also, around the world. These events prompted me to let this mandala create itself through me. I did not reach a stopping point until 4:00am. Today when I looked at it I knew that there was nothing more to add. It's message had been spoken.

To me, there is heaviness about it, as well as hopefulness ...the silver and gold butterfly, representing the spirits of the individuals who passed over as rising upward but, also, hovering over us as guardians. The eye is watchful, but aware. The segmented pieces of the radiating bands indicate how everything has changed since then but, created from the color blue, they indicate the potential for positive creative change: the opening for more of us to talk our talk and walk our walk.

I think that most of us made decisions at that time, regarding what changes we wanted to make in our lives, and set intents that were born of the shock, fear, sense of mortality and/or sense of loss that radiated through us after that day. We banded closer together in support and comfort. We expressed a deeper appreciation for those we love. We re-connected or deepened our associations with spiritual expression. We sought healing: from each other; from a Higher Power; from a release of what was lacking in our lives.

We were all changed forever by this day. Our cells were rearranged. Our energy was shifted. The intents that we made then to make positive changes for ourselves, our families, our communities and for the world should remain as freshly imprinted within our hearts and souls as they were when they initially took form within our minds. The impact of the actions of 9/11 were magnanimous and each of us, in tribute of those who left this planet as a result of that day, have the opportunity to collectively make magnanimous and powerful positive changes. One person can make a difference. The notes of your Soul Song are yearning to be expressed.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

And Love Rushes In



This August I had the honor of participating in a six week mandala healing teleconference with Judith Cornell, based upon her Mandala Healing Kit. During this time I experienced profound shifts of awareness and an increase in my depth of perception of the subtle energies around me. These shifts occurred, largely, because even over the telephone or via an mp3 format, Judith's presence projects with immense radiance and compassion. I highly recommend connecting with her through any form of her workshops or seminars. If this is not possible, her Mandala Healing Kit is a complete course designed for your personal healing and transformation and includes a workbook, stencils, a CD of music and meditations and art supplies. You can read more about Judith Cornell and her Mandala Healing Kit here: http://mandala-universe.com/

The mandala shown above was created during this teleconference. I was focusing upon the intent of sending love and acceptance to every cell of my body throughout the time that I was working on it. The symbols that came to me during the meditation that preceded doing the art were an eight pointed star, a crystal dodecahedron and a waterfall of blue light. I had intended to also place the waterfalls on the right and left sides of the composition. When I viewed this mandala as it is now, I was struck by how it resembled the right and left hemispheres of the brain with the blue "waterfalls" forming the bridge between them and the eight pointed star appearing to be radiating from its center. My intuition told me it was perfect and complete in this format and I followed that guidance.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Homage to Pele



Creating mandalas is a powerful way to see a visual representation of what changes you have recently experienced, what you are presently feeling, or even about to experience. They can be a way to honor a specific occasion, such as a birthday, wedding, or the passing of someone or something significant from your life. The beauty of creating this form of art is that there is no right or wrong way to do it. A mandala can be as abstract or as structured as you feel compelled to construct it. It can be colorful or completely black and white. Each one that you create will be different because you are different every moment that you exist.

I started a mandala the other day while I focused upon the intent of "letting go" and was strongly guided to create it with a predominance of red. At the time I wondered why this was such prevelant urging. I put the mandala aside and then attended the Hawaiian ancestral workshop I discussed in my last post. Yesterday, I began working on the mandala again and immediately recognized the influence of Pele and her ability to assist in the letting go process...burning through your inhibitions to bestow renewed passion for life...assisting you to dance to the rhythms of your Soul Song. You can read more about Pele Here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pele_(mythology) and here: http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/hawaiian-goddess-pele.htm

As I added the colors of red, orange and metallic gold to this mandala, I could feel Pele's warmth around me. The star points are embellished to make them appear to reach outward like flames. Continual movement and renewed energy is indicated by the golden spiral in the center. The presence of spirit is symbolized by the series of eight sacred geometry shapes of the dodecahedron that also somewhat resemble faceted pieces of lava rock. Basalt, or lava rock, has the spiritual healing properties of helping you to feel grounded during times of change and of dissipating anger, transforming it into positive modifications.

flickering in the dark…
stalking
stolen dreams.
relentless
brilliant flames
burning…breathing
steaming
heat.
Pele.
applauding
the return of fire
and thunder…purifying
passions rhythms.
empowering
a new beginning.


- Kate Jobe 9/10/08

Monday, September 8, 2008

Gifts of the Ancestors



This weekend I attended a workshop that focused upon the Hawaiian perception of our ancestors and how we are connected to them. I will give you the link to this, along with information on the facilitator, in a later post. It is a powerful feeling to really grasp the magnanimity of the infinite mass of ancestral wisdom and strength that stands behind us, reaching out toward us in love and sharing their gifts through us. Two months ago, I created the mandala shown above that reflects this connection and also reflects the words of the poem below that I was inspired to write after I came home from the workshop. Ironically, I remembered the mandala after I had written the poem and was struck by how it truly was a pictorial of the words. Synchronicity.

The sun smiles
and the moon beams
throughout infinite
journeys…
cycles of life
shining through the stars
of our bones …
revealing ancestral bridges
paved In love
that applauds us.
holy blessings.
gifts of light.
we are the substance
of our ancestors
and they…
ever after…are us.

Kate Jobe 9/8/2008




Sunday, September 7, 2008

The Body Beautiful


Are you perplexed as to why I would include figurative drawings in a blog that is supposed to be focused upon artful healing? I have always felt that the human body was beautiful. It is a study in perfection. Every part of it has a purpose that works together, when cared for, in harmony with the rest of it. When you view the body as you would a landscape, recreating the map of its curves and slopes, you are viewing its true essence. Creating this series of drawings of nude models was a personal healing experience.

When I began going to the classes, which are held at the Hot Shops in Omaha, NE, I cancelled my enrollment in a meditation class that I loved and had been going to for many years but met on the same night. The weekly Life Drawing classes became a series of mindful meditations for me that was a profound and transforming experience for me. You can check out the Hot Shops, its galleries and artists, the Life Drawing class, and all of its other classes here: http://www.hotshopsartcenter.com/classes/index.html

I became so engrossed in the work I was creating that sometimes, after the model had finished the timed pose, and I had stepped back from whatever I was drawing, I would wonder how I had created it. While drawing, I observed the model with an intuitive vision and saw their bodies in the format of colors and shapes and negative space. When the session stopped I dissolved my connection to the work I was creating and was able to objectively see how the design components had come together. It was exciting to me to view what had been created by me in a short period of time and to consider how rapidly I could do something when I focused my attention upon it so completely. I was not trying to create something of beauty, but was allowing beauty to create itself. Odd as it may sound, it was actually humbling to feel and see this occurring during each session.

Observing the models I was drawing, many of whom did not have perfect bodies by fashion magazine standards, pose with ease and pride in front of a room full of artists, allowed me to re-consider my inhibitions about my own body. Regardless of whatever changes I wanted to make for my body, I could love it and appreciate it in the process. Beauty is what we project outwardly from within us. We are able to view beauty when we make it our intent to see it...and that becomes an artful expression that is healing, both for ourselves, and for those with whom we interact.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Beyond Her Blue Horizon

This is one of my favorite figurative drawings and it was one of the most challenging. When the model changed poses I was presented with some odd angles and difficult foreshortening of the body that definitely made the model's backside stand out more than anything else! I contemplated moving to another location in the room but opted to work with it and exaggerated parts of the body that would emphasize the pose even more. Everything from the waist on down became more rounded and sturdy in appearance. Her facial features are vague, allowing the viewer to focus more upon the representation of the body. The hair flows outward from her...brilliant blue strands that glow ethereally against the black background.

"Beyond her blue horizon"...how does this phrase speak to you? One definition of the word, horizon, found here http://onlinedictionary.datasegment.com/word/celestial+horizon is the limit of a person's range of perception, capabilities, or experience. Blue, which is related to the area of the throat, can represent creativity, walking your walk and talking your talk. It is also the color associated with the conception of new life. Blue, when partnered with the word, horizon, speaks to me of the time period when we are gestating new ideas and preparing to expand our horizons. I also see this work as a representation of the spirit of Mother Earth, the landscape of her body bathed in the light of peaceful serenity; her hair forming a blue horizon that flows into a waterfall tumbling onto the lush green land that surrounds her.

Friday, September 5, 2008

The Brilliance of Change

Both Horse & Whales, the subject matter in my previous post, have been going through evolutions for millions of years. The earliest species of horse, "eohippus", lived about 52 million years ago in the Eocene period. Ancestral species of Equus, our present day horses, are thought to have appeared 630,000 to 320,000 years ago. Eohippus went through many changes in appearance and body structure to become Equus. Prehistoric whale species are believed to have had the capability of walking on land. You can read an in-depth history of the evolution of horse and whale at these links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_the_horse

Above is one of my adaptations of a painted pony that I created as part of a figurative drawing series. In the beginning of the creation of this series, I was using white paper and I was focusing upon a more realistic representation of the model. During the process, I ran out of sheets of white paper and only had colored ones with me. When I put the vividly colored paper on my drawing board, I had the desire to go all out with color and create the drawing in a manner that was somewhat similar to the way that I had painted fabric. When I stepped back from the finished product, I loved the way the colors contrasted and vibrated with each other. Previous figurative drawings, executed many years before this series, had been more precise and traditional: charcoal, conte crayon and pencils on paper. Through the years, my training and experience doing soul healing work, had adapted my vision to allow me to open up to another level of seeing a way to create.

Change is necessary and can be exciting. The art you create... and the life you create... will change as you evolve spiritually, emotionally and mentally. Just as Eohippus adapted to the environment of its ancestral time frame and evolved to its present day characteristics of Equus, creative inspiration and the techniques you use to create them will evolve and become more refined over the years. Being rigid in your perception of the way you should do things may inhibit an incredible work of art from being birthed from your consciousness. Be true to who you are in your expressiveness but stay open to allowing your intuition to guide you to adapt when you are feeling the urge to do so.

You can always revert to your tried and true way of doing things, but you may discover that the insistent whisper suggesting that you change or a series of "mistakes" that happen that force you to change, may be an executions of brilliance that will give more meaning to your life or bring more depth and excitement to your work.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Horses & Whales



My most recent art endeavor is one that combines several mediums and is an entry in Music & Masterpieces, an art event presented by The Omaha Symphony Guild and hosted by Rockbrook Village in Omaha, Nebraska. More information on this event can be viewed here: http://www.musicandmasterpieces.com/ My entry, a hand crafted 5' wide x 5' high wooden room screen with handpainted silk panels, entitled, "Going Home", was inspired by Dvorak’s 2nd Movement, Largo, from his New World Symphony, also known as “Going Home”. You can listen to this beautiful music here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fryuQVAuASs . The New World that Dvorak was referring to when he composed this music was actually that of the America's during the time of Hiawatha. To me, the music speaks of the timeless new world that continues to unveil itself to us: The massive untapped new world of the universe.

To create this as visual art I was drawn to the inspiration I have received from another piece of music. Since January of this year, I have been mesmerized by the music from the sound track of “Whale Rider”, composed by Lisa Gerrard . Each time I listen to it, I am not only visited by dreams of majestic whales, leading me to knowledge of changes that I need to make in my life, but also of horses. These horses run on land, as well as swim in water, taking me to the very depths of the ocean floor. The content of the dreams they have brought to me are both ethereal and powerful. You can listen to the opening music of this sound track here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rTQm2vvhuM

From time to time, I will be writing more about the symbolism of whales and horses and how they have created an impact upon my life. If you are in the Omaha area between now and September 18, stop in at Heller Art Images in Rockbrook Village to see this room screen, as well as all of the other fabulous pieces of art that are on display at the gallery.






Tuesday, September 2, 2008

What is Artful Healing?

Within this blog I will display examples of my art and poetry and share with you the process of inspiration that occurred during their creative process. I will sometimes discuss symbolic meanings of some of their design components. From time to time, I will include comments about artistic techniques, reviews of resource materials that might assist you in your own inspirational process, interviews with people whose presence has assisted me in my own artful healing process and announcements regarding offerings of classes and services that might benefit you.

With that being said...what is your perception...is art just visual..an object of beauty..or can it truly heal? Any artistic image that you display in your personal space has an energy that either elevates your energy in a positive way or creates a negative or displeasing emotion within you. This reaction occurs not only by your response to the subject matter of the item, but also by the combination of the colors and symbols used in it. Everything that forms its composition also creates its overall energy that will. in turn, impact upon your overall energy.

Our brains, like the memory chips in computers, store massive amounts of information related to the symbolism of everything. Each of has, at some time, no doubt said the phrase, "I don't know why, but that touched me very deeply." We truly may not be consciously aware of why we respond to something, but our brains do and they transmit this information to all the cells of our bodies.

Art that is healing creates a sense of awareness regarding yourself. It may create a more expanded awareness of the world around you, or a recognition of a palpable shift in your energy or in one of your belief systems. It may, in some way, validate the truth of who you are on a very deep level. The shift may be perceived by you as subtle or profound. The shift may occur in an unexplainable manner that becomes noticeable after having viewed a particular piece of art many times over a span of several weeks or months.