The Art of Communication

"Peace & Love"
Digital Mandala by Kate Jobe 9/12

I posted this mandala several weeks ago on my facebook fan page, Zephyr Artful Healing, but liked it so much that I am posting it here again.  Its triad of symbols hold the images of many different images that speak to people in different ways. 

 

While creating it, I saw angels appearing in the motifs and then focused upon enhancing that quality.  Viewed from the opposite direction, I saw the angels as doves with wings outstretched.  Other people see the same motif as owls.  When this was pointed out to me, I then also saw them as the head of a fox.   Each of these has a different symbolic meaning.  The symbolism that is dominant in your vision communicates to you a message you are seeking...or needing.  When we communicate words to others, however, it is important that our words are received with clarity. 

 

If we are not clear in the way that we communicate, including being aware of the body language, facial expressions and the tone of our voice, our words and the intent of why we are saying them can me misinterpreted.  Even a word as basic as love can mean different things to different people.  The experiences and "teachers" in our lives have assisted in building the architecture that is the foundation for our comprehension of vocabulary.  Not all of our lives are built upon the same foundation. Even close friends and family members can misinterpret our words when they are experiencing sadness, disappointment or pain in their lives. 

 

Today, as much as you are capable, practice the art of compassionate communication.  Be open to the awareness of how you speak and project your words and of how they are being received.

Seeing the Sacred

"Seeing the Sacred"
Digital Mandala created by Kate Jobe 10/4/12
Source Photo by Warren Nistad

I posted an image of this digital mandala this morning on my facebook fan page, Zephyr Artful Healing and then decided to re-post it here with additional commentary.  The original photograph, taken by Warren Nistad, and the digital image that evolved from it generated thoughts for me on many levels.

Among these thoughts, and in the forefront, is the gratitude I feel for warren's generosity in allowing me to access his photographs for source images to create my form of art.  He captures a facet of the universe and I continue with this process, seeking a small facet of it that I can expand upon and honor; seeking what I perceive as a symbolic essence that lives within the plant/flower/leaf he has photographed. 

The irony, and beauty of this, is that Warren and I have never met each other in person, but we share a mutual focus upon Universal Healing.  I have had the privilege of working with his photographs to create art for about two years now.  During this time, I have observed his compositions evolving and changing, just as my digital mandalas have evolved and changed in their own way. The one thing I find as a constant with Warren's visual interpretation of nature is that he has the capability to capture sacredness and to convey the love and respect he has for the world around him. 

Thank you, Warren, for collaborating with me to share artful healing.  It is an honor and a privilege.

The Power of Silence

"Lighting the Path"
Digital Mandala by Kate Jobe 10/3/12
Source Photo by Warren Nistad

I am amazed that i have not posted an entry on this blog for two and a half months. Time moves rapidly and it feels like so much less time has passed...and in such a relatively short time, I feel that massive shifts have occurred in my life...things I cannot outline or define...nor would it honor them to do so...but things I can feel and perceive and some...some shifts are tangible and palpable.  They can't be touched...or measured...but their presence is perceived as a radiance I can sense. Cherish the moments that exist with undefinable beauty and joy. Cherish the moments that cannot be defined as words but exist as exquisite energy that surrounds you and permeates your cells.  Cherish them.  Smile and breath them deeply into the molecules of your existence. Sometimes words are not necessary.

 

 



Putting Out Fires

" The Dragon's Breath"
Digital Mandala by Kate Jobe

Artfulness extends into everything in life...regardless of your profession.  All things can be approached from an artful perspective.  Art is a dominant factor in my life.  I am also a conflict mediator. Mediating conflict can be challenging, but is also intriguing when the participants begin to see beyond the limitations of their behaviors and open to change.  I compare this pivotal moment to the moment when the web that has created the drama of their enmeshment begins to unravel. 

 

More often than not, the obvious ramifications of the statements they are making have become obscure to them.  The actions of others involved within the conflict are perceived as personal affronts toward each other and, in adapting this perception, they are blind to the root cause of the other's behaviors.  When you are blind and deaf to the truth, fear...evolving into inflamed anger... becomes dominant.

 

To put out these fires and reach the point where new growth can begin, I focus upon teaching them communication skills.  Trust and love are often held prisoners by specters of the past.  Many times, I incorporate associative art techniques to assist in the removal of the veiled webs that have encased them.  These same techniques can unleash and tame memories frozen in time that have now morphed into massive and intolerable beasts that gnash at the dynamics of their lives. 

 

We talk.  We create.  Walls begin to crumble.  Tears may flow.  Webs woven from pain unravel.  Seeds of love and trust take root.  New growth begins.

Emergence (Part 4 of 4)

"Tatanka's Realm"
Digital Mandala by Kate Jobe  7/2012

Mid-June of this year was the scheduled time of my first Trauma Informed Care co-facilitation, which was several hours from home. Shortly after getting my car's oil changed and other general maintenance work done in preparation for the drive, I had a nagging feeling that something wasn't right with the car.  I had another mechanic double check it.  He gave my car a positive diagnosis for my road trip.  Thirty miles out of town, en route to my destination, the car broke down near an exit ramp in a rural area. 

The next two hours I sat at a table located in the corner of a convenience store that was about a half mile away and made numerous car and work related calls.  I then looked for something else to do until the tow truck came.   The store was lacking in stimulating reading material, but it did have popcorn and I could watch the sun beginning to set from the window near the table.  I had one of the decks of cards with me that I use to do intuitive card readings and did a small reading for myself to ask what I needed to know about the outcome of the day.  All of the cards were auspicious and fortuitous. It seemed to relate to more than the car, but then in life, most events relate to more than what seems obvious.   

After considering all my options, purchasing another car was the most sensible financial choice.   A friend referred me to a car dealer who suggested that rather than buying a used car, as I have always done, I purchase a 2012 model. I was somewhat hesitant that the payment might not work with my expenses. He detailed its qualities and benefits which were impressive and then said it was a no brainer.  I wondered if I should believe him. "No Brainer," along with "It's Not Rocket Science," are two of my least favorite statements. He was right. The car was a good choice and although I was being cautious, I was also being resistant.

During the test drive I changed my mind about Teddy Graybill, the salesman.  I have never really felt at ease with driving vehicles with which I am not familiar.  That evening proved to be no exception.  Within a couple of minutes I drove through a stop sign and almost drove through a red light. He didn't flinch and told me that in Costa Rica taxi drivers often speed through stop signs and consider them a "Mere Suggestion."  I wondered if perhaps I had been a Costa Rican cab driver in a past life, of if this should be my next career.  "I've got your back, Kate," he said.  I decided I could forgive the rocket science comment. Somebody needed to have my back, and his too, if he was brave enough to ride with me that evening. 

I now own the car, a a snow white Kia Forte which I love.  Driving it makes me feel happy and prosperous. Opening to this shift in thinking has given me the impetus to jump start the professional goals that I am seeking to achieve. The payment is reasonable, my auto insurance went down, my fuel expenses have decreased considerably, I have a ten year warranty and three years of free oil changes.  Throughout the process of purchasing the car, Teddy Graybill responded as a supportive friend and for that I am appreciative.   He and Lake Manawa Kia are among my gratitudes for this month.

Previous cars that I have owned have been named "Little Latin Lapis Lupe Lu"(an inexpensive little blue car that had to have a lively name for me to appreciate it); ''Beverly Hornet' (It screeched like a bad opera singer); "Xena Warrior Princess Jobe" (she was tough and reliable, regardless of what happened to her); "Stella" (bright red and sassy) and "Raziel"(named after a powerful Archangel that provided protection and wisdom).  Naming this car "Snow White" would have been, as they say, a no brainer, but the name doesn't have substance and I did not want to manifest having to cook and clean house for seven men, regardless of their height.  "Tatanka' is the name I have given to my snow white Kia.  Tatanka is the Native American word for buffalo.  Buffalo is symbolic of manifesting abundance through right action and White Buffalo is sacred.