Liminal Spaces

Liminal Spaces

From the stars, on a mountain, with the bears, my beads…and paint.

Liminal spaces.
The word space to me implies a spot, a location, a place. I’m reminded of the work Janet Conner and I have been doing with the labyrinth. If there is an actual liminal space, the center of the labyrinth is the perfect example.
Before we walk the labyrinth we draw our labyrinth. The magic begins with a seed pattern, simple angles and dots. We create our labyrinth with our “other” non-dominant hand and in the creation, the angles become circles. We’ve taken our square, organized, linear gotta-know seed pattern and turned it into a maze of circles.
When I walk the labyrinth I usually have a purpose. Am I looking for an answer?, usually. Am I wanting to meet an ally?, probably. That labyrinth walk can feel a bit lonely at times, so I call in my dead. Who will join me today? Anyone want to put on your shoes and walk with me? Will you hold my hand please? Someone always show up. Sometimes I have no purpose and walk the labyrinth with eyes of mystery, I call them my gypsy eyes, just wondering, what will be revealed, is there a message for me.
While walking toward the center things quiet. I remember I am breathing. The to-do list is put on the back-burner. Being in my imaginal realm I consider my footsteps. Am I walking upon yellow leaves, or sand? The concentric circles of the path get larger and smaller. Where am I? I have no idea, but I do know I’m not alone. She is with me. Creatures are with me. I can smell the moss that’s with me. Inevitably there’s a cat with me.
Once I arrive at the center I realize there are walls of earth and stone, seeds, water and usually a special raven. I’m not afraid, I’ve been here before. Any way I turn I’m surrounded, held, and safe. Then I look up. Up there is wide open deep indigo sky and millions of sparkling stars. Possibility. Mystery. So much time. No time. Every time. All time at once.
I am suspended like a tiny seed in this round space. It’s a very feminine spot. My instincts tell me this must be Her womb. The gestation chamber of the earth. Everything starts and stops right here. Everyone is born here and this is where we go when we die. The portal to e v e r y t h i n g.
The first time I met the labyrinth I was in a tomb in a dream in Sardinia. Womb to tomb. Womb to tomb.
Waiting, I look around. In reality, I am alone, and I am also surrounded by my ancestors and descendants, the plants that have fed me, the creatures who allowed me to look into their eyes, the rocks I carried down the path, the water that sustains me. My mind wanders until it is still. I drink in this stillness. Can I be filled with nothing? I want to bring enough stillness from this place with me so I can remember. I know after I emerge from the labyrinth, busy-ness reigns, but this still circular space that started as a square will care for me. This is how I care for myself. I remember.
It is time to retrace my steps and walk back out. I’m not sad to leave. I’m full, satisfied, and ready. And I know I will be back.

Take a nap…

Take a nap…

From the stars, on a mountain, with the bears, my beads…and paint.

If you’re feeling like taking a nap every 20 minutes, you’re not alone. Go easy. Looking out into the world is hard right now. If/when it feels overwhelming, do something that makes you feel ok, or at least neutral. Honestly, (shhhh, not proud of this) cleaning helps me. I pray. Don’t forget you can pray to the bears in the woods or the plants in your garden or a dead you admire. Settle in and let it come to you what your heart really wants and ask. Just ask for it. We will get thru this. Or we won’t. But we will be together. Sending you all my love.

No mud, no lotus…

No mud, no lotus…

From the stars, on a mountain, with the bears, my beads…and paint.

Hello beloveds! How is mid November treating you? I’m ok and the world is burning. Art is being made in spite of it all. Art helps me to feel alive and well and I hope it adds a teeny bit of beauty though mostly it seems pointless. And important. I created this mandala to support our teachings in Janet Conner’s The Lotus and The Lily prayer intensive happening now. You can still sign up. We survey this past year and prep the fertile soil for our upcoming 2024. I want to plant a few flower seeds (metaphorically speaking). It’s about allowing, making conditions right for something good and meaningful to pop up. If you are ever interested in a print of my art head to my shoppe, right here on this site. You’ll find it all there. And stickers, oh how I love stickers. I know, like a 6 year old.
 

Peace, love, profound ideas?

Peace, love, profound ideas?

From the stars, on a mountain, with the bears, my beads…and paint.

Peace, love and profound ideas. Well, maybe just peace and love. These times, these troubled times are so damn hard. I feel often utterly heart-broken. I’m learning to carry that broken heart like I would a baby bird. Breathing life into it, hopeful, a bit reluctant to think too much about the future. My stand is that I want a cease-fire. I don’t want anyone to die, not in the name of peace or revenge or land or ideology. My prayers soothe me. My art soothes me. What are you doing to care for yourself?

The Lotus and The Lily

The Lotus and The Lily

From the stars, on a mountain, with the bears, my beads…and paint.

What I’m up to is Janet Conner’s famous and delicious The Lotus and The Lily prayer intensive. She’s been doing this for 13 years. This will only be my third and it begins on November 14th so you still have time to sign up at the link above. You can read about it on her landing page (again, the link above). It is a completely different way to think about time, to think about terrible new year’s resolutions, to think about and ditch your intentions. This is about creating the environment, the fertile soil that supports your purpose, your joy. YOU don’t decide what’s coming next, She does, Spirit does. We look back thru each month of 2023, listening for the message/song of each month. We do all this together, in community, with friends old and new. Using the magical labyrinth we then listen to our clues, create a chant for the coming year, plant our seeds for a joy filled life in 2024. You will NOT be sorry if you join. Promise.

And, I created the update for her logo! The painting started with Janet’s classic butterfly in combination with the labyrinth. The last gathering is to celebrate the mandalas we each create for the coming year. Mine sit next to my keyboard, constant reminders of the delicious in my life. When we create these mandalas we don’t know exactly what every single thing means. But everything is revealed thru the next year. Here’s one of my mandalas. Everyone’s are different and no art experience is needed. Consider joining us:)