Quote for a Monday

When the world seems to be falling apart, the rule is to hang on to your own bliss. It is that life that survives.

~Joseph Campbell, in Reflections on the Art of Living

And so, here is a pic of one of my blisses: this is “Autumn Leaves” a grey baby girl, born on October 18, 2009. I was there, just hours after she was born at Calypso Farm in Lockport, IL, where alpacas and llamas are bred and frolic in the grassy fields there.  Quite magickal animals…in my book …

The Myss Mystic : truth and inspiration.

Tuesday night, i went to see Caroline Myss on the opening leg of her book tour for Defying Gravity:
“https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401922902?tag=bluettproduk-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1401922902&adid=0E5PKN5KX9FVKN2NPY49&”

Her short lecture, made sense of so many things about our world today, it was almost like receiving a shot of “enlightenment”, truly. Her book, is of course, on the list for my next Borders trip, and I hope to write a review and perhaps more about that here.

A few excerpts, direct from Caroline’s lecture are thus:

“Logic keeps the soul at a distance.”

“All changes becomes instant; all change becomes profound. Reason, cannot GRASP the psychic intensity of this. ” (here she was talking about the timelessness of the world we are now living in)

“Time is out of the equation.”

“A reasonable life is driven by unreasonable fear that controls you constantly.”

“Releasing the soul becomes the most reasonable thing to do because you become liberated; your heart and your head are lined up.”

“Healing comes from the congruence of the soul.”

“Disdain for the ordinary is what makes us seek the extraordinary.”

“A crisis in your life is a call to be(come) a mystic.”

“Crisis, shatters our reason.”

“The unreasonable self is the mystical self.”

“In every single every-ness, we are either giving love or taking it away.”

And, thanks to the timelessness of the world we are living in now, you can witness this mystic “live” via Youtube. She has various presentations there on this “Defy Gravity” subject. As the presenter who introduces her at the Omega conference said, if you are not familiar with her, or seen her before, put a seatbelt on, “buckle up”. She is a strong personality and very passionate….some don’t know how to handle this. But, I dare you to take it through all the way to the 11th youtube segment. Just sit, and listen. And then do it again. You can’t absorb her in one take.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlnSHNyn7qQ&feature=related

It all makes sense now, doesn’t it?
The world is in a state of spiritual crisis, but this topic does not come out in everyday conversation…because too many are afraid, to admit it, to talk about it, to even poke it with a stick. This is not about religion, or faith, or what sort of God you believe in or don’t. This is about our SPIRITS.

My personal enlightenment from this lecture: my walks at Pleasure Lake, were in fact, mystical… (I called them magickal). I know what it feels like to be connected to the beauty of the everything on an intimate, intimate level. Do you?

Broadsided! Opening tonight….

Well, it is rainy and cold here tonight in Chicago, but I am happy, because tonight is the opening of Broadsided, where one of my indigo prints is making an appearance. Alas, I cannot be there in person, as it is in Portland, Oregon, and not around the block, so to speak. But I am definitely there in spirit! All of the broadsides in the show can be seen in the catalog here: http://www.23sandy.com/

In one of the photos of the gallery, you can even see my broadside hanging on the wall! (not too hard, as the background is entirely blue)

This looks like a great little gallery and I will visit it when I get to Portland someday…

Recent Work

These images are of a custom journal I was commissioned to do, for a friend’s daughter.
It is a 7″ x 9″ leather bound book with an archival longstitch binding (this means there is one thread that holds together the entire thing. You could throw this against a wall and it would still be intact, perhaps with a few bent pages, if the strap came undone.) The paper inside is Mohawk superfine, a lovely archival paper, with endsheets of handmade paper dyed with rust. The interior pages were detailed with the markings of an ethereal dragonfly who fluttered about and randomly touched down on certain pages, but did not stay for long in any one place. (the dragonfly is a favorite insect of the client). The back cover contains a small envelope with one of her favorite poems, with a bit of room for a few more to be tucked in.

The first page also has an excerpt from another of her favorite poems, and an image of a dragonfly from my photography collection:

“Then listen close to me
Anything can happen, child
Anything can be…”

It is difficult
to get the news from poems
yet men die miserably every day
for lack
of what is found there.

~ William Carlos Williams

Broadsided!

One of my broadsides from the Blue Gold series will be appearing in this show, the one entitled “One Thing”:

“Know that the union of thought and feeling is a stone you can carry anywhere, for this intelligence of the heart is everywhere just One Thing.”

More about the gallery here: http://www.23sandy.com/

Audrey N. and “Her Fearful Symmetry”

This is a snippet about Audrey Niffenenger’s forthcoming book, “Her Fearful Symmetry.” Had to post it here, as she shares how she came up with the title. HINT: see this first: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blake.

William Blake was an extraordinary British poet, painter, and printmaker. One of my first graduate school papers was about this man; his “mystic-ness” and mystery, of course, were the draw for me. And his paintings , prints, poems, are worth pondering, and oh, so beautiful.

So, without further ado, here’s Audrey:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Her-Fearful-Symmetry/68080996784?ref=ts#/pages/Her-Fearful-Symmetry/68080996784?v=app_2392950137&viewas=1032197745&ref=ts

kudos for clunkers

An interesting perspective on the “cash for clunkers” program.

http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/2009/08/who-are-you-calling-clunker/?utm_source=081909-Who-Are-You-Calling-Clunker&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Hvoice

I tend to agree with Mr Ball. I  get a certain satisfaction from seeing how long something I own will last, which for me , is a testament to how well it is made. I still wear a pair of Merrell shoes (www.merrell.com) that I bought on sale at Nordstrom’s, at least 7 years ago. They are orange, and they are not coming apart yet. The insides of the shoes are a little bit less soft, the outside nap is a little beat up , as I wear these on the trail in the winter or crappy weather. And in terms of cars, yes,  I am in the 100,000 mile club, and looking forward to seeing if i will get into the 2oo,ooo mile club. http://footbridge.net/toyota/200.htm. Even if I decide to buy a different car before my 200,000 denomination, I will still buy used. And most likely, a Toyota. I love my black beauty – she has a few dings on her, a teeny bit of rust, and a few other signs of wear and tear, but I don’t stop loving something or caring for it just because it gets old. That’s the problem I see that too many people these days have : oh I have an old car; well chuck it. I have an old animal , and now it does some things that aren’t so lovely b/c its old: anyone want a  cat that is old but very lovable? Oh, i have an aging parent, and they are just too old to be on their own. Time to throw them in the old people’s home, where they won’t be happier, and the type of care they will be getting is very questionable while at the same time very expensive.

The last lines of this essay, I couldn’t agree with more:

“Finally, it is a bad lesson to our youth to focus obsessively on the shiny and new. “All that glitters is not chrome”, to paraphrase the old saying. Let’s keep cars around for a while. Either kids learn the virtues of care, patience and commitment or they suffer an adulthood of persistent restlessness and a vague but endless yearning for the next hot thing.”

And I will add to that, years down the line, they will be the ones who will be having to deal with the mass detritus of overconsumption; in fact, we already have this problem. The upside to the economic situation is perhaps just this – a slowing down of the garbage piles of things that don’t disintegrate, aka the plastic everythings that surround us now.

Making Bold Lemonade

As someone who has worked in this industry and seen its highs and its lows (very low now)…this is worth sharing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJltcT7DH7g&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Flemonademovie.com%2F&feature=player_embedded

It will be the mass production of creativity that will repair the current state of affairs in our nation and economy. So, go forth, be daring and make some bold strokes on your new canvas.

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME!

CLICK on the BADGE here.

Here you are voting for a book I recently published via http://www.blurb.com. If I win, I get to go to http://www.theworkshops.com/ and expand on my photography skills. Sales from this book will also contribute to this art form, as I am in desire of  this : http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50D-Digital-18-200mm-Standard/dp/B001ET6QFO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1248544974&sr=8-3. As majority of the cost of this book as listed on the blurb site go to production costs, not me, sales of about 300 or so books are what is necessary for this to come to fruition.

This book is a small little thing, a 7 x 7 tome with some big ideas. It’s a very personal photo narrative of the place, Pleasure Lake in Palos Hills, that saved my body and spirit this past winter. My intent with this project is to spread the magick, in such a time that we are living where this is so needed and useful. Once you have this book in your hands, the magick will begin to rub off and into your life – (only) providing you are open to letting it in. This book is designed so that you can also use it as a personal journal, if that works for you.

I must here thank one of my blog readers, (Mayah)  who wrote to me saying “…you see magic where people like me only see water vapor. I’m 36 and already cynical and brash and without much magic. I like reading your blog because you still see that world of mystery and magic…”

This is the preface and part of the driving force behind this book.

Thanks in advance for your votes.

(and thanks to ms peppermint patti, julie of http://www.hotcoffeecoaching.com/, all those who made Pleasure Lake a reality, and all those who are my constant cheerleaders. )

More Magick

Today was a day I had to make myself get out on the trail. It truly was for my own personal sanity, as today I learned that a dear, although not frequently seen,  colleague of mine crossed over to the other side yesterday (Dale Kolenic, Ohio). We shared a lot of laughs at the Holiday Inn Willowbrook over the years. He was 55, and I don’t know the details of what happened, all I know is he had some gut issues. I have been terribly sad all day, and felt recapitulated into a new “winter”. So, back on the trail I must go.

Fairly soon, on the back trail, she appeared; “Magick”, that is, the lovely deer who I have been photographing regularly. I decided today I must name her Magick. And today there was an extra special treat – one of her babies, a lovely chocolate brown spotted fawn who fit perfectly underneath Magick’s body. They both watched me as I took quickly took photos. Deer supposedly are as curious about us as we are about them, and I know from experience, not afraid to get too close. But our meeting was brief, as usual, and Magick and the baby gently disappeared into the brush. I had to wonder, was this a sign, to remind me of the universal law that death gives life? So as I grieve, yet again, can I smile at new life? Today, the answer was yes. Even if it was just for a brief moment.

Picture will be forthcoming, as it was shot on film. And due to my state of mind and trying to fend off mosquitoes, I have no idea if it will be focused. But hopefully I was able to capture Magick, and her new baby (who I now must also think of a name for).

Rest in peace, Dearest Dale, I will miss you. (pictured here wearing part of my handmade halloween costume made from paper and felt,  from a few years ago: a paper shawl, dyed with iron oxide)

groan-dag…

is my new current moniker for Mondays, which have never been a favorite day. Given that, I went to Borders to get a mocha and some inspiration. Chanced upon these cards:

www.redbackcards.com

This looks like fun for a groan-dag. I will add, almost every one in their collection produced a smile, not an easy thing to do for me on a Monday.

More inspiration for today:

“Learn not to be careful.”       ~Diane Arbus

Well said, Ms Arbus, and good words for today’s world where so many are tiptoeing around in their unglorious boxes, contributing to yet more white bread and more solutions that don’t work, and let’s face it, more unhappiness.

Those who know me well know that the words “be careful”  or “take care” (as if anyone isn’t anyway, whether you are driving on an icy road or mountain climbing), are pretty much banned and considered to be non -functional phrases .

A Naked Book

“The world is a big naked book…”

from “The Browser’s Ecstasy, a Meditation on Reading”:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582432457?ie=UTF8&tag=bluettproduk-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1582432457

True statement.

have you hugged a monk today?

i have.

This is me with Geshe Lobzang. He is akin to bishop stature in the Catholic tradition.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3518792&id=515065238&ref=nf

me and a monk

what energy.

what presence.

what joy.

The palms of my hands vibrated throughout the puja ceremony, despite the fact that there were some who were unceremoniously taking pictures of the monks while they prayed.

these monks had a great sense of humor.

I think  I was tibetan in a former life.

Which would explain my particular affinity for the culture of Tibet.

Tashi Delag!

Sunflowers for Independence Day

A very thoughtful post from Heronswood Nursery, about sunflowers and linking it to Independence Day:

http://www.heronswoodvoice.com/2009/07/salute-the-sunflower/?utm_source=070309-SaluteTheSunflower&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Hvoice

“And, oh, the sunflower’s large and happy face! Is this not the face of the American people? Bright, cheerful and full of wonder? See how it stands sturdy and tall, its flowering head a beacon of sunshine. Regard this radiant floral friend, aglow with American warmth and happiness.

Ladies and Gentleman, on this day of national celebration, let us all salute the sunflower, the Great American Flower. Let us give praise to this native species that gives us so much beauty, happiness and practical benefit. This land is your land. This flower is your flower.”   ~George Ball

July 4th has a special significance for me now, as it was the day my mother died, 4 years ago. She so loved this holiday. And as it turns out, she came to love the sunflowers I was growing in the yard, that were visible from her window as she was becoming more confined and ill. She watched them, day by day, as they grew, and as they kept their happy faces to the sun. She was sad with me when a wild storm blew through and severed the large sunflower stalk that was growing closest to her window. At her funeral, a friend sent a lovely floral arrangement with a big fat sunflower head in it.  I almost fell over – coincidence? My friend did not direct the florist who made that arrangment.

This year, I decided to take a break from growing sunflowers, as my one bed is fuller than last year, and I don’t quite know where to put them. But, after reading this essay about the joyous sunflower, how can I now refrain ? How can I let myself NOT be a food source to the birds and squirrels who the seeds will feed in the fall? How can I let the memory of my mother live on in a beauty way?

Into the garden I go, right now, hoping they will still grow with this cooler weather and with this late planting.

the Gorgeous Gangstas

On my May 15 post, (“news from Pleasure Lake”), I wrote about the 3 young’uns I met on the trail, so full of life, yet so , umm….misguided, sad, unheard, skeptical. Well, I promised them that I would post their pic on this blog. Here it is, finally. When I shot this photo, one of them threw out a title of “the gangstas.” I don’t really think they are gangsters, but i decided to use that moniker, but with a more flattering adjective preceding it. Yes, they are gorgeous – in many ways. Too bad they don’t know it yet.

Incidentally, I never did hear from them again, nor have I seen them on the trail.

Vitality

Words worth pondering from Martha Graham:

There is vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and (will) be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is; nor how valuable it is; nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours, clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps up marching and makes us more alive than the others.
–Martha Graham to Agnes DeMille

obscene drugs

Worth posting and sharing:

http://blogs.healthfreedomalliance.org/blog/2009/06/11/obscene-drug-mark-ups/

my silent friend

These always stop me, literally,  in my tracks. She/he was happily munching on some leaves, right on the back trail, and watched  Rocky and I, as we stood watching her eating. Deer are nothing unusual, really, they are everywhere out here. But I have a fondness for them; somehow they seem like magical creatures to me, something akin to a unicorn. Therefore, I am always happy when they surprise me and suddenly appear from nowhere, and let me be with them for a few minutes.

scented sadness

First off, today I am in a bit of a joy state…or even bliss, perhaps. The scented white peonies have finally popped, and  now  3 vases are filled with them in the house. It’s all I can do  to not glue one of these glories underneath my nose to have a continuous feed of the scent. This is a short lived joy; the peonies, at most, will last a week in the vases, and there is no way to capture the scent, even by pressing the petals. Then, it will be back to this , which i wrote just about one year ago:

The white peony petals

lie in a heap.

They have fallen off their centers.

A mass letting go-

like a sudden downpour

of unexpected rain,

or tears.

What to do with these petals?

I still see beauty in these

fallen, dismembered flowers.

What to do with these petals

that to some look like refuse?

Do I make a bed of these petals

and lie upon it,

to see how long

their cool, silky touch

will last?

Do I scatter them to my garden

letting these white delicacies

feed it?

Do I press them,

so I can hold onto to this beauty,

this scent that i love to bury my nose in?

The same dilemma, every year.

In the end, it’s always a letting go.

The following spring

i study their round heads,

waiting to embrace their pleasure
all over again.

The joy of the peonies, however, cannot dissipate my sadness over the second kildeer’s nest near Pleasure Lake, which has been obliterated by the tractor mower.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story. I have to go sniff my peonies now so I can stay in the joy state for the evening.

news from Pleasure Lake

I am happy to report another unexpected happening at Pleasure Lake this evening. This trail has been a backbone  and somewhat of a lifesaver for me over the past several months due to its proximity and the fact that I don’t need to get in a car to get to the trail. Despite this, sometimes I still get lazy and don’t get my butt out there. But tonite, even though I felt uber tired due to some sleep disturbances in the past week or so, I said, Yes, I will get my ars out there. It was a gorgeous day, which of course helped with the motivation. Spring is really starting to feel solid now.

Since I have been walking on this trail, it has in fact lived up to its name, “Pleasure Lake.” I have had many close encounters with wild life, which do in fact bring me enormous pleasure. And even on the quiet days, when the animals don’t show their faces, the trail still provides some solace.

So, today, there was a new encounter, this time with humans, young ones. So far this spring, I have been pleased to be witness to new young life in the animal world (the herd of deer for example at PL), and now I just may be witness to new young life emerging in the human world (or not, this remains to be seen). On the small bridge that was recently built over a section on the trail that would consistently get flooded, sat 3 young people, 2 men and a woman. As I walked past , one called to me and said hello, and then asked about Rocky. A conversation quickly ensued, as these young people had a lot to say and share and did so very freely. This was my first surprise. They asked if I would take their picture– that was an easy yes. They requested that I title it “the gangsta group”, or something to that effect (brain has been a little fuzzy this week). I had my film camera with me, so this picture will be posted in a few days, as that roll still needs to be finished. So the conversation spread and spread like the ripples ensuing from a stone thrown in water. I suggested we walk and talk instead of sit and talk, which we did. And I learned more about these young ones, so full of potential, even though they are not so sure that the potential is there for them. 2 of them are looking for jobs. The girl is employed right now as a waitress, but is in cosmetology school , however, for her that is just a means to an end, and she openly admitted her heart isn’t really there. One or more of them smokes and has had some altercations in the past with authority.  One of the boys is convinced he will have a short life, he said he “feels this”. This was a very interesting comment to me, since I am in a grief cycle after the loss of my (young) brother-in-law. The great thing about this  whole encounter is the energy that is present at that age:  they are questioning life, meaning, and their current situations. As am I.

One of the boys made a statement about “starting a fire”. He didn’t mean this literally, he was referring to starting a fire in his life, under his ars, so to speak, to get some things moving. I asked if they wanted to start a group — a “start the fire” group. They were all 100% for it, another surprise. I asked who will be the leader; I was nominated. So, that is the intent in the moment, after they give some thought as to what they would like from these group meetings, and after we sort out some logistics. The ball is in their court, and said they would be in touch.

Ideas were overflowing in my head about what I could possibly share with these potentials. Of course, the first business at hand in the first meetup will be the explanation and the use of a talking stick!

Near the end of our discussion, the beaver flipped up (i am going to have to name it , i think, soon)  out of the little stream bed nearby. A definite sign, a sign from Spirit (since the beaver is my totem), that something is happening here. Even if nothing goes further with this, i appreciate this random encounter. I know now, after Patrick’s death, anything that happens in our day can have meaning. Even if I never see these young’uns again, I have learned from them, and I hope the same happened for them.

In any case, this happenstance gave me a good reason to get back on the blog, and THAT, is a wonderful thing: it’s called pleasure,  and it’s spelled with a capital P.

addendum to the swine media connection

Here is something worth reading, this is excerpted from http://comm334w.wordpress.depauw.edu/2009/05/

“Jon Stewart’s segment, “The Last 100 days,” is a perfect example of Stewart’s brilliance and why we need his show, cynicism and all. He begins by explaining how our world seems to crumbling with the economic crisis, the war, and now the swine flu, therefore instead of celebrating Obama’s First 100 days, we should be preparing for the last 100 (YES, I know this is really cynical). He even jokes, “we elected Obama, the Christian Muslim, what else does he want from us (he gestures towards the sky)?” Stewart discusses how the outbreak started in Mexico City, ranking it “last on the things that can kill you in Mexico” with the first being, “bullet flu” – another “airborne virus.” His point is that with less than 200 deaths, this is relatively minor to gun violence, the drug cartels, and other wars going on in Mexico. Furthermore, he points out that the media is blowing this out of proportion; with only a few cases in a few states there is no reason to have 24/7 news coverage of the swine flu. This brings me back to a point we’ve discussed before – the culture of fear. We live in a society that is motivated by fear because it consumes our media. The media makes us afraid to fly, spend five minutes in the sun without sunscreen, and now go 30 minutes without washing our hands. “

A beautiful summary by John Stewart.

swine flu: is there a media connection?

Conspiracy theories are out there about the current “swine flu”. One interesting article is here: http://www.naturalnews.com/026141.html.

A conspiracy theory regarding this swine flu, is something to consider, especially if you have never thought that this might be possible.

I also had the thought: Hmmmmm….swine flu must be boosting media sales , whether in newspapers, radio,  or televisions (and possibly even ratings, as we are being warned to stay home if you feel even slightly under the weather, which , I guess is good advice, but I imagine the majority of Americans, if forced to stay home, will turn on the tube, as opposed to picking up a book, or making something creative, or taking a walk and observing what is new in nature, etc.  The article by Elizabeth Berg then, is worth reposting here : http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2008/jan/05/books/chi-readbw05_cover_qqjan05. )

With newspapers in dire straights these days, shutting down the presses, laying off reporters and writers, and so forth, in the words of Carrie Bradshaw, “I have to wonder, is the swine flu connected to keeping the media going ? Is there really nothing more interesting to focus on? Must we keep finding /creating things to be fearful about (ie the economy is “old news” by now, and since Obama keeps telling us that we are on the path, even if it is a slow one, to economic recovery, and if we do get on the economic road to recovery, well, then that won’t be too exciting , will it, so, what else can the mass consciousness engage in that will keep our adrenals in overload and in fear so that God forbid, we don’t start actually using the true potential of our minds….)

The fact of the swine flu, as a tactic to keep the media going, I realize , could even be considered preposterous by some. Still, it’s a curious thought I had, and I don’t think it is entirely crazy.

swine flu projection

another interesting bit…perhaps this will put some minds at ease.

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2009/04/nu-study-1700-americans-could-catch-swine-flu.html

renaming the swine flu

worth reading; it’s short, it’s an editorial.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-kass-30-apr30,0,5835087.column

however, i think  the term “swine flu” is already too firmly entrenched in our minds, so changing the name at this point in time would probably have little effect. It is similiar to that experiment where you tell someone NOT to think about something, for example, “a purple vase”. DON’T think about a purple vase. Chances are , for a bit , a purple vase will keep cropping into your/their thought chain.