creation-is-t

Here's some new creations from my frazzled mind and steady hands...

An invitation...

I invite all readers to share something they did recently out of kindness which may or may not have been noticed by any/all recipients - simply to acknowledge the simple gentle acts of kindness/beauty/gentleness which happen so regularly in our lives, and to open our eyes to opportunities as well...

- I placed my partner's favourite cup on top of a teetering pile of dishes in the drying rack so he had quick access and wouldn't feel obligated to put all the dishes away.

- Someone placed some lilac flowers on top of a dying bush.

-...

Post hieros gamos.../ "and yet"

1. Woman as the Temptress
   At one level, this step is about those temptations that may lead the hero to abandon or stray from his or her quest, which as with the Meeting with the Goddess does not necessarily have to be represented by a woman. For Campbell, however, this step is about the revulsion that the usually male hero may feel about his own fleshy/earthy nature, and the subsequent attachment or projection of that revulsion to women. Woman is a metaphor for the physical or material temptations of life, since the hero-knight was often tempted by lust from his spiritual journey.
2. Atonement with the Father
   In this step the person must confront and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his or her life. In many myths and stories this is the father, or a father figure who has life and death power. This is the center point of the journey. All the previous steps have been moving in to this place, all that follow will move out from it. Although this step is most frequently symbolized by an encounter with a male entity, it does not have to be a male; just someone or thing with incredible power. For the transformation to take place, the person as he or she has been must be "killed" so that the new self can come into being. Sometime this killing is literal, and the earthly journey for that character is either over or moves into a different realm.
3. Apotheosis
   To apotheosize is to deify. When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. This is a god-like state; the person is in heaven and beyond all strife. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfillment before the hero begins the return.

And perhaps I am no where near (here) yet
ne'er know wear
I have not worn
....and yet...
I am afraid of progress and I am afraid of losing progress.
Caught in a swirling pool of
flashing fears memories changes I have made that I'm still not sure were a good idea;
revolt
revolting surges in my gut
make me want to puke up all the emotions
I can muster,
is it everything I have swallowed in the past or is this self indulgence?

where does my intuition kick in and give me the answer?
where does this all encompassing dread end?
a fear that I have not lived,
that I am living,
not living enough,
doing too much,
not enough,
having no impact,
making the wrong impact,

exactly where I am supposed to be
no longer sitting in this unrest with patience.
and oh how I would take action
(more than thrash wildly - hold back the water, catch it in a cup and throw it to the sky
at what)
could I think of what purposeful action to take ...
I am beyond running in circles (on purpose anyway),
my mind is continuing to run the gammet in the mean time.

And then...

Initiation

1. The Road of Trials
   The road of trials is a series of tests, tasks, or ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the transformation. Often the person fails one or more of these tests, which often occur in threes.
2. The Meeting with the Goddess
   The meeting with the goddess represents the point in the adventure when the person experiences a love that has the power and significance of the all-powerful, all encompassing, unconditional love that a fortunate infant may experience with his or her mother. It is also known as the "hieros gamos", or sacred marriage, the union of opposites, and may take place entirely within the person. In other words, the person begins to see him or herself in a non-dualistic way. This is a very important step in the process and is often represented by the person finding the other person that he or she loves most completely. Although Campbell symbolizes this step as a meeting with a goddess, unconditional love and /or self unification does not have to be represented by a woman

Awakening

I oftened wondered why I felt so much better after delving into the depths of pain, or sadness, or joy; crying out from the depths of my gut; getting dizzy from laughter; losing sight only to resurface and inhale deeper than I have in a long time...I have wondered about the purpose of "getting carried away" and why our culture shies from this. I wonder about the fear of this kind of primal expression.
Here is an excerpt from Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse:
"As he slowly went on his way, his head was full of this thought. He reflected deeply, until this feeling completely overwhelmed him and he reached a point where he recognised causes; for to recognise causes, it seemed to him, is to think, and through thought alone feelings become knowledge and are not lost, but become real and begin to mature."

This paragraph went "click" in my head. I lose myself because i can see more clearly what it is I'm feeling; I find the truth of my state by crossing boundaries, trying tears on, and being real to myself. In that, then I can pull away with a greater sense of truth to/in/of myself. When we cut ourselves off from feeling our emotions, we deny ourselves the opportunity to reflect and mature to our own nature.

"May I be at peace; May my heart remain open; May I awaken to the light of my own true nature; May I be healed and may I be a source of healing for all beings"
Peace.

wanna look hip?

So I've started painting and lino printing on fabrics!
And I can do it to order!
If you would like something custom made, or a similar pattern to these, let me know. Since I'm coming to folk fest, I can bring items to winnipeggers.

Andrei Platonov

"A new consciousness is emerging in my work. I know that one cannot reorient oneself just like that: sit down, ponder, and be reborn. Reorientation occurs as the result of coming up against reality. Some perish, while others are reborn. Most likely, reorientation depends on the material at hand, and not simply on ideological purpose. Literature, after all, needs not only a proletarian ideology, but flesh, and blood, and an alluring heart."

published in Harper's Magazine, Vol. 310, No 1859, April 2005, pg 26.

It begins with a death...

Departure

1. The Call to Adventure
   The call to adventure is the point in a person's life when they are first given notice that everything is going to change, whether they know it or not.
2. Refusal of the Call
   Often when the call is given, the future hero refuses to heed it. This may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, a sense of inadequacy, or any of a range of reasons that work to hold the person in his or her current circumstances.
3. Supernatural Aid
   Once the hero has committed to the quest, consciously or unconsciously, his or her guide and magical helper appears, or becomes known.
4. The Crossing of the First Threshold
   This is the point where the person actually crosses into the field of adventure, leaving the known limits of his or her world and venturing into an unknown and dangerous realm where the rules and limits are not known.
5. The Belly of the Whale
   The belly of the whale represents the final separation from the hero's known world and self. It is sometimes described as the person's lowest point, but it is actually the point when the person is between or transitioning between worlds and selves. The separation has been made, or is being made, or being fully recognized between the old world and old self and the potential for a new world/self. The experiences that will shape the new world and self will begin shortly, or may be beginning with this experience which is often symbolized by something dark, unknown and frightening. By entering this stage, the person shows their willingness to undergo a metamorphosis, to die to him or herself.

http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/smc/journey/ref/summary.html

The Hero's Journey

Joseph Campbell explores the Hero's Journey, and the idea behind a Monomyth in his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Campbell summarizes the myth as such:

" A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man."

The monomyth contains a number of stages which the antagonist moves through in order to fulfill the process. According to Campbell (and Wikipedia),
" The hero starts in the ordinary world, and receives a call to enter an unusual world of strange powers and events (a call to adventure). If the hero accepts the call to enter this strange world, the hero must face tasks and trials (a road of trials), and may have to face these trials alone, or may have assistance. At its most intense, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help earned along the journey. If the hero survives, the hero may achieve a great gift, which often results in important self-knowledge. The hero must then decide whether to return with this boon (the return to the ordinary world), often facing challenges on the return journey. If the hero is successful in returning, the boon or gift may be used to improve the world."

Many examples exist in religion (Christ, Buddha), popular culture (star wars, oh brother where art thou), and in our own daily lives. In regards to spiritual energies, the hero's journey is connected to the sacral chakra, one's greater sense of identity and purpose, and indeed can result in spiritual awakening, an open heart, and a gift which may be used to improve the world.

For Buddha Blues!

okay, this has made my day for the last couple of days. Guilty pleasures...but seriously folks...
giggles are healthy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpA2tMrQ4RU

Men I love

gentle, strong, compassionate, good listeners, intelligent, humble, confident, comfortable in their skin, witty, loving,

(if you are reading this and you are my friend, you embody in some way some or all of these characteristics! yay you!)

womyn I love

creative, sensitive, genuine, funny, vulnerable, independent, knowledgeable, supportive, cautious, street smart, open, gentle, not afraid to love, honest, ...

(if you're reading this, most likely you are my friend and in some capacity you embody these characteristics! yay you!)

other selves

I've had some vivid dreams:
Allan and I sat at my family dinner with some of dad's colleagues and one of them had been the first to manipulate a successful stem cell operation. he was discussing the out come. While the man talked, my perspective was one of sitting at the table. But, when Allan lit up a cigarette at the table, my perspective shifted to being an outside observer. (He doesn't smoke, so this was huge - and he would never dream of smoking in doors), then he proceeded to piss everyone at the table off, got up and walked out. Outside, I chased him down and he kept saying things like "you know it's not going to make a lick of a difference to our fucked up world"and stuff that was calling everyone down. Then he said "Mimi was the first to the crime scene - that's what you can say". I kept grabbing at his arms and pleading, telling him I'd have to call the police, and at the last second of the dream, he ripped his arm away from me and his face got bloated and angry right in my face ( like a cartoon), and red with anger. It was fucked. Prior to all that, in the same dream, I had made some dinner things and my mom kept changing them. One that upset me the most was that I had made a mango salsa and my mom put ketchup in it because it needed tomato. I was so upset that she ruined my recipe.

Strange dreams...I can't help but wonder about all these dreams I have of people's faces, negativity, and wonder if it is all emotions that I have towards my self or my life which I am projecting onto others in my dreams?...The night prior, I had a dream and Kirsten's face got red and purple and big (like a cartoon) when I punched her in the stomach for saying my friends are bullshitting liars and who don't really care about me or anything I do. ...and in the dream previous to that one, I was hanging out with some girls who were excessively mean and violent towards other girls in general and each other ( like gang members or the high school popular girls are). They got really pissed at one point and I left. Walking down the street, I heard one of the girls screaming she'd come find me. I ended up hiding in the bushes.

It's stange all these dreams. I don't understand yet but there's something to them I'm sure of it.
a constant prevailing sense of dread, fear, doubt, negativity, anger, faces faces faces....very prevalent faces.....purples, reds and browns....

Eagle are gone and no more caribou

"Godspeed, Mother Nature; I never really wanted to say good-bye"


I thought my creative juices had stopped altogether. Turns out all I needed was a little racial ignorance and submersion in a cold pool of water.