Listening for the Whisperings

Wisdom is of the Soul

2012-01-27T18:33:00.000-08:00

I've been preparing additional samples for the Photo Transformations class I am teaching at Art and Soul in early March,and just love the message this owl had for me. This is a Great Horned Owl that lives at the Carolina Raptor Center.

I often look through the words in old books to add text to my art and today these words jumped out at me "Wisdom is of the soul". This was after I decided to name this regal looking owl "Wisdom" - it seemed like the right name for him. Then I wondered why he looked so stern and the words "Listen! Nature speaks" came together. It seems he wanted to make sure I was listening to the signs of the natural world.

Yes, I am ...

Scattering joy through paint.fabric.metal

2012-01-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

Jenni Horne's byline: scattering joythrough paint, fabric.metal reminds me of what creating art does for me - itmakes me feel joyful! I love viewing the world through the eyes of another artistand just love the way Jenni depicts the world through her paintings. Spendingtime with creative people inspires our creative life and that is why I haveattended art retreats. A couple of days in the company of creatives seemsto encourage my creative soul to give more time to what I love doing. Iwill be meeting Jenni in person at Art and Soul in Virginia Beachat the beginning of March this year, but wanted to get to know her a littlebefore the event and share her with others.

Catherine: Where do you get your inspiration from?

Jenni: I draw inspiration from so much on a day to daybasis. The class I am teaching at Art and Soul is called, “The American Still Life”. I am drawn to the simplicity of these subjects; trucks, bikes,campers, old phones, etc. To me they symbolize gentle reminders to slowdown, remember the past and look forward to the future.

Catherine: After art, what else is your passion?

Jenni: I am a sucker for decorating our home. We just movedinto a new house so I am having a wonderful time making our home a nest toenjoy.

Catherine: What type of classes do you like to take at Art and Soul

Jenni: I love tomake jewelry. Although I am a painter by trade, jewelry making is truly apassion. I try and take at least one class every retreat to build myskill level.

Catherine: What aspect of teaching do you love the most?

Jenni: I love inspiring others to create beautiful works ofart. I do not encourage “cookie cutter” art in my classes, but rather encouragestudents to find their own voice in the creative journey. I always tellmy students in the beginning of class that I am here to guide them through theart making process. In the end, it is not my goal for them to create a“Jenni Horne”, but rather a piece from their own hands that is the voicefrom within them. Of course as a student they are there to learn from myexperiences as a painter, and through a day’s workshop we explore manytechniques and materials together. Always however, the end goal is for myattendees to leave inspired, and full of enthusiasm for a medium I love. With this knowledge my hope is that they continue to build their creativejourney at home.

Catherine: Do you have a favorite technique?

Jenni: I’ve actually developed my own painting technique over theyears. It combines the skills I learned in the print making studio,painting studio with acrylics and my love of encaustics, without the hotwax! The end result is truly unique.

Catherine: Do you work in a planned or intuitive way? How wouldyou describe your approach?

Jenni: As a child I loved the plastic viewfinder toy. Youcould click frame to frame at your own pace, flipping fast through lesserexciting images and staying for a spell on the ones that captivated yourimagination. My creative journey is much like this. I have on myart desks always more than one project. It allows me to seamlessly flowfrom project to project, as well as being a better use of my time. It isnot uncommon for a body of 5 paintings to be worked on at once. They allget texture and carving, they all get cool colors, they all get warm colors,they all get collage at once.etc... They are all a part of the wheel….andin the end help to create the story I am telling through my art.

Jenni, thank you for sharing your creative process with me. And I have tolet you know that I just love your blog, especially theimage of you holding the Paint Something card! And discovering that youjust live up the road from me (well sort of) in Atlanta, Georgia.

Visit Jenni's Blog: Jenni Horne Studios

Dawn Time

2012-01-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I caught a 6:00am flight from North Carolina to California. My plan was to try and sleep so I would arrive refreshed in San Jose. But I was captivated by the changing light outside the plane window. The bright blues, yellows, oranges, the moon in the dawn sky ... I couldn't help but feel the magic of earth waking beneath me and kept watching out the window. Every few minutes the scene in front of me changed. I felt surrounded by magic, and realized just how many mornings I sleep through the beauty of the dawn.

“One of thestrange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one isquite sure one is going to live forever and ever and ever. One knows itsometimes when one gets up at the tender solemn dawn-time and goes out andstands alone and throws one's head far back and looks up and up and watches thepale sky slowly changing and flushing and marvelous unknown things happeninguntil the East almost makes one cry out and one's heart stands still at thestrange unchanging majesty of the rising of the sun—which has been happeningevery morning for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. One knows itthen for a moment or so...”
Frances Burnett

This early morning flight was a reminder of the unending beauty of the sky above us. The sun is always rising somewhere, the colors of the sky are always glowing brightly somewhere in the world. I am so grateful to be living on this beautiful planet of ours.

Sunset over Glow-Worm Pond

2011-12-22T08:06:00.000-08:00

One of my dreams is to one day live where I can see the sun set every day. There is something about acknowledging the end of the day by taking time to watch the sun move below the horizon that speaks to me. It seems like a good way to be present to the passing of time and to the beauty of nature, and seems like a perfect time to give thanks for the privilege of being alive at this time and in this place.

Last weekend my husband and I were fortunate enough to be invited to visit the farm of a Joe and Hilda Madaras in Peachland, NC. Joe and Hilda have created a beautiful haven with trails through the woods, ponds with inviting places to stop and sit, and they get to watch the sun set every day over their pond from their home.

The sunset looks different every day. A spectacular sunset depends on clouds in the sky. But even when there are no clouds the jewel tones water-colored across the sky make you stop and want to breathe in amazement at the art of nature.

After our walk around the farm we sat snugly inside as the sun journeyed below the horizon. Looking through the window I was greeted by the lights of Joe and Hilda's Christmas tree reflected on the glass door adding even more magic to the end of the day.

Live Each Day as a Work of Art

2011-11-30T07:59:00.001-08:00

"What would it be like if you lived each day, each breath, as a work of art in progress?

Imagine that you are a masterpiece unfolding, every second of every day,

a work of art taking form with every breath.

Thomas Crum

What would you do each day if your life were a work of art in progress? Think about it. Because your life is a work of art. You create your life with each breath you breathe, with every thought you think, with every action you take.

Los Dias de Los Mertos

2011-11-17T18:31:00.001-08:00

I spent some time in Mexico recently and was privileged to be there for the Days of the Dead celebrations. This is an interesting celebration for someone who comes from a culture where we do not have an annual holiday that encourages us to remember and honor those close to us who have died.

The Mexicans believe that people die three deaths: The first is when our bodies cease to function; the second is when our body is returned to the ground and the third is when there is no-one left alive to remember us.

Therefore Los Dias de Los Mertos is important because it is a time for remembering friends, family and ancestors. To do this altars are prepared with photographs of loved ones, flowers, candles, favorite foods and drinks. It is a time to transform grief into acceptance and invite the spirits of those departed to return home for a few hours.

Creating my altar was a soulful experience. I placed a photograph of my father, who died when he was the age I am now, in the center. Around him I placed photographs of my grandparents. It felt very healing sitting in meditation with my memories of these people who were so important in my life.

The marigold is the most traditional flower used at this time. The fragrance of the marigolds leads the spirits home and so one creates paths of marigold petals to your front door to show the spirits where to come. I know it was comforting to me to be able to honor my ancestors in this way and to feel that they were close to me. It felt like the veil between worlds was indeed thin when I awoke in the morning and saw the sun shining through the door on the pathway of marigolds petals.

Following his Curiosity and Intuition

2011-10-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs shows us how following our curiosity and intuition and trusting what happens to us makes our lives rich and meaningful - but only after the event. At the time it can be frightening. He reminds us that our time is limited - so make sure that you love what you do and follow your heart. He says: "Have the courage to follow your heart and your intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become."And his advice to the Stanford graduates? "Stay hungry. Stay foolish."Thank you Steve for sharing from your heart and for following your intuition.

Image Mandalas

2011-10-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

Recently I had to write a paper for my studies with Wisdom University for a workshop in which I participated called Moving Toward Wholeness. The paper was on the work of Stan and Christina Grof and Holotrophic Breathwork. At the end of Holotrophic Breathwork sessions participants are often asked to draw mandalas, as a way to ground the experience and express it in a non-verbal way. According to Heita Copony in the book "Mystery of Mandalas"

“A spontaneously painted mandala might carry messages from the psyche into our conscious awareness, sometimes with a clarity that could never be produced by our ordinary consciousness.”

Since writing this paper I have been looking for a way to create mandalas with my photographs.

This past weekend one of the talented photographers attending my photography retreat showed us the amazing mandalas she had created with her photographs. This led me on search of the internet to see if there was any easy software available to create mandalas. I didn't find any, but I found a great tutorial which guided me in making this mandala out of an image of daisies in a glass jar. It took some time and the colors are brighter than those I usually work with (I just picked the first image that I saw on the screen to work with), but it feels like magic when you see the final result.

I know I'll be making more mandalas.

Everyday Art Supplies

2011-09-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how many art supplies you have lying around your house. Recently I had to submit a page for a collaborative art journal with the theme of Black and White. I find the way I get inspiration for a new project is to gather up anything I find that speaks to the theme. And this is how I discovered that I could collect plenty of black and white papers merely by collecting old security envelopes which would usually end up in the recycling box. The insides of the envelopes are covered with many different, interesting black and white designs. So black paper, a white pen and security envelopes allowed me to create my page for our collaborative journal.

Meinrad Craighead: Praying with Images

2011-08-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

Meinrad Craighead: Praying with Images Preview from Amy Kellum on Vimeo.

In this extract from Meinrad Craighead's video, she says: "If I didn't paint, I wouldn't know where I was in the universe." This really resonated with me, and is the reason I am drawn to photography. It enables me to understand my place on this earth. It allows me to connect with something larger which speaks to me of my relationship to the natural world and everything in it. Creating in a mindful way is a prayer of gratitude - gratitude for the gift of our senses with which we can experience the beauty of the world.

Seeking the Shapes

2011-08-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

Triangles and Circles were the themes for the Photo Art Journals this month. I had no trouble finding circles in many different and unexpected places, but triangles seemed to evade me. So I resorted to creating my own. I found an instruction video on how to make a paper boat - something I had never done before - and created my own paper boat. I then floated it in my bird bath and managed to see at least eight triangles in the resulting photograph - as well as circles of light. I love how challenges such as needing to photograph a specific theme help me grow my abilities in small ways - now I know how to make a paper boat, and all because I had to find triangles to photograph!

"These paper boats of mine are meant to dance on the ripples of hours, and not reach any destination."
Rabindranath Tagore

Evolutionary Creativity

2011-07-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

I have just spent a week with Jan Phillips. It has been a week of magic as Jan shared her ideas on Evolutionary Creativity, and I have felt myself grow and expand in possibility. Jan reminded us that we are here to empower each other and that we are co-creating our planet. To this end Evolutionary Creativity is creation connected to the Divine, the Source; it is for the healing of the people and the planet and it inspires others to create and to act. We are all Serving Artists using every day and every way to be the Light we came here to experience.

One of the practices Jan shared with us was that of writing our own Creed. A creed is a statement of belief, originating from the Latin word "credo" meaning "I believe". Jan's Artist's Creed can be found in her book Marry Your Muse, and is a powerful reminder of what an artist needs to remember. In our workshop we each shared our one-line Creeds. I wrote: I believe that everyone is blessed when we express our creativity in the world.

In an attempt to put into words what has been awakened in this week of rich, deep learning, I wrote a prayer.

Creator of Life and Light,
May I remember that I am a spark of your light;
May I live in awareness of the beauty around me;
May the love within me express itself through me;
May I live with my eyes wide open in wonder;
May I share the magic I experience each day;
May I connect to the essence of those around me;
May I be open like a flower to the rain;
And may I be both an expression of peace and passion in the world.

What do you believe? What is the first line of your Creed?

Visual Art Journaling and Playing

2011-06-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

I really believe that play is an important part of our lives. Yes, even when we are all grown up. But can you remember the last time you played? Plato said: Life should be lived as play. Can you imagine what your life might look like if you lived it as play instead of as work? I often refer to my studio as my "playroom" and I believe everyone needs a place to play. If you don't agree, have a look at the research done by Stuart Brown in his book Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul.

And if that doesn't persuade you perhaps Bernard Shaw will. He said "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." For example, try skipping instead of walking and see if that doesn't make you feel younger!

Last weekend six creative women came and played in my studio and created amazing journal pages by playing on the page with paints, paper, image and word. Here are just a couple of images from the workshop. Thank you Jodi, Janet, Debra, Linda, Eileen and Janet for letting me share them, even though I know some of them are still in process.

Journal cover by Janet Jones

Journal cover by Debra Bridges

Journal cover by Linda Hartzig

Journal cover by Eileen Orlowski

Journal cover by Jodi Helmer

Journal page by Janet Hince

Light

2011-06-08T15:01:00.000-07:00

One of the photographers in the Drawing with Light retreat, Carol Trull, gave me permission to share her photographs. It seems that Carol really connected with the energy of the place where the retreat was held which is called The Light Center.

The word photography comes from the Greek and means drawing with light, so this was truly a perfect venue for the retreat. And Carol truly recorded the essence of light in this image. The Light Center is "dedicated to helping you expand awareness of your inner light and to pray more effectively", so light was in and around us in many ways. The dictionary defines light as "the energy producing a sensation of brightness that makes seeing possible" and as "God as a source of spiritual illumination and strength" - both of which applied in this weekend retreat on photography as a spiritual practice.

When visiting The Light Center you are generously given a package of information about the Center which includes the seven steps of effective prayer which are:

1. I release all of my past, negatives, fears, human relationships, self-image, future, human desires and judgments to the Light.

2. I am a Light Being.

3. I radiate the Light from my Light Center throughout my being.

4. I radiate the Light from my Light Center to everyone.

5. I radiate the Light from my Light Center to everything.

6. I am in a bubble of Light and only Light can come to me and only Light can be here.

7. Thank you God for everyone, for everything, and for me.

And Carol also made this amazing image of butterflies. In ancient Greek the word for butterfly is psyche, which translated means soul. Truly a soulful weekend in a soulful place.

Time to Unfurl

2011-05-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was spent in Black Mountain, North Carolina with a wonderful group of ten women. My intention was to give them time to unfurl their creative wings with their cameras. And they did more than that. They let nature speak to them and listened and recorded the images nature gave them. Butterflies, dragonflies, water, flowers, dandelions and more offered themselves to be photographed. On one of our walks we were escorted by butterflies on both sides of the path down to the river. And the butterflies even posed for us. Nature re-connects us with the sacred in everything.

Turtle Energy

2011-05-11T11:45:00.002-07:00

The morning of spirit circle hosted by Mary Lemons in my studio, my husband found this baby turtle in the garden. So small and so perfect. Last time Mary was here the deer came to visit. I am always filled with gratitude when the animals let me know they are here to support us.

In the book Animal Spirit Guides we are told that if turtle shows up, it means, among other things, that this is a period of increased sensitivity to the earth's vibrations and those of the collective human consciousness. Also that it is time to nurture yourself, to slow down and pace yourself. It is suggested that we spend a few hours in solitude, away from noise and people. I think this is guidance we can all relate to. Time away from the usual fast-pace of life allows us to absorb and make sense of what's been happening in our lives.

The turtle joined us for spirit circle in his own little box and after everyone had left I found a safe place for him in the garden outside the studio. I checked on him in the morning and he was still hiding under the foliage. But by midday he had moved on. As the saying goes: "Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out."

Perhaps he was reminding me that working slowly and steadily toward my next project (online classes) and enjoying the journey is more important than feeling the need to rush towards completion.

Our Words

2011-05-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

I've just completed binding and getting ready the latest collaborative book done by the Photo Art Journals Yahoo group which I moderate. For this book I asked members to decide on a word to name their year which would help them focus their intention for the year ahead.

What would their lives look like if they embraced and lived this word daily?

And then ... they had to creatively photograph their word! I then had fun creating a Wordle out of all the intention words that were chosen which I used as the cover for the book.

Thanks to the wonderfully creative members of this group for making this such an enjoyable project for me to put together. You came up with some great ideas!

Here are links to photographs created for this collaborative book by some of the participants. I love reading about their process of deciding on the word they chose.
Karen Dorcas in Alaska.
Louie Shellenberger
Paul Bogdan

The Mystic Path: Unitive Vision

2011-05-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

Unitive Vision is the final stage of the mystic path. The best description I can find of what this is, is from Meister Eckhart, a 14th Century German mystic. He says: "If I am to know God directly, I must become completely He and He I: so that this He and this I become and are one I."

If I consider the dark night that comes before this stage of union as a time of germination, then perhaps this stage is one of re-birth into a new reality.

To try and understand this more fully I once again looked to the mystical poets and Hafiz (as translated by Daniel Ladinsky) once again gave guidance:

The Seed Cracked Open

It used to be

That when I would wake in the morning

I could with confidence say,

"What am 'I' going to

Do?"

that was before the seed

Cracked open.

Now Hafiz is certain:

There are two of us housed

In this body,

Doing the shopping together in the market and

Tickling each other

While fixing the evening's food.

Now when I awake

All the internal instruments play the same music:

"God, what love-mischief can 'We' do

For the world

Today?"

Does my SoulCollage® card have any wisdom for me?

Take it one step at a time.
The way is always clear.
Let light guide your path towards the Light.

The Mystic Path: Dark Night of the Soul

2011-05-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Most of us have experienced the "dark night of the soul" in one form or another. Mystics are as human as the rest of us and also experience times of deep sadness and fatigue when nothing seems meaningful or even makes sense and when one feels abandoned. But it appears that this period of the "dark night" also is a period of growth.

St. John of the Cross, who is most well known for the phrase "the dark night of the soul" talked about it as a "passive purification, a state of helpless misery, in which the self does nothing, but lets Life have its way with her".

It seems to me that if I think of this stage of growth and discovery as similar to that of a seed in the deep darkness of the soil. Essential expansion is taking place within, even though from without it doesn't look as important as the more exciting phases of budding and blooming. Perhaps this is a time of "gestation of the soul".

And the wisdom from my card?

I am the one who waits patiently in the dark allowing the sadness and despair to wash over me.
I am the one who knows that there is no light without darkness.
I am the one who is growing wings in my darkness, although I am not aware of them sprouting.

The Mystic Path: Ecstasy and Rapture

2011-05-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

According to Evelyn Underhill's study of the mystical path, ecstasy is "an exceptionally favorable state; the one in which man's spirit is caught up to the most immediate union with the divine". I come closest to understanding this state through the poetry of some of the mystical poets, such as Rumi, Hafiz, St. John of the Cross and St. Catherine of Siena. The absolute joy and connectedness they feel with the Divine appears to lift them to a higher state of being.

One of the most amazing collections of these poems is found in the book Love Poems from God by Daniel Ladinsky. Each poem speaks profoundly to connection, not just by the poets to God, but to all of creation.

I have chosen this poem by Hafiz from the book I Heard God Laughing, (also translated by Daniel Ladinsky) because it speaks to me of the deep connection of the mystic to God in all things.

I Am So Glad

Start seeing everything as God,

But keep it a secret.

Become like a man who is Awestruck

And Nourished

Listening to a Golden Nightingale

Sing in a beautiful foreign language

While God invisibly nests

Upon its tongue.

Hafiz,

Who can you tell in this world

That when a dog runs up to you

Wagging its ecstatic tail,

You lean down and whisper in its ear,

"Beloved,

I am so glad You are happy to see me.

Beloved,

I am so glad,

So very glad You have come."

And so what does my SoulCollage® card say to me?

I am the one who has the wings to fly into the encircling arms of all creation.
I am the one who rides the wild horses of joy, going wherever they lead, knowing that all is well.
I am the one who opens up and says "I am here. I am waiting."

The Mystic Path: Contemplation and Introversion

2011-05-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

We live in a world where time for contemplation and inner listening do not happen unless we consciously make time to be quiet. Often this means saying "no" to friends and family and hoping they will understand that the time you make for yourself is just as important as time you give to them.

This was said a little differently in the Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer: "I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself." When I first read these words I thought they had been written incorrectly. Surely the author meant to write "....if you can disappoint yourself to be true to another." Surely one should always put other people first? Wasn't it selfish disappointing others? It took me quite some time to understand the true meaning of this line. It is about being true to your Soul.

I believe that turning inwards doesn't need to be meditation. It can be sitting on the side of a stream fishing, lying watching the clouds go by, reading spiritual literature, sitting on the beach watching the waves and digging your bare feet into the sand, walking a labyrinth. For the mystics it was a way to God. Angela of Foligno says that through contemplation "the eyes of her soul were opened".

My SoulCollage® card says to me:
Make time to align your soul with the cycles of nature. They are your teachers. Let the moon speak to you. Let the trees speak to you. Unless you listen with careful attention you will not hear what they are saying. You too are part of these cycles, and time in quiet is to you what the soil is to a seed and what the soil is to the roots of the tree. It nourishes and feeds at a deep level and is necessary for growth.

The Mystic Path: Voices and Visions

2011-04-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting stage to consider as it is a stage where some might think the mystic has in fact gone mad. Evelyn Underhill suggests that visions and voices are to the mystic what pictures, poems and musical compositions are to the great painter, poet or musician, and that they are messengers which speak to all the senses, not only sight and hearing.

It seems to me that dreams are a form of vision, and the voice that Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love heard telling her to "Go back to bed, Liz" was real to Elizabeth. But of course, this doesn't mean that anyone that dreams or feels guided is a mystic. It is just interesting to note that voices and visions are not as unusual as one would imagine.

Eileen Caddy, one of the founders of the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland, in the book Weavers of Wisdom: Women Mystics of the Twentieth Century by Anne Bancroft says this about voices:

"You know if you start hearing voices and you're having a difficult time, you begin to wonder if you're going to end up in a mental hospital. I thought I was having a breakdown, quiet honestly. But that's the way it started, over thirty years ago, and I've been living by that voice ever since. And that's what my life has been all about. Listening, and not only listening but following it through."

"Listen, listen, listen," the voice said to her. "To become a good listener you have to listen often. You have to spend time in absolute stillness and learn to be."

So what did my SoulCollage® card representing this stage of the mystic path say to me?

I am the one who exists between earth and spirit.
I am the one who is all around you and always available when you need guidance.
I am the one who can show you your magic if you just look up and look within.

The Mystic Path: Illumination

2011-04-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Illumination is the third stage of the path of the mystic. According to Evelyn Underhill to "see God in nature" and be conscious of the "otherness" of natural things is the most common form of illumination. Beauty inspires illumination and the state of illumination results in the expression of love and rapture, such as one finds in mystical poetry.

Poets such as William Blake, John Keats, Rumi, Hafiz and in my opinion, Mary Oliver share with us the discoveries they make when they feel close to the Divine. The artistic form is the best way to communicate the goodness, truth and beauty that the mystic is opened to in the state of illumination.

The following poems/extracts illustrate this for me.

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."
John Keats

"To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour."
William Blake

The beauty of the heart

is the lasting beauty:

its lips give to drink

of the water of life.
Truly it is the water,

that which pours,

and the one who drinks.

All three become one when

your talisman is shattered.

That oneness you can't know

by reasoning.

Rumi

"I tell you this
to break your heart,
by which I mean only
that it break open and never close again
to the rest of the world."

Mary Oliver

And as I let my SoulCollage® card speak to me, it says:

I am the one who receives illumination into my very core.
I am the one who basks in the light shining down on me.
I am the one who feeds on the beauty of the world around me.
I am the one who is infused with the pure joy of existence.

What poems remind you of your connectedness to All Life, a connectedness that makes you feel fully alive?

The Mystic Path: Purification

2011-04-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

The second stage of the path of the mystic is Purification. For some mystics, such as Clare of Assisi, this meant giving up all worldly possessions and living in poverty. Richard of St. Victor said that it was self-simplification. Evelyn Underwood calls it "the drastic turning of the self from the unreal to the real life ... an orientation of the mind to Truth."

I like the idea of simplification as it is something that I can relate to. It reminds me of the Zen saying:
My house has burned down.
Now I can see the moon more clearly.
It is so easy to be distracted by the things we acquire that demand our time and attention.

This is my SoulCollage® card representing the stage of purification.
Who are you? I ask the card.
It responds:
I am the one who is purified by the power of water.
I am the one who is intent on focusing on the light of the Divine.
I am the one knows that for new beginnings to arise I need to let go of that which no longer serves me.
I am the one who sees the beauty in the process of offering myself for purification.

The Mystic Path: Awakening

2011-04-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

Going through my notes from Jean Houston's workshop on Women Mystics, and reviewing the journey of a mystic, I thought it would be a great idea to create SoulCollage® cards to represent the stages of the mystical path. As I am a visual person I find image really grounds information I am learning in a meaningful way. But my SoulCollage® cards were, as usual, ahead of me, and I found that many of the cards I was inspired to make shortly before I left for the workshop already spoke of the stages of the mystic path (which according to Evelyn Underhill in her book Mysticism are Awakening, Purification, Illumination, Voices and Visions, Contemplation, Ecstasy and Rapture, Dark Night of the Soul and Unitive Vision).

This card speaks to me of Awakening, which is the stage in which the mystic begins to have absolute knowing of his connection to the Divine.

"It was like entering into another world, a new state of existence. Natural objects were glorified. My spiritual vision was so clarified that I saw beauty in every material object in the universe." (Underhill, page 132)

This card says to me:
I am the one who is open to the beauty of everything around me.
I am the one who is ready to be cracked open.
I am the one who is held safely in the ancient hands of Divine Love.
I am the one who has wings to make the journey.

Journey to Mystical Creativity

2011-04-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

I have returned from a week at the Garrison Institute in Garrison, NY attending a Wisdom University intensive on "Women Mystics and the Journey to Mystical Creativity" taught by Jean Houston and Peggy Rubin.

We were immersed in the history and work of well-known mystics who included Emily Dickinson, Florence Nightingale, Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, Mirabai, Lalla, Hildegard of Bingen.

We talked about the stages of the mystical path as discerned by Evelyn Underhill in her book, Mysticism. These stages are Awakening, Purification, Illumination, Voices and Visions, Contemplation and Introversion, Ecstasy and Rapture, Dark Night of the Soul and Unitive Vision.. We explored these all in poetry, dance, a zen water ceremony and connecting with the senses. Rich, deep experience.

Wisdom University recorded a part of each day of experience which allows me to share some of my experience of the week with you. I hope you enjoy listening to Jean, Peggy and others talk about the journey to mystical creativity.

For the Love of Books

2011-04-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

A visit to my favorite thrift store book department in Chapel Hill yesterday had me thinking about Shakespeare and Company, situate on the Left Bank opposite Notre-Dame in Paris. My daughter Amy and I visited this bookstore (which opened in 1951) on our recent trip to Paris, and it was easily one of our top five favorite things to do in Paris. Many famous writers spent time writing in the many nooks you find upstairs at Shakespeare and Company or sleeping among the piles of books. The entire top floor is almost a museum made up of a number of different rooms - none of the books there are for sale, and often book signings are in the small room overlooking the Seine. In fact you will see the room if you watch the movie Before Sunset which is set in and around Shakespeare and Company.

If you love books, a visit to Shakespeare and Company is a must on any trip to Paris. It made me less concerned about the books piling up on the floor of the library corner in my studio now that I have run out of shelf space. And made me less guilty about coming home with around forty new books yesterday (new as in used but new to me). Books feel like friends. There is something about the energy of books that comforts me. Most of my books are non-fiction and I refer back to them from time to time for inspiration and information.

I especially love old books and I suspect this comes from the many happy days spent in the library in my grandmother's home when I was young, and the summers I worked in my father's law office. My favorite place was the law library surrounded by old books with leather covers. There is something about the smell and feel of books that just feels good. And I know I need to enjoy them now, because perhaps in the not too distant future all books will be downloaded and we won't be able to feel and touch and absorb the individual character of each that speaks to me more than merely the words contained in the book.

Call on Owl

2011-03-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend Paul and I attended the Carolina Raptor Center's PhotoWild event. I've never been so close to these beautiful creatures with my camera before and I so enjoyed photographing them.

I was drawn to the owls with their soulful eyes and beautiful feathers, each one with a distinct personality. That shouldn't have surprised me since owls seem to turn up regularly in my life, and have recently been showing up on my SoulCollage cards too.

Getting close to these feathered creatures made me even more appreciative of the amazing details in each of these creatures. Each one is so unique and so perfect - much like we might think of ourselves in a world without advertising and comparisons.

We were also lucky enough to see Peregrine Falcons, a Red-tailed hawk, a Bald Eagle, a Cooper's Hawk and Mississippi Kites and more.

But it was the owls that spoke to me.

The owls you can see here are (from top to bottom):
Barred Owl
Great horned Owl
Barred Owl
British Barn Owl

According to the book Animal Spirit Guides by Steven D. Farmer if Owl shows up in your life:Meditate in silence and in darkness for a few minutes each evening for the next few days and see what is revealed to you.

This is a particularly ripe period to tap into the fount of intuitive wisdom that's available to you.

Quietly observe your environment, watching and listening for signs and omens that will give you answers to any questions you may have.

Your most creative cycle now is the night, so set aside time in the evening to work on any projects.

And the book suggests that you call on Owl when:

You're facing a difficult decision, one that has considerable consequences, and you want to make the decision that will reap the best benefits for all concerned.

You've undertaken a new and challenging course of study and want to increase your confidence in your ability to learn this new material.

You want to uncover the hidden qualities, talents, and aspects in yourself and bring them into the light.

So if you need Owl in your life gaze at these photographs and see what owl has to tell you ...

Collaborative Color Journals

2011-03-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

My daughter keeps asking me to post some of the art work I have been doing and today I finished binding the yellow collaborative journals my yahoo group has been working on and thought it would be fun to show them. There are nine of us in the group and over the past eighteen months we have created red, orange, blue, purple, green and now yellow journals. Working with one color palette is quite a challenge. Often one has to think about texture as a way to keep the color interesting. I constructed the yellow books as accordion style books, sewing the different pages together with old grapefruit bag sacking as the connector fabric. As the hostess of this group I have so enjoyed the challenge of thinking of different ways to bind the pages in the books. Each book is a little different in the way it is put together, and I tried where possible to recycle. For example, my yellow bird page is created on an old photograph left over from my sports photography business which I soaked in water,then dried and sanded and finally painted. On top of that is the outside of a teabag. Interesting what you can find around your house to use in your art! And then of course, I couldn't resist putting yellow caution tape around the finished books!

Thanks to a wonderful group of collaborative artists for making these color journals possible: Michele Unger, Dawn Shepherd, Karen Dorcas, Mary Mouat, Janice Woodland, Kristy Duncan Johnson, Sheila Scott and Nadine Wong.

Walking the Chartres Labyrinth

2011-03-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

This past Friday, March 11th, I fulfilled one of my life dreams by walking the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral, France. Even though I have my own labyrinth I have always wanted to walk the original labyrinth in Chartres which was built in 1200 and has been walked by thousands of pilgrims over the years. On my first visit to Chartres in 2002 I was very disappointed to find that the labyrinth was covered with chairs and could not be walked. One can never be sure that the labyrinth will be open for walking, but my research had indicated that the labyrinth would be open on Fridays from Lent until September. Lent started on the 9th March and so the day I walked was the first day this year that the labyrinth was open to the public. Perfect timing!

At times the labyrinth was full of people, and at times it was completely empty. I decided to take my shoes off and walk in my socks as I love walking barefoot on my labyrinth. I did this for my first walk, but stopped walking before I reached the center as a large noisy group of schoolchildren arrived and started rushing through the labyrinth. I almost wanted to stop them and explain to them that they would get more out of their walk if they slowed down a little, but I kept quiet! It was probably a good thing in retrospect as the floor was really cold and my socks got very dirty. Needless to say on my second walk I kept my shoes on.

The instructions in the Cathedral on how to walk the labyrinth say:

Walk the path with your whole being.

This really touched me as it is how I believe we should live our lives: with our whole being. Later, when I walked there were only a few people on the labyrinth, but I ended the walk alone on the labyrinth. I had wanted the labyrinth all to myself (that is how I am used to walking it), but it felt right that I was walking with others for that is what makes the journey of life meaningful. And when I completed my walk I noticed that I was the last one out of the labyrinth, although I hadn't been the first one in, and that felt just right too.

We were also able to take a tour of the Cathedral with Malcolm Miller. Mr. Miller is an historian who has been studying Chartres Cathedral and leading tours there for the past 53 years. He moved to Chartres when he was 24 (he is now 77) and says he is still learning about the cathedral. I so admire people who can take their passion and create a living from doing what they love. Everyone should be able to do this.

The Cathedral is being renovated at present and so there is scaffolding on the outside and at the front of the Cathedral. The renovations will take a couple of years, but will make a huge difference.

The Cathedral is truly beautiful and one can spend a whole day there looking at the windows and the statues, both inside and outside.

Amy and I ended the afternoon at La Chocolaterie where I had hot chocolate and a chocolate crepe (you can't have too much chocolate), and Amy had cafe (French coffee which is like expresso) and a raspberry crepe.

Perfect end to a perfect day.

Each Life is Linked to All Life

2011-01-14T12:25:00.000-08:00

I was introduced to this piece by my dear friend Patrick about twenty years ago. It had a deep impact on me, but I couldn't find a recording to keep. However, with so much information now available on the internet I was able to rediscover it. The piece is from Dave Clark's Time The Musical which was performed in London in 1985. I would love it to be revived. The message is one which I know I need to hear frequently. The wonderful voice of Sir Laurence Olivier makes it even more meaningful.

Stand before me on the sign of infinity,

all you of the earth.
With the granting of the law of provination

comes the application of change.

I will give you the key.
And with this knowledge, please realise,
comes the responsibility of sharing it.
I will show you the way.

It's very simple. Throughout the universe there is order.

In the movement of the planets, in nature
and in the functioning of the human mind.
A mind that is in its natural state of order,
is in harmony with the universe
and such a mind is timeless.

Your life is an expression of your mind.
You are the creator of your own Universe -
For as a human being, you are free to will whatever
state of being you desire through the use of your thoughts and words.

There is great power there.

It can be a blessing or a curse -
It's entirely up to you.
For the quality of your life is brought about

by the quality of your thinking -
think about that.

Thoughts produce actions -
look at what you're thinking.

See the pettiness and the envy and the greed and the
fear and all the other attitudes that causes
you pain and discomfort.

Realize that the one thing you have absolute
control over is your attitude.

See the effect that it has on those around you.
For each life is linked to all life
and your words carry with them chain reactions
like a stone that is thrown into a pond.

If your thinking is in order,
your words will flow directly from the heart
creating ripples of love.

If you truly want to change your world, my friends,
you must change your thinking.

Reason is your greatest tool,
it creates an atmosphere of understanding,
which leads to caring which is love.

Choose your words with care.
Go forth ... with love

Every moment is precious

2011-01-10T18:52:00.000-08:00

What a difference a week can make. Life is precious. Life is fragile. We take life for granted, and yet it can change in an instance. This week I have been reminded to appreciate each moment, each experience and each person that I meet.

"Learn to turn to each person as the most sacred person on Earth, to each moment as the most sacred moment that has ever been given to us. This moment may never happen again, because no two moments are ever alike."
Reshad Feild

During December the sight of this tree adorned with light and color greeted me every time I looked out my bedroom window or drove up my driveway after dark. This week the tree has been lit every night as a tribute to the man who painstakingly created it every year for his family and neighbors to enjoy. I shall always remember it as "Ted's Tree" and it shall remind me to be grateful for each and every day and to live life in radiant color. Ted, thank you for your legacy of a life well lived.

"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments,

but what is woven into the lives of others."

Pericles

Life is a Sacred Journey

2011-01-02T14:34:00.000-08:00

Caroline Joy Adams

The beginning of a new year always holds a sense of possibility. It allows us a fresh start, giving us permission to leave behind all that we feel has not served us and to invite into our lives new thoughts, new ideas and new growth. But remember to thank even those things that have made life challenging as they are often our greatest teachers.

My collage labyrinth reminds me that life is made up of these different experiences, all of them steps on my sacred journey of discovery.

May you embrace discovery and adventure along your path this year.

Season of Silence

2010-12-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

I have been drawn to spending more quiet time recently. I think it has something to do with the longer nights and the feeling of "cocooning" that winter engenders in me. In the Celtic calendar, the winter months are a time for incubation and practices such as contemplation, writing and reading. Even though outwardly things look barren, it is a time of rich interior growth.

I recently finished reading Listening Below the Noise: The Transformative Power of Silence by Anne LeClaire. Anne practices total silence two days every month. Her book tells how this practice has transformed her. She says: "Listen and in the quiet you will hear the direction of your heart." Total silence two days a month is a revolutionary thought in our world where we are bombarded by noise everywhere we go.

The theme of silence seems to be recurring for me at present as it also presented itself in a newsletter from Stanbrook Abbey which I have quoted below. Stanbrook Abbey is home to a community of contemplative nuns living according to the rule of St. Benedict in New Yorkshire, England.

"Silence in our present age has become a rare commodity. Wherever we go there always seems to be some form of background noise. It is as though our present age has become almost frightened of silence, not the type of silence that hides anger or displeasure but the type that allows you to listen with an expectant heart. What are we frightened of hearing?"

I hope to listen more during this season of silence.

SoulCollage® Evolving: An Interview with Seena Frost

2010-11-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

In June, 2004, I traveled to California (my very first trip to the west coast) to attend SoulCollage® facilitator training with Seena Frost. I had discovered the SoulCollage® process by divine accident when I was searching for books on collage. What I loved about the process was that it gave me a way to access my own inner wisdom, instead of thinking that someone else had the answers I needed.

A new, expanded book about this intuitive self-discovery process called SoulCollage® Evolving has recently been published and this seemed like a perfect time to interview Seena and share what Seena had to say about her new book and the SoulCollage® process with others.

Catherine: Welcome Seena! I'm honored to host this interview with you and excited about the new SoulCollage® Evolving book. What are you most excited about in your new book?

Seena: Let me just say what I am excited and pleased about, but not in an order of most to least. Number one, I love the new cover! The fanning out of the cards is beautiful and it is an image that communicates so well what SoulCollage® represents. Plus each of those cards is by a different person. Second, I love the wide assortment of card images that were submitted and used, from people all over the world. Also there are many more photographs in this book of people actually doing the process, from reading the cards to walking the labyrinth, to gathering in conferences. And there is a wider age range represented. All in all I would sum this up by saying this new book gives the feel of a growing community, an evolving group of diverse people who love and are sharing this process.

Catherine: I love the cover too! Seena, what recommendations do you have for incorporating SoulCollage® cards into one's daily life?

Seena: One strong recommendation is that you have a special place in your home where your cards can be out of their box and easily available should you want to draw one and consult it. If you keep your cards hidden away, it’s like hiding yourself away and who wants to do that? Be visible. Be present with every part of you. I have a little glass table in one corner of my office where my cards always sit in a pile, and I have my three Transpersonal cards sitting upright in a pattern there, and beside them the two cards I draw each morning.

Then, it’s good if you can do some small ritual with your cards each day, perhaps early in the morning, like drawing a couple of them as your ‘Neters’ of that day. If you have a weekly or monthly reading group that you attend--and I highly recommend you have one--then the cards of your reading can also be placed on a shelf or rack or other specially designed space, so you see them often as you go about your daily life. Journaling from these cards can be a ritual for those who love journaling, and if you do this, use the “I Am One Who...” format some of the time at least. Then also, journal synchronicities that occur and ideas that come up through the images. I imagine there are many other daily ways to use one’s cards! I’d like to hear some of them.

Catherine: I love the idea of a ritual and doing this early in the day before one gets too busy. Is it important to do the "I am One Who ..." exercise as soon as you have created a new card, and if so, why?

Seena: I believe that to get the real juice from your images you will want to read from them sooner or later. Creating the cards is great fun, but speaking from the images is how the images reveal their deepest wisdom. Sometimes people make several cards at a sitting and don’t read them at all during that creative time. This might be especially true if you are working alone at home. Somehow speaking from the images works best when you are doing it with a witness, and perhaps that witness is scribing the words for you so you stay out of your left brain. Journaling, of course, is a good alternative.

Often, in readings, I watch people turn over a card that they have never read before, and then there is a big discovery about what these images were all about when they were chosen. So, my answer to this is that there is no hurry to read from your new cards, but, like a meal you have worked hard to cook, until you read from them, you have not yet “eaten” your creation and gotten its full nourishment. (Of course, you probably nibbled while you cooked so you may already have discovered the card’s energy in a beginning way.)

Catherine: I've read that James Hillman said that "Images are the only reality we apprehend directly." How is it that images are able to help us access our inner wisdom?

Seena: Images are sneaky! Somehow they can sneak around our ego defense system better than words can. Imagine this: all your ego parts (those Neters that want to keep the status quo,) are standing arm in arm around the entrance to your unconscious. They will allow no trouble or surprise or change to come up from down there where your half-formed juicy parts are churning around, eager to leap out and manifest into form. These energies may have been sent below because when you were a child, they were too out of line. Or they may be energies that never were allowed to emerge, to be named and recognized because they were judged, by ego Neters, to have too much Shadow. However these are energies that Jung would call our ‘hidden gold’, despite their Shadow. Also down there are the Archetypal Energies that guide our Souls, urging us towards certain life paths. But They may be unrecognized thus far, and their guidance so strange and powerful that we fear and resist their urgings.

Now, with that picture in mind imagine that you are browsing through a mass of images, staying in your right brain and not looking for any special thing, not interpreting images as you glance at them. Just feeling them. Your vigilant ego defenders are looking over at the workshop leaders, wondering what they are planning to say that might upset things, and they fail to notice that meanwhile you have gathered up a handful of images, ones your inner, unconscious energies have indicated: “That one! No, that one there! Pick it up, darn you. I know you don’t know why, but trust me.” And you do. Then you go, sit down and make a card or two or three with these images. Still your ego defenders are “out to lunch” as they wait for words to come from a leaders’ mouth that will disrupt the status quo. They know how to quickly throw such words into the trash.

The next thing you know you are reading from your images, and even at this point, your ego defenders see you playing an innocent, not very serious game. Then, to every part’s surprise, up bubbles the voice of a long hidden energy, dislodged by an image, and now speaking in its own voice. Too late, ego defenders! Images have struck again! And oddly, these guys and gals seldom learn, even when the images turn up on cards to represent themselves, sometimes with a disrespectful twist!

Catherine: I have found that to be so true. I think that is why I so often trust images more than words. Seena, I have used the SoulCollage® process with adults. Is it suitable for use with children and teenagers?

Seena: The answer to this is a definite yes! The new book has children and teenagers shown, creating cards and even reading from them. Doing a collaged card is easy for most anyone. Just have lots of images available that represent kids and animals with all kinds of expressions.

That may be one of the biggest challenges, the finding of images that speak to kids. They may not want to cut around the images very carefully but you can show them how tearing can make an interesting edge. I find that young kids will make sweet and cute cards, and then sort of by accident make one that has a kicker in it, some image of loneliness or shyness or anger. I have found that nonverbal kids in therapy will make cards and even speak from them or write from them. It is as though they feel this imaginative work is not exposing themselves. I don’t go into the suits with young kids but with teens it may work well to introduce them to how diverse their inner voices are. One child I knew, whose parent was making cards, wanted to make only Community cards. Another wanted to make 52 cards because that is how many are in a standard deck of playing cards. She did and took them to school to show! Perhaps teenage boys will need some role models doing it, boys or men they respect. But once they make a card that interests them and they can keep and show, they will be hooked. I find that kids are able to do the role playing from their images quite easily. Their imaginations are still intact and can be encouraged through doing this process. Get them to look for magazines for you and bring in assortments of images for others to choose from.

Catherine: Perhaps showing children how to trust their inner wisdom at an early age is very important. Does everyone have the ability to access their intuition and inner wisdom through SoulCollage® or do you need to be artistic or talented to do this?

Seena: Everyone has creative impulses within them. This is part of being a human being, to have the urge to manifest something unique and beautiful, whether a visual image, a lovely sound, an interesting construct, an arrangement of words. Of course this can get limited and even squashed by messages received very early in life, and many people never regain the sense that creativity is part of their psyches. So they don’t try, and they claim they are not creative.

SoulCollage® can shake up this resistance especially for those who were/are creative in a visual way, and it may allow them to rediscover something they had lost. (Not all have lost it, of course. Many who come to SoulCollage® already know they are visually creative!) Because we use collage, people who claim to be uncreative feel more comfortable seeing what they can just “put together,” and then they find their cards to be intriguing and surprising. When they actually read from the images they discover even more: they discover the power of their intuition and the wisdom of their less conscious parts.

There are people who will resist the “role-playing” of images, who will slip back continually into the objective third person and talk about the images rather than from them. It helps these people to be in a group where others are modeling the “I Am One Who…”, but it is best not to keep correcting those who are not ready yet to do this. They will still get something useful by talking about the images, and perhaps they will try the role-playing on their own at home in a journal. It is not a lack of talent that makes this hard for some people but often a need to protect a vulnerable part of themselves from surfacing. If they stay with the process, this may change. Plus, just the creating of a card may be important in freeing up the creative impulse in this person. I have known people who have made many cards and love their cards, but never read from them. We are all at various stages on our creative paths, and SoulCollage® opens different doors for each person.

Catherine: Seena, my last question. What role do you think SoulCollage® can play in the healing of the planet?

Seena: I think it has potential to do quite a bit if it continues to grow. The more people heal their own inner wars the better they will be at healing the wars in families and communities and nations. However that is only the beginning of what I think is possible. If enough people gather, using their images to find consciousness, they can become one more of the imaginal cells forming and joining up in our chaotic world to envision the butterfly that we could become. SoulCollagers can gather and show that cooperation is better than competition, that partnership is better than hierarchy or patriarchy, that knowing the One and the Many is far, far better than insisting on one way or the other. Perhaps there can be a creative inclusiveness in SoulCollage® that will be catching.

Catherine: Seena, thank you so much for making time to give me such thorough and thoughtful answers to these questions, and thank you for bringing SoulCollage® to the world. I know it has changed my life. I love the idea that through SoulCollage® we can raise the consciousness of the planet by imagining a better world.

Here is some more information about the new book.

Seena’s first book, SoulCollage®, was a finalist for the Nautilus 2002 Book Awards for titles that contribute significantly to conscious living and positive social change. People loved it and SoulCollage® has grown into an extensive international community. "SoulCollage® Evolving" describes this new phase of SoulCollage®. Individuals and groups worldwide use this process with different age groups and in many socioeconomic, cultural, and religious contexts to discover their wisdom and change their world.

This book explains:

• How you can easily make and consult your own SoulCollage® cards

• How you can work with the language of symbols, dreams, and archetypes

• How you can let inner wisdom bubble up to answer your deepest questions

• How you can create and nurture community with SoulCollage®

• How you can learn ideas of how to use SoulCollage®.

If you want to find out a little more about SoulCollage® Seena has created a wonderful video which gives you all the basics for creating cards.

You can also access these great articles on SoulCollage®:

Making a SoulCollage® Card in 5 easy steps

Reading your SoulCollage® Cards

The SoulCollage® mantra is "Discover Your Wisdom, Change Your World". So let's change the world. One card at a time.

How my SoulCollage® Source card came into Being

2010-11-20T08:53:00.000-08:00

In the SoulCollage® process the Source card is an attempt to describe that which is mysterious, holy, and without form. The Source card represents our connection to Oneness. Or what some might call it the Divine or Spirit. This is what holds everything together. As such it is hard to find an image that represents this mystery.

My card resulted while experimenting and playing (the best ways to learn) with my camera and a technique for photographing water droplets. I knew immediately that this was my Source card. Here I was playing with water droplets, a candle and a camera and it looked like I was photographing something in a different realm of space. It spoke to me of mystery and connection at the same time. I was in awe that water droplets could create this magic. And it felt so right that my Source card was created from one of my photographs.

I was honored that Seena Frost featured this card in the section on Transpersonal cards in her new book, SoulCollage Evolving because this card has such deep meaning to me.

Writing Down Your Soul

2010-11-16T17:08:00.000-08:00

There are certain books you discover that speak to you deeply and change your life. This has happened to me on three occasions. First, about ten years ago when I discovered God is at Eye Level: Photography as a Healing Art by Jan Phillips. Then about seven years ago when I discovered SoulCollage® by Seena Frost. And now it has happened to me in the form of the book Writing Down Your Soul by Janet Conner.

I discovered the Writing Down Your Soul website where I was able to download the first chapter of the book for free and view videos about the deep soul writing process. After reading the first chapter I immediately ordered the book. Reading it felt like quenching a deep thirst. I think the world would change if we all used the deep writing process to connect to our inner wisdom. This combined with my SoulCollage® process makes me feel like I have access to divine guidance. And it is as simple as sitting, writing and listening.

Then I registered for Janet's online teleclass. I loved Janet's authenticity and energy. She shared so many of her personal experiences which brought the process to life. I really wanted to share her deep soul writing process with others as it is a simple way to make a huge difference to your life. This led to me ask Janet if I could interview her on my blog and I am excited to share her responses to my questions. Her answers really helped clarify some questions I had about "doing the process right".

Catherine: Janet, how has your Writing Down Your Soul process changed your life and how might it change mine or the life of someone reading this interview?

Janet: Catherine, the full answer to that question would take up a mile of your blog space! The succinct answer is: COMPLETELY. Deep soul writing has changed my life completely. I don't even feel like I am the person I was before I picked up a pen. Since I started soul writing in 1997, my career has changed dramatically from human resource consultant to published author-teacher-speaker. My spiritual life has completely changed. My relationship with God has changed. My purpose has changed. Pre-deep soul writing I didn't know why I was here; I just got up and went to work because I thought I had to. Now I am crystal clear about my divine purpose and I live it every single day. My prayer life has changed. But the most important thing that has changed is my sense of trust. I trust this life now. I trust that I am safe, guided, loved, and protected. I trust that I am not alone. No, let me amend that. I KNOW that I am not alone. And once you know that and you know that you know that, then life suddenly feels safe and even delicious.

Catherine: I’ve always written in a journal, but felt I had to write neatly and slowly. In Writing Down Your Soul you recommend writing fast. Why is this?

Janet: In deep soul writing, the last thing you want to do is write slowly and neatly. When you do that you’re giving way too much room on the page to all the old judgmental, critical voices you’ve built up in your head over the years—people like parents, old lovers, nasty bosses….anyone who told you life was hard, or you weren’t going to make it, or you weren’t good enough. It turns out that science can demonstrate that those old programs are real. They are actual neural pathways in your brain! (Who knew!) So when you write fast you get out in front of those old “tapes,” and give something new and wise and loving the opportunity to break through—what I call The Voice.

Catherine: Is it good enough for me to just write in a journal whenever I feel the need, or is there a specific process that makes the practice of Writing Down Your Soul more powerful than simply writing in a journal?

Janet: The scientific evidence shows that it takes a minimum of 30 days to build a new habit and the new neural pathway in your brain that supports that habit. So if you want the full benefits of deep soul writing (or any other spiritual practice or new habit in your life) show up every day for thirty days. Now, having said that, for heaven’s sake, don’t beat yourself up if guests come into town, or you have to work around the clock on an all-important contract, or some other time-consuming event pushes soul writing off your schedule for a day or two. Just come back to the practice. But at the outset make a commitment to write everyday. If you simply say, “I’ll get to it when I can,” you won’t. Not because you don’t want to; but because those old neural pathways are doing everything they can to push you away from this life-changing practice.

Catherine: Do I have to write for a specific amount of time for the Writing Down Your Soul process to work?

Janet: There is no magic amount of time. When I first started writing at the soul level, I was in the throes of a terrifying divorce and had LOTS to talk over with, “Dear God,” my divine Voice. So I wrote a lot. I’m sure there were days when I wrote for a couple of hours. Today, I probably write ten or fifteen minutes on average. When I have something big to talk over, I’ll drive ten minutes to my favorite sacred writing spot, St Michael’s Shrine in Tarpon Springs. I get major downloads on new programs and books sitting at St Michael’s. When I’m there, I write for a half hour or more. I think in the end, the individual soul writer knows on some level when to stop writing. It might be a feeling of completion, or a phrase might come through that indicates the writing session is over. For me, I know it’s time to stop when “TYG TYG TYG” comes through. That’s speed writing for “Thank you God, Thank you God, Thank you, God”.

Catherine: And finally, I’ve noticed that your favorite poet is Hafiz as translated by Daniel Ladinsky. Why do you find these poems so powerful and what is your very favorite Hafiz poem?

Janet: A friend gave me a copy of Daniel Ladinsky’s Love Poems from God a few months before I started writing my book. Love Poems from God is a smorgasbord of 12 mystical poets from many centuries and traditions. I fell in love with it. And somehow it seemed that a few lines from a mystic were always the perfect illustration of a point I was trying to make in my book. Meister Eckhart, for example, has the PERFECT welcome to Writing Down Your Soul: “They can be a great help—words. They can become Spirit’s hands and lift and caress you.” THAT is the perfect description of the core truth of my book.

When my manuscript was complete, I asked for permission to quote from Daniel’s book. When he learned what Writing Down Your Soul was about, he not only gave me permission, he said I had to become best friends with Hafiz. And he sent me three books of Hafiz poetry: I Heard God Laughing, The Subject Tonight is Love, and The Gift. Oh boy, was Daniel ever right! From the moment I opened those books, Hafiz moved in! He’s now my best friend. I turn to him every time I teach, opening and closing my classes with words from Hafiz.

But a favorite???!! Oh, that’s SO hard. I love so many. But here’s one I read to everyone in my workshops just as they’re picking up a pen for the first time. I say, imagine the Voice sitting in front of you, smiling, and saying:

As soon as you opened your mouth

And I heard your soft

Sounds,

I knew we would be

Friends.

The first time, dear pilgrim, I heard

You laugh,

I knew it would not take me long

To turn you back into

God.

That takes your breath away, doesn’t it! It sounds so big, so amazing, but actually that’s exactly what deep soul writing and all profound spiritual practices do—they connect us with the truth of who we really are, divine beings.

Catherine: Janet, thank you so much for sharing so much of this amazing process. I think deep soul writing will be something that I will always do as it feels like a very magical process of self-discovery and a deep way to access your inner wisdom.

(Note: Janet has a wonderful newsletter that always inspires me)

We and the Cosmos are One

2010-11-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

I have been making a lot of new SoulCollage® cards recently - and a number of them seem to be related to the earth and the cosmos.

This card says to me:
"I am the one who wishes to be guided by the ancient wise light of love."

"We and the cosmos are one. The cosmos is a vast body, of which we are still parts. The sun is a great heart whose tremors run through our smallest veins. The moon is a great gleaming nerve-center from which we quiver forever. Who knows the power that Saturn has over us or Venus? But it is a vital power, rippling exquisitely through us all the time ... Now all this is literally true, as men knew in the great past and as they will know again."
D.H. Lawrence

Seeing in a new way

2010-10-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

I recently had a talented young man in my photography class and he was using a fish-eye lens on his camera. I try and keep away from "gadgets" and work with just my camera, but the images he created showed me a whole new way of seeing the world and so I decided to add a fish-eye lens to my camera bag. I'm having such fun playing with it. It allows me a whole new perspective on very ordinary things.
Every photograph looks like a small world in itself.

SoulCollage® Evolving

2010-10-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

Seena Frost's new book "SoulCollage® Evolving" will be out in November, and Seena has kindly agreed to be a guest on my blog shortly after the release of the book to answer questions about SoulCollage®. I trained with Seena in June 2004 as a SoulCollage® facilitator and SoulCollage® is a process that I incorporate into my life to remind myself to listen to my inner voice. It also allows me to spend time in the flow of creativity, to relax and let go. If you haven't experienced SoulCollage® this video might give you an idea of what it is all about.

10.10.10: Another Gift on the Path

2010-10-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

There are some days that don't happen very often, in fact they only happen once in a lifetime. 10:00am on the 10th day of the 10th month in the year 2010 was one of those. It seemed to be a day and a time that should be recognized in some way and so I decided to walk my labyrinth, starting my walk at 10 minutes to 10 and spending some time in the center of the labyrinth so that I walked out at 10 past 10.

I always know that I have made the right decision when there is a gift waiting for me on the labyrinth path. This time it was a small white feather. To me it was a symbol of softness and purity as well as peace and I was grateful to find it there. It makes me aware that my labyrinth responds to me as I interact with it.

Later that day a participant in one of my workshops found a cocoon on the labyrinth. The cocoon was empty, the creator-insect having flown free. A cocoon is a symbol of transformation and rebirth. Change sometimes involves effort but it is how we grow and evolve, and is a necessary part of our journey.

This reminded me of a poem by Mary Oliver called "Black Swallowtail":

The caterpillar,
interesting but not exactly lovely,
humped along among the parsley leaves
eating, always eating. Then
one night it was gone and in its place
a small green confinement hung by two silk threads
on a parsley stem. I think it took nothing with it
except faith, and patience. And then one morning

it expressed itself into the most beautiful being.

I wonder what life would look like if we lived it with faith and patience?

Collecting the Labyrinth Lights

2010-09-24T06:04:00.000-07:00

September, 23rd, 2010 - a special day in so many ways. The Full Moon - a Harvest Moon - and the Autumn Equinox. The first time since 1991 that they have occurred together and this won't happen again until 2029. A perfect night for a labyrinth walk. Perfect weather, perfect light, perfect community. And all this came together for me at the end of the evening when I collected the lights that I had placed in and around the labyrinth to guide our way.

Walking the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey of life. When you walk you are never quite sure where you are on your journey and you have to just trust that if you put one foot in front of the other you will get where you need to be. This is always a reminder to me to trust the universe, particularly when I don't quite know where I am going. So, yesterday evening after the wonderful gathering finished, I decided I would walk the labyrinth and collect the lights. I took a basket with me and gathered the lights in the basket as I walked the circuits. Halfway through the walk I sensed the magic of carrying a basket of light with me. The lights seemed to represent the wonderful people I meet on my journey of life, and made me so grateful to all those whose paths have crossed mine.

I opened the labyrinth walk with this prayer of thanks:

We give-away our thanks to the earth which gives us our home.
We give-away our thanks to the rivers and lakes which give-away their water.
We give-away our thanks to the trees which give-away fruit and nuts.
We give-away our thanks to the wind which brings rain to water the plants.
We give-away our thanks to the sun who gives-away warmth and light.
All beings on earth: the trees, the animals, the wind and the rivers
give-away to one another so all is in balance.
We give-away our promise to begin to learn how to stay in balance with all the earth.
Dolores La Chapelle

The full moon - a time to release that which no longer serves you on your journey - and the equinox - allowing you to come back into balance. A magical evening.

One Step at a Time

2010-09-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day I had on Sunday with so many special people joining in the labyrinth walk. The weather was absolutely perfect, one of those days when just feeling the air against your skin makes you smile. I am so grateful to everyone who came and participated.

I wanted to share the poem that I read to open the labyrinth for our walk. It is by Robin Heerens Lysne and is called "First Step".

Beginnings
are sometimes foggy.
The path is not always clear.
The end of one begets another.

To begin, put one foot
in front of the other.
Your foot knows where to land,
the one that moves forward first.
Forget about the best foot.

Just put it out there.
Stop traffic if you have to.
Go home if that is where it leads you.
Go back to work
if that is where your foot falls.

You don't have to
go anywhere
Just rest.
After you step,
take another.
Forget about the weather.
Step
Step again.

Yes, the labyrinth always reminds me to simply put one foot in front of the other and to trust the path ahead of me.

My Daily Visitors

2010-08-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

These beautiful young deer have become daily visitors to my backyard. These photographs were taken from the doorway of my studio.

It is always such a thrill to see the deer in our garden, especially as we live in an area that would be considered city rather than country. Until recently we had a large open piece of land behind our property where the deer appeared to live. However, in the last year it has been developed and the deer have had to find new places to hang out. We have a small forested area at the back of our yard and I suspect they spend some time there.

According to Steven Farmer's "Animal Spirit Guides" one of the meanings of Deer showing up is that: "You're poised for an enticing adventure, one that will take you down many different paths and lead to many important insights". He also recommends calling on Deer when "you need help finding inspiration and resources for any creative projects you're working on".

So thank you Deer for appearing to me today. I will be calling on you for inspiration this week as I finish off the creative projects for my book.

Life is a Daring Adventure

2010-08-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing" has been a favorite quote of mine for years. And recently one of my friends, Tamela Rich, turned her life into a daring mid-life adventure by riding a motorcycle (that she only learned to ride in March this year) across the United States to Oregon and back. Tamela also used this adventure as a way to raise awareness and money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Check out this interview with Tamela on our local television station this morning

I was at her kickstands down celebration when she arrived safely back in Charlotte yesterday and her suggestion to those present was to always follow your dreams no matter what, and to be of service. That pretty much sums up what I think life should be about. When Tamela first decided she wanted to do this, she had no idea how she was going to get a motorbike or how she would pay for the trip. Everything fell into place - as it tends to do when you are following a dream that is uniquely yours.

Blur the Lines

2010-08-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.
Arnold Toynbee

Spent the morning photographing a dragonfly. Wonder whether I was playing or working?

We Have the Power

2010-07-26T07:27:00.000-07:00

"This is the first time in history when an artist doesn't need a pedigree or permission or even a patron to create art. The power is literally in the hands of the creator."
Chase Jarvis
Photographer, Seattle
July 24th, 2010

When I read this, it made me stop and think. If I had wanted to be an artist when I was in my twenties, I wouldn't have had a digital camera, a computer, a scanner, Photoshop or the internet to share art through online groups and forums.

There are no excuses in this day and age not to be an artist if that is your calling and your passion. You have everything you need to create, and more ...

To be an Artist

2010-07-12T13:27:00.001-07:00

I found this necklace at my favorite shop in Charlotte: The Bag Lady (Provisions for the Wild Woman). I had to have it as a reminder that it takes courage to believe in oneself and to put your creations out into the world not knowing how they will be received. So this is for all the artists out there as a reminder that what you do really does matter. Spending time creating is important, regardless of whether your work sells or not.

Matthew Fox, in his book "Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet" shows how important it is to meet the world with the creativity of an artist, particularly in these uncertain times:
"What do we do with chaos? Creativity has an answer. We are told by those who have studied the processes of nature that creativity happens at the border between chaos and order. Chaos is a prelude to creativity. We need to learn, as every artist needs to learn, to live with chaos and indeed to dance with it as we listen to it and attempt some ordering. Artists wrestle with chaos, take it apart, deconstruct and reconstruct from it. Accept the challenge to convert chaos into some kind of order, respecting the timing of it all, not pushing beyond what is possible—combining holy patience with holy impatience--that is the role of the artist. It is each of our roles as we launch the twenty-first century because we are all called to be artists in our own way. We were all artists as children. We need to study the chaos around us in order to turn it into something beautiful. Something sustainable. Something that remains".

So be the artist you were born to be. The world needs you.

Writing and Faith

2010-07-08T16:17:00.000-07:00

I've discovered that writing a book requires faith and commitment to showing up every day not knowing what the day is going to produce. Some days the words and projects flow, other days they hiccup along. I thought I was the only one who didn't know exactly what every writing day would look like. Then I found the book "Writing and the Spiritual Life" by Patrice Vecchione and I realized I was not alone.

Patrice reminded me: "To have faith in your writer-self and to have faith in God, you need faith in what is unproven and invisible. To have faith in writing is, in a way, to have faith in all that is unformed within you, in all that is unprovable but possible. You give yourself to the mystery and find a knowing sense, faith, and trust that come from within you".

I can now relax into the mystery and surprise of what will be created and birthed each day, knowing that as long as I have the faith to just show up, the rest will follow.

Random Acts of Art and Inspiration

2010-06-17T20:40:00.000-07:00

I created a set of what I call SoulPrayer cards with the purpose of using them as random acts of art and inspiration. I have been leaving them in public places to be found, I have been inserting them in books that I've given away, and I've also mailed them to others. However, the main purpose was for them to be anonymous random acts to inspire others. I chose each quote and image carefully. I love the idea that each of us is capable of doing something to uplift others, especially people we don't know. I had the cards printed on a waterproof material similar to a credit card but thinner, with rounded corners. The SoulPrayer cards are the size of a credit card. I've so enjoyed this project. If you like the idea of passing on random acts of art and inspiration leave me a Facebook message on Catherine Anderson Studio and I'll mail the first ten people a set of four cards. If you'd like to see what the backs of the cards look like go to SoulPrayercards.com

Photo Playdates

2010-05-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

Don't you love surprises? I do, and recently I received a wonderful surprise from a group of fellow photographers who live on the West Coast. On the first day of spring Louie, Gwen, Michele and Suze crawled the Fremont Sunday Market with their cameras and then Louie created a book for each participant (plus an extra one for me!) of their favorite photographs from the outing. It was an unexpected surprise to be included, and it really made me wish I had been there.

And then this week I received yet another surprise from a photo crawl by photographers Gwen, Dawn, Paula and Jan. They explored Pike Place in Seattle. Gwen mailed me my very own copy of the photo journal she created out of their photographs from the outing! You are all making me wish I lived nearer to you. Thank you so much for including me vicariously in your outings! It is such a great idea to get together with your cameras and encourage and support each other. You all inspired me to get in touch with my friend Marie and arrange a photo play date with her at the end of June on my way through New York to my Jean Houston Mystery School workshop in Garrison, NY.

Thank you for sharing your photo crawl with me and making an extra copy of your books for me!

Creating Universal Peace

2010-05-17T05:54:00.000-07:00

"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
Mother Teresa

I was fortunate enough to spend an hour in the presence of the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace at the Lien Hoa Temple in Charlotte, NC., listening to the monks chanting and visualizing peace in our world.

The purpose of exhibiting the Jade Buddha around the world is for everyone, irrespective of their religion, to take a moment to reflect upon peace; peace for the world; peace in their relationships; peace for their families and friends; peace at work; peace in their mind.

"We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace."
British Prime Minister William E. Gladstone

Ordinary Beauty

2010-04-09T06:02:00.000-07:00

I've been corresponding with a friend in England who has recently acquired a camera. She told me yesterday: "What I've noticed since I've had the camera is that EVERYTHING is beautiful; nothing is ordinary or drab." Sometimes the lens allows us to take one step back from reality and by allowing us to isolate a scene or an item, it allows us to really see it with new eyes.

Ancestors

2010-03-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

"If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people."
Thich Nhat Hanh

I have been creating an "Ancestor Album" for my grandmother Edith from a vintage record album. The cover is a fabric transfer photo of Edith on her wedding day to my grandfather Leslie Clark. One of my relatives has created a website for the Clark Family and there is a chapter in the book relating to my grandfather Leslie's family.

My grandmother had an interesting life and was a strong Matriarchal figure in our family. I have many of her letters and notebooks as well as her old lace and her sapphire ring. Edith taught me about poetry, about being strong and about beauty. One of the poems I remember her reciting to me was this one by William Davies:

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

I want to remember to take the time to notice all the amazingly beautiful things around me, especially as spring makes itself known again.

Looking for Color

2010-03-03T17:27:00.000-08:00

I'm reading "My Stroke of Insight" by Jill Bolte Taylor and was excited to find she had this to say:
"We are designed to focus in on whatever we are looking for. If I seek red in the world then I will find it everywhere. Perhaps just a little in the beginning, but the longer I stay focused on looking for red, then before you know it, I will see red everywhere."

This has been my experience of the world, and is most obvious to me as a result of the Photo Art Journals that I host every couple of weeks. The photo theme makes sure that I keep my eyes open for images that speak to the theme. Recently the themes have been the colors. A book each for Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Purple. You can find what you are looking for everywhere once your unconscious starts being on the lookout on your behalf (just remember to carry your camera with you!).

I imagine that this applies to everything in life. What you focus on expands.

Neale Donald Walsch says it this way: "Whatever you are being, you are creating."

So here is some of the red I've found in the world!

Magical Mystery School

2010-02-25T07:38:00.000-08:00

I attended Jean Houston's East Coast Mystery School this past weekend at the Garrison Institute, a beautiful old building that was once a monastery.

I felt transported to another dimension. Maybe this is what attending Hogwarts for Adults feels like. I was introduced to amazing new ways to see myself and the world around me. Jean truly believes that a larger life is latent in every human spirit and her work is about waking up that latent possibility.

Jean posed the possibility that we are living in a cosmic hologram where everything is part of everything else.

This reminded me of how I am often amazed at how one thing appears in another seemingly disconnected part of the world, like this tree in a puddle which called to me while I was walking around the little town of Garrison. What magic connects the one to the other?

"We are creating a new visible world that requires a fresh approach to the invisible."
Thomas Moore

Permission to Fly

2010-02-15T06:42:00.000-08:00

This beautiful book full of love and birds and wings and remembrances was a gift to me from a group of my special friends - my deepest gratitude to you all, I'm still overwhelmed. Each page is a reminder to me to take flight and celebrate each day. The instigator of the project was my dear friend Elsa Safir who also created the beautiful cover. I'll be sharing more of the beautiful art pages, but today I'd also like to share this poem by Richard LeGallienne included by Ilse on her page:

I meant to do my work today ...
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree.
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.
And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand ...
So what could I do but laugh and go?

What a joyful reminder of the amazing world we live in and the beauty around us, including the beauty of true friendship.

Be astonished

2010-02-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

While in the cabin in the north woods of Minnesota I came across Mary Oliver's book of poetry "Red Bird". In contains her "Instructions for living a life" which reads:

Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.

I'm hoping these images convey the astonishing beauty and awe of winter on Lake Superior, Minnesota. I felt like a small child seeing the world for the first time. There is something magical about snow blanketing the shore and the woods, and something awe-inspiring about watching the sun rise over the lake in the early morning blue light.

Traveling within

2010-02-02T05:45:00.001-08:00

As I prepare and pack for my first trip to the northwoods during winter, a little apprehensive about the cold - for this is the first time I will experience winter in a northern area that is covered by snow and ice most of winter - I am reminded of Gerald Durrell's observation about travelers: "A great traveler ... is a kind of introspective; as she covers the ground outwardly, so she advances fresh interpretations of herself inwardly."

I am interested to see what "fresh interpretations" the snow and ice grant to me, what new discoveries I make about myself as I gaze at Lake Superior covered in ice. I am hopeful that the images I am drawn to make through my camera lens will give me clues.

Just being

2010-01-30T10:23:00.000-08:00

"I think the real artists are too busy with just being and growing and acting like themselves to worry about the end. The end will be what it will be. The object is intense living, fulfillment; the great happiness in creation."
Robert Henri

Today is a good day to do the things you love.

Snow Labyrinth

2010-01-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

In November, 2009 I trained with Lauren Artress to become a Veriditas Labyrinth Facilitator. The labyrinth has been a pattern I have been drawn to for some years. As I've mentioned before I even built one in my back yard and as soon as the weather warms up again I'm planning to hold facilitated labyrinth walks as I believe in the power of the labyrinth to assist us in looking within and finding meaning in our lives. I walk my labyrinth when I am creatively stuck and it always helps me move forward.

I recently discovered this snow labyrinth which was created in Northern Vermont by Scott Vogel. Knowing how much energy and effort it took to build a labyrinth out of stones I am awed by Scott's dedication in creating a labyrinth out of snow. His snow labyrinth blog is worth a visit and you can experience walking a snow labyrinth by watching the videos.

I feel wonder just looking at it's beautiful lines and curves.

Blues and Reds

2010-01-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

"The true harvest of my life is intangible - a little star dust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched."
Thoreau

I have just finished binding the Photo Art Journals yahoo group Blue and Red photo journals. Last month we created Green and Yellow journals and next month is our Orange and Purple month so we will have a set of rainbow books. I am so enjoying playing with color, especially during the winter months when the natural world is less colorful.

Mystery and Spirit

2010-01-20T11:03:00.000-08:00

"To be alive is not primarily a linear experience. It's a mix of dreaming and running to the store for a quart of milk. Our lives have depth, in part, because we can't make sense of everthing. Life doesn't make sense; it's more complicated than our linear way of knowing. Mystery and spirit run through our days like rivers and sustain us."
Patrice Vecchione in "Writing and the Spiritual Life"

What a relief to know that I don't need to make sense of everything! I took this photo while I was filling my car up with gas. The dreamlike feel of the mist contrasted with the practical activity of pumping gas. Who would know that I was standing next to my car as I took this photo. I am reminded to see the beauty wherever I am.

Solitude, Silence and Stillness

2010-01-13T17:00:00.000-08:00

This year John O'Donohue's beautiful words are the blessing I wish for everyone.

May you open the gift of solitude
In order to receive your soul;
Enter the generosity of silence
To hear your hidden heart;
Know the serenity of stillness
To be enfolded anew
By the miracle of your being.

Winter is a perfect time to appreciate solitude, silence and stillness so that you can hear your inner whisperings. Take time for yourself.

Leonard Cohen in North Carolina

2009-11-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

I am going to see Leonard Cohen live in concert in Durham, NC tonight! I am very excited.

Leonard Cohen was not known in South Africa and I was only recently introduced to his music by my 19 year old daughter who shares my love of listening to Leonard sing. Amy and I are going to the concert together.

My favorite Cohen quote is:

"Ring the bells that can still ring.
Forget the perfect offering.
There's a crack in everything,
that's how the light gets in."

My favorite song is "Dance me to the End of Love"

And this is Leonard in 1970 at a Woodstock style concert on the Isle of Wight. It is amazing that 39 years later, at the age of 75 he is still performing!

My Studio through Laurel's eyes

2009-10-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting another SoulCollage facilitator, Laurel Aston, who lives in San Francisco for two nights. As I know Laurel enjoys the same things I do I decided to let her stay in my Studio as I thought she would enjoy being surrounded by creativity. Laurel shared with me photos she had taken of my Studio as if you were walking into it for the first time and I love them so I'm sharing them for those of you that don't live close enough to come for a cup of tea in my Studio!

This is my favorite photo - the Studio as seen from the labyrinth!

Omega Experience

2009-10-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY after eleven days of immersion in experiential learning. The Omega campus is really beautiful. This photo of the lake was taken on my way to early morning meditation.

I attended a weekend workshop with Lynn Robinson on Intuition which was a very practical class. Lynn is the author of Divine Intuition, Trust Your Gut, and has a new book called Listen coming out in December. We are all more intuitive than we give ourselves credit for! As Lynn says: "When you listen to the whispers of your soul and take small steps forward, a new dream emerges. You have access to the gift of divine intuition to guide you to the fulfillment of that dream. Each time you ask for guidance and act on the wisdom you receive, you align your mind with the mind of God; you tap into a stream of conscious guidance that is divine intuition."

I then attended a seven day intensive "Insight and Opening" workshop facilitated by Jack Kornfield and Dr. Stanislav Grof. The focus of this workshop was on meditation and breathwork. This workshop has made me more aware of the importance of the breath in everything we do and how the breath connects us to greater consciousness.

I think it takes time for new learning to settle into one's body and so I am allowing myself to slowly process all that I learnt.

Keeper of the Wild

2009-09-27T18:47:00.000-07:00

I have been reading the biography of Ernest Oberholtzer called "Keeper of the Wild" written by Joe Paddock. Ernest Oberholtzer is the man who created the Mallard Island sanctuary. I am fascinated with the life of this quiet man who was able to make a real difference in the world without access to a large supply of money. He was very involved in the passing of legislation to preserve our wilderness areas. And of course, I can't help but admire someone who loved books like I do. There are around 12,000 beautiful old books in the library and rooms of Mallard.

I've been making a series of cards with my photographs of Mallard Island and quotes by "Ober" to donate to the Oberholtzer Foundation as a small way to show my gratitude for the opportunity to spend time on Mallard Island. This is one of the cards. I took this photo early one morning as the sun was rising over the water. I hope I get to spend more time there. You really can live deep surrounded by trees and water.

What we notice

2009-09-25T17:49:00.000-07:00

A daily poem from Panhala is delivered to my inbox every day. Recently this was the daily poem

life is a garden,
not a road

we enter and exit
through the same gate

wandering,
where we go matters less
than what we notice.

The poem is attributed to Bokonon from "The Lost Book".

As a photographer noticing things has become a practice that I strive to incorporate in everything I do and so this poem struck a cord with me.

And today, as I slowly walked my labyrinth, which is another of my daily practices, I noticed that I entered and exited the labyrinth through the same entrance. I had always thought of the labyrinth as a metaphor for the journey of life and this poem made me see this more clearly. Life is made up of cycles and being present to notice my life is more important than rushing through it - as Henry Canby says "Live deep instead of fast". But how to get all those exciting creative projects done before my time is up? I wish I knew how to balance these two aspects of my life - I want them both!

Recently there was an article on Labyrinths in Charlotte Woman magazine's August edition. There is an interview with me on pages 24 and 25.

2009-09-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

My last post was in February, it is now September, six months later. My excuse? I've needed time away from the computer. I've needed to make the time and take the time to get my hands full of paint, to walk my labyrinth and feel the wet grass beneath my feet. I've needed to have time to play with fabric, enjoying it's texture, finding ways to use it in new projects. Time to just "listen to the trees whispering and think no thoughts" as Anne Hillman so perfectly writes.

This need was confirmed this past week when I spent a week on Mallard Island in Rainy Lake, Minnesota. I realized just how much I love being surrounded by water and how much easier it was to connect to my essence without the phone ringing, emails to reply to and the constant noise of the world revolving around me.

The island is the legacy of Ernest Oberholzer, one of the original pioneers of saving the wilderness areas of our nation. "Ober" as he is fondly known, said it perfectly: "Man was made for broad scenes and tall shadows. He craves a noble background. Cramp him, and he revolves in an ever narrowing circle, until finally he doubts his own destiny. The song goes out of his heart."

This week was a gift to my soul and a reminder to spend more time surrounded by nature.

"There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks. Most of the time we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story."
Linda Hogan

But I think I'll also be making time to record my journey again. It helps me to see more clearly.

A Daily Dose of Wonder

2009-02-19T17:45:00.000-08:00

We could all do with a daily dose of wonder. I have been a follower of Jill Badonsky since I discovered her book "Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard)". I created visual cards for each of the Muses based on SoulCollage® and the Muses have been my best buddies ever since!

So when Jill's new book, "The Awe-Manac", was published I ordered it immediately. It is choc-a-block full of daily soul vitamins, awe-servances, journal juju, doses of mirth, creativity prompts and more. A page for each day of the year.

Today, the Toast of the Day is: "Here's to wise older women who are not afraid to speak their minds."

And today the Subliminal Message Brought to You by the Kindness Potion is: "The Dalai Lama said, "My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness." What's one small way you can carry out the religion of the Dalai Lama today or tomorrow.

Recently I became a certified by Jill to teach her Modern Day Muse workshop which is one of my favorite classes. Each week for ten weeks we immerse ourselves in one of the Muses, hear what the Muse has to say to us and then make a SoulCollage card to remind us of the Muse. We then let the Muse card write us a letter reminding us of all the wonderful things we are when we are truly listening to our creative souls.

Jill kindly agreed to answer a couple of difficult questions I posed to her on creativity. I've been living a creative life and have studied every book I can find on the subject for years now, so the questions I had were areas where I really needed help. I've posted my questions and Jill's answers here so you can benefit from them too.

Catherine:

When you have a wonderful dream, like writing a book, where do you start, and how do you ensure that you keep moving forward with the project, when it is something that will take a couple of years to complete.

Jill:
Good question! First, I've learned not to expect the dream to be a linear process. My process was all over the place. An illustration here, a quote there, a splurge of writing now and then, another illustration, a trip to Costa Rica, a few losses, a few triumphs, another quote, a buffet in Las Vegas, another splurge of writing.. you know, like that.
Making sure I kept everything so I could find it when it was time to compile the book was important. It was also important for the project to be fun.. something I might do for myself and my friends even if it didn't get published. It is so satisfying watching it grow and letting go of any kind of expectation of how it's supposed to look.

Having a deadline for both my books helped a lot. Working on other projects as well as continuing to compile ideas kept me going on one project for a number of years because it was not my only focus.

Catherine:
How do you protect your own creative time. I find it hard to say no to requests when I don’t have any other commitments on my calendar except those to myself and my creative projects.

Jill:
Give your creative time a promotion and a raise– make it as important as requests from others. It's sacred and necessary. Embody the tenacious personality of a rebellious, self-determined artist who is adamant about protecting her creative time even if it means saying no to a bunch of people who are unhappy that you did. It's part of your license and requirements as an artist to do this. It also good role-modeling for others.

Or mark your creative time on your calendar as if it were a class and make it a class with yourself. I mark down my creative time and "ruthlessly protect" it. Sometimes I make a time with a buddy so both of us are working in our separate spaces at the same time. That gives that time more importance, structure and likely follow-through. I invented a Bodyguard to go with the nine modern day Muses in my first book in order to summon up our protective powers. If we are creative, engaging in our creativity is vital to our optimal functioning in all areas of our life.

Catherine:

What is the one most powerful thing one can do to create on a regular basis?

Jill:
Make it a fun habit. Show up almost everyday even if it's just for 5 minutes. Remember how good it felt when you engaged in your creativity before. Give yourself permission to be imperfect.

Catherine:
How can we find more hours in the day to create as well as keep up with the admin involved in teaching, putting your work in exhibitions and shops!

Jill:

We can stop watching as much TV. We can use the moments that we wait or shower or drive or walk to be thinking about our creativity and understand that this time is important for preparation and percolation. We can let go of doing things so perfectly and let go of doing some things… period. Creativity is what makes our eyes flash with brilliance, our blood course with our veins with gladness and our hearts come alive with joy. When we are in our creative bliss we are better for every other aspect of our lives and for everyone in our lives.
It's a balancing act for sure, but in each moment, ask your intuition what would make sense. We often know more than we give ourselves credit for.

Thank you, Jill!

With Gratitude for Barbara

2009-02-17T17:35:00.000-08:00

Barbara,

You are the one who listens to others;

you are the one who cares deeply about others;

you are the one who is always kind;

you are the one whose presence brings calm joy;

you are the one who is thoughtful and deep;

you are the one who is gentle;

you are the one who encourages others.

You are missed,

your spirit will always be remembered.

Thank you for touching my life.

The Muse "Spills"

2009-02-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

This week we played with the Muse "Spills". Spills is the Muse of Practice, Process and Imperfection and Spills reminds us that "If you can't make a mistake, you can't make anything" and "with practice you will get better at anything. It's a universal law." I love Spills - he gives me permission to do things badly, and after a while of doing things badly the universal law ensures that I improve.

Kerry made the most wonderful Spills card in class. Have a look at Spills on Kerry's blog.

These Muses are based on Jill Badonsky's book "The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard), and I will be interviewing Jill about the creative process and posting the interview on my blog next week. Her new book "The Awe-Manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder" is also an inspiration.

Exhibitions

2009-02-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

Recently I have been keeping myself busy preparing for two exhibitions. My series entitled "Children of Ixopo: Hope and Survival in a Time of AIDS" is on display at WCNC-Channel 36 in their entrance area. They will be on display until March 4th.

The other is an exhibition at Mint Hill Arts which opened this evening to a great crowd. I'll be gallery sitting on Thursday and will take some photos then.

The Labyrinth under the Full Moon

2009-01-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

A week or so ago we had a beautiful full moon so I grabbed my camera and went outside to photography my labyrinth under the full moon. You can just see the stones reflected on the ground. It really felt magical. If it hadn't been so cold I would have done a moonlight labyrinth walk!

If you are interested in learning more about labyrinths here are some interesting websites:

The Labyrinth
101 Ways to Use a Labyrinth
History of Labyrinths

"Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love."
Caroline Adams

The Muse Aha-Phrodite

2009-01-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

This week we played with the Muse Aha-Phrodite, the Muse of Paying Attention and Possibilities. She is one of my favorites because she reminds me that anything is possible. I find it interesting that in my card she is a young child. Children are so much more open to wonder. One of the tips that Aha-Phrodite gives us is to keep a notebook with you at all times to record all those Aha! moments.
I'm excited to report that Jill Badonsky , the author of The Nine Day Modern Muses (and a Bodyguard) is going to visit my blog in February and I get to ask her five questions regarding the creative process - so if you have any questions you'd like to ask just let me know and I'll pass them on.

"The function of art is to renew our perception.
What we are familiar with we cease to see."

Anais Nin

Grateful

2009-01-16T18:17:00.000-08:00

The internet allows us to share and connect with people we might never otherwise have met. For a couple of years Louie Shellenberger has been participating in the Photo Art Journals group that I host. Her photographs are always amazing and she has been the one who keeps the list of journals we have done updated and photos of the journals posted. I always forget to do this, so I'm really grateful for the help. Recently she told me she was flying from Whitbey Island in Washington State via Charlotte to visit her parents in Akron, Ohio for their 70th Wedding Anniversary - yes, 70th!! Well, I couldn't let Louie pass through Charlotte without meeting her, so on Thursday morning I left home early before the morning traffic so we could have an hour or so together before Louie's connecting flight. It was so wonderful to meet her at last (and her son Cory)!

For the last two years Louie has been taking a photo a day and posting them to her blog! I tried this once and couldn't even do it for a month, so I am in awe of this feat.

I am so grateful for the wonderful art community that I have found on the internet!

I gather inspiration from many people I have never met, such as this photo-a-day for a month project.

Photographing Water Droplets

2009-01-12T13:16:00.000-08:00

I'm part of a collaborative journal project with a friend in Washington State and this weekend was working on her journal, the theme of which is Reflection, Refraction, Diffraction, Glories! I was attempting to photograph reflections in water droplets. It didn't work out quite as I anticipated but this photograph from the series made me think of the solar system and reminded me of the amazing beauty and wonder of the world we live in.

"When time comes for us to again rejoin the infinite stream of water flowing to and from the great timeless ocean, our little droplet of soulful water will once again flow with the endless stream."

William E. Marks

Playing with the Muses

2009-01-11T07:43:00.000-08:00

I've just started teaching a ten week workshop combining SoulCollage® and the book "The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard)" by Jill Badonsky. Each week we get to know a new Muse and explore what they have to offer and then we make a SoulCollage® card representing the Muse. This week we spent time discovering "Arnold" who is the Bodyguard. You can see from my card that my Bodyguard is a wise old man, but it could be an animal or a female bodyguard. The Bodyguard protects you from the criticism of others as well as you own inner critic and encourages you to believe in yourself.

Jill has recently written a new book called "The Awe-Manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder" which sits next to my bed for daily inspiration. Jill offered a free teleconference call this week which I dialled into. I am so glad I did. I loved the exercises Jill gave us, especially one where we took the beginning of a song title and finished it with our own words (the words Jill gave us were "Echoes of ......."). My new titles will make perfect names for my photographs and the timing was just right as I am putting together a body of work for a photography exhibition in February.

Walking the Labyrinth

2009-01-05T18:37:00.001-08:00

"It is solved by walking."
Saint Augustine

To celebrate the completion of my labyrinth I had two days of Open Studio to share my labyrinth with my friends.

There are layers upon layers of meaning in the ancient tool of the labyrinth. But the best way to learn about the labyrinth is to walk one.

So that is one of the pleasures I have - walking the labyrinth whenever I feel called to do so (especially when the weather is beautiful - like today).

Thanks to my yoga teacher, Mohit, for taking this photograph. I was too busy with all the guests and I'm grateful to have these visual reminders.

However, after it was all over I had time to take this Christmas view of my studio.

A Day of Sharing Song

2008-12-04T11:39:00.001-08:00

LK Ludwig has come up with another wonderful idea - sharing songs. As the quote on LK's blog says:
"Words make you think a thought.
Music makes you feel a feeling.
A song makes you feel a thought."
E.Y. Harburg

Today I took one of my favorite CDs to yoga class and the response from my fellow classmates reminded me that I wanted to share this music. It is a CD called "All is Forgiven" by Ashana. I love all the music on it, particularly "Loving Kindness".

You can hear extracts of songs from this CD and others at Ashana's website or go to amazon if you can't access them on Ashana's website.

Visit LK's blog for links to other bloggers and their favorite music.

I must also share a recent CD I bought called "Singing for the Soul" by Jan Phillips and the Gnostic Gospel Choir. Jan and a group of women in San Diego meet once a month to sing together and this CD is to encourage us to sing together too. Jan introduced me to the music of Ashana and has a wonderful CD of her music as well which I absolutely love called "All the Way to Heaven."

Jan starts the Singing for the Soul CD with this wonderful prayer:
O Maker of the Universe, Maker of this Earth, Maker of Souls and Maker of Songs,
We thank you for the Spirit that flows among us, through us, around us and in us.
We thank you for this circle that connects us across the distance wherever we are.
We sing out in joy and adoration trusting in the power of these songs to bring light to the darkness and healing to the wounded
Acknowledging our oneness, Grateful for our blessings, Fervent in our purpose
We offer our voices in prayer for the World.

Thank you Jan for bringing more beauty into the world.

My Labyrinth

2008-11-29T08:44:00.000-08:00

It has taken me almost a year to complete this project and I am most grateful to my husband Paul for helping me with it as I know I couldn't have done it on my own. I can't tell you why I felt this urge to have my own labyrinth. I hope to use it as a daily meditation for those days when I can't sit still long enough to go within. It will also be part of my classes as I believe in the power of the labyrinth.

When I visited Paris a number of years ago, I made a point of taking a day trip to Chatres to see the labyrinth there. I was disappointed as it was covered with chairs and there was not much information available about the labyrinth.

According to Lauren Artress, the author of The Sacred Path Companion: A Guide to Walking the Labyrinth to Heal and Transform: " A labyrinth nurtures the capacity to reflect ... To reflect upon your experiences is the only way you learn the art of being human ... Walking the labyrinth literally opens a new realm."

I'm looking forward to the new insights my labyrinth brings me.

A Day of Sharing Words

2008-11-18T17:51:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite teachers and artists, LK Ludwig, suggested "A Day of Sharing Words" where we post of poem that "moves inside you, touches you, reaches you". What a wonderful idea. LK is always full of wonderful ideas as you will see in the latest issue of "Somerset Studio" which has an article on LK and her photo journals.

Go to LK's blog to find more poems shared:
http://gryphonsfeather.typepad.com/the_poetic_eye/a-day-of-sharing-words.html

So here is my poem by Mark Nepo called "Breaking Surface":

Let no one keep you from your journey,

no rabbi or priest, no mother

who wants you to dig for treasures

she misplaced, no father

who won't let one life be enough,

no lover who measures their worth

by what you might give up,

no voice that tells you in the night

it can't be done.

Let nothing dissuade you

from seeing what you see

or feeling the winds that make you

want to dance alone

or go where no one

has yet to go.

You are the only explorer.

Your heart, the unreadable compass.

Your soul, the shore of a promise

too great to be ignored.

Mark's website is http://www.marknepo.com/ and you can find more of his wonderful poetry there.

LK also suggested we post an image and this photo I took in Brevard NC a couple of summers ago surfaced in my mind as I was typing out the poem:

Enrichment

2008-10-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have posted, but last night I picked up the book "Silence, Song and Shadows" by Tom Bender and the page I read was so meaningful to me that I thought it would be good to include in my blog, for no other reason other that it will be a way for me to remember what I read. With the current economics it seemed like a good time for this reminder:

"All economics, and all cultures and communities derive from distinctive assertions of value. If the values chosen reflect consumption, greed, and violence, they create a far different world than if those values derive from the sacred. E.F. Schumacher, in his path-breaking "Buddhist Economics" remarked on the characteristic kind of economics which arise from the values of Buddhism - on the role and importance of enriching work, of obtaining the maximum well-being from minimum consumption, and of the importance of non-attachment to wealth. He has shown also its effectiveness in creating successful life, culture, and tools.

Reestablishing a value base to our communities involves discovery of the real meaning of a whole range of sustainable values tied to the sacred. Austerity, for example, is important. It does not, as we might think, exclude richness or enjoyment. What it does do is help us be aware of things which distract us from our real goals in life.

When we understand austerity, we see that affluence has a great hidden cost. Its endless possibilities demand impossible commitments of time and energy. It fails to discriminate between what is wise and useful and what is merely possible. We end up foregoing things necessary for a truly satisfying life to make time and space for trivia. As we relearn the value of austerity, along with stewardship, permanence, responsibility, enoughness, work, and interdependence, we create a new and enduring kind of community."

The shades of green and play of light on this leaf are so beautiful, but often there is too much going on for me to notice things like this when I am in the garden. I am grateful to have a camera that allows me to isolate these spots of beauty and to reflect on them. I think this is the austerity that is referred to by Tom Bender - austerity that focuses us on the wonder and beauty in the simple.

Sensual Journal project

2008-05-26T18:07:00.001-07:00

I'm part of a sensual journal project organized by Deb Denton. Deb gave us the challenge that four of the five senses needed to be represented in the journal pages we did - even more difficult than it sounds. This month I worked in Sheila Scott's journal. Her great theme was "Get out there - it's a great big world". This is the cover of Sheila's box that houses our contributions.

Of course my journal entries are all about Africa - a place close to my heart. Here are some of my pages.

Celebrate What's Right with the World

2008-04-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

This link was shared with me by my photographer buddy, Bill Elder, who has been so generous with his knowledge of photography with me over the years.

Dewitt Jones is a National Geographic photographer, and his enthusiasm for the beauty around us and the call to look deeper for the meaning in the world was just what I needed as I put together a presentation on my trip to visit organizations dealing with the Aids pandemic in South Africa.

Back from South Africa

2008-04-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

I'm back from my three week trip to South Africa. It was an intense trip and I'm still trying to process everything I saw and experienced. Sometimes I find I need to withdraw from an experience for a while afterwards before I can see it in the right perspective. So I'll share more about my experiences at a later date.

I did stay at the Buddhist Retreat Center in Ixopo while I was spending time with Woza Moya, and it was the perfect place to be as it allowed me to regroup every day in a peaceful and meditative space.

This was the early morning view from my bedroom ... the mist rising from the valley ....

The last week of my trip was spent in an area I was unfamiliar with and it was an intense experience. My surroundings were quite different, and this is where I slept!

Interview with Eric Maisel

2008-02-21T19:18:00.000-08:00

Eric Maisel will be visiting my blog on Saturday. Eric's website is http://www.ericmaisel.com/. Eric trains creativity coaches, leads workshops and has written more than twenty-five books. His book Fearless Creating is one of my favorites. His books are full of inspiration to get you creating on a regular basis. His book, The Van Gogh Blues, has recently come out in paperback and Eric kindly answered some questions on his book. If you have questions to ask Eric please post your questions and he will be happy to answer them.

Eric, can you tell us what The Van Gogh Blues is about?

For more than 25 years I’ve been looking at the realities of the creative life and the make-up of the creative person in books like Fearless Creating, Creativity for Life, Coaching the Artist Within, and lots of others. A certain theme or idea began to emerge: that creative people are people who stand in relation to life in a certain way—they see themselves as active meaning-makers rather than as passive folks with no stake in the world and no inner potential to realize. This orientation makes meaning a certain kind of problem for them—if, in their own estimation, they aren’t making sufficient meaning, they get down. I began to see that this “simple” dynamic helped explain why so many creative people—I would say all of us at one time or another time—get the blues.

To say this more crisply, it seemed to me that the depression that we see in creative people was best conceptualized as existential depression, rather than as biological, psychological, or social depression. This meant that the treatment had to be existential in nature. You could medicate a depressed artist but you probably weren’t really getting at what was bothering him, namely that the meaning had leaked out of his life and that, as a result, he was just going through the motions, paralyzed by his meaning crisis.

Are you saying that whenever a creative person is depressed, we are looking at existential depression? Or might that person be depressed in “some other way”?

When you’re depressed, especially if you are severely depressed, if the depression won’t go away, or if it comes back regularly, you owe it to yourself to get a medical work-up, because the cause might be biological and antidepressants might prove valuable. You also owe it to yourself to do some psychological work (hopefully with a sensible, talented, and effective therapist), as there may be psychological issues at play. But you ALSO owe it to yourself to explore whether the depression might be existential in nature and to see if your “treatment plan” should revolve around some key existential actions like reaffirming that your efforts matter and reinvesting meaning in your art and your life.

So you’re saying that a person who decides, for whatever reason, that she is going to be a “meaning maker,” is more likely to get depressed by virtue of that very decision. In addition to telling herself that she matters and that her creative work matters, what else should she do to “keep meaning afloat” in her life? What else helps?

I think it is a great help just to have a “vocabulary of meaning” and to have language to use so that you know what is going on in your life. If you can’t accurately name a thing, it is very hard to think about that thing. That’s why I present a whole vocabulary of meaning in The Van Gogh Blues and introduce ideas and phrases like “meaning effort,” “meaning drain,” “meaning container,” and many others. When we get a rejection letter, we want to be able to say, “Oh, this is a meaning threat to my life as a novelist” and instantly reinvest meaning in our decision to write novels, because if we don’t think that way and speak that way, it is terribly easy to let that rejection letter precipitate a meaning crisis and get us seriously blue. By reminding ourselves that is our job not only to make meaning but also to maintain meaning when it is threatened, we get in the habit of remembering that we and we alone are in charge of keeping meaning afloat—no one else will do that for us. Having a vocabulary of meaning available to talk about these matters is a crucial part of the process.

This is the paperback version of The Van Gogh Blues, How was the hardback version received?

The reviewer for the Midwest Book Review called The Van Gogh Blues “a mind-blowingly wonderful book.” The reviewer for Library Journal wrote, "Maisel persuasively argues that creative individuals measure their happiness and success by how much meaning they create in their work.” I’ve received countless emails from artists all over the world thanking me for identifying their “brand” of depression and for providing them with a clear and complete program for dealing with that depression. I hope that the paperback version will reach even more creative folks—and the people who care about them.

How does The Van Gogh Blues tie in with other books that you’ve written?

I’m interested in everything that makes a creative person creative and I’m also interested in every challenge that we creative people face. I believe that we have special anxiety issues and I spelled those out in Fearless Creating. I believe that we have a special relationship to addiction (and addictive tendencies) and with Dr. Susan Raeburn, an addiction professional, I’ve just finished a book called Creative Recovery, which spells out the first complete recovery program for creative people. That’ll appear from Shambhala late in 2008. I’m fascinated by our special relationship to obsessions and compulsions and am currently working on a book about that. Everything that we are and do interests me—that’s my “meaning agenda”!

What might a person interested in these issues do to keep abreast of your work?

They might subscribe to my two podcast shows, The Joy of Living Creatively and Your Purpose-Centered Life, both on the Personal Life Media Network. You can find a show list for The Joy of Living Creatively here and one for Your Purpose-Centered Life here. They might also follow this tour, since each host on the tour will be asking his or her own special questions. Here is the complete tour schedule. If they are writers, they might be interested in my new book, A Writer’s Space, which appears this spring and in which I look at many existential issues in the lives of writers. They might also want to subscribe to my free newsletter, in which I preview a lot of the material that ends up in my books (and also keep folks abreast of my workshops and trainings). But of the course the most important thing is that they get their hands on The Van Gogh Blues!—since it is really likely to help them.

Eric, thank you so much for taking time to drop in and answer these questions.

The Elements

2008-02-19T13:27:00.001-08:00

I have finished binding the final book in the Elements series and now my box of Water, Earth, Fire and Air is complete.

According to the book "Earth, Water, Fire & Air: Essential Ways of Connecting to Spirit" by Cait Johnson, "The root of human spirituality is grounded in four elements - earth, water, fire and air .... When we explore and savor and interact with these elements, we are both remembering a primal connection and forging it anew." This book has been like that for me. I am grateful to all the photographers who have contributed their images to make these books and for the carefully chosen quotes which add wisdom to the beautiful images.

Visiting Oberlin College in Ohio

2008-02-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

Amy and I spent this last weekend visiting Oberlin College in Ohio. Amy had a piano audition at the Oberlin Conservatory on Saturday morning and spent the rest of the weekend exploring the campus and staying overnight at one of the "co-ops". The ground was covered in snow when we arrived which thrilled us (being from the south where snow is something that makes everything close down for the day). Amy and I particularly loved the amazing library which had these space age pod chairs! Very 70s feel in the library.