Friday, March 21, 2014

TODAY



What is it about shadows? I see them everywhere, as most everyone else does too, but some days they stand out much more in my mind's eye than other days. This shadow of the oak tree in my backyard is one example that really spoke to me. I must say...I see things in these shadows and I am not sure if it is because I can feel my eyesight getting slightly worse than I seem to be relishing the things that I see even more. I want to embrace everything that is out there for me to view before it is too late.



It might not be too late either. Things might miraculously change and one day I will open my eyes to see things the way that I used to see things: nice and clear. At the present moment it appears as though I am looking through a bubble...some of the words run together and some are missing altogether directly in the middle of the word. Some days I notice it, some days I don't. I think that I am just trying to "will" it away because it seems that the ophthalmologist says that it is brought on my the stress hormone cortisol. And heaven knows that I have had my fair share of stress in the last year. Yes...




it kind of looks like this. There are waves and distortions in the middle of my field of vision. I am trying not to focus on it in a negative way but trying to make the best of a somewhat difficult situation.



I started working on a canvas about my eye and what I am thinking about. It has many meanings and still, because I am such a visual person, the eye is very important to the piece. I have been working on a series of art pieces monthly that the topic has been "The I" or "The Ego" and then the play-on-words "eye" definition seems to come "full focus" (no pun intended) because perhaps I need to be focusing outside myself much more than I am. I should be thinking of others more and not be so self-centered. 

The title of this piece is "Cross my Heart..." Remember that old saying that we said when we were promising someone something? Remember what the consequences would be if you told a lie or didn't keep that promise? Well...that needle has many purposes in this painting. I am still working them out; still reflecting and building layers. It is a process as most of you know. But, meaningful and that is what counts. Working through the process; trying to resolve the issues; trying to forgive and move on; trying to remove my Ego from the middle.

'Time is the horizontal dimension of life, the surface layer of reality. Then there is the vertical dimension of depth, accessible to you only through the portal of the present  moment. So instead of adding time to yourself, remove time. The elimination of time from your consciousness is the elimination of ego. It is the only true spiritual practice." (excerpted from Eckhart Tolle)

Thursday, March 20, 2014

TOMORROW...

Tomorrow...I will start posting to my blog again. I need to do it for me...to ve creative again...to fet out of my head and into the world again. Tomorrow begins anew.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Oh my! I just looked at the date of my last post and it was December. Here it is already February and I am again wondering where all the time has gone. Is it possible that I might have fallen asleep and just now opened my eyes to find an entire month has gone by?

It was a busy January, that's for sure. We had unseasonably warm weather almost the entire month. So warm that we are now in an official drought status, declared by the Governor of California. We drove up to tour the HGTV home which is located in Truckee, California and traveling over the summit which is usually covered with feet of snow, we arrived to find mostly rocks with small patches of snow only in the absolute shady spots. It was really frightening! And it really hasn't gotten much better yet. I'm afraid to think of what summer will be like here in our state when the heat arrives.

Last week we visited the Monks who are visiting here from the Gaden Shartse Monastery in India. What an incredible time we had seeing them create the Mandala, perform healing ceremonies, sweeping the sands of the completed Mandala away at the end of their time here and depositing them in Deer Creek, a local creek in the town of Nevada City. The Mandala has healing properties. It is the Medicine Buddha that is depicted in the Mandala. The Medicine Buddha is the Supreme Healer in Tibetan medicine, available for liberating the individual from suffering and is an exemplary metaphor for the mystical elements which are universally inherent in the holistic healing tradition.

The beginnings of the Medicine Buddha Mandala



Blessings in Nevada City at the Maidu Cedar Monument


The sand from the Mandala is being placed into Deer Creek by the monks.


Ven Geshe Lharampa Jampa Phelgya and Don Ryberg...Tribal council chairman of the Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe


I'm really glad that I finally woke up just in time to be immersed in the time I had with the monks. And as we drove away from Nevada City that morning, sands being placed into Deer Creek...it began to rain. Thank you monks for blessing the environment and me with your presence.