Moon Play (SPECTRUM giveaway!)

Winter certainly seems to have a firm grip upon us - at least here in the Midwest. After subzero temperatures, snow arrived wrapping my world up in a lovely, but icy blanket of whiteness. All the more reason to stay hunkered down inside, my diffuser puffing out a steady steam of essential oils (ah, spearmint, lemon and rosemary wafting green freshness throughout my kitchen!) and a cup of tea ever by my side. 

I may be living in a monotone world, but inside there is colorful chaos as I finish up my deck of Alchemy Air Cards. I look around and realize I have 4 art journals going ... one for sketching practice (holding wonderful Scribble drawings inspired by the juicy online offering of the same name, Scribble Art)

another journal as a form of conversation with mama Nature (my response to the ideas presented in Reclaiming the Wise Woman by Sharon Blackie)

my ongoing Sketch Diary (stew pot of everything bubbling up in me), and my Moon Mandala practice. (Okay ... I am not including writing journals ... the composition book holding tarot explorations or my new The Moon Is My Calendar journal ... sigh ... I apparently have a little journal problem ... as do many of us ... )

Yesterday I had my yearly physical (you know, that one ... the quick check under the hood physical - eek!) and new to me were all the questions apparently screening me for depression. "Do you ever have days where you are not enthused to get out of bed?"  Goodness me, no! I can honestly say even on these frigid grey mornings when I wake up and realize I have a day ahead of me to immerse myself in creating, I bound out of bed.  (Okay, I shuffle towards the coffee pot and then I bound and bustle about) 

There is just so much to learn, so much to discover. I cling to my creative practice as a life raft to carry me through the challenging days (the low light days of winter, the days of confusion, the days and months after my mother's death) and I gleefully dive into my practice on those days when Life feels full and abundant. My creative practice keeps me anchored firmly in the center of this Wheel of Fortune, this Wheel of Life. And now I see Cowgirl reaching for her new journals immediately upon finishing her homework. She immerses herself in drawing dragons and the deep engagement, the transformation of her art, continue to astonish and inspire me. 

Art, my friends, is our medicine, our therapy, our prayers of gratitude and our songs of love and joy.  I truly believe it is part of our human (and divine) nature to create. The impulse is as common as a dandelion popping up in an empty field but the impact upon the spirit is akin to light passing through the stained glass of a Gothic cathedral. 

Transcendent. Transformational. Holy. Sacred. 

The best way I've found to experience the power and potential of creative action is to surround myself with others engaged in creative exploration. Ever a student, I find much I can learn and try on by taking courses, looking at books, watching videos and practicing practicing practicing. (Hence the justification for so many journals!)

I have some exciting news to share today: I am going to be a guest teacher in Spectrum 2016 this year - and I have 1 spot to give-away here at my blog as part of the Give-Away Blog-Hop! 

Spectrum 2016 online art & creativity workshops

Spectrum is an online Holistic-Creative workshop going on its third year, and organized by Hali Karla of Hali Karla Arts. Spectrum 2016 will be guided by 20 NEW featured teachers and more than 20 returning contributors offering a variety of workshops, inspiration and invitations - all intended to empower, nurture and celebrate your innate creative expression, healing journey, and personal development! 

That's over 40 workshops/lesson ideas to support and inspire endless days of creative and personal exploration.

There will be weekly inspiration and reflective activities related to mixed-media art-making and journaling, guidance on integrating your creative process and holistic awareness into your day-to-day life, and a variety of opportunities to connect, support and share with others in the growing Holistic-Creative online community.

The themes that will loosely guide the 2016 Spectrum experience are Forgiveness, Shifting Perspective, Navigating Uncertainty, Integration, Alchemy, Connecting with Nature, Honoring Body, Trusting Joy, and Expressing One’s Truth! You can expect a variety of perspectives on these - and so much more.

To learn more about the details, including all of the contributors and workshop offerings for this course CLICK RIGHT HERE. 

My previous Spectrum workshop - Mandala Moon Meditations will be made available again as a bonus offering for the 2016 journey, so if you missed it before, now is your chance OR you can re-visit it to see how it speaks to you in the coming year.  (Go HERE see examples of my monthly moon mandalas.)

Pre-registration for Spectrum 2016 officially opens on February 1, 2016 (and the program will begin on May 2). So be sure to bookmark this page (or link) - so that you can check back to see if you win the giveaway here or sign up just as soon as it goes on sale.

About the Give-Away:
 I have one spot for Spectrum 2016 to give-away to a lucky winner in our January blog-hop - but if you follow the blog-hop list below, you will have an even better chance of winning a spot by entering the other give-aways as well.

All of the new teachers are playing along - and quite a few of the returning contributors volunteered to join in the fun, too - so there are over 30 chances to win a free pass!


Thank you to everyone who participated! I so enjoyed reading your responses and your intentions for incorporating creative play into your daily life - so inspiring!

The name my Cowgirl pulled out of the hat (yes, I wrote out everyone's name who commented or emailed me and also added extra slips for sharing on social media!) is ...

Angela! "Creative play means freedom to make a mess, follow a wild idea, be present to the fun of color and texture. This year I plan on dusting off the art journals and letting myself loose on the page! Miss the vibrant feeling that arises from this kind of creative joy."

Pre-registration for Spectrum is now open!  As a thank you for all the enthusiasm and interest, Hali is offering a 3 day registration special! The regular price is already an *excellent* value at 98 USD, but if you sign up in the next three days,  between February 1-3, you can claim your pass for just $88 – so don’t miss out.


If you didn’t win a spot this time, and you are facing financial hardships, you may be eligible for the new Spectrum scholarship program this year.

The eligibility requirements and application open up today as well and can be found over at the Spectrum Registration page.  Head over there, make sure the program feels like a strong YES for you and if so, scroll all the way to the bottom. There you will find a green button that will lead you to the scholarship details. This will be open until the spaces are filled. They will go fast, so don't wait!


Spectrum 2016!

Just below is a list of the other teachers who are playing along in the Spectrum 2016 blog-hop, with the dates their give-away goes live - so be sure to visit their site and enter there, as well.

13 January: Hali Karla http://www.halikarla.com/blog/

14 January: Andrea Schroeder http://www.creativedreamincubator.com/blog                     
Angelique Arroyo http://schoolformedicinewomyn.com/

15 January:Bebe Butler http://www.bebebutler.com/Beth Morey http://www.sheofthewild.com/

16 January:    Briana Goetzen http://www.orangespiralarts.com/Carissa Paige http://carissapaige.blogspot.com/

17 January:    Cat Caracelo http://catcaracelo.com/ Catherine Anderson http://catherineandersonstudio.blogspot.com/

18 January:    Chris Zydel http://creativejuicesarts.com/Effy Wild http://effybird.com/

19 January:    Elloa Atkinson http://www.elloaatkinson.com/Grace Howes    http://www.redbarn-studios.com/

20 January:    Gretchen Miller http://www.gretchenmiller.wordpress.com/Kara LC Jones http://motherhenna.blogspot.com/

21 January:    Kelly Johnson http://www.wingswormsandwonder.com/Kitty Oppegard http://handoverheartstudios.blogspot.com/

22 January:    Kristal Norton http://kristalnorton.com/Lisa Hofmann http://dandelionseedsanddreams.blogspot.com/

23 January:    Lisa Wilson http://www.beingbreath.com/Lucy Pearce http://dreamingaloud.net/

24 January:    Malini Parker http://www.maliniparker.com/Meghan Genge http://www.meghangenge.com/

25 January:    Melissa Harris http://www.melissaharris.com/Michelle Turbide http://michelleturbidestudios.com/

26 January:    Petrea Hansen-Adamidis http://www.arttherapist.ca/blogRachael Rice http://rachaelrice.com/

27 January:    Robin Hallett http://www.robinhallett.com/Shelley Klammer http://intuitivecreativity.typepad.com/

28 January:    Suki Ciappara Ka'Pinao http://sukihealingarts.com/Tara Leaver http://taraleaver.com/

Enjoy the blog-hop, good luck on the give-aways, and I hope to see you in Spectrum in a few months!

conjuring love ...

I am finishing up my HeartFull Living circle and what a magical gathering it has been! With one more post to go up, I woke today wondering where to find inspiration?  I didn't have to look too far ...

Can you believe it?  From a smudge of grime or dirt on my front door window this rainbow heart appeared on the wood floor.  I couldn't have create such a perfect heart if I had tried! The art historian in me can't help but think of the stained glass windows in Gothic cathedrals and how light was understood by the Medieval to be an instrument and aspect of the divine.

Certainly we've been conjuring up love over here ...

creating farewell offerings to send out to the women who circled with me this past month. 

Keeping hands busy stitching and embellishing a new set of prayer flags (part of Em Falconbridge's A Year of Soul*Makes offering) has the entire house humming with creative play. Messages from HeartFull living spilling over into my day, my work, my world ...

 

Trying not to think too much, but relax and enjoy the flow.  The theme of the new season seems to be love and mandalas ...

Which isn't all that unusual as I am working under deadline to complete my contribution to Spectrum 2015, Mandala Moon Meditations.  I've got mandala fever and am excited to be sharing my monthly moon mandala practice there.  Tuning into the moon's energies, creating my mandalas, working with ceremony - all these activities are fueling insights as I shift through the layers of daughter/mother/queen/crone which seems to be the hidden wisdom within my grieving process. 

a sneak preview of my Moon Mandala Meditations process; visit Spectrum 2015 to learn more

And as Spring awakens new growth within me, projects are popping up including a  collaborative learning/sharing lunar cycle circle with my wise and inspired sister, Kristina Wingeier as part of her Inner Wisdom School.

Oh, much love and magic is afoot ... I dare not think too much.  Just opening and receiving and saying thank you thank you thank you ...

Beauty + imagination + conversation = love.  That's my kind of sacred mathematics.

the beauty of releasing

'Tis the season ...

Noticing the beauty in that which has moved through a full course from seed, seedling, bud, and blossom ... now arcing gracefully back towards where it began ... the slow and steady swoon towards earth, towards the unknown.

May I remember the beauty of acceptance, of flowing with what is and honoring my own rhythms, changes and transformations.  May I learn to let go like the marigold, the rose, letting fall what is ready to be released. 

I came to the garden just in time to enter the age of undoing. Surprisingly, it’s the age where the most amazing transformations take place. Every single leaf drops every single year from a sycamore, and it is the end of nothing. I came to the garden and found the shortest course to strength and freedom. I learned that all my faith lies in the path of least resistance—in the humble power and aching grace of letting go.

(Karen Maezen Miller, Paradise In Plain Sight) 

{Inspired by Maya's Monday Mandala practice}

my year of mandalas

The following post is my contribution to The Mandala Blog Hop, a collective sharing of mandala love and goodness sponsored by the magically creative and inspiring artist/writer/teacher Andrea Schroeder of Creative Dream Incubator.  Andrea is launching her course The Mandala Journal on September 15.  To read more about her offering and to find links to other bloggers celebrating the mandala, just click HERE and down the mandala rabbit hole you will go!

A year ago, I began my mandala moon play ... 

It is a monthly practice in which I create a mandala exploring the seasonal/life lessons encompassed by each month's full moon. I like to explore the traditional and Native American names for each month's moon, taking into account how those seasonal and symbolic names shed light into my own human and spiritual journey. 

Initially, I began my practice by creating a group of fellow mandala makers. This container - and the six month commitment to creating it! - forced allowed me to root this practice into my routine.  It only recently occurred to me that as I am in the thick of perimenopause, I've lost connection to monthly rhythms (my moon cycle being regularly irregular now) but this practice has helped me stayed tethered to a consistent rhythm and pace. 

I wanted to strengthen my connection with Nature, to slow time down if you will by paying closer attention.  Paying attention to what is happening around me and within me, perhaps to notice the relationship between my inner and out worlds.

So starting with the Harvest Moon in September 2013, I began my journey: 

Harvest, Full Corn, Brown Bear Moon

My process varied month to month.  As the new moon approached, I would familiarize myself with the various names for that month's moon, noticing which one resonated with me at that time.  Sometimes I created the mandala at the beginning - on or around the new moon - and then would write my intentions or reflections for the coming month.

Other times, the mandala might appear, but the teachings of that month - the journaling portion of the process - become clearer to me around the full moon or even at the end of the cycle when the moon was waning, emptying as it prepared to begin the cycle anew.

Blood Moon

It was important for me to stay flexible and open in the process, witnessing how it wanted to flow.  As I've learned through much much practice, the time to be disciplined is when I need to show up - get butt in chair and draw, paint, create - and the time to be gentle is in allowing what arises in that session to manifest without judgment, releasing expectations as best I can.

Full Freeze, Beaver Moon

A year is a long time to commit to something (believe me, with 5 other year-long projects/practices under my belt, I've learned a lot about my way in this process!) and there are moments of pure magic, mixed in with the pure drudgery of doing something/making it happen. 

Cold Moon

But flipping through the work that spans all four seasons - Autumn through Summer - that is when the power of this process makes itself known. (I used a large, watercolor Moleskine journal to keep all of my mandalas in one place; I love having this Book of my own mandalas, my own journey.)

Wolf, Quiet, Earth Renewal Moon

Rest & Renewal; Cleansing Moon

Worm Moon

Budding Trees, Pink Moon

Full Flower, Frogs Return Moon

Strawberry, Deer Moon

Stag Moon

Ripe Berries, Sturgeon Moon

I admit, I was excited to think I've done it ... I've finished the year ... now I can stop! But looking through my journal, reading each month's intentions, the questions I posed myself, the nuggets of personal insight unearthed, it all makes me curious to see what next?

Each month is vivid, rich in re-membering all that has taken place.  I can't always appreciate the growth, lessons, integration until I have it piled up around me.  Now I have the opportunity to witness my unfolding within the images and the writing and such a gift I cannot so easily dismiss. During the year,my Mandala Moon journal is like a traveler's inn, a resting spot, a space to revive and refresh and regroup before trudging on.  With each completed mandala, my journal becomes like a collection of the songs shared by fireside, a mug of ale in my hand, lending color and light to the places of darkness. 

And so, this fellowship continues ...

Happy Mandala Making!

Thank you Andrea for inviting me. Don't forget to visit the other bloggers sharing their magical mandalas - full list can be found HERE.

If you are intrigued by the notion of a committed practice or if you have struggled with sustaining any kind of regular practice - be it creative, spiritual, or self care - I am offering The Gift of Practice my 6 week online course starting September 22. I love helping others re-frame what Practice means, what it looks like and how it can be a portal to inner growth, discovery and transformation. For more information hop over HERE.