Thursday, March 22, 2012

Answers.. Art... and the Garden

Knowledge is Power.
We tell ourselves so often when we are stumbling for an answer to Why.."if I only knew the root of the problem..things would be better". I could fix it. I could change it. We can tell ourselves that so often, that we begin to believe that once we have the knowledge of "what it is", things will immediately be different. But nobody told us that is not entirely all there is to it.
Yes, things will be different, but once you have the knowledge..it is up to YOU how it will change. The knowledge is the stepping stone.

For four years I had been searching for an answer. Why am I in so much pain? Why don't I feel well? What is wrong with me? Doctor after doctor, test after test, and endless days of discouragement led me to endless searching for the answer, as if the answer would be the solution. All the while not knowing that once I had the answer....it was only a step. And that step is your choice in how you will make it change. In which direction, what path will you take, toward your solution?
These past few months as I had felt even worse, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. My inspiration to create Art became more and more difficult, my pain dictating my every move, and fatigue controlling my days. Then Tuesday morning an unexpected phone call came, and in ONE minute the stepping stone appeared in front of me. "You have Lupus". Stunned I hung up the phone and became quiet. I needed to process this, and realized things weren't immediately better now that I had an answer. The stepping stone was in front of me, but I was not ready to take a step. I gave myself permission to sit with it, think, and BE.
 I needed to eliminate the noise that surrounds us in the world, no TV, no phone calls, no drama....just to get to that simple state of breath. So, I spent that day and all the next outside, the one place that can make you feel better just by it's existence. The one place so easy to find perspective and balance.
I decided to listen to Me.

I felt compelled to to have my hands in the Earth, the simplicity called to me...work in the garden. Flowers needed to be planted. I needed to surround myself with color, reds and blues and purples. I needed to feel the soil in my hands.
The afternoon was spent planting. Loosening the soil and digging the holes was immediately hurting me, the pain was aggressive...but I needed to do it. My husband saw the difficulty and began doing the strenuous parts for me so that I was left with the simple pleasures of placing the flowers and plants in the earth and filling them in. Finished, we spent the rest of the day on the porch..quiet, peaceful and meditative.

The next day we spent our day driving in the mountains and then again back sitting near the garden, until I then found a sense of peace with where I was at...a sense of peace that there was a stepping stone in front of me. I had come to the state of Now. The past did not exist and the future did not exist..only the present. And I took a step forward on to the stepping stone. I made the choice to fully immerse in my healing, to listen to my intuition and my body and act accordingly and move forward. I have no expectations that it will be easy, but will strive for the best quality of life, to be easy with myself and put my needs to the forefront. I will continue with my Art on a relaxed level, because it is like breath to me, it is part of my essence.
 Breathe in. Breathe Out. Follow the Stepping Stones.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Celebrate International Women's Day

The question was asked, "How do we as a culture involve, educate, and inspire girls in a positive way?"
Our responsibility as women is to lead by example, to show our strength and diligence in the things we believe in and move in that direction in a consistent and graceful manner.
When we find that healthy balance of strength and grace together, we become a role model for the younger ones.


 I feel that this is the time when women need to reconnect, and let go of the divisions that society often times can spark within us.
So then, how we do we extend that to young women and girls? Creating mentor programs on a local, regional, national, and global basis. If each woman were to mentor a young woman, how would this world be different? We would be re-establishing the bond of women, sharing our wisdom and experiences, and creating a support system. Every business and organization could develop a mentor program. Art organizations, Medical fields, Business technologies, Charity organizations, Retails Shops, the Entertainement Industry....the list is endless. If each woman took under her wing a young girl or woman and shared support, strength and encouragement, the first step would be taken in creating a healthier society for women everywhere.



Thursday, March 1, 2012

Her Tree of Life and the Symbolism Original Painting by Jeanne Fry


If you are familiar with my artwork, you know of my attraction to the Tree of Life, and may have seen some of my latter paintings of it. Recently I began another Tree of Life, but this time wanted to tie in the influence of the Divine Feminine and was very pleased with the result.

"Her Tree of Life" Original Folk Art Painting by Jeanne Fry
I worked with the new Golden Acrylics "Uncommon Blues" paints, wanting to bring in a feeling of serenity, healing, and spirituality. Viewing it now in completion, the shades of blue almost give it an "otherworldly" feel, which I appreciate.

I painted the Divine Feminine into the trunk of the tree with her hair as branches wrapping around it's base. Her eye is represented as a blue bird, for happiness, and it is as if she is looking through the eye of the bird.

Close up view of "Her Tree of Life" by Jeanne Fry
Another silhouette of the goddess face can be found among the tree branches. Three small blue birds are stop their perches gazing at the tree, and one more who will make his home there.


The Original Painting of "Her Tree of Life" is available for sale in my Etsy Shop here:

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