One of the tricks to unblocking your creativity in Julia Cameron’s Artist’s Way is to take yourself out on an artist’s date at least weekly.  This is a practice that takes much courage and dedication but has benefits untold.  The goal is, of course, to help fill the well of your creativity so that you don’t run dry.

One of my recent artist’s dates didn’t start out as such.  It started with rsvp’ing to a friend’s open studio.  But our weekend got crammed with one event after another.  Even when the goings-on are fun, it is tiring to a family of six to coordinate such a circus!  I thought about not going to the studio, but I felt committed.  Deep inside, I really wanted to go; I just didn’t know if we could pull it off.

With a van full of kids and places to be, my husband waited in said van while I went inside – by myself – to look at the photographs and studio, to make my appearance as promised and to hopefully arrange for portraits of the kids.

I wasn’t expecting what I received.

When I closed the door behind me, I let go of the past.  I walked into the present, wide open to possibility.  Gorgeous, indescribable black and white portraits of people I know and don’t know lined the walls.  I visited with friends I treasure and don’t get to visit with nearly often enough.  A morning’s misunderstanding was cleared.  For the first time I realized that this was a treat for me.

I walked around into the studio, and instead of portraits, now I saw what the photographer entitled “Persistence.”  You’ll have to go to him for the story, but I think it speaks for itself.  The mostly floral images and the experimentation with technique and style whispered something to me I still don’t understand.  After a good fill of admiring, I sat and visited with this gifted photographer.

Again, this openness, this connection I wasn’t expecting.  A new friend, yes.  A fellow Scorpio and one appreciative of spirituality and the journey therein (you could tell from the books on the shelves).  As we spoke, an energy resonated from my heart/solar plexus (hard to be sure which), and about that time in our conversation he was saying something to the effect of how he is sensitive to the God within others, that he could sense it within me.

I didn’t ask for this; I didn’t expect it, nor the tears that swelled in my eyes.  I just came to arrange for some photos of my kids, photos taken by someone who could capture the soul of a person in portrait.  The photos will be taken and taken by someone who will recognize the God in my children; I got what I came for.  I also got an experience of Spirit, though.  I was in the right place, at the right time, with the right people.  I am who I’m supposed to be, if even for a moment.  Perhaps that is Persistence, too. 

The best things in life come when you least expect it, when you’re not looking for them.  The truth is, of course, that they’re there all along.

Not long ago I posted about having strangers over for dinner, which still lingers in my mind as a weekly possibility but hasn’t been acted upon yet.  I’ve just learned about another mealtime event that will not only fill your own belly but also help others, too.

Heifer International has designated April as Pass on the Gift Month.  The mission:

“start a chain of Passing on the Gift by hosting a meal
to help end hunger. Get together with friends, family or your
congregation to help us celebrate–and help us raise funds to
give more families a life of hope.“

You can have organic/local/healthy meals either catered or potluck.  You could serve a meal in your house and charge per plate.  You could have a large potluck and pass a bowl around to collect what others are willing to give.  The possibilities are many, and the potential is great.

Our local Earth Scouts are hoping to host one in April.  Join the FaceBook group or Yahoo!Group to keep informed about upcoming events in Earth Scouts. 

Would you be willing to give?

What better day than Ash Wednesday to mention an outward expression of your personal faith?

At music time this morning, I wondered what it was on a woman’s forehead.  Ah, her cross.  We have plans to attend service this evening, as we usually do, where we will receive our mark, our identification as Christians.

But it’s not an easy thing, revealing your belief and interpretation of Spirit.  Just because I identify with Christianity doesn’t mean I’m exactly like all other Christians, or vice versa.  Indeed, I imagine I’m pretty far to the left of the norm.  It takes a special gift to be one who regularly proclaims one’s faith out loud, sharing with others, encouraging others to embody the faith they share.

I admit I have a hard time labeling myself Christian, in light of all the things that have been done and are done in the name of Christianity.  But tonight I’ll accept my cross and with it the commitments I plan to keep for all of Lent (giving up carbonated beverages and alcohol, taking on devoted journaling of meditations, gratitude and dreams).

At the core of all religions, as I see it, is Love, pure Compassion, and with that I can identify.  I can strive to follow Christ’s example.  I can try to be more Christ-like.

Who is your example of Love?  What could you do to embody unconditional Love?  It is quite simple, really. It’s letting go of the ego that’s the hard part.

In my dream the other night, the tide was receding.  I can’t remember much else except for standing on the revealed sandy shore, much lower than those who were standing on the beach of the high tide.  I wondered how much lower the water would go and if I would be ready for when the water returned.

There’s definitely much moving about in my inner world as I continue my discernment process.  As an outward expression of that, naturally I want to rearrange everything in my house, clear all unnecessary items/clutter, and clean everything to the core.  It is (almost) time for spring cleaning.

It’s difficult to live in a way that truly honors our inner being if we are concerned about what others think and worry about superficial consequences.  Blessed are those of us with the faith to believe that all will be well, that as long as we’re following our heart, then in the long run, it will work out, and we will have no regrets.

What better way to honor your Divine than to create something . . . anything.  Honor those thoughts; honor all of them to keep the flow open and alive.  Do something today for you.  Take it a step further and either give it away or make something else to give to someone.  Love is best when given and received.

With it being Mardi Gras, it’s a good time to think of the inner work we need to do or are already doing.  The discipline I’m taking on is to journal daily (my writing, dreams and gratitude).  What I’m giving up is carbonated beverages and alcohol for sure, food that does not nourish my body positively at best; all these things can contribute to energy being blocked, inhibiting the flow.  One friend of mine is actually adopting a raw food diet for Lent, but that’s not my calling this year.

May acts of kindness be our practice daily, and may your mind be clear as you travel through the desert.  May we remember our dreams and the clues they give us to the unconscious for our spiritual growth.

Last week my Journey to Authenticity class assigned us the homework of planning a prime time television message to Americans.  The budget’s unlimited, and we have an hour of time.  What would we show?  What would we say?

Honestly, I haven’t thought about it until this weekend, and we’re supposed to give it 15 minutes, at least.  It’s no secret what my passions are, what my concerns include.  But how to include everything?  How to present it?

What would you do?

The thing is, if I plan this out, I feel committed to actually producing it.  I am a producer at our local Community Access Television.  My husband is, too.  We might not get prime time America, but we can at least reach a few.  If I do this, we’ll post it to YouTube, and I’ll embed it on this blog.  I’m a sucker for a challenge, especially if it might touch the hearts of others.

Are you up for another challenge?  What do you feel strongly enough about to actually do something, maybe even sacrifice something?
 

While social networking seems to be the rule of the day, old ways still hold.

This weekend is the Episcopal General Convention for the Diocese of Arkansas.  As communications coordinator for our Episcopal Church Women (ECW), I volunteered to staff a table in the Exhibit Hall.  This means, of course, that I have to create a table display, most of which is a tri-fold poster.

The other half of the table I’m devoting to our Time for JOY retreat (the poster for which has already been made).  Together, the goal is an oasis of feminine energy, but it will take a physical presence and actual work.

Gathering people of common interest, motivating them to work toward common goals and nurturing them along their spiritual path are not easy.  My goal is to find what works best, trust my gut, do what I can and pray for the best.  The trick is to keep smiling.

And, I did make a FaceBook group. 

There’s this strange (to me) dichotomy in our society regarding health/fitness. Everyone needs to be healthy and look physically fit, but we find that it’s easier and much cheaper in the short term to eat poorly and devote our time to any given task or gadget instead of exercising.

Regardless of where you are with your new year’s resolution, it’s always a good time to put your intention on being well, living well.

My husband found what’s called the Ultimate Black Belt Challenge (UBBC), which is something our local dojo offers.  You set these incredible goals for yourself (basically for mind, body and spirit), and if you achieve them, you get your black belt (usually after paying a fee).  Well, originally we thought it was a challenge meant just for black belts, that it was a challenge for challenge’s sake, meant to improve yourself in every way.  (We didn’t read the letter well, I guess, because it’s quite clear.) 

No one in our family is a black belt in taekwondo or aikido, but we set some goals in all areas for each of us.  It’s easy to say what you’d like to do, who you would like to be.  It’s quite another to put your time where your mouth is.  With every day scheduled to the brim, how do you squeeze in a couple of hours for this and that?

That’s why it’s a challenge.  Do you stay up late to watch the great new movie, or do you get some sleep so you can get up early the next morning and get a productive start on the new day?  (FYI — last night we watched the movie.  Probably shouldn’t do that any more!)

My goals, total for the year:

• 160 hours of workout/exercise time (30 min/day)
• 12 books
• 250 hours in the garden
• 120 desserts (two or three/week)
• 30 meals out (doesn’t count meals at church)
• 25 Spanish days (goal is for family to learn Spanish)
• 100 hours family game time
• 25 hours of journaling
• 100 hours walk/bike/swim/hike
• 50 hours creative time

I’m going to be working on our chart.  I’ll share it when it’s done.  Put your creative energy to work today on living well!

Friday the 13th’s are special in my household, not in a negatively superstitious way, but because my husband and I were engaged on a Friday the 13th many years ago, got married on a 13th, and apparently in goddess traditions, it’s a very good day/number for fertility, marriage and sex (which might explain the four kiddos!).  Add to that the fact that tomorrow is Valentine’s day, and we have a whole weekend destined for Love.

May today be a day of love for you and your partner, a day full of gratitude for your family, and may your heart be open all weekend (and evermore) to the abundance of love both to give and to receive.

My husband has been on a bento kick for months.  He wants to do this at least for himself, if not for us all.  I cringe at the thought of creating yet another meal, but this has every potential of being another creative outlet.  Maybe it will have to be one for my husband, but for us all, there are definite health benefits to be had.

Many people already do this, so it’s not a new concept by any means.  But, as we know, those of us in Arkansas aren’t always the quickest at keeping up with the times.

Just Bento is one of my hubby’s favorites for ideas and recipes (like this one for chicken skewers).  It also has a great description of basics and picking the right box. The sight also offers a “Bento Challenge,” which is designed for those hoping to trim their figure or to reduce the number of take-out lunches.

Happy meal-making!

(photo by moogs from everystockphoto.com)

Part of this blog is sharing my spiritual journey, lessons and discoveries.  With me taking a spirituality-based class at church, we all have much to benefit.  (for legality purposes, know that none of this information is used for or meant to be used for financial/personal gain)

From what I’ve gathered so far (not just from this class but from every spirituality book I’ve ever read), we have to sit in quiet — whether it is in zazen or contemplative prayer — for as long as we can each day.  Sometimes three minutes is all we have.  Mother Teresa would pray for four hours.

To figure out where you are going, you have to know who you are, who you are meant to be (which is who you are already but haven’t realized yet).  The first part of the Journey to Authenticity class I am taking is about discovering your spiritual gifts.  You have to have the right tools for the job, right?  It’s good to have goals, to know where you’re headed.

The first exercise was this:

• List at least 10 of your heroes/heroines.  Don’t have heroes, per se?  List people you greatly admire.
• Underline 6 of those.
• For each of those 6, list three characteristics that embody that person’s greatness to you.
• For those 6, now describe more specifically how that person has exemplified, lived into and through those characteristics (i.e. Mother Teresa was compassionate, self-sacrificing, and wholly spiritual through her service to the poor, ultimately living into and through the will of God.)

Now, it’s best to do this kind of work in groups, to share with others your heroes, their descriptions.  Many found, as they described those they admired, they were overcome with emotion.  Sharing the descriptions of your heroes out loud/in writing helps more fully to revive those characteristics that speak to you.

The punch line, of course, is that these characteristics you admire are within you.   These are you at your best.  This is what you need to be doing to be living at full potential.  This is a close glimpse of what God has in store for you.

Don’t believe it?  Sit in silence/prayer a while each day and see what happens.

Peace be with you.