The Cleverest Trick

Rumi Says:



"No better love than love without object,

no more satisfying work than work with no purpose.

If you could give up tricks and cleverness,

that would be the cleverest trick!"


If you can, be sure to see the Berkeley Art Museum's latest show "Create".  It features incredible art work, unselfconscious, true, beautiful, touching, and all done by people with various kinds of disabilities.  They have truly given up "tricks and cleverness" and become amazing artists and observers of life.  Compared to the work of  many "real artists" these folks have a freshness and energy about their work that illustrates Rumi's point beautifully.  Go and see, and you'll feel what I mean.

An Economic Address from the Universe

The holidays, the new year, and income tax arrive hand-in-hand; leaving a free one to slap you in the wallet.  It's the time of year when one's thoughts lightly turn to ones bank account, credit card debt, reserves, FASFA's, plus loans, and business projections for 2010. 
I don't know about you, but it's hard not to worry about the economy, both personal and private.  My question to the universe this morning was: "how can I be more productive in my approach to my finances."
Here is the first piece of information I picked up:

I looked at this little piece of purple prose and the first words my eyes fell on were "Spring Pictures" and then, at the bottom "no money".
OUCH!
OMG.
I needed help interpreting THIS more positively.  What I know for sure, in my heart, is that the Universe will bring messages of light, not darkness, or at least a way to find the light in darkness.  This felt dark, dark, dark; like a prediction of my financial future.
The word "school" let me know that there was a lesson here for me.  In dream symbology, that's what being in a school or taking a test or talking to a teacher means: that some where in the dream is an important teaching so pay attention.
I still couldn't shake the feeling of dread.  No money.


Then I saw a bit of white that had been run over and mushed into the road from the last rain but dry as paper mache now.  It had a bit of yarn attached to it, so I knew it was something that some child had made.  Those are always intersting to me, and often valuable, so I picked it up. 
Here's what it is:

 It's a little snowflake, and some sweet kid had drawn hearts and music signitures and arrows on it to make it more snow-flakey.  So cute!  And what struck me about it most forcefully was that it looked like a directional guide on a map.
Then the message became clear.
What I had been doing is picturing no money in the Spring.
What I had NOT been doing is charting a course towards more pleasant hopes and dreams. 
Some talk of what is and say "Why?"
I dream of what can be and say "Why Not?"
I'm paraphrasing this quote, and forget who said it, but the meaning is clear and very apt:  Staying with the reality of the situation keeps me stuck in it.  Dreaming of what might be moves you toward a better life.  Both ways of thinking have power.  Which power would I rather manifest?
A car is another dream symbol that indicates one's life.  The fact that this little snowflake was run over by, probably, several cars means that the "facts" about my economic life were multiplying and crushing my dreams.  I want and need to reactivate the powerful thought process that moves me in the direction of creating what I want in my life, not more of what I fear. Therefore, hope needs to be reborn to shed light on the darkness of my current economic thought.
Nothing in the future is gauranteed.  Nothing.  My advice to me and to you?
Start dreaming of what you want and stop fearing what you don't want.  Choose hope, eschew worry, and see what happens.  Why not?
 Love,
Kristine

Baby Steps Toward Abundance

When I woke up this morning I went through my usual ritual: Coffee, newspaper, crossword, journal, pull amulet, and pull an angel card for the daily message from the universe.  For the first time, both the amulet and angel card I pulled were about:

I was struck by the coincidence, but the duties of the day took my mind off of it.  The duties of the day placed my mind on something entirely different:  my business. It just wasn't as fulfilling as it used to be.
I wondered what I could do to create more ease, abundance, fulfillment, and prosperity in my life. 
Since the kids were adults, and my own work was feeling the impact of the economy, I needed a way to open myself up to a life that would be as satisfying as raising my kids had been or as exciting as beginning my graphic art business.  Been there, done that, now I wanted something new to focus on.
I pondered what that might be as my dog and I trudged up the hill to our favorite walking trail.  I happened to glance in the middle of the street and spotted this little lump of cloth.  Curious, I went towards it and here is what it was:

A very dirty baby's sock.  With hearts on it.  What in the world could this mean? 

In a flash, I got it.  I've been collecting found objects with the intention of creating art pieces with them.  I've found some pretty amazing and inspiring things, and I still haven't moved forward in this work.  This little sock was telling me to begin doing the thing I love to do; Make stuff.  Start small, but start.  Prioritize doing what I love and follow my heart. The very dirt on the sock itself indicated to me that by doing this, I would ground myself more fully in my creative nature. 

I started to think about all the things I was going to make.  I got idea after idea as I continued on my walk, but, as usual, doubt set in.  I worried that I was too old to start making the objects I was dreaming about, that I didn't have time, that they'd take time away from what was more important: making money not things, and that my time to be an artist was past.  Then I saw THIS:

A tiny buckle from a wristwatch.

It told me to detach from any notion of time, that the way to connect to myself was by being in the moment, by doing what I enjoyed moment to moment, and prioritizing doing what I love to do, just as I prioritized the activities of my children when they were small. 

It's my turn to reconnect to myself and my dreams.  That's all I need or want to do right now.  More importantly, it's time to get back to the pureness of my creative spirit: what I felt as a child when I made something, painted something, sewed something; not thinking about anything except the joy of creating, having no idea or ideal of  "being an Artist", but simply doing what I did because I wholly and fully enjoyed it.  That's truly heaven on earth!

Love, Kristine

Roll on, you magician you!

Hurray! I got the magician today.
It 's a beautiful card. The flowers symbolizing passion and transformation grow all around him. The infinity sign of, well, infinite possibilities, sits like a halo over his head. He's holding aloft what looks like a candle burning at both ends. Hmmm. The transitory nature of life? Don't know, really, but that sounds good. He looks like he's ready to start getting things done.
His posture is a heaven and earth mudra, (as above, so below) and, on the table, at the ready, are the 4 powers of the 4 directions.
The West gives us the chalice: water, the symbol of emotions, which are our guidance system.
The North is the pentacle, earth, wisdom, and the ability to create in form what you dream will occur.
The East gives us the sword: symbol of air, diviner of the truth and the home of inspiration.
The wand is a gift from the south, symbol of fire, creativity, and the dreams that help us move forward.
So the magician's power is to use it all.
Here is the magic circle: Our dreams (the south) pass through the emotional nature (the west) to see if they "fit" us at this moment in time. If they do, we'll feel great and the north will actualize them. Then the east presents us with a new truth based that dream's fruition which in turn inspires the creation of a new and better dream (the south again).
The circle rolls on.
That stuck feeling occurs when you want something but don't think you can have it. The south dreams, but the emotional west says nope, not for us. I feel uncomfortable with that thought. The north, literal-minded as it is, says "you're right, so here's the same old dream you've been dreaming again. The Sword has a chance to break the cycle by saying "hey, I've got an fresh idea about this spot we're in!" The south dreams the new thought, but if you're not in line with it you'll reject it and, whoops, stuck again!
It's up to you to take the new inspirations you have in and make these your new idea for your fresh basis for reality. You have to let go of your old ways, and let the new you emerge! When you do, the dream of the south will be so much more powerful. The west will believe it can happen, and the north will make it happen.
The faster you're able to ride this circle, the faster you're life will change.
And, since as above, so below, the more the world you see will change in response to the changes you create in YOU!
You see what I mean? This is a great card!
Live your dreams!
Love,
Kristine


Be the magician in your own life.

Marching On

Time does it, and so do I. Sometimes slogging on is closer to the feeling I have walking my sometimes muddy life path.

I've been finding this time very confusing. For some reason, I can't seem to get my priorities straight. I make choices, and then question them. Self doubt abounds, and I can't seem to find where I put my compus or even what it looks like.

My true north: feeling free. Easy enough. How to do it? How to feel free when there's so much pressure to do what you SHOULD do and not what feels the best. Time to clear those boulders from my path.

Joseph Campbell said when you feel lost you should close your eyes and think about the time when you felt the happiest. I have lots of those times, but they seem to involve other people: dancing, watching my boy play soccer or act, talking with any of my kids, great discussions with my friend. What I'm looking for now is those times when I felt happiest by myself.

I think I can say that making something, anything, where I lose myself in the act of creation--those are the times when I feel happiest. Time to do that. Time to make something beautiful and thus find the beauty in myself.

Time to head north.