Welcome to our weekly art/life trail ride. December 11:The New Strength Moon:
Twig reflection, Drozda, 2006
On our art/life trail ride keep in mind that Strength and balance are represented by the circle.
… the Power of the World
always works in circles,
and everything tries to be round.
…The sky is round.
and … the earth is round like a ball.
and so are all the stars.
The wind, in its greatest power, whirls.
Birds make their nests in circles,
for theirs is the same religion as ours.
The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle.
The moon does the same, and both are round.
Even the seasons form a great circle
in their changing,
and always come back again to where they were.
The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood,
and so it is in everything where power moves.
Black Elk Speaks
Guardians of the Moon, Drozda, white ink/black Strathmore paper, 2013
In her book ‘Signs of Life’ Angeles Arrien’s exploration of the Universal Shapes that recur throughout nature, art and all design, reminds us:
“In every culture the circle symbolizes wholeness and the experience of unity. When people are engaged in the search for wholeness they aspire to independence and individuation. What they need most is space, room in which to find themselves and develop their own identity. What they fear most is entrapment, being caught in a situation that will restrict or restrain them.”
We’re tracking the natural circular quality of the rhythms of seasons and cycles. We’re learning to follow the path of the art/life by noticing the way in which moon, by month, by year the aspiration trail ride and the entrapment trail ride spirals either upward or downward into the future. Every aspect of the trail unfolds from where we now stand.
Stand is a powerful word in forming a relationship with Strength. You must stand for something or you’ll fall for anything. We take the stand to practice being in our Strength. Practice reminds us that we’re not perfect…and we don’t need to be. We are imagining a position of true Strength. True Strength takes a stand for beauty, truth and goodness. We are each capable to choose to take a stand. Taking a stand places our energy into a decision-making container. Voluntary containment (a diametrically opposed experience from entrapment) is self-appointed, empowering and profound. when we stand in a decision-making strength we become unstoppable and bold.
Stand for Strength
True Strength can be very gentle in nature
A Deep Hunger, Drozda, Acrylic/board, 18 x 18”, 2006
From fall equinox (Sept. 23) until winter solstice (Dec. 21) you stand on a portion of the path that can be disconcerting and overwhelming. Experiences that create overwhelm also bring us to an edge place where we meet the opportunity to balance. This 90 days of autumn is a challenging part of the trek. Culturally we are bombarded with do, be and engage more. There is so much to tend to leaving no time to savor and relax.
Take a moment to welcome and remember that the circle turns at a natural pace and the art/life trail is moving very organically inward. We can make contact during this period with our creative roots…however this requires the courage to not hang out on a limb.
Rather than hang out we can now stand for turning in and dropping down into the deeper wider center… think of the roots of who you are being.
As of winter solstice (December 21) and through to spring equinox (March 20) the 90 day trail winds into the deepest center of connection to the creative potential that is rising up to meet us from The Mystery. The treasure becomes apparent…we gather the gems and fill our saddle bags.
A GIFT FOR YOU
Click through and look to the right side bar…fill in the box and download the Gift for you ...share with your trail riding buddies (forward them the link)…remind them to see the form in the right side bar…enter info and receive The Art of Natural Time Management © an illustrated PDF download of the 8 monthly moon phases. You’ll find prompts to move you organically along the path as a Flow*er:
Enlarge each ‘petal’ a bit and print each of the eight onto card stock. Keep the prompts handy to promote smooth riding through each moon cycle….the collection supports a cohesive rhythm moon by moon. Each ‘petal’ represents approximately three days. You can access a guide to when the 8 primary moon phases shift by subscribing to Zodiac Arts.
X-ercise for this week: Journal:
What are my Strengths?
Who am I being?
What do I stand for?
Other calming connections:
Share your insights and discoveries…in the comments box below
Take a moment and Like our trail ride on Face Book…see the button below
Invite your art/life buddies to join the trail ride…we become our stronger, gentler self riding together
As a working Heartist with more than four decades of practice I focus upon our mutual support as we encourage one another to live the creative best within the art/life. On we go.
Join the art/life trail ride. Invite your riding buddies to subscribe and let sharing the joy BE a stand in your vocation.
Connect with the uplift of ‘Luna See’ our moon/month newsletter and explore Lifecycle; natural time management tools…they may very well feel like a fit for you.
With Lifecycle you and I work together aligning with the natural GPS of your creative rhythms…infuses the trail ride with effortless ease.
