Preparing for Transformation


     Before we set off upon a new journey, whether it be a physical one, a fresh course of study, starting a new job, moving to a new city, or even pursuing a new spiritual path we need to spend time preparing ourselves.
     It's about clearing the decks as it were, getting everything in order; when we make room for the new it shows our intention to being open, to learning about the myriad of possibilities before you and welcomes it in.
     I often sit and contemplate my own beliefs. I take stock of my thoughts, discarding those that I have taken on from other people or society and that do not belong to me. I keep the ones that resonate within me. Cleansed, I am better able to listen and chart my next move.
     Through this art journal journey that I set out upon earlier this year I am delving ever deeper into truly knowing myself through a creative Spiritual lens. "The Sufi Book of Life-99 Pathways of the Heart" by Neil Douglas-Klotz has been my guide.
This book with it's wisdom, it's beautiful imagery and words, touched my heart and sparked  my creativity. In this post I will share the next three passages from my art journal as well as my thoughts as I take each pathway to heart.
Pathway 13, Designing & Training.
     Pathway 13- Designing and Training, speaks to my creative side, my eye-for-design sensibilities. Having been a professional floral designer all of my life as well as my many years spent in the interior design business I breathe patterns, textures, and color. Funny then that when I sat down with this page I had a difficult time seeing anything. I felt distracted and at a loss, perhaps because I have been in this stage for a while now of redesigning my life. Sometimes I have felt as if I am in an ocean treading water, at the mercy of currents and tides. 'Patience' seems to be my mantra.
     So I set it aside that day. I had planted the seed of my intention and now it was time to let it germinate. When I sat with it again I had a better understanding and the impressions flowed. I came across an image in a magazine of a computer generated city, buildings in various stages of design which to me represents my life at this point, I am under construction, being restored and regenerated, I am building a solid foundation from the ground up. I gave the page a look of cement with Gesso and grey pastel. A pair of hands holding a glass bottle, half full of water, holds many meanings to me; as a symbol of the Universe holding me in its embrace; my pure potential and possibilities; the preciousness of this life; and the realization that I need to protect my dreams, hold them close and nurture them.
    I saw myself in the little girl reaching for the balloon, or now as I see it, reaching for the light. A beautiful glass sculpture by Chihuly hangs from above, a personal symbol of the skill and dedication an artist needs to reach for. After all I am the artist of my life. At the top corner a little booklet with a Walt Whitman quote reminds...

"You must habit yourself to the dazzle of the light and of every moment of your life."


Pathway14-Burning Away Tension &Hurt
Before we can start off we also need to burn away any negativity and any anxieties that we are holding and, of course, old hurts that we have held on to for far too long. Let it go, let it all go. You don't need to carry that forward, leave it in the past where it belongs! I know, easier said then done...but, think about it, do you think the person who was cruel to you 20 years ago even thinks about you? I am sure they don't even remember the conversation. Move on. They did.

If it looks like the heart is cooking over flames in this picture you are right. It is cooking, it's edges are softening and becoming more tender as it releases the pain of past hurts into the flames. I knew and saw exactly in my mind what I wanted to create on this page. I went about it like a ritual. I wanted, once and for all, to let go of feelings of being mistreated and used.  So beneath the very layers of this page I wrote it all out and released it into the flames. People come into our lives for a lifetime or sometimes just briefly and either way to teach us something about ourselves. In his book the author speaks about casting thorns, hence the cactus. If you cast thorns and I cast thorns soon there will be thorns everywhere. 
There are layers of paint and collaged art- paper flames beneath the images. It has taken years for me to peel back these layers to get to the truth hidden within, to get through the scar tissue. What is left you ask?
A new woman rising in the steam. She is like a flower opening in the heat on a summers day. She blooms with hope and love. Beneath all a mirror reflects the peaceful clouds overhead. The kind of peace that only comes after forgiveness.

Pathway 15- Natural Power.

So after the release we are free to start gearing up, building power within, gathering our strength and courage. Natural power, pathway 15, is about creating movement, it is about Being but not necessarily doing. It is also about interconnectedness, everything is "an expression of the Universe", of Unity. There is a vast, intelligent and sacred Universe that connects us all, that we can go to when our own strength, our own power is not quite enough. We can go to it whenever we need guidance.
If you look at the images I chose on this page; a glacier, a volcano erupting. A flock of birds taking flight, ocean waves...they are all symbols of the power found in nature. 
A woman sits on a rock in the center of it all  and I imagine that her heart is full of wonder as she looks upon the elements before her. 

"That person has become
A drop in the ocean,
A mote in the rays of the sun,
A part of the whole...
A complete human being,
By the grace of the One Being."
-Fatima Jahanara
Quoted in part from 99 pathways

"Transform Your World"...go for it, be the artist of your own life. You are ready!



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Moving Towards Purpose

The Herb Lady of Coventry

Exploring Gratitude