Women In-Spirit

     It seems timely that on the day I suddenly felt the need to reconnect with a much beloved heart-project that the subject should be "Gratitude, Giving Back." Some years ago now I had an inspiration to explore "The Sufi Book of Life- 99 Pathways to the Heart" by Neil Douglas-Klotz, through the medium of collage. With this collage, Pathway 35, I take up the journey once again. It had become a spiritual practice and one, after much time devoted to other things like starting a new business over the past year, that I have greatly missed in my life. Considering that it is Mercury Retrograde, a time of review, revision and return, it is appropriate that I am now hearing the call to bring it back in.       I think we all go through periods in our lives where our spiritual practices change. In fact I would say it's a good thing because practices can become habit somehow losing their initial meaning and place in our daily life. And going into this I knew it was a monu

       And the journey continues into exploring the tarot through the medium of collage. In this post I will share the Major Arcana cards Hermit IX, Wheel of Fortune X, and Justice XI. A friend and I are creating our way through the tarot artistically and it has been a rich field of discovery. After meditating upon the card I move into finding images that speak to me, I may not understand why they call to be used but I trust the process. Then the creating takes place and finally looking closer to see what has been revealed in the images used. It's always fascinating. I am using The Gilded Tarot as my foundation, my oldest and fondest deck, truth be told.      The Hermit carrying his staff and lantern leads the way. A red bridge extends towards the mountains in the distance and the sunlight illuminates the top of its peak. There are flowers growing on either side of the bridge. A woman sits upon a rock contemplating the path ahead while strangely enough a very large peacock peers o

     I woke this morning to grey skies heavy with rain and a headache between my eyes. So I eased into my day; sipping hot chamomile tea, holding a warmed lavender pillow to my forehead, and going slow. Feeling the headache eventually lifting I decided to sit down and right a blog post on the latest series of collages I've done continuing the deep dive into the Tarot through art that I am exploring with a friend. So, I sat down and composed a blog. Not this one. I hit something wrong and completely erased the first one after two hours of writing! Seriously...really? I always wonder when that happens if it was just an accident or if...meant to be. So let's try again. This time I explored VI, The Lovers, VII, The Chariot, and VIII, Strength. All deal with making choices, with courage and with personal power...movement on different levels. I am using the Gilded Tarot as my guide, my oldest and first deck. So let's dive in.      The Lovers, a passionate couple embrace and are l

Today is the Lion's Gate, a portal, August 8, 2021 the New Moon in Leo which appropriately is a pathway to the Heart. I love synchronicities, those little moments that line up just so, that make you stop, ponder, recognize and smile. A few days ago the Sufi Book of Life, 99 Pathways to the Heart, Practices for the Modern Dervish by Neil Douglas-Klotz called to me to create once again.  Using the book has been part of my on-going spiritual practice since I "found" it back in 2015. Then one day in 2017 inspiration came to me to explore each path through the medium of collage. I wished to delve deeper into each of the pathways and through creativity and art seemed only natural. Gratitude, Giving Back is the 35th pathway. I have shared each of the previous paths here on this blog if you wish to view them in order. It's been six months since I explored a Sufi pathway through art. I have been immersed in starting a business, Flora Sophia, the Wisdom of Flowers, a real heart

     The Major Arcana of the tarot are those cards that represent the major themes in our lives, those threads that seem to weave in and out, those life lessons that seem to repeat themselves until we pay attention and make changes to transform them. They represent the structures we build the foundations of our consciousness upon. There are 22 major arcana cards starting with 0- The Fool, the journey begins and ending with the 21st card- The World, completion.       A friend invited me to explore tarot through the medium of art collage with her. So, we have embarked on this deep dive into the cards together. We each create a collage and share the images and sometimes the meanings with each other. It has proven to be a significant practice, one that has brought a renewed sense of meaning and connectedness to the cards. It's fascinating to see the images take shape, the messages uncovered, the Creative at work. In this post I will share the collages I have created for The Empress, Th

       Is it the vividness of bright green leaves or the blush on trees just before they bud, or perhaps the star bursts of color pushing upwards through the brown left-over detritus of winter that sparks the eye and fills the heart with happiness and yes, even glee after months of monotone landscape? Spring at last, Spring at last! My eyes and heart thirsty for color, for life, for change drink deeply of this richness, drink of it deeply into my Soul, into my Bones, and into my Being. I flit from flower to flower sipping sweet nectar from Daffodils, plunge my nose into Lilacs like a Bee, and hover above the Tulips as a Hummingbird surveying all of her delicious choices.       The Spring landscape, a smorgasbord laid abundantly before us, beckons us to delight in the beauty of change, of new possibilities, of a newness of form. Rise up out of your winter den and cast off your layers, shed your old skin, stretch your limbs, rub the sleepy seeds from your eyes and plant them all in the f