“Do you always paint faces?”
the question streams in,
curious folk wanna know.
Maybe it seems strange
large faces, ladies of symbol—
where did they come from?
What’s this face
— this Muse
got to do with IC?
the movement of IC
moves through
murals, mandalas, clay
flows through
dance, yoga, conversation
not just paint.
But,
what about the paint?**
And, the face?
Tell, me,
when was the last time
you gazed into the
windows of another’s soul
to notice how the light sparkles
with peculiar gleam?
Can you tell me
if their eyes shone blue
or, rather, if the
shades of their ocean gaze
ran from aquamarine to moss green
with a slight hint of yellow?
What happens when
you begin with a story, like
“I don’t belong here”
and you work with it,
slowly, layer by layer
to listen to a deeper knowing?
The Muse
is the image who
meanders between
the space of the interior spark
and the exterior mask
If, as Rohr* says,
we have an immortal diamond
buried deep within us,
then, each Muse painted is
one ray of that diamond
who urges us to
become our more
authentic selves
Why the face?
Because the face
is a powerful force
and a beautiful
opportunity
to work with the
senses and
encounter our
inner knowing.
*The reference to Rohr is the book by Richard Rohr’s Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self
**As a side note, many other images can be used in IC work other than the face. I wanted to acknowledge some of the questioning in regards to using the face as a main image in my work.
The next “Muse” class offered is The Cultivator.
I’d love for you to join me in one of these upcoming classes:
Medicine Basket: A 3-Hour Red Thread Session
Friday, March 1st
9:30am – 12:30 pm
Have you heard? You’re a medicine carrier! It’s true. Come and spend the morning exploring what your personal medicine is and how it can be a balm to yourself and others. In this 3-hour Red Thread Session, we’ll explore our innate gifts and give ourselves permission to claim and celebrate them! During our time together, we’ll begin in a Red Thread Circle, journal, paint and work with the power of personal symbol as we paint our medicine basket! No painting necessary, only a willing heart! Click here for more details and to reserve your seat!
YES! A Red Thread Soulful Affirmation Card Workshop
Saturday, March 2nd • 9:30 am – 3:30 pm
We all have a YES! living deep inside our bones. This is the YES that breathes, “I belong. I’m creative. My gifts matter to the world.” Too often, we allow other messages to infiltrate and block this YES. Join me for a 1-day 6-hour workshop where I’ll guide you to bring to light to the restraining beliefs you carry and work to shift them into sixteen soulful YES! affirmation cards. Our journal, paint and a Red Thread Circle will be companions to guide us on this journey of YES! No painting necessary, only a willing heart! Click here for more details and to reserve your seat!
Cultivator: Transforming Ashes to New Life
Two time commitments available for this experience
Our life is a continuous cycle. We are moving, changing beings who experience goodness and heartache on a regular basis. We are on the mountaintop one moment and are thrust into the valley the next. It’s common for the light of the flame and the demise of the ash to overlap. Too often, we have a hard time giving ourselves permission to allow the flame to warm us when difficult circumstances unfold. At other times, we ignore the ash to remain zeroed in on the joyful flame.
Have you ever wondered:
• What do I do while I wait for change?
• Is there an action I can take on behalf of the ashes of my life?
• How do I tend the heartache and rejoice in the goodness?
• Can I give myself permission to retain joy amid difficult circumstances?
• Is there a way to honor both the inner flame and the ash of affliction?
• Can I choose to cultivate my needs and celebrate the choices I make?
This invitation is for those who desire to explore, honor and integrate the stages of this cycle (commonly referred to as the Life-Death-Life cycle). Together, with inquiry, paint and guided visualization, we’ll call forth our inner Cultivator, the one who tends to both the ash and the flame.