"An awakened heart is not a problem to be solved, but a gift to be honored, protected, and expressed, with all of the fierceness of the regal Lioness and Lion." In these days and times, an awakened heart -- individually... Continue Reading →
Happy Lùnastal and Full Moon lunar eclipse at the mid-Aquarius power gate. I've already written a bit about some of the Heartistry-inviting Energies (and themes) of Now, so I'll share a few things that surfaced intuitively this morning as I... Continue Reading →
"Creativity is conceived as a reproductive act with a tangible result -- a child, a book, a monument -- that has a physical life going beyond the life of its producer." "Creativity, however, can be intangible in the form of... Continue Reading →
I wrote recently on "The Hidden Meaning and Beauty" of vandalism, neglect, and graffiti -- including the graffiti that we might not see as beautiful or sacred, but as (and fairly so) an example of ugliness and desecration. Blog brother... Continue Reading →
“I don’t criticize ...That’s not my approach. I look for avenues of transformation, and I feed them. I’m always looking to generate something, as opposed to just taking something apart.” “The way I think of it is, every time we... Continue Reading →
There are musings, themes, writings, and offerings in the creative cauldron, bubbling away and readying for emergence in these curious times ... stay tuned. For now ... Fire & Honey 'Medicine'. First, the Fire bit. That'd be one key theme... Continue Reading →
"If everything is uncertain, then the future is open to human creativity, to possibility and therefore to a better world." ~ Immanuel Wallerstein We don't normally see chaos as an ally, because it seems so, well, chaotic. Uncertain. It feels... Continue Reading →
"Imaginal hygiene is the inner art of self-managing the imagination, to defend it from forces that compromise, pollute, colonize, shrink, and sterilize it, and to cultivate those that illuminate, expand, and nourish it." ~ M. T. Xen, by way of... Continue Reading →
It's no secret now that we're at a bit of a craggy crossroads, we humans? It seems that Life herself is more urgently stirring up the recollection, resurrection, and/or Phoenixing of whole areas of innate and indigenous-soul genius that were... Continue Reading →
“The whole art for the new humanity will consist in the secret of listening to the heart consciously, alertly, attentively. And follow it, go wherever it takes you. Yes, sometimes it will take you into dangers — but remember, those... Continue Reading →
"Every creative person is a duality or a synthesis of contradictory aptitudes. On the one side he is a human being with a personal life, while on the other side he is an impersonal, creative process." "The archetypal image of... Continue Reading →
Minerva and the Muses, c. 1640-45, by Jacques Stella. In the Musée du Louvre, Paris. Public domain image courtesy of Wikimedia.
Happy New Beginnings.
New Solar Year. New Lunar Year. New Moon. New vision. New beginnings. New adventures. New mindset.
Any time we begin anew —or want (or need) to stir new inspiration and meaning into what’s already underway — it’s a fine time to invoke our Muses.
From time immemorial, we have invoked the Muses, or spent our time waiting and praying for The Muse’s visit.
Poets, bards, master craftsmen, magicians, priestesses, and visionaries alike credited the Muses for fanning the fires of vision, imagination, dream, and creativity, and for whispering the inspired words (or notes, or images, or ideas) that would find their way into expression.
The Greeks told of Nine Muse Goddesses, and our ancient ancestors in other cultures and traditions told of and invoked…
“The arts are not a way of making a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s... Continue Reading →
New Solar Year. New Lunar Year. New Moon. New vision. New beginnings. New adventures. New mindset.
Any time we begin anew -- or want (or need) to stir new inspiration and meaning into what's already underway -- it's a fine time to invoke our Muses.
This Sophia's Children article explores the tradition of the Muses of Inspiration, and how we might connect with our own Muse ... or Muse Posse!
You'll even find clues about how to spot the Muses in your astrology chart (which itself is a clue-map from a long-running wisdom tradition!).
There is deep wisdom in aligning with the energy and spirit of the season ... of Nature's rhythms, with which are bodies are strongly evolved to orient towards (or suffer from the cultural dissociation with Natural rhythms!).
There's also a wisdom and mythic quality associated with Imbolc, and other important archetypal energies and milestones as the wheel of the year turns.
What inspiration and deep restoration awaits you at this time of the year ... or any time that Imbolc-Bhrigdhe wisdom might spark the fires of inspiration within you?
Wherever we are, whether we're moving into the season of shorter days and longer nights, or easing from daylight to the dark of night, we move into the Deep Yin cycle of Nature. Ancient wise ones -- and some of... Continue Reading →
“What if I told you that the hidden agenda of those controlling public education policy has actually been… to snuff out young people’s natural creativity, curiosity, independence, freedom of thinking and love of learning?”
For a long time now, we’ve been told by our leaders and the media that our nation’s education problems are caused by bad teachers, low expectations, lazy students and/or unclear national standards. They tell us that by setting higher standards, making school more rigorous, testing students frequently and then firing “bad” teachers we will be able to “fix” our schools.
To put it bluntly, this is nothing but a Big Lie. What if I told you that the hidden agenda of those controlling public education policy has actually been to crush innovation, make children more obedient, force teachers to “dull & dumb down” their instruction, and do whatever else is needed in order to snuff out young people’s natural creativity, curiosity, independence, freedom of thinking and love of learning?
“The design of the human brain -- its inherent need to make connections and associations -- gives it a will of its own.” “The artificial barriers between the arts and sciences will melt away under the pressure to know and... Continue Reading →
"Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant—there is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing—and keeping the unknown always beyond you." "You and I don’t know whether our vision is clear in relation to our time... Continue Reading →
"If you don't know where you are going, any road will do." ~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland If you do have a notion or yearning, even if it's only a whisper of a gist, then interesting things can unfold... Continue Reading →
Wherever we are, whether we're moving into the season of shorter days and longer nights, or easing from daylight to the dark of night, we move into the Deep Yin cycle of Nature. Ancient wise ones -- and some of... Continue Reading →
"We humans have so much more creative juice than we realize. Our intentions create our lives and so the more conscious we become in making our choices, the more we can shape our individual lives and attend to the reclaiming... Continue Reading →
"We are descending into the dark time of the year, the juicy time of mystery of earth and psyche. This liminal time before Samhain calls us to cast off that which does not serve us and evoke the wild woman."... Continue Reading →
"The creative act is a courageous, ancient gesture, a dynamic exploration of the dark mystery that is human existence." ~ Adriana Diaz, as quoted in Roderick MacIver's Art As A Way of Life. The creative gesture means many things. Yes,... Continue Reading →
We've recently gained some much-needed fire in the astro-energetic alchemy cocktail, which is likely most welcome after several years of depth-diving in watery realms. At least I welcome it. Though I truly appreciate underwater cave diving and Lunar-gift reclaiming well... Continue Reading →
“This rich tapestry of the Guardian, of the Ancestor, that says “I am here, but I’m here to awaken your sense of Mystery, that is what life seeks from you because your Mystery will elicit your curiosity and from your... Continue Reading →
"When I was a younger man, art was a lonely thing. No galleries, no collectors, no critics, no money, yet it was a golden age for we all had nothing to lose and a vision to gain. Today it is... Continue Reading →
"When you cease to fear your solitude, a new creativity awakens in you. Your forgotten or neglected inner wealth begins to reveal itself. You come home to yourself and learn to rest within." "That which is scattered has no unity,... Continue Reading →
"Your vision is your home, and your home should have many mansions to shelter your wild divinity." ~ John O'Donohue, Anam Cara Vision, not to mention ways we cultivate and reclaim our precious 'wild divinity', are among our Sophia and Artemis... Continue Reading →
"Creative people don’t follow the crowds; they seek out the blank spots on the map. Creative people wander through faraway and forgotten traditions and then integrate marginal perspectives back to the mainstream. Instead of being fastest around the tracks everybody... Continue Reading →
"The question holds the lantern." This, from the late John O'Donohue, could in itself be a meditation, which I find to be the case with much of what he wrote. But here is a bit more from The Question Holds... Continue Reading →
ma-laise "A general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify. "a society afflicted by a deep cultural malaise"* burnout "Physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress."* Wherever we are, whether we're... Continue Reading →
We enter into the Mysteries of Imbolc, Candlemas, or Fèill Bhrìghde. As I mentioned in previous musings, Imbolc-Candlemas has long been considered a thin time and an ancestral holy time traditionally celebrated during the first few days of February. The... Continue Reading →
Minerva and the Muses, c. 1640-45, by Jacques Stella. In the Musée du Louvre, Paris. Public domain image courtesy of Wikimedia. 
