In these months since Winter Solstice I have experienced extensions of attention far outside of my honed comfort zone.
There was an automatic pulling back into myself, and it was not quite successful in targeting my center.
This has been a glorious two month teaching time, and the head master of this school of life has been my own personal compass toward harmony and serenity and cheerfulness.
Ah, me, the acknowledgment of death and birth and severance and inclusion and patience.
Patience and persistence in paying attention brought rewards in my personal cosmic order.
I am a process painter. For me, that is paying attention to an initial prompt, be it an emotional prompt, or a word, or a concept. Then with color and form and direction, I attend to the beckonings of concept, and the fulfillment of interpretation.
I scribe the four sacred directions on canvas, and begin the exploration and validation of my personal inquiry.
Ninety percent of my painting begins this way. Ten percent of the canvases begin with a circular scribe, when I am feeling definitely more “hoop-y” at that time.
Forms are revealed, color applied, hidden pathways come to sight. Then I work and aware myself of feelings of fulfillment– is my statement complete, has the story been told?
“Cottonwood Oasis” 20″ x 20″ Gallery-wrap 1.5″ Painted Pipeline Brown/Gray
“Nothing Is As It Was~Every Day is Remarkable and Remakable” continues its influence as we each navigate our days.
Ten years ago my book
“Nothing Is As It Was”
was published by Balboa Press. It was awarded finalist in the National INDIE Excellence Book Awards in their category of Self-Help: Motivational.
Lately, I find myself thumbing through its pages, and delighting in the reminders that we can each relax into the preciousness of our exquisite selves.
One such reminder for me is from the chapter “Cosmic Serpent”:
“Your World Has You”
You are the heart of your world. Your world has you as its heart.
Feed your fire, your heart fire– with Reception-From-The-Beginning, with Love.
Notice that which entices you. Notice. Take awareness. Leave Thrill. Follow… Leave offerings, Collect knowings.
Another reminder to stand in peace and poise is from the chapter “Depth Contemplation” where I find development of relationship (both inner and outer) woven into the following painting and directive to take that journey within:
“Revel In Your Heritage”
Rejoice in your knowing ancient substance coursing through the body contemporary language means nothing here contemporary scientific assertions mean nothing here Explore into your nature Who awakes when you know? Who awakes when inner sight reveals light streams inside? How did you build yourself? Who constructed your treasure trove?
Let our moments flow through our days and give yourself loving permission to:
For me, it is the subtle awakening of knowing which energy center–chakra–is alive at the moment. For example, where do I sense my reaction to something seen or heard? — In my head? or heart? or belly?
Why is Center important?
Knowing your inner workings helps assess the outer world.
The outer world can pull and stretch a person away from their heart-felt value system. It is really easy to not be strong in one’s core. Yet it is enormously delightful and joyous to know our unique inner workings. I base all of this on my deep conviction to be IN PEACE, IN LOVE, IN HARMONY. When I am not in these states, it just isn’t as fun!
I have extracted the center aspects of paintings for this news delivery. I enjoyed seeing their definitions apart from the supporting picture on the canvas.
This visual process also had me asking whether my various centers and times of awareness were well-defined, or fuzzy-hazy, or gentle, or formidable and strong. These energies can all be altered, cultivated, refined, developed to your liking.
Often times when I am in studio, this awareness flows in and I take hold of its movement.
I assume and almost know that YOU also have these moments and times and invitations.
Some of these paintings began with the center strong and apparent in my psyche, some began from the outer bounds of exploration and travelled inward.
I offer them to you as gateways.
It is also deeply rewarding to simply sit by a tree. Without effort, Tree-People lovingly/calmly/subtly direct one’s awareness to a Center. Then you can sit in this earthly and bodily temple and relish its enormous inner universe.
This morning I was steeped in loving bird song, watching leaves turn in the breeze, and hoping to see earthworms mating.
Then I caught wind of Joel Salatin Here is a quintessential example of balance! Essentially, he said Nature does not need to be wrangled or coerced, but touched ‘just so.’
Yesterday Tiega and I went for a stroll along the banks of the Willamette River. I gazed across its wide expanse and saw Bald Eagle soaring and hunting. Its strong dark and brilliant white coloring against the towering backdrop of deep green majestic Douglas Fir was striking.
Smiling, I heard myself speak out, “There’s nothing like it.”
It was a ‘grounded’ moment of delight-full renewal!
I created “Cottonwood Oasis” as an honor to fellow pilgrims who depart/journey/suffer/arrive/rest.
My wise woman former rancher writer friend commented poetically,
saying it is like “Cottonwood-Woman,”
who extols the pilgrims in the service of survival;
who stands in the atmosphere of benediction;
who comes forth through the generations
and arrives exuberant and triumphant.
We really are at the crux of that passive statement of
“you must change yourself before you change anyone else.”
We really are at the tending pool of
courtesy and politeness and deep compassion.
We really are grateful to the produce stackers,
the check-out assistants,
the neighbor who meets and greets.
We are the Peaceable Kingdom.
We all love and support and grow with one another.
“As I worked a circle, Frog came into form. Just at the time my teacher went to Spirit World. It was very nice to feel this painting come into form, very nice to feel a lovely beckoning into a “next,” very nice to find that Frog is an escort.”
“My studio time was dancing with masks. I swept the canvas, discovering the sacred directions for what was to come. Birds appeared in the piece, and we were off to the magic land of bird dances.”
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Let this lovely week flow gently. Enjoy the richness of dark.
Because I began my advent hoop a bit ‘late,’
I compress my weeks by a few days for each element.
This certainly does not abide with the time it takes for rocks and crystals to grow!
This week a few more crystals migrated into the circle
and the Plant King/Queendom is walking in.
Planetary Advent
Mineral, Plant, Animal, Human
<–<–<–<–>–>–>–>
Plant King/Queendom
Representing this PLANT world are river drift woods, fresh greens and berries, cedar incense sticks, fruit, pine cone.
Of course, none of these kingdoms are separate.
We all love and support and grow with one another.
<–<–<–<–>–>–>–>
My personal artistic contributions to this Plant Oxygen infused week are these two paintings:
Planetary Advent
A few weeks of honoring the energies we walk with in this world.
Mineral, Plant, Animal, Human
<–<–<–<–>–>–>–> Mineral King/Queendom
I invite you to create a personal altar honoring the Mineral world.
Each week toward Winter Solstice and
the great celebration of the Pan-universal Christ,
is an opportunity to create the groundwork, literally,
for the other king/queendoms to follow.
I have begun in circle, hoop.
You might choose a more linear shape.
Your altar is for your unique sensibilities, so enjoy how you make it!
My ‘start’ has rocks, crystals, although I may add a bowl of sand or soil.
My process is to light the center candle each day,
and place another Mineral-world object.
Then next week will find me placing Plant world delights.
I think the most important part is having a few moments of
“quiet good cheer”!
“This is a dry rise, outcrops of white and yellow and gold calcite roll throughout the hills. The valley affords moisture. I love this particular long valley with its rises. When I came to the canvas with this place in my heart, all the dry evaporated, and the meandering streams and low grasses took over my expression. This piece abstracts the bedded calcite, and extracts the rich feel of the place.”
“The northwest forest affords supple greenery. Take a walk through a fairy forest, collect the forest floor’s rich bounty, wrap yourself in luxurious earth-green. This piece was created as honor to a forest dancer, dressed in ceremonial’s authentic finest. He is in there!”
“She is everywhere, She is at all times.
Our Lady is in everyone’s face and being.
We each hold a name for Her–all meaning: beauty-filled, bountiful, compassionate.
All beings can participate, all beings may contribute.
This means also you and I, making resonance into the order of things.”
The “staying” part of my month was to hang a show of 13 of my pieces in the narthex of St. Francis of Assisi Episcopalian Church in Wilsonville, Oregon. The show welcomes parishioners through 29 September 2019. The Art Ministry at St. Francis displays art of several media, showing artists and photographers from the Pacific Northwest.
The northwest photographer Rod Chandler has an astute ‘eye’ and assisted me with his kindness, expertise, and exuberant energy. Click through his image to arrive on his website for gorgeous nature images.
And the ‘going‘ part of my month was to fly across this beautiful land to Wisconsin for a nephew’s wedding. I reunion’ed with nieces, nephews, grand-relatives, and my sisters. It had been 7 years. It was as if we have always lived next door to one another, even though Gwy Ann camps in Missouri, and Renee between Wisconsin and Florida
Here we are at the Aviation Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin: Older sister Gwy Ann (systems integration expert; gentlewoman rancher with horses, dogs, kitties, ponds, gardens); Younger sister Renee (1st mate sailing yacht Great Lakes; avid sports enthusiast championing every child and grandchild through each of their ongoing winning endeavors); and me (apple pie baker, dog walker, land saunterer, visual artist).
Currently on my easel is this 20×20. It began as a cottonwood, with thick, deep, gnarled and irregular bark. I sat with it, saw a face, took another direction, and now am working on another self-portrait!
Thus far she has told me:
“Those who know, contemplate.” I like studio time!
Balance is perpetually in a state of search and discovery and finding itself. It occurs for a nano-second, then lives into its awareness of being in balance. This is always a hold-back to the moment before.
“Evening Dance At Owl Pond” is a composition of asymmetry in its immediacy, yet the figures/beings balance one another with their territory.
Thus, you and I can balance one another in our daily living.
And, we emphatically must balance ourselves with our territory, precious Earth.
It’s a Sky Report! Similar to Griffith Observatory’s weekly, yet mine spans a few years. These are a few details from my paintings. As I once told someone afraid to paint sky, “You can’t get it wrong! They are always changing!”
These are small snippets of larger paintings. It is fun to see the Spirits in the Sky!
At first, I went into the studio work intending a statement of alignment with the cosmic order.
As I worked this piece, I found my information was becoming more internal than external.
Exploration revealed that one can align externally, then the solid ‘work’ is to bring the Nature Spirits into my energetic; then the Poise is cultivated with spiritual information called Power.
For me, that Power is calm expansion.
The quest is to align internally, whatever that means to me or to you, is a moment-to-moment livingness.
Our regional forecast for the ECLIPSE was sunny/cloudy. I drove to my Eclipse gathering and saw many, many, many little clans squatted out in the dog park, on the community college campus grounds, in their private yards, and I sang out with thrill!
Some traditions prescribe staying inside, feel the internal work in the dark, do your personal and communal alignment. As I felt into my reality of going “out” to a gathering, and saw people coming out of their offices and dwellings, I honored them.
We are a visual society. We want to see. And people, in their EXPECTANCY and CELEBRATION of the natural order of this unique phenomenon sought participation.
I think that EXPECTANCY IN JOY AND CELEBRATION MOVES WORLDS! We moved the skies into clarity and non-overcast. We unconsciously did “something” together because of AWE and CURIOSITY and EXPECTING-THE-BEST. We resonated with the Nature Spirits by living, simply living.
cherilyn sunridge 