Finding Footing – Re Entry into a Changed World
June 15th, 2021
Re Entry into a Changed World
How to navigate re-entry into a different world that heads towards a hopefully post Covid era? It feels like the unbalanced feeling after being spun around and around and around, feet shifting from one spot to another trying to find sure footing and balance as your head still spins. My feet are still shifting.
My son being spun around in a playground years ago
There is so much to process. Mystery and light. The darkness of death. The light of healing. Shifting ways for better and worse. The ongoing divides. Uncertainty. What to keep and what to let go of? How to go forward?
This Balance Bird drawing I did years ago is taped to my computer screen. It reminds and encourages me daily to find balance and footing. I have no answers, only ways that help my own processing. May some of these ways help you as the world shifts.
Beauty, Power & Wisdom of Nature
Walks in nature are healing balm. Spring 2021 spring was most welcome. As we enter into the heat of summer, cool mornings in the surrounds of nature hold us in Mother Earth’s powerful embrace.
Look up to the sky. I came across an author and group of people in the Cloud Appreciation Society recently. I look up more now, seeing and loving the blue sky and clouds. The lace like flowers of elderberry are blooming now. They will soon turn into dark purple berries for the birds, making medicine and dying cloth.
Digging in dirt, planting seeds and plants. These activities send jolts of sacred energy from the soil directly to my heart. These poppies are blooming now from seeds scattered outside on bare dirt in January.
Playing in dirt and clay. These Garden Guardians I created out of clay are inspired by Zuni Indian carvings of Corn Maidens. The hand sized Guardians sing love into the garden and earth. They remind me to also sing to the plants, the soil. the sky.
Open to Mother Earth. She welcomes your thoughts, feelings, prayers and tears. Open your heart and let your love and being spill into the earth.
These photos are of a garden with a large mound sculpture of Mother Earth on her side with a path leading to her ear. People were encouraged to speak their thoughts, wishes and prayers into the ear of Mother Earth in this English garden designed by the amazing Irish garden designer and Earth Activist Mary Reynolds – https://marymary.ie
Words – Reading & Writing
Poems and inspirations from poets Mary Oliver, Amanda Gorman, ee cummings and more. These leaf “poems” now hang in the tree next to the street where many people walk by and read them.
Making Marks – Journaling & Images.
Prayers. Often prayers are part of my journaling. For Earth Day 2021.
Sometimes journaling isn’t writing meant to be re-read, but to be spilled onto paper forever embedded there as a feeling. Mandalas are often part of my journal pages, expressing feelings of the moment.
A mandala created with feelings of being trapped by Covid 19.
Images of Balance
Yin Yang Symbol This ancient symbol can be visualized as spinning, reminding me of the spinning feeling so often present. The movement of this symbol shows the never ending transformation of creation. Night to day. Light to dark. Always moving, always changing. Change is life.
The two sides of the yin yang symbol each have a bit of the other inside itself. The two sides complete each other. They are in balance. I recently painted these yin yang symbols with complementary colors. The word complementary, with an “e” not an “i” means they complete each other.
Complementary colors on the color wheel are opposite on the wheel and always a primary color and a secondary color that is made up of the other two primary colors: red and green, purple and yellow, blue and orange. Complementary colors “complete” all the colors possible because they contain all three primary colors. These three colors can create all possible colors. Complementary colors symbolize all possibilities.
We are actually hardwired to see complementary colors. If you stare at a color for a long time, say blue, and look away you will see its complement, orange. Perhaps we are hardwired to always experience balance and completeness.
These painted yin yang symbols help me remember that there is always movement in creation. There is always spinning, but there can also be balance and completeness in that movement.
Find Peace & Healing
Enjoy & Create
P.S. This coming Saturday, June 19th, I will lead others in “Forest Bathing & Creative Expression” in Forest Park, St. Louis. I’m so looking forward to sharing this time with others. Please join if interested.
