Nothing exploded!

Day 28 of NaPoWriMo with Magaly

"In the beginning there was nothing, which exploded"

Terry Pratchett's Birthday. Make a quote into a poem.
This was an impossible task. How to choose from an almost endless list of genius?
Get hubby to pick one lol

"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it!" (Truckers 1990)

(ChakrArt journal page)

Don't forget to take your rubbish home with you!

Isn't that just typical!

I had a real good Spring Clean out.

Ditched all those old worn out "Gonnas" and saggy tired "Wannas".

Saged and cleansed and purged the new spaces

 ready to fill and file all the fresh "Wills" and "Shalls"

And here they all come...

Tramping on the tidy lawns of relaxation to dump their trash!

Pile after pile of "Now your not doing thats..."

Heaps and heaps of "Don't want you getting boreds..."

Followed by reams and reams of "Have you thought you might be happier ifs...".

I can't be held responsible for people confusing "Open mind" with "Open house".

But I am responsible for any trash I let them leave behind!

Lol....this was a really tricky assignment for me. All the quotes I read made me snigger with wicked intent. It seems to me the Mr Pratchett had an amazingly wicked sense of humour. Writing from his inspired quotes was easy...not offending or alienating all my lovely friends was what I was struggling with. (OMG...the "Schrodingers cat " quote!!!) Hubby decided the above quote had least scope for offence :D

Enjoy :D XXX

Well I didn't see that coming! Lol

Well I can hardly believe how quickly the last 6 weeks have passed!...Only one more week of Simona's fabulously invigorating ChakrART free workshop left!!!!

She has very kindly set each weeks class up as a pages on her blog, so if you feel inquisitive why not pop over and have a try...you never know where it may lead you :D

So this week is the 6th chakra...Ajna or the 3rd eye chakra.

I use mine quite a lot, but in times of stress (or anger) my vision becomes cloudy and tainted with "wishful thinking"

I was truly surprised by the image my meditation brought so clearly...a yellow dragon, flying through the air...twisting and somersaulting. And the air was more like long strands of silky grass, streaming passed as the dragon raced by....weird or what....but all the time I kept getting "close-ups" of the bright shiny eye.

I decided that what the image symbolised, was the intense effort I was having to use to activate that particular chakra, because of all the cluttered thoughts that had built up in my head...causing tension headaches.

I used to use a sparkly purple geode to enhance my 3rd eye...when I got it out of the box, it had turned black!!!

I guess I have some serious focussing to do, to re-energise my poorly little crystal...my chunk of purple amethyst however(in the background) was as sparkly as ever :D

Enjoy :D XXX

Don't be invisible....

Today I am sharing my art journal page for Simona's FREE ChakrART class, the 5th Chakra "Vishudda" or the Throat chakra.

It is the chakra that is about communication, expression and creativity...and I don't think it is conceited of me to say I don't have much of a problem with any of those aspects of my personality :D

So I focussed on giving my opinion of "giving your opinion"...

The first image that came to mind while meditating was of someone in chains apparently being martyred.

I guess that is how I see people when they are (in my opinion) over reacting to someone else's opinion. I am not talking about seriously horrendous matters that effect society as a whole, but stuff like a preference of style or technique or even a colour combi....geesus...the drama!!!

So let's just remember folks, You don't have to be a drama queen/king to have an opinion, nor does it make you a drama queen/king for having an opinion. It is how you express that opinion that makes it a drama!

At the same time you don't need to be invisible for fear of being of a different opinion to your friends...the truth, however quietly spoken, will be heard. It is never drowned out by the shouting of lies.

Sermon over :D Enjoy :D XXX

Brace yourselves....

Boy was this weeks ChakrArt lesson a doozee!

We are dealing with and healing  our 4th Chakra Anahata, or Heart chakra.

This is the one that covers compassion and forgiveness....

I know I have "hardened my heart" over the past few years to "the world", by which I mean I am totally disillusioned by society in general.

I have also learned to "steel myself" against the actions of others, which makes forgiveness almost irrelevant to me. Some things to me are just unforgivable. I am not talking about everyday pettiness or accidental insult and injury...I'm talking the loss of an unborn child through another's deliberate actions....being prevented from doing what you know is right because "so and so" will throw a tantrum...

and it absolutely infuriates me, when someone "forgives me for my inability to forgive them their trespass against me"

So I carry the bad karma associated with the inability to forgive...and I am glad to do so.

I have always lived my life with the deliberate intention to "do no harm", but as I've gotten older I have become even more the "protector"..making my heart heavy, but I am not angry at myself, I am proud of my strength. When I feel compassion for someone or something it is the most profound feeling of love...not watered down to sprinkle where it is not deserved  

(the flowers on this hat were the only pink things I could find lol)

Yes I sound arrogant...yes I may appear to be conceited  or "holier than thou", and I will  set myself up as judge and jury(and executioner if society allowed)...

Because at the end of the day, I am the one who has to live with my decisions. My journalling reads;

" It is not a lack of compassion that stops me from forgiving...but an overwhelming sense of duty to stop you being so cruel to others..."

Ranting aside, I hope you enjoyed my post :D XXX

Life is a Masquerade...

My "A Piece a Week" this week is my 3rd ChakrART journal page. 

Whilst meditating on this chakra I visualised myself at the bottom of a spiralling  tunnel, but as I asked for strength and renewal I felt myself being drawn out of the depths, and the spirals turned to rose petals...

The page I had ready to work on also looked like it was covered in roes petals...specifically a rose I used to have called "Masquerade" which actually changes colour as it opens.

This made me think of how I have a tendency to hide from weakness...as in I don't allow myself to appear weak...ever. I in effect, mask my true situation health wise(because I know I am not "that poorly", there are many who are worse off than me health wise)

But what I have realised through this meditation, is that my true energy comes from my garden...if my garden is feeling unloved and bedraggled, how can I expect it to give me strength?

So I need to get my head out of the soft comfy petals, and get down and dirty with the soil again!

"I" didn't used to care if it was raining..."I" dug in the ground all the same..."I" didn't wait around for others to be able to help me move stuff..."I" just moved it....

If "I" learn nothing else from Simona's course, I have learned that no one else can put the sparkle back in my life..

.only "I" can do that

Enjoy :D XXX

Failing with class!

I know...I said I was going to spend 7 weeks working on this panel...but 10 days is still pretty patient for me, and I'm worried about over working this and losing the "freeness" of it all. So for now I am calling it done.

May I present my Chakra Panel "Full Bloom"

This is for me...and therefore quite a spiritual piece, so I started with the collage of the beautiful outdoors...

followed by a layer of smooshiness in the colours of the chakras...no stencils or stamps, just fingers and brushes :D

Then I found myself in the chaos of energy...

2 words were still visible from the collage layer "greener future", so my spirit was painted green, and the 7 chakra points we are learning to balance with Simona were added.

But it felt a bit flat, so I decided to build up the chakra points using tissue of the relevant colours and gloss medium...

until they felt more of a focus in the piece.

Now to add more definition to the background...

and then I just had to add string spirals to the chakra centres

to give the feeling of the swirling energy, and then I painted them to match.

As I built up the detailing in the background I realised I had actually incorporated the 4 elements without realising.

 Fire was spouting from the centre of a flower...

Water was spraying from another...

Earth was watching from the undergrowth...

and Air was cooling my brow from behind the flowers.

All I need now is to find the perfect stone/crystal to attach at the chakra of spirituality(the purple one on the brow) and I will be complete :D

And if you look closely you will see that all around me amongst the flowers are many spirits of nature, guiding and protecting me through my existence

I am entering this panel as my Piece a Week, especially as it is the reason I nearly missed last weeks post :D

And I would also like to give a mention to Natasha White who's chakra piece inspired me to make one of my own :D

Blessed Be :D XXX

Shocking revelations......!

As you know I am working on an art journal covering Simona's ChakrART workshop, and into the second week I have to warn you this course is not a wishy washy walk in the park. It makes you think really honestly about your self.

This week we are studying the second Chakra...Svandhishtana...the chakra of pleasure and sexuality and FUN.

Well I was totally confident how this was going to go, as this is the chakra I knew was unbalanced(being the region of my surgical adventures). It was obviously this that had caused the imbalance and was quashing my "smiley muscle"....but boy was I wrong!

as I looked at the base page I was to use I kept thinking "pfft..no orange AT ALL on here. Just looks like a load of fireworks"......BAM!!! right between the eyes!!!

I realised I had been resenting my hubby's ability to still enjoy sexual gratification, while I was physically now deprived of that pleasure...at least to the extent we used too. But it isn't because of him...it isn't his fault..there is no blame on his part.....I have chosen to focus on the fireworks and not the love.

Then I picked up a piece of scrap paper to use as a page protector...and these are the words that jumped out at me...can we say "Bitch-slapped by Karma!"

So I will drag myself out of my self-pity.

I have the "relevant skills, knowledge and experience"!!!

                                    

I used to dance and sing and dye my hair orange all the time...just because I could...

...and wear black eyeliner and glittery lipstick when I went clubbing...

(the teeny writing says " I have been spending far too much time inside my own head. I need to get out more!")

So I've put on a bit of extra weight...so I've been a bit poorly....so what? I liked dancing and I liked singing and I liked sex!

And I AM going to like them again!!!!

Enjoy :D XXX

Starting with solid foundations

This week I finally got to join Simona at Timeless Rituals for her FREE ChakrART workshop 

She is teaching us how to rebalance our 7 main Chakra, to open our selves to our own creativity.

This week we are starting with the 1st Chakra which represents strong foundations....no better place to start really lol :D

Each week I will be making a journal page to explore my own Chakra...

the journalling reads..."I am strong...I am a builder of safe places"

This Chakra also represents patience...something you know I lack where art is concerned...so I have set myself another task for this workshop.

I am going to make a "Chakra Panel" to hang in my art space...wait for it...and I am going to take 7 weeks to make it.....I am....

I am using the back panel of a clip frame that broke...16 X 20 inches....

Yesterday I gessoed the board and tore images from a National trust magazine to make a collage layer.

My roots are ancient...they need fresh air, open spaces and solid earth to thrive...

just had to have this pair of stonking walking boots for the base of my piece(I have a pair just like them)

Today I added a paint layer. I worked with the colours representing each Chakra, in the order they appear in the body, using a different method to apply each one...

I LOVE THIS BACKGROUND!!!!!

How much energy can you feel from that? :D

I waited for it to dry...I did...

then instead of blocking out the background to reveal one of my bubble people, I decided to work the other way round...

The whole point of this workshop is to rebuild your own energy, so with each Chakra I work on I will add to this panel, to rebuild myself...I will...I will not look up the Chakra in advance...I will add the appropriate "feelings" to this piece after I have made the relevant journal page each week.

I will learn to savour my own creativity!

Enoy :D XXX