Tales From The Labyrinth

The Art of Decluttering...

Over the holidays, I met with one of my dear friends from graduate school for an outing in San Francisco. It had been awhile since we'd been together and one of the agendas of the day was to celebrate her finishing her dissertation in 2007 and officially receiving her doctorate. Yeah Dr. J!!!!!!

While at breakfast, over the most delicious of mochas, we caught up on our lives. We discussed how pleased we were to have made it through the quicksand mazes of our doctorate programs... and our dismay at the chaos left behind in the wake of our lives being so focused for so long... One of the complaints we share is the clutter that accumulated while our noses were held to the grindstone (I still have a box of "Important Stuff" that is eight years old that I can not part with, not to mention other boxes and cluttered corners of our home that could make for a DSM diagnosis!!!).

Overwhelm at what needs to be attended to can be the biggest deterrent from starting... So... Dr. J and I made an agreement to go to each other's homes and to lend support and help the other with our decluttering projects... She was first, as it had been too long since I'd last visited...

One of the things we found is that it can be hard to let go of some things because of what they represent to us. We want to hold on to the feeling or the memory that the object reminds us of... I still have a t-shirt in my closet that I got in Hawaii when I was sixteen...

J had made a banner our last year of graduate school classes. This ten-foot scroll holds the name of every classmate, every place we met for classes, and every teacher we had and it is precious to her... Now torn and faded, this strip of paper has hung in her office these past eleven years and it was time to let it go... To do this, J has found that taking a picture, helps her to let the object go...

(See??? I was there!!!)

We decided to create a ritual for letting some of these precious things go... Rather than tossing them in the trash, we made a pile to burn, an offering of prayers, to be transformed and carried away in the flames and smoke...

We then tackled some of the big stuff,
like her office...

We moved everything out of the room and brought back in only what was necessary and desired...

Dr. J was glad to get her office back... And I discovered just how much I love doing this... for I can feel the change of energy in the the areas that we worked on. There were three main areas of her home that we tackled ... the office, the main hallway, and the family room. I love hearing how it has changed her enjoyment of her home... and we made plans for the other areas that need attention. What was once overwhelming... is now doable, step by step...

At the end of our time together, we lit the fire...

and watched these objects transform...
leaving space for more life and energy in Dr. J's life...

So if there are areas in your home and work space that you know are in need of clearing... here are several suggestions to help you in the art of decluttering...

• Take a picture of things that hold memories, making it easier to let them go.

• Have a friend help and give witness to what is changing and being let go of.

• Tackle small areas first, so you have the experience of instant success, giving you the fortitude to go on to other places that need your attention.

• Move everything out of the space to be decluttered. Place objects in bags or boxes clearly marked, denoting if they are to go to a thrift store, a particular person, or to the garbage/recycle. (Note: I no longer hold things for that garage sale that I think I'll hold someday. I find that garage sales take more time and energy than I have to give. I believe that moving objects allows for their worth to flow towards you in easier ways than spending all day in the sun selling items for small amounts. However, some people love to hold garage sales, and then I say go for it! But if the someday garage sale begins to create more clutter, it's time to move those objects on in the easiest way possible!)

• Once a space is cleared, make a commitment to keep those places clear and to not allow them to get cluttered again.

• Create a ritual for things you are letting go of, that have been precious, giving meaning to the what they have meant to you and their transformation.

• Reward yourself each time you clear an area. Dr. J and I went on outings and she treated me to the most delicious of meals.

Thank you Dr. J for allowing me to spend this special time with you... you are an amazing friend who I deeply cherish...

New Studio Space!!!

The tables and shelves in the studio are complete...
trim and shelves painted and hung...
boxes of supplies filled and put away with room too spare...

and the guest room is back in order,
much to the relief of my dear Kimberly,
who was here visiting from England...

The curtains part...

and reveal...

my new studio space!!!

Whether you write or make art or have any other creative endeavor that requires a space... having even a corner, or a shelf, or a desk, where your projects can await your attention is precious beyond belief...

Now, all my art supplies are within reach
and easy to find...

and there is counter space everywhere...
where several projects can be out all at the same time,
satisfying my eclectic needs
and inability to focus on only one thing at a time!!!

Some of you have seen my dragon before...
he now sits on one of the glass mosaic pieces
I made two weekends ago...

This shelf was a fun project...

I got this dark wooden shelf from a friend's daughter,
and painted it white...

all the while inspired by the white week
occurring with Elizabeth Bunsen (eb) of Be~Dream~Play...
I'm calling this my eb~be magic shelf...

Once painted all white...
I applied some crackle for affect...

antiquing this lovely piece that will come in oh so handy...
(Thank you Kary!!!)

But what is this???

How did this shoe turn up here???
Could it be my missing other shoe from the Bloglandia Ball???

It must be eb!!!! For the eb~be shelf is working its magic and there is an invitation and surprise revealed on the Be~Dream~Play blog that this shoe is dancing in!!!!

Thank you eb, for making this MAGIC happen!!!!

And thank you all for visiting and asking how the studio is coming along... I'll be by to visit you soon! We've more company tomorrow and if you don't find me here at the computer... I think you all know where I'm spending most of my time!!!

Pine Crest Elementrary's Labyrinth

Over the holidays, I was contacted by a wonderful teacher who I've had the pleasure to work with almost ten years ago when she asked me to help her lay out a labyrinth at the Elementary school where she then worked. Outside her first grade classroom, we painted a seven-circuit classical labyrinth. I had the honor of watching the kids discover the winding path on their return from Easter break.

Teacher J is now at another Elementary School in Sebastopol, CA...

and needed another labyrinth!

So with my rope labyrinth in tow... I met up with J and began laying out the labyrinth in the chosen spot...

This labyrinth is a part of an overall playground design, transforming the blacktop into a "peaceful playground" (headed by a very dedicated mom) where children can interact and play and teach each other about sharing space and play...

Most of my classical labyrinths are very organic in design and I use my rope to make sure that we utilize the space in the best way possible...

Once the rope is in place...

we chalked the lines and removed the rope to paint...

This 40 foot labyrinth...

took almost a gallon of white paint,
using three inch rollers...

and was completed from start to finish in two and a half hours...

Teacher J and Pine Crest School now has a lovely seven-circuit classical labyrinth... that may still be colored in a rainbow of colors!

To find a labyrinth near you, where ever you live, click HERE for the World Wide Labyrinth Locator! You might be surprised to discover that there is one just around the corner from you!

Added Note!

My labyrinth colleague, Erwin Reißmann in Germany, sent the following link... The labyrinths look identical but were made independent of each other! The pictures of the children in this labyrinth are incredible. Enjoy! Thanks Erwin!

German School Yard Labyrinth

Two New Santa Rosa Labyrinths~ Australia ~South Africa

I am very pleased to share these two very diverse labyrinths, made from my Santa Rosa Labyrinth design...

Today I heard from Lorraine Rodda (The Labyrinth Society Regional Rep in Australia). She sent these amazing pictures of the Santa Rosa Labyrinth they created at the edge of the sea out of rock and seaweed. Lorraine said, that "they had an exciting talk with an indigenous Australian about the way they use the bora grounds and how they are created. Tonight at the Santa Rosa Seaside Mediation Labyrinth, they will focus on nature and healing from an indigenous perspective. A labyrinth walk will follow to the vibrational healing sounds of the didjeridoo.

The heart space,
approached from all four directions...

and smiles from the center...

Over the holidays, I heard from Dawn Myburgh of Somerset West, South Africa. Dawn lives on an organic vegetable farm just outside of Cape Town. She has created a beautiful Santa Rosa Labyrinth there of stones and grass...

Dawn is a Reiki Master and therapist (combining Reiki and Reflexology. Her therapy room opens out onto the labyrinth. This allows her to offer a labyrinth walk as part of the therapy session and to her yoga students. This labyrinth was opened on the full moon of November 24th, and they continue to hold walks every full moon.

Dawn says that the upright stone at the heart space, just behind her, was "obtained from a neighboring farm - sometimes it has a face on the front and then at night the image changes to a woman holding a child. People have found several other images on the stone."

I continue to be in such awe of the beauty that people bring to their labyrinth making. Thank you Lorraine and Dawn for sharing this beauty with me and the people that walk and contemplate this meandering path that you share continents away...

Hearts and Paint

New Note added below on the title change...

An unexpected treasure arrived today...

Today was the begin to paint the new counters day...
When I took a break to get our mail,
I found that a package had arrived from
Kara at Spiritdoll...
and inside was this little heart seed
that she had made...

Isn't this little heart beautiful??

with a blush of green and pink
it beats right in synch with the trim of the counters...

and makes me so excited to begin to see what new
projects are just waiting to be brought into form
in my space reconfigured and expanded...

I'm so happy that this seed heart of creativity
came to bless my art-making space!!!

Thank you Kara!!!

Note: I thought I was going to make this entry a part of the Writers Island prompt for this week, "Treasure." For Kara's gift is indeed a treasure that I will long cherish. I waffled back and forth on whether to take the time to make the entry on the site and then decided to keep it simple and just post here. I am so behind on anything computer related. But... I forgot to change the title of this post! When I saw the prompt come through in my e-mail, I thought the ghost of Long John Silver had gotten into my blog!!! I said, treasure! Here! How did that happen. Turns out I'm the ghost... heeheheheheh

Glass Mosaics with Ellen Blakeley

Soooo...
with my studio space all torn up...
I was very fortunate to spend this past weekend in the studio of glass mosaic artist and teacher Ellen Blakeley...

Now how is this for space???

Ellen is a delight.

She is quite fun, very talented, a great teacher, and gracious and generous with technique, inspiration, and finding order in the chaos of students in all sorts of material all at once!!!

Ellen was the innovator of discovering how to use tempered glass for mosaic art. Over the past sixteen years she has perfected this art medium into a tile and art business that is brilliant, literally. Her pieces  are sometimes enormous, finishing walls, sinks, and even waterfalls. In the picture above, Ellen is standing on a table top, with bowls spheres beyond. Ellen's art has changed how glass tile can be used and installed in all sorts installations, concepts that were before, thought to be impossible.

Ellen is a true artist, for she doesn't see impossible, she always sees that there is a way...

So, eight of us dove into learning some beginning techniques of working with tempered glass...

while Ellen and her assistant Kate (on the left) gave us guidance...

I loved working with this medium...

and learned a lot...
And I'm loving all the new ways I can think of now...
to fill my new space...

All Torn Up...

My studio is all torn up...

Power saws and blades, hammers and nails,
rulers, tapes and levels,
have replaced my paints and glass, clay,
paper and gourds...

and all chaos reigns in the space that houses
our guestroom and the nook where I create...

New counters and shelves are going in...

and a whole new awareness of gratitude
for having a space to create in...

"Over The Horizon & Earth" ~ Writers Island

Over The Horizon...

When I was in my early twenties...
I had the opportunity
to fly to Europe on a private jet.
During the flight
the pilots invited me
to come and sit in the cockpit...
Even though I had flown many times before,
it was the first time I saw the Earth's horizon,
the rounded curvature of the Earth...
In that moment,
my world expanded
and what had not been possible to fathom before,
was there stretched out before me
in a beautiful arch and I was awed...
It reminds me of my desire for this New Year...
that my world,
this new horizon,
become bigger
and at the same time,
more simple...

Earth...

This ground,
this earth
holds me
like a mother
deep within her arms…
Like a father’s shoulders,
a mountain kissing
the sky…
This ground,
this earth,
holds me like a lover,
taking me places
I’ve never been
where the soft round curves
of my body
nestle into gravity
pulling me to the center of my heart
where I fall into myself
finding all things that matter
beneath my hands and feet
as my body melts into
divine motion,
a stillness profound,
a breathing
in and out
of being…
This ground,
this earth
is this moment of remembering…

© "Over The Horizon & Earth" ~ Writers Island

Photos: Earth orb, outside and inside
Earth Poem inspired by my Soul Motion dance practice

Epiphany ~ of the Twelve Holy Nights 2007-2008

Lotus blossom blooms...
outside, the rain and wind howl...
one ripple ignites...

Today is Epiphany... the thirteenth day that follows the twelve holy nights... it is a day of reflection, insight, and gratitude ignited by contemplating the preceding days...

I am grateful to Lynn Jericho for creating these exercises for the Twelve Holy Nights of Inner Christmas... and thank you for joining me in these contemplations!

A Closing Note & Epiphany of the Twelve Holy Nights
with Lynn Jericho

Lynn's Blog on the Twelve Holy Nights of Inner Christmas

Twelfth Holy Night 2007-2008 ~ Certainty & Doubt

For this final twelfth night, Lynn invited us to see how we could marry certainty and doubt in our souls…

When I looked, I was surprised to find that Certainty and Doubt had been married for a very long time! And they have many children, grandchildren, and even great grandchildren!

Their first born is Self Esteem… the twins followed soon after, Confidence and Laughter… then there was a whole string of dancers, artists, and mathematicians, followed by Comfort, Compassion, Wildness… and the youngest Passion, but she was born almost full grown and ready to meet the world with her first breath!!!

Certainty and Doubt have been retired for a long time now and delight in watching the grandchildren and great grandchildren grow… But every once in awhile, Doubt gets a little cranky and winds up the old tapes (you heard some of them playing yesterday!!!) That’s when Certainty moves her hips in just that special way and before you know it, Certainty and Doubt have changed the cassette player to a well-worn familiar waltz and they dance and dance, until you would never be able to guess their age or prior occupations…

They are well loved... and bring balance and freedom in their union... and they make life a little more easy to navigate, especially around those bends in the road that you don't always know are coming... Theirs was a marriage made in heaven, on earth...

Twelfth Holy Night of Inner Christmas
with Lynn Jericho

 

Lynn's Blog on the Twelve Holy Nights of Inner Christmas