.......Salutation of the Dawn...belated Sacred Sunday

I know someone who lives in the past…
her thoughts are filled with all the things she did for others.
What she gave up for others.
This has made her bitter, angry and not much fun to be around.

I tell my daughters, who are both young women, to try to live life without regret….
I tell them each day is a gift and to try and treat it as such.

Of course I have some regrets…
some big and some small…
I know that what’s past is past, and I can’t go back,
I can only grab hold of today.
I don’t think I have to do BIG things in order to enjoy my thoughts of yesterday…
but I do have to DO.
I have to get up each day and be present.

I tell my daughters that some regret is probably unavoidable…health, time, money, family might stop them from fulfilling every vision of tomorrow...
but there are many offerings from the universe that come to all of us each day…
when one door closes another opens....
and if we are present, aware, and accepting, and willing to DO! much of what we dream can come true.

When I think of my bitter friend, I wonder if a point in time comes in life when age makes the world shrink so much that there can be no vision for a hopeful tomorrow?

It is pretty clear to me that if I live each day to the fullest,
every yesterday can be a dream of happiness...
The Chinese say,' the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago...
the second best time is today'.

....Goddess for Green Show

This is what I'm working on for the next show Timberline Gallery. The show is called Being Green and my inspiration is from Deb @ Katura Greetings....... Walk lightly in the Spring; Mother Earth is pregnant. (Kiowa), thank you Deb. For this show Timberline artists are being encouraged to work outside of our comfort zone..My piece will have very little fiber..maybe none... I have a little over a week to complete her for hanging on April 6th.
Her missing parts were added today.and she looks much better...but I'm not exactly sure where I'm going from here.

...thangka too

I've added a bit more about the actual size and what it took to complete our section in the comments here.

Completed thangka....our little section is on the far right edge almost in the center....Buddha under the Bodhi Tree
You have to squint your eyes to see it!

...thangka

Our little section...Lura in purple...

...Fire and Fiber

A couple months ago I was offered an 'open hand' to become part of a group of artist who show as 'California Fiber Artists'

Pretty cool.....I've admired many of these artist for a very long time...including my friend and fellow show buddy Lura Schwarz Smith, fabulous artist and generous teacher.

I first met Lura when she was seeking help in creating a Thangka of Buddha's life....What an amazing experience. I don't know how many people ended up volunteering to complete the section we were working on but our portion was Buddha under the bodhi tree where he received enlightenment.
Now this might not sound like too big of a deal until I tell you our panel was 2 stories high when completed.

I believe the project was called the Peace Mandala, it was shortly after 9/11. People all over the world were working together to tell Buddha's story on these huge panels..Our little group was the only one working on it in America.
When all the pieces were sent to Japan, where the project originated, it covered a football field!!!

I partnered with a couple of other volunteers and our job was to make the leaves for the bodhi tree...tons and tons of leaves. Creating and pinning leaves to the tree...the work combined applique and painting which Lura did.

When the thangka section was completed we took it to our local telephone company and hung it from the roof so we could all see what it looked like...It reached the ground.....it was a wonderful experience.

That's how I met Lura, she was the artist in charge, adding her touches here and there, painting Buddha's face with a long brush that she handle masterfully.

California Fiber Artists show our art at various venues throughout the year....this is the first show I'm participating in....If any of you are in the Woodland area stop by and see the show.
It will be fabulous!

....My sacred moment Sunday

"When you look on another human being and feel great love toward them..
.or when you contemplate beauty in nature
and something within you responds deeply to it...
close your eyes for a moment and feel the essence of that love or that beauty within you, inseparable from who you are, your true nature.
The outer form is a temporary reflection of what you are within, in your essence.
That is why love and beauty can never leave you, although all outer forms will."
Eckhart Tolle...

Isn't that beautiful?....? It's a wow moment for me!

Tolle’ says, “Viewing beauty is one way to be in the now.”
as we look at art and it moves us we are usually fully present
.....as artists when we are at work creating and get in that heavenly groove, when everything is coming together as Spirit speaks, we are fully in the moment…..
in the Now.....
.the Monkey Mind is quiet.

It's why I love creating my figures...it puts me into some sort of stream,
I feel floaty and I tingle...
That's what being in the moment does...It puts me in a positive flow...
accepting,
letting each moment come and feeling it's all as it should be...
it's meditation.
and no wonder I feel so good when I get out into nature...
when we surround ourselves with art, music, poetry...
We are the beauty, it is our essence....
....Really a mind blowing & comforting thought.


"What art offers is space - a certain breathing room for the spirit." (John Updike)

We need art in the schools...

Kreative Blogger....

I'm pleased and honored to have this award bestowed on me & my blog by Sue @ Barton Originals....home of fabulous and enchanting art dolls...thank you Sue!

Rules that come along with this award are that I must send it along to 7 other Kreativ Bloggers...not as easy as it might sound. There are so many Kreativ Bloggers...how to choose? If I could give double that I could easily. I love so many...but below are the ones I chose..I'd still be visiting if I had no time constraints.

My Creative Soul... love the art and the quotes

Crafty Chica........shrines, thoughtful and colorful

King of Mice Studios....witchy, whimsical and wonderful

The Colorguru....art, good writing, free stuff, a caring heart, info from Down Under

Mixed Messages......the Queen of words & color, color, everywhere color

Kutura Greetings......wonderful art, free tutorials, heartfelt writing

The Medicine Woman's Roots....beautiful & intelligent

And the second part of the award requires that I list seven things I love or that inspire...

1. Time spent with family & friends & my animals...big love!!
2. Visiting art galleries and museums...an artist I admire once told me in order to create art we must surround ourselves in it.
3. Laying out in the back field on a sunny afternoon daydreaming or soul searching or planning the my next Spirit Figure
4. Books!!
5. Good movies like Slum Dog Millionaire
6. Vegan and raw food restuarants...ummm...It's the best to be able to order anything & everything off the menu without having to ask what's in it!
7. Road Trips with my husband & daugthers

This list could get really big too, but I'll follow the rules and stop at 7....Now I'll go and let the bloggers listed above know how much I enjoy what they do!

.....prayer for you

photo from Our Lady of Los Angeles Cathedral

"May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.''

This wonderful prayer was sent to me by my friend Sharon and I immediately wanted to share it with all of you...

namaste, julie

...me and the sea @ art hop

me listening......

As an add bonus, Kim Haley-Remmers, friend and curator of the show read tarot cards...I pulled Temperance and the Princess of Swords....we weren't able to finish the reading and I haven't taken the time to research the cards myself, so feel free to share any insights you might have....

2nd Saturday Art Hop, Sacred Sunday.....

Griz, Viv & Me....

I missed posting for Sacred Sunday, my brain just wouldn’t snap to and help me write….Being an artist is a solitary thing and when I go out into a space where I talk a lot it zaps my brain for a day or two, lol….

Even though I didn’t post last night I think I'll still do a Sacred Sunday post…Three things came up hugely for me this weekend….once again friendship….

That’s what Art Hop was all about…I spent the day with friends!!
It was a really fun and rewarding day…People did come, they did like what they saw (although I overheard a man telling his wife that my Spirit Figures look, “like aliens”, I guess he’s more right then wrong). We both sold some art and that is a very, very, nice validation …

.I sit here to write this and I immediately go to gratitude for the moments I was part of on Saturday. A lot of laughter, gift giving, people came with gifts for us us (me & Viv)!! And we had gifts for them….there was some soul to soul talk, and lot’s of hugs and kisses…We are a friendly group, artists and art lovers….I think you get the idea that I’m really, truly feeling happy and blessed with the way the way Second Saturday Art Hop went….It was a sacred day……
"Laughter is the closest distance between two people."--Victor Borge

.....art hop Saturday

Tomorrow is 2nd Saturday Art Hop here in the Sierra Foothills...I'm not sure, but I think there are ten galleries and various businesses who participate. I'll be showing with my art buddy Vivian Helena aumond capone ....mixed fiber artist, gourd artist, jewelry maker and quilter, at the Mind Shop which is a part of the Positive Living Center In Oakhurst

I always get a little nervous about shows and such....Who will come?....Will anyone come?....If they come, will they like what they see?

insecurities alive & well...thank you very much.


Then on the positive side there are people I think are coming who I haven't seen in a very long time....so that makes me happy....

And the book store is filled with positive thought books so the vibe is very, very good...and the show does look good....Vivian's art, and my art, look really nice together...makes for a very colorful show.
I'll take pictures.

Sacred Sunday

Kwan Yin Goddess of Compassion

I’ve been thinking a lot about compassion (sympathy for the suffering of others, often including a desire to help)and empathy (understanding of another’s feelings: the ability to identify with and understand another person’s feelings or difficulties).....
If I’m to believe as I do, that my God/Goddess is a loving one and that we are put on this earth to love and be loved then I think I need to work much harder at having compassion for everyone….I think I am a compassionate person…but if I’m angry at someone, or hurt by them, or sitting in judgment, then I can’t extend compassion to them or to myself. I close my heart a bit instead of opening it wide, I can actually feel it happening and it is not where I want to go in this life. Closing my heart doesn’t serve the journey I’m on. Soooo, I’m going to try and put this mantra on my everyday list of things to work with…another tool…

May I enjoy loving kindness, may you enjoy loving kindness, may all beings enjoy loving -kindness….

I think if I’m thinking this I will not be able to be angry, hurt or sit in judgment.

animal rights.......Is there such a thing???

I happened to catch a little blip on tv saying the late night program “Nightline” would be revealing the horror chimpanzees experience as medical lab animals….I didn’t watch the show, and I haven’t watched the video that is going around the internet either.

A long, long, time ago when I was around 12 or 13, I read an article written by animal rights activist Cleveland Amory and I‘ve never forgotten it……it just blew me away…..the fact that people did these unspeakable horrors to dogs, bunnies, kittens, monkeys....The torture that went on in the name of research was unbelievable to me… research of all kinds, from medical to consumer safety testing. And testing of a psychological kind as well. At such a young age I was able to truly open my heart and feel compassion for the animals in a way that almost allowed me to feel what they were feeling emotionally…the terror, the depression, the boredom, the sadness, the lack, the fear, the hatred….

I can still see those images today. I truly don’t understand how this sort of thing is still allowed on the planet…Why haven’t we humans banded together to DEMAND the humane treatment of animals….? It doesn’t really matter what side of the fence your on when it comes to the use of animals in medical testing, certainly everyone is on the side of humane treatment. And I wonder about the people who work in these torture chambers…Doesn’t something happen to their soul? Their humanity??? Their ability to feel empathy and/or compassion for their fellow humans?

Doesn’t it do something to us if we know and do nothing??? If you want to do something right now the link below will take you to a petition & by signing we can do a little something for the animals we share the planet with….it only takes a minute to sign…The video is there too but you don’t have to watch it…I can’t.

Speak out for chimps!
Watch our new undercover video, then take action today