Medicine Art

Making art has been healing for me; I've used it throughout my life to explore my grief and my hopes. But I've felt disconnected from inspiration for quite a long while now.

Lately I've been wondering how I can use my art skills (and teaching art skills) to help heal the rift in our human connection to the Earth. I've opened myself to that possibility for the last month, and finally have just a glimmer of insight. This month I'm practicing all the ways I can think of to connect to my muse, and see a path forward for me and art.

Agenda:

1. Read "Healing with the Arts"

2. Weekly lesson

3. Guided meditation

4. Make a medicine art plan

Paitishem

The Zoroastrian community honors the six seasons of the year by celebrating six Gahambars; the word gahambar means "proper season". Each of these six festivals is celebrated for five days, and each honors one of the six material creations: The heaven, water, earth, flora, fauna and man.

Paitishem is the third Gahambar, celebrating the creation of the earth, the end of summer, and the harvesting of crops. It takes place each year from September 12th through the 16th.

Agenda this week:
1. Recite prayers
2. Make Shirazi cucumber salad
3. Harvest and preserve

Full Harvest Moon and Autumn Moon Festival

The full Harvest Moon rises this evening -- obliquely, close to the horizon -- and remains big and bright for a long time, giving extra light to harvesters. This moon is called Atchiutchutin, the After-Harvest moon, by the Kalapuya of our area, because the big harvest in our area comes earlier. We are enjoying the last weeks of the sun-baked summer, a profound and abundant time of the year.

Today is also the start of Chung Ch’iu, the 3-day Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. It's a happy and beautiful Asian family celebration that comes each year at the time of the full moon in September or October.

We are now at the peak of the strong-energy yang phase of the waxing moon, and will soon begin the quiet-energy yin time of the waning moon.

Agenda for today:
1. Take a vision walk
2. Celebrate synergy

3. Make moon cakes
4. Have a moon-viewing party

Grandma Adventures

I love being a Grandma! When my first grandchild was born, I was ecstatic. Here's a quote from the early days:

"Becoming a Grandma means I get to mother in a grand way: I can play with him, craft for him, talk, sing... and laugh, laugh, laugh. I melt at the sight of him, stare into his face, whisper to him. I miss him when I don't see him every day. I hope to be a role model for him, teach him skills, share my ethical wisdom, and my respect for the environment. But: I will follow his lead and his interests because Grandmothering is not about my ego. I get to dote."

Agenda:

1. Look for teachable moments

2. Have adventures

3. Explore art materials

Finding My Muse

Making art has been healing for me; I've used it throughout my life to explore my grief and my hopes. But I've felt disconnected from inspiration for quite a long while now.

Lately I've been wondering how I can use my art skills (and teaching art skills) to help heal the rift in our human connection to the Earth. I've opened myself to that possibility for the last month, and finally have just a glimmer of insight. This week I'm practicing all the ways I can think of to connect to my muse, and see a path forward for me and art.

Agenda:

1. Read "Healing with the Arts"

2. Weekly lesson

3. Guided meditation

4. Make a medicine wheel

5. Look for signs & omens in nature

First Quarter Moon of September (on Synergy)

We are one-quarter of the way through the moon cycle; the moon is waxing - growing in light and energy, creating a time for decisive action. 

I am thoroughly enjoying the start of September - the last weeks of the sun-baked summer, a profound and abundant time of the year. I'm called to be absolutely open, listen for crazy wisdom, look under rocks and turn things upside down. I'm called to respond to whatever life brings me - sort out the ideas that come, holding each up to the light to see if it’s a keeper.

I celebrate each new day and the Truth it brings. But I am happily aware that I will never have an orderly shelf-full of the Truth. Truth is a mystery - it hides in the shadows, revealed to me one bit at a time. I am so happy to know this, because it releases me from the need to have all the answers. My real work is to ask all the questions.

  

My theme this month is synergy - the ability to seek unity, embrace teamwork, live holistically, and work tirelessly towards a better end. Synergy is the eternally active primal force of creation: No matter what the conditions are, they will change.

 

I use this September quarter moon's energy to help me to take persistent right action on the work I'm called to. For this, I need discernment (insight and clarity), equanimity, and centering in chaos.

Agenda:
1. Journal queries

2. Synergy walk

3. Read "The Earth Path"

4. Make a full effort plan

5. Write a mission haiku

6. Creative visualization: