During last week's difficult patch a good friend and gifted healer coaxed me along with the observation that I was working hard and diligently enough - in my own true best interests - to reap a few rewards sooner than later. Am delighted to report that I definitely felt a few of those rewards this weekend. I love to spend the last few days of summer immersed in the natural world. My energy levels allowed me to follow through and, as always, time with trees and wilder landscapes had a very curative effect.
On Saturday afternoon I spent some time recording my impressions, intuitions and inclinations for the new lunar cycle. It was great fun getting this stuff on paper as I sat in a camp chair on the banks of the Charles River. The sun was warm, the sky was blue and there were dozens of monarch butterflies fluttering around me as I wrote.Later in the afternoon I stopped into the Wellesley branch of Paper Source so I could stock up on a few Signo Uniball white pens. Picked up a few other little treats as well. Am not sure what I'm going to do with the hemp cord. It's rather stiff but I'm sure it can be couched or knotted into something or other that emerges during the fall season.
Snake medicine has played a big part in my visual explorations. I saw this card (which doesn't reference an artist or image source) and thought it spoke too many volumes to leave behind. Since then I've been using the bulk of my energy to wander in the woods with my husband, weed and harvest in my garden, and tend to an assortment of household chores. It's amazing what a treat the latter becomes when I haven't been well enough to accomplish much in that respect. All in all I'm in a much better mood with a lot more balanced emotional and mental perspective. I've also been working on my treasure map. Most of the additions are simple quilting in the ditch to get the piecework evenly attached to the flannel. But I did make time for some "fun" markings; the silver and purple thread is couched in a giant herringbone pattern. Viewers can see whatever they like in it but for me it represents the wisdom and strength to safeguard emotional vulnerability especially when it relates to unprocessed healing needs. Anybody who takes time to think about it logically and/or reflect upon their own experiences knows there is a world of difference between keeping secrets and keeping one's own counsel. In the former there's the telltale spider webs of dysfunction and ingrained silence borne of fear. In the latter instance there's accrued experiential wisdom that allows us to chose discretion over disclosure whenever we know that's what best serves of strongest needs and the highest overall Good For All. This treasure map is currently giving me a chance to articulate some thoughts on the significant difference between one extreme and the other as well as what that particular dichotomy has come to mean to me as both a healer and a person in ongoing need of healing. Above, I have outlined the starburst stamp and will soon be stowing some glittering bead seeds so they can remain safely kept in the coming seasons...