Blue Moon Partial Eclipse

Visible in the UK as I type although it is lessening now.... ends 21:28 GMTish. more info here 

Astrological interpretations by mandi lockley & Melody 

These pics were taken between 19:15 & 19:30... do click to enlarge to see better... you can just see the earths shadow across the bottom right of the moon...

the effect of cloud moving over was stunning...

and guess what? It's a blue moon too... the second full moon in a month...

she blessed me with this sight...

What a beautiful lunar end to 2009...

Happy New Year! 

Bleakness, Hope & New Year Blessings

These are not my words... but we were driving around in the snow earlier in the week & the skies were darkening. The landscape looked very bleak & for some reason I thought about this commission I did a few years ago. 

Skies darkened, clouds filled every void.

Darkness fell, guiding light extinguished.

Waves that crashed upon rocks.

Wind that blew.

All had gone.

Darkness. 

Stillness.

Emptiness.

Searching for the light

Heart from body ripped

Light from life imploded

Once whole, torn apart.

I found myself wondering about the person who asked for this... the words are so deeply moving. I know nothing about her or her story; the order came by email & I didn't ask, but I have often wondered... there is something raw & powerful conveyed in these few lines. I hope that time has been a healer for her, that the rawness has eased....

chinese liquid stick ink, silver powder, brause nib, compressed capitals

I've spent a fair bit of time thinking about & letting reiki flow to those going through that first Christmas after bereavement, especially when someone has died close to Christmas itself. Not just for those I know, but asking that those who need it receive the blessing of healing energy.

The bleakness of loss at this time of year is emphasized by the fact that it is supposed to be a time of festivity & everyone else seems to be going on their merry way around you, while all you can feel is a cold hole in your heart, while you go through the motions of acting ‘normally’. 

Of course grief affects everyone differently… the complicated chemical cocktail that makes us human creates different reactions & feelings. And grief isn’t solely caused by death…. separation, abandonment, illness, anything that causes a loss of hopes, dreams, future, trust, way of life… there’s many more, but sometimes we feel that ‘bleakness’ & don’t associate it with grief because no one close has died.

I read words like these & they really move me… so, as we move to the New Year I’m sending out my love & healing thoughts to those who are feeling the chill of loss… may you find comfort & the strength to re-build...

May the new decade that we enter be one of hope… may it burn inside us all, encouraging the sparks of light within us, to be a beacon of hope... a shining light that extends beyond ourselves to those around us…. our families & communities…. our countries… to the whole world & beyond….

New Year Blessings to you all xx

'Hope' Rubber Stamp available from http://craftyindividuals.co.uk/

Like a gleaming tapers light, hope shines, no matter how you look at it.

Great hopes make great people.

Nourish your hopes, cherish your dreams.

If you have never hoped you have never breathed.

Do not fear to hope.

Hold on to all hopes & follow your dreams- never let go.

Believe.

Never let go of hope.

Hope always shines.

Ivy & Christmas Wishes

Whatever & however you celebrate at this time of year, or if you don't, I'd just like to wish everybody all the very best....

Of course I couldn't resist adding some photo's taken last weekend... The ivy, a sacred plant of the druids, traditionally used in festive decorations and looking gorgeous here... in flower... in the snow...

Wishing you peace & joy in your hearts....

like the ivy, don't be afraid to seek support (both human & divine)...

it shows strength not weakness,

allowing you to grow & reach places you could not do on your own...

...allowing you to bloom& share your light

in even the harshest conditions.

Much love, suzi xx

Holly at Solstice

Holly King & Oak King both wear a crown of snow today in North Yorkshire. Symbolic of the battle between dark & light, the Holly King, at the height of his power yields his crown to the Oak King at Winter Solstice. The Oak Kings strength will grow as the days lengthen, up to Summer Solstice, when power is handed back to the Holly.

As the days have shortened & the nights lengthened, the Holly King has ruled, bearing the sceptre of the darkening year here in the northern hemisphere. In a glorious flourish before he hands over his crown, holly berries have adorned the female trees- there is no battle of the sexes here, they share the crown, both majestic. Typically, the birds have eaten most before Yule! 

ripening nicely~ early november

The Solstice marks a turning point of the year- ready to leave behind the shortened days. Can we also use it as a turning point? To leave behind any shortfall or shortcomings, real or perceived… maybe something that limits or ‘shortens’ our capacity (whether emotionally, mentally or physically)… or to forgive the shortcomings of another, or resolve not to tolerate behaviour that shortens our enjoyment of life.

[I wonder; separation & divorce are higher at Christmas- maybe it isn’t just down to added stresses of the season- maybe some unconscious realisation triggered  by the Solstice, to let go of things that darken our lives… to look forward to brighter times. Just a thought.]

20 oct~ oak leaf with a crown of snow~

Like the buds already forming on the oak tree, alongside withered leaves (ideas, relationships, habits, negative thought patterns etc), ready to be cast off, we carry the buds of growth, positive potential, the growth of Light in our hearts & souls….

berries in early october~ 

So what can we learn from the Holly as S(He) passes over the Solstice Crown? Evergreen… constant… whether ‘king’ or awaiting it's turn… to hold our beliefs, faith, truth, no matter what is going on around us? Eternity, infinity… of soul, spirit, divine? Masculine & feminine, yin & yang…. side by side… providing the fruit (ideas, comfort) to brighten the gloomiest of days?

the perfect christmas tree for me~ just where it is

Did you know that the dried out, skeleton holly leaves are excellent tinder? The holly has the capacity to ignite from the tiniest spark. Perhaps we could meditate on the Holly… connect to its energy… to kindle that spark within. For we all have that spark of divinity within…. ponder on the holly… & grow your dreams. It is for each of us to connect & intuit our own messages or lessons that the holly can bring… to create our own solstice within at  any time we choose…..

sunrise from under the oak~ 20 dec

IS GLOBAL WARMING GOOD FOR YOU?

Everyone knows that water freezes into ice and boils into steam.

Maybe global warming is just here to help us turn back into spirit...you know, warm us up, change our molecular structure so to speak.... Bang, before you know it we’ll evaporate into permanent spirit status without having to go through all the tedious living stuff... Reincarnation, learning karmic lessons etc, etc.

Maybe the ‘Wise One(s) Up There’ (Wout for short) have got a bit hacked off that we seem too content to remain in solid form... Too many souls enjoying coming back to experience life in a body and not getting on with their lessons and refusing to graduate. ‘Earth College’ seems more attractive than ‘Spirit University’. Perhaps the Wout is just chivvying us up a bit to get our collective vibratory rate lifted and up to speed.

Obviously it has been necessary for the Wout to be devious. Humans are notorious for thinking they know best and for claiming a good idea is their own... so guess what? We think that Global Warming is caused by us! All it took was a few scientific, political and green activist egos, a bit of manipulation and there you have it.... Global Warming is on everybody’s lips. And as everyone knows, the more you talk about something as a certainty, the more likely it is to become a reality!

Some feel that global warming is occurring as part of the natural fluctuations in temperature that have happened since earth began. They point out that temperatures have risen since 1680 after a much colder 300 years. There was also a mediaeval warm period which was much warmer than today. Depending whose research you look at, evidence can be found to both support and refute the impact of human CO2 emissions on global warming 

Round one to the Wout- there is a bandwagon rolling to convince us that we are responsible and woe betide anyone who suggests otherwise. This bandwagon allows politicians to raise taxes and divert attention away from other issues. 

Surely we should be taking steps to cut waste, pollution and the willful destruction of our planet simply because it is the right thing to do? 

A thought... Apparently, over the last 10 years, the raise in general temperatures have not been as great as predicted… Now, many of us know that energy can be manipulated, that thought & intention have an effect... we believe that Earth, Gaia is a living organism. The universe is constantly evolving, so it is reasonable to say that the sun, too is a living organism. We are familiar with the concept of the web of life, all things being connected. So, with all the hype 'bout global warming, that has reached everyone- whether or not they believe in the power of intention, whether they think it is a natural cycle or caused by man- it has been on pretty much everyone's minds. 

Could all this thought & desire from mankind to avert the looming crisis of global warming have had an effect on the sun to alter its activity to produce this cooling effect? (probably laughing with Gaia at how slow we are to catch on!)

Another thought… There is little doubt that climate change is happening… it has happened ever since Earth was born & life has been affected by it many times over. If there is a genuine risk that some areas will succumb to rising sea levels, why aren’t we planning the re-location of these populations? If vast areas are at risk of becoming deserts, why aren’t we planning irrigation schemes? Of course, this would require the co-operation of all nations to plan, fund & actually carry out for the benefit of humankind… hmmm, lot of work to do on that one, eh? We can’t even manage to help areas of Africa, mind you, if “developed” nations are going to be affected it might be a different story.

 Lets keep sending out our intentions & see what cunning plan the Wout comes up with next!

New Beginnings...

A while ago a friend asked me to produce some canvasses for her... she would be moving soon and they were to be for her new home, even though she didn't yet know where that would be. My brief? "New Beginnings"... whatever that means to me, however it inspires me to create something for her to hang in her living room....Any clues? size? style? cost? colours?.... No, just whatever you come up up with (oh, the sofa's red)

I love this girl, & not just cos i can paint & write whatever I like (or cos she'll probably read this!). It's actually quite a responsibility & a test of how I connect with her. It would be quite easy to look up a few "new beginnings" quotations & slap some colours together that would match her room.... but that's not how I work.... before she even left I was already seeing a line of red amongst green... an idea of light spreading out... of a seed beginning to grow.... And that was it. For weeks the idea got no further. Just a brief glimpse of a picture, a hazy idea... of red & green & a seed.

Then a few words started to form...'who knew how this seed would grow... planted in a heart...' the idea of her heart opening... I was thinking about Karen's personal growth, her journey with Yoga, Reiki... & Love. That night she emailed with a new address & moving date... oh, how the energies move! I wasn't ready to start painting yet, & words floated around tantalizingly for a good while longer.

When I did start to paint it was with the idea of an earthly/physical heart, grounded in the earth & the physical plane, but also the feeling of higher energies & spiritual connection. I still had the picture in my mind of a red line amongst green, but didn't really know what I was actually going to do... so I took a deep breath & opened myself up to the energies that flow... walking around, letting my fingers run over various paints... thinking of Karen, asking for guidance... translucency.... aha, acrylic inks- pink & green... grounded, earthly- wood dyes, light & medium oak, ooh & some pale green acrylic... physical heart- red acrylic...

The bands of colour over-lap & blend...I used a small sponge roller & a brush randomly creating texture & blending on the canvas, moving quite quickly... another deep breath when I finished this stage, actually feeling nervous about whether she would like what I was creating (it is different from other work of mine that she has seen), but knowing that this is exactly what it should be.... It was only after this that I could start jotting down phrases & ideas for words, nothing concrete, just random thoughts...

And this is my work in progress... the canvasses are 24 inches tall, 18, 30 & 18 inches wide respectively, so take up the full drawing board... I need to work on them together as the lettering runs across them all.

The strip of paper acts as an anchor point as i write, helping to keep the lettering straight without the hardness of a fixed line... also I can test colour on it, mixing as I go... or ghost write a word to help judge spacing... and acts as a guard sheet for my hand. I pick out phrases from my notebook, turn them round in my mind & write as they come together. Sounds simple, but it took ages! Acrylic dries fast, but can be lifted out with a wet cloth if I spot a mistake within a few letters!

The lettering is done with a small pointed brush; on it's side for the thick strokes, lifted back to its point for the thins... i used white acrylic ink, randomly mixed with the pink & red (with green ink & wood dye for the lower lines) ... varying from almost translucent to nearly solid... dancing ethereally across the canvas (I hope!)... a mixture of lower & upper case... higher & lower dimensions... physical & spiritual co-existing, merging happily side by side... unified... just as we seek to unify the aspects of Self, both within & without...

Who knew how this seed would grow, 

planted in a heart well hidden?

Heart unfolding- seed unfurling- transformed by inner magic 

& silent healing whispers calling to this soul.

Who knew where this dream would flow, rooted in this 

earthly plane & flowering in the heavens?

Mists part- veils lift- revealing this vision.

Gaze & wonder at this sight- the joy of new beginnings.

If you came from suzi's scribbles, click here to go back

Like Trees....??

Then you might like to take a look at the Via Negativa blog... (this post specifically)

This is a monthly blog carnival called Festival of the Trees. (Thanks J, for pointing me in this direction)... a monthly event hosted by one of the participants on their blog.... It's a wonderful collection of tree related 'stuff' with links to allsorts from loads of people.

Incidentally, the post has a quote from Wangari Maathai... you can see a piece of work I did to be presented to her here, The Heart of The Tree.