Grey Days

Grey days with heavy skies have been predominant of late... some bright ones here n there, but the exception rather than the rule. The type of days that people tend to complain about... moaning about dull & dreary dampness. But I must confess... i like grey days. 

Not just for striking silhouettes of last years seed heads... just as beautiful in their dried out state as with their summer green... perhaps more dignified somehow... simple shapes and yes, dull colours that blend into the background on brighter days.... but these stark shapes against the grey take my breath away...

These are in-betweeny days as the year hangs between winter & spring, just holding it's breath, pausing, before the frenetic growth yet to come... grey days have an ethereal beauty that whispers to the senses, rather than shouting for attention...

Days of pencil sketchiness preparing for the full colour paintings of seasons to come. I've always loved a palette of watery greys & pencil or charcoal sketches and love the nuance & texture of pencil lettering. There are probably more shades of grey than any other colour... to explore, to revel in...

Damp & drizzly grey days... when clouds & earth sit close in tender conversation... sky, kissing the trees & curling my hair...  I feel cocooned & protected, walking between worlds somehow, comfortable with a foot on either side... mmmm, i like grey days....

ps.... essex didn't work out. we are back in yorkshire... steve managed to get another job within half an hour of jacking the london job!

Where did August go?

Nearly 2 weeks into September already!! I'm sure time is speeding up.... and no, i'm not accepting that it's just an age thing, lol. But... I do have a theory on this... I reckon time moves in a spiral and we are moving closer to the centre. As we, and time, get further in we spiral faster. Perhaps when we get to the centre, the spiral will start to spring out again & time will gradually move slower?! Anyway, that was not what I was going to write about.

I didn't do a deep & meaningful new moon 'meet me at the water' ritual... though I was thinking about it all day... just a gentle connection, thinking about 'flow'. I never got a post written for the Festival of Trees, though I thought about it, and will no doubt post my pics & thoughts anyway sometime soon. I haven't done any of the projects set by Caterina in her Transfer Love course... but i have watched 2 of the videos... she gives soooo much information, which i have absorbed & will try... I heartily recommend this course to anyone remotely interested in learning about or improving transfer techniques.

But... I have been working furiously on several other projects simultaneously... a couple more canvasses, reworkings of this & this... backgrounds & lettering to make up some collage packs for crafters, and, inspired by Cat's course, lettering suitable for using in transfers. These are taking a fair chunk of time, scanning & testing & re-working etc, but should have some available for willing volunteers to trial before I launch them... do you know anyone??!!

On the photography front I've been doing a lot of moondreamin' and have been working on an idea to present some of my images for sale... these i will definitely show you soon, now that I think I've figured a way to varnish over them that I'm happy with for what I want to do... I will seek your opinion soon!

I've also felt the need to re-connect with a few people here & there... I do tend to veer between feeling pretty sociable to withdrawing into my own little world where i exist quite happily on my own... it's that old chestnut about balance... and time... and i do agree with the theory that time expands to fit what you have to do... i seem to have put in more hours everywhere in less time somehow. That time spiral I was on about seems to bounce up & down I reckon, stretching & contracting as necessary... cos when i have 'nothing' to do I still don't have 'spare' time, if you know what I mean... boredom is not a feeling I am familiar with, nor do I want to be!

I am thankful for the ideas & inspiration and the opportunities that flow... may you also be inspired & be blessed with opportunities... love suzi x  

Desert Sunset?

One of the reasons I wanted a 'proper' camera was that my compact didn't always capture 'true' colours in sky shots... now, my new one may be capable, but the operator has much to learn! After the success of my last sunset, perhaps I was a little trigger happy... in my defence dinner was about to burn! However, it was one of those 'happy accidents' and I ended up with a gorgeous desert sunset in the north of England... except the trees might give me away!

It was nowhere near this dark.... but perhaps if I hadn't confessed, you wouldn't have known. I do love the dramatic effect though. It set me off thinking about perception again... the way we see things, or don't... comparing the camera & image to our minds & thoughts.

There is an infinite stream of information out there, both in the physical world and beyond that can flood our minds, as light floods into a camera... the aperture & shutter regulate the amount, which we can take control of manually, or leave on the automatic programme. When we are born we come with automatic settings that regulate the amount of information (light) and how we process it which gives us the picture we have of the world. Of course, none of us have exactly the same programme, and our settings are altered by the  upbringing & experiences that we have. But at some point we have the choice of switching to manual.... of taking control of our attitudes & action... of changing the way we see things or react.

We can open our own apertures & be more open to information or energy. We can adjust our own shutter speeds of judgement & analysis... etc etc. But it is the combination of settings that gives the picture, and sometimes it appears better or worse than, or at least different from what is really there... maybe that is why some people see no reason to change, others are never happy, some always are.

So, I'll keep tweaking those settings until it becomes instinctive & see the beauty in every scene....

Thank you to Skywatch Friday

go visit for some wonderous sights!

Snowdrops... Fragile Beauty

Beautiful aren't they? 

A mass of snowdrops in the old orchard 

they've been there for years,

 multiplying over time.

  Maybe a bit like our thoughts in they old grey matter... 

or emotions...

Sometimes the big picture is enough, but zoom in for a closer look...  

appreciate the finer details...

identify one area (thought, idea, emotion, problem etc) to focus on...

Notice how some are slightly more open... 

and if we look closer some are nearly still closed...

 some are in full bloom (ready to pursue, work on, deal with)...

 some need a little more time... 

a bit of coaxing (a bit more effort, consideration... healing...)

From another angle... wow! 

Sometimes we need to look at things from another perspective,

turn things upside down to see what we have been missing...

little details... clues...

Would we have seen that sky behind

 if we only looked at what was obvious in front of us?

The background... the past... 

something that coloured our judgement, affected our emotions...

How often are we carried away with the bigger picture, 

caught up in a mass of thoughts or feelings, 

whether it be enthusiasm or despair?

Pause... wonder.... look.... and really see...

Caught in a storm they're beautiful...

we are beautiful...

you are beautiful...

Even in a downpour...

because of it.

We may bow our heads to weather the storm,

we may look or feel extremely fragile...

but those raindrops will run off our backs...

let them cleanse and heal...

'cos even on the greyest day

be inspired by their fragile beauty...

seek another perspective.

the clouds are just a background,

highlighting strength and beauty within.

Sisters Of The Red Moon

(click on pics to enlarge & see the detail)

I've been working on this piece over the last few weeks... the words were written by Mel in this post over at 'weaving the moon'. I chose a 56x76cm 210gsm handmade 'Khadi' cotton rag paper (this is a great company for quality eco/ethical artists papers &  sketchbooks). This is a tough, durable paper, which I knew would take several layers of colour & this rough one is really textured... oh boy, did I set myself a challenge!? Several blacks, of varying shades and surfaces to write on from matte water-based to shiny acrylic, rough paper AND red on black.... red is not as solid a colour as you may think! This is the price to pay for getting carried away with the 'look' of the background without thinking about the practicalities of lettering on it... so, this is the first version, i'm sure I will work with these words again...& again no doubt!

As well as the lettering, it's also been pretty impossible to get accurate colours in the photographs. The red is not really orangey at all. I've tried in different light & playing with the editing programme, but this is as close as i'm going to get for now 

we have met before, you and i

somewhen, somewhere.

in time out of time, the space between,

the space where the veil thins and the mist floats across

moonlit oceans.

in the swirling chaos of now,

tendrils of light flicker in the darkness.

reminders of a lost tribe,

of ancient ways where blood was holy

and wisdom shared.

reaching across the chasm of time.

over expanse of space and the shackles of fate

there is hope that in the dreaming

of this and other things, we shall meet again.

somewhen, somewhere.

Although the most feminine of subjects the image reminds me of the red planet...mars.... usually associated with ‘masculine’ qualities... but both the soil of Mars and the haemoglobin of human blood are rich in iron, and because of this they share its distinct deep red color. Astrologically Mars is associated with confidence and self assertion, aggression, sexuality, energy, strength, ambition, and impulsiveness. I wonder, how closely linked is Mars to the Moon & our ‘moontime’?

I started thinking about pmt & the issues that are usually thrown up for myself. It’s usually been what ‘someone doesn’t do’ vs ‘what I always do’, things I haven’t done ‘because of someone else’ or what I think other people’s expectations of me are... all relationship stuff with various people, me putting on my ‘victim/martyr’ suit. I know I’m being ‘unreasonable’ even as I think it & knowing I’m pre-menstrual usually helps me cope. 

At one point I started thinking that maybe these are my real feelings, not irrational, but signs I should be out of the relationship or have a head to head with whoever.... why else would the same feelings keep coming up?

Actually, as I looked deeper, I realised that they kept coming up to give me a chance to recognise their underlying causes. My issues tend to stem from situations where I don’t assert myself... to say “actually I’d rather not” or “I want to do” or “will you do”... along those lines, where I haven’t had the confidence to express my needs or ambitions (notice the connection to the astrological associations of Mars?)  I’m not sure how much of this is due to my natal chart & how much is part of a greater moon/mars connection, but I think many will recognise a familiar pattern.

My point is, that there is a great healing opportunity that arises time & again in our cycles... if we let it. Instead of expecting a time of tension, maybe we need to re-verse the way we look at it to something like pre-menstrual tenderness. i.e. to give ourselves some understanding & compassion, to invite the healing that we need. 

Maybe we could meditate on the darkness that surrounds our own red moon.... go into the moon’s vortex.... into the darkness,.... stay there until the darkness feels comforting rather than threatening, feel the comfort of the eternal sisterhood.... acknowledge your darkness, your dark thoughts, those dark feelings....listen to them, ask their purpose....call on the ancient wisdom from the centre of womanhood and begin to unravel the threads that bind in a repetitive, destructive cycle....

bronze powder is sprinkled into the wet acrylic for 

a lovely reddish moonlight gleam, streaks of enamel look 

wet even when they are dry

I wonder if any research has been carried out into how the moonphase affects pmt? My cycle is fairly short, so my moontime moves through the moonphases. I don’t get particularly bad pmt, but I know about it when it falls at dark moon. I haven’t thought about looking at which sign the moon is in at this time, (until now) to see if there is a larger pattern to the severity of my moods. Has anyone thought about it themselves? It’s something to watch... maybe the moonphase affects people differently, depending on our birthchart or the sign the moon is transiting... or perhaps there are broad similarities.... I’d be interested to know. Perhaps any astrologers out there can shed some light? 

So, Mel’s words stirred up some thoughts as I wrote, even though they weren’t to do with interpreting their meaning.... my interpretation is there... visually for all to see & take as you will.... read again & see where she takes you.

I’ll end with some words from Mel when she saw some earlier photos...

“This is extremely powerful.....and the black background lends some of the power...that women's mysteries are often born in the Shadows and the Dark.”

Exactly!

(if you came from suzi's scribbles click here to return)

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!

Energetic Connections & Cord Cutting

We have an energetic connection with everyone we meet, talk to, think about etc, & equally we have energetic connections with people who think about us- even though we may be unaware of them.

We send healing thoughts & know that the energy sent is positive & helpful. Likewise, if someone is angry or worried about you that energy is floating around you, even though the person emitting that energy may be totally oblivious to the fact. Not every negative thought is going to affect us as we have our own natural systems to cope, such as optimism, joy, hope, love etc etc. Sometimes though, we can feel weary, drained, worried etc… emotions or even pain, that is not ours.

Bear this in mind when you are concerned about someone or some situation, or just watching the news…. I consciously try not to worry or be angry about things I can do nothing about & so add my ‘worry/angry energy’… instead I wish positive thoughts; strength, calm, vision, love, compassion etc that can benefit the person or situation. Sometimes easier said than done, but persevere & it becomes a habit!

You might like to try something i do now & again... cord cutting. This is about reclaiming your own energy or power & removing anything that is a threat to, or draining your energy. Sometimes i think it is useful to visualise all those energy ‘hooks’ that can drain you being washed away- I tend to use the image of a waterfall washing away the threads that bind me to other people (A sort of ‘energy shower’), then imagine warm golden sunlight energising me.

Create your own Sacred Space, however you feel comfortable. For some it is as simple as closing your eyes & visualize stepping into that waterfall… or creating a journey, for example walking through a forest & becoming aware of those things that tug at your energy reserves, before finding the waterfall… Others prefer the ritual of candles & incense, sitting infront of a personal altar or in a 'special' place… You may try several variations to find what is comfortable & effective for you.

It is a good practice to do a 'cord-cutting' at the end of a relationship for example, or after spending time with people who sap your energy (or if you think someone is sending malicious thoughts). Ask for all cords or attachments that do not benefit you to be cut, some people see the knots being untied, and ask for the negative energy to be returned to the source with love.

I like the image of water to cleanse & gently wash away those connections & entangled cords of attachment, but you could you could use the image of fire to sever the connections. Some people ask Archangel Michael to cut all cords with his sword of truth, others call on their idea of Deity…use whatever words & imagery that suit you. You can name specific people or situations that you want to disconnect from, & if you cut all cords you can ask for only those that are beneficial to be re-tied.

If you want, you can imagine fine threads leading out from your feelings & trace them back to who or where they come from….slowly, slowly follow the thread, let your intuition guide you, just watch the thread & travel back along it… eventually a name or place or image will pop into your mind. It is important not to have any pre-conceptions when you try this & the result can be surprising- but don’t judge, just cut or dissolve the thread with love…