www.erinfaithallen.blogspot.com

see you there!

As I read the Hopi Elders Prophecy recently, I could feel it moving through me from head to toe.  It is not an unusual experience for my curious mind to discover thought-provoking quotes, articles, opinions, outlooks and philosophies – but there was something quite different about this one.  I read it and it stayed with me.  I posted a portion of it as my Facebook status, thinking that would be the climax of my discovery.   Still it poked on, and I began to feel the questions coming to the forefront.  I woke this morning and before I knew it had reached for my computer and found myself Googling and YouTubing to find answers to my questions:  Who are the Hopi?  We all know of them as a Native American tribe, but what is their story?  And what is this prophecy?  What is the story behind the story?  And where are the Hopi now?

This 30 minute PBS documentary was the reward for my curiosity.

The film takes the words of the Hopi Elders and pumps it up about a zillion notches, highlighting our individual responsibility to respect one another and the earth.

In a nutshell, Parts One and Two describe the origin of the Hopi people and in their own words, the situation they encountered when the white ’settlers’ came to their territory.  My favorite of the three YouTube clips is Part Three – which focuses on the present situation We as a global people are encountering as old paradigms are shifting and releasing, and we face an exciting opportunity to purify the structures our modern world is built upon.  Many of us are experiencing this paradigm shift in our daily lives as we notice things seemingly falling apart, and life feels just a bit on the challenging side.  The Hopi Elders spell out what We, uniting as empowered, conscious and respectful people, can Do and Be as we continue to shift into a New World.  The strength and power to face the shift lies within each one of us …. and just imagine what this New World will be when we are living respectfully on the Earth AND uniting together in conscious harmony as empowered authentic individuals?

I can see it!  Can you?

Message from the Hopi Elders © Lynn McDonald

Hopi Elders Prophecy, Oraibi, Arizona.

June 8th, 2000.

………………….

“You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is THE HOUR.

And there are things to be considered…

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?

Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

Then he clasped his hands together, smiled, and said,
“This could be a good time! There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all, ourselves – for the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over.
Gather yourselves!
Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

For  WE ARE THE ONES WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR.

Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Nation

I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Mykal Aubry a couple of weeks ago.  It was a thrill for me, because I have admired Mykal’s work for a few years now.  His large-scale visionary paintings were colorfully and high vibrationally lining the halls the very first time I walked through the doors of Agape to hear the Rev. Michael Beckwith speak.  Mykal’s work set the perfect tone for a perfect new turn on my soul’s path, and for that reason I hold his work high on the gratitude list of my heart.   Coming soon, I will have thrill-revisited when Mykal and I share a chat for an interview, ArtOneMent style.  Until then, experience the thrill yourself by playing the above video for a sneak peek of Mykal’s expansive visions,  then go to his website to peruse his paintings and writing.

And don’t forget to stay tuned to ArtOneMent for more of Mykal,  … and many other upcoming beauty filled creative souls!

Wishing you a blessed 2010!

While perusing various links in the endless linkdom that is the World Wide Web, I stumbled across fellow artist/dreamer/visionary Lisa’s Blog and her exciting web event One World One Heart.   When I read about Lisa’s vision, my heart skipped a beat as it always does when discovering high-vibed intentions.   One World One Heart exists to connect bloggers (any bloggers welcome), facilitating discovery of  kindred souls over those invisible-lines-in-the-sand known as borders, and encouraging conscious giving through participation in give-aways.  I love it!

One World One Heart is already a success in transcending international borders via cyber space.  Seems that people are really catching on to the notion of global connectivity born of a conscious spirit – founded in 2007, OWOH grew to over 900 participants in 28 countries last year!

Just by my discovery of this event I’ve found a kindred spirit in Lisa, who shares ArtOneMent’s vision that the future of art – and humans in general – is one of unification and generosity.  By uniting on a solid foundation of love and Oneness, while sharing our innate gifts, we are changing the world.  So check out Lisa’s blog, A Whimsical Bohemian, and read about how you can expand your horizons in this global blog event!   ArtOneMent will be participating, as will I on my personal blog. We hope to see you there!

© madelyn mulvaney

There is no doubt in my mind that I stumbled upon Madelyn Mulvaney’s blog Persisting Stars through some sort of grand celestial orchestration.  There are times when the incessant click click clicking on various blogs and links really pays off …  and my maiden voyage into Maddie’s world was definitely one of them.  The moment her images appeared on my screen accompanied by her words, I felt I had just been introduced to a kindred spirit.   Faithfully reading her blog for over a year now, my life is enriched beyond measure every time Maddie posts.  It was such an exciting moment when she agreed to share her words of wisdom and gorgeous imagery with ArtOneMent.  Feast your eyes and soul below, and don’t forget to visit Persisting Stars for even more soul candy!

© madelyn mulvaney

Maddie, when I read your blog, beautiful color and detail immediately emerge that are easily overlooked by a hectic race through life.  Have you always been one to ‘stop and smell the roses’?

Oh yes.  This is a natural marvel of being a child which I never lost ~ It is a constant nourishment for me to wander, unearthing  small wonders in my life as I gather up the day.  There are such startling gifts in simple moment’s that are actually uncommonly special.

‘Yes’ and ‘Possibility’ are two big words in the Persisting Stars vocabulary.  Can you tell us what these words mean to you?

It is through my writing and my images that I have shouted ‘yes’ allowing my intentions, my yearnings, my dreams to guide me ever forward. Here lies the magic of self expression, whether it be in writing, in art, in music…in daydreaming. It is so present, so potent…so seeded. When I think back to when I began writing on my blog three years ago, I had no idea of the  l  i  f  e  of self expression. I did not know it would encourage me one word at a time (before I was even ready to take the actual steps in my real life) to map out my dreams for how I wanted my life to look.  Art in all it’s forms of self expression is vital…it is movement…and is, in itself, a living thing ~ and therein lies the possibility.  Everything is possible in this world without exception.

What is your supreme inspiration?

Love.    It is all there is that matters.  It is what everyone really wants.

Symbolically,  I feel love resonate through the gorgeous and essential rhythms of the natural world…springtime (of course), the changes of the moon, the tides of the seas, the chatter of rivers, language of leaves and the constant and eternal presence of the stars.   Sacred.  Love is supremely sacred.  I am deeply moved to illuminate love.

© madelyn mulvaney

What is your creative process?

I used to feel that I stumbled into creative births through happy accidents but now I feel my process is profoundly guided in an intuitive way.  My deeper consciousness beckons me through many ‘stirrings’ whether it be a song, a color, a mood from a poem, the color of the moon on a summer evening, the line of the ocean waves ~ or a strange rolling alchemic mix of many elusive and surprising details.

I desire a stillness and light in my reflection in order to birth something so satisfying and beautiful in my writing and images and yoga and mediation are keys for this in my process.

Almost all of my productivity occurs in the early morning hours ~ I am so at home in the peaceful canvas of the first burst of day with a French press filled with coffee, a curious outlook and hopeful energy, the lovely morning light in my studio.

Nature is powerfully connected to the rhythm of how I work as well ~ when I have a bit of a block or frustration I am compelled to return to nature whether it be a walk on the beach, in the woods….sitting on a blanket in the park or on my front porch in the evening staring into the starry sky.  In the rare instance that this fails me, ensconced in a café with a strong coffee and almond pastry works wonders as well.

When I am ‘on’ in my bursts of  inspiration in my studio I love to write to music ~ my best writing seems to moves to rhythms.  Lately I am listening to soul, jazz and classical music.

Perhaps my best work, most intimate and moving has been birthed when I was suffering the many small deaths of an ordinary life ~ the loss of love….a personal metamorphosis of growth, a scary yet sublime leap of faith, self doubt, loneliness etc.  Lately however, possibly for the very first time, I am creating wonderful images and writings coming from a happy heart, a lightness of being.   This tickles me to realize this.  It feels so transformational somehow.

In the end as I contemplate this question….in the end it really does come down to passion most of all.  I am passionate, I am alive, curious and moved to share myself in an expressionistic way in any way possible.

© madelyn mulvaney

What gift do you give through your art?

I hope I gift people the simple realization that anything and everything is possible and we all deserve to experience and share happiness and love.

You are making a large contribution to empowering creativity through your blog, e-courses, and your personal work.  How do you weave all of these threads together with a personal life that exists between blogging, shooting photos, teaching and collaborating?

I have a very deep online life that shares so many facets of my creative  self but truly my most intimate life offline is quietly protected.  For me this is the only way I can exist.  Keeping the sacred ‘sacred’ ~ giving my  life protected space to keep it ‘real.’  This is all part of the journey of honoring  and being true to  myself.

Did you undergo the proverbial ‘journey’ about sharing your life with the public?  Or was it a natural step forward?

Now, This WAS a happy accident!  I originally started a blog about my yoga practice and very quickly all this other ‘stuff’ began spilling over and out onto the ‘page’ so to speak.  It took me completely by surprise but I surrendered to this outpouring and need for self expression.

© madelyn mulvaney

Do you still have the first photograph you ever took?

Yes!  My Mom has it stored away somewhere ~ but my first photo was a picture of my dog Seamus when he was a puppy sitting in the backyard.

What advice can you give to artists who may feel a bit overwhelmed in the arena of marketing their work?

Believe in yourself, your voice, your unique way of seeing this world.  Honor your deepest beliefs no matter what anyone else says.   Get it out there! Start a blog, open a Flickr account ~ share your work and open yourself up to an artistic and enthusiastic audience.

What is your personal archetype/mythology/totem?

Joseph Campbell described myths as ‘music we dance to’ even when cannot name the tune, a lovely way to allude to a pre~existing force of nature.  I believe I am the Lover with my expressive symbol being Water as a symbol of rebirth and a strong life force.

What does ‘a blissful planet’ mean to you (words from the ArtOneMent purpose statement).

A blissful planet includes everyone to live in peace, freedom and acceptance where all have a voice, are loved and heard and creatively contribute to the manifestation of higher consciousness.

How can Conscious Creativity help raise consciousness and wake up the planet?

In our personal and soulfully unique outpourings of creativity we can soar to the highest manifestation of consciousness and  love, for everyone.

What is your role in that?

By simply being true to my self ~ expressing myself truthfully and with love and sharing it in our universe,  hopefully uplifting and  inspiring collective consciousness through my unique way of illuminating love and beauty.

© madelyn mulvaney

What is your personal definition of ‘Consciousness’?

Consciousness is the mysterious force of soul/god/world which we all collectively share access to which longs for the highest manifestation  of love.

Any advice for challenging moments (a.k.a opportunities for growth) like writers block or a clog in the flow of imagination?

Returning to nature’s measured heartbeat so you can be gently receptive, quietly thoughtful. Find stillness, a quiet corner, a beautiful meadow and go for a long walk.  Visit art galleries, go to an outdoors concert…be present and get out into our beautiful world.

Stumbling upon your blog was a very important moment in my life, and helped propel me toward my own vision – founding ArtOneMent.  On Persisting Stars, I see courage, vulnerability, creativity, passion and delight all rolled into one person’s words and images.  I am not alone – your blog has quite a following!  How does it feel to know that you are an inspiration to other artists?

Humbling ~ completely and beautifully humbling.  Endlessly surprising, a blessed gift of which I am so grateful.  I want to serve, make a difference in all ways I can.

When is your next enrollment deadline for your e-courses?

It has already  begun and you can register on my website

http://www.persistingstars.com

© madelyn mulvaney

The Moon Always Rises © Heather Brown-Truman

“The Moon Always Rises: I am only letting myself work, in studio, when I feel sure that I can keep
my promise to stop thinking. You know, stand back and kinda squint real
hard at reality. What happens when you do that?
When you distance yourself from what is real and try to understand the
origin of your beliefs. The origins of you.
I know that is one of the main reasons I was placed here in time. To be
the squinter. I like that, the amazing squinter folks, step right up…er,
ahemmmm…OK where was I? Yeah, taking a look at the reality of life, examining costs and returns,
loving out loud, skating the edge, pushing the limits of innate
understanding. You know what we came to this place in time, what we
came with, within our DNA. The instinct, the essence of being human,
and in these times. Do I want more reality? Do I?
I don’t think so, really I don’t. If I stand back, look at the world and my place in it, in this moment in
time…what is my reason, what’s my motivation? Sound a little like an
acting class? It is. In this play I am the writer, director, editor, and star. In my world. In my
world that I created because what was shown, what was apparent at a
young age for me was that there is so much MORE. More love, More
possibility, More goodness, More intelligence, More living out loud,
More Magic To being Human. It is possible and attainable, it has to be, I have known it all my life. It’s
instinct that drives me, tells me I can find it. Just stand back and
squint…you can see it around the edges of things as they are. Beyond
that lies the question, I don’t want the answer anymore, I want the
question. The Question Is the Key. I knew as a baby, out there, in the dark…where you are all
alone…anything can happen, Monsters are all too real. Where there is light there is life. That’s why the moon has always dominated my art. Mysterious orb of light and shadow. Many a night have I picked my way through the dark, alone. The moon, my companion, my torch, my ruler of tides. This moon sits full and slightly golden, just cradled in the patchwork sky, brightly shining stars compete for center stage. Embraced by the treetops below, the greens reach into the blue- blackness and find a fuzzy edge of hyper-light and blue velvet darkness to rest in. I really liked stepping back and seeing what happened when I just let it all go. All the knowing, the technique, the balance, the direction, the
rules, the marketing, everything…just step away from the world and
squint. Paint. Repeat.”

……………………..

Tangled Hope © Heather Brown-Truman

“Tangled Hope is memorial to my recently deceased Father. We have been at odds my entire life, and never close. He was an abusive and hateful man while alive, this is my acceptance and my forgiveness. Lesson learned, live regret free, it’s all the freedom we may really have in this free will wholesale life. That’s good stuff, I know it’s just a painting, just some time spent thinking with paint out loud. It’s done to honor the passing of my Father, Michael Brown. I could not share many years with this Man, which I think we were both a little less, inside, for. He was my Father, and I didn’t get to say ‘goodbye, I am sorry, it’s all okay’. And the fact will remain for the rest of my life that I will not be able to do that act.
What I can do is live, better. Simple.

Make it right when you can, and if you can’t then still be able to, love, as a verb. I spent my whole life loving my Father, I never stopped. I always sent that energy into the world. I can love him, by living my life and being what he made me to be…more, better, smarter than they (my parents, both absent in my growing years) were. That I now know what not to do, and I also know HOW freaking hard it is to raise kids to adulthood…shit fire.

I know there is no way I can turn back time and fix stuff. And if I live with that on my heart and soul, it will eat me alive. Forgiveness is the only gift I have to offer myself for that fact. And to become wiser. Become more. Become. Continue.”

……………………..

Two © Heather Brown-Truman

“Two is: the dual nature in each human being. We are all, each and every one of us, of a dual nature. We all have the good and the bad, the beauty-full and the ugly. The mistakes and the lessons learned. It’s what we do with that information that makes us who we are. It is the realization that we are only in control of one thing on the planet, that is ourselves, nothing more, nothing less. It is in that acceptance we become free to live the lives we desire, free to let go, free to no longer  play the victim, free to allow ourselves the ultimate gift, the gift of imperfection. It’s what makes us the most dynamic beings on our planet and at the same time the most terrifying of life forms. It is the nature of humanity, we rise above what we were given at birth or embrace the darkness. It’s about the choice we all have, what will you do with that choice today?”

……………………..

And a few questions, ArtOneMent style:

What gift do you give through your art?
Resonance. I create works that are talismans, healing, understanding the human condition, not an explanation, a simple “I see you”, “I know you”, “I am you”, “I am” and that is all.

What does ‘the future of a blissful planet’ mean to you (words from the ArtOneMent purpose statement)?
To me it means that this world is big enough for us all, and the beauty in this world is there because of diversity, different is good, different is beauty-full, different is the light of understanding. We can all be who and what we are and that becoming the very best you can personally be, attaining your true calling and being devoted to bringing that as a gift to the world at large is way more important than having stuff, fighting for stuff, or being at war with anyone. Love and understanding really are all we need. Manna of the Gods.

Do you believe such a thing is possible?  If so, do you believe you have a role in that?
Yes I do believe it possible. Yes I have a role, I am playing it now and every day. I create, I document a life being lived, simply put, I AM.

Kentucky Girl © Heather Brown-Truman

scooping stars © erin faith allen

Today as the rain falls in Northern California, I am bundled up under lots of layers and conjuring up the myth of Persephone, ancient queen of the Underworld.  Persephone was the overly sheltered offspring  of Demeter and Zeus.  One day, while frolicking in flowery fields with the nymphs, she was quite suddenly kidnapped by Hades, fierce god of the Underworld, and kept in his lair.   After much hullabaloo on the part of her mother, who rallied all the other gods and goddesses against Hades, Persephone was freed.  However, prior to her release, crafty Hades tricked her into eating magic pomegranate seeds which forced her return to the Underworld for a season each year, where she ruled with him as half-prisoner, half-Queen.   And so the seasons were born.  Winter marks Persephone’s descent into the Underworld, with the shortening of days and the death of vegetation.  She then rises to the Upperworld in the spring, and the earth celebrates.  Blooms abound and the sun extends it’s daily romp in the sky.  (For a thorough description of the myth go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persephone).

brightness to black © erin faith allen

My love affair with Persephone is not just about the surface story of her seduction into the darkness by the clever Hades.  She comes to life when I dive beneath that, in typical Persephonic fashion, to the energy and symbolism, to the guidance and illumination of this Underworld Queen.  Persephone teaches me about duality, transition, surrender, and holding space for myself even when blinded by my own darkness, or stumbling about in a subconscious maze of self-sabotauge.  She models authenticity, courage, and reminds me of my sensual and creative energies.

symbiosis © erin faith allen

I understand the universality of her fragility, and that it is precisely her delicacy which is her power.  If there is a world between the Underworld and the Upperworld, this is it: the landscape of vulnerability that sits in the transition.  Skillfully navigating this transition is the jewel in her crown.  It is what the archetype of Persephone herself embodies as she glistens and glides from world to world.  Opera with the angels or bellows with the beasts of hell, she does not identify solely with either end of the spectrum because she has integrated the opposites within her.  She does not know blindness in darkness.  She does not know deafness in thunder.

In my minds eye, she is a shimmering slither of a shadow, a lithe and nimble shape-shifter of grace, dignity, and authority.  I see a woman-child with soft budding breasts made of blossom, and tendrils of hissing shadow crowning her head.  I hear a cackle and a giggle, I feel her vulnerability and her strength, and in my veins I carry the pulse of Persephone who chose to rise above victim status in order to gain her crown as Queen.

home © erin faith allen

highlands © natalie flemming

I Am The Fool

Please don’t taunt or titter
I am the fool, transcendent
I teeter on the edge of time
and timelessness. My passion
is the universal.  In awe, I ask

what can I create for a creator
who builds forests from an acorn
and holds the stars and planets
in the wonder of the cosmos?
Creation has my trust and adoration

dancing in the palm of her hand.
She hands me ideas,slippery things,
little scraps I catch on paper
lest they escape and elude me.
I know I missed the boat

called perfection but my errors
are portals of discovery and there
are times when a little madness
sets me free. I close my eyes, delve
into secrets and the mystical.

My curiosity peers into a future
of infinite creative energy, of life
and death, beyond knowing, all that is,
and all that is not. There lies my muse
she asks me to leap and a net appears.

(written by Gael Bage)

wellies © natalie flemming

Gael Bage came late to poetry, after a career in nursing and nurse management, while raising three children, she has had poems published in Mindfire, Amaze,  Loch Raven Review, Fireweed and SAW 2 magazine, including one editor who saw her poems on Sam Hamil’s Poet’s against war site and asked to use them in a Spanish magazine She received an Hon mention for the first haiku she sent to Mainichi haiku contest. One of her favorite forms is the Fibonacci, a workshop article she wrote about Fibonacci and poetry appeared in Mindfire. She believes in the interdependence and Oneness of All and has great respect for universal intelligence expressed through nature. Many of her poems can be accessed at her blog on Gaia.com, under her pen name Zephyr.

Natalie Flemming is a photographer whose work can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambervisionaire/.

charles bridge © erin faith allen

Why do I love blurry photos so much?

If photography is an extension of the soul,  am I just a big ball of blur inside, or is there more than meets the eye to taking and viewing blurry photos?

twilight © erin faith allen

I have been thinking about this during my wanderings in the hour between sunlight and moonlight.  When photographing at night I shoot compulsively and haphazardly, engaging all of my senses – and especially my sixth.  The blurry photos that result are indeed an extension of my soul, the core part of me that finds joy in letting the lens capture the imprints of time that is NOT linear.  Beauty emerges in the moments in between, in the silence between words, in the unknown of an unanswered question, in the space of motion not illuminated by a synthetic flash of a camera.  It exists all around us, waiting to drop into our awareness through any one of our senses in a movement of energy that is not always tangible.  The open shutter of my camera simply observes the time that exists in ‘nonsensical’ squiggles and swooshes inside the rat race from point A to point Z.

walkway © erin faith allen

According to The Dictionary, blur is:  to dim the perception or susceptibility of; make dull or insensible: The blow on the head blurred his senses.

I challenge that definition though, with one of my own. According to Erin, blur is: to slow down and observe the motion of grace;  to soften the focus of the human lens and engage all senses with the magic that dangles in the air all around us:  The blow to his head allowed him to enjoy a blissful new view of the world – which resulted from the blurring of his senses.

My soul is not a big, fat, blurry wad of ambiguity.  It is plump and pleasant, with a penchant for layered compositions of time that exists between the lines.

the saint and the castle © erin faith allen