Month: November 2009

Escape

I love watching Criss Angel and when I was younger I loved watching Doug Henning and reading about Houdini. I get amazed at how they plan and master one death-defying escape only to start planning the next even more apparently dangerous one.
“I escaped from a safe, now let’s take the safe and submerge it in water” I believe that there are times in our life when we do the same thing.
We put ourselves into life situations that are somewhat traplike and challenging. Some of us do it in our personal lives and relationships. Others do it in their jobs. We find a way to navigate one set of problems and win free. We acquire life knowledge and a sense of liberation and then…we get ourselves caught up in an even more complex web. Or should I say we weave an even more complex web. On some level we know what we are doing. Oh we can try to blame others, fates, the gods, karma but we put in our lives what we need to help us grow no matter how painful. We are all akin to Anansi, the African Spider trickster god, weaving the tale and occasionally catching ourselves up in it, for how else do we have the impetus to grow?
Richard Bach in his book illusions says:
“There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands
You seek problems because you need their gifts”
and we do need the gifts of the problems we set up otherwise we wouldn’t have drawn them into our lives in the first place.
and as we have created the problem, we also have created the solution. It may not be apparent, it may appear as one more thing appearing to attack us just as the sword points seem to be attacking the figure in the Eight of Swords tarot card below, but that same sword point with just a twist can cut through the web that binds us Of course we tend to blind ourselves from seeing the solutions in front of us…..Well I guess it makes life more interesting.
So here’s to Criss, Doug and Harry, they symbolize one of our strongest drives, the drive to liberate ourselves and thus transcend.

VIII Swords

Believe

So many people seem to have a case of belief constipation. Wanting to believe so badly in something whether it be the faith they grew up in, a faith they’ve adopted, a belief in unicorns, in their spouses, even wanting to believe in themselves but not feeling able to take that leap , and trust….We all feel as Bob Dylan sang that we “have to serve somebody” It’s funny. Straining so hard, kills the belief and perhaps just a bit kills the object of the belief because anything fought against that hard melts away.
Funny thing is belief doesn’t come by screaming “I believe” from the rooftops or “Die Heretic” to anyone who doesn’t share the belief. It comes when we relax, un-strain, and listen not being afraid of the right or wrong of it all. Listen to our heart and listen to the whispers in it. Listening and not judging the output just watching it unfold, When that happens, when we can listen to our inner selves without the burden of that strained belief muscle, it becomes so much easier…..Namasté

356px-Om

Rabbit Hole Musing

What if Alice didn’t fall down the rabbit hole? What if she ran to the edge and jumped in, ready to leave her Victorian life behind?
What if The Fool does not fall off the cliff, but jumps freely ready to land wherever it may take him?
The rabbit hole calls
Hidden knowledge waits within
Shall I put plugs in my ear and resist the call
or do I move forward fearlessly
Is coming back again for sure?
or is it only one way?
Home, love, anchors, foundation
strong ties hold me tight
yet still I hear the call
forward back
equal pulls in opposite directions
ecstatic agony
Do I heed the call
or do I creep ever closer
until I accidentally
f
a
l
l

Gary down the rabbit hole

Success — Artistic and Otherwise

Recently a few friends and I have started a weekly artistic round table of sorts. We check in with each other onc-day-a-week and discuss what we’ve worked on during the week, whatever challenges might have come up, and plans and goals for the next week. I love it. This has been just one of the factors that have helped me be so productive lately

My two cohorts in the coterie are Lori Buff of Future Relics Gallery, an enormously talented Potter and Web Designer and someone with whom I’ve been friends the longest. and  Deb Seiz of Moon Wolf Photography & Paintography whose creations are quite beautiful. Anyway recently on her Future Relics Blog Lori had a wonderful article that explores what is success from an artistic point of view. (Go ahead and read the article and check out some of the lovely pieces that Lori has made, also check out Deb’s photographs / paintographs, I’ll wait here.

After writing the article, Lori sent email to Deb and myself asking for replies. I find the subject intriguing enough (the question of what makes for a successful life has been something that I’ve struggled with for quite some time) that I’d like to share the exchange with you

 

Deb answered:

“

Hmmm…

Ponder…

Ponder…

“Success” to me is creating something that didn’t exist before, therefore making the World a NICER place.

Further success would be knowing that someone thought enough of my work to pay $ vfor it and hang it on their wall.

FURTHER Success would be to make ENOUGH $ so that i can make more sizeable charitable donations to the folks who do the TRULY IMPORTANT work of saving other species.

ULTIMATE SUCCESS would be all of that, plus recognition of my work – MY version of “Immortality”….

My Reply:

Damn I like Deb’s answer =)

Seriously, This one I struggle with so much

OK success artistically–people you know like what you produce and give you positive feedback–then the next step–strangers like what you produce and the same–then people whom themselves produce things your respect etc — then selling some commercially (tho some of the artists who museums hunger for were not commercially successful in their lifetimes)

What part does artistic integrity play in this, holding true to your vision?

Does money = a successful life?

I really like Deb’s answer about charity and even more about creating something that didn’t exist before?

That means to me, that we are successful every time we make another person smile especially if they were hurting before

and making laughter exist where it wasn’t before? a miracle and riches beyond belief

OK Gary, you’re getting impractical

Success to me would appear to be a matter of having enough. Enough time,  money and space to be able to do what we love. Loving and Feeling love enough (and for so many of us, allowing ourselves to feel love seems so much harder, convincing ourselves that we deserve it )Enough connection to spirit so that what we do has meaning.

Material success, ok, Charity, very cool, Shining out as ourselves and bringing more love and light to the world, priceless =)

Hope that was practical enough

Peace, Love and Blessings,

G