Fall decor

                                There are some truths that exist in the cultural zeitgeist for so long

that you just know them to be true. 

For instance, I don't even watch horror movies,

but I KNOW all the tropes that go along with them -

and I decided they needed to be memorialized this year

as part of my Halloween decorations.

                                                        And here they are on the mantle!

                                                I focus on fall colors and fun, not horror.

                                                              Life is scary enough, right?

                                                                Why amplify the horror?

Golden aspens

If you're ever given the chance to see fall in northern New Mexico 

to see aspen trees turn more golden with each passing day,

GO.

You won't be disappointed.

My recent trip was SO beautiful;

can't even begin to describe how magnificent every day was ...

both because of the scenery AND the company.

 

It's always a treat as a parent to see your child in their happy place

I swear it's nearly impossible to get a bad picture in Taos!

So much beauty there.

The aesthetic of where my son lives now from where he lived with me is SO vast -

 yet at the same time, so familiar and comfortable;

I can see why he loves it so much.

         French fries and Jesus on foil ...

    doesn't every kitchen have those?

It was a wonderful visit.

If it weren't for a life back in the midwest,

staying longer - or dare I say, more permanently, 

would be pretty tempting!

Coming home to these two was pretty sweet though.

Til Death do us Part

During yet another purge of the basement, 

I found a slide of a painting Art Boy did while in high school.

A three ring circus -

without any activity in any of the rings.

It occurred to me that

with the exception of the Dobbs decision and my resultant horror 

at now having a toe over the line into the Land of Gilead,

this is how much of the past year and a half has felt;

no waking up in the morning with stomach churning dread 

about what our idiot president has said or done;

no clear and convincing evidence splattered all over social media

 that showed he was an agent of a foreign country,

intent on undermining the very foundation of our democracy

and sowing discontent wherever he went;

just boring politics as usual;

being directed, by and large, by adults 

who, whether you agreed with them or not,

knew what they were doing.

The January 6th hearings were part of the narrative

but I was able to contain the amount of time spent immersed in them; 

and since they merely spelled out in detail what I had imagined in my head,

not even they were particularly surprising.

 Terrifying for how close we came to losing our country

as we've known it,

but I'd had that feeling for the preceding 6 years,

so, again, not a big surprise. 

Until the search warrant executed at a beach resort in FLA 2 weeks ago -

 which seemed to kick over another rock for all the repulsive subterranean creatures

to scurry back out from - 

and into all aspects of our national consciousness

where they seem to prefer to live. 

 

Hand to God,

if I could live the rest of my life without ever hearing his name again,

I'd be a happy woman.

The relentless bullshit, explanations and excuse making 

by servile cretins who can't suck up to him fast enough 

is an incredible spectacle to witness.

The fact that so many of them can, 

with a straight face, 

spew such nonsense as:

he wasn't aware he had them,

he needed the documents to write his memoirs, 

he took them to the residence to study them, 

to do 'homework' for his duties the next day,

'they' belonged to him,

all the Archives had to do was ask for them back

and, my personal favorite,

"what could he do to turn down the rhetoric 

since tensions were running high and people were angry?"

Just let him know and he'd help.

Jesus, take the wheel.

As if he had any intention: 

of writing memoirs -

he can't read, 

let alone write!

Doing homework for the next day?

Bitch, plz!

Daily briefings had to be dumbed down to mini Dick and Jane primers

but with more pictures and fewer words

since he has the attention span of a gnat

and even less comprehension power.

 

And, btw, all you Repulsicans,

the only thing much of the country is angry about 

is that the FBI gave him so much damn time since leaving office

 to get the documents back to where they belong.

People are sitting in federal prisons for far fewer pieces of paper

and I guarantee you

 no benefits of the doubt were extended to them.

 

Let's just hope the files hadn't already been digitized 

and shared with the Saudis and Putin,

to keep his money stream going.

 

I'd say that only his death could put an end 

to his occupying so much of the national zeitgeist 

but with all the crack pots and conspiracy theorists slavishly following him,

can you even imagine the uproar him drawing his last breath will have?

 

Dear Lord, deliver us!

Sorry, Ivana;

but honestly, 

I'll bet its not the first time she was collateral damage from him.

For which she was rewarded with a grave by the first tee.

Does Marla get the second hole?

Melania, the third?

There are metaphors in there I'd rather not explore!

Someone make it stop!

Soul Collage

Is anyone else old enough to remember writing contests in which the entries had to be 

"25 words or less"? 

Just me?? OK.

Well, years ago, I'd adapted that idea for collage work.

Every Sunday afternoon, 

for a few hours,

I would gather found images

and, using those images, 

I would limit myself to 25 words to describe the predominant feeling

of the week..

 

 

This process went on for several years.

I then went to "A Bakers Dozen" (13 words or less)

which was followed by "Take 5".

I was working toward using NO words, only images,

but I just couldn't get there;

it wasn't time.

Until now.

A friend recently recommended I check out SoulCollage,

a creative practice combining spirituality, collage work and introspection -

which are all right up my alley -

and I'm hooked.

 

Using ONLY images, you create a 'card';

you can subsequently use the card in a personal 'deck'

to do a 'reading' and get personalized 'messages' from your cards

which are really representations of your own wisdom and insight.

I've made over 50 SoulCollage cards so far

and the process has been so energizing and life giving.

 

Just goes to show that when the timing is right, the spiritual practice will find you.

 

I haven't made any cards 'intentionally';

that is, I've not thought of a theme 

and then deliberately looked for images to reflect that.

I've used the images I've had on hand,

found ones I think. for whatever reason, belong together

and then discovered meaning AFTER they were finished.

 

With no added texts, the images are not situationally specific;

they can be used again and again, with new or deeper meanings each time.

I've been shuffling the deck and holding the 'cards' face down;

then I pick two or three

to see what messages or reminders they have for me

on a particular day.

In the SoulCollage process,

each card can be addressed with

"Who are You?" and "What message do you have for me?"

I'll put some of those questions, and what I've heard

under the card.

Not all of them ...

just enough to give you an idea of the process.

Here are some of my favorites cards.

     I am one who knows how it feels to be on 'alien' ground; 

where everything is unknown and new. 

I am the one who has reveled in every day being a source of wonder

and the one who has discovered that unknown doesn't mean scary or threatening. 

 

My reminders are:

to stay open to new ideas and situations;

remember that no day is a 'repeat' of the one before; it's a totally new day 

with unlimited possibilities and discovery.

                       

I am the one who has learned to carry 'home' within me;

it's not a place as much as a collection of feelings and beliefs.

My reminders are:

remember you are loved, safe and cared for;

also remember that this earthly 'home' is not your true, or only, home.

 

I am the one who has struggled to accept the impermanence of all things;

to know that no matter how deeply loved, people, places and things are transitory.

In light of this reality, my reminder is:

to love deeply, and without reservation, for as long as you can -

and hold all those memories dear to your heart.

I found this image after a guided imagery of my animal guides for each chakra -

and, for my sacral chakra, I got a lobster! Seriously?

That's when I knew I wasn't making each animal up -

who would have conjured up a lobster on their own??

As I read more about the lobster as an animal guide,

I knew exactly why it had come to me.

 

Here are my top 5 'favorite' things about a lobster:

 1 - it lives at the bottom of the ocean and is comfortable with darkness and depths.

2 -It sees 'differently' than other animals; it sees through reflection and not refraction.

3 -its nervous system does not shut down when exposed to extreme pain and suffering

(which I must say has me deeply concerned about ever eating boiled lobster again!)

4- it MUST shed in order to grow - and then it consumes its old shell - 

literally incorporating the past into the present.

5 - despite its tough looking exterior, it is extremely sensitive to touch and sensation,

especially to temperature changes.

 

The fact that it prefers being alone and 

while it experiences strong physical reactions to other lobsters,

that intensity only lasts for 2-3 weeks,

just seemed like icing on the cake!

Talk about a soul mate!

This card was an easy and consistent read.

I am the one who is unafraid of darkness and depth;

the one who did not shut down for over 40 years of witnessing and reporting

extreme pain and suffering. 

My reminder is:

have fun while you're in the depths;

look at all the life down there around you.

You were born to be there.

You are not alone.

I am the one who knows how costly unshed tears can be;

how frozen you can become when you ignore the pain.

My reminder is to feel it all:

you can't experience joy unless you can also experience grief.

Go ahead and cry.

I am the one who can look back on my childhood with clear eyes - 

and give thanks for it all.

I can also decide what memories and pieces to hang on to 

and what ones I can let go.

 My reminder: 

You are not a child any more. 

You can decide how to reframe events in your past 

and make them life giving rather than life depleting.

You can be proud of how much you have overcome.

There's a training process for becoming a certified facilitator for SoulCollage.

Guess who's gathering information and discerning whether to take the next step?

To be continued ...