Pearly and Gray, Art at the Pond

"Art is not a thing. It is a way." -Elbert Hubbard

We tried out those big inflatable balls that you sit on. They are good for your posture and balance, better than a chair, you know. So, as I am trying to integrate my art studio into the rest if the house, that is, finding room to put all this junk, er, art supplies, (see 'a moving story') and those balls just keep getting in the way! 

Honestly, let's not kid ourselves, we were not using them. So, in a fit of frustration, I toss them out the door! I watch them roll down the hill toward the pond, and suddenly I realize, yes! So I give each a kick, and splash! Pond pearls! My greatest work of art is born. For this week... 

Oh they are so beautiful! All day they drift about upon the pond. In a way, the pond pearls are an artificial element. As such they would be out of place. But it works. I think that is because they are beautiful spherical forms, even like the moon.

Their kinetic aspect is what gives this piece its magic. I wish I had the bandwidth to set up a web cam for you to see it. It is somewhat like the floating balls that we use to measure the level of liquids in various contraptions, but instead they show the direction the wind is blowing on the pond. 

They drift, bump, wander, scurry, interact, and meander. Rings of waves emanate when they collide with each other or the bank. Their animated movements are so natural that they almost seem to be alive, with personalities.

The birds accept them after a couple of days. How long will they last, before they blow away, deflate, get broken? Who knows. But I like them so much that I might replace them if they do!

A Prayer of Great Power

"If it is in the highest good of all life, everywhere, forever...." (Fill in affirmation or prayer) 

What does this mean? How can we know what that might even be?! Who the heck can answer such a question? As far as I can figure, it can only be answered by an intelligence that has access to all of the information in the universe!! Maybe that is why we call this a prayer.

Next, is it possible that anything whatsoever is good for all life, everywhere, forever? Does not everything benefit some, while hurting others? No. But I must admit I have no proof. I do believe that there is, in every moment, guidance available to us, should we care to truly seek it, to find a course of action we can pick, that is indeed to the benefit of all life everywhere forever. I don't have many beliefs, but that is one.

Since we do not know the future and in particular, how others will choose to act, all we can do is to set our intention by means of this prayer. And sometimes we think we want a thing that ultimately may not be in our highest good. But if we make a mistake and learn from it, that's a benefit. After all, we are each included in that category of that 'all life everywhere forever'.

So obviously, we are asking for guidance toward, not a specific end goal, but rather, a direction to go in. But if everyone would first simply set forth this intention and wish as their guide when making a decision, we would all benefit. It is the very definition of goodwill.

.

A Moving Story

"In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on."-Robert Frost

Moving is stressful they say. All change is challenging, even when it leads to something better I guess. 

It's time for the Granny to move in with us, so I emptied out my art studio to make room. I have had my dream art studio for over fifteen years. It's been a good run. So many beautiful creations have come pouring out of it. But now, despite feeling pretty emotional as I clean, empty and sort through things, I am ready. 

My art studio has shrunk to the size of my ipad anyway. Everything I need for visual art is in here. I have sorely neglected the studio since I first fell into the ipad three years ago. The studio had mostly become a storage and project space anyway.

Now, but for the huge loom that needs to be dismantled to get out of the door, the studio sits empty. Without a roomful of fiber, the wide expanse of window and wall and floor creates such a resonant space, that I bring my band in to record and play with the acoustics before the room takes it's next incarnation, this time as a bedroom.

We set up just one recording mic and stand at different distances from it, according to how loud we are singing or playing. It is an exercise of really listening to one another and feeling the space of the room in real time. The recording comes out good. Good band. 

The paints, supplies and fiber are now finding little places all over the house to nestle into, and I am allowing my consciousness of studio to be centered within myself, and but also extend to the whole house, and even out into the whole world.

"Every day is a new day. You'll never be able to find happiness if you don't move on."-Carrie Underwood.

The Fifth World

The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up. –Paul Valery

Indigenous stories and prophesies from around the world tell us we are now as a human race, transitioning into the 'fifth world'. What is this fifth world?

The first world was perhaps when the Earth itself was born, a newborn, alive, whirling sphere of warmth, one and whole, settling into a comfortable orbital relationship with its parent, the Sun... And ever since, Earth is even today continuing to birth new kinds of beautiful minerals and crystals in their still evolving lines.

The second world, then, is the advent of life in plant and one celled form on up to bugs and things, just barely differentiated, most still slowly reproducing by parthenogenisis. This filled up the world with teeming life, growing a beautiful garment of green for Earth. This stage lasted gazillions of years.

The third world brings the emergence of critters evolving quickly by sexual reproduction, beings with personalities, life forms on the move, finding and developing niches into ecosystems, spreading over the world in waves lasting hundreds of millions of years.

The fourth world is the humans from Earth. The domineering smart creatures that have managed a hostile takeover of Earth so far, and seem to be careening to disaster themselves. They invent politics and war. Also cultures, religion, ethics, some other stuff. Things are moving pretty fast now. Seem to think they are the brains of the Earth.

An Information Age opens, an embryonic world culture begins to form, a shared global brain even.  But they sense they have the potential, even the opportunity, indeed, the urgent need for something...a quantum leap...

The fifth world. This is when we ALL rise to the occasion. How? Good question. Perhaps it's a fill in the blank test?

A Park Won't Do

The natural world, including extending to the furthest reach of the universe, is our habitat, playground, and true spiritual inspiration source. The sacred scripture of creation is written in clouds and bugs, stars and feathers.

There is a famous mayor who made his city great by making the common spaces attractive. Our culture has gone in the direction of having our private homes and gardens be places that we lavish our attention upon and make beautiful. But it is the common spaces that unite the people and bring us together. 

Every day my partner and I go for a walk or a hike in the morning or at lunchtime. These photos are from our walks. We have many beautiful parks and trails around here. Today during our walk in the park, there are volunteers pulling invasive weeds, slowly walking old people, babies in strollers, Olympic class runners flying by, and everyone else in between. 

There are people on all sorts of bikes, skateboard riders, dog walkers, and even some scientists out carefully counting little yellow mallow flowers, an endangered plant species thriving in the middle of the park.(below:)

The world does not have room any more for private nests surrounded by heaps of refuse. We need to extend our concept of parks to the entire planet. It is time to reclaim the commonspace. (from the Flower Child's Garden Planet)

"A park won't do. We want the whole world to play in." -Sunheart

(Below, an edible green growing in the park, Miners Lettuce:)

The Kindom Of Heaven

The world is still magic. I have come to remind you of this just this now. If you are standing on the ground, the rest of you is literally in heaven. Always was, and everyone knows this but maybe forgot, but never totally beyond remembering. Love is the way in; easier said than done. 

"Except ye become as little children, ye shall in no way enter the kindom of heaven"

To become as a little child again is not the same as being childish. To become as a little child again is to be filled with wonder. To become as a little child again is to remember how to trust. To be eager, even wild about learning. 

And playing! Play that is love at work, working so hard at this very, all important, play! What is it you are passionate to do that when you are doing it you are in the 'zone'? Is this work or play? This is the gate to the unexplored dimensions. 

The kindom of heaven is a realm of relatedness, not a top down hierarchy. These are layers and dimensions, possibilities and probabilities, things hoped for and things to be, waiting for your love. The universe is throbbing with energy and magic, mostly invisible and unnoticed except when we stop and be still long enough to harmonize with its flow. 

Try this: at random moments (set an alarm if you want to be really random) just STOP. Be still, listen take stock of what you see, feel, are thinking... Just let it all swirl around your stillness for a moment, the entire immensity of the universe. Then go back into your day, refreshed by the perspective.

Green Wraps

In the neverending story of Omni's attempt to incorporate dark leafy greens into daily life, here is a recipe we have devised at our house:

You need an oven and a steamer for this recipe: 

Throw a potato or two in the oven, bake until done.

Steam a neatly stacked pile of green leaves

(In the steamer they will flatten down and they are easier to peel off if you stack them with this in mind)

For greens, we use chard or beet greens, though collards work well too.

When your spuds are done, stir and chop loosely in your bowl with some:

Olive oil, yeast, tamari, and your fave spices or condiments- dill is good

Avocado chunks

Optional: assorted diced or grated veggies, whatever you like

Now roll up a large spoonful of this mixture in a steamed leaf, and serve!

Yum!

"Skip the diet. Just eat healthy."-unknown