Wow, here we are at the end of another month! I don’t know about you, but my relationship with time always feels full of surprises. On one hand it literally feels like only a couple days ago I was celebrating Samhain and setting up my Day of the Dead altar and whoosh here we are turning another calendar page. And yet, also this week I’ve been experiencing a spaciousness around things as well, as though time were stopped and allowing me to really be present. It’s such an interesting dance, isn’t it?
It really feels like I’ve really been holding out my hands and receiving an overflowing of blessings. I hope you have as well. Here are some of the ingredients in my Gratitude Gumbo this week.
1. My Inspiration Muse has arrived and she’s brought a boat load of ideas. I’m doing my part by providing papers, sketchbooks, journals, and lots of colored pens to make sure I capture these delicious morsels as they’re being sprinkled about.
2. My We’Moon 2013 calendar/datebook arrived. I’ve been using these forever, and while of course I keep an online calendar I have no intention of giving up my paper version as well. It’s such a delight to find a feminist publication that’s been carrying on for 30 years! This beauty is filled with astrological info, lots of art and writings, and is themed every year. For 2013 it’s “The Other Side” which feels so inviting, so provocative, so juicy as we move beyond 2012. I have a little ritual I love where I sit down with my new We’Moon sometime around Yule and start filling in important dates. It’s part of my closing out the old and opening the new rituals that I find so helpful.
3. Speaking of feminist institutions, I’m also grateful for a local Chicago institution that’s celebrating their 20-year anniversary this year – Woman Made Gallery. Their mission statement says its “goal is to support women in the arts by providing opportunities, awareness and advocacy. It specifically accomplishes this through exhibitions which raise public awareness and recognition of women’s cultural contributions.” And that’s all true. They are a wonderful oasis of brilliance and I would love and support them no matter what for all the important work they do. But they’ve blessed me on a personal level as well, and I will be eternally grateful to them. Back when they first beginning, in a store front in my friend’s neighborhood, finding them was one of those life-altering experiences. They welcomed me, encouraged me, and let me first try on the title artist, loving and supporting me in all my awkwardness growing into myself. I am so grateful and offer a particular heart-felt thank you to Beate Minkowski, the Executive Director for her never-ending kindness.
4. This week I’m also grateful for some very helpful conversations about archetypes. I have a great love for archetypes – it’s such a rich and deep lens through which to explore. And this year I’ve been inviting in more and more opportunities to define the archetypes that are most influential to me. I have lots and lot to say about this, but for now I’m celebrating The Queen as an energy that’s holding much fascination for me. And I was so delighted to find this piece that made its way to me in the most perfect synchronicity. I’m thinking of creating an Archetype Altar and she’ll be finding a place on there no doubt.
5. I carved out some curling-up-with-a-good-book time this week, and that felt really good. I love reading and while I do a considerable amount of it, I’m feeling like this year has been a bit scant in that area. Particularly in the fiction department. I like mysteries, but I also really enjoy urban fantasies that have a mythic bent, like the stuff Charles de Lint creates. Give me a Crow Girl story any day and I’m a happy camper. I’ve been looking for a new series to get hooked into and this summer I read the first book in the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness – A Discovery of Witches. This week I finished the second book Shadow of Night. While waiting for the third book to be published, I’m looking for new distractions. I welcome suggestions.
That’s a peek at some of my joys this week. What are you celebrating? What’s been a blissful blessing – or as I’ve now officially declared them- blissings? Do tell.
My gratitude gumbo for this week: I love to create digital graphics, photoshop and on line stationery. Over the years I learned how to build websites. I have been the content manager of the webiste of a volunteer organisation here in Holland, a Weekend school. They had a ready made website when I joined almost 5 years ago. A new website is needed — I was hoping to get the ‘job’ and today I heard I did! I am chosen to create it. I’m so very proud! So Gratitude galore for me!
Blessings to all that read this and share my happiness!
Oh that’s exciting news Karin – congratulations! And I’m sure they’ll be grateful to have your artful and creative expertise. A nice loop. 😉
Looks like you have much to be grateful for! I love that you love archetypes – I share that love and enjoyed reading here and will be back to see what else you have on that topic.
Great Michele! There will be much discussing of archetypes here in 2013. I’ve been contemplating an organized way to explore this and I think I’ve come up with some ideas. Stay tuned. 🙂
What wonderful things to be grateful for! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by Julie.
The archetypes intrigued me as well, Deborah. When I read that, I had a thought that I want to maybe do a segment or series on archetypes because they are beautifully tribal and enlightening as a tool for our self-discovery. Art is a great way to work with archetypes. The energy of each one is so unique. I was also intrigued by your women’s art gallery. Sounds fun!
A couple of years ago, I had the essene calendar which was very helpful to me. Each year, I usually have something that has either the moon phases or something in it to keep track of the seasons properly, especially in our Minnesota winters where so much of it is spent indoors. What a lovely visual you created with your ritual of sitting down and considering your plans for the year as you write them into your lovely book .Thank you.
Archetypes are such a rich field for exploring aren’t they Amy? I’d love to see you do a series on them.
Finding ways to following the rhythm of the seasons is always a delight to me as well. Have you seen the ECOlogical calendars that are 12×36 inch panels – one for each season. Although I haven’t used them for a number of years, they’re lovely and filled with information.