Sunday, March 28, 2010

Palm Sunday reflections

On Palm Sunday I attended a concert at the fabulous St. Josaphat Basilica in Milwaukee. While reading through the program I came across this little essay by a gentleman named Harvey Taylor. It was too lovely not to share. Here it is: I spoke with my friend,Maria, long ago, a conversation during a potluck, about her work as a midwife. She told me that a Cherokee medicine person she's apprenticed with taught her that in times of planetary peril, with chronic warfare and the destruction of Nature, highly-evolved beings stream into the world, like firefighters to an inferno, cosmic first-responders. I keep encountering people who remind me of what Maria said, vigorous elders, wise adults, radiant children ... and when I meet babies, I tell them, telepathically, Welcome, Friend...make yourself at home - we need all the help we can get.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

My Love Affair with the Buddha

Iconography is an artisitic endeavor, but even more it is a spiritual exercise. Each icon is a spiritual text illustrating spiritual principles and teachings, as sacred as the most revered holy works of the world's great religious. While writing this icon I was privileged to be immersed in the radiant presence of The Buddha. One of the great perks of iconography! Whenever I felt a shiver of insecurity or a wave of self-doubt regarding my ability to carry out this undertaking I felt a profound sense of calm washing over me, slaying the inner dragons that were roaring at the door. Into the ground pigments and semi-precious stones I added fragrant incense from Tibetan lamas, kindly donated by my Buddha-buddy Rich and mixed water blessed by the water crystals of Masaru Emoto into the pigment mixtures. Overtone chanting nourished the process and helped to hold the spiritual energy as the image took shape.