This image was developed from a photo of rock layers. I’ve added in the images of birds as they are symbolic of communication and flight into the unknown as well as an image of the Moon representing the Mysteries resonant in life on Mother Earth.
It seems to me that the Spirit of Rock, whatever form it takes on Planet Earth, is the holder of information throughout the eons of Earth’s existence. Rock Elders are guardians of wisdom through the ages, something we can often overlook as rock communication is subtle and symbolic rather than the oral language we are more accustomed to use to communicate.
The green in this image reflects growth, healing and continuity, something that is easy to overlook given the turmoil on Earth at present. The pink colour relates to the power of Love and its transcendence above the mundane.
Coming back from the beautiful barren North to the lush South was a culture shock at first. We utterly fell in love with the bleakness of the Scotland’s north coast and the Orkneys. Siri and Selma even wanted to stay there! But we also really liked the Outer Hebrides, where our journey started. We saw them as grand and sometimes even subarctic. And we didn’t try that much of the peaty whiskies that we couldn’t do quite some hiking in the mountains.
Von rauer Schönheit des Nordens zurück in den üppigen Süden zu fahren, war zunächst ein Kulturschock für uns. In die Kargheit der schottischen Nordküste und der Orkneys haben wir uns verliebt. Siri und Selma wollten gleich dort bleiben. Aber auch die Outer Hebrides, wo unsere Reise begann, fanden wir einfach großartig, geradezu subarktisch. Wir probierten nicht so viel leckeren torfigen Whisky, dass wir nicht auch einige Bergwanderungen unternehmen konnten.
Creating new communities: concrete canyons in the background, a big wheel representing fun and leisure, and a sweep of orange fire to represent the explosion of creativity a new form of community can give birth to.
I’ve had an interesting couple of days: I felt the urge to create a wrap for a Pink Danburite stone I’ve had for ages in my crystal collection and it’s helped clear the fog head I’ve had from fibromyalgia as well as get clear about my present direction.
Added to this, a friend commented that when I was taking things quietly due to the fibro fog head (it feels like you’ve got cotton wool in your head when you get this flare-up, a condition common with fibromyalgia) I was extremely creative and knocking out art like there was no tomorrow.
So I’ve been reassessing my priorities: to slow down, enjoy my art, and focus on a few areas to share what I create. For years I’ve religiously posted art pieces on FineArt America and Artflakes Europe, with no results whatsoever. There are so many artists posting on these sites that people finding your art is like finding a needle in a haystack. So I’ve decided to focus on just sharing my art on my Facebook timeline, my Facebook page and Instagram. Far less pressure.
But in reachng this decision, I’ve also been thinking about the current upheavals we are facing in our societies – Trump in the US and white nationalism/KKK revival; Brexit in the UK and a rise in racist attacks; extreme right-wing groups sticking their heads up in Europe; rise of anti-refugee sentiment – and wondering if there’s another perspective other than fear and resistance.
When you think about it, we are living in a time where huge changes are taking place in Western society. The contradiction between the growing poverty of the great majority while a small elite gets ever richer can’t be camouflaged any more. More people are getting even more poor, while a very few are hogging the wealth produced by the majority. Wages are being driven down, working conditions are going backwards at a rate of knots, and job security is being ditched as short-term contracts with lousy conditions and zero-hours contracts are booming. With the right-wing governments in the UK, the US and Australia, political leaders are pushing tax cuts for huge conglomerates and super-wealth individuals, dismantling health facilities for the great majority, while prattling on about raising taxes or cutting social programmes for ordinary folk.
What is interesting is that out of all this turmoil are signs of the changes which can herald in new types of participatory communities because people are being compelled to take up action on their own behalf. You see it in town hall meetings; in community groups meeting to support refugees and asylum seekers; people helping the homeless and disadvantaged; co-operative ventures; and mutual support rather than the focus on the individual leading to divide and rule by the corporate elite.
It’s a far cry from when we used to go and vote, dust our hands, and congratulate ourselves on having voiced an opinion at the ballot box. EXCEPT: corporate parties rely on this lack of action between elections to usher through legislation which greases the road for big business and not the rest of us. So it’s time to grow up – to realise that the ballot box is not the saviour of the people, taking independent action is.
If you look back through history you’ll see that changes in the means of production – moving from an agrarian to industrial economy in our own immediate history – have led to hardship for working people as new ways of production inevitably lead to job losses and upheaval. Such changes have always been met with resistance as workers have fought to defend working conditions.
But what would happen if we seize the initiative, recognise that new technology is revolutionising our lives, and actively work to make these changes benefit us instead of trying to hold back technological progress and still dishing up more profits for the already super-wealthy billionaire class?
It seems to me that subversion is the name of the game. If you try to fight on the battlefield established by the corporate elite, you are facing an uphill battle because they have politicians in their pockets and legislation which effectively enforces the rule of the billionaire class while screwing the rest of us. We can develop boycotts as a strategic weapon; support each other by building more community organisations; look to working less hours but with income which meets our needs; building creative outlets so that, as people have more leisure, they can access those outlets; establishing home businesses; supporting local businesses.
This of course is just a wish list because things come into being as people learn, organise and RISE UP!
But just to keep you with a smile on your face, here’s a list posted on Facebook – enjoy:
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it looks like Trump is actually making America great again. Just look at the progress made since the election:
1. Unprecedented levels of ongoing civic engagement.
2. Millions of Americans now know who their state and federal representatives are without having to google.
3. Millions of Americans are exercising more. They’re holding signs and marching every week.
4. Alec Baldwin is great again. Everyone’s forgotten he’s kind of a jerk.
5. The Postal Service is enjoying the influx cash due to stamps purchased by millions of people for letter and postcard campaigns.
6. Likewise, the pharmaceutical industry is enjoying record growth in sales of anti-depressants.
7. Millions of Americans now know how to call their elected officials and know exactly what to say to be effective.
8. Footage of town hall meetings is now entertaining.
9. Tens of millions of people are now correctly spelling words like emoluments, narcissist, fascist, misogynist, holocaust and cognitive dissonance.
10. Everyone knows more about the rise of Hitler than they did last year.
11. Everyone knows more about legislation, branches of power and how checks and balances work.
12. Marginalized groups are experiencing a surge in white allies.
13. White people in record numbers have just learned that racism is not dead. (See #6)
14. White people in record numbers also finally understand that Obamacare IS the Affordable Care Act.
15. Stephen Colbert’s “Late Night” finally gained the elusive #1 spot in late night talk shows, and Seth Meyers is finding his footing as today’s Jon Stewart.
16. “Mike Pence” has donated millions of dollars to Planned Parenthood since Nov. 9th.
17. Trump has succeeded where thousands of history teachers failed – now everybody knows who Frederick Douglass was.
18. Melissa FREAKING McCarthy.
19. Travel ban protesters put $24 million into ACLU coffers in just 48 hours, enabling them to hire 200 more attorneys. Lawyers are now heroes.
20. As people seek veracity in their news sources, respected news outlets are happily reporting a substantial increase in subscriptions, a boon to a struggling industry vital to our democracy.
21. Live streaming court cases and congressional sessions are now as popular as the Kardashians.
22. Massive cleanup of facebook friend lists.
23. People are reading classic literature again. Sales of George Orwell’s “1984” increased by 10,000% after the inauguration. (Yes, that is true. 10,000%. 9th grade Lit teachers all over the country are now rock stars.)
24. More than ever before, Americans are aware that education is important. Like, super important.
25. Now, more than anytime in history, everyone believes that anyone can be President. Seriously, anyone.”
I created this image from a photo I had of one of Saturn’s moons. It was a triple image of the moon so I merged the images then used different features of Toolwiz to intensify the colour.
I hope the colours of this image inspire hope rather than the fear that political leaders and conventional media try to spread these days.
May our spirits fly with courage, compassion,tolerance and kindness!
Psalm 15
Lord, who can be trusted with power,
and who may act in your place?
Those with a passion for justice,
who speak the truth from their hearts;
who have let go of selfish interests
and grown beyond their own lives;
who see the wretched as their family
and the poor as their flesh and blood.
They alone are impartial
and worthy of the people’s trust.
Their compassion lights up the whole earth,
and their kindness endures forever.
Kindness: it’s easy to get overwhelmed by negative stories which hit the headlines, but over Christmas I’ve been encouraged to feel more positive by reading about the kindness of ordinary people: those who provided free meals for the homeless; those who gave out parcels of goodies to the homeless; food banks which support those in need; someone giving a waitress a large tip to help with her college fees; and many more.
I trust in the power of love and in the power of people’s goodness and kindness – my gifts from Santa Claus this Christmas!
This is a video I made to explain in more detail the elements of the energy mandala I created to honour Planet Earth and the water protectors at Standing Rock.
I created this from a photo I took of the moon a couple of nights ago with clouds sending shadows over its surface. It was around 5am when I let the dogs into the garden. Called it Moonshadow as it reminded me of the song of the same name by Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens). #aedm2016
