on a rant

does meditation make me even more sensitive?
people are driving me crazier than usual this week.
jonathan fields is wondering why blogging is making him fat, when he lists a series of injuries that seem to be preventing him from working out like he did in his 20's. but i didn't see the words "physical therapy" anywhere.
why does this raise the hairs on my neck? because i want a yoga guy to know better. then again, maybe that isn't fair of me.
for some reason i give a pass to my karate grandmaster and most of the teachers who instruct us to do things that I KNOW are bad for our bodies. And I do them anyway, or DO IT MY WAY when i can.
Still, this is the thing that makes me nuts. If you're in the business of physical exercise of any kind, you should be up to the moment on what works, what doesn't and the latest in technique, even if your art is thousands of years old.
And another thing...
another day.
May your day be filled with the Magic Medicine of paying attention to your muscles and tendons, and ligaments and joints and bones. And getting the help you need for every injury.

hard core dharma

The voice in my head: Where to start?
Answer: Start where you are.
I'm taking the audio version of Hardcore Dharma at The Interdependence Project. Which works for me because I just don't have a free evening. Each week I download an MP3, keep up with the readings, and try to soak up as much as I can. Not being in the room makes a big difference.
It's difficult not to multi-task while listening to the audio. But that's one of the points of this. To make a commitment not to multi-task. And it's astonishing to realize how much I am multi-tasking all the time. Although to be honest, what I've noticed more than my multi-tasking, is how much I rush through things in order to get to the next.
This morning was the first morning I had all to myself, without any need to rush to the office, so I was able to sit for longer than the 10 minure minimum. And what a difference that makes. Walking across 28th Street to the subway, my mind wasn't so filled with chatter, and my eyes and ears were resting more comfortably in the sights and sounds along the way.
The last several weeks have felt like the city's been screaming at me. Not a moment of quiet or peace. Even the 4th of July, 3 day weekend at home felt unrestful.
But now, the hum of the air conditioner in the office sounds like a white noise lullaby.
My breathing is steady and deep.
I fell back to 10 minute sessions in an attempt to stick to the 7 day meditation vow each week. 10 minutes is easy to do no matter how little time you have. But having the opportunity to sit for my more normal half hour is so much more fruitful.
Yet, one of the interesting things I've picked up in this course is something I know so well in karate, and seem to forget too easily in everything else. Consistency is key. And every sit is different. No need to judge. The most important part is showing up.
The fact that my 10 minute sits were not restful isn't a reflection so much of the medititation time, but of what life has been feeling like.
This morning's half hour, leisurely meditation reflected on the actual time and space I was in. An empty apartment, no pressing appointments, no pressure.
May your day be filled with the Magic Medicine of time to sit and to breathe.

would you rather shop or make something?

Maybe it's the rain, but I had a hankering to go to Ocean State Job Lot to pick up more plastic containers to organize my studio. Or, head over to New Paltz to buy a pair of tie die yoga pants that I've been yearing for. Instead, I stopped at a yard sale on my way home, picked up a vintage wicker settee for just $30 bucks to replace the 20 year old shredded sofa on the porch. And they even drove it to the house for me.
In a somewhat constant state of transition, I was having trouble settling into just being home. Larry had already left for the airport, and it had been a busy week with my nephew visting on his way from Isreal to sell Dead Sea Products in a DC mall.
And, it was raining. As good a reason as any to go shopping... but the itch was stronger to hole up in my studio, despite the chaos, and work on a project I've been thinking about for months.
I drink almond milk, and tossing the cartons out always gives me pause. I put them in the recycle bin, but not really sure if these cartons with waxed paper outside, and foil inside actually can be recycled. In theory of course they can. But are they?
Reuse is actually better than recycling. And I've had a pile of these hanging around for a while with the intent to make a large tote from them. I hit a snag when I realized that the sewing machine couldn't manuever some of the necessary seams. And after a bit of agonizing, realized that duct tape was the perfect tool!
So for my next attempt I am going to skip the sewing altogether, and go straight for the duct tape. There were some great online tutorials for making change purses from juice cartons. All very kid friendly.
I of course opted to intuit the construction realizing that I don't actually follow directions well at all. And I have to say, I was sooooo satisfied with the result. And so glad I'd opted for studio time instead of shopping.
At the end of the day, shopping always leaves me rather fuzzy headed and psychically exhausted. Making things leaves me feeling pleasantly spent, like a good work out.
So I'm thinking I can use this as a way to save a bit more money these days. If I give myself the option of making something, anything, instead of shopping each time I get the urge. We'll see what happens.
May your day be filled with the Magic Medicine of making something out of your garbage instead of shopping for things that create more waste...
Get the book: Magic Medicine: Rx for Creativity now, at Lulu.com, order directly from me, or keep an eye out on Amazon.

another amazing omega adventure

Back from a week at Omega where I do an artist's residency each year. As always, a whirlwind. And this time, way too short. I had the amazing blessing of taking 2 workshops with visionary artist Randal Roberts.
I'm 3-d girl, so painting and drawing are a real challenge for me. But Randal got me diving into both with surrealistic divining techniques that blew my heart, mind and hands way open. There's nothing like the feeling of "hey, I can do this!". I can't wait to keep the pencil and brush going.
Meanwhile... in my own 3 d explorations I created a series from the paper that tea bags come in. Been collecting them for years. Using them to create prayer beads. And now:
Tea-Betan Prayer Flags, Tea-Betan Prayer Wheel and Tea-Betan Book of the Dead.
With gracious thanks to Nico for coming up with the name, which definitely pulls the concept together.
I love a collaboration that just pops into being like that. Nico walked into the art hut one day and just tossed it out. Fit like a glove.
Pics to come soon. Of all this and more.
So stir up a little Magic Medicine of your own with a pencil, a brush, some watercolors. Or just a bunch of garbage you haven't thrown out yet.
May your day be filled with love.

i want to go to this school

School of Life