Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Artist Way
Recently I have been consuming books from the library. I have read
The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine by Sue Monk Kidd. I picked it up because I have been into dancing lately and I have read a couple of her other books and loved them. I was touched the core of my being while reading this book. I needed to see that others were fed up with the patriarchal thinking in the Christian church and how they danced this spiritual journey to freedom. I have always felt the spiritual part of my being in a strong way. Yet while in the Christan church I sensed that by being a woman I was a second class citizen I have felt it in society at times as well. The weekend after reading this book I encountered two former male pastors and I did not feel anything bad towards them. This was a true miracle.
I have read Sacred Contract by Caroline Myss. I felt led to it by my journey back to my spiritual being. In the first chapter she talked about the DVD The Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell. I had checked out that same DVD with the book. This sent sparkles through my body as well has some dancing feet. While doing the Sacred Contract wheel from the book I cast my artist archetype in my spiritual house. It is starting to make sense to me. My spirituality is connected to the artist in me. That is why when one is messed up it so strongly affects the other. Then I watched the DVD and Joseph Campbell says that artist are the myth tellers of modern day. Again artist intertwined with spirituality.
I noticed a book in my case at home entitled The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. Oh yeah I was going to read that book someday. Well Sunday November 23rd 2008 is that day. I knew meshing artist with spirituality was the stretch of road I am on now. While flipping through it I noticed that I had written the date that I had purchased it in the front cover, it was November 28th, 2003.
It came flooding back to me, this was the Friday after Thanksgiving 2003. This was two days after I had buried my18 year old son Andrew. I had gotten up the courage to go shopping or better yet to go out in public by myself. I could do this.... or could I? Just "go" I told myself. I did it. I wanted to say to people who were so busy shopping and going on with their lives that "what you are doing is NOT SO IMPORTANT...I just buried my son." It just felt so unreal. I was very proud of myself I did not disrupt any ones black Friday shopping experience. I guess I thought I needed some art therapy to heal through this experience. My intention with a degree in psychology was to do art therapy.
I am beginning this 12 week Artist Way program that the book takes you through. Starting today I am purchasing a new notebook to get started on the morning writing that is one of the requirements of the course. Another one is an artist date. Where you take the artist within you on a date every week. I already have an idea for one of the dates...going ice skating...aka dancing on frozen water...winter mermaid.
I will keep everyone updated on the journey. I will have completed the path to higher creativity course at the beginning of March. I was thinking about taking some classes and this will be a good winter one.
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