Reception at the Lowell Area Arts Council

Here are a few photos from my Opening Reception at the Lowell Area Arts Council titled, "Art and Transformation: Healing Traditions Around the World." It was a great day to have my reception, as I found out the next day that there was a Full Moon in Aries. I have been working on my North Node in Aries. This means I am supposed to be taking care of my needs first, before worrying about what other people think or need. This seemed to fit perfectly, as I had the support from my friends and family who were allowing me to fully take in my accomplishments. Thank you to eveyone who came out that day! It was a great time.

New improved art studio

Ever since I closed my art gallery in February of 2008, I have been working out of a small room that I made into my art studio. Because it was not big enough to do my heavy duty assemblages, I began using the laundry room, as it had a tool bench in it. When I would work on my assemblage pieces, I always ended up in the windowless room working on top of the washer and dryer at times.

After taking a feng shui class, I realized that a room in our basement with the fireplace was actually the "relationship room" on the bagua map. My husband and I didn't use the room very often. Most of the time we just walked through it, as if it were a hallway. My husband is a musician and writes his own songs. He was working out of a small room as well. I decided to make the fireplace room our art and music studio. My husband liked the idea.

Now that it is finished, I can't believe we didn't think of it before! We both are enjoying it so much already. It is enhancing our relationship, because now we are creating new art and music together. I can only imagine how nice it will be in the winter when we can use the fireplace!

Homeopathy

I first was introduced to homeopathy 4 years ago. I learned about it through an unfortunate accident that happened to my dog, Moon Shadow. Moon Shadow jumped out of our car, (while we were still driving), which caused her to paralyze her front leg. We took her to an alternative vet, which is how we eventually started using homeopathy. You can read more about Moon Shadow by looking at the June 2008 blog.

Homeopathy is a way of treating symptoms in an ill person with a homeopathic medicine that causes similar symptoms in a healthy person. This is based on what the homeopaths call "The Law of Similars" where like cures like. This is very similar to the way that a vaccination works. With the vaccine, the goal is to aid and stimulate the body's own defense and immune system. With homeopathic medicines, the goal is to stimulate the body's own healing life force by clearing away the poison / pathology with the "like" substance. Homeopathic substances come from a variety of plants, animal materials and minerals. These medicines are prescribed to fit each individual's needs, given in much smaller and less toxic doses than traditional medications, and are used for both prevention and treatment.

I used homeopathy on and off for the last four years for colds, pains, and injuries. I was surprised at how well it actually worked and relieved my symptoms. Then at the Great Lakes Retreat of 2008, I learned about a homeopath named Moshe Daniel. He talked about using homeopathy for emotional and spiritual imbalances, as well. I was very excited about this new information. I decided to make an appointment and give it a try! I wasn't exactly sure what my issue was or what I wanted treated. However, after our first appt. it became clear. I was struggling with my own individuation and breaking free from all the rules "society" placed on me. I was being ruled by all of the expectations that society has. I longed to be my own person and to make my own decisions that were not based on guilt or shame. Moshe saw a very similar problem that Scarlet Macaws face. Scarlet Macaws are group oriented and yet they have a need for self expression. They long to be free and wild, yet they face being entraped by group "rules" and are also entraped physically by people who capture them in the wild to be sold as "pets." They have a need to express themselves, while still being an integral part of their group or society. This description fit me to a tee as well. It was set, we had my remedy!

After taking my remedy on and off for the next several months, I have noticed a big change. I know more of who I am and what I want. I feel free to move towards my goals with no guilt. At first it caused me to question all of my motives. Why was I doing this? Is it because my heart is telling me to or is it because I feel obligated and guilty? Now with everything I do, it is because it is my true calling. My heart is telling me to go for it, not because I was told that this is what I "should be" doing. What a huge break through! I feel like I am moving towards more freedom in my life.

If you would like to research more about homeopathy or make an appointment with Moshe Daniel, his website is http://www.david-house-productions.com Go to the "Alternative Medicine" section on his website.

The photograph is of my most recent painting depicting my experiences with the Scarlet Macaw remedy.

I had my dear friend, Marca, (pronounced Marsa), visit me a couple of weeks ago. She and I met when we were in kindergarten. Marca tells me that I used to tie her shoes for her. Even though I don't remember that, it is nice someone else does. We have been friends all of our lives. It is wonderful having a friend that has known you through all of the ups and downs in your lifetime. She plays a major role in my life of being able to ground myself again, when I am feeling off balance. She now lives in Colorado, but we manage to keep in touch and to see each other every year.

I took Marca to all of the fun places where I love to find interesting artifacts and found objects. My most favorite place is called Sunset Junque, located in Fennville, Mi. It is a place like no other. They have the most interesting pieces of sculpture, old buggies, beautiful old doors, mannequins from nativity scenes, confessional booths, etc, etc. We had so much fun photographing that we were there for 2 hours! I am including some of the photos from our excursion.

Moon Shadow, the art muse

Moon Shadow, a 6 year old schipperke, is my art muse and friend. She has taught me many things since we got her as a puppy. I believe she was brought into my life to teach me about health and healing. When she was 3 years old, she paralyzed her front left leg. She did this as we were taking her to the park in our little convertible. She got so excited that she jumped out of the car. Sadly, she did not regain feeling in that leg. This began our journey to natural health and homeopathy. I started to take her to a homeopathic vet and learned a great deal about how the body can heal itself in time, if given the proper food and nutrition. I started to make her own food, stopped giving her vaccinations, and instead took other precautions such as, a rabies tither which can check the level of protection she has in her body. This caused me to start seeing a naturopath to start my own healing. I learned through many different tests and iridology what was going on inside my body. This helped explain my exhaustion and fatigue. Now after 2 years, I have much more energy and eat a lot more healthier. Moon Shadow has been inspiration to both me and my husband. She acts as if there is nothing wrong, and she still can tear around the house.

In the next few months, this blog will highlight the different walks and excursions I go on with Moon Shadow. Sometimes we even go dumpster diving for scrap metal and found objects. Now you can see where my creativity comes from.