Thursday 29 September 2011

Why Ritual?

I do hope that my stories of miraculous healings, and how they came about, plus some metaphysical meanderings as well as my daily life, will fill your days with hope, healing, creativity and the Great Mystery.
Cheers

C.M.W


On September 23rd at 9.04am Southern Hemisphere witnessed the Spring, or vernal, Equinox.
The word equinox comes from the Latin meaning of `equal night`. It is a time when the sun crosses directly over the equator and therefore day and night are of equal lengths. Of course the further away from the equator you are results in a change of night and day lengths although not very obvious.
All over the world different cultures and religions celebrate the Spring equinox and the Persian new year actually begins on the first day of spring. Rituals and services are usually to do with welcoming new life, hope and gratitude and respect for the creator. A time for coming together to sing and rejoice as well as for unity and reflection.
Many groups in Australia celebrated this day focusing on nature`s regeneration, fertility, new life, emotional growth and rebirth - inner and outer. Rituals were part of many celebrations.


SOUL FOOD
Sacred rituals provide a safe unified space where participants can leave behind the day to day drama, suffering and anxiety, and come into a place of reverence where the soul, our innermost core, can recharge and be filled with union with the Divine.
Most of us get swept away by our ego`s game of separation. We forget that we are of love.
Sacred rituals can bring us back into alignment, to the place of love. To our true selves. Ritual can be the wind beneath our wings, offering hope and lifting us up so that we can move forward.

     GOOD MEDICINE FOR OURSELVES, FOR EACH OTHER AND FOR OUR PLANET
                                 
                                          Clapping thunder
                                          Rolled in
                                          Rain washed away
                                          Yesterday`s sin

                                          Cleansing soul
                                          My body revived
                                          I learned to see
                                          My world as contrived
                                          By me alone
                                          To strip away
                                          The ego`s way
                                          That separates us from home

RITUALS IN EVERYDAY LIFE


Before I start painting I  perform my own little ritual to take me out of my usual habits and life patterns. My ritual transmutes my previous head-space and carries me into an 'artistic space'.
I vacuum up everything in range of the vacuum cleaner, I light a 'special' incense stick, put on a jazz CD and relax into `the artist` me. Ready for action.
I have another little preparatory ritual that I perform before writing books etc. Each ritual is specific for the activity. Both are triggers to snap into the artist mould and out of the Grandma mould. It works for me!
Rituals take you out of the small mind and into the infinite mind where anything is possible. The space between the words.
When people commence meditation classes a little ritual like lighting a candle after cleaning their meditation space,helps  to relax and prepare for stilling the mind.


I`m off to light my candle now, before doing some' distant' healing,
Take care
Love CMW

Thursday 22 September 2011

International Peace Day

I do hope that my stories of miraculous healings, and how they came about, plus some metaphysical meanderings as well as my daily life, will fill your days with hope, healing, creativity and the Great Mystery.
Cheers

C.M.W


                                           MAY  PEACE  PREVAIL  ON  EARTH

Peace and Unity Shirt
On Wednesday 21st September it was International Peace Day, a day devoted to spreading peace amongst all nations as well as to the preservation of all life on Mother Earth. It is a day for reflection. It is a day for realizing and reinstating thoughts of responsibility, compassion and unity.

This year we spent a lovely afternoon of ritual and sharing at Mt Samson`s Kupidabin Cultural Association`s celebration. Kupidabin`s mission statement is:  'To create a place where indigenous people and other cultural groups can interconnect by sharing ceremonies, music, wisdom and knowledge'
The association aims to:
                                        Foster leadership & integrity
                                        Encourage positive change
                                        Promote understanding among peoples


Bagpipes Filled the Forest and Warmed Our Hearts
After 'Welcoming us to Country' and the initial ceremony completed, bagpipes were played. The Peace Fire Ceromony followed finishing with a meditation for peace.

Beginning of the Peace Fire Ceremony

12 year old Violinists Rawhinia & Astar

Bagpipes played once more and also the talented young twin violinists Astar and Rawhinia serenaded us, with a few concertos, as we enjoyed our afternoon tea. A lovely afternoon was shared by all.

It`s wonderful to see people coming together with the spirit of unity and sharing.
If you want to learn more about Kupidabin, and their activities, the website is:  http://www.kupidabin.org/  

Until next time,
Peace to all
Cheers CMW

                                 

Monday 12 September 2011

Waiting

I do hope that my stories of miraculous healings, and how they came about, plus some metaphysical meanderings as well as my daily life, will fill your days with hope, healing, creativity and the Great Mystery.
Cheers

C.M.W


'Waiting' is one of a series of paintings to do with the I Ching, or Book of Changes, a Chinese oracle.
Through the years the I Ching became a book of wisdom becoming one of the Five Classics of Confucianism providing a common source for both Confucian and Taoist philosophy. Just as reality presents itself differently to each and every one of us, and within that process layers upon layers of possibilities and truths may be revealed to each of us depending on our angle of perspective, the I Ching throws light on to possibilities and truths relating to our position in time and space at that particular moment.

In my paintings there are always layers upon layers of possible meanings. At the time of painting this particular series I was entrenched in researching anything and everything about health and healing
the body, mind and spirit as I had miraculously recovered from advanced terminal ovarian cancer and was gearing up to sharing this information via audio recordings.

'Waiting ( Nourishment)' / 'Hsu' 
All things have need for nourishment from God and later in the form of food from below. Our emotions also need to be nourished with right thinking, foregiveness, release and expression. Movement often can become blocked. Right nourishment including food, thoughts, words and actions can initiate great changes in body, mind and spirit.
The left-hand side of the painting represents our network of interwoven emotions. The yellow vertical, with outlines of building blocks, represents looking at emotions from a Yang, or logic,perspective, the base needed for change. The red symbolizes creative constructive action taking place and is connected to the food digested, and needed, for transmutation of emotional pain.
In numerology the number five is about change and movement. It is also often called the number of mankind.

Evolution is creatively constructive and is connected to spirit
Involution is creatively destructive and is working alone

Anger, depression, fear are all slow involutionary vibrations. Unfortunately like attracts like. So if we are in any of these states we actually automatically reach for a cigarette, something sweet to eat, create more arguments, lock ourselves away or maybe listen to load screaming music, our soppy sad music that makes us cry, or wallow in our emotions. The trick is to see through the ego`s game - to step out of the game and put on happy music, eat good healthy food and go for a walk. A change in vibration can always be uncomfortable and initially, and purposely doing a few simple positive things can recharge your batteries and allow you to see your reactions to the problems more clearly. Then, and only then it is time for processing and releasing the anguish and suffering. Moving forward.

When I wrote my book A Pocket Full of Gold I decided to write a thin sketch of my life so my readers could get to know me before plunging them into the necessities for healing. As I was writing down a sliver of my life other awful memories popped up out of nowhere. Buried treasure that had been lost for years.
My immediate reaction, along with huge discomfort, was to put on my runners and quickly get out of the house and go for a run. Please note a run, not a nice quiet walk. I wanted to escape.
I would reach the top of the drive and then sheepishly turn around and go back to face the music. I would go back into the house, quietly lie down, think of my reactions and the heartache/fear and panic I was feeling, and then listen to Brandon Bays The Journey. I would then process and transmute those hideous feelings, changing them into warmth and love. Thanks Brandon.

Until next time,
Cheers, CMW

Monday 5 September 2011

Poetry Touches the Soul

I do hope that my stories of miraculous healings, and how they came about, plus some metaphysical meanderings as well as my daily life, will fill your days with hope, healing, creativity and the Great Mystery.
Cheers

C.M.W


I was asked to read some of my poetry at a Primary School evening of entertainment. Surprisingly the staff wanted me to recite a few of my 'meaningful' poems. At the time I wondered how seven through to thirteen year olds (who were usually hard for even some of the teachers to control) would be able to take in any of my readings, never mind sit still and be quiet. Anyhow I finally agreed.


Whilst reciting to the children, and their parents, the stillness in the room was so load that I was taken aback! You could have heard a pin drop
This was one of the poems that I read. It has no title.


                                                   Disappearing
                                                   Into the mirror
                                                   I watched myself
                                                   Within it all
                                                   Hiding

                                                   Woven fabric
                                                   New and old
                                                   With flecks of me
                                                   In stories told
                                                   Of waves crashing
                                                   Rolling thunder
                                                   Wind howling
                                                   Going under
                                                   Then
                                                   Surfacing
                                                   Sky becomes blue
                                                   Cleansed
                                                   And vision more true

                                                   Softly very softly
                                                   Pushing us to see
                                                   God calls out
                                                   Look at me!
                                                   Look at me!

                                                   I'm here
                                                   Within the garden
                                                   In the fruit
                                                   Hanging on that tree
                                                   In the whispering wind
                                                   That catches hair
                                                   In song of bumble bee
                                                   I`m here I`m there
                                                   I`m everwhere
                                                   For everyone to see

                                                   When
                                                   You look in the mirror
                                                   You are looking at me!


    The weeks following the readings little children would run up to me in the street to tell me that they loved the poetry! Somehow the poetry had touched their souls. The rhythm, the music of the words, had moved them. It had transported them into the space between the words, beyond the intellect, where heart unites with soul. This is why I love poetry. It moves me in no other way. Connects me to beauty and deeper realms of existence.


See previous posts for more poetry and art to do with creation


Until next time
Cheers CMW