With the arrival of the New Moon, we have entered into the 11th Moon cycle of the current Lunar Year. This implies that the time is ripe for everyone aligned with The Lightning Path to invoke in their lives a combination of at least some of the aspects associated with 11 CHICCHAN: Dwayne : I find it very pleasurable to sit meditatively in front of an empty canvas, painting materials at the ready, poised on the verge of adventure, not knowing what to expect next but nonetheless sensing the close proximity of the muse. When inspiration comes, I treat it as a blessing, a true gift from the spiritual realm. This month's painting session with Terry began in much the same way as the many previous sessions we have shared. Ritual preparations included a thorough cleansing of the space, creation of special food, the lighting of candles and the drawing of a single divination card from The Secret Dakini Oracle. Up came Dakini 6: Wish Fulfilling Gem, the most potent boon card in the deck! Teresa : This painting was a marvelous gift. During our morning meditation I had seen a mandala with hot orange and red surrounded by blues and purples, and during our lovemaking beheld the Divine couple entwined and engulfed in sparks and flames of energy. Dwayne had done a sketch in the morning which included a serpent holding the harmonic sphere of number eleven. But entering the painting we cleared all this and opened up to our instincts. Dwayne had the first turn this time, and set about with ruler and square, laying out a precise symmetrical field. I then set about filling it with color, trying to bring in what I had seen in my mind's eye. It flowed out of my brush with a vitality and passion that was breathtaking. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and worked together beautifully. Right at the moment of the New Moon Dwayne began creating a song using Apple's new Garageband software and soon manifested an amazing soundtrack for the painting. This opened up a whole new aspect to the process! We felt so grateful for the intimacy we shared, and the gifts we were given. "The Wishfulfilling Gem"was a most appropriate Dakini to pull, corresponding to the Lovers in the Tarot. Dwayne : To see such a magical image emerge from the simple grid I initially sketched is truly a delight. The process took most of two days and during the sleeptime in between, Terry got strong guidance that two I Ching hexagrams , the Creative (six solid lines) and the Receptive (six broken lines) should be placed on the grid and I agreed wholeheartedly .They represent abstractly the fundamental polarity of forces we commonly refer to as masculine/feminine, ligh/dark, active/passive, day/night etc. Their presence accentuates the primordial nature of the inner psycho/spiritual territory in which we found ourselves during our painting process. They are located on either side of the central circle to thus enhance their polarized , yet harmonious, relationship.
END NOTES As in previous painting sessions, we look to writings by or about other artists in a quest to expand our understanding of what it is to be an artist. This month, with hieroglyph CHICCHAN referring to the direction East, it is most appropriate that we looked East to New York's visionary artist Alex Grey for inspiration and education. We listened a good portion of his excellent audio tape titled The Visionary Artist available from his website. |
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