Dwayne: ,We were on a road trip for this New Moon painting session, returning from Calgary where we had attended my grandson Logan's first birthday celebration. We left Calgary on the morning of the New Moon and headed west, not knowing exactly where we would end up. Soon the message came loud and clear that Canyon Hot Springs just outside of Revelstoke, BC, would be perfect for us.

Teresa: In the last couple of lunations, we had moved through the "heavies": Etznab the knife, and Cauac the storm. I was looking forward to Ahau, solar mind, union, fulfillment. Images flowed in through daydreams and during the meditation just before taking up the paintbrushes; images of brilliant light, mandalas, etheric veils and layers of pastel colors. A vision moved towards me and I dove in with enthusiasm.

Dwayne: .When I realized Terry had received a strong message during the meditation, I assumed a supportive role in order to nurture her impulse. I became a part of the power behind the creative process she was channeling through her brush.

Teresa: I felt that the manifestation on the canvas was not ME, but the primordial union of Yin and Yang, of feminine and masculine forces. The image, although still developing, was extremely evocative to me. At one point I felt a door open up and I entered a magnificent world. The Lightning Path is a chakra-by-chakra journey and in this 6th Moon, I felt I had accessed the essence of the 6th chakra: vision.

Dwayne: .Because I was still in the formative stages of visioning, I did not share T's creative fervor. I became conflicted, feeling that there needed to be something darker and heavier come into the picture . I had trouble voicing this because I feared that doing so would hurt T's feelings. She was swimming in the light and here I was, calling for something dark and heavy! When I did manage to express my ideas, my presentation met with considerable resistance. She had a clear idea of where she was meant to go. Rather than confront her, I simply withdrew from the struggle. In my mind, the painting was becoming hers. I worked internally to release myself from any attachment to being heard.

Teresa: I felt his withdrawal, and , of course, it was intolerable in light of our intention to co-create. At this point we stopped painting and sat in meditation. We needed to understand this shadow which had appeared within all the brilliance I had been swimming in. I wanted to be sure that it was not due to anything I was doing or not doing.

Dwayne : I looked deeply into our process and began to get in touch with my part in the disconnection. I was assisted in this by the Secret Dakini Oracle. Each of our New Moon sessions involves randomly drawing one of its 64 cards cards and the one we had drawn for this occasion was number 26: "Mean and Heavy". The card refers to Hindu Goddess Kali, the enemy of illusion, who insists on essential authenticity in all interactions. This, of course, included our painting process as well.

The question arose: "How do we love and honor each other without losing respect for our own path, our own power? "

I suggested that we return to a consideration of our original rules of engagement:

We take turns with the brush.

Each of us has complete authority to make changes during our turn, no matter what the other person voices about our actions.

We take whatever time is reasonable and necessary to complete our act.

During the time we are not painting, it is incumbent upon us to withhold judgment or expectation about what the other person is or is not doing. Rather, we are to pay close attention to what is actually happening before us in order to discern clearly where to go when it is our turn again.

Teresa : I proposed an addendum:

We must agree on whether or not the change being made to the existing image is furthering the vision, as far as we can see it.

The addendum brought into focus an issue central to the whole painting process and forced us to look at our fundamental motivation for participating.

The question arose: What happens when we begin blank, with no vision, and the other has such a strong one? .. Is there a place where we can be tentative with our own journey, still be included, when the other is so sure of what he or she thinks needs to be done?

I think what finally happened for us came from just letting go of it all, the ego, the vision, the concept, even the painting itself.