I'm interested immediately to read the wonderful invocations to Maa, but also to see the additional versions of myths involving Her too. The one I am familiar with has Her saving a town/city from the demon Raktabija and his army. All of the gods failed to defeat him partially because of the nature of his army, each time one demon was slain their blood hit the ground and 100/1000 more sprang up. From Durga's third eye leapt out the newly born goddess Kali (part of why She was naked) and She took up weapons and defeated the demon army by decapitating them and drinking their blood (why Her tongue is out of Her mouth). In one of Her hands She holds his head with a cup or bowl catching the blood.
Continuing my reading it seems either I am familiar with another myth or with a combination of myths for there is mention of Her wild, frenzied dance with Shiva wherein She almost kills Him.
I had heard of Her association with the Thuggees, and briefly at once about cemeteries as well. I was aware that Calcutta was Her city (and this is partially why I would like to visit it).
I am part of an online group - Daughter of Kali - and I think I would like to participate in puja from now own, at least to Her.
I think a good way to work with Her would be through dance obviously - especially ecstatic dance - and through training with martial arts and weaponry as a meditative practice (defense rather than offense).
It was interesting to learn the meaning of some of Her symbols, particularly the colors.
I think making a pledge for the two weeks we were to work with Her to do my dancing exercise would be a good way to connect with Her, as well as working on a Kali inspired bellydance costume (or one like those worn in India).
Looking at Her relation to time is definitely an interesting meditative practice. While I was vaguely aware of it I never really thought of it. I think incorporating that into my practice will be important too.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Goddess Week 17-18: Kali
I'm really eager to do the reading for Maa as She is one of my patron goddesses. That being said you would think that I would know tons about Her but that really isn't the case. I know Her story, some of what She represents and own a statue, tapestry, and a Kali Yantra. I also plan to have Her tattooed on my left arm, in the center on the inside of my elbow - fun fun!
I see her (at this moment) as the dissolver of illusion. She is powerful and not to be trifled with. She represents the frenzied state in victory and dance, which can easily lead to excess (like The Maenads). She is the Dark Mother, though She has no biological children, She is mother to us all. She helps us learn the hard lessons, and Her way is not the "easy" path - however it is very rewarding.
I'm looking forward to what else I will learn about Her and what teachings She brings.
I see her (at this moment) as the dissolver of illusion. She is powerful and not to be trifled with. She represents the frenzied state in victory and dance, which can easily lead to excess (like The Maenads). She is the Dark Mother, though She has no biological children, She is mother to us all. She helps us learn the hard lessons, and Her way is not the "easy" path - however it is very rewarding.
I'm looking forward to what else I will learn about Her and what teachings She brings.
Catching Up...
I have spent a lot of time putting off doing my reading much less thinking about it than I have even trying to read. I have let life personally get in the way and become "too busy" to pay much attention to my spiritual life unfortunately. Rather than trying to go back and pick up just where I left off I'm going to backwards from the point we are at now and catch up that way.
Also due to the large amount of procrastination I've done I have noted that the workshop will not be finishing in the calendar year. I need to figure out how long each part needs total so I have a time to ideally start the run for 2012. I also want to work the bugs out and have paying participants this time and make sure that I can get copies of the book out to everyone rather than emailing so many scans.
Also due to the large amount of procrastination I've done I have noted that the workshop will not be finishing in the calendar year. I need to figure out how long each part needs total so I have a time to ideally start the run for 2012. I also want to work the bugs out and have paying participants this time and make sure that I can get copies of the book out to everyone rather than emailing so many scans.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Questions & Activities for The Muses
1. Close your eyes and picture a spot from your childhood that was very special to you. Recall it in as vivid detail as you can. What feelings do you remember having in that special place?
2. Remember what kinds of activities you enjoyed as a child. Were there types of art that especially called to you? Do you still practice them?
3. Get some fingerpaint or crayons. Spend some time playing, remembering what it was like to create as a child.
4. Take a stack of old magazines. Go through them quickly, looking for colorful pages. Tear them out. Then, tear shapes out of the pages. Lay the shapes onto a fresh piece of paper and arrange them to satisfy you. Paste them down, or just start over and make another.
5. Put on some music and sing, or at least hum, along to it. If you feel inhibited, ask yourself why. What inner messages do you give yourself about your singing abilities?
6. Remember a piece of art you started to create but didn't finish. Why didn't you finish it? Where is it now? What happened to make you stop?
7. Make a list of words you associate with the word "artist". Circle all the negative words. Do you see a pattern to your attitudes? What is it?
8. Make a list of artists you admire. What is it about them that draws you? In what ways do you want to be like them?
9. Think of an artist or performer you don't like. Make a list of words describing him or her. Look at that list and imagine those words being applied to you. How do you feel? Why do you feel these qualities are frightening?
10. If you could create only one work of art before you died, what would it be? What's stopping you from creating that artwork now?
My garden. It was a wonderful haven away from "every day life" for me and things that bothered me. I would often go there when I needed some solace and connect to Nature, letting go of whatever bothered me while I worked. While I may have been sore, tired, and very sunned after a day spent there I was always at peace!
2. Remember what kinds of activities you enjoyed as a child. Were there types of art that especially called to you? Do you still practice them?
I loved to read and learn, and still do. However I find that as an adult I seem to have "less time" for such pursuits due to a need to do other things for whatever reason. I used to draw, doodle, and sketch a lot more when I was younger, and as I grew older I would also write a lot. I found that I wrote most often when I was upset and angry and therefore as I've moved away from those situations I do so less now.
3. Get some fingerpaint or crayons. Spend some time playing, remembering what it was like to create as a child.
This is definitely something I want to try to do as I have a plethora of crayons.
4. Take a stack of old magazines. Go through them quickly, looking for colorful pages. Tear them out. Then, tear shapes out of the pages. Lay the shapes onto a fresh piece of paper and arrange them to satisfy you. Paste them down, or just start over and make another.
I have always loved making collages and this is something I plan on revisiting again soon!
5. Put on some music and sing, or at least hum, along to it. If you feel inhibited, ask yourself why. What inner messages do you give yourself about your singing abilities?
I don't mind singing when I'm alone but I have some stigmas about doing so where anyone can hear me. When I was a child I wanted to sing and would often hum little tunes to myself but as I expressed a desire to write music and sing I was shot down by my mother which caused me to give up entirely on it.
6. Remember a piece of art you started to create but didn't finish. Why didn't you finish it? Where is it now? What happened to make you stop?
I have what I refer to as "artistic ADD". I like to have a lot of projects going on because I find it difficult to sit and do a single piece of art depending on what it is. With things like knit and crochet which take a lot of time to make I find myself taking frequent and long breaks, whereas with painting, drawing, or writing I do not.
7. Make a list of words you associate with the word "artist". Circle all the negative words. Do you see a pattern to your attitudes? What is it?
Messy, haphazard, absent-minded, creative, expressive, distinct, different, disorganized, creative chaos, out of the box, unique. The pattern I notice is that the "negatives" seem to reflect a lack of order, as though to be artistic to me means you do things willy nilly rather than with any particular technique. However as an artist I tend to be rather traditional & out of the box at the same time. I try to keep to the "way" things are meant to be done, while expressing myself in a new/different way through the medium (eg using strange colors or subject matter.)
8. Make a list of artists you admire. What is it about them that draws you? In what ways do you want to be like them?
Salvador Dali - I love his surreal expression.
Picasso - Really expressed himself well out of the box.
Ansel Adams - I love his capturing of Nature via black and white photography.
Krystal Hobeck - She and I have similar style and I appreciate her "rogue" designs and methods.
Lauren Toney - I think she's a great photographer and love her unique take on things!
9. Think of an artist or performer you don't like. Make a list of words describing him or her. Look at that list and imagine those words being applied to you. How do you feel? Why do you feel these qualities are frightening?
Jay-Z: I can't think of any specific words so much as I just don't consider him (or most modern rappers and musicians) to be musicians. They don't play instruments and may not even write the songs they sing so to me they don't have a real connection to their work other than their name. I also think that art in any form should be something you can personally connect to as the creator, it's not just something you do - it's something you are...
10. If you could create only one work of art before you died, what would it be? What's stopping you from creating that artwork now?
That is a large and lofty question. I think perhaps making a tapestry using crochet, knit, and cross stitch/needlepoint/embroidery could be really neat. But I don't have any particular subject matter I feel called to make in that manner...requires further thought or at least inspiration...might be something I look into doing now...
More Thoughts on the Muses...
This post is a little late in coming, but better late than never!
I'm finally finishing up the reading for The Muses (I am SO behind!!!) and just read through the symbols of the Muses. I can agree with the individual representations of them, but was pleasantly surprised to see a general representation for them altogether - the fountain - and it's definitely something I will want to look into getting for my personal altar space. IN fact, I believe that making and keeping an altar to Them at all times with a fountain and examples of artistic renditions of the individual symbols in my "art space" would be a very good idea.
As I read the suggestions on invoking The Muses I was heart warmed to think of the proliferation of devotion to them through the use of making things for the home life yourself. It very much is something that I myself really want to do and think is something we as people should reclaim. There is a certain pride and joy to be in making something yourself, particularly something that is useful. Or even at least supporting your local artists and small businesses by purchasing handmade objects. I think that though industrialization has allowed for things to be more economically available and in greater quantity it has also caused the artist to be lost from the art - which is sad.
With the weather turning much nicer outside I think now is also a great time to explore a connection with The Muses in Their most original form and is something I will take advantage of. Being pregnant and having no car has me cooped up in the house almost all of the time and lately the lack of exposure to anything but four walls has had me depressed and dour. However I believe that in being able to honor my art and connect with divinity and Nature outside will do me a great deal of good. So I plan to do some (as much as possible and as often as possible) of my creative work outside in the yard...perhaps even take up sketching again!
I'm finally finishing up the reading for The Muses (I am SO behind!!!) and just read through the symbols of the Muses. I can agree with the individual representations of them, but was pleasantly surprised to see a general representation for them altogether - the fountain - and it's definitely something I will want to look into getting for my personal altar space. IN fact, I believe that making and keeping an altar to Them at all times with a fountain and examples of artistic renditions of the individual symbols in my "art space" would be a very good idea.
As I read the suggestions on invoking The Muses I was heart warmed to think of the proliferation of devotion to them through the use of making things for the home life yourself. It very much is something that I myself really want to do and think is something we as people should reclaim. There is a certain pride and joy to be in making something yourself, particularly something that is useful. Or even at least supporting your local artists and small businesses by purchasing handmade objects. I think that though industrialization has allowed for things to be more economically available and in greater quantity it has also caused the artist to be lost from the art - which is sad.
With the weather turning much nicer outside I think now is also a great time to explore a connection with The Muses in Their most original form and is something I will take advantage of. Being pregnant and having no car has me cooped up in the house almost all of the time and lately the lack of exposure to anything but four walls has had me depressed and dour. However I believe that in being able to honor my art and connect with divinity and Nature outside will do me a great deal of good. So I plan to do some (as much as possible and as often as possible) of my creative work outside in the yard...perhaps even take up sketching again!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Musing on the Muses
I must say my first thoughts when I read the hymn to the Muses was laughter, for in my preliminary post I mentioned the influence of my Muse being like a madness at times as it interrupts life sometimes and what I have planned. I frequently refer to my Muse rather than the Muses as a whole but it was interesting to see that even in other references Their number is not static. To me, as an artist, this does make sense. For to be inspired easily means many things and that is Their function, and even when divided into nine many things overlap. There are several of the Muses devoted to writing in different forms, but most artistic pursuits are varied in the way they are expressed.
It's also interesting to note that the Muses primarily deal with writing, singing, and dancing - but there is far more to art than just those things. As there is music, painting, and many others. So then that makes me wonder how those things fit in with the Muses if they are nine. Then there is the reference to the Muses as three, which I found very interesting and more applicable to what we generally think of Them as today - an inspiratory force.
I learned that Apollo is considered the god of inspiration, and while I was aware of His role as a creative force and His involvement (along with a handful of other deities) with the arts I didn't know He held any sway over them. For me I have always considered the Muses as nine and not so much servants but set aside from the rest of the pantheon - like the nymphs and "lesser" gods.
Understanding etymology I still found it interesting that we have so many words today that reference the Muses without us really being aware of it.
Lastly, I thought the original function of the Muses - to act through nature and wild places to inspire, rather than to create something new and unique as is thought of today - very interesting. I myself often find things I wish to create in another form, or feel inspired to do something. As the saying goes, "There are no new ideas." And I agree, it's just reviving them a little bit, sometimes mish-mashing many together...
It's also interesting to note that the Muses primarily deal with writing, singing, and dancing - but there is far more to art than just those things. As there is music, painting, and many others. So then that makes me wonder how those things fit in with the Muses if they are nine. Then there is the reference to the Muses as three, which I found very interesting and more applicable to what we generally think of Them as today - an inspiratory force.
I learned that Apollo is considered the god of inspiration, and while I was aware of His role as a creative force and His involvement (along with a handful of other deities) with the arts I didn't know He held any sway over them. For me I have always considered the Muses as nine and not so much servants but set aside from the rest of the pantheon - like the nymphs and "lesser" gods.
Understanding etymology I still found it interesting that we have so many words today that reference the Muses without us really being aware of it.
Lastly, I thought the original function of the Muses - to act through nature and wild places to inspire, rather than to create something new and unique as is thought of today - very interesting. I myself often find things I wish to create in another form, or feel inspired to do something. As the saying goes, "There are no new ideas." And I agree, it's just reviving them a little bit, sometimes mish-mashing many together...
Goddess Week 3-4: The Muses
Some initial thoughts on these goddesses...
I've always been drawn to Them and appreciated Them. When I was but a girl I had a serious fascination for Greek (and sometimes Roman) mythology and always loved learning about many of the "non-Olympians" and demi-gods/"lesser" gods (not to imply that they are less powerful but they rule over more specific areas or are the children of "larger" deities, or merely not worshiped "across the board").
No Muse in particular spoke to me, though I always loved the Muse of Dance, History, and Astronomy. A number of them deal with poetry in various form be is song, lyric, or love, but as a writer I felt all of their presences in some form here or there.
I'm seriously hoping that in working with them I'll get some more of my inspiration back - but more importantly motivation to use said inspiration. Many times as an artist I will get ridiculously inspired - to the point of madness almost - where I interrupt my routines/schedule because I must put whatever to paper, or whatever medium it is. To be honest it can be very trying because I will literally drop everything to start yet another project, but I think the key to this is moderation. I just don't want to shunt my creativity!
I've always been drawn to Them and appreciated Them. When I was but a girl I had a serious fascination for Greek (and sometimes Roman) mythology and always loved learning about many of the "non-Olympians" and demi-gods/"lesser" gods (not to imply that they are less powerful but they rule over more specific areas or are the children of "larger" deities, or merely not worshiped "across the board").
No Muse in particular spoke to me, though I always loved the Muse of Dance, History, and Astronomy. A number of them deal with poetry in various form be is song, lyric, or love, but as a writer I felt all of their presences in some form here or there.
I'm seriously hoping that in working with them I'll get some more of my inspiration back - but more importantly motivation to use said inspiration. Many times as an artist I will get ridiculously inspired - to the point of madness almost - where I interrupt my routines/schedule because I must put whatever to paper, or whatever medium it is. To be honest it can be very trying because I will literally drop everything to start yet another project, but I think the key to this is moderation. I just don't want to shunt my creativity!
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