Studio Friday: Playtime

Studio Friday's topic this week is Playtime. The delightful Tine encouraged us to find odd objects around the house, and paint with them.

It was delicious to let go of all expectation or conformity, and let the objects have their wiley way with paint.

Acrylic paints were used, along with:

:: a shell
:: some twine
:: my fingers
:: fishing wire (to drag paint around)
:: soft necklace string
:: a hair band
:: wood shavings
:: crumpled paper
and... the le creme de le creme
:: a soft ribbed piece of plastic called the "SCREAMER sexual enhancer" ~ purchased years ago on a road trip. It was in the bathroom of a truck stop, in one of those handy $1 dispensers. I thought it was so funny, I bought one as a memento of our trip and it has adorned my desk ever since. Using it as a paint stamp is probably not what the manufacturers had in mind, but it worked a treat. ;)

After using them... I immortalised them all by gluing them on and making them an integral part of the canvas.

*tons of fun*

:)

Wildish heart

Wildish heart, from the Lioness Journal set.


"And La Loba sings more and the wolf creature begins to breathe.

And still La Loba sings so deeply that the floor of the desert shakes, and as she sings, the wolf opens its eyes, leaps up, and runs away down the canyon.

Somewhere in its running, whether by the speed of its running, or by splashing its way into the river, or by way of a ray of sunlight or moonlight hitting it right in the side, the wolf is suddenly transformed into a laughing woman who runs free toward the horizon."

~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes, "Women who run with the wolves"


This book awakens me, enlivens me, leaves me breathless in the knowing that surges. It holds a light to my cells until I see that I am blazing and wise, from the microscopic parts of me, to the magnificent.

I grow my hair so it falls tangled down my back, and each night when I read this book I dream wildly and whimsically. Last night I held newspaper and incense sticks in my arms, my baby gone in the tsunami. I have drifted into dark places and played groundhog day until I could fathom the courage to face what I feared. I have circled with women in the deepness of the night, still learning my lessons even as I sleep. And I have heard the call of the goddess so loudly I have awoken to find myself bleeding.

This is not the undertaking of the book alone. It is the sum of all my life melding into a spiritual tapestry. It is the countless goddesses and gods that surround me. It is the awakening of the creative snake within me that reinvents, relives and recreates. It is being mindful and meditative. It is the thrill of being truthful about what I want and who I am. It is the discovery of myself, molecule by molecule, story by story, dream by dream, moment by moment.

"If the eye of the heart is open, in each atom there will be one hundred secrets."
~ Attar

Team Extreme

I can't remember the last time I have been so sore from laughing.

Today was a miraculous adventure. As I write these words, giggles burble up in my chest as I think of our afternoon. It all started simply enough: some time ago, my workplace decided that as a "team building" exercise everyone would participate in an afternoon of paintball. I rejected the idea on the basis that it was a waste of paint, and along with four other gladness~warriors declared that none of our hands would hold guns.
So the call went out: let's do something different.
We considered the pub. A picnic. Something nagged me however to search further.
Let's not just do something different. Let's do something MIRACULOUS.
Dave gets kudos for the idea, and I am overjoyed that it encapsulated an item from my Things to Do this Life list.

We went a~sailing on the lake that our building looks over. Miraculous indeed, especially since only one out of the five had any sailing experience. {I giggle at this}

So we drove there, madly screeching in a tiny car, as Nick's head stuck out of the sun roof. We get two boats ~ a yacht and a catamaran. Captain Dave {of the sailing experience} gets the yacht, along with Lile and Diana, the Ladies of the Lake. Nick and I take on the catamaran, deciding in our infinite wisdom that as we had both vaguely been on a boat before, our two half~experiences must make for one whole captain. Besides, we had matching Croc shoes which we felt gave us superhero powers.

First point of business was naming our catamaran. We settled on H.G.L.S. Tobias {Her Goddess Leonie's Ship}. We spent the next hour drifting in the breeze, extreme sailing and re-enacting the Sydney-to-Hobart Yacht Race with Captain Dave's jolly yacht. We also decided pirating might be amusing, and managed to sidle up to Dave's yacht.

Extreme sailing consists of behaving in an uproarious manner. I feel I have successfully comandeered this skills, so to assist you in your sailing endeavours, I have compiled the following list:
1. Even when the wind dies down {ESPECIALLY when the wind dies down}, lean backwards out of the boat at outrageous angles, yelling wildly technical yachty terms out.
2. At regular intervals, call SWAP SIDES! and dive to the other side of the boat like your life depends on it.
3. Regularly change your goal of direction. Decide that going backwards is actually the way you wanted to go anyway.
4. Windless? No problem. Turn on the turbo charge. The turbo charge switch is hidden from regular view. It exists only in the realms of the infinitely creative. Sit at the back of the boat, put your feet in the water, and kick like mad. Not only will you get an excellent leg workout, you'll get deliciously wet and forget you're not actually moving anywhere.
5. Make up secret hand signals for EXTREME. Extreme means you get to lie on your back and look at the sky, asking the Goddess to bless you with wind. Now, THAT's extreme.
6. When all else fails in managing to secure a wind, ignore the rudder thingy and sail string {highly technical instruments} and sit on the side of the boat playing Japanese Paper-Rock-Scissors.
7. If you laugh loud enough, you MAY sail faster. Even if you don't... you'll still be laughing.

So there you are. The secrets of Team Extreme.

Label everything as being extreme... and you start seeing as being EXTREME... and life will be an adventure.

Afterwards,
we went to HIGH TEA at the Hyatt. The Hyatt is an ancient five star hotel that puts on pricey but devishly good banquets of cakes. We walked in all wet and soggy, put on our best English accents, and incredible desserts until we could no more. Then Oompa Loompas rolled us out to our car, and we squeeled back over the bridge again.

I feel like I just had a big fat miracle afternoon.
An EXTREME adventure.

{I'm so glad we chose the miraculous option over the pub}

love each and every piece...

"Love all that has been created by God, both the whole and every grain of sand. Love every leaf and every ray of light. Love the beasts and the birds, love the plants, love every separate fragment. If you love each separate fragment, you will understand the mystery of the whole resting in God."

~ Fyodor Dostoevsky

being okay

Can I be okay
with not being okay
all the time
{click on above image for full size}


"If you want to catch beasts you don't see everyday,
You have to go places quite out of the way.
You have to go places no others can get to.
You have to get cold and you have to get wet, too."
~ Dr. Seuss


Can I be okay with not writing everyday?
With learning to hold on to my lessons until they are ready to fruit?

These are my lessons right now.

My blessings, and my lessons.

:)

bare

6.12 pm this evening

The time felt ripe. A new initiation, another rite of passage.
My eyebrow ring has been a symbol of my flight into self, my blossoming spirituality, my joyful embrace of what is my own.
It has been a powerful blessing for me.
I continue this journey,
and I am stripping myself down to the bare essentials.
So I unscrewed it. Took out the beautiful blue titanium
that has adorned my face for three months now. Buried it in the garden.
Thanked it deeply for its gifts.


at 6.30pm this evening ~ 22.9 years of age

I become more like myself every day.



at 4 years of age




I took my eyebrow ring out today
and buried it into the garden
for new things to grow.
I am so grateful for this journey.

Illustration Friday - Remote

Illo Friday - Remote Oct 2005 small, originally uploaded by Goddess_of_leonie.

Illustration Friday's topic this week is REMOTE.

http://www.illustrationfriday.com

every.day.matters.

i've started a new practice of collaging every.day.
even if it's just out of office bits and pieces during my lunch hour.
i like the effects this has had on my life. it's like all parts of leonie get a go during the day.
i fell asleep last night visioning two creamy circles painted over a textured background.
i love that my eyes see something beautiful everyday, that my hands get to move, my inner child gets to play... i just get to CREATE. the sheer joy of creation, without expectation. tomorrow is a new day and a new page and a new chance to fill space with colours and patterning and lines and words. it is like a meditation. sometimes i grab my scissors, journal and trusty craft glue, and plant myself on the floor of my studio ~ it feels more organic that way.

you can view the whole set (so far) at my flickr journal set.

also, in the divine creation department:
:: check out the divine artists creating in their moleskines here.
:: gail's words are literally soaked with grace.
:: a dear friend just sent me a photo of her prototype bracelets, combining crystals and earthly gifts. my stomach turned inside out with sheer joy at her creation. can't WAIT to see this earth mama's bracelet business begin.

blessings,
and may creativity turn you inside out with glee,
Leonie

Dancing in your own divinity

Dancing in your own divinity, originally uploaded by Goddess_of_leonie.

I SEE YOU.
You are dancing in your own divinity.

"So the sea-journey goes on, and who know where! Just to be held by the Ocean is the best luck we could have."

~ Jelaluddin Rumi:: The Essential Rumi

Studio Friday - Invented Tool

Studio Friday's theme this week is INVENTED TOOL.

My invented tool was something I resorted to a while back...
I decided that my ink tree needed stamped leaves, but didn't have any foam or sponge to create a stamp from... so I carved a leaf from the rubber at the end of an old pencil.
It worked a *treat* - results are below.



When in need,
MacGyver it!

{Also - Leonie's claim to fame - I once sat in the same cubicle at work as a guy who used to work on the post-production of MacGyver. That practically makes me and MacGyver besties.}

Delights in Four

::: A shoe party last night.
Giggling over outlandish combinations.
With two of the coolest chicks i have the pleasure of knowing.



::: Shaking my groove thang at my first class of bellydancing. it feels so GOOD to *move* my body and connect with the temple of my spirit.
shimmy, shimmy, shimmy...









::: listening to rufus wainwright for the first time... and doing a collage inspired by him.
{he is DELIGHTFUL}








::: walking in the rain after meditation at the sri chinmoy centre, catching droplets and welcoming them on their thrilling journey.






::: Creating something everyday.
Delighting in experimenting and creating for creation's sake. Letting myself just PLAY and be. I love what I see forming on paper and in my brave, roaming, adventuring heart.

connecting deeply with colour...

i love deb, bouganvillea priestess... & purple shoes overlooking Tilba valley...


"Let go of both resistance and force
to allow yourself to connect more deeply to life."
~ the daily guru


Photos from my Tilba road trip adventure can be seen here.
I also took a series of shots of my gorgeous friend Juliana ~ check them out here.


juliana oak tree


sublime surfing
:: this delicious interview with dan price has it all ~
bikes, cubby houses, hiking and ART.
:: tasty fun furde design blog
:: Baileys Bliss ~ amazing collages and journalling

Road trip-alicious

Went on a divine roadtrip yesterday ~ it turned into a 14 hour epic quest, from sunrise until long past sundown. I went with my gorgeous women's circle to celebrate Deb's birthday, and we had a frolicking good time. A friendly dog in Nelligen, pancakes in Bateman's Bay, an old church in small town somewhere. Exclaim loudly over each tree, each goat, each hovering owl. We end up in Central Tilba, and Tilba Tilba. Climb the rocks overlooking the green valleys, blue mountains, out to the magnificent ocean. Make friends with a horse in a paddock, rest my face in its neck and breathe in deeply the heavenly equine scent. Eat lunch at a fabulous resturant. Photograph an old man and kiss his hand. Bush-bash just to get that picture of the huge lilies by the creek. Drink frappes at a pub playing live jazz music in Moruya. Deb's birthday cake on the street, laughing loudly. Driving home to a burnished crimson sunset, in the darkness speaking to a medicine woman while another sleeps in the back.

The best kind of road trip of all.

{Pics to come some time soon}


~ Off to live life for a bit.
Bellydancing, meditating, shoe parties.
You know. That kind of thing.

Wishing you all this and more.

Illustration Friday: Cold

Illustration Friday's topic this week is COLD.

When I think of cold, I think of the first time I went to the snow two years ago, with two other snow virgins - my sister and my lover.
There is a photo of me, in pigtails, scarf and beanie,
smiling wildly in the snow,
and all the while I was thinking how crazy funny it was to be so cold.

Afterwards, cold and wet and bedraggled, we went down to the underground train station,
and ate dozens of hot mini donuts.
It is still emblazoned in my memory as being infinitely delicious.

drinking in the sunshine...

off to the beach tomorrow
for some sun
and debra loving

{Happy Birthday, goddess!}

Studio Friday: Lost and Found

Studio Friday's theme this week is Lost and Found.

Lost and Found for me has been consciousness...
and the deliciousness of spring after a long winter...

taking the inner child...

for a slide down the slippery dip.



rode down to the lake again to chase down the light again



and couldn't resist.

droplets

"Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these."
~ Susan B. Anthony


the happy crew reunited once more for thursday lunchtime meditation at the sri chinmoy centre.
it has been a couple of months since our last, and i realise how much i have missed it. those moments spent, eyes closed in meditation, singing, or visualising my heart flower blossoming. pracha, our blue eyed meditation leader, spoke about spirituality, god and love afterwards. how we were droplets of water making our way back to the oceans.

when we walked out into the sunlight again, i saw everyone wafting about as drops of water on their journey back to love.



then we took our inner children for a ride on the carousel. i rode a chocolate brown horse called TRUE COURSE. Andrea on one side of me, Dave on the other. Giggling and shrieking madly as we bobbed up and down, around and around, like drops of water shaking their funky way back to the ocean of love.



"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."
~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

Not a bad day at all!

October 12 2005, originally uploaded by Goddess_of_leonie.

Infact... a very wonderful day!

:)

lake

I get home from work, change quickly and run outside. Ride fast, wanting to chase down the last golden rays. Down the road, under the bridge, past the paddocks where a large kite is flying with its owner. I end up, without thinking, by the lake.



Out onto the jetty. The beautiful "bluey-pinky" time.
I lie on my belly on the jetty. Watch how the way the lake ripples. The black swan that swims up to me, her face only a metre from me. The wind blows gently on my face. Sweet, precious ruffles in black swan's neck. I am mesmerised in the gentle beauty of the moment. I am reminded of maitri's words on gathering sense and sweetness for a lifetime.



and when i am done on my belly
i roll over and gasp at the perfect half moon.
i lie there for a long time,
four inches above the water
38 000 kms to the moon
profoundly touched by both.



i ride slowly home.
drinking it all in.

"The winds of grace blow all the time. All we need to do is set our sails."
~ Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Gospel of Ramakrishna

Studio Friday: Golden Yellow

Studio Friday's topic is Golden Yellow. Studio Friday is like a treasure hunt into our own studios and a slow striptease of our creative space.

"He lowered the window, and looked out at the rising sun. There was a ridge of ploughed land... beyond, a quiet coppice-wood, in which many leaves of burning red and golden yellow still remained upon the trees. Though the earth was cold and wet, the sky was clear, and the sun rose bright, placid, and beautiful."
~ Charles Dickens "A Tale of Two Cities"


A golden yellow flower that is the centrepiece of two adjoined canvases. Luminous and joyful.


A bouquet of fake flowers, sprinkled with yellow, that sits on my art desk. A yellow hole punch, and rainbow lai.


A post-it note journal page. Must not forget. V important. :)


The golden yellow wood of my beloved writing desk, mine since childhood.
A delightful basket, usually filled with tarot cards.
My golden yellow skirt wrap ~ originally a Muslim hijab headscarf bought in Malaysia.

Just a peek into the golden elements of my studio...

Unveiling a Miracle...

"Miracles: The Universe *is* showering you with blessings"
{Deep appreciation to Brezsny for inspiration}


This, THIS is what has been a part of me for some time now. It has consumed me, uplifted me and together we embraced in an aching, alive, miraculous dance.



It started with a bicycle. It is funny to think that a bicycle began the wheels turning of this miraculous project. My words to my friend Dave were ~ "The way you talk about riding makes me want to get a bicycle." So he gave me his old one. Just like that. And just like that, I decided a bicycle which has shown me miracles, blown fresh air into my gills and has been my discovering buddy, should be rewarded with just that ~ miracles, fresh air and discoveries. On a canvas.


desert sand, riverstones, shells, petals, paperbark, wood, clear quartz, bark

It began as a vision, and crept into my dreams. I saw a seed pod and a magpie's feather on a blue background as I was falling into slumber. I asked friends for natural wonders, and started opening my eyes to the treasures that lay on my own path. The collection began. Bus friends and soul friends joined in.


feathers ~ from friends and walks

Ellanita, miraculous woman she is, invited me to her house to take what I needed from her vast collections of earthly wonders. Kneeling there in the shed at night, hands floating over shells, seaweed and desert dust, I felt more myself and at home than I've felt for some time. Gasping over each little treasure. Marvelling at the perfection of the Great Mother Earth's blessings.


seed pods, runner bean, pelican feather, dried rose petals, shells and stones


rose quartz, dried lily flowers and feathers

There were days I lost myself in it, the light changing from noon bright to afternoon mellow as I sat in my studio. The only space that mattered was the one between me, a hot glue gun, and the canvas. This is my greatest co-creation yet... Mother Earth provided all the majesty and colour, I was the hand with the glue gun. There were days I wasn't able to even look at it, for fear I couldn't do each divine shell, each perfect petal justice.


seed pods, bark, a wasp's nest and pinecone end

I feel like this is the masterpiece of sorts. I'm not sure when the motion, circumstance and energy will take me there again, so I savour each precious moment of the Artist's Way. The love, the frustration, the creation, the becoming. I learned to trust my own instinct. Let a painting marinate in its own journey before releasing it into the world. It sat in my living area, right above my green couch for a week, just being looked at. It went on a visit to a friend with me. Stories were told over it. Its creation unravelled as a part of a spiritual dreaming of mine, a dream that I awoke from, gasping, saying: The goddess is next to me. {The goddess is inside me}.


dried seaweed, coral and shells

I drove down the highway today, me in the front seat with the window down, painting in the backseat. Pete Murray and Foo Fighters calling loudly from the speakers. Watched the green mountains loll and roll, the heavy grey clouds watching. Me and MIRACLES on the last part of our physical journey together. And then she is birthed, onto a yellow wall. Joyfully.



reeds, jobs tears, rose petals, shells, poppy seeds, bark, pine cone

Blessings and miracles abound.
I got a bicycle, and I got to birth a creation with mother nature.
I feel truly blessed.



"Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."
~ Roald Dahl, "The Roald Dahl Treasury"