hopi woman weaving baskets
Art is a way of life for the Hopi; it expresses their visions, beliefs and dreams to themselves and others. As artisans, they incorporated their Hopi symbols into an array of dazzlingly beautiful baskets, weavings, and pottery. Basket making preceded pottery making, so baskets that were used for cooking were lined with clay, and water vessels were covered with pine pitch. Native American people embody the understanding of daily work that is infused with spirit - for them, the worlds of spirit and matter are not seperate. What is utilitarian must also be beautiful because it comes from Mother Earth and is made as an offering back to her.
For the past 2 weeks, I've been a bit engrossed in a mixology class. It was a great experience, one that I hope to make use of to draw me out into "the world" a few nights per week. As an artist, who really enjoys creating in the solitude of my studio, I find that if I do not make efforts to step outside the walls of my studio and interact with "random people", I would be quite content not to. On the contrary, I'm not an introvert by any means. I can't go anywhere, (i.e. grocery store, gas station, etc), without finding myself in a conversation with complete strangers, it's just that I'm feeling the need to shake it up a bit more.
Now that the whirlwind of classes & studying for 2 weeks straight is over, I'm sighing & finding my center & grounding once again. If you've been following my blog, you know that I don't make New Years Resolutions but, rather, take time each year to sit with the stirrings of my soul and determine instead "my intentions" for the new year. It is that time, once again to determine and declare my intentions for 2011.
So much has transpired for me in this past year, mostly internal. So much was revealed to me, so much information coming in from "the universe", and because these types of "revelations" were so new, I was not sure how to process it all, and sometimes I learned the hard way, that it is best to simply let it all marinate...to allow time for the deeper meaning of it all to permeate before acting upon it. As this year winds down, I'm finally feeling a bit more centered, and the reception of information has found it's grooves to flow steadily in, massaging & filling the crevaces rather than the bombardment that I felt when it first began for me back in February.
I know that right now, most people are caught up in the throws of the holiday season, and that can be a very beautiful thing, but for me this year is so much different. There is no tree, there are no presents or decorations and there is very little obligation. Oddly enough it feels so right in so many ways, for you see I am treasuring this quiet time to really focus & center myself...
...to gather the things that I need to fill my basket to head into 2011 prepared and ready to release some of these things that have been marinating within...
making a beautiful offering back to Mother Earth...thankful & humble for the intuition that has been bestowed upon me...knowing that the beauty of a gift is not in simply beholding it, but in the practical application, usage and sharing with others. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that I fully intend to experience & enjoy the most recent gift I've been given. Sometimes the sweetest gifts are the ones we were not expecting, and they become all the more meaningful when we realize that it was something we really do need, but hadn't realized it until the moment it was handed to us and we took the time to consider the magnitude of it's grace.
It is my hope, that even if you are in the throws of the Holiday Season, that you will find a way to make some time for centering yourself, and honoring the true gifts you have been given so that you may give back and enjoy them to their fullest.
