Communing in the Mystery

Hello. I am a guest blogger for Judith's blog, Michele Lauren. Actually, this is my first time blogging.

The Mayans have a saying that Life is Art and we are the artists of our lives. There is the similar saying that it isn't what happens in our lives that matters as much as what we say about what happens. For me, ultimately, Life is a Mystery and within the Mystery, I am an artist creating with the tools I have, to the best of my abilities, through my actions, thoughts and feelings.

I remember several years ago, walking the beach near Lincoln City and repeating to myself the single word "connection". It was a request of the Universe, of the Mystery. I wanted to feel more of a connection. I had several people with whom I shared a loving relationship. It was not a lack of love with other people that made me feel somewhat disconnected. It was a lack of conversation with those life forces or energies that swirled about in the Mystery, linking all beings together. I wanted to feel connected to the grandeur of Life. And so I continued walking, voicing my yearning.

Years later, I would say I was setting an intention. A wise friend of mine said that intention is informed energy and when our intentions are spoken with our total being, our mind, heart and soul, they are powerful and are heard. (And when others support our intentions with us, the energy behind the intention grows.)

I learned that intentions, however, are only part of the conversation we can have with the Mysteries. Conversation involves talking, listening and awareness. Listening to our intuitions is a very important type of hearing. Listening to what isn't being verbally said, we know the meaning of what isn't spoken but is felt; that hunch or natural knowing. And finally, the part I personally like the most, is being aware of what appears to be coincidence, unrelated turn of events which subsequently are known to be related;synchronicities. Once I began to be aware of synchronicities, I found that they happen within my life on almost a daily basis.(Is this partly because I have an intention to be aware of syncronicities daily?) Every time I am aware of one, I feel this awesome delight and I know I am connected...as the artist and as the paint within the artist hands. And all is well.

I just finished painting a drum and as in all artist endeavors, I had an intention to create. I had an idea of what I wanted to paint but once involved in the creative process, the creation seemed to take on a life of its'own. As I painted, I listened to my intuition and I followed. I used my best skills and then, when it was completed, I became further acquainted with what had been created.

My drum now had an owl, a fox, a dragonfly, hands, fire and a tree. The meaning of the tree was clear, it was the tree of life, rooted in the earth, reaching into the sky, family....a very ancient symbolism. The hands were the hands of creating, of healing, of completion, a bridge between the world seen and the invisible realms we sense. The hands were blue and in the Mayan symbolism, blue hands are the symbol of the power of creativity and mastery...to bridge, to mend, to support and to lend. I looked up dragonfly and fox in Ted Andrew's book, Animal-Speak. The dragonfly represents the power of light and the fox is the feminine magic of camouflage, shapeshifting and invisibility. The owl, of course, is wisdom... the mystery of magic, silent wisdom, omens and visions in the night. And fire is many things, including creation, passion, purification.

And then I was struck with the synchronicity of it all. Before I had start painting, I had been wondering what I would write about on Judy's blog. I had a general idea but nothing firmly in mind. I decided to simply live with the question and not push myself into finding an answer. As I looked at my drum, I knew it was my answer.

There are many wonderful stories I've heard through the years about intention, intuition and synchronicities or the way we commune with the art of life. What's yours? I'd love to hear.