Lavender: The Universal Healer

Yesterday a friend and client gave a workshop here at my house on essential oils. I've been working with Maria now for years (doing her website, flyers, postcards, creating videos) and she knows and incredible amount about all aspects of aromatherapy. I thought it would be a great theme for a series of paintings to create art related to the flowers, trees and herbs that are used to create essential oils.

My first painting in the series was just finished a week or two ago. It is of lavender, which is probably the most well-known essential oil and a plant and flower that happens to be quite beautiful as well.

See Aspirations, LLC website for more about Maria Low.

See large image of my painting Essence of Lavender.

The Green Dragon

My son Joseph took a pottery class with our neighbor a few summers ago and created a bank in the shape of a green dragon. I loved it. I have the policy of buying art from my kids when I think it's something special. That way, they get to earn money doing something they love (a lesson I want them to internalize) and I get to make sure that the work is preserved and doesn't end up under a bed with the dirty socks and dust bunnies. So, I bought the dragon and he has since been the place for all spare change that I find sitting around the house. You know--the coins that fall out of someone's pocket in the washing machine or end up beneath the pillows on the couch after a wrestling match with a sibling over the TV remote.

Dragons are such a fascinating symbol, evoking both fear and admiration. I liked the idea of the dragon protecting treasure. The coins I put in my bank may not be much, but they add up to enough for a trip to the dollar store now and then. My green dragon protects the little treasures and the little joys in life.

See painting Dragon's Breath.

Read a full article on dragon symbolism.

Feng Shui Art: The Metal Element

Silver and Gold

I've had the idea for awhile of creating a series of paintings representing the five elements in the Chinese cosmology: fire, wood, metal, earth and water. The metal element has been the one that has had me stumped. Who would want a picture of things like metal plates, screws and bolts hanging on their wall? The coldness of the subject had me stumped. Then the light went on: I could bring warmth and flow into the paintings by painting MOLTEN metals. In addition, these would better symbolize the flow of wealth into one's like, which I figured was the main reason people would want images of metal in their home or office.

So, I researched a bunch of images of molten metal (gold, silver, copper, bronze) and was enthralled with the images I found. There was something entrancing about hot, fiery metals. And my new metal element category was born! I've got nine paintings completed so far in this category with metallic paint flowing in pretty much every conceivable direction. It's hard to get a photo that really does justice to the glow and sparkle of the pure metallic paints, but they were great fun to do and I'm happy with the result all the same.

See all feng shui artwork.

Cutting To the Quick

In the process of practicing forgiveness and releasing the past, I have discovered that the only way to know when the process is complete for a particular time period or event is when you feel that you have started to cut to the quick.

I don't know where that phrase came from, but I guess it means cutting to the point where you pull away quick because it's really starting to hurt. But the hurt is a different kind of hurt. The hurt from things that should be relinquished seems to be a dull hurt--something deep and aching or something that has been there so long that the paint has dulled, though you are still affected. A "quick" hurt is something that jolts you awake rather than keeping you dull and passive.

Gross as it sounds, there is an art to removing a "wart", symbolically speaking. You want to get rid of the wart and you don't know you've really done that until the acid or liquid nitrogen or whatever you are using starts to hit the healthy flesh beneath. Suddenly the dull pain gets sharp and, well, even more painful. Then you know it's time to stop the "removal" procedure and start the healing process. And quick!

What's the Opposite of an Atheist?

I've wondered for years how to describe my spiritual beliefs to others. If an atheist is one who doesn't believe in God, then what is someone who believes is ALL things related to God? If I believe in Jesus and Buddha and Catholic saints and fairies and reincarnation and karma and faith healing and ascended masters and mystical teachings of all kinds, what am I then? I've thought of the name "protheist", but it sounds a bit like some kind of bacteria. Any ideas?

Down in the Mouth

I've been a student of body symbolism for a long time--not just body language, but actually what the body reveals of the psychological and emotional make up of a person. I guess I started thinking about this when I first read Louise Hay's book Heal Your Body A-Z: The Mental Causes for Physical Illness and the Way to Overcome Them. In case you aren't aware of this book, it's a fantastic guide to what she calls "The Mental Causes for Physical Illness and the Metaphysical Way to Overcome Them".

At any rate, I was modeling for a video for a natural products company recently and when I saw the footage, I was shocked to see shadows around my mouth and jawline. I didn't even realize that my mouth and cheeks were starting to sag with age--a shocker! I started thinking about what certain patterns of aging and wrinkles might mean psychologically, so I looked up the phrase "down in the mouth" online and found the following:

"Filled with melancholy and despondency, gloomy at the thought of what he had to face, a dispirited and resigned expression on her face, is dejected but trying to look cheerful."


What rings true for me is that I think I have had a basic tendency to brood over things. Although I try to look at the positive now, I wasn't always that way. I was well-socialized and trained to be pleasant at all times, but I don't think I felt that way much of the time when I was younger. I was concerned about all the problems in the whole world in addition to my own, so that doesn't make for a very lighthearted approach to life.

I think I probably spent enough time in the "dejected but trying to look cheerful" posture for that to start being revealed on my face as I age. However, I am now an eternal optimist. I believe that everything and anything can be changed, revised, forgiven, forgotten, erased and reconfigured. I took a photo of myself (no make up, hair all pulled back) the other night in preparation for starting a Facercise program (Carole Maggio Facercise: The Dynamic Muscle-Toning Program for Renewed Vitality and a More Youthful Appearance).  I'm going to try her program and for a couple of months and then see if I can get improvement. Stay tuned for before and after photos!

The Girl Who Doesn't Age

Here's a different twist on longevity: a case of a girl who is sixteen years old and is the size and intelligence of a sixteen month old toddler:


A 16-year-old girl who is the size of an infant and has the mental capacity of a toddler continues to baffle doctors in the US.

Medical experts believe Brooke Greenberg suffers from some kind of genetic mutation that shapes the way she ages, leaving her with the perpetual appearance of a baby.

The exact cause of the phenomenon has not been pinpointed.....

Doctors say although there are other cases of people with abnormal development, Brooke seems to be unique.

"Many of the best-known names in medicine, in their experience ... had not seen anyone who matched up to Brooke," said pediatrician Lawrence Pakula from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

"She is always a surprise."

But doctors hope that Brooke may even be able to provide important clues as to how human beings age.

If the specific DNA behind the phenomenon can be isolated, they may even be able to learn how to slow the ageing process.

"Without being sensational, I'd say this is an opportunity for us to answer the question [of] why we're mortal, or at least to test it," said Dr Richard Walker from the University of South Florida College of Medicine.

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Now, I've heard of children who have the condition where they age super fast, but never a case of someone who ages super slow.  See full story at http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/829326/girl-who-doesnt-age-baffles-doctors. Amazing.