Some friends and I reached 62 this year and are comparing notes on Social Security. I worked for employers for 22 years, so I’ve paid in my share. Friends who’ve made income off the books for much of their life won’t receive much benefit. A galpal reached 62 and worked for employers for 30 years with good income but can’t collect because she’s got student loans. Another can’t collect because she co-signed a student loan for a grandson who she has no idea where he even is anymore. Yowza.
Author Archives: Andrea
Don’t take score too soon. How often do I depend on feedback to stay motivated?
Some things I am being reminded of as painting, like: don’t take score too soon. I always do an underpainting and then paint up in layers. When I do that, it goes through some pretty scary stages, sometimes where I think I should scrap the whole project. I take a photo at every stage so I can see my progress. This also lets me see if I did a better version before and if I’ve goofed it up, I can use the better version as a reference to fix it. I’m currently working on something that is a little small, so I am waiting for some art pens to arrive so I can do the face and fine details like the fingernails. I usually do the eyes first on a painting so that I can have somebody to look at and talk to me as I’m doing it. It’s a little disconcerting to just have a blank face staring back at me giving me no feedback as I paint. It makes me wonder how often do I depend on feedback to stay motivated?
Forging your own way inspires those around you to do the same
A friend asked “Why are people so regular, so boring?” In my experience, people allow themselves to fall into the unimaginative mundane because they don’t take the time to self motivate. Staying stuck in the banal is the path of least resistance. Forging your own way inspires those around you to do the same. But if they don’t begin to do it also, they will be left behind in the dust of law of attraction. You’ll attract a more vividly satisfying experience than they will, and you’ll naturally attract more motivated people into your life.
Introducing Janelle, with open hands to take your pain away
The faces for this series I’m doing of paintings as a shamanic soul retrieval project come to me before the symbolism comes. In common they have hands open in offering and a moon or moonstone. Inspired by a friend’s cat eye, I call this one Janelle and as I began painting, her story unfolded for me. Moonstone is an expression of the yin, the soothing energy of the moon. A stone for “new beginnings,” moonstone is a stone of inner growth and strength, soothing emotional instability and stress. When she revealed herself as a remover of pain, I painted her reaching her hands out to receive. On her forehead is an ancient symbol of healing: the spiral depicts the natural rhythm of life, and the healing power that is constantly radiated from the cosmos around us. I’ve painted shakti sparks outside the aura encircling her hands, showing they are energized and powerful. Continue reading
Introducing Rosa of the Aqua Eye
I notice I’ve been making the eyes blue and green on each face in this series I’m doing of paintings as a shamanic soul retrieval project. This is Rosa. I meditated on the colors and Edgar Cayce came to mind. In his Color Meanings Of Auras, blue is considered the color of the spirit, prayer and contemplation. It signifies having found one’s work and being heavily immersed in it. Green is the color of health, vitality and healing. A green with blue in it signifies truthfulness and trustworthyness Wearing and viewing these colors imparts that quality, so I use the blue and green of the eyes I paint to raise the level of healing vibration. I work the color until I can feel it. At this point in the piece to the left, I’ve just added her hand. Each of the paintings in this series will be handing me something. Which is ironic because I’ve never been good at drawing or painting hands; most were just suggestions or maybe a paw or lobster claw. I found myself studying online tutorials to get a grasp of the hand. Also ironic because it was a car accident in 2000 that knocked my own hands out of commission and halted my painting for several years. Continue reading
Introducing Moon Gal with Raven and Moonstone
I’ve been doing a series of paintings as a form of shamanic soul retrieval. As I paint, I meditate on the images that come to mind, which I take to depict a part of me. I’m then taken on a journey, via inner imagery and creative visualization, to the astral realm where I connect with the individual messengers and power totems that will be included in each piece. This one I call Moon Gal with Raven and Moonstone. Raven activates the energy of magic and links it to our will and intention. The raven shows us how to go into the dark of our inner self and bring out the light of our true self, resolving inner conflicts which have long been buried. Moon Gal has an extra long neck representing giraffe energy. Giraffes see from the higher perspective and are able to reach things most can’t. They like to stick their neck out and they remain high above the fray. The neck is the bridge between the worlds, so I often elongate it, signifying being on that journey. Continue reading
What’s the lesson behind my moved trash bin?
Last night someone moved my garbage can to the end of the block. Odd to think someone was right outside and I didn’t know it. It’s deja vu all over again! I always set the bins out on the street the night before. My odd hours have me often working overnights and my office overlooks the street. When it’s cool outside I have the window open. I had it closed last night as I worked in the office from midnight til 6:00am, so I didn’t hear anyone rolling my bin to the end of the block. That would have made a lot of noise. It’s odder to think someone would put it in their vehicle and drive it to the end of the block and toss it on the ground. People do crazy things! Continue reading
He: “When did that happen?”
She: “Don’t you read my blog?”
He: Exasperated sigh…
How I begin my day makes a big difference as to what kind of day I’ll have
I sat for an hour this morning outside at the fire pit in the clearing in my woods, watching the full moon move across the sky. A super moon looks so huge because it coincides with the time in the moon’s orbit when it’s closest to Earth. We’ve had three this year and September 9 will be the next. Talk about taking a full moon bath! Here’s –> How to Take A Healing Full Moon Bath. How I begin my day makes a big difference as to what kind of day I’ll have. Sometimes, like today, I want to wake up and paint right away but instead have to be 8-10 hours at the desk doing final layout for the September magazine. I can either pout and grumble and feel like I once again don’t get to do what I want to do when I want to do it. That’s nice pouty self talk to cheer me into my day! Or I can instead think — more correctly — let me whip out a few hours’ work so I can get to painting afterward, and then carry on my merry day.
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Need a recharge? Bask in a Moon Beam!
The Magical Healing Shower came to me years ago as I stood exhausted at the end of a very long and challenging day. I stepped into the shower and asked that the water remove the stress of the day. I was immediately transported into very healing session. I do the same during full moon as I bask in the moon beam. Here’s the process: Continue reading