Flow

Wednesday evening, March 21st.  Jesseca invited me to one of her Pagan meetings, and I thought it was a good idea to meet her crew.  I'm glad I went, being an atheist with a spiritual bent.  This meet was dedicated to Eostre, so there was immediately a resonance for me: my life is approaching or arriving at a metaphorical Spring.  We did a drawing of runes, I draw Thurisaz, the thorn rune.  It can be seen as a warning rune or an affirmation - keep my defenses up as I am in the eye of chaos,  of forces beyond my control.  Anyone who's read other blog entries knows that's spot on.    We did a meditation central to Spring...I did some meditation exercises as a teen including some for a drama class but since then I've never been able to manage it.  I'm too easily distracted let myself into that space.  Still hoping. So I didn't get there tonight either, just felt a shade of it.  Having been an actor helped, though, I could relate each visualization\to aspects of my life or memories.  Passing moments of the evening echoed the painting I'm preparing and an impressively old and gnarled tree in a children's cemetery in Portland that my family feels has spiritual properties.  Some think it acts as guardian, and one niece captured some impressive orbs and streaks on camera in its presence.  I named the tree Gnarls Barkley and offered it libation and  bread.

Note to self: do a search on a gallery named Moonlight Reflections. (Searched: it's called Full Moon Reflections, in Camden).

WOW.  The sky here at night is so clear.  the stars and crescent moon are so gorgeous tonight.

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Thursday, 22nd.  Five hours sleep and fitful after that.  I can't recall the dream Dana was in except that I wasn't present myself, only a witness... I remember the very end (it's like catching only the tail end of a movie) in which Dana had written a number of books, and she was telling someone the name of her most recent is "Banned From my own Book".

That might have more meaning to Dana than it suggests to me.  The word 'book' means something else to me in connection with Dana: really long personal letters.  Why banned??

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Friday.  In one of Brian's books on faeries I found reference to Mami Wata, an African water deity.  She (usually a she) is known for being sexy and seductive, she can be loving at times and dangerous at others.  Sometimes a mermaid, sometimes a snake charmer.  I would love to dive into her as a subject.  I can get quite earthy, too - I've always wanted to do erotica.  This is a good launching point.

It gave me pause to wonder over cultural appropriation.  I'm quite to the left and have never felt the excesses of political correctness disproved it's usefulness or aims...but I have to confess I'm a doubter of the outcry in appropriation.  Yeah, I get how infuriating it  can be to be misrepresented.  Even so, so-called "appropriation" happens and has since we were living in caves.  It's how cultures develop and evolve.  Complain all you want, there;s no stopping it.

So what of an African deity?  I held a conversation in my head this morning with a devil's advocate.  What business does a white guy from America's Northern coast have representing Mami Wata?  Who, for instance, wants to buy artwork of her in a gallery if the artist is not of African heritage?
I turned the question around.  Who has the right to tell Mami Wata which people she can claim as adherents and who not?  Granting that I have done no more research yet than perusing various online sites about her, I can report that she has already long claimed a place cross-culturally and across other faiths.  I don't believe her inspiration of artists falls under cultural appropriation  even if my interest in her is less than spiritual.  After all, she exists to inspire. 

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I've just looked again at the art of Bob Peak and realized that if the color intensity I want is from Chagall (I had that in mid as soon as I began putting this notion together), the look I'm reaching for my be more inspired by Peak.  Go me!!  Might be best not to study him too much for now, I want my own look to develop.

Meanwhile, Jesseca has had a brainstorm and suggested a project for me that could also go somewhere.  I don't have any images in mind yet, nor a look, but I do have a subject that's rich.

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Is it Monday already?  I'm fighting off a cold, sinuses acting up and triggering my cough.  Must be more cautious in choosing these entry titles from now on...