AEDM 8 - WEAVING A DREAM

Weaving a Dream - (Mandalas for Peace series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image - spider web

Spiders are nature's mandala makers, and autumn is a perfect time to witness their beauty. When I googled for spider medicine stories, I discovered in many cultures spiders are considered weavers of magic. They weave a web that remind us of the interconnectedness of life. Did you know that the spider web was believed to give the alphabet to man, so that we could communicate with each other, all over the world? And here we are, doing just that.

Someone who has the power of the spider will see enhanced balance, creative energy, and writing skills. Magic and intuition are also all part of this totem’s medicine.

I like having spiders around me, and it takes a lot for me to remove them from my home.

This mandala is my contribution for the Creativity intent for the Mandalas for Peace project. If you do not know about the project, be sure to read about it here.

I'm enjoying Leah's AEDM project and how much fun it is to challenge myself to try something new (nearly) every day.

AUTUMN BLISS

Tree Mandala -(Seasonal Circle series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image: bare tree branches

The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green things that stands in the way. Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see Nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, Nature is Imagination itself.
~William Blake, The Letters 1799


Autumn is definitely my favorite season. Right around my birthday the light begins to change to a rosy golden hue. On the North Coast of California days begin to warm up a bit. The days are less windy, and people put on their summer clothes. Funny, huh? Even though I've lived on the coast for over twenty years, writing about where I live and describing it to others makes me aware of what a unique place where I live really is. The next six weeks or so will be autumnal bliss.

This mandala was created from a photograph of dead tree limbs. There was something about the configuration that really appealed to me. Inspired by Chewy Sweetwater, I created the background from a selection of the pattern within the mandala, created a pattern, and created a layer style using pattern overlay. I am currently obsessed with how I use the space surrounding my mandalas.

I so love the creative process.

Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE

Shine Mandala - (Meditation Card series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image - rhododendron blossoms
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We have magnificent brains, but we use a great deal of our brilliance to keep ourselves stuck and ignorant, to keep ourselves from not shining. We are so afraid of our beauty and radiance and brilliance because it scared the adults around us when we were children.
~ Patricia Sun
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In 1989, during a time of great change and uncertainty in my life, I wrote a poem about the hurt I was allowing myself to feel. The poem ended "if I unwrapped myself, who would I be?"

It has really been a life long journey for me to discover and embrace the answers to that question. Today I encourage people as best I can to follow their hearts and do what they love. I think I read somewhere that being creative is almost a primal need. Too many have had that desire bullied out of them by well-meaning parents, insensitive art teachers, society at large. I view creation as a joyous and sacred act.

I choose the mandala form because it is a container for healing. Carl Jung said that a mandala symbolizes a safe refuge of inner reconciliation and wholeness (from The Mandala Project). Who doesn't need that from time to time?

Do you feel that creating art gets you closer to your center? Just how do you feel about being an artist? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject.


Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

p.s. you can read the lyrics to the Todd Rundgren song Healer(today's music pick) here