Haiku Ellipses...Invitation...Response...

LITTLE CIRCLES little circles swirl around in patterned circle one circle holds all little swirling circles spread into patterns and shapes...finding their way around the rim of a larger circle that contains everything and deep inside they find their way into a core of swirling atomic energy...like the doiley mandala, small movements produce a final shape unexpected by any single swirl. every day we are making tiny swirling circles of energy and light, renewing the pattern of our being and in some sense co-creating the greater world of our reality...the  tiny swirling circles  are conscious in creating patterns of shapes that we observe and name...how much of this process is our consciousness shaping reality...how much is interaction with "other" consciousnesses...and how much is the unique destiny of an energy being taking form information riding on the waves of light...such mystery and wonder. practically, be mindful of the little swirling circular motions we dance into e...

  GRANDMA'S DOILIE rings of colored yarn criss crossing in a pattern grandma's handiwork the little doilie about 5 inches across, brightly colored rings that form a pleasing pattern to contemplate...at the center of this i place a heart shaped stone about 2 inches from top to bottom, reminding me that the heart is at the center of all things--i'm not sure Grandma Baesler who created this doilie was aware of the meanings i would engender to her handiwork, but i am appreciative of her efforts (i haven't developed the skill) to create something beautiful from scraps of material.  the practice: i place my forehead on the heart over the doilie every morning, bowing deep to my ancestors and to the Spirit of all life, offering the day and asking for grace and mercy...i feel connected to all, especially to grandma. what kinds of things have your grandparents (or other relatives, ancestors, or kin) bestowed to you? what meaning might they have for your life? can you create a r...

KINDS OF LOVE the top of the figure represents divine love, the two figures in the middle are human love , the green branches and brown roots are nature love , and either figure in the middle are self love --hearts of varying sizes for different kinds of love , the sparkles and glow radiate out into the world/universe. the love s.o.n.g is an acronym for the different types of love:  s = self, o = others, n = nature, and g = god/goddess or more broadly, divine love ...the practice is one of self-reflection, are we, and how well are we, engaging in all the kinds of love that are possible in this human form?

WITHIN THE EGG hidden in colors within the swirling egg shape is the holy name Many life forms, including use, begin hidden within the egg. ..a flash of light at conception inside the egg is recorded by scientists...this light can be thought of as the divine spark, and in the depiction below, the holy name. Repeating the holy name is sometimes called mantra prayer...i have written about different spiritual traditions and mantra prayer here: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&context=communication_fac_pubs The egg symbolizes the birthplace of life and spiritual transformation. The practice of mantra prayer is an aid to this birthing and transformation, and it's practice is deceptively simple: choose a holy name, repeat the name silently (and/or chant the name aloud), and when distracted, return to the holy name for as long as one chooses. One can use the holy name for transforming emotions, repeating the name when noting negative emotions, using th...

HER SHAPE pairing of spirals swirling from top to bottom revealing her shape i often surprise myself when creating these "mandala" forms..." her shape " (see image below) started out as a diamond in the middle of the page followed by pairings of spirals that eventually transformed into what felt like a female shape: rounding, circular, smooth, swirling, like spiraling chakras... might drawings like this unveil hidden aspects of reality? and/or accentuate what is already there, like an emerging figure rising from the ground in Gestalt theory? As a practice, one might sit with oneself, a pencil or some colored markers in one hand and a sheet of unlined paper (simple copy paper will do) in one's lap or on a table, and then, beginning in the middle, create and keep going without too much conscious thinking/reflection about how your artistic creation looks. It's vital to keep the flow going, to let happen whatever needs to happen without too much interference fro...

 BOTTLED HEART red hearts trapped inside the polygon blue diamonds dots will set hearts free the polygon blue diamonds represent forces of the outer world that can harden and crystalize our exteriors...the blue diamonds are shaped like a bottle within which are trapped human hearts. ..the dots are forces at the edges of our bodies and outside of us that have the power to uncork the bottle and allow the love and care in our hearts to pour out into life. the process of uncorking the bottle is something that we all need to do every day...not only to let our love flow, but to release the build up of tension/stress within our hearts ...i've found the best way to do this on the regular is meditation and/or prayer...something simple like the relaxation response by Herbert Benson...sitting in a relaxed quiet place, repeat a positive word on each exhale, when other thoughts come remain passive (e.g., say "oh well" and go back to repeating the word)...continue for 10-15 mins...tha...

PEACOCK crisscrossing spirals green, brown, orange, and blue combine excited peacock this image began with two infinity symbols at center, grew outward with colors and ovals between the infinities... we come from the infinite center and add ovals and color to our lives as we grow...if we step back for perspective, we may feel the beauty and excitement of a male peacock. what small things in our lives can we bring together (or create) to form a beautiful excited peacock ready for action? how might we step back from our lives and observe the places where excited peacocks may already be strutting, ready for action?

SUNSET BEACH      the beach at sunset purples, blues, and tans combine footprint and seaship First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, Virginia (formerly Seashore State Park) is one of our favorite family vacation spots. On the west side of the park, there is the Chesapeake Bay, on the east side there is the Atlantic Ocean, and in the middle runs several trails through the forest with names like Cape Henry and Fox Run. The image below is sunset at the Chesapeake Bay side beach with a lone ship at sea, and an exaggerated footprint hovering over the sand framed by colors of purple, blue, and tan swirling into each other. One can walk along the beach of life, look back and see footprin ts in the sand for a short distance before wind, water, and time erase them...and never know what it is like to sail on the ship at sea...where are we going on the beach of life?...would we rather sail on the ship at sea?...know that eventually this ship has to land and we will find ourselv...

PINK OVALS & PURPLE MOONS circles intertwined pink ovals & purple moons male & female joined the pink ovals with the black or red centers represent female energies while the purple and lighter violet crescent moon shaped figures represent male energies--the female energies near the center expand out, seeking the male energies while the male energies, on the outer rim of the figure, are moving inward, seeking the female energies...both are intertwined by the light blue cosmic circles, connecting female and male energies into a harmonious whole. one interpretation of this mandala is the male seeking to unite with the female and visa versa...the male moving from the outside to inside and the female moving from inside to outside...eventually the male is received completely by the firey red female energy and dissolves into the darkness of her womb (or we could flip it and say the male energy penetrates and enlivens the female energy which creates new life).. practically, we al...

  WEB OF TRIANGLES web of triangles connected with thin threads encircled with green the green circle and threads are inspired by the greenry around me at First Landing State Park near the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia. The triangles represent trinitarian dynamics of objects in the world: people, plants, animals, insects, micro-organisms...the green web of life. as a practice, imagine yourself standing at the center of your web of life...move out from your center, seeing and feeling into the trinitarian dynamics surrounding you...including  body, elementals, all living things...all interconnected, all in some sense unified and ONE.