I AM A PILGRIM--ARE YOU?

I am celebrating today and every day because I am awake on my LIFE'S JOURNEY. Are you? 

I turned 50 years old last year. How many years left of my life do I have to JOURNEY?

I insist upon making my life MEAN something. I want to FIND connections and to honestly FEEL that people and events in this world are related to ME in some vibrant way. That if I vote in an election, it results in public health care. That if I help an international student learn English (my day time profession) he or she can gain access to a job or university. That if I grow my own tomatoes, it reduces my footprint on this earth.

In my twenties, I chose to live EXISTENTIALLY. If I could not entertain one God or one religion to meet my spiritual needs, I would impose significance on the events and people around me. I chose to CREATE ART, and I granted this activity relevance. I chose to people my world with friends and family members that HONORED me, and I HONORED them in return.

I am on a pathway of learning. I seek a FEELING of congruency that my mother calls "PEACE." I want my mother to know that I find PEACE in KNOWING I am on the JOURNEY. I do want to feel the EFFICACY of my life, that my actions matter and that yours do too. I want us ALL to matter in this space, this time--right now. I am NOT suffering. NO! Instead, I have an intense craving for MORE of the good stuff of life and the ability to express that stuff in image and word.

Here in this image, "I AM A PILGRIM,"  I am travelling with Wandjina, a God from Northwest Australia. I invited him into my psyche as a STRONG MALE ANIMUS--energy, direction, and action. Hallelujah was feeling slightly lonely, and in her universe all one has to do is NAME WHAT SHE WANTS.

Wandjina is the aboriginal creation God. He created the Great Mother Snake who gave birth to the earth and all its seasons. He and I are now travelling together so that I can learn more about CREATING. 

I painted this part of my journey on Saturday, September 12, while hosting my friend Kyla, who had come to paint with me. We decided to do mandalas, wonderful circular drawings that create safe spaces to nurture our hearts. I was particularly pleased with the vibrancy of the water color pencils. It took me three layers of marking and wetting to achieve that. I also like how Wandjina rises above me to protect my way.

I am also traveling with my ferocious and mighty feline companion, Misha, who is approaching his 15th year. In these 15 years, this quadruped has taught me the joy of catnapping. His furry body stretching across the bed, the floor, the pillow, and my lap in complete and utter sustained joy has persistently ANNOUNCED to me the infinity in the moment of BEING HERE NOW. 

Perhaps MEANING is DOING and BEING IN OUR BODIES,  and then HOLDING these two actions simultaneously in our consciousness--without JUDGEMENT!

I AM A PILGRIM--ARE YOU? Thank you for being here for Coffee With Hallelujah. I would like to know about your meaning making. That's it for tonight--HALLELUJAH!