SOUL RETRIEVAL: DANCING YOUR SPIRIT INTO REBIRTH

HOW TO GO ABOUT RETRIEVING YOUR SOUL. DANCE! Gabrielle Roth says "If you want to give birth to your true self, you are going to have to dig deep down into that body of yours and let your soul howl." (words from Sweat Your Prayers, 1997; art by Hallelujah Truth, today 2013)

Hallelujah for the SOUL! For the SPIRIT that infuses our lives with purpose and fun! Hallelujah for pilgrims like Gabrielle Roth (1941-2012), dancer and creator of FIVE RHYTHMS! Hallelujah for being given permission to let your SOUL HOWL! To discover what your BODY and SOUL need to do to sweat out your prayers!

Gabrielle Roth writes in her book, Sweat Your Prayers, "Soul retrieval is hard work....It takes discipline to be a free spirit." During the course of her book, she defines the joyful disciplined route to connecting BODY and SOUL through dance--your own unique dance!

During her life time of experiences as a dancer and teacher, Gabrielle Roth developed a cycle of movement that engages the spirit: flow, staccato, chaos, lyricism, and stillness. Whether you dance this cycle in 15 minutes or an hour, you can find that pathway to giving birth to your TRUE SELF!

I, Hallelujah Truth, know it to be true what Gabrielle Roth says that the body is "a begging bowl for spirit" ...and that "the spirit is the catalyst that keeps all things moving, the body without it falls into a deep state of inertia." 

HOWL-A-LU-JAH!

Therefore, I have pledged to address the "begging bowl" of my body in 2013 and to MOVE my bones, muscles, blood and flesh through dance (see my blog on Dance Church). And with awe and pleasure, I have discovered that Atlanta has Five Rhythms dance classes! You can find out about their locations and times by visiting these sites: The Wave Atlanta and its Facebook page.

You might be asking about why Gabrielle Roth's Five Rhythms are called a "wave"? When Gabrielle Roth writes about dancing it is pure inspiration and connection to the universe:

ENERGY MOVES IN WAVES.

WAVES MOVE IN PATTERNS.

PATTERNS MOVE IN RHYTHMS.

A HUMAN BEING IS ALL OF THOSE:

ENERGY

WAVES

PATTERNS

RHYTHMS.

WE ARE THE DANCE.

To experience the SPIRIT by dancing the Five Rhythms you only need your BODY and music--even music is not essential. However, if you decide to attend a Wave Atlanta class, you will love sharing the dance of SPIRIT with other SPIRITS.

I am thrilled to be MOVING in this improvisational fluid way that excites me when I wake in the morning! Hallelujah for the BODY and the SPIRIT! How about you fellow pilgrim? Will you MOVE your BODY today in a prayerful dance? SOUL BLOG with me at Coffee with Hallelujah!

Take a look at some Five Rhythms dancing in the youtube video below:

PORTRAIT OF A CREATIVE PILGRIM: Plotting the conclusion of a 3-month goal

PORTRAIT OF A CREATIVE PILGRIM. In my arms (in this image), I embrace components of myself, Wandjina (my animus) and wallaby (my vulnerability). Great Mystery in the form of a woman in a burka hovers over me in the top right corner, always offering a welcoming hand. The snake (fertility, new beginnings, and transformation) embraces the Trinity of Hallelujah, Wandjina, and Wallaby. The flowers celebrate us, the truth! (art by the creative pilgrim, Hallelujah Truth)

In the beginning, there was the declaration of the 3-month Artist Conference Network Goal (ACN)--to create a "new" image every day of the 3 months and to continue working on all of the images until the end of the goal period...and choose a way to present the body of work created during this time frame.

So I began with this image of me, Hallelujah Truth, on mixed media paper 6 inches by 8 inches. For me, the crown I placed on my head in this drawing reminds me of a birthday cake, and in many ways that is what this image represents! A celebration of another "birth" day, another day to create something new!

Pilgrims, each day we have the opportunity to be "born" again to our CREATIVITY, our SOULS. And that is what this particular series of new drawings is all about: BEING PRESENT TO THE NOW!

FOLLOWING FELINE ENERGY: Being enlivened by daily improvisational acts of creativity!

FEMALE FELINE ENERGY. Since I visited the exhibit, "For I Am the Black Jaguar," at the Carlos Museum, I have been meditating on feline energy (see my first blog about this, The Black Jaguar: Following my feeling to draw felines).  (art by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for meditative daily drawing! Coffee with Hallelujah is ALL about BEING present to the moment and following the impulse. In my mornings, I have coffee with my SPIRIT and become enlivened by improvisational acts of creativity.

Once a drawing is completed, I take it to the next step of technological improvisation--photoshop! I have learned that once my images are scanned, I can PLAY with them and experience my VISION in different ways.

I have photoshop options:

Contrasting light and dark
Inverting colors 
Changing hues
Altering vibrancy
Transforming into other art media
ETC...

IMPROVISATIONAL PHOTOSHOP OPTIONS.  Here I used a "fill" function on photoshop to add color to the original black-and-white image that had already been made a bold black-and-white because of the contrast function! (art by Hallelujah Truth)

PLAYING with my artwork on photoshop teaches me NEW WAYS of SEEING my images and impact future choices when creating new work. Hallelujah for FUN with art and technology!

INVERT FELINE IMAGE.  How exciting it is to see the transformation of a black background into white! And what was previously white is now black! (art by Hallelujah Truth)

I suspect that there are many other wonderful surprises for me to discover on photoshop, that will in turn, teach me additional new ways to draw and color my work!

I will continue to create improvisational acts of art making every day during my coffee with Hallelujah (my spirit)! How about you SOUL PILGRIM? What improvisational act will you commit today?

DANCE CHURCH: ANOTHER IMPROVISATIONAL ACT OF THE SPIRIT

DANCE CHURCH: MOVING WITH WANDJINA. (art by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for DANCE CHURCH! In my small community of Decatur, Georgia, DANCE CHURCH takes place on the second Sunday of every month. Local citizens gather together, bringing music, objects for an temporary altar, and the SPIRIT to MOVE!

Since I have dedicated myself to MOVEMENT for 2013, I journeyed out to DANCE CHURCH on this second Sunday in January and was enlivened!

THE BLACK JAGUAR: FOLLOWING THE FEELING TO DRAW FELINES

THE JAGUAR WITHIN.  (art by Hallelujah Truth)

HASTINGS RESERVE BOBCAT. (photo by Chiboogamoo)

Hallelujah PILGRIMS!  Right now, I am following a FEELING by drawing FELINES in my daily work. 

I welcomed "cats" into my artwork several weeks ago while in California after seeing the most magnificent bobcats moving freely about in their natural environment on the Hastings Reserve.

Then my Chiboogamoo and I returned to our home in Atlanta, Georiga, where we were welcomed by our two felines, Tao and Sapelo. 

2013 YEAR OF THE SNAKE: A time for healing and rebirth!

2013 THE YEAR OF THE SERPENT (art by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for new beginnings and for symbols that help us express the longings of our hearts! What does a SERPENT from the Chinese zodiac symbolize for our new year just emerging? I know some of you might feel afraid or nervous, but this symbol is a powerfully healing one!

First of all, if we allow ourselves to look at the Chinese calendar, which is based on the phases of the moon, we actually still have time to prepare for the new year of the snake. It doesn't begin until February 9th--almost a month away! 

Then according to a description in my new calendar, "WE'MOON 2013: Gaia Rhythms for Womyn, the serpent is a symbol of HEALING and REBIRTH. Think of how both beautiful and frightening snakes are as they move across the Earth with "grace and fluidity."

The SERPENT's symbolic power is acknowledged in many world cultures. In fact the image that I drew and painted for you here is not Chinese influenced at all but is an artifact from my recent visit to an exhibit on shamanism that I saw at the Carlos Museum on Emory University's campus. 

Staring down at a clay bowl from a country in South America (I didn't write down if it were Ecuador, Peru, etc.), I made a quick outline drawing of the snake, believing at the time that it looked too cartoonish. However, the practice I have observed by releasing judgment (repeating the words, "NOT GOOD, NOT BAD, JUST IS."), allows me to explore my interests to satisfying results. 

What I now see in my drawing of a snake is not only a snake or SERPENT, but also a spiral (representing infinity for me) and a flower (look to see the petals in the snake's pattern--representing a "birth"). 

For me, my artwork become potent medicine for envisioning, re-envisioning LIFE. So, I hope I have shared that with you today. That's Coffee with Hallelujah. SOUL BLOG with me and tell me what you think of the SERPENT as a symbol and how you are acknowledging the new year, 2013!