AUGUST MOON 2013 (Day #4): "Mother" has been my guiding word for 2013 and it has been fruitful!

REACHING MOTHER. My guiding word for 2013 has been MOTHER. I created this "Reaching Mother" image in December for my response to the Reverb 2012 prompt looking forward to 2013. MOTHER...has it been working for me?(art by Hallelujah Truth)

AUGUST MOON 2013 (DAY #4) PROMPT: 

What word did you choose as your traveling companion in 2013? How is it working for you? Where have the surprises been?

If you didn’t choose a guiding word, what word sums up your year so far? And why? --from Kat and Meredith

Dear Readers, I chose a word as a traveling companion for 2013. It was

MOTHER!

And here is an excerpt from the blog entry I wrote about my intentionality around this guiding word MOTHER.

THE WORD "MOTHER" AS A TRAVELING COMPANION FOR 2013

"So, for 2013, I am joyfully cultivating the MOTHER in me, and will MOTHER IT UP in the following ways:
First of all, I will MOTHER the NOW, holding present time close like a baby and attending to its ever present burps and gurgles.


I will MOTHER my ART SPIRIT, lovingly tending to its flame, daily feeding it fuel until it bursts into fireworks like the Fourth of July and tenderly putting it to bed each night in a warm bed of ashes for rest.
 
I will MOTHER my BODY listening to its needs, moving when my muscles need to be flexed and lengthened, laughing when my vocal chords need to vibrate, eating healthful foods to ignite the brain and flesh, and maintaining sleep cycles in accordance with the Earth's revolution to experience rebirth each day at Sunrise.


 
I will MOTHER the PLAYFUL GIRL in me that loves to run fast and ride bicycles, lie down under the trees in the park and feel the Earth beneath me,  compete in board games and tennis and have decadent luscious tea parties with friends.
 
I will MOTHER the WOUNDED CHILD in me, listening to her hurts and saying "OUCH" in unison with her as we gently rock together for comfort.
 
...and by BEING MOTHER to MYSELF first, I will heal wounds, nurture strength, foster joy, and deepen in experience in understanding and compassion. Thus making it possible in the future to be PRESENT to MOTHERING."
 
AUGUST MOON 2013--HAVE I BEEN MOTHERING IT UP IN THE PAST 8 MONTHS?
Applause! Joyful Hallelujahs! YES. YES. YES. Dear Reader and Fellow Pilgrim, let me share the success of my intentionality with you! MOTHERING the child in me took me to the following places: 

• Mulberry Fields in Candler Park, Atlanta, to plant my own tomatoes 
• Atlanta Beltline to walk, ride bikes, see art, and talk with friends
• Dance Church, Decatur, to move creatively with my community
• Five Rhythms to dance waves Gabrielle Roth style
• Dancing Flowers for Peace, to share movement with women dancing their convictions
• St. Catherine's Island, Georgia, to track alligators, raccoons, and ghost crabs
• Istanbul, Turkey, to experience the culture many of my international students have told me about

One of the most important issues I addressed concerned my inner child. My inner child ached to move and play, and because of my intentionality (MOTHERING) I discovered InterPlay, a joyful way of being, moving, speaking, and interacting with others. My MOTHER took me on a journey and in the past months, I have found new amazing friends through InterPlay. Hurray for Atlanta's Jennifer Denning and for the co-founders of InterPlay, Cynthia Winton-Henry and Phil Porter!

There is so much more to say and share about what MOTHERING myself has done for me, but let it suffice for now to express my surprise.

ATLANTA INTERPLAY. Today (August 24th), we had the Atlanta InterPlay, led by Jennifer Denning, who is moving behind me. In this activity, we had the opportunity to move in threes and be "witnessed." My loving spouse, the brilliant Tony Martin, accompanied me, played, and took this photo. Thank you! (photo by Tony Martin)

WHERE HAVE THE SURPRISES BEEN?
The major surprise has been in the magic of intentionality! I created the intention of MOTHERING myself and focusing on how to develop and apply this nurturing skill to myself.


To develop the intentionality, I wrote about a blog entry about MOTHERING. I also had my paper calendar have the word "MOTHER" printed on its cover as a reminder. Now, I am reviewing the results of my intentionality 8 months later. And I am surprised at the magical quality my life has taken on by being MOTHER and CHILD simultaneously.

That's Coffee with Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me and tell me what word has guided you for 2013 and how it has served you! If you haven't had a word to guide you, what would you choose now and why?

I REACHED and now I HOLD!

#REVERB12 (Day 30): What can you celebrate now? BEING HERE NOW

MOTHER OF THE NOW, VISCERAL CONNECTION TO THE UNIVERSE.  Announcing my ARRIVAL at the intersection of the past, present, and future--NOW! (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

 #REVERB12 (Day 30) PROMPT: For a moment, take a close look at who you are NOW. See what you can declare. Merge the past, present, and future into one big ARRIVAL. Describe joyously and in great celebration the BEING that you ARE.

HALLELUJAH for being here NOW! Journeying through this month of blogging every day I have arrived at a most productive and joyous intersection of my creative work! I proclaim that I am the MOTHER OF NOW! And I am celebrating!

NOW LOOKS LIKE THIS! I imagine the NOW beating, thumping and electrifying our SOULS. (art by Hallelujah Truth)

 In 2012, I journeyed into FULL PLANETHOOD. 

JOURNEYING. In the past year, exploring my creativity daily has taken me into a vast universe of self and unity--NOW. I discovered symbols to speak "heart" and transform ideas and feelings that needed an alchemical route such as making art to change, heal, grow, and illuminate. The image you see here speaks of the unification of my feminine energy with my animus. If we are to travel into our SOULS and live our daily practical lives we need both energies with their respective strengths. (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

#REVERB12 (Day 29): What word will you choose to guide you through 2013? MOTHER!

DREAMING MOTHER (art by Hallelujah Truth)

#REVERB12 (Day 29) PROMPT: What word will you choose to guide you through 2013? What do you hope it will bring into your life?

Hallelujah for mile markers, anniversaries, counting the revolutions of the Earth around the Sun, and other various ways of measuring and honoring our time on this glorious planet! 

Hallelujah for acknowledging the emergence of a new year with its promising bundle of hopes, plans, and dreams to be fulfilled in 2013. The guiding word I have selected for my journey this year is MOTHER. 

The cycle of life for we women folk is tri-fold: MAIDEN, MOTHER, and CRONE.  I lingered in maidenhood for more than four decades (marrying at the age of 46), and when I turned 50, without ever having given physical birth, I attempted to jump into being a CRONE....  

#REVERB12 (Day 28): How did you overcome fear in 2012? HOWLING AND FRIENDING THE FEAR

#REVERB12 (Day 28) PROMPT: Think of three things that daunted you in 2012: how are you going to work towards overcoming them in 2013?

LURKING FEARS ARE LIKE WILD ANIMALS. Hallelujah for wildlife like this bobcat that my Chiboogamoo and I saw crossing our path yesterday (December 27) at Hastings Reserve in Carmel Valley, California! What a beauty! Our fears dash around in our peripheral view just like these wild animals that want to be left alone to thrive. Yet our fears, unlike wild animals, must be observed, perhaps caught, named, and dealt with. (photo by Chiboogamoo and photoshopped by Hallelujah)

Hallelujah PILGRIMS, Hallelujah for the CREATIVE JOURNEY and all of its WILD BEASTS that howl and scream! I am reminded of Maurice Sendak's book, Where the Wild Things Are. For me, the book and then the 2009 movie especially were all about engaging with our fears, some from childhood, some acquired along our journey, and others just plain old PRIMAL FEAR and expressing them, reveling with them, and BEING them (see my blog, Howl: Where the Wild Things Are).

JOURNEYING INTO THE SOUL. The walk we take into our creative selves, means confronting our fears--those mongering saboteurs who tell us we can't meet the challenge we see before us, we aren't talented enough or don't have a viable idea. Can you see me in the center of this photo?(photo by Chiboogamoo on the Hastings Reserve)

For three years since I started this blog, I have "efforted" (as my Korean English language students say) in battling my FEARS. I love my beastly fears and monster saboteurs because they are part of the JOURNEY of the Spiritual Art Pilgrim. When "THEY" are surrounding me and chanting and beating drums, I howl with them and lift my feet in rhythm with theirs! I become the FEAR with them!

I belly howl, 
I be the howl, 
I see the howl, 
I hear the howl, 
I hop the howl
...and then...

I have become the FEAR EXPERT. I can name them and in doing so, I can ask them to leave or join me on my journey. 

THAT IS HOW HALLELUJAH HANDLES THE FEAR! 

That is Coffee with HOWL-a-lujah! Soul blog with me and tell me about your FEARS and what you think about my FEAR FRIENDING system. 

A GOOD MARRIAGE STAVES OFF THE WILD ANIMALS OF THE SOUL. (photo by Sandy Voegeli in Carmel Valley, Hastings Reserve, Poison Oak Trail)

 A BEAUTY IN NATURE. I wish I can dance with this bobcat my Chiboogamoo and I spotted on the Hastings Reserve! (photo by Chiboogamoo)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: As always, thanks to Kat at "I Saw You Dancing," for managing #REVERB12.

#REVERB12 (Day 27): How did you make time for creativity in 2012? LIVING HALLELUJAH'S MANIFESTO!

LIVING HALLELUJAH'S MANIFESTO. If not NOW when? NOW is the TIME for ALL of us to delve into our CREATIVITY! If you have time to drink coffee in the morning, you have TIME to kneel at the altar place of your imaginative soul. (Hallelujah NOW made for Elyse Voegeli by Hallelujah Truth)

#REVERB12 (Day 27) PROMPT: How did you make time for creativity in 2012?

I became clearer about BEING and having coffee with Hallelujah Truth by developing this MANIFESTO for CREATIVITY!

Celebrate the miracle of each moment! Be in the NOW.
 
Re-soul each day by having coffee with Hallelujah (15 minutes of creativity every day.)

Elaborate and expand the spirit by drawing, painting, singing, dancing, and laughing daily.
 
Acknowledge and accept gifts from others with awe and gratitude.
 

TEE-HEE

Tee-hee instead of Boo-hoo, knowing that joyfully managing hardship and hurts is way better for the spirit and body.
 
Engage with other like-minded souls and build creative communities (by teaching, taking classes, participating in art groups (ACN and WCAGA), blogging and participating in blogging events like Blogtoberfest, Worthiness Wednesdays, and #Reverb12--thanks Kat McNally).

THAT'S COFFEE WITH HALLELUJAH! Soul Blog with me and tell me how you made time for creativity in 2012. How will you make time for creativity in 2013? Will you follow Hallelujah's Manifesto?
 

#REVERB12 (Day 26): How will you make time in 2013? 15 Minutes of Creativity Every Day!

STAR INFINITY SPIRAL. The spirals in my work symbolize infinity and repetition of that infinity throughout time. I think of spirals in 3-dimensions. A spiral is not flat as you see it here but has height and depth. As we move forward in our lives, we repeat behaviors and feel similar emotions (this is the circular part of the spiral), but we have gained experience and cultivated knowledge (this is the height and depth part) which help us process who we are at any particular stage of our lives. (art by Hallelujah)

#REVERB12 (Day 26) PROMPT: How do you intend to carve out more time for the things that are the most important to you in 2013?

TIME! I continue to play with TIME in order to allocate some of this precious resource to making ART. I began this blog, Coffee with Hallelujah, three years ago to honor TIME + CREATIVITY. 

I proclaimed that if you have 15 minutes to drink coffee in the morning, you have 15 minutes to be CREATIVE, to honor your SPIRIT. 

 COFFEE TIME = SOUL TIME (CREATIVITY)

#REVERB12 (Day 25): How will you be vulnerable? MAKE ART

SYMBOL CHART FOR HALLELUJAH'S VULNERABILITY. Currently, I am charging forward like a Knight on Arthur's round table, drawing and wearing the insignia of my SPIRIT. Today, I share with you the symbols of my pilgrim's cosmos. Here is the open door to my Achille's heel, for I am VULNERABLE to criticism; at the same time, I welcome curious visitors. It is the questions of the curious who keep me vibrant.  (art by Hallelujah Truth)

#REVERB12 (Day 25) PROMPT: How will you be vulnerable?

MERRY CHRISTMAS dear pilgrims! Today is the day that Christians celebrate the birth of the GOD-CHILD, baby Jesus, who is both GOD and a newborn HUMAN! Just think how VULNERABLE this GOD-CHILD is! We all share this VULNERABILITY because of this clashing duality of SPIRIT (GOD)and BODY (HUMAN).

In answer to today’s #Reverb12 prompt, I will proclaim that as a SPIRITUAL ART PILGRIM, I am already fiercely VULNERABLE. I explore my LIFE, going into the MYSTERY, often feeling confused, falling, bumping and scrapping my knees (literally and metaphorically), recovering, discovering, and making ART to document this courageous JOURNEY.

#REVERB12 (Day 24): What important habit will you cultivate in 2013? GRATITUDE!

GRATITUDE. (photo by Hallelujah Truth taken at The Sacred Place)

#REVERB12 (Day 24) PROMPT: What is the single most important habit you intend to cultivate in 2013?

Hallelujah for new beginnings and cultivating practices that make our lives delightful! In 2013, I fully intend to cultivate habits that perpetuate movement, voice, and fulfillment! However, the single most important habit I intend to practice is GRATITUDE!

I will practice my GRATITUDE by blogging once a week for what I am thankful for. Today, I will begin by posting California photos taken with my Chiboogamoo during the first week of our winter holiday.

HASTINGS RESERVE, CARMEL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA. I'm thankful for the opportunity to visit with good friends during this holiday season at the setting of their new home. Our cabin is a 5-minute drive down a winding road from their home. (photo by Halllelujah Truth)

#REVERB12 (Day 23): What excuses are holding you back? LOVE OF POWER!

THE POWER OF LOVE! I am a SPIRITUAL ART PILGRIM in search of MYSELF, the NOW, and PEACE. My dear friend, Lisa Graye, lovingly insisted that I visit The Sacred Space, during a visit with her in Santa Barbara, California. This photo was taken there by me.

#REVERB12 (Day 23)PROMPT: Name three excuses -- stories you tell yourself that are holding you back -- that you are going to let go of in 2013.

Hallelujah for an opportunity to revel in EXCUSES! As a spiritual art pilgrim journeying joyfully, I primarily focus on the practice of positive imaginative thinking. Yet there is an important place in our lives for acknowledging and naming the EXCUSES that anchor us to OLD WAYS OF BEING.

In this vast universe, I am searching for ME, the NOW of EXISTENCE, and PEACE. What are my stories or excuses that keep me from achieving this SACRED SPACE? Let's look at three of them...

#REVERB12 (Day 22): What was the greatest gift you received in 2012? COLLABORATION!

COLLABORATION IS ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS! Here I am with my Chiboogamoo and Paleontologist Barbie on the Georgia Coast! The three of us COLLABORATED on exploring important scientific topics in the PALEONTOLOGIST BARBIE INTERVIEWS.

#REVERB12 (Day 22) PROMPT: What was the greatest gift you received in 2012? What was the greatest gift you gave? What do you intend to give yourself in 2013?

Hallelujah for the GIFT of COLLABORATION! My life has been gifted with talented people who share and toss ideas around playfully like joyful children!

COLLABORATION IMPROV ESL. In 2012, Lesly Fredman gave me the bestest GIFT ever in collaborating on the creation of the IMPROV ESL class at the Georgia Tech Language Institute! (see the blog I started)

COLLABORATING WITH STUDENTS.  Creating this IMPROV ESL class established a way to interact with my students in new and exciting ways. They collaborated in the teaching and learning by bringing themselves to class and actively participating in making things up, taking risks, and saying YES!

As 2012 comes to a close and the beginning of 2013 looms, I will continue to cherish the GIFTS of COLLABORATION.  Before I say good-bye for today, I want to thank Ron Shaklee and Sandy Voegeli for the COLLABORATIVE work we did to make the publishing of The Misadventures of Maria the Hutia happen this past July!

 

#REVERB12 (Day 21): What items did you tick off your dream list in 2012? CALIFORNIA FRIENDS AND IMPROMPTU ART EXHIBIT!!

MAJOR DREAM ACCOMPLISHED! Visiting former neighbor and friend Kiona in Carpinteria, California, and her bookstore, Curious Cup, for which I designed the logo! See above! (photo by Chiboogamoo)

#REVERB12 (Day 21) PROMPT: What items did you tick off your dream list in 2012? What other, unexpected, dreams came to fruition? What are the top three items on your dream list for 2013?

Hallelujah for sumptuous DREAM FRUITS in our LIVES! 2012 was an awesome year for ticking items (picking DREAM FRUITS) off of my dream list! However, today, I want to write about just one event in which three wonderful ones culminated!

My Chiboogamoo and I traveled to California to visit our longtime friends the Voegelis at the Hastings Reserve in Carmel Valley, which then enabled me to have these three unexpected experiences: 

• Visit a former Decatur, Georgia, neighbor in Carpinteria and see her bookstore, Curious Cup
• Get reacquainted with a close college friend I hadn't seen in 30 years, and
• Give an impromptu art exhibit in California!

ARRIVAL AT CURIOUS CUP! I have been wanting to visit Kiona at her bookstore, Curious Cup, since she opened it two years ago! Hurray! What a beautiful store! (photo by Chiboogamoo) 

#REVERB12 (Day 20): What was lost in 2012? What do you intend to find in 2013?

LOST CERTAINTY IN 2012.  I am no longer sure of what IS and what IS not! (photo by Chiboogamoo at Hastings Reserve and artified by Hallelujah Truth)

#REVERB (Day 20) PROMPT: What was lost in 2012? What do you intend to find in 2013?

Hallelujah for NOT KNOWING. 2012 offered me a skyfall into UNCERTAINTY. Who I am and what I mean to others fluttered away this past year, like butterflies migrating to a distant land thousands of miles away. POOF, GONE, LOST...

#REVERB12 (Day 19): How did you nourish your beautiful body in 2012? DANCING WITH THE FLOWERS!

MY BODY ASKED ME TO MOVE, PERCHANCE TO DANCE! In 2012, I earnestly returned to my body to listen to her needs. "MOVE," she exclaimed! (art by Hallelujah Truth)

#REVERB12 (Day 19) PROMPT: How did you nourish your beautiful body in 2012? What self-care practices will you take with you into 2013?

Hallelujah for our most tenacious SPIRIT! Yet without our BEAUTIFUL BODIES to house our SPIRITS we would be star dust! As all of you pilgrims know, our BODIES are sources of great pleasure or great pain. In 2012, my BODY groaned and creaked like an ancient mariner's ship upon a slow moving sea as a result of the hours I spend HALLELUJAHING (making my art expressed as "Coffee with Hallelujah").

ATTENDING TO THE SPIRIT BUT NOT THE BODY. This is a typical position for my body as I execute the visions of my SOUL during my Hallelujahing (HOWL-a-LUJAHING). In 2012, I began to listen to the muscles and sinews of my BODY--they were asking for MOVEMENT! (photo by Chiboogamoo)

Fortunately, for me, I am acquainted with the DANCING FLOWERS FOR PEACE! And as I expressed my quandry about a fun and loving way to address the yearnings of my BODY to MOVE, they responded--COME DANCE WITH US!

#REVERB12 (Day 18): What colour best represents the year you had in 2012? What colour would you like to invite into 2013?

GOLD for 2012! For me the past year has been filled with illumination in a soft gentle way that GOLD shines. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

#REVERB12 (Day 18) PROMPT: What colour best represents the year you had in 2012? And why? What colour would you like to invite into your life in 2013?  Be as literal or metaphorical, clever or crazy, or just plain off-the-wall with this as you choose!  

Hallelujah for ALL COLOURS of the RAINBOW and for the way we human beings can attribute symbolic meaning to them! Hallelujah for #REVERB12 which provides the opportunity to reflect about the meaning in our lives and how a specific colour might embody the previous 12 months!

For me, Hallelujah, this is the equation for 2012:

GOLD + DRAGON = ILLUMINATED TRANSFORMATION

#REVERB12 (Day 17): Did you make a difference to one person in 2012? How?

THE ETERNAL WHEEL OF HOPE.  I know that we as individuals make a difference in each other's lives. For Day 16 of #Reverb12, I wrote about people who inspired me (see this blog). At the same time, I pray that I make a difference in other people's lives like YOURS but will leave it to YOU to acknowledge the gifts I have given YOU. (See the blog I wrote lessons learned regarding mentoring.) I HOPE that my art and musings have impacted YOUR lives in some positive way!(art by Hallelujah Truth)

#REVERB12 (Day 17) PROMPT: Think of one person whose life you made a difference to in 2012. What did you gain from this? How will you continue to make a difference in 2013?

It is my MISSION as a joyful ART PILGRIM BLOGGER to connect and share my ART and reflections with LIKE-MINDED SOULS like YOU. If you are here reading this entry today, perhaps I have made a difference in your life. If so, let me know how. 

#REVERB12 (Day 15): What tingled your tastebuds in 2012? What made it so magical?

VALENTINE'S DAY DINNER WITH MY HONEY!   This Korean dinner my Chiboogamoo and I ate on February 14th, 2012, was just so so yummy! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

#REVERB12 (Day 15) PROMPT: What was the most extraordinary dish you sampled in 2012? What made it so magical? 

Dear Pilgrims, I am not much of a foodie, which means while I want to eat healthfully, I don't want to invest much time in thinking about food! All my heart and soul go into the visual arts and not the culinary ones. However, in 2012, my husband (who I fondly call Chiboogamoo) and I drove to Buford Highway in Metro Atlanta for an authentic Korean dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day. And I experienced ECSTASY! Not to mention having SO MUCH FUN!

#REVERB12 (DAY 14): What was the most important thing you learned in 2012?: BEING a MENTOR is a JOURNEY

MENTORING WAS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED! I needed to get rid of some old ideas first. I needed to be challenged, experience breakdowns, and go for a breakthrough! (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

#REVERB12 (Day 14) PROMPT: What was the most important thing you learned in 2012? How does this learning shape the path going forward?

I learned about MENTORING. Each year now, when I order my annual calendar, I personalize it. On the front cover is printed "Hallelujah Truth" and underneath it a specially selected word to direct me in the upcoming year.

For 2012, I reached out and grabbed the word, MENTOR! For 2012, I would be one! And I have learned all kinds of lessons in relationship to that word in the past year!

First of all, I had sort of a hippy dippy idealistic mentality about my MENTORING goals! I would engage people in their own creativity, just as I am deeply involved in mine. And because I have been focusing with great intensity on the creative process, its obstructions and saboteurs, I would know how to lead others away from their obstacles and demons. Once friends, students and even my spouse were all actively engaged in pursuing their dreams, all of us would experience an abundance of joy resulting in contagious good will. Soon all of the world would be holding hands, singing songs, as we fulfilled ourselves through our labors of imaginative love!

HA HA HO HO HO, I had lessons to learn...

#REVERB12 (Day 13): Please post your favourite picture of yourself from 2012, self-portrait or otherwise!

PORTRAIT OF A BLOGGING INSTRUCTOR(Fall 2 2012) . We are all saying, "YES. Yes. Yes." (photo by Geng Li)

#REVERB12 (Day 13) PROMPT:  Please post your favourite picture of yourself from 2012, self-portrait or otherwise!

2012 has been a BIG BIG year for me BREAKING OUT from old ways of teaching English as a Second Language and JUMPING IN to new methodologies and subject matter!  Therefore, my favourite picture of me for 2012 is any group photo with my students displaying a relationship that was built through this exploration into HAVING FUN while instructing what I love--Improvisation and Blogging!

For today's #Reverb12 prompt, I want to celebrate the students in my Blogging for a World Audience class, their theme based blogs, and the awards they received from their classmates who developed the award categories and voted! Here are their portraits. Many wrote using personas! Enjoy!