AWAKENING: THE WORLD ENDING AS I KNOW IT IS A PROFOUND LESSON OF TRANSFORMATION

AWAKENING. When I move, I change. If I inhabit a room and it becomes too small, I leave. This is change too. It is also a form of awakening. I appreciate the vulnerability of my wallaby. His need to be comforted alerts me to my need. We are one in the same. (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for CHANGE my dear fellow pilgrims! Hallelujah for that surprising flash, ZAP, that knocks you in the head--or you knock with your head--and you are transitioned into a NEW REALITY! It is possible that this CHANGE, this NEW REALITY, is an AWAKENING!

Yesterday, I crashed while riding my bicycle on the Atlanta Beltline. Don't worry--I am okay because I was wearing my helmet. I did suffer some scrapes and bruises, and my neck hurts from a sudden whacking of my head on the pavement. I will survive swimmingly. Therefore, I am allowing this literal "knock on my head" to represent the symbolic "whacking" and "cracking" I am experiencing currently in my humble life as an artist, teacher, and blogger.

WHEN THINGS GO WHACK! This image of my animus (Wandjina) reassures me and strengthens me in in times of change.(Art by Hallelujah Truth)

Related to this "cracking" or "whacking" of my head is a quote I recently posted on THE DAILY CREATIVE PRACTICE (my Facebook group)  from Mark Nepo:

“When in the midst of great change, it is helpful to remember how a chick is born. From the view of the chick, it is a terrifying struggle. Confined and curled in a dark shell, half-formed, the chick eats all its food and stretches to the contours of its shell. It begins to feel hungry and cramped. Eventually, the chick begins to starve and feels suffocated by the ever-shrinking space of its world."

CRACKING THE SHELL. And the world as I know it, is coming to an end. Change is constant, and the one who listens to the change can learn from it. (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

“Finally, its own growth begins to crack the shell, and the world as the chick knows it is coming to an end….”  From “The Chick Being Born” in THE BOOK OF AWAKENING (2000), Mark Nepo

Hallelujah for Mark Nepo and his beautiful insights! In the entry "The Chick Being Born," Nepo goes on to discuss the profound lesson of transformation. When we grow, it is almost like experiencing a death because we must leave an old way of being behind in order to experience the new way of being. And this change can be frightening, triggering fear. Remember Chicken Little (Henny Penny) running around repeatedly proclaiming:

THE SKY IS FALLING!

Well, when one's world is changing, it might feel as though disaster is imminent! However, "the falling sky" or the "whack" on the head may be and most likely is an announcement of the call to CHANGE!

As you all must have guessed, I am going through an AWAKENING, a TRANSFORMATION, in my life that is requiring the courage to leave one room and go into another, leaving behind a broken shell the way a baby chick does. 

Up until now, the structure of my life has nurtured and sustained me. And now? This structure is too small. I am cracking the shell. My head hit the pavement yesterday in a resounding "whack." I am being summoned into another room. I am awakening to the call! 

HARKENING. I am being called forth on a new journey. The summons excites and alarms me. This CHANGE is essential if one is to go on living vibrantly. (Art by Hallelujah Truth)

That's Coffee With Hallelujah! I am changing! I am awakening to what is next, and I will be SOUL BLOGGING about it! Stay tuned. And SOUL BLOG with me! Tell me what is changing in your life and how you are awakening to the summons!

ART AND COMMUNITY: AN AFTERNOON WALKING THE ATLANTA BELTLINE

Hallelujah for JOURNEY, for moving throughout one's community on a TRAIL made exuberant with ART! Hallelujah for my city of Atlanta, which has just today officially opened its Eastside Trail of a much larger endeavor called the Atlanta Beltline!

TRAVELING THE EASTSIDE TRAIL WITH FELLOW PILGRIMS! On Saturday, October 13, 2012, I, Hallelujah, had the thrill of sharing the delights of the Atlanta BeltLine with colleagues in creativity, Elise Helfer, Jesse Merle Bathrick, Lesly Fredman, and Cecelia Kane. We entered the trail at Irwin Street in Inman Park. Look at the marvelous gateway made by artist Neil Carver. Called "Resurgens," it is a giant steel Phoenix rising from flames and will eventually be welded to train tracks! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

HALLELUJAH TRUTH AND BELTLINE ART. Next to the steel gateway "Resurgens" is work by Lamar Barber entitled "Sound Poles: Heavier Than Water." On site, there are two other telephone poles like the one I am standing by. The artist statement explains that these poles act as beacons of communication and the found objects surrounding them represent eviction. From this work, a larger theme emerges of "death and delinquency." (photo by Elise Helfer)

The Eastside Trail provides a wonderful 2.25 miles of a smoothe concrete path large enough to dance on, commune with the ART, "strangers," and those who live along this newly emerged artery of Atlanta! All of us still feel slightly surprised that this Eastside Trail connects five Atlanta neighborhoods (Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward, Midtown, Poncey Highland, and Virginia Highland)! Moreover, this pathway, is offering a new alternative to our workweek morning commutes to downtown! Imagine traversing the city without automotive traffic and stoplights! Hurray!

Our Saturday afternoon ART stroll was made magnificent by the abundance of people all seeming connected magically by the Eastside Trail! People who live in these re-interperted industrial spaces alongside the path are experiencing human traffic outside their front doors which used to be former loading decks for trucks!

RENOVATION, REINTERPRETATION, REVELATION! The past is reconciled with the present. We Atlantans can now walk through Atlanta's rail line past, but almost everything has been repurposed! Wow! This neglected industrial space is being beautified! Look at the arch over the doorway that is emerging! (photos by Hallelujah Truth)

DISCARDED RAILROAD PARTS BECOME SCULPTURES. Jac Coffey's sculpture, "Railroad Workers," echoes railway work from long ago made from actual parts of metal from the Atlanta BeltLine. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

STEEL FLOWERS BY CHRISTOPHER BIVINS. The intention of this work is to conjure up the width of the original railroad tracks and to express colors associated with the railroad industry. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

As our bevy of ARTISTS moseyed along this Eastside Trail, we paused to take in the ART and to resonate with it or at least to understand the artists' intentions. There was so much excitement in the fall afternoon air because of the anticipation of the dedication taking place on the following Monday. As you can see in the photo with the "Steel Flowers," there is yet to be grass along the path. And in the future, there will be a transit system--is that right?

SENSE OF TIME: PAST AND PRESENT. There are a number of these photographs along the Eastside Trail documenting what had become of the Atlanta BeltLine prior to its reclamation. Plant life was moving in and taking over. Hallelujah for positive human change unifying multiple communities! Sorry to the wildlife. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

EASTSIDE TRAIL: A WORK IN PROGRESS.  You can see how dynamic our ART walk was. There was the ART, the ongoing construction, two-way traffic of joggers and cyclists! What fun! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

DIVERSITY, TRAILS, CONSTRUCTION, ART, EXERCISE....Community is always a work in progress. This Saturday afternoon in the middle of October 2012 was resplendent, showing off the best of multiple cultures! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

RIVER BEND by HARRY ZMIJEWSKI. (photo by Hallelujah Truth) 

NORTHERN WHITE by DAVID LANDIS. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

CAMARADERIE UNDER THE BRIDGE. Our Bevy of Creative Souls was joined by Lori Feig Sandoval (right of me--I'm center) and her wonderful dog companion. Jesse (holding the walking sticks) had brought chocolate and thought it needed to be consumed before melting on the bright sunny warm Saturday. We enjoyed our graffiti setting! (photo by Lesly Fredman)

IMMOLATION by RYAN MATHERN and CECILIA MARRERO. Jesse Merle Bathrick looks into this very sobering piece of sculpture. It signifies the recent self-immolations of Tibetan Monks, who were protesting the oppression of the Chinese government. On November 4th 2012, there will be a performance in the Old Fourth Ward at 8pm to promote awareness of this situation.(photo by Hallelujah Truth)

JD KOTH's WIGWAM. These organic forms were made from native Georgia saplings along with vines and rope. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

THIS IS MY CITY--ATLANTA! Along the Eastside Trail, we were confronted with terrific views of Atlanta like the one you see here! This is our terrain--both valleys and peaks! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

INTERACTING WITH THE ART. Notice the construction worker riding the metal sculpture of the deer? Public art is for everyone. How splendid to see this moment of frivolity along the Eastside Trail as it was being readied for the dedication ceremony two days later. Our hearts flew up in joy! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

CHUGS by TARVER SIEBERT. Finally! After driving under this North Avenue  bridge numerous times and seeing these structures peeking out above the walls, I got to see them up close! I also learned that they are lit at night by solar powered LED's! Do these shapes suggest congregating humans looking out over the city? As well as lanterns, shelters, and wacky boats? That was the artist's intention! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

SUNSHINE ON YARN WRAPPED AROUND TREES. Artist Gyun Hur created this work entitled, "Spiritus Lenus"  to highlight nature's beauty. The term "spiritus lenus" means "smooth breathing." (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

A SYMPHONY OF LINE AND SHAPES. WHOOPS! I forgot to capture the artist name and statement for this work! I love how the arrangement of the lights in the trees  punctuate the linear movement of the windows in the building behind them. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

THEN THE PATH BECAME SAND! Right now, this Eastside Trail holds such fascination for me. Because it is a work in progress, our bevy of artists got to experience walking in different environments. Here artist Elise Helfer stands with the work of Alex Rodriguez called "Whirling Wheels." His intentions were to celebrate the Eastside Trail's bicycle accessibility by turning bicycle parts into spinning windmills. The lightness of these mechanical parts were to starkly contrast with the BeltLine's heavy industrial railroad past. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

BELTLINE WHISPERS CAPTURED BY ART.  Misao Cates created an interactive work here along the Eastside Trail. She asks travelers to write down their "whispers" on hand-dyed linen and then to tie it along with other "whispers." On this sunny Saturday afternoon, "What Ties Me To You" was glistening in the sunlight. Do you think she was suggesting railroad ties? And look at the shape of the piece which echoes the width of the railroad tracks! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

EASTSIDE TRAIL PERFORMANCES! A big discovery for me was that starting on September 7, 2012, there were seven performances scheduled along the Eastside Trail all the way to November 11th! Check here to see the list of performances. On the Saturday we walked the trail, you can see there was "The Big and Small Insect Show." (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

ART ENGAGING AND INSPIRING ARTISTS.  Public works found along the Eastside Trail invite everyone, not just artists, to be fully engaged in and with them. Think that art outside a museum allows us to be children again, to play, to be, to see, and to frolic with one another! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

SPRIALING CAIRNS by CHRIS HIGGINS. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

PIEDMONT PARK AND  ITS CITY SKYLINE. How fortunate we Atlantans are to have this Eastside Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine! Now the view of the city has moved from the skyscrapers of Midtown to those lurking in Buckhead. In the city park below, the Gay Pride Festival is taking place. This is our city! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

RURAL PATH IN THE CITY! Walking behind the main plaza of Piedmont Park, we found ourselves on this unpaved path evoking a feel of more rural times. We urbanites need nature, and this quiet part of the trail provides relief from the more hurried pace of the earlier part of the Eastside Trail. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

ART IS STILL TO BE FOUND ON THE EASTSIDE TRAIL BY PIEDMONT PARK.  Although the Atlanta BeltLine continues for many more miles, we stopped our artwalk here. This piece is  "Easy Pickings" by Virginia Byers and Aria Finkelstein. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)

CHEERS TO PUBLIC ART!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: A BIG THANKS to Jesse Merle Bathrick, who always has great ideas for gathering her creative bevy of friends! It was her organization that brought us together on this gorgeous Saturday in the middle of October in the year of 2012! She also fed us chocolate and grapes and had taxi money in her pocket in case we were too tired to walk back! Hurray Jesse!

THANKS  ALSO TO OUR ATLANTA MAYOR! I am also thankful for having a mayor who would ride a bicycle to the dedication of the Eastside Trail. But, please Mayor Reed, next time wear the safety helmet! (Photo taken from the official fanpage for the Atlanta BeltLine on Facebook.)

Read about other Atlanta Art Events or Georgia Artists at the links below:

Flux 2012 in the Castleberry Hill District
Hale Woodruff "Rising Up," 2012 High Museum Exhibit
Selections 2011 Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Ty Butler 
Flora Rosefsky
Cecelia Kane 
Karen Phillips
Robey Tapp
Carol Ruckdeschel