FLYING WHOLENESS. Subtle shifts in our way of being occur when we are least expecting them. In December, contemplating the "new moon" on December 11th, I rededicated myself to Renewal, Resurrection, Rebirth. One week later, on my 11th wedding anniversary (and with the moon having waxed some), my Chiboogamoo and I attended "Black Nativity" in Savannah, Georgia, and witnessing the celebration of Jesus' birth in the black community touched me deeply, profoundly. Something positive shifted for me. I felt expanded and could breathe more easily. (Art by Hallelujah Truth 2015)
GLORY! GLORY! GLORY! The actor embodying a Reverend in Langston Hughes' play, "Black Nativity," during Act II shouted and sang out to the audience to join him in voicing appreciation for the FREEDOM that we have been given through the birth of Jesus.
BLACK NATIVITY, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, 2015. The 35-member cast gathered at the front of the stage as Act I concluded with the birth of Jesus. The Performing Arts Collective has been producing this Langston Hughes' version of the Christmas story for 6 years now, and it was a terrific experience to witness the energy both on stage with the actors and off stage as an audience member. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)
"HALLELUJAH," the word with which I begin most every blog post, is a similar word expressing immense celebration of life and it riches. In fact, don't we often hear the two words together? GLORY HALLELUJAH? GlORY HALLELUJAH for the FREEDOM we have during our lives on this beautiful EARTH. GLORY HALLELUJAH for the opportunity to be REBORN during this season of renewal and rebirth while celebrating the birth of Jesus. Minutes into this highly energetic and uplifting performance of "Black Nativity," I suddenly realized the performers weren't just "acting" and the audience members weren't just being entertained. The "Amens," "That's the WORD!," and "That's right!" being voiced behind my husband and me (we were sitting in the front row) were evidence of a wholehearted participation in the meaning and content of this gospel Christmas performance. It felt like we were in church!
JESUS IS BORN. Seeing a "real" black child celebrated as the baby Jesus in "Black Nativity," healed me in some inexplicable way. I experienced a shift in spirit. ALL of us are precious and unique. I am precious! You are too! (photo by Hallelujah Truth)
And, although I am a Spiritual Art Pilgrim, I am not a Christian and church going is not a regular practice in my life. So, for a brief moment, I felt like the awkwardness of being SOMETHING OTHER. I was not one of the TRUE Christian believers celebrating the birth of Jesus and the freedom of grace he brought them. As I take one step away from belief and entertain Christ's birth as a symbol of renewal, was I violating something sacred to these performers and audience members ?
BIBO (Breathe in, Breathe out). My recovery came quickly. "WE ARE ALL CONNECTED," is one of my mottos. I am Hallelujah Truth and I believe in LIVING the MYSTERY, both SOLO and in COMMUNITY.
GLORY GLORY GLORY. Act II of "Black Nativity" has modern music and is open to interpretations by the community producing it. At the far right, you can see the actor who played the Reverend (or is he really a Reverend?) calling out "Glory, glory, glory" and got the whole audience proclaiming it. After some investigations, I see that my own city of Atlanta produces "Black Nativity." Next year, my Chiboogamoo and I will go see it. (photo by Hallelujah Truth)
GLORY HALLELUJAH! I support Birth, Rebirth, Resurrection, Redemption, Forgiveness, Love, and perpetual Renewal. As we have just experienced the longest night of darkness in 2015, I celebrate the LIGHT and HOPE that comes as the world turns on its axis and rotates around the sun. As the daylight hours lengthen after the Winter Solstice, I too, celebrate. As Christians celebrate the birth of baby Jesus, I celebrate this birth too.
GLORY. GLORY. GLORY. I say GLORY HALLELUJAH! Wishing everyone this experience of feeling WHOLENESS and being LOVED and NURTURED. Renewal is ours to claim. It is FREE. (Close up from FLYING WHOLENESS (above).
GLORY HALLELUJAH for Baby Jesus and renewal of our all SOULS.
Here's to another year!
As my husband, Chiboogamoo, and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary, we marveled about our opportunity each year to see our marriage within this cyclical celebration of rebirth. Our anniversary falls one week before Christmas and two weeks before New Years. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our hearts to yours!
Acknowledgments: Thank you to the Performing Arts Collective, who opened our eyes to the presence of the "Black Nativity," a Christmas story of the black experience by Langston Hughes. We were surprised by being the only white members in the audience. This experience is important for all people. We will be sure to expand our experience next year by seeing the Atlanta performance of "Black Nativity." Gratitude to Ann and Andrew Hartzell for being our Savannah hosts who bring us so much joy.
Hallelujah Pilgrims and the progression of a DAILYPRACTICE of drawing! After completing the major project of illustrating "The Misadventures of Maria the Hutia" this past summer, I discovered that I had depleted some undefinable resource in my inner vision as a creator of daily drawn images. It was time to redefine my PRACTICE of 15 minutes of creativity every day--the essence of Coffee With Hallelujah.
DAILY DRAWN IMAGE.The Great Mystery is an image I draw almost daily. During this new phase of drawing, SHE has taken the center stage of my focus. Here you see an exciting new direction--using decorative paper. I have opened myself up to collaging in my DAILY PRACTICE! (Art by Hallelujah Truth)
I launched this blog with the mission to have coffee with my inner self (Hallelujah) every morning. While I drank my hot beverage, I would draw with the ambition of 15 minutes or longer, whatever I wanted. During the days I was working on images for the book about a Bahamian hutia, I led my creative energy to explore her and the Bahamian animals she journeys with.
HOME AT LAST. Here is one of the final images in The Misadventures of Maria the Hutia. Maria is the small rodent like creature on Myrtle, the sea turtle's back. She is seated next to Launa, the iguana. She has happily just returned home to her undeveloped island, where her family and friends live. (Art by Hallelujah Truth)
After the publishing of The Misadventures of Maria the Hutia was celebrated, and I had done a book signing, I began working on activity book to support the study of endangered Bahamian animals and the need to protect and conserve the resources of our wonderful EARTH. This activity book is still a work in progress. However, as I journeyed forward as a public artist, what I needed was to go back to the origin of my desire to create visual images--to dialogue with my SOUL. Therefore, I set forth on a new goal for Coffee with Hallelujah! Here it is: I will create a new image every day for the next three months. At the same time, I will be working on all images simultaneously. No one image will be considered completed until the end of my 3-month goal period. Then I will find an exciting way to present all pieces of drawn images to my fellow pilgrims. YES! I have been back on my INNER JOURNEY and re-established the connection with my SOUL. The dialogue continues! I have posted one of these images from my Coffee with Hallelujah. And here is another one that I worked on over the Thanksgiving weekend!
COFFEE WITH HALLELUJAH. As a daily practice of creativity, I include the present events of the day into my JOURNEY as a PILGRIM. Here you see the Thanksgiving Turkey held by the Great Mystery. I am the character above the turkey looking at the world with fresh eyes. The words below the turkey are "NOW." I am here NOW doing my work. Are you? (Art by Hallelujah Truth)
UNFOLDING MYSTERY IN THE NOW AND 2013!(Art by Hallelujah Truth)
Hallelujah for DAILY BLOGGING about meaningful ideas that push along the road to self-discovery and deepens our experience of being here on this beautiful Earth! Hallelujah for Kat McNally, who has hosted Blogtoberfest12 on her blog, I Saw You Dancing! Hallelujah for looking ahead to next year and choosing a WORD that will inspire and inform my PILGRIMAGE in 2013.
TODAY's PROMPT IS TO FIND A WORD THAT WILL GUIDE ME THROUGH NEXT YEAR! "By inviting a word to travel with you for a year -- and by going a step further and representing it visually -- I think that what you are really doing is giving yourself permission to explore something. It's a way of surrendering up to the universe something that you do not fully understand but intuitively know will yield something important and meaningful to you. It's a new lens through which to view your daily life, a private prayer, a fresh muscle to exercise, a secret reminder that there is so much more to you than meets the eye." (See Kat's blog entry on this.) My SOUL has been calling me to its door asking me to come out and play! I want "tee-hee's" and "tingles." Perhaps I want TEE-HEE TINGLES for 2013. Pure surrender to child's play and laughter, the thrilling kind from running, jumping, dancing, and being open to the many pleasures that LIFE brings knocking at my front door!
KNOCK KNOCK! COME OUT AND PLAY! TEE HEE!
In the past several years, I have put my nose to the grindstone and produced a large body of creative work and met two important deadlines. Now, even though I have numerous ideas for new projects, the SEED I want to plant most of all is the TEE-HEE TINGLE SEED!
PREPARING FOR 2013: PLANTING THE SEED. This image is a typical drawing that I make when I first awake in the morning. I always start with what I am familiar with. Instead of second guessing myself, I accept the image that appears on the page and enjoy the discovery process of seeing how my repeating characters will arrange themselves. I am the character in the center in the purple striped skirt. You can see that my cast of friends are summoning me to do something. Behind me is a foot with a green leaf. This character is moving me along into 2013, a year which is going to be filled with Tee-Hee Tingles! (Art by Hallelujah Truth)
Dear Soul Bloggers, tell me what one word or words are you choosing to support your growth in 2013! Happy New Year! That's Coffee With Hallelujah!
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.)
I'VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY. The journey to authenticity is not always easy. Recently, I thought the route to being my genuine self was to reach for the low hanging fruit--the ripe apples hanging on the branches nearest me. Now, I've discovered, I am being called up into the top of the tree. How do I climb there? What new skills are being summoned? (Art by Hallelujah Truth)
Hallelujah for AUTHENTICITY! Is it easy to be YOURSELF, to find YOUR CALLING? Why are you here on this Earth? What is your purpose? For me to be FULLY ALIVE and LIVING MY VISION, I must answer the CALL of INNER SELF. I hear a voice summoning ME to go deeper for meaning, to live each day in MEANINGFUL ACTION. I am not an apple picker of low hanging fruit. Instead of harvesting the manifestation of my efforts, I need to journey up, out, into, away from and inside of DISCOVERY. Is it redundant to say "NEW DISCOVERY"? How can I be a TRUE PILGRIM? One who walks into the UNKNOWN? I don't know. I don't have the answer, but I see the TREE BEARING FRUIT and marvel at how high its branches are reaching into the HEAVENS. What lives in those SKY BRANCHES. I think I will be a SKYWALKER!
ONGOING JOURNEY TO THE AUTHENTIC SELF. What happens when one inverses one's life as I have this image? This drawing is the same as the one above. The only difference is that I inverted it in photoshop. Yet it appears to me to be quite different. I think fellow pilgrims, that the apple tree must look similarly different when one journeys from its bottom to its top, from its low fruit bearing branches to its heaven touching limbs! (Art by Hallelujah Truth)
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