REVERB15 (Day 6): Hows, howls, and howlalujahs of being human

PREVIOUS GENERATIONS. Rather than focusing today on my particular family's history to examine patterns (done that and have the t-shirt), I prefer to think of myself as connected to the Earth and all the creatures through time since before the dinosaurs. What does it mean to be human in relation to the rest of creation? (Art by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

Hallelujah for reflecting on our actions and way of being in this world! Hallelujah for families and their legacies! Hallelujah for BEING HUMAN!

Today's #REVERB15 (Day 6) PROMPT asks us to examine those patterns: 

As each year progresses, we unknowingly gather many thoughts, beliefs, and patterns to us. In fact, what we are carrying may have been passed down to us from previous generations.  

Looking at the thoughts and patterns that may be holding you back from living the life you want, trace back through the generations of your family and see if your beliefs originated generations ago.  

In 2016, how can you bring healing to these patterns of thought that are holding you back?

HOW? What? Where? When? Who? BEING HUMAN presents us with challenges. In my 50's, I began to release all the angst I had been carrying around with me by drawing and painting HOWLS and HOWling! Yes! Orchestrated community belly HOWls! You can read about the evolution of my HOWL in past blogs linked at the bottom of the page. (Art by Hallelujah Truth, aka Ruth Schowalter)

I must adapt this REVERB15 (Day 6) prompt for these two reasons: First of all, I have examined the existing patterns in my life extensively and extricated those from my family that serve me and kept them, banishing the rest slowly over time. Don't most of us do that?

Second, looking at past generations throughout the centuries, would take quite a bit of study--days, weeks, months! Without a guide and time for investigations I am not aware of the legacies that my ancestors going back to the pilgrims on the Mayflower left me.

Therefore, I'm following my intuition to post about the hows, howls, and howlalujahs of BEING HUMAN. The images I am posting today are a reflection of my continuous questioning of life's raison d'etre and the pain as well as the celebration that goes along with them. HURRAY for our humanity or BEING HUMAN.

THE HOWL. I learned to embrace the HOWL as part of the HOW of life. By acknowledging the wounds we experience in our journeys, we free ourselves to feel JOY and the ability to shout and embody the HOWL-a-lu-jahs! (Art by Hallelujah, aka Ruth Schowalter)

HOWL-A-LU-JAH. What do you think? Is my HOWing, HOWLing, and HOWL-A-LU-JAHing a pattern that should be altered? Is it holding me back or moving me forward? As a fellow blogger wrote in her blog post in response to this prompt: "Observe. Question. Discuss." Visit her blog, here. (Art by Hallelujah or HOWL-A-LU-JAH, aka Ruth Schowalter or SchowALTAR!)

That's Coffee with Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me and share what you know to be about patterns in your life. How familiar are you with the HOWL? The HOWL-A-LU-JAHs of Life?

Previous Blogs About the HOW, HOWL, or HOWALUJAH:
More recent (2015):
Honoring the How in the Howl
Hows to Howls 
 
(Older blogs about the howl, here,  here, here, here, and here).

HONORING THE HOW IN THE HOWL

HONORING THE HOW IN THE HOWL. (image (c) Hallelujah Truth)

HOW? HOWL....HOWL-A-LUJAH! 

Hallelujah the HOW in the HOWL! Hallelujah the HOWL in the HOWL-A-LUJAH!

Dear fellow sojourners, I began drawing this image today to "have" the HOWL for myself, Hallelujah Truth (See my other blogs about the howl, here,  here, here, here, and here).

I wanted to own the HOWL of BEING HERE NOW. 

I planned on HOWLING out my fear about the unknown. 

I intended to HOWL my belly free of any accumulated doubts. 

I entertained the idea of HOWLING a celebratory "yip yip yip i yay" to acknowledge my recent accomplishments surrounding InterPlay.

Then I envisioned my next drawing would expand the HOWL to a HOWL-a-LUJAH....

Ha Ha Ha

Today's image stopped with HOW...not even a question mark....

....HOW!!!

Today, I am reminded of the preciousness of incremental steps. So I am pausing to consider my options emerging from this image of Hallelujah Truth asking the HOW. 

For now, honoring the HOW of what I am doing is enough. What a great big wonderful juicy question!

That's Coffee With Hallelujah. You are invited to SOUL BLOG with me and share you HOWs, HOWLs, and HOWL-A-LUJAHs!

#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.

REFLECTING ON 2010: Taking the REVERB 10 CHALLENGE

Dear Pilgrims 'tis the season to reflect as each day grows in darkness, and we prepare for the shortest day of the year. Three women have created a wonderful reflection place at REVERB10. Hallelujah for this opportunity to "soul blog" with other like minded pilgrims! I will be blogging in response to their daily prompts and encourage you to join us! Reflection is the fodder for new ideas!

Here is the PROMPT for December 6th:

What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need more time for it?

For me the first thing that comes to mind is pushing pungent sticks of cloves into a fresh perfectly round shaped orange to create a sense or scent of the winter holidays because a friend of mine always makes enough to fill a large bowl and I thought I would do ONE for the EXPERIENCE. Try it, the citrusy juices burst from the orange and along with the woody fragrance from the cloves coats your fingers! A very tactile and fragrant experience!

Or should I recount the image I drew of my persona Hallelujah that echoes one of Leon Bakst’s dancers? She is drawn in watercolor pencils on paper and surrounded by images made using archival pens. This more voluptuous Hallelujah may be a one time only departure from a demurer Hallelujah sojourner! We shall see!

I WANT to write a book called “From HOWLS to HOWL-a-lujahs” that documents my 3- year journey from being “stuck” creatively to exuberantly living the life I imagine each day! I moved from being a fulltime teacher who longed to live the life of an artist to BEING the artist who teaches part-time! Because I have done it, I believe everyone can be fully experiencing the life they desire!

Yes! I need more time for writing this book, and I know it is my responsibility to CREATE the time in my busy artmaking and teaching schedule to write “From HOWLS to HOWL-a-lujahs!”