BEING A GENUINE CREATIVE FORCE: Dance the dance YOU dance!

EMBODY THE MOTHER-1.  3/28/15, (image (c) by Hallelujah Truth)

"Your dance grows from following your energy, your individual curiosity about experience, and your intentions. Your body has it own agenda, its own vocabulary, and its own necessary communications." -Cynthia Winton-Henry

EMBODY THE MOTHER-2. 3/28/15, (image (c) by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for the transformative act of THE DANCE. Hallelujah for being open to the GREAT MYSTERY--the BIG SWEETIE, the unaswerable! Hallelujah for answering questions through HAVING EXPERIENCES--like THE DANCE!

Yes! Oh yes! I am an ecstatic pilgrim embodying my spirituality. I dance. I paint. I blog. I write about all of the above. This is my world. Welcome to these explorations of embodied soul.

I am so grateful to InterPlay co-founders, Phil Porter and Cynthia Winton-Henry for providing the language to speak about "body wisdom" and "body spirit." They have crafted the technology and philosophy of InterPlay for more than 25 years with books entitled, What the Body Wants and Having it All: Body, Mind, Heart & Spirit Together Again At Last.

In doing so, we have been given a way, a path, an interstate highway of how to be in our bodies and to "notice" what we are experiencing!

EMBODY THE MOTHER-3. 3/28/15, (image (c) by Hallelujah Truth)

These images are forming a series, "Embody the Mother," that are created while I  dance in order to engage with the archetype of the MOTHER in a physical way. I have chosen to work with the colors blue and green but in these another color decided it needed to be introduced--brown! And red was there too...asking to enter the dance!

EMBODY THE MOTHER-1. 3/29/15, (image (c) by Hallelujah Truth)

Painting on newsprint and experimenting with water, brushes, and fingers, I am curious about what image will emerge. I am playing around with a possible set of images: woman in hijab, unveiled woman, turtle, snake, alligator and eye. I would like to introduce a dolphin but that spirit animal hasn't appeared yet.

EMBODY THE MOTHER-2. 3/29/15, (image (c) by Hallelujah Truth)

I am curious as how to remain spontaneous with the daily practice of creating 3 images a day in a span of 10 minutes on paper 2 feet by 3 feet. I can declare that this process is very freeing and that I feel like I am opening up and expanding! This dance, this art making is a spiritual practice! This I know.

EMBODY THE MOTHER-3. 3/29/15, (image (c) by Hallelujah Truth)

"This may seem a strange thing to say, but between a dance's beginning and end, we do form a little world..."

"Some times, this little dancing world has the power to make us, too. Remarkably, our making is a collaboration with Spirit and life." 

-Cynthia Winton-Henry, page 41, Dance the Sacred Art: The Joy of Movement as a Spiritual Practice.

That's Coffee With Hallelujah! Soul Blog with me! I want to know about your dance! Let's be "in awe of ourselves as a genuine creative force in the universe, having magic in our hands, fashioning a world that awaits our presence to bring it forward." -Peter London, No More Second Art

LISTENING TO THE WIND IN MY VEINS: Finding other places from which to speak and act

"Forget about enlightenment.
Sit down wherever you are 
And listen to the wind singing in your veins."

-John Welwood

Hallelujah for listening to that force, that howling in my veins like March winds moving into April showers. Spring is here, and there is a shift in my BEING. 

I AM HERE.

GREEN HEART OF THE NOVICE. (image (c) Hallelujah Truth)

YES. 
HERE...

...Painting each day in a new way for me. My quest is to "Embody the Mother," for the performance I am collaborating on with Lynn Hesse.

I have acquired a very large pad of newsprint paper (24" x 36") and placed it on an easel. 

Instead of sitting hunched over a small tablet of paper with a micron pen or watercolor pencils, I am standing--no dancing-- while I paint with a dripping brush. 

For more than a year, I have been waiting for this moment of transformation when I would naturally move to another media, another size format, and another place from which to speak and act!
 
The drips running down this green Hallelujah image on the right were perceived by you visiting Pilgrims as tears. Tears? Movement creating flow. Can the drips be the wind in my veins? The bounce in my step? The desire for water to be water and to follow the pull of gravity?

Relinquishing all judgements, I embrace curiosity. Which images of THE MOTHER will appear and how? 

Right now, I am experimenting with both green and blue paint to "embody the Mother." I'm applying paint from a water jar with liquified acrylic, using tubed paint like a paste and applying it both with brush and fingers. 

My goal is to paint three images a day under ten minutes (because that is the length of our performance! Energetic music helps me express the "wind in my veins" and my dancing flows from that rhythm. I feel called to dance. Dancing becomes a necessity, a part of this creative act. 

Besides, I want these images embodying the mother to emerge from my body.

Oh I have my goals! My goals exist inside of the form I'm using to make these images, not the images themselves. The image making process--dancing to music and listening to my body--is my objective--to experience THE MOTHER physically. The images become the artifacts of the physical and spiritual experience!

CREATIVITY offers such a personal way to explore and listen to the HOWL!

As for ENLIGHTENMENT? Let's forget about it for now. I want to be HERE inside of the PLAY. Just this morning, Lynn Hesse and I received the good news  that we will be performing "Embody the Mother" as part of the Decatur Arts Festival at the end of May.

That's Coffee With Hallelujah. Soul Blog with me and tell me what is howling in your veins right now. What is departing with March winds? What is arriving with April showers?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I am so appreciative to Mark Nepo and his reflections in The Book of Awakening for its rich thoughts and quotations from others like John Welwood. Thanks to Cynthia Winton-Henry, co-founder of InterPlay, who suggested I try making art as part of a performance because this improvisational way of being is very energizing! And Lynn Hesse! Oh my! What a journey we are on--THANK YOU!
 

SPRINGING INTO "Embodying the Mother" in collaboration with another who sees, hears, and meets me where I am

THE NOVICE PILGRIM. (image (c) by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for the CREATIVE PROCESS! Hallelujah for being open to NEW ways of BEING! And Hallelujah to COLLABORATION with others on this miraculous journey!

2015 is such a rich and full year expanding out into SPRING right now. I find myself so thankful for having the opportunity to explore my SOUL through dance, word, image, and friendship. 

On the last Tuesday in February, I took in a deep breath, signed up, and attended my first session for Fieldwork--a forum for artists (originating in NYC) to test their ideas over a ten-week period, gain insights from feedback, and craft a performable event. 

FIELD IN PROGRESS. At the conclusion of our performance on Tuesday, March 24, in Fieldwork at Core in Decatur, Georgia, we got feedback. Lynn Hess is on the far right. I'm the one taking the photo. My art is displayed on the easel, chairs and next to Lynn. My performance includes making art in front of an audience as an avenue to "embody the mother." (photo by me, Hallelujah Truth)

But I was not alone nor did I find this pathway by myself! Creative Pilgrims! WE ARE NOT ALONE! There are others who SEE us, HEAR us, and MEET us where we are. Lynn Hesse is one of those people! 

A year ago SPRING, I supported her Fieldwork piece, "Love in Full Life and Length," (see my blog about this experience) as a guest artist using the InterPlay form of telling a side-by-side story. This SPRING, Lynn heard and answered my yearnings to collaborate on a performance to "embody the mother."

THE MOTHER AND SACRED BLUE (image (c)by Hallelujah Truth)

We have been in process of creating "Embody the Mother" now for six weeks. With Lynn as a word artist and me as a visual artist, we use a third element of dance to connect us. 

UNCOILING MOTHER. (image (c) by Hallelujah Truth)

Oh! What discoveries we are making together about our own CREATIVITY, process, collaboration, and responding to feedback. And, Lynn, well she is a seasoned performer, and she is SHOWING ME THE WAY. 

Thank you Lynn for the depth, height, passion and resourcefulness of your kind, kind SOUL! 

CREATIVE PILGRIMS! You are invited to stay tuned for updates about our performance piece as we present it to different audiences over time. Our first trial will be at the Pine Lake Art Salon in Pine Lake, Georgia, which is well known for its gentle reception and helpful feedback.


That's Coffee with Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me about your way of BEING and what NEW pathways you might travel!

HALLELUJAH YOUR TRUTH as it uncoils!

The Individuation Imperative: Allowing myself to be pulled forward by desire toward fulfillment

THE INDIVIDUATION IMPERATIVE. Pay attention to your own genius! (art by Hallelujah Truth, aka RuthTruth, Ruth Schowalter (c))

Greetings Pilgrims! How wonderful it is that you have stopped by to visit me on your precious Life's Journey! Welcome to the good ship HALLELUJAH TRUTH! You are not alone. We are not alone. We are here together sharing a most amazing journey!

Today I am celebrating and--yes--Hallelujahing, these INDIVIDUATION IMPERATIVES: 

Journey towards the DESIRES of your heart!  
Follow the summons TO BE YOURSELF!
Lean into your CURIOSITY! 
Experience the FREEDOM of being you!
Give full expression of GRATITUDE for the OTHER!

INTERNAL AUTHORITY.  You don't have to be able to articulate your experience to have it. --InterPlay Principle

I am an artist. Today, it felt very good to be pulled back into the familiar imagery of my work from "The Cosmos of Hallelujah." I discovered this work in progress and desired to complete it. 

The flowers covering my mouth (Hallelujah's mouth--we are one and the same) are a beneficent bouquet giving me the permission to experience what I know without the need to articulate it (thank you #interplay25).  

I KNOW. 

And while I am in the KNOWING, I am not alone because you are here! Thank you! I am so grateful for your presence supporting my INDIVIDUATION. 
 

SOOTHE YOURSELF on your journey! Hallelujah!

That's Coffee with Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me about your INDIVIDUATION IMPERATIVE! What pulls your forward on your path and away from others? Let me support you!

SAVORING THE MOVEABLE FEAST OF LIFE: Learning to "eat" the experience through dance

SAVORING THE MOVEABLE FEAST OF LIFE. Having the experience. (image (c) Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for the MOVEABLE FEASTS of life! Hallelujah for savoring it all! Hallelujah for the challenge and opportunity to EAT THE EXPERIENCE!

As many of my readers know, I am finding a way to savor my life through InterPlay. Currently, I am going deeper into the MOVEAVABLE FEAST of my life by participating in InterPlay co-founder Cynthia Winton-Henry's Monday night online dance class, "Dancing the Ruby Way." 

On one of the first Monday nights in February 2015, Cynthia encouraged us as we danced, to "eat the experience." This invitation to "have" MY experience and to eat it, challenged and engaged me. I'm still "playing" with the idea both in my body and visualizations to see what it would feel and look like to "eat" my moveable feast, my dance, my body engaged in the dance.

Cynthia writes in her book,

  “Your dance grows from following YOUR energy, YOUR individual curiosity about experience, and YOUR intentions. Your body has it owns agenda, its own vocabulary, and its own necessary communications....dance the way YOU dance."

The other morning, I awoke with images of growth connected to the idea of rest, which led me to think about sustainability of myself and the larger picture of the EARTH's sustainability. I felt that my ability to  "have" the experience of life's moveable feast is somehow connected to my being rested and open to these energies of my spirit and those spirits or energies outside of my spirit. 

If I am to help sustain the EARTH, which is in crisis, I must first learn how to sustain myself.  We are all learning how to be better caretakers of ourselves, to get enough sleep, find grace and gracemakers, play, and engage meaningfully with others and in our work.

I'm excited about finding self sustainability through the DANCE and creating visual images. What an awesome invitation to "eat" of my life and to engage in the sensations and information my  body offers me. What about you?

MYSTERY OF THE FEAST. (image (c) Hallelujah Truth

 
That's Coffee with Hallelujah. SOUL BLOG with me and share your MOVEABLE FEASTS of life with me. 

UNLOCKING AND EMBODYING JOY: savoring grace, making things, and having fun

UNLOCKING AND EMBODYING JOY. I am deep in my spiritual journey and yet I feel so new and renewed. What does it mean to unlock and embody joy? How does one savor grace? How does the making of things connect me to the Mystery I seek? And really? Can having fun bring me in closer connection with the Unknown? (Art (c) by Hallelujah Truth)

Hallelujah for LOVE! Hallelujah for the LOVE that expands you, gives you breadth and depth, and engages you in NEW WAYS OF BEING--like unlocking and embodying joy!

Hallelujah for Cynthia Winton-Henry, who I LOVE for her body wisdom garnered and distilled through decades of experience and shared in her book, Dance the Sacred Art: The Joy of Movement as a Spiritual Practice and her Monday "virtual" sacred dance classes, "Dancing the Ruby Way."

Cynthia Winton-Henry, online Dancing the Ruby Way

As a newly minted InterPlay Leader still waiting for the stamp of certification from my InterPlay mentor, Phil Porter (who is brilliant in his own right and co-founder of InterPlay with Cynthia Winton-Henry), I am a busy woman intently distilling and making my own meaning of my InterPlay education and training as I teach my first InterPlay series, InterPlay Alchemy.

Can you imagine me facilitating others in savoring grace, making things, and having fun? These are the three keys that Cynthia leads readers through in the chapter, "Unlocking the Dance of Joy," and that she shared in a Monday night's (February 16, 2015) online "Dancing the Ruby Way" class.

Well dear readers as the saying goes, "The best way to learn is to teach," and I know that Cynthia doesn't mind the sharing of her ideas and practice! Thank you Cynthia!

It is a deeply profound and joyful experience me for me to be embodying these ideas about unlocking and embodying joy in this way:

Step 1: Read Cynthia's sacred dance book.
Step 2: Then participate in 60 minutes of online sacred dance with her and other people from around the United States and the world (one from Australia and another from India). 

Cynthia is skilled at the modern technologies of inviting class participants on and off the screen to greet one another, dance, and notice while muting and unmuting the class as necessary or inviting communications through the instant messaging function. Who would have thought that ancient wisdom and something as vital as a spiritual practice could be transmitted through the softly lit screen of a computer and a dancing mystic in California?

Step 3: During the "Dancing the Ruby Way" class, in addition to participating in the dance and discussion, I take notes and skim pages of the "Dance the Sacred Art." 
Step 4:Then the next morning, I synthesize my class notes and passages from Cynthia's book--ta dah...MAGIC! I have an outline for one of my InterPlay Alchemy play sessions.
Step 5: Embellish the magical outline with other InterPlay forms like babbling, one-breath songs, and DT3's and find the music I want to use. 
Step 6: FACILITATE INTERPLAY ALCHEMY!!!

INTERPLAY ALCHEMY PLAYSHOP. Cold temperatures and icy conditions kept many of our InterPlay Alchemy participants from joining us this morning as we played around with savoring grace, finding humor, and making things through using our voices, telling stories and creating dances.  (photo by Ruth Schowalter)

In this way, I am getting newly reacquainted with myself. I am finding my FLOW through finding MY dance. By moving in community with others, being witnessed and witnessing, I am beginning to unlock and embody joy. 

In this image that I created, I am expressing how my body feels as I breathe in and out (BIBO). I am both daughter and mother, leader and follower, dancer and that being danced. Ahhhhhh....

I will conclude this blog post with something I jotted down as Cynthia spoke during one of the "Dancing the Ruby Way" classes: 

Welcome the wisdom of the body and its energy systems.  It’s amazingly easy in our world to forget how much grace is in our body. Savor this grace, this complex quilt of our layered experience—joy, spaciousness, and ease.

That's Coffee with Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me about your way of being in this world. Where do you find grace, make things, and have fun? I want to know.

There is so much more to say about this topic of unlocking the dance of joy in your body. I recommend getting Cynthia's sacred dance book and joining us with Cynthia online for Monday nights at 8:00pm (EST) for "Dancing the Ruby Way." Experiencing movement with the co-founder of InterPlay is something you might really LOVE. What an invitation: to dance the way YOU dance!

THE LOVE DANCE: InterPlay Valentine's Day Meaningful Fun for Chiboogamoo and Me!

THE LOVE DANCE WITH MY VALENTINE! (all photos by InterPlayer Francine)

Hallelujah for LOVE! Hallelujah for the DANCE! Hallelujah for celebrating Valentine's Day with my SWEETHEART at InterPlay Atlanta's Second Saturday in February through dance!

Although my Chiboogamoo (aka my husband, Tony Martin) and I have been InterPlaying together for almost two years, we rarely "play" with each other during our Second Saturdays. Atlanta's InterPlay community is large enough that we pair or group up with others to get to know them better. So Valentine's Day 2015 was special for us!

By chance, we paired up for a dance to Italian opera music not even knowing that it would be a nice long leisurely one. One that would allow us to linger, explore, and play!

PAIRED TO DANCE BY CHANCE. "Lovers don't meet somewhere. They're in each other all along." -Rumi

Given a vast array of directions to choose from including--swirl, leap, lead, follow, blend, come together, move apart, etc--we shared profoundly fun and loving moments together on this Valentine's Day.   

As you will see, I leave Rumi, the 13th-century poet, theologian, and Sufi mystic to narrate the rest of this blog entry.

"What you seek is seeking you." -Rumi

Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." -Rumi

"Whatever you love...you are." -Rumi

"A heart filled with love is like a phoenix that no cage can imprison." -Rumi

"Imagination has never imagined what you give to me." -Rumi

"Love is the way messengers from the mystery tell us things." -Rumi

That's Coffee With Hallelujah! SOUL BLOG with me about your LOVE, your LOVE DANCE and your VALENTINE'S DAY.

Thanks to Jennifer Denning for making this Valentine's Day special with her "babble" topics and Italian opera dancing music. And great appreciation to InterPlayer Francine, who surprised me by taking about 30 photos of Chiboogamoo and me, from which I wisely chose only a handful to share with you dear readers. I will definitely ask Francine to take photos again.