Space exploration may be a loose term to cover today's topic which may more aptly be titled The Shaman's Walk. As I explained in Day 1, I work in the public sector for my 'day job'. It can be intensely stressful and require lots and lots of working hours. I'm responsible for programs, teams, employees, human resources, etc.!! As an example, it is 9:15 pm and I just arrived home after working a full day and attending a four hour board meeting.
And, I am actively involved in women's circles, I study medicinal herbalism, and I use art as a daily sacred practice (sometimes that is more goal than reality). Many times, while in circle or in the creative process (or both at the same time) I enter what I call Mystic Time. This time out of time experience can be explained by what Mikhail Czikszentmihalyi refers to as The Flow. He is an amazing researcher with quite an amazing story; check out his TED talk. The Flow is when your conscious mind is so immersed in an enjoyable activity that your internal chatter ceases and your full focus is on your activity. This Mystic Time can be a godsend to me as my almost never-ending internal analysis of everything stops and I fully engage in the activity and experience. For me, this is where magic happens. Sometimes I seek the Mystic Time and sometimes I just happen upon it.
The older I get the more I see the benefit of 'showing up' for both sides of the walk.
I need the day job, it pays the bills. It also suits my personality traits and skill sets for organization, team building, problem solving, thriving in a fast paced environment, and a preference for working in assignments with challenges that require a solution based approach. I need the Mystic Time because it is healing and rejuvenating. It is therapeutic as it allows me to access art, music, image, color, texture, scent, and other ways of knowing that allow the analytical portions of my brain to relax. This is the wholeness that makes me who I am.
This is the complexity of every woman.
And, it is part of the reason why I am so drawn to mixed media art. Mixed media, like every woman, is made of complex layers, different shapes, textures, colors and symbols. The two go hand in hand. Then again, I like acrylics, watercolor, clay, fiber arts, beading and.... well, I am entitled to change my mind. =)
Sincerely,
Your Spiral Mystic
And, I am actively involved in women's circles, I study medicinal herbalism, and I use art as a daily sacred practice (sometimes that is more goal than reality). Many times, while in circle or in the creative process (or both at the same time) I enter what I call Mystic Time. This time out of time experience can be explained by what Mikhail Czikszentmihalyi refers to as The Flow. He is an amazing researcher with quite an amazing story; check out his TED talk. The Flow is when your conscious mind is so immersed in an enjoyable activity that your internal chatter ceases and your full focus is on your activity. This Mystic Time can be a godsend to me as my almost never-ending internal analysis of everything stops and I fully engage in the activity and experience. For me, this is where magic happens. Sometimes I seek the Mystic Time and sometimes I just happen upon it.
The older I get the more I see the benefit of 'showing up' for both sides of the walk.
I need the day job, it pays the bills. It also suits my personality traits and skill sets for organization, team building, problem solving, thriving in a fast paced environment, and a preference for working in assignments with challenges that require a solution based approach. I need the Mystic Time because it is healing and rejuvenating. It is therapeutic as it allows me to access art, music, image, color, texture, scent, and other ways of knowing that allow the analytical portions of my brain to relax. This is the wholeness that makes me who I am.
This is the complexity of every woman.
And, it is part of the reason why I am so drawn to mixed media art. Mixed media, like every woman, is made of complex layers, different shapes, textures, colors and symbols. The two go hand in hand. Then again, I like acrylics, watercolor, clay, fiber arts, beading and.... well, I am entitled to change my mind. =)
Sincerely,
Your Spiral Mystic
RSS Feed
