Stephanie's Studio

I've been reading about calorie creep, as I try to stave off the 52 pounds I've lost over the past year. (More in posts to come). What about age creep? We've heard about age creeping up. Is there anything we can do about it? Are we victims of the process? Can we be willing, joyful participants? I hadn't really thought of myself in conjunction with ageing much until I applied and was accepted into the anthology  Age Ain't Nothing but a Number: Black Women Explore Midlife . The anthology edited by Carleen Brice, features the works of 43 contributors, including highly regarded authors and poets such as: Nikki Giovanni, Alice Walker, Susan L. Taylor, Rita Dove, Terry McMillan, Gloria Naylor, Maya Angelou and Pear Cleage. It was published in 2003--12 twelve years ago! Yes, age has steadily been creeping up on me. I've always loved T.S. Eliot as you can see by my post:  Celebrating Poetic Genius: T.S. Eliot , posted around this time last year. What did he mean

All Occasion Card by Stephanie Bird This morning I heard we had snow in 48 states. Snow on the ground - 48 states? Amazing. No need to go into it too far. It's cold. The plains states, super cold. What to do? What to do? Collage on Paper - Stephanie Bird Snow and cold are daunting. There's shoveling to do and many other practicalities to tend to. It could seem as though many activities are halted. Replaced with dull or exhausting tasks, like clearing paths. I'm not discounting the necessity of clear paths, just suggesting snow may open paths once dormant in several ways. We have the opportunity to travel to so many different places, through the arts. My way has recently been through renewing my studio activities, picking up my brushes, canvases and paints. I've also picked up my novel manuscript. Day by day I'm breathing new life into it. I knew those CPR lessons would come in handy some day! I've taken flight from what is dismal situation outdoor

It's a bit of a challenge blogging about angels. They are quite foreign to me, as I've mentioned. Heretofore, they've been illusive. Nevertheless, I am trudging on with this series because they have so boldly inserted themselves into my life and healing process. This is the third post of the angels series. In African American culture, signs are very important--especially signs through dreams. One of the recurring divination cards from the Doreen Virtue Angel Daily Guidance Oracle Deck  I frequently pull (despite thorough shuffling) is the Signs card. It wasn't until I starting thinking more about this post, which attempts to link signs, divination and angels, that I've starting patching together the signs I've been given. My cards spreads ask repeatedly for me to look for signs and use my talents to interpret them. I was promised a mini-reading at the angel workshop I attended. Miniature indeed. We had a three card spread to mull over and a single card t

Part II. of a Series Exploring Angels As is typical for a workshop icebreaker, our facilitator asked what brought us to the workshop. Hmm, where to begin. I've had four distinct experiences. They remain etched in my memory. With my foggy memory, I'd prefer to go backwards in time, rather than starting from the beginning. According to our presenter, specific colors are used for communication by archangels. A couple of weeks before the workshop, I had an amazingly colorful dream. My dear departed mother appeared. I was shocked to see her, as I would be now, since I have accepted her passing. She and I were on a bustling street. I don't know what city we were in. It seemed far away. I followed her, though it was difficult. In a bazaar atmosphere, we quickly became a part of the group movement, jostling others as we pressed forward. She moved quickly through and past shops with me in pursuit. It wasn't like I was chasing her, as it may sound. It seemed as though thi

Art by Kathy Fornal Recently I took an angel workshop. I've flirted with the idea of angels for many years but I wasn't quite sure what to make of my interests. The workshop has been transformative in many ways. I learned what to call the interactions I've had with angels. I learned more about the order of angels. Most importantly, I've reestablished my workings with them in a more informed way. Some of you may be wondering what the heck I'm talking about. In some ways I wonder myself, yet I know they have been a constant in my life.  I learned in the workshop that angels do "walk-ins." This is where they appear in human form and interact with you briefly, only to be never seen again. Moreover, you must speak out loud to them. You are assigned two guardian angels for your lifetime. They are always with you. Our workshop focused on the messages of the archangels.We communed with them through divination and meditation.