Body and Spirit

Sorry I’ve been away from my blogging for a little while.  Like most of us, I have had a lot going on in my life and it became overwhelming.  I have wrestled with health issues as some of you are already aware, catching several types of flu in a row and then worrying about my internal organs. Health is so important and when it becomes fragile or iffy it is scary.  It seems as though a lot of my worry and fear were for naught because I am actually pretty healthy according to the recent tests.  I have become more attentive to all the messages from the universe and ether about health issues. I started on some supplements that are supposed to fight off carcinogens (always a fear for the painter) and recently bought an intiguing book on health that I heard about from an art therapist.  It is called “Your Body Speaks Your Mind,” Decoding the Emotional, Pyschological, and Spiritual Messges that Underlie Illness,” by Deb Shapiro.  It is very compelling and really reinforces the body-mind continuum so central to holistic health. In my studio I continue to create mandalas.  I was beginning to feel however as though the format was somewhat limiting, that is until I received my book, “Mandala: Luminous Symbols for Healing,” by the recently departed Judith Cornell, PH.D.  This book is filled with gorgeous, spiritually illuminating mandalas that Cornell created. After my initial look-through of the book,  I feel inspired to continue down the mandala path.  I even have my students making little 10” square mandalas.  There mandalas are on paper and colored with tissue paper.  They are turning out beautifully.  Children have such a great eye and natural inclination to be creative, if they could just keep their mouths closed long enough to let the creativity in their minds manifest on the paper.  Speaking of creativity, I have been nominated for the Circle of Moms top 25 blog award.  You can vote for my blog here: http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/Top-25-Creative-Moms-2012-2012?trk=t25_Top-25-Creative-Moms-2012-2012  (just scroll down until you find Stephanie’s Studio). This Circle of Moms Top 25 Creative Moms Award is for mothers who blog but not necessarily entirely about motherhood.  It is a way of honoring creative moms. I don’t actually know why I am posting “Woman with Pig” today, except that she is so playful and filled with joy.  She is holding the space I want to exist within, happily with her animal companion.