quiet mind open heart (receiving the gifts of the heart)
softly sweetly clouds resting in the sky the sea sweeping itself on to the sands and back out again rhythms of nature unfolding
Thank you for being here for this quiet little conversation, taking a pause and engaging with these thoughts, words and images, creating a moment for serenity, for breath and for respite.
My mind is used to being in charge - maybe yours is too. Years and years as a software engineer trained mine to notice patterns, to look for underlying issues, to consider possible scenarios, plan for how to manage them and build complex algorithms to solve technical problems in the world of telecommunications. Years of living fearfully trained it to try to anticipate what could go wrong and try to avoid the pitfalls. If you were to tell me you find living like this exhausting, I would completely agree. The brain is so busy infinitely looping through all the possibilities and the poor body is like, wait, do I need to panic now? Or now? Or how about now?
I'm trying to purposefully create the circumstances for a quieter mind. One thing I've done is to be more present when I'm walking. I have a dear friend who reminds me to 'be here now', and I try to check in during the walk to see if I am actually there noticing the trees, the light, the sounds.. Some of my other practices are also immensely helpful in quieting the mind. I've even noticed once or twice that my mind is actually paused without me doing a practice...and then of course, it immediately starts back up.
The beautiful gift of not being consumed by the mind means I can live from my heart. Instead of my brain judging/questioning how i'm creating a painting, or what i'm writing, my voice is freer to come from the place of serenity and light that is my heart. It means what is flowing out of me is made from a place that feels more sweet, more pure, more intentional. I hope you are finding moments in your day or your week where your heart has a chance to show you it's gifts.
The fourth painting of the juxtapositions body of work is in the final stages of hand stitching, i made you this little video of the thread finding it's place in the painting's story
And as always, I want to express my gratitude to be living and working on the ancestral & unceded territories of the hən̓̓qəmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples.I honour the incredible depths of grace, courage and perseverance of Indigenous Peoples.
until next time,
Mardell