The Winter Solstice

Wednesday, December 21st, 2005
The shortest day and longest night of the year.

Winter Solstice Mandala by Laura

The time when the Sun is born again;
the time when the darkness will get less,
and the lightness will become more and more.

A time to stop and listen to the earth.
A time to light and watch the warmth of the fire with loved ones,
and friends you have not met yet.

It's the shortest day that we yearn for to bring the brightness back.
Slowly, Slowly, sparkling on the white snow that will follow in the next months.
Slowly, quietly, and with patience the Sun will bring us peace again
and bring us into the New Year.

Blessings for Evergreens to surround you;
for fires to bring you peace, and for the
bits of Sun light to radiate through you.

What do you think of when you think of the Winter Sun?

"we see things are we are, not as they are" - Anais Nin

So,
I've been pondering all this Christmas "Aura".
I posted about it in my last post and then since then I was asked to create a Nativity Scene for the school Hall. "Oh Boza" (Oh, god). I said right away. NO, I just can't do it. My Unitarian Universalist self just couldn't put up an image that was so Christian related in a school with such religious diversity. Besides that at School I'm pretty sure they think I'm more Jewish then Unitarian so It was pretty strange to be given this task.

Yes, I am the art teacher...anyway...So, the discussion got deeper and deeper and perhaps worse and worse. The next day went on and I didn't see the teacher (who is religiously and spiritually Catholic). I think she must have been avoiding me. Sort of sad because I feel like we have connected in ways that we can talk about spirituality openly and I know that we are both spiritual people.
I did send her an e-mail that night saying that I'm sorry we are not looking at this the same way but I hope in the future we can work together. I also included this text...

The work of Christmas:

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and the princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flocks,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among brothers,

To make music in the heart.

-Howard Thurman. African American Theologian


Then, the next evening I came home and decided to listen to a Unitarian Universalist (UU) Sermon on-line. I do this sometimes. They are from the new ministers in the church I grew up in. It was:

Believing is Seeing: A Lesser Known UU Act of Faith by Parish Co-Minister Scott Tayler

streaming download

December 4, 2005

So, Scott starts talking and then leads into this quote:
"we see things are we are, not as they are" - Anais Nin

So, right on. I was seeing the manger from my eyes of course and not from the fact they the school was putting on a "Christmas Concert" if I liked it or not. So, while listening some more, I got on-line and just googled manger scenes just to see what one looks like. I mean I know, I made them in Church at a teen. I just wanted to sedifferentnt ways that it was represepnted. Then, I did some other searches with Christmas and Poland and then...there it was... a Traditional Polish papercutting of the Nativity Scene. I had it. I LOVE papercuttings and felt like it would be great to show the nativity scene in this way. I got out some small paper and started to cut. After the little one was done. I was on a roll and new that big white paper would be around the house, so I looked around and found some old big Calender posters with images on one side and white on that back. I taped 2 together ( it was about the side of 2 small kids).
Then, folded the paper in half, drew out half the image and started to cut, cut, cut as our little cat was crawling all over everything, little paper pieces all over the place. Olga walks in the door and was like "what are you doing?", I said it came to me! Just a minute and you will see!

She saw it and new what it was right away.

[ on a side note. I showed it to my Jewish friend in Poland and she thought it was something about some sort of table with something on it. It is so true how we see things how WE are, or how we were raised, with words and images surrouding us. The Nativity scene isn't as common as mud to everyone, which is refreshing for sure!]

...So, the next day I got up early, went to school before the big "Christmas Fair" and stuck the paper cutting on red paper and then onto the Schools Hall wall...walked a way and didn't say a word to anyone about it for a couple days, then I printed out text about paper cutting and the Polish history put it next to the art and signed my name. Ms. Evonne

On the last day of school before break, the music teacher came up to me and said Thank you, just a simple:
thank you.

I went to my little office and what was on my desk? A little handmade card with candles on it and inside: Happy Chanukah Love, Katazyna (the music teacher)


...and the story goes on. While all this was happening I was trying to get the schools aims and philosophyhy statement to see if they were Christmasan based. Got it and nothing about religion at all. So, I wrote a little e-mail saying I was surprised about all the very Christmas things happening at school. Didn't get any e-mails back. Then saw the women in school I was e-mailing and voiced my concern. She was interested in my thoughts about how to make the Holiday Season more inclusive. I said her some of my ideas and we will be talking more inthe new year!

What does your baggage look like? and where are you going?

It's so important to know what we travel with.
I have to remind myself of this too.

a surprise Peace Tree

This Autumn, in Art class I made Nature Art Mandalas with Year 2 Ms. Langley's class. The Mandalas were then displayed around the 2L Door for weeks. One day as the seasons were turing to Winter, I walked into school and noticed that the Mandalas had been taken down. I figured that Ms. Langley gave then to the kids and they brought then home. But, I was wrong. I walked into their room and where were their amazing mandalas?- they were dressings the tree! They looked like these amazing colorful glass balls.

Why was I so happy?
I've been struggling a little bit because it is the first time that I'm teaching in a private school that focuses a bunch on Christmas at this time of the year. I'm used to a much more diverse way of Celebrating this Holiday time of the year. So, to come into her room and see these Mandalas, these Nature- circles of peace covering the tree, it just felt so right!

The Evergreen tree reminding us that green will come again even in the darkest, grayest time of the year and that Peace will surround us all.

Blessings for a Peaceful Holiday Season with a bunch of glitter on top!

How do you celebrate this dark time of the year? What Peaceful things do you do?

Red Ribbons

May we move with our hearts to end
suffering world wide.

What can you do in your local community?

200% feelings

So, I wish that I wasn't always a crab.
Sign of cancer.
A feeling sign...because
I feel about 200% or more with most things to heart, art, hear in my ear and soul and feel and beat.
I feel it all and it gets to be a little to much some of the time.

Wishin' I could take a little vacation from some of my thoughts and feelings or somehow put them in some sort of order so that everything isn't 200% all at once.

How much do you feel?

Flags for Equality

Flags all around today that started at about noon in Warsaw, Poland. It was a protest for Equal Rights. A protest in reaction to a march that was banned in another city in Poland last week. I would say about 500 people showed up of all ages. Folks voicing their concerns and waving flags with rainbows on them, stars of David, text about democracy, words about a green earth, etc. It was in Polish so I understood some of the talking that was going on. But just being there with everyone helps to make me think that.....

Never doubt that a small group
of thoughtful committed citizens
can change the world, Indeed
it's the only thing that ever has.
-Margaret Mead

I also believe that it is Education at all levels that will end hate, because it is so much of the time about not understanding. Fearing what you don't know, that creates hate. What can you Educate yourself on today?

freaked out for no reason

Sometimes I get freaked out for no reason.
Of course, I don't know it is no reason to get freaked out until it is over.
I do know that freaking out uses a bunch of energy that could be put to a better use.

Today I was a bit freaked out that bringing out block printing ink and printing with about 20 7 year olds was going to be...Well, something to freak out about.

Nope not at all.

They worked together, well most of them and their prints for the first time turned out great. And cleaning up- wow such clean printing plates.

Later I was reminded that I forgot to give them stamps. Next week. Stamps on both hands!

After lunch.. was the year 1 students from class "O". -a hard one.
As I walked into the room their teacher said...just FYI they aren't really focused today and just somewhere else.
Great, I thought. I'm already a bit worried about doing paper weaving with the group but we will get to it.
And what do you know... they were super!
From folding to cutting, measuring to cutting some more,...cut, cut, cut STOP; then over and under like our little wave pictures. First with our hands and arms all together and then with the paper strips. Over and under, Over and under..etc.

They got it.

You would have never known they were on a different planet today.
It might have been the best day so far. Perhaps it's better when we are all on a different planet.

So, that goes for using my energy and freaking out today.
I'm going to try and think peaceful painting and delicate diorama thoughts for tomorrow's year 5 and 6 classes.

What do you freak out about for no reason?

2nd bit of snow, or first

Here in Warsaw, Poland
the 2nd bits of
snow are
falling
from
the sky.

Yesterday at school a few fell
but they were more like sleet (sp?). Today it's the real deal.

Friday, November 18th, 2005

What's the weather like where your eye gaze?

a purple sea urchin day

Sometimes it just feels so right to know that I am where I should be.

Sometimes I don't have any idea where I should be, or go, or do. But today, I was a little purple sea urchin way at the bottom of the sea with 15 other little beings and it felt...just right, just right.

We curled up into little balls on the carpet and quietly lay there. Every once in a while something like a shark (Daniel said) would come along and scare us and our little spikey-spikes would stick out, but then we would float around a bit more and get relaxed.

It was purple day in nursery SK at the British School in Warsaw. I'm the art teacher there.
I wore all purple for the occasion. As little purple sea urchins ourselves we then created some arty ones also.

These, little bitty ones learn so quickly and are so beautiful. I feel so honored to be able to share time with them.

If you come spend more time with little bitty ones,
what would you do?

full moon light

It's a full moon night
a quiet one,
a cold one,
a peaceful stay all inside my bed one.

a don't get wet one,
a drink tea in bed one.

a snuggle with a cat one
or perhaps it's time to take a night time nap one.

Blessed be, big O in the sky.
oh, how much i wish I could fly...

If you had wings where would you go on this night time moon light night?

back in warsaw again

back in warsaw again after a weekend of "pounds" spending-gallery going, theater watchings, coffee drinkings, tube train underground travelings.
Way up in the sky flyings.

My thoughts flow a bit slower now....Mercury just came into rectrograde.
A cold has set into my right nostral and perhaps a fever.
Our little tobi ginny pig passed on, the cat loves to swim and I'd like to do some swimming also.
~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ripples of clear water pass over and on.

How do you like to travel?

gray it is

The grayness has been for about 3 days and I'm not quite sure when it will lift. It's got my head and heart and mood.

I'm off to London for the first time jutro rano (tomorrow am) and I'm not sure it will be that different.(the weather that is)
From what I know, people wear long coats and hats and carry around umbrellas a bunch. Well at least in paintings I've seen from being in art school years back. I'll see for myself tomorrow morning.

At the playground at school today I carried around a little bucket of colored chalked. It will be the 2nd week I've done that now on my "garden duty" from 12-12:30pm. I just hold the bucket filled with colorful chalked and little ones just come up and take a few out and return them when they are done. Today a space rocket, little colored in blocks, an egg, numbers and little girls were drawn. Oh, and a bunch of arrows pointing in ways to follow also. One little one in Year 1S thanked me today for letting her use the chalk.

This evening at the Dom Dziecka (Children's Home) I just had a few little ones. We drew Polish Eagles for Independence day tomorrow November 11th. They kept saying "I can't" I can't". I'm not sure they get that much time in school to draw what they see without getting in trouble if it is not perfect. Little by little one of the little ones drew and glued. She got it! I'd say she's one of my regulars on Thursday nights at 6pm.

wishing for the watery gray clouds to part a bit, a rainbow to appear and some ...."The Sun will come out tomorrow"...

I'm sure it's a hard life for all of us in different ways.

Waves of blessings of peace.

What do you wish for?

sleepy morning

It's a sleep morning here in Stary (old) Mokotow, Warsaw.
The sky is a thick white/gray blanket.
The tree leaves are hardly moving.
...wishin' I could just cuddle up inside my warm blankets today.
But, work I must go.

Sometimes, well a bunch of time I wish we could all go back in time when we really did listen to the earth and what is was saying to us. Today it would say..."Stay inside today child of the universe, stay inside and enjoy the quiet stillness of this white autumn morning."

Perhaps I'll listen a little and move a little slower and little quieter today.

How's the weather where you are?

thoughts that flow like water

I'll start with how wonderful it is to take a warm bath on a dark night, in a quiet house after a dr. apt. How soothing and calming the water is.