Changed my mind again...

Thumbnail concept sketch

 I decided to completely abandon using any "My Little Pony" reference for my next painting (for the toy show).  One reason was that I don't want to offend any Hindus who might not get the statement with the Kalki imagery, it would upset me if that happened.  Another is that I wanted to pair "Hex Kit" with a second piece that would work better with it... in this case, the theme of spooky spiritual toys.

A friend posted a scary outcome story about ouija board usage on Facebook, and the idea of painting a board like that popped into my mind.  The title would be an homage to the Rene Magritte surrealism painting, "The Treachery of Images" - my piece titled: "Ceci N'est Pas Un Jouet".  It's a cautionary item about the dangers of being flippant with talking spirit boards.  I, of course, had the worst case scenario as a soul for over 12 years because of my own experiments with them.  Now, in the clear (yet still recovering from the trauma of it), I don't fear dark spirits, but I certainly don't recommend these things to anyone.

I don't think I am going to include a planchette - without one, it would be a statement about discouraging the use of this piece as an actual talking spirit board, if anyone were to buy it.  Of course, the buyer can do whatever they want once they buy it, but I think I will just include the board.

Here is the flyer for the next art show:

Should be tons of fun!

-Saraƒin

"Midnight In Paris"...

 No sales again, but the show was still a lot of fun - one of my friends came out too, a fellow artist in the show.  There was a pop up discotheque in the basement, a cardboard Eiffel Tower in the centre of the gallery, and other fun stuff to look at.

The next Super Wonder Gallery show is "The Million Dollar Toy Show" - I changed my mind about my second piece for this.  Doubting that most would get the reference to the Teamsters logo, I decided to paint the final avatar of Vishnu, Kalki, in His horse head form, with a My Little Pony head.  The statement is about a world that ignores the sacred, focusing on commercialism, and how many have made money their primary focus and god.  (I haven't started the piece yet, I still have a bit of time - I need to do some thumbnail sketches first.)

Some cool news about a spell that went well - my poor mother was scammed out of almost $2000.00 when she thought I was texting her out of need, the money was lost.  According to the police, 9 out of 10 times, the money is gone once this happens, but I got to work and cast a little spell for her to get it back in any way it could come to her.  (I also sent the intention that the crooks get caught and shut down.) Lo and behold, my mother happily informed me today that the money was returned!  Apparently, it was not processed somehow at the criminal's end, so it ended up back in her bank account.  Not sure if it was my magick or not, but what a great thing to happen!  (My mother is now much more cautious about this kind of thing.)

-Saraƒin

"Benedetta", "Conclave", and the passing of Pope Francis...

It was quite the Easter!

I have a couple of quick movie reviews here:

The first is "Benedetta", which I mentioned a while back.  Well, if you like high budget nunsploitation, this'll do, but it's hardly a serious period piece.  Benedetta was a real historical figure, but this film takes the idea of lesbian nuns and makes it extremely pornographic, including a scene where one sister carves a dildo out of a Virgin Mary statue, and uses it on Benedetta.  This movie is French, beautifully shot, well cast and well acted, but it was just too sexy to be anything more than another nunsploitation flick.  It also doesn't present the mystic's journey very well, it makes it all look rather absurd.  (I actually like nunsploitation more because of its campiness, like for a B movie night, this was kinda pretentious.) So, if you like sexy young nuns getting it on with one another, this might do, but I thought it was silly.  No thanks.

Next up (and also Catholic themed) was "Conclave", which was a wonderful film about electing a new pope.  Highly recommended, though I am not sure how accurate it is about the process, you'd have to ask a cardinal.  There's a surprise twist, and I'm not sure how well it would go over with the church, but I really liked this piece, it was beautiful, moving, compelling, and the characters were great.  Again, recommended, even if you are not a Catholic (which I am not, I just have Catholic ancestry, and I take to Catholic practice).

And what strange timing that my mother and I would watch "Conclave", because two days later, dear Pope Francis passed away.  This was a pope I admired, I thought he was refreshing, and I only hope the pope that follows can live up to his qualities.  It surprised me to learn (I had forgotten this) that he had only been pope for 12 years - for some reason, I thought he had been in power longer.  Rest in peace, Pope Francis.

Here's the flyer for my next art show, where both my St. Joan and my St. Therese will hang in Super Wonder Gallery.  Can't wait!

-Saraƒin

Health update...

I think my root chakra is getting stronger.

I contemplated what to do for healing, then my hands automatically began rubbing together, suggesting I do reiki on myself.  I decided to focus on calling in Metatron, then I placed my hands on the perennial region, and began feeling a subtle rush.  After doing this for a while, I got a download that something was helping.  Since then, sleep has been better, I don't feel quite as weary, and it just feels a bit stronger in me overall.  We shall see if this continues, if it is not just placebo.

Except for a few beers yesterday afternoon, I have been easing up on alcohol, knowing I was getting a bit too lushy.  I was very good last night - I went to a screening of "From Dusk Till Dawn" at a local bar, one of my girlfriends offered to buy me a shot, and I turned it down, sticking with virgin drinks.  Perhaps the act of cutting back on alcohol has helped me with sleep, too.

I did try out Christian counselling, but I don't think it's going to work.  I'm too much of an eclectic for it to resonate, although I did think the counsellor was lovely.  Perhaps I am more "Christianesque" than I am Christian, I have too many gods I turn to, I am a henotheist, not a monotheist.  But I wanted to try and see, at least the counsellor was validating of spiritual possession and religious problems, something conventional mental health workers often think of as signs of psychosis.  Sigh, I guess Jungian analysis was the best, but again, I don't like doing online therapy.

I think I can hold it together without therapy, I have learned many of the tools of analysis, and most days are pretty good.

-Saraƒin

I saved her!

This piece was hanging in my bathroom for quite some time - I was not satisfied with how she turned out, the initial halo tiara looked ridiculous to me, it cheapened the saintly image, so I painted over it with white acrylic.  But that did not satisfy either, and one could still see the tiara peering from beneath the coating of white, so today, I goldleafed a halo around Therese's head, and added touch-ups.  There may be further touch-ups, but I am finally happy with how this piece looks.

The volume here is a bit funny, and I'm not convinced I captured Therese's endearing face, but there's a cuteness to this piece that I always liked, and with more details in the habit, it pops a bit better.  I hope the gallery likes it enough to add it to the "Midnight in Paris" show, it would do me proud to know I did The Little Flower justice by redeeming this painting and getting it into a show - she's one of my main go-to patron saints, I felt her very strongly at Mount Carmel in Niagara Falls.

I should do another saint painting sometime, maybe St. Anthony or St. Jude, my other two big go-to saints.  Also, I have plans to do some more angels at some point.

-Saraƒin

UPDATE: She got in the show!  Hooray - happy endings for a painting I was ready to abandon!  Bless!

Results of "True Crime"...

Aw, snap!  No sales again!  But it was still fun!

I dressed like a British bobby on opening night.  The curator, Christian Aldo, had set up a fake crime scene with a Real Doll, there was a shooting range with Nerf guns, and a museum of criminal artifacts in the basement.  (It was quite surprising how many letters from famous murderers were in the collection, along with art by criminals themselves, including one by Charles Manson.) A lot of the pieces in the gallery section of the show were of serial killers themselves, but the theme was crime in general.  The art will remain in the gallery for another week.

It looks like my next art show at Super Wonder Gallery is going to be one I just found out about - "Midnight in Paris" will be Parisian themed, and my "St. Joan of Arc" piece has been accepted into it.  (I am also tinkering with the "St. Therese of Lisieux" piece I did, trying to save it so she can go in too.) Details to come!

Also coming up at Super Wonder Gallery is a toy themed show.  I made that "Hex Kit" piece, but I also got the idea to recreate the Teamsters union logo as a My Little Pony piece, with the two horse heads as pony heads.  (I used to be a Teamster - this union is notorious for its mob affiliations, so I thought it would be funny to make fun of Teamsters machismo with a My Little Pony themed take on the logo.  I had done this before with my computer, but think I should paint it on a canvas.)

That's all for now!

-Saraƒin

The "root" of the problem...

Ah, I think I figured out something about my root chakra -

It must have had a severed connection to the Earth, which is what made it feel very weak.  I received this insight in a download last night while I was doing my rituals, and so I got out the ashwagandha root again, lit a charcoal, and squatted over its embers, allowing the smoke to rise up around the tailbone region, uttering prayers to the angels, Christ, and the Earth Mother.  I felt some reactions in the body, deep inhales, soothing sensations rising through me, so it looks like I should return to this treatment, targeting the root with the intention of reintegrating its ties to the Mother.  (I am also going to consider that goal in all of my prayers, with other practises I have been using.)  This disorder might be the reason I was getting a certain image in my spirit drawings, one of the base of the energy body extending down, like a root system - it must have been a guide trying to tell me what to do about the root chakra.

I am not sure if I am going to follow through with this, but I am investigating a Christian counselling group as a new place for in-person therapy.  I am trying to see if they will charge what my last therapist charged, and if they know how to counsel for post-possession care.  When I talked to the secretary on the phone, I found out they are "eclectic friendly", which was very important for me, having many gods I turn to, not just Christian sources.  I'm not sure if I will follow through, but I was craving someone to talk to, and found them on the web.  (Both a Catholic and an Anglican priest recommended Christian counselling for spiritual sensitivity, for those who know Jesus.)

And speaking of gods - I suspect Ganesha might be a god who answered some prayers after all.  Years ago, I was having powerful visions of Him, then recently, my hands gestured a trunk and some tusks, and my attention was drawn to various elephant themed decorations in my apartment.  So Shiva proved not to be relevant to my path, but Krishna definitely, and now I suspect Ganesha.  (Vishnu, because of His connection to Krishna, Krishna being an avatar of Vishnu, probably answered some prayers as well.)

Though recovery has been slow, it seems like it's a matter of beholding with sight what the energy body needs, and then targeting it with the correct prayers, plants, and sources of devotion.  It feels like I am mostly recovered, as a soul.

-Saraƒin