• About
  • Artist’s Statement and Creative Bio
  • CURRENT OFFERINGS
  • GALLERY
  • Work with me individually (under revision)

Mysteries Unfolding with Cat Charissage

~ Making Meaning, Making Soul

Mysteries Unfolding with Cat Charissage

Monthly Archives: November 2015

In response to difficult times. . .

16 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by mysteriesunfolding in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

IMG_1756

acrylic on canvas, (c) Cat Charissage, 2015

Love, Boundaries, Beauty

Cat Charissage, November 2015

On Friday the thirteenth my heart, pierced, rained an ocean of tears,

salt water from an ocean of love.

Everything I heard, saw, read, thought about brought on the rain of tears that day,

and the next, and the next.

Filled with so much love that my heart broke open,

the tears and the love flowed over everything I know,

over my entire awareness, over all.

So much love for our broken open world,

so much love for my broken open life.

 

There were shootings in Paris

stopping, dead, forever,

more than a hundred fellow souls

living their evening freedoms in a neighborhood epitomizing liberal society.

Hundreds, thousands, millions more are stopped,

stunned,

with a hurt we may live with forever.

 

Meanwhile, on another continent but no world away,

I have a son we named Liberty.

Liberty — so that he may be liberated from indoctrinations;

Liberty — so that he may be free to be his unique self.

And unique he is:  deeply creative, highly sensitive, quirky, eccentric,

a writer, becoming a man

trying to figure out how to make a life

while making a living.

Raised with such love and extraordinary understanding

(he says so himself, grateful to be able to be who he is.)

 

He sees this crazy world,

is pained, taken aback by the hatred.

How to make a future?

“Do I even matter in a dying world of 7 billion people?”

“I can’t even run this program, how can I ever make a difference?”

And sometimes he is angry; oftentimes he is sad.

He is so often misunderstood —- liberty IS very often misunderstood

in a world of shoulds, oughts, “you need to be controlled.”

After the school shooting in Oregon and too many other places,

an unusual young man, an angry young man,

is watched.

And misunderstood.

And feared.

“Can’t be too careful, you know.”

 

My mother’s heart breaks open again and salt waters flow.

The salt waters flow

for Liberty, for liberty, for those killed in so many places

in this broken open world,

for those still alive, broken open.

Love flowing out, for all of us.

 

And the newspaper says that the killers will be pursued without mercy.

Without mercy.

 

My salt water’s love flows over that, too.

 

All of us yearn to make a difference, to make one’s life meaningful,

and yes, even memorable, if we can.

All of us want that, even those who grow up to undertake terror.

What is it like, really, to grow up seeing this broken world,

yet also be frustrated, isolated, and tutored by haters who show you

how to make a difference, this kind of difference,

show you how to become memorable?

 

People say violence is senseless.  

But I understand.  

It’s not senseless at all in its twisted meaningfulness.

Not senseless, but tragic.  Totally and fully tragic.

 

My salt water’s love flows over that, too.

 

But I can almost not bear my heart so broken open, too open.

Love flowing, but life flowing out, too.

 

Where, how, what do I do to bear this?

 

My heart broken open,

I must remember,

is also held in, gently, by my own skin, my own body.

 

Salt waters can flow, but also be bounded and contained.

I can choose what to let in.  I can choose where to look.

Salt waters can help me cleanse my eyes, can help me see more clearly.

See the finches play at the birdfeeder,

see my spouse prepare supper,

see the the branches of the crabapple twist toward light.

See the helpers come to help, the healers come to heal.

Know that I don’t need to feel it all, do it all,

but do what is mine to do — bounded by my reach.

My broken open heart can contain me,

give me words to direct my thoughts,

give me actions to repair my piece of the world,

give me the discipline to show up every day to the page, to my life

where I can make my difference, my meaning,

where I can pour my salt waters’ love with mindful intention.

 

Boundless love, bounded life; directed love, repairing life.

 

And I move into a truth that can only be known

by seeing all sides

with compassion —

including my own limited, bounded self in this limited, aching body.

 

This truth is beautiful.

 

The beauty of love, flowing yet contained by the banks of my own body

and life-in-this-world.

 

And the crystal in the window transforms sunlight into rainbows.

Different colors.  Unexpected beauty.

Who could believe all those colors are in sunlight?

All our colors, held in the light. . .  

our human rainbow of colors, held in the Light.

 

That’s a promise!  And it’s beautiful,

so beautiful.

The salt waters recede.

Advertisement

Intentional Creativity Workshop: Sophia, Wisdom Within Nov. 21-22

08 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by mysteriesunfolding in Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

IMG_1747

Intentional Creativity is a way of living that moves intention and consciousness into all that we create — most importantly, into the creation of our own lives.  Living mindfully in this way expands our ability to recognize the power of choice and possibility in a world too often experienced as only numbing, limiting and prescribed.

Intentional creativity uses image, word, dream, and silence to access your own inner knowledge and spiritual depths.  When used to create art, it’s the closest thing I know to modern alchemy, a process where playing with color and paintbrush, pen and paper becomes a very satisfying journey into your inner self, manifesting and transforming your own story and symbols into a material reality onto paper or canvas.  We start with intentional inquiry and guided journeying, augment the experience with journalling, create an imagination-stimulating portal on the canvas, experiment in a narrative underpainting, and culminate with your finished painting and prose or poem.  We put ear to the canvas and listen with the ears of the heart.  I

ntentional Creativity is an authentic and effective way to explore a question, topic, or challenge in your life, accessing your inner wisdom and bringing it to the surface in a way that uses all parts of your brain, your intuition, your spirit, and your playfulness.  You are often delightfully surprised by what you uncover, and have a record of the process which can offer sustaining information and wisdom as you continue to contemplate your painting and writing.  While feeling magical, this is a psychologically and spiritually sound practice to safely explore your own life’s depth dimensions.

It doesn’t matter whether you have previous painting experience or not, the process works.  It’s also tremendously enjoyable!  Even if you find the process challenging, you are guided and supported throughout.  You will come to know to know your own life’s story and actively participate in its unfolding.  And as you access more consciousness, you expand your life’s possibilities. Tea, chocolate, glitter, acceptance, and connection are in abundance . . .

If you’re in the Lethbridge area, consider joining me for a 13-Step Painting Adventure, SOPHIA:  WISDOM WITHIN on Nov. 21 and 22, 2015.  For more info:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BzXBJy3KcGXA8Bc26gW2csUMuPKef0fVffzrn2jYsNQ/edit

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • First New Moon in 2023; Chinese New Year: Starting with Silence and Beauty
  • Year-end thoughts
  • Sending Out My Book to Publishers!
  • “Mission Statement” and “Strategic Plan”
  • Can we talk about Overwealmth?

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011

Categories

  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Mysteries Unfolding with Cat Charissage
    • Join 60 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Mysteries Unfolding with Cat Charissage
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...