Painting the Hero-ine's Journey in 5 Steps - Stage 3 - Reward - All the way to heaven is heaven itself

My painting continues. My heroin'es journey continues. There is a poem I read in Zen and Creativity on Tuesday that reminded me of the Hero-ine's Journey:

All the way to heaven

is heaven itself.

I didn't paint on Wednesday.  I don't know what happened.  I had the day off but I ran out of time.  I did do a lot of art because I went figure drawing for 4-1/2 hours.  But that will be another post.

I woke up early this morning and ended up doing 2 layers of the Hero-ine's Journey, layers 3 and 4.  This post is about layer three.  The 4th layer is outside right now drying as I type on this computer.  I want to recap a little because these layers are just layers so I feel I need to put them in context.

Layer One: Call to Adventure

Where the spirit does not work with the hand

there is no art.

- Leonardo Da Vinci

Layer Two: Trials and Tribulations

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead 

where there is no path and leave a trail

Layer Three (Today's Layer): Reward

Charles Olson describes this stage as "obtaining some kind of boon, which may or may not have been the apparent goal at the start."

Vogel calls this stage Reward or Seizing the Sword: "The Hero has survived death, overcome his greatest fear, slain the dragon, or weathered the crisis of the heart, and now earns the Reward that he has sought."

Lost - yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, 

two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. 

No reward is offered, for they are gone forever.

- Horace Mann

I have painted a diamond coming out of a plant.  I am not exactly sure where it came from.  The jewel is a very obvious choice for a reward. Maybe it is because of the story I have been working on for years the hymn of the pearl about a jewel. I feel like I have seen this imagery before but I can't recollect where.

On the whats your sign website is written: "Overwhelmingly, the diamond symbol or the triangle symbol motif expresses itself in terms of clarity, ascension and wisdom. Not of the ordinary sort of wisdom though. I speak of a clarity and wisdom that transcends the banalities of our everyday realm."

That seems good to me for the Hero-ine's journey.  When the reward is given there is an opening, a clarity, a renewal.

I have always stayed with the initial rhythm of the painting.  I am not sure if that is keeping with the intention of the exercise but I could never let the rhythm go.  There is this dramatic motion to the upper right corner.  As if the painting itself wants to escape the canvas.

Perhaps the stylized foliage is a subconscious homage to one of my favorite painters, Rousseau

And as before, Georgia O'Keefe is still influencing the painting.

I feel this painting is a very selfish act.  I never have been an abstract painter and there is something that feels very self-absorbed about it.  So I am struggling with that as I remind myself of this poem

To study the Way is to study the self.

To study the self is to forget the self,

To forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things..

- Ethei Dogen

Painting the Hero-ine's Journey in 5 Steps - Stage 2 - Trials, Tests, Allies and enemies

This morning I started layer two of my painting of the Hero-ine's Journey in 5 steps. The painting is mine and the heroine is me.  The journey is mine - all is me.

"If you are not the hero of your own story, then you're missing the whole point of your humanity.” 

― Steve Maraboli

At the same time I am a child of the universe no less than the sea and the stars.  And I am the sea and the stars, I came out of the waters of my mother's womb and I am made of star dust.  So this painting about me is also a painting about the universe.

Chris Olson says Stage 2  of the Hero-ine's Journey is about  "being transported to an alien environment, where many trials are faced and endured."

Vogel writes "having crossed the threshold, the Hero faces Tests, encounter Allies, confronts Enemies and learns the rules of this special world,"

Here is stage 1 

I think this stage of my painting may be about how many paths there are to chose from.  Who do you know which path to take.  There are so many dead ends and wrong turns.  My dad used to love this poem by Robert Frost "The Road Not Taken"

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

 My painting reminds me of the basketry I used to do where the layers are all interwoven to make a beautiful geometric form.

One of my favorite baskets to make was an Appalchian Egg basket

The colors in this painting remind me of Emil Nolde, a painter I have loved since my youth.

I wasn't careful with the paint.  I didn't tighten up the forms.  I accepted this was just a layer in the journey to the next layer.  A layer that would be covered soon.  So I decided it was more about the energy and the form, not precision.

I put my foot prints at the bottom left corner of this layer to symbolize the path.  If you believe in intuition as I do then logically it follows that acceptance of whatever path you take will be the right path for you.  u The main footprints I remember in art are the footprints of the Buddha

"The footprints of the Buddha (Buddhapada) are one of the early representations of the Buddha in the anticonic (no statues) stage of Buddhist art. The Buddhapada are highly revered in all Buddhist countries, especially in Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Symbolizing the grounding of the transcendent, feet have been objects of respect in India long before Buddhism. According to Buddhist legend, after the Buddha attained enlightenment, his feet made an imprint in the stone where he stepped."

Painting the Hero-ine's Journey- Intuitive Sketches - The Seven Archetypes

My synchrodestiny of today was that I wanted 2 days off between jobs.  I was sure I wasn't going to get it because my first day of work was today.  I worked from 9am to 1:30pm until my boss told me that he had miscalculated, my first day of work should be Thursday not Monday. I was overjoyed, I get to have Tuesday and Wednesday off to paint, read and do yoga.


With my new found time this afternoon I thought it would be interesting in my exploration of the Hero-ine's Journey to make some sketches of Vogler's Seven Archetypes.  I thought if I sketched them I might understand them better.  My rules for myself was no reference, no planning, just sketch the first thing that comes in your head.  This is what I came up with:

1. HERO-INE - the protagonist, main purpose is to separate from the ordinary world and sacrifice herself for the service of the Journey.  The heroine answers the challenge, completes the quest and restores the ordinary world's balance. The story takes place through the hero-ine's eyes.

2. MENTOR: "The mentor provides motivation, insights and training to help the Hero-ine."

3. THRESHOLD GUARDIAN: "Threshold Guardians protect the Special World and its secrets from the Hero-ine, and provide essential tests to prove a Hero-ine's commitment an worth."

4. HERALD: "Herald characters issue challenges and announce the coming of significant change.  They can make their appearance anytime during a Journey, but often appear at the beginning of the Journey to announce a CAll to Adventure.  A character may wear the Herald's mask to make an announcement or judgment, report a news flash, or simply deliver a messafe."

:

5. SHAPESHIFTER: "The Shapeshifter's mask misleads the Hero by hiding a character's intentions and loyalties."

6. SHADOW: "The Shadow can represent our darkest desires, our untapped resources, or even rejected qualities.  It can also symbolize our greatest fears and phobias. Shadows may not be all bad, and may reveal admirable, even redeeming qualities.  The Hero-ine's enemies and villains often wear the Shadow mask.  This physical force is determined to destroy the Hero-ine and her cause."

7. TRICKSTER: "Tricksters relish the disruption of the status quo, turning the Ordinary World into chaos with their quick turns of phrase and physical antics.  Although they may not change during the course of their Journeys, their world and its inhabitants are transformed by their antics.  The trickster uses laughter (and ridicule) to make characters see the absurdity of the situation, and perhaps force a change.

All in all, I like my intuitive sketches.  I think I would like to make some more attempts on the Shapeshifter and the Trickster.  I think they could be more fleshed out.  I had a lot of pleasure in doing this self given assignment

Discover Your Inner Strengths

Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.
Lao Tzu

I often hear yoga teachers say when the class is supposed to hold a difficult pose; “don’t give up, you can do it,  you are a lot stronger than you think.”  I wonder to myself as I continue to hold the pose: are they sure, I don’t want to hurt myself, how do they know, I am tired . . .

What these teachers are talking about is our inner strength. Inner strength is the strong personal belief that you CAN accomplish a task or master a situation.  It is  expressed through will power, positive attitude, belief, and confidence in yourself. A healthy amount of Inner strength makes us feel good about ourselves, capable and courageous.The key to inner strength is the phrase “I can.”  When we start to stumble into the area of I can’t we let go of or ignore our inner strength.  There is a wonderful quote by Henry Ford that is often repeated so please forgive me as I repeat it again:

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.”

Before I was born, my mother showed an incredible amount of inner strength when she decided to get her master’s degree as a single mom recently divorced.  She went up to New York City from Philadelphia for three days a week for two years to study at NYU while my aunt took care of my sister. My mom shared an apartment and went to classes in a different city in order to get the degree she felt was necessary to provide the life she wanted for herself and her daughter.  She didn’t say I can’t go because I am a mom, or recently divorced, or live in Philadelphia, or don’t have any money.  Mom said I can and she did. She also had the support systems that made this possible: a wonderful and dedicated sister.

My mother successfully got her master’s degree from NYU and became a much respected professor of nursing at Temple University where she developed many programs.  She got married for the second time, this time to my father and had two more kids:  my brother and me.

My mother’s story is one of many stories about people tapping into their inner strength, believing in themselves and doing what they think is necessary to make their lives better.

One way to tap into your own inner strength is to be positive.  This may be easy to say but difficult to do.  Start by listening to your language.  Is it positive? Do you give up too easily? Do you put yourself down?  How do you talk about others?  Are you positive?  If you find your words are negative and harsh start to shift them.  If this seems impossible, take baby steps and do this gradually. Remember, don’t beat yourself up if  you stumble and get off the path, just brush yourself off and start all over again.  Remember, we all have incredible inner strength. Our inner strength is already present within us.  It’s there just waiting for us to tap into it. We must believe, learn to say I can and stay positive.

Excavation 1:

Journal about time in your life that you showed a great amount of inner strength.

 Excavation Question 2:

Journal about a person you admire that shows great inner strength.

Discover Your Limitations

“I admire how she protects her energy and understands her limitations.” 
~ Terry Tempest Williams, Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place

All Artwork is by Kathe Kollwitz

Since I came back from Europe this summer, my body has been very different. I attribute the change  to the nine days I spent sick in bed with a bladder infection that I thought was heat exhaustion. During my illness, I went from being freezing cold with uncontrollable chills to being excruciatingly hot with fever and sweats so intense that my sheets would be soaked.  In a strange bed in an unfamiliar country, I felt alone, helpless, exhausted and scared.

Now back in Los Angeles, in my yoga practice I am less flexible and not as strong. My ego is distressed because it wants to always improve, go forward.  But my body is not willing.  Many yoga poses that came easy to me before my trip I can no longer perform.

Holding standing postures like warrior two is not something I can not do in the same way as I did before. My balance is off in tree pose and warrior three.  I am weak in plank and sun salutations.

I have lost a lot of flexibility in my hamstrings and hips. I realize I have to start again building my strength, flexibility and balance. I have to accept where I am now, not where I was or where I think I should be. This is humbling. This is frustrating. I took so much pleasure my progress and now I am not there anymore.

In my frustration, I keep coming back to why I began yoga: to heal pain, to de-stress, to feel relaxed, to be healthy. . .  All those things are still there.  I just have to honor my body and my limitations and be in the present moment: not the past - how I use to do the pose, or the future: how I want to do the pose, but where my body is right now.  I need to find out where my limitations are and honor the edge, and remember that everyday and every moment our limitations change.

Excavation Question for Discovering your Limitation:

Explore through Journaling, Art or music what are your limitations.  You can also explore why you meditate and/or practice yoga.

Discover Your Boundaries

Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others. – Brene Brown

Ansel Adams

Once in a intuitive reading I was told that I was Personality Type Number 9.

 Type 9 is called the Peacemaker but what was more interesting to me was that number 9s meld  very easily. 9s have a rather diffuse sense of their own identities. They often merge with their loved ones and through a process of identification take on the characteristics of those closest to them. Or in simple speech, we don’t have good boundaries.

What exactly is boundary?  One definition is a boundary is a limit or space between you another person; a clear place where you begin and the other person ends.  It is like a wall around a castle with one entry and you are the gatekeeper.  As the gatekeeper, you decide who you let in and who goes out.

Ansel Adams

We need to set boundaries in order to protect ourselves. Creating healthy boundaries does not always come naturally. As children, boundaries were put on us and we watched and learned as other people in our lives created boundaries. If you grew up in a dysfunctional family, you may have not learned about setting healthy boundaries.

Ansel Adams

Learning to set our own healthy boundaries means getting to know ourselves, deciding what and who is important, who and what we want in our lives, and acting on these decisions. It may mean letting go of the unhealthy people in our lives so that we can grow into the healthy person that we want to become.

Ansel Adams

The decision to set healthy boundaries can be seen as an empowerment exercise in the journey towards self-realization.   When we create boundaries, we are taking a stand for ourselves, and declaring we are worthy of all the good things life has to offer.

Ansel Adams

Excavation Questions for Setting Boundaries: 
Write five boundaries for yourself. Begin with five of your most painful behaviors. You can always add more later.

Ansel Adams

Discover Your Identity

“Identity cannot be found or fabricated but emerges from within when one has the courage to let go.”
― Doug Cooper, Outside In

Van Gogh - Self Portrait

We all have beliefs about who we are and what we can do.  But as humans we also have enormous capabilities and capacities beyond what we think is possible.  Growing up in the 80s one of my favorite TV shows was the Incredible Hulk.  In this show Dr. Banner was consumed by the idea that we can tap into a superhuman strength when we need it. He was also extremely distressed that he could not tap in this strength when it was needed to save his wife.  He creates the Hulk in an experiment to understand this primal super human strength. The Hulk becomes a curse for him and it was the product of an accident during his experimentation.

Incredible Hulk TV show of my youth

The power to tap into our tremendous potential comes from our identity.  Our identity is where we ask the questions: how do we define ourselves and what do we believe we can achieve? Often we have all kinds of ideas about what we can’t do and why we can’t do it and they are simply not true.  When I practice yoga, sometimes I come up with elaborate stories about why I can’t do a pose: my thighs are too big, my arms are too short, etc. And then months or years later, I may get to that expression of the pose (that I had previously deemed impossible) and I realize my story just wasn’t true; it was in fact just a story.

Self Portrait - Artemisia Gentilischi

Identity is the most powerful aspect of the human personality. Once we define our identity we are determined to remain consistent with our definition no matter how limiting the definition may be. If we want to transform ourselves we have to be ready and willing to expand our identity.  We can expand our identities by building new, empowering sets of beliefs, letting go of our stories and being open to all possibilities.  A great way to do this is by doing yoga, meditation, reading, journaling and exposing ourselves to new ideas and experiences.

Self Portrait - Artemisia Gentilischi

The Key Principles of Identity
1.  Identity determines our actions. We act according to our views of who we are—sometimes these views are accurate and sometimes they are not.

2. Once we know who we are, we must try to accept ourselves. If we attempt to live our lives in a way that’s inconsistent with who we are we will live from a place of frustration, stress and disappointment. We need to embrace our  needs, desires, strengths, fears, values and beliefs in order to tap into our tremendous potential.
3. Don’t maintain the illusion that a single behavior decides who they really are.
Sometimes we experience moments of anger, anxiety and/or defeat, and that result in saying or doing things that are inconsistent with who we are.  These Inconsistent behaviors are not parts of our overall identity but instead momentary lapses. We should investigate these behaviors, forgive ourselves and move on.
4. When you take responsibility, you restore your identity. When we create unfavorable or hostile situations, we should take action to repair any harm that we may have caused and again forgive ourselves and move on.
5. Expand your identity by doing something that is out of character.
We grow when we try things we might find strange or out of the ordinary. It is the because  these activities are uncomfortable to us that we have the possibility to learn more about ourselves.  It is by doing these new things that we can expand our identity and grow.
6. Our personal identities are always evolving. We have the power to reinvent ourselves at any moment. We can create new, empowered, expansive identities that are consistent with our beliefs and desires if we want to.

Frida Kahlo - Self Portrait

EXCAVATION QUESTIONS
Write of list of your likes and dislikes.  Write a list of things that are “out of character” that you might consider doing to shake yourself up a little and help to expand your identity.

Cindy Sherman - Self Portrait