THE WHEEL KEEPS ON TURNIN'

Revelations Mandala -(Reflection Series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2008
source image: agapanthus (Queen of the Nile)

This mandala speaks to me on a very personal level, an unexpected result from when I began creating it. A couple of weeks ago I was listening to an interview with Bonnie Bell, one of the first artists I discovered making digital mandalas from nature imagery. If you are at all interested in this topic, the interview is well worth the listening time.

Anyway, Bonnie said something about how the nature images almost always pick her instead of her setting out to make mandalas from them. In my own work, I find that to be true. In the analog(handmade) realm of mandala making, I most usually have some goal in mind and I still tend to be more critical of the results (though that is easing up and I am allowing myself more room for play). When going through recently photographed flowers, there was something about the soft blue of the agapanthus that really spoke to me. Blue, the color of the 5th chakra, throat, speaking, finding one's voice..speaking up, speaking truth.

I have set an intention of going deeper within myself to grow deeper as an artist. Within I am also finding those places of blockage. I am looking without for more skill and looking within for courage and strength.

When I looked at the finished image I was reminded of the tarot card Wheel of Fortune. Angeles Arrien writes about this card: Wheel of Fortune (enhancing creativity and fortune) - It is the archetype that can allow your life to turn in more fortunate positive directions if you are willing to grow and expand. (TarotHandbook, pg 64-65)

I would love to hear about your own process of growth as an artist. How do you know when it is time to go past where you have been in the past with your art? How do you feel during this period?

Sue O'Kieffe
Sacred Circle Mandalas

NAVIGATING CHANGE WITH GRACE

Fire in the Wheel - (Circles of Light series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007
source image: false bamboo

This has been an intense week for me as I navigated my way through even more transitions and change. Life seems to provide us with an ever abundant supply of new adjustments. I have touched on moral, ethical, and financial issues, as well as on the health and well being of people important to me, during this past week. In the past I have experienced these times as moments of adjustment before the Wheel starts on its new cycle.

When I first looked at this image, faint Bible school memories of Ezekiel and the Wheel came up for me. This morning, as I began posting this blog, I was reminded of the Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card:

"In readings, the Wheel of Fortune can indicate a vision or realization that strikes with great force. If you've been struggling with a problem or tough situation, this card can signal that you will find the answer if you stand back and view everything from a larger perspective.

The Wheel of Fortune also represents unexpected encounters and twists of fate. You can't predict surprises; you can only be aware when one is circling around. Indeed, Card 10 often suggests wheel-like actions - changes in direction, repeating cycles and rapid movement. When the energy of the Wheel arrives, you will feel life speed up. You are caught in a cyclone that may deposit you anywhere. "Round and round and round she goes, and where she stops, nobody knows." source:learntarot.com

A potted false bamboo grows outside my window. All year long its leaves are beautiful shades of crimson and gold. In the fall those colors are even more pronounced. I am grateful to this tree for its graceful beauty and for the way it reminds me to look deep. During these times of increasing darkness, I believe the light shines even more brilliantly within.