"Enough Owl Energy"
DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylic applied with a small Gelli Plate, roller, brush. Stenciled with
fluid acrylic (white). Lettered with Identipen, outlined with Gelly Roll Pens.
I've been neglecting my blogs. This one about visual art journaling and my other about sacred art
including art therapy and SoulCollage "Healing Art Works". In this new year I intend to get the
energy going in both of them again. Today I went to Alice's house to make pages. I think this group
(Eileen, Alice, Tisa, Betty, myself, and others cycling through) could be called the Raven Journal
Group. The raven is a symbol of the crone, and all in our group are over 50, with a few of us
a bit farther down that road. I mention this because it feels like my task this year is to "accept
the things I can not change", which mostly boils down to coming to terms with getting old. Not
enough energy, not enough time to do all those things on my life's "to do" list.
My monkey (neurotic) mind has been taking note that, like a car past its warranty, parts of this
body are no longer in the pristine shape it was, say, 30 years ago. Each birthday (July) and each
winter (cold) seems to gift me with a new ache or line. This new year has been newly bulging
blue veins and newly sagging skin. Sigh. Also new worries about where money is going to come
from when the child support stops this year; the additional issue that surfaced yesterday. Yes,
I am both a senior and a single mom to a teen who graduates from high school this year. Oh did
I mention the employment problems most adjunct college instructors are experiencing?
I think that universal health care is necessary but it has also meant that employers have limited
most of us to 2 classes or less. So with all this weighing on my mind I brought my trick bag of
supplies and my journal to my group, almost staying home because of a bad case of angst.
So above is the page that emerged. Love the gem colors of the DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics. Used
the smallest gelli plate to stamp on color and texture. Rolled off the color from my brayer; got my
brush in there as well. Then stenciled with a doily stencil, pouncing on with a makeup sponge.
At first the stenciled patterns made the page look like the rose windows of a church. Then I noticed
that the colors seem to vibrate and radiate. Then the words came: "Enough Energy", "Enough Time",
my word for the year "Courage". Then I saw that those energetic circles looked like owl's eyes.
Which made me think of the wise owl and the "Wisdom" that can come with age. I love it when the
message of my journal pages is inescapable. The energy of this spread can not be denied.
Despite my anxiety about life's realities I can see and feel this message: See things clearly, there is
enough energy, there is enough time. The croning process can bring wisdom. Take courage.
| 
