Creative Magpie: Jeroen Bodewits

Dacha1 - photograph - part of the 'Russian Series'

I recently discovered the off-beat talent of Jeroen Bodewits while searching for photos of Russian dachas. Jeroen is a Nederlands visual artist working as a photographer, sculptor and print designer. His work focuses on the slightly off-centre, unusual subjects that may not have the immediate appeal of the obvious but they express beauty and interest in the ordinary and sometimes mundane; a ramshackle pile of wood, a wall fan, kitchen items on a table, an old woman in a worn-out tracksuit as well as the more serene and beautiful image of a girl lying bathed in sunlight on a couch. A mixture of industrial and sensual shapes and a diverse use of materials and ideas characterise his work. I especially love this dacha – if there is a photograph that would be a great starting point for patchwork then this is it! Here is Jeroen’s take on creativity. Continue reading »

Beauty as a healing force

Heavenly blue flowers of the humble speedwell

I came across this lovely article on beauty. Beauty can be healing because it can be a source of fascination. Anything that fascinates us can take our focus away from current pains and worries onto something more pleasurable. But there is more to the healing ability of beauty than this. Continue reading »

Creative Magpie: Soul Poet Rachel Maullin

Here is my first Creative Magpie post and to kick off this new blog feature I am focussing on a recently discovered poetry virtuoso Rachel Maullin. Rachel is a fellow healer and runs a complimentary therapy practice called Mother Nurture at the Boot Factory in Wolverhampton. When she is not doing therapeutic massage or reiki, Rachel is writing amazingly soulful poetry (see the end of the post for some delicious examples). I asked Rachel to answer some questions about her poetry and the creative process. Continue reading »

Introducing “Creative Magpie” Blog Feature

Magpie Treasure

The magpie in me finds many and varied wondrous treasures in the world and I have decided to feature in a blog post one person each week who I find particularly inspiring. They may be a textile artist (as I am) or a poet, songwriter/singer, ceramicist, jewelry maker or dreamcatcher. This blog feature will allow me to self-indulge in some creative candy and to share the love by bringing them to your attention too along with observations about their own particular brand of creativity. If you want to star in my Creative Magpie feature then please email me.

Beautiful Corner – Making Way for a Spiritual Life

Icon Corner - Image used with kind permission of Phool4xc at Flickr

Having an altar in a house is an ancient practice stretching back into prehistoric times. In Romania and other East European countries, especially in small country villages, one would often find a beautiful painted plate, a treasured gilded icon and pictures or photos of family members  or religious figures on the wall decorated above with a beautifully embroidered cloth pinned just so to frame the collection of precious objects. Nearby there may be a small container tacked to the wall to hold a candle or a tiny bowl of holy water. Or underneath the pictures, a small wooden shelf holding a religious stauette and some flowers (maybe even faded plastic roses!). Continue reading »

Sparkle Girl Comes Home Part 4

Last weekend Sparkle Girl and I had fun shopping. We bought new clothes in purple and orange (Orange?! Yes, really that is unusual for me!) and pretty bangles with silvery bits on. I can’t afford to ditch all of my black so if I do wear it I try to dress it up a bit with some jewelry and nice scarves (that have been in hiding in the cupboard until now). Sparkle Girl loves jewelry of course.

 We couldn’t pass up the stationery shop so we bought stickers (shiny ones) and ones with little jewels on, a pencil decorated with kittens with a butterfly attached to one end and a new pencil case with a lovely mermaid design – this replaces my very austere plain white plastic pencil case which Sparkle Girl thinks is just SO boring. We had lots of fun just looking at things and exploring the world in a curious playful way. We looked at the hamsters and mice in a pet shop window (I would have normally just dismissed it and passed by). We talked to all the shop assistants and made jokes (I probably would have stayed quiet or kept it to businesslike exchanges). We looked at books about weasels, racoons and wild boar. We shook pom poms in the shop and listened to them rustle and admired all the princesses and fairy outfits.

We bought herbs and came home and planted them out in pots straight-away. (I probably would have had them sitting there languishing for weeks before Sparkle Girl). We enjoyed the rain when it came down even though it was cold. We felt the enjoyment and fun of being outside and getting dirty and messy.

This process of receiving and re-discovering the delightful energy of Sparkle Girl is amazing and I am sure it’s effects will ripple outwards for the rest of my life. I cannot recommend highly enough the process of soul retrieval. The key here is not just to receive the lost part back but to really dialogue and enjoy it, revel in it’s company as you would the return of a long lost friend you thought had died. If one is sensitive and respectful enough the soul part will offer it’s wisdom, compassion and innocence and any other gifts it has to share with you wholeheartedly.

If you would like to find out more about soul retrieval I suggest reading Sandra Ingerman’s book Soul Retrieval –  Mending the Fragmented Self. This is THE book on Soul Retrieval and I highly recommend it. There is also an excellent detailed account “Home, Sweet Home” of  the personal soul retrieval of Dr Cat Saunders performed by Sandra Ingerman herself.

But of course, nothing beats actually having a soul retrieval (performed for you by a reputable shamanic practitioner) and enjoying the return of your own soul part leading you into greater wholeness and joy. I can’t think of anything more sacred, joyful or precious than that as we can testify, right Sparkle Girl? She nods enthusiastically.

Sparkle Girl Comes Home Part 2

To welcome Sparkle Girl home

Since my soul retrieval memories have been flooding back, and they are mainly to do with creativity and enjoyment of things, books that she liked, musical instruments, crafts like puppet making  and pom-poms but also fragments of experiences and household objects in the house that we were in when Sparkle Girl left. She wanted me to show her all my embroideries and expressed her admiration for them and reminded me about ones that she had done at school. Sparkle Girl asked me to show her a shell that was in the bathroom, she looked at the beautiful colours and told me firmly that she wanted that shell in her bedroom and it turns out that the shell makes a lovely dish for my earrings when I take them off before bed. She loves bright colours and told me that she wants to wear the skirt with the pink flowers and pink tights…when I told her I don’t have any tights that colour she was disappointed and thinks I wear WAY too much black and brown… she is right.  She is so wise, fun, warm and loving. She loves writing stories and poetry and I feel inspired to start writing again and doing all the lovely things that Sparkle Girl enjoys like collecting pretty pebbles, dancing, making butterfly mobiles and having tea parties with girlfriends. I would like to fulfill as many of Sparkle Girl’s wishes as possible. She is so much FUN! Continue reading »

Soul Retrieval – Coming Home at Last

heart is where the home is

For those not familiar with the term, Soul Retrieval is the process by which ‘soul parts’ or ‘essence’ of a person are brought back to them to be integrated on all levels giving rise to a greater feeling of wholeness, joy and personal energy. These parts of self leave at times in our lives when things are just too much to bear – mental, physical or sexual abuse, bereavement, divorce, moving home, car crashes or other accidents are all obvious traumas. But soul parts can leave for more subtle reasons too such as going on holiday to a beautiful place, the soul decides to leave part of itself there because it can’t bear to face the everyday routine. Continue reading »

In Giving I Receive Riches

I have noticed one of the benefits of being a healer is that I feel really good after a healing session. After healing someone else that is. When I step into the sacred space and feel the love and wisdom the spirits have for us and channel all their beautiful colours, I feel aligned to my purpose and feel the energy flowing through me. And so at the end of a healing session I have noticed an increase in personal energy, a feeling of refreshment and enthusiasm. It has inspired me to write poetry and sometimes it has stopped me sleeping at night, I have felt so wired and excited about the healing that has taken place. My teacher gave me a great idea:  get up and start creating to release some of the buzzing energy and ignore the idea that I “should” be asleep at a certain time. This is the best job in the world!

What will 2009 bring?

Here’s wishing everyone a happy, healthy and especially creative 2009. My plans for 2009 include further training in healing techniques, finish off my patchwork quilt and get my garden more wild-life friendly. The new year always brings fresh hope, a chance to start again, to write off the past and clear the decks to make way for new projects, new ideas, new ways of looking at things. The energy of Wood, of Spring is coming after the long, dark sleep of Winter and with it the bright, sharp energy of change. Being able to take hold of that energy of change and utilise it is what Spring is all about.
If you have anything you want to let go of, to decide upon, to make clear, now is the time to do it while Winter still holds it’s icy grip. I always love this time of year to make plans and to look back on achievements made in the last year. It’s a time to celebrate and then look forward to the new challenge of the unknown year and to welcome it armed with the knowledge and insight learned from the previous year’s lessons.
What would you like more of in the new year? Make a list of the things you intend to enjoy.
What would you like less of? Make a list of things you WON’T be doing anymore.
What one word would characterise the year that has just passed?
What one word would you like to characterise the new year?
What is the one thing you would like to achieve above all else in the coming year? Tough question for some of us but it’s a good way to clarify what you feel is really worth focussing on.

So here’s mine -
More – sleep, dancing, cycling, nature walks, fun, friendship, creative expression.
Less – worry, half-hearted projects and involvements.
Word that characterises this last year: Insight
Word I would like to characterise the new year: Confidence
One thing I would like to achieve above all else: To give healing, love and light to all those who cross my path to the best of my abilities as often as possible.

What are yours? Write them in a comment below.