Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

"Evolving Transfiguration" - mixed media on paper, 30" x 22".  Inquiries: imajenation@gmail.com

A return to abstraction this week, with another full sheet of intuitive painting and a new figure emerging.  This one took about a month of painting, walking away, painting some more, mulling and contemplating, painting again.  I feel strength, hope and forward movement in this one.  A mighty giant emerging from the mist.  

So this past weekend was my first ever full set-up and tear-down festival, a trial run for a gypsy festival lifestyle and a chance to sort out all the little nuances.  It went extremely well, right down to getting absolutely everything into my Prius! There is something magical about watching a city of tents go up in the early morning before the sun rises...quiet groups of sleepy artists creating something in a collaborative effort - a temporary town, a tiny community.  As the day progresses, connections are formed, friendships made, stories swapped and advice shared.  For two days, it is the entire world.  And then, just as magically, the hamlet of huts is taken down, stored away, and a green space is once again just a park, quiet and empty.  Like Burning Man, only very tame and with people fully clothed. :)

​There was an auspicious sign mid way through the last day - a circular rainbow halo around the sun.

We all shielded our eyes and stared up, fascinated by the phenomenon, but feeling a little spooked, like an alien invasion was imminent.

The science behind the halo is simple, and involves ice crystals high in the atmosphere.  Which is funny considering we were melting in the heat and humidity far below!  But it also is known to foretell extreme weather, which is racing across the southeast this week.

I wondered what this halo could mean in less scientific realms?

It is also called the "Whirling Rainbow" or "Sundog", and for some native people is considered a sign of great change.  According to the Manataka, "the Whirling Rainbow is the promise of peace among all Nations and all people."

 The Navajo-Hopi tradition says: "There will come a day when people of all races, colors, and creeds will put aside their differences. 

 They will come together in love, joining hands in unification, to heal the Earth and all Her children. They will move over the Earth like a great Whirling Rainbow, bringing peace, understanding and healing everywhere they go. Many creatures thought to be extinct or mythical will resurface at this time; the great trees that perished will return almost overnight. All living things will flourish, drawing sustenance from the breast of our Mother, the Earth."

In these times of division and unrest, I find these thoughts comforting.