Wednesday, July 30, 2014

LET IT BE

Owl Eyes


A couple of days ago, I thought of my friend, Debra, when I received this "owl" photo....


*  Skipping through E-mails and posts today on my way to blogging:  I see Bench Chat by Debra Basham....

I am transfixed!




I read Debra's photo and story:  I contemplated, who would appear to connect?  Instantly "from years ago" my silver collie Sky came!  He put is furry head on my lap and smiled!  Then "we" smiled and hugged then ran and danced on the beach!


Happy Times!





Silence

**  "Let the world be what it is....the silence is not out there....it's within you," Deepak Chopra, M.D.



Resources:
Read Debra's Entire Story
* Debra Basham, author, CHTP, NLP, HTt, RMT, Debra's Blog:  Yellow Brick Road, Your Path to Heart and Health, Post Bench Chat, July 30, 2014
http://dbasham.blogspot.com

Deepak Chopra, M.D. Author, Spiritual Teacher, Chopra Center Newsletter, July 2014

Music Let it Be by The Beatles, ( lyrics, music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney), "Speaking Words of Wisdom Let It Be...."

Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor

Photos:
Owl Eyes, photo by Emilie, printed with permission from photographer

Bench Chat, photo reprinted with permission from Debra Basham, Debra's post, Bench Chat, July 30, 2014

Sky and Dahlis, photo by Paul

Friday, July 25, 2014

BEAUTIFUL SUMMER


"Summer Afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."  
                                                                            Henry James



It is summer here in the northern hemisphere, what a beautiful time!  Our refreshing summer this year is relatively cool with low humidity, mostly clear skies and fresh breeze.  Our bodies feel relaxed enjoying, for now, less blazing hot parching weather.  It feels like early fall "already."


What do I feel about summer?

I feel: a four year old child running gleefully through the sand at Daytona Beach, Florida.  I tossed vanilla wafers to the flying seagulls circling and shrieking overhead.  They caught the cookies in mid air!  I laughed with joy and wonder!  My parents and I dug in the sand, I filled my blue and white sand pail with fresh seashells.

I feel: "three months with no school" freedom.  I remember one June, I stood in the back yard surrounded by tall trees feathering overhead.  Spots of sun coins peeked through the deep shade illuminating the emerald grass shadow land.  I was seven years old, and my Mom had planted small Sweet William flower bushes gloriously blooming. The fragrance spread through the air from candy pink and white blossoms tossing in the wind.


I feel: touching my grass forest with my hands, pretending the seeded fronds were really giant forest trees.  I took my toy animals out under the trees.







I feel:  my first puppy Patches the Beagle's shiny smooth short coat.  His playful puppy bark, and his puppy way of chewing things remains in my memory.  Later Patches found his true home, a friend took Patches to become his hunting companion.  Patches loved playing with my smooth walking stick.  I picked it up in Cooks' Forest in Pennsylvania under the quiet canopy of pines.






 Later I found Albert Payson Terhune's Collie books and became a Collie Fancier.




Breathing and Stretching into my day:

"It doesn't get any better than this...."





Namaste~


Blog Key Word Search:  Horse, Dog, Cat, Tai Chi and Meditation

Resources:
Albert Payson Terhune, author, journalist, mystic.  Lad a Dog, Grey Dawn and other books captured many collie lovers' attention.

Paul Lam, M.D., Tai Chi for Health Worldwide.  Tai Chi enters the entire arena of your life. 

Deepak Chopra, M.D., author, spiritual teacher, Chopra Center Meditation


Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor


Photos
Capturing a Shell, photo by Dahlis
Grass Forming Seeds, photo by Paul
Dahlis with Patches and Dahlis and Laddie, photos by my Dad, Robert G. Diess
Dahlis, Tai Chi in Arizona Mountains, photo by Paul

Thursday, July 17, 2014

IN DEPTH

Looking into a painting is like looking through a window.




Huang Shan, Yellow Mountains in China, are coming into view.  Years ago I saw a picture of the sacred granite cliffs with far away mountain ridges on a friend's computer, photos she had taken while traveling.  Bits of green sprinkled here and there, clarity and mist combined.  I consciously memorized the scene for future reference.

Later I set out to capture the energy of the sacred mountains.  I chose a canvas that was half painted but wasn't working.  Using elements and colors of the unfinished painting underneath the new one, the thick paint and large worn brush twisted and turned in unpredictable ways!  The rocky style was totally unlike my own!  


I love it~


When the picture was "finished," I noticed a faint "Tai Chi in the Park" words peeking through from under a thin layer of soft blue and muted white brush strokes.  I left them there even though the words were "sideways" on the vertically oriented "new canvas."



 

Then I loaded a thin chisel brush with thalo blue (a blue green) and tweaked the paint onto the top of the mountain range by turning my wrist with sharp spontaneous strokes.  It looked like a parade of running horses "appeared!"  Where did these mysteries come from?  They had a feeling of Chinese calligraphy about them?






Stepping back, where did this painting originate?  Maybe I should soften it up a bit to be more "me?"  It's not quite "my style."

*Sharon, my angel spoke, "Don't touch it, it's *San's first painting!"


Recently I draped a shawl around the painted mountain scene.  The woven fabric comes from friends from Kun Ming China where they were born.  Subtle colors spoke to me and then blended into the painting to give an increased "depth" of experience, like looking through a translucent window into the heart-soul.





"The Friend is Here," Rumi



Key Word: Angels
Related Posts
* Angels 101, Electric Blue, painting of San (Jan 2011)
Healing Hearts (May 2011)
The Human Angel (Oct 2011)


Resources:
Ask Your Angels by Alma Daniel et al
Doreen Virtue's books and resources, Healing with the Angels and More

Dahlis Roy:  Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor

Oil Painting by Dahlis
In Depth, The Yellow Mountains (Huang Shan)
Detail Tai Chi in the Park peeks through
Parade of Horses
Detail of Horse

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

CHOCOLATE COMMUNION

* Loving and enjoying my daily unsweetened slightly melted dark chocolate rose to new heights recently.  






In a quiet moment, a friend expressed the following:

"My relative was dying after some years of physical suffering, strain, and self-searching.  The day came when he felt ready to let go.  He had completed and edited his books and completed his projects.  He felt at peace, his journey well done."

"Friends and relatives gathered in the room.  Someone brought in a paper bag and handed it to me. I opened the crinkled paper and spied (wait for it) chocolates!  A variety of chocolates greeted me.  I pulled out a large bar, unwrapped it, and broke it into bits along the pre-marked creases and handed them around the room.  Stillness, love, and peace abounded.


Silent Smile

"Instead of breaking bread, we had  Chocolate Communion, a celebration for all of our sacred life journeys."

My friend continued:  "A short bit of time passed.  I 'heard' from him!  I heard songs streaming into my head!  I heard singing!"

I inquired, "Do you always hear music in your head?"

"No!  This is new for me!"

Rejoice~

 

Someone I know wrote in to Facebook celebrating her husband's birthday along with  friends and relatives.  He is no longer here on Earth.... 
What a positive loving connection with the great beyond!

*  "There is no difference between the visible and the invisible.  None."




 
Just yesterday over lunch another friend told me she and her husband sit down every afternoon to enjoy chocolate and tea.


Every Day is Chocolate Communion~



Related Posts:
Incoming Green (Apr 2014) Sharing Chocolate and Memories
Wake Up! (Aug 2013)
For the Love of Chocolate ( Jan 2012)
*  By an Unfaltering Trust ( July 2011)

Resources:

My favorite chocolate is Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate "Easy Break Bar."  Every day I enjoy a semi-melted 1/2 oz. piece of Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate, plain or eaten with a variety of foods: Silk Unflavored Unsweetened Almond Milk, various nuts like pecans, almonds, walnuts, or Brazil nuts, and/or Let's Do Organic unsweetened organic shredded coconut.  Yes Please and Thank You!

Dr. Joseph Mercola, articles all health topics, Health Benefits of Chocolate, free newsletter, books


Dahlis Roy Visionary Artist Author and Tai Chi Instructor

Photos by Dahlis:
Chocolate Communion
Wake Up!