"It's all random," I think to myself as I sort through stacks of written material and notes of moments past, bits and pieces that, as if by magic, fit together accented by embroideries of pictures, random pictures found in mysterious ways from files unlimited.
Two intense movies presented themselves this week: * How Green was my Valley (black and white 1941) and ** Field of Dreams (set in Iowa and released in 1989).
I took "time" to view both movies, all the way through. How Green Was My Valley was a movie my mom liked. I had never seen it. It was about Welsh miners, their families and struggles. What I liked best was hearing songs sung in Welsh. I suspect there is some genetic memory there....A casual view turned into a sit down and pay attention focused event. The wanderer in me makes sitting still almost impossible...I even watched it the next day as it rolled by again. "Imagine"
Field of Dreams Movie is always a dance between visible and invisible. I love the pay and interplay of interdimensional experiences, emotions, and spontaneity. I thought back to Iowa where we lived at the time Field of Dreams was released. Again, I sat spellbound in the moments of familiar dialogue and character development.
Both movies has complex plot twists and surprises of all kinds, "pay attention." I loved looking at the designs of houses and factories, stones and frame work, and farms and fields. I saw old dishes and cooking utensils, chairs and tables that were strangely familiar. I relived ancient customs and traditions long forgotten.
When I was a little child, I dreamed of living on a farm in Iowa! I would raise Collies and Horses in ultimate joy and creativity. How would I achieve this goal? I had no idea....I never got the horses but was fortunate to have two Collie companions along the way. One of my Collie's family tree was centered in Council Bluff's, Iowa with Steve Field and his Parader Collies. I even met Steve Field when I was 12 years old! He was the judge at the Collie Club of Western Pennsylvania specialty show.
Pause, Breathe, Smile
"Just yesterday" arrived and shook me out of my daydream of living and reliving movie scenes and dialogue bits. Finally I was on my way to write. Autumn sunshine shimmering across my paintings stopped me in my tracks. I remembered to "linger" and enjoy the sunny moment as I often just run away and "work." I remembered to put aside "plans" and watch the sunshine trail at as it tracked across the paintings. This sunlit effect only happens a few afternoons in November each year. Only then a light show plays with dancing color drifting and lighting up the autumn paintings. They are brought into the living room for their time to shine in the bright light of a fading November landscape. I thought about Claude Monet and how important the play of light and shadows were to him, veiled in painted form. Paintings are made to be touched with brushes of sunshine.
I remembered when we moved to this location, "sunlight flickered" across the paintings in the living room and lit them up beyond belief! I sat and stared. Then and now.
I remembered to meditate and breathe in the lesson of *** "I play creatively in the field of time."
As I watched the play of light shift, I practiced a bit of Tai Chi. Areas of the painting lit up in turn from left to right. First the birch tree trunk became stark silver white. Next the middle ground illuminated. I saw shapes I'd never seen before. In the antlers of the tall pine tree near the top appeared a small figure with head and wings, or was it a white butterfly with green stripes? Or perhaps an open book, or maybe all three? Below the pine trees in the orange leafy area I saw a leopard face. The nose, jaw and underjaw are very plain. There are also other animal shapes and faces visible. As the bright orange gold tree on the right lit up to full color, I was dazzled by the 3-D effect of the whole painting, much more discernable now as the light tumbled and swayed.
"Depth of Field"
And today it is cloudy. "What if" I hadn't taken yesterday to stop and enjoy the view?
"It's About Time"
Key Words: Time, Collies, Shirley MacLaine, Dreams, Claude Monet, Deepak Chopra
Related Posts
Out of Box Experience
Wander and Ponder
A Strong Clear Vision
Future Past
Time Travelers
Resources:
Movies:
* How Green Was My Valley (1941): 20th Century Fox, University of CA Film Archives, Los Angeles, CA
** Field of Dreams (1989): Universal Studios, Set in Iowa, a farmer plows up corn to create a baseball field for "imaginary" players.
Meditation
***Deepak Chopra, M.D.
Tai Chi
Dr. Paul Lam
Dr. Yang, Jwing-ming
Tai Chi
Dr. Paul Lam
Dr. Yang, Jwing-ming
Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor
Blue and Green Vibrations, photo by Dahlis from the TV
Laddie, photo of my first Collie by my father
Full Color Autumn oil painting by Dahlis Chessie, our cat barely visible, walks to the right of the small green bush in the middle of the painting
