This is now. Now is,
all there is. Don't wait for Then;
strike the spark, light the fire.
Sit at the Beloved's table,
feast with gusto, drink your fill
then dance
the way branches
of jasmine and cypress
dance in a spring wind.
The green earth
is your cloth;
tailor your robe
with dignity and grace.
-Rumi
I feel my creative fires continuing to kindle and spark. How lovely to have some time this week to simply craft and play. I share below my initial experiment with lettering, carving stamps, and using pastel and paint. Unfortunately the vibrancy of the silver and gold doesn't show up that well. I am feeling a bit shy about sharing these beginnings, but begin I must. The line is from the Gospel for the first week of Advent and has been singing within me since. I have not yet fixed the vellum to the piece, because I am trying to find the right glue, thus the stones you see holding it down.
What is calling you to begin this very moment?
-Christine Valters Paintner