Morning Meditation

Be soft.
Do not let the world make you hard.
Do not let pain make you hate.
Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness.
Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree,
you still believe it to be a beautiful place.
~ Kurt Vonnegut

Be soft. 

Be mindful. 

Be present.
Just Be.

Evening Meditation

Do everything with a mind that lets go. Do not expect any praise or reward. If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will know complete peace and freedom. Your struggles with the world will have come to an end. ~ Ajahn Chah

New Earth Art Church on Sept. 7th

Art Church at New Earth Athens this Sunday from 2-6 pm.

Come by and join us as we continue to establish our very own Art Church in Athens. Bring your art supplies, painting gear, sketchbooks, cameras etc!

Tomorrow's Agenda:

2:00 Welcome and Opening Silence/Meditation

2:10-2:30 Opening talk: Doing what really matters in your life vs needful wanting and how that plays into our creative flow

2:30-3:00 Art Techniques: The meditative drawing exercise called Zentangle.

"The Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. Almost anyone can use it to create beautiful images. It increases focus and creativity, provides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal well being. The Zentangle Method is enjoyed all over this world across a wide range of skills, interests and ages."

Visit the Zentangle website

**for this exercise a small sketchbook, mechanical pencil and fine tip black maker would be a handy items to bring.

3:00-6:00 Open Studio

See you there!

Afternoon Meditation

"I should be suspicious of what I want" ~Rumi

This is a follow up to last evening's post where I examined Pema Chodron's question "Death is certain, the time of death is uncertain, then the question becomes, what really matters most in your life?".

There is a quite a difference between "what matters" vs. "what I want". I think Rumi addressed the issue succinctly by saying we should be suspicious of what we want. I also think we can take that one step further and state "I should be suspicious of what I want beyond what really matters".

Let's say I win the scratch lotto and I instantly have $1000 dollars. I know that would make me happy, so the flawed logic being if $1000 dollars makes me happy, $100,000 dollars will make me 100 time happier. Unfortunately, that is an illusion. You're either happy or not. It's a lie the consumer based economy wants you to believe. It's what we are taught from the time we are children to adulthood in today's modern society. We are bombarded with advertising and propaganda to reenforce the idea all through our lives. In reality, we are happiest when we do what really matters to us. What really matters is not the same as what we want. Thus the phrase, "you can't buy happiness"might come into play.

Once "what really matters" is taken care of and the wanting begins, so does the needful pain involved in obtaining those wants. This wanting usually leads to unhappiness, or suffering to use a Buddhist term. Not good. There goes the happiness we had doing what really matters, only to be replaced with the unhappiness of needful wanting.

So, should we sacrifice the happiness of doing what really matters for the illusion that our wants will bring us more happiness?

I think you know the answer. Shaking a lifetime of societal programmed ideology based on an illusion is hard, but not impossible. Doing a task that really matters to us often can be very uncomplicated and simple, yet it makes us very happy. Chasing an illusion of "more happiness" quite often brings suffering.

 The trick is making the commitment to practice recognizing what really matters and being suspicious of what we want. That's an interesting one to sort through in our head. Does it really matter, or is it just something I want.

Artwork: Despair ©Alex Grey

Evening Meditation

"Death is certain, the time of death is uncertain, then the question becomes, what really matters most in your life?"

-Buddhist Nun Pema Chodron

When one can finally come to truly understand Pema's statement, the reality of being present in the things that matter the most to us comes into sharp focus. That understanding can, and most probably will, change your outlook on what is really important.

Working long hours at a job that makes you miserable or leaves you feeling unfulfilled, tolerating toxic people and situations, as well as a myriad of other frustrating and painful elements I doubt figure into the mix of what you believe your life should be. Were we born to live unhappy? I think not.

What really does matter in your life? Happiness? Balance? Love? Your creativity? Maybe it's time to decide and start living the life you were meant to live.

Your life is passing before your eyes. Be present in the things that bring joy into your world, and the world as a whole. Your true happiness in this life depends on it.

Best Wedding Cake Ever

From a couple's wedding who got engaged at Panic en la Playa Dos. Simply Awesome!

Saving Stella

My lovable kitty Stella has been diagnosed with Feline Hyperthyroid Condition. We noticed she was rapidly losing weight and not her old chipper self. Upon taking her to the vet, where they preformed a battery of tests, we were informed of her precarious condition. Fortunately there is a cure that is 98% effective. It's a radiological procedure that will destroy the small tumor on her thyroid gland causing all the problems. The shocking part was the price tag. The procedure will cost around $1300. 

To help raise the funds for this life saving treatment I'm offering up the last of my Neko prints as a way of saying thanks.

All donations $20.00 and above will receive the Neko print. All donations over $50 will receive the Neko print, as well as, a very special "Thank You" package from the studio filled with Zen Mystic love!

Stella thanks you from the bottom of heart for your kindness, as do her Mom and Dad.

8" x 10" • French Black Licorice Paper

Signed and Remarqued

The Japanese kanji means "Heal".  

We thought that quite appropriate