Diane Clancy’s Art Blog

This looks like a Goddess Mandala to me.  It looks mythical and deep with layers of meaning. It looks like a scared symbol of an earth culture. For me it is a sacred symbol - I see a goddess created from ancient, significant symbols. There is a human aspect and also a nature deva facet. And of course, the colors have profound spiritual implications. Absolutely amazing the way the unconscious speaks in art!!

Life Mandala, Digital © Diane Clancy

I have a give-away to celebrate my 500th post. You can still enter to win!! Here are the details. It is FREE to enter! Thank you for stopping by!

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: Goddess, Mandala, scared symbol, deva, spiritual, unconscious, give-away, FREE

In the United States this is Memorial Day … to honor those who have served our country.  No matter what you think of some of this countries policies and actions, I appreciate the service that people give this country … and the intent of them to serve peace in the world.

This makes it especially horrifying that the TV station that puts itself forward as THE real patriotic, fair and unbiased, news station … has gone way over the edge. There are many ways to give service to one’s country, and running for public office is one of them. Barack Obama is running for President of the US for service. It is not for gain or ego - it is for service.

Tropical Gateway, Digital © Diane Clancy

I am horrified that that news station showed 2 people - laughing none the less - on the air saying something that is way, way over the deep end.  (That means very, very extreme for those who might not know the slang.)  I do not want to even repeat it here … but I am giving you 2 links where it shows it and gives people action to take.

I hope you will take the action that you feel moved it.  Here is the Huffington Post and Daily Kos with some good information.  This kind of behavior has no place in this (or any other in my opinion) country. You know I don’t talk about such things very often - but I felt the need to on this one.

Here is a portal into another reality … where you didn’t expect it … in the middle of the rain forest.  On second thought, there is some pretty far out spirituality and views into other realities coming out of the tropics … so perhaps this is one of those gateways!  Thank you for coming by!

~ Diane Clancy

I like to enter the 2 Things Challenge each week. This week is Home and Health. I was trying and trying to figure out what to do. I was going to put some images on one of my bubblescapes .. like kitties … that was as far as I got. So I went looking for the right bubblescape to work with and this jumped out as me as home and health - hope you agree! I would like to be able to create more conceptually - so I am excited about this - because I think the vision of seeing an idea is very important. This is also called Evening Shelter. So thank you! I hope you like my entry.

Home and Health, Digital © Diane Clancy

Have you heard about the book “Complaint Free World”? When I have heard about such ideas of not being negative at all, I also get confused about how to use that kind of idea without losing my thinking and integrity. As many other women I have been taught to accept and not question. Taught to basically be a doormat. I have always questioned, but I have also wanted to stay respectful and hear other perspectives.

When I posted a comment about such conundrums, Lisa Call pointed me toward Christine Kane as a useful resource for helping to sort of this issue. Christine has two posts, here and here, that really helped me sort this out. These kind of ideas helped me sort out what I think for myself. It helped me clarify some issues I have had with this idea (without having read the book) and also helped illuminate which behaviors I want to improve.

~ Diane Clancy

Technorati Tags: 2 Things Challenge, bubblescapes, respectful, perspectives, Christine Kane, Lisa Call, complaining, negative

Two days ago I mentioned that day was the first day of Kwanzaa, December 26 to January 1, a 7 day celebration started in 1966. Kwanzaa is for the African American and Pan-African community to celebrate their heritage and reinforce positive community and human values: a celebration of family, community and culture. I find it a very moving, welcoming, uplifting observance from the ones I have attended.

Violet Mist, Digital © Diane Clancy

A core part of Kwanzaa is the 7 Principles:

(NGUZO SABA (The Seven Principles) taken from the site of Dr. Maulana Karenga, founder of Kwanzaa, link above)

1. Umoja (Unity): To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.
2. Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.
3. Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together.
4. Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.
5. Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
6. Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
7. Imani (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

~ Diane Clancy

p.s. Shall I continue with marketing tomorrow?

Technorati Tags: Kwanzaa, celebration, family, community, culture