Happy Birthday Emily Dickenson

Emily Dickenson ~ Oil on Canvas
link to artist: Marjolein Vandersluis

I DIED for beauty, but was scarce

Adjusted in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain
In an adjoining room.

He questioned softly why I failed?
“For beauty,” I replied.
“And I for truth,—the two are one;
We brethren are,” he said.

And so, as kinsmen met a night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names.

Emily Dickenson

Youtube Prosperity Practice

Prosperity Practice: Update

I found everything I need for this practice right here on youtube.

First, Ground with Starhawk then say the Lakshmi Mantra while watching the images of the goddess of wealth and beauty at full screen on youtube. You have to play the Lakshmi youtube 4 times to get a whole 108 (the magic number) repetitions in. It goes faster without the youtubes but I enjoy the voices, music and images.

Grounding Meditation

Starhawk

Lakshmi Hindu Goddess of Earthly Wealth

Aum Hrim Shri Lakshmi Bhyo Namah

Charm for Attracting Wild Money

Poet Marge Piercy

Charm for Attracting Wild Money

You are the green of Elm leaves in summer.
New you are crisp as filo dough.
Old you are soft as well worn leather.
I will rub my hands with honey
and run through marble lobbies of banks.
I will dance for you strung like a jester with bells tinkling.

Come to me, come to me, come!
I will not keep you in a dark trust fund.
I will not chain you to labor at a mortgage
or harness you to clanking stock issues
but will let you wander free
as an alley cat through the city.

I will turn you out of your cage
to sing arias in the tree tops.
I am not mean but foolishly kind.
You would speedily rejoin others of your species.

Come, oh murmuring swarm,
build your wasp nest in my empty purse.

Marge Piercy

legitimate work worthy of compensation?

I've been wondering lately how I'm going to manage through January & February while I'm laid off from the Whale Museum. I will have no income and as I have been living paycheck to paycheck that means (barring miracles which I am actively encouraging) no money. I really do not want to scrounge around for servant work. I already hate the rich. If I have to pick up their used dental floss from their hairy bathroom floors just to maintain my current level of poverty I fear my resentment will impair me as a human being with a soul.

I decided to surf the internet for artist's grants with full knowledge that even if I found one it is too late to help me through this winter. I didn't find much except I did find some data to support my theory that artists get no respect in terms of work. This from a survey taken by United States Artists.

Lee Krasner ~ Self-Portrait ~ Oil on Canvas

"In a survey of attitudes toward artists in the US a vast majority of Americans, 96%, said they were greatly inspired by various kinds of art and highly value art in their lives and communities. But the data suggests a strange paradox.

While Americans value art, the end product, they do not value what artists do. Only 27% of respondents believe that artists contribute "a lot" to the good of society.

Further interview data from the study reflects a strong sentiment in the cultural community that society does not value art making as legitimate work worthy of compensation. Many perceive the making of art as a frivolous or recreational pursuit."

Decking the Halls

Capitol Holiday Kids Tree

Here in Washington State everybody likes to participate in decorating this time of year. At the capitol in Olympia tonight they celebrated lighting the Holiday Kids Tree. The tree, sponsored by the Association of Washington Business, is related to a charity drive for needy families and has been a tradition for 18 years. A few years ago a Jewish group added a Hanukkah menorah to the decorations. Following that, a local real estate agent sued when his request to display a Nativity scene was denied. He won his case and the cedar creche with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus was installed. (Hey, where are the shepherds and the wise men and the donkey?) This year the Freedom From Religion Foundation contributed a sign to the holiday decor. The sign reads:

At this season of
THE WINTER SOLSTICE
may reason prevail.
There are no gods,
no devils, no angels,
no heaven or hell.
There is only
our natural world.
Religion is but
myth and superstition
that hardens hearts
and enslaves minds.

The sign caused considerable comment including from Bill O'Reilly of Fox News who said that "Washington State is ground zero for just about every nutty secular cause on earth." Yeah! I have never been so proud to be a Washingtonian! O'Reilly posted Governor Gregoire's phone number on TV and encouraged people to call her and complain and many have but our governor has defended the atheists' right to display their sign in the Capitol. Then, this morning the sign was stolen only to turn up later at a country radio station in Seattle. The atheists sign is back now, secured and has a slight addition, "Thou shalt not steal."

All the hub bub has generated a new slew of applicants wanting to put their own holiday symbol in the capitol rotunda. Among other applicants, carpenter Jim Buenzli has applied for permission to add a Festivus pole which he plans to install next week.

My only complaint about the atheists sign is that it is not very festive. Yet, I confess I'm not sure how a person would express atheism in a visual metaphor bright and festive enough to cheer us Washingtonians through our dark winter days.

George Washington Bust Flanked by Atheist Sign and Nativity Scene

Google Is Messing With Me!

Wow, I'm not even sure how I managed to get into my blog just now. I've been relying on the premise that if you put a hundred monkeys in a room full of typewriters something will eventually get written. Somehow I managed to monkey around with my keyboard enough to blunder onto my blog... in spite of Google!

Google has taken over Blogger. But Google does not recognize my username and defaults to a username from a place where I no longer work that I briefly set up a gmail account for. They will send significant information to an email address I no longer have but not to the email I use. Not helpful. When I try to sign in or reset my account I can't because although Google will not recognize my username when I am trying to sign in, when I try to reset my username it tells me, somebody is already using that username. Yes, well, that would be me! That is, if I could sign in..... AAARRRGGGGGG.

I've spent way too much time monkeying around with this. I will now be taking a little break from blogging until Google gets the bugs worked out of taking over Blogger.

Michelle Obama’s Inaugural Ball Gown?

Isaac Mizrahi sketch for Michelle, Sasha and Malia Obama.

What will Michelle wear to the Inaugural Ball? For a fun look through fashion sketches as designers vie for the honor and prestige of designing the gown go to Women's Wear Daily for a slide show of fashion drawings.

Check Out all 35 fashion sketches at: WWD

Chado Ralph Rucci sketch for Michelle Obama.