Zentangle Archives < Arwen, Professional Joy Seeker

What Does Perfect Mean?

Today’s card is a Zentangle from April. My Zentangle anniversary just passed so I wanted to celebrate it a bit. For those of you who are familiar with my addiction, thank you for sticking around. 😀

I haven’t looked at this one in a while. Now I see it in a different light. I love the trapped look of the wavy things under the pointy things on the left. And the trippy tunnel effect on the top right? 😀 Yeah,it makes me grin.

What I really like is how the thing has depth. That’s the hardest for me….depth in these. I just play around with them a lot. Sometimes it works. Parts of this one work for me.

I find Zentangles work on my perfectionist button very well. I have to step away from “I can’t do it because it won’t be right. I have to let that go. It’s good to let that go.

Humans aren’t perfect. Many aboriginal people have practices that include intentional mistakes. Did you know that? It’s because Deity is the only perfection in the world. To be perfect is to insult God in some cultures.

How fabulous is that for an excuse?

“I’m sorry but I had to screw that up or it would insult God.”

I think I’m going to leave it at that.

Yep, that’s your journal prompt for today.

“What is the meaning of not perfect in your world?”

Zentangle, Stephanie Arwen Lynch, 4/2013

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Practice Gets You What?

Today’s card isn’t a card. It’s a tangle that I did. I may have shared it before. The beauty of a disorganized mind is that I don’t remember in a linear way.

I can look at this tangle (done in April) and think, “Oh, I remember seeing that tangle and wanting to learn it.” Then just doing it. There are those who practice their tangles before committing them to the good stuff. Not me. If I practice, it’s because I like the way it looks and just want to do it over and over again. 😀

I haven’t been tangling as much lately. A lot of it is done during free time at work–there hasn’t been much of that lately. And that’s a good thing if you are a joy seeker. You just say, “Yay! It makes the day go by faster.”

If I were going to assign this to a Tarot card, I might choose the Ace of Wands. That’s because of the central piece, but also because of the growth and growth potential that I see here.

What do you think this card might be if it were a Tarot card? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

You may not have heard but I’ve joined the bloggers at PaganSquare as one of the SageWoman bloggers. Yesterday I shared a new spread. If you like it, leave me a comment on that blog so I know you were there. I’d really appreciate that.

Here’s a snippet from that blog:

…I think first we have to know what we see to be able to understand what we don’t. One person might see themselves as an amazing, critical voice who helps others make choices. But he might not see his own block of ego that won’t allow him to hear others when they are critical of him. Still another might see themselves as the most positive person in the world. Yet she can’t see her own denial of the very real negative things in her life as a block…Read it all here.

So don’t forget that you are an awesome human being. If you ever lose sight of that, go look yourself in the eye in the mirror and remind you of that.

Zentangle, Arwen Lynch, 4/11/2013

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

Will I Fall or Fly?

Today’s card is not a Tarot card. It’s a Zentangle. It might be a Quotangle, but since it is only one word–not so much. I had a great deal of fun doing it. I started with this video from Suzanne McNeill.

The hardest thing for me was starting. I was scared I would mess it up. I thought I might do it wrong. I had to stop and wrap my mind around the idea that there is no right or wrong in Zentangle. It’s one line at a time. Just focusing on that is the point of the art. What comes out of that focus? Well, that’s a beautiful by-product of relaxing my mind.

I did start, obviously. I also finished. This would be correctly called Zentangle Inspired Art since it uses a recognizable shape.

Fly.

One simple word that goes hand in wing with a bird, yes?

But go back to my hesitancy in starting. Consider this. If I’d never taken that first stroke, the bird would have never had wings.

What in your life are you hesitating over? What has you parked on the edge of your safety zone, your nest if you will, peering over the edge? What has you torn between the terror of making mistakes and the joy of doing something that calls to your heart?

Fly, darlin’, fly.

If you want to tangle with me, bring it. 😀 You can learn more here. All you need are:

Zentangle Bird, Arwen Lynch, 2013

#seekjoy, y’all. Pass it on.

What’s So Special About Now?

So during yesterday’s blog hop, someone asked me to post a Zentangle piece. Like that’s a hardship. I love doing them. I love sharing them. I love hearing what you see in them.

I’ve gotten on a kick of doing phrases. This one seemed important to me when it popped into my brain. Don’t know where I’ve seen it but it’s such a simple statement that I can’t be the first to say it.

“Make now special.”

Not be aware of this moment.

Make it special.

How do we go about that? For me, it means that I am not going to waste any more time worrying about what if’s. Like Vernice “Fly Girl” Armour says, I’m going to change that to “why not.”

So what do you do to make things special for you? Is it a perfect cup of tea? Is it a 20 minute nap? Is it secretly smiling to yourself when you know you just need that boost?

How do you make now special, darling? That’s your challenge today. Take 180 seconds and focus on that concept. Don’t fall into the trap of judging your special, either. Yes, I heard you go there. Special is as special does.

Seek joy, y’all! Pass it on.

Zentangle, Stephanie Arwen Lynch, June 21, 2013

What Was Your Moon?

Today’s card is not a card. It’s a zentangle with a poem. It’s not my poem. And, if I am going to be precise, it’s a haiku. It’s by this guy who knew how to wield a pen and a sword. It’s by a samurai named Mizuta Masahide.

What you see in this zentangle is an alternate translation. This is what I found as an original or closer version.

Barn’s burnt down —
now
I can see the moon.

Both are lovely but I find that I prefer the visceral punch of the second one. It’s so raw but the lyrical hope at the end makes me teary.

The samurai competed in so many things…are you surprised to learn that one of those was also poetry? How completely opposed is the art of war and the art of poetry?

But I digress. What I wanted to say is this. This poem is the Tower card.

Have you have ever lost your barn (metaphor,darlings, metaphor)? You know…those catastrophic, “my life as I know it is completely over and I shall never see Tara again” moments? [Whoa! Hold on as I whip you from 17th century Japan over to 19th century Georgia!]

Do you remember when you first realized you could see the moon [metaphor again, darlings]? That instant when you realized not only were you going to survive, but you were going to be a stronger version of the you pre-burnt barn?

Yeah. That moment right there.

That’s the moon moment.

Take 180 seconds today to recall that feeling when you realized that you could see beautiful new things even though you’d lost something you thought so precious. Even though you thought you couldn’t go on, you did.

For me, that barn? Well, I’ve had my fair share of burnt barns–the kind that are long and smoldering (the death of my mother), the kind that are middle of the night “Pa! The barn’s on fire” (break up that I thought I’d never survive), to the kind that are like a wildfire took down your barn, your house and your other house too.

What were the moons? After Mama died, I realized that there is a lot of her in me. I hear her come out of my mouth in so many ways. Used to make me cry more than laugh but now I laugh more than cry. That’s a moon.

So what about you? If you care to share what your three minutes brings you, I’d love to hear it.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on. See the moon.

Zentangle, Arwen Lynch, Poem by Mizuta Masahide 1657-1723, 6/17/2013

Here is a set of books that I listened to recently. It mesmerized me. It is, in its simplest form, the saga of the Samurai as told through the journey of one boy and one Samurai lord. It’s far more complex than that of course. I highly recommend this series–>Tales of the Otori. It still haunts me.

Would You Let Them Say That To Your Friend?

Today’s card is one of my Zentangles. Is it from an upcoming oracle deck? Maybe. You never know which way you go when you just follow your heart.

There’s a recurring theme in the Tarot talks I have with folks. Over and over, the same cards show up. It’s not so much a particular card as it is a theme in combinations. So many of us have been so horribly beaten down by life, love and other factors.

Factors that should be our support but have been turned into our own constantly playing old tapes. Now. Listen to me carefully, my darling dears. Or read me carefully. Read this out loud.

I don’t think most of our old tapes were put there by intentionally cruel people.

The one that says I’m not good enough unless I weigh a certain weight? That’s my mama, my grand-mama, my aunt and every female parent of every friend I’ve ever had.

But who are they quoting? Yeah. That’s right. It goes so far back. It’s so ingrained in our predecessors and theirs that it is a waste of time to track it back.

What we need to do is to stop it. Stop replaying the old tapes. Stop it.

And isn’t that hard to do?

How about this. I’m going to give you one of Arwen’s rules of life. Rules of engagement. Rules of living a joy seeker’s life.

Ready?

If you wouldn’t say it to a friend, don’t say it to yourself.

Yeah. That.

So when I realize I forgot to buy the right kind of tomatoes and have to substitute with salsa, I have to say, “Well that’s very clever of you, Arwen, to think of the salsa.”

I can’t tear me down.

Plenty of others who are vying for that job. Grin, or some days it feels like it.

So, for your 180 second challenge today, look at yourself in the mirror. Hold your own gaze (harder than it sounds). Praise yourself as if you were your best friend having a down day.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on. Please.

Zentangle, Arwen Lynch, 6/10/2013

By the way, there are still seats available in my online class. Want to learn to read Tarot intuitively? Want to hang out with me and laugh yourself silly? I’d love to have you.

How Do You Row?

Today’s card is not a card. It’s a tangle. At work, my desk area is plastered with quotes. I find ones that speak to me then put them on unlined note cards. Then I pin or tape those cards all over my area.

“If there is no wind, row.”

It is a Latin proverb according to the little calendar I found it in. And it speaks to me. Sometimes I feel as if I’m not moving. I have to remember that I move myself. I cannot always depend on others to help me get where I need or want to be.

So how do you row when there is no wind? How do you invigorate yourself? How do you motivate? Or, as I am fond of saying, motorvate?

Today’s affirmation is:

Today I will focus on the bright things. I will acknowledge both sides but my focus will remain on the joy. I will move with comfort. I will move with ease. I will navigate today with a joyful outlook. I am loved and loving. That is enough for this moment. Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

Zentangle Art Journal Page, Arwen Lynch, 2013

Seek Joy, Y’all. Pass it on!

June 2013 Tarotscopes

It’s June. I hope this finds you well. I’ve been a busy bee doing video reviews. You can find all of my video reviews and a few silly pet ones here.

Afraid you can’t find joy? Worried your bliss has taken a permanent vacation? I can help. Let’s have a conversation using Tarot as a tool for personal development. Contact me.

This month’s deck is my personal reading deck, the Gaian Tarot. The podcast is 18 minutes and 33 seconds. You can find it below in the podcast player or here.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Zentangle, Arwen Lynch, 2013

Pssst! Make sure you check the newsletter this month to see if you won the free reading! May’s winner never contacted me so they didn’t get their reading!

Sad Cats Make Me Happy

Today’s card is not a card but one of my Zentangle pieces. Technically, this is a ZIA (Zentangle Inspired Art) because it is an identifiable shape. 😀 Whatever you wish to call it, I’d like to introduce you to my betta’ betta, Bruce.

Someone said he looked like Jules Verne had inspired him. I can see that with the way the sections fit together. And that tail! Oh my goodness, that tail. I hope he can swim with it. I had so much fun drawing him. And that is what today’s post is going to be on.

What brings you joy? Name three things that you do that make you happy. They don’t have to be big things. They can be little things. I was going to give you examples but…no. I know you have at least three things that bring you joy on a consistent basis.

And that’s all we are doing on this fabulous Monday. Naming three things that bring you joy.

I’ll start!

Birds at my bird feeder. I love my cardinal couple. She’s always first then a few minutes after she’s gone, he shows up. I think they must be nesting somewhere. The doves make me a big cranky but I have to smile at them as they bully their way onto the feeder then SHOVE all the seed they can’t eat out on the ground as they search for what they like. I even had a hummingbird yesterday. I love the hummers. Once had the opportunity to have one sit on my finger for a moment. Magical, y’all. Simply magical.

My cats watching the birds brings me joy. They chitter at the birds and each other. I imagine they are sharing discussions about how to stew, bake, fricassee and fry them properly. There will be the expected arguments about how much garlic is too much. Speaking of cats, my last thing that brought me joy is this video.

Sad Cat Diary

Yes, I’ve watched it many times and laugh just as hard every time.

Your 180 second challenge is to name three things that bring you joy.

Seek joy, y’all! Pass it on.

PSST! Go see my post over at Leanne’s place!

When Are Your Sacred Moments?

Today’s card is a reminder to me to look at all that I have. I was reminded of this by my friend Cathie who is my Kansas self. She commented on this tangle that it reminded her of looking down on a garden.

The traditional Nine of Pentacles shows a woman in her garden admiring all that she has. She is wise enough to know that prosperity isn’t just money. Do you see the nine coins in this image? They are there. You just have to look for them.

Sometimes we just have to look for our wealth. We just have to know where it is. In Joanna Colbert’s newsletter today, she offers ways to make any journey into a pilgrimage. You should probably subscribe to her newsletter. They are one of my highlights when they arrive.

Joanna is preparing to kick off her next Seasonal Practices journey for Beltane. I can’t recommend this enough. She’s a marvelous teacher.

The Nine of Pentacles is, perhaps, a teacher as well. It teaches me that I am living a life I love. Are there places I might want to tweak a bit? Sure. But that’s not dissatisfaction so much as it is knowing I can move up another level. I can increase my joy that much more.

I am beginning to do this by acknowledging where I need to create space–where I need to make quiet sacred moments for myself.

So your challenge today is to create a quiet sacred moment for yourself. Just for 180 seconds, that’s all. Three minutes of intentional acknowledgement of that time.

Zentangle, Arwen, 2013

Seek Joy, Y’all. Pass it on!