Tag: Zentangle

Are You Sappy?

zentangle035“She had so deep a kinship with the trees, so intuitive a sympathy with leaf and flower, that it seemed as if the blood in her veins was not slow-moving human blood, but volatile sap.”

-Mary Webb, Gone to Earth (1917)

Lissa Coffey shared this in her Wisdom email today. It moved me. I wanted to share it with you as well.

I love the idea of volatile sap. Sap that is so fast it could ignite at any moment. We could be all catalysts for something great.

I think we are all catalysts for something great.

Last night I had the most amazing reading with Marcy Currier. She did a reading for me that focused on the body–specifically we were looking for things that needed to be moved, reset, reoriented.

She’s an amazing reader and I can highly recommend her to you. I came away from my reading with so many positives–I don’t know if I can list them all.

Suffice it to say, I felt like I’d had a massage that focused on realigning me energetically. Good stuff, y’all. Goooooood stuff.

Here’s your 180 second challenge today. If you were made of volatile sap, what would you change first?

Take three minutes to think about that.

Then get started.

Zentangle, Arwen, 2012

Is That Affirmative?

zentangle037Today’s card is one of my tangles. This is a very repetitive zendala called a monotangle. That’s because it uses the same pattern over and over again.

It’s a time-honored tradition in spiritual work–this repetition. Buddhists do it. Catholics do it. Wiccans do it. Taking the same phrase and repeating it helps solidify that thought pattern.

You won’t be surprised when I tell you that’s one reason for “seek joy, y’all” all the time.

On my personal Facebook page, I do a daily affirmation (well nearly daily). It is my way of setting my day up. I begin with positive statements.

For today’s 180 second challenge (that’s just three minutes, my darlings), I want you to say an affirmation. It can be short. It can be simple. It must be in the present tense and positive.

For instance, the following is not a “good” affirmation:

I am going to not be sad today.

Change that to:

Today I am happy.

Short. Sweet. Positive.

I tend to make longer ones because, hey, I’m a writer and I’m wordy. Here is my affirmation for today.

I breathe in peace. I breathe out joy. I see beauty in each person I meet. I find the good in the world easily. Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

I’d love it if you would share yours with me.

Zendala, Arwen Lynch, 2012

Pssst! In Austin, TX? Check out out this upcoming class from Ginny Krauskopf, CZT. This is the woman who taught me the basics of Zentangle.

Beginning Zentangle – Austin, TX

April 13, 2013, 1:00 – 3:45

Whether you’ve been playing around with Zentangle for a while, or never drawn a single pattern, this class is for you! You’ll learn basic tangle patterns and get a kit to take home.

You can sign up for the class on the Austin page of Ginny’s website.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

How Do You What-If?

Today’s card is one of my tangles using the Zentangle method. There’s a lot wrong with this one. I could point out all the places it went wonky. I could show you where the patterns went askew. Not to mention the fact that the paper shifted when I closed the scanner lid so the whole thing needs to be tilted to the right just a bit.

When I picked it out this morning, I realized that I had to look for the imperfections. I had to focus on them to find them.

Profound moment ahead. Fasten your seat belts.

I then wondered why I couldn’t just pull back from the close-up picking apart and just enjoy. You know…just let my eyes roam over the image to see where it took me?

I love that there is this pushing from one side to the other. As if the curlies on the left are straining to get to the floaties on the right. All that it between them is this thin barrier. What happens when they meet up?

What amazing thing will they create when they combine? Where will they go from there?

zentangle001Today, instead of what-iffing my way down the negative track, I’m going to what-if my way up towards hope. I’m going to dream of the good instead of the bad.

How about you? Can you commit to 180 seconds of dreaming about all the amazing things that could happen instead of dwelling on the icky things that might?

I mean really–it’s a 50/50 chance, right?

So why not take three minutes hoping for the good 50 instead of trying to avoid the bad 50?

Tangle, Arwen Lynch, 2013

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

Are You Humble?

zentangle009Today’s card is from my zentangles. It’s actually a mandala with zentangle elements. I’m most proud of the shading on this one.

I hesitated before I wrote that. It seems…well…a bit prideful, you know? (Pssst, you can click it to see a larger image)

But then again, why shouldn’t I say I like something that I did? Lately I’ve seen a trend. There’s this overbearing sense of humility out on the web.

“Gee, I don’t have anything you could possible want but here’s a book I wrote. Maybe you’ll like it?”

“Oh I don’t know why you are here reading my post when you could be out doing something really amazing.”

“If you have nothing better to do, maybe you could tell a friend about this widget I’m selling? It might really be okay.”

Y’all. Listen up.

There’s nothing wrong with saying, “I am selling houses now. If you are in the market, chat me up. I’ve got some killer marketing strategies.”

Or

“I rock at teaching entrepeneurs how to really shine.”

Which would you be more interested in?

A) So yeah, I write naughty girl porn books
or
B) I write this great series about sexy-as-sin shifters who meet their matches. From steamy New Orleans to saunas in Wisconsin, you will want one of these passionate hotties curled up in the bed with you.

I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again.

Be your own publicist.

Publicist
I give you permission to tell me something amazing about yourself in the comments. Got a book you wrote? Have a product you sell? Host a can’t-be-missed radio show? Are you one bad mammajamma?

Tell me. Sing your own praises. Believe in yourself.

Yep, that’s your 180 seconds today. Commit to believing yourself. Commit to buying the hype about YOU.

I think you are freakin’ awesome. I want you to believe that too.

Oh and hey. I wrote this hella hot series about singe-your-hair sexy shifters. Check them out!

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Zentangle, Arwen Lynch, 2013

Position, Rank + Community

They have narrow points of view where they connect. At their outer edges though, there is sprawling designs where they show off their style.

zentangle003smToday’s card is a reminder that we can all come together. It’s not a card from any deck. I think I would call this the Four of Coins.

Why? Well, when you look at how these four designs come together, they seem stingy, protective almost. They have narrow points of view where they connect. At their outer edges though, there is sprawling designs where they show off their style.

The Four of Coins is often called the Miser’s Card because it shows someone desperately holding on to money. Of course that isn’t just money. It’s status. It’s position. It’s rank. It’s how they are seen in their community.

When they are forced to deal with others, they only give small bits of themselves for fear they might lose. But what is it exactly that they would lose?

What if they flowed freely into that encounter. What if they blended their designs with the other? It would be a crazy riotous mess for sure, but think of the bonus. What new patterns might emerge if they just let go of their need to be unique.

What if they created something amazing and new? What if they created a net that garnered them so much more than they had? So much more than they acknowledged was available? What then?

Lissa Coffey shared a great quote in her daily email.

“Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.” -Mother Teresa, 1975

For your 180 seconds today, can you commit to looking at others as opportunities for merging into something great rather than as competitors?

Zentangle, February 13 2013, Stephanie Arwen Lynch

Seek Joy, Y’all. Pass it on. Curious about how your month will go? Listen to my to hear your sign’s forecast.

Does It Permeate Your Being?

Shiver. I felt that statement down to my bones, y’all. Down to my marrow. It felt like one of those Moments From God (reverberating voice). As if the Universe had pulled me to that picture at that time to experience the word of my Deities.

zentangle031
Click for larger image, y’all.

Today’s card is one of my Zentangles. This is one of my zendalalas (Zentangle in a mandala form). I had so much fun doing this. Now when I come back to it, I love it still.

If this were a Tarot card, it would be the Four of Wands. I see it as a coming together of disparate things creating something of beauty.

Yesterday, Leonie Dawson said this on one of her Instagram photos, “When I really sit with it, I see how my life is an opportunity to experience beautiful places and make art. Beauty is everywhere… We gotta be the sentinels that watch for it, seek it, let it permeate our being.”

Shiver. I felt that statement down to my bones, y’all. Down to my marrow. It felt like one of those Moments From God (reverberating voice). As if the Universe had pulled me to that picture at that time to experience the word of my Deities.

This wasn’t a whisper. It was a clarion call to action. I feel that way about joy. We must watch for it, seek it, let it permeate our beings. Yes, Leonie, yes, yes, yes.

So how will you watch for beauty today? How will you seek joy? Will it come on a bright red bird’s wing? The chocolate-coated smile of a child? A wave from a driver you’ve never met telling you to come ahead? A snail leaving a shimmering silvery trail across your sidewalk? A crumpled up newspaper you pick up and throw away so someone else doesn’t have to do it?

What will you do today to make beauty and joy happen in your world even if only for three minutes? 180 seconds of joy. 180 seconds of beauty.

I know we can do this. I know the JoyPatrolAlert members will spread the word. Grab your 180 seconds. Then share the message with one other person. Tell them to seek joy for 180 seconds then pass it on.

The key here? The trick? The Secret?

Joy accumulates. It piles up. Each tiny piece builds until it crowds out negative thought. We are retraining our brains to seek joy instead of dwell on the bad. Because the bad exists. We are just rewiring our hearts to seek joy, y’all.

Are you with me?

Zendala #31, Arwen Lynch, August 2012

Seek joy,y’all. Pass it on.

How Will You Change Energies Today?

For me, the product of those no-distraction moments are greater than the black and white on the paper.

zentangle046Today’s card is one of my tangles using the Zentangle(c) process. If I were to name this a specific Tarot card, it would be Temperance.

Temperance is a card of balance and changing one energy into another. The central piece of this reminds me of wings. I can’t get my mind off the idea that this is the back of an angel. We can’t see his or her head because it is bent doing the work of mixing energies–blending two disparate things into one. If you are a tangler, the wings are Meer and the side pieces are Hollenbaugh (my shading is still not what I hope it will be and for some reason the scan totally missed picking up the shading. Weird. :D)

How do you work with disparate energies? We all have them or so I believe. We are all dichotomies of pushmi/pullyu feelings that cause us to start then stop then start again.

The key is to keep starting. It’s so easy to lose your focus particularly in the multi-tasking, super distracting world we live in. There’s always something to pull us away from what we start.

You start cooking and a child needs help with a homework.
You start the homework and the dog needs a walk.
And so on.

Some distractions can’t be helped. Dogs need out and kids need love. But what about the ones that can be helped?

  • Facebook doesn’t need me that badly.
  • Twitter can stream along just fine.
  • My email isn’t so urgent that it can’t be dealt with twice a day instead of every 15 minutes.

When I do these tangles, I go into a no-distraction zone quite often. Suddenly the world gets turned off. I can’t hear the murmur of the TV that is rarely off when my son is home. I can’t hear the traffic streaming by.

I just tangle.

For me, the product of those no-distraction moments are greater than the black and white on the paper.

Why?

Because my brain has a chance to process other things. I have a new vision of my Fairy Tales Tarot Spreads eBook that Lisa Hunt (yes, I said Lisa Hunt) is illustrating for me. I have more things to add to my 100 Things I Want To Do This Year in my workbook+planner.

It’s like magic only better.

And if you want a copy of my Fairy Tale Tarot Spreads eBook (pre-illustrated and then illustrated) for free, you’ve got 14 days left to get it. Starting 2/1 it will be for sale but for now all you need to do is snag a copy of this and let me know. You’ll get my eBook with all ten spreads at no cost.

So how will you change energies today? How will you blend them into something that, even for three minutes, calms your mind allowing you to see new ways?

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

Zentangle, Arwen Lynch, 2013

Criticism, Possibilities + Love

How critical are you of others? Can you say the same of yourself? Are you gentle with yourself? Do you understand why that it is important?

Mandala4002Today’s card is one of my mandala/tangles. I learned how to draw a mandala only recently. It is full of beautiful possibilities. But sometimes, when I look at it very closely, I wonder how I ever thought I could pretend to make art.

And then I remember this quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.:

We expect more of ourselves than we have any right to.

It was in my Daily Wisdom newsletter today from Lissa Coffey. And it made me remember that I’ve promised not to be so critical of the people I love–including myself.

How critical are you of others? Can you say the same of yourself? Are you gentle with yourself? Do you understand why that it is important?

Consider verbal abuse. Too many of us have had first hand experience with this. I was very lucky to have a mother who was NOT verbally abusive. Oh, she was critical in some ways but never in a way that caused me damage. My verbal (and physical) abuser was one of my first lovers. She was extremely cruel.

I left that relationship with a lot of baggage. And I had learned to think of myself in horrible ways. It wasn’t anything for me to think of myself as fat or stupid or lazy. Yep, she did a number on me that took a lot of work to move away from.

Sometimes I drift back there in times of extreme stress. But, smile, not so much these days. I’ve learned that I must be as forgiving with myself as I am with others. I must proffer the same kindness to me as I do to others.

Do you expect more of yourself than you have any right to? Do you understand that you must speak to yourself as you would have others speak to you? Yep, the Golden Rule reversed. You must do unto yourself as you would do unto others.

You wouldn’t tell a friend that their love left them because they were fat or stupid would you? Why do that to yourself?

You wouldn’t tell a child they failed a test because they were lazy would you? Why do that to yourself?

Practice being nice to you. It will make you better at being nice to others.

Now about my mandala? I think it’s fabulous. And I would have never even DREAMED of trying it before getting involved in two online circles. The Gaian Circle and the Goddess Circle.

Sample a bit of the positivity of the Goddess Circle by . It’s changing a lot of lives right now.

Right, Wrong + Perspective

There’s so much to see in this image, isn’t there? Look at it for about two minutes without moving your head. Just let your eyes roam.

EfflorescentTarot_BackToday’s card is from a different perspective. Rather than the front of the cards, I’m sharing the back. You may know that I’m enamored by Zentangles. I do them myself as well as mandalas. This is a very new hobby for me but I just adore it.

This card back reminds me of tangling with its repetitions and use of black and white lines. It’s completely reversible as well. That’s one of my quirks. I like reversible decks but I don’t generally read reversals.

There’s so much to see in this image, isn’t there? Look at it for about two minutes without moving your head. Just let your eyes roam.

Now tilt your head. Change your perspective. Stare for another two minutes.

See how things change? See how what was important from one view gives way to something else?

That’s important in life as well. When you feel your heels digging in and your teeth clenching, try looking at it from another perspective. Allow yourself the opportunity to relinquish the death grip you have on “I’m right, dammit, and you’re wrong.”

I’m not saying see it from their perspective because really, can we? I’m just saying come at it from a different angle.

Give yourself the gift of perspective.

Efflorescent Tarot, Katie Rose Pipkin, Self-Published, Only 6 left of this charming black and white version.

About that workbook I love? Here’s a bit about the creatrix:

Leonie Dawson is a mentor to women wanting to create + grow massively successful and heart-centered creative + soulful businesses. She is also an author, retreat leader, visual artist, mama and guide for the tens of thousands who receive her free “SHINE IN YOUR LIFE + BIZ” ezine each week.

Seek Joy, y’all! Pass it on.

Mandala, Flaws & Nibbles

So I grabbed a pencil and created one. Then I set the pencil aside to make this one. Yes, I used a pen and didn’t use a pencil for any of this. I committed to it fully.

Mandala2_joyToday’s card is one I drew myself. I watched a video on Youtube then dove into the process. I credit two women with my exploration of my visual artistic side. That’s the fabulous Joanna Powell Colbert and the amazing Leonie Dawson. I’ve never met either in person but am involved in their online communities. I’ve taken classes with both as well. Highly recommend both.

I don’t even remember how I ran across this video (it’s called “How To Grow A Mandala). It was short and sweet. Also? It was very clear.

So I grabbed a pencil and created one. Then I set the pencil aside to make this one. Yes, I used a pen and didn’t use a pencil for any of this. I committed to it fully.

Even with the flaws in this (and there are many if you have a critical eye), I love it. It makes me happy. I snapped a shot with my iPhone then used the Camera app (that’s not the native one but one from the iTunes store) to crop and to add what they call the Emo filter.

If this were a card, it would be the Wheel of Fortune to remind us that things are always turning. If you surround that constantly turning, churning wheel with joy, you will keep running in to it.

Remember that joy doesn’t have to be huge bites. It is often small tiny nibbles that eventually add up to a full meal. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.

By seeking joy constantly, you will pile up small joys until they accumulate into piles of joy that you can leap into.

And no, it’s not easy. Sometimes it sucks so hard you can breathe. But then you realize that breathing is a joy. So tiny, small, seemingly insignificant things should be steadily looked for.

One of my joys is that I’m at a point in my workbook+planner where I feel as if I’ve actually made some headway. The business version still sits on my dining room table–unpunched, unbound, undone. And that’s okay. I will get to that. It’s a joy that I have the luxury of time to do either of these.

It’s also a joy that you read this. I’m honored by the gift you give me when you read this. When you check out links I share or people I recommend, it thrills me. I want to be on this joy journey with like minded souls. Thank you for joining me.

Remember, when you get your copy of the planner/workbook, let me know. I’ll hook you up with the seeeekrit Facebook group. We are already there waiting for you. Can’t wait for your arrival. .

Merry Christmas Eve to all those who celebrate. Me, myself and I? I celebrate them all.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

Mandala 2, Arwen Lynch December 23, 2012