Calling Council

At times, writing about our paintings can be a struggle, and how do we translate their messages for the initiate book? One of my periodic practices is calling council! 

Like getting information from an individual lady, I set paintings around me, pour a cuppa, and invite their wisdom. I allow myself time, and am creative in my inquiries! Are there ladies in addition to the 5 from your quest you wish to include in your Council? Perhaps one painted with Shloh or another IC teacher, before you began Color of Woman? While you may not include their stories in your book, they are part of your story and journey!

Note: per Jena - if English is your second language, you can write in your Mother tongue, and just share some highlights in English!! 

I called my first Council on Summer Solstice 2014, after finishing the second painting in Flora Aube's Art of Allowing online course, Sekhmet. Flora was one of Shiloh's first students to branch out, and begin her own school! 

I held a 'council' meeting with 11 of the 12 of paintings I'd done between Feb and June (!!), & my "star lady" wall hanging in the background, which I stitched for my bodywork room over a decade before.

Spirit Council

Gabriella, Mary, Daffy-Down-Dilly

Gabriella - is my Muse of Creativity, from the first IC class I'd taken in February,  a 'Muse Encounter' workshop with my friend artist Elisabeth Friese-Mick! I refined her face, & added ribbons to her dress ... and added interference paint 'sparkle' to her hair!

Mary of Magdala - was the first I painted with inspiration from Shiloh Sophia from an online offering!
 & little Daffy-Down-Dilly (March) was for a local daffodil festival.

Dancers, Wind Horse

I began "Dancers" in March, on International Women's day, & gifted to my ballet teacher Emma Seth - it still hangs in the Marchant Dance studio. 

Beginning ballet classes as an adult with Emma's mother Lynn brought a whole shift in consciousness and body awareness, and intentional movement. Lynn is an important part of my creative lineage.

Drawing and painting horses was an early love, and Wind Horse, with her Red Thread Rider, began in an open studio at Elisabeth's home. The Blue lady, Presence, is my little mama Lois - inspired by her HS photo (around 1933) and her beloved hills and trees.

When calling council, you might pull out several of the inquiries from each assignment, and hunt up notes from your painting process: intention for each lady, notes on symbols, where you got stuck and how she helped you find resolution.

You might wait to review your notes till AFTER you've gleaned a round of messages; then do another council session after that revisit! 

Your story cards hold insights for this process as well - pull a card before or after chatting with each lady, which rewrite are you present to? Does one of the symbols in the painting match this shift? Is there an ally? Are there insights and messages from other IC processes like your Medicine Basket that dovetail?

After the council, you can pull out and refine the stories and information about your individual quest paintings for your initiate book.  I got a small journal to record these messages from my quest paintings and other ladies, for a dose of inspiration when I need it! 

Time to Shine

I just had a virtual chat with a couple of friends on this year's CoW Quest, and they're getting nervous as they near the finish line:

• The writing! 
• Teaching that 13-step class. 
• Feeling The Time Crunch
• The WRITING!!
• And Oh My Gosh! What happens after I finish?? 
• What do I say for my Artist Statement and Bio and ...??
• How do I write about my paintings?

As we chatted, I thought of each of you and your journey - wherever you are on the quest! And of your personal challenges and triumphs! And - you've got this!! You've come so far already - that's hard to realize sometimes! But you have! 

Soul Spark Muse 

So take a deep breath, and congratulate yourself on what you have accomplished!! 

Pull out your journal /print out of Assignments, what's left?

• Do you and your Muse have a time frame? 
• Utilise snatches of time!
• Do you have a word program and file set up to receive what you've written?

Categorize

• Which assignments have you shaking in your boots? 
• Which are easy peasy and almost compete? (Alternate some of these with the harder ones, and check them off!) 
• Color code these by difficulty, or make a card for each, with steps in the back
• Or: write on slips of paper and put them in a jar - pull one or two a day. 
• Write about/take an action step 
• Set a card or slip aside till later if you need, but pull another! 
• Are any confusing? Ask! 

Here are some strategies that could help

• Keep it simple! 
• Go through your journals with tabs or sticky notes, and mark pages that hold writing to distill for your Initiate Book. 
• If English is your second language, write in your mothertongue - then translate/ have someone proofread 
• Notice where you feel stuck - are there parallels with places you get frustrated or stuck in your life? 
• How do you typically react? Ask the Muse if she has feedback/ tips - this is a great place for a Metacognative process - draw, then write your insights

Inspiration

• Choose a few artist websites and blogs to check out - read their "about" info, and jot down phrases that whet your interest. 
• Have a place to record class names and ideas from your SiStars which appeal
• Connect with your passion and values for soul work and future visioning
• Find the notes from your calls with Stella Mac - there are often juicy tidbits!
• Call council with your IC paintings and ask for assistance/gems of wisdom

Allies 

• Schedule a chat with a classmate or one of the graduates in our FB group
• Team up and read each other's work, or ask a graduate to proofread 
• Schedule some self care, a massage, a walk in nature, a chat with a friend 
• Check in with Sarah if you haven't in awhile

What's your piece of the thread?

You are doing a great job, and have so much to offer the community! 

Thank you for saying "Yes!" to the quest! You've got this!

Reset

Muses light fuses! 
What has your muse been whispering? Mine seems to have been on a bit of a sabbatical this year - I wish we could say we've been somewhere fun!! I've led my monthly circles, but only taught a few classes, and painting has been sporadic as well. As I feel into my piece of the thread, I pull out the new 18 month daybook/calendar I got this fall, and jot down notes.

What's your process for organization? When I began my CoW quest, I found a little red

Vision flower

checkbook style calendar at the dollar store, and entered each month's assignments in the notes at the bottom of the page, in addition to marking quest time each week. It was fulfilling to check them off, or Tune into what I needed to do to finish. I'm someone who can tend to procrastinate, and push deadlines, so it was often tight! i also like to play with Color and make plans in a less linear way, like this vision flower.

As you enter the next leg of your quest, I invite you to consider a reset.
 As we often did between paintings, this is a good time to clear and reset your altar, hang a different piece of art on the wall, set out a new candle. Choose a story card and place it on the altar. Spend some time in your studio, making it easier to work in. Sweep the floor, organize supplies, make a list of ones you need. Do you have enough light? A cozy chair for cafe and journaling? A place to sit "at least 5 feet back" from your painting/s? 

One of my periodic practices is calling council with my paintings! Like getting information from an individual lady, I set paintings around me, and invite their wisdom. I got a small journal to record these messages from my quest paintings and other ladies, for a dose of inspiration when I need it! 

For this next phase of your quest, you'll be setting your own time line, so this is a great time to take stock. Do you need a new calendar and/or art journal?  What Insights about your journey have come in?

What do you still need to compete? Are some almost done? Are any of those "good enough" already? 
Are they in the Color of Woman file on your computer? Have you offered your RT circles and 13 step class? You may want to rank your "to do" list by ease of competing, and alternate easier with more challenging tasks. 

Here are some ideas for a reset:

• Reset your studio and altar
• Refresh your Supply list (watch for sales, add add items to your wish list)
• Get a new calendar and schedule time each week/month for CoW
• Spend some time with your journal, process and inspiration

• Set goals and time frame for completion
• Prioritize assignments to write up and check off 
• Call Council with your ladies
• Revisit your Future Teacher visioning, has something changed?

• Choose a story card for your altar each week
• Revisit your vision plan book for ideas, contacts, 
• Connect with an Accountability buddy 

Tugging on the Red Thread, you've got this! 

Muse Time Welcome

Welcome to this gathering place for Color of Woman competing their quests on Muse Time, and those who have gathered in to offer support! These tips and insights are designed to supplement the teachings you received during the Color of Woman classroom, and provide encouragement for the rest of your quest.

Shande'nea Star Path - Legend 2015

Muses each have their own energy and timing, their own interests and inspiration. Shiloh Sophia has provided a wonderful vessel in which our Muses flourish, and encourage us to shine in our own special ways!

As always, Sarah Mardell is our communication priestess, and the person you will be checking in with for official business your initiate book. If you have questions about fees, Sarah can help! For clarification on assignments, requirements, and submitting your book, email Jena.  

Wherever you are on your quest, I invite you to take stock. This is a excellent time to pull out notes from your interview with Shiloh, and your original intention on entering Color of Woman. Has that shifted? In what ways? Do you have a calendar where you schedule painting and writing time? I like little 'check book' size calendars, and used one for my CoW Quest.

Paintings
You might wish to bring out your Legendary Lady, and Muse, plus your notes on them, and the intention you wrote on the canvases, and call Council.
Pour a cup of cafe or tea and sit with your journal, Red Thread and your ladies. 

Put on some music, perhaps what you've painted to, or something you currently love.

• What messages and insights do your ladies carry for you?
• Do they have suggestions for how to proceed now?
• Which of your other ladies carry messages for you and your quest?
• What is your next step?
• What's your piece of the thread?

If you are still in process painting any of your ladies, include them, as you consider where to dive in. Ask her! Sometimes I do a light glaze, then sit back and journal while it drips. If you've already taught your 13-Step class, and/or one of Shiloh's recent classes, check in with those paintings - what insights do they carry?

Reset - This is a good time to clean up your painting supplies, and reset your altar. Get out a new candle, your ball of Red Thread and maybe some flowers to welcome your muse! Include your Story Cards, and perhaps pull one weekly. Sweep the floor, open the curtains, it's time!

Though it was optional, creating a new Cosmic Smashbook is a great way to connect with where you are now and to process your Muse Time journey. The prompts "show me, teach me, inform me" invite the Muse's presence, perspective and assistance. You can write your frustrations, and then 'compost' them by painting or collaging over them! I also like making little monthly 'calendars' with colored circles for different projects on my agenda / wish list for the month!

Smaskbooks - planning and Grounding Spreads

Writing and Red Thread projects:

Gather your information! 

• Do you have written assignments in your word program, ready for your initiate book? (This is a vital step!)
• Did you record some things in your Smashbook or other journals?
• Or perhaps in external blog posts?
• Which assignments almost compete, and how are you tracking them?
• Have you written about each of your ladies?

You may want to choose one or two writing assignments to focus on and compete. In many cases, we've done much of the work, and just need to document it! What is "the low hanging fruit," something that would be easy to compete? That's a great place to start!

If you're almost compete, what will it take to finish? If you'd like someone to look over any of your writing, post a request in our Muse Timer group on iMUSEA. If you were in the 2021 class, someone from your Regional Cohort may be happy to help! 

Circles and 13 step class:

• Have you offered your Red Thread circle and events?
• Do you have ideas for other offerings? 
• Have you offered your two day class, or have your theme?
• Have you written about it, gotten feedback, and have photos? 
• Do you have a place to teach and ways to advertise?
• These can be offered online! Zoom is an easy format to use for these.

- Remember, your initiate book is really for you, and most of what you have is likely already *good enough* ... We often fall prey to the tyranny of perfection, which gets in the way of completion! 

As you go through your assignment list, note which are already good enough! If English is not your Mothertongue, you can write in your own language, and add little highlights in English.

I look forward to what you have to share!