WISDOM AT THE CROSSROADS PODCAST.

“Each day is an opportunity to begin again, to forget the troubles of yesterday, to abandon our attachment to the promise of tomorrow”

Getting quiet and being still sounds simple but it can actually be quite complex

The queen of distraction gets lost and found in this episode. Organization may not be my forte but it seems when I am ready for the words I have written while getting in touch with the deepest parts of myself the universe will find a way for them to literally cross my path.

Rediscovering meditative notes on presence when I am ready to accept and share their resonance was a reminder that today is where we begin. Nowhere is there more promise or potential than in this moment.

Join in to the mindful self care practice at 8:40 in the recording, to seek and find:
Presence, possibility and peace. We take a literal breath and engage in a simple process to connect to the wisdom the resides at our core.

“Tofino: Reflection”, (detail) Acrylic on Canvas, 22” x 30”, 2023. This painting which for some reason refused to display in its complete form was part of a commission process I was working on as I was preparing this episode for publication. Gotta love technology???!!!

This episode is about presence
Which sounds pretty simple, yet getting quiet and being still can actually be very complex for me and I suspect I am not alone in that challenge

The words I’ll share in this episode came from a set of notes I had made during a meditative moment when I sat with a pencil in hand, got still and quiet and in touch with the wisdom at my core.

I have lots of notebooks and my mother will not be surprised to learn I can’t always find the ones I am looking for. In my role as the Queen of distraction I had, surprisingly, misplaced this batch.

Organization may not be my forte but it seems when I am ready for the words I have written in the process of connecting to the deepest parts of myself, the notes I’ve made at a previous time will cross my path at an opportune time. Three scratchy looseleaf pages were found crumpled up on the bottom of my bag. I’d been carrying them around for some time. It seems I was ready to hear the words I had written when I cleaned out that purse no doubt in search of something else? In that moment I must have been ready to listen and to really hear them.

Now I’m ready to share this session with you…,

But first, the studio…

In being present for this episode I am sharing works in progress or paintings like this one, Tofino: Reflection”, above, fresh off the paint wall, here on the blog. As I was preparing this episode I was also getting ready for a show and finishing up a commission so I have a lot of balls in the air. It is definitely a good time to be reminded about presence.

Being present and giving myself permission to pause this week was particularly timely. This 22” x 30” acrylic on Canvas I am calling “Tofino Reflections” is newly finished and awaiting my signature. It was an exercise in trust. I am more successful in my creative endeavours when i allow myself time to pause, to take a step back, to regather myself and my thoughts.

“Tofino Reflection”, Acrylic on Canvas, 22” x 30”, 2023

They say a picture is worth 1000 words and so I am sharing snapshots from a couple of different stages, in the making of “Tofino’s Reflection. We had been lucky enough to stay in Tofino at Long Beach Lodge where a wide expanse of sand invited fall beach walks between the tides.

I take lots of photographs on my travels but I never intend to recreate exactly what I see in the landscape. The landscape provides a starting point and the painting evolves into its own entity through the process of painting. I had started to paint with thoughts of some of the vignettes that inspired me while in Tofino.

I began with…

Drawing in wet liquid acrylic with a thin flippy brush. I prepare my surfaces with gesso to seal the surface first. New this year is black gesso in the underpainting. I used the black gesso to rough in some basic forms and begin to define the composition.

Next steps were to cover the canvas’ surface, in this case I added white and clear gesso with a soft Bismarck Yellow to begin the foundation of the sky. I like contrasts remember. Beginnings are fast and fun. Find the video on my instagram favourites @mandartcanada. Or drop me a line and I will send it to you if you are particularly curious. I am a private ate painter so you probably won’t find me doing an in person demo but in the sanctuary of my studio I am happy to set up the tripod with my iPhone and press play now and again.

Next steps in the process…

Once I had established a foundation I used clear gesso and some quinocridone red to fill in some of the gaps where raw canvas was exposed. My primary goal is to ensure the surface is covered. The type and colour of the marks in the base layers are really not that important but as the decisions I make later on in the process get more complex sometimes the residual of what was left behind from a previous layer can become a major player on the surface. Check out the deep red marks on the lower quadrant of both sides of this painting as they appear in the illustration at the top of this blog.

Personally they are my favourite “poppers”, the colour devices that do the work of leading the viewers eye around and through the composition.

While my physical environment looks a little more like this outside in real time I am working at being present inside. It’s a bit too chilly to be doing a meditation outdoors, even a walking meditation for any length of time in the winter, so presence is found on the paint wall or in my mediation chair. If you have an opportunity to be outside in nature as part of your meditative practice I would encourage you to do it. Restore relax and pause to find presence wherever you are.

Notes on presence begin here…

I had begun my written meditative process with a paragraph as I always do. It begins in pretty much the same way each time and I explain the whole process word for word in episode 42 of the podcast, “Mindful Mandart Moment: Process and Practice”

You might like to go back to that one for the details but for now just know that I get intentional with my breath,
release my fear and make a request to the universe. I then relax my gaze and dive into the process that has become my familiar pause.

I began to write. The words flowed from my pencil in longhand and like every other time i sit with pencil and paper in hand engaged in this same process. Each time I am always surprised at the wisdom that forms on the page when I read what I have written at the end of the session
These are the words I wrote then when I made a specific request to learn more about “presence”
I’ll invite you to Listen in with me and hope that the words that follow might resonate in some way for you too

The “download” begins here…

Each day is an opportunity, I wrote
An opportunity to begin again, to forget the troubles of yesterday to abandon our attachment to the promise of tomorrow. Today is where we ARE and today is where we begin
Nowhere is there more promise

Open yourself to potential for, in seeking we find; (and access) presence, possibility, peace
Three terms to apply in personal governance on any given day.

How to achieve and maintain presence I asked…

Ist efforts are to avoid distractions or at least try to minimize our tendency to be distracted
It is ok to recognize and acknowledge a change in our plan or an inspired thought, it is less effective to chase after each and every one

Acceptance of where we are does not mean we are destined to remain there

”Presence is not a static state.”

Marks on a surface draw me in every time. Painting, my avenue to presence whatever the weather.

”Being present is being aware of the moment, whatever that moment provides.”

“Journey” Acrylic on Canvas, 24” x24”, 2010

The written meditation continues …

We get ourselves tangled up when we confuse denial of our present state with forward planning
We can definitely plan in the moment and be inspired to dream but we need to check in with our motives when doing so
We can ask ourselves am I making future plans because I don’t recognize this present moment as valid or am i avoiding where I actually am because it is not what I really want or find desirable?
Acceptance of where we are at is our first order of business,

We can only be where we physically are

Making plans, dreaming and long term goals are all worthy activities. By all means imagine dream and strive to become who and what you aspire to be and do
However along the process of planning and dreaming try to be aware and present in moments as they present themselves

We can acknowledge yes this moment is a beautiful gift or, it might not be my most desirable, nor is it what I strive to be, do or have, but whatever the situation I recognize I am here, right now, I am in This fold
I accept where I am in the present because from the present is where all future steps emerge
We Check in with ourselves to ensure we are not avoiding the present by living in our dreams

To check in with ourselves we can ask; Am I aware and accepting of the moments of my journey? The good ones and the not so good ones?
Life grows through ebbs and flows, it evolves from the simplest observation through every perception and action, that combine to be part of our unique individual journeys
Being present might take us within ourselves to evaluate where we really are
To check in with ourselves to pause and recalibrate
To Be
Be more. When we are still we might then and do a little less. Be less inclined ti juggle all the balls in the air, at least for a moment
When we pause to be present we can more easily evaluate where we are and from there make choices to implement the next stages of our lives

“Slow down. Take in the majesty of what is, instead of rushing towards what could be.”

So how do we keep ourselves mindful enough to stay present?

A good friend of mine once reminded me to simply, Be. To be just where I am wherever I am
It’s amazing how powerful a few simple words can be
By just being more I was inspired to do less but I was also aware of where I was, I could pause to take in the details or deficits of my situation which without slowing down to be present for I would surely have missed

Be more. Do less. Became a mantra of sorts for me, my email signature as a reminder to myself and for the benefit of those I connected with should they avoid skimming and read correspondence to the very end?

Be more do less us a simple reminder to slow down to seek presence
Right where we are

An example might be being thankful for the small things in Life
A good breakfast
A conversation with a friend
Finishing your morning swim or run or yoga practice
Spending a moment patting your pet
Watching a child play
It’s the small moments that combine to become the narrative of the story we write of our lives

“Pause, to be present …”

It feels like a nice way to conclude our mindful practice in this episode

Being PRESENT and achieving PRESENCE doesn’t happen at the exclusion of everything around us.

Rather presence comes from our ability to fully engage in the moments of our days.
To be AWARE, to notice the world around us, to pause to connect to all the small things.

The meditation in the recording is a simple breathing practice that is a great way to sooth and calm our energetic and physical bodies. Its one I return tp regularly as I hope you will to find a mental and physical break in the action of your day. It begins at 8:40 on the podcast recording. Play it on the player at the top of this blogpost or hit the listen here button below and forward to the time stamp. Wisdom at The Crossroads the podcast is available on all platforms.

Wisdom at the Crossroads, my book of the same name is now available for sale on my website.

Accept the invitations your environment provides. This coastal pathway leads to one of my favourite South Coast beaches. Wherever you find yourself, be there.

Thanks for listening in…

Our time together is coming to an end for the time being. If you have enjoyed our time together or have found something that resonates for you within my stories I hope you will return to your favourite episodes regularly, or consider sharing with a friend. I appreciate you listening in to this podcast and joining in on the visual journey with me here on the blog. I hope the images are helpful and that you are finding something of your story within mine.

So, until next time, be you and be well.

With gratitude as always,

Amanda

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