Category Archives: Uncategorized

by

Mellow Yellow Monday #3


Photo by Barbara Mattio

I love summer and it is difficult not to find yellow in life. There are yellow submarines, yellow butterfly’s, yellow sun rays, yellow in rainbows, yellow in dried grass, and yellow in roses and salvia, I see yellow blanket flowers and yellow day lilies. A yellow sail on a boat and a yellow canary. There is something about the combination of yellow and summer that just heals the soul. It makes me feel happier and stronger, and full of blessings. Summer sun warms the body and the soul. The soul responds to our environment. It responds to rain, sun, snow and it responds to the time you spend in the inner landscapes communing with the Beloved.

” We learn the inner secret of happiness, when we learn to direct our inner drives, our interest, and our attention to something besides ourselves.”

—Ethel Percy Andrus

Photo by Barbara Mattio

by

Flutes For Dancing


” It’s lucky to hear the
flutes for dancing
coming down the road.
The ground is glowing.
The table set in the yard.

We will drink all this wine tonight
because it’s Spring. It is.
It ‘s a growing sea.
We are clouds over the sea,
or flecks of matter
in the ocean when the ocean
seems lit from within.
I know I’m drunk
when I start this ocean talk.

Would you like to see the moon split
in half with one throw”?
——-Rumi

This small homage to Rumi was inspired by a message I received from a friend who is traveling in Turkey. She is on a tour to promote peace. Yesterday she visited the tomb of Rumi. I am so excited for her and a little envious.

Persians and Afghanis call Rumi “Jelaluddin Balkhi.” He was born on September 30, 1207. His father was a theologian and jurist and a mystic of uncertain lineage. Rumi’s life was a fairly normal one for a religious scholar. He taught, meditated, and helped the poor. In 1244 he met a stranger who put a question to him. Shams of Tabriz was the stranger who wandered through the Middle East searching and praying for someone who “could endure his company.” He found Rumi. It is said that the questions he asked Rumi caused him to faint. Shams was a dervish and Rumi and Shams became inseparable

They spent months together without any human needs, transported into a realm of pure conversation. This ecstatic connection caused difficulties in the religious community. Rumi’s students felt neglected and Shams, sensing the trouble, disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared in Rumi’s life.

Scholars feel that the disappearance of Shams began Rumi’s transformation into a mystical artist. Rumi began to write poetry and to listen to music and sing. He began whirling and would whirl for hours at a time. Rumi spent the last twelve years of his life dictating the six volumes of his master-work. He died on December 17, 1273.

Photo by Barbara Mattio

by

Strangers and Sojourners


Photo by Barbara Mattio

For my house shall be called
A house of prayer for all peoples.
—-Isiah 56:7

The builders of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem followed the instructions of the prophets and their vision. It was designed to be a house of worship for strangers and those journeying through Israel.

The Temple was constructed with an inner area where only Jews were admitted to worship. Within this area, was the Holy of Holies. The High Priest was the only one allowed here in the presence of G-d.The High Priest only entered on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. There was another important area in the Temple. It was “The Court of the Gentiles.” History shows us that there were often Gentiles worshiping with Jews in the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Jews considered the Gentiles, G-d fearers. The combined worship of Jews and non-Jews was the hope of a world where all peoples and nations would worship together. This hope would join all peoples in praise of the One who created them.

Outside of Paris, France is a structure called the “Universale” and it is also a building designed for all peoples regardless of race, religion or gender to come inside and worship the One God. It is in Surrennes and all are welcome to come and pray and worship together. I feel that the gathering of peoples of different races and religions to share the experience of being in the presence of Divinity is freeing. To experience the One together is healing and makes the presence of G-d, the Beloved, the One a reality in the life of each of us. I love the concept of the energy of all the prayers of all the strangers and sojourners wafting up to Divinity. What an amazing experience.

Photo by Barbara Mattio

F

by

Artistic Voice


Charcoal sketch by Barbara Mattio

We are creative by nature, not choice. Creativity seeks us out. This must just be accepted. Finding your artistic voice can be like trying to move a boulder. Slow progress and time may pass before you may see measurable progress.

An artist needs balance in his/her life. The myth that artist must suffer is just that a myth. So don’t invest in the myth. Don’t force your creativity into a square others think it should be in. There is no reason to create drama or hardship to fuel your talents. Life will provide plenty itself.

Don’t try to force your talent and work to grow as an artist without concern with where the art is taking you. This is true for all mediums, including music, acting, performance art or sculpting.

What the artistic person creates is a representation of your subconsciousness. Don’t get bogged down with past failures, or a creative block. This will stop you from living in the present moment and enjoying the beauty of the day.

You can’t be your own critic and need to silence your doubts. I realize that that is a constant struggle. This is a huge block to finding your artistic voice.

When you are working and in the zone and the creativity is just streaming and uninhibited, you are releasing your creative voice. You approach artistic purity when your work is absent of everyday concerns. You have given yourself over to the flow of the subconscious mind. The great Masters worked from this place within themselves. Remember, anything is attainable and never limit yourself. Art is communication and you are creating that conversation.

by

We Are Not Equal


 

Next year, 2013, women have another chance to be legally equal.  The Equal Rights Amendment will be before Congress once again. Frankly, I realize that men and many women don’t understand why this is an important piece of legislation. Congress, a majority of rich, white males will decide whether women and girls will receive equal treatment under the US Constitution. They will also decide  whether to ban sexual discrimination.  Next year is huge for the female gender.

This is not a new proposal. We worked very hard to obtain ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972, We lobbied, marched and picketed in state capitals and Washington DC. We talked and explained and worked and yet the predominately male white Congress would not ratify this amendment.  We are now 12 years into the twenty-first century and we, women and girls, are not legally equal in the United States of America. This is an outrage and can’t be justified although many have tried.

Fifteen states refused to ratify this amendment in 1972. They resist efforts to change this unfair discrimination. Most of the states that did not vote to ratify the ERA, equal rights amendment, are Southern states. The female gender makes up 51% of the population of America. We are the country which is at the forefront of human rights and the majority of our citizens are not legally equal.

Our media reports about how women and girls suffer in other countries and we tell countries that they must not discriminate due to gender. We send money and officials to educate other countries and to better the status and lives of the country’s women and girls. Yet, here at home in the United States of America, women and girls continue to be discriminated against due to their sex and they continue to be the only citizens of the USA that are not legally equal under the Constitution. We are coming up to another opportunity to rectify this for the women and girls in our own country. The twenty-first century, and specifically 2013 is the year to right this wrong. Get involved. Write or email your congress people and tell them this is important to you. Find out what is happening with the ERA movement in your state.

Give us equality for all people in this world. Give us equality for women and girls in America!

by

If I Told You the Truth About God


Many people claim to have the truth about God. Millions of people on our planet are determined that they know God and that they are the only ones who do know God. They are so sure that wars are fought to prove their point. I think it must get difficult to be Divinity because you are supposed to guarantee both sides victory because they know all about you and you want them to win. Where do we go from here? Many mystics, over the millenniums, have had intimate experiences with God, cosmic consciousness, Divinity or whatever name is used, on the inner landscape. The following poem was written by Kabir, a eastern mystic centuries ago. Typically, he and his work were not accepted until after his death. He understood that most people wanted God on their terms; not its. He experienced the presence of the Beloved and was ridiculed by Muslims and Hindus alike until his passing. There is a unique irony in his poems. Many mystics have used poetry, music and nature to help explain the God experience. The following poem is one of my favorites.

I Just Laughed

“If I told you the truth
about God,
you might think I was an idiot.

If I lied to you about the Beautiful One
you might parade me through the streets shouting,
‘this guy is a genius!’

This world has its pants on backwards.
Most carry their values and knowledge
in a jug that has a big hole in it.

Thus having a clear grasp of the situation
if I am asked anything these days

I just laugh!
—Kabir

Photo by Barbara Mattio

Photo by Barbara Mattio

by

Mellow Yellow Monday #2


It is Monday again. It always confuses me how quickly that happens! So it is here once again and I want to talk about art. There are many people who believe, and I agree, that the love of beauty is inborn. Landscapes are more popular than graffiti. Harmonious music is enjoyed more than discordant music.

Whether we look at pottery, writing, performance art, or music composition. Many feel that human traits are evolutionary and cross cultural lines. Scientists feel that tastes in art are shaped by natural selection.

I feel the love of beauty is inborn. Artistic values restore pleasure, beauty and skill back to a prominent place in our culture. The arts are no more remote from the evolved features of the human mind and personality than a magnolia tree is remote from the soil.

The tendency is to treat any form of art as secondary and essentially fluff. That is so far from the truth. The human soul needs beauty and beauty is as essential to the soul as oxygen is to our lungs. Creativity is a bridge between cultures and stimulates the brain so learning is increased.

Creativity is a way to discover your authentic self and to express that self by composing, dancing, acting, throwing a pot or painting a landscape. The creative soul is tied to the Divinity within. People often recognize this and some don’t. What they create still brings a message to those who see the end product be it a play, a symphony, a pastel drawing, an amazing garden or a smashing novel. Without the creative urge, we become diminished as humans and we don’t experience all of the life we have been gifted with. Creativity, of any kind, helps us to be more fully alive and to more fully embrace this plane of existence. Don’t hesitate, listen to your heart and soul and create what is inborn within you and be at one with the Universe.

by

Summer Escapades


Photograph by Barbara Mattio

The best part of summer is the ability to just be. To be in the present moment. The past is gone. For better or worse, you never can get it back and you must let it go. This is not always easy for people to do. Letting go can be frightening. Often we don’t want to let the good memories fade, or sometimes, the pain of some times in our life doesn’t heal. It takes effort on our part to let go and trust that it will be all right. You don’t lose the memories and they actually become more golden with the passing of the years. The pain will diminish and your heart will heal. Divinity is always with us and we never walk alone. Divinity is within our souls so what we experience, it experiences.

The future is an enticing siren. It sings its song to us and we want to know what is coming. We want answers about love, finances, travel or a job perhaps. The siren sings and we ache to know what is coming. The future is like Tinkerbell. She flits here and there but when you reach out for her she is gone between your fingers. The future or the fairy disappears because as soon as you come close to grasping it, the future turns into the present.

The present moment of time is where we exist in the now. The beauty you are experiencing at this exact second is the present. The fragrance you catch on the wind, the dragonfly that glides across your field of vision. Each moment is a priceless gift for us to use and enjoy. Some choose to spend some of these precious moments in hatred or violence. Some choose to use them to add beauty, acceptance and inclusiveness to the world.

If each of us took the moments we are given in a twenty-four hour period and used them to make someone smile, to laugh with a child, to reach out a hand, or to acknowledge the amazing blessings each moment brings with it, we could begin to have the energy to change the world. So, I am trying this summer to fill my present with escapades of joy and happiness. So pass it on and by autumn we will be able to harvest bushels of goodness in our lives.

Photography by Barbara Mattio

by

The Joy That Isn’t Shared


All photography by Barbara Mattio

I woke this morning and went out on my front porch and was greeted by the fragrance and beauty of my garden. I ate breakfast sitting on the porch with the sun caressing my body filling me with vitamin D. A small plane flew overhead and I remembered flying over my house my self one time. A dragonfly lazily visited the blooms and my heart filled with joy and gratitude for my life. I also
thought about the people all over the world going about their lives, some filled with joy, some with injustice and oppression. Joy needs to be shared because it fills the soul with hope. Hope is a very real gift to a human soul.

Welcome Morning

“There is joy
in all;
in the hair I brush each morning,
in the Cannon towel, newly washed,
that I rub my body with each morning.
in the chapel of eggs I cook
each morning,
in the outcry from the kettle
that hears my coffee
each morning,
in the spoon and the chair
that cry “hello there, Anne”
each morning,
in the godhead of the table
that I set my silver, plate, cup upon
each morning.

All this is God,
right here in my pea-green house
each morning
and I mean,
though often forget,
to give thanks,
to faint down by the kitchen table
in a prayer of rejoicing
as the holy birds at the kitchen window.
peck into their marriage of seeds.

So while I think of it,
let me paint a thank-you on my palm
for this God, this laughter of the morning,
lest it go unspoken.
The joy that isn’t shared, I’ve heard,
dies young.

—Anne Sexton

All photography by Barbara Mattio

All photography by Barbara Mattio

by

A Little Bit of Magic


Photo by Barbara Mattio

Laws for Creation

Laws for creations,
For strong artists and leaders, for fresh broods of teachers and perfect
literats for America,
For noble savans and coming musicians.

All must have reference to the ensemble of the world,
and the compact truth of the world,
There shall be no subject too pronounced–all works shall illustrate the divine
law of indirectness.

What do you suppose creation is?
What do you suppose will satisfy the soul, except
to walk free and own no superior?
What do you suppose I would intimate to you in a hundred
ways, but that cam or woman is as good as God?
And that there is not God any more divine than Yourself?
And that that is what the oldest and newest myths finally mean?
And that you or any one must approach creations through
such laws?
——Walt Whitman

Women carry innate magic within our bodies and souls. Our strength and passion and will help us to create the type of world we each live in. The natural world is not threatened by this woman. The cultures we live in often are threatened by us. The humans who are threatened by our magic, our strength, our sense that we are equal, cause many to attempt to diminish our person-hood. We must not internalize these voices. This will ultimately make us forget who we are as humans of the female gender. This is our magic.

Photography by Barbara Mattio

photographyby Barbara Mattio