My intent for this blog, other than a place to ramble when needed, is to showcase my art. In part so that my art is shared with others, and in part so that in sharing, I become inspired to create more. Each time I feature a piece (instead of say, talking about family), I'll likely share something about me that relates to it in some way - what in my life led to the creation of this?, why would I feel it's an important piece to share?, etc... In that spirit, I share the "Transformation of the Spirit" with you...
I'm about to turn 30 in two months. Life certainly hasn't been what I expected, but it never is, right? I really thought I'd be somewhere different at this point. But, God apparently had other plans, and they must seem to be working out just fine to the Great Creator of All - even if they don't seem to be working out to me.
When I was growing up, my parents raised me Pagan - an earth-centered, nature-loving religion. I always loved art and religion, and my parents would let me draw on the walls in our apartment, creating murals that could never be painted. And at some point, I felt a call to ministry - which I mulled over, and decided was sorta stupid, since Pagans don't have ministers or churches, and everyone is considered to be a priest or priestess capable of invoking the divine - I'd never make a living like that. So, I dismissed it.
I had big plans for myself. They involved going straight to college, getting a Doctorate's, and being a famous organic chemist. And having gallery showings on the side. And owning a house. All before hitting 25.
Needless to say, things didn't turn out that way. My sweet Agent X came along when I was merely 18, and honestly, he saved me from going down the horrible path I was headed on at the time. The priorities of art and school gave way to the priorities of motherhood and family life. And I lost myself in them. So much that after my divorce, when Rastaman asked me out for our first date and inquired as to what I liked to do, I couldn't tell him.
Rastaman has been most patient with me over the past 5 years, as I've learned who I was again. He gave me the freedom (and a bunch of prodding when necessary) to get involved in whatever I wanted, no matter the cost, no matter the time, no matter what. Like literally ordering me to spend the rent money on an easel so I'd stop hurting my back by hunching over paintings on the floor.
One evening, very early into our relationship, we had a lovely discussion about religion. I should note here that he's Christian, raised Southern Baptist, but hadn't been to church in forever because he was upset with the hypocrisy that he saw - coming to church on Sunday spouting the words of Christ, and then acting completely contrary to key teachings the other six days a week. He told me that somewhere in the Bible, it says that Christians should gather and worship. And I told him that he should go to church, and that I'd be happy to come with him - I wasn't going to convert, but I've always enjoyed experiencing other forms of worship than my own. And he said that he refused to go to a church that wouldn't accept me for who I was, and that I shouldn't have to hide my religious path. So, I set about finding us a church that would accept us both.
And that was when we found Unitarian Universalism. That first Sunday, we got home from service, and he asked me what I thought. I told him that I felt like I was home when we were there. And he agreed that he felt the same way.
Now, flash forward 5 years... Rastaman was just elected President-Elect of the congregation. I've been teaching Religious Education (our version of Sunday School) - I've been especially excited about this year's Neighboring Faiths curriculum, where we teach the kids about other faith traditions and have them experience other traditions' worship services. I serve on the RE council, lead Wednesday night worship services once a month, am a youth advisor for the youth group, went to the district's week-long leadership training intensive, and am about to serve as the Stewardship chair for the pledge drive. And somewhere in all of this, I've felt that call to ministry beckon to me again. That one that I ignored so many years ago.
So, after talking it over with Rastaman, I quit my job to go back to school full-time. I've just finished up the winter semester - 17 credit hours with a GPA of 3.8 (woohoo!). For the upcoming spring semester, I'm only taking 9 hours - and come May, after 12 years, I'll finally have an Associate's degree. Then, I'll go to a 4-year school, get a Bachelor's in Religious Studies, and then move on to seminary.
Right now is both an exciting and trying time for us. Exciting, because I'm getting to do what is needed in order to fulfill my calling. Trying, because well, let's face it, the economy sucks right now, and we're suddenly a one-income family. But, that's ok - I've discovered a faith in the divine in the past five years that I never knew existed within me before. I fully believe that if I have faith the Great Creator of All, we'll be just fine.
So, my artistic endeavor for today is something about my faith. The flaming chalice is a symbol for Unitarian Universalism, and I often find myself doodling them or sketching full-blown ideas out during Sunday service or committee meetings. This is one of my favorites that originally started out as a committee meeting doodle - it's a simple pencil sketch titled "Transformation of the Spirit", featuring a flaming phoenix as the flame for the chalice. The phoenix is traditionally a symbol for rebirth and new beginnings - it lives at the top of a mountain, and every evening, it bursts into flames and dies. The following morning, it is reborn from it's own ashes.
Now, I mentioned Avoiding the Laundry earlier... Nitrocat, and many other bloggers that I follow, have a gift for concise posts. I do not share this gift. They also post on a very regular schedule - again, a gift that I probably lack currently but hope to gain in the future. In the meantime, I hope that you've enjoyed the first of my Artistic Endeavors. In the coming days (ok, really, when I get to it!), I'm hoping to share my recent endeavors into LTCs (letterbox trading cards), some of my stamp carvings, and last (but certainly not least!) my paintings and mixed media pieces...
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