And so, that symbol I mentioned earlier... i was splashing ink & paint around... walnut ink & watercolour... just random pattern & texture... splashy backgrounds... perhaps for text... or decoration... or concertina books... probably some little concertina gift books that Sam suggested would be an idea to do more of.
I suppose it is quite a meditative process... no great thought, just moving brush & water & colour around.... ideas of how to use them floating in & out of my mind. I was thinking of making some peace flags & hanging them around the local woodland when "Earth Dance" jumped into my head...
And so I turned the words over... thinking of the dance of Earth & planets around Sun... how the universe danced into being.... the words of Kathleen Raine "the earth upon her astral spindle winds her ecstasy producing dance"... of Gaia & the Mother Goddess... how life dances across earth... of animals, humans, plants... the ebb & flow... the circles & spirals... and my place in it all....
After I'd written the words i wanted a symbol that encapsulated my thoughts, and what i produced just flowed without conscious thought... except there were layers of thoughts running through my head.... an open circle, not closed... a suggestion of continuity whilst allowing things in... & out.... the upper line, what is above... sky, heaven, space, beyond... also above in a spiritual sense... the Higher Self, the Soul, Spirit, beyond... the lower line, the Earth, what comes from the earth & returns to the earth... what earth gives & receives... what we give & receive. It sounds a lot but it all took just seconds...
It was all intuitive, that's why I was curious to see if the symbol invoked any thoughts from anyone. In a way, you all picked up an aspect of the feelings i had.... which is pretty cool!! Straight away i had ideas for various projects so did a search. Of course a phrase like that has been used in various ways
Top of the search was http://www.earthdance.org/... a global festival of dance for peace, and although it has taken place for several years I hadn't heard of it. Here is an extract (from this page)
THE EARTHDANCE GLOBALLY SYNCHRONIZED PRAYER FOR PEACE
4pm California – 8pm Sao Paulo – 1am Cape Town – 9am Sydney [22nd september 2012]
The Earthdance Global Link-Up for Peace
The highlight of the annual multi-location Earthdance Festival is a simultaneous link up, when every event across the world plays the Prayer for Peace at the exact same moment – morning in the Australian rainforest, afternoon in California, midnight in London, and sunrise over the Himalayas – the Prayer for Peace is a profound and powerful moment that unifies our intentions for World Peace on all levels.
The highlight of the annual multi-location Earthdance Festival is a simultaneous link up, when every event across the world plays the Prayer for Peace at the exact same moment – morning in the Australian rainforest, afternoon in California, midnight in London, and sunrise over the Himalayas – the Prayer for Peace is a profound and powerful moment that unifies our intentions for World Peace on all levels.
"We are one global family
All colors, All races
One world united.
We dance for peace and the healing of our planet Earth
Peace for all nations.
Peace for our communities.
And peace within ourselves.
As we join all dance floors across the world,
let us connect heart to heart.
Through our diversity we recognize Unity.
Through our compassion we recognize Peace.
Our love is the power to transform our world
Let us send it out
NOW..."
Considering that i was thinking of peace flags for Ersi Marina's project when i felt he words, i'm quite impressed!!
Another link that I'm looking forward to reading is "Earthdance~ Living Systems in Evolution" a book by Elisabet Sahtouris.
I just love this photograph [of an ammonite in the national History Museum in London taken by Nancy Larson]... and also the opening message that Elisabet included... "To my planet & its people". This is the opening quote...
Dancing is surely the most basic and relevant of all forms of expression. Nothing else can so effectively give outward form to an inner experience. Poetry and music exist in time. Painting and architecture are a part of space But only the dance lives at once in both space and time In it the creator and the thing created, the artist and the expression, are one. Each participant is completely in the other. There could be no better metaphor for an understanding of the...cosmos.
We begin to realize that our universe is in a sense brought into being by the participation of those involved in it. It is a dance, for participation is its organizing principle. This is the important new concept of quantum mechanics. It takes the place in our understanding of the old notion of observation, of watching without getting involved. Quantum theory says it can't be done. That spectators can sit in their rigid row as long as they like, but there will never be a performance unless at least one of them takes part And conversely, that it needs only one participant, because that one is the essence of all people and the quintessence of the cosmos.
-Lyall Watson, Gifts of Unknown Things
The book is available from Amazon & also as a kindle version... details on Elisabet's site here! Dr Sahtouris is an "evolution biologist and futurist"... some really interesting articles & links there.
And then, looking on Amazon for one Earthdance, I found another by Joanne Ryder. It's worth looking just to see the reviews...
And then, looking on Amazon for one Earthdance, I found another by Joanne Ryder. It's worth looking just to see the reviews...
I was immediately enchanted by the beauty of the words in this poem, and so moved by the message that, to my surprise, tears began to well in my eyes! I was reading the line "You are twirling so gracefully, carefully, not even the sand moves as you spin..".
There were more, but i quite like the vision of Earth Dance Farms (a non-profit organization)...
"We envision productive local farms where creative endeavors can bloom alongside flourishing produce. We envision former strangers cultivating the land together and growing relationships in addition to sugar snap peas. We envision an Artist-in-Residence gaining inspiration from the beauty of a community farm and in return sharing their talents with farm-workers and farm-goers. We envision individuals from all walks of life coming to EarthDance to learn skills in organic farming and gardening, to taste a fresh-picked carrot, and to see where their food comes from. We are dedicated to seeing this vision through to reality."
Aren't these connections amazing... I love the synchronicities & feel so honoured to be a part of this dance... and have thoroughly enjoyed the dancing around finding others touched by the magic of our Earthdance.
