Mental Health Mantra 77/365 and Dog Mantra This is Maia who is Day 77 of 365 who lives in America. Maia is a Blue Tick Coonhound mix - Possibly Plott Hound, Cristen tells me. She recently turned 5. Cristen tells me "the ironic thing is, she would rarely come near me when I would visit them in their first 8 weeks. Now? She won’t leave me alone. She is also the most vocal dog I have ever experienced. It goes beyond barking. She also talks back when she’s being disciplined. This past week I learned how in tune she is with my emotions and changes in mood. She’s always been that way, but I saw it differently in this specific instance. She will do whatever she can to get as close as possible to me and grab at my arm to distract. She will go as far as climbing on me to sit or lay on my chest. If I can’t handle her doing that, she will lay as close as possible and lay her paw on me. When it comes to other people, she is very reserved and shy." I would love to meet Maia, she sounds like a real character, plus I would love to meet Cristen as we have been kindreds for about 9 years now. The photo that was sent to me for Maia's Dog Mantra, captured something in her eyes, the way she looked in the lens, and her dog mantra matched it completely. Keep making your presence known folks. Keep shining. Love x 'Art with Heart - Calm your Mind, Soothe your Soul.'
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Mental Health Mantra 75/365 and Dog Mantra This is Wizard. A Sharpei. Deeply Selfless Deeply Loving. A simple soul Yet holds infinite wisdom. He dishes out the kisses to everyone and this is his mantra. Don't hold back, Dish out the Kisses. **** Expanding my practice and connecting to these souls is giving me a daily focus and go-to. It's not the tidiest of practices as my table gets very messy with pens, ink, pencils, papers, containers are all over it. Yet I love being in this zone. I always have. Julia aged 8 with a table awash with pens of all varieties and colours. Using a variety of media is freeing. Having no rules. Thank you Wizard for encouraging me to being out the HB pencil to add more contours to your fur. Keep trusting your inner knowing Star Seeds. By now you know that to do that you have to get quiet and go within. Love x 'Art with Heart - Calm your Mind, Soothe your Soul.' process photosmessy studio tableMental Health Mantra 62/365 and Dog Mantra Meet Monk. He's a standard wire haired Dachshund and is a LOVER and a Buddhist MONK. He's just amazing. and adorable" say's his Anna Joti. He lives with 2 other dogs (who you'll meet in March as well.) Monk is known to find himself resting his head on his Anna's meditation cushion (seen here in purple), he contemplates, he thinks. Anna told me "Monk has a look... he has such depth and whites to his eyes, that when he looks up at you, he looks directly into your soul - he just sees you ...... deeply." I love this message from Monk - it is rich with so much wisdom for us humans. There is no judgment from our beloved dogs. They see us. They encourage us on. They nudge us forward. Thank you Monk! Keep seeing, keep shining Star Seeds. Love x 'Art with Heart - Calm your Mind, Soothe your Soul.'
Mental Health Mantra 60/365 Dog Mantra and here we are ... Day 60 of 365. I decided after much deliberation I was going to focus on DOGS in March. For those of your who know me well - this is NO surprise. Except I have never dedicated time to drawing dogs, so I am actually scared and excited all rolled into one. I have done a few but not a consistent practice - this will be interesting. I was apprehensive sitting down this morning. I knew that obviously I was going to start with my two Jack Russells, here we have Luna first. It's her birthday month too so how cool she will be turning 8 in March in the month of Julia's Dog Mantras. The idea for this as I am pulling together drawings of dogs and their mantras, I will focus on what that mantra is for each dog - in a communicating type of way (have I told you that I communicate with animals?) This is Luna and Luna's mantra is 'Rest your eyes, when you can' This girl knows how to do that. She takes every opportunity to rest her eyes. I followed suit today as this afternoon, I was drained. I rested my eyes and she was with me, resting hers! There is alot to be said for 'resting our eyes' it means, turn away from anything that is draining you. Turn it off, step back, step in. What ever it is.... let's take Luna's mantra as a nudge. Keep shining Love x Dog Mantras / 'Art with Heart - Calm you Mind, Soothe your Soul.'
Mental Health Mantra 59/365 28 days later. 28 Flower Mantras. The variety of flowers and their mantras have got me through this month and all that it has delivered. I could carry on and paint more flowers - who knows I may very well return, there are another many more days here, but for now I will move on to March with a new feature. This gives me the opportunity to develop and to challenge my hand/eye/brain connection. The mantra that came forth this morning is Sat Nam. "Sat Nam is the mantra repeated at the end of a kundalini yoga practice to end the session, it also can be repeated during meditation. I find it very reassuring and soothing these days. Sat Nam, is one the most commonly used mantras in Kundalini Yoga, in the ancient Sikh language called Gurmukhi, Sat means truth. Nam means name. Together, Sat Nam essentially translates into something deeper: “I am truth,” or “Truth is my essence.” Sat Nam is like a seed that begins to germinate inside of you. The vibration of a mantra shifts us on an atomic level (ref Kundalini 101)." I am called to commit to this practice more and more, to translate the feelings I have and the healing I am doing as I move through this next phase of moving out and moving on. This morning, upon waking early, I sat with the colours and the water. This was such a hypnotic piece, first with the paint and once dried, I came back to spend snapshots of time to add elements with pen. It feels a good place to end for February. The flowers have been very different and although I continue on my Bach Flower course, I can always return to paint more flowers. Thank you for joining me here / I hope so far these Mental Health Mantras are supporting you as they are me. Day 60 tomorrow / Onwards to Month 3. Keep shining Star Seeds. Love x 'Art with Heart - Calm your Mind, Soothe your Soul.'
Mental Health Mantra 58/365 This felt right today. Let it Be. As a Liverpool girl, this phrase has meant so much in my life. "Just let it be will ya." Paul was on to something, he shared in his Carpool Karaoke with James Corden as he was being driven round Liverpool, that his Mum who had died when he was young, had visited him in a dream. She was reassuring him, saying 'it's going to be ok, just let it be.' He woke up and remembered those words and it inspired him to write the lyrics and song Let it Be, inspired by her positivity. I feel this today. I can relate to Paul. I feel Mum close, whispering words of wisdom in my ear saying 'let it be.' I am going to Let it Be. Let it all Be. Love x Day 58 of 365 just 1 Flower Mantra left - what will March be? Let it Be When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom Let it be And in my hour of darkness She is standing right in front of me Speaking words of wisdom Let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be Whisper words of wisdom Let it be And when the broken-hearted people Living in the world agree There will be an answer Let it be For though they may be parted there is Still a chance that they will see There will be an answer Let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be Yeah, there will be an answer Let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be Whisper words of wisdom Let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be Whisper words of wisdom Let it be And when the night is cloudy There is still a light that shines on me Shine until tomorrow Let it be I wake up to the sound of music Mother Mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom Let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be There will be an answer Let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be There will be an answer Let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be Whisper words of wisdom Let it be 'Art with Heart - Calm your Mind, Soothe your Soul.'
Mental Health Mantra 32/365 And so here we go, moving in to February with the first Mental Health Mantra. I wanted to let go this month for the next 28 days to step away from line drawing, to relax my hands and get into flow with the colour of water and the colour of paint. It is time to reconnect with Watercolours. I probably left it too late to sit down to this, as well as write a journal post here, but it felt lovely nonetheless. I used the inspiration of the roses my husband bought me at the weekend, they have opened up beautifully. I felt I wanted to keep loose and abstract and step into the feeling of what it would be like to immerse myself in the rose petals - dreamy~like. I picked up a white pen and very loosely went in. I am leaving this month open, I don't know what these are going to look like. I may focus on specific colours, flowers, leaves, abstract. I have no clear plan, I am going to be led by the movement of water, colour and the moment. Intuition is a subtle whisper. I saw this written quite a while ago, I can't recall where, I wrote it down in my journal of mantras. It felt beautiful for today because the whisper is there, yet often it is drowned out. We have to do our best to turn stuff off, so that we can hear the whisper of our soul quietly calling. I am going to feel my way through this month and stay in my truth. Keep shining starseeds and trust that intuitive intelligence. 'Art with Heart - Calm your Mind, Soothe your Soul.'
Dearest She I have been writing to you since you passed, picking up a pen to write is my go-to because I know we shared a love of writing and the written word. I feel close to you when I'm writing you letters. Are you near? I hope and pray that you're now running, skipping and dancing free, just like the 7 year old ballerina in the DVD from 1942. I am so very heart broken that you're no longer here physically - devastated - I know how tired your physical body was and it just couldn't go on. I was singing the other day to Edelweiss on the radio, we loved singing together and especially those harmonies as we did the washing up.. I want to curl up and hide away but right now I'm needed here, I'm tired and need to rest. It's Poetry Group tonight, the title you all chose back in August is still Somewhere Else, it seems so fitting now. We are all reconnecting around your table, to honour you. I had planned to join the poetry clan anyway when I returned, now I'm sitting in your chair. I hope I'll be okay. I have found the beginning of your poem that you began in August, after the last session. Who knew you wouldn't be there, things took a turn for the worst and here we are, without you. I have also written my poem. I do hope you are listening. I bought biscuits. Somewhere Else S uddenly living in a new place O n a bed of emotions and grief M issing the very woman I returned to love E ntering a twilight world W atching the world go by H ankering after missed opportunities E scaping when I can, not R eassuring my heart E verything will be okay E verything will settle L eaning in, to acceptance S urrendering to what is E volving into someone somewhere else Julia Harvey October 2019 and now for yours. Somewhere Else Where is somewhere else In your mind, in your soul In your hopes, in your dreams In your thought, in your days Mind going back to your childhood When your worries were inside Sheila Dolowitch August 2019. Post Poetry GroupDear She
It was a lovely night, everyone was so kind and pleased to be back, celebrating you. We talked of you and they shared their stories. Stories are everything. Memories are what I crave. They shared their own poems, of Somewhere Else, and also Poems written about you. How wonderful these words were, you would have been so humbled, tears would have fallen, just as they did for me. I hope you know you are and were, incredibly loved by all people you came into contact. I hope you hear. Love your Jules x It has been a long time since I sat down and wrote a blog. All of this is becoming clearer to me these past two days.
For the past 6 years I have been struggling to find my way to write my 'back to health' story of when I was ill in my 20s with M.E, that debilitating health problem that floored me. I have fleshed out the content, I knew exactly what this would be but... something was holding me back. I ran a few online programmes called ReBalance Me, I began a ReBalance Me Club for people and then I suddenly found myself, slam dunk, right in the middle of something, I felt I was treading through mud. I didn't know what it was. Then I began to peel back layers and recognised, I was peri menopausal moving into menopause. My counselling practice sees me supporting many women to rebalance their lives, women who are going through many emotional symptoms, as well as physical (the emotional aren't really talked about). Fast forward to July 2018, and as I started my 50th year. Bam. Guess what .... I realised that I too am now one of those women. I am in this phase. I am in the change. I have known this for about 4-5 years and it has steadily got more and more challenging. Worse. Do I recognise this current Julia? Well, I see snippets of her, but really she's changing. Then, out on a walk with my Jacks, I realise that I need to truly reconnect with my own ReBalanceMe 7Ways , the one that I wrote many moons ago, and have amended for the last 2. The one that I support and guide other women to look at. Mmm..... time to listen to my own guidance. In my research and experience, I hear mostly about physical symptoms of peri and meno, but what isn't discussed much, is the feeling of "change." Self esteem, confidence, desire, low mood, high mood, anxiety, all these hormonal fluctuations that make dealing with all of this, every day, so, so difficult. On top of that we are dealing with the life changes that occur when you're mid to late 40s, through 50s. My intention now for this space is for you to feel calm, soothed, inspired, less stressed and anxious. I'll share with you my 7 Ways to Wellness that I write about in ReBalanceMe, with the main thread that I am going to be following this too. I want you you take back the reigns and discover your own 7ways toolkit. I'm going to continue my research and talk to people about all of this, ultimately in talking about it with other holistic experts, I will share this via my vlog. |