Lion Heart

A friend from the Mandala Oasis group wasn't feeling well and when I went into my studio I did this mandala holding the intention of healing.

She gives a lot, has a big heart.. a very encouraging person.

As I was just allowing, I thought about balance. It's when we are out of balance that we become sick.. even with a simple cold. Sometimes it's the imbalance of taking care of others without giving ourselves some nurturing.

Us, nature... everything must be in balance in order to function to the best of it's ability. We've all been there.

As I was coloring it, courage entered my thoughts. I thought of the lion, fire, and the courage it took to change.

It takes courage to heal. Healing means something needs to change. Whether it be our diet, balancing work and play, releasing worries or grief... the big stuff needs more change and that takes a lot more courage.

I watched my husband transform his lifestyle due to a health scare. It took courage to say no to so many things that he took for granted and became comfortable with.

When we become so embedded into a certain way of living, it is hard to change. Our comfort level becomes disturbed. Warning. Warning.. change or die.

With so much information about smoking, why do people still smoke... or drink too much... or eat too much.. because it's hard to change. It takes a lot of courage.

This is what this little mandala had to say to me. It spoke to me of courage.

It takes courage to do art and put it out there. To sing your song, to be your true self.

e.e. cummings said it so well...

" To be nobody else

but yourself

in a world which is doing it's best,

night and day,

to make you everybody else -

means to fight the hardest battle

which any human being can fight,

and never stop fighting."

As I teach, the hardest part is to get this across. We all want to belong, so we conform. We copy. We wear what's in style, play the same music... it's all about comfort and sometimes being different is not so comfortable... and that's why it takes a huge amount of courage to be yourself. It takes you out of the comfort zone... "what will They think???"

Do that what brings you joy in play and work.

How courageous can you be today... in your art, your relationships...your clothing... ?