REDONDOWRITER'S SACRED ORDINARY

Synchronicity: The Story of the Two Ralph Whites

This summer I have free written in my journal a lot to explore where I am and what might be next for me. I’m recording dreams again and spending more quiet time simply being aware of my body and environment. I’m whispering gratitudes continuously as I’m fully aware that though my own days are dwindling just by the mere fact that I’m 72, that there’s no reason I can’t say thank you for the days I have had and am having. (I am not being morbid, but realistic, I think.) I’m also working almost every night in my art journals—and creativity and hope seem to be simmering once again. I was kind of stuck for a while. All summer I’ve dug around in my patio garden connecting to the earth and have walked to the sea simply to stare at sunsets and people. A few weeks back I began sorting old photos and reconnecting with my ancestors and my family. Today I booked a flight to visit my sister in Las Vegas later this month and to go to my 54th class reunion in Laughlin, NV. I had really been dragging my feet. I have very much become a homebody. 

When I consciously live life with intention, starting when I first wake up (which is much harder to do than say), synchronicities begin to happen. It’s like Holy Spirit (or whatever you call something greater than yourself) reveals itself through people, situations and circumstances. Have you noticed that yourself? I've been more present lately--and sometimes that is pretty darned painful, I might add.

In that synchronistic vein, I’ve recently become aware of two Ralph Whites. One I’ve actually met. So, here goes. In the Aug. 31 edition of the Los Angeles Times, there was an interesting article by Louis Sahagun called "A Quest for the Mysteries of spiritual experience."  It was about a conference in upstate New York exploring the unexplained about the country's spiritual and cultural movements that started there. This first Ralph White, the editor of Lapis Magazine, led the tour. Booked as “An Esoteric Quest for Inner America” in Rip Van Winkle country, participants visited the Oneida Community, the site of the 19609 Woodstock festival, the Six Nations Iroquois Conferdation, the Hudson River School painters, the now mostly defunct Shaker communities, and several other locations. One doesn't necessarily have to go the great ruins around the world to find spiritual beginnings and continuity. It's right in our own back yards. 

Ralph White I is apparently is an expert on esoteric philosophy and theology and for the past six years I haven't been spending time at my old esoteric haunts like the Krotona School of Theosophy, the Krishnamurti Foundation of America, both in Ojai, or the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles for a long time. I haven’t even been to the Jung Institute in Los Angeles, which isn't so much esoteric, but is a psychology based in spirituality. I haven't been reading Gnosis or Parabola on a regular basis. 

I had never even heard of the esoteric scholar and Lapis editor Ralph White but even before awareness of Ralph White I, I met another Ralph White, a fusion artist. Ralph White belongs to my art group and has a studio set up in a garage next door to my house where he paints on the weekend. I recently visited him while he was working and though I am not ordinarily attracted to most abstract art, I was extremely pulled toward his. It is very spiritual. 

I love the synchronicity of “discovering” both Ralph White’s within a few weeks span and if you are interested in all things spiritual, I highly recommend visiting both these men’s websites. Both are inspiring and surely piqued my interest—and maybe more.

I'll admit it. The time has come again to enrich my Christianity by staying equally in tune with all the spiritual traditions of the world. Something has been missing lately--and I know that by nature I like to seek out other ways of looking at the world. 

 

Summer Studios Friday Night Art Jam

I have been hearing a lot about Summer Studios Arts Academy in Lomita and tonight I got to experience it for myself. On the last Friday of the month they have an Art Jam which features lots of art, various musicians jamming on stage, and eight poets reading. What a lovely space this is--and the evening was informal and stellar. I was very impressed. The class schedule also impressed me and I'm seriously thinking of taking six weeks of mixed media on Monday nights. 

Following are a few photos from the evening, but I took a few dozen. 

This is the sign at the front of the studio. 

This is a mosaic project that is being made by several of the artists involved at the studio. When it is finished and sold, 60% of the profit will go to a non-profit, probably Homeboy Industries in L.A. With all the budget cuts and the bad economy, their good work is struggling mightily.

This man was one of the eight poets who read. His piece was the story of his mule. This poem reminded me of cowboy poetry readings I've attended. 

These were three of the musicians who played off and on during the evening. Everyone who performed was beyond excellent. 

All the art was excellent, but this piece really caught my fancy. 

Finding My Art Journal "Voice"

I'm nearing completion on the 20-page art journal I started at Teesha and Tracy Moore's Play workshop in Pt. Townsend last month, but I have a yearning to start another one where I truly "practice" and find my voice. My stuff seems to look so much different than a lot of other pages I've seen. 

A few weeks ago I found an old spiral bound "Drawing is Fun" address book whose stock was heavy enough to paint on. It was at the Malaga Cove used book sale--25 cents! Its size is 7" x 7" and it seems that is small enough that I should be able to make it into an art journal without feeling too intimidated. I altered  the book and it is my new explore techniques art journal. I gessoed the covers and I keep painting pages so if and when I feel like horsing around in it, I'm ready to start. Veteran art journalers tell me to even randomly lay images which will ultimately force me to make something out of whatever color and image is on the page. 

Incidentally, though I rarely post to the Yahoo Groups The Art Journal moderated by Ricë Freeman-Zachery at Voodoo Cafe, it's a treasure trove. Many art journalers keep their albums at The Art Journal and it's a great place to study technique and see what others are creating. 

So, here are three pages. I'm just about ready to start exploring more imaginative pages and trying my hand at drawing, although I have as much skill as a kindergartner. (Although my own K grandson draws better than I do, frankly.) 

 

Rest in Peace, Ted Kennedy

They just broke in on TV to report Ted Kennedy's death. We all knew it was coming, but I feel so sad. I came of age voting for JFK and like so many people in my age bracket and of my political persuasion, the Kennedy family saga has woven through our own stories. Two weeks ago his sister Eunice Shriver and now Ted. The end of an era. 

Adam: A Film I Highly Recommend

Though I posted about Adam on Facebook Sunday when I saw it, I want to make sure that if you would like to see a really good film, try Adam. It's an indie shown at Sundance and currently showing only at "select theaters" which around L.A. means a few art houses. 

  A very different romantic comedy because the male lead has Asbergers, this is how the New York Times reviewed it. I just keep thinking and thinking about this film. As I look back on my own life, I believe a few of the brilliant engineers I knew had really similar behavior. If you see it, I'd like to know what you thought. 

The Journey is the Destination: Dan Eldon

 I’ve known for years about murdered photojournalist Dan Eldon’s story and his journals, but never really explored who he was or even saw anything beyond a few reproductions of his art journal pages. Only 22 years old, he was killed in an uprising in Somalia in 1993. His mother Kathleen M. Eldon, published a book of his journals in 1997 called “The Journey is the Destination.” The foreward by his mom is at this link as a PDF.

So, the stage is set. Imagine my delight to find a pristine copy of the “The Journey is the Destination” at the Malaga Cove Used Book Sale today. It was $5 and I’ve been mesmerized by it since. A little Internet research quickly brought me up to speed on who he was and how his life and work has continued to make a difference in the world.

Next I discovered that there is a permanent exhibition of Dan Eldon's journals at the Candela/Decker gallery in Manhattan as reported by The New York Times. Then I discovered that in 2011 a film is supposed to be released called "The Journey is the Destination" and will star Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame. Dan Eldon's sister Amy Eldon also created a documentary about war correspondents called "Dying to Tell the Story" which ran on TBS in 1998, but it isn’t available on Netflix though it is available to purchase at other sites. Have any of you seen this documentary?

There is also a traveling exhibition of his journals and it was at Santa Monica College last spring. Bummer! But, Eldon wasn’t on my radar screen then. Don’t you just love how the Universe works sometimes? You vaguely know about someone or something. You tuck it into your brain somewhere, and when the time is right, more information presents itself. That's the way it was for me in the late 1970s when I became deeply interested in the Trappist monk Thomas Merton but didn't pursue it. Then I received a copy of "The Seven Storey Mountain" in a new year's eve dice game, believe it or not, and a whole new world opened up to me. My Master's thesis was "Dialogues With Thomas Merton," and I once made a pilgrimage to all his New York haunts when I was with students at Columbia University. I even got permission to use Merton files in the Columbia archives.

I'm looking forward to learning about the legacy that Dan Eldon has left us all. 

 

Redondo Beach Art Group Humongous Garage Sale Tomorrow

It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a whole lot of volunteers to get ready for a benefit garage sale to raise funds for the Redondo Beach Art Group's Power of Art Show in October. 

If you are in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, join us tomorrow at 8 a.m. at 719 N. Paulina, Redondo Beach, CA and I guarantee you will find bargains galore. The is a clean-up sale for an artist with lots of other artists making donations. There is something for everyone at rock bottom prices. I came home with my $10 goodie bag after my volunteer hours and it was jam-packed with arts and crafts supplies. But, there are household goods, tools, collectibles, clothing, linens, decor--and hundreds of great frames. 

Those of you who read here know I love garage and estate sales, but long ago gave up having sales myself. Too much work. And now I remember how much work. 

Come support us, pretty please? 

Whatever Happened to that Blogger Named Redondowriter?

Two people were waiting for the downtown L.A. express bus at the bus stop at Broadway and Torrance Blvd. I was walking Cookie and I heard my Internet handle: Redondowriter.

Woman #1: You know, that blogger named Redondowriter lives near here I heard. I used to follow her blog all the time, but she's such a sporadic poster these days, that I simply haven't bothered. It seemed like she was having a hard time presenting fresh material and lately she simply isn't showing up. Isn't showing up in life what it is all about? 

Woman #2: My friend Ellie is in the same artist group she is and she says that Fran aka Redondowriter has, at least for now, lost her mojo without a doubt. Facebook has something to do with it and she also hasn't been blogwalking like she should. To be followed on blogs, a writer has to be a follower. She's got the guilts big-time.

Woman #1: I used to read her religiously, but she isn't controversial, she doesn't write about politics, and her posts largely reflect her interests, family, friends and what is going on in the South Bay area. I first heard about her from a Daily Breeze link. 

Woman #2: Ellie says between having to go back to work a month early, she has been fighting a GI bug, both her sisters are ill, and she stretched herself too thin with what she was told are "volunteer opportunities." It's also mammo and breast cancer test time and that always knocks her up the side of the head. Apparently she is a people pleaser and hasn't learned boundaries well. She's no spring chicken,you know, but she is damned resiliant. A survivor. Maybe she just forgot how to convey that to us. 

Woman #1: Sounds like she is a worry wart who has always tried to put on a happy face for her cyber public so no one real realize that sometimes the world just gets her down. 

Woman #2: I never read Redondowriter regularly like you did and I never left comments. Did you? But Ellie says that she always said the blog was her writing practice and she did it for herself, not for the public. Do you believe that? 

Woman #1: I left comments a few times, but she rarely replied when I did, so I thought, why bother? But, if she is a people pleaser like Ellie says, maybe she just needs some encouragement to come back more regularly. Nobody who tells the truth really keeps a blog, or even posts on Facebook, just for themselves, let's face it.

Woman #2: She second guesses blogging all the time now and she was educated as a professional communicator and is addicted to writing.I wonder what's really up? She doesn't even post regularly on the Peninsula Friends of the Library blog anymore, and that's one of her volunteer responsibilities. The same with the St. Thomas More Society of Los Angeles website, which she also is in charge of. 

Woman #1: Well, if she would just post something interesting for a change--or controversial. She must have strong opinions about something she would want to share. 

Woman #2: Ellie says she has a do no harm policy and it makes her boring. If she put sex, drugs, politics, or references to rock and roll in her titles, more people would read her and leave comments. I wish she would actually do some exposes of some South Bay people that I know she knows the "stuff" about. 

Woman #1: Do no harm, remember? Here comes the bus. See you tonight on the ride home from the mean streets at the courthouse. See that woman walking her cute dog limping from arthritis? I see her walking all the time and the dog is moving slower and slower--and so is she. She's probably a neighborhood character. Maybe Redondowriter should write about her.

Woman #2: Ellie says that Redondowriter does insist that everyone has a story. I think I'll leave a comment on her blog tonight whether she posts or not. Goodbye to you. We've got a celeb trial in my court today. Now there is the real world. 

Indulging Myself With Two New Art Journaling Books

I have had two Barnes and Noble gift cards burning a hole in my wallet for months, but I didn’t have a yearning for any particular book, so kept them tucked safe. Last night I realized that I had missed ordering the premiere copy of Somerset’s Art Journaling  and now it’s only available in digital format.I was so looking forward to having that magazine. 

Because I want to broaden my art journal horizons, I visited good old B&N in search of a book I didn't have.  

I bought two absolutely incredible books on art journaling and got my 20% educators discount as well. 

Journal Bliss by Violette

1000 Artist Journal Pages by Dawn DeVries Sokol

I’m particularly excited to try a lot of the techniques that Violette demonstrates. I love her work and she makes me feel like I can do this, too.

Do you have favorite art journaling books with good examples of the range of possibilities? I’m not very original, but I’m great at getting ideas from other people’s creations. 

Best Birthday Present Ever: Family Garage Cleaning

I have been getting rid of stuff in my house and garage for several months--trips to Goodwill and Salvation Army and putting items up on FreeCycle. I have repeatedly done what I could in the garage which like everyone's garage, I suppose, is incredibly daunting. Not only do I have stuff, but I've got many boxes stored that belong to my adult children--and 2 of my late sisters and my long-gone step mom. (Thanks, Kathy, for your help all those years ago you helped me get rid of a lot of Irene's stuff.) 

When the yearly question came up this year, "What do you want for your birthday, mom?" I immediately replied, "The best present would be a family clean-the-garage afternoon--and that's exactly what we did today--after we all went to CJ's Pantry for my breakfast birthday. There were six adults and I did the least work. They were champs. Two of my kids went through their boxes and we filled the dumpster for the complex. Then we made piles: (l) For the thrift shop (2) for the trash (3) for the Palos Verdes Book Sale, (4) for the front yard where I sometimes leave items and they mysteriously disappear to a good home, and piles for Tony and Christy to take home to their own garages. 

We did not finish, but it's like night and day compared to what it was. Lorenzo, my son-in-law and Tony encouraged me to let go of a lot of stuff I was keeping for sentimental reasons. The stuff in the front yard is already gone and I feel so relieved to have gotten rid of so much stuff. 

When you get to a certain age, you know there is a possibility (if not a promise) that eventually my kids are going to have to get rid of all this stuff anyway. I don't think they would be estate sale types, but you never know.

So, thanks to Christy, Lorenzo, Tony, Whitney and Anthony. You gave me the best birthday present ever.