Black Cats, Halloween & Healing

One of my wonderful art collectors lost her beloved black cat this week, Mr. Meeshka. He lived a long and happy life (15 I believe) and from what I know about him he was a pretty cool and laid back cat.

Superstitions. A Witches familiar.....

In Europe a black cat crossing your path is bad luck. In Japan it is good luck. In Scotland a strange black cat appearing on your porch is an omen as well but a good one. It means that prosperity is on the way. If you hear a cat sneeze in Italy then you are in for a streak of good luck.Cats are not allowed in the room if family is having a private talk in the Netherlands. The fear is that the cat will spread gossip all over town, and the family secrets will be out. Don’t be too hard on the cat in Ireland, however killing a cat there brings 17 years of bad luck.

I think there's something great about black cats! I've never met one that I didn't like. They look at you with a knowing of the depth of your soul. They are playful and mellow, alert and smart. Unfortunately, they are targets for strange pranks around Halloween.

The first cat I owned in my adult life was black and chose me and my husband as its owners. It used to follow us into our apartment at night and because it was black, we didn't notice it until about 15 minutes after we were in the apartment. The first meal we fed her was collard greens (the only thing we had in the fridge) and she ate every bite. We knew then that she was a stray. After about a week of following us around we decided to keep her and named her Mystic. She really lived up to her name! The first mysterious thing we found while giving her a flea bath was a tattoo on her stomach. It wasn't a number, or a name, it was a symbol. It was the female symbol with

a 6 pointed star in the circle part of the symbol. We were quite shocked by this and I went to the library to look for answers. I really didn't find anything except a reference that the symbol may be used as part of witchcraft ceremonies. A few year later, a psychic friend of mine put Mystic on her lap and intuitively saw that she had been part of a Halloween ceremony, perhaps a satanic ritual and had gotten the tattoo that way.  Mystic somehow had gotten away before the ritual was complete.

Mystic was pretty smart and would play hide n' seek with us. She would also, always eat and eat just about anything you sat in front of her.

When my mother was home with hospice, dying of breast cancer, Mystic would not leave her side, except to eat or go to the bathroom. It was only on the day of her death that Mystic left the room and then did not return until she has passed. She lived to the good age of 13, fat and happy. At that age she began to have seizures. Alarmed we took her to the vet who said she had an advanced stage of cancer and should be put down right away. It was a shock to us and my poor husband helped Mystic in the end, as I could not bear to see her go.

Scientists now believe that a cats purr may be healing or a self-healing mechanism. Cats purr during both inhalation and exhalation with a consistent pattern and frequency between 25 and 150 Hertz. investigations have shown that sound frequencies in this range can improve bone density and promote healing.

Is it a coincidence that Mystic had cancer, as did my mother? Does it just say that our environment is screwed up? Was her presence helpful to my mother and her illness? I was to me at least. Will there be rituals and ceremonies performed on black cats this Halloween? Will it be bad luck or good luck the next time  a black cat crosses your path?

Dragonfly Encounter

I have a friend that had some amazing encounters with dragonfly in the last couple of months. The first one happened while she was travelling. She opened up her wallet to pay for something and a beautiful dragonfly flew out of it from seemingly nowhere! The second was while she was visiting her gallery at night. A dragonfly had lost its way inside the gallery and was flying around madly trying to find its way out. In doing so, it flew right up to my friends face and kissed her on the lips! So what could these encounters mean?

Dragonflies (as well as butterflies) signify transformation from one level of knowledge to another, physically, spiritually or mentally. Dragonflies in their early stages are known as Nymphs and spend most of their lives in the water. It takes two years for a nymph to transform into an adult. This can reflect the number of years it will take to make this personal change or transformation. As an adult they fly through the air in swift flight. They transform from a water creature to an air creature. Through that transformation they show that conquering water and sky is possible by one small creature, that nothing is impossible with belief in self. Dragonfly asks us  to release ideas of powerlessness, limitation or fear.

Dragonflies come in many different colors. For most dragonflies, colors are caused almost the same way rainbows are formed. Structures in their shells scatter and refract light, making them look iridescent. As they age, they may pass through several color changes. This ability to refract light has caused dragonfly to be associated with magic and mysticism – including color magic. Dragonfly may be telling you to work with color to transform your life. To attract love, focus on reds or violets. Green helps with creativity and new beginnings. To feel more in the now or moment, focus on yellow. To feel more connected to the universe use all shades of blues and indigo.

In the Native American tradition, dragonflies represent the souls of the dead. This may be the best explanation for my friend, as she is going through personal trials with her parents, one having cancer and the other, Alzheimer's disease. Perhaps her mother's slowly fleeting spirit is telling her to (paint) work in love, light and color - quickly!

In the words of Ted Andrews; "Dragonfly can help you see through your illusions and allow your own light to shine through. They bring the brightness of transformation and the wonder of a colorful new vision."

Take time to check out Cindy Anderson's work. She is a dragonfly person and has enjoyed painting them for a few years now!

Cindy's Website; http://www.cindyanderson.com/

You can purchase a print here; http://www.etsy.com/listing/85799618/blue-moon-print

Spider Totem

A "totem" is an object representing an animal or plant that serves as an emblem of a group of people, reminding them of their mythic past or impending future.

Signs of animals in everyday life can clue us into what we need to glean from the world and universe around us. They show us through 'what they are', behaviour and traits that can help us in our everyday human struggle. It is said if we try to take on some of the totem's traits it will help us grow in the physical and spiritual world. A friend of mine asked recently what "Spider" meant. She had been bitten by a couple of different spiders recently and was seeing them frequently in her environment.

Spiders are very delicate creatures that play an important role in the myths and lore of many people's as the teacher of balance between the past and future, the physical and spiritual. The web they weave is symbolic of time interlacing, past, present and future. The spider can move anywhere in the web and can physically move her web or home anywhere, thus she is able to move anywhere in space and time. She calls us to use our creativity and weave our own dreams into reality. She asks, how are we designing the most effective life? To my friend she is saying "Pay attention!" nothing dies, everything is accessible to you through the web.

To the Native Americans, Spider is Grandmother, she who sits at the great galactic center and is the link to the past and future. She is the female force of all creation who joins all nations, all tribes, all galactic families, and all realities together, in her web. During dream time we remove part of our consciousness from physical reality and venture off through 'her' web experiencing that which we cannot understand with our physical consciousness. The Native American "dream catcher" is part of the spider mythology.

In India it's associated with Maya, the weaver of illusions. The term Maya comes from the Sanskrit root “Ma” which means no form or limit. The term Maya describes the illusory nature of appearances or illusion. The Spider’s association with Maya brings about the understanding that not all things are as they appear to be.

The Internet is a modern manifestation of the Web symbol.  We are able to gather information from all corners of the globe, from the past and present, valid information and not so valid information. The "web" helps show us what Spider Woman is. 

Spiders have eight eyes and all have eight legs. The number eight is also a symbol of infinity  (an eight turned on its side). Also, the vibrational frequency indicates the meaning of number eight involves cycles, passage of time, and evolution.

Other spider symbolic meanings;

• Cunning
• Progressive
• Female
• Cyclical
• Rebirth
• Death
• Crafty
• Resourceful
• Creation
• Protection
• Fate

DOG is GOD spelled backwards

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H17edn_RZoY&feature=player_embedded] Many people have used this phrase over the years. Here's a video by Wendy Farncisco about their connection. I found it to be very sweet and true.

I've also started making these small paintings that work great as key, leash, jewelry holders. Here's a couple of them with the "DOG is God" phrase.