#880 + 29 October 2019 + Softly: earTH I-VIII 2012 Catherine L. Johnson + Norway Spruce + PURE K9 JOY!!!!!

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Softly : earTH I-VIII

timeless elegance – colors of our Earth

2012

 each original painting measures: 13″ H x 10.5″ W

Catherine L. Johnson

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I dedicate

the presentation

of this

specific series of paintings

to ALL whose hearts and lives

were/are

navigating through,

coping with,

and,

rising up with courageous resilience

the terrifying, traumatic wildfires in California:

Kincade Fire / Sonoma County

Tick Fire / Los Angeles County

Getty Fire / Los Angeles County.

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California wildfire questions answered in the link below:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/30/us/wildfires-california-explained-questions-trnd/index.html

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I send you the life force

of the continuous energy of

GRACE LOVE + RADICAL HOPE.

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​Green:

Green is color of the Heart chakra.

Green is the color of revitalization, hope, and rebirth.

Green is serene, calming, and stress-relieving.

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Please click on each image to enlarge + for detail

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Softly: earTH I                                                                                          Catherine L. Johnson  2012

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Softly: earTH II                                                                                         Catherine L. Johnson  2012

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Softly: earTH III                                                                                        Catherine L. Johnson  2012

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Softly: earTH iV                                                                                      Catherine L. Johnson  2012

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Softly: earTH V                                                                                      Catherine L. Johnson  2012

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Softly: earTH VI                                                                                     Catherine L. Johnson  2012

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Softly: earTH VII                                                                                      Catherine L. Johnson  2012

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Softly: earTH VIII                                                                                     Catherine L. Johnson  2012

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Norway spruce (Abies vulgaris)

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PURE 

K9 

JOY!!!!!

 

WOXOF!

JASPAR OBI

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2017: MY AMAZING ZING ZING JASPAR OBI RUNNING

THROUGH VENTO NATURE SANCTUARY!

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PUREK9JOYAWCCLJAREDOGSLIVINGINHUMANBODIESPUREK9JOYCAPTSILVERTOOTH

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Read Full Post »

#879 + PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE + PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE + PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE +

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PRACTICE

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PRACTICE

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DAWNING  #5                                                                                Catherine L. Johnson  2017

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DAWNING  #6                                                                               Catherine L. Johnson  2017

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DAWNING  #7                                                                                Catherine L. Johnson  2017

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Please click on the images to enlarge/detail.

For further information on the DAWNING series, please click on the links below.

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/722-dawning-ecclessonatagminor-2017-catherine-l-johnson-william-xucla-double-bass-recital-2008-eccles-sonata-in-g-minor-tanzania/

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2017/04/06/724-improvisation-dawnings-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-catherine-l-johnson-2017-bill-evans-trio-bill-evans-scott-lafaro-paul-motian/

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Renshabo – Kamakura Era

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Imakita Kōsen (1816-1892)

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In Zen, ensō (円相 , “circle”)

is a circle that is hand-drawn

in one or two uninhibited brushstrokes

to express a moment

when the mind is free to let the body create.

These paintings were done as a type of moving meditation,

so therefore unlike conventional artists

who strive for variety and originality,

these artists brushed the same subjects

over and over,

using the same pattern strokes.

The paintings showed not only the spiritual quality of the artist,

but the uniqueness of each moment in time as well.

So each one is different,

even though done by the same person

moments apart.

http://zenpaintings.com/article-enso.htm

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PRACTICE

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Playing with freedom

can only come

after

a certain amount of foundational study.

– Geri Allen

Geri Antoinette Allen

(June 12, 1957 – June 27, 2017)

https://geriallen.com/

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PRACTICE

PRACTICE

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GRACE #7                                                                                                  Catherine L. Johnson 2017

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Please click on the image to enlarge/detail.

For further information on the GRACE series, please click on the links below.

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/tag/737-grace-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-2017-catherine-l-johnson-pablo-neruda-of-everything-i-have-seen-catherine-l-johnson/

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/744-grace-8-you-are-my-grace-i-am-your-grace-40-h-x-26-w-catherine-l-johnson-anthony-coxs-dark-metals-charles-lloyds-modern-quartet/

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PRACTICE

PRACTICE

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PRACTICE

PRACTICE

PRACTICE

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PRACTICE

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ELEgancE #2                                                                                                 Catherine L. Johnson  2018

 

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Please click on the image to enlarge/detail.

For further information on the ELEgancE series, please click on the links below.

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2018/12/11/840-elegance-1-2-2018-catherine-l-johnson-infinity-eternity-y-our-breath/

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2019/01/01/844-elegance-7-2018-catherine-l-johnson-wonder-awe-2019-treasure-heart-gracelove-is-opendeepwideimprovisationalsoaringbrilliantradicalhope-unfurling-courage-bliss-action/

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2019/01/15/845-elegance-8-2019-catherine-l-johnson-15-january-2019-awaken-woke-ings-to-make-an-end-is-to-make-a-beginning-t-s-eliot/

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/846-elegance-9-2019-catherine-l-johnson-dare-to-move-forward-by-all-means-keep-moving-reverend-dr-martin-luther-king-jr/

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2019/02/06/848-elegance-10-11-2019-catherine-l-johnson-fantastic-negrito-plastic-hamburgers-stacey-abrams-says-we-do-not-succeed-alone/

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/846-elegance-9-2019-catherine-l-johnson-dare-to-move-forward-by-all-means-keep-moving-reverend-dr-martin-luther-king-jr/

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2018/12/21/841-winter-solsoul-stice-elegance-3-4-5-2018-catherine-l-johnson-dedicated-to-the-bountiful-grace-luminosity-of-holly-cottor-on-her-birthday/

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PRACTICE

PRACTICE

PRACTICE

PRACTICE

PRACTICE

PRACTICE

PRACTICE

PRACTICE

sacred listening

living your truth

self awareness

KINDNESS

radical hope

compassionate empathy

challenging your perspectives + perceptions

moving beyond limitations

beginning anew

freedom

negotiating conflict resolution

making amends with/by change

TELLING THE TRUTH

respect for self + others

honor for self + others

generosity

responsibility

PRESENCE

forgiveness

DEMOCRACY

integrity

SEEING

with an original eye

beauty

resilience

stepping UP

vulnerability

courage

empathy

reliability

intimacy

update/reset your life’s script/narrative

heal/thy art of living

living love

rising

RESURGENCE

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PRACTICEAWCPRACTICECLJPRACTICEAWCPRACTICEAWCPRACTICECLJPRACTICEAWC

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Read Full Post »

#869 + ‘BLACK ICE: SWEETLY’ 2019 Catherine L. Johnson + ‘BLINDED BY YOUR GRACE’ 2017 Stormzy +

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Please click on link below:

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2019/06/21/866-black-ice-quiet-2019-catherine-l-johnson-raf-k9-jaspar-obi-aka-dunkirk-beethovens-opus-132-quartetto-italiano-anthony-cox-billy-higgins/

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2019/06/30/867-black-ice-tenderly-2019-catherine-l-johnson-prana-qi-vijnana-joie-de-vivre-tenderly-bill-evans-tony-scott/

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‘BLACK ICE: SWEETLY’

Catherine L. Johnson 

2019

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TWO SEPARATE PRISMS/EXPERIENCES OF THE SINGULAR DRAWING

whisper / whispers / whispering

listen

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TOP IMAGE: light is centered and positioned straight on the work
BOTTOM IMAGE: light is  dimmed and centered from below the work 

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PLEASE CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE + FOR DETAIL

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intimate — listening/attending with an open heart and with the open palms of one’s hands — listen to the light — reverence

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4B and 2B GRAPHITE ON BLACK HEAVYWEIGHT MATTE PAPER
19.25” H x 13.75” W

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 ‘BLINDED BY YOUR GRACE’

Stormzy

2017

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SOFTLYYESAWCSWEETLYGRACECLJGRACESWEETLYYESSOFTLY

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Read Full Post »

#847 + “She / In the dark / Found light Brighter than many ever see…” + CONNIE CATES SHELLA 5 September 1954 – 23 January 2019

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She,
In the dark,
Found light
Brighter than many ever see.

She,
Within herself,
Found loveliness,
Through the soul’s own mastery.

And now the world receives
From her dower:
The message of the strength
Of inner power.

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Langston Hughes

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CONNIE CATES SHELLA

5 September 1954 – 23 January 2019

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/indianapolis-in/connie-shella-8138040

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AWEwoman.

I can see her as a child,

my cousin,

with her

long platinum brown hair falling

below her shoulders,

a quiet regal presence

and

a graceful ballerina demeanor.

Astonishing, to me.

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I knew her

as a woman

who was luminous,

grace,

fierce

in her determination

to

endure,

transcend

and

prevail.

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Her opened heart was

a July ruby bloom,

a maternal warm nest,

a safe hearth.

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Connie,

my “cousin-sister”,

a Queen,

who invited,

welcomed

and

upheld truth-telling,

elegant dignity

and 

lived the deep sea courage

of

unfathomable loving,

boundless hope,

with

a heartfire

that shined kind tenderness,

remarkable resilience

and

radiant beauty.

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My cousin’s

soul

spiraled, soared tonight

escaping her knotted coiled body

and,

in her last exhale,

a bright star

was created

in the vault

of

the

night sky.

 

Wednesday, 23 January 2019

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Thank you, Connie.

You live forever in my heart beat.

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Connie WITH me. 13 July 2015.

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Read Full Post »

#844 + ELEgancE #7 2018 Catherine L. Johnson + WONDER AWE 2019 + TREASURE HEART> GRACELOVE IS OPENDEEPWIDEIMPROVISATIONALSOARINGBRILLIANTRADICALHOPE UNFURLING COURAGE BLISS ACTION

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE + FOR DETAIL

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ELEgancE #7                                                                                         Catherine L. Johnson 2018

 

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My NEW YEAR’s OFFERING/BLESSING to you:

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The present was an egg
laid by the past
that had the future
inside its shell.

Zora Neale Hurston

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JASPAR OBI

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Jaspar Obi

is my little man,

MY STAND BY ME

on 4legs.

He is my cherished

11 year old English Springer Spaniel.

My constant, faithful and enthusiastic

WING man

to ALL

my outdoor adventures

and

my creative adventures.

Jaspar Obi

is my

fierce/protective lion at my gate

who KNOWS

my code and my embedded passwords

to my

HEARTSOUL

behind my fortress and moat.

He is the entrusted “drawbridge”.

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Jaspar Obi, 

as his soul slowly lifts away

from his increasingly frail body,

is now

my mentor/detectivepriest

teaching me without words

about

improvisational LOVE,

the true authentic

sacred dynamic

of

GRACE LOVE:

which OPENS hearts

deeper and wider

that WELCOMES uncertainty

as discovery, exciting,

and 

is

the testament/practice

of

REAL freedom.

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This voyage

of

GRACE LOVE

is

NOT

for fearful pale hearts

who do

NOT

have the capacity to

“sacred listen”,

nor the s/hero’s  STRENGTH + willingness

to

enter the unknown

and

who do

NOT

access/activate their own internal

“divining rod”.

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The

choice

to be

a truth seeker

is to

drop the dense slippery veils of denial

– continuously with determination/strength,

is to

stay resolved to learn/know

what they may not want to learn.

and

is the

strength + willingness to navigate

the turbulent, starless, fathomless seas

of

concealment

and

uncertainty

in the

requisite

vision quests.

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GRACE LOVE

IS

OPENDEEPWIDE

IMPROVISATIONALSOARING

BRILLIANTRADICALHOPE

UNFURLING

COURAGE

BLISS

ACTION!

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GRACE LOVE

becomes

A CONSCIOUS CHOICE

directed by the

“divining rod”

of 

YOUR

TREASURE HEART.

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Those who choose

to

LIVE LOVE

as

BOUNDLESS INFINITE LIGHT

through

darkness and uncertainty

LIVE BEAUTY;

LIVE TRUTH;

LIVE COURAGE;

LIVE STRENGTH;

LIVE RADICAL HOPE;

LIVE BLOOMING GARDENS of BEAUTY;

LIVE KINDNESS;

LIVE DIGNITY;

LIVE HONESTY;

LIVE VULNERABILITY;

LIVE the ART of LOVING.

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Love is difficult

– yet,

loving is an unfurling blessed revelation of joy

 loving is a relational messy verb

– a  wild A/LIVE river.

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GRACE LOVE

is not a possession,

is not a commodity,

is not a barter,

nor an arrangement of convenience

 that controls or can be controlled.

It is a breath gift of immeasurable value to your heartsoul.

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GRACE LOVE

loving is not falling

– it is riSING to SEE

and

willing to be SEEN!

A decision.

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GRACE LOVE

is calling out an expedition,

a call out adventure to be ALL the things…

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The

revelation and response

of

GRACE LOVE’s

CALL

is

to cross the threshold

and

ENTER

an

intimate dance

with/for a treasured beloved

into

WONDER + AWE!

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To LIVE

GRACE LOVE

is

WONDER + AWE!

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GRACE LOVE

is a testament,

a breathing LIVING template

of  the

coUrage, STRENGTH + capacity

to

break open.

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GRACE LOVE

is a hymn of the sublime

and

  KNOWING

love

is

boundless, creative,

authentic STRONG

when

the hurricane lamp guide

is:

“We will figure it out”,

“I see YOU”

and

“Yes,

life is amaZING GRACE”

IS

the

VITAL / DYNAMIC dialectic

of

Y/OUR

awareness;

that listening to silence is hearing

and

KNOWING

the story

of

your choices

and

awakenings

and

relationships

is

YOUR life.

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Yes,

KNOWING 

YOU

are the gardener,

the pilot,

the flight,

the belief,

the practice of RADICAL hope without a map

and

WITH

ONLY

the light in the DARK sTar nights

to guide you

into

the unknown, open, bountiful

fields

of

GRACE LOVE.

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DARK sTar #3                                                                                           Catherine L. Johnson 2018

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2018/03/01/789-dark-star-1-2-3-4-5-6-2018-catherine-l-johnson-she-in-the-dark-found-light-langston-hughes/

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Your

story

is

which relationships

you chose/choose

to nourish/nurture/dance

WITH

and

you

cherished

as

unrepeatable, sacred

irreplaceable

DISCOVERY ADVENTURE

treasures

– a  synergistic fit of goodness to each + all.

 

Your story

is also

the choices of your exits,

your letting go of relationships

that are no longer respectful or honorable or truthful

of

you AND/OR them.

To live lies is to steal/extinguish light.

Cruel theft.

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Choosing

heal/thy

IS

I / ThOU.

 

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The Cottor family KNOWS

GRACE LOVE

the active choice to  move forward,

to go WITH the beloved,

to go beyond:

conventional wisdom, boundaries, expectations.

My cousins, Holly and Jonathan Cottor,

KNOW + LIVE GRACE LOVE.

My Uncle Bob and Aunt Sharon Cottor

KNOW + LIVE GRACE LOVE.

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Improvisational creative geniuses

KNOW + LIVE GRACE LOVE!

They MUST

because

they cannot deceive/lie

to

themselves.

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To choose

RiSING

RESURGENCE

is

to go waaaay

beyond

conventional wisdom

and

to have faith that you do

taste/touch/see

the Dark sTar

within

LIGHT.

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Pioneers.

Hurricane LAMPS.

Mavericks.

INNOVATORS.

CREATORS of NEW optics

to SEE ANEW.

BOUNDLESS.

FREEDOM BLUEPRINTS.

OPPORTUNITIES which SPARK.

Crescendos of POSSIBILITIES.

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The

TRUTH SEEKER’s

choice

is a

“I MUST KNOW”!

I will enter

the unknown/the unnamed

so I can

discover

and,

in turn,

become a guide.

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You KNOW

when YOU

make/made that transforming

LIVE LIFE

choice.

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You can

ONLY

move forward

once

you choose,

with actions,

the momentous life-defining

call

of

GRACE LOVE.

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NO backwards step

once

YOU

FEEL

the aWAKEning.

WOKE.

 

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The

FREEDOM

of

LIVING

GRACE LOVE

is the design,

flight and blissful confidence

of the

alchemy story 

of the

PHOENIX!

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Fear is a now a forever slayed dragon.

You learned what/who to listen to

– you can no longer can be taken hostage.

You feel your own heart beat, heart blood and breath.

You know WHO to seek

–  those relationships

who SEE YOU

in/with

GRACE LOVE.

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YOU

are now

the

victor/leader

of the

dynamic relational template

of

dignity,

radiance

and

peace.

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YES!

YOU.

YES!

ME.

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JASPAR, variation of Caspar, meaning TREASURE in Persian.

Caspar was one of the Magi, reigning from Persia,

who followed the Star of Bethlehem brought frankincense.

OBI is an African name which means HEART.

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LETSBLISSSOARFLYAWCYESU/METREASUREFIELDSOFJOYUCOMETOME

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#839 + SIMPLE AWE + SIMPLE WONDER + RADICAL HOPE + YES! + NEW BREED LEADERS

Please CLICK on image for detail

 

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SIMPLE AWE + SIMPLE WONDER #3                                                     Catherine L. Johnson   2018

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SIMPLE AWE

SIMPLE WONDER

RADICAL HOPE

YES!

amaZING GRACE

NEW BREED LEADERS

RESURGENCE

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AHEROICYESAWCRESURGENCERISINGAMAZINGGRACE

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#816 + STILLNESS #1/ #2/ #3 2018 Catherine L. Johnson + Glenn Gould ignites J.S.Bach’s Partita #2 with his Lassie

“An Egoless Practice”: Tantric Art

https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2012/04/03/an-egoless-practice-tantric-art/

http://sigliopress.com/book/tantra-song/

 

 

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“When the soul

wants to experience something

she throws out an image

in front of her

and

then

steps

into

it.”

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Meister Eckhart , 14th century German theologian

 

 

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The circle symbol meaning is universal

– it represents the infinite nature of energy.

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STILLNESS

2018

Catherine L. Johnson

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For further information on STILLNESS, please click on links below:

http://www.mnartists.org/artwork/stillness-1-10

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2018/07/31/818-stillness-7-8-2018-catherine-l-johnson-meister-eckhart-14th-century-german-theologian-uncharted-territories-2018-dave-holland-craig-taborn-ches-smith/

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2018/07/27/817-stillness-4-5-6-2018-catherine-l-johnson-meister-eckhart-14th-century-german-theologian-uncharted-territories-2018-dave-holland-craig-taborn-ches-smith/

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2018/07/24/816-stillness-1-2-3-2018-catherine-l-johnson-glenn-gould-ignites-j-s-bachs-partita-2-with-his-lassie/

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PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE + FOR DETAIL

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STILLNESS #1                                                                                         Catherine L. Johnson   2018

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STILLNESS #2                                                                                         Catherine L. Johnson   2018

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STILLNESS #3                                                                                         Catherine L. Johnson   2018

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AWCSONICGENIUSSACREDLISTENINGFLYINGKITESISLOVINGCLJ=RAFFREEDOMWEKNOWDARKsTarENERGY

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