A painting I started a while ago, didnβt know how to finish it, until today. I really like it now. π I used acrylic paint, gold -and glitter pens. It is 15 x 15 cm, the title is “Myk” – meaning soft. It is for sale on my art page. π«Άπ»
If you knew that one day someone would be helped and inspired by exactly the trial you are going through now, would it then be easier to bear? I believe that the knowledge/thought that another person can benefit from your story; your experiences and how you solved problems and trials makes the burden lighter in a way; because then you are doing something for something greater than yourself. There is a self-sacrifice in the picture that gives momentum, and you no longer think only of “me and mine,” but also of the well-being of others. I donβt know if this makes sense – I think itβs the autumn and the colourful death and devotion of the plants to the cycle of the seasons that made me write this π€ππ
In a world that teaches me first, me only, me always, prayer is a quiet rebellion. It begins with a bow, a loosening of the fist that clutches at control.
It dares to whisper: I am not the center. I am not the crown of all things. I am a thread in the tapestry, a note in the chorus, a servant of something vast. Something holy.
Prayer is an act of defiance against the tyranny of ego, against the hunger that never fills. It topples the empire of the small self and builds, stone by stone, a sanctuary for all beings.
In prayer, we betray the myth of isolation. We kneel not in defeat, but in devotion and love.
Prayer is rebellion, the most radical kind, for it wages war not on others, but on the walls within, until only openness remains.
Through the power of prayer, we can align ourselves with life and light itself. What a miracle.
We can call for the aid of both ancient and recent Masters, Beyond space and time. Their luminous wisdom and boundless compassion can touch our hearts as intimately as the Sun’s warmth opens flowers in the morning mist.
Prayer is not just mere words. It is the trembling of the soul reaching for our wholeness, a candle lit in the dark, a river bending toward the ocean. Prayer is tantra and transformation.
The Sacred Bear and “the Origin of the SΓ‘mi People”
In SΓ‘mi mythology, the bear is a divine ancestor, not just an animal.
One myth tells of a heavenly bear who descended to earth and married a human woman. Their children became the first SΓ‘mi people.
Because of this, bears were/are honored as ancestor spirits, and when a bear was killed (very rare and ritualised), its bones were carefully placed in a tree to allow its soul to return to the sky.
A ceremony called the Bear Feast included songs, dances, and apologizing to the bear spirit for the killing, inviting it to be reborn.
The Bear Who Fell From the Stars:
A SΓ‘mi Creation Song of the First Bear
In the hush before dawn, where no footprints fall, Where the wind hums secrets to the pine, A star broke loose from the roof of night And tumbled down through time.
He fell with a roar through clouds of gold, Bathed in *Beaiviβs light. He landed not dead, but dreaming still In the heart of the forestβs white.
The reindeer bowed their crowned heads low, The lynx stood still in her track. For this was the First of Bears, The Sky-Child, fallen back.
He walked like thunder on ancient snow, His breath, a wind of flame. Yet gentle were his dreaming eyes, And wise, and without shame.
A woman came from a northern vale, A weaver of skins and song. She found him sleeping in a ring of birch And stayed with him all night long.
They spoke without words by fire and frost, By the rhythm of blood and bone. She taught him the names of the winds and streams; He gave her dreams of home.
And so their children, wild and wise, Were neither beast nor man. They sang to trees, they hunted clean, They walked where few else can.
But then the bear, when spring had sung, Felt longing rise like steam: His fur grew light, his eyes grew wide He vanished into dream.
And so today, when the bear is seen, The SΓ‘mi bow and sing βChild of stars, our ancient kin, Return again in spring.β
If ever a bear is taken in hunt, The people weep and pray. They dress his skull in flowers and moss And lift his bones away.
Bought a new diary, in hopes of finding time to write again; haven’t written anything in over a year. Initiated first page with this poem πππΌπ
Art card with envolope βοΈ 17 x 12 cm including white edges. 75 NOK (norwegian kroner) Can be shipped anywhere π€π
The prints are made from a painting I did back in 2021 when I first became a mother. Afterwards, I slightly edited it digitally, and thought it looked wonderful as printed art cards π I have 3 cards available currently.
A zen tradition that doesnβt separate buddhanature from substrate consciousness (skt. alaya vijnana), doesnβt speak or teach kensho but then claims to be able to just sit (j. shikantaza), that doesnβt have one on one instruction (j. sanzen/dokusan), that has no emphasis of any type of dynamicity or physicality in training, where lineage blessings go unnoticed, where students and roshis spend sesshin after sesshin half asleep, has got to be the most decadent form of Zen to ever exist. These are the very problems that Bodhidharma corrected by teaching the weak, sleepy and ignorant meditation monks dynamic movement practices but also how to transform, stretch and strenghten tissues (c. yijinjing) and how to transform all three bodies from samsaric to nirvanic state (c. xisuijing, bone marrow washing). Itβs been long since Bodhidharmaβs time but the state of some systems that claim to be zen buddhism merely based on lineage transmission and mimicked external form, proves that the deluded mind is master in deluding itself, without much ability to learn from the mistakes done by others. It is indeed difficult to find practitioners who are able to analyze and extract the essential meaning of dharma thus demonstrating abundant merit (skt. punya).
Baba, Revitalized Zen 16 March 2025
Yes, this seems to be true; that the state of Zen lineages today is simply not producing Masters, as was the whole point of Zen training. The state of Dharma is seemingly in a bad shape all around. Therefore, I find it very refreshing and interesting to read such quotes as the one above. Here is the YouTube channel of Revitalized Zen, the facebook group and here is the blog. Excellent reading for any spiritual seeker ππΌπͺ·
“The ancient Masters were profound and subtle. Their wisdom was unfathomable. There is no way to describe it; all we can describe is their appearance.
They were careful as someone crossing an iced-over stream. Alert as a warrior in enemy territory. Courteous as a guest. Fluid as melting ice. Shapable as a block of wood. Receptive as a valley. Clear as a glass of water.
Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?
The Master doesn’t seek fulfillment. Not seeking, not expecting, she is present, and can welcome all things.”
Har veldig ofte blitt fortalt at man ikke kan leve AV kunst, sΓ₯nn inntektsmessig. Jeg tenker like ofte at man kan leve FOR kunst. Men jeg skjΓΈnner hva de mener; det er veldig vanskelig, nesten umulig, spesielt med tanke pΓ₯ alt av ressurser man putter inn i et slikt tidsfordriv, gΓ₯r det ofte i minus. I tillegg lever vi i en verden der man fort kan oppleve plagiering om man deler sin kunst pΓ₯ nettet, man kan stΓΈte pΓ₯ en kreativ eller eksistensiell tΓΈrketid der man er ute av stand til Γ₯ lage noe som helst, man kan vΓ¦re i et stadie i livet der kunst fort blir siste prioritert (f.eks som smΓ₯barnsforeldre), kanskje har man ikke rΓ₯d til Γ₯ kjΓΈpe mer materiale, eller man kan vΓ¦re sΓ₯ blyg og usikker at man ikke tΓΈr Γ₯ dele kunsten i det hele tatt, og ihvertfall ikke modig nok til Γ₯ spΓΈrre om noen er villig til Γ₯ betale for det. En annen ting, er at ens kunst aldri vil vΓ¦re for alle, det mΓ₯ man alltid huske pΓ₯ slik at man kanskje tar avvisning bedre. Med andre ord; the struggle is real π Men nΓ₯ som 2025 er her, jeg nΓ¦rmer meg 33 Γ₯r nΓ₯ i januar og jeg blir bittelitt mer sikker pΓ₯ meg selv og min kunst, sΓ₯ GRUGLEDER jeg meg til Γ₯ tΓΈrre Γ₯ hive litt av mine penger inn i Γ₯ lage kunsttrykk og nye malerier, legge de for salg og bare se hva som skjer. SΓ₯rbart, men verdt det, tror jeg. β¨οΈ Godt nyttΓ₯r!! π
“Maintain the state of undistractedness, and distractions will fly away. Dwell alone, and you shall find the Friend. Take the lowest place, and you shall reach the highest. Hasten slowly, and you shall soon arrive. Renounce all worldly goals, and you shall reach the highest Goal. If you follow this unfrequented path, you will find the shortest way.” -Milarepa
October photos. Colourful sky, sunny days and snowy days.. It’s always shifting very fast here, you could almost say there is four seasons within one season π π¦βοΈPrayer flags in our garden βοΈ The weather was interesting that day; grey sky and sea, white landscape and a heavy kind of silence.
Humans are herd animals, we’re mammals. We are literally made to raise children in the company and with the support of other women.
This is something we have lost as a modern society.
I would go as far as to say that we have a pandemic of lonely Mothers. Home alone most of the time with their babies, doing their best, often without much mental, emotional or physical support or stimuli from other mums. It’s not natural. And it’s not healthy for the baby; having their start in life defined by this kind of isolation.
It’s not long ago in our human history that women and mums were much closer, and could rely on each other more. I often wish I could turn back time, and experience that closeness, that kind of Motherhood.
In rare small (indigenous) communities around the world, this is still the case, and used to be like that here too (in Troms and Finnmark).
Loneliness sucks a lot of the joy out of Motherhood. It sits like a gray veil over us and makes us even more isolated. Not to mention the shame and guilt many mums feel for even feeling lonely, bacause we have our babies, so we should feel more than content.
But the truth is that women need women. Mums need mums. Only other mums can truly understand the ordeal of birthing and raising children.
So, if you feel lonely in Motherhood, like me, please do not blame yourself, the fault is not with you. It is that we as a modern society have separated ourself too much and we don’t see the importance and value of a supported mum. It’s kind of obvious though; a healthy happy mum = healthy happy start of life for baby, and thus for the all humans and society at large. It all starts with mum.
A painting I did some years ago. “I will keep you safe and warm”.
Really enjoyed this 2 hour interview with “the smarteste man in the world”. Of course IQ isn’t everything, as he says himself, but I guess what I liked about this interview is how he early on in life decided to look for truth and meaning rather than using his brains to make money. They got into all sorts of topics, like beauty, reality, globalism, God, even aliens, cancel culture, etc. Very relevant atuff. Also, I found it funny how he said most buddhists nowadays don’t understand emptiness/sunyata, I think that is true.
My Traditional SΓ‘mi wives’ silver ring πππ₯ It was a gift alongside actual wedding rings. Got married to my best friend and partner in September. Very small short wedding, no guests, just our kids and two witnesses. It was perfect:)
(Made in Kautokeino, Northern SΓ‘pmi)
Gold wedding ring inscribed with my now husbands dharma name inside, and he has mine. Never owned anything made from gold before π Always wanted an inscribed gold ring ever since I saw LOTR as a childπ My bouquet was something I put together from dried flowers and the band around it was same colour as my wedding dress; actually I cut the band (belt) from the dress itself because it was too long.
Being a parent means receiving a unique invitation back to the present moment by these small individuals who only asks for you to be yourself around them, to be fully in the moment and to see them for who they are. It’s so simple that even a child can understand it.
Oh, and I just have to show this gift our oldest made for his dad/my husband for his 35th birthday in October. It was a white statue that I bought, and then he decorated it with paint and gold flakes β¨οΈπ
I highly recommend this very helpful and insightful podcast episode on breaking the fear-tension-pain cycle that most women go into when in labour, myself included. I am very close to giving birth to our second child, and feeling all the emotions that comes naturally leading up to that. This podcast episode really helped me, along with a hypnobirthing course I’ve been doing lately.
When we are small children, it comes natural for us to think of others. We don’t see much separation between ourselves and others, and so wanting to be kind, to help and be generous comes as naturally as dusk and dawn.
As we age and experiences shape us, we get hardened. We are no longer soft and supple like babies, now we have frozen places in our bodies and mind that makes us feel and act in certain negative ways, or it even makes us ill. We get prickly edges, we might be ‘difficult’ for others to be around and as much as we wish to feel soft, authentic and playful again, it just don’t seem to happen by will alone.
This is where yogic practices (dharma) can help, because it targets and addresses both the physical body, and the subtle energy bodies. Focusing only on one aspect, will not be a holistic solution, in my experience. And focusing only on my own healing, without regard to others who are also suffering, is not sufficient; it has to be for the benefit of others – it has to touch the heart (bodhichitta).
Prayer flags in our garden
Here is the youtube channel and the website of the Amrita Mandala dharma lineage which I practice and which has helped me the most in my life and healing ππΌ
In my summer sea sΓ‘mi gΓ‘kti. And small baby “shoes” made by mother-in-law ππΌShades of blue shellRusty coloursBlue and purple hues“Det er morgen igjen, vesle hΓ₯p og verden frotterer seg med nyvasket solskinn. Livets ansikt er aldri det samme selv om vi ser pΓ₯ det i all evighet.” – Kolbein Falkeid #home #kitchen #midnightsunCurious little guy on a short hike in the rain. βοΈSummer details in some of my older paintings. Just playing and experimenting with colours and techniques so that I will hopefully find the Joy of painting again π I guess I have a little dry spell in my creative life at the moment.. Blue, orange and yellow are great together. A bouquet I picked by the side of the road.Details Beef tallow.Son and daddy ππβ€οΈπMy partner of 14 years meditating. #yogisondisplay Our shed with some new flowers.Curious little rabbit in our garden.
Yogi on display in nature for the birds, foxes and rabbits to see π also i found a long-ish animal bone that was perfect to use for hitting on a rock to keep the rhythm while chanting and singing prayers. π°π¦π¦π¦΄
What is #YogisOnDisplay?
“Unlike in cultures long established in the dharma, spiritual practice is not visible in the everyday life of Western society. While many Westerners practice some form of spiritual practice, the actual practice is often kept private. This is a great pity. Not only does it speak volumes about the level of spiritual maturity of the West, but it also means that many people never encounter dharma in the first place. If spirituality is not publically displayed, the fact that there is an alternative to existential confusion and suffering does not reach the masses.
In an attempt to counter this, Amrita Baba has initiated the Yogis on Display project. The idea behind Yogis on Display is to encourage spiritual practitioners of the West to become living examples for others. Instead of hiding away in our modern city caves, we need to bring meditation, mantra singing, yoga practice, and so on, directly to where it matters; straight to the middle of the hamster wheel. Displaying the solution to existential confusion and suffering is a hands-on, time-tested way of practicing care and compassion for all beings.
To spread the message of Yogis on Display the hashtag #yogisondisplay has been created. Practitioners who chose to take part are encouraged to take a picture of themselves and share it on social media using this hashtag. This way more people can learn about the initiative and become inspired to light the torch of dharma in our public spheres.” (AmritaMandala.com)
Our true inner nature is the same as in the natural world; open, alive, grounded, expressive…π§‘πππ “Basic nature”, acrylic and oil pastel crayons, 31,7 x 23,6 cm
It is from Eastern Siberia that the word shaman comes from, which means to ‘heat up’. Where it originated before that, I do not know. The ‘new shananism’ people in the west speak of today can hardly be compared. Shamanism and animism has permeated most if not all of the nomadic and semi-nomadic cultures in this part of the world. The shamans have traditionally been both women and men, though the word ‘shaman’ is masculine form. The feminine word for a female shaman is ‘udugan’ in Tungusic language. In Northern SΓ‘mi a shaman is known as a Noaide. (Acrylic on mixed media paper, A4)Shaman’s drum to aid in the trance travel
Here is some pictures I used for inspiration for my painting.
I can also highly recommend these practices on youtube by a Uralic Tantric yoga teacher Amrita Baba; where he teaches tantric practices with ancient shamanic masters. Here is part 1 of 4, and the other parts linked below video.
I often think about how the two genders are put up against each other in todays’ society, and we forget how to cooperate. We forget that men and women are dependant on each others’ strengths and that we complement each others’ weaknesses. We tend to focus on “who has it worse and who does what is most important”, instead of focusing on “what can we accomplish together, and how can we best raise the next generation, and be there for one another in life’s traumas, challenges and victories”. We hear absurd statements like “what is a woman”, and “do we need men”. The feminine and the masculine are two wings of the same bird, we need both to soar. The feminine power represents creation and wisdom, while the masculine represents stability and action. The whole Universe – and thus you and me – are made of these, and we should not forget that.
(Acrylic and oil pastel drawing/painting size A4, on mixed media paper)
I am tempted to just answer my own question with “why not?”, but that is not satisfactory at all. Especially since there is a very good answer that comes to mind, although it is a cheesy one;
My soul needs it. It is who I am, and art helps bring out my authenticity. I feel ill when I have long periods of low motivation and inspiration, and thus don’t paint.
As probably many other children who loved art, growing up meant finding out how fragile art making can be. How vulnerable you make yourself. How other things in life seems to creep in and take over your time, to the point where there is not much time left for art making. All children are born with an innate sense of wanting to create and learn, and it can take a long time to find back to that once you have entered the hectic adult world of chores and time schedules. What a shame. But also, what a journey.
Like in all good stories, the main character loses herself at one point or many, and falls into some sort of despair and discontentment. She wants to find herself again and strives to get rid of the layers of inauthenticity she has adopted during adolescence and adulthood. Deep down, she knows herself, but too much junk has accumulated, and she feels frozen and trapped.
“Energy that is in motion, stays in motion”. In other words; just start something, and the momentuum will keep going by itself. The more we create, the more we want to create. Do 2 mintues of art making, and before you know it, time ceases and you enter the timeless realm of creativity, where it doesn’t matter how long you do it, all that matters is that you enjoy it and you feel yourself being in a flow state.
You may ask; why paint? Does the world really need another painting of a mediocre rose or the aurora borealis? The answer is No, it doesn’t. But the world needs your interpretation of a rose or the aurora borealis. Your superpower is and will always be that there is only one of you. When someone buys your artwork, takes it home and put it on their wall, they are bringing a piece of your soul home. They want that unique thing you made out of nothing to remind them of what they perhaps have forgotten themselves. Or, they wish to have a feeling or memory your artwork inhabits in their home through their eyes. This is a huge compliment for any artist.
You may also ask; but how do I find my own style? You don’t! It finds you. And you can’t get rid of it, even if you wanted to. Unique personal style is something that happens on its own. Don’t worry about it, it will reveal itself, if you just keep making stuff.
It’s hard being an artist. It can be lonely, it can be difficult to get into the desired state for creating, it can be challenging to make a studio/workspace, it can be close to impossible to find motivation some days and it can be a job in itself to make something out of thin air. But then again, it can also be the most rewarding soul nourishing work.
The following text is from Barbara Brennan’s book “Light Emerging”, page 337 – 343 π
“Once upon a time, aeons ago before time was known as it is today, there was a spark of light in the heart of the divine. That spark in the divine burst forth into millions of stars. Each star had a name that was written in the word of God. One of those stars is you. As a star, you grew and developed and sang across the heavens to the other stars. In this time before you were born as a human, you knew light, love, and wisdom. Being unborn, of course you had no body, so there was a great deal of freedom. You were completely aware of the essence of your being. You had great freedom to move about the universe at your will. You moved in the direction that you focused in. With your intention, you began creating things. If you had a wish, you automatically created it. You created stone and earth; tree and flower; star and planet; even cloud and wind.
Your essence moved easily, changing from one form to another. You experienced being a cloud, a moon, a sun, or a fish, or a cat. You continued to move as your pleasure led you. As you moved from one form to another, creating more forms, you slowly became identified with form, and shadow was born. You got so excited in the creating that memory slipped and you forgot who you were. You were so busy creating, you didnβt even notice that you began to think you were form.
Shadow grew darker, and pain was born out of forgetting that the true self is essence. The true self is the creator, that which is beyond form. That is how you created shadow and pain. You forgot who you are. You split yourself in two: the part that forgot and the whole that remembers.
Within every human being, there is the spark of the divine in every cell of your body. It is the essence of self. Within that true essence of who you are is the healer within you who has all of the creative power of the universe. The healer within you is named according to the word of God. That is who you truly are. Move your awareness now to your inner essence, your power and light that are completely unique. You are the word of God made manifest. Move your awareness to the total essence of your beingβthat is the healer within you. You have felt it your entire life. The golden threads of this power have been woven through the tapestry of your life since before you were born. You knew as a small child, as you know now, what this means. Feel the essence, the power, flowing through you. It is your uniqueness. It is your beauty. It is your love. It is the sweetness that you experienced life to be as a child.
Your power lies within the sweetness of who you are. It is within the sweet longings you have protected and shielded from others. You are like a flower unfolding in the sunlight. Feel the power and the nature of your divinity, unlike any other. Now ground that well in your body. That part of you is still free. That part of you can still move freely through space, time, and other realities. Feel yourself in this freedom now. As you are moving through time and space to different types of reality, in the far distance you hear a cry. That cry wells up and becomes more audible, and you say, βOh, what could that be?β You hear the longing in the cry for help. Then you spot it and you see the beautiful blue and white shimmering planet in the sky. You are drawn closer to that beloved planet by the cries of need. As you get closer, you say, βWhat can I do to help? How can I answer this cry, this call? How can I help heal the pain that is upon the earth?β Then you have a great idea. You decide to create a physical form by drawing it up out of the earth and drawing the pain with it. You intend to use the physical form to heal the pain. You descended into a tiny physical body.
After nine months or so, you were born into this world as a human being. The longer you remained attached to that body, the dimmer the memory of your original essence became. As a child, and perhaps way before that, you began taking on the pain. During the experience of the pain, you completely forgot who you were. When the pain would leave, you would remember. When the pain would come back, you would forget. The pain that you chose to heal grew inside of your body.
Look over your childhood. Find the deepest pain that you have carried in all those years. With that pain, you will find your deepest longing. What is it that you want to be? What is it that you longed to be as a child that you now and then thought you could never be? Did you want to move among the stars? Did you want to heal everyone on earth? Did you want to paint or to create beautiful music? Did you want to make everyone feel safe? What was it that you wanted more than anything? If you could be or could have anything you wished on earth, have any fantasy come true, what is that fantasy? How is the un-fulfillment of that related to your very deep pain?
Look backward over your life. As you moved through each moment of your life carrying that pain, there is one thread: a repeated cycle on the spiral of life, where that deepest pain from childhood has been repeated over and over and over again in the many different experiences that you have had. If you look at all of those experiences, you will find a common thread among them all. When you find that common thread, then allow yourself to begin feeling that pain. Allow your body to experience this pain. Where has it affected your body? When you feel it in your body, where does your body tense? Explore now throughout your body where that pain has affected your psychic, your spiritual, your mental, your psychological, and your physical being. That thread runs holographically through every portion of your being, and as it runs through your body it hits in particular places that eventually become experienced as physical pain. Find it in your body. If you are sensitive to the auric field, then find it in the auric field.
As you find that pain, on whatever level it has manifested most profoundlyβperhaps a fear, perhaps a problem with relationship, perhaps in a physical disorder, perhaps in your professionβthen ask yourself a question: βWhat has this to do with my deepest longing? How is this particular problem associated with my deepest longing of who I wish to be, what I want to do with my life, where I wish to live?β The first job you have is to heal that pain within the body. For it is by the pain in your body and life that you will learn the personal skills that you need to fill your longing, no matter what it is. Find that pain within your body, and put your hands on it: that which you have carried for a lifetime, that darkest belief system that has the most profound forgetting, that one major, deepest pain, be it in your heart, your belly, or in your throat. Put your hand there now, and experience the consciousness there that believes in separation. It is the shadow. It believes it is separate and isolated from everything, isolated and separate with no hope. Find that pain that has been there from the earliest of days, and let that shadow begin to dissolve. Enter into the shadow. Accompany yourself into the dungeon within the self that needs healing. Do not deny the human experience of that real pain from the human perspective. It is not a new pain. It has been there ever since you can remember. It is not the kind of pain that goes away easily, for it is deeply, deeply ingrained. Spend some time with the pain. Then when you are ready, move your conscious awareness to the healer within you. Here is your wisdom. Here is your longing and your light with which you came here to heal the pain that is in your body. Move back to the pain and feel the pain. Then move to the longing and feel the longing. Move back to the pain and then to the longing again. Continue moving from one to the other until you find the association between the two, until you can answer the question, βWhat does this pain in my life mean to me? What is it trying to tell me? What is the message it brings to me?β
While you are feeling that pain with your hands, from the human perspective, ask the essence of healer that you are what you need to do. What is the deepest cause of this pain? Ask for help to heal this pain. Ask the healer within for help to heal that which you have been unable to heal in yourself up until now. Truly ask, and it shall be answered. Ask very specifically what you can do. What is the cause? What is the belief system? What do you need to do every day? Allow the essence of the healer within you to work through your hands to heal your body. Be a channel to heal the self. Let the light flow through you. After you have received as much information as you can, reach for the highest spiritual reality you know; your higher self or your guides. Reach for the memory of who you are from that highest spiritual reality. You will find that the pain within you is precisely the pain that you were drawn to earth to heal, way back before you were born, when you were that wondrous spiritual being. That is who you truly are. So reach up to that part of the self that has incarnated in order to heal the very pain that you carry within yourself and that you have carried since your birth. For it is precisely the pain you have come to heal, and it is you who have chosen to take on this pain and in doing so you chose to incarnate with precisely the best combinations of energies and wisdom and love to heal that particular pain. That is what you have come to heal, and you are fully equipped to do so. You have fully equipped yourself to heal it. And that wondrous spiritual being that you were before your birth when you heard the cries and the longing from the earth and were drawn toward the earth is the healer within you.
You are the person who knows how to heal that pain more than anyone else. That is your healer within. Be the healer within you, and heal that thread of pain that you have carried throughout your whole life. Touch your body in places you feel pain. As you are working, move your consciousness back and forth between the healer within and the inner person who is in pain. As you continue to move back and forth, you begin to understand the relationship between the healer within you and the pain that it has come to heal. You have drawn this pain up from the earth to transform it. Give yourself plenty of time to complete this process. You are integrating the pain within, the longing that you carry within your heart, and the healer within that can heal you. Let the healer within you draw out that pain and return you to wholeness. Move back and forth between the human with the deep pain, and the healer with universal power. Move them closer and closer together as you move back and forth until they merge. Continue the process until you become completely merged. When you feel satisfied that the merging is complete and has stabilized, I would like you to remain silent for at least an hour. Remain silent, sit in meditation, or simply get up and go for a walk in the woods.”
Morning sunlight through the autumn leavesDew drops…Patch of neighbourhood bathing in morning lightA kind of autumn bouqet I pickedIt’s dark in the evenings now. Hello candles!The golden season
Can I just say, this is the best photo anyone has ever taken of me? Susann, thank you for capturing my essence. Here I am wearing a headdress and silk liidni I sewed myself, and the gΓ‘kti summer dress is made by Nadezda Johnsen. Autumn wind…π§‘πππΌLife is a lot of chopping wood and carrying water… I think that is how the saying goes π
“Your healing journey will, of course, include a consideration and use of all the best tools modern medicine can offer you, as well as the best tools holistic healing can offer you. From a deeper perspective, illness is caused by unfulfilled longing. The deeper the illness, the deeper the longing. It is a message that somehow, somewhere, you have forgotten who you are and what your purpose is. You have forgotten and disconnected from the purpose of your creative energy from your core. Your illness is the symptom: The disease represents your unfulfilled longing. So above all else, use your illness to set yourself free to do what you have always wanted to do, to be who you have always wanted to be, to manifest and express who you already are from your deepest, broadest, and highest reality. If indeed you have discovered yourself to be ill, prepare yourself for change, expect your deepest longing to surface and to be brought to fruition. Prepare yourself to finally stop running and turn and face the tiger within you, whatever that means to you in a very personal way. I suggest the best place to start to find the meaning of your illness is to ask yourself: βWhat is it that I have longed for and not yet succeeded in creating in my life?β’ (From Barbara Brennan’s book Emerging Light)
Yellow birch leaves bathing in the sunlight. Ramfjorden/GΓ‘ranasvuotna.Calm sea….πThe yellow trees against the blue sky is a sight to behold. ππVery happy with this shot, was thinking for many weeks that I wanted to take this photo and feel like I nailed it just how I wished πππ»This one is with phone camera, because I could not find my Panasonic camera (found it 2 days later, exactly where I put it!) Tinden / SΓ‘laΕ‘oaivi.Another phone shot, but feel like I really captured the mood of the weather, even though it is bad quality! βοΈ
New painting inspired by the Arctic autumn.. Colourful landscape and a Sun that has started to set again after midnightsun season is over. This is a gift for my father, who is kind of the one who gave me art and an interest in art. πππ ππΌ
“Darkness, no matter how ominous and intimidating, is not a thing or force: it is merely the absence of light. So light need not combat and overpower darkness in order to displace it – where light is, darkness is not. A thimbleful of light will therefore banish a roomful of darkness. The same is true of good and evil: evil is not a thing or force, but merely the absence or concealment of good. One need not ‘defeat’ the evil in the world; one need only bring to light its inherent goodness.”
“People wearing their national dresses symbolise unity. A research conducted on this subject showed that youngsters wearing traditional clothes, irrespective of western pressure, had fewer behavioural and emotional problems. The reason being that they are in touch with their ancestral culture, religion and traditions and thus not confused about their identity or who they are.” Makes sense to me; feeling like you belong and have a community is very important. Nowadays, I think many of us feel a part of many different groups, because we live in a globalised world, and clothing can be changed, thus changing your identity. Maybe that makes our traditional and national dresses even more special? β€
Here is the link to the study for anyone interested. It also sheds a light on the dangers of not allowing indigenous peoples to use and wear their own clothings, as we have seen happen all over the world.
SΓ‘mi man in gΓ‘kti with reindeer pants and mittens. The shoes are nuvttohat, skaller, nutukas.. many names for same shoe. Different languages and dialects. Photo by Lola A. AkerstrΓΆmKautokeino SΓ‘mis. Guovdageaidnu in Northern SΓ‘mi language. Wearing pesks and gΓ‘ktis. With traditional shawls, belts, mittens and hats. Northern Lapland/SΓ‘pmi. Khanty woman Kristina Neva and baby in reindeer clothing with decor. Summer on the Arctic tundra. Photo by Bryan and Cherry Alexander.
Our sweet little boy π€ My wool sweater knitted by grandma.
Being a mama has really opened my heart, not just for our child, but for all children. I have always loved the little new humans obviously, but being a parent takes it to another level somehow. Truly an automatic bodhicitta practice; infinite love and boundless compassion – our true nature.
Here are some beautiful motherhood art pieces I really like. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! π₯°
Art by Germaine Arnaktauyok, “Quiet Time”, 2005Art by Mayoreak Ashoona, “Matching braids”, 1991
Not a painting or art print, but traditional SΓ‘mi komse (baby carrier). Truly an art piece in itself, with every woven band having a meaning. Art by Emily KewageshigArt by Alanah Jewell
How has motherhood changed you? Has it opened your heart (more)?
For the past 11 years or so, I have been teaching myself how to relax and be calm.
I have always been quite a worried person, so I feel I had to learn this in order to simply have a better life with more control. I still sometimes forget how to, but each time I remember, I do the following:
An easy quick way to instantly relax the mind and muscles, causing bloodflow to spread more evenly in the body, is to do three things simultanously: relax the jaw and eyes completely, breathe deeply into belly for at least 8 breaths and move the inner gaze/attention to the feet or ground below. Get a sense of the Earth. Notice the effect.
Another way, if you have the oppotunity, is to lay down flat, do the same with jaw and eyes, and to focus on the in and out breaths in the belly. Take deep slow breaths. Imagine them as waves ebbing on the shore.
And lastly, going into nature of course has a calming effect too, even just for 10 minutes. If you cannot go outside, perhaps painting or drawing nature is an idea.
Hope this helps! I truly believe knowing how to relax and calm our selves is an important skill. Getting carried away by the storm can be both painful and result in regrets.
MΓ₯rrakaffe og nydelig lilla tulipanKan ikke huske sist jeg laga pΓ₯skeris β€πππ€πIngen pΓ₯ske uten gule (og noen lilla) tulipaner. Sola titter ogsΓ₯ oftere frem!
Was so lucky to receive this traditional SΓ‘mi bracelet from my partner’s mum as a gift “for giving her the greatest gift” (our son, her grandson) π€
It is made from black leather, reindeer antler button and decoration, and the braids are traditional tinwire used in duodji/daidda. It is made by @tinntraadfruen on instagram if you want to see her work π«
What was a gift you received that had a nice meaning behind it?
The Sun is properly back, and giving us all sorts of moods with her play of light. Like brushstrokes.Afternoon.My friend Flo.We are making a short film. Stay tuned! π₯°Same landscape, different season.
A little snow leopard put her print in the snow πΎ Tara dancing in the snow next to it β10 x 10 cm. Colours used: white, blue and copper/gold.Our Christmas altar. Put my new painting there next to Vajrasattva statue.‘During practice, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas are omnipresent. Theyβre always here, but we donβt see them because of our obscurations. We practice in order to clear away the obscurations and to acquire pure perceptionβnot with the eyes, but with the heart.’ β€ππ»
The copper coloured mountain is also known as Zangdok Palri; Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava’s non-physical pure land.
My favourite painting from last year ππ§‘ππ Acrylic on canvas.
“An amateur (literally means ‘lover [of something]’) is generally considered a person who persues a particular activity or field of study independently from their source of income/does not persue it professionally or with an eye to gain.” π¨
“Just like water, snow and ice, life is always shifting, changing forms.” (This photo is from february 2017). Beautiful texture and shapes in the frozen water.
One of my paintings inspired by the icy landscape:
Click to see bigger versionsMy little pregnant polar bear. Wrote a post earlier about this painting π Here she is framed.
KjΓΈpte noen kjempesΓΈte smΓ₯ trehjerter pΓ₯ Flying Tiger for en ukes tid siden. De er vel egentlig for Γ₯ bruke som gavelapper, men de funker ogsΓ₯ tydeligvis bra til Γ₯ male pΓ₯ πππ»π¨πβ
Come see my little exhibition of 13 paintings at Magic Ice TromsΓΈ β Most paintings are for sale ππ» They also have the cosiest tiny coffee place there, an impressive ice sculpture gallery by Lithuanian artists and a cocktail bar – all ice, even the glasses βοΈπ₯π
This leaf survived in my bag for weeks, on planes and buses (from some travels in february, I hope to find time to share some photos with you soon!) Only a bit broken in the edges πππ Turned out great as canvas for a little landscape paintingπ¨π
Some of the last rays of sun on my summer paintings before november and polar night comes π»π¨πThis one is new, made two days ago. 20 x 15 cm (I think!)A winter painting snuck in there as well!
75 x 30 cm. Painting on such a long canvas was new for me! Here it is just finished in the very poor light of my living room.Close up details. I make clouds with make-up brush.My work station πBefore I added the plants.In daylight. This was before the snow came!Displayed in an app showroom, just to show in different setting. Happy with the new painting πππΌ
Did you know there is a reason why orange+blue and yellow+purple work together so well? π§‘πππ They are considered complementary colours! “Complementary colours are pairs of colours which, when combined or mixed, cancel each other out by producing a grayscale colour like white or black. When placed next to each other, they create the strongest contrast for those two colors. Complementary colours may also be called ‘opposite colours’.”
Ask The Mountains 