RIPPLES FROM THE CENTER

Sunday, October 30, 2011

AUTUMN SONG IN THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT

A Reflective Meditation Inspired by a Spontaneous Journey to Thee Beloved Three Sisters Volcanoes and the High Desert Grasslands that Embrace Them in the Petroglyph National Monument, West of Albuquerque, New Mexico
*The photography on this site is my original work unless otherwise noted.

“…wherever your journey takes you,

there are new gods waiting there,

with divine patience ~ and laughter.”

~ Susan M. Watkins

available for purchase... at the end of this entry...

Timelessness ripples across the ancient

seas of these high desert plains...

calls to me with its chorus of sky and cloudness…

earth, grasslands, Sandia Mountain~ness…
and the sisterhood of three
ancient volcanoes...

illuminative, poignant,
imaginative...

its expansiveness opens me

speaks…

to this one tree road~ness,

to this expectant heart,

raindrops witnessing

elemental
grace…

always grace, more grace to say, to pray,
to sing as a gypsy traveler on her way

to the Center of the World...

Sister Sirens Three, anciently wise

gift their resonant

voices...

beckon me to venture

behind the veil...

to journey into their humming quietude

to breathe, listen, ponder,

transcend...

I remember. I remember

their transformative fire,

their unbridled

bliss...

as they whisper, "Embrace your past,

bless it, cherish it, let it go…"

"Call your future self up

as she births from

inside this

land."

“You can fly even as you walk earthbound...

light as white butterfly wings,

gentle rain clouds
floating."

"Know that you are part of this
sacred land made of
stardust."

Their precious basalt words ripple up

through the soles of my feet ~

spark out of my eyes.

I join Wind as he sings his

chilly revelatory

refrains…

listening inversely to his cold yet comforting

laughter, standing atop this volcano sister
at the Center of the World,
and I, too,
laugh...

letting bliss ripple through

every breath, footstep,

gesture, thought,

smile...
atom.

I treasure these gifts of loving-kindness,

carry them within me ~ give them away

like a daily potlatch ceremony,

strew them all about

like joyful

seeds...

abundant in this life that we too often forget is
but a dream ~ this magic show that is
the sky we dance in, this earth

we are blessed to
walk upon...

this stardust that lights our way
as we add

our own inner brightness to this

precious radiant
wonderland!

Beauty sings...

our very essences...

into more vibrant

illuminating

ways...

of being the loving, happy souls

we are born

to be!

I have learned this and offer it up to you.
~ Life itself is the proper ceremony!~

photo credit: http://www.territoryahead.com

my dream truck... just need to paint a

flying heart on the tailgate! GRiN!

With a knowing WiNK, and a blessed Namasté I travel
onward and upward knowing that Grace rains down
in abundance day and night, rain or shine!
As we let go and open our bodies, minds,
hearts and souls, Grace's everyday
sweetness and miracles
show up in ordinary
extraordinary
ways...

photo credit: http://www.territoryahead.com

with sepia tone alteration

Beauty in all things and blessings dear hearts...

blisses & kisses in abundance as we
ripple more beauty, more laughter,
love, always more love from
the Center of Our Beings,
the Center of this
Precious
World!

xox
o

MY ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHY IS

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE VIA THIS SITE.

High Resolution Prints @ 72 pixels per inch.

INQUIRE ABOUT PRICES & PRINT SIZES

@ 602-274-2057 or email

JulieBrokken@yahoo.com

Please honor this work and contact me

for permission for use.

My deepest gratitude, Julie

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Kama in Red

Kāma in Red: Goddess of Relationships

Kāma in Red: Goddess of Relationships is an assemblage composed of my original handmade watercolor gouache paper doll goddess, milagros of a mermaid, two men, a woman, glass heart bead, vintage fabrics, pieces of red glass, gold pins, partial picture frame, ripped and controlled burn wood, small battery powered lights, and a hidden paper Hindu angel. 34"x15"x6". Available for your collection. Please inquire.

"Kāma (Sanskrit, Pali; Devanagari: काम) is often translated from Sanskrit as sexual desire, sexual pleasure, sensual gratification, sexual fulfillment, or eros, but can more broadly mean desire, wish, passion, longing, pleasure of the senses, the aesthetic enjoyment of life, affection, or love, without sexual connotations." Wikipedia.

You choose. GRiN! As Georgia O'Keeffe said, "We all bring ourselves to the work."

But seriously, or not... this piece was conceived (very funny, Julie) of as a self-portrait as a goddess whilst I was teaching an art class at the Phoenix Art Museum in tandem with an exhibit, Art of the Himalayas: Treasures from Tibetan and Nepalese. Art is another way of calling in the goddess... we can all get "a little help from our friends' in the non-physical realms. Namaste!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Autumn Window

soft slow as a chilly butterfly

late on its way south

breeze enters barely audible

wraps around my forearms

takes my hands lifts them

from this desk this page

cups them to my cheeks

cool as damp bed sheets

hung on an autumn line

welcome “hush” pausing

the crickets quiet now

I sing my own silent song

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Jaguar's Two Moons: Painting & Poetry Paired

Jaguar's Moons: A Shamanic Self-Portrait

watercolor/gouache painting on paper, 2004-2007

$3500, inquire

There is a story within a story in this painting... and very personal. I am happy to share it with all who are interested. I prefer to relate it directly. I started the poem below in about 2000. It was a challenging birth... nights writing at a diner at 2 in the morning. It seemed to want to be two poems to I finally acquiesced. It was born out of a vision I had of the moon dividing in two. Often the art, in whatever form, visual, poetic, et al, informs the artist, has a life force of it's own. Toss in the collective unconscious and who knows where it will take you. After writing this poem, I learned that the Maya believed that Jaguar protected people's souls while they slept! Namaste!

Jaguar’s Two Moons

Phase I

Jaguar births from fractured light

Moon and her beloved dark waters

surrender mottled cat

to deep and sacred beauty night jaguar

tastes new gods in moon drops

laced indigo laced gold

bites mystery off a comet’s tail

chasing herself past Mars

Beauty sits atop sleeping Earth

to waken Morning Sun dappled souls

astride broad spotted back dreams

true waken promised dawn

Phase II

Born of Moon’s water

breaking out of stone

Jaguar fractures light in two

follows where it’s flown

Luna’s waters wax ~ then wane

crescent moon ~ it’s duty

surrenders beloved mottled cat

to deep and sacred beauty

Jaguar watches light play dark

bouncing betwixt the stars

bites mystery off a comet’s tail

chases herself past Mars

Seven Sisters and offspring too

dapple Jaguar’s coat

entrust themselves to Shadow

sanctuary remote

Night Beauty leaps onto her cherished Earth

splashing wisdom on her face

washes all sleeping souls onto her back

ferries them safely to sweet morning place

Kindred spirits with her fly

paint light and dark as one

tell sublime tales of timeless Jaguar Lore

a whole new world begun!

Me & My Jaguar @ White Butterfly Studio

Factory on 5th, ABQ, NM

Monday, August 29, 2011

In the premiere issue of the new zine, ARTISTICA

Bathing Rabbits

Sometimes in my sleep

I walk up to the dark house

knock on the thick door

ask if shadow can come out to play

It’s a risky endeavor

akin to bathing rabbits

in a bathroom sink

without reinforced gloves or a tin suit

A thrashing fever of fingers & fur

all tooth claw nail tattered ears

a fury and flurry of wild pink water

blood rising & screams curdling & soap

I dare you to take your free hand if you have one left

light a candle near the wall

bring thumb forefinger together just so

make two bunny ears with the other three

Listen to what this silent rabbit has to say laughing

as you articulate thumb & forefinger

it wants to teach you the wisdom of play

playing in the dark with your shadow puppets

I’m very happy to say that we will be including your work, “Bathing Rabbits” in the premiere issue of Artistica! The first issue will be available on September 1^st, 2011 and I am very proud of the work in this first issue. We have had a great response and the buzz is already building! I’m sure this will only be the beginning of a tremendous journey, so I thank you for coming along for the ride!

Artistica is a new ‘zine that has two missions – to highlight the amazing artists living in our community through community building; bringing artists, poets and writers together and to do so by having fun. Artistica is a playful little ‘zine with as much for love for craft as we have for bad puns. You can expect quirkiness, but you can also expect quality.

Zachary Kluckman

Spoken Word Editor - The Pedestal Magazine

Associate Editor - The Journal of Truth and Consequence

Albuquerque Slam Poet Laureate Program Director

Monday, August 22, 2011

Clothesline Assemblage

This little piece was pure magic! Observing my friend, Sarah Hessinger's, beautiful outdoor art installation of white sheets on a clothesline flowing in the breeze (at the Artists Studio at The Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix) I walked the grounds and found the primary elements... the clothespin, unlike the ones Sarah was using, the piece of rusty metal (the bodice) the twig, and the rusty wire with screw eyes... all just waiting to be made into a little piece to honor Sarah's work! I would be inspired a year later to create a complimentary installation using tea towels as prayer flags.