Category Archives: life

art, creativity, inspirational, life, nature

Hundred percent nature.

June 8, 2016 Maria G

I am hundred percent nature, and so are you. Day 2 of the 30 day blogging challenge.

I get a lot of inspiration for my art in nature. Every form, color, and impression can be found there. Basically, it’s all outside and all in my mind. Mind in this case would be imagination.

There is a difference between imagination and fantasy. Imagination is a way to travel through time and space whereas fantasy is something, some item or scenario, we wish we had.

Imagination is accessible to everyone. Have you ever tried to connect with metaphysical nature?

virginia-live-oak-440351__180 — Live oak

All you have to do is to be willing and ask for a connection, say, to a tree you like. Then you have to be still and listen. That is often the hardest part. You can ask the tree questions and you might get a sense of an answer as an impression, or a thought, like a revelation. Nature will use your imagination to communicate.

It can be quite an adventure to work with nature. The God of Nature is Pan. He has gotten a bad rap with the horns and the cloven feet in history, but he has a very high, pure, yet earthy vibe. This morning I asked him which part of nature to work with and he said: “there is no part of nature that is not you. You are all nature, nothing else, so there is no separation.”

Consciousness is the spirit part we also share with nature besides our physical manifestation in the world. His simple words were profound. I am all water, minerals, other matter, and spirit. Most of the time, I feel separate, but that is the mind, the chatterbox upstairs that doesn’t like to be silent and just BE.

When I AM I do feel the connection without beginning or end.

Modern people are often afraid of nature. All they see is the challenge; the bugs, the “dangerous” wildlife that carries all sorts of diseases, the creepy crawlies on the ground. How many times do you interact or touch, say, a raccoon or possum? Pretty much never, so why the fear? It’s the programming we receive. Living a fearful antiseptic and sterile life to shut out any connection with the “earthy” part of life equals a deep lack of something. A bit of earthiness will not harm you as any farmer will tell you.

A connection with nature is healthy, natural, and healing. No reason to deprive oneself of that. Concrete buildings and streets are not as conducive to communing with nature even if the energy is present everywhere.

What does nature have to do with art?

Since art originates from within, it’s totally part of me, and since I’m one with nature, art IS nature. I don’t have to go to the park and paint a tree, but by feeling into my inner self, how does a particular tree feel like? I can paint that feeling. It might not end up looking like a tree, but the energy will be there.

Communing with nature is a truly exciting journey. It is inspiring and inner growth inducing. That can be uncomfortable, but it’s even more uncomfortable to live with all the hang-ups we carry around.

Nature is free and filled with inspiration. Art is free and nature can be like a vitamin injection to one’s inner life, which then shows up on the canvas or in the art journal.

Nature wants to work with you! Bring a new level to your art? The sky’s the limit as they say. It’s up to you. 🙂

Many creative blessings flying your way today.

Maria

P.S. Please buy one of my art offerings on etsy! Makes a great gift to yourself or someone special. 🙂 HERE.

art, inspirational, intuitive, life, nature

I joined a 30 day blog writing challenge.

June 7, 2016 Maria G

Yes, I joined, gasp. What was I thinking?

I love to write, but having to come up with interesting posts every day is not easy. I do love to inspire where I can, so expect to see some inspirational posts and art of course.

Life is truly about following one’s dreams and that is what I’m doing, but I have found that my dream is morphing into something slightly different. I love art and art classes that expand my skills and imagination. Art is a constant exploration, not a fixed “dream” per se. Being immersed in art is being inside the dream, so it’s process. Nothing new there but sometimes I look at art as something concrete and inflexible.

In the nineties I was obsessed with communicating with nature and learning about flower essences. I lived in Upstate New York at the time and then I moved to Florida and all that work went by the wayside. I have not had the same connection with Florida nature since it’s very different. Think savage and tough to survive the heat. Lots of prickly and biting things, but every landscape has its own beauty.

I have always been fascinated with the metaphysical aspects of nature.

Have you ever stopped by a tree and felt its presence? Why are we drawn to certain areas of nature but not others? It is an intuitive reaction and the body might feel more comfortable by the beach than in the mountains.

Working with nature metaphysically takes patience and stillness. The challenge is to still the mind and be in the present. All of nature lives in the present, so the gateway is NOW. The more we practice being in the moment of now, the more open we become to energies.

I believe the destruction of nature will end if people become aware of the beautiful life force of everything. We won’t be so eager to do, make, and use things that destroy.

Since I’m aware that nature is highly intelligent and a totally AWARE Being and WANTS to work with us, I feel it’s only right that I endeavor to inspire others to grow that connection Nature can help us with every aspect of life. Nature spirits are not a myth, but they only exist on the inner plane, though people have seen them. They can appear as any form. 🙂

Next time you go out in nature, pick out a tree that seems friendly or any other plant. Take a deep breath to still yourself and see if you can tune into the energy of the plant. It might surprise you. The energy is usually loving and fun.

That would be a first step to connecting with nature. If you don’t feel anything, keep trying. It can take some time so practice the connection. If you can, go to the same plant each time. You can also use a house plant.

How does this connect to art? Art is energy and if I were to translate nature’s energy into art, it would be mostly colors in an abstract way for me. I believe we recognize the energy that flows through everything and that’s why we like good art.

All for now. More tomorrow about the wonders of nature and other things. 🙂

I wish you a creative week!!

Maria

P.S. I have three evergreen mixed media art e-courses available for self study. CLICK HERE.

art journaling, asskickery, creativity, life, motivational, passion, self help

Do what you enjoy first, chores later.

May 30, 2016 Maria G

Hell yea, do what you enjoy first. I have lived by that motto for good and bad during my life, but I KNOW that it is the right way to live.

Most people are not able to let go of the fear, which is dug deep into our psyche to prevent any “black sheep” activity. Be a good robot and waste your precious life on stuff that you hate. Does that make sense?

No.

I realize the bills have to be paid and the dust bunnies have to be swept up and killed, but will the world end if you do that later? No.

We set up our own prisons and stay inside them even though the door is open and the key got lost a long time ago. (Probably hanging out with the dust bunnies.)

The only way I can explore the journey of my art is to practice it daily, and do it while I still have some energy. The boring stuff I can do with one eye closed, or hire someone else to do it.

To work against the programming that has been imprinted since birth, we have to take steps, even if they are mini steps, and no matter how old you are, to change and find something more soul nourishing. Excuses begone! (By the way, there is an excellent audio book by that title by Wayne Dyer.)

Give yourself PERMISSION to start doing what you’re passionate about. Take a long hard look at life and see where the hang ups stop you in your tracks. Are you willing to part with your hang-ups and quirks and phobias? You can, you know. It’s a choice.

Yes, that’s right. It’s a frigging choice. You are not really ruled by your inner hang-ups, but it might seem that way because that’s how we are used to living life. No wonder the whole society is neurotic.

You can choose right now to change your life, one baby step at a time. You will gain confidence, experience, new ways of seeing things, inspiration to move forward even if the road seems dim at times.

If we all did this we would live in a happier place and inspire others to be happy, and before you know it, more and more people would be infected by the happy bug.

Let’s be explorers of our own capabilities and see where they might lead. Never a boring moment for sure. Happy new year, all year long.

So whatever argument you have to what I stated above is an EXCUSE.

I did some art in the last couple of days and had lots of fun, art journaling mostly.

On that note, have a fabulous week, doing what you love FIRST.

I have some items on sale in my etsy shop. I made three handmade journals that are ready to be embellished. CLICK HERE.

Maria

declutter, inspirational, life, motivational, process

Simplify!

April 30, 2016 Maria G

Hell yeah, simplify today.

I have been spending a lot of time decluttering my life. Not just all the junk around the house but also my digital junk. It feels good!

So much stuff drags us down and we don’t even know it. You know what a “drag” it is to enter a cluttered area, like a stuffed garage.

Some people are unable to part with their stuff, but I’m not one of them, thank God. I decluttered my closet, my papers, my books, my knicknacks, my email inbox that had about 1000 emails. It came down to about 10 that I still haven’t read and probably never will.

I decluttered my FB friends’ list and groups. I am the member of way too many groups there, and I don’t know how that happened.

I just deleted all of my numerous message threads on my phone, and that felt good. Clean slate is a good feeling. I even decluttered my studio, which is harder than anything else. Now I can actually find my tools (for now anyway.) There is a sense of serenity about order.

I love to simplify my life. I get a sense of space and serenity. It makes it easier to think. I like to see the expanse of my floors, and I like to move around freely without bumping into things.

There is something healing about getting rid of broken things and replacing them, or not. Everything has to be loved or have a purpose. If I don’t get that from stuff it won’t come into my house. Not anymore.

Books are hard to get rid of, but if I haven’t read them for years and don’t plan on reading them any time soon, out they go.

People who are a drag get decluttered too. There is no reason to hold on to friendships that don’t lift you up in some way.

Most important: I have been decluttering my belief systems and that is not an easy task, but I feel lighter, so I crave lighter surroundings. It makes sense.

This is not my brain anymore:

A great way to declutter the brain is through meditation! A great practice to do every day.

What have you decluttered lately?

Maria

P.S. Check out my etsy shop for some cool, affordable art. HERE.

creativity, inspirational, life, motivational, process, transformation

Psychic declutter.

April 27, 2016 Maria G

You might ask what psychic declutter means. And how does it affect art making?

We all declutter our houses from time to time. When I purge old ratty clothes from my closet, or sweep up the dust bunnies living under my bed, I feet GREAT. Though, I admit I’ve got some pretty big dust bunnies in my house, and my cat contributes enough hair to knit a bunch of sweaters for the winter. He moves around shedding without a care in the world.

It’s good to have a clean and orderly house that smells awesome, but what about your body? That is easy to take care of too, of course. Some nice soap and hot water go a long way.

Psychic debris might drag you down, especially in this fast-paced electronic world. We catch all sorts of energy we don’t really want. People wear us out, televisions and other media constantly pump out information, AND unwanted waves.

I know I suffer from info overload a lot, and I hate it when people dump their problems on me, or chit-chat me to death.

However, my saving grace, my windshield wipers come in the form of meditation. It gives me a big space of silence between me and the world, like a soft buffer. It also gives me perspective on the issues going on in my life. I try to sit down and really concentrate within every day. When I don’t, I miss it a lot.

For energy debris, I use sage smoke to clear my aura or an old-fashioned Epsom salt bath. You feel REALLY clean after that, lol. Energy overload isn’t necessarily evil, but it can make you feel drained and tired.

A good night’s sleep is a great healer.

Before I go out into the world, I put on an energetic cloak of light that has a mirrored surface facing out. It helps to deflect some of the energy coming at me.

The most important thing is to stay in balance, in equilibrium, because once out of it, you lose your power. Worst case scenario, you become a victim of the energies going on around you. That can be very uncomfortable depending on what is going on. Scattered energy affects my art making in a major way. When I’m balanced, inspiration and motivation seem to flow a lot easier,

Just choose to spend time with people who give you a lift. That makes a huge difference. Energy vampires abound, but you can choose to remove yourself from their influence.

It can feel lonely at times, but as those kinds of energies leave your life, new and better energies have a chance to appear.

On a practical note, you could always get rid of the TV… I did. I have never regretted the choice.

So, to recap:

Meditate

Choose who you spend time with

Choose your social media or TV addiction wisely (in other words, much less of it.)

Stop reading the papers. So much emphasis on negative news.

Clean your environment, declutter your mind and body.

Wear protective light energy in public and stay positive.

Not too hard, huh? It’s just a choice.

All these practices help me to stay focused and my creativity flows without effort. Implement a couple of these practices and see the difference for yourself.

Maria

P.S. Check out my latest painting, a buddha picture. It represents what I was talking about in the post. HERE.

art, free, inspirational, life, motivational, process, purpose, self help

It’s ok to be all over the place.

April 25, 2016 Maria G

My inner critic does not believe it’s ok to be all over the place. Follow the check list, tick the items off and feel accomplished. That is the ego’s rule. Work hard! I never was much of a list person, but I would have a goal in mind and try to accomplish that by making a vague list to follow. Funny thing is, the lists seem to repeat themselves over the years. Did I ever get anywhere??

There isn’t anything wrong with lists, but sometimes I stop and realize I’m missing the whole point. That happened this morning as I read one of my favorite author, Michael Roads’ daily quote in my inbox. I read every single one of them…

Focus on the target, but ‘live’ the arrow in flight.

Suppose you have a business ambition, or a wish to be spiritually enlightened, or whatever your target is that you are aiming at.

Focus on that target clearly, without seeing any problems or difficulties. This clears the way. Seeing problems creates obstructions.

You must now bring your awareness and full expression into the moment. You know the target, it is in your focus, now . . . you live as the arrow in flight. The more focussed and clear your vision, the truer and more sure flies your arrow-self.

Unconditional Trust is the flight of the arrow.

Michael J. Roads

The excerpt is from his book 365 Steps to a Happier More Conscious Life.

Read that statement a few times and take a deep breath or two. What does it bring up for you?

I’m a goal oriented person and one of my strengths is to get shit done, but many times I wonder if any of it brings me any closer to where I really want to be?

I don’t know.

I think I understand where I want to be in my “evolution,” but seriously, does anyone really know?

I for sure don’t know the big picture even if I can feel a hint of it sometimes.

I’m an adventurer. Not that I went and discovered some lost continent, but my own frontier is enough since there is so much to discover.

People say: focus on one thing and make that spectacular. Become an expert.

I have tried. I’m one of those people who gets interested in something by chance. I read and absorb everything I can about the subject, and when I’m done I’m on to the next bright thing. I could teach many things, but that’s not really my “thing.”

In some ways I’m a walking encyclopedia of useful and useless information.

No wonder I can’t see my way through the jungle of possibilities.

I have been trying to combine my spirituality, which is a practice close to my heart, with my art, and create a fusion that can help people in some way.

Nothing has really gelled, so I keep forging ahead in the wilderness with my machete/ paintbrush. I can’t stay with one type of motif and explore that at length like some artists do.

Now there is a word for people like me! A woman by the name of Emilie Wapnick gave a TED talk about being a “multipotentialite.”

Check it out HERE.

“Why some of us don’t have a true calling.”

I found it comforting and delightful to listen to the talk.

So, I guess the gist of this post is to be content with being all over the place. Remember to stop and smell the roses! Don’t live by ticking off items on a list. Focus on what you want next (and that can change if you’re anything like me,) and be the arrow that shoots free and clear toward that goal.

The best suggestion I can give today: be kind to yourself and allow for a wider perspective to seep in. No hurry, no worries. Have TRUST and enjoy the journey, wherever it leads. It’s good to have goals but not at the cost of the simple joy of living.

Follow the moment and life is always fresh and full of wonder, and explore the word Trust. There is so much more to that word than meets the eye.

I am discovering a whole new level of TRUST and it’s awesome.

My latest painting:

DSCN2034 — The Buddha intuitive painting.

Maria

P.S. If you’d like an intuitive consultation, check it out HERE.

I offer reasonable rates and awesome readings!

Maria Greene @ Greeneearth

Category Archives: life

Hundred percent nature.

I joined a 30 day blog writing challenge.

Do what you enjoy first, chores later.

Simplify!

Psychic declutter.

It’s ok to be all over the place.

Artist and writer