Ivan Blades - Artist - Adventurer - Focused In The Moment

Ivan Blades - Artist - Adventurer

I have a friend I've never met face to face, but I know in my heart of hearts he is a good, kind, very intelligent, courageous, creative, and a talented human being. I am of the opinion that to be this kind of person it takes the heart of an adventurer, who has a vision quest to become a better human being.

The only way I think an individual walks this road, is to be willing to take risks in order to grow,  increasing  confidence, and then becoming ready to embark upon adventure.

I greatly admire people like my friend Ivan, who have a deep desire to push the limits of personal growth, in pursuit of the adventures in life, that result in transformation. It truly is a beautiful thing.

Ivan is presently in Spain walking the road  "The Camino de Santiago, also known by the English names Way of St. James, St. James's Way, St. James's Path, St. James's Trail, Route of Santiago de Compostela, and Road to Santiago, is the name of any of the pilgrimage routes (most commonly the Camino Francés or French route) to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried. Many take up this route as a form of spiritual path or retreat, for their spiritual growth."
                                                                                                      -Wikipedia

I know his feet are very sore and tired. I wish him God speed, healed feet, and safe journey, one step at a time, one moment at a time.

" Staying focused and in the moment takes courage and practice. "
                                                                    -Ivan Blades

The Adventurous personality style according to Dr. John M. Oldham

1. Nonconformity. Men and women who have the Adventurous personality style live by their own internal code of values. They are not strongly influenced by other people or by the norms of society.
   
   
2. Challenge. To live is to dare. Adventurers love the thrill of risk and routinely engage in high-risk activities.
   
   
3. Mutual independence. They do not worry too much about others, for they expect each human being to be responsible for him- or herself.
   
   
4. Persuasiveness. They are silver-tongued, gifted in the gentle art of winning friends and influencing people.
   
   
5. Wanderlust. They love to keep moving. They settle down only to have the urge to pick up and go, explore, move out, move on. They do not worry about finding work, and live well by their talents, skills, ingenuity, and wits.
   
   
6. Wild oats. In their childhood and adolescence, people with the Adventurous personality style were usually high-spirited hell-raisers and mischief makers.
   
   
7. True grit. They are courageous, physically bold, and tough. They will stand up to anyone who dares to take advantage of them.
   
   
8. No regrets. Adventurers live in the present. They do not feel guilty about the past or anxious about the future. Life is meant to be experienced now.

O You Who've Gone On Pilgrimage

O you who've gone on pilgrimage -
              where are you, where, oh where?
Here, here is the Beloved!
              Oh come now, come, oh come!
Your friend, he is your neighbor,
             he is next to your wall -
You, erring in the desert -
              what air of love is this?
If you'd see the Beloved's
              form without any form -
You are the house, the master,
              You are the Kaaba, you! . . .
Where is a bunch of roses,
              if you would be this garden?
Where, one soul's pearly essence
              when you're the Sea of God?
That's true - and yet your troubles
              may turn to treasures rich -
How sad that you yourself veil
              the treasure that is yours!

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Oh, if a tree could wander
     and move with foot and wings!
It would not suffer the axe blows
     and not the pain of saws!
For would the sun not wander
     away in every night ?
How could at every morning
     the world be lighted up?
And if the ocean's water
     would not rise to the sky,
How would the plants be quickened
     by streams and gentle rain?
The drop that left its homeland,
     the sea, and then returned ?
It found an oyster waiting
     and grew into a pearl.
Did Yusaf not leave his father,
     in grief and tears and despair?
Did he not, by such a journey,
     gain kingdom and fortune wide?
Did not the Prophet travel
     to far Medina, friend?
And there he found a new kingdom
     and ruled a hundred lands.
You lack a foot to travel?
     Then journey into yourself!
And like a mine of rubies
     receive the sunbeams? print!
Out of yourself ? such a journey
     will lead you to your self,
It leads to transformation
     of dust into pure gold!

                      Rumi - " I Am Wind You Are Fire "

Elif Shafak - The Politics of Fiction

I found this TED talk on Face Book, and until today I had never heard of Elif Shafak. When visiting the TED site and reading the comments left and the varied opinions about what she had to say, I was a little over whelmed and rather confused by all the analytical headiness of what was said about her talk. Instead of getting into a big brouhaha over linguistics etc., and God only knows, having taken a linguistics in University, I found out how linguists seem love a good fight. When considering the controversial comments on the TED site, I can't help but reflect on what is said in the 12 step rooms of recovery.  " Take what you like and leave the rest ."

 
Personally, I found it her talk insightful and enlightening. I loved what she said about story telling, circles, Sufis, and that she talked about Rumi, whom I love so much.

 I look forward to reading her books of fiction.

Colman Barks and Rumi

It is the end of my school week today. My week may have come to an end but it is just getting started actually, and I am looking forward to it. I have lots of blogging to catch up on, reading, homework and painting to do. I got a drive all the way to school this morning, and all the way home this afternoon. I'm still hitch hiking but this is soon to come to an end I hope! My student loan came in today, just when it was suppose to, which means a whole lot of changes shortly! I had a good week. I got moved into my new studio space which is awesome, to be in 4th year studio space, with a real good bunch of folks. I think it is going to be a lot of fun. So exciting fourth year! I saved a friend this week from pending death, from an oncoming car. Wow was I ever thankful I was able to do that! I hate to think about the possible outcome. I started my History of Film class which should be very interesting, as it involves looking at Japanese Film and it's culture. It's going to be a lot of work culminating in a research paper. I'm ready to take it on! A friend shared this video with me today and I wanted to post it. It was just what I needed, to finish off my school week. I love Rumi and I love Coleman Barks. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Just a little treat for myself and I hope a treat for you.

What Are Your Sutras?

Since reading the book, " The Path To Love", by Deepak Chopra I have been collecting, and writing sutras. Actually, I have been collecting them and writing some of my own for many years before ever hearing the word sutras or knowing what they were. There are many kinds of sutras. In Sanskrit, it translates into the word "thread".

Deepak Chopra describes a sutra being, "an aphorism or formula that expresses some fundamental truth about consciousness." Rumi said, " Love is the sea where intellect drowns," this is a sutra. Sutras express your frame of mind in the present moment, or where you are, along the road in the journey of life. As a recovering person, 17 years in a 12 Step program, we have our own sutras that we call, " Slogans." They are powerful tools that help us live our daily lives in recovery, if we use them.

Over the past week, I have heard Jack Layton express sutras in his letter to Canadians, what Steven Lewis referred to as being a Manifesto.  I have been reflecting deeply on these and what Jack said and believed, and it is timely for me to be doing so, as I am soon returning to University to finish my last year of University upon graduating in the Spring 2012. I have many goals to achieve and look forward to the coming year with much anticipation and excitement.

Sutras are a insightful and tangible way to enable my focus in fulfilling my objectives and goals. I would call them very specific self-talk, meditation and prayer.

In one of my many journals I keep, every year I write out what is called a soul bargain, in a little booklet I have also for my sutras, based on the spiritual meaning of love, measured by what it can do, and what it is supposed to accomplish. Here is the list.

Love is meant to heal.
Love is meant to renew.
Love is meant to make us safe.
Love is meant to inspire us with it's power.
Love is meant to make us certain, without doubt.
Love is meant to oust all fear.
Love is meant to unveil immortality.
Love is meant to bring peace.
Love is meant to harmonize differences.
Love is meant to bring us closer to God.

After I write out what it is I want from Love, in a detailed and complete manner, as specific as I can make it, I put it away, in a safe place, and then I am attentive over the passing months, believing that Love will respond. There is nothing more for me to do but these four things. When I feel love, act on it. Speak my heart. Be truthful. Remain open.

Today, as I finished writing my new soul bargain for the coming year, I now have a very special collection of sutras from Jack Layton which I will never forget and want to always keep close to my heart.

Growing up in a single parent family after the age of 13, I was not one to understand the meaning of the word discipline. It might as well have been a dirty word to me. I really did not think of it as being something you chose because you wanted to, but rather it was imposed and forced upon you out of fear, or obligation, because you had to.

I was an out of control teenager that was not about to do what I was told, nor was I interested in doing any thing that did not resemble fun. Pretty typical you might say, but I was very troubled emotionally and looking to escape reality which was any thing but fun.

Fortunately I had the opportunity to be exposed to the discipline of learning to play the piano and the accordion, practiced yoga and weight training which I certainly am grateful for today, as it gave me a good foundation of social skills and a glimpse into the satisfaction that comes from working toward a completed accomplishment of some kind, and to find out what it was I really wanted to learn and do.

Yesterday I finished up my last remaining University project and handed it in. This also marked the completion of my third year, as a mature Fine Art student. It was hard work psychologically, more than any thing I'd say. I had to have a determined attitude in order to complete this project and my third year because I had a number of potentially serious obstacles to over come and deal with. It wasn't really any thing to overcome when I think about the kind of struggles and hurdles so many others have to deal with on a daily basis, regardless it was my own personal struggle and I learned another worthwhile lesson about discipline and the rewarding freedom and satisfaction that accompanies it.

I am very grateful to my wonderful Professors, my peers, fellow students and cubby buddies. I want to say a big thank you to you all! They have supported, encouraged, challenged and guided me, made me laugh when I felt like crying, and gave me a hand up.

I am so looking forward to my final and fourth year!

Discipline is Freedom

"The undisciplined man doesn't wrong himself alone
he sets fire to the whole world."

Rumi