Beth, what a powerful posting that speaks to patience, renewal and growth. Your words and your exquisite painting really resonate with me, reminding me that everything in our life experience holds vital purpose. Even in the chilly darkness, while there may be despair and pain, there is also the opportunity to feel more deeply, and comprehend life with more compassion and awareness. Thank you for framing things with the Persephone myth and for offering a much needed insight into the cycle of life.
Thank you so much, Gerry, for your thoughtful, insightful comment! It's true that life has its darkness, but we also must consider its light. This offers a true balance of what experiencing life is. Patience is so necessary. When one is in the throes of darkness, it is easy to give up. However, with perspective, one needs to ride out the darkness, sit with it, and the light eventually comes.
"Sometimes all I see are the uncharted depths of night and dark water. But there is also light." Here you have captured the essence of a personalization of the Persephone myth -- we make our descent as we try to navigate the dark, deep waters of the psyche. (What Jung called the shadow.) It is in confronting our shadow (fears, unmet desires, denied aspects of ourselves) that we receive the gift of grit that grows us.
When you write "But there is also light," this is the promise of ascending. The journey is always cyclical, not linear. There is no destination point, just an upward spiral of growing into our potential.
Losing your row of helpers (doctors) places you in the liminal space of not knowing what's next, and that is an uncomfortable place to be, but nonetheless part of the journey. I like to think of it like this: The oyster was just there, enjoying its life, but sand crept into its shell and it grated and irritated until one day, there was where the sand used to be, a beautiful pearl. Liminality and its grit are also part of the Persephone descent and ascent.
Thank you for citing my piece, for so much support and goodwill, Beth. Your paintings speak the deeply nuanced stories of your life's path, and I never fail to learn from them. Your seascape evokes a story of waiting for calm, waiting for a storm, and a begging for restoration and reclamation. Oh do I ever relate.
How richly textured is this life and all its cycles. What praise I feel for the creative process that guides and lights our way. Remember, Persephone became the Queen of the Underworld before she returned. She became as familiar with the dark as she was with the light and in that was her power.
Sending you love, appreciation and so much admiration.
Hi Stephanie, thank you for writing about the Persephone myth in the first place! Your article was simply exquisite and so insightful. I love your oyster analogy; it makes sense. And, yes, the unknown can be frightening, but as you say, it is "part of the journey." It is. Life's journey is filled with uncertainty, but we need to be patient and ride through our mind's storms. I love the following sentence: "It is in confronting our shadow (fears, unmet desires, denied aspects of ourselves) that we receive the gift of grit that grows us." You are right: this is how grit is formed. And having grit helps us confront the life's difficulties. Thank you so much for writing the Persephone article in the first place. I always gain insights from you. Sending you love back!
This is so beautiful Beth and I love that painting - the colors are wonderful
Thank you so much, Marie! Your comment means so much to me. I'm really enjoying working on this painting.
Beth, what a powerful posting that speaks to patience, renewal and growth. Your words and your exquisite painting really resonate with me, reminding me that everything in our life experience holds vital purpose. Even in the chilly darkness, while there may be despair and pain, there is also the opportunity to feel more deeply, and comprehend life with more compassion and awareness. Thank you for framing things with the Persephone myth and for offering a much needed insight into the cycle of life.
Thank you so much, Gerry, for your thoughtful, insightful comment! It's true that life has its darkness, but we also must consider its light. This offers a true balance of what experiencing life is. Patience is so necessary. When one is in the throes of darkness, it is easy to give up. However, with perspective, one needs to ride out the darkness, sit with it, and the light eventually comes.
"Sometimes all I see are the uncharted depths of night and dark water. But there is also light." Here you have captured the essence of a personalization of the Persephone myth -- we make our descent as we try to navigate the dark, deep waters of the psyche. (What Jung called the shadow.) It is in confronting our shadow (fears, unmet desires, denied aspects of ourselves) that we receive the gift of grit that grows us.
When you write "But there is also light," this is the promise of ascending. The journey is always cyclical, not linear. There is no destination point, just an upward spiral of growing into our potential.
Losing your row of helpers (doctors) places you in the liminal space of not knowing what's next, and that is an uncomfortable place to be, but nonetheless part of the journey. I like to think of it like this: The oyster was just there, enjoying its life, but sand crept into its shell and it grated and irritated until one day, there was where the sand used to be, a beautiful pearl. Liminality and its grit are also part of the Persephone descent and ascent.
Thank you for citing my piece, for so much support and goodwill, Beth. Your paintings speak the deeply nuanced stories of your life's path, and I never fail to learn from them. Your seascape evokes a story of waiting for calm, waiting for a storm, and a begging for restoration and reclamation. Oh do I ever relate.
How richly textured is this life and all its cycles. What praise I feel for the creative process that guides and lights our way. Remember, Persephone became the Queen of the Underworld before she returned. She became as familiar with the dark as she was with the light and in that was her power.
Sending you love, appreciation and so much admiration.
Hi Stephanie, thank you for writing about the Persephone myth in the first place! Your article was simply exquisite and so insightful. I love your oyster analogy; it makes sense. And, yes, the unknown can be frightening, but as you say, it is "part of the journey." It is. Life's journey is filled with uncertainty, but we need to be patient and ride through our mind's storms. I love the following sentence: "It is in confronting our shadow (fears, unmet desires, denied aspects of ourselves) that we receive the gift of grit that grows us." You are right: this is how grit is formed. And having grit helps us confront the life's difficulties. Thank you so much for writing the Persephone article in the first place. I always gain insights from you. Sending you love back!
The painting is lovely. The colors are so vivid.
Thank you so much Nancy! I appreciate it.
This painting is coming along beautifully. The colors and changes you made added a lot of depth to it. Keep up the great work!
Thank you, Pam! I really appreciate your support and your opinion on this.