I met Goddess Diana briefly at the 2005 Artella retreat. She led a Laughing Meditation class that people kept talking about throughout the retreat.

She describes herself as having a "deep intensity" - that she purposefully balances "with gentleness." Come meet intensely interesting Goddess Diana.

When I was young I never fit in: not in school, not in the community, not even in my family. My grandmother made sure I was seen as the Black Sheep of the family. My husband {of 9 years} says that he never fit in either.

When I was young I had a mouth on me. If there was truth somewhere I'd blurt it out. My grandmother hated it. I think part of her was intimidated by that and didn't know how to deal with it. My words came from the heart, but her thought was: children are to be seen and not heard...I don't know how to shut my mouth for my own good.

I was the first person in my family to learn English (around age 4). English was not my native language, Hebrew was - then French (I lived in Israel, then Canada).

I have a bumper sticker that says: "Who says I want to fit in?"

I limit my input..take in nourishing things...In the morning I spend time with Louise Hay's book Inner Wisdom. My husband, Noah, and I read the same book before bed every evening...

I can read the paper later in the day... if I read the newspaper early I won't get out for my walk..it's so depressing. We're bombarded with fear in our society - "the world is ending" makes everything harder.

My husband and I love to say "hello" to people on the beach - they are so surprised - we're in a society that knocks us down.

Goddess Diana noted the importance of "keeping my chin up."

When we start to fall the first thing is with the chin - looking down - then there's no way to see the opportunities in front of you.

She also mentioned her spirituality...For me art is very spiritual. You have to be peaceful to allow it to come out.

September 11, 2001 touched me deeply. It was intensely personal for me. I am very sensitive - have been my whole life, it's the type of person I am.

It wasn't how it happened, but the fact that it DID happen. Shortly after 9/11 I read Conversations With God - my husband said it seemed as if all the drawers in my head fell out. I didn't know how to put them back in...or if I was going to put the drawers back in.

The book said: "Know that I love you"

I had a spiritual crisis. I questioned everything I knew in my life. When you know something to be true - when it's ingrained in you and then your belief is completely reversed - you're not exactly sure what to do.

Goddess Diana also noted reading

the poem "Dash" - about the dash on a tombstone. It says life is not about the year you came in or the year you went out, it's about that dash - and I started to think "what about my dash?".

Read more...

Square-Peg-Stacks

Reviews The Vein Of Gold - A Journey to Your Creative Heart, by Julia Cameron.

This book has been sitting on one of my bookshelves - practically untouched - for a long time! I have almost all of Julia Cameron's books - her ideas spark my creativity, her ideas and suggestions comfort me and at the same time goad me forward.

But somehow this one has rarely been opened. Why? I think it's the way the first chapter starts out. There's a description of each of the "basic tools" in your "backpack" - morning pages, artist dates - the things that come to mind when you hear the name "Julia Cameron." I got stuck there. Said to myself: "Oh, it's just that stuff again."

Ah! How foolish of me! Authors, painters, all artists - have a tendency to point to - to show and re-show - the same issue(s). Makes sense. That's their gift - their slant on the world - and it bears repeating. When we sing it, paint it, sew it, write it again (and again) we're not being redundant - we're showing more of what we know - showing it deeper, wider, fuller.

It would have served me well to read Julia Cameron's brief description of the "basic tools" - to remind myself, and to get a fuller picture of them. And, if I'd read further, I'd have found loads of new lessons as well.

Cameron breaks the book up into "Kingdoms", there's The Kingdom of Story, The Kingdom of Sight, and Kingdoms of Sound, Attitude, Relationship, Spirituality and Possibility. Each Kingdom (and the book as a whole) ends with a "Breaking Camp" section - a review of the highlights of the section.

There are many quotes in the margins - I love that in a book! One of the biggest surprises for me was Julia Cameron's emphasis on sound. Cameron says:"As sound healer Joy Gardner-Gordon notes, 'Sound can be used as a form of deep tissue work, to release old programs and pain.' " And she shares a number of personal stories about working with - and being worked on - by sound.

Read more...

Looking Ahead:

Ooooooooh, we've got lots of cool ideas for celebrating Square-Peg-People's second birthday this June! Keep checking back!! In May our interviewee is the delightful (and prolific) artist Pattie Mosca. Check out some of Pattie's art at www.artbyluminosity.blogspot.com, www.pjmosca.blogspot.com, and www.explorethecolors.blogspot.com. Stop by the site and leave a comment, we love to hear from you!