Friends-

Stay open to the invitations that can possibly come to you to take part in the spiritual world. When the opportunities come, let the doors to your heart and mind swing open and learn. Don't try to understand, necessarily. Just count the offering as a blessing, absorb what you can and let comfort enter your soul.

This has happened to me a variety of times, most recently at a meeting with friends in preparation for our pending local celebration of Dia de los Muertos and Sugar Skull Art Walk. Gallery Director, James Marquez, prepared everything for a traditional cleansing (smudging) and blessing. To do this James (who is Lakotah and White Mountain Apache) used items that had been gifted to him by other tribes and individuals such as the beautiful Navajo blanket on which he laid corn cobs, braided sweetgrass, abalone shells, sage and other gifts.

The experience reminded me of other times when I have been invited to take part in special ceremonies founded in native knowledge. Like the summer I spent in Yachats. I was introduced to the Amanda Trail and her tragic story and later was gifted flute music and a ceremony as a thank you for my paintings of Yachats trails.

And there was the time we were in SE Utah with the Navajo and COVID struck. We helped gather food, masks and other provisions for the tribe and in return were offered blessings by the chief and medicine man we had met. We felt safer as a result of those spiritual words.

So, if the images on my painting (Yachats Alchemy) don't make sense right away. Just let it go. Allow the colors and the sense of peace you may get from gazing at it fill you with an understanding that I could never really explain with words.

Peace-
Margie Lopez Read