Chakra monkey… “I am safe…”

May 10, 2018May 10, 2018 | Kat Thorsen

Chakra sock monkey

I am safe

I am creative

I am strong

I am loved

I am expressive

I am connected

I am divine

10 Tuesdays. 10 Fridas. Art Blog Event. Frida No. 3: The Chakras

June 8, 2015June 18, 2015 | Kat Thorsen

I’m celebrating my blog with an art event. The event honors the woman who inspires me to keep it going as an artist: Frida Kahlo.

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For 10 Tuesdays, I am creating/posting 10 different portraits of Frida Kahlo in some form/medium or another. It may be a drawing, an object, a doll, whatever… A surprise. I will be posting one a week.

Recall:

Frida No. 1: Sock Doll

Frida No. 2: The Dream

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FRIDA NO. 3: THE CHAKRAS

The 7 Chakras are the energy centers in our body in which energy flows through. Blocked energy in our 7 Chakras can often lead to illness so it’s important to understand what each Chakra represents and what we can do to keep this energy flowing freely. – source

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This original hand-drawn china marker chakra chart [on newsprint] measures approximately 18″ x 20″

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I am taking orders for original hand-drawn Frida Chakra charts. Frida is the muse. Your order may be somewhat similar to this one, but the outcome is based on my creative interpretation in the moment.

$95.00 (free shipping) via email transfer or Paypal

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Seventh Chakra CROWN: Spiritual Centre, Enlightenment– central nervous system, muscular system, skin. I am; I understand.

Sixth Chakra THIRD EYE: Wisdom, intuition, visualization– brain, neurological system, eyes, ears, nose. I know; I think.

Fifth Chakra THROAT: Communication, inner voice, truth, creativity- thyroid, esophagus, trachea, mouth, jaw, teeth, neck, vertebrae. I speak; I express.

Fourth Chakra HEART: Love, compassion, unconditional love, hope, forgiveness– circulatory system, ribs, breast, thymus gland, lungs, shoulders, arms, hands, diaphragm. I love.

Third Chakra SOLAR PLEXUS: Power centre, manifestation, self-confidence, esteem– stomach, pancreas, adrenals, upper intestines, liver, gall bladder, middle spine. I can; I do.

Second Chakra SACRAL: Creativity, sexuality, money, career, power, joy– sexual organs, large intestine, lower vertebrae, pelvis, hip area, urinary bladder. I feel; I want.

First Chakra ROOT: Survival, security, family, connections, instinct– spinal column, rectum, legs, bones, feet, energizes body, increase overall health. I do; I am.

I think that little by little I’ll be able to solve my problems and survive.

– Frida Kahlo

PS. Can you spot the sleeping spirit animal?

My retreat journal Part 3 of 6: The Cyclops Goddess

October 24, 2014October 24, 2014 | Kat Thorsen

I experienced a life-changing weekend as I co-facilitated Creativity and Connection Retreat October 17-19, 2014 on Bowen Island with Laura Mack at Xenia Retreat.

Here are some journal excerpts so you can get a small glimpse as to how powerful the experience was for me.

Recall:

PART 1 October 17, 2014 FRIDAY INTO SILENCE

PART 2 October 18. 2014 SATURDAY MORNING INTO THE LABYRINTH

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Part 3 October 18, 2014 SATURDAY MIDDAY: THE CYCLOPS GODDESS

Laura explained the Symbols Way process and got us in the frame of mind to fully enter the process this afternoon.

As part of our facilitation posters, I had reflected the 4 archetypes in my own way, and I feel the imagery I chose worked well within our natural Xenia landscape:

The Warrior (SOUTH)- imagined as a blackberry bush- emotional gateway ANGER; The Sovereign (NORTH)- imagined as Opa the tree- emotional gateway JOY; The Love (EAST)- imagined an autumn leaf- emotional gateway GRIEF; The Magician- imagined as a raven- emotional gateway FEAR — The Warrior (SOUTH) EARTH- imagined as a blackberry bush- emotional gateway ANGER; The Sovereign (NORTH) FIRE- imagined as Opa the Xenia tree- emotional gateway JOY; The Lover (EAST) WATER- imagined an autumn leaf- emotional gateway GRIEF; The Magician (WEST) AIR- imagined as a raven- emotional gateway FEAR

But before each participant was taken through the Symbols Way process individually, we dove into more messy creative process. I took the participants through my chakra drawing exercise— taken from previous lessons I have shared with other students. I love building and re-interpreting.

We drew a human figure and then went on to drawing a 3-D eye. We wrote the chakra chart and started incorporating the lessons thus far. It was truly a GO WITH IT exercise, creating a CYCLOPS GODDESS that we just kept layering on top of!

Delicious.

Of course, I had to look up the meaning of the CYCLOPS to see why she was appearing:

Blind, yet seeing. Ego vs spiritual enlightenment.

CYCL: the circle, the wheel.

HERE WE GO. More magic! How appropriate that the words in the chant we sang on the way to the sanctuary last night were:

We’re spiralling into the circle, the circle of our wheel.

We are the weavers, we are the woven ones,

We are the dreamers, we are the dream.

We are the children, we are the chosen ones,

We are all part of the web.

Aaaaaah-mazing!

We also journaled around the matrilineal question: What was your mother’s name? And if you know them, your grandmother and your great grandmother’s names? What are some qualities you or others associate with each of these women? This was a great way to “set the scene” for beginning the Symbols Way process.

I read MORNING LAUGHTER by Gwendolyn MacEwen

See more of the poem at: link

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Stay tuned for Part 4: The
Symbols Way

Sacred Contracts Journaling Exercise Part 2 of 8: where are your energy leaks?

May 31, 2014June 3, 2014 | Kat Thorsen

Biography becomes biology. – Caroline Myss

SACRED CONTRACTS JOURNALING EXERCISE SERIES

PART 2 OF 8

WHERE ARE YOU ENERGY LEAKS?

We are tapping into our calling, our purpose, our joy in this SACRED CONTRACTS journal series. It is inspired by Caroline Myss. The journal series is an experiment on my part, and I welcome you to join along. Recall Part 1: Future and Present where we took time to look at where we would like to be, and where we are in this moment.

In this exercise, I would like you to focus on your body. Where do you feel your energy leaking in those moments where you experience extreme fatigue, or anxiety, or joylessness, or just plain meh. Is there a location on your body where you tend to feel more physical symptoms than other parts of your body? Does the location change?

Throughout my childhood, youth and marriage, I would be doubled over every evening with severe stomach cramps. The kids called it mom stomach. I called it stomach migraines as did many doctors over the years.

As my marriage dissolved and I started searching for ways to cope, I felt comfort in looking at chakra charts. Myss’s book Anatomy of the Spirit was a life raft during that time. My mother and I loved discussing Myss’s concept of biography becomes biology. We explored sources of mom’s arthritis (trust issues she felt), Dad’s bladder cancer, etc.

Certainly my pleaser-anxious-low self-esteem-caregiver personality searching for my own voice had a lot to do with those evening stomach aches. What released them was being fully myself in my art and with my two children.

Looking at the drawing I made above (click on it for larger image), I see that teetered between the SACRAL and the SOLAR PLEXUS.

During my coming-of-age and adolescence and sexual awakening, I experienced a recurring and over time aggressive parotid gland tumor that threatened my facial nerve. To speak, to express. I longed to have my own voice. That voice developed fully in my art and as a mother. And small remnants of the tumor sit quietly.

It’s just plain helpful for self-focus to play with the chakra charts. Many of you that know me know that I have done YEARS of self-exploration and work. I am no longer doubled over with stomach aches.

The stress over the past few years (financial, parents dying, career development etc.) have manifested in different forms and now my most typical focus for my energy leaks is my heart.