RoadBroads

You, Alchemist

Punky Phil says it’s time for Spring.

Hallelujah and pass the tissues (she says, amid her waning cold sniffles)!

Let’s second that hallelujah and offer a third: Chinese New Year begins tomorrow, February 5^th.

Here’s a fourth and final shout‐out: in the skies, it’s New Moon time. Clean slate time, akin to another January 1st here in the West. Astronomy reeks woo‐woo but there’s truth to be found in concepts that last a thousand‐plus years.

This particular New Moon comes amidst Imbolc season (as Ellen referenced last week). In Old Irish, Imbolc means “in the belly.” What sits in the belly but seeds awaiting birth? Be they human babies, words, dreams, or simply ideas, they’re all ready to spring to life. Pun intended, by the way.

Imbolc’s arrival says we’re halfway to Spring.

All these gifts: darkness to light, old to new, cold to warm, winter to spring. I accept them all. After 34 days of virus, shadows, and puny days, I’m opening the presents.

First is this painting, discovered on a road trip to Kay Kemp’s art studio in the Houston Heights. “You, Alchemist” speaks of the season, my life, and magic.

A refresher first (one I, too, needed): alchemy was the first version of chemistry as long‐ago scientists used base metals in attempts to make gold. Others did the same, seeking immortality.

Sadly, we lost the real meaning of the word alchemy: to transform matter. This painting explains how it’s done, beginning with nine symbolic interpretations:

• Powerful female figure—Goddess? Angel? Everywoman?
• Circle of Life—embracing both hot and cold, passion and calm
• Baby Leaf—gestating in protected circle of mother arms; centered in worlds visible, invisible
• Hands—touching fingers protect while preparing, guiding new life into being
• Skyward Leaves—supporting life‐forms, past, present, future; self, other, all
• Seasons—traveling full circle, clockwise from upper left, in the life of a single year: spring, summer, fall, and winter
• Colors—personalized (with no prior knowledge by the artist) with the six colors of my novel’s primary characters. And, yes, I color‐code my characters; doesn’t every writer? 
• Roots—running deep, extending skyward, grounding image in strength, focus and purpose
• Wings—powering the female as she lives, births; upholding new and old; angels or Self?

What more powerful connection can there be to reinforce our current Imbolc season? Seeds of new life growing within as the next season prepares for birth. Or is it something totally different.

C’est le vie. Gertrude Stein—born 145 years ago—offers cover: “If you knew it all, it would not be creation, but dictation.”

We live in a world and culture that demands we accept dictation. In other words, practice conformity.

Creativity scares many people. Why? It’s what we live, breathe, and consume every hour of every day. It’s what we see the world around us. In paintings. In blog posts.

Let’s bury all lives of dictation.

Let’s start over on this New Moon, tomorrow’s Chinese New Year, this birthing month of February. Let’s live as we are, supported, gestating, grounded, and take flight, creating what’s inside, ready to be born.

As a wise someone said once, let’s start living the lives awaiting our ‘yes!’

Rhapsody in Blue. What a treat! This weekend I am going to hear the Houston Symphony perform George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

This has been one of my favorite songs for as long as I can remember. I remember seeing it performed during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. I remember hearing it in one of Woody Allen’s movies (you know.….back when he was funny?) It was even included in the Disney movie, Fantasia 2000.

Not bad for a piece of music that was originally written in 1924. At that time it was considered modern music, because it was one of the (if not the) first times jazz music was combined with classical music. It was seen as a way to introduce popular jazz music to the more refined high‐brow symphony crowd. It begins with a “wailing” clarinet and includes both a piano solo and a symphony orchestra. It was an immediate success.

In musical terms the word “rhapsody” means a piece of music written in one movement with a free flowing structure and a range of highly contrasted moods. Not being a musician, I spent years thinking this was a piece of music about ecstatic enthusiasm. I think both definitions work.

Blue is a favorite color for many people. It is the color of the sky and of the sea. Both of these are limitless in their range, depth and possibilities. Many think of blue as a peaceful and tranquil color. When you have a dear and trusted friend, you think of them as “true blue”.

What a wonderful combination of words to use as a musical title!

Here is an interesting fact to know and share: Part of George Gershwin’s inspiration for this music came from riding a train. The sound of the train inspired parts of the melody. I read a quote where he stated that he “heard” the melody in the sounds made by the train. What others on the train may have heard as noise, he heard as music.

Isn’t this what creative people do? Musicians hear music everywhere. Writers hear stories and plots in every day life. Artists see shapes and colors everywhere they look. This is what I like about being a creative person and a writer. I am never bored. If I find myself stuck in a place whether I am happy, uncomfortable, relaxed or unhappy, I can always look around and start developing stories in my head. The most recent character I have started developing during a process just like this is named Mr. Meringue. He should show up in a short story real soon.

I must close now. I have to get ready for the Houston Symphony, George Gershwin and Rhapsody in Blue!

Until next week.….….…