And the self-depreciating begins

It's an interesting thing this Self, isn't it? I think the Iron Pentacle is still calling on me to work in this point, to explore this point, to delve a little deeper, a little sweeter into this point as I sit here two days after WitchCamp now wondering what on Earth I will blog about now. That little voice creeps into my head saying, they won't care now that you do not have your camp experiences to write about. No one will come read and comment now because you have nothing of interest to write about. Maybe that is true, maybe it is not. Maybe without WitchCamp I have nothing left to write about as my mundane life continues to be mundane.

I feel adrift in this sea of Muggle Life, unable to anchor or hook into anything. I have managed to remember to run the Iron Pentacle each day once so I'm still connected in a way, I'm still working at it, perhaps at my lowest capacity but it is still better than nought, yes? I have today finished a piece of art in honour of the Star Goddess, birther of the Iron, of the stars. I hope placing it upon my altar will help remind me, whenever I see it, to run the Iron Pentacle.

Art therapy is NOT about interpreting the art. It is primarily about the process and what comes up in the process, what is expressed in the process, what is shifted in the process. Perhaps a person can gain some new insight, some distance or perspective or perhaps just for that hour the client can be held and witnessed by the art therapist. What I do love to do with my art though is look at it, sit with it and see what it might be trying to tell me as I know without a doubt that art is my unconscious, and even my subconscious and sometimes the collective conscious, talking to me. 

I find the messages by being still with my art, by being present with my art, by being curious about what has happened on the page, canvas, etc. I look at what draws my attention. I look at where something unusual or different might have happened. I seek the symbolism and look for metaphor. All of this can lead to interesting insight and new knowledge.

One of the suggestions on the last day of Path when we were talking about the different ways to run the Iron Pentacle and to tap into the knowledge it holds was a very quick and easy draw the Pentacle and use the drawing to see where blockage might be or where a point might be weak or strong, etc. So if I look at this piece of art dedicated to the Star Goddess and I think of the Iron Pentacle and I notice that the point of Power is sitting lower than the point of Self. Interesting, yes? As though there is a lack of power within myself, it could be that it indicates I give my power away - which I know I do - as the power runs downhill from my Self and directly out to Other. It indicates a lack of balance, perhaps I hold my Self higher than I hold my Power and perhaps in there I don't use my power adequately to get where I would like to go in life because I'm all too willing to keep myself elevated in comfort rather than stepping out of the comfort zone. yet I notice this slight dip back upward at the end of the stroke toward the point of Power indicating that my Power perhaps is now on the rise from where it once was, so that is hopeful.

There is a lot to see in even the simplest of drawings or art pieces if you spend some time with it and especially if you have someone to guide you in questioning you about certain aspects of the art you produced. That's part of what I do as an arts therapist. I provide materials, I create a safe container and I witness my client's process and help them explore what arises. So, there's a lot of unexpected treasure in that painting, that no doubt will arise as I continue to look at it and continue to work with the Iron Pentacle but I'll leave this post with the card I pulled today because it's a good reminder for everyone: