Miracles

Moon Song
9" x 6"
Mixed Media on Canvas
2010

Go into the wild. Don't let yourself be trapped by city lights like a deer in the middle of the road. Get out, get away, get free.

If we are separated from the land for too long we start to lose our true, wild selves in gray and steel. We lose our connection to the earth. That means that we lose our connection to nature and each other.

My sons asked if miracles happen.

We are surrounded by miracles!

In this endless universe we are the only conscious life we have ever known. This planet is a rare and precious thing, the only living planet we have seen! With telescopes we cast farther and farther, looking for a duplicate, a sister, to this Mother Earth.

There is none that we know of.

Every breath we take, every seed that grows, every new life - all are miracles.

Never doubt that you are special. Because we are each of us a part of billions we forget it. We forget because no one reminds us. I will remind you.

I will remind you that you are worth everything that has happened. Billions of years of stars and dust, lives lived, children born, all to make you. You are a gift.

You are a gift and have been given a gift so precious it only exists here on earth: life!

Life that knows it's alive!

We are the children of the universe, you and I. We are all connected.

Go into the wild. Press your bare feet against the soil and feel the heartbeat of your loving mother who provided such a special place for you to live. Remember how beautiful it all is. Forget dogma, forget hate, forget tribe and nation. Return to the wild and remember that we are a family and this is our home.

The lone wolf will return to it's pack. You have been alone too long. Come back to your family.

Come back.



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Revealed

By Fire and Storm Transformed
18" x 36"
Mixed Media on Canvas
2010

This piece is a commission for the Eagle Feather Gallery in Victoria, BC. It's from a personal story of someone who was touched by lightning. I thought about this painting for a very long time, hoping to find the right balance between the drama such an event would hold with the aftereffect it would have on someone's life.

I hope they enjoy it as much as I loved creating it.


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Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peek of a piece I'm shipping off to the Eagle Feather Gallery in Victoria (I have a link for them on the sidebar). I don't normally go in for commissions as they tend to take me a very long time. This has to do with the fact that I'm not an art churning machine. Most of my work is a months long process. Add to that the desire to "get it right" and this can stretch out to half a year or even longer.

The only time it doesn't apply is when it's for a dear friend or family member and all the pressure is off.

But I'm very proud of this one and I hope whoever it's going to loves it as much as I do.


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You can't hit a target you can't see

Buffalo Woman
16" x 20"
Mixed Media on Art Board
2010

Sometimes I work with schools and kids and the message I try to leave is to have actual achievable goals. After you have a few achievable short term goals, then dream bigger than big. Dream ridiculously impossible stuff.

If you aim for the impossible, what you determine to be achievable changes and magnifies exponentially. You get way more out of life than you ever thought possible. If you look for average or normal, if you try to fit in with everyone else your life will be, well, normal. And that's not such a bad thing if it makes you happy. What I would suggest is that your life can be something truly special. You can think different, think larger, more encompassing. Make travel, adventure, service, and pure joy your every day experience. We have one shot at it, so why not go all the way?

Apply the miracle of your mind and the beauty of your heart to your life and see what the Creator can make happen.



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For My Wife When We're Apart -part2

Gateway of the Sun
9" x 12"
Mixed Media on Canvas
2010

I will fly to that star
Wings fall apart in the distance
Falling
Through to you
My gateway of the sun


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For My Wife When We're Apart -part1

Star Traveller
9" x 12"
Mixed Media on Canvas
2010

Travel to me through the stars
Send only your love
So you may find me
My heart is in a wide blue ocean
Waiting for your return

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A Gift to Honor Survivors. All Surviviors

Returning Home
30" x 40"
Mixed Media on Canvas
2010

I'm allowing free full sized download of this image. For those who need it you are welcome to it. Click here.

If you like any of my other work to purchase, it would be appreciated but is absolutely not necessary. This is my gift and now it's yours. Here's why:

This was painted for the survivors of the Canadian Residential School experience. For those who don't know, it was government policy to "kill the Indian" in children by taking them forcibly from their homes and transporting them to far away schools. These Schools were run primarily by religious organizations and many of the children were physically and sexually abused. They were forbidden to speak their own language and at the end of their experience were broken people with many unresolved emotional scars. My grandmother was one of them. This policy ended in the 1990's. Not the 1890's. The 1990's.

Every First Nations (Native) family has someone who was subjected to this purposeful abuse and the long ranging results are alcoholism, drug abuse, perpetuation of the abuse they suffered on the next generation, mental illness and so on.

Sometimes white society in Canada gets frustrated at the repetition of these facts. I guess it's a sort of "blame the victim" mentality and they wish Aboriginal people would just get over it. Of course, it is my most sincere wish that one day First Nations people heal and do get over the abuse.

But something that took hundreds of years to mess up probably won't be fixed overnight. It will take generations, and that's just the simple, unvarnished truth. White society should be outraged at their government. Locking someone in a room and allowing them to be molested by a man or woman of god for ten years might take more than an apology to make all right.

Anyway, it's kind of depressing information, I agree, so I'll leave you with the write up I created for this work.

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The idea for this painting was to communicate safety, security, a return to tradition and traditional teachings. In essence, it was to be about healing. I considered the challenge it represented and in an instant this image appeared to me. A tipi lit from within, offering sanctuary against winter’s chill. The warmth is so overpowering that it spills out through the skin, much like the glow of a person who has found a truth and lives by it, their own personal light shining out into the world offering hope to everyone. And better yet, there is a community here. No one is alone. In every home is a family, laughing, playing, dancing or praying. This is a good place to be.

Above the still and silent night hangs a full moon, lighting the way for travelers who are still out in the hills, showing them the way back to hearth and comfort. They carry burdens but will be able to put them down when their lonely journey ends. Watching over it all are the Aurora Borealis, our Northern Lights. Swaying, shining, the light of those who have gone before - our grandmothers and grandfathers - are holding hands, keeping the beat of the Round Dance. We watch this beautiful dance and are reminded of the old ways, the old teachings. We are reminded of our connection to heaven and earth, past and future. We are reminded to live here and now, in each other’s hearts.

Though the journey seems far, we are never alone. The spirits of the land surround us, the spirits of the sky watch over us, and the Great Spirit, our Creator, leads us to our greatest happiness. It’s hard to believe it when we are alone in the wilderness, but come home, be safe, be warm. Come home and rest. Come home at last, and heal.


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With thanks to Honor Walk: Residential School Healing


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From the Collection of the Artist

Caleoni
14" x 18"
Mixed Media on Canvas
2010

This was painted half in Hawaii and half in Canada. It was my first time being overseas and the experience of Oahu really touched me. My time there was very special for me and I came to understand something amazing. When I first arrived, I was struck by the sheer humidity of the air, the gentle feeling on my skin. As the days passed and I walked in the valleys and along the beaches, as I swam and soaked in the sun, I began to see the spirit of the land, the energy. I saw the underlying currents of the winds, the water, the rock and soil. The entire island came alive under my feet!

I couldn't delay. I bought paints, canvasses, supplies and sat in the hotel room every evening, painting away, the song of the island birds coming in through the vast windows.

I felt like a Black feathered Corvid out of my element and yet completely at home. A stranger in a strange and welcoming land.

My wife and I were talking about children, the possibility of a daughter. In that place of renewal and peace I imagined the child of our dreams, perhaps not this physical form represented, but I hope it captured the spiritual essence of what that child might be.

Since that time we have settled in at home and we are expecting a son. Perhaps that daughter is in the future, but for now, just knowing that a new little life is on it's way, feeling him dance and kick in her belly, fills me with a wonderful joy.


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Dull drums decline

Fleur-ish
Chalk Pastel on Paper
12"x 16"
2011

I know spring is months away, but I feel like I'm waking up a little early. I've been laying fallow for the past six weeks or so, seemingly unable to do anything art related. Create, ship, whatever. This week has seen a rejuvenation. I'm ready again.


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A New World Awakens

Seventh Fire
12" x 16"
Oil Pastel, Gold Leaf
on Paper
2011

Endless fields of snow. Cold with no relief. A darkness that weighs heavy and long. There are times in our lives when it feels as though everything we touch turns to dust and there is nothing good that is lasting and true. W all have our times of despair, where hope can find no foothold.

Then for no reason we can ever truly explain something changes. A spark lights up inside and re-ignites the fire of our vision, the heat that fuels our heart. We find that not only are we alive but we are strong. We are bright. We are perfect beings and the beauty of our souls light up the night like the sun.

We are the Seventh Fire and we are strong.


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A Prayer

Thunderherd
28" x 22"
Mixed Media on Canvas
2010

Where are my brothers?
Where is the thunder?
Where is the passing storm
that leaves destruction and new life
in it's wake?

They are gone
They are gone
Into the bosom of the Mother
Into the Mountain
They are gone

They will return

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Snow Snow Snow

Boreal Morning
12" x 16"
Mixed Media on Canvas
2010

Life in the North is a different kind of thing. Where I am, we are just on the verge of the Great White Expanse. In my journeys up to the Northwest Territories and throughout Northern Alberta there is one thing I've come to understand and appreciate.

They make them different up here. Like a Raven we'll caw and complain but in the end, we get to work. We live through the mountains of snow and ice, we help dig out our neighbours, we still do our jobs and take care of our families.

Sometimes we'll get that far away look, that thousand yard stare, and everyone who lives here knows what it's like to get that need to go, to leave to walk away into the wilderness and never come back. I think it's the balance we have to strike between our animal nature and the demands of a modern life.

Yes, it's cold, people die of exposure, tips of ears or fingers can freeze away if you get caught in it, but it's also our blessing. We don't flood, we don't shake, we just freeze. And the spring always comes. Is it possible that one day, after we've wrecked it enough that it will all change? Of course. Maybe one year it will freeze and it will stay frozen. It's happened before to this earth of ours, and it can happen again.

So we do what we must. We recycle, we eat less, we waste less. or at least we try. Will it be enough?

This vast wilderness is our home, and looking out at the mountains of snow I feel a soft calm. I don't know how, I don't know why, but I know without a doubt that everything will be fine. We may have our long dark night, but out of the dawn we'll see the distance, the puff of breath in the cold air, and at last the sunrise.


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They Will Return

Sleeping Buffalo (Tunnel Mountain)
12" x 16"
Mixed Media on Canvas
2010

This mountain can be found in Banff National Park - Alberta, Canada.

It's mostly known by another name: Tunnel Mountain

The story goes that when the buffalo where decimated by the newcomers, Mother Earth had compassion on the once great herds and took the remaining free buffalo and led them to the mountains. There she opened a way for them, allowing them to pass through into safety, and there they sleep, waiting for the day when they can roam free once again.

The mountain itself looks like a buffalo at rest and legend has it that when the mountain starts to move, the mighty herds will return to spread their thunder once again.


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Moon Shadows and Stuff

Solstice in the New World
18" x 24"
Mixed Media on Canvas
2010

This past December saw the Winter Solstice arrive with a bang: a full lunar eclipse. Here in Western Canada, it began before midnight and ended in the early morning hours. I stayed up to watch the event unfold, as did many others. We are far removed from the days when such phenomena were frightening and unexplained and that can lead us into a sense that such events are unimportant.

Just because we can explain a thing scientifically, however, does not mean that we understand it or that it is simply another event of slight interest only because it is remarked on by a few people on either side of the scientific or spiritual fringe.

In other words: just because you are not aware of the importance of an event doesn't mean it won't affect your life!

We live in a time where an astounding number of people are awakening to their own existence and seeing that there is a curable madness inherent in it. The sheer waste we produce, both physically and emotionally is changing the face of the planet. This solstice marks that awareness and even better, the will to do something about it.

Some people still believe that forcing others to their viewpoint will make for a better world for our children's children. Some people despair that nothing can be done anyway, so why get worked up about it? But some change themselves.

That's it. Some people change themselves.

It's really that simple. Behind all the fears, illusions, and defeats is one simple truth: to change the world, change yourself.

Speak more gently, speak your truth more clearly. Act in ways that are in keeping with your values. Like it or not, we are all responsible for the fate of our planet and for each other. We are all one tribe, one people, and turning our eyes away from the suffering our privileged lifestyles cause to our family in poorer countries only harms ourselves.

Be aware. That's how you change. Changing isn't a process of fighting yourself, of straining and stressing, it's simply awareness. Be aware and the change will come as naturally as breathing.

Be honest. Be aware.

As the Sun, Earth and moon aligned, so too can our thoughts, words and actions.

As the Solstice marked the end of the darkness, and as it was broken with the moon slipping out from shadow into light, so too can our lives be illuminated by the gift of awareness.

Solstice in the New World.

Pretty cool, huh?

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Come See Some Art!

Insightful Mind
11" x 13"
Mixed Media on Paper
2010

We are so used to looking outward, outward. As if the world existed somewhere beyond us, at arms length. This isn't a failing, it's a quirk of our physical inheritance and a necessary one. Part of growing is to know that the world outside ourselves is just one part of the whole. When we turn the inward eye, in meditation, creation, and silence, we see that not only do we contain the whole world, but stars, galaxies - an entire universe!- inside of us.

And so does every person alive. So do the plants and animals that surround us. So does this loving planet and the giving sun.

We are all part of a fractal existence, the part being the whole, the whole playing a part. How can we not honour everyone and everything that crosses the path of our awareness when we know this? Turn that inward eye, access that quiet place, learn your connection to others.

Allow the In Sight Full mind.



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If you are in Edmonton today and looking for something to do, come by the Bearclaw Gallery this afternoon. We'll chat a bit and you can see some great art. It's a group show, so there will be a lot to see and explore!

Bearclaw Gallery
10403-124 Street
(780) 482-1204

New Work to Share

Spider Grandmother Connects Us All
24" x 36"
Mixed Media
on Canvas
2010

Spider Woman, or Spider Grandmother is most well known and seems to find her origin among the Pueblo or Dine (Navajo) Indians of the Southwestern United States. She can also be found among the Hopi, the Choctaw, and various other Tribes.

In many stories, she instructed the people how to weave. She is also said to be responsible for placing dew drops that had formed along the skeins of her web into the sky, giving us the stars. She formed the Sun and all the Cosmos. Her web flows through all things, connecting us and tying us to the earth, the sky, the water, the animals, and of course, to each other. She is a teacher and giver of wisdom, knowledge and spiritual teachings

It is said that one day, she will gather her webs together and draw all things back to the centre of the universe, creating a complete and perfect tapestry.

Here is one story:

In the beginning there were only two: Tawa, the Sun God, and Spider Woman, the Earth Goddess. All the mysteries and power in the Above belonged to Tawa, while Spider Woman controlled the magic of the Below. In the Underworld, abode of the Gods, they dwelt and they were All. There was neither man nor woman, bird nor beast, no living thing until these Two willed it to be.

In time it came to them that there should be other Gods to share their labors. So Tawa divided himself and there came Muiyinwuh, God of All Life Germs; Spider Woman also divide herself so that there was Huzruiwuhti, Woman of the Hard Substances, the Goddess of all hard ornaments of wealth such as coral, turquoise, silver and shell. Huzruiwuhti became the always-bride of Tawa. They were the First Lovers and of their union there came into being those marvelous ones the Magic Twins -- Puukonhoya, the Youth, and Palunhoya, the Echo. As time unrolled there followed Hicanavaiya, Ancient of Six (the Four World Quarters, the Above and Below), Man-Eagle, the Great Plumed Serpent and many others. But Masauwhu, the Death God, did not come of these Two but was bad magic, who appeared only after the making of creatures.

And then it came about that these Two had one Thought and it was a might Thought -- that they would make the Earth to be between the Above and the Below where now lay shimmering only the Endless Waters. So they sat them side by side, swaying their beautiful bronze bodies to the pulsing music of their own great voices, making the First Magic Song, a song of rushing winds and flowing waters, a song of light and sound and life.

"I am Tawa," sang the Sun God. "I am Light. I am Life. I am Father of all that shall ever come."

"I am Kokyanwuhti," the Spider Woman crooned. "I receive Light and nourish Life. I am Mother of all that shall ever come."

"Many strange thoughts are forming in my mind -- beautiful forms of birds to float in the Above, of beasts to move upon the Earth and fish to swim in the Waters," intoned Tawa.

"Now let these things that move in the Though of Tawa appear," chanted Spider Woman, while with her slender fingers she caught up clay from beside her and made the Thoughts of Tawa take form. One by one she shaped them and laid them aside -- but they breathed not nor moved.

"We must do something about this," said Tawa. "It is not good that they lie thus still and quiet. Each thing that has a form must also have a spirit. So now, my beloved, we must make a mighty Magic."

They laid a white blanket over the many figures, a cunningly woven woolen blanket, fleecy as a cloud, and made a mighty incantation over it, and soon the figures stirred and breathed.

"Now, let us make ones like unto you and me, so that they may rule over and enjoy these lesser creatures," sang Tawa, and Spider Woman shaped the Thoughts into woman and man figures like unto their own. But after the blanket magic had been made, the figures remained inert. So Spider Woman gathered them all in her arms and cradled them, while Tawa bent his glowing eyes upon them. The two now sang the magic Song of Life over them, and at last each human figure breathed and lived.

"Now that was a good thing and a mighty thing," said Tawa. "So now all this is finished, and there shall be no new things made by us. Those things we have made shall multiply. I will make a journey across the Above each day to shed my light upon them and return each night to Huzruiwuhti. And now I shall go to turn my blazing shield upon the Endless Waters, so that the Dry Land may appear. And this day will be the first day upon Earth."

"Now I shall lead all these created beings to the land that you shall cause to appear above the waters," said Spider Woman. Then Tawa took down his burnished shield from the turquoise wall of the kiva and swiftly mounted his glorious was to the Above. After Spider Woman had bent her wise, all-seeing eyes upon the thronging creatures about her, she wound her way among them, separating them into groups.

"Thus and thus shall you be and thus shall you remain, each one in her own tribe forever. You are Zunis, you are Kohoninos, you are Pah-Utes..." The Hopis, all, all people were named by Kokyanwuhti then.

Placing her Magic Twins beside her, Spider Woman called all the people to follow where she led. Through all the Four Great Caverns of the Underworld she led them until they finally came to an opening, a sipapu, which led above. This came out at the lowest depth of the Pisisbaiya (the Colorado River) and was the place where the people were to come to gather salt. So lately had the Endless Waters gone down that the Turkey, Koyona, pushing early ahead, dragged its tail feathers in the black mud where the dark bands were to remain forever.

Mourning Dove flew overhead, calling to some to follow, and those who followed where his sharp eyes had spied out springs and built beside them were called "Huwinyamu" after him. So Spider Woman chose a creature to lead each clan to a place to build their house. The Puma, the Snake, the Antelope, the Deer, and other Horn creatures, each led a clan to a place to build their house. Each clan henceforth bore the name of the creature who had led them.

The Spider Woman spoke to them thus: "The woman of the clan shall build the house, and the family name shall descend through her. She shall be house builder and homemaker. She shall mold the jars for the storing of food and water. She shall grind the grain for food and tenderly rear and teach the young. The man of the clan shall build kivas of stone under the ground. In these kivas the man shall make sand pictures as altars. Of colored sand shall he make them, and they shall be called ' ponya.' The man too shall weave the clan blankets with their proper symbols. The man shall fashion himself weapons and furnish his family with game."

Stooping down, she gathered some sand in her hand, letting it run out in a thin, continuous stream. "See the movement of the sand? That is the life that will cause all things therein to grow. The Great Plumed Serpent, Lightning, will rear and strike the earth to fertilize it; Rain Cloud will pour down waters, and Tawa will smile upon it so that green things will spring up to feed my children."

Her eyes now sought the Above where Tawa was descending toward his western kiva in all the glory of red and gold. "I go now, but have no fear, for we Two will be watching over you. Look upon me now, my children, ere I leave. Obey the words I have given you, and all will be well. If you are in need of help, call upon me, and I will send my sons to your aid."

The people gazed wide-eyed upon her shining beauty. Her woven upper garment of soft white wool hung tunic-wise over a blue skirt. On its left side was woven a band bearing the Butterfly and Squash Blossom, in designs of red and yellow and green with bands of black appearing in between. Her neck was hung with heavy necklaces of turquoise, shell and coral, and pendants of the same hung from her ears. Her face was fair, with warm eyes and tender lips, and her form most graceful. Upon her feet were skin boots of gleaming white, and they now turned toward where the sand spun about in whirlpool fashion. She held up her right hand and smiled upon them, then stepped upon the whirling sand. Wonder of wonders, before their eyes the sands seemed to suck her swiftly down until she disappeared entirely from their sight

Notes for my Children - Responsibility

It’s time to take responsibility, and that’s a Big Deal.

Most people will spend their entire lives trying to do the exact opposite, to avoid responsibility at all costs.

“It’s not my fault.”

There are truly very few times in your life where you will be in a position to utter those words truthfully. My advice, choose those moments wisely.

This gives you the power to do something about it.

In organizations, governments and lives, until there is honesty there will be no positive change.

The person who takes responsibility is the person who is the captain of their own destiny. You have three choices facing you: to be a follower, to be a leader, or to be something completely different, transcending both. Step outside the expectations of the world and be your own person. Be responsible for your actions, your health, your choices, your gratitude.

Wake up in the morning giving thanks. Exercise every day, even if it’s just a little. Eat good food and sparingly. Drink water. Smile with everyone who crosses your path, they may never come your way again. This includes strangers, those who would be your enemies, your great friends and even your family. Each moment may be your last so treat it as your first.

To be a grown, mature adult means to rediscover the wonder of this world. Become a child again, aided your current experience and wisdom, to see how lovely, generous and beautiful this planet is.

Pay your bills. Ahead of time. Tell the people in your life you love them. Show them through your actions. Be on time, every time. In fact, try to arrive early. This shows respect for other people, acknowledging that of the hours we are all given, you appreciate they are giving some to you and that time can never be bought back.

Be responsible for the words that come out of your mouth. Harsh words wound forever and will ring in the ears for an entire lifetime. Soft, gentle, uplifting words will plant seeds of love, trust and respect and will bind the listener to you far stronger than force ever could. Be a friend and companion that is honest and reliable. This is your responsibility to others.

You are responsible for your every action. No one makes you do anything, none of your actions are beyond your control. Even your feelings. If your heart is broken, will you submerge yourself, wrap yourself in your grief? Or will you allow that grief to pass through you, over you, and finally fade into its proper place?

You are responsible for your feelings. Will you scowl through the world, or will you face it with a joyful, giving - even mischievous - eye?

You are responsible for your thoughts. Will you allow darkness, fear and anger to overtake you, or will you choose clear, crystal clean places within you to shine outward, lighting the way ahead of you?

Lay no blame unless it is at your own feet. Rise above disagreements. Rise above setbacks. Recognize every trouble for what it is: a chance to grow. If we never have to do any heavy lifting, how will our strength increase?

Learn patience, learn love, learn that the universe laughs, so why not laugh along with it?

You will face many dark valleys, so bring responsibility with you. It will be your firm resolve in times of testing. It will be your strength to make choices. It will fill you will self worth and wisdom.

Wisdom, because by taking responsibility for what happens in your life you will have to embrace humility. You’re going to make a lot mistakes, you’re going to make choices that have unexpected consequences. Sometimes you’re going to be just plain wrong.

And you will have the strength to accept the blame. The only way to do this gracefully is to make humility your companion. And what a great companion it is! It will knock you down a peg or two when you need it, but it will also whisper confidently of your true strength and your true value, which is limitless. Make humility your friend and you will have confidence no ruler on earth ever dreamed of.

You are responsible for your life. Take that responsibility.

Not once, not twice, but every chance you get. Take responsibility in every interaction, every job, every moment and every choice and you will be strong.

Never weasel out.

Always stand up. Take it on the chin, if you must, but stand up.

Stand up. Be counted. Be strong. Be humble.

Be responsible.

Notes for my Children - Acceptance

This is the first and sometimes most difficult step to maturity, but I know you can do it:

Before anything else can happen you must first accept everything in your life.

Only you can choose your thoughts, and only you can choose your reactions. No one else can do it for you. Even giving up that control to someone else is a choice. If your life sucks, it's your choice to see it that way. If your life is great, that is also a choice. Accept this. The only way we can ever change anything is to first be honest with ourselves.

Allow yourself to see your imperfections. Accept the fact that you're not always right. Accept that you don't always live up to your own ideals. Accept that your health could be terrible, your finances a wreck, and your relationships a pending disaster or an ongoing battle. Be honest with yourself. Don't suck that gut in. Don't pay credit with credit. Don't blame your partner or child or friend for poor communication.

Look in the mirror, let it all hang out and see it for what it is.

Accept that you are human.

Once you can be totally honest about what your life is and about who you are, then we can move on to the next concept.

But before that, let me assure you, I know this isn't easy. I know there will be an almost automatic and unconscious desire to smooth out the rough edges and whitewash reality. It is never easy the first time. It's not easy the thousandth time! But without the ability to do this, your life will just happen to you. You will be living without purpose or vision and will never have any true control over yourself.

Everything will be someone else's fault, or worse, when something good happens you'll take all the credit. You'll be living a lie all the days of your life and never understand why you feel angry, insecure, lost, or sad.

You'll be weak, easily offended, easily discouraged. You'll look at the world and see only obstacles. You'll be too timid to try anything. You deserve a full, happy, strong, confident, adventurous life. You deserve to make great contributions to the world and raise the spirits of everyone you come into contact with.

You deserve every good thing.

Accept all the warts that exist. Accept everything you see in the mirror. Don't hide.

Don't run for false security. Nothing outside of yourself will ever be enough, so why bother seeking? It will waste your limited days and hours of life.

Don't flinch, don't turn away.

Look in the mirror, turn your eye inward on yourself. Be humble, be honest.

Accept.

Logos

I was honoured to design the new logo for the Simon Fraser First Nations Students' Association (FNSA). Here's the link. If you click on "Our Logo", it will explain the details.

http://www.sfu-fnsa.com/

An excerpt from something I'm writing...

The radio was static. The headlights barely picking out the blurred asphalt. The road through Jasper National Park was long, silent and empty. There was no moon and in the complete shadow that had descended on the nighttime world I had long since lost the ability to see the mountains rising on either side of me, but I could feel them, the density, the weight of them. I could feel the sheer cliff drops on one side or another of the vehicle, empty mouths waiting to swallow me up.

I glanced up into the sky and was sucked in. The stars! I lived in the city and true starlight was something I rarely saw, save for a camping trip here or there. But in this place, humming along at 100 kilometers an hour, the full, unbelievable expanse was revealed.

I almost drove off the road.

My heart started pounding, considering the enormity of the eternal space that opened up above me. I suddenly couldn’t separate earth from sky and I was floating. I was speeding through the cosmos, embraced by an unending blackness, uncountable suns and vast clouds of pale light. My sense of direction was lost, vertigo threatened to overtake me, and still I drove, heedless of physical danger as my whole spirit seemed threatened to become lost in that profound, airless vacuum. I was about to panic when something switched off inside of me. I gave up my fear and allowed myself to let go, to embrace this enormity as it embraced me. My breathing slowed and time lost any meaning.

As I rounded a bend in the road the radio spotted and sputtered to life with the voice of Stan Rogers.

...through a land so wild and savage...

Listening to the plaintive cry of the song, I slowly came back to earth, to the solid land and the road swiftly passing.

I was back from a journey that lasted only moments but returned me seemingly eons later. I pulled over at the next rest stop, crawled into the back seat and slept.


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