I was at a workshop recently, and one of the other participants was complaining because her spouse’s lack of groundedness created difficulties in their relationship.  The conversation turned to grounding, and the importance of being grounded, and everyone eagerly shared tips for becoming grounded, staying grounded, living grounded.

And then it was my turn.

There are times it’s good be to grounded. I agree. I think it’s important to know how to ground so we can be grounded when we choose.

Key words – “when we choose”.

I have a lot of air in my astrological chart. I live in my head most of the time.  I’m aware of that, and I like it – there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on in there.

Having to take time to eat, drink, sleep, stretch – tedious. I want to be, to create, to think. I do not go to the Michelangelo extreme of sleeping in my clothes to minimize the time I spend on grooming, but I can work right through lunch and breaks without notice.  You know those intangible blue energy field characters in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? I am so there – no laundry to do, ever again.

What I shared in the workshop is that a lot of the time I am intentionally ungrounded. On purpose, I am not in my body and not connected to my physical reality. And I’m okay with that choice. I was surprised at the strong – and negative – reaction this disclosure elicited. “You can’t work if you’re not grounded!” “You aren’t living when you’re not grounded!” “Being ungrounded is bad!”

Being grounded slows me down. I can reach more intense places with my creativity, think more expansively, and simply do more if I’m not grounded. I can focus my energy in ways that I can’t achieve when I’m grounded. I can move faster, process information more quickly, and make connections and solve problems with greater ease and speed.  Creativity, for me, is an out-of-body experience.

Focus? Oh, yeah. I got focus. Having focus and being grounded are two very different states. They’re not mutually exclusive, but if I can choose only one of them, focus wins. Every time.

Grounding slows me down. Makes me stop. Requires that I contend with material plane issues, like food and sleep and the ever-present ache from the back injury I sustained when I was 17.

I do ground for some meetings, events, etc. Some days I’ll ground so I can slow down, give myself a break, be more in the moment and less caught up in everything.  Being grounded as much as people seem to think we “should” be grounded doesn’t work for me.

When it’s right, I’m grounded. The rest of the time, I’m focused – and happy – in the ether.

Friday night Tarot fun! I’ll be reading at “NightSchool” at Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland on Friday, March 16 – “Where Social Meets Science!”

From our gracious hosts:

“At NightSchool, students of life can explore, imagine, create and mingle in an incredibly inspiring and magical setting. Themes and activities reflect current events, favorite pastimes and playful experiences, each celebrating the unique, resourceful and exciting community of the East Bay.

“Get back to school and unleash your inner nerd, spark a new hobby, hobnob with artists and experts, enjoy a show, and relax and contemplate your place in the universe!

• Adults 18+
• $12 General Admission / $5 Members
• Includes full access to exhibits, special activities, workshops, open labs, discussion forums, live Planetarium show, film screenings and telescope viewing (weather permitting)
• Food, Beer & Wine available for purchase”

Really, what more could you want on a Friday night? More, you say? More there is!  Two of the three creators of the Science Tarot – Logan and Martin – will be joining the festivities, offering readings and tours of the deck.

You can find us in the Space Exploration area upstairs!

See you Friday!

“Every beauty which is seen here by persons of perception resembles more than anything else that celestial source from which we all are come.”
~ Michelangelo

Today is the 537th anniversary of the birth of Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, more popularly known simply as Michelangelo.

Best known for his sculpture and statues, Michelangelo was also a renowned painter, and not-so-renowned poet. (Some of the poetry is lovely; some if it is, well, not so much.  The mention of cabbage in a love poem brings down the tone somewhat.)

Despite his fame and popularity, and the occasional (but not sufficiently frequent) generosity of his patrons, he did not live the life of a Renaissance Rock Star.  His contemporaries noted that he was not particularly polished, nor did he enjoy casual socializing. He was an artist who lived to create, keeping his life confined to basic physical needs and the creation of art.

Wikipedia informs us:

He told his apprentice, Ascanio Condivi: “However rich I may have been, I have always lived like a poor man.” Condivi said he was indifferent to food and drink, eating “more out of necessity than of pleasure” and that he “often slept in his clothes and … boots.”

Definitely not a Renaissance Rock Star, unlike his contemporary, Leonardo da Vinci.

As someone supported by patronage, Michelangelo’s society expected that he would be sociable and make himself agreeable to his patrons and peers. That was of no interest to him; he preferred to spend his time creating, or reading alone when he was not working.

He had no personal life to speak of – he never married, never had any reported indiscretions with the daughters of patrons, never had his name linked romantically with anyone in the rich and celebrated circles in which he found himself, never fathered any children.

He had peers, he had acquaintances, and some historians speculate that he had a relationship with Tommaso dei Cavalieri towards the end of his life.  He did not have any of the usual relationship with which people fill their lives.

What he had was an amazing gift to create art out of stone; bringing blocks of rock to life, creating something out of nothing, as did the Great Creator he depicted in his work again and again.  In his own words, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

My favorite painting is the Delphic Sybil:

He lived his life as a continuous act of creation – if he was awake, he was creating.  Divine inspiration? Divine madness?

For Michelangelo, a simple spread – The Angel in the Marble. You can use this spread to find the Angel in the marble of your current circumstances.

4.  Angel

3. Chisel               2.  Hammer

1.  Marble

 

1.  The Marble: What you have to work with; your starting point.

2.  Hammer: What you can do externally to chip away what is blocking or unnecessary.

3.  Chisel: What you can do internally to remove the blocks.

4.  Angel: The peak manifestation of your work.

Ask almost anyone who lived in San Francisco during Willie Brown‘s terms as Mayor, and they’ll probably be able to name his hatmaker – Ruth Dewson of Mrs. Dewson’s Hats.

For those who aren’t familiar with Brown, in addition to being a long time California politician, he’s also a dapper dresser, known for being perfectly put together at all hours of the day and night, regardless of weather or circumstance, and always sporting a stylish headpiece.

One day, I suddenly found myself on Fillmore Street near Mrs. Dewson’s Hats, and with time to spare. (I’ve no recollection of how that happened, but it did!) I went into the store, and Mrs. Dewson herself was minding the shop.  We chatted pleasantly as I browsed.  The hats were lovely – really wonderful – and I was flat broke. As in, $2.00 left in the bank account until payday, which was more than a week away.

At the end of my browsing, I thanked Mrs. Dewson for the pleasure of enjoying her work.  She asked if I were going to buy a hat. I explained that, although I loved them, I was not in a position to buy a hat at that time.

She replied something to the effect of “I get that all the time. Appreciation is great, but I can’t cash it. Buy a damn hat!”

I wasn’t able to that day, but I did eventually make it back to the shop to buy a hat, th0ugh it took a while. In the meantime, I had a great story to tell, and some of my friends also patronized Mrs. Dewson’s hats.

How many times does this happen to us?  We want to support something, but we’re not able to for one reason or another. Or we simply choose not to.

Yes, it’s wonderful for an artist or entreprenuer to hear “I love your work” or “I appreciate what you’re doing”. I love hearing from people that they find our artists’ work intriguing, and that they appreciate our fair treatment of authors.  That’s great – but our artists can’t eat appreciation. Can’t put it in the bank and use it pay rent or the utility bills, or buy art supplies.

Love an artist’s work? Like what a company is doing? Buy something and make it possible for them to keep doing it.

If you can’t afford something, then share your enthusiasm with others. Spread the word. If you can’t contribute directly to their prosperity, contribute to their fame and help create that prosperity.  If you like it, support it with real action.

Buy a damn hat!