Chanupa

One of the most sacred spaces I know of is that of the Sacred Pipe Ceremony, or "smoking the Peace Pipe" as it is popularly known.  The aroma of tobacco and the whispy smoke hanging in the air is like a combination of the Catholic Church I grew up in, with the incense and air of profoundity that I loved, and of being around a campfire -- which, I guess, you could call my current church. Each puff is a prayer, and I love tasting those prayers on my tongue, where they tingle for hours afterwards, and watching them rise as I blow them upwards to Goddess. Then those same prayers, clinging to my beard and hair for at least a day, allow me to thus remain in ceremony, maintaining and carrying that sense (or scents) of sacredness into the rest of my day. 

This is also a direct line of connection to White Buffalo Calf Woman, who is like an adopted Mother Goddess to me, and who seems to play an ever increasingly important role in my unfolding path.  

So why don't I have my own pipe, or Chanupa, yet?  It is the tradition that you do not buy your own chanupa, but that when it is time, it will be given to you -- A gift, and a responsibility, from the Divine. 

Aho Mitakuye Oyasin.

Snake Skin

Anime Moment

YEEHAW!

Back in high school my favorite show was The Dukes of Hazzard, and being the young, creative cartoonist I was, I created a comic tribute to the show which I called "The Ducks of Havvoc."  The Duke boys were now the Duck boys who drove a car named The General Eel with a Tic-Tac-Toe game on the roof rather than the Dukes' rebel flag.  I love reviving my old characters when I get the chance, so here's a recent seizing of the opportunity when inspiration struck. On a side note,  I also think this is probably one of the best drawings of a car (specifically a Dodge Charger) I've ever done, being more adept at biological forms rather than mechanical ones. :)

Ar! Ar!

Three of Roses

BWEEP! BWEEP!

Subtleties of Love

Sha-zam!

Saint Daniel ~ Patron Saint of The Year of Trail Blazing

I have proclaimed for myself that this is the "Year of Trail Blazing." It therefore called for a changing of the guards, so to speak.  I used to look to Davy Crockett (Saint Davy) to remind me that my life is an adventure (And I really do have Saint Davy Prayer Candles like the one I drew). But something new has been sparking inside me, and more than just seeing the adventure that's happening to me, I am irresistibly drawn to strike out, claim my place as co-creator of my life, and actively blaze trails to the life I desire. And thus did step forward another childhood hero, Daniel Boone (Saint Daniel), one of the men who explored and blazed trails into the vast wilderness of this country.

 

In case you can't read the Gothic calligraphed words, here is the prayer:

Saint Daniel,

Grant me the

Boldness,

Courage,

and Vision,

to joyfully follow

my wild heart

guidance

in blazing trails

and exploring

the Undiscovered Countries

of my Soul.

Amen.