One of the Good Ones.

The Nude, watercolor by Jim Holdaway.

Description

"The Nude” by Jim Holdaway. A beautifully painted watercolour original by Jim Holdaway. An unpublished original probably painted in the 1950’s. A rare surviving example of his highly skilled colour work. 14" x 19" (36cm x 48cm) Watercolour Board.

Differences from Time to Time

Lisa Ann





vintage picture of a white woman with dark features
1920's 



petite woman's enticements 7
2010

What We are Trying To Leave

joyful face of a sepia woman

"Modern colonialism won its great victories not so much through its military and technological prowess as through its ability to create secular hierarchies incompatible with the traditional order. These hierarchies opened up new vistas for many, particularly for those exploited or cornered within the traditional order. To them the new order looked like-and here lay its psychological pull-the first step towards a more just and equal world. That was why some of the finest critical minds in Europe-and in the East-were to feel that colonialism, by introducing modern structures into the barbaric world, would open up the non-West to the modern critic-analytic spirit. Like the 'hideous heathen god who refused to drink nectar except from the skulls of murdered men', Karl Marx felt, history would produce out of oppression, violence and cultural dislocation not merely new technological and social forces but also a new social consciousness in Asia and Africa. It would be critical in the sense in which the Western tradition of social criticism-from Vico to Marx-had been critical and it would be rational in the sense in which post Cartesian Europe had been rational. It is thus that the a historical primitives would one day, the expectation went, learn to see themselves as masters of nature and, hence, as masters of their own fate".

Ashis Nandy
The Intimate Enemy; Self and Recovery of Self under Colonialism

the poetry of a Jennifer
by Igor B.

Jennifer's pic gallery

SHE teaches . . .

Lessons from The Garden


Jewish mysticism teaches us that each living being is a unique vessel bearing the same divine light. The vessel is our physicality, each one molded, chipped or fractured in a totally unique way by our individual experiences gathered in the passage of years in the physical world. The choices we make, the ability to forgive others and ourselves, the level of our own awakened consciousness helps or hinders the light we let shine. The light within is the source of all spiritual and religious traditions, such as those presented this afternoon, shining through different vessels revealing how much we all have in common. Where do we find the teachings that help us shine?

Many have read the book, "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." Perhaps a variation on the theme could be "everything I need to know I learned from the tree in my garden." I want take her lessons to heart. This wonderful teacher, tall and strong, stretches her huge branches giving shade not only to us but to the many finches and hummingbirds who gather in her shelter. From her protective being-ness, I learn presence. In be-ing, I remove myself from worries of the past and anxieties about an unknown future. Presence. Oneness. I breathe - therefore I am.

She reminds me that there is a natural order to living peaceably. When I look closely, I note that her strong branches emerge from her powerful trunk not in some haphazard way as it may first appear, rather her branches spiral out from the center in an ordered fashion, each one emerging distant enough from the one that came before to make sure the older branches have room to grow too and can access to sunlight for their leaves. From her symmetry, I learn about sharing resources which I need to practice more mindfully this year.

True - her roots do lift and crack the paving stones of our deck, but she was there first, and will be there long after we have gone. From her, I learn resilience and forbearance that I know serve us well as the increasing winds of rapid change blow through our lives.

I relish her silence. She is. At day's end, ever so easily, she loosens her grip on those leaves whose time has come. She releases them to make way for the new growth. Oh, at the end of each day, to be able to drop regrets, frustrations and upsets that cloud our inner light, as lightly as she releases her leaves. These are some of Nature's silent, yet obvious lessons we can learn when we still the busyness of or lives. by Heather 9.17.10






Maat Petrova advises, 'Keep beautiful, delicate things around you to remind yourself of how beautiful you are and to be gentle with yourself.' (11.22.15)



It became more apparent in my neighborhood that indigenous grasses and plants have a righteous gripe when I realized that my neighbors and I never water our lawns. Comparing notes we realized no one had imported grass! Our grass flows with each season easily from one to the next season. All we have to do is cut the lawn or not. I leave mine uncut as long as I can to enjoy the remaining insects that need the natural foods. 

As I understand it weeds are plants indigenous to an area. They, like the land, are not accepting or used to imported grass from far away lands so they get 'weeded' out as an enemy. Two of the qualities of indigenous grasses and plants is their ability to dig deep for water and their long history and understanding of the land they come from and thrive in. What they know seems to have given us food and a knowledge of what to eat at the beginning of each season. How they know what our bodies need each season is nothing short of brilliant! - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 7.10.14

introspectives

"Five minutes are enough to dream a whole life, that is how relative time is." ~ Mario Benedetti

introspective of a woman 3

Julie Delphy's mystique

Je serai poète et toi poésie... I'll be a poet, and you'll be poetry.... - anon

exotic mysterious dream I had - Danica 

"In one kiss, you'll know everything I haven't said." - Pablo Neruda 

Naked Before The Captor

Escape From Abuse
By Dr. Sinclair Grey III


Do you know someone who has been abused or is currently being abused in a relationship? They've gone through physical, sexual, emotional, and/or mental abuse. No matter how you label it, abuse in any form is destructive to one's psyche and spirituality. Going through abuse shouldn't be taken lightly. I want you to get into your spirit that men are not the only ones who abuse because there are plenty of women who are guilty of the same behavior.

In this life, I've discovered if you continue to live in an abusive state, you'll be messed up from the floor up. In other words, when you fail to escape from abuse, the abuser has control over you. Your thoughts and actions are centered around the abuser. In many cases, people who spend so much energy focused on the abuse and the abuser will end up missing what God has for them. Getting over any abusive situation requires plenty of work, plenty of faith, and plenty of self-determination. As one who faced physical, emotional, and mental abuse from past relationships and friendships, I can testify to the goodness of the Lord. Whatever you're dealing with in your life, I want you to know that God has the ability to pick you up when everyone else is trying to keep you down. God has the ability to provide you with a supernatural escape route from the abuse.

In this spiritual journey, I want to offer you a few suggestions in helping you escape from abuse. The first thing you need to do is tell yourself that you're better than the abuse. You must reiterate to yourself that you deserve better and no one and nothing is going to hold you back. The more you tell yourself that you deserve better, the more you reinforce your self-value. The second thing you need to know is that you're not defined by the abuse but by your relationship with God. Don't allow your spirit to be broken by people trying to hurt you. Once your spirit is broken, they have control. On the other hand, if you've got faith in God and hold on to His Hand in the midst of it all, you'll begin to see your escape route.

The Psalmist said, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills, From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber." Please don't miss this last lesson. You can escape from the abuse because you have power on the inside that's greater than anything on the outside. In a real sense, abusers don't know who your Heavenly Father is or what He can do for you. As I close this message, you need to know when God gives you an escape route; He closes the door to the abuse and abuser. That's shouting material because God is able to do what others deem impossible. With God, all things are possible. 7.18.14

art of Paul Gauguin titled Spirit of the Dead Watchin' - Vogue 1992

YOU NEED KNOW HOW IT WORKS

Goddess form in the nude 

Creativity is the quality you bring to the activity that you are doing. It is an attitude, an inner approach... How you look at things.. Technique, expertise and knowledge are just tools, the key is to abandon oneself to the energy that fuels the birth of all things. This energy has no form or structure, yet all forms and structures come out of it. It makes no difference what form your creativity takes, it can be painting, singing, planting, cooking or dancing..... The important thing is to be open to what wants to be expressed through you. Remember we don't possess our creations, they do not belong to us. True creativity arises from a union with the divine, with the mystical and the unknowable. Then it is both a joy for the creator and a blessing to others. Love whatever you do. Be meditative while you are doing it.. You are vibrant, you are alive, express your unique ability and talents today. It is possible to create something wonderful out of nothing. - Esnella Wi 11.01.13

MOre To The EYE

an exquisite beauty from a dream of Life. 

"We must pass through solitude and difficulty, isolation and silence to find that enchanted place where we can dance our clumsy dance and sing our sorrowful song. But in that dance, and in that song, the most ancient rites of our conscience fulfill themselves in the awareness of being human." ~ Neruda

a snap shot of Cosetta Chantal
June 6 , 2014

SACRED WOMAN

Substance Matters In Any Relationship
By Dr. Sinclair Grey III


Looking good is nice. Driving a nice car is fine. Living in a beautiful home is wonderful. And having money in your pocket is alright. However, a person without any substance is lost, confused, shallow, and stuck on themselves. Think about it for a moment. Anytime someone is more concerned with material things than working on their spiritual and personal development, there's a problem. As my neighbor dropped in my spirit last night, 'a person with substance will build you up internally not crush you externally.' Here's the Sinclair remix. A person with substance stimulates your mind while a person stuck on stuff is only concerned with the surface.


The Bible says when Samuel was looking to anoint a king that he went to Jesse's house and saw his oldest son (Eliab) and thought he was the chosen one because of his looks, but God said, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." Please don't miss this. Substance will always outweigh stuff. Character wins over clothing. And a heart of gold is better than huge amounts of things. That's my word for you. Just as the outward appearance is important so is the inner. I leave you with these two things. If there's no substance, RUN or if you're the one caught up in style and no substance, work on you so that you can shine even brighter. 6.21.14 

veiled beauty of Maria 

Strength to Truth

"Our Strengths and truths are sometimes invisible to us. In our Journey, the inclination is to look around not knowing the answer is always to look within."  - Dodinsky


Marta

Marta, brown and naked on white sheets 

What Isn't Know

Celebrating Beauty




Sanctity of Feminine is a secret to the crude, the willingly ignorant &
 abhorrent to those who prey upon women's spirits and bodies.
- Dawn Wolf, Keeper of Stories
May 1, 2014 · Edited ·


"What was once secret and mysterious has been opened to the winds, and mystique has been rendered obscure in the lexicon of femininity. It is a loss for young women because a time will come their daughters' lives will ask for its return to the sanctity of their bodies, and most important: their essence." - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 5.21.14




 

PRACTICE 47: care

This labyrinth encircles our lives from within without! - Dawn Wolf, Keeper of Stories 




There are many types of caring. Just like alcohol or drugs or addictive relationships, you can be addicted to caring to the point that pulls you off center. Caring is important, but it is only part of the whole of who you are. You cannot care so much that it becomes an obsession. You must see the totality of things and realize where your caring, like everything else, fits into the perspective of your life. Emotions are important; all of what you feel and think is important, because these things make you who you are. Negative ideas are parts of you that need to be honored, so that they can then be healed and brought back into balance.

Take a look at your life. Are you seeing any of these aspects in your relationships or other aspects of your life?

So much love and spirit,
Lynn V. Andrews

January 3, 2014 ·

 

a naked and pregnant Christina Aguilera 

INNOCENCE is not a Practice

Sade in short black dress.




Jenny Arzola on a balcony twirling
her hair made me think of innocence.
 2.5.14


"Innocence is something you play with. For the young and the playful it is like the play of pulling one's hair staring off into the distance of who you are and what is to come. Innocence is more than a commodity. It is not a thing. It is alive! It is a treasure. It is natural and it comes to all of us initially as a child. Throughout our lives innocence shows up in what we don't know. It shows up with our fears facing the Unknown. 
Innocence is the one creature that cannot be slain in a child and arise like a Phoenix and renew its life. Innocence does not sell itself, nor can it be sold. It cannot even be given away. It has to be offered in exchange for something intangible and greater than its incalculable worth. One of the greatest puzzles is innocence and one of the greatest mysteries is the offering up of innocence for the intangible smell and sensation of what is beyond innocence!"  - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 2.5.14





Smiley Garrison's tattooed thigh...

smoking a cigarette Tila Tequila

From God to Mind

Tell me this isn't a form, an ideal of perfection amongst many others. 

Muslim beauty of Diamond in red hood 

Goddess forms

SUICIDE attempts 

IT is a touchy business coaching a spirit not to leave the body. You can't navigate the soul realms stupidly because the spirit separate from one's mindset, and body awareness is intelligent. Freed of the boundaries it is fearless, daring and bolder. The feel and presence of love can coax one spirit and vex another. It is the stories of the soul that have to be reached because the will lives in those stories. - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 1.07.14

Paris jackson making faces December 2013 on vacation in Hawaii a year after her suicide attempt. 

HUNTER LEE

Hunter Lee

 February 2 , 2014

A professional model, Hunter Lee walking in the woods with her cowboy hat.
 February 2 , 2014

Hunter Lee wrapped in fur! 

BEAR WOMAN

www.KimberlyDonlon.com


Mama Bear by Kimberly Donlon is an 8" x 10" oil painting done Nov. 2013

This is a powerful something I don't have the language for. The body, the energy of the woman's body and the bear's head are inexplicably linked into a story lined up with a connection to land, birth and a history of reconciling the aspects of being as our tradition taught. - Gregory E. Woods 12.12.13

WHAT AM I SAYING? WHAT AM I SEEING?

 Kimberly Donlon's piece titled: "Back Board"

 Sharpie Paint Markers 9x12" — at University of Central Florida.

"This is a sexy dance and a sensuous woman in the forever dance of perpetual motion moving inside an older, wiser and wizened woman deep into the meditations of her heat and the mercurial quality of her soul in a body composed of her youth, and promise of better, and its maturity and depth. The picture asks of me the questions I've heard times before by older women." ~ Gregory E. Woods, 12.12.13

sacred form of Valerie from Mauritius 

the New Year!

sipping champagne in black panties 

Can it be expected of us to attain perfection, be perfect, look perfect, or find the perfect woman? What moments are perfect are not permanent, and what is temporal is worth having when it sustains our life-force. It is a mysterious thing the fleeting moments that mean much to us, and keep us committed to staying alive. We can fall under sway of King Solomon's words that sees all of life as vanity, or be held by the spells of Beauty, and love and magical attractions. Is the accusations of vanity enough to subdue the lust of the flesh? Is the fulfillment of the lusts of the flesh worth the risks? - Gregory E. Woods 1.2.14

Beauty's Everywhere found this picture somewhere. Sharing it she said, "I am not particularly keen on tattoos, but this is pretty neat and pretty and a nice solution to a sad event: epic Celtic chest tattoo on a breast cancer survivor.  - Jan. 6, 2014 

Oh, to be Held



Madonna history from Egypt to modern Europe

Emerge

Emy Reyes

"The way women express themselves, and the way they talk revealed a great deal to me as a 15, and 16 year old boy. I was painfully shy, but determined to speak my mind freely with girls. Because my father instructed me, and an aunt informed me during ceremonial initiation the penetrations into my spirit parted the proverbial waters of perceptions. In this way, (I didn't have this language back then) in a glance I understood the difference between expression and talk. Alone with this I learned to speak easier and easier with the girls in school, and later wandering the streets of Washington DC on my own I put into practice the spiritual teachings of being alone, together, and a part of divinity belonging to the women I met." - Gregory E. Woods 3.31.13



Carrina Suicide, a SUICIDE GIRL