Call for Artists: Art is Life Recipe Book ~ Cauliflower Crack

We typically see artist studios, their paint palettes, I want to know what artist love to eat and create
New project.

I will ask Artists to submit their favorite recipes, why they love this food, and do they feel it is an art form? All Artist, who submit their work must agree to having it be published.

Cauliflower crack, red onion, tomato with cabbage wrapped white fish.

Here is the process:
Artists will

• submit their loved recipe 
•  a quote on why they love this food and why they feel it is a form of art
• a picture of food they created,
• an image of their core art form
• their bio with website etc... 
• Submit work to lisarasmussen08@gmail.com

Life fills me with wonder and light

All the way to day
27/90

I have lost a solid 6 pounds during the first month of Weight Watchers. Onward to month two.

My meals have been really artzy, fun, and tasty. Lots of veggies from our local Santa Monica Farmers Markets.

Yummastic Breakfast (Flatbread, cheddar cheese, asparagus, soft boiled egg, sweet potatoes, and kale. 

 

Day 12/90 ~ This game is challenging

Only lost 3 pounds for my initial weigh in. This is a hard task. 
I awoke this morning thinking I lost at least 7 pounds. The night before we went for a fast walk. I thought that is the ticket to have at least 10,000 steps in per day.

I need to do some research to make this happen. I am following the point plan on Weight Watchers to the T??

Insights from the cards I pulled today

The Knight of Wands

This is a dynamic and active card, with a great deal of warm enthusiasm and gaiety flowing from its energy. Often insight and perception increase when it is influential. There are often sudden and unexpected shifts of energy, so that blockages are swept firmly out of your path, leaving you free to move forward in your chosen direction.

On a day ruled by this card, expect to be directed to take action to remove difficulties and resolve problems, and be open to guidance from wherever it happens to come. This card is sometimes known by the title "Lord of Lightning" and he will use life's everyday tools to nudge you in the right direction. Don't be surprised to receive guidance from odd sources, and pay close attention to what happens around you. Allow yourself to be alert to apparently random input which will give you clues and ideas that had not occurred to you before.

And then once you have picked up these signs, follow them diligently and determinedly - you'll find they really pay off. Don't put things on one side for further reference - as soon as you know what action to take, take it. Then sit back and wait for the next 'nudge'!



Affirmation: I open myself to my own success.

Strength Card
This card is primarily about having a fascination and enthusiasm with the whole life process - delighting in the moment, observing both your surroundings and yourself on a minute by minute basis, engaging with life to the best of your abilities.
We can often get distracted from taking proper notice of life....if we are worried, busy, stressed, rushed...it becomes all too easy to forget that our very existence is a miracle. We stop noticing beauty or joy...... we lose our ability to be both delighted and surprised at life.
And this is a desperate shame, for life can become a constant and ever-changing flow of miracles, excitement and exhilaration. All that is required here is that we agree to allow it...and then pay right attention.
Right attention is a challenging skill to develop, but the effort invested pays enormous dividends once you have practised enough for this to become a habit. It means placing your attention in the moment, and then holding it there. By doing this you become infinitely aware, seeing, hearing and feeling things that would have otherwise slipped by unnoticed.
So...on a day ruled by Lust, we must learn to work at our ability to pay attention to and enjoy life. Try this exercise - it will take about ten minutes (or more if you want it to):
Sit down somewhere comfortably. Smooth and calm your breathing. Now first pay attention to your body...what does it tell you? Once you have attended to its needs, spread your attention out further..... deliberately engage one sense at a time. What do you see? Look in minute detail - you know you've got it right when you notice things you didn't know were there before. Now add hearing. What do you hear? Really listen hard......again when you hear things you would not normally register, you're doing well. What do you feel? See this as both a physical 'feel' and an emotional 'feel', then separate the two. What can you taste? How does your mouth feel? What do you smell? Can you unwind the different scents in the air?
Now put all of that together and trying doing all five things at once! When you've mastered that one, you can always throw in the final sense.....what are you hearing at the psychic level? What do you feel of the unseen dimension beyond the one in which you now sit.
I expect I'll be needing to draw this card very often to give you chance to get to grips with Right attention...but you have to admit - it's amazing how much information your brain processes that you never even notice, isn't it? And this is happening in your every living moment!!
Affirmation: I live in and value the moment.

My life is filled with abundance and joyful happenstance

Day 11/90

Wahoo, I lost three pounds. Last night Don and I took an evening walk on the Santa Monica Bluffs. I think that really helped. Although, I was 2000 steps short of my 10,000 step goal. I have to figure out a more intensive workout routine.

Cards pulled

Aeon ~ Nuit
The Aeon is another of those cards which indicate that we have reached a turning point - from this moment forward everything changes. There will often be big decisions to be made (which will later be executed with the Universe, the Arcanum which naturally follows this one). Sometimes we'll find ourselves weary after struggling through a tough patch, but at the same time, now we see light at the end of the tunnel.
When we make life-changing decisions, we will often spend quite a long time thinking before we make up our minds. And during that period, we often berate ourselves for our indecisiveness and uncertainty.
When we do that, we are missing something so simple, and yet vitally important - that every decision we take has its moment. And if we are not sure now, perhaps that's because we have not yet reached this particular decision's moment in time. There will come a moment, if we are true to ourselves, when we know exactly what we need to do. And when that moment comes there will be no further prevarication, no doubt, no fear.
This is because time itself has enormous power. To find the right time for anything is a really useful life skill. When a choice comes to its own moment, it becomes empowered by its own momentum, and at that moment we can move forward with confidence. Sometimes, then, just of itself, this card will bring about changes on the day that it rules.
The Aeon is also about directing our lives in accordance with what we have already learned. So when this card rules the day, try examining your wealth of experience - in any area you choose to. Look at what you know, what you understand, what you need and how far you've already come. And give yourself a great big pat on the back! You already have a treasure house!
 Affirmation: I trust myself in this moment

The Ace of Wands
This is a wonderful high-energy card, promising big breakthroughs and real progress. Expect a day ruled by this card to be full of pleasant and unexpected surprises, nice twists of fates, and quirky happenings.
This is a day to be filled up with the wonder and energy of life, a time when you'll find it easy to sail through your work, clear your commitments and really get on top of things.
For a special few of us, there will be major steps forward into new areas of life - big changes which lead us toward our heartfelt hopes and dreams. There will be bounty and fortune for some of us.
For others, healing will be the most important matter at hand. Intractable and troublesome illness will fall away, or we will locate new ways of dealing with health matters.
This will be a bright fresh happy day. Make sure you enjoy every minute of it!!
Affirmation: My life is filled with abundance and joyful happenstance.
 

Pull Self Up and Beginning Again

Day 10/90 
First weigh in for the plan and I lost nothing. It is a bummer. The week was a bit of rollar coaster, I had lost four pounds, than I gained it back. I did follow thae point structure. Typically not hungry and fulfilled. Maybe week one was an assessment. I need to exercise more and cut out late night points via eating and drinking. Also, Don took a photo of me over the weekend that is a total wake up call. I see it know, that is my obese ~ ness. Must begin again. Get really motivated to make this weigh loss happen. Only 80 days to lose 30 pounds. 

 

Cards I pulled today....
2 of Cups Love: A little support and self love is needed. As I am not making progress on this weight loss plan. 

Here is what Angel Paths states about the 2 of Cups
As I said when defining this card, the most important aspect of the Lord of Love is that we learn to develop self-love, self-trust and self- reliance. Hopefully there are many of you who can think, with confidence, I've done this.
And for those of you who can, a day ruled by the 2 of Cups is a day to count those you love, and those who love you. It is a day to be deeply grateful that you have such abundance and bounty in your life. There is no greater wealth we can aspire to than a wealth of love.
For those people who have not yet managed to achieve real self-love, this is a day to work on it. Throughout a day ruled by the Lord of Love, try to be conscious of your feelings toward yourself. Look carefully at the ways you choose to describe yourself. Examine how you feel when dealing with other people.
Try to see yourself and your actions without standing in judgement on them. Often it is the obsession with judging ourselves (often through our interpretation of how others see us) that stops us from seeing ourselves as loving and loveable. So put a hold on your judgement on this day.
Simply observe what you do, what you think, how you feel. If you discover that you are putting yourself down, then decide that, at least for today, you will stop. After all, if you get so much out of doing this, you can always start again tomorrow ;-)
Instead, say your affirmation, tell that judgmental little gremlin that it can have the day off, and allow the world to reflect you back to yourself. You might just get a big surprise! 

Affirmation: Love flows into my life in an endless stream.

Queen of Swords: Challenge self perception. Watch mind chatter.

Affirmation: My life is a constant and glorious exploration. 

Natural Cycles

Day #7/90

Awake feeling pretty good. OK lost two pounds from first day. Glad that is my goal two pounds a week. Today we are going camping in Yosemite, I will plan out how to stick to my plan.

I got a Fitbit and the one thing I noticed is I really not that active during my day. Must increase activity. Yesterday we played tennis,energy was good but my day only ended at 7200 steps.

Here is the card I pulled today ...
The Priestess (or High Priestess, Papess, Pope Joan, Isis) is numbered two. This is the representation of the Goddess. She is the complementary partner of the Magician, possessing all his skill and ability, but with far more insight and psychism. She is more subtle yet somehow far more noticeable.

She is almost always shown with the Lunar Crescent, conveying her natural affinity with the forces of Nature and natural cycles. The Magician generates his own power, whereas the Priestess draws upon the forces of life itself.

She sits between two pillars with veils suspended between them - it is the Priestess who allows us to penetrate the innermost secrets of life. She is also the bridge between our conscious and Higher selves, by teaching us through our dreams and our subconscious. It is in our subconscious that we hold the keys to the Universe.
So on her day, the best thing that we can do is practise entering into the silence in order that we can 'hear' our intuition. Spend a little time in quiet contemplation, still the incessant chatter that is part of everyday life, and just let your mind release the things it knows about that you haven't had the opportunity to catch up with recently.

This is something that so many of us don't make time to do often enough. As a result, we miss an enormous amount of information that we pick up through every waking hour, and store automatically. Our ancient ability to read the signs of life still remains, whether we use it or not. But often we can be taken unawares by material that has slipped directly from our intuition directly into the subconscious because we don't spend long enough relating to subliminal messaging.

So, on the Priestess's day, try to remember to be open to the hidden type of message that she is so adept at assessing. Give yourself time to meditate and to listen to yourself. You'll be surprised at what you learn!

Affirmation: My intuition works like a trustworthy friend.

Today I will begin my day with an oat, berry, and honey breakfast.

6th Day ~ Disappointing

I awoke today  looked in the mirror and thought to myself I lost more weight. I look thinner, right? I said to myself. Bummer not the case. I stepped on the scale and I gained another pound. So the four pounds I lost at the beginning of my Weight Watchers program has all come back. What is going on, I am exercising and sticking to the point system. Eating really healthy!!

How do I keep my chin up?  Must make my goal of losing 2 pounds by Sunday. It is going to be  a challenge. It is Don's birthday and we are going camping to Yosemite. How to stick to my food and exercise plan while camping. Usually camping is a decadent feast. Challenges abound.

I will have to map out our food intake! Lets see what that will look like.

Card pulled today....Hierophant

In the highest spiritual context, the Hierophant represents a human being who has united all aspects of duality within themselves, coming to a point of high level development and growth. More often than not, such people turn up in teaching roles, in the spiritual and occult fields. The student of the Mysteries who is lucky enough to be adopted by a true Hierophant is blessed indeed.

Perhaps I might be allowed to digress briefly to talk about spiritual teachers. Eventually most students come to a point where they have learned as much as they possibly can under their own steam. If they want to progress into the deeper realms of the Mysteries, they must find themselves a teacher. This is not as easy as it might seem. Many people profess to have sufficient knowledge to lead newcomers through the sometimes stormy waters of spiritual growth. However, it is important to ensure that the person to whom you trust your future development is exactly what they claim to be. If you are currently seeking a teacher, bear these three things in mind:

1) True Hierophants never tout for business. They trust the Universe to draw to them the students they are charged to teach.
2) True Hierophants assume Karmic responsibility for the student they accept. And they tell you so.
3) By the time you reach the point where you deeply yearn for a teacher, you will already have developed your skills somewhat. Therefore, you can trust your own feeling about a possible teacher. Never, ever, under any circumstances, commit to somebody about whom you have the slightest unease.

I'll get back to the subject now!!!!

A day ruled by the Hierophant will be one filled with the opportunity to learn. It will be revelational, inspiring and interesting. If you allow yourself to be open to the forces that surround you, you WILL learn something important! So - pay attention!!!!

Affirmation: I open myself to the wisdom of the Universe

Ha, maybe I need to find a teacher. A weight loss teacher. 
Yesterday, I played tennis. That was good and fun. Just ate oats and berries in the morning, lunch I had chicken/brocolli soup, and for dinner spinach with a bite of salmon, and sake.

For my Art is Life breakfast, I will make spinach and an avocado egg.  7 points.
I also got a fitbit to count my activity, it is not easy. I have to spend sometime to figure it out.