On New Years Day we had what astrologers call A Super New Moon. New Moons are all about setting intention for the month ahead. This one was extraordinary for many reason, it was powerful and happened to land on New’s Day, which hasn’t happened in about 20 years. I’ve learned to respect this stuff. Years ago an Asian friend of ours told me she always did housework, chores, paid bills on the days before New Years. New Years Day was special and a person should only do the things that made them happy and wished for more of in their life. She used to cook a ton of food for her family, the day was one continous feast.
One of the things I did on New Years day was plant a couple of trees on my property. The mud and dirt felt good in my hands. Trying to imagine what these littles guys will look like twenty years to the next Super New Moon. I visualized them tall and strong waving in the wind. A happy feeling filled me as I walked away, backwards so I could see their position in the landscape. Beautiful!
I watched the film Renoir, the cinematography was stunning. It portrayed Renoir as a very old man, crippled, in pain, the end of his career. He lived in a beautiful estate, surrounded by women who looked after him. They were once his models, then lovers and ended up his maids. World War 1 was still going on grief and fear was all around. He refused to talk about any topic, the war, crime, the goings on in the house, detached from it all he painted. He was obsessed by the human form, female, flesh. In his world that was beauty and he was devoted to sharing it.
Years ago our family went to Chicago and visited The Art Institute. They have an amazing collection of masterworks by all the biggies Cezanne, Seurat, Monet, Van Gogh, Kandinsky, but for all those amazing works the one painting that knocked me on my ass was a Renoir, called “Crysathenum”. It was stunningly, breathtakingly beautiful, the skin on the faces was the most creamy pinky soft, but what got me the most was the small concentration of flowers on the little girl’s hat. The colors floored me from 30 feet away and almost made me cry while inches away.
I woke up this morning thinking that Renoir and his commitment or obsession to beauty in a time of fear and chaos was like soldiering…A Soldier For Beauty.
We are surrounded and bombarded with messages of Fear and angst. Just turn on the TV. A relative of ours visited a couple of months ago, he only stayed two hours, but all he talked about was illness, this aunt has this, that uncle that. Once a month Jehovah witnesses come down our long driveway and knock on the door, my wife and daughter usually pretend to not be home. I always go out and say hi, being new to the area and all. I read their doctrine as a religious order the other day. Which seems to be that all humans are flawed and doomed to God’s wrath and punishment. Talk about bleak, no wonder why some of these visitors look so grey and sad.
We are all flawed and yes, doomed to die. The world can be cruel, sad. There is pollution, corruption, murder, aches and pain and coughs due to cold. But, there is Beauty and my intention under this Super New Moon’s energy is to keep painting and Re-enlist as a soldier to beauty. Keep on soldiering on…Amen!
Robhooper Blog 