The Song Of The Rainbow Labyrinth

After writing my journal and breakfast and a nap, I walk up the lane each day singing 

The Song Of The Rainbow Labyrinth.

Each day the song changes subtly as I come to understand her more clearly. Today it became obvious that vocal beings live in the sky and those who listen and remember are ocean beings. I suspect they are a tad interchangeable? Emerald beings have been Love, breath, Healing and breathing. Today they are healing loving kindness. Ruby beings have been core beings. Today they are both our heart and the heart of the Earth, both dancing and centred.

I then feed my animal family and the local pair of red kites before I paint a rainbow labyrinth.

Each rainbow labyrinth is different. Today i was concentrating on showing the relationship between turquoise and blue. I sat a looked for a while when I had finished. I was in awe of the colour and energy, aware of the boundaried green.

The Song Of The Rainbow Labyrinth

We are violet beings.

We are mysterious beings.

We are beings who know.

We are divine.

We are indigo beings.

We are night beings.

We are beings who see.

We are dreaming.

We are blue beings.

We are sky beings.

We are vocal beings.

We are sound.

We are turquoise beings.

We are Ocean beings.

We are beings who listen.

We are memory.

We are emerald beings.

We are forest beings.

We are beings who breathe.

We are healing, loving, kindness.

We are yellow beings.

We are rock beings.

We are bone beings.

We are strong.

We are amber beings.

We are magma beings.

We are blood beings.

We are art.

We are ruby beings. 

We are heart beings. 

We are dancing beings. 

We are centred.

We are Earth beings.

We are rainbow beings.

We are rainbow labyrinth beings.

We are peace.

It seems that painting rainbow labyrinths is becoming addictive.

I am loving the vivid inks I acquired last week

and. after what seems like years of trying to keep my labyrinths neat and symmetrical, I am loving the way I cannot control these water colour inks and how different each one is. Long before I had the dream, my friend Ann gave me a little portable pallet of watercolours and I would play for hours with the colours of the rainbow fading into each other in concentric circles. From these meditation paintings, I am beginning to think that painting in labyrinth walls interferes with allowing the colours to fade into each other.... maybe following the path of the labyrinth was never meant to be this easy?

Another thing that does not seem to want to be controlled is the story. For some reason, I thought it was complete but yesterday it became clear that it was just the beginning of a much longer set of adventures and then today when I went back to my long hand original version, I found a sentence which proves this was what was planned all along. Now all I need to do is write it.....

This afternoon I managed to type up the story of the rainbow labyrinth, provisionally titled "The Trouble With Trouble". Not quite sure what to do with it now? I suppose all I have to do now is finish eight paintings, one of each colour of my eight layered rainbow labyrinth, and see what happens next?

I do love the process of writing, of editing as I type, of reading the story out loud to myself and hoping that other people will share my taste and point of view.... 

There are times when I am not happy with my creations but when I am there is a small voice in my ear telling me not to show it, not to be big headed...

If I am not allowed to like and enjoy my creativity then what is the point?

The Heart of The Arts

Heart felt gratitude on Valentine's day to dear Vivi Sojorhn for including my work and photographs in the Heart issue of The Arts. The way she placed the pictures of Ladies who Labyrinth captures the fun we had on the inaugural outing of the 8' x 10' rainbow labyrinth I finished last spring equinox, three months before I knew my heart was disabled since birth.

May the dream of The Arts live on to materialise in an even better home <3

Interstitial Moment in the Electronic File

By Brid Wyldearth, Wales, UK •

 

August 1, 2013

Photograph by Brid Wyldearth 

I really had to face that I am not Super Woman this week. It was almost as though I had not recently been admitted to hospital with heart failure, when I tried to hoover my entire cottage and van prior to spraying it with heavy duty chemicals because my poor dog has flea allergy. It really did come as a shock to me that I cannot physically do this, despite not having been able to do this for some years now. It also felt like climbing Everest to ask my friend to give me a lift to her birthday treat when I had promised her one, and, if I could have physically loaded the dishwasher before she came back the next day to do it for me, I would have. Every fiber of my being wanted to, wanted to say "no" to her kind offer. I am still weeping on and off with the memory of how this incredibly busy woman made a few hours of helping me have some fun.

I would never have expected to feel so unwilling to be disabled or to ask for help and I have been miserable. But last night, instead of bemoaning how short a walk I am now able to do, I found a pair of swans at the mouth of the river and just sat with them, hugging my dog and being. This was the second time I had seen them and not had a camera - so this picture is of a lone swan from another time and place in my photo library - but the gift of not having a camera and the gift of being disabled and slow is that I had all the time in the world to let these beautiful creatures begin to teach me how to just be.

Ladies who Labyrinth, Frances Mowat, Amanda Laugharne, Cheryl Beer, Linda Udin and Brid Wyldearth in March 2013

Excepted from her Poem "Heart's Labyrinth"

In my paintings

she becomes

a spiralling

folding

layered heart

of energetic

spirit

wheel

chakras 

a rainbow labyrinth

Editor's Note: Brid Wyldearth is an experiential artist who participates in drumming, singing, dancing and more. She created this labyrinth from a dream, and in the central photo is showing off her self-designed labyrinth tattoo. 

The door opened 

all was still

for a moment

for a long breath

a figure held my attention

by doing nothing

by being

fully embodied

conscious of every breath

when she moved

the stillness did not end

she carried it with her

she did not seek attention

the feather weight gravity 

with which she was dancing 

was magnetic

she told me she meditated

and saved up each year

to go to India

and do painting meditation with children

Her eyes lit up as she described their enthusiasm, 

their creativity

their communication with spirit

I was young

distracted

by dreams of fame and fortune

I wish I had thrown off the chains

of rebellion

against parental expectation

of empty dreams

I wish I had followed her

I always remember that first encounter

reminded of her 

on the rare occasions

that stillness, silence and solitude have found me

in the midst of art and being

Now I am old

I meditate 

I paint

I write

I dream

I live alone

I have come home to myself

I guard my piece

of stillness, silence and solitude 

ferociously.

By Bríd Wyldearth Imbolc 2014

inspired by listening to John O'Donohue

Contribution for 2014 Brigid Poetry Festival:

https://www.facebook.com/BrigidPoetryFest

Violet before me

Violet behind me

Violet be right of me

Violet be left of me

Violet above me

Violet below me

Violet surround me

Violet within

I am violet woman

I am spirit woman

I am woman who knows

I am divine

Indigo before me

Indigo behind me

Indigo be right of me

Indigo be left of me

Indigo above me

Indigo below me

Indigo surround me

Indigo within

I am indigo woman

I am star woman

I am woman who sees

I am dreams

Blue before me

Blue behind me

Blue be right of me

Blue be left of me

Blue above me

Blue below me

Blue surround me

Blue within

I am blue woman

I am sky woman

I am woman who hears

I am memory

Turquoise before me

Turquoise behind me

Turquoise be right of me

Turquoise be left of me

Turquoise above me

Turquoise below me

Turquoise surround me

Turquoise within

I am turquoise woman

I am ocean woman

I am woman who sings

I am sound

Emerald before me

Emerald behind me

Emerald be right of me

Emerald be left of me

Emerald above me

Emerald below me

Emerald surround me

Emerald within

I am emerald woman

I am forest woman

I am woman who heals

I am love

Yellow before me

Yellow behind me

Yellow be right of me

Yellow be left of me

Yellow above me

Yellow below me

Yellow surround me

Yellow within

I am yellow woman

I am rock woman

I am woman with power

I am wild

Amber before me

Amber behind me

Amber be right of me

Amber be left of me

Amber above me

Amber below me

Amber surround me

Amber within

I am amber woman

I am magma woman

I am woman who crafts

I am art

Ruby before me

Ruby behind me

Ruby be right of me

Ruby be left of me

Ruby above me

Ruby below me

Ruby surround me

Ruby within

I am ruby woman

I am core woman

I am woman who dances

I am peace

Rainbow before me

Rainbow behind me

Rainbow be right of me

Rainbow be left of me

Rainbow above me

Rainbow below me

Rainbow surround me

Rainbow within

I am rainbow woman

I am labyrinth woman

I am rainbow labyrinth woman

I am Earth

Earth before me

Earth behind me

Earth be right of me

Earth be left of me

Earth above me

Earth below me

Earth surround me

Earth within

by Bríd Wyldearth 2014

I was given this prayer and vision in a dream. Each rainbow labyrinth I paint and each time I walk the prayer, I am given more information and insights. This is the most valuable gift I have to share with the world and I hope to live long enough to co-create a rainbow labyrinth for people from all over the world to walk. Maybe I'll live long enough to see rainbow labyrinths created all over the world? I need help to do this. Please try this prayer out for yourself and share here your experiences and any ideas and ways in which you are willing to help me co-create this vision.

I include all genders in my use of the word "woman" and invite you to substitute "one " or "man" or "child" for "woman" as suits you. 

I love taking the time to walk the whole prayer but find using the verse beginning "Rainbow before me" works very well for a hurried morning grounding prayer.