I am very excited about showing my mandalas this month at Unity of Olympia. Last weekend a whole group of friends hung over 100 mandalas in the sanctuary and foyer. It is amazing to think that since I began my journey, being diagnosed with a neurological disease called Multiple Systems Atrophy, I have filled 19 journals with writing and drawings and drawn over 800 mandalas. I started when I was told I did not have long to live. Between 8-10 years is average, but I have never considered myself average. I am expecting an extraordinary outcome. When I would start a new journal I would draw the first page and the last page because I figured if I did die mid journal I wanted my last page to be filled with love and joy. My drawing could not be contained in a journal, so I began using watercolor paper. My preference is 300lb cold press, but to afford that in the amounts I was using became expensive, so I experimented on different weight papers in both hot and cold press. I had never used hot pressed, snubbing the perfectly smooth paper for the bumpy rough paper that absorbed the color in such fascinating ways, but I am leaning toward hot press right now. I have tried every permanent ink pen I could find and have settled upon an old set of Rapid-o-graph pens I have had for years. Metal tip, refillable and the promise of a smooth deep flow of black ink that really does it for me. The introduction of color is new for me. I had turned away from color after discovering Sumi-e ink and brush, and for many years only painted in black and white, but after being diagnosed with this wacky brain dis-ease, color calls to me. I had to find some way of painting that was not going to include containers of water because I spend a majority of my time now in bed. So I have settled on Tombow watercolor pens. I paint every day. I know that painting these mandalas are healing my brain. The misfit proteins are beginning to unfold from their errant origami shapes, to return to their original template to act as a key in a lock, to be able to pass through those important neurons that control really important details of life like remembering to breathe and the beat my heart. It appears that once the connection is lost it is lost. So far it has only disconnected from things I can work around, adding an occasional tube here or there and taking medications to try and help certain symptoms. Actually it is ice water, mandalas and my family’s love that help the most. Plus, I am a Religious Scientist, not Scientology or Christian Science, which is why the organization changed its name to Centers for Spiritual Living. A vague name, but you know something is off if you have to spend the first 5 minutes explaining what you are not. It is a New Though Organization, think Oprah, or change your thinking, change your life. It is because of my belief that we can heal and create that I say I was diagnosed with instead I have MSA. In no way do I claim this disease. I do claim the color as it absorbed in to the paper, the repetitive patterns and circles that fly out of my hand like some kind of message I am receiving from Spirit. Sometimes I feel I am catching the prayers that are being said and capturing them on the paper. When I was diagnosed the doctor said to arrange for Social Security Disability, make an initial contact with hospice and asked if I would donate my brain. That was three years ago. I had my first symptoms of MSA 13 years ago, that is beyond the expiration date for this disease, which causes doctors to reassess the diagnosis. I would expect them to ask what my secret was. A special vitamin? A trip to John of God? But no, only a perplexed look and then they something like, well, maybe it is Complete Autonomic Failure, which actually sounds a lot worse than MSA, but does come with some additional time, but not much. And revisiting what to name what is happening to me it does not change the fact that I am now in a wheelchair. It is pink so that is good, but it is still a wheelchair. When I cannot sleep I paint. It is almost dark in the room and these paintings are done to slow my mind. I left the Catholic Church went I was a teen, but old rituals die hard and my Mother did say that once you are a Catholic it is burned into your soul. I take my pen and make the first circle and mark the four directions; in the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost. I begin following the design that seems to appear before my pen. I can’t really claim these dark mandalas as mine, I am always surprised to see what has transpired during the night, some heavy and brooding, other flowery and light. Occasionally a pen has rolled into the covers, releasing its color into the sheets and onto me. I find splotches of color in random places on my body like I am finally turning into a mandala myself. I started this post to invite you to see some of my work next Friday evening. The mandalas are very different in person, a photo cannot capture the energy that seems to make them expand and contract. The other thing I want to say is this is the first time my mandalas are for sale, and if you can’t make it Friday, you can buy them on my website. Each one is so different my suggestion is to tell me what colors you like and let me chose for you. Please let me know if you are reading my posts, my stats reflect lots of traffic but no one leaves a message. Too startling? Boring? Poor sentence structure? The mandalas are up all of June and Unity is open each afternoon for viewing so stop by and check them out. In grace and ease, Cathy
6 Comments
Susan Kibbey
6/1/2016 10:32:01 am
Cathy, your post was totally, totally engaging. And really great sentence structure too! (LOL)
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Kathryn
8/11/2016 01:42:12 pm
I discovered your mandalas when I happened to walk by Olyphant yesterday and stepped inside to browse. Blown away by the beauty and emotion in your art!!
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Kathy Swartout
9/12/2016 03:45:07 pm
Cathy, I have been coloring mandalas for a few months and just found your mandalas at Olyphant. Wow! No comparison to my poor effort, but very inspirational. I remember your name from years ago. I believe ours paths may have crossed during a meditation class, or past life regressions or something like that. I remember that you had a retreat center, but I never attended.
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Dayl Ann Roof
4/14/2017 07:32:21 pm
I have so enjoyed your videos, your jouney, the windows beyond Mandala that you have shared. I am an old friend from a bygone age, but find you refeshingly still Cathy. I see your sentences still include Chuck, your best friend and husband. I attended your wedding. I toasted your life. And now I find you healing from a devastating disease process.I could not be less concerned about your sentence structure.:) We each have a journey that flows into the eternal and I have always felt your connection. No not spooky.Can you maybe knock on my metaphysical door somewhat later than 2 or 3 a.m.? I wrote somewhere on your Facebook or blog, thinking it's been over 30.years since you knocked. Last time was days prior to your car accident. I am highly intuitive. Having said that, I sence nothing other than the connection. I am at an age where why. Is just a curious thing. It's fun to know that you and Chuck have grandbabies. I gave your first born girl an enema once. Seemed I did do house calls back in the day. Seattle General Hospital. My first grown up nursing job, and you the ward clerk extrodinaire. We were roommates in the same building but in separate studio apartments. You lived with a female ghost. I wonder which daughter became the nurse.?
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4/21/2017 11:59:31 pm
My favorite colors are all blues, water, reflections and coral. Also some earth tones with greens that bleed into blues. Jewel tones. Inner glows that shine outward.
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Georgia
7/18/2018 06:02:26 am
I love reading your blogs Kathy. They are so personal and positive. I started having autonomic nervous system issues 4 years ago and have not been diagnosed with anything at this stage but have had numerous MRIs, bladder function tests etc. It seems that I don't quite meet the criteria for anything at this stage though things are slowly progressing so I can relate to your early experiences before you were diagnosed.
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Cathy Pfeil
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