Picturing my Muse

MUSE (myooz) n: 1. Greek Mythology. Any of the nine daughters of Zeus, each of whom presided over a different art or science. 2. a source of inspiration, especially: a guiding spirit

I'm still in the last pages of my tree journal and this was a spiritual sketch I did while I was in Cloudcroft. As you can see, I haven't mastered the overlapping, enveloping aspect of the design but I enjoyed taking snippets of images and making a personal piece about the things that have meaning for me, the things that guide me. The key has significance because I believe there is a mystery to many things and that there is always a key - like a key on a map or a key to open up a previously locked area. Of course, the Muse - whose beginnings started in a spiritual world long ago, and I believe there is a guiding spirit in my own life as well. Rumi's (possible) portrait is a reminder of poetry, skillful words and deep thoughts. The cross, well, it's over-used, but it really is a symbol about sacrifice for higher good, living beyond ourselves. The sunflower represents living only by dying to self as it must bow its head and drop its seed to reproduce. Of course, the monk -the solitary, spiritual, prayerful, humble life. And the trees, one of my favorite images - it means life, it means the cross, it means family (the branches), it means knowledge of good and evil... well, that may be weird to you, but a tree represents many, many deep lessons for me and I love that you don't have to go far to find one. Even at 50, I'm known for the fact that I sit up high in trees and watch the world. It gives me a different perspective on things. These things influence my life and my art. What images are spiritual images to you? What does your muse look like?