kristinsdóttir

“Through our worship we redirect all of our senses to God, as we pray with both body and soul. Our sight is fixed not on what brings us sensual pleasure, but on the icons, the vestments of priests, the architecture of the church building which lifts us up from the realm of this earth. We should not be noticing what other people are wearing — or wearing things so that people notice us — but with our physical eyes fixed on the icons, etc., we lift our spiritual eyes also to behold the Lord.” — excerpted from an essay in The Veil (Volume 11, Number 2, Summer 2004), the newsletter of Protection of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Monastery of Lake George, Colorado. Subscribe to The Veil by contacting the Monastery at 2343 County Road 403, PO Box 416, Lake George, Colorado, 80827, telephone: 719-748-3999

(the illustration is one of my gluebook spreads)

“If you are an ardent reader, seek not brilliant and erudite texts; otherwise the demon of haughtiness will strike your heart. But like a wise bee that gathers honey from flowers, through your reading obtain also healing for your soul.” — words from A Spiritual Psalter, or Reflections on God, excerpted by Bishop Theophan the Recluse from the works of our Holy Father Ephraim the Syrian, published by The St. John of Kronstadt Press, 1997. Here’s a review of that book by M. C. Steenberg, found on Monachos.net.

(the collage illustration is one of my gluebook spreads)

I’ve been dipping into When Women Stop Hating Their Bodies by Jane R. Hirschmann and Carol H. Munter. One of their ideas to help women ‘legalize’ forbidden foods (and thus come to a healthier attitude about themselves and their bodies) is the Food House Fantasy. They suggest you imagine a place that is your Food House; in it is all the food you’ve ever wanted.

Once you’ve done this, they ask you to consider your fantasy house. What was it like? How did it feel when you entered it? What happened?

I did this and realized that when I was imagining my fantasy house, it was actually kind of hard to concentrate on the food part of the fantasy. I realized that for me, it was not so much about food as it was about love. The main presence in my fantasy food house is a loving grandmotherly lady, making sure I get everything I need. Maybe I could think of her as the Theotokos.

In pondering all of this, I realize that my eating issues are not so much about the foods I eat (or feel I shouldn’t allow myself to eat!) as they are about that feeling of being loved and knowing you’re getting everything you need. And I need to know that there is a kindly Someone — the Theotokos, my Guardian Angel, God, even me! — that wants Kristin to get everything she needs.

Hmmm. Must repeat that. Everything she needs. Everything she needs. Everything I need. Which is, truth be told, much less than I usually put in my mouth!

There’s no place like Home, eh? Or maybe I should say that it’s never too late to create that Home-ish feeling for yourself.

(the illustration? One of my collages)

This is one of my collages. The text (in Japanese, I think!) is from Luke 15: “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Artists Trading Cards are fun. Here are some of mine.

I should note, particularly in reference to the top card shown, that these are not icons. Nope. I don’t make icons. I guess you could say I make collages influenced by my experience as an Orthodox Christian.

I’ve always liked cutting and pasting and I’ve recently found some folks online who enjoy this as much as I do. Gluebooks are a cross between art journals and collage. There are some Yahoo Groups of people who are into doing this stuff: ‘gluebooks‘ and ‘gluebots’ are two I know about. And I’ve seen some gluebooks on Flickr.

Here, lifted from the site of the Yahoo ‘gluebooks’ group, are The Official Gluebook Rules:

1. Find a book. Any book. Spiral bound, blank, composition, used, old, new, whatever—it’s your gluebook.2. Find some glue. Any glue you like—you’re the one who is going to use it.

(The pics here? Some of my gluebook spreads)

The best way to go to ensure that you get a michiyuki or haori that fits you is to have one made or make it yourself. Folkwear, bless ‘em, has developed a great michiyuki pattern. Haori, too.

This blog functions really well as a filing system for me. When I write about something here, I have a way to retrace my steps on the Net when I can’t remember how to find something or what it was called.So the next time someone admires my headband, I’ll know that I can tell them to find Headbenz right here. Or here.

Also from Holy Nativity Convent, this neat and blessedly inexpensive laser-engraved maple pendant.

Only $10.00. Engraved on 1/4 inch solid maple. 1 1/8 inches by 1 1/8 inches. Black neck cord is included. Catalog number L132.

If you’re having a hard time finding them locally, Holy Nativity Convent is a great source for those little icon pins.

Their button crosses are pretty nifty, too.