Started new limited palette oil painting (blues/turquoise). Work in progress. #art #painting #KindledConnection

On this #Thanksgiving weekend, we wish safe travels to all as we pause our #Spiritchat for Sunday, Nov 30. We will meet next on Sunday Dec 7 at 9amEST / 2pm UTC. Peace and light to all ~ 🙏🏽😌

Happy Thanksgiving to those who may be celebrating today. And a wish of gratitude and love for all.

Just finished three quick sketches of foreshortened figures. #art #drawing #Charcoal

Just finished a black-on-black oil #painting on 16×20-inch canvas. #art #kittens #cat #Spiritchat #KindledConnection

Working on multiple paintings at the moment, including my first mini oil painting on a 2.5×3.5-inch panel board. #art #painting #landscapes #KindledConnection #Spiritchat

Join us for a live #bluesky conversation in #Spiritchat, Sunday Nov 23 at 9amEST / 1pm UTC / 730pm India ~ Topic: On Growing Gratitude Host: @ajmanik.bsky.social #spirituality #growth #autumn

Started playing around with some soft #pastels and #charcoal pencils on black paper. #art #drawing #KindledConnection

Just completed a graphite and #charcoal abstract #drawing. #art #painting #KindledConnection

Recently, I published a blog post featuring an #artist I admire: Jimena Agra. Yesterday, I received a package from her in the mail that include three prints of some of her #paintings and a thank you card. I love them! #art #gratitude

Just started and finished an alla prima #painting with a 2-hour time limit. Alla prima means you paint it all in one sitting/session. #oils #art #KindledConnection

We pause the live chat in #Spiritchat on Sunday, Nov 16 (family retreat weekend) ~ let us gather again on #bluesky, Sunday Nov 23 at 9amEST. Peace and light to all 🙏🏽😌

Finished white charcoal fish drawing. #art #drawing #painting #KindledConnection

White charcoal #drawing on 18x22-inch black mixed media paper. #art #KindledConnection

Finished mark making #painting. Oil on 16x20-inch canvas. #art #spiritchat #KindledConnection

Todays' #art project updates. First, started my new #drawing (simple sketch for now) assignment with white charcoal and eventually, white China marker on 18x24 inch mixed media paper. Finished drawing of rose in graphite. And more progress made on 'Van Gogh' style #painting. #spiritchat

Today’s progress pics on latest #painting and graphite #drawing. I anticipate that I will be able to finish the drawing tomorrow. #art #Spiritchat

A8) Mind/body connection (and heart/soul) or thoughts and feelings. Establishing proper boundaries can help when needed. (Knowing where you end and others begin). Changing what can be changed. i.e. work out of alignment with highest good? Find different work, etc. #spiritchat

This is beautiful... yes... we have no idea of the depth and breadth of the healing power of the heart 💙 🙏🏽 #Spiritchat

A7) For me, I need to find space where I am alone with stillness, connecting with my breath in order to be present and aware of my body, and often a combination of music, favorite books, and activities I enjoy such as painting or playing piano. #spiritchat

A5 Unification of heart and mind eases stress on the body, making for a fulfilling, healthy life. #SpiritChat

A6) Interesting question. I'm not sure of the correct answer. I can only say that what comes to mind is trauma. When someone experiences trauma, that person's entire nervous system CHANGES. So in that sense, one cannot return to original wholeness, but a different wholeness. #spiritchat

A5) It brings peace, clarity, and harmony to one's life. #spiritchat

I have heard it said that “Nothing is every truly lost... every fragment of our life is held gently by the beholder... we simply forget the beholder” #unification #Spiritchat

A4) I would say the first step to re-unification is awareness and mindfulness. i.e. For a dissociated person, they have to become mindfully present in order to 'return' to their own body. Breathing meditation is one method and one can begin noticing the sensations in the body. #spiritchat

A2. A hurried world. Stress. Many interests. Work life imbalances. There are lots of reasons we feel fragmented. #SpiritChat

A2 disunity is caused by people pleasing and not honoring our boundaries #spiritchat

A3) This topic also reminds me of compartmentalization. This is often how people can lead 'double lives'. As for this question, feeling detached from the body comes to mind. If we dissociate, we are no longer paying attention to what our body is trying to tell us. #spiritchat

A2) Trauma, some of it is taught such as socially acceptable lies when we say 'I'm fine' even when you are dying inside, when people are forced to do things that go against their heart such as soldiers in war, or work demands, etc. #spiritchat

A1) It reminds me of something I've shared here in the past. How sometimes in life I will feel so scattered from work or busyness, that I feel like I've left parts of myself everywhere I went, and how I need time to regather those parts of myself to become whole again. #spiritchat

Today’s #painting and #drawing progress. First, continuing the mark making oil painting but focused more on tree roots and lower branches. Second, continuing progress on graphite drawing on 18×24-inch newsprint. #Art #Spiritchat #KindledConnection

Join us for a #bluesky chat in #Spiritchat ~ Sunday Nov 9 at 9amEST / 2pmUTC / 730pm India Topic: Unifying the Fragments bit.ly/sc140-unify25 🍀 Host: @ajmanik.bsky.social 🙏🏽😌 #spirituality #unity #wholeness #healing

Looking forward to David Whyte's next Three Sunday Series on The Mythology of Ireland. Starts this Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 10 am PST/ 1 pm EST. #Spiritchat #KindledConnection #DavidWhyte #poet #poetry davidwhyte.substack.com/p/last-call-...

Today's progress pic on mark making #painting (in the style of Van Gogh). Oil on 16x20-inch canvas. #art #VanGogh

Started two new art projects today: First, the start of a realism #drawing in graphite. (on 18×24-inch newsprint) Second, stated a new mark making #painting in the style of Van Gogh. First time trying this style of painting. 16×20-inch canvas painted in black acrylic as the base layer.

Latest update on realism oil painting. The area I struggled the most with was achieving a very thin, controlled line with the paintbrush. However, it was an enjoyable exercise and a nice break from painting on the larger 16×20-inch canvas as this was only 8×10 in size. #spiritchat #art #painting

I write and then burn what I want to let go. This practice has helped me many times. A7 #SpiritChat

Now that I look back, maybe one reason why #Spiritchat came into being was so that we all could share our stories... of life, of living, of dying, and of #remembrance #Spiritchat A7

A9) Have the courage to truly see others. Look them in the eye. NOTICE their circumstances. Do what you CAN for others. (not what you can't) Challenging in todays' busy world. #spiritchat

A7 a conversation I've had this week...how quickly folks fade from memory unless we tell their stories. Stories keep them alive and give us context for our own lives...our own stories. #spiritchat

A7) This makes more sense now, Kumud. Thank you. In this context, the Serenity Prayer is helpful. I'm not an alcoholic but a child of several. 'accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can and the wisdom to know the difference.' #spiritchat

Love this! #spiritchat

A7: Memory is inaccurate; for those who remember BASF cassette tapes and how they go wobbly, that's a good metaphor. It's also subjective, as the great Richard Bandler would re-quote "The Map is Not the Territory". Our view from our seat on the bus is different from everyone else's. #spiritchat

A6: it is best to forget (n forgive) so mamy things - events, people, cases, issues - for our own good n tranquility. #spiritchat

A7) Is this a dementia question? (grins) #spiritchat

A6: #spiritchat forgetting stress and worry for a while is the best feeling. Freeing your mind from it does wonders and it can offer new perspectives.

Three things that have helped me on my spiritual journey so far ~ Remember who made you Remember who you are Remember where you are going #remembrance #Spiritchat A4

Loving what is, loving what was, and being grateful for all that brought me to this present moment. 💕A5 #SpiritChat

A6) There came a point in my life where I truly felt it no longer necessary to keep dredging up the past. i.e. counseling/therapy for abuse survivors has it's place but at different point in life, it is not always necessary/helpful to dig up everything again. #spiritchat

A5: Well, that's been a long journey the last 8 years. After year 7 of losing my daughter, I found ways to begin to remember the fun and happiness we had, and that lessens the pain over time, although of course it never goes away completely. Why would it? Here's a painting of hers #spiritchat 💜