I suspected from the outset that Sicily DeMiglio, artist of the 10 canvass Tree of Life series that now enriches my home, was an angel sent to help me honor and actualize the theme underlying my move to the Bay area after spending first half century of this lifetime in Chicago: choose life, live life, embrace life, nurture life. (I miss and still love Chicago, but it was time to be here now!) The story, of course, began before we met.
The Tree of Life project has been an incredible, magical, unexpected, and life affirming journey, unfolding with ease, serendipity, and connection. But it wasn’t on the radar at the outset of creating my new space. I had to first apply the important life maxim (which every aspect of moving cross-country had reinforced, but I had allowed in my excitement to lapse) that things fall more easefully into place when we listen to our hearts and follow. When I slowed enough to listen after a beginning phase of post-escrow decoration frenzy, a clear, seemingly out-of-nowhere voice (thank you!) informed me of the obvious: if I was ever going to have a feng shui consultation, the time was now, with this new, empty, open space!
The idea for the Tree of Life was seeded during my first in a lifetime feng shui consultation, by Jillian Brorby. I found Jillian through a network of Bay area woman called The Brain Exchange -- interesting since the project is so much about heart -- courtesy of a dear, long-term friend of my amazing sister (what if they weren’t so close and wonderful?). Though the Exchange offered up many consultant names, I intuited right away (how do those things happen?) that Jillian was the right person to ask to provide guidance about the energy of my blank slate new place. Jillian cleared the space's energy and gave me lots of good advice, much of which I've implemented already, along with creative ideas from a terrific interior designer, Laura Martin Bovard (whose realtor husband Scott had been at the helm many a long hour helping me find the right place).
Just as the feng shui consult was seeming to end, I shared a thought that seemed to bubble up uninvited, needing to be heard: that no matter where I dabble spiritually, it always seems to come back to a theme common to most mystical traditions, connecting Heaven and Earth. Suddenly, looking at the two story living room expanse, Jillian proclaimed: you need to have a tree of life. As she writes me that night, "a Tree of Life with roots in the Earth, flowering abundance in heaven." That felt immediately right. So I chose to embrace it -- after all, its life! I know it probably can't be a living tree -- allergies. I began thinking art of some kind, maybe sculpture. I’d never commissioned art, except once long ago, a wonderful duvet cover (sun on one side, moon on the other) created by an artist from my early days of yoga class; its not a role I see myself in, but the Tree project somehow offered a way home. But how to make it happen? I have a bunch of folks in Chicago arts community I could explore this with, but here?
So I’m sharing this story with a new friend, Amba, who had given me critical advice that allowed me to purchase the condo in the first place. Might she know any local artists, perhaps spiritually-based ones from her days when she was very active in the local branch of an international ashram (the one where the author of Eat Pray Love is from, she tells me)? Amba enjoys the story, but can’t think of anyone in particular for the Tree; she also is overcome by business calls, and doesn't have time to brainstorm or hang out any more that afternoon, as we had hoped. So I leave Café Gratitude grateful for the friendship, but with no fun plans for the afternoon and no artist (as far as I knew) for the project, feeling alone and stuck about how to proceed with the Tree. I figure, take a break, let it go for awhile, something will come up. (If she hadn’t been pressed to get back to work, who knows?)
I drive to the condo building; its one of the days I’m able to pick up the keys for the new place (if it wasn’t, who knows?). I get to the sales office and the right person isn't available (If she was, who knows?). So I take a seat. About 15 feet away, on the computer screen of the young women who greets prospective buyers, suddenly pops up an amazing piece of art. Transfixed, I ask her, what is that??? She says, oh, that's my website. She show’s me a few pages of her site -- not much yet, but what I see totally blows me away. Especially a mural she painted in Bali...wow! I tell her about the project, she blanches, seems to physically pull back. I make sure to be clear that I was talking to a few other people (I had put out a few feelers), that I probably couldn't pay as much as I would want to, etc. But would she like to explore this further? Yes! So I wait for my keys, then go home and study her site www.artbysicily.com.
Her website amazes me. Both her paintings and the connection to spirit /source/light that she brings to them. I email her that night, saying I hope we could work something out, and ask her a few questions. The key one: what were you thinking when I first mentioned this project to you, because I saw you pull back? She said that she was temping at the condo office and wanted to be doing more art. That the night before, she had put a request/prayer into the universe, hoping to manifest an opportunity to start a new spiritually based art project, one she could co-create with someone, in the planning stages at least. And that she had refined the prayer by hand, putting it her desk drawer (perhaps sending it to herself by email as well), just as I entered the office. (Serendipity? Fate? Karma?) I didn’t tell her then, but I was done, cooked...I knew she was the one, the artist to work with.
Over the next weeks, we talked about the project, about heaven and earth, about the tree of life, etc. We connected on many, many spiritual levels -- in the joy of engaging the Mystery of what is, in the belief that while there are many paths they are ultimately All One, etc. We were in synch about her artistic approach to the work, as well. So we made a deal for her to do the work, at a fair price, I think. I had no desire to have an intense negotiation, it was meant to be or not. Indeed, in our short process of reaching agreement, I was aware of a clear sense of purpose to not only treat her fairly, but to support her in every way possible, including by helping improve her business acumen for future projects. I realized that at some level I was channeling my mother, who also had early onset PD: being intentional about helping a good hearted young adult to take flight...to thrive...for their sake, and because of what they can do for the world. That became a very important piece of our process for me. Sicily is amazing, and the world needs to hear more from her.
The story keeps getting better. Sicily and her guy, both of whom are very active in the same ashram mentioned above (coincidence?), come over on my birthday and lead a darkly-lit, no-real-furniture-here-yet, call and response chant...ending with a harmonium supported kirtan version of Beat It, which my seven year old nephew had proclaimed his favorite song (he's the one drumming on the left, when the chant had morphed into Billy Jean http://www.youtube.com/watch?
While the Tree is a universal idea, it has special meaning in Judaism that I wanted Sicily to be aware of. Not to learn facts and figures, but to allow an infusion of Jewish mystical thought; wherever it led, or didn’t lead, would be fine. She reads much of a kabbalah text written by one of my favorite rabbi-teachers, comes to listen to chant by another wonderful rabbi touring to promote her book about living life according to the affirmative teachings of the Song of Songs (amazing!), accepts an stunningly beautiful and supportive blessing from a Jewish elder (which seems to blow her away), and meets my wonderful rabbi and teacher (who has been so supportive of my move to the Bay area all along!), who performs a touching blessing for both the home and the project. And of course Sicily is busy studying perspectives from other traditions about the Tree, doing her own research about trees, becoming more aware of and in tune with trees...getting a clear sense about what she wants to create.
It’s time to paint. Sicily turns my never before occupied 2nd bedroom into her studio. I trust her totally. She comes and goes as she pleases, with her own set of keys. She paints for about an hour or two a day, sometimes longer, usually three or more times a week, taking time off to break when needing to rest or until called back by Spirit when the time is right. If I am home when she is painting, I’ll help select and enjoy the music being played while she paints, lots of kirtan, Jewish chant, spiritual music from other traditions, soaring and ecstatic new age and world music -- all good stuff, infusing the work and reinforcing the notion of “All One.” If we talk, its about the tree of life, or just life itself, almost every time reinforcing our similar world views. (Other days, if I'm having a rough time, I may stay asleep upstairs cloistered in my bedroom, unaware that she was even downstairs painting.)
Sicily makes the point of shutting the studio door when she leaves. She tells me that her work is layered, and will look very different along the way, until the Light guiding her lets her know the work is done. My spiritual practice becomes not to peek. Or at least to try. And to trust that whatever appears on the canvasses will be perfect, by definition. Towards the end, when Sicily wishes comments, I share them. She is wanting everything to be just right and to my satisfaction. For me, a courteous but unneeded step. I had a very clear sense all along that the process was so magical and beautiful, that whatever came out from it was almost unimportant -- it was already perfect, already a huge success.
And the time comes! We spend the better part of a day watching the 10 canvasses being installed on two walls in my home (about 20 feet high), Sicily guiding the process to make sure the placement captures the energy of her creation, my sister graciously capturing it on film and video. We are amazed, excited, and very happy as the canvasses find their spots. During the time she was painting, we only saw them one or two at a time, and always close up. It was one thing to imagine them hanging. But watching them being hung, one by one, each in its own right wonderful, all together more compelling and thought provoking than might have been expected, wow! Indeed, the end product, Sicily’s Tree of Life series, is as at least as special as the process had been -- and added, lifelong bonus, which has already prompted some creative thinking and writing on the themes involved. It keeps me in touch with Spirit and the joy of this project everyday.
What an amazing journey this has been, what an extraordinary, life affirming process. I’m loving that Sicily’s Tree is up on the walls, and that she’s happy with her work. I feel incredibly blessed that the stars aligned and everything fell into place. And I dearly hope that the Tree takes root and quickly becomes a welcoming and inspirational calling card for community activity, its highest and original purpose.
I’ve been asked if this all came about because of health issues I am confronting. I don’t think of or experience this project in terms of PD or other health concerns, which are just part of life. To me, it’s simply a deep and wonderful project that grew symbiotically with, and created much joy in, putting together my home. But then again, there's no way I would have gone “all in “ on this, as an expense for art, perhaps especially by a young artist, when there were seemingly other more important, fear based, real world things to be focusing on. So its interesting to know, in my gut, I probably wouldn’t be in California, this condo, or on a high about the project if I was still healthy...and its perhaps more interesting that I've done well enough with the internal stairs that I haven't put in a chair lift just yet, as originally planned.
Thank you Sicily, and everyone who supported and continue to support this effort! And for the Mystery that allowed for it and made it happen.
Mark
August 2010
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