Introduction of Skeleton Woman Story as Creative Process

 SKELETON WOMAN:

Creative Process as Riding Life's Cycles 
                                                   

Corselet of Death

The archetype of Deathin our culture is often perceived as destrction, the end of something. Another interpretation, however, is that life follows death in a cycles. It is really the cycle of life/death/life, as it is in nature, the process of creativity. 

Lady Death is the elemental feminine nature which demands our 'instinctual  participation' in the only story there is, the story of Life. In the Skeleton Women story she is the disused and misused Life/Death/Life force. In her vital and resurrected form, she governs the intuitive and emotive ability to complete the life cycles of birthing and dying, grieving and celebration....She can tell when it is time for a place, a thing, an act, a group, or a relationship to die..." She knows of endings and beginnings of life.
 
In the Inuit story of Skeleton Woman, a young woman has been thrown into the sea by her father, and in time has turned into a tangle mess of bones. She is hooked by a fisherman who thinks that he has caught a great fish. When he turns back from his net into her mossy bald skull terrified he starts out paddling for his life, he hits land, running until he reaches his village. Clutching his fishing pole the whole way he hears her at his heels. When he finally dives into his snowhouse he thinks that he is safe at last. But as he lights his lamp he sees that he has brought her home with him.

As he gets over his fright, for some reason in the soft ight, he begins to set her bones in order and wraps her in warm furs singing as he works. He crawls into his sleeping furs and falls asleep. In the night, she comes close to him to drink his one glistening tear to satisfy her many years of thirst. She then reaches into his chest taking the drum of his heart to sing on her flesh, and "all the other things that a women needs". She returns his heart, undresses him and joins him as men and women do. They spend the night together and it is said that they were prosperous and happy together all their living days.

The enormous misunderstanding of our civilization is that DEATH is not followed by more DEATH, but by LIFE!! This understanding changes the way we look at everything beginning with polarity.

Skeleton Woman story is an invitation to resurrect your creative self inspired by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Jungian analyst and storyteller, I believe corresponds to aspects of Transformational Painting or any other creative process.

Introduction of the Inuit Story of Skeleton Woman as Model for Creative Process: riding life's cycles 

Part I The Invitation: synchronicity, dreamtime & imagination

Signing up to paint. 

Part II Initiation: mindless or mindfulnness

Process throughout.
Part III Concentration: authenticity & creativity
The Painting.
Part IV Undefended Love: surrender
Release the past patterns.

Part V Transformation through Emotional Presence: transmutation & synergy 
Deep engagement
Part VI Calling Forth Heart: Developing a new center  
Fleshing-out your wholeness
Part VII Alchemy of Spirit: Spirit & Material Dance
Recognizing the Journey

As the Tibetian Buddhist say, we are here to practice transcendence and if we do not take the everyday opportunity to meet our small deaths we will not be prepared for the journey of our birth out of physical life. I encourage you like the fisherman in the story, to align the scrambled structure that supports feminine creativity and let her have her way with you by initiating you into the true cycle of Life, which is the cycle of Birth/Death/Birth.