theusedlife

Woman of the Flowers

She sprouted love like flowers, grew a garden in her mind, and even on the darkest days, from her smile the sun still shined. – Erin Hanson I spent most of the day yesterday readying my home for spring. While I haven’t begun tidying up my outdoor space yet (that will probably be next weekend’s…
Stay Close to the Cosmos IV

Cosmic Field, paper collage, 2025 All real living is meeting. – Martin Buber If you want to create a revolution within yourself, stop treating your environment like an “it”—like it has no soul, like it exists for your use and to satisfy your needs. Try meeting your environment instead and treating it like the living,…
Total Goddess: A Gateway to Consciousness

I find it helpful to think of the feminine archetypes as potential sources of inner power. If I can consciously harness their energy, they will serve as a wellspring of richness, texture, and vitality in my life, as well as a source of distinctly feminine strength. If I am able to understand them in a…
The self is the seed that germinates all others.

Artwork by Willow from Thelostcauldron Since I resumed this self-fashioning project in January, I feel as if I have been working at a break-neck pace. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see this project finally come together, to see the blocks I had experienced when I began this project suddenly and rather inexplicably removed. I am…
The Gardener

Artwork by Elowen Digital if you see me in heaventell the gardener i lived sumptuously as pomegranates do I awoke this morning with a desire to publish a post on the subject of creating ambiance, or ambient spaces, which is something I very much enjoy. I have a deep love of beautiful things and, whether through…
On Receptivity

The receptivity of the artist must never be confused with passivity. Receptivity is the artist’s holding him or herself alive and open to hear what being may speak. – Rollo May I know artists whose medium is Life itself, and who express the inexpressible without brush, pencil, chisel, or guitar. They neither paint nor dance.…
The Natural Healer

It perhaps goes without saying that there are certain archetypal influences, or trends, in our personalities that are more dominant than others. That emerge more frequently and that exert a more profound influence than others. One of those trends, for me, is that of the natural healer. “Natural healer” is my term based on my…
On Feeling Pretty

I view the feminine within, first and foremost, as a source of vitality. When I am in sync with the feminine, I feel very strongly myself. I experience myself in a way that feels powerful, sensual, radiant, and very much alive. When I have gone too long without tending to the inner feminine—that is, when…
On Nurturing

Artwork by Elowen Digital I do not have children, and for a long time, I believed that raising a child was the singular most important role of the “mother” or “divine mother” archetype. As I’ve matured and gotten to know myself better, of course, I have come to realize that belief was false. Like all…
Bloom & Other Art

Bloom, paper collage, 2025 Here are some new experiments in collage art. I hope you enjoy this collection.