Storm (of the X-Men) has always been my favorite superhero! Her ability to channel the elements, fly, and speak in such a succinct and powerful way…not to mention her beauty and focus on always doing the right thing…made her stand out among all other superheroes. Recently, while reading Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Spiritual Law of Superheroes, I – Read More –
As I was looking for cool art today, I got sucked into the amazing world of Roy Lichtenstein. But before I caption this piece, I’m going to give you insight into my routine for selecting content :)
My process in selecting material for the website is a process ha! I often have a concept in mind and look for the perfect image to portray it…or I have nothing in mind and search images for inspiration. Today fell into the latter category. While searching, I usually have music playing in the background…
And just as I was studying the featured piece by Roy (Girl In Mirror), I was listening to Bad Habits by Maxwell. My brain caught fire when he started singing, “Girl there’s no one as bad, no one as bad as you” around the 2:07 mark of the song. So naturally, I had to go with this image! ;) Now for my caption:
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I love the image of starting your morning by grabbing a mirror and saying into it, “There’s no one as bad as YOU!” ha! I love it :) Some may view this as narcissism, but I see it as self-love. (The fine line here is not taking that self-confidence and turning it into feelings of superiority. Once you believe you are better than others, you are lost. Understanding that you can love yourself and appreciate the beauty in others is key. No one is better or worse than anyone else…we are all unique and wonderful emanations of the Creator :)
If you don’t love yourself, who will? (If you don’t love yourself, you won’t even believe that love from others is real or true!) Loving yourself as you are and being content with what you have is so critical for happiness.
If you always defer your self-acceptance until something changes [e.g. I’ll love my body when I lose 10 pounds], you will never be satisfied. When you reach that goal, you’ll find a new one [e.g. I’ll love my body when my face clears or after I have that enhancement surgery]. This is the Ego at work…and it’s happiest when you’re constantly chasing new goals instead of having an appreciation for where you are and what you have.
Things will always change. Being grounded in the now and loving yourself as you are right now is all that you need to work on building your self-confidence and self-love. And honestly, there’s no one as bad as you! ;)
Yanni (1954-present) is a Greek pianist, keyboardist, and world renowned composer and music producer. His songs are magical, but “The Rain Must Fall” (from his performance Live at the Acropolis) will always hold a special place in my heart because of the out-of-this-world solo violinist performance by Karen Briggs (goose bumps start at 4:07 mark!). I will always remember – Read More –
Zen painting is a form of meditation. The paintings are created on rice paper so that corrections cannot be made. In this way, the mind has nothing to do while painting. The artist simply paints without thought of correction, creating brush strokes with the feeling of the moment. Zen painting also honors nature and incorporates – Read More –
“The tendency of our childish nature is to take small things too seriously and get easily offended, whereas when we are confronted with situations that have long-term consequences, we tend to take things less seriously.” – Dalai Lama Let us celebrate life (in full color!), move past the small stuff, and look after those serious matters – Read More –
Perhaps one of the best known Egyptian queens [and a personal favorite] is Nefertiti, meaning, “the beautiful one has come”.
Known for her great beauty, Queen Nefertiti was married to Pharaoh Amenhotep IV [who later changed his name to Akhenaten], and ruled by his side. Together, Nefertiti and Akhenaten, are most known for establishing Aten [the Sun] as the sole deity…a dramatic departure from the traditional polytheistic beliefs of the Egyptians. The two were depicted riding in chariots together and even kissing, suggesting a genuine romantic connection.
Nefertiti is thought to be one of the most powerful women who ever ruled, and her husband went to great lengths to display her as an equal counterpart in artistic depictions of the time. Queen Nefertiti is shown wearing the crown of the pharaoh and even smiting enemies in battle, illustrating her great power.
Maurits Cornelis Escher (1892 – 1972) was a brilliant graphic artist. Known for mind-bending [and sometimes headache inducing!] structures, Escher’s art spanned lithographic prints, woodcuts and wood engraving. He produced thousands of drawings and sketches and has left an inspirational body of work which continues to confound and delight.
Escher decided to bypass his original study of architecture and pursue graphic art instead. Perhaps Gaudi was inspired to follow the opposite path :)
Antoni Gaudi [1852-1926] became Barcelona’s most famous architect. With designs that could only have been born from the most creative imagination, Gaudi’s works redefined the city of Barcelona…and have made it somewhat of a Mecca for art enthusiasts.
Though most known for his work on Sagrada Familia [“Church of the Holy Family” in Barcelona dedicated to Jesus Christ and his earthly parents, Joseph and Mary], the Casa Battlo [rooftop pictured above] captured my attention during a visit to Barcelona. The myriad of colorful tiles make it stand out from all of the surrounding buildings.
Several people have asked me about the meaning behind the Selena Sage logo. It’s an excellent question and, I think, worthy of its own post!
I created this logo through the combination of two powerful symbols: the Enso and the Taoist Trigram for Heaven. The enso represents existence [outer circle] and the void [space within the circle], when Heaven is placed inside, the logo symbolizes my key belief that HEAVEN LIES WITHIN.
Read more for additional detail about the symbols: